Friday, June 21, 2013

Quiet flows the Teme

Rhwng Gwy a Hafren, the lands between the Severn and the Wye, they don't receive much consideration from our Welsh historians.  It's not as if they didn't play an important part in the history of our country - there's a reason why Llywelyn was killed at Cilmeri* and Owain Glyndwr's most important victory was won on the banks of the Lugg.  This area was the strategic key to Wales; if Maelienydd and Elfael resisted the enemy, and they usually did, then the territorial integrity of the Cymry was a tad more secure..

Everyone knows that the Severn and the Wye flow eastwards into England, but I wonder how many are conscious of those other Radnorshire rivers that head eastward into the English heartlands, the Teme, the Lugg and the Arrow.  The Teme in particular is a fairly important stream, I was surprised to discover that it is the 16th longest in the UK and longer, for example, than the Mersey, the Tyne, the Tees or the Dee.  Given the sparsity of population and its geographical openness to England, it's something of a minor miracle that the English language took a thousand years to extend its grip from Knighton to Rhayader.

* Or was it Aberedw?

4 comments:

Fferllys said...

Thinking about the history of Rhwng Gwy a Hafren, perhaps Radnorian may have a view on the topic:

Someone came up with a design for a county flag for Radnorshire, as part of a campaign to encourage county flags. The debate started here:
http://flags.abcounties.com/2012/01/01/radnorshire/

If Radnorshire was or even wished to have a flag at all, what should its design appropriately be, in a way that spoke to the history of this part of Rhwng Gwy a Hafren?

radnorian said...

If Radnorshire was to have a flag - and I'm far from convinced - then Argent, a boar's head couped sable, langued gules, tusked or.

Certainly no gold and blue

Ben baedd yn erbyn byddin!

Fferllys said...

I'm far from convinced too, but concerned that county flag campaigners may come up with a flag without any real knowledge of the history of Radnorshire, and persuade the local council etc to adopt it!

Ben baedd yn erbyn byddin! - what a great line! What would we have done without Lewis Glyn Cothi?

Fferllys said...

P.S. ...and I agree also: no gold and blue!