r,l •
ri«20T
COLLECTIONS
HISTORICAL & ARCHJOLOGICAL
RELATING TO
MONTGOMERYSHIRE
AND ITS BORDERS.
ISSUED BY THE POWYS-LAND CLUB FOR THE USE OF ITS MEMBERS.
VOL. XXV.
LONDON :
PRINTED FOB THE CLUB BY
WHITING & CO,, 30 & 32, SARDINIA STREET, LINCOLN'S INN FIELDS.
1891.
"A Ruddy Lion Ramping in Gold"
The Seal of Sin EDWARD DE CHEBLETOW, LOED OP POWYS, appended to a Charter dated 6th July, 7 Henry V (1418), is adopted as the Seal of the }9ofcjp=lattU Club. This re- markable Seal is not quite perfect, the edge having been splintered away, and the figure in the place of the crest having lost its head, which the engraver has supplied. It appears to have been a round seal, surrounded by an inscription, probably "Sigillum Edwardi de Cherle- ton, Domini Powisie", of which only the " g" in the word Sigillum, and " wi" in the word Powisie, now remain. The shield in the centre is charged with the red lion of Powys — a lion rampant — and is probably held up by another lion rampant standing on its hind legs behind the shield, which is clasped by his fore paws. The side supporters, or rather ornamental figures (for it is said that supporters, in the present heraldic sense of the word, were unknown at that period), are wild men sitting astride of lions couchant.— Mont. Coll., vol. vi, p. 293.
MONTGOMERYSHIRE COLLECTIONS.
CONTENTS OF VOL. XXV.
The Portrait-Brass in Bettws Church. By Ven. Archdeacon Thomas, M.A,, F.S.A. -
History of the Parish of Kerry. By E, Rowley Morris. (Continued from Vol. XXIV, p. 394)
Roger de Mortimer IV
Edmund de Mortimer III
Roger de Mortimer V
Edmund de Mortimer, last Earl of March
Richard, Duke of York -
Manor of Tempsiter
Transfer of Clunesland to Montgomeryshire
The Forest of Clun and Kerry Escape Money
10 12 18 24 28 30
Churchstoke Register — Extracts - 36
Pedigree of Bishop Lloyd of St. Asaph. R. W. - 37
Montgomeryshire Nonconformity (Extracts from Gaol Files, with Notes). By Richard Williams, F.R.Hist.S. (Con- tinued from Vol. XXIV, p. 232) - 41
Walsh of Llandewi, Radnorshire (Lord Ormathwaite). By
Rev. George Sandford, M.A., Pant Purlas, Llandrindod 73
Montgomeryshire Men who Matriculated at Oxford University,
1571-1622 - 81
Abstracts of Ancient Deeds, etc., relating to Meifod, etc. By
Howel W. Lloyd, M.A., with Notes and Pedigrees 85
Arthur Blayney and his Home, Gregynog Hall. By W. Scott
Owen 105
Llanwyddyn. (Continued from Vol. XX III, p. 186) 115
III. The Church in 1684 - * - - - - 115
IV. The Health of the Vyrnwy Valley, by Hugh R.
Jones, M.A., M.D. t - 115
a2
IV
Montgomeryshire Saints, I. By Rev. John Fisher, B.A.,
Curate of Llanllwchaiarn 133
A Badge of the House of Herbert 148
Excavations on the Site of Strata Marcella Abbey. M. C. J. 149
Explanation of references on Plan - - -160
Report, by Stephen W. Williams, Esq., F.R.I.B.A. - 161
Explanation of references and notes on Plates - 177
Notes on the Tiles found - • • 187
Parish Terriers — Parson's Pay. By Rev. Elias Owen, M.A. 197 Montgomeryshire Worthies. By Rd. Williams, F.R.Hist.S. 205
Place-names in and around Montgomery. By Richard Wil- liams, F.RHist.S. 221
Montgomeryshire Saints. By Rev. John Fisher, M.A. (Con- tinued from p. 147) 235
Abstracts of Ancient Deeds relating to Meifod and elsewhere.
By H. W. Lloyd, M.A. (Concluded from p. 104) 253
A Genealogical " Crux" and Solution. W. V. LI. - 291
Vavasour Powell's Welsh Bible 296
Pedigree of Jones of Garthmill 297
Appendices A to E - - - - 308
Unusual Forms of Growth in Plants, with Local Examples.
By Rev. J. E. Vize, M.A., F.R.M.S. 319
Jubilee Twig - .... 325
Celtic Bell from Llangystenyn 327
Bronze Bell from Java 349
The Engraving of the Eisteddfod of 1824, in Powys-land
Museum - 351
The old Quakers' Burial Ground at Dolcaradog. By D. C.
Lloyd-Owen - 353
An Ancient Painting on Leather, in the Powys-land Museum 358
On the Strata forming the Base of the Silurian in North-East
Montgomeryshire. By J, Bickerton Morgan, F.G.S. - 359
History of the Parish of Kerry. By E. Rowley Morris.
(Continued from p. 35) - - 363
Ecclesiastical - - - 371
The Church before the Restoration in 1883 - - 381
The Church after the Restoration - - 382
Monuments and Monumental Inscriptions - - 390
The Land and Freshwater Shells of Montgomeryshire. By
J. Bickerton Morgan, F.G.S. (Concluded from Vol. XXII, p. 234) 394
Powysiana 399
LVIII. Eev. Rowland Williams, D.D. - - - 399
LIX. Jones of Blue Bell and Westwood (Supplemental) - 399
LX. Lord Sandford of Sandford - - - 400
ILLUSTRATIONS.
Portrait-Brass in Bettws Church to face p. 1
Gregynog Hall in 1785 - ,,105
Coats of Arms carved on Oak Panels at Gregynog
Hall, 1636 - „ 110
Llanwyddyn Church hi 1684 ,,115
Chart— Health of Vyrnwy Valley „ 131
A Herbert Badge - on p. 148
Moulding of Tower Pier in Chester Cathedral - „ 169
Heraldic Seal of Hawyse, wife of Griffin ap Wen-
wynwyn „ 189
Strata Marcella Illustrations, 1 to 17: —
Plate I. Ground Plan - to be mounted between p, 160 & 161 „ II. Plan of Pier at A, on Ground Plan to face p. 164
„ III. Elevation Base of Pier at A \
„ Part of Pier or Buttress at D ( < x^-
Part of interior of North WaU at E ( » 10D Grave at 0 (not F) on Plan )
„ IV. Pier at B on Plan \
„ C ,, f to face each other and be inserted
„ V. Elevation of Pier at C ( between p. 166 & 167
„ B ;
„ VI. ] Mouldings - - - to face p. 169
„ VII. f Ditto - - - 172
„ VIII. > Ditto
„ IX. ( Ditto
X. ) Ditto
XI. Two Heraldic Tiles— Monumental Headstone XII. Fragments of Carved Stone and Gravestone
XIII. Carved Capitals, etc.
XIV. Glass and Miscellaneous Objects XV. Font at Buttington Church -
XVI. Floor Tiles
173
182 183 188 184 185 186 187 190
XVII. Floor Tiles and Masons' Marks - 195
VI
Woodcut — " Old Garthmill Hall" ) to be mounted
„ Shield of Arms carved in oak j between pp. 300 & 301 „ Outline-sketch of Celtic Bell from Llangystenyn - 327 „ BellofLlangwynodl » y Cambrian (^
„ „ Llanddeusant ^ . / . 1 340
„ Llanrhyddlad ) Arch. Assoo. | 341
„ Bell of St. Fillan J s , 342
„ „ St. Eonan at Insh V A, ,, , d <( 344
;, Bell from Little Dunkeld ) «f Scotland } M5
„ Outline-sketch of Bronze Bell from Java 349
„ Parish Church of Kerry - - to face p. 371
Lithograph, — Tower of Church and details of interior (two
pages) to be mounted between pp. 380 & 381
LIST OF THE MEMBERS
OF THE
POWYS-LAND CLUB
September 30, 1891.
Those marked * have contributed papers to the "Montgomeryshire Collections". Those marked f are Donors of Objects to the Powys-land Museum and Library. Those marked J have exhibited articles of interest at the Annual Meeting.
Addie, William Forrester, Esq., Powis Castle Park, Welshpool tAdnitt, W. H., Esq., Lystonville, Shrewsbury
Babington, Charles C., Esq., F.S.A., 5; Brookside, Cambridge *fBarrett, Thomas Brettell, Esq., Welshpool *Bates, J. Cadwallader, Esq., Heddon, Wylam, Northumberland J Beck, Peter Arthur, Esq., The Derwen, Welshpool tj; Bennett, Nicholas, Esq., Glanyrafon, Llanidloes fBlack, Adam William, Esq., 44, Hyde Park Square, London
Bolding, George Frederick, Esq., 204, Hagley Road, Edgbaston,
Birmingham *Bridgeman, Hon. and Rev. Canon, M.A., The Hall, Wigan
Bridgeman, Hon. and Rev. J. R. 0,, M.A., Eectory, Weston-under- Lyziard, Shifnal
Brisco, Wastel, Esq., Southcott, Reading
Broughton, J. Nightingale, Esq., Sidney Avenue, Newcastle, Stafford- shire J Buckley, Sir Edmund, Bart., Plas Dinas, Dinas Mawddwy
Carpenter, J. Edward, Esq., Attorney-at-Law, 710, Walnut Street,
Philadelphia, U.S.A.
*tClark, George Thomas, Esq. , Talygarn, Llantrissant, South Wales f Curling, Mrs., Brookland Hall, Welshpool
Davies, Edward, Esq., Plas Dinam, Llandinam
Davies, Rev. John Evans, M.A., Llangelynin Rectory, Llwyngwril, Merioneth
Davies, John D., Esq., Llanidloes tj Davies, John Pryce, Esq., Bronfelin, Caersws
Davies, Thomas, Esq., 121, High Holborn, London (deceased)
Davies, Rev. D. Grimaldi, M.A., Vicarage, Welshpool tDugdale, John Marshall, Esq., Llwyn, Llanfyllin.
Vlll
fEvans, Major David Williams, Bryntirion, Kingsland, Shrewsbury,
and Glascoed, Llansantffraid J Evans, Kev. Edward, M.A., Rectory, Llanfihangel-yn-Nghwnfa,
Llanfyllin, Oswestry
fEvans, Edward, Esq., Bronwylfa, Wrexham tJEvans, Edward Bickerton, Esq., Whitbourne Hill, Worcester f JEvans, John, LL.D., Pres.S.A., F.R.S., Nash Mills, Kernel Hempstead tEvans, Mrs. John Hilditch, Bryn Issa, Persh ore, Worcestershire Eyre, Eev. W., St. Beuno's College, St. Asaph
ftFardo, George, Esq., Postmaster, Cardiff
Ffoulkes, Rev. Piers John Benedict, M.A., The Grange, Jarrow-on- Tyne
Ffoulkes, Wynne, His Honour Judge, OldNorthgate House, Chester *t|Field, Rev. Augustus, M.A., Vicarage, Lydbury North, Shropshire
Foljambe, Cecil G. S., Esq., M.P., Cockglode, Ollerton, Newark
tJGillart, Richard, Esq., Llynlloed, Machynlleth Goulden, Joseph, Esq., 18, Lancaster Gate, London (deceased)
Harlech, The Lord, Brogyntyn, Oswestry (Vice-President} tHarrison, George Devereux, Esq., Fronllwyd, Welshpool *tHarrison, Lieut.-Col. Robert John, Caerhowel, Montgomery
Hawksworth, Herbert, Esq., M.R.C.S., Park Lane, Welshpool
Herbert, Col. George Edward, Upper Helmsley Hall, Yorkshire,
and Glanhafren, Newtown, Montgomeryshire *JHeyward, Col. John Hey ward, Cross wood, Guilsfield *t}Hill, Rev. J. E., M.A., Vicarage, Montford, Salop *|Howell, Abraham, Esq., Rhiewport, Berriew, Montgomeryshire
Howell, J. M., Esq., Craig-y-don, Aberdovey
Hughes, H. R., Esq., Kinmel, St. Asaph
Inner Temple Library, London (J. Pickering, Esq., Librarian)
Jehu Richard, Esq., 21, Cloudesley Street, Islington, London t Jones, Charles, Esq., Salop Road, Welshpool Jones, John Morgan Edwards, Esq., Loubcroy, Wimbledon Hill,
Surrey
*f JJones, Morris Charles, Esq., F.S.A., F.S.A.Scot., Gungrog, Welsh- pool (Honorary Secretary}
*t | Jones, Morris Paterson, Esq., 20, Abercromby Square, Liverpool fjones, Richard Edward, Esq., Cefn Bryntalch, Abermule, Mont.
Jones, Miss S. H., 6, Edwardes Square, London t Jones, T. Parry, Esq., Park House, Newtown
*tJones, T. Simpson, Esq., M.A., 6, Stone Buildings, Lincoln's Inn, and Gungrog, Welshpool
tKynaston, Rev. W. C. E., M.A., Hardwicke Hall, Ellesmere
IX
*tLeighton, Stanley, Esq., M.P., Sweeney Hall, Oswestry tJLewis, Rev. David Phillips, M.A., Eectory, Llandrinio fLewis, Rev. John, M.A., Vicarage, Ford, Salop Lewis, Hugh, Esq., M.A. Cantab., Mount Severn, Llanidloes Lewis, Rev. T. Wolseley, M.A., St. Idloes, Pitville Circus, Chelten- ham
Liverpool Free Public Library (Peter Cow ell, Esq., Chief Librarian) Lloyd, Henry, Esq., Pitsford Hall, Northampton, and Dolobran,
Meifod *fLloy(J, Howel William, Esq., 56, Abingdon Villas, Kensington, W.
Lloyd, Richard, Esq., Mount Severn, Newtown tLloyd, Sampson S., Esq., 2, Cornwall Gardens, London, S.W., and
Dolobran, Meifod *f{Lloyd, Rev. W. Valentine, M.A., F.R.G.S., Haselbech Rectory,
Northampton (Honorary Secretary) fLovell, Mrs. Pugh-, Llanerchydol, Welshpool
fMatthews, Rev. Prebendary, M.A., Rectory, Llandisilio, R.S.O.
McCormick, Rev. Frederick H. J., F.S.A.Scot., F.S.A.(Ireland),
etc., St. James, Whitehaven, Cumberland JMorgan, Charles, Esq., College House, Bromley, Kent
Morgan, David, Esq., High Street, Welshpool
Morgan, Edward, Esq., Machynlleth
Morgan, George, Esq., Fron, Newtown, Mont.
Morris, E. Rowley, Esq., Warren House, Carleton Road, Tufnell Park. London
Morris, T. Rowley, Esq., Bronhaul, Welshpool
Murray-Browne, T. Lloyd, Esq., Local Government Inspector, Rhyl JMytton, Captain Devereux Herbert, Garth, Welshpool
Mytton, Miss, Severn Street, Welshpool
Northumberland, His Grace the Duke of, Alnwick Castle, North- umberland
Oswestry and Welshpool Naturalist Field Club and Archaeological Society (Rev. 0. W. Fielden, Frankton Rectory, Oswestry, Secretary) tOwen, Arthur Charles Humphreys, Esq., Glansevern, Garthmyl,
Mont.
Owen, Edward H.. Esq., F.S.A., Tycoch, Caernarvon *fOwen, D. C. Lloyd, Esq., F.R.C.S., 51, Newhall Street, and Cler-
mont, Woodbourne Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham tO wen, David Pryce, Esq., Broad Street, Welshpool *tOweu, Rev. Elias, M.A., Efenechtyd Rectory, Ruthin *0wen, Rupert K. W., Esq., Caer Gloew, St. Margaret's Road, Ox- ford
tOwen, Rev. R. Trevor, M.A., F.S A., Vicarage, Llangedwyn Owen, Rev. Thomas, Christ Church Vicarage, Wellington, Salop
*fJPovvis, The Earl of, Powis Castle, Welshpool (President), (de- ceased)
tJParker, Rev. F. W., M.A., Rectory, Montgomery JParry, Sir Love Jones, Bart., F.S.A., Madryn Castle, Pwllheli tPhiliimore, E. G. B., Esq., Tyn y rh6s, Cemmaes Road, R.S.O., Montgomeryshire
Pierce, Mrs., Sherbourne House, Leamington
Powel, Thomas, Esq., University College, Cardiff
Powell, Evan, Esq., Broomcliffe, Llanidloes and Powellton, W. Va., U.S.A.
Powell, Matthew, Esq., Welshpool (Honorary Treasurer) tj Powell, Samuel, Esq., Ivy House, Welshpool
Powys, Vere, Esq., 1, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London tPritchard, W. E. Gilbertson, Esq., Ceniarth, Machynlleth
Price, Mrs., Marrington Hall, Chirbury, Shropshire
Pryce, David Tanatt, Esq., Bronwylfa, Cor wen *tPryce, Edward S. Mostyn, Esq., Gunley, Chirbury, and The Lions,
Branksome Woods, Bournemouth
tJPryce, Elijah, Esq., Trederwen House, Llansantffraid, Oswestry t Pryce, Robert Davies, Esq., Cyffronydd, Welshpool (deceased) t Pryce, Thomas, Esq., Pentreheylin, Llanymynech, Oswestry *Pryce, Thomas Edward, Esq., Architect, 35, Bedford Row, London
Pryce-Jones, Sir Pryce, Dolerw, Newtown
Pugh, William, Esq., Bod Dyffryn, Kenley, Surrey *Pugh, William Buckley, Esq., Dolfor Hall, Kerry, and Patrington, Hull
Pughe, Rev. G. R. Gould, Mellor Vicarage, Blackburn
tRendel, Stuart, Esq., M.P., 4, Whitehall Gardens, London, W. Roberts, David, Esq., 53, Willow Street, Oswestry Roberts, Rev. Robert Jones, M.A., Pool Quay Vicarage, Welshpool Ruck, Mrs., Pantlludw, Machynlleth
Sudeley, The Lord, Toddington, Gloucestershire (Vice-President)
St. Asaph, The Bishop of, The Palace, St, Asaph ( Vice-President)
Salt, George Moultrie, Esq., Quarry Place, Salop
Salusbury, Rev. George Augustus, M.A., Westbury Rectory, Salop *Sandford, Rev. George, M.A., Eccleshall Vicarage, Sheffield
Slaughter, Very Rev. Monsignor, Plowden, Shropshire
Sotheran, Henry, Esq., 136, Strand, London
Southern, Francis R., Esq., Ludlow (deceased) tSquires, Mrs. Bonavie, Marrington, Branksome Park, Bournemouth
Squires, Horace Lynes, Esq., 7, Exchange Station Building,
Liverpool t Storey, Sir Thomas, Westfield, Lancaster
tTemple, Rev. R., M.A., Llwyngroes, Llanymynech, RS.O. *Thomas, Ven. Archdeacon, M.A., F.S.A., Vicarage, Meifod, Welsh- pool
XI
Tracy, The Hon. Frederick Hanbury, M.P., 116, Queen's Gate, London
Trinity College Library (Rev. R. Sinker, M.A., Librarian), Cam- bridge
Twentyman, Llewelyn Howel, Esq., Castlecroft, Wolverhampton
Vane Tempest, Lord Henry J., Plas, Machynlleth (Vice-President) Verney, Lieut.-Col. G. H., Clochfaen, Llanidloes
Wynn, Sir Watkin Williams, Bart., Wynnstay, Ruabon (Vice- President)
Williams, Edward, Esq., Broome Hall, Oswestry Williams, E. W. Colt, Esq., H.M. Inspector of Schools, Hagley Hall,
Eugeley, Staffordshire tJWilliams, Rev. John, M.A., Vicarage, Llanrhaiadr, Denbigh
Williams, Miss Mary C. L., The Brow, Ruabon *Williams, Rev. Canon Robert, M.A., Rectory, Llanfyllin (deceased) *ttWilliams, Richard, Esq., Celynog, Newtown (lion. Secretary) * Williams, Stephen W., Esq., Penralley, Rhayader fWilling, Edward S., Esq., 511, South Broad Street, Philadelphia,
U.S.A.
tj Winder, Major Corbett, Vaynor Park, Berriew, Montgomeryshire Woods, Sir Albert W., Garter King of Arms, College of Arms,
London, E.G. Wooding, David Lewis, Esq., Beula Garth, R.S.O., Breconshire,
(deceased)
Wright, Philip, Esq., Mellington Hall, Churchstoke, Montgomery *tJWynn, Charles Watkin Williams, Esq., Coed-y-Maen, Welshpool Wynne, W. R. M., Esq., Peniarth, Towyn
After 1st October, 1891.
George Charles, Earl of Powis, Powis Castle, Welshpool, elected
President, 19th Oct., 1891 Jones, Rev. T. Charles, Mill Place, Welshpool. Lloyd, Henry C., Esq., 6, Half Moon Street, Piccadilly, London Owen, Chas. Whitley, Esq., Fronfraith, Abermule, Montgomeryshire Pryce, Capt. Athelstane R., Cyffronydd, Welshpool Talbot, J. Arthur, Esq., Croesawdy, Newtown, Mont. Wooding, Benjamin, Esq., Beulah Garth, Breconshire Williams, Miss, Gwyndy, Llanfyllin, Oswestry
THE POWYS-LAND CLUB.
ANNUAL MEETING.
ON Monday, October 19th, the annual meeting of this Club was held in the Powys-land Museum, when the following ladies and gentlemen were present : — Mrs. D. P. Lewis, Llandrinio ; Mrs. Curling, and Miss Davison, and the Venerable Archdeacon Thomas ; the Rev. D. Grimaldi Davis, Yicar of Welshpool ; Abraham Howell, Esq., Rhiewport; Capt. D. H. Mytton, Garth ; the Rev. D. P. Lewis, Llandrinio ; Colonel R. J. Harrison, Caerhowel ; Mrs. Morris C. Jones, Miss Amy Jones, T. Simpson Jones, Esq., Gungrog; R. E. Jones, Esq., Cefn- Bryntalch; Dr. T. B. Barrett, Welshpool; T. Pryce, Esq., Pentreheylin, Llanymynech ; Elijah Pryce, Esq., Trederwen, and Mr. Morris C. Jones, Gungrog, and Mr. Richard Williams, Newtown, two of the hon. secretaries.
It was proposed by Mr. MORRIS C. JONES, and seconded by Mr. RICHARD WILLIAMS, and unanimously agreed, that the Venerable Archdeacon THOMAS should occupy the chair.
The CHAIRMAN in opening the meeting said : — In taking the chair this afternoon I feel that your thoughts will at once recur to the same subject as my own, the gap in the history — I hope not in the life, nor in the continuity — but in the history of the Powys-land Club. To-day is the first time for many years, and probably since the establishment of the Club, in which we miss from this chair the familiar face and figure of our late President. We miss his presence the more because of the warm interest he always showed in the work of this Club, because of the regular attendance which he always gave at its annual or anniversary meetings, and because of the readiness with which he placed at the service of the Club both valuable material and pecuniary aid. On all these grounds, and by virtue of his many qualifications, social, intellectual, and ter-
Xlll
ritorial, he was naturally fitted to be the head of this Society, the natural choice of the literary Club of Powys- land, and we were proud of him. Born to great wealth, occupying one of the highest positions in the land, endowed with intellectual power, enriched with gifts of mind of a very high order, with every temptation to take life easily, with every facility to gratify his own inclinations, and to indulge any wishes that he chose to entertain, he nevertheless felt that those gifts and powers and opportunities were not intended for his own gratification, but for the good of others, and so he resisted the temptation to spend on and please himself in order that he might the better fulfil his duty towards them. Thank God that he made that choice, that he resisted the temptation to take life selfishly, and that he looked upon his advantages — and they were very great — as a trust to be used, as a charge from One above, as a responsibility for which he would have to give account. And his leisure, or what to others would have been leisure, he regarded as the means to carry out his duty. I suppose few men really have had so little leisure as he had, because few were so busy, so ready to deny themselves, in order that they might the better help others, few more devoted to the public good or more ready to help on worthy local purposes. With every surrounding that might lead him to gratify himself had he so chosen, his life was very simple, very plain, almost severe. This was no growth of old age, or of later years ; the seeds, we may be assured, were sown in his childhood, and I remember one to whom he served as fag at Eton years ago telling me of his diligence and love of books ; and we know that under the guidance of that splendid man, George Augustus Selwyn (afterwards Bishop of New Zealand and of Lich- field), it developed in his after life, and we have seen the evidence of it in the scholarship which placed him in the first rank in his University of Cambridge, a scholarship so mature and so congenial that he followed it up through the busiest years of his after life. It was
XIV
his delight to read the old classics, and an evident pleasure to him to set off his letters with some in- teresting, apt, and scholarly quotation. One can almost see the smile upon his face as he penned some witty phrase or wrote down some apt illustration. His University showed their appreciation of his scholar- ship, and his worth, by making him their High Steward, and none could have more fitly filled that office. He was an indefatigable reader, equally versed in the old classics of Greece and Rome as in the various branches of modern literature, by no means excluding a wide range of novels. But with all this he was a very careful reader and a very minute critic. I remember once talking to Mr. John Murray, the great publisher, who asked me if I knew Lord Powis, and his remark was that he was continually receiving criticisms of articles from him, and the editors of the Powys-land Club Transactions and of the Archceologia Cambrensis could, I am sure, say the same thing. Very aptly, therefore, was a man of such literary tastes and intel- lectual power chosen to be our head and President — the first President — of the Powys-land Club, and equally aptly was he selected to represent the educa- tional element of the committee of the County Council ; nor need I remind you that he was the first President of the North Wales College at Bangor. But those literary tastes, great as they were, did not disqualify him from taking an active part in what is called prac- tical and public business — they rather set off and adorned his part in that work. Many of yourselves know better than I do how active and how diligent he was, and how helpful and valuable his services were in county business, not only in Montgomeryshire, but also in Shropshire and Herefordshire ; on how many com- mittees he served, and served well ; and those of many different kinds, legal, financial, social, educational. Be- sides all these, there were the continuous claims of the property entrusted to his care, and you know how anxious he was about the well-being and the welfare
XV
of those who lived upon that property. In everything he undertook he combined a minuteness and critical carefulness with a strong business-like character. But I should be wanting to him, I should be wanting to you, I should be wanting to myself, if I omitted to speak here of his services to the Church, of which he was so faithful a member. Here especially, at Welsh- pool, one may quote the expression, " Si monumentum quseris circumspice". When he came of age, that event was commemorated by the erection, as the fittest memorial to him, of Christ Church, and you know how much he did in after years to promote the interests of the parish church. At Pool Quay there is a church which he built and founded ; and at Oswestry his benefactions were exceedingly great and valuable. Of course, in speaking of these benefactions, I am speaking only of what is known and public, but I believe that what is known and public forms but a very small portion of what he really did. Whatever his good- ness and his large ability prompted, whatever his zeal in doing good and the part which as leader in the county it was his to take, he supplemented it all with an amount of well-doing, of charitableness, and of help- fulness, which was known to nobody except himself and his bankers. We regret his absence to-day, but we are proud to have had him so long as our President, and I felt that I could not take this chair, even for a tem- porary occasion like the present, without paying, in your name as well as in my own, what I am sure you will all agree with me — such tribute as I could to one who so well deserved all we could say on his behalf.
The CHAIRMAN then called upon Mr. Richard Williams, one of the Secretaries, to read the report of the Council.
The Report of the Council to the Annual Meeting of the Powys-
land Club, held on the 19th October 1891.
During the past year death has removed not only an unusual number of our members, but also our President. The late Earl of Powis had held the office of President for twenty-four years, that is to say, since the institution of the Club, and died, as he lived,
XVI
The Powys-land Club in account with Matthew Powell, Esq.,
and ending
To Cash paid as follows : —
„ Messrs. Whiting and Co., for Printing Report of
Meeting and Supplementary Part - - £9159
„ Ditto, for Printing Part XLVIII - 59 9 3
„ Ditto, for Printing Part XLIX - 63 2 6
„ Paid for Strata Marcella Illustrations £31 5 0
„ Paid for other Illustrations 2 15 0
34 0 0
„ Paid for Postage of Report and Parts XLVIII and XLIX to Members ; also of back Parts to New Members ; Printing and Postage of Circulars, and Wrappers, collecting Subscriptions, and ac- knowledging same, Reporter, copying Docu- ments, etc. - 15 0 11
Museum — Paid printing Labels, etc. 1 1 10
Balance carried down - - -1341611
£317 7 2
XVII
Hon. Treasurer, for the year commencing 1st October 1890, 30th September 1891.
By Balance in hand - - ,£157 4 8
„ Cash received from Subscriptions as follows : — 3 Subscriptions from Original Members at 10s. 6d.
each - 1 11 6
100 Subscriptions from ordinary Members at £1 Is.
each - - 105 0 0
Special : — 1 The late Earl of Powis - 550
Arrears received - - 770
Subscriptions of next year received in advance from
Members - 36 4 6
25 Members who last year, or previously, paid this year's Subscription in advance
22 Members in arrear, amounting (besides bad debts) to £21 10s. Qd.
151 Number on List of Members on 30th Sept. 1891.
Cash received for booka sold - - 4 14 6
£317 7 2
1891, October. By Balance in hand brought down - 1341611
VOL. XXV.
XV 111
universally respected. His high character, and many gracious gifts, were recognised by none more than by the members of the Powys-land Club. The other members whose loss we deplore are the Rev. Canon Williams, a member of the Council, William Fisher, Esq., Robert Davies Pryce, Esq., Joseph Groolden, Esq., Francis R. Southern, Esq., Thomas Davies, Esq., and David Lewis Wooding, Esq. The Club as a body may find some consolation for these lamentable losses in the fact that the places of some of the deceased members have been filled by their nearest relatives and successors — the late Earl of Powis, by the present Earl ; Captain Pryce, by his eldest son, Captain Athelstane R. Pryce ; Mr. David Lewis Wood- ing, by his son Mr. Benjamin Wooding ; and the Rev. Canon Williams by his niece, Miss Williams. The custom of sons and near relatives succeeding deceased members has obtained largely in the Powys-land Club, there being no less than twenty instances of such succession. Six members have resigned,' and since 1st October 1890 eight new members have joined. It is the duty of this meeting to elect the officers of the Club. The Council propose that George Charles, Earl of Powis, should be elected President of the Club in the place of the late Earl ; that J. Marshall Dugdale, Esq., should be elected a member of the Council, in the place of the late Rev. Canon Williams, and that the other officers should be re-elected. Several donations of considerable interest have been made to the Museum. An attempt was made in 1885 to establish an agricultural class, but unsuccessfully, as mentioned in the report for that year. The experiment is being repeated this year, and commenced on the 8th October inst., with good prospects of success. The finances of the Club are in a satisfactory condition. No lack of material for the Montgomeryshire Collections has as yet been experienced. The Council would nevertheless be glad if the number of contributors was increased, so as to ensure a larger number and greater variety of subjects being treated of, more especially parochial histories.
The CHAIRMAN then called upon the SECRETARY to read an abstract of the TREASURER'S Report. (See pages xvi and xvii.)
The Rev. D. G-RIMALDI DAVIS was called upon to read the report of the Committee of the Powys-land School of Science and Art. He said : Mr. Morris Charles Jones, to whose unremitting energy the continuance of the Art School is generally due, has put into my hands the following report for the past year, which I now have great pleasure in reading : —
Report of the Committee of the Powys-land School of Science
and Art.
The attendance of the classes and the fees received have been as follows : —
XIX
DAY CLASS. EVENING CLASS.
Attendance. Fees. Attendance. Fees.
Term ending llth Nov. 1890 ... 9 ....£410 0 ... 18 ...£219 6
Term ending 24th Feb. 1891 ... 10 ... 6 10 0 ... 19 ... 3 6 6
Term ending 12th May 1891 ... 8 ... 5 13 6 ... 22 ... 3 17 0
Term ending 21st July 1891 .. 9 ... 6 6 0 ... 18 ... 2 19 6
Totals ... 36 £22 19 6 77 £13 2 6
Schools coming in a body at a reduced fee of 5s. instead of 12s. Qd. have been : —
School A. School B.
Attendance. Fees. Attendance. Fees.
1st quarter ... 7 ... £1 15 0 ... 6 ,.. £1 10 0
2nd quarter ... 7 ... 115 0 ... 4 ... 100
3rd quarter ... 6 ... 1 10 0 ... 3 ... 0 15 0
£500 £350
Summary.
Day Class £2219 6
Evening Class ... 13 2 6
Private Schools. A ... ... ... £5 0 0
„ 'B 350
850
£44 7 0
Results of Examinations.
In Freehand, two Students passed 1st Class, one of them being marked excellent. Four passed 2nd Class, and four failed. In Model Drawing, one passed 2nd Class and five failed. In Geo- metrical Drawing, two passed and one failed.
External Pupils : Practical plane and solid Geometry, one passed. Freehand Drawing, one passed 1st Class, one passed 2nd Class, and two failed. Perspective, two passed 1st Class, excellent, and one 2nd Class. Model Drawing, one failed.
The Rev. G. DAVIS, having read the report, said : The School has progressed in some degree during the past year, and during the last few weeks there have been connected with the School, agricultural classes, and we are looking forward with a great deal of hope to those classes giving a new impetus to technical and agricultural knowledge in this district ; and in this case, too, I must publicly declare our great indebtedness to our Hon. Secretary of the School of Art.
The CHAIRMAN : 1 propose " that the reports be printed and cir- culated,that George Charles, the Earl of Powis,be elected President of the Club, that Mr. J. Marshall Dugdale be elected in the place of the late Canon Williams, and that the other officers be re-elected." I have already spoken of our indebtedness to our late President, and am sure you will all agree with me that we could not have a more suitable successor in the chair than the new Earl. We hope the office will be a tie that will bind him closely to the interests of
b 2
XX
Powys-land, and in the Transactions of the Society he will find an immense amount of information which will deepen his interest in that large stake which he holds amongst us. I hope the new Earl will tread in the steps of his uncle, and if report speaks as truly, as it does kindly of him, we are not likely to be disappointed in him. I am also glad to find that Canon Williams's place will be filled by one from the same neighbourhood, one who is also likely to con- tribute to the pages of the Journal. I say this because he has already shown a literary turn by editing very usefully and helpfully the Decanal Magazine for Llanfyllin. I refer to Mr. J. Marshall Dugdale. No words are necessary from me in putting forward the names of the officers of the Club for re-election. It is a pleasure to see that our interests are so well looked after, and year after year the publication of the Journal testifies to the success which has crowned our work. During the last year we have had both paro- chial and natural history, and a great variety of subjects treated in the Journal. In the last issue we had a most admirable chapter upon the mediaeval and ecclesiastical history of Kerry, which I was exceedingly glad to see. To myself there have been matters of special interest, including the church seats at Meifod, which re- opened a chapter in the history of my own parish in the 17th century. There were also the very interesting deeds belonging to the Williames's of Ystym Colwyn, which throw a light upon its still earlier history. Having said this, and having moved the resolution I have just read, I should like to say just one word upon another subject. It bears reference to the most interesting bell, one of our chief acquisitions during the past few months. I do not think it is quite in its right place ; it is not that it would be more carefully looked after or more highly valued if it were else- where, but the proper place for it is either Llangystenyn Church or St. Asaph Cathedral. It is one of the most ancient Celtic bells, and one of the most remarkable relics, and in its way the most valuable object in the Museum. I think it a little hard that it should be here. In the very opening page of the last issue of the Journal a pro- minent antiquary wrote an article on Parochial Terriers, with some deserved comments on certain instances of the shameful neglect of parochial papers in the past. I agree with every word he said, but, curiously enough, an antiquary in the same county, possibly the same individual, in his anxiety for preserving this particular object, has been the means of getting it transferred to this Museum. Having said this I beg form-ally to propose the resolution.
Mr. A. HOWELL seconded the motion, and said that
In common with the inhabitants generally of Montgomeryshire and Shropshire and the surrounding districts, and particularly with the inhabitants of Welshpool and Welshpool district, we most deeply regret the loss of our late President, the late Earl of Powis, to whom all were indebted for constant benefits, for within my recollection, the period of upwards of sixty years, of which some
XXI
twenty years was in the lifetime of his father, called Edward Herbert, Earl of Powis (the grandfather of the present Earl of Powis), who, during that period, he, the late Earl Edward James, Earl of Powis, assisted, and during the subsequent forty years and upwards, those benefits were conferred by himself. There was nothing which he saw was for the benefit of his neighbours that he did not most liberally contribute to, and devote his own personal assistance if he thought it necessary or beneficial. In regard to Welshpool, he assisted, among other things, in its being provided with a water supply, sewerage, and other sanitary improvements, converting the town from being the most unhealthy to one of the most healthy towns in the kingdom ; and he, unasked, supplied them at a nominal rent for a long term of years with the water and reservoir, and a syphon communication with the highest parts of all the houses in the town, saving to the inhabitants a very large cost, something equal to all the other expenditure ; and in the restoration of the parish church, and the restoration and erection of other churches, and public benefits, he undertook a large pro- portion of the cost. I can speak of most of them through having had the honour of being mayor of the town during four years, and also alderman and member of the Council some twenty years, and during which periods the sanitary improvements were carried out ; and for the first fifty years of the sixty years during which the quarterly accounts were printed and published, the charge of which I had under the direction of the Finance Committee, of which committee the Grandfather was Chairman during the first twenty years, and the Uncle during the remaining forty years and upwards. I am glad to be able to say that I am aware the present Earl has expressed himself desirous of following in the steps of his late uncle in public matters, and also that he is very competent to do so, and also to know that he is willing to succeed the late Earl as President of the Powys-land Club. As regards Mr. Marshall Dugdale, I am able to say from experience that few were able to excel him in the transaction of public matters ; and as to Mr. Morris Charles Jones and his co-secretaries and the other officers of the Club, all well knew, from constant experience from the esta- blishment of it, that in the performance of their services they could not be excelled.
The CHAIRMAN : There are many present who are so deeply interested in the well-being of the Powys-land Club, that I should be glad if anyone would speak who wishes to make any remark before the subject is put to the meeting.
Rev. D. PHILLIPS LEWIS said : I wish to say a few words, being one of the .original members of the Club, and on the Council, and having attended every annual meeting of the Club for twenty-four years, except one. As regards our dear old President, I do not think that I can add much to the speech of Archdeacon Thomas, who has said pretty well all there is to say. I can only tell the meeting that I was at St. John's with the Earl (then Mr. Herbert),
XX11
and that he was remarkable for his diligent attention to his classical studies and for the strict propriety of his conduct, avoiding the society of the fast and dissipated ; he was commonly to be seen walking with the most virtuous of the Fellows, generally men of High Church proclivities. I noticed also that without seeing much of undergraduate society he was remarkably kind and attentive to Montgomeryshire men.
Mr. R. E. JONES said : There is a matter which I wish to put before the members of the Club, but to do so in a proper manner, would tire you, I fear, too much, and as the meeting has already lasted some time, I will not therefore weary your attention any more than I can possibly help. What I wish to suggest is, the undertaking of a work by the Club, which I am quite sure would be of the greatest utility to everyone interested in the past history of the country. You are all aware that in the Eecord Office in London there is a vast collection of documents, many of which relate to the history of Montgomeryshire. What I wish to suggest is this — that the Club should endeavour to get a descriptive catalogue or calendar of those documents drawn up, and that a special fund should be opened for the purpose of defraying the necessary cost, to which members of the Club who are interested (I hope a great number) might con- tribute. I would further suggest that the work should be carried out under the general superintendence of a Committee of the Club, and that the catalogue should become the property of the Club when it is complete. I am anxious to bring this question forward now, because there is a member of the Committee residing at present in London, who is more qualified than any other to under- take the work, as he is thoroughly acquainted with the Record Office, and understands exactly what a catalogue such as that which I would urge should contain. The preliminary cost at all events will not be very great. I would suggest that the Club should try to raise a sum of £20 or £30, and then in a little time, when the money is exhausted, you will be able to see whether it had been well laid out, and be in a position to consider the matter further. Of course you all know that the gentleman to whom I have referred is Mr. E. Rowley Morris. The other day I had a commu- nication from him, in which he says he is willing to give his best co-operation in the matter, and he surely will be the fittest person to undertake the work. Mr. Morris has a strong opinion as to the extreme value of the documents in the Record Office as illustrative of the past history of the county. I myself have had some ex- perience in the Office, and can speak of the great difficulty which a person unacquainted with the building and its contents has in procuring the information he desires. I hope something can be done in the matter, and I shall be happy to subscribe towards the expenses.
The CHAIRMAN : The suggestion Mr. R. E. Jones has made is so very valuable that we shall be glad to hear what Mr. Morris Jones thinks of the subject.
XXlll
Mr. MORRIS C. JONES : I cordially approve of all Mr. E. E. Jones has said, and shall be very happy to do all I can to carry the sug- gestion out. I can not, however, undertake the financial part of the business, the collecting of the subscriptions.
Mr. E. E. JONES : I will undertake to do anything that is neces- sary, and anything which no one else will undertake. Will Mr. Morris Jones act as Secretary ?
Mr. MORRIS C. JONES : I will, with pleasure.
Dr. BARRETT : I should like to ask whether it is intended that the calendar should embrace the records of this part of the Principality or of the Principality at large ?
Mr. R. E. JONES : My intention is to confine the scheme to the county of Montgomery, as it would be a very large undertaking to include the whole of Wales. Mr. Rowley Morris told me there is a large number of documents lying at the Record Office, which were removed from Welshpool during the last century— <• county records.
Dr. BARRETT : A large portion was removed from Welshpool to Wrexham. I shall be pleased to subscribe £1 Is. to the fund.
The CHAIRMAN : I think that considerable fruit is likely to result from this discussion, and I shall be glad to join in the subscriptions and give £1 Is.
The resolution was then put to the meeting and carried nem. con.
The following subscriptions were also announced amidst applause : Mr. E. E. Jones, £5 ; Mr. Morris C. Jones, £1 Is. ; Mr. Abraham Howell, £2 2s. ; and Mr. Richard Williams, £1 Is.
The CHAIRMAN : It would be well if the meeting nominated a small committee to consider what you would like to have done, and the best means of doing it.
It was proposed by Mr. RICHARD WILLIAMS, and seconded by the Rev. D. GRIMALDI DAVIS, and unanimously agreed to, that the Chair- man, Mr. R. E. Jones, Mr. Morris C. Jones, Mr. Richard Williams, and Dr. Barrett, be appointed a committee to superintend the scheme.
Capt. MYTTON : I have now the pleasure of proposing that a vote of thanks should be given the Chairman for presiding this afternoon. We are very sorry that we have not the presence of one who pre- sided over us for so many years, but we must all be thankful that we have had a Chairman at this meeting who is well qualified to act as Chairman of the Powys-land Club. Archdeacon Thomas has for many years assisted us by his energy in a literary manner and by attending our meetings ; he has done a great deal to promote the success of our Club, and has contributed largely to the journals, and we are very thankful to him for presiding here to-day. We like him in every respect, except in the character of a detective, for the Powys-land Club is always rather jealous to preserve anything that once comes within its walls. I do not think I can do better than offer him a post that I was offered the other day, that of becoming a vice-president of the Literary and Scientific Institute, and if he
XXIV
would like to join that institution, I could not do better than substitute his name for mine.
Mr. R. E. JONES : I have great pleasure in seconding the pro- posal.
The CHAIRMAN, in responding, said : I hope at the next meeting we shall have our new President, and in conclusion I wish God-speed to the Society and its works.
The meeting then terminated.
XXV
CLASSIFIED LIST OF ARTICLES
PRESENTED, BETWEEN NOVEMBER 1890 AND NOVEMBER 1891,
TO THE POWYS-LAND MUSEUM AND LIBRARY, WITH THE
NAMES OP THE DONORS.*
(Continued from "Montgomeryshire Collections", Vol. xxiv, p. xxiv.)
STONE :—
Presented by (54) NICHOLAS BENNETT, Glanyrafon (1891).
A Hammer-stone, Hornblende Schist, 5J inches in length and 3f inches at the broadest part, and weighs 2 Ibs. and 5J ounces. Ploughed up on the site of W abash battlefield, Indiana, U.S.A. It is very similar in form to the Hammer-stone from Massachusetts, figured No. 72, on p. 647, in the Smithsonian Report for 1888, in an article entitled, "A Study of Prehistoric Archaeology." It is there stated that "the grooved axes are peculiar to the United States. They are not found at all, or rarely, in European countries. They were used with a handle, which was attached by means of a withe or thong which passed around in the groove."
