The effort has been made to present each county, as far as possible, from its earliest known history — rejecting all legend and romance — as in a sense a zmz'ly. Although all counties, as counties, are comparatively recent, the districts of which they are composed have for many hundred years been in the main under the governance of a few great historic families, and have in one sense or other had a common vitality and interest. At the same time, in treating of the local, it has been necessary to bear in mind its organic relation to the general and imperial. The fragmentary annals of the counties, therefore, while giving what is of imme diate local interest, when put together constitute an outline History of Wales. In accumulating the information embodied in the following pages, a large outlay of time and personal labour has been required. The whole country has been actually visited. Descriptions and accounts have been given from personal inspection; facts, dates, names, have been obtained from the documents or direct testimony of the Families recorded.
