Gorse (Clawdd Drain)

Chronicle Entry

Recorded by Brother Wyn of Caermynach, Anno Domini 918

Known As: Clawdd Drain (The Fence of Thorns)
Native to: Borderlands between Powys and Brycheiniog
Primary Use: Livestock containment, defensive hedging
Status: Cultivated throughout the Welsh territories

Gorse is a thorned shrub native to the borderlands, cultivated for hedging and livestock management since the Early Iron Age. The plant bears yellow flowers in spring and thorns thick enough to deter both livestock and predators.

The Record

Gorse grows wild throughout the upland territories, particularly in the borderlands where Powys and Brycheiniog meet. The shrub reaches waist height within two years of planting and forms impenetrable barriers within three to four years when properly maintained. Mature gorse produces thorns as thick as a man's thumb, woven branches that block light, and root systems that anchor firmly in thin soil where other plants struggle.

The flowers appear in late winter through early spring, yellow and numerous, bearing a scent described by some as resembling coconut. These blooms provide early fodder for bees when little else flowers. The wood burns hot even when green, making it valuable fuel in territories where timber grows scarce. When cut and burned, the ash enriches soil for planting.

Sheep will not push through established gorse hedges, though goats attempt it when desperate. Wolves cannot penetrate the thorns without injury sufficient to deter pursuit. Cattle respect the barriers once taught. The plant self-seeds aggressively if left unmanaged, spreading through pastureland within a single generation if not controlled through regular burning or cutting.

Origin

The cultivation of gorse for defensive hedging began in the village of Llwyn Madoc approximately forty years following the fall of Beulah, around 625 BC. The practice developed as a response to the twin problems of containing livestock and protecting them from predators without the expense of maintaining stone fences alone.

The method spread to Garth and other borderland settlements within a decade. By 600 BC, gorse hedging had become standard practice throughout territories where livestock required containment and stone proved insufficient. The technique involved planting cuttings along existing stone fence lines, creating a double barrier of stone foundation and living thorns.

Refugees from Beulah's destruction carried knowledge of both the village's failure and the practical solutions developed in its aftermath. Gorse hedging became associated with the cautionary lessons of Beulah's Law, a reminder that land management required both innovation and restraint. The same plant that saved Nest ferch Ifor from wolves in 587 BC secured the livestock of those who had learned from her father's village's mistakes.

In Practice

Gorse hedging requires three years from planting to full effectiveness. Cuttings are taken from mature plants in early spring, planted inside existing stone fences, and watered through the first dry season. Second-year growth produces sufficient thorns to deter most livestock. Third-year growth creates barriers impenetrable to all but the most desperate or foolish animals.

Maintenance involves periodic burning to control spread and encourage new growth, laying (bending branches horizontal to thicken the hedge), and cutting pleaching lanes where livestock access is required. Villagers coordinate autumn burning to prevent wildfires, as unchecked gorse blazes have destroyed pastures when timing or weather proved poor.

The practice spread throughout Welsh territories during the pre-Roman period, becoming fundamental to borderland agriculture. Some villages adopted the technique readily. Others rejected it as innovation carrying Beulah's curse, or as requiring trust in unseen future growth that three years of waiting demanded. This division between those who planted and those who refused became visible in agricultural practice, with consequences apparent during times of hardship or invasion.

Final Entry

Gorse hedging remains widespread throughout the Welsh territories in this year of Our Lord 918. The practice endures particularly in upland regions where livestock requires containment and stone alone proves insufficient. Roman occupation suppressed the technique in some areas through preference for Mediterranean agricultural methods, but the knowledge survived in remote territories and among drovers who preserved the practice through oral tradition.

Villages that maintain gorse hedges benefit from secure livestock, reduced predation, and fuel sources requiring no tribute or trade. The method requires only patience, communal labour, and trust that what appears wild and difficult today will secure what matters tomorrow. Whether this wisdom endures through future generations remains to be observed.