Arthurian stuff

[Arturus Uriconium]

You set no store in the theory that Owain was king of both Rhos and Gwynedd, taking over the latter from Cadwallon, before being murdered by his nephew Maelgwn Gwynedd (ap Cadwallon) so he could take the throne?

I'm afraid I don't. I don't think Maelgwn/Mailcun did kill Owain. Gildas says he "oppressed" (not murdered as he mentions Maelgwn doing later to others) his avunculus - his maternal uncle - not his patruus and that this happened when Maelgwn was a youth. If the genealogies are right, Maelgwn was far from a youth when his father and uncle died. So it's his mother's brother he "oppressed", and she was supposedly from Arfon. This is another one of those theories that someone has come up with and many others have simply repeated without checking the source.

Of course, what is possible is that Rhos and Gwynedd did go to Owain and he simply died. However, this doesn't help Philips and Keatman's theory, who say he was a king of Powys and that a 10th century manuscript says so. I've looked at that same manuscript and cannot see it!. There are two points here actually: one, no one knows when Powys came into existence, and two, why isn't he listed in the Powys genealogies? Cyngen Glodrydd is probably the 'king' of Powys at the time.

They also site the Berth being the burial site because it's near Baschurch, which they say is the churches of Bassa, but I now believe it more likely to be Basingwork. The biggest hiccup is there have been no post Roman finds at the Berth, although English Heritage have finally agreed to another dig, so maybe things will change.