Please Help - Crowd Funding a PhD: Medieval Parks, Gardens and Designed Landscapes of Medieval North Wales and North West Shropshire

I'd like to introduce Spencer Gavin Smith to the blog. He's a PhD student undertaking an exceptional study of Medieval parks and gardens in Wales and Shropshire. Unfortunately, he's having difficulty finding funding for this important project. Instead of sitting about and whining about it, he has taken the bold move of setting up a gofundme page to help raise the necessary cash through donations. I know that times are tough for everyone right now, but this is a genuinely important topic that Spencer's work is shedding important new light on and I believe that he deserves to be funded. I can claim the honour of having been the first to put my hand in my pocket and make a donation - now I'm asking you to do the same. Even a couple of pounds or dollars, euros or yen, could go a long way in helping this cause! If you can, please donate!

Robert M Chapple

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I'd like to thank Robert for inviting me to write a piece for his blog about my PhD research and the high and lows of the process. My name is Spencer Gavin Smith and I am writing my PhD on the topic of 'Medieval Parks, Gardens and Designed Landscapes of Medieval North Wales and North West Shropshire'.

My interest in the topic began when I was an undergraduate and found a paperback in the University Bookshop entitled ’The Revolt of Owain Glyn Dŵr’, written by R.R. Davies. In 400 and odd pages about the revolt there were only two paragraphs about the 'llys' or court complex which Owain had left behind. The 'llys' was described in a 'cywydd' or praise poem written c.1390, and below you'll find the original Welsh and a modern English translation.

Llys Owain Glyn Dŵr yn Sycharth Addewais yt hyn ddwywaith, Addewid teg, addo taith;. Taled bawb, tal hyd y bo, Ei addewid a addawo. Pererindawd, ffawd ffyddlawn, Perwyl mor annwyl mawr iawn, Myned, eidduned oddain, Lles yw, tua llys Owain. Yn oddain yno ydd af, Nid drwg, yno y trigaf I gymryd i’m bywyd barch Gydag ef o gydgyfarch; Fo all fy naf, uchaf ach, Eurben clear, erbyn cleiriach; Clod bod, cyd boed alusen, Ddiwarth hwyl, yn dda wrth hen. I’w lys ar ddyfrys ydd af, O’r deucant odidocaf;. Llys barwn, lle syberwyd, Lle daw beirdd aml, lle da byd. Gwawr Bowys fawr, beues Faig, Gofuned gwiw ofynaig. Llyna’r modd a’r llun y mae: Mewn eurgylch dwfr mewn argae. (Pand da’r llys?) pont ar y llyn, Ac unporth lle’r ai ganpyn; Cyplau sydd, gwaith cwplws ynt, Cwpledig pob cwpl ydynt. Clochdy Padrig, Ffrengig ffrwyth, Clostr Wesmustr, clostir emswyth; Cynglynrhwym pob congl unrhyw, Cangell aur, cygan oll yw. Cynglynion yn y fronfron fry, Dordor megis daeardy, A phob un fal llun llyngwlm Sydd yn ei gilydd yn gwlm. Tai nawplad fold deunawplas, Tai pren glan mewn top bryn glas; Ar bedwar piler eres Mae’i lys ef i nef yn nes. Ar ben pob piler pren praff, Llofft ar dalgrofft adeilgraff, A’r pedair llofft, o hoffter, Yn gydgwplws lle cwag cler. Aeth y pedair disgleirlofft, Nyth lwyth teg iawn, yn wyth lofft; To teils ar bob ty talwg, A simnai lle magai’r mwg. Naw neuadd gyfladd gyflun, A naw gwardrob ar bob un. Siopau glan, glwys cynnwys cain, Siop lawndeg fal Siep Lundain. Croes eglwys gylchlwys galchliw, Capelau a gwydrau gwiw; Popty llawn poptu I’r llys, Perllan, gwinllan, ger gwenllys, Melin deg ar ddifreg ddwr; A’i glomendy gloyw maendwr. Pysgodlyn, cudduglyn cau, A fo rhaid i fwrw heyday Amlaf lle, nid er ymliw, Penhwyaid a gwyniaid gwiw. A’I dir bwrdd a’i adar byw, Peunod, crehyrod hoywryw, Dolydd glan gwyran a gwair, Ydau mewn caeau cywair, Parc cwning ein por cenedl, Erydr a meirch hydr, mawr chwedl; Gerllaw’r llys, gorlliwio’r llall, Y pawr ceirw mewn parc arall; Ei gaith a wna pob gwaith gwiw, Cyfreidiau cyfair ydiw, Dwyn blaendrwyth cwrw Amwythig, Gwirodau, bragodau brig, Pob llyn, bara gwyn a gwin, A’i gig, a’i dan i’w gegin; Pebyll y beirdd pawb lle bo, Pe beunydd caiff pawb yno; Tecaf llys bren, pen heb bai, O‘r deyrnas, nawdd Duw arnai;. A awraig orau o’r garaged Gwyn fy myd o’i gwin a’i medd! Merch eglur llin marchoglyw, Urddol hael anianol yw;. A’i blant a ddeuant bob ddau, Nythaid teg o beneathiaid. Anfynych iawn fu yno Weled na chlicied na chlo, Na phorthoriaeth ni wnaeth neb, Ni bydd eisiau budd oseb, Na gwall, na newyn, na gwarth, Na syched fyth yn Sycharth. Gorau Cymro, tro trylew Piau’r wlad, lin Pywer Lew, Gwr meingryf, gorau mangre, A phial’r llys; hoff yw’r lle.

