Early Irish and Welsh Kinship [Hardcover]

This is a major comparative study of early Irish and Welsh kinship. Kinship is a central element in all human societies and was of particular significance in early medieval Ireland and Wales where government institutions were, in general, weak. T. M. Charles-Edwards examines the forms of kinship found in Ireland and Wales at the earliest periods for which documentation is sufficient (the seventh century for Ireland and the twelfth through thirteenth centuries for Wales). His analysis of kinship vocabulary and careful consideration of the available evidence enables him to take the discussion back to earlier periods. This is the first extended scholarly treatment of the topic. It is an intensively researched, erudite, and fascinating study of the interplay of tradition and innovation in the development of kinship from the prehistoric to the medieval period.

This is a book that should make its mark on many scholars...No one writing on the structure of society, land-holding, lordship, or farming in the two countries concerned will be able to ignore it. --American Historical Review

This book breaks new ground in several ways...It is an essential book, and not just for historians of Ireland and Wales. Medievalists, anthropologists, and students of social theory will find much in it. --Albion

Charles-Edwards adds significantly to our understanding of medieval Irish and Welsh society. --Journal of Interdisciplinary History

Although its title might imply something narrower, the book is in fact a major contribution to the understanding of Celtic societies.

The book is excellently produced...[T]his is a major work, which will surely endure. --Journal of the History of the Behavioral Sciences