Princes of Afan

Chapter 2: Seals of Office

An indication of the status of the Princes of Afan can be seen through their seals of office. By the early twelfth century both the Church and important lay figures in Britain were using official wax seals as a means of validation, mainly in response to the proliferation of written documents that appeared during this period. This was especially true of the new religious houses such as Margam Abbey, where the Cistercians were keen to obtain a permanent record of their exchanges with the native Welsh rulers.

 Up to the end of the 13th century the principal seal motif adopted by most of these native rulers was the armed equestrian figure. The use of an armed horseman as the primary image on their seals comes from the 11th century – the oldest known is that of William I. The mounted warrior also fitted in well with the Christian ideology of the triumph of Christianity over paganism. To the local population the portrayal of a leader who was strong in battle and able to protect those who showed allegiance to him would have been a reassuring sight. The equestrian design was therefore an ideal representation for the militarised nobility, the horse-riding companions of kings and princes.

 It is a remarkable fact that the second Prince of Afan, Morgan ap Caradog, is believed to be the very first native Welshman to own a seal for the purpose of validation – the seal shown below. Its exact date is not known, but it is believed to have been used in the middle part of the 12th century.

First equestrian seal of Morgan ap Caradog, second Prince of Afan
Penrice and Margam Ch. 54
By permission of National Library of Wales

Seal of Morgan ap Caradog, second Prince of Afan
Penrice and Margam Ch. 2019
By permission of National Library of Wales

Morgan`s son Lleision ap Morgan is credited with having a rather unusual first seal, shown here, the interpretation of which is still under debate. Dated between 1208 and 1217, it is possible that the figure on the left is Lleision, holding a book or a charter with pendant seal, as if swearing an oath to an important religious figure seated alongside him, who is possibly an embodiment of the Virgin Mary, to whom Margam Abbey was dedicated. It is known that both Lleision and his father Morgan swore oaths on numerous occasions on the holy ancient relics of Margam, which were preserved in a cross hung above the high altar.  An alternative interpretation claims that the object in the hands of the kneeling figure is possibly a crwth, a small stringed musical instrument, or a clarion, possibly denoting the importance of music and poetry amongst the Princes/Lords of Afan.

First seal of Lleision ap Morgan (died c. 1217)
Penrice and Margam Ch. 111
By permission of National Library of Wales

Second seal of Lleision ap Morgan (died c. 1217)
Penrice and Margam Ch. 109
By permission of National Library of Wales

A recent study of the seals used by the Princes of Afan in the 12th and 13th centuries claims that they appear to be expressing not only the status of their owners in the context of society, but also the status of their owner within his own kinship group. The ancient Welsh custom of Cyfran (gavelkind or the partible succession practice of shared inheritance between brothers) always had the potential to undermine the stability of Welsh society, and would certainly have been a debilitating factor when contemplating any long-term strategy of resistance against the Normans. It has been suggested that Morgan ap Caradog and his sons strengthened their position on the frontier of Anglo-Norman settlement by bringing their dynastic holdings into one main unit; this would in effect have meant abandoning the practice of Cyfran in order to consolidate their collective resistance. Their seals, confirming as they do, a single leader, therefore appear to support the argument that Morgan ap Caradog favoured a form of primogeniture. By the end of the 13th century the Afan Wallia dynasty had abandoned the equestrian figure on their seals in favour of images based around a three-chevron symbol, in this way imitating their Anglo-Norman overlords (and kin by marriage) the de Clares.  This was not unusual; after 1300 only the highest nobility still had equestrian seals, while the rest had moved to heraldic symbols.

The seals of the Princes of Afan provide us with a valuable source of historical information on how their society was adapting to rapidly changing circumstances. They were part of a Welsh ruling elite who were not only adept at protecting their fellow countrymen through arms, but were also enlightened and clever diplomats, using those diplomatic strategies to integrate, where appropriate, with the new ruling class. For example, Margam Abbey was built by the Normans; however, without a degree of co-operation from the Princes, particularly during the early stages of planning and building, the Cistercians would have had major problems in establishing their monastery at all. A better understanding of the seals of the princes of Afan provides us with an opportunity to appreciate the dilemma they were in, as guardians of an ancient country whose very existence in the Middle Ages was under severe threat of extinction.

Heraldic arms of the Avene family
Courtesy of Paul R Davies

REFERENCES

NEW, E.A. Lleision Morgan makes an impression: seals and the study of medieval Wales, in Welsh History Review, 26:3, pp. 327-350

McEWAN, J. A. NEW, E.A. and SCHOFIELD, P.  Seals and Society: Medieval Wales, the Welsh Marches and their English Border regions, University of Wales Press, 2016

DAVIES, Thomas Lee, Keeping up with the neighbours: cultural emulation, integration and change in South East Wales. 1050- c. 1350.  PhD thesis, Bangor University 2023