BRONZE : —
Purchased (492) by Subscription (1891).
An Ancient Celtic Bell, formerly in Llangystenyn Church. (See paper upon it in Mont. Coll., vol. xxv, p. 327.
IRON : —
Presented by (484) EDWARD GRIFFITHS, Upper House Inn,
Llandyssil (1891).
A Cromwellian Sword — found in a trench near Cefn Bryntalch. It has been in the family of Mr. Schort, Carpenter, Llandyssil, for 200 years.
Presented by (170) CHARLES AP THOMAS, Plas Ynca, Singlewell Road, Gravesend (1891).
A fragment of Iron, left at Beechy Island by Franklin, 1844-46.
* Each donor's name has a large number prefixed, and each of his dona- tions is numbered consecutively with a small number. This is done for the future identification of the donations.
XXVI
NATURAL HISTORY : —
Presented by (485) J. A. SMITH, Newtown (1891). A small Collection of Minerals and Fossils.
Presented by (486) J. F. WALKER, M.A., 45, Brotham, York.
Set of Minute Fossil Brachiopoda, from the Wenloch Shale at Buildwas.
Presented by (487) S. L. BOWERS NICHOLSON, 14, Cambrian View,
Chester (1891).
A Puffin, stuffed and mounted. Caught alive on the 19th June 1891, on the road between Bishop's Castle and Montgomery, by the Donor. It lived for three days, and died at Royal Oak Inn, Welsh- pool.
FOREIGN CURIOSITIES : —
Presented by (452) Lieutenant W. C. WILLIAMS- WYNN, Royal Horse Artillery (1891).
A " Poshteen", or Sheep-skin Coat, made at Peshawur, on the Punjaub frontier of India. Worn by the officers of the Staff and some regiments of Native Cavalry in the Afghan War of 1879-80. Cost 32 rupees. Very elaborate coats cost from 70 to 100 rupees. Brought home from India by the Donor.
Presented by (411) FRANCIS PARRY (1891).
A 20 Dollar Note of the " Confederate States of America", dated "Richmond, February 17th, 1864."
MISCELLANEOUS CURIOSITIES : —
Presented by (482) E. H. OWEN, F.S.A. (1891).
Two Rushlight Holders. Specimens of Rushlights.
A " Cawg", an implement used for manipulating or carding the wool made into home-spun woollen garments.
Presented by (483) DAVID PRYCE (1891). A Flail.
Presented by (492) Mrs. GRIMALDI DAVIS (1891). A Spinning Wheel of oak, nicely carved.
Presented by (481) Miss KATE WILLIAMS (1891).
Wax Impression of Seal of Ithel ap Bleddyn, Prince of Wales, who lived about 1100.
XXV11
PAINTINGS, MAPS, ETC.
Presented by (451) JOSEPH GOOLDEN (1891).
A small Miniature Portrait (in a morocco case) of Thomas Parry, of Madras. (See Mont. Coll., vol. xix, p. 243.)
A Photograph of a Painting by Tilly Kettle, taken in Madras, 1762, representing the Gun-room of Norfolk flagship, containing three portraits — that on the right, " Admiral Cornish (E. I. Fleet)", that in the centre, " Thomas Parry (Private Secretary to Admiral Cornish)", and that on the left, " Capt. Kinperfelt (afterwards lost in the Royal George)".
Presented by (1) MORRIS C. JONES, F.S.A. (1891).
An Ancient Painting on Leather. . (See Mont. Coll., vol. xxv, p. 358.)
Presented by (411) FRANCIS PARRY (1891).
An Ancient Map of Montgomeryshire, " Montgomeria Comitatus & Comitatus Mervinia".
Presented by (353) Mrs. SQUIRES (1891).
An Edition of the Holy Bible, published in 1758, by Alexander Kincard, Her Majesty's Printer, Edinburgh, bound in two volumes, full calf, and most elaborately tooled.
Presented by (488) CHAPMAN AND HALL (1891).
Catalogue of Modern Works on Science and Technology, classified under Authors and Subjects.
Presented by (111)' Miss PATERSON (1891).
The Triumph of Philosophy, or The System of the Universe, by J. Gillespie, 1890.
Presented by (489) G. W. SHRUBSOLE (1891).
On the Identity of the Mediolanum of the 2nd and 10th Iter of Antoninus, by the Donor.
Presented by THE LIVERPOOL POLYTECHNIC SOCIETY (1891). Journal, January to December, 1890.
Presented by (99) GEORGE FARDO (1891).
Handbook of Cardiff, prepared for the use of the British Association. Programme of British Association. „ Excursions.
Presented by (411) F. PARRY (1891). Proceedings of Royal Geographical Society, June and July, 1890.
XXV111
Presented by ANON.
The London Chronicle for 1783, March 25 to 27. Presented by (133) J. J. HOWARD, LL.D. (1891), in exchange. Miscellanea Genealogica et Heraldica, 12 Nos. Presented by (461) EDITOR OF RELIQUARY (1890), in exchange. Eeliquary, Nos. from October 1890 to October 1891.
Presented by (481) EDITOR OF THE ANTIQUARY (1891). Monthly Nos. from January 1891.
ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETIES' TRANSACTIONS received in exchange for the
Powys-land Club Publications : —
From (25) THE SOCIETY OF ANTIQUARIES OF LONDON (1891). Proceedings. List of Fellows. Vol. xiii, p. ii and iii.
From (73) SOCIETY OF ANTIQUARIES OF SCOTLAND (1891). Proceedings. Vol. xii, New Series, 1888-90. From (222) THE CAMBRIAN ARCHAEOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION (1890). Archseologia Cambrensis, 1890.
From (224) THE ROYAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL INSTITUTE OF GREAT BRITAIN
AND IRELAND (1890). Transactions. No. 185.
From (255) BERWICKSHIRE NATURALIST CLUB (1890). Proceedings. Vol. for 1887-89 (1890).
From (254) BIRMINGHAM AND MIDLAND INSTITUTE (1891). Transactions of years 1888-89 and 1890. Table of Contents of Transactions.
From (351) THE BRISTOL AND GLOUCESTERSHIRE ARCHAEOLOGICAL
SOCIETY (1890).
Transactions. Vol. xiv, i and ii ; Vol. xv, p. i. Domesday Survey of Gloucestershire, 1889.
From (45) THE BRITISH ARCH^OLOGICAL ASSOCIATION (1890). Journal. Vol. xlvi, pt. 4; vol. xlvii, pts. 1, 2, and 3.
. From (293) THE CAMBRIDGE ANTIQUARIAN SOCIETY (1891).
Proceedings, pt. 30 (No. 4 of Vol. vi), No. xxxi. Proceedings, No. 1 of 7th Volume. -
Pedes Finiurn, relating to Cambridgeshire, from 7 Rich. I to end of reign of Rich. III.
From (287) THE CHESTER ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORIC SOCIETY
(1891). New Series. Vol. iii (1888-90).
XXIX
From (436) GLASGOW ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY (1891). Transactions (N.S.). Vol. i, p. iv, and Index and Title Page. Report of Council for Sessions 1889-90.
From (296) THE GLASGOW PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY (1891).
Proceedings. Vol. xxi. From (223) THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF ANTIQUARIES OF IRELAND (1891).
Nos. 3, 4, o, 6, and 7, vol. i, (Fifth Series). From (298) LEICESTER LITERARY AND PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY (1891).
Transactions. New 2nd Series, vol. ii, pts. 5, 6, and 7, April 1891. From (286) THE LITERARY AND PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY, LIVERPOOL.
Transactions. Vols. xliv and xlv. From (44) LONDON AND MIDDLESEX ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY (1891).
Transactions. P. xxi, Appendix to vol. vi.
From (278) THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF PENNSYLVANIA (1891).
The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography. Vol. xiv, No. 4. Vol. xv, Nos. 2 and 3.
From (309) THE SHROPSHIRE ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND NATURAL HISTORY
SOCIETY (1891). Yol. ii, 2nd Series, pt. 3 ; Vol. iii, pts. 1 and 2.
From (387) THE SOMERSETSHIRE ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND NATURAL
HISTORY SOCIETY (1891). Proceedings during 1890. Vol. xvi, New Series.
From (342) SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION (1890). Reports for 1888 and 1889.
From (292) THE SUFFOLK INSTITUTE OF ARCHAEOLOGY AND NATURAL
HISTORY (1891). Proceedings. Yol. vii, pt. 2.
From (46) THE SURREY ARCH^OLOGICAL SOCIETY (1891). Collections. Vol. x, pt. 2.
From (297) THE WILTSHIRE ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND NATURAL HISTORY
SOCIETY (1891). The Magazine. Nos. 73 and 74.
From (72) THE YORKSHIRE ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND TOPOGRAPHICAL
SOCIETY (1891). Transactions. Parts 43 and 44.
From (290) THE WORCESTER DIOCESAN SOCIETY (1891). Report and Papers of the year 1889.
XXX
ALPHABETICAL LIST OF DONORS OF ARTICLES AND BOOKS PRE- SENTED TO THE POWYS-LAND MUSEUM AND LIBRARY. From October 1890 to October 1891.
Chapman and Hall, 488 Davis, Mrs. Grimaldi, 491 Griffiths, Edward, 484 Nicholson, S. J. Bovvers, 487 Owen, E. H., 482 Pryce, David, 483 Purchased by Subscription, 492
Shrubsole, G. W., 489 Smith, J. A., 485 Walker, J. F., 486 Williams, Miss Kate, 481 Wynn, Lieut. F. C. Williams-, 490
OBITUARY OF MEMBERS OF THE POWYS-LAND CLUB SINCE OCTOBER 1890.
1890. Dec. 5. FKANCIS R. SOUTHERN, Esq., Ludlow.
1891. March 25. THOMAS DAViES,Esq., 121, High Holborn, London. May 7. EDWARD JAMES, Earl of Powis (President).
June 17. WILLIAM FISHER, Esq., Maesfron, Welshpool. July 20. Rev. Canon WILLIAMS, Llanfyllin (Member of the
Council). „ 29. JOSEPH GOOLDEN, Esq., 1 8, Lancaster Gate, London.
XXXI
The POWYS-LAND CLUB exchanges publications with the fol- lowing Literary Societies, viz. :—
The Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, Royal Institution, Edinburgh.
The Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle-on-Tyne (Hon. Secretary, R. Blair, Esq., South Shields).
The Royal Archaeological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, Oxford Mansions, Oxford Street.
The Berwickshire Naturalist Club (James Hardy, Esq., Old Cambus, Cocksburnspath, Hon. Sec.).
The Bristol and Gloucester Archaeological Society (The Museum, Gloucester).
The British Archaeological Association, 32, Sackville Street, Piccadilly
The Cambrian Archaeological Association (care of J. Romilly Allen, Esq., 20, Bloomsbury Square, London, W.C.)
The Cambridge Antiquarian Society (Rev. S. S. Lewis, F.S.A., Corpus Christi College, Secretary).
The Chester Archaeological and Historical Society, Grosvenor Museum, Chester.
The Royal Institution of Cornwall (The Hon. Secretaries, Truro).
The Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion, London (Secretary, E. Vincent Evans, Esq., 27, Lonsdale Chambers, Chancery Lane, W.C.)
The Essex Archaeological Society (H. W. King, Esq., Leigh Hill, Leigh, Essex, Secretary).
Glasgow Archaeological Society (care of James Maclehose and Co., Vincent Street, Glasgow).
The Glasgow Philosophical Society, Glasgow.
The Kent Archaeological Society (Rev. W. A. Scott Robertson, M.A., Throwley Vicarage, Faversham).
The Leicestershire Architectural and Archaeological Society (care of Messrs. Clarke and Hodgson, 5, Gallow Gate, Leicester.
The Literary and Philosophical Society of Liverpool (Royal Institu- tion, Liverpool).
The London and Middlesex Archaeological Society (G. H. Birch, Esq., Hon. Sec., 9, Buckingham Street, Strand, London).
The Historical Society of Pennsylvania, No. 920, Spruce Street, Phila- delphia, U.S.A.
The Shropshire Archaeological and Natural History Society (The Museum, Salop).
The Smithsonian Institution, Washington, U.S.A.
The Somersetshire Archaeological and Natural History Society (The Castle, Taunton).
The Suffolk Institute of Archaeology and Natural History (Rev. C. Haslewood, F.S.A., St. Matthew's Rectory, Ipswich).
The Surrey Archaeological Society, 8, Danes Inn, Strand, London.
The Sussex Archaeological Society.
The Yorkshire Archaeological and Topographical Society (G. H. Tom- linson, Esq., Huddersfield).
The Wiltshire Archaeological Society (The Museum, Devizes).
The Worcester Diocesan Architectural and Archaeological Society (J. Noake, Esq., London Road, Worcester, Secretary).
0»tf tro mafcm Mfe m»wnrDim>fTOWinariuonbmtrw«ii<t ftiffiftrfcto man trtnpmrrtoAratffrft ffltmwnilf ifrtuun tmpfr Cut trwrRramrttftrfaint m ditto rnrfiR muitf almDonaaprzr ipomano p poflt autibautc cm* ma " * •
PORTRAIT BRASS IN BETTWS CHURCH.
MONT: COLL: VOL. XXV to face page I.
THE PORTRAIT BRASS IN BETTWS CHURCH.
BY YEN. ARCHDEACON THOMAS, M.A., F.S.A.
THE Church of Bettws-Cedewain possesses a memorial which is unique as far as this county, and unique, I believe, as far as this diocese is concerned — a Pre- Reformation portrait brass.
Pre-Reformation memorials of any kind are very rare in Montgomeryshire, and may be counted on the fingers of the two hands. They are :
(a) The Romano-British tombstone of " RST ECE filia Paternini" in Llanerfyl churchyard.
(b) The Celtic crossed stone in Meifod Church.
(c) Fragments of one or two floriated crosses now in the vestry of Llanfihangel Church.
(d) The following effigies in stone :—
1. In Llanfair Caereinion Church; a knight in armour,
who has been identified by Mr. W. Valentine Lloyd as " David ap Gruffydd Vychan", Lord of Rhiwhiriaeth, Neuaddwen and Coedtalog (1884, 176).
2. In Montgomery Church ; two in the south
transept : viz., one a Mortimer and the other unidentified, bub apparently a Mortimer also.
3. In Pennant Melangell Church, into which they
have been removed out of the churchyard, two effigies of members of the family of Rhirid Flaidd ; probably lorwerth (li Hie jacct Et- wart"), second son of Madoc ap Rhirid Flaidd and Gwladys his wife. And these, I think, are all.
VOL. XXV. B
2 THE PORTRAIT BRASS IN BETTWS CHURCH.
(e) There is no early stained glass that we can recognise as of a portrait character, unless it be per- haps a kneeling figure in the east window of Llanllugan Church, which may represent a former abbess or reli- gieuse of that nunnery.
(f) Lastly, there is this brass in Bettws Church, which is not merely the only one of so early a period in the county, but it bears also a portrait, with an inscription and date to fix its appropriation and emphasise its details.
It is fixed in the west wall of the church, which is also the eastern wall of the tower, near the south angle, at a height of about eight feet from the floor. Being in a dark corner, it can easily escape unnoticed, and even when examined, can only be properly made out with the aid of a rubbing. Thomas Pennant, in his Tours in Wales (iii, 198), wrote in 1778 that "he stopped to see the church of Bettws, seated in a bottom, dedicated to St. Beuno, and formerly belonging to the nunnery of Llanllugan in this county/' (This is an error : it was to the Abbey of Strata Marcella it had belonged.) " The steeple makes a figure in these parts. It was built by one of its ministers, whose figure, in priestly vestments, carved on a brass plate, is fastened to one of the walls." He then quotes the inscription, not as in the original with its contractions, but as reproduced in full upon a later brass plate now placed above it. And he adds, that "this brass was originally fixed on a great slab of oak, still in its place on the floor, which also is covered with oak : so scarce was stone, so plentiful wood ! The great chest is made of a single trunk of oak."
The figure is 2 ft. 6 ins. in height, by 8 inches in its broadest part, and is interesting for its details. The vestments consist of a " chesible" with an orna- mental border or parure ; beneath it the "alb", with the parure, or ornamentation in front of the skirt ; the fringed ends of the " stole" are seen on either side ; the " maniple" hangs over the left wrist, and the "amice"
THE PORTRAIT BRASS IN BETTWS CHURCH. 3
with its parure is shown as a collar round the neck. The hair is cut short and shows the coronal ; the face is clean-shaven ; the hands are joined upon the breast and clasp a chalice, on which is a wafer stamped with a cross crosslet. The shoes have rounded toes, and are sewn up the front.
The inscription, in old English characters, with frequent contractions, is in very fair preservation, and has much to tell us :
ORATE PRO AIA DNI JOHIS AP MEREDYTH DE POWYSIA QVONDM VICARII ISTl' ECCLIE DE BETTYS
IN GUI' TEMPORE EDIF1CATV EST CAMPANILE
IBIDEM1 EMPTE SVNT* TRES CAMPANE ET FACTA SUNT
IN DICTA ECCLIA MVLTE ALIA BONA OPERE
IPO VICARIO P POSSE AUXILIANTE. CUl' AIA PROPICIET' DEVS AMEN . DAT' IPO VIVENTE
ANNO DNI MILLIMO CCCCCXXX10.
" Pray for the soul of Sir John ap Meredyth of Powys, formerly Vicar of this Church of Bettws ; in \\hose time the Tower was built ; and at different periods, three bells were bought, and many other good works done in the said Church. The Vicar himself, helping to his utmost. God be merciful to his soul. Amen. Dated in his lifetime in the year of Our Lord one thousand five hundred and thirty-one."
We have here a distinct record of an important restoration of the church immediately before the break- ing out of the great Reformation movement. Whether there was any tower earlier than this we cannot say ; probably not, as the term used is " edificatum", not " re-edificatum". Whatever supplied its place, we may be pretty sure was made of that fine and abundant Montgomeryshire oak which so amazed Pennant by its contrast with that of his own sea-dwarfed timber near the mouth of the Dee. The three bells do not appear to have occupied their place more than a hundred years. As, of the present three, two are dated 1630 and a third was recast in 1830 — a coincidence of dates worth noting.
The expression ''quondam Vicarii", formerly Vicar,
1 I-identidem.
B 2
4 THE PORTRAIT BRASS IN BETTWS CHURCH.
would naturally imply that he was no longer such ; and the prayer for mercy on his soul — "cujus animse pro- picietur Deus" — would ordinarily indicate that he was dead ; but the statement that it was set up during his lifetime (ipso vivente) leads me to conclude that he erected it at, and to commemorate, the restoration, but so as to serve as his epitaph and memorial for after- time.
And now the question arises, Who was he ? Neither " John" nor " Meredith" were very distinctive names even at that period ; and Powys is a term of wide expansion, even if we do not stretch beyond the limits of our own Collections. But we may find some little help in the Norwich Taxation of A.D. 1253, which enumerates among the deaneries of this diocese " Decanatus de Powys'. The name had dropt out of use before the Taxation of A.D. 1291 ; but its parishes occur there under the smaller divisions of Cedewain and Pole, and Caereinion and Mechain. It is within this area, therefore, that I think we ought to look for the identification of the church restorer. I have looked through the reprint of Lewis Dwnn's Pedigrees of Montgomeryshire Families, but without success. The nearest approach seems to be under the heading " Mynavon, Dwyryw", where the names occur more than once in connection, as if it were a family name. But before we can satisfactorily identify our subject we must have further evidence to guide us ; and I hope it may not be long in forthcoming, now that attention has been drawn to it. As members of the Powys-land Club, we ought to make an effort, and a successful one, to complete the story of our very interesting memorial brass.
MEIFOD PARISH NOTES.
BY VBN. ARCHDEACON THOMAS.
Specimen of Notes kept as mentioned in his speech at Annual Meeting of Club on \lth Oct. 1889 (see Mont. Coll., vol. xxiii, p. xviii).
Extract from Speech. — " In my own case at Meifod I have been in the habit of keeping a large folio book with pages, each under its own heading, for the dif- ferent houses in the parish, the noted people connected with it, its many earthworks and ecclesiastical memo- randa, and so on ; and dotting down whatever bits of information I might come across, under its proper head. It is extraordinary what an amount of material accu- mulates in the course of four or five years, and it seems never to end."
Page 63.
Terriers, 1774, ) Moduses on " Cae y Walk" between Pentrego and the
and 1779. \ church on the meadow adjoining it westwards, and two
other adjoining meadows ; and on " Y Skogen" in Dyffryn T.
JQ only of Tithes on Freeth, and is paid to Vicar only.
i tithe corn and hay of Penylan, a part and parcel of the Township of Broniarth.
" There is a pretended claim of a modus of a Red Rose and two Peppercorns in lieu of the Tithe-hay out of the tenement or farm of Ystymcolwyn, now in the holding of Thomas Downes, that hath been yearly offered to the Vicar and Impropriator of the Parish : but not upon any certain day ; neither have we, they, or any of us allowed it as such ; or have we ever heard or believe that the predecessors or owners of the said tithe ever acknowledged it or allowed it as a modus, or hath it been taken notice of or inserted in any Terrier of this parish."
" Ceiniog y llys": Arfer Ei gasglu gan y clochydd ar Ddydd Llun y Pasg. (? Court Leet).
" Treth y plant gordderch" Thomas Bebb remembers collecting it to send to Llanelwy. " Else the children had died excommunicate,
6 MEIFOD PARISH NOTES.
and been refused Christian burial." What in the world could this have been 1 (Ex inform. T. B.)
Coal searched for near Alltfawr, and at some depth a dark, bitumi- nous shale found. Sir Koderick Murchison having told the workers it was impossible to find coal, the work was given up, and the tools left in the pit. (Ex inform, C. W. YV. W.)
Poor-Home for the Parish, 1758.
Attitude towards it. Resolutions of Vestry, March 5. Agreed at the Vestry :
" That all these present, whose names are hereunto subscribed, will act uprightly, unanimously, and consistently with the original powers granted for erecting a Workhouse against all opposers.
( ' That they are resolved not to look upon any advantage in hand that may be attended hereafter with bad consequences.
" That they will not by any means agree, grant, or order relief to any person whatever who will not go to the said house, or accept \vhat may be allowed or given out of the Legacies or Bequests of the parish for staying out.
u That if any children of the poor shall be sickly, distempered, or weak of body, unlikely to be useful or proper for labouring and farmer's work, that the same shall be put to such trades as shall best befitt them at the expense of the Parish.
" That a Vestry shall be held every fortnight on English Sun- days in the evening, to consult and promote the business of the Parish untill the said house is established," etc.
Specific grants, and signatures of those present.
1824. Agreement to allow Mr. Eichard Bennion 101. p. a. for attend- ing to the Poor. (Vestry Mem.)
1560. " 2nd Eliz. The D. and Chapter of Ch. Ch. granted a lease of the Rectories of Welshpool, Guilsfield, and Meifod, to Humphrey Lloyd for three score years at the rent of three score and five pounds eight shillings and eightpence. Humphrey Lloyd be- queathed them to Barbara his wife, who about the year last past married William Williams (Deposition in Record Office, Ex inform. R. E. Jones, Cefn Bryntalch). Humphrey Lloyd was the Historian. Barbara, his wife, was daughter of George, only son of George Lord Lumley, and her second husband was the grandfather of Lumley Williams, who married the daughter and heiress of Ystum Colwyn."
Page 141 PENTREGO.
1620 Will'mus ap Caddr. et Anna Phillips, marit.
1623 Joysa Phillips, sepulta.
Gwallter Mechain says first Proprietor was a Phillips.
MEIFOD PARISH NOTES. 7
1648 Randolph Davies, Vicar, marrd. Mary, da. of Rev. John Wil- liams. Her sister, a Quaker, lived at Pentrego.
1685 Terrier speaks of the Tithe Meadows of the late Ambrose Phillips, Esq., w'h correspond to Cae Walk, bet'n Pentrego and the Village. The heiress of Phillips m'd John Lloyd of Eynant (Meyrick Lloyd rated 1744). Their heiress rn'd William Hum- phreys of Llwyn. Humphreys sold it to Rt. Hon. C. W. W. Wynn, M.P.
Mont. Coll. state that it formerly belonged to Trevor family (?). Authority ?
1674 Ambrose Phillips. DyfFn T. in Poor Extracts.
1675 Robert, son of Ambrose Phillips. Exchanges land with John Jones of Gilyog, q. v.
(N.B. — Benefactions to Shrewsbury School, 1712, include Mr. Ambrose Phillips, Fellow of St. John's, Camb., and late scholar, author of vol. of Poems, pub. 1749. Brother of Robert P., Mayor in 1701. Sons of Ambrose Phillips, draper.)
1757-8 " William Humphreys, Esq., of Llwyn, and Ann, daughter of John Lloyd, Ksq., m'd at the Parish Ch. 10th Jan." (Heiress of Pentrego, Alltfawr, and Gil).
1736-7 "John Lloyd of Eynant, Esq., and Elizabeth Phillips of Pentrego were married ye seventh day of January, 1726."
1737-8 "Elizabeth and Catherine, daughters of John Lloyd, Esq , of Eyuant, and Elizabeth his wife, was born 5th Feb. and baptised 20th Feb." 1738 Catherine was buried 4th May. 1737 Elizabeth, 4th May.
1739 "Anne, da. of John Lloyd and Elizabeth his wife was bapt'd Sept. 4th."
1740 "Elizabeth, ye wife of John Lloyd of Pentrego, Esq., was buried the 3rd day of July."
Eynant in Llanwddyn Ped. of Wynn : see Mont. Coll., 1874, 106. Mary Lloyd, coheiress of Rhys Wynn— Thomas Lloyd of Domgae.
1757 " The founder of the Humphreys family was one John Hum- phreys, a solicitor, who settled at Llanfyllin c. 1710. Many fine farms in Meifod, as well as in other parts of this county, formed part of the estate, the rental of which at one time was 12,000/. a year." (Hist. Llanfyllin, M. C., 1870, p. 67.)
The Humphreys of Llwyn were of Mardy in Gwyddelwern. Roger Humphreys of Llanfyllin, Attorney-at-law, was buried in Gwyddelwern in 1773. He was a brother of Wm. Humphreys, Vr. of Corwen, 1737-47.
The last of the family died at the Red (now the White) House in the village, having been supported by the charity of
8 MEIFOD PARISH NOTES.
friends and relations, and is buried in the Ch. yard, at the E. end of the church.
1776 Mr. Meyrick Lloyd, Gent,, of Dyfryn, bur, May 25. 1787 John Lloyd, late of Pentrego, Gent,, bur. Aug. 7.
1736-7. | | |
Elizabeth Phillips=j=John Lloyd of Eynant. Meyrick John Lloyd,
| Lloyd, ob. s. p.
]~ ~~f~~ ' • | 1757, 06, s. p. 1787.
Elizabeth, Catherine, Anne, =sWm. Hum- 1776. b. and d. b. 1737. b. 1739, phreys of 1737. d. 1738. heiress. Llwyn,
Present house only part of the old one : a balustrade around it within memory. Mr. C. W. Wynn has seen a view of the house on an old map at Llangedwyn ; not there now,
HISTORY OF THE PARISH OF KERRY.
BY E. ROWLEY-MORRIS. (Continued from Vol. xxiv, p. 394.)
ROGER DE MORTIMER IV.
BY Phillippa, daughter of William de Montacute, Earl of Salisbury, he had issue two sons —
1. Roger, who died in his lifetime; and
2. Edmund, who succeeded him.
He also had two daughters —
1. Margaret, who married Robert de Vere, Earl of Oxford.
2. Margery, who married John, Lord Audeley.
Phillippa survived him, and had for her dowry, among other places, the castle, town, and lordship of Mont- gomery, with the new town and cantred of Kedewen and the comot of Kerry.
EDMUND DE MORTEMER III, born Candlemas Eve, 1351, was under age, as has been shown above, at his father's death, yet at eighteen years of age he was employed to negotiate with the Commissioners of the King of France touching a peace between the two realms. Subsequently he was also despatched into Scotland on a like mission. The King appointed him one of the Privy Council. He married Phillippa, daughter and heir of Lionel, Duke of Clarence, third son of King Edward III, making proof of her age, he had livery of the lands of her inheritance. In the same year (1369-70) he accompanied the King in his expedition to France, as also he did three years later, being at the time in ward to William, Bishop of Winchester, and Hichard, Earl of Arundel. He had livery of his own lands before he attained his
10 HISTORY OF THE PARISH OF KERRY.
full age; through this marriage, Kerry and Kedewen at a later period reverted to the Crown. His great- grandson, Richard, Duke of York, who was slain at Wakefield in 1460, granted charters of liberties to Kerry and Kedewen.
He, Edmund de Mortemer above, died at Cork, in Ireland, on Friday, the Feast of St. John the Evangelist, in Christmas, 1381, in the twenty-ninth year of his age. By his own special request his body was deposited in a certain cathedral there till the flesh should be consumed, and then his bones to be translated to Wig- more and buried with the Lady Phillippa his wife, which was done.
By Lady Phillippa he had three sons and two daughters —
1. Roger, his son and heir.
2. Sir Edmund Morfcirner, Knight.
3. John, executed 1402.
1. Elizabeth, who married Henry Percy (" Hotspur") ; and
2. Phillippa, who was twice married, first to the Earl of Pembroke, secondly to Richard, Earl of Arundel.
In his Inquisition post mortem (No. 43, anno 5 Ric.
11 (1381-2), among his possessions are enumerated the cantred of Dolforwyn ; Montgomery and Chirbury, but not Kerry, which was held in dower by his lady, Phillippa, and in 1384 it appears to have been in the King's hands, as well as Montgomery and Kedewen. In Ministers Accounts (No. 4, 7-8 Richard II) is a statement of the arrears of the accounts in the de- mesnes of Kerry, Kedewen, and Montgomery. Both Edmund de Mortimer and his lady, Phillippa, made wills, the former dated at Denbigh in Wales ; they are preserved at Lambeth,1 and have been printed. There is no reference to lands in either.
ROGER MORTIMER V, was born at Usk, and was eleven years of age at his father's death. His ward- ship was sold by the King to Richard, Earl of Arundel, on purpose that he would marry that 1 Register Courtenay, fos. 188-89.
HISTORY OF THE PAFvISH OF KERRY. 11
nobleman's daughter ; but subsequently the wardship was transferred to Thomas Holland, Earl of Kent, to the intent that he should marry Alianore his daughter, whicli he did.
He was made Lieutenant of Ireland, and in the Parliament held anno 9 Richard II, by reason of his descent from Lionel, Duke of Clarence, was declared heir-apparent to the Crown of England.
In 22 Richard II, 1398, he was killed in Ireland on the Feast of St. Margaret the Virgin. His body was brought to Wigmore. By his wife Alianore he had two sons and two daughters —
1. Edmund, son and heir, six years old at his father's death.
2. Roger.
1. Anne.
2. Alianore.
His widow Alianore subsequently married Edward de Charleton, Lord Powys, and by him had two daughters, Joan and Joice, who were his co-heirs.
There are two effigies1 in Montgomery Church ascribed to members of the Mortimer family. In volume vi of these Transactions, pp. 435-39, these effigies are described, and one of them illustrated.
During the operation connected with the restoration of Welshpool Church, a handsome tile with the Mortimer arms upon it was, as before mentioned, dis- covered, and is now deposited in the Powys-land Museum, with other tiles found at the same time.
Lady Alianore apparently did not long remain a widow, for in 1403 she "represented to the King the charge she was at in the maintenance of her two
1 In a paragraph in the Art Journal for 1874 (p. 30), which we believe was written by the late Rev. C. Boutell, it is stated that this effigy is the only effigy of a Mortimer of the house of the Earl of March known to be in existence. He states, " It was executed about the year 1390. The companion effigy has no other distinguishing heraldic ac cessory than the Yorkist 'Collar of Suns and Roses'; but it is remark- able as a work of the sculptor's art, and may be assigned to about A.D. 1465."
12 HISTORY OF THE PARISH OF KERRY.
daughters by her first husband, Roger Mortimer, Earl of March, and likewise the devastation of all her dowry in Wales and the Marches (by Owen Glyndwr), and also the spoil upon her then husband's land by the Welsh, and obtained the grant of all annuities, forfeitures, and reversions of annuities which the said Earl her first husband had assigned to several persons of the value of £150 a year."1 She did not survive long to enjoy this grant, for she died on the 23rd of December 1410, and all the lands she had held in dower devolved to her son —
EDMUND MORTIMER, last Earl of March. He was born at the New Forest, on the 8 Ides of November, 15 Richard II, so he was but six years old at his father's death. He was delivered by King Henry IV in ward to his son Henry, Prince of Wales, out of whose custody he was stolen away by Lady Despencer ; but being found out again in Chiltham Woods, he was afterwards kept under stricter ward. He was the right heir to the Crown of England by just descent from Lionel, Duke of Clarence, third son of Edward III. He was never married, and died in 1424.
His connection with Kerry is illustrated by a charter " dated June 1, 3 Hen. V (1416, just after he had attained his majority). It was a reward for faith- ful services to Meredith ap Adda Moel, who was his steward of his lordships of Kerry, Kedewen, Arwystli, and Cyfiliog, and also High Constable of Montgomery Castle. He, moreover, had family claims upon Sir Edmund, having married a grand-daughter of Sir Roger de Mortimer."2
The stewardship he acquired in right of his wife Elena, who was the daughter and heiress of Higyn ap Llewelyn ap Griffith ap Higyn, who held that office. (See Lewys Dwnn's Visitations, vol. i, p. 316.)
The following sketch -pedigree shows the connection.
1 Feudal Barons of Poivt/s, p. 29.
2 Mont. Coll., vol. x, p. 59.
HISTORY OF THE PARISH OF KERRY. 13
Sir Roger Mortimer, Lord of Wigmore.=j=
Eleanor. =f Higyn ap Llewelyn ap Griffith ap Higyn.
Jane.=j= \Teredydd ap Adda Moel (1416).
Jane.=f Howell ap David. Janet.=f=Meredydd ap Rhys.
John ap Meredith [Pryce of Glanmeheli].
The charter has been printed at length in volume x, p. 60, but the following is the tenor of it :
Edmund, Earl of March and last Lord of Wigmore and Clare, for good and faithful services rendered to him and his ancestors by his Steward, Meredith ap Adda Moel and his ancestors, in the Marches of Wales, con- ceded to the said Meredith the escheats and forfeitures then in hand in his Lordship of Kedewen and in the vills of Gwenrhiw and Coedtref in Kerry, to have and to hold the same to him, his heirs and assigns, for ever, with the liberties, franchises, and customs, subject to the rents and services from the same due and as of right accustomed.
We have not been able to identify Elenor, the daughter of Sir Roger de Mortimer of Wigmore, mother of the wife of Meredydd ap Adda Moel ; the legitimate daughters of Roger de Mortimer, who died 1360, have been accounted for supra, as also the daughters of his son Edmund, who died 1382. His son, the Roger de Mortimer who died 1399, had but one legitimate daughter, Anne, who married Richard, Earl of Cambridge, second son of Edmund Langley, Duke of York.
In 1402, Dugdale states that Edmund above, then only ten years old, headed the Herefordshire men against Glyndwr, was defeated, and taken prisoner ; but it is probable that it was his uncle Edmund who led the forces, and was defeated near Knightori, taken prisoner, and, it is said, eventually married a daughter of Glynd wr's.
Edmund, last Earl of March, married Anne, daughter
14 HISTORY OF THE 1'ARISH OF KERRY.
of Edmund, Earl of Stafford, and died on the 19th of January 1424-5, then only twenty-four years old ; with him in the male line ended the suzerainty over Kerry of the Mortimers, though, for the greater part of the time, from the date of the first concession of it, the lordship was chiefly held as dower by the wives of the Mortimers.
The following is a translation of the Inquisition taken after his death.
Chancery Inquisition Post Mortem, 3 Hen. VI, part 2, No. 32. 25 Dec., A.D. 1425. M. 18.
Inquisition taken at Bruggenorth, before John Boterell, Eecheator of the lord the king in the County of Salop and the Marches of Wales to the same County adjacent, on the Monday next before the Feast of the Translation of St. Thomas the Martyr, in the 3rd year of the reign of King Henry the sixth, after the conquest, by virtue of a writ of the said lord the king, to the same Escheator directed and sewn on to this inquisition, by the oath of John Esthepe, etc., jurors. Who say upon their oath that Edmund, late Earl of March, in the said writ named, held on the day on which he died in his demesne as of fee of the lord the king in chief, by knight service, the lordship, manor, and land of Dynbygh, etc.
Also the same jurors say that the aforesaid Edmund, late Earl of March, held on the day on which he died, in his demesne as of ft e of the lord the king in chief, by knight service, the castle of Doluogren and the lordship of Kedewynk, with their appurtenances, in the Marches of Wales to the said County adjacent. Which said castle is totally destroyed and is worth nothing by the year. Also there is there a certain annual rent of xliij/z. xiijs. iiijd. for the works of divers tenants by custom there. To be paid at the Feast of St. Michael only. Also there is there of divers cus- toms of husbandry xviij/z. xvij.«. xjc?. farthing, and the fourth part of a farthing. To be paid annually at the Feasts of the Nativity of the Lord, the Annunciation of the Blessed Mary, and the Nativity of St. John the Baptist equally. Also there is there of the farm of eleven watermills xxiijft. by the year, to be paid annually at the Feasts of St. Ciricus and St. Matthew equally. Also there is there of the farm of the bailiwicks xij/i. xvjs. viijd. annually ; to be paid at the same Feasts equally.
Also there are there clxxix quarters and a half ij bushels and a half .... of corn of rent at the Feast of St. Michael annually, the worth of a quarter 5*. ixd. Sum. xlvij/i. xviijs. \ijd.
Also there are there xxxj quarters ij bushels iij a half to be paid at the Annunciation of the Blessed Mary annually, the worth of a quarter ijs. Sum. xij/i.
Also there are there CCCvijxxl hens the third part and the eight part of a hen of rent, to be paid annually at Christmas, the worth of a head ]d. Sum. xxxj*. and perquisites of the Court of the lord there are worih by the year Iviijfe'. iiijV. vjd
Also there are there of the farms of the forest xiiij/i. iijs. iiijd., to be paid annually at the Feasts of Ciricus and Mathew equally.
Also there are there pastures Ugheldros, Borgh Ynele, Dolforyn,
1 =370.
HISTORY OF THE PARISH OF KERRY. 15
Frith Vachan, with the pasture in Fhid Yerecoid, which are worth by the year vijs. vjc/., to be paid annually at the aforesaid Feasts of Ciricus and Mathew equally.
Also the said jurors say that the aforesaid Edmund, the late Earl, in the said writ named, held on the day on which he died in his demesne as of fee of the lord the king in chief, by knight service, the lordship of Kerry, with its appurtenances, in the Marches of Wales, to the said County adjacent.
And there is there of rent of assize xvjZ*. vijs. iiijcZ., to be paid annually at the terms of Christmas, the Nativity of St. John the Baptist arid St. Peter ad Vincula.
Also there are there of the farm of lands and meadows to be paid annually at the aforesaid Feasts of Ciricus and Mathew equally Ixxiij.s'. iiijd.
Also there is there for provision of the steward's horses, called Keyr- margh, by the year xiijs. iiijt/., to be paid at the same Feasts.
Also there is there of the farm of the mill of Keuenperueth, three parts of the mill of Wenrew, and the mill of Moghteref, ixli. vjs. viijd. ob., the farm of the offices of the forest with the agistment of the same xvft. xs., to be paid annually at the same Feasts.
Also the pleas and perquisites of the Court of the whole lordship afore- said are worth by the year xxvft. xvijs.
And the said jurors say that the aforesaid Edmund, late Earl of March, on the 6th day of the month of June, in the 4th year of the reign of King Henry the fifth, took to wife Anne, daughter of Edmund, late Earl of Stafford, yet living.
And the said jurors say that the aforesaid Edmund, late Earl of March, died on the Feast of St. Wulfstan last past, and that Richard, Duke of York, is kinsman and next heir of the aforesaid Edmund, late Earl of March, namely, son of Anne, sister of the aforesaid late Earl of March, and he is of the age of 14 years and more.1
The jurors found that he held Kerry as of fee of the lord the king in chief by knight service, and that his receipts from the same lordship then were :
A Rent of A?size - - - £16 7 4
The farm of lands and meadows 3 13 4
A rent called Keyrmargh - - 0 13 4
The Mill of Keuenpe'ueth2 ^|
Three parts of the mill of Wenreu V 968
The mill of Moghteref
The farm of the Offices of the
Forest with the agistment of the
same - 15 10 0
The Pleas and Perquisites of the
Court - - - 25 17 0
1 This document is almost undecipherable, and it is more than probable some of the figures have been incorrectly rendered.
2 Cefnperfa Mill, near the Forest ; probably the reason why the lord held only three-fourths of Gwenrhiw was, that the Abbot of Cwmhir, for his grange and chapel at Gwernygoe, claimed the other fourth.
16 HISTORY OF THE PARISH OF KERRY.
The actual receipts, acknowledged by and passed in the usual way, of the then Ringild1 levan Goch, are set out in detail in the following account, which was taken for half-a-year and seventy-one days only, so as to end at Michaelmas. As the heir of the last Earl of March was a minor, the lordship was at this period in the hands of the King.
Q. R. Ministers' Accounts. MONTGOMERY, KERRY, AND KEDEWYNO.
Accounts of divers ministers of the lordship aforesaid from the 19th day of January in the 3rd year of the reign of king Henry the sixth [A.D. 142|] after the conquest, on which day Edmund, late Earl of March and Ulster, closed his last day, and the said lordship, as well by the death of the said late Earl as by reason of the minority of the heir of the same [Earl], was taken into the hand of the said king until the Feast of St. Michael next following, To wit, for half a year and 71 days.
KERRY RINGILDRE. — Account of Jevan Goz, Ringildre there for the time aforesaid. Arrears —None.
Rents of Assize. — Of 1x5. of rent of assize there, called Kylth Goil, at the term of Christmas. Nothing, because the term of payment did not fall within the time of the account. But he answers for xvs. for part of xxx,1?. of rent there called Northth'ane at the terms of Christmas and St. John the Baptist, and not more, because the term of Christmas did not fall within the time of the account.
And for xiijs. iiij^/. of rent issuing from cheese at the term of St. Peter ad Vincula.
And for x]li. ijs. of rent of assize there at the term of St. Michael. And for ijs. of increase of the rent of Jevan ap Gwyn for the bond land, formerly LLewellin Duy's, so demised to the said Jevan beyond the ancient rent by service by the year at equal terms. Sum. xij/i. x;j*. iiij</.
Farms.— And for Ixiij.s. iiijrf. of the farm of the meadows so demised this year at the term of St. Mathew, at the will of the lord. Whereof iijs. iiijd. [is] of the farm of the meadows of Kevenperveth so demised this year.
And for xs. of the farm of land called Mardref land, demised at the will of the lord to divers bond tenants; and they used to be let to farm for xvijs.
And for xxvjs. viijc?. for the farm of the demesne lands of the Bendour Vannour so demised this vear at the term of St. Michael.
1 A name of the warning officer of a county (Anct. Laws of Wales, pp. 656-657). " Three names applied to the warning officer of a country — awful rumour, cry of country, and Ringyll ; and road and no road are free to such a one, by day and by night, wherever he may have to go officially, whilst he shall have in his hand his horn bearing the mark of the lord of the territory." (Ibid.) A kind of bailiff or sergeant. (Cowell, Law Dictionary.)
HISTORY OF THE PARISH OF KERRY. 17
And for xiijs. iiijri for providing the steward's horses, called Kermargh, so demised this year at the term of St. Mathew the Apostle.
And for xx.<?. ix^/.1 of the farm of the whole mill of Kevenperveth, three parts of one mill of Wenrew, and one mill of Moughedrefe, with all the profits issuing from the waste land of the commote of Kerry so demised at three terms of the year ; nevertheless it used to be let to farm for xviijW.
Nor [does he answer] for the farm of the land of Strud'. Nothing, for the default of a buyer. Sum. xvZz.
Farm of the Bailiwicks. — And for Is. for the farm of the office of liingildre there, so demised to the said accountant ; nevertheless it used to be demised by the year for xxjft.
For xxxs.2 for the farm of the office of Constable (so demised this year). He does not answer because no one would undertake it.
