Description
Book SynopsisAn analysis of the interplay of tradition and innovation in the development of kinship from the prehistoric to the medieval period. Kinship was, and remains, a central element in all human societies. This is an historical account of the forms it took in Celtic societies.
Trade Review'Charles-Edwards's erudition is formidable and constantly illuminating ... his vindication of the pioneering scholarly achievement of Eoin MacNeill is striking ... Charles-Edwards's work raises questions and offers insights that should command the attention of students of early medieval societies less well documented than Ireland and Wales.' Times Literary Supplement
'The fruit of many years of labour, this is undoubtedly a substantial contribution to early medieval studies.' Colmán Etchingham, St Patrick's College, Maynooth, EHR Jun. 94
'authoritative study' Matthew Stout, History Ireland, Winter 1994
this erudite book is the fruit of painstaking study, over manyu years, of the relevant legal texts of the two countries ...it makes an important contribution to the study of the laws of the Irish and the Welsh, and it will be a standard work of reference for years to come on the many topics with which it deals * Tomás Ó Cathasaigh, Harvard University, Cambrian Medieval Celtic Studies, Number 33 Summer 1997 *
Table of ContentsList of maps; List of genealogical tables; Note on terminology; Part I. Irish Kinship: The structure of Irish kinship; Irish ruling kindreds; Part II. Welsh Kinship: The shape of Welsh kinship; The Gwely and the Gafael; Part III. Claims to Land by Virtue of Kinship: Irish Tellach; Welsh Dadannudd; Part IV. Kin and Lord; The half-free in Ireland; Irish clientship; Kinship and lordship in Wales; Part V. Kinsman and Neighbour: Kinship and neighbourhood in Ireland; Kinship and neighbourhood in Wales; Conclusion and further reflections; Appendices; Bibliography; Glossary; Index.
