14 Russell 2005, pp. 88–89 (c. 35). For the possible political implications of the king’s provisions and their significance for dating the Vita see Pryce 2022, pp. 55–56. 15 Russell 2005, pp. 88–89 (c. 35). 16 Davies 1987, pp. 125–27. Aderat etiam eodem tempore regina Angharat eius uxor cui dimidium omnium bonorum suorum partem, duas terrae portiones cum porticibus Abermeney legavit. Necnon filie eius praesentes erant, et filiorum nonnulli, atque horum singulis partes assignavit ad comodius […] (sic) discessum vivendum. His sons were with him, and he blessed them and predicted what would eventually happen to them, like the patriarch Jacob who blessed his sons in Egypt; and he gave them instructions to conduct themselves bravely and to resist their enemies fiercely as he had done in his latter years. The queen Angharad, his wife, was also present at the same time and he bequeathed her half of his possessions and two portions of land with the harbour of Abermenai. His daughters were present, and some of their sons, and to each he assigned shares so that they might live more comfortably after his death.14 oral bequests and written wills in medieval wales The Vita concludes with the king’s burial in Bangor Cathedral and a request for prayers for his soul.15 The account of Gruffudd’s bequests raises a number of questions. It is unknown whether it was the first written record of the king’s oral bequests or whether it derived from one or more earlier records; further, related, questions are the account’s authenticity and the extent to which it was shaped by biblical and other literary models. At the very least, though, the report of the king’s bequests reveals how a mid-twelfth century Welsh clerical author thought a royal will would be made. Thus almost all the bequests consist of moveable goods, although two portions of land and a harbour (presumably meaning the dues paid there) were bequeathed to the king’s widow. This is consistent with medieval Welsh custom that land could not normally be bequeathed, but passed to the deceased’s heirs by partible inheritance.16 One partial parallel is provided by the retrospective account of William the Conqueror’s deathbed gifts of treasures and other goods in 1087 (probably composed between 1097 and the death in 1100 of the king’s son and successor WilliamII), anaccount in turn modelled on that of Louis the Pious’s bequests in the As430
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