Traethawd ar eni plant ymysg y tlodion yng ngogledd Sir Aberteifi, c. 1837, folio 1r [delwedd 1 o 23]

Disgrifiad

Ysgrifennwyd y traethawd hwn gan Dr Richard Williams, llawfeddyg o'r Stryd Fawr, Aberystwyth, ac mae ei deitl llawn yn darllen fel a ganlyn

'Observations on parturition amongst the poor in the upper district of Cardiganshire'.

Y mae Dr Williams yn rhoi cyflwyniad byr i hanes Cymru a Sir Aberteifi cyn mynd ati i ddisgrifio, nid yn unig y ffyrdd yr oedd merched yn geni eu plant, ond hefyd eu harferion caru a'u hamodau byw. Y mae'n feirniadol dros ben o safonau moesol llawer o'r tlodion ond mae'n llawer yn fwy goddefgar o rai o'u harferion.

Ceir adysgrif llawn o'r traethawd a gwybodaeth bellach yn Emyr Wyn Jones, 'Medical Glimpse of Early Nineteenth Century Cardiganshire', 'Cylchgrawn Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru' (1966), t. 253-275.

Y mae tudalen gyntaf y llawysgrif yn darllen fel a ganlyn:

Observation on Parturition amongst the poor in the Upper District of Cardiganshire

About the year 870 Rodericus Magnus King of Wale
s divided his Territories into Three Kingdoms which continued until of late days.

These three were Gwynedh or North Wales, Deheubarth South Wales and Mathrafal Powysland or Western Wales.

These Kingdoms were again divided into Cantreds and Comots, all of which must here be passed over for the purpose of arriving at Caredigion in the Kingdom of Deheubarth or as it is afterwards called Dynefawr.

In this Division we find Cantref Syrwen with its two Comots Gwenionyth and Iscoed, known in English as Cardiganshire and in Welsh as Swydh Aberteifi.

This is a Champion Country without much wood and hath been divers times...