Page 103
CAERMARDEN-SHIRE. CHAPTER IIII.
CAERMARDEN-SHIRE, so cal∣led from the chiefe Town Caer∣marden,* 1.1 lyeth bordered upon the North with Cardiganshire, upon her East, by Breknock and Gla∣morgan-shires; upon the South, with a Bay of the British Seas; and upon the West with Pembroke-shire.
* 1.2(2) The forme of this County is long, and shoot∣eth it selfe from the South-west into the North and by-East, betwixt whose furthest bounds are thirtie-five English miles, and in her broadest part twentie; the whole in circumference about one hundred and two miles.
* 1.3(3) This Shire is not altogether so pestred with hils as her bordering neighbours are: and those that she hath, neither so high nor so thicke, and therefore is better for Corn and Pasturage, yea and in Woods also, so that for victuals this Countrey is very well stored, which the stomacke doth as well digest, the aire being wholesome, temperate, and pleasing.
* 1.4(4) Anciently these parts were possessed by the Dimetre, as P••olemie, Gildas, and Ninius doe name them: though Plinie holds opinion that they were part of the Silures, with whom no doubt they were subdued to the Romanes yoke by Iulius Frontinus, when he struggled with the rocky hils in those Sou∣therne parts.* 1.5 And this Countie is accounted by Writers to be the very strength of South-wales. In the West thereof, at Kilmanlloid (as it should seeme) their Legions kept, where lately an earthen Pot hoarded with store of Romane Coynes,* 1.6 was by the spade digged up, being stamped upon imbased silver, from the time of Commodus unto the first Tribuneship of Gordian the third, which fell in the yeere of Christ two hundred fortie three: and amongst these were the Coines of Helvius Pertinax, Marcus Opellius, Antonius Diadumenianus, Iulius Verus Maximus, the sonne of Maximus, of Caelius Balbinus, of Clodius Pu∣pienus, of Aquilia Severa, the wife of Heliogabalus, and of Sall. Barbia Orbiana, pieces rarely found.
* 1.7(5) The commodities of this Shire chiefly consist in Cattle, Pit-coale, Fowle, and Sea-fish, whereof the Salmon is common among them, and that of such greatnesse and plentie, as no place is better furnished therewith then the Shire-Town Caermarden is.
* 1.8(6) Which Towne by Ptolemie is called Mari∣dunum; by Antonine the Emperour, Muridunum; by the Britaines, Caerfridhin; and by us, Caermarden. It is pleasantly seated upon the South-west side of the River Touy, that runneth thorow the middest of this Shire, and falleth South from hence into the British Sea, where before-times was a convenient Haven for Ships arrivage, but now is sore pestred with sands and shelfes: notwithstanding some small Vessels ascend up the River, even unto the Bridge of this Towne, which is fairely built of free stone. And over the same, upon a hanging Rocke, standeth a very large Castle, from whose stone-wall another intermingled with brick rangeth about the Towne, being in circuit one thousand and foure hundred paces. The Inhabitants of this place doe not a little glory of their Merlin, who (as they say) was therein borne, the sonne of a bad Angel, or of an Incubus spirit, the Britaines great Apollo, whom Geffrey ap Ar∣thur would ranke with the Scoth-saying Seer, or ra∣ther with the true Prophets themselves; being none other then a meere Seducer and phantasticall Wi∣zard:* 1.9 which howsoever Alani de Insulis in his Com∣mentaries hath laboured to unlock those darke and hidden Similies, wherewith his book is pestred and full, yet was it not without cause forbid the read∣ing by the Councell of Tren••, as vaine, and not worthy of countenance or credit.
At the entrance of the Normans, this Towne was brought under their obedience, and for a long time was distressed with the calamities of warre, yet after∣wards was made by the English Princes the Chaun∣cery and Exchequer for all South-wales: and at this day is yeerely governed by a Major, who ever after is an Alderman and Justice of the Peace, two Sheriffes elected out of sixteene Burgesses, all of them in skar∣let, a Sword-bearer, a Town-clerke, and two Sergeants with Maces: from whence the Pole is raised 52. de∣grees 15. minutes in Latitude, and for Longitude is in the degree 15. and 30. minutes from the first point in the West, according to Mercator.
(7) East from this place are the ruines of Carreg-Castle,* 1.10 which stood mounted on a high hill, under the which many vaults and spacious Caves farre into the ground are seene, wherein is thought the people unable to fight, were therein secured in time of their warres. Where also is a Well (take the report from Giraldus, who writeth it) that in this place twice in foure and twentie houres ••bbing, and twice flowing, re∣sembleth the unstable motions of the maine Sea.
(8) This Shire is watered with twenty-eight Ri∣vers and Riverets of name,* 1.11 strengthened with ten Castles, traded in six Market-Towns, divided into six Hundreds, wherein are seated fourescore and seven Parish-Churches, whose names are inserted in the Table following.