By: Taliesin Williams
The present town of Cardiff is said, by Caradoc of Llancarvan, to have been built by Iestyn ab Gwrgan, Prince of Glamorgan, in the year 1080, after defeating Rhys ab Tewdwr, Prince of South Wales, who had made an irruption into his territory, and demolished the castle of Dinas Powys, Lantwit Major, and Dunraven. It is however evident that Iestyn only rebuilt it at that period, continuing the ancient Welsh name, derived from its original founder, Aulus Didius. The following extracts convey my Father's opinion on the subject.
"The town of Cardiff was originally founded by Aulus Oidius, called by the Welsh Didi Gawr, about A. D. 53, to curb the Silures, after their renowned Prince, Caractacus, who valiantly withstood all the powers of Rome for nine years, and was victorious over them in more than seventy battles, had been betrayed into the bands of the invaders, by Aragwedd Voeddig, called by the Romans Cartismandua, a Princess of the Brigantes. This town was for many years the seat of the successors of that immortal hero, Princes of Essyllwg (Siluria), which included the present Morganwg or Glamorgan. It was called by the Britons, from its original founder, Caeridi, corrupted by time into Caerdydd, Caerdyf, and Cardiff.
It seems to have fallen into decay, and to have been demolished in the Saxon wars, and rebuilt about the year 900. The Romans called it Ratostabius, whence Roath, and Rhath, the English and Welsh names of a village in the immediate vicinity of the present town, are obviously derived. It was also called Iupupania; from which, possibly, Cwmiwbwb, the Welsh name of a place not far distant is derived. Such was the importance attached to Cardiff, in former periods, which, according to some ancient British poets and historians, the county was, for awhile, named from it, Sir Gaerdydd (Cardiflshire). Among the vestiges of antiquities still to be traced in the neighbourhood are, the Roman road in Pengam marshes; the Roman camp at Rumney bridge; the remains of another on the Heath, and Cardiff town walls, seemingly built on the fosse of a Roman bulwark. The Roman camps at Whitchurch and Caerau, and the foundations at Gwaun Troda, may also be included."— Edward Williams.
The period last mentioned is considerably prior to that given by Caradoc, and seems to rest on the authority of a Welsh manuscript, which states thus:—" A'r Morgan hwn oedd y cyntaf a wnaeth dref a chastell Caerdyf o fewn Caerau Didi Gawr, lie bu Dinas a losgwyd gan y Saeson yu amser Cadwaladr."
And this Morgan (Morgan ab Hywel ab Rhys, king of Glamorgan, about the commencement of the tenth century) was the first that built the town and castle of Cardiff within the fortifications of Aulus Didius, where a town had been before, that was burnt by the Saxons, in the time of Cadwalader:" (about the latter end of the seventh century). The strong probability is, that the town and castle built by Morgan were destroyed in the ravages, as stated by Caradoc, that ensued, and that lestyn rebuilt them.
Among a variety of extracts from ancient historical manuscripts, a Welsh list of the castles of Glamorgan commences thus: "Castell y Ty Gwyn Caerdydd," Jic. "The Castle of the White House, Cardiff, built by Owain ab Morgan, fell into the hands of Robert Fitzhamon; and Robert Earl of Gloucester took it down to construct Cardiff castle." The following notice of a place called Troeda Castle, situated probably on Gwauu Troda, is of a much earlier date:—"In the year 831, the Saxons came, unexpectedly, by night, and burnt the monastery of Senghenydd, which stood where the present castle (Caerphlly) now is; thence they went to the castle of Troeda, and burnt it: they then escaped over the Severn with immense plunder." In the year 111 1, Robert Earl of Gloucester encompassed Cardiff with a wall, and drew a river about the town and castle. Several accounts state that the castle built by lestyn was taken down by Fitzhamon, and rebuilt by him and his successor in a much stronger manner.
