“”Three indispensables of a nobleman are: his harp, his blanket and his cauldron.” – triad from Laws of Hywel Dda
Under most modern laws of distraint – whereby goods are removed from a household in compensation for debts unpaid – there are certain articles that cannot be removed. These usually include the items by which the householder earns her living, the tools of a worker’s trade, the bed, and the means to make food. In the triad above, from the Welsh legal code formulated by King Hywel Dda in the ninth century, we discover that the three indispensable objects of the nobleman are the harp by which his bard entertained him, the blanket that kept his body warm in bed, and the cauldron that heated his food. Today, these items would probably be equivalent to the television set, the bed, and the stove: means of entertainment, sleep, and food.
We have become used to the possession of certain inalienable rights: life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, among others, in our modern world. These are rights that we take for granted, that are enshrined in constitutions and maintained by the law of the land; and yet even within civilized societies there are many who do not enjoy these rights. The poor, the disadvantaged, and others who live on the margins of society need the actions and voices of those who honour the commitment to the inalienable rights that we should all enjoy.”
From The Celtic Spirit: Daily Meditations for the Turning Year by Caitlin Matthews
Illustration ‘Proclaiming the laws of Hywel Dda’ from Flamebearers of Welsh History
Chorlton Unitarians 