And he is charged for Ixs. for the farm of the Leirwite, for the cause afore- said, this year ; nevertheless it used to return Cvjs. viijt/. by the year, and in a year sometime elapsed, viij/t. Sum. vijfo".
Perquisites of the Court. — And for xljs. iijJ. of the pleas and perquisites of the six Courts there held this year, as appears by the rolls of the same delivered and examined upon this account. Sum. xljs. iije?.
Sum total received, xxxvjfc". xiijs. vijrf. Of which there is allowed him iijs. for the expenses of the steward holding the Courts of the lordbhip aforesaid this year.
And [there is allowed] him xxtZ. for parchment bought for the rolls of the Court this year, namely, for the whole lordship.
And there is delivered to the said receiver of the charge of the said accountant, xxxs.
And to the same of the rent of Michaelmas in the 4th year, ixli. xxe/.
It is respited.— And. vs. of the decay of rent of divers lands and tene- ments being in the hand of the lord for default of the tenants, because he could not levy it, as is witnessed on the account.
And there is allowed him xxxs. of the farm of the office of Constable above charged, until, etc.. for the cause above noted in the title " Farms".
And [there is allowed] him Ixs. for the like for the office of Leirwite this year, until, etc., for the cause aforesaid.
And [there is allowed] him viijft. vs. xjd. of the farm of the mills above- said, beyond the xxs. ixc?. approved this year.
The Ringildre there for next year, ciijs., viijd.
The farm of the mills there this year (whereof above), ixZi. vjs. viijd.3
To the accountant, vij/i. xijs. viijd.
KERY FOREST. — Account of Jevan ap Owen the forester there for the time aforesaid.
A rrears. — None.
Issues of the Forest. — But he answers for xliijs. iiijc?. of the farm of the forest there so demised to the said accountant for this year ; nevertheless it used to be let to farm for xijli.
He does not answer for the sale cf wood there this year for the cause alleged in the preceding account. Nor does he answer for the honey and
1 These figures are crossed out, and over them is written : " He is charged upon the account for ix^'. vjs. viijc?."
2 Crossed out, and over it is written : " And he is charged for xxxs."
3 Crossed through.
VOL. XXV. C
18 HISTORY OF THE PARISH OF KERRY.
wax there this year, because none happened [to be] within the time aforesaid. Sum. xliijs. iujd.
Perquisites of the Court [of the Forest"]. — And he answers for vs. vjd. of the pleas and perquisites of six Courts there held this year, as appears by the rolls of the same delivered and examined upon this account.
Sum. vs. vjd.
Sum total received, xlviijs. xc?. Which he delivered to the said receiver for the charge of the said accountant.
And he is quit here.
As will have been noticed above, the jurors found that
RICHARD, DUKE OF YORK,
"was kinsman and next heir of Edmund, late Earl of March, namely, son of Anne, sister of the aforesaid Earl of March, and he is of the age of fourteen years and more."
Richard, Duke of York, married Cicely Nevill, daughter of Ralph, Earl of Northumberland. He was father of Edward IV and Richard III. In the wars of the Roses many Montgomeryshire men took part. Richard himself was slain at Wakefield in 1460. Before his death he granted a charter of liberties to Kerry (and Kedewen), which charter was subsequently confirmed by Henry VII. As the charter of Richard, Duke of York, is set out in the Inspeximus of Henry VII, we print both here, though the latter is out of place as to date.
INSPEXIMUS AND CONFIRMATION BY HENRY VII OF THE CHARTER OF RICHARD, DUKE OF YORK, EARL OF MARCH, AND LAST LORD OF WIGMORE, CLARE, AND KERRY.
HENRY, by the Grace of God, King of England and France, and Lord of Ireland. To all to whom these present Letters shall come, Greeting. We have inspected the two Charters of Kerry and Kedewen1 by our beloved brother, Richard, Duke of York, to the tenants, inhabitants, and residents of our lordships of Kerry and Kedewen, granted.
Of which Charters the tenor of the Charter of Kerry follows in these words : Richard. Duke of York, Earl of March, and last Lord of Wigmore, Clare, and Kerry, — KNOW that by these presents we grant to all the tenants and
1 These Charters were granted and confirmed by Henry VII together. We have eliminated the parts which relate to Kedewen, as that concession will more appropriately appear under the " History of Newtown".
HISTORY OF THE PARISH OF KERRY. 19
residents of our lordship of Kerry that they and their heirs may for the rest be quit of and exonerated from all Fines and Amerciaments to us or our heirs in anyway belonging, Summonses by the Ringild of our lordship aforesaid, Impoundage within the Court there held by him called Comanfa, provided always that they obey each summons by the Lord or his Council, Steward, Receiver, or Representative (locum tenens] ; and whereas the tenants and residents of the lordship aforesaid before this time for felling or cutting any trees or branches of trees in a certain wood called in Welsh Gwater, for every such trespass by the law of the Country had to pay three silver pounds —
We also grant to them and their heirs that they may be quit and exonerated from such fine of three pounds ; but that they shall for every such trespass done to our timber in the wood belonging to the Lord, pay the sum of five shillings according to the laws and customs of our lordship aforesaid.
It was usual if any woman accused any one of violence (raptum) before the officers aforesaid, that the defendant should pay to us a fine of three pounds.
We will and grant by these presents that all defendants in such cases may be quit and exonerated from such fines of three pounds.
We grant also to them and their heirs that so often as their horses or their cattle are impounded within our forest of Heerehowell they shall pay therefor the sum of five shillings and no more. We remit and release by these presents to the same tenants and to their heirs all our right and claim which we have to a certain rent called in Welsh " Kylch Goil" and " North'ane", which amounts to the yearly sum of four pounds and ten shillings.
We pardon also and release Jeuan ap Howel ap John Madd' ap Howel and Gruff ap Dykos, and their heirs, from certain services which our Ringild in the lordship aforesaid before this time compelled him and his ancestors to make, namely, the pursuit of fugitives and the making of distraints at the Lord's Park there for rents, amerciaments, and fines, belonging to the Lord.
We also grant that no Ringild in the lordship aforesaid may take any Fine of the tenants and residents aforesaid, or from their heirs, exceeding the sum of fourpence— except in the case where the Lord is entitled to take a Fine of seven pounds ; in such case the Ringild shall, as of old, take the fine of seven pounds, according to the law and custom of the country.
And all privileges, liberties, laws, and customs, by the said tenants and residents and their ancestors heretofore had, used, and enjoyed, we approve, ratify, and confirm by these presents.
For which gifts, concessions, remissions, pardons, and reliefs the said tenants and residents shall grant to us six hundred marks, payable during six years next following — that is to say, the first payments receivable at the Feast of All Saints1 and of the Apostles Phillip and James1 next following, and thus from year to year at the Feasts aforesaid, until the aforesaid sum of six hundred marks shall be fully paid.
In testimony whereof to these presents we have set our seal.
Given at our Castle of Montgomery, the last day of August, in the 25th year of the reign of King Henry VI after the Conquest (Thursday, August 31, 1447).
1 1st Nov. and 1st May.
c2
20 HISTORY OF THE PARISH OF KERRY.
CONFIRMATION BY HENRY VII.1
KNOW that we, moved by certain causes and considerations, all and singular, the customs and liberties specified in the Charters of our aforesaid brother, have ratified, approved, granted,and confirmed it, and by these pre- sents do ratify, approve, and grant to our aforesaid tenants, inhabitants, and residents of Kerry and Kedewen, their heirs and successors — so that neither we nor our heirs nor our successors may exact, claim, or bring forward any right, title, claim, demand, or interest of or in the aforesaid grants, customs, and liberties, nor in any part thereof in the future, but may be wholly excluded therefrom for ever.
And know further that we of our grace remit, release, and for us and our heirs and successors for ever quit claim to all and singular our tenants, inhabitants, and residents of our lordships of Kerry and Kedewen aforesaid, and to their heirs and successors, all our right, title, and claim which we ever had, have, or in any way may have in future, of and in certain customs called in Welsh Amobrithaieth, otherwise called Amobrships, so that neither we nor our heirs nor our successors may or shall in future exact, claim, or bring forward any right, title, or claim of or in the aforesaid customs, but may be wholly excluded therefrom for ever.
In testimony whereof we have caused these our Letters to be made Patent. Witness — Ourself at Westminster, the second day of July, in the twenty-second year of our reign (Thursday, 2 July 1507).
It will be seen from the above that Richard, Duke of York, made the following concessions to his tenants and others in Kerry.
1. Exonerated them from all Fines and Amerciaments.
2. Exonerated them from Summonses by the Ringild within the Court there held by him, called Comanfa.
3. Cancelled a Fine of .£3 for cutting any trees or branches in a wood called Cwayter — substituting a new fine of 5s. for each offence.
4. Abolished a Fine of £3 formerly payable to the Lord, for violence to a woman.
5. A fine of 5s., and no more, for any horses or cattle that strayed into his Forest of Heerhowell.
6. Remitted a Rent called North'ane, which amounted annually to
£4: 10*.
7. Released Jeuau ap Ho well ap Madd'2 from the service which the Ringild compelled him and his ancestors to do in levying fines and making distraints for rents, amerciaments, and fines belonging to the Lord, at his Park there.
8. Limited the Ringild, in fines upon tenants and residents, to 4d., except where the Lord was entitled to a fine of £7, according to the law and custom of the country.
1 Richard, Duke of York's Charters and the Confirmations are enrolled on Patent Roll Anno 22 Hen. VII, pars. 2, membrane -fr (1506-7).
2 See Dwnn's Reprint, p. 116 : " Howell ap Madoc of Welshpool, who married Leiky, a grand-aunt of Howell ap Tudor, who first came to Mochdre. The latter was ancestor of the Pryces of Newtown and Glanmeheli."
HISTORY OF THE PARISH OF KERRY. 21
9. Ratified and confirmed all privileges, laws, and customs which their ancestors had and enjoyed.
10. Henry VII abolished the customary payment called Amobyr.
In a MS. at Loton, being extracts from the Accounts of the Ministers of Richard, Duke of York, for the Honour of Montgomery and its members, for the year 1457, the names of the officers of Kerry lordship appear as follows : —
KERRY RINGA'.
i. Jeuan ap Meredith ap Howell, late Undersheriff.
II. Madoc ap Jeuan G-och ,,
n. Madoc ap Jeuan Goch „
Jenkin ap Meredith ap Hoell1 „
in. Jeuan Lloyd ap Maurice ,,
I. Jeuan ap Meredith „
in. Jeuan Lloyd ap Morris ,,
KERRY FOREST.
iv. Maurice Vychan Forester
i. Jeuan ap Meredith ap Howell, late v. Bedo ap Jevan ,,
John Duy2 „
vi. Madoc ap Morys ap Madoc ap Einion vn. Madoc ap Morys Vychan
KERRY RINGA' (BAILIWICK). Howell3 ap Eignion, Farmer of Lerewic (late).
Madoc of Golly
Hoell ap Eignion5 „
viii. Evan Lloyd ap Evan ap Madoc, last Undersheriff. ix. Meredith ap Evan ap Madoc, Undersheriff. ix. Meredith ap Evan ap Madoc, Forester (last). I. Jeuan ap ap Meredith ap David, Forester.
In Lewys Dwnn's Reprint of Montgomeryshire Pedi- grees, on pp. 114-120, is a pedigree of the family from whom the New town Hall Pryces and other families deduce. The tradition is, that the first of the family settled in Mochdre as representative of the Lord of Kerry ; the following will go some way to confirm the tradition, as well as show that nearly if not all the good official appointments were kept in the family,
1 Meredith ap Howell of Kerry, Esq. (Dwnn's Reprint, p. 107). Jenkin was probably his son, same family.
2 This I cannot identify.
3 and 5 Same person, family name. See p. 116, Howell ap Eignion, but probably too early.
4 This is possibly a misprint ; I cannot identify him.
22 HISTORY OF THE PARISH OF KERRY.
though neither a Pryce of Newtown or Glanmeheli appears, perhaps because they or one of them held a superior office.
Howell ap Tudor,=p Who first came to Mochdre. p. 13 & I
Einion ap Howell,=^Agnes, sole heiress of Adda ap Meurig of p. 116. . Kerry.
Madoc ap Einion,=p=
p. 117. | _
| I
Maurice ap Madoc,=p Evan Gcch ap Madoc,=f=
_ p. 117. | p. 117. _ |
nil
Madoc (vi), Evan Lloyd Maurice Vychan=f= Madoc ap Evan=^Gwen
conjectural. ap Maurice ap Maurice (iv), (in), p. 117. p. 117.
Goch (u), p. 118.
hwy- far.
i r -r
Madoc ap Maurice Evan ap Madoc=f= Joned,=pJeuan ap Mere
(vn), conjectural. ap Evan Goch, p. 118. dith ap Howell, p. 118. (i),p. 118.
i j i
Evan Lloyd ap Evan Meredith ap Evan Bedo ap Jeuan
ap Madoc (viu), ap Madoc (ix), (v),
conjectural. conjectural. conjectural.
Kerry, from the accession of Edward IV, may be said to have been in the hands of the King. There is an "Account" (7-8 Edw. IV, No. 166, 1467-8) ana- logous to the one already dealt with. Little more is heard of Kerry until the Kings commenced making grants of offices, etc., to persons for services rendered, or grants of mills, lands, etc.
In 1483-4, the first year of the reign of Eichard III, he granted for life to Henry, Duke of Buckingham, the Stewardship and Receivership of the lordship of Kerry, Kedewen, and Newtown, (Patent, July 15, 1 Richard III, Appendix to Ninth Report, Deputy Keeper of the Records, p. 12.)
On the accession of Henry VII he became possessed of the Mortimer estates, and appointed his uncle
HISTORY OF THE PARISH OF KERRY. 23
Jaspar, Duke of Bedford, and others, commissioners to hear and determine all causes among the tenants of the earldom of March (Pat, I Hen. VII, 18 Feb.)
In the fifth year of his reign he granted for life to Richard Pole, a Knight of his body, the offices of Steward and Receiver of the lordships and manors of Montgomery, Kerry, and Kedewen, in the Marches of Wales, and the Constableship of Montgomery Castle (Pat., 11 March, 5 Hen. VII, 1489-90).
The following year, on the 7th July, writs were issued to all the counties and in the Marches, giving notice of an intended war with France, and requiring the assistance of the King's subjects in this arduous affair, each one according to his means, and to certify their proceedings to the Council of State (Pat., Hen. VIIy 7 July, anno vi, p. 64).
The writ for the lordship of Kerry was addressed to Richard Pole, Knight. On pages 473-4 of the first volume of these Collections are references to several Ministers' Accounts relating to Kerry and other lord- ships in the county.1 There are also other Accounts of the same kind for the reign of Henry VIII and Elizabeth, and later ; they are of no special interest except in the disclosure of names, which at these periods are obtainable from the Records of the Great Sessions, and which to a great extent have already been printed in Miscellanea Historica.
With the death of Henry VII, and the accession of his son, the latter cancelled many if not all the Patents granting privileges and places to favourites and others by the former, substituting New Patents under his own seal.
During the reign of the latter, the four new Welsh Bounties were constituted, mainly out of the Marches, and a different system of government was introduced. We shall have much to say yet in connection with the lordship of Kerry. We shall find with the new order
1 See Appendix, for dates and particulars.
24 HISTORY OF THE PARISH OF KERRY.
of things a new race of men ; among them, in the fore- front, the ancestors of the noble Earl who at this day enjoys some of the privileges in the lordship of Kerry which were granted to Roger de Mortimer in 1278.
There are two or three subjects, connected with the parish of Kerry, of considerable interest, which could not well be introduced into the preceding description of the devolution of the lordship and its internal his- tory. Possibly this point would be as convenient or more so than any other to make a few remarks upon them. The principal one is in reference to a district anciently known as Kerry- Valdewyne, which appears to have been, from an early date, a member of the manor of Tempsiter, within the Honor of Clun, though the inhabitants of the district of Kerry -Yaldewyne do not appear to have been governed by precisely the same customs and laws as the rest of the inhabitants of Tempsiter.
We avail ourselves of some valuable information taken from Mr. Salt's pamphlet on the Honor and forest of Clun? in this connection.
THE MANOR OP TEMPSITER, A MEMBER OF THE HONOR OF CLUN ; AND KERRY- VALDEWYNE.
The above Manor, which contained twenty-three townships and comprised within it much of the district lying on the western side of Offa's Dyke, as well as several townships lying on the eastern side of it, contains about 40,000 acres, or half the Honor of Clun. It appears to have been captured from the Welsh at an early period, for in 1293 the occupiers paid Eichard, Earl of Arundel and Lord of Clan, £200 for certain privileges, namely, that they should have Chace throughout the whole of Tempsett, for every beast, except in the Forest of Clun and Kingstell (Kingsley Wood, near Knighton). That thenceforth they should not be compelled, in pleading, to answer word for word, but should only answer by three words, that is, that it was not so as alleged against them, and of this they put themselves upon their country. That appears to be simply a plea of " Not Guilty".
1 Privately printed, 1858.
HISTORY OF THE PARISH OF KERRY. 25
The Lord also bound himself that he would not take or cause to be taken any cattle, nor any kind of blade/ nor any goods of theirs against their will unless they are for sale; and if any of their goods, wheresoever they might be, should be for sale, the Lord would have them before any other person, for as much as they could get from any other person, and pay for the same within forty days. Among the witnesses are Bynon Lorth, Robert ap Howell, and Codog ap Wyn, who were of the parts of Montgomery.
Notwithstanding the above grant, the men of Tempseter seem to have been much oppressed by the Bailiffs of the Lord in the next reign, for in the llth of Edward II (1317) another deed was executed, in which the Lord agreed to relieve the men of Tempsit of their grievances, which, accord- ing to Eyton, seem to have been that there was an excessive number of Bailiffs employed in Tempsitt, and the Lord agreed to reduce the number in that district to one Provost with his Servieur (Steward), and one Steward and two Under-Bailiffs for Kerry- Valdewyne.
Eytori considered Kerry-Valdewyne to have been so called from Baldwin de Boilers, Lord of Montgomery, who, says Eyton. probably had a seigneury over the district in Henry the First's time. We are of opinion that Kerry extended further to the south in those days than at present. Some evidence at a later period will be set out in support of this view, and that Baldwin de Boilers2 had no seigneury over that district, or rights other than the men of Montgomery had possessed from time immemorial.
The boundaries of the Manor of Tempsiter may be defined as starting at Knighton, following the course of the Teme up to the junction of that river with the Rhyddwr brook at the Gorddwr farm in the parish of Bugaildu, and on the other side, Offa's Dyke to Newcastle, excluding probably Spoad township, which is in Clun parish. This would cover part of Llanfair Waterdine parish, if not the whole of it, and Bettws- y-Crwyn, in which latter parish the Forest of Clun is com- prised, but from which the men of Ternpsett were excluded by the arrangement made when they paid the £200.
There is no record, so far as we have seen, that de- scribes the boundary of the manor of Tempsiter on the
1 We question if this does not refer to corn of some species. Bladium, corn on the ground, in the blade.
2 Inq. post mortem, taken in 1252-3 (anno 50 Henry III, No. 29), only mentions Lydham manor and the manor of Montgomery.
26 HISTORY OF THE PARISH OF KERRY.
Kerry side as extending beyond the Rhyddwr brook, and, going eastwards from the source of that, as pass- ing beyond the watershed of Kerry Hill, following the modern boundary between the counties of Salop and Montgomery ; but there is a very ancient and well- known tradition connected with a stone that used formerly to be on Kerry Hill, near the source of the Rhyddwr brook. The spot is marked on the Ordnance Map.
The tradition connected with this stone is, that a person of the name of William Cantlin, overtaken in a snowstorm, perished at the spot, and there was a dis- pute as to whether the parish of Kerry or the parish of Bettws-y-Crwyn should be at the expense of burying the body. Ultimately, it was removed and buried at Bettws-y-Crwyn, and the tradition is that Kerry parish, before this event occurred, extended a considerable way to the southward, but that after, the parishioners of Bettws claimed up to the spot where the body was found, and set up the stone to mark the boundary of the parish. If there is any meaning in the inscription, the body must have been buried at first on the spot. The stone has since been removed from its old position, and placed just inside the gateway by Mr. Botfield's plan- tations, near the " Biddings", and an elegant cross placed beside it.
At the Court of Tempseter, held on Monday before the Feast of St. Oswald, in
the 7th year of Richard II (1383-4).
"The free tenants of Kerry bald win were accused that they have con- cealed services, to wit, Reliefs, Amobrage, and Warmetak, which they were accustomed to render as the other free tenants of Tempseter, who deny and say that they are of other tenures than the other free tenants of Tempseter, and will not put themselves on the country. Accordingly, a warrant is given to all the men of Tempseter, and the same country gave judgment that they remain in prison until they are willing to put themselves on their country."1
Apparently, the free tenants of Kerry baldwin were present in person at this Court, and because they were contumacious, and would not plead, they were im- prisoned. We conceive this implies that they must 1 Mr. Salt's pamphlet on the Honor and Forest of Clun.
HISTORY OF THE PARISH OF KERRY. 27
have been few in number, and that they occupied some part of Ternpcester, bordering on Kerry lordship, from which it had been detached at some unknown period, and that, when detached, the people retained the cus- toms which prevailed in Kerry. We suggested1 that the "Upper" and "Lower Short Ditches', which project some distance into the modern county of Salop, were thrown up to mark the boundary of the territories belonging to Cwm Efir Abbey. It is just possible that the land on the Kerry side of the Clun River, down perhaps as low as Newcastle, was the district known as Kerry- Valdeivin.
In the time of Queen Elizabeth, in a suit between the Crown and several freeholders and copyholders of Clun, the boundary of Clun was minutely set out. The depositions were taken at JReilth, in the county of Salop, on the 8th May 1576. The mears were described so as to exclude Kerry. One of the de- ponents, Morris ap Owen of the Reilth, yeoman, aged about eighty years, who had deposed to the boundaries, was asked how he knew that they were as he had de- scribed them, said that about sixty years before (1516), at which time the Lords of Clun held Jura Regalia within the lordship of Clun, and the Lords of Kerry within the lordship of Kerry, he saw two men hanged, whose names he did not remember, for certain offences by them committed. The one of the said two men was hanged within the lordship of Clun at the side of the brook called the Rithor,2 by the Steward and officers of the lordship of Clun ; and the other man was hanged within the lordship of Kerry, on the other side the said brook, within less than a bowshot to the other, by the Steward and officers of the lordship of Kerry, and he said both were hanged the same day.3
1 Mont. Coll., xxiii, p. 89. 2 Rhyddwr.
3 We have seen, but cannot recall the reference, that the Earls of Arundel held the Honor of Clun by the service of executing all the criminals sentenced to death in the county of Salop. Closely adjacent to the spot referred to by the deponent stands the
28 HISTORY OF THE PARISH OF KERRY.
Mainstone and Reilth, with Edenhope and Castle- wright,1 form one parish. The whole, except Castle- wright, is now accounted in Salop. Eyton could not say that Mainstone and Reilth were held under any English suzerain before the 14th century, for he never heard of such places — that is, he did not find the names on the Rolls. He therefore left it undetermined whether they were involved in the Domesday Manor of Clun, or whether they had been annexed to that Honor by conquest before the subjugation of Wales, or by some conventional process subsequently. Even Mainstone Church is heard nothing of till after the Reformation, when it is mentioned in the Visitation of 1587 as in the diocese of Hereford. This district may have been Kerry-Valdewine, as it is not far away from Lydham, which Baldwin de Boilers held at his death.
At a later period some references will be made to evidence given at trials in connection with the ancient boundary between Kerry and Clun, but it will be seen by what follows below that when Henry YJII formed the four new counties the whole of Clunnesland was set to the new county of Montgomery, and for a few years the " lay subsidies" were levied under Mont- gomery. One of our early Sheriffs, 1554, was Richard Powell of Edenhope, Mainstone, described as in Mont- gomeryshire.
TRANSFER OF CLUNNESLAND TO MONTGOMERYSHIRE.
The power of the Lord Marchers to inflict capital punishment was taken away by the Statute of 27th
ruins of a small castle, marked on the Ordnance as " Castle Bryn Amlwg", or " Castell Cefn Vron". Locally it is called Castle Oil Rlion. It stands on an elevation some two or three hundred yards from the boundary of Clun lordship at that point. It has no history. A mile to the east of it, on the summit of Gvvridd, formerly could be seen very perfect traces of ancient hill cultivation. The " Butts" followed the contour of the hill-side and were of various sizes, but the furrows showed that the ploughing was deep. Since the enclosure of the Bettws Hills, modern cultivation has obliterated these memorials of the prehistoric agriculturist. 1 Spelt in an old will (1560-80), Castell Wryclie.
HISTORY OF THE PARISH OF KERRY. 29
Henry VIII, chap. 26, and by section 7 of that Act Clunnesland was transferred to Montgomeryshire. Clunnesland then meant, and does to this day mean, the whole district of country through which the river Clun passes, from its rise at Ffos-y-Rhys on the north- western side of Clun Forest to its fall into the Teme below Clunguuford at the south-eastern extremity of Purslow Hundred, so that the Hundreds of Clun and Purslow were thereby made parts of Montgomeryshire, with the exception of the Bishop's Castle district of the latter.
A Bill filed, or intended to be filed, in the Court of the Lord President of the Marches of Wales, in or about 1649, relating to the Honor of Clun, contains the following recital : "And whereas by a late Statute, 27th Henry VIII, the said Lordship was annexed and made parcel of the County of Montgomery, and after by a private Act in Queen Mary's time it was trans- ferred and annexed to the said County of Salop, and made liable to such His Majesty's laws as the said County of Salop was subject unto."1
Mr. Salt, in his pamphlet on the Honor and Forest of Clun, pp. 14-16, doubted the accuracy of the statement above, but had not investigated it. By 28th Henry VIII, chap. 3, power was given to the King, during three years, to allot newly the towns in the Shires and Marches of Wales. Notwithstanding the above Statute of 28th Henry VIII, and by another Statute, 31 Henry VIII, chap. 11, this authority was continued to the King for three years longer. Mr. Salt thought it more likely that Clun should have been restored to Shropshire under the powers given by these Acts, at a time when the state of Wales was much under the consideration of the King and his advisers, than by a private Act passed early in the
1 No doubt Mr. Salt's conjecture was correct, for Clun is taxed for the first time under Shropshire in the Lay Subsidies in 2-3 Edward VI (1549-50). See Shropshire Subsidies *$\ also VV> W> W> and y5^7; but there does not appear to be any record fixing the exact date.
30 HISTORY OF THE PARISH OF KERRY.
reign of Queen Mary, of which there is no trace in any of the printed Statutes.
Another matter of considerable importance in the early days was the terms upon which persons who dwelt near a " Band Forest", but who were not within the lordship to which the forest belonged, lived with their neighbours. Clun Forest, as will be observed, adjoined Kerry parish on the one side for several miles. Possibly the £7 fine reserved by Richard, Duke of York, when he granted his charter to Kerry in 1457, was in connection with his Forest of Hirhowell, as his neighbour, the Earl of Arundel, levied that sum for a breach of the Forest Laws. The location of this forest is unknown to us ; but as the district at the back of Llandinam is still known as Htrhowell, and as his Foresters Hved apparently in and about Mochdre, perhaps the wild district between Dolfor and the boundary of Kerry, Mochdre, and Llandinam parishes may have been the Forest of Heerhowell. It is one of those questions that wait for solution.
The Kerry men seem to have made an amicable arrangement as regards any casual trespasser in Clun Forest.
THE FOREST OF CLUN, AND KERRY ESCAPE
MONEY.
The Forest of Clun contained about 17,000 acres; roughly speaking, that part of it as it was in 1837 before the enclosures, was bounded as follows. Commencing at the Quabs, about three-quarters of a mile south of Bettws-y-Crwyn Church, it ran north- west to the Rhyddwr brook, thence along the course of the brook to Croes-y-sarney, along Kerry Hill to the eastward by the old position of the " Cantlin Stone", thence following the Bishop's Castfe road to Offa's Dyke, following that earthwork southward to the village of Newcastle. The Hall of the Forest,
HISTORY OF THE PARISH OF KERRY. 31
Badger Moor, Black Mountain Farm, and the Lawn, on the Bettws-y-Crwyn side as going from Newcastle towards The Anchor, were not within the Forest of 01 un ; neither were the Cross-ways, Cefncelynog and Barrets, a district east of the Biddings. Upper Edenhope, Lower Dolfawr, and Middle Dolfawr were outside. Looking at a coloured map, these appear like islands in an archipelago.
The Forest bounded Kerry parish the full length of the latter on the south side, up to the juncture of the Rhyddwr brook with the county of Radnor. Although Clun Forest now is mainly a green pasture or cultivated lands, except where modern plantations of larch, etc., have been made, two centuries ago it was well wooded. It was described in the reign of Henry VI as a Band Forest, meaning an ancient forest, of which the mears and bounds had been publicly proclaimed or banned throughout the whole shire or lordship Marcher. The district within the bounds thereby became subject to the Forest Laws.
How cruelly and tyrannically these laws were executed in many of the forests of Wales and the Marches of the same may be learnt by reading the preamble to the Statute of 27 Hen. VIII, chap. 7.
The later Earls of Arundel do not appear to have enforced the Forest Laws at all vigorously after the reign of Henry VI (1422-14), with perhaps one exception : "that if any inhabitant or other did hawk, hunt, fish, or fowl within the Forest without licence, he was by the custom of the Forest to forfeit £7" — a large sum in those days.
We have seen that the freeholders of Kerry refused to hold under the lordship of Clun. Notwithstanding this refusal, an agreement was made with them (at a very early date, not yet ascertained), which was creditable to both parties. The cattle and horses of the Kerry men would unavoidably at times be found in Clun Forest, and the arrangement was, that the Kerry men should pay the Lord of Clun two marks
32 HISTOKY OF THE PARISH OF KERRY.
yearly for such trespass, in return for which their cattle and horses were not to be treated as estrays. This bargain continued until 1797, when the enclosure of the commons of Kerry, which adjoined Clun Forest, put an end to the payment. It was known by the name of " Kerry Escape Money".1
The writer has not been able to examine any of the Court Rolls relating to the Court Baron of Kerry,2 but as Tempset adjoined it, and in the early days was probably in its customs, rents, services, etc., some- what similarly situated, a few extracts from Mr. Salt's pamphlet on the Honor and Forest of Clun may be of interest, and useful to compare with the services, rents, etc., disclosed in the Ministers' Accounts supra. The Court Rolls are of the period of Richard II (1377-99) ''Their contents are, gene- rally speaking, the fixing of heriots3 and reliefs, arid assessing sums "in Misericordia" (amerciaments= a pecuniary punishment at the mercy of the Lord). These varied from 35. to 6d. each, for what were considered minor offences, such as detaining the Lord's heriots, for agreeing without licence, for not attending the bailiff's summons, for a false plaint, for unjustly raising the hue (pursuing after a malefactor), for draw- ing blood, for false swearing, etc.
The fines for crimes are for larger sums, extending from 5s. for a petty theft upwards, to £5 or more for manslaughter, sureties being always required for the larger sums. The amount is always noted in the margin, whether mentioned in the body or not.4
Also there are entries which show that if an accused person stood mute, or denied to hold of the Lord.
1 Salt's pamphlet on the Honor and Forest of Clun.
2 There are. we believe, some imperfect Rolls yet remaining among the muniments of the Earl of Powis at Powis Castle, as well as one or more minute-books of the proceedings.
3 This was paid under the old Welsh system, on the death of an Uchelwyr, under the name of an " Ebediw".
4 This is the usual custom.
HISTORY OF THE PARISH OF KERRY. 33
or refused to put himself upon the judgment of the Court, he was sent to prison.
Also, if heriots were not duly yielded or compounded for, or if the tenant died without goods, the Lord seized the land till the heir came in and paid not only the relief1 payable by a new tenant, but the heriot also.
Here are a few entries as an illustration.
" Court of Tempseter.— Edward the third in the 6th or 7th year2 (1333).
" Hahnot Welch held Wednesday next after the feast of the Conversion of St. Paul.
" Henry Walden died who held of the Lord one Messuage and twenty- six acres of land, whereby hath accrued to the Lord an heriot, and for goods and entrance into the lands, and hath fined Lewky his wife, 13s. 4d.
Mr. Salt says, " This entry shows that at this date the Welch tenants were of sufficient number and importance to have a Halmot or Court Baron to them- selves ;" and he submitted that the following entries go far to show that the customary laws of the Honor (of Clun) in the Welsh part of it were founded upon those of Howell Dda? and in many respects identical with them.
"Richard II in the 7th year (1383). Monday next, before the feast of the Ascension of Our Lord. Mercy, 6d. William ap Jevan hath given the Lord 6(7., to have an Inquisition whether his house was burnt or not. Mercy, \"2d. Jevan ap Llewelyn, in mercy for burning the house of the said William. Mercy, 2s. Griffith ap Rills and Rosser in mercy for game."
" Court of Tempseter. — Monday, in the feast of the Conversion of St. Paul the sixth year. Judgment given by twenty-four of the best men of Tempseter, upon Phillip Pagin (or Payne), that he be outlawed in Tempseter and proclaimed in Court.
" Court of Tempseter held Monday, on the morrow after the feast of the Holy Trinity, 40s., the parents of Richard de Acton give to the Lord 40*. for the Peace had of Philip Payne, who was outlawed for the death of Richard de Acton, and that the Bailiffs of the Lord be assisting to levy ten pounds of the Sureties of the aforesaid Philip Payne, to witt, Gar, Hugh the son of David, and Roger Payne. Goods 6 marks, of the goods of Philip Payne, outlawed, found in Tempseter, 6 marks. Pledge William Gam."
1 A " relief was a fine paid by the heir at a tenant's death.
2 Edward III commenced his reign on January 25th, 1327. The anniversary of St. Paul's conversion is also on January 25th. The Court was therefore held on Wednesday, 28th January 1333.
3 Mr. Salt made use of Robert's translation, of the Ancient Laws of Cambria.
VOL. XXV. D
34 HISTORY OF THE PARISH OF KERRY.
" Mercy, Qd. Phillip Falch in mercy for Trespass made in the house which is in the hands of the Lord."
" Mercy, Qd. The same Philip in mercy for breaking the Constitution of the Country."
" Court of Tempseter held Monday, the morrow after beheading of St. John in the seventh year (1384). Two sheep, price 2s. Two sheep of Wlad Goch, deceased, accrued to the Lord according to the custom of the country, she being a harlot,"
" Court of Tempseter held Monday next before the feast of St John the Baptist in the seventh year, 2s., Llwys, son of Howell, gave to the Lord to have judgment of the Court, if his sister ought to have part of his inheritance, according to the custom of the country."
" Court of Tempseter held Monday next after the feast of the Trans- lation of St. Thomas of Canterbury in the seventh year. Next Laurence Pricket is accused at the suit of Nicholas Thebaud in a plea of felony and robbery, to wit, of two horses with their harness to the value of six1 marks, which said Laurence being present stood mute, and therefore it is considered by the Court that no warrant of mainprise2 till such time as he will speak."
Some riders annexed to the Rolls of the 6 and 7 Edw. Ill (1333-4) contain entries of seizures by the Lord's officer, Meredith ap Gilbert, of the lands of persons who were what is termed " Kilgh" (Cylch). The following are examples :
11 The inheritance of Eve, the daughter of Llewelyn Voil, who oweth Kilgh, is in the hands of Meredith ap Gilbert."
"The inheritance of Eignion Talgron is in the hands of Meredith ap Gilbert, who oweth Kilgh"
Mr. Salt mentions that in the Honor of Clun, when he compiled his paper (1858), there were some small annual payments made, known by the name of " Meal Rents",3 payable on St. Barnabas Day (June llth) yearly. These were understood to be a money com- position for a render in kind anciently made of meal to feed the Lord's hounds when he hunted in the township, and were supposed to have originated from the Cylch-Dyfrgivn of the Welsh, which was an obli- gation on tenants to provide for the huntsmen and hounds of the prince when he came to hunt otters.
1 This figure is not certain.
2 Not to be bailed.
3 The " Gwestfa", or food rent, in which honey was an important element, commuted later into the Punt dwngc, the pound of silver, which survives as the fealty or tunk rent in some parts. Probably the chief rents now paid in Kerry represent this rent.
HISTORY OF THE PARISH OF KERRY. 35
They were payable in respect of tenements of great antiquity.
Besides these meal-rents, the same farm in many, but not in all, cases pays another small rent to the land- lord called " Trewith Pynt". This rent is due at St. Martin's Day (Nov. llth), payable only once in two years, or in each even year. The annual amount was about one-sixth of the meal-rent when divided between two years.
During the fourth, fifth, and sixth years (1512-15), the Swainmote Courts for Clun were held three or four times yearly, and the attachments for Vert— that is, " cutting or destroying anything bearing green leaf which may cover a deer" — are very numerous, as also are those for turning goats, pigs, sheep, and cattle into the Forest ; but the Lords seem to have tacitly permitted these practices, as the fines were seldom more than 4cL for " Vert" goats and pigs; 2d. for sheep, and from 6d. to Is. for cattle.
D 2
36
CHUECHSTOEE REGISTER.
THE Churchstoke Register, from which the following extracts1 are given, commences with entries of the year 1558.
1590. Ric. Corbett, gent., of Wold, Churchstoke, to him and his heirs a rorae or place for a pew 5 ft. by 3 ft. granted by the parishioners.
1622. John Warde, Litterat, b'd July 8.
1623. George Oakley's "servus" Rowland b'd Sep. 18.
„ Eliz.,2 w. of Edw'd Home, rector of Wentnor, b'd Oct. 18.
,, Edw. Home, Clerk, and Jane Lingan, m'd Feb. 3.
1624. Jocosa, d. of Edmond Tipton, Clerk, and Marg't, b'p Mar. 30. 1631. Edw. Home, Clerk, b'd Feb. 7.
1636. Ririd ap David de Hopton, b'd Aug. 9.
,, Erasmus Powell,3 Clk., and Elinor Clearke, wid., m'd Nov. 15.
1652. Win. s. of Wm. Lawrence, Clk., and Dorothy, b'p Nov. 29.
1698. John Dunne, M.A., minister 18 years, b'd at Lidbury North, Jan. 18.
1700. Francis Brooks, Papist, b'd Jan. 17.
1701. Rich'd Jones, Chirurgeon and Clerk of this parish, and Isabel, the d. of George Arthur of Pen aron, in the p'sh of Kerry, m'd Oct. 10.
1704. Charles Mason, Esq., his page Charles, b'p June 18, at. about 10, a West Indian, and surnamed Hector.
1 These appeared in "Shropshire Shreds and Patches", in the Salopian Journal of 21 April 1880.
2 She was the second daughter of Edward Broughton of Upper Broughton, near Bishop's Castle. Her sister Jane married the quaint historian, Oliver Matthews, of Bishop's Castle. Their mother was Joan Pilsworth of Staffordshire. In the Broughton pedigree in the College of Arms, Vincent's Coll., the Rev. Edward Holmes is styled of " Rockley, Justic. ad pacem".
3 Erasmus Powell, vicar of Clun, was the fourth son of Hugh Powell of Ednop, by his wife Margaret, daughter of Matthew Goch Price of Newtown Hall, Sheriff of Montgomeryshire in 1548.
37
PEDIGREE OF BISHOP LLOYD OF ST. ASAPH.
THE following pedigree of Bishop Lloyd, extracted from a MS. kindly lent by Mr. T. LI. Murray-Browne, Local Government Inspector, and one of the Bishop's descendants, will interest many readers of the Montgomeryshire Collections. Bishop Lloyd is so well known as one of " The Seven Bishops" who resisted King James II's unconstitutional proceed- ings, that it is unnecessary here to more than briefly recapitulate the events of his life. He was born at Tylehurst, in Berkshire, in August 1627, and was educated at Oxford, where he took his B. A. degree in 1642 (being only fifteen years of age), and proceeded M.A. in due course. In 1648 he received Deacon's orders, and in 1656 was ordained Priest. In 1660 he became Prebendary of Ripon, and in July 1666 Chaplain to the King. In 1667 he proceeded Doctor of Divinity, and became Prebend of Salisbury, and the following year Vicar of St. Mary's, Reading, and Archdeacon of Merioneth. In May 1672 he was installed Dean of Bangor, and in 1674 Canon Resi- dentiary of Salisbury. In the latter end of 1676 he became Vicar of St. Martin's in Westminster, and on October 3rd, 1680, was consecrated Bishop of St. Asaph, in succession to Dr. Isaac Barrow. On the 8th of June 1688, he, with Archbishop Bancroft and the Bishops of Ely, Chichester, Bath and Wells, Peterborough, and Bristol, were committed to the Tower for resisting the King when he tried to abrogate the penal laws by his own personal authority. The seven bishops were publicly tried at Westminster Hall, and acquitted on the fifteenth of the same
38 PEDIGREE OF BISHOP LLOYD OF ST. ASAPH.
month, amid general acclamations. He subsequently took a part in bringing about the accession of William arid Mary to the throne, and was made Lord Almoner to their Majesties. In October 1692 he was translated to the see of Lichfield and Coventry, and in 1699 to that of Worcester. He died in 1717, aged ninety years.
Bishop Lloyd was a prelate of singular learning and ability, and of untiring industry and devotion to duty. Bishop Burnet, his contemporary, writes of him, " He is a person most indefatigable in his industry, and the most judicious in his observations of any that is known, and is one of the greatest masters of style now living." He published a large number of sermons and pamphlets, and some larger works. During his tenure of the see of St. Asaph he laboured to win back the Nonconformists by friendly conference and argument. For this purpose he invited, first, the Quakers to meet him at the Town Hall at Llanfyllin. and afterwards the Presbyterians at Os- westry, to confer together and discuss their points of difference. At the former the Quakers were ably represented by Charles and Thomas Lloyd of Dolobran, and the debate, which lasted three days, was conducted with much credit to both parties. Some account of it has already appeared in Mont. Coll., iii, p. 63, and x, p. 96. Although, as might have been expected, neither party succeeded in convincing the other, the debate increased their respect towards each other, and through the Bishop's good offices the persecuted Quakers in this diocese were treated with greater consideration, and several of them who were still in prison were dis- charged.
B. W.
PEDIGREE OF BISHOP LLOYD OF ST. ASAPH.
39
PEDIGREE OF THE RIGHT REV. WILLIAM LLOYD, D.D.,
BISHOP OF ST. ASAPH.
Authorities for the different Lines :
From Llywarcli ab Bran, taken from Llwyd's Pedigree.
From Bleddyn ab Cynfyn to Elin, heiress of Henblas, from Mr.
Protheroe's MSS.
From Ednyfed Fychan, Burke, Landed Gentry (Lloyd of Plymog). For Bleddyu ab Cynfyn, see Yorke's Royal Tribes of Wales.
|
Gwenllian,= verch Ehys ab Gruffydd, descended through Ehys ab Tewdwr and Hywel Dda from Ehodri Mawr. |
LLYWARCH AB BRAN^Gwenllian. Founder of the 2nd Noble Tribe of North Wales, desc. from Ehodri Mawr. 2. 1. FYCHAN. ystl. gan. |
BL Ma lor Gn A 1 Ma Lk Lie |
BDDYN AB CYNFYN. :edydd. werth Goch. iffydd Fychan, the Vild Knight of Caer lywel. dog Goch. welyn. welyn Fychan. |
|
Gronwy.=fMorf- lorwerth.^Jane. 1 ydd. 1 I |
|||
|
Angh-=j=Tewdwr. Philip, arad. Madoc. |
|||
|
1 |
Gron wy. =f=G weur vul. I
Llewelyn.
2.
Tudor ap Gronwy ( grand- =pMallt. father by his first wife, Margaret, of Owen Tu- dor.
Goronwy Fychan. Morfydd.=pGwilym.
Tudor Fychan.=j= Agnes.
Owen Tudor.=j=Grace, dau. of Sir
Dafvdd Gethin.
Llewelyn.
Tudor.
Ad Llewelyn.
Gruffydd.
I Dyfydd Goch.
Llewelyn.
I
Ieuan.=j=Nest. Margaret.^Eobert.
I
Henry Bold. Dafydd.=f ELIN, HEIRESS OF HENBLAS.
Eichard Owen.=^Elizabeth.
I
40
PEDIGREE OF BISHOP LLOYD OF ST. ASAPH.
|a Richard Owen.=f=Margaret.
