The crwth is one of the earliest bowed instruments known in Britain. Some authorities consider the crwth a bowed harp, others as a plucked instrument.

It was used extensively in mediæval Britain to accompany songs. Its English name was crowd. The crwth survived in Wales until the 19th century.

The Castles recalled that this instrument was ‘copied from an original example in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London’. Zillah Castle also published an article on its history in the Collector magazine.