John Leland's Itinerary in Wales - Historical texts and images

This est ripe of Ogor up from the mouth of it to Penbont 155 hath good corn and gresse
ground, but litle wood.
Half a mile above Ogor Castelle cummith. Wenny 156 Ryver into Ogor by the est ripe.
Wenny risith about a 5. or 6. miles by north est from this place, and cummith into Ogor
by south west on the est ripe of it.
Apon the est ripe of Wenny in Terbrennine a mile above the mouth of it lyith Wenny
Priory, and a litle above on the same ripe is Cornetoun,, and a litle upward is Milter Ouer
[in] 157 the high-way, and above this Milter Ower the land of both sides of Wenny is caullid
Tershire. Milter Ower, Mile Golden, is in the high-way betwixt Coubridge and Cornton. So
that al the west ripe of Wenny from the mouth to the hedde is in Ter Coite 158 and a piece of
the weste ripe of it above Corneton is in West Thawan almost by a 3. miles upper.
Ther ly by flat northe from Penbont a 2. paroches. Landevodug 159 and Llanginwire 160 vi.
miles of longging to Terbrennine. But Ter Coite lyith bytwixt it and Terbrennine.
West Thawln cummith in agayne at the west side of the mouth of Oggor, and so goith
from the mouth of it a 4. miles on the west ripe above Pennebont, and there metith with
fo. 68.
West Thawan
by Severn
shore.
Teryarlth,
the erles
landes.
Teryarlth. 161 The ground betwixt hath grasse, metly corn and litle wood. Saving
that a mile from above Ogor mouthe the sandes of the se sore hurtith the ground.
Martyr Maur 162 (Mr. Stradelings place), a fair manor place /29/of stone,
standith on this west ripe a mile above Ogor mouth.
At Penbont almost 2. mile upper ther is a village, wherof that part
that stondith on the weste side of the bridg is caullid Castelle Newith,
and is in West Thawan; and that part of :it that is on the est side of the bridge is
caullid Henecastelle, 163 and is yn Ter brennine.
35
Glamorgan-
From the mouth of Ogor to Newton Notes 164 on the south shore is a 4. miles. This is a
prety village on the est ripe of Tidug 165 and there is a station or haven for shippes. The ground
betwixt hath meatly good corne and gresse, but litle wood. The shore is cliffy.
.....[dug] a litle brok [risith] out of a welle at Llanti- ..... a ii. miles [by nor]th from Newton.
From Newton to Kenfike 166 Ryver a vi. miles. Of these vi. miles 3, be hygh cliffes on the
shore: the other low shore and sandy grounde. For the rages of Severn Se castith ther up much
sand.
155 Bridgend.
156 Ewenny.
156 Leland here interlined his text, and seems to have omitted in. The following sentence he set in the margin, an
after-thought, with the gloss written above, Milter Ower.
158 Tir Coety
159 Llan Dyvodwg
160 Llan Geinor.
161 Tir yr Iarll.
162 Merthyr Mawr.
163 Hen Gastell
164 Newton Nottage.
165 Tythegston.
166 Kenffig.
shire
I hard one say that this Kenfik water is caullid Colebroke.
Ther is a manor place caullid Sker a 2. miles from the shore wher dwellith one Richard
Loughor a gentilman.
There is good corne and gresse but litle wod by 3. or 4 miles from Newton toward Kenfik
on the shore. Kenfike is a smaul broke, and cummith by estimation not past a 3. miles of, out
of the mores there about.
There is a litle village on the est side of Kenfik, and a castel, booth in ruine and almost
shokid and devourid with the sandes that the Severn Se ther castith up.
Kenfik was in the Clares tyme a borow toun. It standith a litle within the mouth of Kenfik
water.
Morgan Abbay and village st[andith] a 2. miles of by north este.
From Kenfik to Aber Avon a 2. miles by low shore, parte morisch and sandy with the
rages of Severn.
Ther is metly good wood about Aber Avon.
There is a poore village on the west ripe of Avon about 2. miles from the mouth of Avon.
This village is caullid Abreavon. 167 The groundes about it be baren and sower. /30/This
village lyith in the great high-way thoroug Glamorganshir. There is an haven for shippes at
the mouth of this Avon.
Avon Ryver cum of 2. armes, wherof that that lyith north est is caullid Avon Vaur, and that
that lyith north west is caullid Avon Vehan. They mete togither at Lanuihengle 168
about a 1. miles above Aberauon village.
From the mouth of Avon to the mouth of Neth 169 Ryver is aboute a ii. miles and a half, al
by low shore shokid with Severn sandes and sum morisch groundes.
The litle toun and castelle of Neth stondith a 4. miles from the mouth of Neth, and the
toun and castelle stondith on the est ripe of Neth.
And on the west ripe a litle lower then the town of Neth was the Abbay of Nethe.
On nother side of Nethe from the mouth thus far is any very good soile. Good pasture
there is in sum places and woodde about Neth. Ther be colles half a mile above the toune of
Nethe in a more,.and again a litle beneth the toun almost in rip[a].
There cummith up shippelettes almost onto the toun of Neth from the Severn. Botes cum
to the very bridge of tymbre that is sumwhat lower on the water then the town.
At the very mouth of Nethe on the est side of it is a litle village of 3. or 4. houses caullid
Britanne Fery 170 to passe to Swansey and Penbrokeshire.
One Lysan a gentilman of auncient stok, but now of mene landes about a xl. li. by the
yere, dwellith in the toune of Nethe.
The Lysans say, that theire familie was there in fame afore the Conquest of the Normans.
Glamorganshire
167 Aber Avon.
168 Michaelston.
169 Nedd, anglicised Neath.
170 Britton Ferry.
36