John ap Dafydd.=f Gwen.
CATHERINE OWEN.=PDAFYDD LLWYD.
I
Anne.=f= William Lloyd of Hen- I bias.
Whence Lloyds of Henblas.
Richard Lloyd, Rector=pAnne Wicken. of Tilehurst.
WILLIAM LLOYD, b. 1627, ordained=f=Anne, grand-dau. of Samuel Fell,
Deacon 1648, Bishop of St. Asaph 1680, committed to the Tower 1688, Lichfield and Coventry 1692, Wor- cester 1699; 06. 1717.
Dean of Christ Church, Oxford, descended from Thomas, Earl of Norfolk, son of Edward I, by Margaret of France.
Elizabeth Poulden,=f= William Lloyd, Chancelloi 1694. of Worcester.
John Soley=p Elizabeth, of Sand- bourne.
=Jane Thompson of Esk- rick, Yorkshire.
I John Soley.=?=
|
Mary Light-=f foot. |
1 =John Lloyd, Rector of Ryton. |
Mary.=f=Thora as Baker. |
Mary, heiress.=j=Rev. William Lloyd Baker.
John =j=Margaret Soley.
T
Skey.
Annabella=r=Thomas John=pMary Sharp, heiress of
Ralfe. I Lloyd Baker.
ob. s. p.
o&. s. p.
Wm. Sharp, descended from Sir Richard Gran- ville, Lord High Ad- miral of England, and through him from Regi- nald the Rich, a Danish Earl.
Thomas Murray =pCathe- Benjamin=pMary Thomas Barwick=j=Mary
|
Browne. |
rine. |
Chapman Browne, |
Anne Lloyd. |
Lloyd |
Baker. |
Fen wick |
|
1 | Thomas Lloyd Charles Murray (Local Chapman Gov. Insp.) |
Walter James Henry Raleigh. Granville. |
William Bevil. |
||||
|
! |
||||||
|
1 |
1 |
Annabella William Charles Benjamin Maria. Lloyd. Orde. Chapman.
Granville Henry Edwin Orde
1 loyd. Lloyd.
41
MONTGOMERYSHIRE NONCONFORMITY;
EXTRACTS FROM GAOL FILES, WITH NOTES. BY R. WILLIAMS, F.R.HisT.S. (Continued from Vol. xxiv, p. 232.)
1675 (27 Chas. II). Great Sessions held at Pool, Sept. 20th 1675.
Names of Jury summoned.^-
1 Jur. Rob'tus Merricke de Churchstocke, Gen.
Ric'us Buckley2 de Llandysill, Gen. Joh'es Jones3 de Colynog, Gen.
2 Jur. Edr'us Davies de Penrhyn, Gen.
3 Jur. Joh'es Davies de Penrhyn, Gen.
4 Jur. Morriceus Jones de Weege, Gen.
5 Jur. Edr'us Hugh de Castle, Gen.
Griffinus Evans de Cwmberllan, Gen.
6 Jur. Ric'us Peers de Kilkewydd, Gen.
7 Jur. Will'us Baxter de Llanwonog, Gen.
8 Jur. Jon. Phillipps de Ederton.
9 Jur. Dauid Lewis de Penstrowed.
10 Jur. Carolus Jones de Llaudyssill.
11 Jur. Dauid Dauies de Penrhyn.
12 Jur. Jonathan Ho wells.
1 For the copies of the Jury Panels I am indebted to Mr. R. E. Jones, a member of the Council of the Powys-land Club.
2 Richard Buckley was the great-great-grandfather of John Buckley Williames, Esq., of Pennant and Glaohafren, Sheriff 1820, who died in 1866, aged 90. (See Mont. Coll., ix, p. 351.)
8 John Jones was an Attorney, living at Meifod. " About the same time [1675], Charles Lloyd of Dolobran had ten young beasts taken from him by John Jones of Golynog, an Attorney-at-law, who was that year Overseer of the Poor of the Parish of Meifod, upon a warrant from David Maurice" of Penybont. (Life of Richard Davies, the Quaker.)
42 MONTGOMERYSHIRE NONCONFORMITY :
Borough Inquest.
Burg de Montgom'y.
1 Jur. Edr'us Brown vill de Mountgom'y, Gen.
Joh'es Houseman de ead., Gen.
2 Jur. Joh'es Ward de ead., Gen.
Erasmus Jones de ead., Gen.
3 Jur. Thomas ffrauncis de ead.
Carolus Jones de Poonfrayth [qy. Fronfraith], Gen.
4 Jur. ffranciscus Reignold de Mountgom'y, Gen.
5 Jur. Alexander Hamon de ead., Gen.
6 Jur. Edr'us Houseman de ead., Gen.
7 Jur. Edmundus Ireland de ead., Gen.
Walterius Cowp de ead., Gen. Henricus Boadney de, Gen. Joh'es Powell de ead., Gen.
Burg de Llanvillinge.
Humffr'us Meredith1 de Brongaine, Gen.
8 Jur. Joh'es Pughe1 de llanvethen, Gen.
Humffr'us Plymley1 de llanvillinge, Gen. Joh'es Griffithes1 de Treueylange [Trewylan]. Will'us Lewis1 de Trefnaney, Gen.
9 Jur. Edr'us Oliuer2 [Llanfyllin].
10 Jur. Edr'us Lloyd1 [of Llandrinio].
Burg de Llanydloes.
Will'us Evans de Lany wared, Gen. Morganus Owen de Bryntaven, Gen. Ricardus Swancott de Maestregymer, Gen. Ricardus Howell Dauid de Treveth lawcoied, Gen.
11 Jur. Ric' us Rowland.
Burg de Pola.
Thomas Morris de lladyvdol [Llanerch-hudol], Gen. Stephanus Niccolls de Gyngrogvawr. Gen. Ric'us Griffithes de Tretherwen, Gen.
12 Jur. Jno. Prichd.
13 Jur. Alexander Humffreys.
1 All these were among the Burgesses elected at the first Great Leet for the Borough of Llanfyllin, held 25th Oct. 1673. (Mont. Coll., xxiii, p. 146.)
2 Elected a Burgess 20th Oct. 1676. (Ibid.)
EXTRACTS FROM GAOL FILES. 43
Grand Jury (Inq. Mayna). Llanvillinge H.
1 Jur. Joh'es Kyffin de Bodvath [Bodfach],1 Ar.
Thomas Cadd'r de Rhisgog, Gen.
Josephus Ellis de Vachwen, Gen.
Willi'mus John Lewis de Peniarth, Gen.
David Thomas de Bodyddan, Gen. ex. Cadd'r Robert2 de Pennant, Gen.
Ehydz John Thomas de ead., Gen.
Joh'es Thomas de Marchnant ucha, Gen.
Hugo Cadd'r de Llangynog, Gen. ex. David Edward de ead., Gen.
Newtowne H.
2 Jur. Rlc'us Glynne de Aberbechan, Gen.
3 Jur. Willi'us Price de Vachwen, Gen.
Thomas Owen de Garthgellin, Gen. Ric'us Jones de ead., Gen.
4 Jur. Thomas Gwynne de Aberhavespe, Gen.
Jacobus Baxter de Hendydley, Gen. Jacobus Broom well3 de Aberhavespe, Gen. Joh'es Ellis ap Evan de ead., Gen.
Llanydloes H.
ex. Lodovicus Lewis4 de Dole y gwenyth, Gen. ex. David Evans de Glyn brochan, Gen.
Evanus Morris de Manleth, Gen.
Moriceus Bowen de Bodyarth [Bodaioch ?], Gen.
Arthurus Morris de Weege, Gen. ex. Moriceus Edwards de Masemawre, Gen.
1 John Kyffin was Sheriff in 1678.
2 He lived at Cwni-lleeh-ucha, of which he was the owner, and was a poet. He died 12th Feb. 1708. (Mont. Worthies.)
3 One of the Chief Constables for Newtown Hundred in 1678.
4 Ludovic Lewis was probably one of the Commissioners for the county for raising funds for the support of the army of the Common- wealth (Mont. Coll., ii, p. 348). He married Mary, daughter of John Pryce of Park, and sister of Matthew Pryce, M.P. for Montgomery Boroughs, by whom he had three daughters, co-heiresses : 1, Mary, married to Robert Ingram of Glynhafren ; 2, Elizabeth, married to Rhys Williams, Ystumcolwyn ; and Lydia, married to John Pryce of Cyfronydd (Mont. Coll., vii, p. 224). He was descended through Meredydd Benwyn from Brochwel Ysgythrog, Prince of Powys.
44 MONTGOMERYSHIRE NONCONFORMITY I
Caurse H.
5 Jur. Joh'es Powell de Bacheltrey, Gen.
Will'mus Bright de Hopton, Gen. chall ex. Thomas Crumpe1 de Uppington, Gen. Edr'us Rogers de Trewerne, Gen. Thomas Bowdler2 de Midletowne, Gen. Ric'us ap Prichard de Crygion, Gen.
Deyther H.
ex. Willi'us Derwas3 de Penrhyn, Gen.
Joh'es Jones de Colfarm [Collfryn1?], Gen.
Petrus Edwards de Penrhyn lethan [fechan], Gen. ex. Edr'us Austine de Llandrinio, Gen.
Joh'es Richards de ead., Gen.
6 Jur. Joseph Lloyd.
Morgan Dauid de Darowen. " ex. Morris Syre de.
Arthur Thomas de Pen'nt. Joh'es Ellis de.
7 Jur. Arthur James de Kylkewyth. [These are not in the
TT 1 T71 . .1 . f~1 - „!- I TT 3 3 O T~v _ i 1 ~\
Hugh Evans de Greenrhym. Tho. Jones de Llandyssill.
8 Jur. Rowland Thod. Penegoes.
Jo'n Griffithes de fForden.
9 Jur. Dauid Price de Penstrowed.
Hundred of Deythur.]
1 There are (or were) two inscriptions on ledger stones in the chancel of Buttington Church, commemorating members of the Crump family. (Byegones, Aug. 21, 1872.)
2 The Bowdlers were at one time perhaps the most powerful family in Montgomeryshire ; but the name is now found only among a few persons of humble rank. Baldwin de Boulers was the first Norman Lord of Montgomery, and from him the Welsh called that town Tre Faldwyn (Eyton's Ant. of Shropshire, vol. vii, p. 7). This was about the beginning of the twelfth century. Some of his descendants be- came implicated in the rebellion of Owen Glyndwr, and lost their estates (Mont. Coll, iv, p. 329). " Joh'es Bowdler de Middletowne, Gen.", occurs on a Grand Jury list, 10 Charles I, and " Thomas Bowdler de Middletowne, Gen.", 14 Charles II. " Thomas Bowdler of Middle- towne" appears as an hereditary burgess of Welshpool on the " Old Eyle" of 1678, and "John Bowdler of Middletowne" on the 28th September 1721. (Mont. Coll., vii, p. 233.)
3 William Derwas was eighth in descent from Sir Griffith Yaughan, Knt. Bannerett, of Garth. (Mont. Coll., vii, p. 222.)
EXTRACTS FROM GAOL FILES. 45
Mathravall H.
Robertus ap Olliver1 de Kenhinva, Gen. ex. Joh'es David de Rhiwhiriarth, Gen. David Lloyd Jun' de Llangynew, Gen.
10 Jur. Watkinus Edwards de Kevenyllys, Gen.
Poole H.
David Morris de Broniarth, Gen. Griffinus Evan de Kevenllyffus, Gen. Ric'us Lewis de Braniarth, Gen. Thomas Price de Dolewen, Gen. Joh'es Lewis de Llansanfraid, Gen. ex. Carolus Whitfield de ead., Gen.
Thomas Howard de Towsewed [q. Trawscoed], Gen. -
Montgomery H.
1 1 Jur. Ambrosus Gethyn2 de Clothey, G-en.
Ric'us Harris de Castlewright, Gen.
Griffinus Powell de ead., Gen.
Robertus Myricke de Churchstooke, Gen.
12 Jur. Ric'us Griffithes de Mellington, Gen.
Machynlleth H,
Henricus Vaughan de Issagareg, Gen. ad r' J. tn . Walterus Price de ead., Gen. Joh'es Jones de ead., Gen. Griffinus Evan de Darowen, Gen. Ric'us Meredith de ead., Gen. ex. Moseus Lewis de Llanvechan, Gen.
Joh'es ap Pugh John de Uchygarreg, Gen. Edr'us Pugh de Cwmllowy,8 Gen.
13 Jur. Priamus Price [of Dol-las].
[No Presentments or File ; probably lost.]
1676, March 31 (28 Charles II). Great Sessions held at Montgomery.
No'ia Jur. ad inquirendum, etc. Montgomery Hundred.
1 Jur. William Pugh, Esq.
2 Jur. George Gravener of Mochtrey, Gen.
Thomas Evans of Brynllewarch, Gen. John Thomas of Aston, Gen.
1 Son of Oliver Humphreys of Cynhinfa, by Margaret, daughter of Rees ap Morris of Ystradfaelog. (See Mont. Coll., vii, p. 227.)
2 On Grand Jury 1661. (Mont. Coll., vii, p. 213.) The Gethins of Brompton and Cloddiau were a branch of the once powerful De Boulers or Bowdler family. (Ibid., vi, p. 67.)
3 See a paper on Pughe of Cwmllowi, Mont. Coll., xxiv, p. 243.
46 MONTGOMERYSHIRE NONCONFORMITY :
ex. Edward Mill ward of Huntington [Hyssington], Gen. Evan Griffithes of the same, Gen. John Jones of Churchstocke, Gen. Dauid Lewis of the same, Gen.
Llanidloes Hundred. Edward Evans of Rhyd y Carrow,1 Esq. Edward Bowen2 of Pen yr Alt, Gen. Edward Owens3 of Dole y Llys, Gen. Jenkin Williams of Eskir goch, Gen. Dauid Lewis de Penstrewidd [Penstrowed], Gen. Lewis Jones of Llandinam, Gen.
Poole Hundred.
Danid Hanmer of Varchoell, Gen. Dauid Morris of Braniarth, Gen. John Lewis of Lledrod, Gen. Thomas Price of Dolwar, Gen.
Machynllelh Hundred. Roger Mostyn* of Kernes, Esq. Henry Parry of Machynlleth, Gen. Henry Vaughan of Isse y Garreg, Gen. Edward Savagg5 of Llambrynmaire, Gen.
1 He was one of those who compounded for their estates in 1648. In his Petition he admitted that "he was a servant to Prince Morris in this warre against ye Parliam't", but pleads " that he came in to the parliament in October 1645". (Mont. Coll., xviii, p. 286.) Rhyd y Carw is in Trefeglwys.
2 The ancestor of the Bo wens of Tyddyn.
3 See Mont. Coll., vii, pp. 46 and 201. He was living in 1704.
4 Of Dolycorslwyn. Sheriff in 1661. He was probably the eighth son of Sir Roger Mostyn, Knt., and his wife was Elizabeth, daughter and heiress of Hugh Pugh of Dolycorslwyn. He is referred to by Richard Da vies the Quaker as " Colonel" Mostyn. (Mont. Coll., vii, p. 218.)
5 The Savage family came to Llanbrynmair probably from Trefeglwys. Edward Savage of Maestrefgomer was on the list, but not of the Grand Jury, 23 Charles I (1647), and " Joh'es Savadg de Trefegloes, Gen.", occurs on a similar list, 14 Charles II (1662). The Rev. Andrew Savage was Vicar of Llanbrynmair from 1663 up to his death, Oct. 1680, and was buried there. Six of his children were baptised there. Edward Savage married Sarah Jones at Llan- brynmair on the 21st May 1672, and had several children. Richard Savage married Elizabeth Moody at Welshpool, 28th January 1693. Two children were born to them at Welshpool, two subsequently at Tregynon, one at Darowen, and three at Llanbrynmair. He became
EXTRACTS FROM GAOL FILES. 47
3 Jur. Richard Rowland of Dare Owen, Gen.
Walter Price of ysse y Garreg, Gen.
Llanvilling Hundred. William Jones of Penarth, Gen. John Robert Thomas of Teirtrey, Gen. John Meredith Thomas of the same, Gen. Owen Thomas Evau of Halven, Gen.
New Towne Hundred. John Bishopp of DufFryn Llanvaire, Gen. Edward Humffreys of Bryn Talch, Gen.
4 Jur. William Seyre of Aberhaley, Gen.
Richard Rees of Llanvaire, Gen. fFrancis Reignalds of Llandysill, Gen. Dauid Meredith of Llanwethelan, Gen. ex. Jeremy Reignalds of Llandysill, Gen.
Deythur Hundred.
15 Jur. William Lloyd of Llandrinio, Gen. Robert Dauies of Tretherwen, Gen.
Caurse Hundred.
5 Jur. John Boudler1 of Midletowne, Gen.
Thomas Gittins of Heldre, Gen.
6 Jur. Nathaniell Mathews of Cletterwood, Gen.
Mathraval Hundred. Robert ap Oliver2 of Kenhinva, Gen. Charles Morris of Garthbihio, Gen. Watkin Evans of Crane, Gen,
7 Jur. David Lloyd of Pentree [Llangyniew], Gen.
8 Jur. Dauid Williams of Brynglas, Gen.
9 Jur. Dauid Evans of Mathravell, Gen.
11 Jur. Dauid Price.
12 Jur. Edr'us Pugh de Penrhose. 10 Jur. Dauid Evan de Brynellen.
13 Jur. Tho. Owen.
Dauid Morgan de Machenlleth. Tho. Prichd. Humfreys de eadem, Wm. Ed'es de Midleton. Ric'us Buckeley3 de Rhandir.
14 Jur. Ric'us Jones de Bettus.
GEORGE LLEWELIN, Ar. Vic. [Sheriff.]
Vicar of Llanbrynmair in 1705, where he died June 10th, 1709. There are several members of the Savage family still to be found in the parishes of Llanwnog, Trefeglwys, Llandinam, and Mochdre.
1 See ante, p. 44, note.
2 See ante, p. 45, note. 3 See ante, p. 41, note.
48 MONTGOMERYSHIRE NONCONFORMITY :
The p'sentm't of the Grand iury for the said County of Mountgom'y —
Wee p'sent and say that
Rees Humffreys of ye p'ish of Llandrinio, in ye s'd County of Mountgom'y, yeom., and Rich'd Owen of Llandrinio, afore- said, in ye s'd County, yeoman, for the space of one month now last and long before absented themselves from the p'ish church of Llandrinio, aforesaid, in the said County, and are of the opinion, Tenets, and iudgments of the Quakers.
It We p'sent and say that John Richard, alias Cowpfer], of Llandrinio aforesaid, in the said County, mason, and Mary Richards, of Llandrinio aforesaid, did inhabite and dwell in a certaine cottage in Rhos, in ye township of Llandrinio afore- said, in the said County, for ye six months last past, and that ye said John and Mary, upon or about ye xxixth day of May last, inclosed p't of ye lands called Rhos, Llandrinio, being ye right and interest of ye freeholders of the said town- ship of Llandrinio, and that the said John and Mary are of a bad fame and conversation.
Borough Inquest.
No'ia Jur. ad ingruirend' p9 D'no Rege p' sepal' Bury Com9 p'd. Mountgom'y Vill\
\ Jur. ffranciscus Reignalds, Gen.
2 Jur. Edr'us Price, Gen.
Robt'us Mason, Gen. Edr'us Humfreyes, Gen. Joh'es Howsman, Gen. Ric'us Morgan, Gen. Edr'us Griffith, Gen. Carolus Jones, Gen. Edr'us Oliver, Gen.
3 Jur. John Roberts, Gen.
4 Jur. Rob'tus Morgan, Gen.
Henricus Bradney, Gen. Willi'mus Humfreyes, Gen.
5 Jur. Dauid Dailies, Gen.
Joh'es Lloyd, Gen.
6 Jur. Waltrus Cowper, Gen.
Edr'us Dauies, Gen.
7 Jur. Reignaldus Powell, Gen.
8 Jur. Edr'us Bowen, Gen.
9 Jur. Ric'us Adams, Gen.
Edr'us Berwicke, Gen. Rob'tus Powell, Gen.
EXTRACTS FROM GAOL FILES. 49
Pola ViU\
Edr'us Lloyd de Guilsfeild. Joh'es Tudder de Pola.
Llanvilling.
Humfridus Meredith.1 John Rider.2 Willi'rnus Lewis.1 Thomas Ca'dder.
10 Jur. Ric'us Berwicke.3
11 Jur. Alexand'r Hamon.3
12 Jur. Ric'us Dauies.
Jeremiah Powell.
13 Jur. Edmund Ireland.3
GEO. LLEWELIN, Ar. Vic.
It. Wee doe present Thomas Hamon4 and his wife and the rest of his family for not coming to church to heare devine service within ye space of too moneths last past.
It. Wee doe present Elizabeth Jones, daughter of Charles Jones of Poole, for selling ale without Licence and intruding upon the Libertyes of the Borough of Montgomery.
[Jurors' names.]
1676 (28 Charles II). The pr'sentm'ts of ye Grand Jury att ye greate Sessions held and kept for and w'thin ye sM County, att Poole in ye s'd County, ye 25th of September 1676, as followeth : —
We p'sent Wm. Perkinson6 and Sarah, his wife, as dissenters for absenting themselves from their p'ishe church to heare devine service and sermon upon Sundayes and other ffestivalls w'thin ye p'ishe of Churchstoke, for w'ch they stand excommu- nicated for six moneths last past.
1 See ante, p. 42.
2 John Rider of Keel, tanner, elected a Burgess 25th Oct. 1673, (Mont. Coll., xxiii, p. 147.)
3 These were Burgesses of Montgomery, not Llanfyllin. See ante, p. 42.
4 Thomas Harnon and his family were Quakers, living at Mont- gomery. See previous presentment. (Mont. Coll., xxiv, p. 232.) Hamon was one of those who signed a remonstrance with Cadwalader. Edwards when he left the Quakers. See Life of Richard Davies. See also subsequent presentments, post.
5 See previous presentments. (Mont. Coll., xxiv, pp. 203, 205, 206, and 208.)
VOL. XXV. E
50 MONTGOMERYSHIRE NONCONFORMITY :
Margarett,1 ye wife of David Rogers of ye p'ish of Kerry, and Gwenn Morris, widowe, of ye same parish (as Dissenters), for ye like.
Eubule Edwards,2 of ye p'ishe of Guildfield, in ye s'd County (as a Recusant), for ye like.
Thomas Price,3 of Llanvilling, in ye sM County (as a Re- cusant), for ye like.
Wm. Beuseley,4 of ye p'ishe of Trevegloes, in ye s'd County (as a Dissenter), for ye like.
Wm. Browne,5 of ye p'ishe of Llandynam, in ye s'd County, for ye like.
Alexander Edwards, of ye p'ishe of Carnoe, in ye s'd County (as a Quaker), for ye like.
Mary,6 ye wiefe of Edward Rogers, of ye p'ishe of Kerry (as a Dissenter), for ye like.
1677, April 23. A great Sessions houlden and kept in the towne of Poole for the County of Mountgomery for this present year, 1677.
We, the High Constables of the Hundred of Dythur, do p'sent the defect of the new Bridg uppon the river Virnwy, being destroyed by the said river betweene the Hundred of Dythur and the County of Denby ; likewise we p'sent Richard Owenes1 of Llandarinio, and Reese Humphreys7 of the same, for not conforming to the Church of England. There is nothing more p'sen table w'thin the s'd Hundred to the best of ourre knowledg.
by us, SOLOMON PUGH.
JOHN JONES. April ye 27th, 1677.
The retturne of
Thomas Gryffithes and Thomas Gryffithes, both High
1 See previous presentments. (Mont. Coll., xxiv, p. 230.)
2 Eubule Edwards lived at Hendrehen. (Mont. Coll., vii, p. 182, note.}
3 Price, " the Papist". (See Mont. Coll., xxiv, p. 204, note.)
4 See previous presentments, ibid., pp. 207, 230 ; also 202 (where he is described as of Carno).
5 Previous presentment. (Ibid., p. 229.)
6 Previous presentments. (Ibid., pp. 205, 206.)
7 See ante, p. 48.
EXTRACTS FROM GAOL FILES. .51
Constables of ye Hundred of Poole, doe p'sent as is under- written.
p'r us, THOMAS GEIEFITHES, THOMAS GEIFFITHES, High Constables of ye Hundred of Poole.
i Insufficient.
Mathravall Joridge j
Eubulus Edwards1 ) / , x
-, i . T i > (recusants).
and his son J ohn j v
John Pritchard2 Smith (recusant). David Jones3 a now [non] Conformist.
and alsoe Pontescowrid Bridge to be insufficient ; but in ye repaire with all speed.
The High Constable of the Hundred of Poole returned not anything p'sentable except " that the p'son under-named is a non-Conformist, other things been fair and well."
THOMAS LLOYD, Llanerchrochwell.4 et uxor eius.5
1677, April 23. Atb the Greate Sessions of our Sou'aigne Llord the King held att Welsh Poole, for the County of Mont- gom'y, the three and Twentieth day of Aprill, Annoq. Dom'i 1677, before Sir Job Charlton, Lord Chief Justice of Chester, Mountgomery, Denby, and Flint.
The names of the Jurio's to enquire for o'r Sou'aigne Lord the King, and for the sev'all Burrows of Poole, Llanvilling, Mountgomery, and Llanydlosse.
1 See supra, p. 50.
2 John Pritchard lived at Groeslwyd, Guilsfield.
3 In 1675, David Jones of Broniarth (probably the same person) had a brass pan and a cow taken from him upon a Warrant from David Maurice of Penybont, for attending a Quaker's meeting at Cloddiecochion. (Life of Richard Davies.)
4 This was Thomas Lloyd of Dolobran, who at this time resided at Maesmawr. (See Mont. Worthies. See presentment, Mont. Coll., xxiv, p. 231.)
5 Added by another hand. Thomas Lloyd's wife was Mary, daugh- ter of Gilbert Jones of Welshpool. She proved a most devoted wife, and accompanied her husband to Pennsylvania ; but died soon after their arrival at Philadelphia, which then (1683) consisted of three or four huts surrounded by a dense forest. Mrs. Lloyd was the first person interred in the Friends' burial-ground at Philadelphia. (Mont. Worthies.)
E 2
52 MONTGOMERYSHIRE NONCONFORMITY:
|
Thomas Parry, |
Gen. |
Tool]. |
|
Thomas Morris, |
)» |
"Llanerchydol], |
|
Roger Griffiths, |
5» |
'Garth]. |
|
John Vaughan, |
75 |
Varchoel], |
|
David Roberts, |
5) |
Leighton]. |
|
Arthur Evans, |
) J |
Buttington]. |
|
John Purcell, |
J> |
Wolstonmynd]. |
|
William Lloyd, |
?J |
Kilkewydd]. |
|
Morris Jones, |
1 |
|
|
John Roberts John Thomas |
Selected out of the r t, j |
|
|
Robert Lloyd |
hazard. |
|
|
Thomas Roberts, |
J |
Court hap-
We, the Jurio's above named, upon o'r oaths doe p'sent the p'sons undernamed for not comeinge to church to hear Devine Service for the space of three mounghts last past, contrary to the laws in that case made and p'vided.
Charles Lloyd of Poole,1 Gen., et uxor eius. Richard Davies,2 et uxor eius, of the same. William Man,2 Gun Smight, of Poole. David Jones,2 et uxor eius, of Poole. Margarett Leinard, widdow, of Poole. Gwen Penrin,2 widdow, of Poole. Ales,2 the wief of George Blackbourne of Poole. Peter Meredyth,2 et uxor eius, Llanerchidol. John Hatfield,2 et uxor eius, of Poole. Samuel Jones2 of the same. David Roberts2 of Hope, et uxor eius. Mary,2 the wief of Rowland Rob'ts of the same. Ann Griffithes of the same, paup. [pauper]. Anne Jones of Cletterroode, widdow. Dorothy Griffithes of the same, paup. Mary Wilkes2 of the same, paup. Katherin Jones of Treffnant, widdow. Jane Jones of the same, spinster. Christopher Clough et uxor eius, de Cletterrood. Katherin Priched of Trallwn Gelen, widdow. Thomas Prichard of the same, her son. *****
1 Previous presentments, Mont. Coll., xxiv, pp. 202, 221. His man- sion at Dolobran had at this time been partially destroyed, and his possessions placed under prcemunire. He had therefore been obliged to take a house at Welshpool.
2 All these had been previously presented in April 1675 (see Mont. Coll., xxiv, 231-2.) Some were Quakers, some Popish re- cusants, and some probably Independents.
EXTRACTS FROM GAOL FILES. 53
As for we, the Jurio's aforesaid, and upon o'r othes doe p'sent the p'sons undernamed for meeting in Conventicles upon sev'all Lord Days wi'in three mounethes last past, contrary to the Laws in that case made and pr'vided, att the house of Charles Lloyd, Gent., of the towne of Poole before-mentioned.
[Reported that Buttington Bridge, carried away by the last flood, had been repaired by the inhabitants and occupiers of lands within the Hundred of Caurse.]
At the Great Sessions held and kept at the Towne of Poole for the County of Mountgomery, the 23rd day of April 1677, before Sir Job Charlton, Knt. and Bart., the King's majesties Cheife Justice for the several Countyes of Chester, Mount- gom'y, Denbigh, and Fflynt.
The presentm't of the Grand Inquest there as afores'd. Wee p'sent
Thomas Man sell, ^)
Richard Davies,
Evan Davies, > All of the p'ish of Myvod.1
Owen John Robt. and |
Watkin David, J
Rees Humfrey.2
Richard Owen,2 of the p'ish of Llandrinio, for not coming to church to hear Devine service for this two months last past.
And likewise p'sent Euble Edwards, Gent.,3 and John Edwards, his sonne, being Popish Recusants, and John Pri chard8 Smyth and David Jones,3 for not coming to Church,
all of the p'ish of Guilsfield.
i
Jurors.
|
John Williams, Esq. John Vaughan, Gen. Richard Griffithes, „ Lewis Jones, „ John Derwas, „ Rich. Lloyd, „ Robert Vaughan, „ |
Ystymcolwyn].4 Myvod]. Tretherwen]. [Llansanfrayd]. Penrhyn] . "de eadem]. ;Colfryn]. |
1 All Quakers. Of these, Richard Davies (not R. Davies of Pool), Owen John Robt. (or Owen Jones), and Watkin David, had already suffered imprisonment in Montgomery Gaol, with Charles Lloyd and several others, whence in the year 1672 they had been discharged by Letters Patent. (Mont. Coll., xi, p. 92.)
* See ante, pp. 48 and 50.
3 See ante, pp. 50 and 51.
4 John Williams of Ystymcolwyn was Sheriff in 1679. See post.
54 MONTGOMERYSHIRE NONCONFORMITY :
Tho. Evans, Gen.
John Pugh, Grif. Evans, Richard Powell, Jon. Edwards, Nath. Mathews, William Edwards, John Ellis,
Burgeding].
"Llanvre hen], q. Llanfechain. Kelliber issa, Kerry]. "Kelliber issa, Kerry]. ^Graig, Kerry]. Cletterwoode]. Middletown]. of Llanwothin).
but not in the panel — selected out of persons in Court.
Presentment of the Grand Jury made at Montgomery, at the Great Sessions held on 24th Sept. 1677.
Wee p'sent William Powell of Gwestydd, in ye p'sh of Llanllwchaiarn, for turning ye water out of course that runneth from ye lands of Bees Jones of Gwestyd, in ye said p'sh, to ye lands of William Price, now in ye possession of Thomas Edwards of ye p'ish afores'd, being on ye wast or Commone within ye s'd townshipp of Gwestyd.
Borough Jury.
Wee p'sent Ann Hamon1 and her family for not coming to Church to heare divine servis.
Grand Jurors.
Machynlleth Hundred. Humfrey Evan Meredith, Uchygarreg, Gen. Thomas ap Richard Humfrey de eadem, Gen. Morgan David, Uchcoed, Gen. Edwd. Pugh, Iscoed, Gen. Rowland Edwards. Gwernybwlch, Gen. John Meredith, Brynuchel, Gen. David ap Hugh David, Blaenglessig, Gen. Rich. Rowland, Cwmbychan, Gen. John Edward Griffiths, Caersewddfan, Gen. Edward Savage,2 Tavolwern, Gen. David Lloyd,3 Pennant, Gen.
DAVID MAURICE,4 Sheriff.
1 The widow of Thomas Hamon of Montgomery; see ante, p. 49. Richard Davies refers to her as "an honest old woman who had received the truth some time before (1660). My wife and I went to visit her."
2 See ante, -p. 46.
3 Probably of Caelan. He was buried Jan. 3, 1715.
4 David Maurice of Penybont, Sheriff this year, was a most violent persecutor of Nonconformists, but, strange to say, there are arrears of Church rates standing against his name in the parish books to this day. (Mont. Coll, iv, p. 128.) Richard Davies relates how, on
EXTRACTS FROM GAOL FILES. 55
The p sentm't of the Grand Jury of the s'd County at the Assizes held at Llanvilling the jth of April 1678.
******
We alsoe p'sent John Thomas Morris1 and Margaret his wife, of the p'ish of Llannothin, John Thomas ap Howell and his wife,1 of ye s'd p'ish, John Humffrey and his wife,1 and Edward Thomas Morris1 and his supposed wife, all of the s'd p'ish of Llannothin, and David Lloyd of Llanothin aforesaid, for not coming to their p'ish church for three mounthes last past.
Wee likewise p'sent Rowland Owen,2 John Rowthe-
the 7th March 1675, he came to a meeting at Cloddie-cochion, near Welshpool, with fourteen or fifteen persons, mostly armed, dispersed the meeting, and fined Thomas Lloyd £20 for preaching, the House £20, and the hearers five shillings apiece. On the 16th June following, he drove away four cows and a mare — " all worth about XI 6"— belonging to Thomas Lloyd. (Richard Davies* Life.) " Being made High Sheriff of the County this year, he could not act as a Justice of the Peace, so he fell into a great rage, for that the said office was like to be chargeable to him. So that year we had peace and quietness; and when his Sheriff-ship was over, he was coming through a brook called Lynlleth (Cynlleth), near his own house at Penybont, and it was supposed his horse threw him, and he was carried into the river Tannat a considerable way down and there miserably perished." (Ibid.} The death of Maurice created a profound impression, and was long considered by the persecuted Nonconformists as a judgment from heaven. The Rev. Philip Henry thus referred to it in his Diary :— " 1678, Mar. 20. This day Mr. David Morrice of Pennabont, J.P. in Montgom. and Denb., was drown'd in Tannat, near his own house, being on horseback, and in ye daytime and not drunk ; not found quickly. When found, much bruised, his horse had thrown him in the water. Hee had been very bitter towards dissenters and severe in fining them — 'twas he yt prosecuted Mr. Kinaston and Mr. Barnett for ye meeting two years since at Brangwyn, and fined Mr. Barnett 20/6. for preaching, when he had only pray'd and read his Text (because that was a sign he intended to preach), and cast them in an appeal. Hee was indited last Assize at Denbigh by his fellow Justices for Knavery in converting ye poore's part of ye fine to his own use. It is not long since hee said, as I hear, that he would mend his course of life, but did not." (Byegones, Mar. 28, 1883.)
1 These were Quakers. See previous presentments, Mont. Coll., xxiv, p. 229. See also post.
2 Also a Quaker. He was living in 1 708, and signed a " Testi- mony" on the death of Richard Davies, and joined with Charles Lloyd and others in another " Testimony" signed at a meeting of
56 MONTGOMERYSHIRE NONCONFORMITY :
rick,1 and Gwen verch John, all of ye p'ish of hirnant, for not coineinge to church for three monthes last past.
We p'sent Eubol Edwards2 of hendrehene, Gen., John Prichard of Garth, Smith, David Johnes3 of Broniarth and Sibley his wife, all of the p'sh of Guilsfield, for not comeing to their church for three mounthes last past.
We alsoe p'sent the Inhabitants of ye p'ish of Llangunnew for not making p'visson for ye poor of the s'd p'ish as by llawe is required.4
Arthur Yaughan,5 Ar. [Tretherwen]. Evan Bowen,6 Gen. fGolfryn].
Friends held at Dolobran on 25th of llth month, 1708. (See Life of Richard Davies. See also post.)
1 John Rowtherick, or Rhydderch, of Hirnant. Eichard Davies refers to him as " a Friend, an honest man, who could not pay Tithe for conscience' sake", and gives an interesting account of law proceed- ings brought against him by the Rector of the parish (Hughes), who, however, got the worst of it, and was sued by his own attorney for the costs. Rector Hughes is named in Walker's Sufferings of the Clergy as one of those who were deprived of their livings during the Commonwealth; but he is described in the Parish Register as " a true son of ye Church, who kept his Rectory, and read ye Comon Prayer during Cromwell's usurpation." He died in 1682, aged eighty-three. {Mont. Coll., xiii, p. 61.)
2 See ante, pp. 50, 51, and 53. 3 gee jijj,
4 By the 43 Eliz., cap. ii, sec. 1, it was enacted that "the church- wardens and overseers of the poor of every parish, or the greater part of them, shall raise weekly, or otherwise (by taxation of every inhabitant, parson, vicar, and other, and of every occupier of lands, houses, tithes impropriate, propriations of tithes, coal-mines, or sale- able underwoods in the said parish), a convenient stock of flax, hemp, wool, thread, iron, and other ware and stuff, to set the poor on work ; and also competent sums for the necessary relief of the lame, impo- tent, old, blind, and such other among them being poor as are not able to work, and also for the putting out poor children apprentices."
5 Sheriff, 1691.
6 Richard Davies, in his Autobiography, relates that Margaret Bowen, wife of John Bowen of Collfryn, " an old Friend", came to Montgomery, where he was in prison, to visit her friends and brethren, the professors, in prison, and he prevailed on her to cany a letter from him to his wife at Welshpool. Having read it to her, "she was tenderly affected, turned to her brethren again, and said, ' Surely these people will never come to us, but we must go to them.' Some time after, through much trouble and affliction, she came to receive the truth, to live in it, and obey it." She was probably the mother of this Evan Bowen.
EXTRACTS FROM GAOL FILES.
57
Reese Lloyd, Morton Griffiths, Richard Griffiths, John Derwas, Edward Lloyd, David Evans, Stephen Thomas, David Ellis, David Jones, Henry Davies, Thomas Edwards, Lewis Jones, John Ehudderch,1 Charles Bowdler,2 Wm. Griffithes,
Gen.
Cowney].
Tirymynech].
Tretherwen].
'Llandrinio].
Varchoel].
Llan'chrochwell] ,
Same].
Rhiwargor].
Llanhafon].
Cowney].
Llan'chrochwell].
Hirnant].
[Teirtre].
JOHN KYFFIN,S Esq., Sheriff.
1678, llth October. (Llanfyllin.)
A Retourne of Richard Lloyd, Gent., one of the Con- stables of ye Hundred of Montgorn'y, said he had nothing1 to p'sent in his Division of the Hundred [but added by some one subsequently in different coloured ink —
Mary Rodgers,4 the fife (sic) of Ed. Rodgers, and Gwen Arthur, w'ch are dissenters from the church, etc.].
Evan Roberts, one of the High Constables of the Hundred of Poole, presented Mr. Euble Roberts [qy. Edwards ?]5 for not coming to church, and David Jones6 and Sibell his wife, for the same, both of the parish of Gulfild.
Apud Llanvilling decimo die Octobris 1678, I, Charles Kadwalder, one of the High Constables of the Hundred afore-' said, doe p'sent as followeth. I p'sent
1 This, obviously, cannot be the same as "John Rowtherick", the Quaker, referred to above.
2 See ante, p. 44: — "Joh'es Bowdler de Tiertref" (Meifod) and " Joh'es Bowdler de Dolobran," Gen., occur on a Grand Jury List r 11 Charles I.
5 John Kyffin, Esq., the Sheriff this year, was of Bodfach, Llan- fyllin, which he enlarged in 1661. " The Kyffins of Bodfach ended in an heiress, Elizabeth, daughter of William Kyffin, married to- Adam Price of Glanmiheli; and the heiress of the Prices to Bell Lloyd, Esq., of Pontruffudd." (Yorke's Royal Tribes, p. 99.) Bell Lloyd was father of the first Lord Mostyn. The property now belongs to J. 0. Lomax, Esq.
4 See ante, p. 50. 5 See ante, pp. 50, 51, 53, and 56.
6 See ibid.
58 MONTGOMERYSHIRE NONCONFORMITY I
Charles Lloyd1 [of Dolobran], Thomas Lloyd2 [his brother], Richard D'd3 ap Griffith, Evan D'd ap Griffith, Watkin D'd ap Owen, Owen John Robert,
all of the p'ish of Mivod, as desenters from the Church of England. There is nothing more p'sentable within the sM Hundred, but all things good and faire.
p. me, CHARLES KADWALADEE.
John Griffiths, one of the High Constables of the Hundred of Deythwr, p'senteth the wife of James Lawton
for n on- Conformists.
The P'sentment of James Bromhall, James Thomas, the Constables of the Hundred of JSlewtowne, in the County of Mountgom' afforesaid.
The names of the absentees from church. Wee dow present Lewis Turner4 et uxor, of Aberhavesp p'ish, Rowland Tudge et uxor, of the same, John Turner of Tregynon p'ish, Llewis Turner of the same, Thomas Tudge4 et uxor, of Monnavan p'ish, Humphrey Steeuens4 et uxor, of Llanwithellane p'ish.
We have noething else to p'sent, but all things in good repaire.
JAMES BROMHALL, JAMES THOMAS,
Chief Constables.
John Edmunds, one of the High Constables of the Hundred of Montgomery,
tf I doe p'sent Evan Harris5 as a Recusant, and not coming to church. I have nothing else to my knowledge."
At the Great Sessions held at Llanfyllin on the llth October 1678,
The Grand Inquest presented John Thomas6 and Margaret his wife, of the p'ish of Llanwythin, being absentees from church, and common frequenters of Convinticles.
Edward Thomas6 and his wife, of the same, for ye like.
1 Ante, p. 52. 2 Ante, p. 51.
3 He was one of those who, with Charles Lloyd and four others, were sent to prison at Welshpool, in 1661, for refusing to take the Oath of Allegiance and Supremacy. (Richard Davies's Life.)
4 See previous presentments, Mont. Coll., xxiv, pp. 205, 206.
5 Later on described as of the township of Castle wright.
6 See ante, p. 55.
EXTRACTS FKOM GAOL FILES. 59
John Humphreys,1 of ye same, for ye like.
John Rhudderch,1 of the parish of Hirnant, for ye like.
Rowland Owen1 of Hirnant.
They likewise presented Zacharias Morris of Eskireth, in the p'ish of Trefeglwys, for keeping a Greyhound, and coursing and killing hares, being not qualified2 so to do according to ye Statutes in that case made and p'vided.
John Gardner of Trefeglwys, for ye like.
John Crumpe3 of Myddeltown, for ye like.
John Bowdler,3 of ye same, for ye like.
David Meredith of Llandrinio, for ye like.
JOHN KYFJFIN, Esq., Sheriff.
24 October. The Return of John Davies and William Thomas, High Constables of the Hundred of Mathraval.
They had nothing to present (< but John Christopher for not comeiog to church, being a popish recusant."
1679, April 26th (31 Chas. II), at Pool The High Constables of the Hundred of Montgomery pre- sented,
Mary Rogers,4 the wife of Edward Rogers, of the parish of Kerry, and
Evan Harris,5 of the township of Castlewright, for not coming to church.
The Constables of Newtown Hundred presented Lewis Turner6 and his wife, of Aberhafesp, Reighnold Wilson and wife, of the same, Rowland Tudge6 and wife, of the same, Humphrey Steephen6 and wife, of Llanwythelan3 Henry Williams7 of Llanlochaiarn, absentees from church.
1 See ante, p. 55.
2 By 22 and 23 Car. II, cap. 25, sec. 3, every person not having an estate of inheritance worth £100 a year, or a leasehold estate for life, or for ninety-nine years or more, worth £150 a year, other than the son and heir-apparent of an esquire or person of higher degree, and the owners of forests, parks, warrens, etc., was thereby declared to be not allowed to keep guns, bows, greyhounds, setting-dogs, ferrets, coney-dogs, lurchers, hays, nets, lowbels, harepipes, gins, snares, or other engines for taking or killing game. Penalty, X20.
