1 - Names, Territories, and Kingdoms

Summary

Asser took his name from the eighth son of Jacob. In so doing he was in good company: a striking number of ecclesiastical figures in early medieval Wales bore Old Testament names – striking because only a few examples are found in other parts of the Insular world. John Reuben Davies links this phenomenon to the taking of Old Testament names by British martyrs during the Roman period, a practice that was preserved by Brittonic-speaking Christians of later centuries. There was more to this than the simple choosing of a name might imply. As Davies observes, it speaks to a strong cultural identity that Brittonic speakers preserved a common naming practice that owed its existence to Roman influence and set them apart from their neighbours.

Names communicate identities: they convey the group(s) to which an individual belongs. But names also construct identities. In a political context, for example, choosing names used by previous dynasties was one way a new dynasty could establish a connection between itself and a particular region. Such a strategy may have been followed by the second dynasty of Gwynedd, the Merfynion, during a period of territorial expansion. Similarly, the descendants of Gruffudd ap Cynan (ob. 1137) bore names that were a nod to past kings of Gwynedd – two of his sons being Cadwallon (ob. 1132) and Cadwaladr (ob. 1172). The language of a personal name could also contribute to the construction of a political identity. It may be significant, for example, that Hywel Dda of Dyfed (ob. 950) and Hywel ap Rhys of Glywysing (ob. 886) gave their children English names – Edwin and Erminthridh respectively. Both kings had close links to the English court: Hywel ap Rhys submitted to Alfred in the 880s, and Hywel Dda's attendance at English assemblies is well documented. In these contexts it is likely that the decision to give their children English names stemmed from a desire to advertise their close relationship with the English kings.

As well as personal names, nicknames and epithets might be drawn upon to express and construct individual identities. These could be adopted by individuals or imposed upon them by others.