As example, their acceptance of the 'Richmond Rag' as a National Flag and not 'Baner Glyndwr', for which Sian Ifan makes good case in letters to the Western Mail and here in her blog:
Why are the Welsh such a Walk Over, as something to do with the Native Welsh Collaborators that provided Edward I with his very own Cymric 'Vichy State' post 1282, see:
Whatever, out of the years of Conquest, Capitulation and Colonialism being established 1282 - 1284, it's post Glyndwr we see the seeds of betrayal once more begin to bear fruit in the rise of what in later times becomes the 'Tudor Taffs' but in the immediate years post 1485 are the Welsh Squires who follow the 'Richmond Rag' to Bosworth and up to 1536 in their own interest are content to see their country become annexed to England in a so called 'Act of Union' of 1536. Becoming by Act of English Parliament fully incorporated and made part of England in 1746. Much of this would not have been possible if it were not for the Tudor pretenders to the throne of England who had become the 'Richmond's' to give them more status in English Society. It is a fact that the 'Richmond Rouges' far from giving much thought to their native Cymric ancestry were quite happy to unleash their lickspittle cronies as their chief Spin Doctor Shakespeare to take the piss of 'Taffy' as is done in matters relating to Glyndwr and Azincourt. But Shakespeare was not alone in making of the Welsh subservient slaves to English Rule, there were others as example:
Charles Edwards in his 'Hanes y Fydd Ddiffnant' who wrote of Owain Glyndwr being harmful to Wales because it was occasion of the penal legislation of Henry IV. Charles Edwards lavishes praise on Henry VIII for extending to Welshmen the same privileges, freedom and Justice as the English enjoyed and declared ''The English who formerly were ravenous wolves, have for us become cherishing shepherds''. Of course this was after Henry VII had executed in 1529 a possible claimant to the vacant Welsh Throne:
Then had Rowland Lee purge Wales of 'Bandits', many of whom might have been 'Gwerin Owain' continuing resistance to English Rule.
By 1536 Wales was pacified enough to implement the 'Act of Annexation' which in the preamble made a massive attack on our native tongue. So much for the 'Richmond's love of their 'Home Country'. Although by the Elizabethan Age they could not do enough for 'Yr Hen Iaith' as witnessed in Elizabeth calling for an Eisteddfod at Caerwys in 1568 the purpose of which was for her Commissioners to sort out the Bards. The way I read that is to see set up a pro - Richmond Cultural Establishment which would serve the Protestant Reformation, hence a Bible 'Yn Cymraeg' in 1588. The Caerwys Eisteddfod Commissioners and their favoured Bards were then to sort out what thy called 'Vagabonds'. These so called 'Vagabonds' could of course been 'Clerwyr Glyndwr' and of course supporters of the continuing Catholic Cause that still had many supporters in Wales. Though the State might have had a new seemingly positive attitude to the native language, that is in their own interest as using it as a platform to advance Protestantism amongst the common folk. There is much more to all this, as it is very much also about the Welsh Gentry on the make had done to also consolidate and enlarge their Estates as the collaborationist of 1282 and post Glyndwr and finally the Richmond settlement of their 'Welsh Question'.
However, the 'Welsh Question' would not be fully realised until the 18th Century, as during the English Civil War the majority of the Welsh common folk did what their masters told them and supported the Royalist cause of the English Crown. Thus during the 17th century well into the beginnings of the 18th Century, the Welsh and not least the London Welsh would have to put up with a load of racist jibes as in Wallography 1682 containing an huge attack on Taphydom and the 'Native Gibberish'. The 18th century had began to see arise both a new native Merchant and a Cultural Class, the latter represented by such men as the Morris Brothers of Anglesey both Civil Servants and thus loyal to England. Others, best described as having 'Antiquarian Interests' as Ieuan Ffardd and Goronwy Owen are described as the founding fathers of a 'Welsh National Identity' but this is of course 'British' and of a Cambrian Patriotic bent of a very peculiar kind as example. Goronwy Owen hated 'Hwntws', considering they only 'Half Welshmen', he had no real concept of a true Welsh National Identity .