3 See notes in p. 44, ante. 4 See ante, pp. 55 and 57. 5 See ante, p. 58. 6 See ibid.
7 This was the celebrated Nonconformist, Henry Williams of Scafell. See Mont. Coll., iv, p. 169, for a full account of his life and sufferings. See also Mont. Worthies.
60 MONTGOMERYSHIRE NONCONFORMITY :
The Return of Edward Savage and Giles Jarmon, High Constables of the Hundred of Llanidloes, and they doe p'sent as followeth, vizi : —
In Trefeglwys Parish. — William Bewslay,1
Lewis Griffith,2 Llanidloes Parish. — John Robert,2
Griffith Jerman,2
Llangiricke Parish. — Lewis Jerman, John Jerman,3 absentees from church.
The Borough Jurors.
Thomas Lloyd of Pool, Gen.
Gabriel Lloyd of Pool, Gen.
Samuel Wolaston of Pool, Gen.
Thomas Vaughan of Gungrog vawr, Gen.
David Roberts of Layton, Gen.
Joseph Pugh of Layton, Gen.
Gilbert Hughes of Pool, Gen.
Lewis Davies of Pool, Gen.
Richard Jeffreys of Pool, Gen.
John Reignolds of Trallwmgollen, Gen.
Rich'd Williams ] Selected out of persons
John Symons > in Court.
Edward Jones j No addresses given.
Wee, the Jurors affores'd, upon our oathes, doe p'sent the p'sons undernamed for popish recusants for not coming to church for this three months last past : —
John Hatfield4 of Poole, and Gwen his wife.
John Rowton of the same.
Gwen Penthrin,4 Widd., of the same.
Alice, the wife of George Blackborne,4 of the same.
1 See ante, p. 50.
2 These were Quakers ; see post. The Quakers were at one time very numerous in the parishes of Trefeglwys, Llanidloes, and Llan- gurig. A Quaker's garden, or burial-ground, and an old meeting- house are still preserved near Staylittle (Trefeglwys), and the last of the Llanidloes Quakers (Brown) died from 30 to 40 years ago.
3 John Jerman was a Quaker. For attending a meeting held at his house in 1677 a number of the Friends were arrested ; seven of them were committed to> prison, others were fined, and being unable or refusing to pay, had their cattle seized. They were : John Potts, one cow and six young beasts, worth £12 10s. ; Griffith Jarman, five young beasts, £7 10s. ; John Roberts, a cow, .£3 ; John Jarman, a cow, £2 10s. ; David Owen, a horse, £2. (Mont. Coll., ix, p. 264.)
4 See ante, p. 52. Those who still adhered to the Catholic religion
EXTRACTS FROM GAOL FILES. 61
Jenkin Morgan of Trail w in gollen, and Mary his
wife. Richard Hill, Groome to the Right Hon'ble Will, the
Earle of Powis. .... Bradford, servant to the Right hon'ble Earl of
Powis.
Rose, the wife of William Heylin of Trallumgollen. Mary, the wife of Thomas Evans, of the same. David Morgan of the same. Thomas Richards1 of Trallumgollen, Smith. Katherine Richard,1 Widd., of the same. Mary Williams of Llanverchidole, Widd. David Roberts1 of Hope, and Elizabeth his wife. Mary, the wife1 of Rowland Roberts of Hope. Peeter Mreadith1 of Llanverchidole, yeoman. Samuel Jones1 of Poole, Laborer. Humfrey Mreadith of Poole. Thomas Price2 of Llanvilling, Gent. Regino[ld] Obines [or Obries] of Buttington, and
Mary his wife.3
Humfrey Jones of the same, Surjan barber. Christopher Cluck1 and his wife, of the same. .... the wife of Richard Griffiths of Trewarne. Elizabeth Langford of Buttington, Spinster. William Ruffe of Gungrog vaure. John Ruffe4 of the same. Hugh Ruffe of the same. Thomas Ruffe of the same. John Richards6 of Groise lloyd. Mr Smith, of Green Hall, within the Burrow
of Llanvilling.
Wee, the Jurors afores'd, doe also p'sent the p'sons hereafter named for not cominge to heare devine servise : —
formed at this time quite a numerous colony at Welshpool and in its immediate neighbourhood. Tradition points to a spot near Buttington Hall, where a Catholic chapel at one time stood.
1 See ante, p. 52.
2 See ante, p. 50.
3 Previously presented (see Mont. Coll.f xxiv, p. 230) as " a papist".
4 Previously presented for recusancy. (Mont. Coll., xxiv, p. 203.) •? The same, probably, as "John Pritchard, Smith." See ante,pp.
51, 53 and 56.
62 MONTGOMERYSHIRE NONCONFORMITY :
Eichard Davies1 of Poole, Feltmaker, and Tassie his wife. Rebecca, the wife of Thomas Tompson. David Jones,1 Baker, and Mary his wife. Elizabeth, the servant of the s'd Richard Davies, felt- maker.
Anne, the wife of William Price of Poole. Oliver Bedoes2 of Poole. William Man1 of Poole, Gunsmith. Margaret Lewis3 of the same, Widd.
Grand Inquest.
Machynlleth Hundred (Persons Summoned). David Lloyd4 de Pennant, Gen. Randulph Owen5 de ead., Gen. Rich'd Rowlands de Noddfa, Gen. Rich. Morris, Gwernybwlch, Gen. Edw. Savage de Tavolwerne, Gen. Owen Lloyd, Machynlleth, Gen. Thomas Parry, Ysygarreg, Gen. Lewis Thomas, Pennant, Gen.
Robert Edwards, Gwernybwlch, Gen. (No. 5 on Jury.) Rees Meredith de Noddfa, Gen.
JOHN WILLIAMS, Esq.,6 Sheriff.
1 These were previously presented several times. See ante, p. 52.
2 Oliver Bedoes and his father were presented at the Great Sessions in Oct. 1654, " for open prophaners of the Lord's dayes, and spending the Sabbaths in idleness and worldly occasions for these 4 monethes last past or thereabouts." (Mont. Coll., vii, p. 204.) He seems to have at this time forsaken his irreligious mode of life, and to have joined the Quakers.
3 She was the Widow of William Lewis, of Cloddiecochion, who, about 1657, when Rich'd Davies, who was related to him, attempted to preach there, refused to let him do so, but led him out to the Common and shut the gate against him. He and his wife afterwards " received the Truth", and this house became a Meeting-house for the Friends for over 40 years. (R. Davies' s Life.)
4 See ante, p. 54.
6 Of Gellidywyll, Llanbrynmair, great-grandson of Morris Owen of Rhiwsaeson.
6 Of Ystumcolwyn, ancestor of the Buckley- Williames family of Pennant, Berriew. His wife was Meriel, daughter of Richard Powell, Esq., of Worthen, but dying without issue, 21st Dec. 1685, he left his estates to his nephew, Lumley Williams, Esq. (Mont. Coll., ix, p. 349.)
EXTRACTS FROM GAOL FILES. 63
1679, October 20th (31 Charles II), at Montgomery. Ad Sessionam magna ten't apud Mountgom'y pro Com. Mountgom'y xx° die Octobris Anno Rx. Car's s'c'di nunc Angl. etc. xxxi Annoq. D'ni 1679.
The Presentments of the Grand Inquest sworn for the body of the s'd County the day and yeare above written are as followeth — Wee p'sent
John Thomas Morris1 and Margaret his wife, John Thomas ap Howell1 and Anne his wife, Jno. Humphreys1 and his wife,
all of ye p'ish of Llanowthinge, in the s'd County, to be dis- senters from church, being reputed Quakers, etc.
Wee alsoe p'sent John Mills, of ye p'ish of Llanownog, to be a dissenter from church, and Howell Meredith for ye like.
Wee alsoe p'sent ye p'sons undernamed to be reputed Quakers, etc., dissenters from church.
John Meredith, of the p'ish of Kemis, and
his eldest sonne.
Richard Owen, of ye p'ish of Mackenleth. j- Quakers. Katherine Davies and Ann Davies, of ye
p'ish of Darowen.
Ralph Oliver and his wife, of ye p'ish of Llanowringe.
Lewis Turner,2 of the p'ish of Aberhavesp Henry Williams,2 of ye p'ish of Llan-
Dissenters
from
llachayarne. church.
Lewis Morgan and his wife, of the same |
place.
Robert ap Evan ap Owen, of ye p'ish of Llanrhayder, and his wife, Papists.
Borough Inquest.
We p'sent Anne Hammon,3 widow, and Mary her daughter, as dissenters of ye church, whoe goeth under the notion of Quakers.
JOHN WILLIAMS, Esq., Sheriff.
1680, Sept. 2nd (32 Charles II). Great Sessions held at Montgomery, 2nd Sept. 1680.
1 Previously presented. See ante, pp. 55 and 58.
2 Also these ante, pp. 58 and 59.
3 See ante, p. 59.
64 MONTGOMERYSHIRE NONCONFORMITY :
Jury Panel.
David Powell,1 Esq.
Evan Robert of Guilsfild.
John Cadd of Penhrine.
Owen Penhrine of the same.
Edd. Gauruon of Llanervill.
Roger Owen of
Edward Poole of Mochtred.
Rich, ap Richard Crugon.
Mathew Price, Kerry.
Edward Powell, Tregoonon.
Will. Powell, Llantarchayarme.
Thomas Evans of Bronyarth.
Evan Evans2 of Cwmyranneth [Cwmyranel, Carno]. Jur. 7. David Austyn of Llanwithelan.
John Meredith of Llanvair.
Richard Williams of Llanvair. Jur. 5. Rees Evans of Carno.
John Jones of Dwyryw [Manafon]. Jur. 9. William Syre of Aberhaley [Tregynon].
Richard Rees of Carno.
John Evan Gwynne of Llanvair.
Edward Hughes3 of Llanbrynmair. Jur. 10. Thomas Foley [qy. Soley?] of Pullan [Tregynon].
John William of Llanvair.
John Gamon of Manavon.
Evan Roberts of Gullsfield.
Edward Jones of Llanynog. Jur. 11. John Ellis of Argoed [Trefeglwys] . Jur. 12. Griffith Evans of Penymaes.
1 David Powell, Esq., was Sheriff in 1662.
2 Evan Evans of Cwmyranel was descended from Evan Lloyd, Lord of Carno. His wife was Catherine, daughter of Lodwick Lloyd of Gwestydd. (Ex. inf., Mr. E. R. Morris.)
3 At the Great Sessions held in October 1654, Edward Hughes was presented " for being reported to chase catties with his doggs most comonly every Lord's day since the moneth of May last off 1654, and hereby doth p'judice his neighbors greately by pulling off the tayles of their catties with his doggs, to their greate losse and annoyance, and to the disturbance of the publique peace". (Mont. Coll., vii, p. 204.) He lived at Cwmcarnedd, and died in December 1696, when he is described in the Register of Burials as " grandsevus".
EXTRACTS FROM GAOL FILES. 65
Nom* Jar3 inter Um'i Regem et Prisonar ad Barram.
Newtowne Hund. Jur. 1. Mathew Morgan1 of Aberhavespe, Esq.
Charles Jones of Bronywood [Llandyssil], Gen. Jur. 2. Edward Blayney of Vachire [Berriew], Gen.
Charles Jones of Bronywood [Llandyssil], Gen.
William Syre of Aberhalle [Tregynon], Gen.
Cadd'er Davies of Peurhyn, Gen.
Howell Powell of Berriew, Gen.
Richard Buckley of Rhandir, Gen.
David Austyn of Llanythellan, Gen.
Griffith David of ye same, Gen.
Llanvillin Hund.
ex. Sydney Bynner2 of Bodyddon, Gen. John Wms. of Tirtre, Gen.
Mathynleth Hund.
Jur. 3. Theodore Price of Uchcoed, Gen. Jur. 4. Richard Rowland of Noddva. Jur. 5. Rees Meredith of Darowen, Gen. Jur. 11. Randle Owen3 of Pennant, Gen.
Evan Evans of Coomyranney, Gen.
MontgonCy Hund.
Richard Herbert4 of Coomydalva, Esq. Jur. 12. Solomon Bewen of Hurdley, Gen.
Ambrose Gething de Clothie, Gen. Jur. 6. Michaell Gething of the same, Gen.
Jonathan Howell of Mellington, Gen.
Ed'rus Evans of Garthgellin, Gen.
Samuel Lloyd of Kelliver ucha, Gen.
Cawrse Hund,
Thomas Lloyd of Kilkewidd, Gen. William Lloyd of fforden, Gen.
1 He was the son of Meredith Morgan, Sheriff in 1635, and him- self served that office in 1648.
2 He, with Evan Vaughan, Esq., were named in the Charter granted by King Charles II, 1673, the first Bailiff of Llanfyllin. (Mont. Coll., xxiv, p. 142.) He was buried 21st Oct. 1694, aged 70, at Llanrhaiadr, where a Latin epitaph engraved on his tomb records his amiable qualities. (Byegones, Jan. 10, 1872, and Feb. 5, 1873.)
3 Of Gellidywyll, Llanbrynmair ; see ante, p. 62.
4 Richard Herbert of Cwmydalfa was the ancestor of the Herberts of Dolforgan and Glanhafren, (See Pedigree, Mont. Coll., xxiv, p. 1 77.)
VOL. XXV. F "
66 MONTGOMERYSHIRE NONCONFORMITY I
Owen Watkin of Hudan, Gen. John Powell of Bacheldre, Gen.
Mathravall Hund.
John Thomas of Llanvaire, Gen.
John Edwards of Mellinygreeg, Gen. Jur. 7, 9. David Lloyd of Llanginew, Gen.
David Evans of Brinellen, Gen. Jur. 9, 10. Samuell Homes of Llanginew, Gen,
Llanidloes Hundred.
David Powell of Maesmawre [Llandinam]. John Wilson1 of ffynant [Trefeglwys], G-en. Jur. 8, 11. Richard Bennett of Glyribrochan, Gen.
Morgan Evan James of Kevenyvody [Llangurig], Gen.
Poole Hund.
Ric'us Mitton,2 Esq., de Posting. Jar. 10, 12. Thomas Evans of Guildfeild, Gen.
Thomas Rogers, Junr., of Burdgedine, Gen.
Newtown Hund. Dauid Dailies of Pullan, Gen. Humfrey Morris of Bettus, Gen. Evan Dauid ap Evan Bredoe of Glynharden, Gen. Wm. Price of Dolvorin [Bettws], Gen. Charles Jones of Bronywood [Llandyssil], Gen. Edward Powell of Ucheldre Bettus, Gen. Michaell Gethin of Clothie, Gen. Randle Owen of Gellydowili8 [Llanbrynmair], Evan Thomas of Manavou.
Noia JUT. int. D'mi Regem et Prisonar ad Barram. Jur. 1. Dauid Powell, Esqr.
Rees Thomas ap Evan of Llany warred [Llangurig], Gen. Dauid Owen4 of Kevenyvodey [Llangurig], Gen.
1 The Wilson family were settled for generations at Trefeglwys. The Rev. Hugh Wilson was vicar of that parish in 1677. He is supposed to have been the father of the Rev. John Wilson of Pene- goes, the father of the great landscape painter, Richard Wilson. (See Mont. Coll., vii, p. 224.)
2 Richard Mytton, Esq., of Pontiscowryd, was Sheriff in 1674. He was descended from an ancient Shropshire family. (See Pedigree in Mont. Coll., xxiv, p. 277.) He died, and was buried at Meifod, 30 December 1715.
3, See ante, pp. 62 and 65.
^.•Ancestor of the Owens of Glansevern. See Pedigree, Mont. Coll. iii. 232.
EXTRACTS FROM GAOL FILES. 67
Richard Bennett of Glynbrochau, Gen.
Morris Morgan of the same, Gen.
Evan Dauid ap Evan Bedoe of Glynhaven, Gen.
Vincent Peers of Lloyny brain e, Esqr.
Dauid Dauies of Llandynam, Gen.
Lewis Price of Surnant [Llanvvnog], Esqr.
John Evans of Escoh & Castle [Llanwnog], Gen.
Evan Evans1 of Coomyranill, Gen.
Morgan Humfreys of Glyntrefnant [Trefeglwys], Gen.
Jenkin William of the same, Gen.
William Syre of Aberhalle [Tregynon], Gen.
Win. Price of Dolevorin [Bettws], Gen.
John Bright of Kilcochwan, Gen. Jur. 3. Humfrey Morris of Llanythion, Gen.
Eichard Buckley of Randir, Gen. Jur. 4. Mathew Mathewes of Dyffryn Llanvaire [Newtown], Gen.
James Baxter of Hendydley [Llanllwchaiarn], Gen.
Wm. Price of Vachwen, Gen.
Robert Jones of Garthmill, Gen.
Thomas Bowen of Alt Issa, Gen.
Oliu' Thomas of Penrhyn, Gen.
John Caddy of the same, Gen.
Edward Blayney of Vaynor ucha, Gen.
Inquisitio Magna.
Llanvillinge H.
Jur. 1. Edwardus Vaughan de Llwydiarth,2 Ar. Jur. 2. Eiceus Wynne3 de Kynon, Ar. Jur. 3. Joh'es Lloyd4 de Llanhafan, Ar. Jur. 4. Riceus Pryce5 de Nan tfy lion.
Carolus Bowdler6 de Teirtre [Meifod], Gen.
Ric'us Jones de Maine, Gen.
Thomas Morris Vaughan de Garth Glynn vawr, Gen.
Dauid Thomas de ead., Gen.
Sidney Bynner7 de Llanvillin, Gen.
Llanidloes Hund. Jur. 5. Euanus Glynne8 de Glynne, Ar.
1 See ante, pp. 64 and 65.
2 Sheriff in 1688. 3 On Grand Jury, 1663.
4 He was descended from Brochwel Ysgithrog. He was Sheriff in 1685, but died before his year was expired, and was succeeded by his brother, Robert Lloyd, Esq.
5 On Grand Jury, 1663. « Qn Grand Jury, 1663.
7 See ante, p. 65.
8 Sheriff in 1675. He committed James Halliday and other
F 2
68 MONTGOMERYSHIRE NONCONFORMITY :
David Powell1 de Maesmaure, Ar. Jur. 6. Price Clurme de Glandulasse, Gen. Jur. 7. Edwardus Owen de Penyralt, Gen.
Euanus Euans2 de Cromyraunell, Gen.
Joh'es Owen D'Rhydlyddan, Gen.
Joh'es Powell de Llandynam, Gen.
Morganus Euan James D'Kevenvoddy [Cefnhafodan, Llan- gurig], Gen.
Joh'es Wilson3 de ffynant, Gen.
Mathravall Hund.
8. Edward Lloyd de Mathravall, Ar. ex. Rees Lloyd de Cowny, Gen.
Joh'es Davies de Rhewhiriarth, Gen. Joh'es Owen de Moile y veliarth, Gen. Edward Thomas de Kevenlisse, Gen.
Newtowne Hund.
Jur. 9. Edr'us Devereux de Beriew, Gen. Jur. 10. Will' us Price de Vachwen, Gen.
Joh'es Price de Doleveryn [Dolforwyn], Gen.
Carolus Jones, Junr., de Bronywood, Gen.
Will'us Price de Aberbechan, Gen.
Priamus Price de Beriew, Gen. Jur. 11. Thomas Gwynn de Lloydcoed, Gen.
Machynleth Hund. Jur. 12. Will'us Pugh de Mathavarne, Ar.
Rhandolphus Owen4 de Llanbrinmaire, Gen. Ric'us Morgan de ead., Gen. Will'us Jones de ead., Gen. Griffinus Meredith de Kernes, Gen. Morganus Lewis Morgan de Darowen, Gen. Lodovicus Morgan de ead., Gen. Morganus Dauid de Penegoes, Gen. Joh'es Euan Ho well de ead., Gen. Edr'us Prichard David de Mathynleth. Humfrus Thomas de ead., Gen.
Deithur Hund.
Petrus Edwards de Penrhyn uchan, Gen. Ric'us Griffithes de Tretherwen, Gen. Rob'tus Davies de ead., Gen.
Friends to prison for holding a meeting near Llanidloes. (72. Davies's Life.)
1 Ante, pp. 64 and 66. 2 Ante, pp. 65 and 67.
2 Ante, p. 66. 4 See ante, pp. 62, 65, and 66.
EXTRACTS FROM GAOL FILES. 69
Poole Hund.
David Morris de Pole, Gen. Edr'us Edwards de Burgedine, Gen. Carolus Jones de Broniarth. Gen. Joh'es Pugh de Lanvechan, Gen. Meredicus Evans de ead.. Gen.
Cause Hund.
Thomas Bethell de Hydan, Gen. Joh'es Phillipps de Ederton, Gen. Ric'us ap Prichard de Crugion, Gen. Joh'es Owens de Rhandore, Gen.
Mountgom'y Hund.
Jur. 13. Richardus Griffithes de Mellington, Gen.
Edr'us Milward de Hissington, Gen. Jur. 14. Joh'es Price de Hondley, Gen. Jur. 15. Joh'es Lewis de Hopton, Gen.
Presentment of James Dell, one of the High Constables for the Hundred of Caurse, who said he had nothing to present that he knew of, " except that Jenking Morganes1 and Mary his wife, David Morgans1 and Gwen Morgans, and Eichard Hill1 would not come* to Church/'
John Price, the other High Constable for Caurse Hundred, presented Edward Tayleur and Margaret his wife, for not coming to church.
Robert Davies and Evan Gryffith, Chief Constables of the Hundred of Mathrafal —
" Wee p'sent John Cristofer2 of Mathrauall, for absenting hymself from his parish Church since the first day of August last, and for Popish recusantcy, as wee are informed by report, because that he is not none [known ?] of any of our Parishes.
"Wee have neyther independans nor quakers w' thin our hundred to our knowledge, and nothing else to p'sent but all fayre and good/'
ROBERT DAVIES. EVAN GRIFFITH.
The Presentm't of Griffith Jones, one of ye Chiefe Con- stables of ye Hundred of Llanvilling att ye great Sessions held att Montgomery ye second day of September 1680.
1 Ante, p. 61. 2 Ante, p. 59.
70 MONTGOMERYSHIRE NONCONFORMITY :
I doe p'sent Rowland Owen1 and John Rydd'r1 ap Evan, both in ye p'ish of Hirnant, being reputed quakers, and not coining to their p'ish church not this twelve raonthes or above.
Likewise, John Thomas Morris1 and his wifq for ye like.
Edward Thomas Moris1 and his wife.
John Thomas Powell1 and his wife for ye like — all these in ye p'ish of Llanwthyn.
Likewise, I p'sent Robert Evan ab Owen2 and his wife, of Cefencoch, in ye p'sh of Llanrhaiadr, for being reputed popish recusant, and not coming to there parish church since the beging [beginning] of August last past.
I have nothing else p'sentable to my knowleg.
By me, GEIFFITH JONES.
Apud villam de Mountgomery in dicto Comitatu Justiciar'm D'ni Regis Magna Session, suae tenta apud Mountgom'y p'dicti secundi die Septembris Anno Regni Regis Caroli Sec'di nunc Anglise etc. xxxij0.
Imps, wee p'sent, Humffery Thomas, ' Morris Harry, Tho. Owen, John William, Morris Morgan, and William Thomas,
all of the towne and p'ishe of Machenlleth, for not comeinge to churche to heare Divine Seruis, being reputed Quakers.
lie., wee p'sent Richard Owen and his wife, of the p'ishe of Penegos, for not coming to church to heare Divine Seruis, beinge reputed Quakers.
*****
RICHAED ROWLANDS, \ TT- 7 n i -LI HUGH RICHAEDS, } Hi9h Constables.
The P'sentments of the Jury for the Burrough afores'd septimo die Septemb'r. An'o R Rs Caroli SVd' nunc Anglie etc. Tricessimo s'c'do Anoq. D'n'i 1680 doe p'sent as foil's [follows].
Imprimis, wee of the Jurij doe p'sent Anne Hamon,3 Mary Harnon, and all the rest of her family for [not ?] cominge to her church to heare Devine Servise, and Robert her son-in- law.
1 See ante, pp. 55, 58, 59, and 63. 2 See ante, p. 63.
3 See ante, pp. 54 and 63.
EXTRACTS FROM GAOL FILES. 71
Francis Reignold. Edw. Ireland.
Edward Price. Richard Whittingharn.
George Peers. Humphrey Roberts.
Edward Davies. Reinold Powell.
Alexander Hamon. John Powell.
Morris Lloyd. Richard Berwick. Edward Benet.
Apud Mountgom'y tertio die Septembris An'o R. Ris Carol, s'c'di nunc Angl. et xxxij0 anoq. DVi 1680.
Wee whose names are hereunto subscribed, being High Constables of the Hundred of Llanidloes in the s'd Countie, doe p'sent Richard Eltonhead and Anne his wife, of the p'ish of Trevegloes in the s'd Countie, for not comeinge to church and for being reputed to bee Roman Catholicks.
And further wee p'sent Alexander Bdes and Margarett his wife, of the p'ish of Carno in the s'd Countie, for not corneing to Church and for being reputed Quakers.
And further wee p'sent John Robert1 of Llanidloes in the s'd countie, Smith, for not comeing to church and for being reputed Quakers.
And further wee p'sent William Beversley2 and Margarett his wife, for not comeing to Church and for being reputed Phanatiques Inhabiteing in Trevegloes in the said Countie.
And further wee p'sent Lewis Griffith,1 of the p'ish of Trevegloes in the s'd Countie, for not comeing to church and for being reputed Phanatiques.
RICH. REES, \ m • f r> 411
DAVID WILLIAMS, } ^ef Constables.
Hundred of Deythur —
Wee p'sent the wife of James Laugh ton, of Collfryn, for
being a reputed popish Recusant, and for absenting from
church.
GRIFFITH DERWAS, ) ni . £ n , 7 , EDW. GARLAND, <$ Chief Constable,.
Hundred of Pool —
We p'sent Euble Edwards3 and John Edwards, Richard Trolus4 and his wife, John Griffith, Alen Griffith, John Griffith,
1 See ante, p. 60.
2 Ante, pp. 51 and 60.
3 Ante, pp. 50, 51, 53, and 56.
4 An Independent mentioned by Richard Davies in his Auto- biography as being in prison in Welshpool in 1681. He lived at Llanfechain. (See Mont. Coll., iv, p. 163.)
72 MONTGOMERYSHIRE NONCONFORMITY.
Thomas Field,1 Job. Griffith, Mary Fox, vld.2 Thomas Ruffe,3 Hugh Ruffe,3 John Hattfield and his wife,4 David Jones and his wife,5 Thomas Lloyd, Gent, and his wife,6 to be absentees from church.
KICHARD HUMPHREY, JOHN MEREDITH.
The p'sentment of William Griffith, one of the Chiefe Constables of the Hundred of Llanwilling, at the great Sessions held at Mountgy the 2 day of Sept. 1680.
I doe p'sent Charles Lloyd,7 John Monsel, Richard DM ap Griffithe,7 to be Reputed Quakeres of the parishe of Myvod.
I doe p'sent William David, of the same parish, for absenting himselfe from his parish Church twice the first of August lasfc past.
By me, WILLIAM GRIFFITHES.
Wee, Mathewe Mathewes and Rees Williams, High Con- stables of the Hundred of Newtown, doe p'sent to the Grand Jury of the Great Sessions as followeth —
Imp mis, wee doe p'sent Humphrey Stephens8 and Elino'r his wiefe, to be absentees from there p'sh Church.
lie., wee doe p'sent Thomas Tudge8 and his wiefe for the like.
Ite., wee doe p'sent Lewis Turnor8 and John Tumor and his wiefe for the like.
lie., wee doe p'sent Ffrancis Hancose and his wif for the like.
Ite., wee doe p'sent Henry Williams9 and his wief for the like.
Ite., wee doe p'sent Evan Moris and his wiefe for the like.
Ite., wee doe' p'sent Katherine Mathewes for the like.
Ite., wee doe p'sent the wief of Joseph Lloyd for the like.
Wee have noe more to o'r knowledge to p'sent.
REES WMS, MATHEW MATHEWES.
1 Previously presented for recusancy. (M. Coll., xxiv, p. 203.) The Fields lived at or near Pool Quay, and were blacksmiths.
2 The widow, probably, of Geo. Fox, Gent., of Rheteskin, presented in Oct. 1663 for recusancy. (M. Coll., xxiv, p. 203.)
3 Ante, p. 61. 4 Ante, p. 60.
5 Ante, p. 62. 6 Ante, pp. 51 and 58.
7 Ante, pp. 52 and 58. b Ante, p. 58.
9 Of Scafell ; ante, pp. 58, 59, and 63.
(To be continued. )
73
WALSH OF LLANDEWI, RADNORSHIRE (LORD ORMATHWAITE).
BY THE REV. GEOEGE SAND FORD, PANT PURLAS, LLANDRINDOD.
THE inhabitants of Radnorshire are gratified by the friendly recognition on the part of the Powys-land Club of time-honoured spots, and eventful incidents, in the history of their County, as in the papers on the Rood Screen1 of Llananno, the Radnor fortresses, and on the beautiful ruins of the once famous Abbey Cwm Hir, their only religious house of great antiquity, and architectural beauty. They have been deeply in- terested in the light, which modern research has thrown on their common annals, and owe a debt of gratitude to the students of antiquarian lore, who have revealed the neglected memoirs of olden time. They regard the Museum and Library of the Powys-land Club at Welshpool, as faithful repositories of valuable intelli- gence, and reference for a future age.
Moreover, in their intercourse with their Mont- gomeryshire neighbours, they feel vividly the ties of nationality in the chain of mountains, which rivets their gaze. The language of Southey, in his poem of " Madoc", retains its charm for the Cambrian reader :
" Lo yonder
My native mountains, and how beautiful They rest in the moonlight ! I was nurst among them ; They saw my sports in childhood, they have seen My sorrows, they have saved me in the hour Of danger ; . . . I have vowed that, as they were My cradle, they shall be my monument."
1 Mont. Coll. , vol. vii, vol. xv, and vol. xxiv.
74 WALSH OF LLANDEWI, RADNORSHIRE.
They are also mutually gratified by the ever-grace- ful meanderings of the Wye, which is their common inheritance, and, like a silver band, unites Montgomery- shire with Radnorshire, North with South Wales.
" The voice of blood shall reach, More audible than speech. We are one."
The Excursionist traverses with feelings of delight and admiration the course of the Upper and Lower Wye, and appreciates the special loveliness, which Nature has imprinted upon every portion of its romantic course.
The Geologist is intent on scrutinizing the strata of its rocky bed between Rhayader and Hay ; and the Annalist of Powys-land recalls the memories of Welsh independence, as he visits the chosen site of the residence of Llewelyn ap Griffith, Prince of North Wales, at Aberedw on the Wye, from which, as a central station, that gallant Chieftain issued his orders, and marshalled his patriotic forces, in the final struggle for independence, when he had entrusted North Wales to the vigilant care of his brother, David.
A little higher up the course of the Wye on the Brecknockshire side, near its confluence with the Irvon, that ill-fated Prince was pierced, when unarmed, by the spear of an English knight, and his remains lie buried in Cwm Llewelyn, a glen of melancholy interest.
" After life's fitful fever, he sleeps well."
Moreover, the illustrious family of the Mortimers of Wigmore Castle, co. Hereford, which boasted of its alliances with the regal line of Gwynedd, and England, possessed strong forts, and broad acres, in both portions of Powys-land; and subsequently the Barleys, the distinguished Earls of Oxford, and Mortimer, succeeded to a large portion of their domain in the southern county in, and about, the contributory borough of Cefn Llys, which has lately been denuded of its electoral privileges.
WALSH OF LLANDP:WI, RADNORSHIRE. 75
Among the leading families of Radnorshire may be named the Lewises of Harpton Court, Radnor, which obtained a widespread distinction through the states- manlike qualities of Sir Thomas Frankland Lewis, Bart., P.O., and his still greater son, Sir George Corne- wall Lewis, second Bart., M.P. for Radnor Boroughs in 1855, and the De Wintons of Maeslough Castle, whose representative was M.P. for Radnorshire 1837-40.
I must also mention the Green- Prices of Norton Manor, Presteign. The first baronet of that family (L.) represented the Radnor Districts 1863-69, and subsequently the county, 1880-5. At his election in 1880 he obtained 1,137 votes. Mr. Robert Baskerville Mynors (C.) of Evancoyd polled only 800.
Mr. Charles Coltman Rogers of Stanage Park (L.) represented the Radnor Boroughs on the withdrawal of the Marquis of Hartington to the constituency of N.E. Lancashire, and was a candidate for the repre- sentation of the County in 1885, when he was defeated by the Hon. Arthur Walsh. He remarked, on that occasion, that "he felt confident that at the next election Liberalism would again triumph in the county"; but that expectation was not realized.
As this paper is closely connected with the noble family of Lord Ormathwaite, I beg to observe that they have represented the County of Radnor for the last fifty years, excepting the Parliament of 1880-5, that they have possessed the high office of Lord- Lieutenant from 1842 to 1891, and that they have contracted alliances with the leading families of the aristocracy of England. They are the chief landowners of the County, being in possession of 12,428 acres, embracing large tracts of land bordering on the ser- pentine course of the Ithon, the chief tributary of the Wye in Radnorshire.
I need not particularize the ancestors of this distin- guished family beyond the name of John Benn, Esq., of Whitehaven, Cumberland, who possessed energy and ability, the characteristic qualities of his race.
76 WALSH OF LLANDEWI, RADNORSHIRE.
His son, William Benn, Esq., of Moor Row, Cumber- land, married Mary, daughter of Timothy Nicholson, Esq., and died in 1759.
The son of the above William Benn was John Benn of Ormathwaite, a beautiful seat near to the far-famed lake of Derwentwater, and chosen hereafter to furnish a title to his descendants. He was born Feb. 10th, 1759, and married Margaret, daughter of Joseph Fowke, Esq., of Bexley, Kent, and grand-daughter of J. Walsh, Esq., Governor of Fort St. George. He and his lady assumed the additional surname and arms of Walsh by royal permission, 4th April 1794, in compliance with the will of J. Walsh, Esq., of War- field Park, Bracknell, co. Berks. From this source he obtained a large estate in the county of Radnor. He was created a Baronet, 14th June 1804, and having established the fortunes of his family on a firm basis, he died, June 7th, 1825. His relict died September 29th, 1836.
Sir John Benn Walsh, the second Baronet, added largely to the honours, and reputation, of his family. He was born 9th Dec. 1798, and succeeded his father, as second Baronet, 7th July 1825. He married, Nov. 9th, 1825, Lady Jane Grey, youngest daughter of George Henry, sixth Earl of Stamford and Warrington, and sat as M.P. for Sudbury, 1830-4, arid was regarded as a powerful speaker in the spirited debates, which preceded the passing of the Reform Bill.
On Monday, the fourth of July 1831, Lord John Russell moved the second reading of the Bill to amend the representation of the people in England and Wales. Then it was that Sir John Walsh, member for Sudbury, standing high in the confidence of the Conservative party, moved as an amendment, that the Bill should be read that day six months. After a discussion, which lasted three nights, during which, on the second night, Mr. T. B. Macaulay delivered a most eloquent speech, the amendment was rejected by 367 votes to 231, and the original motion was carried.
WALSH OF LLANDEWI, RADNORSHIRE. 77
Sir John Benn Walsh was returned again for 'the same borough in 1838-40. In 1840 he became a Knight of the Shire for the county of Radnor, and retained his seat, until he was raised, on account of his public services, to the House of Peers, by the title of Lord Ormathwaite, in 1868. He was appointed Lord- Lieutenant of Radnorshire 1842-75, and was also a Deputy Lieutenant of Berks. His address to each of the electors was, as follows, in 1865 :
1865.- " DEAR SIR, " 28, Berkeley Square, London.
"As a dissolution will occur immediately after the close of the present session, I take the liberty of acquainting you with my intention to offer myself again as a candidate for the high honour of representing the County in the next Parliament, and I beg most earnestly and respectfully to solicit the favour of your vote and interest.
" I am, your faithful, humble servant,
"JOHN WALSH."
His Radnorshire residence was Knill Court, near Kington, which he occupied as the tenant of Sir J. Walsham, Bart. He entertained for awhile thoughts of erecting a mansion near the site of an old British castle, at a short distance from the Alpine Bridge, Pontygraig, over the Ithon, near Penybont, com- manding the picturesque valley of that river, and the conical hill of Cefn Llys, so celebrated in the last conflicts of border warfare, and embracing the verdant slopes of Cwmbryth Bank, where a herd of deer might have enhanced the loveliness of the landscape.
The first Lord Ormathwaite died in 1881, and was succeeded by his only son Arthur, who was born in 1827, and was educated at Eton and Trin. College, Cambridge. He was formerly a Captain of the 1st Life Guards, and a Magistrate for Berks and co. Hereford, and M.P. for Leominster 1865-8, and a joint member of the House of Commons with his father during that period.
Upon the elevation of the second Baronet to the
78 WALSH OF LLANDEWE, RADNORSHIRE.
peerage in 1868, be contested Radnorshire with Mr. Richard Green-Price, subsequently first Baronet, and was successful. The issue was as follows: Walsh (C.), 889 ; R. Green-Price (L), 882. He represented Radnorshire for twelve years. He is Hon. Col. of the 2nd battalion of the South Wales Borderers, and is a County Councillor. He married, in 1858, Lady Katherine Emily Mary Somerset, third daughter of Henry, seventh Duke of Beaufort, K.G. His chief residence is at Eywood, near Titley, R.S.O., but he has also a seat at Llandewi, Radnorshire, commanding the winding course of the Ithon.
The eldest son of the second Lord Ormathwaite is the Honourable Arthur Henry John Walsh, born 1859. He was formerly first Lieutenant of 1st Life Guards, and is a D. L. for Radnorshire. He has sat as M.P. for Radnorshire (C.) since 1885, when his address to the electors was to this effect :
"I have proclaimed myself as a moderate Conservative, a Conservative of progressive views. By this I mean that I am of opinion * State should come before Party', and therefore some measures I shall support, whether they be introduced by Conservatives or Liberals.
11 1 shall, if elected as your representative, devote my whole time and energy to promote and foster any measures, or actions, having for their object the revival of trade and the encouragement of agricul- ture. 1 shall at all times identify myself with your local interests.
"Eywood, Nov. 2nd, 1885."
On his return as M.P. for Radnorshire again in the following year, he thus expressed his gratitude to the constituency :
" To the Free and Independent Electors of Radnorshire. " Gentlemen,
" To you, my tried friends, who have twice placed me in the proud position of Member for Radnorshire, I owe a debt, which I can never hope to repay ; but I would also tender my thanks to those, who have thought it their duty, from conscientious motives, to oppose me, and from whom through two arduous contests I have experienced nothing but personal courtesy.
" I trust that we shall not be embroiled in another political contest
WALSH OF LLANDEWI, RADNORSHIRE. 79
for a long time to come, and I venture to hope, that any political differences, which may have arisen will be at once adjusted, and friendship restored in all cases.
"I am, Gentlemen,
"Your faithful and obliged servant,
"ARTHUR WALSH. "Eywood, July 19th, 1886."
The Honourable Arthur Walsh married, at St. Paul's, Knightsbridge, July 26th, 1890, the Lady Clementina Frances Anne Pratt, born in 1870, sister of the Marquis Camden, who was closely connected with South Wales, having a seat at The Priory, Brecon. The present peer has a large family of six sons, and three daughters.
During the present century the family of Walsh has advanced step by step to a high pitch of prosperity, and influence. It has obtained repeated marks of favour from the Crown, and has faithfully adhered to its political principles, and fulfilled with energy and talent the numerous duties of the public trusts com- mitted to its charge. Great is its popularity in Powys-land, but not greater, than it has fairly won. and deserved.
The family influence of the Walshes is prominent in South Wales, especially in the counties of Radnor, and Brecon.
The first Lord Ormathwaite was distinguished by the authorship of several literary works, and by his elo- quence in the imperial Parliament, and on many interesting occasions of a local nature.
When in company with the late Sir George Corne- wall Lewis, Bart., of Harpton Court, he addressed his friends, and neighbours, at agricultural, meetings, or the hustings ; it was a subject of pride, and pleasure, to the inhabitants of Radnorshire, that they could boast of two representatives of the aristocracy of their County, so remarkable for their abilities, attainments, and cour- tesy ; but there were many who conferred the palm of eloquence on their Lord Lieutenant, and still treasure in their recollections the power, and charm, of his
80 WALSH OF LLANDEWI, RADNORSHIRE.
addresses. His Lordship's portrait is still observable in the homesteads of his numerous tenantry.
The alliances of the present Lord Ormathwaite and his son, the Hon. Arthur Walsh, have been closely con- nected with the adjoining County of Brecon, for the Duke of Beaufort has a romantic seat at Llangattock Park, Crick-Howel, and the late Marquis Camden, father of Lady Clementina Walsh, when Earl of Brecknock, represented the County Town in 1866, where he sub- sequently possessed considerable property, amounting to 7,000 acres, contiguous to his seat, called the Priory.
The present Lord Ormathwaite is a County Coun- cillor of Radnorshire, and devoted to the duties of his office.
ARMS. — Argent, a fesse sable, cotised wavy gules, between six martlets of the second.
CREST. — A griffin's head erased per fesse wavy argent and ermine, beak and ears or.
SUPPORTERS. — On either side a griffin ermine, gorged with a collar vair, and pendant therefrom an escutcheon argent, charged with a martlet sable.
MOTTO. — " Virtus et veritas vincunt."
SEATS. — Ormathwaite, Keswick, Cumberland ; Warfield Park, Bracknell, Berkshire; Eywood, Titley, E.S.O., Hereford- shire ; Llandewi, near Penybont, Radnorshire.
CLUBS. — Carlton, White's, Marlborough, Bachelors'.
81
MONTGOMERYSHIRE MEN
WHO MATRICULATED AT
OXFORD UNIVERSITY, 1571-1622.
THE following names, dates of matriculation, stations in life, and college, it is conceived will be acceptable and useful for genealogical purposes to members of the Powys-land Club. A word of explanation will suffice to make the description clear. " Pleb. f." = plebeiusjilius. Plebeius is the expression used in describing the position of lowest grade in the social scale at matri- culation. In Elizabethan English it is equivalent to "yeoman", and every student whose father was lower than a gentleman would be so described ; a reference to the wills of Montgomeryshire men, which have been or will be printed in the Journal of the Powys-land Club, will disclose what a limited number of the testators are described either as Esquires or Gentle- men, and yet by their wills it is made apparent they were in many instances large landowners, and possessed of considerable personal property and money. Had the lists of debts owing to the testators been appended to the extracts, they would have shown that the Armigerous families were very frequent borrowers from the yeomen.
The appended list would have been greatly improved if the Oxford Registers had been examined and the names of the fathers of the students added, as it would have facilitated the identification of those who belong to the less prominent county families.
E. R. M.
VOL. XXV.
82 MONTGOMERYSHIRE MEN WHO MATRICULATED
1575. 20 Sep. Lewis Rowland, pleb. f. 18.1 Jesus.
1577. 20 Dec. Jenkin Lloyd, Arm. f. 17. Balliol.
1578. 20 July John Howsman, pleb.f.17. Brasenose. „ „ John Morris, Gen. f. 18. „
8 Dec. John Heyny, pleb. f. 23.
1581. 17 Nov. Edw. Pugh, Gen. f. 18. Jesus.
23 Nov. Hugh Griffith, pleb. f. 23. Christ Church. ., 24 Nov. Morris Owen, Arm. f. 19. Jesus. „ ,, John Davies, pleb. f. 26 or 16. Magdalen. ,
1581-2. 2 Mar. Thomas Lloide, Gen. f. 17. Brasenose.
1582. 11 May. Chas. Harbarte, Arm. f. 15. Magdalen.
„ " Geo. Harbart, Arm. f. 16.
1583. 19 July Edw. Pryce, Arm. f. 22. Gloucester Hall. 1584-5. 5 Mar. Win. Lloide, pleb. f. 20. Brasenose.
1585. 2 July David Blayney, Gen. f. 17. Magdalen. „ ,, Evan Davies, pleb. f. 17. „
„ 5 Nov. Rich. Owen, pleb. f. 19. Jesus.
1586. 21 Oct. Rich. Griffins, Gen. f. 17. Case's Students. 1586-7. 17 Mar. John Porter, pleb. f. 18. Jesus.
