| Notes |
- Elisedd, King of Powys
(c.695-773)
(Latin: Elisetus; English: Ellis)
Elisedd is best known for his memorial stone: Eliseg's Pillar standing in Llantysilio-yn-Ial in Northern Powys. It was once topped by an enormous cross, and was erected by his great grandson, King Cyngen, some one hundred years after Elisedd's ascendancy in the early 8th century. Its inscription praises his victories against the Saxons and includes an exceptional record of the Powysian pedigree, stretching back through his father King Gwylog ap Beli's line to Vortigern and Magnus Maximus. Elisedd lived at nearby Castell Dinas-Bran, which is also associated with the Celtic ancestor god, Bran, and King Arthur's Quest for the Holy Grail.
EBK: King Elisedd of Powys. (2017). Earlybritishkingdoms.com. Retrieved 30 May 2017, from http://www.earlybritishkingdoms.com/bios/elisepw.html
BIO: from British Kings and Queens (Mike Ashsley) p 155
Elisedd (or Eliseg) Powys, 725-?
Elisedd was remembered by his great grandson, Cyngen ap Cadell, a century later, for having rebuilt Powys and recovered lands from the English. He erected a stone column, now known as "Eliseg's Pillar" which commemorated his descent, tracing it all the way back to Vortigern. The genealogy provides us with some dating problems, but we must assume that Elisedd lived sometime in the early/mid eighth century. This coincides with the reign of the Mercian king Athelbald, a turbulent period where the Mercians generally had the upper hand but where some victories went to the underdogs. We can image the Elisedd succeeded in regaining lands along the Welsh/Mercian border from this powerful king, which made his victories all the more significant. It is possible the Elisedd ruled (or was active as a battle leader) earlier, because there are Welsh border incidents recorded during the reign of the Merican king Cenred, around the year 708. The fact that the Pillar was erected at Llangollen, well inside the later Welsh border, shows that these territorial gains were not permanent.
** from Wikipedia listing for Elisedd ap Gwylog
Elisedd ap Gwylog (died c. 755), also known as Elise, was king of Powys in eastern Wales.
Little has been preserved in the historical records about Elisedd, who was a descendant of Brochwel Ysgithrog. He appears to have reclaimed the territory of Powys after it had been overrun by the English. His great-grandson, Cyngen ap Cadell erected a column in his memory which stands not far from the later abbey of Valle Crucis. This is known as the Pillar of Eliseg, but the form Eliseg which appears on the column is thought to be a mistake by the carver of the inscription.
The Latin inscription on the pillar is now very hard to read, but was apparently clearer in the time of Edward Lhuyd who transcribed it. The translation of the part of the inscription referring to Elisedd is as follows:
+ Concenn son of Catell, Catell son of Brochmail, Brochmail son of Eliseg, Eliseg son of Guoillauc.
+ And that Concenn, great-grandson of Eliseg, erected this stone for his great-grandfather Eliseg.
+ The same Eliseg, who joined together the inheritance of Powys . . . out of the power of the Angles with his sword and with fire.
+ Whosoever repeats the writing, let him give a blessing on the soul of Eliseg.
Some old poems refer to Elisedd and assert he had a "special crown, a chain of twisted gold links, and armlets and anklets of gold which were the badges of sovereignty of Powys".[1] These artifacts have disappeared from history but perhaps resurfaced briefly during the coronation of Owain Glyndŵr in 1400.
Elisedd was succeeded by his son Brochfael.
References
^ Pre Welsh History
John Edward Lloyd (1911) A history of Wales from the earliest times to the Edwardian conquest (Longmans, Green & Co.)
** from Wikipedia listing for Pillar of Eliseg
The Pillar of Eliseg also known as Elise's Pillar or Croes Elisedd in Welsh, stands near Valle Crucis Abbey, Denbighshire, Wales, at grid reference SJ204442. It was erected by Cyngen ap Cadell (died 855), king of Powys in honour of his great-grandfather Elisedd ap Gwylog. The form Eliseg found on the pillar is thought to be a mistake by the carver of the inscription.
The Latin inscription not only mentions several individuals described in the Historia Britonum, but also complements the information presented in that text. A generally accepted translation of this inscription, one of the longest surviving inscriptions from pre-Viking Wales, is as follows:
† Concenn son of Cattell, Cattell son of Brochmail, Brochmail son of Eliseg, Eliseg son of Guoillauc.
† And that Concenn, great-grandson of Eliseg, erected this stone for his great-grandfather Eliseg.
† The same Eliseg, who joined together the inheritance of Powys . . . throughout nine (years?) out of the power of the Angles with his sword and with fire.
† Whosoever shall read this hand-inscribed stone, let him give a blessing on the soul of Eliseg.
† This is that Concenn who captured with his hand eleven hundred acres [4.5 km²] which used to belong to his kingdom of Powys . . . and which . . . . . . the mountain
[the column is broken here. One line, possibly more, lost]
. . . the monarchy . . . Maximus . . . of Britain . . . Concenn, Pascent, Maun, Annan.
† Britu son of Vortigern, whom Germanus blessed, and whom Sevira bore to him, daughter of Maximus the king, who killed the king of the Romans.
† Conmarch painted this writing at the request of king Concenn.
† The blessing of the Lord be upon Concenn and upon his entire household, and upon the entire region of Powys until the Day of Judgement.
The Pillar was thrown down by the Roundheads during the English Civil War and a grave under it opened. Edward Lhuyd examined the Pillar and copied the inscription in 1696. The lower half disappeared but the upper half was re-erected in 1779. The original inscription is now illegible.
External links
Rhys, John (1908), All around the Wrekin, "Y Cymmrodor: The magazine of the Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion", Y Cymmrodor (London: Honorable Society of Cymmrodorion) XXI: 1–62 – the pillar and the etymology of "Eliseg" are discussed in this article, which includes Edward Lhuyd's translation.
Project Eliseg - 2010 Archaeological Excavation of the Pillar and Surrounding area
On the castlewales website
"Ancient British Pillar, Valle Crucis Abbey, South Wales", Table-book
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685 - 755 (70 years)
[1, 3, 4, 5] 
