Gutun Owain and the scholarly culture of north-east Wales in the later Middle Ages

This new and exciting project, beginning on 1 May 2025, will publish edited texts and translations of poetry by the fifteenth-century polymath Gutun Owain, and will investigate his contribution to the scholarship of his region on the eve of the Renaissance in Wales.

Gutun Owain was one of the most prominent Welsh poets of the later Middle Ages, and he was a scribe and scholar with a particular interest in the fields of history writing, genealogy and bardic grammars. He lived in Dudleston, near Oswestry, where he was part of a vibrant network of literary patrons and fellow scholars which extended across north-east Wales and included not only fellow poets and gentlemen scholars, but also Cistercian abbots of Valle Crucis and Basingwerk.

The significance of Gutun Owain’s scholarship, and his enduring legacy, are being increasingly recognized, but his poetry has received little recent attention. His praise of patrons such as Abbot Thomas Pennant of Basingwerk or members of the Trefor family of Bryncunallt and Pentrecynfrig (near Chirk) does not merely flatter them, it also reveals much about their lives, their interests and how they viewed the world. The other side of the coin, but just as revealing, is the satire he aimed at his fellow poets. As well as making these culturally important poems widely available for the first time, the project will explore key questions about Gutun’s scholarship. How did he and his peers help prepare the ground for the later flourishing of Renaissance scholarship in north-east Wales? And was Gutun himself an early ‘Renaissance man’, in terms of his wide range of interests, his love of learning and his approach to scholarship?

According to project leader, Dr Jenny Day, ‘Gutun Owain is a hugely impressive and influential figure in the literary landscape of medieval Wales and we are delighted to have this opportunity to explore his scholarship and legacy through the medium of his poetry. Bringing his poems to a wider audience is one of our main aims, and all our editions, translations and other project outputs will be freely available online. We look forward to working with Cadw and the National Eisteddfod to highlight Gutun’s importance in the wider context of the literary culture of north-east Wales.’

Susan Mason, Cadw’s head of Lifelong Learning, said, ‘Cadw are delighted to support this important research into such a significant figure in the cultural and literary history of Wales. This project will also enhance our knowledge of the people who populated our rich artistic and historical landscape.’

Betsan Moses, Chief Executive of the National Eisteddfod of Wales, said: ‘This is great and timely news as we approach the Wrexham National Eisteddfod in 2025. This project is important to us as it highlights the north-east’s special contribution to our heritage, and it is key that today’s generations are aware of that legacy and take pride in it.’

Professor Elin Haf Gruffydd Jones, Director of the Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies, said: ‘I wish to warmly congratulate Dr Jenny Day on this successful application to the Arts and Humanities Research Council Catalyst Fund. The project will be groundbreaking in its own right as it builds on the Centre’s foundations, and is therefore timely as we look to celebrate our fortieth anniversary in 2025. Here is a wonderful team of researchers and partners to bring forth this important work.’

Professor Elwen Evans KC, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Wales and the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, said: ‘This is excellent news for the Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies, to be the first in Wales, across all disciplines, to have success with this new fund. I wish Dr Jenny Day and her team the very best in working on this significant research project.’

The project will run from 1 May 2025 to 31 July 2027, will be carried out by Dr Jenny Day, Dr Gruffudd Antur and Dr Martin Crampin, with Professor Ann Parry Owen as advisor.

We gratefully acknowledge the funding provided by the AHRC, part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), for this undertaking.