Court of Owain Glyn Dŵr in Sycharth I have promised twice before now, fair promise, promising a journey; let everyone fulfil, as much as is due, his promise which he promises. A very great pilgrimage, certain prosperity, such a dear destination, is going, swift promise, It is beneficial, towards Owain’s court; swiftly will I go there, not bad, there will I dwell to bring honour into my life by exchanging greetings with him; my leige can, highest lineage, bright golden head, receive an old codger; it is praiseworthy, though it is but alms, Course without shame, to be kind to the old. I will go to his court in haste, The most splendid of the two hundred; a baron’s court, place of refinement, Where many poets come, place of the good life; queen of great Powys, Maig’s land, promise of good hope. This is its manner and its form In the bright circle of water within an embankment: (isn’t the court fine?) a bridge on the lake, and one gate through which would go a hundred loads; there are couples, they are couple work, every couple is coupled together; Patrick’s bell house, French fruit, the cloister of Westminster, comfortable enclosure; each corner is bound together in the same way, golden chancel, it is entirely symmetrical, bonds side by side above, cheek-to-cheek like an earth house, and every one looking like a tight knot Is tied fast to the next one, nine-plated buildings on the scale of eighteen mansions, fair wooden buildings on top of a green hill; on four wonderful pillars his court is nearer to heaven; on top of each stout wooden pillar a loft built firmly on the summit of a croft, and the four lofts of loveliness coupled together where poets sleep; the four bright lofts turned, a very fair nest load, into eight lofts; a tiled roof on every house with frowning forehead, And a chimney from which the smoke would grow; nine symmetrical identical halls, and nine wardrobes by each one, bright fair shops with fine contents, a lovely full shop like London’s Cheapside; a cross-shaped church with a fair chalk-coloured exterior chapels with splendid glass windows; a full bakehouse on every side of the court, an orchard, a vineyard by a white court; a lovely mill on flowing water, and his dovecot with bright stone tower; a fishpond, hollow enclosure, what is needed to cast nets; place most abounding, not for dispute; In pike and fine sewin, and his bord-land and his live birds, peacocks, splendid herons; bright meadows of grass and hay, corn in well-kept fields, the rabbit park of our patriarch, ploughs and sturdy horses, great words; by the court, outshining the other, stags graze in another park; his serfs perform all fitting tasks, those are the necessities of an estate, bringing the best brew of beer from Shrewsbury, liquors of foaming bragget, every drink, white bread and wine, and his meat and his fire for his kitchen; shelter of poets, everyone wherever he be, were it daily, he will have everyone there, loveliest wooden court, chief without fault, of the kingdom, may god protect it, and the best woman of all women, blessed am I by her wine and her mead! Fair girl from the line of a knightly ruler, she is dignified and noble by nature; and his children come in pairs, a fine nestful of chieftains. Very rarely was bolt or lock to be seen there, nor did anyone act as porter; there will be no want, beneficial gift, nor lack not hunger nor shame, Nor ever thirst in Sycharth. The best Welshman, valorous feat, owns the country, of Pywer Lew’s line, slender strong man, best spot, and owns the court, splendid is the place.

The 'llys' site was partially excavated in 1962 and 1963 and the results published in 1966, but constraints for one reason or another meant that work was limited in nature. So, after discussion with my dissertation tutor I decided to carry out a geophysical survey around the surviving earthworks.

And sixteen years later, it's still a part of my life!

This year, I appeared as one of the experts on ITV1's 'Britain's Secret Homes' talking about Sycharth as a CGI reconstruction grew around us. One of the high points of my career.

But there are always low points...I started my PhD on a part-time basis in 2004 and did three years until 2007 when I stopped - ostensibly because I had to find a new job, and from there I went to work for a learning disability charity, where I found out about how people with acquired brain injuries understand concepts of history and heritage.

I learnt so much from this time away from academia, that I wanted more than anything to complete what I had started, incorporating this into my research.

I’ve been offered an unconditional place to restart my PhD this September at Manchester Metropolitan University, and so I started to write to charities and other organisations who I thought could, would or should be able to fund me. In the end I wrote 122 speculative letters, attached to which was my most recent published article on my research and my CV to show my publication record.

Some e-mails went unanswered, even after three attempts, (once a week to ensure that they were not missed in the volume of other e-mails that might have been arriving in the same inbox). Some replies were perfunctory, stating simply they did not fund individuals, others more generous with encouragement to complete my research in their refusals to assist.

Others provided links to other organisations which they thought might be able to assist, and these were dutifully followed up – although to no avail.

Which all leaves me in an odd situation. I can stand in a room of my peers and relate my research – to which I invariably receive the question “You honestly can’t find funding!”. Which suggests that there is funding out there for this kind of multi-disciplinary work, but that for some reason I’ve yet to find out who controls it.

So I've set up a gofundme page at http://www.gofundme.com/medievalgardensandparks

If you think you can assist or if you think you know someone who can and you pass this on to them. Thank You.

Spencer