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''Cnapan'' (alternative spellings ''Criapan'', ''Knapan'' or ''Knappan'') is a Welsh name for a Celtic form of medieval football. The game originated in, and seems to have remained largely confined to, the western counties of Wales, especially Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire. According to George Owen of Henllys, in his ''Description of Pembrokeshire'' (1603), ''cnapan'' had been "extremely popular in Pembrokeshire since greate antiquitie ==History== The earliest documented group ball game in Britain comes from Wales. ''Historia Brittonum'' ''(The History of the Britons)'' wrote in the ninth-century depicts events during the Dark Ages after the end of Roman rule and forms the basis of the Arthurian legend. The book is accredited to Welsh monk and historian Nennius who supposedly had access to 5th century sources which have not survived. The preface which appears in several recensions credited to Nennius is considered by some historians to be a later embellishment by an anonymous writer. Others believe Historia Brittonum to be a collection of stories from the 7th century. Regardless of erroneous historical content the main text does demonstrate group ball games were understood in the 9th century and that the author of chapter 41 believed these games were played by the Britons. The oldest surviving transcript dates to c.1100 A.D.〔http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/basis/nennius-full.asp〕
By the 4th century Britannia was divided into four provinces. The province of Britannia Prima extended its influence over what is now Wales and the West Country. The ''district of Glevesing'' referred to in the story is likely to be ''Colonia Nervia Glevensium'' founded as a Roman Fort in the 1st century which later developed into a colony for retired legionaries. Some Latin inscriptions show this place name abbreviated to Glev'vm/Glevum. According to chapter 49 of Historia Brittonum it was here on the banks of the River Severn that the ancestors of King Vortigern founded the city of Gloucester ''(Brythonic name "Cair Gloui")'' where a medieval ball game is known to have been played. In Gloucester Cathedral, built in on the site of an abbey founded 678 or 679, a carved wooden relief on a misericord dated to the 14th century shows a scene from a "medieval football" game where two players are challenging for the ball. The small ball illustrated is more compatible in size to a Cnapan type ball than the larger bladder inflated or stuffed ball used in similar mob games. An alternative theory is that the "district of Glevesing" was the 5th century sub-Roman petty Kingdom of Glywysing named after the legendary Welsh King Glywys who probably took his name from the then demised Roman colony. Glywysing is located in modern day Glamorgan. How the field sport recorded by Nennius relates to Cnapan from the same region is unclear. Little information is known about the origins of ''cnapan'', due to the age of the sport and the lack of historical records created for relatively inconsequential matters as playing ball games. It does seem to originate from the Middle Ages as a form of "organised chaos", to relieve the back-breaking monotonous work of daily life. George Owen of Henllys says, in his ''Description of Pembrokeshire'' (1603), that it had been a form of war training for the "Ancient Britons", used to improve strength and stamina.〔 The game also seems to have evolved gradually over the years, with no definitive set of rules governing its play; but as the game is played with but a few simple rules, this has not been a major hindrance to play. Welsh clergyman and historian, Theophilus Evans (1693–1767), tells of a game similar to ''cnapan'' being played on the banks of the River Teifi; the ancient boundary between the counties of Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire, southwest Wales.〔 Leaving aside the gentry on horseback, there were certainly two groups of players on each side, some who grappled for the ''cnapan'' (ball) and others who were the fastest and most elusive runners. There were also features approximating to scrummages and line-outs. The game died out in the nineteenth century, as the codified game of rugby union became popular.〔 The game was recreated for about ten years in Newport (Pembrokeshire) around 1985–95, with an annual contest between Newport Parish and Nevern Parish, with much smaller sides and a referee to keep order. The "Cnapan Trophy" still exists. In the end the game had to be abandoned because the organizers could not obtain insurance coverage for the players. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Cnapan」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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