As for the rather more Welsh Patriot Ieuan Ffardd, he loved the once 'Richmond Rule' of Wales and would write ''The English galling yoke they took away, And govern'd Britons with the mildest say''. Unless of course you were of the Peasant class and at this time be engaged in struggle against land enclosures and in time take up the Pitchfork in Corn Riots. However, for the likes of the London Welsh Merchant Class in particular the Scottish Stuarts were to rock the boat and make it dangerous to be of Celtic Stock. Thus the first Jacobite Rebellion of 1715 would see the London Welsh setting up the Society of Ancient Britons and adopting the 'Three Feathers' as their badge, the purpose of which was to prove their loyalty to the English Crown and therefor England. The Second Jacobite revolt 1745 had more serious implications as there was Welsh support for 'Bonnie Prince Charlie', not least David Morgan who in 1746 was hung, drawn and quartered on Kennington Common. and buried in St Georges Garden not far from the London Welsh Club:
The London Welsh Business and Cultural Patriots also
considered adopting 'The Three Feathers' as an ideal defensive icon to make the English of the time think
twice about Taffy and Goat Jokes. Londoners in particular were in particular struck by the Welsh boastfulness of ancient pedigree and quarrelsome nature in land ownership litigation as made example of in an Hogarth cartoon. So there you have it, that's why the Welsh have been lumbered with those 'Three Feathers' made more solid as ironically 'I Serve' England in the Victorian Age to advance the Welsh as good patriotic British Cambrians to distinguish them from Rebellious Irish and be proudly part of the British Empire.
Thus see a 'Richmond Rag' and I see the 1536 'Act of Annexation' and 1911 Investiture, a flag as the 'Investiture 1911 daffodil' and the even more insidious 'Three Feathers' along with the 'Azincourt Leek' as much identifying with being 'Welsh Loyalists' to England. Indeed if I stood in a crowd waving the 'Richmond Rag' and sporting the 'Three Feathers' badge and on Dydd Dewi running around wearing leeks and daffodils such would far from identify me as a true Welsh Nationalist. It is thus we as radical patriots must lead the way and show our true Nationalist colours so that no one is confused as to who and what we are. Only by rejecting the above Anglo - Welsh Cambrian Patriotic symbols and rising up Baner Glyndwr and campaigning for rejection of the 'Three Feathers' will we more ably advance the struggle for Independence.
Further Useful Information:
For Serious Research and Study as to the roots and Foundations of the Old and New Crachach to the present day 'Welsh Establishment' and 'Cultural Intelligensia' one needs o go back to later Medieval Wales and study up on 'Wyrion Eden':
The
‘Welsh’ maybe or rather our ‘Crachach’, that is the post Glyndwr ruling class,
the later Richmond (Tudor) Gentry aka ‘Welsh Squires’ and since add to that the
18th Century London – Welsh Merchant Class and following on their
heels the post 1848 Victorian Welsh Capitalist and Cultural Elite. (see
writings on they by Hywel Teifi). Today lets add to that the ‘Welsh
Establishment’ and along with it the so called ‘Welsh Intelligencia’. However,
this crowd did not just spring out of the blue post Glyndwr, one sees their
seeds being sown in the years prior and following the Conquest, Capitulation
and Colonisation 1282 - 84. The Cymric ‘Vichy State’ established by Edward I
found secure foundations in the likes of the families of descendants of
Ednyfed Fychan (see‘Wyrion Eden’), For further information, see links below and such
reading and ubderstanding of Medieval Welsh History needs to be more than just
a little Patriotic priority as it’s not good enough to turn up annually at Rali
Cilmeri and remember Llywelyn III and forgetting the traitors who helped the
English bring him down and in the years that followed do very well out of being
collaborators with English Rule.
It would not surprise me
if the ‘Cultural Nationalist’ Establishment in particular were descendants of
the likes of ‘Wyrion Eden’, all with a Preacher or/and Teacher lurking amongst
their family descendants? Whatever, the above may move you towards a much
better understanding of Welsh History and not least later Medieval Welsh
History from Azincourt 1415 to the Act of Annexation 1536 and to the Jacobite Rebellions of 1715 and 1745.
Gethin Gruffydd.
