He is represented, like most of the feudal barons, as ruling with
an iron hand. A few years after this conquest (1108), the peninsula
was settled by a colony of Flemings, who had been obliged to emigrate,
in consequence of a disastrous encroachment of the sea in the Low
Countries. They first landed on the southern coast of England; but, on
account of their lawless conduct, Henry I. drove them into South Wales;
and they principally fixed themselves in Gower, where they became
peaceable subjects; though a great number settled in the peninsula of
Castle Martin, in Pembrokeshire, which bears a striking similarity in
its natural features to Gower. Afterwards they mixed with the English,
preserving their native manners and industry, and involved in disputes
with the Welsh resembling the ancient Border warfare in the North. To
this day the inhabitants of Gower are distinct from the Welsh, and all
speak the English language. We were informed, and it is a remarkable
fact, that in the south-western portion of Gower, some of the
descendants of the original colonists exist, who do not understand
the Welsh language, rarely intermarry with them, and are otherwise
distinguished by their dress and peculiar dialect.
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