1587. 13 June Hu mphrey Price, Gen. f. 29. Broadgates Hall. 1587-8. [Blayney], 2Maurice, Gen.
f. 18. Magdalen.
1588-9. 25 Jan. Oliver Lloyd, Arm. f. 18. St. Mary Hall. „ 24 Mar. Matthew Herbert, Esq.
f. 26. Lincoln.
1593-4. 9 Feb. Richard Price, pleb. f. 19. 1594. 10 Oct. Thos. Price, pleb. f. 18. New College. 1596.3 14 May Edw. Herbert, Arm. f. 14. University.
1596. 14 Oct. Robert Hughes (Hewes),
pleb. f. 20. St. Mary Hall.
1597. „ Absalom Gethyn( Salop),
pleb. f. 17. Broadgates Hall.
,, „ Rowland Pughe, Gen. f. 18. Jesus.
Robert Ffloyd, pleb. f. 17. Oriel.
„ ,, John Lewes, Gen. f. 20. Jesus.
1597-8. 27 Jan. Hump. Jaspar, pleb. f. 21. Lincoln.
1598. 30 June. Hugh Vaughan, pleb. f. 19. Oriel. „ 8 Dec. George Backster (Baxter),
pleb. f. 16. Balliol.
1599. 19 Oct. John Maurice (Morrice),
pleb. f. 17. Oriel.
1 Age.
2 Inserted in a later handwriting.
s This belongs to end of May or beginning of June.
AT OXFORD UNIVERSITY, 1571-1622. 83
1599. 13 Dec. David Haver1 (Haues),
pleb. f. 19. Christ Church.
}f 9g. 14 Mar. Hump. Herbert, Arm. f. 15. Lincoln _,, Roger Vaughan, Gen. f. 17. ,,
1600. 12 Dec. Win. Johnes (Jones),
pleb. f. 20. Magdalen.
David Blayney, Gen. f. 20. St. Edmund Hall.
1601. 24 April Hugh Moris (Morrice),
pleb. f. 18.
„ 22 May Wm. Penryn (Penren),
Arm. f. 14. Jesus.
1601-2. 19 Mar. John Pughe, Gen. f. 19. St. Mary Hall.
1602. 30 April Sampson Price (Salop),
Cler. f. 16. Exeter.
„ 15 Oct. Rich. Pearke (Pearkes),
pleb. f. 15. St. Mary Hall.
1604. 18 May Matthew Johnnes (Jones),
pleb. f. l7. Jesus.
15 June Jeffrey Griffis, Gen. f. 16. 1604-5. 22 Feb. Edd. Vaughan (Ed.) (sic. -,
? Edmund), pleb. f. 19. Corpus.
1605. 26 April Erasmus Evans, Gen. f. 18. Jesus.
26 July Daniel Jones, pleb. f. 18. St. Mary Hall. 1605-6. 8 Mar. Charles Evans, Gen. f. 16. Brasenose.
1606. 12 Dec. Edward Piper, pleb. f. 20.
„ „ Rich. Evans, Cler. f. 18. Lincoln.
1607. 20 Nov. Michael Lucas, pleb. f. 15. Jesus.
1608. 1 July Edw. Herbert, Arm. f. 17. Queen's.
Wm. Herbert, Arm. f. 17.
1610. 16 June Wm. Powell, Cler. f. 15. Hart Hall.
,, 18 June Rich. Morice, Cler. f. 18. „
,, „ John Owens .... Paup. Schol.
„ 7 Dec. Robert Evans, pleb. f. 19. Christ Church.
1612. 30 Oct. Hugh Lloyd, Gen. f. 14. All Souls.
David Lloyd, Gen. f. 15. Hart Hall.
* x * * * * •
1615. 12 May. Hump. Penryn, pleb. f. 20. Jesus. „ 27 Oct. Wm. Edwards, Cler. f. 17. Oriel. John Kyffin (Kiffin),
Gen. f. 19. „
8 Dec. Thos. Spenser, pleb. f. 18. Hart Hall.
1 I wonder does this mean Aberhafesp ?
G 2
84 MONTGOMERYSHIRE MEN AT OXFORD UNIVERSITY.
1616. 12 April Eich. Judge (Tudge),
pleb. f. 17. New Inn Hall.
„ 26 April Hump. Davies, pleb. f. 20. Hart Hall. „ 3 May Kich. Owen, Arm. f.
[Tertius] 20. Jesus.
„ „ Thomas Owen, Arm. f. 18. „
„ 21 June Robert Bern und,pleb.f.22. Christ Church.
8 Nov. Oliver Thomas, Gen. f. 18. Hart Hall. 1617-18. 10 Feb. Hump.1 Lloyd, pleb. f. 20. 1619-20. 4 Feb. Rich. Blayney, pleb. f. 23. All Souls.
1621. 2 Nov. Thos. Jones, pleb. f. 21. Hart Hall.
„ „ Morgan Pughe, pleb. f. 21. „
„ „ Eich. Davies, pleb. f. 20. Jesus.
9 Nov. Godfrey Davies, pleb. f. 20. Hart Hall. „ „ Rowland E vanes, pleb. f. 20. „
Note at foot : "He matriculated on 15 May 1618."
85
ABSTRACTS OF ANCIENT DEEDS, ETC.,
RELATING TO
MEIFOD AND ELSEWHERE.
BY H. W. LLOYD, M.A.
IN perusing the following abstracts, our readers may be interested to learn that, although there are several contemporary poems of Welsh Bards to de- scendants of Ednyved Vychan, there are none, to the knowledge of the writer, addressed to Robin ab Gruffydd, the subject of the earliest of the grants. But there are four compositions by Gutto'r Glyn, one in honour of his grandson, and three of his great-grand- nephew, William Vychan of Penrhyn, in which not only his individual magnificence, generosity, and nobility of character are extolled, but his family and ancestry also. Two of these are entitled, "I'r Gwr o'r Penrhyn" — "To the man (par excellence) of Penrhyn"; and the third to " Sir William Vychan of Llandgai, Chamberlain of Gwynedd", in which he styles him also Captain of Caernarvon. Especial reference is made to his connection with the Stanleys, through Janet, his mother, daughter of Sir William Stanley of Hooton, in Cheshire, Kt., his immediate predecessor in the office. The poet proclaims him the first man in Mona, and even in North Wales. The last poem ends thus :
" Piau 'r gaer pwy agoriad 1 Pwy 'r glo ar bob pen ein gwlad 1 Pwy roi 'n frig ar Penrhyn fry 1 Pwy ond Wiliara a' i deulu ? Piau 'r glod, pwy a rydd gwledd ? Pencenedl, penaig Gwynedd."
86 ABSTRACT OF ANCIENT DEEDS, ETC.,
TRANSLATION.
Who is it has the key of the Fortress ?
Who is the lock to each hill of our land 1
Who is set up on high above Penrhyn's top 1
Who but William and his kin.
Who is it has renown, who is it gives the banquet ?
The Head of our race, the supreme leader of Gwynedd.
(1.) Grant by Henry VI, A.D. 1439, to Robin1 ab Gruffydd ab Gwilym of lands in Bodvai and Dwy- gyvylchi, in Hundred of AJber and Comot of Llechwedd Uchav, by letters patent signed and witnessed by the King at Caernarvon. Attached is the Great Seal of England, partially broken.
Henricus Dei gratia Anglise et Ffrancise et D'us Hibernise Omni- bus Ballivis et fidelibus suis ad quos prsesentes literae pervenerint : salutem Sciatis quod nos per finem Sex Solidorum et octo denari- orum nobis per Robyn ap Gruffydd ap Gwillym fecimus dedimus et concessimus eidem Kobyn licenciam perquirendi sibi heredibus et assignatis suis duo tenementa tres bouat'[as] terrae arabilis et duas acras prati cum suis perte'iis in Villis de Bodvayo et doygyvolgy2 in Comoto de Vghaph3 de Gruff ap Gwladus vgh (i.e., verch) Eden[yved] ap Llewelyn Wyllt et unum ten' cum pertmentiis in Villa de Doygyvolgy de Tud[ur] ap Nest vgh Ken' (Cynwric) habendum et
1 The grandson of the grantee, viz., "William ap Griffith ap Kobyn" ap Gruffydd ap Gwillym, is witness to a deed dated the 12th day of January 1485 (2 Kic. III). His sons were William, Thomas, David, and Robert. " Thomas ap William ap Gruffyd" is feoffee to a deed dated 26th October, 27 Hen. VIII, 1535. The will of Robert, fourth son, in which he is styled " Robert Williams, alias Robert ap William ap Griffith ap Robin, burges of Conwy", is dated 9th May 1546. He mentions in it his son, " Hugh ap Robert Williams of Conway", and his daughter, Katherine, verch Robert Williams. Further particulars of the ancestors and descendants of the family of Williams of Cochwillan, and Ystymcolwyn, Meifod, are given in Lewys Dwnn, vol. ii, pp. 86 et seq.
William Williams of Cochwillan was the eldest son of William, eldest son of WTilliam ap Griffith ap Robyn above, by Dorothy, daughter of Sir William Griffith of Penrhyn, in the county of Carnarvon. Harry, son of William Williams, sold Cochwillan.
2 Dwygyvylchi, near Conway.
8 Uchaf. In " Parthau Cymru", in the Myvyrian Archaiology, the Cantrev or Hundred of Aber is divided into two Comots, Llechwedd Uchaf and Llechwedd Isaf (Upper and Lower Llechwedd).
RELATING TO MEIFOD AND ELSEWHERE. 87
tenendum de nobis ut Principe Wallisa per servicia inde debita et de nostra (?) consueta orane occ'one (occupatione ?) vel impedimento nostro vel heredum nostrorum Justiciariis, Est vicecomitum aut aliorum Balliuorum seu ministrorum nostrorum quorumcunque. In cuius rei testimonium has literas nostras fieri fecimus patentes Teste me ipso apud Caernarvon xxiiij die Octobris Anno regni nostri decimo septimo. ["Est " is in MS., but in error for "Et."}
Robyn ab Gruffyd ab Gwilym ab Gruffydd ab Heilin ab Sir Tudor of Nant and Llangynhaval, eldest son of Ednyved Vychan, was lord of Penrhyn arid Cwch- willan, through the marriage of his great-grandfather, Gruffydd ab Heilyn, with Eva, daughter and heiress of Gruffydd ab David ab Tudor ab Madoc, son and heir of larddur, who preceded Ednvyed Vychan in the office of Grand Forester of Snowdon to Llewelyn the Great. (See Hist, of Powys Vadoc, vi, pp. 427-8, where Robyn is wrongly called Robert, the two names being in those days distinct.) He was ancestor of William, and Henry, and Lumley Williams, whose names appear at a later period in this collection of deeds. A poem is extant addressed by Guto'r Glyn to his grandson, William ab Gruffydd ab Robyn of Cochwillan, and three other poems to lords of Penrhyn of the other branch of the family.
(2.) Charter, 16th Eliz., 1574, by Humphrey ab David Lloyd of Traeth Vyrnwy, granting vill and lands in Peniarth, co. Montgomery, to Owen ab Hughe Lloyd de Traeth (?) Vyrnwy, and William ab John ab Rees. Kevnlly vyn (smooth ridge ?), Melynnog Vawr (large appurtenance of a mill ?), and Tre y Mayn (hamlet of the stone, or the township of Main ?) also named.
(3.) 21st Eliz., 15th July. Indenture of Humphrey ab David ab Lewis of Vill de Strad Vyrnwy, etc.
(4.) 23rd Eliz. Gwen vch. Elis, widow, relict of Hugh ap John Gruffith, grants to William Williams of Cochwillan, Esq., lands sold to him by her, and come to her as dowry after her husband's death, within the Vills of Bodlewyn (qu. Bodlewyddan ?), Llaethvayne, and Towynan, in co. Denbigh. Witnessed by Gruff
88 ABSTRACT OF ANCIENT DEEDS, ETC.,
Lewys ap Mores, Elis ap John ap Mredith, Thomas ap Edward, Richard ap Harri, John Madryn, and one illegible.
(5.) 42nd Eliz., A.D. 1600. Indenture, Peter Semyne of London, marchaunt straunger, and Henry Wil- liaraes of Cowhitland1 (Cochwillan) and Edward Graye, co. Salop, payment of £500 for a debt of £1,200 made dependent on the return from " Constantinople in Grecia under the dominion of the great Turke" of Thomas Morris, etc.
(6.) 38th Elizabeth. Bond, Cadwaladr Griffith ap Hugh of Eleyrnion, Gen., Thomas Lewis. By Adam Mitton, co. Cam., 1596, to William Williames, Arm., of £100, due on F. of S. Michael. Edward of Acton Burnel], and Mostyn are named.
(7.) Deed of " Elizaeus ap John ap Howel Davydd de Carnethwen (Carnedd Wen) in Com. Fflynt, Gen., Margaret Walker de Okewood (?), in com. p'do et Thomas Yaughan ap Robert (?) ap Ithell de eudes (?)" in same co., remitting to Thomas ap David ap John Carnedd Wen, in co. Flint, etc. Date of Eliz. cut out apparently.
(8.) A.D. 1604. Bond of Roger ap David of Maes- brooke, co. Salop, to William Williams of Cochwillan.
(9.) A.D. 1656. Conveyance by Dorothy Williams of Peniarth, co. Montgomery.2
(10.) James Armerer of Yurnwy fall (for Vyrnwy ?), bound to William Williams of Cochyllan for Tothyn (Tyddin) y Ty Mawr in £50. 17th Eliz., 1575.
(11.) 27th Henry VIII. Reinallt (Ringnaldus, in
1 A.D. 1600. Henry Williams, son of William Williams of Coch- willan, here being styled of " Cowhitland", seems to supply the needed identity of " William Williams of Cowhitland", Sheriff of Montgomeryshire in 1596, with the father of Herry Williams. The latter sold Cochwillan to the Earl of Pembroke.
2 Dorothy, widow of Lumley Williams, son of Henry Williams of Cochwillan, was the heiress of Rhys ap Thomas ap Rhys ap David ap Ithell of Ystymcolwyn, Meifod, by his wife Margaret, daughter of John Owen Vaughan of Llwydiarth (Ilarl. MS. 1936, under "Ystym Colwyn"), Sheriff in 1583.
RELATING TO MEIFOD AND ELSEWHERE. 89
orig.) ap John Wyn, ap John ap leuan Vychan to Rice ap David ap Ithell ap leuan ap Meredith, de eadem.
(12.) 8th Hen. VIII. Charter of David ap Llew- elyn ap Hoell ap Cong (sic ; qu. for Cyngen ?), freeholder of the King of Llaethvaen in Comot of Uwchdulas in co. of Denbigh, to John ap Llewelyn ap Gruffydd Lloyd, one parcel of land in said Vill.1
(13.) Indenture of Maurice ap Rees ap leuan Vychan, William ap Davydd Kyffin, co. Montgomery, yoman (sic), to Rondulp[h] Hanmer of Penley. 12th Eliz., 28th May.2
(14.) John Griffith of Caernarvon, son and heir of George Griffith, releases to Rece ap Nicholas ap Gruffith of Llanllechid, co. Caern., yeoman, the tene- ment, etc., called " Yr Arowe", in parish of Enghenell in Comot of Llivon in co. Anglesey. 38th Eliz., 24th May 1596. Seal attached, but broken.
(15.) Grant by Alanus de Kighley of Vill of Bot- ford in Com mot of Malltraeth in co. of Anglesey, in free farm, to David ap Richard ap David Srnyth, witnessed by William Forde, rector of parish of Beaumaris, and others. Who this Alanus was I have hitherto been unable to learn. If "Kighley" be the same place as Cichley in Anglesey, as in all probability it is, he must have preceded in the occupation of it the Griffiths of that place, a cadet branch from Penrhyn, a daughter of one of whom married Edward Thelwall of Plas y Ward, son of Simon, son of Richard, A.D. 1600. Botford also is not now to be found as a place-
1 27th Hen. VIII, '1535. " Rice ap David ap Ithell ap leuan ap Meredith" of Ystymcolwyn, grandfather of Dorothy Williams above. " Rees Goch dd. ap Ithell" and " Lodovicus ap DD. ap leuan ap Thomas, gen'osi", were bailiffs of Llanvillinge in the 17th Eliz., 1574.
2 12th Elizabeth, 28th May 1570. Randolph, or Randel Hanmer of Penley, Flint, was the second son of Sir Thomas Hanmer, knighted at the taking of Tournay, by Jane, daughter of Randel Brereton. He was Sheriff of Montgomeryshire in 1561.
" Wm. ap Davydd Kyffin, co. Montg.," though here styled "yo- man", was a descendant of Madoc ap Meredydd, Prince of Powys. His father was " p'son of Llanfihangel in Blodwel", and son of Griffith Kyffin of Cae Coch, by Margaret, daughter of Howell Vychan of Llwydiarth. (Harl. MS. 1936, under "Caeth Coh".)
90 ABSTRACT OF ANCIENT DEEDS, ETC.,
name in the island, and sounds as though it were compounded of Welsh and English : bod, dwelling, and Ford, an English person. The name is that of the first witness to the deed, William Ford, rector of the parish church of Beaumaris, who, in Welsh fashion, may have called his house Bod Ford — Ford's abode. The whole of the island probably became forfeit to the Crown after Glyndwr's insurrection — which all the five sons of Sir Tudor ab Goronwy furthered with all their power, with the single exception, perhaps, of Meredith, the father of Owen Tudor — and was appropriated to Katharine, Queen of Henry V, on her marriage to him, as her dowry. Hence, as a natural consequence, both secular and ecclesiastical property in it would fall into the hands of Englishmen, and to Welshmen, as in this case, only by subinfeudation. The name of the Sove- reign in whose reign the deed was executed has been nibbled away by a false and traitorous mouse ; whether Yorkist or Lancastrian cannot now well be ascertained, but his era probably of 18th or 19th century.
(16.) Grant by Edden' (Ednvyet) ap Moruit (Mor- vydd) vch. Nest, the King's freeholder, of the Cornot of Uchayh (Llechwedd Uchaf, see No. 1), co. Caern., of a meadow, because situate between the holding of Davydd and Keven Enys (Cevn Ynys) Geveys (?), in the Yill of Bodvaye in the said Comot that was in the hand of Nest, daughter of Med' (Meredith) Thomas, to Gruffydd ap Robyn ap Gruffydd (son of the grantee of Deed No. 1). Witnessed, by Hoell and others. Dated from Aber, 20th October, 36th Hen. VI. Seal nearly perfect ; device perhaps a bird, or a man with shield on his arm running.
(17.) 16th Eliz., A.D. 1574. Bond of Humphrey ap Thomas ap Leweis (sic) of Stradyvyrnwy, co. Mont- gomery, gen., to Hhys ap Thomas ap Ithell of Ystym- colwyn, gen., and to Thomas ap Rhys of the same, gen., in £100. 5th Aug., 19th Eliz., 1577. *
1 16th Eliz., A.D. 1574. Rhys ap David ap Ithell, the father to Thomas ap Khys, his son, both of Ystymuolwyu (see Deed No. 22).
RELATING TO MEIFOD AND ELSEWHERE. 91
(18.) Mortgage of four score and eighteen pounds on land sold by William Williams of " Chochyllan" (sic) to William Bulkeley of Goedan in Anglesey. Penalty, £1,000, to be paid in the south porch of Bangor Cathedral on the last day of October 1604 or 1605. Dated 19th October, 1st James I, King of England, France, and Ireland, and 37th of Scotland, 1604. Autograph signature of William Bulkeley, and of John Trygarn and other witnesses.
For pedigree of Bulkeley of Coedan see Hist. Powys Vad., vi, 419. Seal perfect, but impression indistinct. Slightly visible, part of a stag's horn and chevron, pro- bably the coat of larddur.
(19.) 25th Eliz, 1583. John Owen Vaughan1 of Lloydarth (sic) grants in fee farm to his well-beloved (son ?) of Ty Newydd in Kyffin, co. Montgomery, a township named Ystymwynan, co. Montgomery. — N.B. The 'whole of the right margin of this deed has been snipped off!
(20.) Bond of Randolph Pole of London, to Wyl- lyam Wyllyams (sic) of the city of Chester, Esq., in £60, for £30 due on Feast of Presentation of St. Mary the Virgin next. Witnesses, Gregory Kinge and Ryce Williams. On obverse of seal the capital letters E. H.
(21). Letter dated 15th June 1725, of Abra' Glan- ville, to Roderick Lloyd (attorney), as to " Miss Conway's disbursements".
(22.) 5th February, 28th Eliz., 1585 O.S.2 Release by Rhys ab David ab Ithell of Ystymcolwyn, co. Montgomery, gen., and Thomas ap Rees ap David ap Ithell, his son by one Mar'ett, daughter of David ap leuan Bach of the same vill and co., gen., to " dilecto
1 John Owen Vaughan was Sheriff in 1583. His son was Owen Vaughan of Llwydiarth.
2 28th Eliz., 1585. The son, " Thomas ap Rhys ap David ap Ithel de Ystymcolwyu, gen.", and grandfather of Dorothy, wife of Lumley Williams, appears on a Montgomeryshire Grand Jury in the 36th and 43rd Eliz., 1593 and 1601. Burke, under Sir R. Bulkeley Williams Bulkeley of Penrhyn, Bart., erroneously styles him " Rhys Thomas of Ystymcolwyn". See vol. v, p. 417, n. 1.
92 ABSTRACT OF ANCIENT DEEDS, ETC.,
nobis in x'po" George Gruffith of Llanvechen (Bron- gain), co. Montgomery, gen., in three parcels of arable land, meadow and pasture, a quart7 parte unius fale- arie terrse — Anglice, "one peny taske"; another in the Vill of Brynkynvch'n, co. Montgomery ; a third part containing by estimation three bushels of "seminant" (qu. seed-corn ?) in the Vill of Llanvechen, between the lands of John ap Mathew ap David and of Richard ap David ap leuan, uet in quodd'n co nine (?) ibm vocat' caie Meibion David."
(23.) 18th James I of England, etc., of Scotland 54th. Bond of Evan ap William of Risgog, Robert Williams of Nantmeichiad, David ab Humphrey, sen., of ibid., yeoman, and David ab Evan of ibid., in co. Montgomery, to John ap John ap Owen of Penyarth, gen., in £52. Dated 30th December. N.B. — One witness is named " John Huncbache". There are four perfect seals, each with a device.
(24.) Bond of performance of conditions of a mort- gage of same date, from John Griffith of Ystymcolwyn, co. Montgomery, yomari, Edrin (Edward) ap John, his son and heir-apparent, William ap John, his younger son, to Henry Calcott of Ystymcolwyn, gen., in £50, due 8th November, 22nd James I of England, etc., and 58th of Scotland, 1624. Witnessed by Owen ap Richard, Robert ap John, Thomas ap levan, Rees Thomas, Tho. Lloyd, Edward ap Thomas, David ap John. Seals gone ; a large piece nibbled away.
(25.) Bond for performance of certain indentures "of co-equal date", 29th of November 1600, or later — the left margin being torn away — by Dorothy Williames of Ystymcolwyn, widdowe, to Thomas Owen of Llyn- lleodd, Esquier, co. Montgomery," sealed with my seal", a part of which extant, but detached. Witnessed by E. Wyn, Derwas Griffith, Rice Lloyde, Nicholas Robinson (qu., first Protestant Bishop of Bangor?), Robert Lloyde, Hon. Gilms (?), Richard Davies.1
1 " Nicholas Robinson," the witness to this deed (November 1600
DELATING TO MEIFOD AND ELSEWHERE. 93
(26.) 21st Charles II, 1668. Bond in £500 (quin- que cent, libris) of Lurnley Williams of Gelli Gaer, co. Montgomery, to John Williams of Ystymcolwyn.1 Sig- nature of Lumley Williams. Witnessed by Andrew Parry, P. Lloyd, Jo. Davies. Seal cut out.
(27.) Bond of Thomas Wynne of Garth, gen., and Gruffud Lloyd of Maesmawr, co. Montgomery, Arm. David Lloyd, Jeffrey Pochye (?) of Llandissilio (ibid.), gen., Humphrey ap Roger als Wynne of Trelydan, co. Montgomery, and Jasper ap Hughe of Rhyd Heskyn (ibid.), gen., to William Williams, Armig., in £300.2 Dated 28th January, 27th Eliz., 1585. Wil- liam Williams to enjoy quietly, etc., certain arable land, pasture, meadowe, and wood, in township of
or later), could not have been the " first Protestant Bishop of Bangor", as Nicholas Robinson, Bishop of Bangor, died in 1584. " Derwas Griffith" of Glyntwymyn, Cemmes, married Margaret, daughter of Griffith Kyffin of Cae Coch, and was the son of " Edny ved Gruffythe de Kernes, gener.", on a Montgomeryshire second Jury of Inquisition in the 35th Eliz., 1592.
1 21st Charles II, 1668. John Williams of Ystymcolwyn was the son of Lumley Williams by his wife Dorothy, daughter and heiress of Rhys ab Thomas ap Rhys ap David ap Ithell of Ystymcolwyn.
"Andrew Parry," probably of Main, Meivod, according to Harl. MS., under "Meivod", was the son of Robert Parry ap Jankyn ap John ap Harry by his wife Margaret, daughter of Humphrey Gruff, ap Hugh of Meivod. Andrew Parry, by his wife Margaret, daughter of Thomas Tannat ap Rees Tanat of Abertanat, had a son, John Parry (ib.).
2 27th Eliz., 1584. Thomas Wynne of Garth was the son of Humphrey ap John Wynne ap Griffith ap Eeginald, third son of Sir Griffith Vaughan, Knight Banneret, of Garth, Guilsfield, by his second wife Joyce, daughter of Humphrey Lloyd of Leighton. Catherine Wynne, his half-sister by his father's first wife, Anne, daughter of Sir Richard Herbert of Montgomery, married Griffith Lloyd of Maesmawr, Sheriff in 1580.
Humphrey ap Roger Wynne of Trelydan married Margaret, the sister of Thomas Wynne of Garth. Jaspar ap Hugh of Rhyd Heskyn was another brother-in-law of Thomas Wynne, having married his sister Ales. "Jesp'us ap Hughe de Ehidheskin, gen.", was on a Montgomeryshire jury in the 41st Eliz., 1597.
David Lloyd Jeffrey, a descendant of Gruffydd Deuddwr of the
94 ABSTRACT OF ANCIENT DEEDS, ETC.,
Garth ami Guylsfelde, co. Montgomery, as agreed in one payre of Indentures. Signatures of Thomas Wynne and Griffith Lloyd, and witnesses. Three seals; one has a cross on it.
(28.) 25th August, 13th William III. Endorsed, Chirograph Fine to Mr. [Lumley] Williams from Mr. John Bowen and use. (his wife Gaynor) for Bryn Kynvelin. At Court of Great Sessions at Pool (Pola), before Sir Joseph Jekyll and Sir Salathiel (?) Lovell, Knt. Lands valued by acreage. No seal.
(29.) The following grant illustrates the occupation of a Trev or Yill by common descendants of a single ancestor at so comparatively late a date as 1449, thus :
lorwerth du.=F
i
leuan ap Iorwerth.=f=
i
Tudur ap leuan ap Ior.=f= Res ap leuan ap lorwerth. \
Hoell ap Tudur. Res ap Tudur.
Sciant prsesentes et futuri quod DOS Res ap leuan ap lorwerth duy (for du, black) hoell ap Tudur ap leuan ap lorwerth et Ees ap Tudur ap leuan ap lorwerth liberi tenentes doraini regis villse de Bodvaye de Comot vcharh (sic) in Com' de Caern' dedimus et con- cessimus et hac carta nostra pro nobis et heredibus nostris in per- petuum confirmavimus Griffith ap Robyn ap Gmffyth libertatera (?) de eisdem villis Comos (sic) et cum (or Com.) heredibus et assignatis omnibus unam parcellam (?) terrae vocatam Y Ddol (the meadow) in perpetuum (next word indistinct and partly gone) wd (?) Edneuet or tenemen' [for Ednyved, or qu., read tenement?] lorwerth duy juxta flumen Ogvayn (Ogwen) et alia p8td (sic) (prsedicta ?) omne p'cell (parcellam ?) vocatam yrrynyo (?) in eodem loco in ista villa
Tribe of Brochwel, married Elizabeth, daughter of Owen ap Meredith ap Llewelyn ap Tudor of Meivod (Mont Coll., vol. viii, p. 411). " David Lloid ap Jeffrey, gen'os.", and " Reseus ap Dd. ap Ithell, gen'os.", of Ystymcolwyn, appear on the same county jury in the 14th Eliz., 1572.
RELATING TO METFOD AND ELSEWHERE. 95
una cum cursu et introitu aquae ad nostrum molendinum aquaticum ibidem cum suis implementis omnibus (a word gone) habendas et tenendas praadictas parcellas cum suis supradictis pertinentiis Grnffydd et heredibus suis de nobis et heredibus nostris (here comes a long interlineation in very small and indistinct writing, which may have been added at any time), et nos vero pre- dicti Rees ap leuan Hoell ap Tudur et Res ap Tudur pro nobis et heredibus nostris predictis parcellas omnes prsedictas et terras cum cursu omni (this word seems erased) aquae ad nostrum molendinum cum omnibus pertinentiis praedicto Gruff ap Robyn ap Gruff heredi- bus et assignatis suis contra omnes gentes Warantizabimus et in per- petuum defenderaus. Hujus (1) cartas nostrse sigilla nostra apposui- mus hiis testibus William ap Res ap Gruff, Davydd Coch ap leuan, ap pg ? (or Res 1), leuan ap Madoc ap Res, Math'w ap Madoc, et Robyn ap Madoc, cum multis aliis. Dat. apud Llanllechit vicesimo die Maij Anno Rr. Henr. sexti de conquest' Anglise vicesimo quinto. A.D. 1449.
It is remarkable that in this deed no mention is made of any equivalent to be rendered by the grantee for these valuable lands and watercourse, the paternal inheritance and freehold of the grantors. It would be interesting, if it could be learnt, to know what compen- sation, if any, was made to them for this surrender of their few hereditary acres to the great and, through his English connection, powerful lord of the district. The existence of a water-mill may also be a noticeable fact at so early a date.
(30.) This is an Award made by one whose name is not easily read, from the fact that the ink is exceed- ingly faint, and that a considerable portion of the deed, principally at the beginning, where the name of the arbitrator and cause of dispute must have been fully stated, has been destroyed by mice and damp. The disputants were Gruffydd ap Robyn ap Gruffydd ap Gwilym, his sister Lowry, Thomas ap Robyn, Davydd Goch, Hoell ap Robyn, leuan ap Hoell Vychan Goch, leuan ap Robyn. The subject of the Award is the equitable distribution of " hur fadr's" inheritance, in accordance with " an Ondenture", probably his will, and comprises " beestys", "sheepe", "silver gurdells", " Jewells" " on[e] horse, sadd[ull] and bridull", and
9G
ABSTRACT OF ANCIENT DEEDS, ETC.,
other " moveabul goods". Places named are " Tethin (Tyddyn) Gwillym" and " Tethyn Eignion Wythel" (Wyddel, i.e., the Irishman, so nicknamed for his Irish connection or proclivities). The first line of the deed, as well as it can be made out, runs thus, some of the words and names being extended : — " This is ye Award .... y .... lawes of Bys a[pj .... Goghe ap Madoc ap leuan ap Eignion ap Morgan (this reading of the name is not quite certain) ap leuan ap Maredud 11 (Llewelyn) ap Hulkin ap Davydd ap leuan." The names of Llewelyn ap Hwlkin (Howelkin, diminutive of Howel) may be recognised as occurring among the descendants of Hwva ab Cynddelw of Prisaddfed, in Anglesey, Chief of one of the Fifteen Noble Tribes.1 Poems by Howel Cilan and Guto'r Glyn show that this Llywelyri ab Hwlkin had then five sons — Hugh, Lewys, Davydd, Gruffydd, and Ehys. Maredydd, then, was probably not his son. Arid as the word " ap" is omitted between these two names only, it would seem that Llewelyn appears as the second " Arbitror" in the case. The final sentence in the document is as follows : —
" To ye Award we now Arbitrors Above Sayd put to our Sel[y]s Wryton and Gefyn there al. ou' Assent at Bangor in ye Cathedral Churche on Setersday nest aft. Saynt Marty n Day in Wynt'r yis Wittenesse Ar Thomas Colendfus]. Hughe Alick Chaunce of Bang', Richa (sic) ap Rise and many others, yn ye Raignynge of Kyng Harry ye sixt ye xxi Wynt'r of his rayne."
(31.) Conveyance by " Griffinus Lloyd ap Edmond2 villat' de Llanchrochroell, in com. Mountgoinerye, Esq., Galfridus Lloyd Villa de pola", to Gilbert Humphrey de Pola et Evan ap 'John ab leuan, 31 Eliz., 1589.
1 See Hist. Powys Vadoc, ii, 136, and note.
2 Griffith Lloyd ap Edmund ap Thomas ap Hugh ap Cadwalader, second son of Sir Griffith Vaughan of Garth, was Sheriff for the year 1580. He was of Maesmawr, in the township of Llannerch Brochwel, Guilsfield.
RELATING TO MEIFOD AND ELSEWHERE.
97
Tangwystl=f=Ednyved Vychan. = (2nd wife) Gwenllian, dau. of the Lord (1st wife). Rhys, " the fairest woman in Wales".
Sir Tudor=j= Alice, d. of Richard ab Cadd'r, 2nd son of Or. ab Cynan. of Nant
and
Llangyn- haval. j
Heilin ab=p Eva, d. of Owen ab Bleddyn ab Owen Brogyntyn. Sir Tudor. I
Gruffydd =j=Angharad, d, of leuan ab Gruff, ab Madoc Ddu ab Llewelyn ab ab Heilin. | Rhirid ab Owain ab Edwin, Prince of TegeingL
Gwilym ab=f=Angharad, d. and heir of Gruff, ab Davydd ab Tudor ab Madoc Gruffydd. | ab larddur, Grand Forester of Snowdon, Lord of Penrhyn.
Gruffydd =f Generys, d. of Madoc (Hist. Poit\ Vad., iv, 293), ab Goronwy ab | Vychan, drowned in 1381, ab Sir Tudor ab Goronwy ab Gwilym Ednyved Vechan.
(by his marriage united the two lines ofTudors).
Robyn ab=j=Angharad, d. of Rhys ab Gruffydd Gruffydd ab Goronwy ab Howel ab Cara- of Coch- doc ab lorwerth ab larddur (as willan, above).
Iivingl439. |
Gruffydd =fMallt, d. of Gruffydd Derwas ("Nan* ~u t>~u:~, I „«" T>~A -\
ab Robin.
T
Ped,).
Gwilym ab Gruffydd of Penrhyn m. Morvydd, heiress of Penmynydd, d. of Grono Vychan ab Sir Tudor ab Grono ab Tudor Hen ab Grono ab Ednyved Vychan; and 2ndly Jonet, d. of Sir Wm. Stanley, Kt.
Gwilym Vychan of Pen- rhyn, Esq., Chamber- lain of North Wales, m. Alice, d. and h. of Sir Richard Dalton, Kt., of Bysbain, co, Lancaster.
William ab=f=Angharad, d. of Davydd ab leuan
Gruffydd ab Einion, Constable of Harlech. (witness to
a deed
1485).1 |
William. =r=Dorothy, d. of, Sir William Griffith I of Penrhyn, m. Jane, d. and co*h. | of Sir William Troutbeck, Kt.
William =p(l) Agnes, d. of John Wynn ab=si(2) Barbara, d. of George,
Williams V Meredith of Gwydir (see only son of John, Lord
of Coch- Lewys Dwnn, ii, 131 ; and Lumley, executed for
willan; Hist. Pow. Vad., vi, 428). having joined the "Pil-
viv. in grimage of Grace" in
1553. 1538.
1 Three poems to him by Guto'r Glyn, He was Sheriff, 1485, for service at Bosworth, for life, and Chamberlain of North Wales in 1508. VOL. XXV. H
98 ABSTRACT OF ANCIENT DEEDS, ETC.,
Translation from the Welsh of Hengwrt MS. 96, p. 603, by ROBERT VAUGHAN, the Antiquary.
Wm. Yaugban (Yychan), Chamberlain of No. Wales (son of Gwilym ab Gruffydd ab Gwilym ab Gruffydd ab Heilin, by his 2nd wife Sioned (Jonet\ d. of Sir Wm. Stanley of Hooton, Chamberlain of No. Wales and Chester), had all the land of his father, and the land also of Paris (from whom Paris Mountain) by his mother's influence, and in the 18th year of Henry VI (1440) he got himself made a denizen under covenant that he should not marry any Welsh- woman, so he married Alice, dau. and heir of Sir Richard (or William) Dalton, Kt., by a dau. of Lord Clifford, his wife. Their son, Sir Wm. Griffith Hael (the Liberal), m. Jane, dau. of Sir Wm. Troutbeck, Kt., by his wife, a sister of Sir Thomas Stanley. Their dau. Joriet m. Sir Thomas Salisbury of Lleweny. Sir Wm. Griffith, Kt., son of Sir Wm. Griffith the Liberal, Chamberlain of No. Wales, m. Jane, d. of Sir Thomas Stradling, Kt. He had a son, Wm. Griffith, who died in Ireland ante patrem s. p., having m. a dau. of Wm. ap William of Cychwillan. His brother, Edward Griffith, Esq., the 2nd son of Sir Wm. Griffith, succeeded to Penrhyn, and m. Jane, d. of Sir John Puleston, Kt. He dying s. p., the 3rd brother, Sir Rhys, had Penrhyn, with other lands, and m. (1) Margaret, d. of Morys ab Elise of Clenennau, relict of Meredydd ab leuan ab Robert (qu. if this is the fact, as not in Hist, of Gwydir Family), o. s. p., and (2) Catharine, d. of Sir Piers Mostyn of Talacre.
John Griffith of Cichley, Esq., ab Sir William Griffith, m. Margaret, d. of Meredydd ab leuan ab Robert of Gwydir. He had a brother (or half-brother — his father is said to have m. twice), Rowland : and a son, Wm. Griffith, who m. Catharine, d. of Roger White, Esq. Also six daus. : (1) Grace, ux. John Mostyn of Pen y Gelli, son of Piers Mostyn of Talacre. (2) Elin, ux. James ab Owen of So. Wales. (3) Dorothy, ux. Edward Thelwall ab Simon Thelwall. (4) Maude, innupt. (5) Jane. (6) Margaret, ux. Thos. Wyn ab John ab Harri of Ruthin.
William Griffith of Cichley m. secondly, Dorothy, d. of Edw. Bellot of Buckton, co. Flint, by whom he had five sons — Edward, Griffith, Bellot, John, and Bulkeley. He m. thirdly, Agnes, d. of John ab Rhys ab leuan of Tref Meibion Meyric, by whom he had three sons, William, Robert, and Rhys. Wm. Griffith of Cichley had also three natural daus. by Gwenllian, descended from Gruff, ab Sandde ab Cadrod Hardd.
(32.) 12th Eliz., A.D. 1570. Bond of Alexander Cottes " de Com5 Cint' Cest' ", generosi, to Wm. Williams, Esq. [of Cochwillan], in 100 marks, dated the last day of September of xij Elizth., for a lease made by the Dean and Chapter of St. John's, in
RELATING TO MEIFOD AND ELSEWHERE. 99
Chester, to one Richard Cradock, of a barn in the parish of St. John's. A seal attached, but broken and tied with thread. On it, perhaps, a spray with leaves, or it might be a horse's head caparisoned.
By his first wife Agnes, d. of John Wynn1 ab Meredydd of Gwydir, William Williams of Cochwillan is said to have had a son Owen, disinherited, and a daughter, Elen, wife of Sir William Williams of Vaenol, created Baronet 1622 (Hist. Poiv. Fad, vi, 428), son of Thomas Williams of Vaenol, son of William Williams of Cochwillan by his wife Lowry, d. of Henry Salisbury of Llanrhaiadr. Also three other daughters, Jane, wife of William Coetmor, and Catherine and Margaret. He married, secondly, Barbara, d. of John, Lord Lumley (or George, son of John), executed 1538 ; s. p. (L. Dwnn.)
(33.) 1619. Bond of John Robert ap David of [see Bryngwyn, vol. v, 256] Llanvechan, and Robert Gruffydd of Bodynvol. co. Montgomery, to Robert ap Robert ap Robert of Abertanat, in co. Salop.
(34.) 1643. Conveyance by Griffith ap Robert ap Richard, Free tenant of the King of "villa de Bodryth de Kemettmen",2 co. Caernarvon, yeoman, to Evan ap Robert ap Richard of Aberdaron, and William ap Robert ap Richard of Bryn y Kroes, of his interest in Bodrith, and to use of his daughter Elizabeth.
(35.) 12 James I, A. D. 1614. A com mission to Henry and William Nedham, and Sir William Herbert. Knight, a Privy Councillor, Henry Williams, Esq., and others, to transfer the venue of a cause to another county. ^ (36.) 23 Eliz., A.D. 1581. Release (in Latin) by Edward ap John ap Hugh Conwey (sic) of Llanelian, co. Denbigh, joyner, and Margaret v'ch John Gryffyth, his wife, one of the sisters and heirs of Hugh ap John
1 See Mont. Coll., vol. xi, p. 421.
2 Cymytmaen, in Lleyn. Rhys Gloff, said to have been a son of Rhys Vychan, a Prince of South Wales, is described as Lord of Cymytmaen. Bodryth was part of the property of Williames of Meillionydd, afterwards of Ystym Colwyn.
H 2
100 ABSTRACT OF ANCIENT DEEDS, ETC.,
Griffith, late of Llanelian, deceased, late brother of Margaret, to William Williams [of Cochwillan]. Wit- nessed by Arthur Williams, John Lloyd, Lewis Gronow, and others, on 25th August.
A.D. 1584. Acquittance by Thomas Hanmer, late of Penley, co. Flint, to Edward Hanmer.
(37.) 5 Edward VI, 1552. Indenture of Robert ap Davydd ap Ithell, and Hughe ap Davydd ap Ithell [qu. younger brothers of Rhys ab Davydd ?]. Places named : Ystyffylley and Ystym Kolwyn.
(38.) A.D. 1629. Bond to Lumley ' Williams of Ystymcolwyn, by Edward ap John ap Griffith of Alberbury, Ringnandus [not quite legible] ap John Wyn ap John vichan de Mechen Iscoed in co. Mont-
f ornery, generosus, et David Lloid ap John loyd ap ohn ap leuan vichan de Mechen [of Bryngwyn and Brongain], to Rice ap David ap Ithell ap leuan ap Me'dith.
(39.) 19 Charles I, A.D. 1644. Settlement, dated 13th July, by Lowry Glynne of Ystym Cegid,1 Wid- dowe, in consideration of part of marriage portion on Arthur Williams of Myllionyth, Esquier, for preferre- ment of Anne, dau. of Lowry Glynne, now the wife of Arthur Williams, of the messuage called Tyddyn Ysky- borie, Bodnithoedd,2 lying between the river Bottwnog east, and the lands late of Hugh Jones of Bodnithoedd, now in possession and occupation of Gwenne Ellis, south and west, and a small (sic) stream of running water running through a place called Nant yr Evel, north in the township of Bodnithoedd, co. Caernarvon, for the use and behoof of the said Lowry Glynne, and after her to said Arthur Williams in remainder, on condition that she shall not be compelled to travel from
1 Formerly Own y Van. Catherine, d. and h. of Robert Owen, High Sheriff in 1621, carried the estate to the Glynnes. See H. Gwydyr F.y pp. 30, 36, 78, ed. 1878.
2 See the accompanying pedigree, showing that this place in Lleyn had been the residence of a family descended from the Princes of North Wales.
RELATING TO MEIFOD AND ELSEWHERE. 101
her dwelling-house. The sign manual of Lowry, viz., L. and a circular mark. (Glynne was her maiden name.)
The deed is enclosed in a memorandum stating that Lowry Glynne was the late wieff of Robert Owen of Ystym Kegid, deceased, in trust to Henry Williams of Maes y Caffoll (or Gassoll?), Esq. Witnessed (1643) by Thomas Glynne, Henry Williams, Hugh Wyn, Will. Wynne, Mereh (?), or Merth (?), Gruffyth Bruniau (?), Go Griff dolessg (sic), John Lloyd, Harri ap Bees, William Hughes, Bell Gruff (?), John Owens. A deed affixed to the above appoints Owen Wynne, Gentleman, her Atturney, to enter into the messuage in the name of Lowry Glynne, and signed with her mark, like a Y — . On the seal is an impression too faint to de- cipher, but something like the horns of a stag are still visible, perhaps part of the coat of the Oochwillan family from larddur.
