Humour, Authority, and the March: Revisiting Gerald’s Quicksand

While touring Wales and the Welsh Marches to promote recruitment for the Third Crusade, Gerald de Barri attempted to cross the river Neath and got stuck in the mud. This episode in the Itinerarium Cambriae is well trodden ground; it features in critical introductions to the Itinerarium and in scholarly treatments of the text to demonstrate Gerald’s egocentric personality and as an ideal example of the kind of amusing anecdote Gerald brings to his account of medieval travel. This paper revisits this episode and the subsequent joke Gerald records concerning the challenging river crossing. Gerald uses humour to reconstitute the peoples of the Marches and the landscape itself, thus making himself the authority on his textual rendering of the March. Humour in these episodes negotiates the tensions between Marchers and the landscape they occupied, between authors and the authority they attempt to wield, and the risks and rewards of using humour to depict people and place. Contextualising Gerald’s use of humour in the history of the March and in Gerald’s personal history contributes to the understanding and identification of humour in medieval sources.

Jasmine Celtel

is a second-year doctoral researcher at the Institute of Historical Research, School of Advanced Study. Jasmine researches the history and literature of the medieval Welsh Marches, focusing on texts from the 11th and 12th centuries. They approach the literature of the medieval Marches through humour studies. Their work prioritises texts and authors associated with the March because the borderland creates an environment where humour can negotiate tensions between communities. Jasmine’s fascination with medieval humour began during their MA at UCL studying humour in hagiography, and originated with their study of medieval literature during their BA in English Language and Literature at the University of Oxford.

The Impact of the Glyn Dŵr rebellion on Chester: Identity, Loyalty and Pragmatism 

When Owain Glyn Dŵr was proclaimed Prince of Wales at his manor of Glyndyfrdwy in North Wales in September 1400, Chester and its inhabitants found themselves at the eye of a storm that required skilful navigation. The response of the city reflected its position as a regional port and trading centre on the Welsh border, with a significant Welsh population, and a strong sense of identity.
This paper will explore the complex web of influences that had created Chester’s unique sense of identity and determined its response both to the rebellion itself, and to Henry IV’s reaction to it. Using contemporary evidence from Chester, and more widely, it will examine two key influences active in Chester at this time. First, it will look at the importance of Chester’s relationship with Richard II and how that relationship influenced its relations with Henry IV. Second, given the significant and well-established Welsh population in the city, and the fact that North Wales was a key part of Chester’s trading hinterland, both the Glyn Dŵr rebellion and Henry’s anti-Welsh legislation was bound to impact many in the city very directly, either because they had personal connections with rebels, or by threatening trading relationships in Wales.

These tensions were not easily resolved but surviving documentary evidence will be used to show how individuals as well as the city’s administration dealt with the complexities of the situation.

Pam Powell

is in the final year of her PhD research at the University of Nottingham looking at commerce and civic records in late medieval Chester. Her research focuses on the records maintained by the administration of the city and how they help us understand how the administration operated, the nature of the city’s commercial activity and how Chester fits into our understanding of urban life in England around 1400.