Cogwy the Egg-Shaped Fort and Old Oswestry: a Confirmed Identification of a Traditional Site

Old Oswestry Hillfort, Shropshire

It has long been known that the Llysfeisir or 'Court of Meisir' of Canu Heledd that is modern day Maesbury in Shropshire must be close to the Maserfelth of Bede (Meisir -field).  But what has been harder to establish - indeed, we have failed to do so - is to determine whether this place is also to be properly linked to nearby Old Oswestry hillfort or to another location.  Recently, Andrew Breeze has proposed Forden for Cogwy, but the argument is quite poor, and his etymology for the place-name is wrong

(see https://dokumen.pub/british-battles-493937-mount-badon-to-brunanburh-1785272233-9781785272233.html).  

I think, unfortunately, that a great deal too much has been made of the early Welsh form Cogboy.  If we instead opt for a known Welsh word, and adopt the later Welsh spelling for Cogboy, viz. Cogwy, we can easily identify this site with the Old Oswestry hillfort.  Bear in mind that a g-c or c-g substition is quite allowable in this situation.  

From the GPC:

cwcwy, cocwy, cucwy,

eg. ll. -au.

1.  Wy wedi ei ffrwythloni gan geiliog, wy cyflawn perffaith; plisgyn neu fasgl wy; plisgyn:

fertilized egg, matured or perfect egg; egg-shell; shell. 

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14g. WML 30-1, Or serheir y righyll oe eiested yn dadleu y brenhin. talet idaw gogreit eissin. Achuccwy.

14g. LlB 29, ny cheiff onnyt gogreit hilkeirch, a chwccwy wy yn tal y sarhaet.

16g. Huw Arwystl: Gw 333, klvn hir hen gvckir gukwy / kafn over gwyllt kefn for gwy [am gwch].

1632 D, cuccwy. K. H. Yw blisgyn wy.

1688 TJ.

18g. Llr C 24 108, Cymmer gocwy wi a derbyn y gwaed yn y cogwy.

id. 145, Cymmer goccwyon cnau, a phylora’n fal.

1773 W d.g. egg, an egg-shell.

2.  Arglwyddiaeth, goruchafiaeth, [geir.] llywodraeth; cf. S. cock of the walk:

dominion, supremacy, rule. 

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Dchr. 17g. J 10 73b, cocwy, overruling.

1707 AB 215, cocwy, a lordship, rule, dominion, &c.

1753 TR.

How does this Welsh word for egg help us?  Well, the following passage on the fort as being 'egg-shaped' is from "Offa's Dyke Path: National Trail following the English-Welsh Border" by Mike Dunn (Cicerone Press Limited, Mar 16, 2016):

I would say, therefore, that the 'Battle of the Egg' is a description of a battle fought at the egg-shaped fort of Old Oswestry.

I might mention in passing that the fort is associated with a supernatural bird as well.  I had written about this in an old blog post (https://mistshadows.blogspot.com/2017/08/old-oswestry-hillfort-as-caer-gogfran.html).