The following pedigree of the old family of Bod- nithoedd is taken from Hengwrt MS. 96, in the auto- graphy of the antiquary, Robert Vaughan.
Sir Gruffydd Lloyd ab Sir Ehys, 2nd=f=Gwenllian, d. of Cynan ab Meredydd son of Gruffydd, 2nd son of Ednyved Vychan by Gwenllian.
ab Owen Gwynedd.
Sir Ieuan=f..., d. and h. of Sir Thomas Puleston, brother of Sir Eoger Lloyd. I Puleston.
Gruffydd ab Sir=pGwenllian, d. of Howel ab lorwerth Vychan of Caernarvon, leuan.
leuan =pJonet, d. of Ithel ab Cynwric Goch ab Davydd Chwith (or the Vychan. | Left-handed) ab Davydd ab Gruffydd ab Cariadoc ab Thomas ab Ehodri ab Owen Gwynedd.
Llewelyn Vychan.=i=Gwen, d. of Madoc ab leuan ab Einion.
I
Madoc. =f(l) Angharad, d. of leuan ab Davydd=j=(2) Angharad, d. of Gruff-
ab Gronow ab Davydd Ddu (or Ewth ?)
ydd ab Eobin of Coch- willan.
b
102 ABSTRACT OF ANCIENT DEEDS, ETC.,
T
I I I I I
1. Robert ab=j=Mallt, d. and h. of Lewis ab Howel ab Llewelyn ab Madoc. Howel.
2. Hugh.
3. Jam es. = Catharine, d. of Richard Trygarn.
4. Gruff ydd. = ..., d. of Ithel ab lorwerth ab Einion.
5. William Lloyd. = G wenhwyvar, d. of Meredydd ab leuan ab Meredydd.
Morris. =f Jonet, d. of Owen ab Meyric ab Llewelyn.
William. = ..., d. of Robert Gruffydd of Plas Newydd in Porthaml in
Anglesey.
1. Willis
rilliam ab Madoc.
2. Davydd.
3. Rhys. = Sabel, d. of John ab Robert ab Llewelyn ab Ithel.
4. Hugh. = Catharine, d. of Hugh ab Richard of Bodwrda in Lleyn.
[This pedigree is given with some variation in Lewys Dwnn, vol. ii, p. 81.]
(40.) J636.
Distribution of the Seats in the New He in Myvott (Meivod) Church,
in 1636.
The Seates in the newe He are thus disposed by the Commissioner, beginning in the north end of the He and soe upwards to the East, asfolloweth, 1636 :
The vacant place ov. agst. fyrst Seate for Oliver Morrice and Euan ap Jon. ap Wm.'s wife.
1. The ffirst forme for William dd. ap Cadwr., Dauid ap John and Jon. ap Euan ap Howell, and for the wife of Euan ap Hugh of Peniarth.
2. The second forme for Me'ddith ap Lewis Meredith, Thomas Rondiel Lloyd, and Dauid ap Euan ap Lewis.
3. The 3 forme for John Tanley, Thomas ap Jenij, Meredith ap John, and William Prynald.
4. The 4th forme for the Viccar's servants.
5. The 5th forme for Rees ap Evan's wife of Cefen-Llyfno, for Richard ap Lewis's wife, and for Rees ap Evan's wife, Brynbwa.
6. The 6th forme for Owen ap Richard's wife, Edward ap Hum- fre's wife, and for Robert Griffiths and his wife.
7. The 7th forme for the wife of Thomas ap John, for the wife of Lewis ap Hughe, for the wife of Richard Dauid of Trevedryd, and for the wife of Cadwaladr Roberts of Ystymcolwyn.
8. The 8th forme for Cadwaladr ap Hugh, William ap Euan, and David ap Lewis.
RELATING TO ME1FOD AND ELSEWHERE. 103
9. The 9th forme for John ap John ap Rynald, John, William, and Eichard Dauid of Trevedryd.
10. The 10th forme for Thomas ap John, Cadwaladr ap Evan, and Evan Lewis.
1 1. The llth forme for John Draycott, John Calcott, and for their wiffes.
12. The 12th forme for Meredith Howell, Dauid ap dd. ap dd., and for theyre wiffes.
13. The 13th forme for John Crooke, Dauid ap Eichard, Lewis ap dd. ap Humffrey ap Evan.
14. The Hth form of 30 inches for Mr. John Humffreys for to erect a seate.
15. The 15th forme of 30 inches for Mr. Roger Vaughan to erect a seate.
16. The 16th place of 30 inches for Lumley Williams, Esq.
17. The 17th place of 30 inches for Mr. Ellis ap Ellis and John Bowdler.
18. The 18th place of 30 inches for Mr. Edward Harries and for Edward Powell.
19. The 19th place of 30 inches for Mr. Andrew Parry.
20. The 20th place for Griffith Bynner and his Sonne. John Bynner.
21. The 21st place for Mr. Edward Vaughan.
22. The 22nd place for Mr. Humffrey ap John ap William, Andrew Lawton, and William Jones of Cwm.
23. The 23rd place, being uppermost of all, for James Mytton, Esq., for Mr. Richard Hunt,
Over against the upp'most Seate a shorte Seate for Mr. William Herbert, close to the Wall under the wyndow, soe that he comes not below the Arch.
It. The second arch, John Lloyd, Esq., is to extend both his seats as far as conveniently they may be, soe they hinder not the passadge. And the voyd place betwixt the Arch and the seate that Mr. Lloyd enedeth to be for Dauid ap Richard, for to erect a forme.
It. The 3 Arch, Lumley Williams, Esq., is to place a Seate from the side of the arch to Mr. John Matthews his Seate, where his wife sits.
It. Relative to the greate paynes taken by Mr. John Matthews for the bringinge in of the money lefte for erectinge of this plan, The Commissioners with one assent thinke fitte that Mr. Matthews well deserves to have licence to erect a seate under the 3 arch over against Mr. Lumley Williams' seate, and the rather for that his wiffe's seate here unto adjoyning is in our knowledge too narrow and straight. and both Mr. Williams' seate and Mr. Matthews' seate to be extended under the arch to the passadge through the He.
It. The fourthe arch, Mr. John Vaughan is to erect a seate as farr as conveniently it may be done, and Mr. Mathews and Herbert Vaughan are also to extend theirs as farr as conveniently they
104 ABSTRACT OF ANCIENT DEEDS, ETC.
may. Thomas Maurice, Esq., is to erect himself a seate ov. against the viccar's wife's seate under the new Arch.
Mr. ROBERT FFOULKES, Vicar of Myvod. ANDREW PARRY ) Churchwardms_ JOHN HUMFFREES / JOHN LLOYD, Esq. ^
THOMAS MAURICE, Esq. | LUMLEY WILLIAMS, Esq. }• Commissioners.
Mr. JOHN VAUGHAN,
Mr. JOHN MATTHEWS
105
ARTHUR BLAYNEY AND HIS HOME,
GREGYNQG HALL. BY W. SCOTT OWEN.
MUCH has already been published relating to Arthur Blayney, Esq., of Gregynog, who was born in the year 1716, and died at the ripe old age of eighty.
A very full account of that fine old sample of a Welsh country gentleman has appeared in the Mont- gomeryshire Collections, vols. xviii, xxi, and xxii, which can hardly be improved upon ; but little has yet appeared about his home and surroundings at Gregynog, to which the writer wishes to devote most of this article.
Arthur Blayney, High Sheriff for the county in 1764, a lineal descendant of Brochwel Ysgythrog, Prince of North Wales, 617 A.D., was one of a large family, he being the third son of John Blayney, Esq., of Gregynog, and Ann Weaver his wife ; and although of the last two generations there were twenty-three children, yet he alone was left as the last male representative of that ancient line ; and as he never married, the name in Wales died out, and his estates passed to his cousin, Susan Weaver, married to Henry Tracy, Esq., of Toddington.
A century almost has passed since his death, yet his memory is still green amongst the old folks of the district in which he passed so much of his long and useful life. Although possessed of ample estates, he remained to the day of his death a man of the simplest habits. Endowed with good abilities and the respect of all his neighbours — due to a blameless life and a hatred of meanness or trickery, unbounded hospitality to both rich and poor, a kindly heart and a helping- hand for all who strove honestly to keep themselves —
106 ARTHUR BLAYNEY AND HIS HOME,
he never courted notoriety, having on many occasions refused to represent his native county in Parlia- ment.
For a full account of Arthur Blayney, see the Appen- dix to Yorke's Royal Tribes. In that account he is said to have been very good to his tenants, and this is borne out by the fact that on his Welsh estates being revalued, fourteen years after his death, the rental showed an increase of almost 50 per cent. — a fact which shows how cheaply his farms were let.
He was devoid of all unseemly pride, and the writer has heard an old woman relate how he often used to call and see her mother, and how he would look around at her furniture and ask, " Have you this or that ?" and if she had not got such a thing, he would appear next day carrying in his own hands what was wanted, even down to a broom or a plate !
He was a true sportsman, arid kept his hounds, which were beagles, at Lediarte Deren, by Highgate, under the care of Mr. T. Sturkey, and shot his part- ridge with a stalking-horse. On a Sunday all his servants were driven to church in a sort of waggon, which the old folks say was made entirely of wood, no iron being used in its construction.
Mr. Yorke says that he was famed for his wines and the liberality of bis cheer ; and if the size of his wine- glasses, one of which the writer has seen, is any criterion, it must be true. Such a glass would rather surprise a drinker of old port in these days, being more like a tumbler than a wine-glass, it being 5 ins. high and 2>\ ins. in diameter !
Tradition relates that he insisted on all his tenants keeping white fowls, and that he who dared to trans- gress received a prompt rating for his bad manners ; and that, in order to induce apprentices to follow the path of godliness and cleanliness, he invariably made each a present of a Bible and a comb !
His portrait hangs in the hall at Gregynog, taken when an old man, and a kindly face it is.
GREGYNOG HALL.
107
The annual value of his estates was as under : —
Montgomeryshire Lands - Morville Hall Estate (Shropshire)- Tithes -
£ s. d.
4,782 19 6
1,592 3 0
675 12 0
6,990 14 6
In addition to this, the writer believes that some £200 to £300 a year arose from lands in Herefordshire.
The Montgomeryshire estates consisted of the fol- lowing farms or holdings : —
RENTAL OF THE GREGYNOG ESTATES IN THE YEAR 1795 AND 1809.
HOLDINGS,
Aberhafesp Parish.
Glanrhyd, Buxtons and Bryn-y- groes.
Penllanliky.
Bwllchcaehaidd.
Hill farm.
Tyny Wttra.
Werny Toe.
Piece part of Vachwen farm.
Little Bryn-y-groes.
Fachwen, exclusive of two de- tached pieces.
Galtyffynon.
Mellinygloch.
Cwm.
Llanwnog Parish. Rhydlydan farm. Mill house and lands. Henfryn farm. Bembow's meadow. Public-house, building and land Late Brown's building and gar- den.
Late Richards' house. Llwynybrain.
Newtown Parish. House, building, etc. House, etc.
House, etc.
Bear Inn and lands.
House and standings.
Glascoed.
Penarth.
Cefn-y-fastre.
Allotted land on Cefn-y-fastre.
Allotted cottage and garden on
Newtown Green. Allotted lands.
Llanllwchaiarn Parish. Tyny Cwm and allotted lands. Pwll-Coch.
Llandyssil Parish. Pentre. Balbro.
Kerry Parish.
Manllwyd and allotted lands. Gwernewidd. Little mill. Cefn-y-coed, Thomas's tenements
and allotted lands. Allotted lands on Cefn-y-fastre. Do. do.
Berriew Parish. Penycoed and allotted lands. Allotted land.
108
ARTHUR BLAYNEY AND HIS HOME,
Rectory, Place Llwyn, etc.
Penyfridd and allotted lands.
Wern.
Caethugley.
Wharf and lime-kilns.
Timber wharf.
Bettws Parish. Penyllan.
Cwmdockin and allotted lands. Cefnupol and allotted lands. Brynrorin and allotted lands. Garth.
Glanbechan and allotted lands. Tynyllidiart. Tynyrwttra. Highgate. Wain.
Upper Garth. Middle Garth. Garth cottage. Llyast Goch. Coedtrefe. Bryn Coch. Little Garth. Llettytwlch.
Bellanewidd and allotted lands. Penygaer and allotted lands. Bryn-y-Cull and allotted lands. Llwyn- Coch and allotted lands. Llyast. Pentre.
Little Penybryn. Pencarnions and allotted lands. Gwernybaidd. Glomen and allotted lands. Pontyperchill. Coppice tenement.1 Ystimcolwyn. House and garden (E. Lloyd).
Tregynon Parish.
House, Fulling mill, and land.2 Pwllan farm, with Bam hall and Galynog.
Gwaintrebedde.
Hafod-Talog.
Chapel meadow.
Fraithwen.
Bron Rees.
Fir house.
Old mill and lands.
Cwm Barn house.
Cefngwifed.
Little Brithdir.
Upper Wern.
Tydu.
Wern meadow.
Rhos Pant.
Gogwia.
Lletty Evan Llydan and Long
Birches. Cwm Kignant. Fachwen. Tynyshettin. Llwynmelin. Cae-Garrw. Village meadow. Dolymelin. Penybryn. Cottage, house, etc. Moat meadow. Caetan Llan. Tyny Coed. Neyodd Rees Llwyd (exclusive of
Caegarw in 1809). Tylurney and Steel's Croft. Birch house. Cochshidan. Tynygraig. Dairy. Aberclawdd.
Smith's house, shop and land. House, etc. Ty-Gwealt. Brithdir. Glanrafon. Tyn-y-banal.
Porthman's and Gron meadow. Cae-Gwastad.
1 Now called " Lane Tenement".
2 Now called « Walk-Mill".
GREGYNOG HALL.
109
Frwdwen.
Wainsarnew.
Argoed.
Tynybryn.
Baxter's land.
Lower Wern.
Cae-Grassy house, etc.
Tithe barn, house, etc.
Cwmearl.
Lower Llwynmelyn.
Cracklands.
Middle Wern.
Werndu, Lower Gregynog, and
Reservoir piece. Greatwood. Horse meadow. Church house farm. Penbertou's Wood. Wernypallis. Cae-G-o meadow. Upper Gregynog, Garden meadow
and Bankypiece. Tynewidd.
Penstrowed Parish. Ty-Mawr. Penstrowed Hall. Cefn Hir.
Llandinam Parish.
Carnedd. Maesmawr.
Forden Parish.
Penyllan (exclusive of land added to the Hole farm, 1809).
Hole farm (with lands added from Penyllan).
Quob tenement.
House in lease.
Trelystan Parish.
Church farm.
No name (Richard Russel).
Do (Betton's). Dingle tenement.
Total (in 1795), £4,782 19 6; (In 1809), £7,156 7 6
The old house in which Mr. Blayney lived so long stood where the present house now stands, most of the new house being built upon its foundations. It was an old house, smaller than the existing house, con- taining a ground-floor and two bedroom floors, built of red brick covered with blue slates, and a slate roof; it could not have been in any way a picturesque building. It was very much out of repair and overrun with rats, and the rooms much smaller than those of the present house.
The great feature of the house was the " Carved Parlor", situated in the south-east wing, in which was the magnificent old carved oak panelling, now in the dining-room of the new house.
This carving was executed by Dutch carvers, brought over to Wales for the purpose about the year 1636, shown by two carved panels, one bearing a half-moon
110 ARTHUR BLAYNEY AND HTS HOME,
and a sun, with JUNE 22 ; the other a sun with a face, and ANO »J< DNI 1636, with an anchor beneath it.
The arms, shown on accompanying sketches, are all carved on oak shields, there being eight shields, showing the arms of the great Welsh houses connected with the family, as well as the Blayneys' coat of arms, elaborately carved and placed over the fireplace.
The following is supposed to be the proper description of these arms : —
1. 1 and 4. Three horses' heads erased (arg.) for Blayney (Broch-
well Ysgythrog. 2. [Arg.] Three cooks [gu.~\t for Einion Sais. 3. [Erm,.~\ A lion rampant [argr.] for C}rnric ap Rhi- wallon. Motto: " Virtutis comes invidia" (Jealousy is the companion of Virtue).
2. [Sa.~\ A chevron engrailed, ermine between 3 trefoils slipped
\arg,~\ for Loftus or Ely.
3. [Sa.] A chevron between 3 spear-heads [arg,~], for Caradoc Freich-
fras, Earl of Hereford, one of King Arthur's Knights of the Round Table.
4. [ Vert.'] A wolf passant [ ], the mouth pierced with an arrow
[art?.], for Bleddyii ap Maenarch ; or perhaps, as said in an old letter in the possession of Lord Sudeley : " A Saxon coat of arms." No name given.
5. [Sa.~\ A chevron between 3 fleurs-de-lys [ar#.], for Collwyn ap
Tango, Lord of Evionedd, founder of one of the Royal Tribes, 1050.
6. [Or.] A lion rampant [#w.J, crowned [or], for Cynfyn, founder of
one of the Royal Tribes ; or perhaps for Howell ap Jerva, Lord of Arwstli.
7. [Vert.~\ 3 eagles displayed in fess [or], for Owen Gwynedd, Prince
of North Wales.
8. [ ] Per pale \az. and gii.~\ 3 lions rampant [arg.], for Herbert.
9. \Gu. ?] On a garb [arg. f] a bird [sa. ?], for Herle (?) ; or perhaps
for Watcyn ap Ion Hir.
10. [Ar.] A dragon's head [vert], holding a bloody hand in the mouth, for Rhys Goch of Ystrady w, or Philip Hir.
The rooms given in an old inventory of 1795 are as follows : —
1. Carved dining parlour. 8. Housekeeper's sitting-room.
2. Small parlour. 9. Store closet.
3. Passage to best hall. 10. Still-room maid's closet.
4. Best hall. 11. Upper larder or pantry.
5. Drawing-room. 12. Servants' hall.
6. China closet. 13. Kitchen.
7. Common hall or kitchen. 14. Scullery and pantry.
GREGYNOG HALL. Ill
15. Still and feathering room. 30. Lobby.
16. Milk room. 31. Store-room.
17. Cheese room. 32. Lower larder.
18. Dairy kitchen. 33. Cellars.
19. Under butler's bedroom. 34. Butler's pantry and other
20. Lower store-room. rooms over out-buildings.
21. Steward's old offices.
12'2. Wash-house. Bedroom Floors.
23. Laundry. 1. Crimson bedroom.
24. Brewhouse. 2. Yellow „
25. Bakehouse. 3. Chintz „
26. Bottle-room. 4. Cotton „
27. Boot-room. 5. Blue „
28. Salting-room. 6. Green „
29. Powdering or wig room. And 10 attics.
Luxuries, now quite common, did not exist in those days. The carved dining- parlour had no carpet, but a painted floor-cloth, 15ft. by 12 ft. The drawing-room furniture was scant, though there was a carpet 14 ft. by 13 ft., but no ornaments, and only one picture, and that of Morville Hall.
The bedrooms had only a strip of carpet at the ends and sides of the beds, and only two pictures are men- tioned in all the bedrooms put together. Each bed- room was supplied with a pair of bellows and extin- guishers.
There were no old carved bedsteads, which seem to have been generally of mahogany.
Bells there were to all the bedrooms, but only one clock amongst them all.
Amongst the furniture were the following oddities :
4 spit forks and cuckolds. A " dry cow" (whatever that may 2 long duck guns. be).
2 flying duck guns. 2 empty treacle casks.
1 old musket. A stand with linen yarn on it.
1 stalking horse. A single reel with yarns on it.
5 pairs of horse-pistols. One old linen spinning-wheel.
5 swords and scabbards. Wig-blocks, shaving cans, wig-
Pewter plates and 31 wooden irons, and silk powder-puffs, trenchers.
Lighting was all by means of brass candlesticks and candles.
112 ARTHUR BLAYNEY AND HIS HOME,
The reader will have gathered from the above what manner of house and estate Mr. Blayney owned, and I think the following extracts from his own accounts will show still further that, with so large a house and so ample an income, he was strictly economical and un- usually simple in his tastes.
Household Establishment. Outdoor Servants.
£ s. d. £ s. d.
Butler 31 10 0 per ann. Groom 1212 0 per aim.
Under butler 880 „ Gardener 24 3 0 „
Housekeeper 21 0 0 „ Bailiff 12 12 0 „
Cook 19 19 0 „ Under bailiff 880,,
Under cook 660,, Dairy maid 660,,
Chambermaid 660 Brewer 660
93 9 0 80 7 0
This for a house of with over fifty rooms may seem strange to us now, but it points to the simplicity and economy of past days, and to the greater capabilities of servants at that date than now.
There remain still a few extracts taken from Mr. Blayney's private accounts, written clearly and neatly in his own handwriting down to within six weeks of his death, which may be of interest.
Note in his accounts : —
" 1770. Old style ceased September 1752, and next day was accounted September 14th new style."
Here is a sample of the amount of wine purchased :
Vintner's Port Wine.
£ s. d.
1770. 12 Gallons AUicant 220
6 „ English Spirits - 110
3 „ French Brandy - 110
42 „ Southam Cyder - 220
63 640
£ s. d.
1773. A pipe of port wine - 51 11 6 Carriage from Lond on „ from Salop -
1784. Pipe of port, hogshead of Sherry 1792. Hogshead of Cadcavella - 25
GREGYNOG HALL. 113
Anent the port wine. The worthy Editor of the Montgomeryshire Collections has kindly sent me a curious old document, dated September 1786, by which it appears that Mr. Blayney,having purchased 40 gallons of port and 40 gallons of sherry at Liverpool, had it sent by sea to " Derwinlase", near Machynlleth, where the wine fell into the hands of a dishonest carter, who made holes in the casks and drank a large quantity of the wine, losing the rest en route, probably after his heavy libations. The document goes on to say that Mr. Blayney, having been " craftily and subtilly de- ceived and defrauded", claimed the sum of £100 as damages, but it ,does not appear whether he got it or not.
Further Extracts from Accounts.
£ s. d. 1773. Jan. 7. Salmon (now out of season at
that date) 070
Apr. 10. 5 ravens 026
Apr. 23. A kite 0 1 0
May 1. Window tax - 5 4 0
Mr. Clements for wigs - 3 3 0
July 9. Leather breeches for Ned - 1 5 0
Doeskin breeches - 110 0
Oct. 18. 2 wood cocks -050
1 do. 010
Evan Thomas, in lieu of Blew
Livery and Breeches - 6 3 0
1789. Making seven ruffled shirts - 1 4 6
2 pieces of Irish cloth 890
Sub. to a bride - 3 3 0
Innoculating 4 children - 0 10 0
In concluding what must necessarily be a somewhat disjointed article, the writer gives a few prices of commodities as taken from Mr. Blayney's accounts, which may be of interest, with a hope that what has been written above may be an addition, if but a small one, to other accounts already published of one of our brighest types of a real old Welsh gentleman.
VOL. XXV. I
114
ARTHUR BLAYNEY AND HIS HOME.
Beef
Cheese
Pork
Salmon
Wheat
Barley
Oats
Peas
Potatoes
|
Prices of Commodities. |
||||||
|
1763. |
||||||
|
s. |
d. |
£ |
s. |
d. |
||
|
0 |
2 per Ib. |
Sheep - |
0 |
7 |
0 |
each. |
|
0 |
3 „ |
Wool |
0 |
12 |
G |
st. lOJlbs. |
|
0 |
2 „ |
Board Wages - |
0 |
2 |
G |
per week. |
|
0 |
6 „ |
Maid — Wages |
2 |
15 |
G |
|
|
6 |
0 bushel. |
Boy |
6 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
3 |
6 „ |
Thatcher „ |
0 |
1 |
0 |
a day. |
|
7 |
6 „ |
Server „ |
0 |
0 |
6 |
, |
|
2 |
6 „ |
Labourer „ |
0 |
0 |
10 „ |
|
|
2 |
4 |
Women ,, |
0 |
0 |
6 |
„ |
MONT: COLL. VOL. XXV. to face page 115.
LLttNWDDVN CHURCH IN
115
LLANWDDYN.
III.— THE CHURCH IN 1684.
IN the official account of the progress of the Duke of Beaufort through Wales in 1684, from the original MS. of Thomas Dyneley, there is a paragraph about this church and a view of it. both of which, we think, it will be desirable to reproduce. The site of the church now forms part of Vyrnwy Lake. The para- graph runs as follows : —
" Seven miles from Bala, and within 4 miles of Mr. Vaughan of Lluider [Llwydiarth], we passed by Llanwddyn Church, leaving the church-yard on the right hand, att which place they expressed their loyaltie and good affeccon toward his Grace by jangling of their little bell, of which they spared not, the strangeness of the noyse whereof caused me to enter therein, where observable I found the rope to be Funis triformis, consisting of iron chain upward, gad or twisted withs next, and rope in fine."
IV. — THE HEALTH OF THE VYRNWY VALLEY.
By HUGH R. JONES, M.A., M.D.(Cantab.), B.Sc.(Lond.), late Surgeon, Liverpool Corporation Waterworks, Llanwddyn.
Comparatively few opportunities are obtained of observing the effect of a complete change in the physical features of a district upon the people living in that district and in its immediate neighbourhood. In this connection, be it remembered that in the term " physical features" is included, not only the confor- mation of the district [i.e., the height above sea-level, the elevation of hills above the plain, the angle of de- clivity of the hills, the amount of hill and plain, the
1 Continued from Mont. Coll.t vol. xxiii, p. 186.
I 2
110 LLANWDDYN.
course and characters of the valleys and ravines in the hills, the geological formation, the watershed and watercourses], but also the exposure to winds and the character of the winds, the amount and duration of sunlight, the amount and frequency of rain, the com- position of the soil (its mineralogical characters and the presence in it of vegetable and animal substances, its covering by trees, brushwood, etc., the amount of air and moisture in it), and the height, and variation in height, of the subsoil water.1
Changes can be artificially induced in a few only of these factors, which together make up the physical features of a district. The more frequent changes con- sist in an alteration in the level of the subsoil water, or in an alteration in the character of the covering of the soil, which may, however, induce changes to some extent in certain of the other factors, e.g., the amount and frequency of rain.
The extensive drainage operations of the modern engineer, resulting in the conversion of a damp, low- lying, uncultivated tract of country into a fertile plain, have been followed by a marked influence on the health of the district. This is shown by the great improve- ment in the health of the inhabitants of the Fen country, and the almpst complete disappearance from that district of malarious disease, previously so very frequent. Similar improvement in health has followed the sewering of many towns. In these instances the level of the subsoil water has been depressed, but the level is occasionally raised, e.g., by building an obstruc- tion in the course of a river, but usually only a small area is thus affected.
The conformation of a district is rarely changed ; but the formation of a large artificial inland lake by the Corporation of Liverpool over the site of the small hamlet of Llanwddyn, Montgomeryshire, has com- pletely changed the conformation of the upper valley
1 Vide Parkes, Hygiene, 7th ed., p. 23.
LLANWDDYN. 117
of the river Vyrnwy. An unique opportunity is thus afforded of testing the results upon health due to this form of physical change. The subject is of sufficient interest to place upon record, arid to discuss certain observations concerning the health of the valley pre- vious and subsequent to the formation of the lake. But it is necessary, first, to describe briefly the Vyrnwy Valley prior to the commencement of the construction of the reservoir, as well as the subsequent changes in physical features.
THE VYRNWY VALLEY.
The river Vyrnwy, indirectly a tributary of the river Severn, rises to the east of the Berwyn Moun- tains, and was formed near the old village of Llan- wddyn by the coalescence of a number of mountain streams. The part of the valley affected by the Liver- pool Waterworks is 4f miles long, and from J to f mile broad. High hills, 2,000 feet above sea-level, rise abruptly on either side and at its upper end, so that the valley is almost completely shut in by them, except at the lower or south-eastern end. The hills, except in places where they are too steep to admit of vegeta- tion, show a fine turf to the top, where the bog and heath commence. The bottom of the valley was very flat, and consisted of alluvium and marsh, and was in part converted into a network of watercourses by the irregular windings of the numerous mountain streams. Little land was cultivated in the district. The geo- logical formation of the district belongs mainly to the Upper and Lower Silurian systems.
On the north side of the valley, midway between its upper and lower ends, the old village of Llanwddyn was built on the estuary of the Cedig, and consisted of two streets crossing at right angles. A few farm houses were scattered in the bed of the valley and along the hillsides. The total number of houses in the valley was about 130, and the population about 450.
118 LLANWDDYN.
The lower end of the valley is very narrow, and a bar of rock was found at this part considerably nearer the surface than rock is found elsewhere. Upon this rock- bar a masonry embankment has been built, damming back the water, so as to form a lake 4£ miles long and | mile broad, having a capacity of 13,125 million gallons. The new lake restores the valley to its prime- val condition, for there is strong evidence that an ancient lake of glacier origin once existed, and that the flat strath of the modern valley was formed by the gradual silting up of the lake by debris deposited by the mountain streams.
The construction of the reservoir was begun in 1880, and consequently a large number of workmen and their families immigrated into the valley. To provide ac- commodation for them, two series of semi-detached wooden huts were erected, each hut consisting of a large living room, a storeroom, two small bedrooms, and a sleeping apartment for twelve men. Others of the workmen were taken in as lodgers at the houses for miles around. Complaints of overcrowding were occasionally made by the sanitary authorities, but the evil was only temporary. Earth closets were used throughout the valley, and near the centres of popula- tion were emptied daily, less frequently at the more remote houses.
The residents in the valley may be classed as follows : (1) farmers ; (2) the engineering arid clerical staif ; (3) skilled workmen, comparatively few in number, con- sisting of fitters, joiners, etc. ; (4) quarrymen, mostly Welshmen from neighbouring districts, and occupying, for the most part, the group of wooden huts, known as the "Quarry Huts"; (5) masons; (6) navvies, who were distinctly superior to the men usually employed on public works to do the same kind of work. Apart from the necessary exposure to cold and wet, the character of the employment was healthy. A few men, however, employed in tending stone-crushing machinery, which generated much fine dust, and others
LLANWDDYN. 119
engaged in the dusty occupation of measuring cement, suffered to some degree from persistent bronchitis. Although the blasting was very extensive, only on one occasion, when a new explosive was being tested, were any ill effects noticed.
The principal works consisted in the construction of 12 miles of road, the excavation of foundations for the dam and Vyrnwy tower, the erection of the dam, tower, and • other buildings, the construction of the Hirnant tunnel (2f miles long— the first part of the aqueduct), quarrying and dressing the necessary stone, and the distribution of material by steam tramways. The nearest railway station is at Llanfyllin, 12 miles away, and all machinery, coals, cement, etc., were con- veyed to the works by road.
On November 28th, 1888, the valves in the dam were closed, and the formation of Lake Vyrnwy began. All accumulations of filth in the valley had been re- moved, the old houses dismantled, fired, and finally blown by dynamite. No burials had taken place in the village churchyard since 1880, but a new cemetery was opened b'elow the dam, to which all the remains from the village churchyard were removed in 1886, and from the church in 1888.
The lake gradually and continuously increased in size until the end of April 1889, when its area was approximately 1,000 acres. From that time until the end of July 1889, owing to the loss of water by the discharge of statutory compensation water to the river Vyrnwy, and by evaporation, and on account of the prevalence of dry weather, it fell about 2J feet. Thenceforward it steadily rose, until the first over- flow occurred on November 22nd, 1889, within twelve months of the first formation of the lake. The area of the full lake is 1,121 acres ; its greatest depth is 84 feet ; top water level is 825 O.D.
Early in June 1889, coincident with the access of hot weather, a considerable quantity of sulphuretted hydrogen gas was emitted with the monthly statutory
120 LLANWDDYN,
compensation water, which is drawn from near the bottom of the lake, and discharged through tunnels in the dam during four consecutive days each month. Afterwards the gas escaped also with the daily com- pensation water, which is drawn from a slightly higher part of the lake. At the same time a copious deposit of oxide and basic carbonate of iron took place in the river bed, extending for a distance of several miles. Pieces of bog floated to the surface at the upper end of the lake, and a faint odour of sulphuretted hydrogen was occasionally perceptible over the surface of the. water, more especially in cloudy weather. The masonry of the dam and tower became slightly dis- coloured, similarly to the river bed. White streaks on the surface of the lake parallel to the axis of the valley are frequently observed.
In July 1889 the weather became cold and wet, and towards the beginning of August all perception of sulphuretted hydrogen gas was lost, and no further precipitation of iron was noticed.
It is probable that the sulphuretted hydrogen gas was formed by the decomposition of peat and other vegetable matter, and this was most intense at the bottom of the lake. The sudden reduction of pressure in the discharge tunnels accounts for the intensity of the smell below the dam. Owing to the great heat of June the decomposition of vegetable matter was too rapid to allow further oxidation-processes by which the sulphuretted hydrogen would have been destroyed. The slight odour over the surface of the lake was due to sulphuretted hydrogen which escaped change in its passage upwards. No ill effects due to the gas were observed, with this exception, that one or two members of the indoor engineering staff suffered from headaches, which were relieved by a meal and open air exercise. Fish were quite unaffected. Coincidently with the emission of sulphuretted hydrogen, the deposit of iron was noticed in the river bed. A number of chalybeate springs exist in the valley ; much iron, too, would be
LLANWDDYN.
121
dissolved from the bogs. The water in the lake has a slight, but distinct, acid reaction, owing to peaty acids in solution, which doubtless prevented the deposition of iron to any appreciable extent on the margin of the lake. During the passage of the compensation water through the discharge tunnels, considerable aeration and oxidation occurs, and the iron was therefore deposited in the river bed.
If water be taken from the lake and kept in a closed bottle, little deposit occurs, but eventually the water, originally of a slight yellowish colour, becomes con- siderably darker. If exposed to air, a more copious flocculent precipitate, brownish in colour, occurs, and the water becomes considerably clearer. If artificially oxidised, a clear colourless water is obtained, or if artificially reduced, a clear water, with slight yellowish coloration, results. The first step, therefore, in the oxidation of the water is shown by its deeper colour. The result of experiment agrees with the observation of the water of the lake. During the hot weather the colour was first intensified, and then became fainter, arid the colour varies also according to the quality and quantity of the water flowing into the reservoir, the flood waters containing most peat. Probably, there- fore, the lake will take considerable time to lose com- pletely its peaty coloration, but once the great propor- tion has been oxidised, the incoming water will be rapidly and effectually bleached, and then, and not till then, Liverpool will be supplied with an almost abso- lutely perfect water.
Analysis of Water — River Vyrnwy — in parts per 100,000.
|
Solids |
5-000 |
Soda |
0-319 |
|
Organic carbon Organic nitrogen Ammonia |
0-346 0-034 0-003 |
Potash . Magnesia Lime |
0-191 0-183 0-366 |
|
Total nitrogen Hardness Chlorine . |
0-037 1° 0-742 |
Alumina . Sulphuric acid Silica |
0-227 0-655 0-400 |
122
LLANWDDYN.
The analysis of lake water will probably yield a result even more satisfactory.
The climate remains to be considered. It is almost needless to mention that the rainfall of the district is both very high and very variable. During the decade, 1880-89, the minimum recorded rainfall exceeded 32 inches, while the maximum was nearly 119 inches. Rain falls on about 200 days each year ; April, May, June, and March are the driest months. Very heavy snowstorms are frequent in winter. The direction of the winds is very variable, but westerly winds prevail on nearly 200 days. In 1889 the direction of the wind was W. on 72 days, N.W. 61, N. 31, N.E. 32, E. 29, S.E. 32, S. 44, S.W. 64.
The mean monthly maxima and minima tempera- tures have been deduced from all the data existing, and show, as would be expected, a lower minimum than is experienced near Liverpool, while the maximum does not vary so greatly. Frosty nights are frequent until late in May.
Mean Monthly Maxima and Minima Temperatures.
Maximum Minimum
Mean
Maximum Minimum
Mean
|
Jan. 41.45 31.41 |
Feb. 42.31 31.73 |
March. 43.88 36.53 |
April. 51.98 34.25 |
May. 60.09 39.58 |
June. 69.10 46.47 |
|
«6.2 |
36.6 |
36.2 |
41.6 |
48.1 |
56. |
|
July. 68.34 48.10 |
Aug. 65.10 4540 |
Sept. 59.75 42.68 |
Oct. 52.04 38.27 |
Nov. 45.64 35.44 |
Dec. 40.8 31.11 |
|
56.3 |
53.5 |
49.9 |
44.15 |
40.1 |
35-9 |
Having thus described the valley, its physical features, and the recent change in them, its inhabi- tants, and their occupations, I proceed to consider the valley health. I shall first of all briefly consider the diseases which occur in the valley, and then endeavour to determine their incidence, and shall finally inquire what influence upon the valley health resulted from the formation of Lake Vyrnwy.
LLANWDDYN.
123
THE DISEASES OF THE VYRNWY VALLEY.
(I) Statistics of 3240 cases of illness occurring at Vyrnwy between August 1, 1882, and March 31, 1890, have been analysed.
Analysis 0/3240 Cases of Illness between August 1, 1882, and March 31, 1890.
Convulsions
Epilepsy
Headache and Neuralgia
Bronchitis . .
Pneumonia
Phthisis .
Croup and Laryngitis
Diphtheria
Pleurisy .
Dyspepsia
Gastritis .
Diarrhosa
Febricula
Stomatitis .
Tonsillitis
Rheumatism
Confinements 398
Debility
|
28 |
Scarlet fever |
6 |
|
|
17 |
Pertussis . |
62 |
|
|
100 |
Influenza . |
76 |
|
|
504 |
Measles . |
40 |
|
|
88 |
Parotitis . |
16 |
|
|
16 |
Varicella . |
10 |
|
|
19 |
Hepatic disease |
21 |
|
|
42 |
Renal disease |
49 |
|
|
27 |
Skin diseases |
104 |
|
|
306 |
Disease of heart |
29 |
|
|
184 |
„ of eye |
29 |
|
|
185 |
„ of ear |
9 |
|
|
127 |
Erysipelas |
33 |
|
|
27 |
Unclassified |
325 |
|
|
98 |
Diseases of Women |
66 |
|
|
133 |
Injuries . |
325 |
|
|
83 |
- Total 3240 |
From the above table it will be seen that diseases of the respiratory system were very numerous. Of the eighty-eight cases of pneumonia, fifty-eight were in adults. The excessive frequency of these cases is partly to be accounted for by the severity of the weather, partly by the carelessness of the men. In the early spring of 1888, a distinct epidemic of pneu- monia occurred (vide Chart), chiefly adults were attacked, and a number of deaths occurred. Its prevalence was attributed to the greater variations in temperature, and to the influence of the north-easterly winds. Dr. Charles Lovegrove (who was surgeon at Vyrnwy until June 1888) records the epidemic in a letter to the British Medical Journal (July 21, 1888),
124
LLANWDDYN.
and surmises that it may have been of the same nature as the epidemic at Middlesborough.
Coincidently with the increase in cases of pneumonia,1 a marked increase in cases of gastritis was noticed, and many cases of diphtheria occurred. " Gastritis" was ever very prevalent at Vyrnwy. In the mildest form the cases consist in sudden feverishness (the tempera- ture rises to 101°-10H°), with great backache, headache, and pains in the limbs. Occasionally a little sore throat is present, often repeated shiverings occur, but not of sufficient severity to be called rigors. The tongue is dry and thickly furred. Herpetic eruptions on the chin and lips have been noticed. Recovery frequently occurs in twenty-four to thirty-six hours, marked by profuse perspiration. The more severe cases are followed by vomiting, less frequently by diarrhoea, not seldom by both. Of the 178 cases recorded in the surgeon's book, 1882-1889, twenty- nine occurred in the spring (February, March, April), forty-nine in the summer, forty-nine in the autumn, fifty in winter. No cause was usually discoverable, but the symptoms are suggestive of a poison belonging to the class of ptomaines. The cases are undoubtedly more frequent after changes in the weather, more especially after sudden wet, as is shown by the weather-record, yet this association is scarcely an explanation.
|
Jan. |
Feb. |
March. |
April. |
May. |
June. |
|
1888. 1889. |
1888. 1889. |
1888 1889. |
1888. 1889. |
1888. 1889. |
1888. 1889. |
|
4 5 |
3 6 |
8 6 |
5 11 |
5 9 |
6 J |
|
4 7 |
0 6 |
7 1 |
3 4 |
4 4 |
10 1 |
|
July. |
Aug. |
Sept. |
Oct. |
Nov. |
Dec. |
|
1888. 1889. |
1888. 1889. |
1888. 1889. |
1888. 1889. |
1888. 1889. |
1888. 1889. |
|
16 5 |
12 10 |
2 5 |
7 12 |
19 7 |
11 6 |
|
8 2 |
11 2 |
2 5 |
6 2 |
6 1 |
8 1 |
Bain2
Gastritis
Rain
Gastritis
(The condensed statistics for May and October hardly support the theory, but when the monthly statistics are further analysed, they are found to do so.)
1 This observation has been recently confirmed by Dr. Parsons in bis report on an epidemic of pneumonia at Scotter, Lincolnshire.
2 The numbers indicate relative, not absolute, rainfall.
LLANWDDYN. 125
The cause cannot be found in the water-supply, for the cases occurred equally all over the valley. The water-supply was different in the different parts of the valley.
Cases of this kind are frequent in ordinary practice (Fagge, Medicine, vol. ii, p. 319), and have been found associated with weather changes, but their excessive frequency in the Vyrnwy Valley deserves considera- tion. It is difficult to avoid believing that the ex- cessive frequency in 1888 (1886, 22 cases; 1887, 11 cases ; 1888, 73 cases ; 1889, 36 cases) was associated in some way with the prevalence of pneumonia, tonsillitis, and diphtheria, for association with epi- demics has been previously noticed. The year 188G was the driest year recorded at Vyrnwy, and the rainfall in 1887 was 23 per cent, below the average, in 1888 0'3 per cent, below, and in 1889 16 per cent, below. The changes in the level of the subsoil-water may therefore have had some influence.
As regards treatment, salicylate of sodium yielded almost uniformly good results.
During January, February, and March 1890, a very extensive epidemic of influenza occurred in the district. The first cases occurred four miles from the works, in houses at the entrance to the valley, but afterwards the distribution became general.
The cases of diarrhoea do not call for special note. They were more frequent during July, August, and September. First quarter, 23 ; second quarter, 26 ; third quarter, 65 ; fourth quarter, 48.
Zymotic Diseases. — Sporadic cases of mumps, measles, and scarlet fever are not uncommon ; not in- frequently well-marked epidemics occur. The origin of the first case is usually quite undiscoverable, and fre- quently no connection between the earlier and later cases can be traced. Although so many strangers settled in the valley, it is a matter for congratulation that no infection was directly introduced.
(a) Mumps. — A distinct epidemic, spring 1890.
126 LLANWDDYN.
(6) Scarlatina, — No epidemic.
(c) Measles. — Epidemic, October 1889, in the valley of the river Co/n"\$y.
(d) Small-pox. — One case only in 1885.
(e) Whooping Cough. — Epidemic in 1886. The old treatment for whooping cough consisted in sending the patient's father to the seventh son of a family of sons only, who was to be persuaded to cut a piece of bread and to spread butter on it. Then he must breathe upon it seven times. When this was given to the child, rapid recovery was expected.
(/) Diphtheria. — Although 1888 was exceptionally healthy, as shown by the Quarterly Returns of the Registrar-General, yet the deaths from diphtheria were considerably above the average, and a large number of epidemics occurred which were widely distributed. In very few cases could any definite cause for the disease be assigned, but it was generally attributed to want of sanitary precautions. In one instance it was found that diphtheria was more prevalent on retentive than absorptive soils. In Kendal it prevailed in the flattest and most low-lying district, over which a fog had hung for some time with great persistency. In Camberley and York town it occurred in damp, boggy situations. In several instances cases of sore throat preceded by some time the actual outbreak of diphtheria.
At Vyrnwy the year 1888 was very unhealthy. Following and partly coincident with an outbreak of pneumonia in the spring, an epidemic of diphtheria occurred, the most characteristic features of which are instanced in the cases just enumerated. Forty- two cases in all were recorded, — twenty-four in the spring and eighteen in the autumn. The first part of the epidemic, which began in March, abated towards the end of May. Seven deaths occurred. A solitary case occurred in June in an isolated farmhouse ; and during July, August, and September seventeen cases, with two deaths, occurred in the Cynon Huts and in houses along the river course. It is said by the old inhabi-
LLANWDDYN. 127
tants that diphtheria is by no means of infrequent occurrence in the valley. A widespread and very fatal epidemic occurred in 1858 — at the time the term diphtheria began to be introduced into English medical literature. In 1880 eight cases occurred in the valley. There is, however, reason to believe that the disease was then imported from Llanymawddwy. Between 1871 and 1880 twenty-one deaths were registered from diphtheria in the Vyrnwy area, which includes a con- siderably larger district than the works.
Dr. Parsons, a medical inspector of the Local Govern- ment Board, reported upon the outbreaks of 1880 and of 1888. With regard to the latter he was unable to offer any explanation as to its origin. The steps taken to suppress it may be worthy of mention. At first it was not possible to persuade parents to allow their sick children to be removed to a hospital. I therefore caused all healthy children from infected houses to be isolated in a creche under the charge of a trained nurse, and strict quarantine was enforced. The ex- periment was partially successful, for, although only one case occurred in the crdche, new cases still broke out in fresh places. A hospital for diphtheria was established, and all cases were removed there. By this time parents believed in the wisdom of this course, which was more than justified by the complete success which followed its adoption. The epidemic speedily died out. Efficient isolation and disinfection of all infected houses was carried out. The forty-two cases occurred in twenty-five families. Two or three cases, besides those occurring in the same household, were traced to direct infection.
The noteworthy features of the epidemic, in the earlier and later manifestation, were :
1. A general tendency to follow the river course, the
earlier cases occurring nearest the source of the river.
2. Almost all cases occurred in low-lying marshy
situations.
128 LLAKWDDYN.
3. A coincident increase in the number of cases of
sore-throat and gastritis. •
4. " Simple" sore-throat occurred in members of one
or two households before "diphtheria" was recognised.
Sore-throat has always been prevalent. The more severe cases resolve themselves into well-marked quinsy, and frequently result in tonsillar abscess. The old inhabitants recommended for this complaint the application to the throat, as a cataplasm, of a handful of the dark hair (cut at midnight) from the black stripes across the shoulders of the colt of an ass.
Cases of 'rheumatism andneuralgia are very numerous ; typical " brow ague" is not infrequent.
Little remains to be said concerning other diseases. Goitre is very common in the district, and many of the wives of the workmen complained of an enlargement in the neck after they had resided in the valley some years. The thyroid in the latter cases was certainly enlarged, and the enlargement was believed to be recent. The softness of the water, and the difficulty of obtaining an adequate supply of fresh vegetables, explain the large number of cases of constipation. Intestinal worms are common ; venereal disease is almost unknown ; erysipelas is riot infrequent.
THE DISTRIBUTION OF SICKNESS.
The valley naturally divides itself into two districts.
1 . The part which is now covered by Lake Vyrnwy, "the Cynon Division", consisting of (a) the village, situate ^ mile from the old river course, and 2 miles from the dam, and including a few farm-houses in the bottom of the valley ; and (b) the " Cynon huts", built on a steep slope, on rock and clay and marsh, situated near the dam, together with a few stone houses in close proximity to them. The average annual popula- tion of "Cynon" was 742.
2. The higher part of the valley, " the Quarry
LLANWDDYN.
129
Division," consisting of (a) the Quarry huts, situate the subordinate valley of Afon-y-dolau-gwynion.
in
Built on gravel, on a fairly steep slope, and inhabited for the most part by a distinct class of workpeople, this
roup of houses rightly constitutes a separate division ;
b) all houses above the new level statutory road, which goes all round the valley, following the contours of the hills — at about 860 O.D. ; and (c) a few houses below the embankment and near to it, largely the property of the Liverpool Corporation, and inhabited for the most part by Corporation employes, which have been included in this division on account of the similarity in situation. The average annual population of the " Quarry" was 963.
The following table shows the incidence of cases in the two districts : —
Analysis of 2,448 Cases of Illness according to Locality.
|
Cynon. |
Quarry. |
||||||||
|
Year. |
Men. |
Women. |
Children. |
Total. |
|||||
|
Popula- tion. |
Cases. |
Popula- tion. |
Cases. |
||||||
|
18821 |
711 |
80 |
856 |
40 |
5 |
35 |
43 |
47 |
125 |
|
1883 |
832 |
186 |
978 |
135 |
14 |
108 |
109 |
118 |
335 |
|
1884 |
879 |
207 |
1024 |
126 |
26 |
111 |
132 |
116 |
359 |
|
1885 |
894 |
190 |
1039 |
124 |
23 |
89 |
131 |
• ll7 |
337 |
|
1886 |
849 |
168 |
993 |
125 |
20 |
74 |
105 |
* 134 |
313 |
|
1887 |
848 |
144 |
992 |
86 |
15 |
51 |
89 |
105 |
215 |
|
1888 |
674 |
253 |
1020 |
153 |
64 |
122 |
143 |
205 |
470 |
|
1889 |
248 |
66 |
822 |
143 |
55 |
59 |
94 |
111 |
264 |
|
Total |
742 |
1294 |
963 |
932 |
222 |
649 |
846 |
953 |
2448 |
222 cases occurred in the neighbouring valleys, and are not further considered.
Of the remaining 2,226 cases, 1,294, or 58 per cent., occurred in the Cynon or submerged district, and 932, or 42 per cent., in the Quarry district. If the popula- tions had been equal in the two districts, the difference in the incidence would be more marked — in the pro- portion of sixty-four to thirty-six.
VOL. xxv.
Five months only.
K
130
LLANWDDYN.
The greater incidence of sickness in the Cynon dis- trict must be mainly due to difference in situation, for the houses in the two districts were very similar in construction. The Quarry huts were, however, in- habited by more temperate tenants, and were kept cleaner.
If the incidence of certain diseases (e.g., pneumonia, pleurisy, etc.) in the two districts be compared, the greater frequency in the Cynon district is still notice- able.
Cynon. Quarry. Pneumonia .61 39
Pleurisy .57 43
Diphtheria .84 16
Tonsillitis 66 34
Cynon. Quarry. Rheumatism . 55 45
Gastritis . 49 51
Diarrhoea 58 42
Neuralgia
63
37
These numbers have been calculated for equal popu- lations. Therefore we may conclude that not only was the total illness in the Quarry district less, but also that the type was less severe than at Cynon. And this is confirmed by the death-rate. Between 1880 and 1890, 202 deaths were recorded, giving an average death-rate of 1 1 per thousand per annum for the whole district. The Quarry and Cynon are situated in two registration districts. I have been able to obtain the medical officer of health's reports for the Cynon district only. These show that the death-rate in that district varied from 12 to 14 per thousand per annum. The Quarry rate must therefore be less. The annual num- ber of deaths is so small that it is necessary to consider a series of years, to avoid drawing misleading con- clusions.
Ten persons over sixty years of age died, thirteen over seventy, eleven over eighty, and two over ninety. Sixty-five children under five years of age died, and forty-two of these were under one year. The returns of the registered cause of death are also incomplete, 111 only being accounted for. Of these fifty were under five years of age.
LLANWDDYN.
131
|
Convulsions |
5 |
Diarrhoea |
3 |
Diphtheria |
. 5 |
|
Meningitis |
2 |
Cancer |
2 |
Variola |
. 1 |
|
Pneumonia |
26 |
Placenta prsevia |
1 |
Enteric fever |
. 1 |
|
Cardiac |
o |
Injury |
3 |
Erysipelas |
. 1 |
|
Phthisis |
3 |
Pertussis |
5 |
Old age |
. 4 |
|
Hepatic |
1 |
Laryngitis |
1 |
Other causes |
. 37 |
|
Renal |
4 |
THE INFLUENCE OF THE LAKE.
It is now possible to inquire into the influence the lake has exerted on the health of the district, but even after careful study of the statistics no definite or satis- factory answer can be given.
Reference to chart will show that the sickness in 1889 was less than in any year except 1887. We may therefore infer that the resultant effect upon health, even if not beneficial, was not prejudicial. Furthermore, it is seen that cases of bronchitis show a distinct increase, while cases of tonsillitis and gastritis, though above the average, show a marked improvement on 1888. Cases of rheumatism and pneumonia are below the average. It is premature, however, to found any theory upon this result, especially when the increased frequency of many diseases every second year is noted.
The only cases which were fairly attributable to the direct influence of the lake were four cases of persistent bronchitis, at once relieved by change of residence from near the margin of the lake to houses on more elevated ground ; an obstinate case of sciatica, which recovered on removing ; and one case of asthma.
But there is reason to believe that the final result upon health will be beneficial, depending upon
I. The submersion of the less healthy part of the valley, and the general improvement in the sanitary state of the houses on the hill-sides.
n. Changes in physical features — (a) The temperature will be more equable, the daily range less. Water absorbs heat more slowly than air, parts with it less readily, and stores up a greater quantity, (b) Fre- quently mists used to gather in the bottom of the
K 2
132 LLANWDDYN.
valley, separated by a distinct line of demarcation from the clear air beyond. The air cooled by the passage down the steep hill-sides, and stagnating in the almost confined valley, used to condense into mist. Marked diminution, in density and in frequency, has already been observed, (c) A slight increase in the rainfall of the district will be noticed.
in. The action of the lake as a reservoir will act beneficially on the country lying below the embank- ment in two ways — (a) The Act of Parliament secures even during the driest seasons a minimum daily dis- charge of ten million gallons to the river Vyrnwy, equivalent to more than three times its minimum dry- weather flow. (6) The watershed of Lake Vyrnwy bearing a large proportion to the total watershed of the river Vyrnwy, floods will be less frequent and less excessive as soon as water is delivered to Liverpool. At present, while the lake is full, the discharge of flood waters is more rapid, and consequently the floods are large.
The results of the present inquiry may be briefly summarised :
1. The upper valley of the river Vyrnwy was divisible into two districts differing in physical con- formation, of which the more low-lying was distinctly the less healthy.
2. The low-lying district has been covered by Lake Vyrnwy.
3. The formation of the lake was followed by no prejudicial effects upon health.
4. The probability that in the future a beneficial effect will result from the presence of the impounded water both as a lake and as a reservoir.
As yet it is impossible to draw any very precise inferences, but material has been collected, which will at some future time enable an inquiry to be made to determine, with a considerable degree of accuracy, the exact influence which the existence of Lake Vyrnwy exerts upon the district.
133
MONTGOMERYSHIRE SAINTS.
BY THE REV. JOHN FISHER, B.A., CURATE OF LLANLLWCHAIARN.
I.
S. AELHAIARN lived in the sixth century, and was a brother to SS. Llwchaiarn arid Cynhaiarn. The Cata- logues of the Welsh Saints show great variations on the part of the copyists in the genealogy of these saint- brothers. S. Aelhaiarn's name is written Ael-, El-, arid AI-, with all the variations of the latter component part, -haiarn, -hayarn, -haearn, and -haern. His father is said in the different MSS. to be Hygarn ab Caerwael abCyndrwyn(7o£olf$£,104, reprint 1888); Hygaruael, Hugarvael,Hyrgaruael,or KygarvaelapKyndruyn; Cyn- fael, or Cynwel ap Cyndrwyn ; Keruael, Kervael, or Kyrvael m. Kendrwyn ; Garanvael ap Cyndrwyn, and Morfael ap Cyndrwyn (Myvyrian Archaiology, 416-427, 2nd ed., and Achau y Saint in Rees's Lives of the Cam- bro-British Saints, 267). Upon the whole, it may be said that the MSS. point to a form which may be written Hygarfael. Then we have another difficulty, as to the name of the place he lived at, which is given us ad loc. It is said, in all the MSS., to be in Caereinion in Powys, with two exceptions, which say it was Yngheredigiawn, " in Cardiganshire" — evidently a misscript. He is said to be o lystin wynnan, o Llys- tinwennau, oles tinwynan, o Lystenwynnen, olys Tud- wynnan, o lystin Wennan, o Lys wynnan, o les Tin- wynon, o Lys Tinewyn o chref Leysfyw wynwyn ynghaer Einon. On the whole, the best form of the name of his patrimony would seem to be Llystin Wennan (or Wynnan — a man's or woman's name, v. Y Cymmrodor, xi, 47) ; but authorities do not appear to
134 MONTGOMERYSHIRE SAINTS.
be able to satisfactorily identify the precise locality of the place in the district covered by the name Caereinion. However, suffice it to say that he belonged to a royal and illustrious family. Our saint's grandfather — Cyn- drwyn — was a Prince of that part of ancient Powys which included the vale of the Severn about Shrews- bury, and bore rule in the latter part of the fifth century. He had eight sons and nine daughters. One of his sons was the valorous Cynddylan, who suc- ceeded him in his principality. Cynddylan and all his brothers, it seems, were slain in defending the town of Tren against the Saxons ; and their loss, particularly that of Cynddylan, the aged bard Lly warch Hen very pathetically bewails in a long elegy in the Red Book of Hergest (Skene's Pour Ancient Books of Wales, ii, 279- 291 ; Myv. Arch., 87-92). In this elegy the name that should represent Hygarfael is written Caranmael, which tallies well with that given in one Catalogue, Garanvael (Myv. Arch., 422). No doubt his children, deprived of their possessions through these constant wars, assumed the religious life. S. Aelhaiarn's church is said, in the authorities already given, to be ym maes kegitua (or simply ynghegidva) y-mpowys, " in Cegidfa," i.e., Guils- field, in Powys. After him are also called Llanael- haiarn, in Carnarvonshire, and the ancient parish of Llanaelhaiarn, in Merionethshire, which has now for some three centuries been absorbed into that of Gwy- ddelwern. Its church or chapel is now extinct, but one of the townships still bears the name Aelhaiarn. His brother, S. Cynhaiarn, founded the church of Ynyscynhaiarn, in Carnarvonshire, which seems to show that the two brothers accompanied one another. Various dedications have been assigned to Guilsfield church — S. Giles, wrested, of course, from the name of the parish ; All Saints, according to Browne Willis ; and S. Tyssilio. from its having been from very early times a capella under the mother church of Meifod, and the fact that its festival, November 8th, agrees with that of S. Tyssilio alone (Thomas's History of the
MONTGOMERYSHIRE SAINTS. 135
Diocese of St. Asaph, 735). The probability is that S. Aelhaiarn was the first to found a church here, which was afterwards re-dedicated. His festival (gwyl mab- sant) is said to be November 1st (Rees's Essay on the Welsh Saints, 275). In writing of Llanaelhaiarn, Pennant (Tours in Wales, ii, 384, ed. 1883) says that its church is —
" Dedicated to S. Aelhaiarn,1 or the saint with an iron eyebrow [ael means also the brow ; with it cf. the name Talhaiarn], from a legend too absurd to relate. Near it is a fine well, once much fre- quented for its reputed sanctity."
S. ARDDUN BENASGELL, or " the Wing-headed", lived in the seventh century, and was the daughter of S. Pabo Post Prydein (or rather Prydyn, " Pictland"), a king in the North, who, on losing his territories in his wars with the Gwyddyl Ffichti, or Pictish Goidels, retired to Wales (lolo MSS. 126). Her mother was S. Gwenaseth, the daughter of Rhufon Rhufoniog ; and she had three brothers — SS. Dunod Fwr (or Wr), Sawyl Benuchel, and Cerwydd. She married 8. Brochfael Ysgythrog, Prince of Powys, to whom she bore, among other children, the great S. Tyssilio. She is included in most of the Catalogues of the Saints, but no churches are attached to her name. Dolarddun, an old manor house in the parish of Castle Caereinion, is said to be called after her (Myv. Arch., 417), but it is quite possible it is here only the adj. arddun, sub- lime, grand. There was another Arddun, the wife of Cadgor ab Gorolwyn, and a Ceindrych Benasgell.
S. BEUNO (Latinised to Beunonus) lived during parts of the sixth and seventh centuries. He was the son of S. Hywgi (otherwise called Bugi, and his name also
1 The word haiarn enters into the composition of a great number of personal, and sometimes place, names in all the Celtic languages. The word — in modern literary Welsh haiarn or haearn, sounded colloquially harn in most parts of S. Wales — presents a roost per- plexing variety of forms in Mediaeval Welsh MSS., as may be seen from the list of names given by Prof. Rhys in his Lectures on Welsh Philology, 419, 2nd ed., from the Liber Landavensis, Cambro-Brit. Saints, etc.
136 MONTGOMERYSHIRE SAINTS.
occurs in the misscript forms, Binsi, Pesgi, Ingi, and Insi) ab Gwynllyw Filwr ab Glywys ab Tegid ab Cadell Deyrnllwg, and his mother's name is given in the different accounts as Beren, Peren, Perfferen, and Teneu, the daughter of Lleuddun Luyddog (variously written; theLeudonus whogavehis nametoLeudonia = Lothian) of Dinas Eiddyn, i.e., Edinburgh. He was therefore closely related to SS. Catwg Ddoeth and Cyndeyrn. There is a Buchedd Beuno Sant printed in the Cambro-Brit. Saints, 13-21, and he also figures in the Vita S. Winfrede (ib.9 198-209). From this Welsh Life we learn that his father was a gentleman (gwr bonnhedic— called here Bugi) living in Powys at a place called Banhenic, near the Severn. He and his wife (called here Beren, verch Lawdden) were persons of virtuous lives, and were well on in years when S. Beuno, their only child, was born. When grown up, S, Beuno was sent to Caerwent to be educated for the ministry of the church under S. Tangusius, who is no doubt to be identified with S. Tangwn ab Talhaiarn. The account of his life, as given in this Buchedd, would take up too much space to follow closely here, and I must content myself with just noting the principal events recorded in it. On being informed of his father's critical illness he returned to Powys ; and after his death he was graciously received by Maun, son of Brochfael Ysgythrog, Prince of Powys, who, " for his own soul, and the soul of his father, gave Aberriw [= Berriew] to God and Beuno." He left the banks of the Severn owing to the approach of the Saxons, and proceeded with his disciples through Meifod — where he met S. Tyssilio — -to Prince Cynan, son of Brochfael, who gave him Gwyddelwern, where he erected a church. After having been here for some time he seems to have been obliged to leave the place ; "and he travelled as far as the banks of the River Dee to seek for a place to pray to God, but found none ; and then he came to Temic, the son of Eliud ; and this Temic gave to Beuno for ever, and free from claim, a town.-
MONTGOMERYSHIRE SAINTS. 137
ship (tref)'; and there Beuno built a church, and it was consecrated to God." In the Vita S. Win/rede this Temic, whose wife was a sister to S. Beuno, is called Teuyth, the son of Eylud. He was a nobleman of con- siderable influence in the district around Holywell. He had one only child, a daughter, who was named Gwennvrevvy (usually called now Gwenffrewi in Welsh, and Winefred in English), and he appointed S. Beuno her religious instructor. On a certain Sunday Caradog, the son of Alauc, a neighbouring prince, happened to turn into her father's house when she was all alone, and he became so captivated with her sur- passing beauty that he offered her violence. She re- fused to gratify his criminal desires, and fled towards the church of S. Beuno, whither her parents had gone, and where the saint was celebrating Mass at the time. Enraged at this disappointment, he pursued after her, and, overtaking her just as she was getting to the church door, struck off her head with his sword. S. Beuno came out and cursed Caradog ; and, as the two hagiographers add, "he immediately melted in his sight, as wax before a fire," "into a melted pool." He then took up the head and fitted it on to the corpse, and prayed God that she might be restored to life again. His prayer was answered ; and on the spot where her blood fell a copious fountain sprang up, which flows to this very day, and is called after her "S. Winefred's Well", from which the town of Holy- well, in Welsh Treffynnon, takes its name. Soon after this S. Beuno left Holywell to S. Winefred, and paid a visit to Rome ; but before doing so he asked of her one favour, and that was to send him annually, on the vigil of S. John Baptist's, a habit (casula) — her own handi- work— which she had only to put upon a favourite stone of his in the middle of a river, whence it would duly find its way to him wheresoever he might be, and that, moreover, without in the slightest degree getting wet. Its virtue was such that it never could get wet ; and this is the origin of the epithet casulsych (— casula sicca)
138 MONTGOMERYSHIRE SAINTS.
which one sometimes finds attached to S. Beuno'sname ; e.g., the calendar of the fifteenth century Hengwrt MS. 45. l One of those converted to the Faith upon this signal miracle was Cadfan, King of Gwynedd, who promised him much land. Cadwallon soon succeeded his father as king, and gave S. Beuno a place in Arfon called Gwaredauc, for which he gave him a golden sceptre (guaell) worth sixty cows. He then proceeded to build a church on the spot, but after he had built it and was raising a wall round it, he was interrupted, the land being claimed as belonging to a certain infant ;
O O O
and so S. Beuno lost it. Cadwallon arrogantly refused to grant him any other land in its stead. S. Beuno thereupon turned away and left him under a curse. Gwideuit, the king's cousin, however, ran after him and overtook him, " arid for his own soul, and the soul of Cadwallon [by a misscript called here Idwallon], his cousin, he gave to God and Beuno his own township, called Kelynnawc [i.e., Clynog Fawr yn Arfon], for ever." Some time after this S. Beuno restored to life again Digwc, the daughter of Ynyr Gwent, whose head had been cut off by her husband at a place called Pennard in Arfon. He performed very many other miracles besides, we are told ; and at the close of his life he obtained a Beatific Vision of Heaven, whither he is invited by the Father. He died April 21st, ever afterwards regarded as Gwyl Feuno, and was buried, it is said, at Clynog, an honour which is also claimed for Bardsey Isle and Nevin. As might be expected, a great many churches and chapels are dedicated in his name, some of which, if not all, he founded personally. The following is as nearly as possible a complete list of them : — Berriew, and Bettws (originally, no doubt, a cdpella baptismalis — reduced, as in other instances, to Capel Bettws, then Bettws — under Berriew ; in the Myv. Arch., 743, the parish is called P. y Cedwg), in Montgomeryshire ; Aberffraw and Trefdraeth, in Angle-
1 I am indebted to Mr. Egerton Phillimore, editor of Y Cymmro- dor, for transcripts of the Hengwrt MSS. Calendars.
MONTGOMERYSHIRE SAINTS. 139
sey ; Clynog Fawr, Penmorfa, Bottwnog (under Mell- teyrn, Kees's Welsh Saints, 332), Carngiwch and Pistyll (both chapels under Edeyrn), in Carnarvonshire ; Llanycil (the mother church of Bala), and Gwyddel- wern, in Merionethshire ; and Llanfeuno, a chapel to Clodock, Herefordshire, afterwards dedicated to S. Peter (built on land granted to S. Beuno by his disciple Prince Ynyr Gwent ; Cambro-Brit. Saints, 14, 300). There was a chapel (now extinct) called Capel Beuno, in the township ofGwespyr, in the parish of Llanasa, and the village of Gwespyr has hence been sometimes called Trebeuno (Thomas's St. Asaph, 293 ; Rees's Welsh Saints, 335). S. Beuno's Jesuit College is in the neighbourhood of S. Asaph. The old church of the Carnarvonshire parish, called in the Myv. Arch., 741, P. Denio, but now usually called Pwllheli, is, in one place in the Bangor Diocesan Calendar, said to be dedicated to S. Beuno, but in another to S. Deneio (or Tyneio ab Seithenyn). Of the two the S. Tyneio dedi- cation is the more probable, though that is only a sup- position (Rees's Welsh Saints, 236, 332). About a mile from the village of Berriew is a stone called Maen Beuno, which still marks, probably, the spot whereon he first preached the Glad Tidings in this part. There is a Ffynnon Beuno and Gwern Beuno near Gwyddel- wern Church, called by Gutyn Owain (ob. c. 1480), in one of his poems, Ty Feuno (cf. Ty Ddewi). We have "Acre Fey no" and " Ffynnon Veyno" in Llanycil parish (Thomas's St. Asaph, 720). There is a Ffynnon Beuno also at Clynog. S. Beuno is especially known as the founder of the celebrated monastic institution Bangor Clynog, called also Bangor Beuno yng Nghlynog Fawr yn Arfon, of which the lolo MSS. 130, 113, say :— " And that was the most celebrated of all the Bangers in Gwynedd for the sciences and piety, and afterwards it was made a monastery, as it is at present" ; and it was also celebrated "for learning and the arts".1 He is
1 There is a beautiful old Carnarvonshire tradition about a very devout monk of Bangor Beuno, who slept for hundreds of years with-
140 , MONTGOMERYSHIRE SAINTS.
recorded to have founded it in 616 ; and here he seems to have spent the greater part of his life. In another place (ib., 107) he is said to have been at one time a saint of Bangor Catwg, his uncle's collegium in Glamor- gan ; and he is there called Pen rhaith Gwynedd, which means (but it must be taken for what it is worth) that he exercised some sort of ecclesiastical supremacy over Gwynedd. Pennant, writing of Clynog towards the close of the last century, says : —
" Adjoining the church is the chapel of St. Beuno. The passage to it is a narrow vault covered with great flat stones, and of far greater antiquity than either church or chapel, which seem nearly coeval. Leland speaks of the first as new worke, and the architecture verifies his account. He speaks also of the old church, where St. Beuno lieth, being near the new. The passage is the only part left. The chapel was probably built after that traveller had visited the place, in the room of the old church, which might have fallen to ruin. In the midst is the tomb [since removed] of the saint, plain and altar- shaped. Votaries were wont to have great faith in him, and did not doubt but that by means of a night's lodging on his tomb a cure would be found for all diseases. It was customary to cover it with rushes, and leave on it till morning sick children, after making them, first undergo ablution in the neighboring holy well ; and I myself once saw on it a feather bed, on which a poor paralytic from Meirioneddshire had lain the whole night, after undergoing the same ceremony." " The offerings of calves and lambs, which happen to be born with the Nod Beuno, or mark of St. Beuno, a certain natural mark in the ear, have not entirely ceased [discontinued now]. They are brought to the church on Trinity Sunday, the anniversary [this is not correct] of the Saint, and delivered to the churchwardens ; who sell them and put the money they receive for them into a great chest, called Cyff St. Beuno, made of one piece of oak, secured with three locks. From this the Welsh have a proverb for attempting any very difficult thing, ' you may as well try to break up St. Beuno's chest'. The little money resulting from the sacred beasts, or casual offerings, is either applied to the relief of the poor, or in aid of repairs." (Tours in Wales, ii, 385, 387.)
Ear-marked calves are still highly regarded by the farmers of Clynog. A saying of S. Beuno's is preserved
out waking in a wood hard by, called Llwyn y Nef (CymruFu, 183-4, y Brython for 1860, p. 110). It is a variation of "Yr Hen Wr o'r Coed" legend, the Welsh counterpart of the Seven Sleepers, Rip Van Winkle, etc.
MONTGOMERYSHIRE SAINTS. 141
in the anonym ous Englynyon y Klyweit, the Epigrams of the Hearing, in the Myv. Arch., 129 —
" A glyweisti a gant Beuno Kan dy bader ath credo Racagheu dy thycya ffo."
" Hast thou heard what Beuno sang 1 * Chant thy Pater noster and Credo ; From death flight will not avail.'"
In the much later Chivedlau 'r Doethion, the Sayings of the Wise, in the lolo AfSS.s 256, it is given somewhat differently —
" A glywaist ti chwedl Beuno,
Wrth bawb a gyrchant atto 1
Rhag Angau ni thyccia ffo."
" Hast thou heard the saying of Beuno To all who resorted to him 1 1 From death flight will not avail.' "
Somehow the allusions to S. Beuno in mediaeval Welsh literature are not very numerous nor particularly pointed. Dafydd ah Gwilym (1340-1400), however, in one of his poems (Barddoniaeth, 375, ed. 1789), feels confident that he would screen him in one of his love affairs. There is a Welsh Life of him in the Jesus College MS., Llyfr yr Ancr o Landdewi Brefi, written in 1346, now in course of publication . The text of the Buchedd published in the wretchedly edited Cambro- Brit. Saints is professed to be from the MS. in the library of the Earl of Macclesfield, collated with the Jesus one.
S. BROCHFAEL YSGYTHROG, or "the Fanged", was a Prince of Powys in the first half of the seventh century. He is included as a saint in the Achau y Saint of the Truman MS. in the lolo MSS., 129-130, where we are told that " he was slain in the battle of Bangor Orchard [A.D. 613], when that cor1 [Bangor Iscoed] was destroyed
1 Cor is believed by Prof. Rhys to be from the same source as the Irish cuirim, " I put or place." Mr. Egerton Phillimore believes that bangor in genuine Welsh was never a generic term for a monastery,
142 MONTGOMERYSHIRE SAINTS.
by the Pagan Saxons". This is inaccurate, for we are told by Bseda that he escaped ; and he died, according to the Annales Cambria, in 662. His name is written in Old- Welsh Brochmail, later Brochuail, Brochfael, Brochwael, and Brochwel. The name occurs in the form Brohornagli on the sixth or seventh century inscribed st6ne at Voelas Hall, near Bettws y Coed (Rhys's Welsh Philology, 264, 372, 2nd ed.). Being a great prince, he is often alluded to in Welsh literature, but as his saintship rests on rather doubtful authority, I shall not pursue his history. He was the husband of S. Arddun Benasgell, and the father of S. Tyssilio. No churches are dedicated to him, but there is, or was, a Ffynnon Brocliwel at Shrewsbury.
S. CADFAN live'd for the greater part in the sixth century, and was the son of Eneas Ledewic of Llydaw (called, by misscripts, in the Myv. Arch., 419, Elieas ledwyr and Elias Letwyr),'and Gwen Teirbron, daughter of Emyr Llydaw (not daughter but sister to Hy wel ab Emyr Llydaw, as stated in the lolo MSS., 103), a prince of a district in Armorica. The name Cadfan appears earliest in the form Catamanus on the Llangad- waladr (Anglesey) seventh century inscribed stone ; then we have the intermediate form Catrnan as S. Cadfan's own name in the Vita S. Paterni (Cambro- Brit. Saints, 189). He was the leader of one of the great bands of missionaries who came over to this country from Armorica. Among the saints who accom- panied him are mentioned the Montgomeryshire Saints Tydecho, Trinio, Llonio Lawhir, and Cynon (lolo MSS., 111-2), all, with the exception of the last named, cousins to S. Cadfan. Most of his large band were relations of his — of the Gwelygordd, or Clan, of Emyr Llydaw, which has supplied the Catalogues of Welsh Saints with so many names. They betook themselves hither, no doubt, owing to the advance of the Franks, who, under
but that that meaning was deliberately put upon the word by the writers of those comparatively late documents printed in the lolo MSS. (Y Cymmrodor, xi, 83-4.)
MONTGOMERYSHIRE SAINTS. 143
Clovis, were at this time establishing themselves in Gaul. Losing their possessions, they devoted them- selves to religion, like many others of the noblesse of those times. In one of the notices (with others to the same effect) in the Achau of the lolo MSS., 103, we are told that it was "in the time of Gwrtheyrn Gwr- thenau he came to this Island, with Garmon ab Rhi- diggys, from Gaul, his native country, to renew Faith and Baptism in this Island". To connect S. Cadfan's arrival here with either of the two visits (A.D. 429, 447) of S. Garmon is, of course, a monstrous ana- chronism ; and it may be here mentioned that the statements often made in the Acfiau of the lolo MSS. form perfect patchworks of irreconcilable facts. S. Garmon, as is well known, was uncle to Emyr Llydaw, S. Cadfan's grandfather. In another place (ib., 131), however, we are told that they came here in two separate bands. Besides being distinguished by birth and otherwise, S. Cadfan has been highly regarded by the Welsh as a saint. He was the founder of Llangad- fan, in Montgomeryshire, and Towyn, in Merioneth- shire ; but he is esteemed more especially as the first Abbot (Penn rhaith, or Principal, lolo MSS., 133) of Bangor Gadfan in Enlli, or Bardsey Isle, which he founded with the help of Einion Frenin, Prince of Lleyn. S. Cadfan and his companions, we are told (ib., 103), had themselves been previously saints of Bangor Illtyd and Bangor Catwg, but they nearly all went with him to Bardsey. Bangor Gadfan soon became very celebrated, for we are told that " there were with them a great many saints of the Welsh nation, whither they went after Bangor Fawr in Maelor had been destroyed by the Pagan Saxons ; and from the other cdrau a great many went also" (ib., 112) ; so many that C6r Gadfan in Bardsey was " for 20,000 saints (sic) ; there were no cells there, but every one did as he pleased ; and after the 20,000 saints Bardsey became a c6r with a cell for 500 saints" (ib., 151). The little Isle1 became the 1 The earliest reference to it in Welsh literature that I am aware
144 MONTGOMERYSHIRE SAINTS.
Welsh Insula Sanctorum — the Isle of the Blest — and its soil was deemed so sacred that it became the favourite cemetery for saints and kings, and everybody rwho could secure the privilege. It enclosed within its | limits the bodies of no less than 20,000 saints, to whose memory Lord Newborough, the owner of the Isle, has erected a monument. Owing to its sanctity and the danger often attending the voyage across, three pil- grimages thither were considered equal to a pilgrimage even to Home — ranking second to S. David's in this respect. Llywelyn Fardd (1230-80) has a somewhat difficult poem, Canuy Gaduan (Myv. Arch., 248-250), wherein he sings the praises of SS. Cadfan and Lleu- ddad Llydaw, and particularly of the church of Towyn, which he says had three altars — S. Mary's, S. Peter's, and a third " given by a hand from heaven" (a anlloued o nef), meaning S. Cadfan's. He extols its costly crozier (vagyl), its clergy, relics, marble, choir, sanctuary, music, water, blessing, etc. A rude stone pillar, bearing an inscription, once stood in Towyn church- yard over a spot where it was thought S. Cadfan's body lay buried. The stone is now inside the church. Prof. Rhys, however, does not accept the reading of Prof. Westwood and Ab Ithel, and for the supposed name Cadfan he would read Adgan (Archceologia Cambrensis, xix, 243 ; 1874). It is not known for certain where he was buried. His body is traditionally claimed both by
of is in the Gododin Gwarchan Maelderw of Taliessin (flor. sixth cen- tury) in the thirteenth century MS., The Book of Aneurin (Skene's Four Ancient Hooks, ii, 98), where we meet with the following lines —
" Kychwenychwy enlli weles A lenwis miran mir edles."
The poem is altogether a very difficult and obscure one. The couplet is thus translated by Canon Silvan Evans (ib., i, 416) — " I do mutually wish for the repose of Enlli, The fair aspect of which is filled with deep interest."
Here legend (with certain variations) places Merlin's Glass House, in which he crossed thither, taking with him his suite of Nine Bards and the Thirteen Treasures of Britain.
MONTGOMERYSHIRE SAINTS. 145
Towyn and Bardsey ; but the probability is that he was buried in the latter, and that the Towyn tradition owes its origin to the supposed reading on the stone. His chapel stood at the north-east end of Towyn churchyard in 1620. There is a S. Cadfan's Well at Towyn, which is considered highly efficacious in rheu- matic and scrofulous cases. Ffynnon Cadfan at Llan- gadfan has been partially filled up by the new road from Cann Office to the church (Thomas's St. Asaph, 765). He has been regarded as the patron saint of warriors, which leads one to suppose that he must once have led a military life, before he was forced to leave Armorica. Hence the epithet mob Cadfan, " Cadfan's son/' with which Lewis Glyn Cothi (flor. c. 1440-90) compliments the subject of one of his poems (Gwaith, 375). Dafydd ab Gwilym uses the expression Myn Delw Gadfan . . . . a 'i grog ! " by Cadfan's image .... and his cross ! " (Barddoniaeth, 130). His festival is said to be November 1st (Welsh Saints, 215).
S. CADFARCH lived about the middle of the sixth century, and was a son of Caradog Freichfras ab Llyr Merini, the distinguished regulus of Brecknock, by Tegau Eurfron, the daughter of Nudd Hael, celebrated in the Triads for her beauty and chastity. Judging from the lists given (Myv. Arch., 415-6, 420 ; lolo MSS. 104,123 ; Cambro-Brit. Saints, 267), he appears to have been their second son. He was brother to SS. Cawrdaf (who succeeded his father), Tangwn, and Maethlu (or Arnaethlu), and the father of S. Elgud. In two MSS. forming the alphabetical Bonedd y Saint in the Myv. Arch., 420, he is wrongly stated to be the son of Cowrda ( = Cawrdaf). He is said to have been a saint of Bangor Dunod, on the banks of the Dee (lolo MSS. 104). He was the founder of Penegoes Church, called also occasionally Llangadfarch, in Montgomeryshire ; and Abererch in Carnarvonshire, though some say its founder was S. Cawrdaf — hence its alias Llan Gawrda in the Myv. Arch., 741. There is a Ffynnon Cadfarch
VOL. XXV. L
146 MONTGOMERYSHIRE SAINTS.
near the site of a now extinct capella, called Llanged- wycld, at the northern end of Abererch parish, and a Ffynnon Cawrdaf at Abererch. There is also in the neighbourhood a Cadair Cawrdaf; but the lists above referred to certainly will have it " Cadfarch Sant yn Abererch yn Lleyn". S. Cadfarch's Well at Penegoes, celebrated for its efficacy in cases of rheumatism, is close by the church on a part of the glebe-land. Some verses in praise of " Ffynnon Penegoes" have been written by a local bard, which are appended to his Notes and Narratives, etc., by the Rev. J. Williams, the present rector of the parish. His festival is said to be October 24 (Welsh Saints, 270). Lewis Clyn Cothi (Gwaith, 427, 430) refers to Gwyl Gadfarch, the Pene- goes wakes.
S. CURIG (variously spelt Cirig, Cyric, etc., in Latin Cyricius), generally styled Curig Lwyd,1 i.e., " the Blessed," and occasionally Curig Farchog, i.e., "the Knight," is classed by Rees ( WelsJi Saints, 307) among the saints of " uncertain date", after those of the second half of the seventh century. Welsh hagiology is very silent as to his parentage. The Achau of the Cobb MS. in the lolo MSS., 145, gives us— " Cirig Sant ap Urien ap Cynfarch (in al. ap Arawn ap Cyn- farch)". All the other Catalogues are silent upon the point ; and, generally speaking, the lolo MSS. Cata- logues are not over-trustworthy. Granting that this particular notice is correct, I have no means of deciding whether his father was Urien or Arawn. His name, at any rate, does not appear in the lists usually given of Urien's children. From the Ystorya Brenliined y Brytanyeit, as published in Rhys and Evans's Red Book of Hergest Bruts, we learn that there were three royal brothers, called Lieu, Vryen, and Arawn, the sons of Kynuarch (his wife elsewhere said to be Nefyn, of the family of Brychan Brycheiniog), king of
1 Llwyd really means grey — thence hoary, venerable, blessed, holy. The bards of the Middle Ages repeatedly use Duw Livyd and lesu Lwyd.
MONTGOMERYSHIRE SAINTS. 147
a district in North Britain, among whom King Arthur apportioned the districts he had wrested from the Saxons thus — to Llew he gave Lodoneis (Lothian, according to Dr. Skene), to Urien Reged (in South Wales), and to Arawn Yscotlont. The father and the three sons, particularly Urien, were celebrated as great warriors, but met with rather varied fortunes, and some of them latterly adopted the religious life. S. Curig is said in Williains's Eminent Welshmen, s. v., to have been
" a saint celebrated for his learning and holy life, who came [from where ?] and settled in Wales in the seventh century. Having landed at Aberystwyth, he travelled inland, and rested upon the summit of a high mountain, which still bears the name of Eisteddva Gurig, or Curig's seat [we have a Ffos Gurig near S. David's] ; from whence looking around him, he perceived a fertile valley, in the retirement of which he determined to build a church, which is called from him Llangurig, in Montgomeryshire. He was also a bishop of a see in Wales, which is supposed to have been that of Llanbadarn Vawr."
It would be interesting to know upon what authority these statements are given. Though we do not know much about him, his name is not infrequently met with in Mediaeval Welsh literature, which certainly shows that he was long held in high estimation. He was an especial favourite with Lewis Glyn Cothi. He ad- dresses his hero in one poem (Gwaitli, 99) —
" Aed lluryg Curig Yarchog gwraidd, I'th ogylch, i'th gylch, i'th lys galchaidd."
This couplet shows that he had great faith in the pro- tection he would derive from " the brave Knight Curig's coat of mail". S. Curig and his lluryg are also con- nected on p. 454, which prove that he was traditionally esteemed as a warrior as well as a saint.
(To be continued.}
L 2
A BADGE OF THE HOUSE OF HERBERT.
.
A BASCULE.1
THE wyvern, or a winged serpent, was2 a badge of the Herberts, and is now their crest. On the Standard of the "Lord Chamberlain", in Excerpta Historica, p. 163, the dragon or wyvern has in its mouth a sinister hand couped gules.
It appears, however, from a recent publication that the wyvern is not the only badge of the House of Herbert.
In a paper by Mr. Cadwalader J. Bates/ on <f The Border Holds of Northumberland'', when describing the "Lion Tower" of Warkworth Castle, the front of which is decorated with the armorial insignia of the Earls of Northumberland, Mr. Bates states that on the under side of a battlemented cornice three badges are carved.
The third (with which we are alone concerned, and of which an illustration is given above) is described as follows : —
" A bascule or counterpoise for raising a drawbridge, charged with the words Ma Comfort. This last badge is known to have been that of the HOUSE OF HERBERT, of which the Countess of the fourth Earl was a daughter, while the entire motto, Esperance Ma Comfort, seems to have been peculiar to her husband."
The motto, Ma Comfort, is remarkable.
In a note, Mr. Bates states that the Herbert bascule appears also on the under part of the cornice, above the lion rampant, over the outer gateway of the barbican at Alnwick, which there is proof was carved before the death of the fourth Earl in 1489.
Henry, fourth Earl of Northumberland, married Maud, daughter of William Herbert, first Earl of Pembroke.
M. C. J.
1 "Bascule. — An apparatus acting on the principle of the lever or pulley, whereby one end is raised when the other is depressed ; especially in Bascule-bridge, a kind of draw-bridge balanced by a counterpoise which rises or falls, usually into a prepared pit, as the bridge is lowered or raised." (Murray's New English Dictionary.)
2 See Badges of the Great Nobility, " Herald and Genealogist," vol. vii, pp. 338, 348, and 350. It is not mentioned in the list given in Boutell's Heraldry, p. 236.
3 Archceologia ^Eliana, vol. xiv, p. 146, citing Longstaff's Percy Heraldry ; see also Vincent's MSS. in the British Museum.
149
EXCAVATIONS ON THE SITE OF STEATA MAECELLA ABBEY.
IN May 1890 the project was conceived of exca- vating the site of this Abbey. The Secretary of the Powys-land Club wrote to one of the local newspapers a letter, dated 4th June 1890, in which he said :
" So far back as 1871 there has been published in the Montgomery- shire Collections (see vols. iv, v, vi, and x) an account of this Abbey, containing all the material for its history that was available, and no expense or trouble was spared in collecting it, but hitherto no attempt has been made to explore its site by excavation. ' Excava- tion' (says the Times, in a leading article on the 27th May last) ' is the modern method, and the modern watchword of the scholar. . . . Since 1870, when Dr. Schliemann began his striking career as an excavator, the thing has been reduced to a science, and Govern- ments, as well as private enthusiasts, have taken up the practice of it.'
" No vestige of the Abbey is now visible — the site only is marked by its being called the 'Abbey Bank', and the only traces of any buildings having stood there are some slight ridges, like terraces. On many occasions a wish has been expressed to make excavations, with a view of ascertaining the size and style of the buildings, but no one presented himself who had had experience of such operations, and the requisite knowledge and skill to conduct them. For anyone other than an expert to undertake such a task would be rash in the extreme, and probably result in disastrous disappointment. Although nineteen years have elapsed since the first article upon the Abbey appeared in the Montgomeryshire Collections) no opportunity has occurred until now to repair the omission."
He then detailed circumstances which led him to invite Mr. Stephen W. Williams, of Rhayader, who had had experience in excavating the sites of two other Welsh abbeys — Strata Florida and Abbey Cwmhir — to come and inspect the site of this Abbey, and give us the benefit of his experience.
Mr. Williams accepted the invitation, and came on
150 EXCAVATIONS ON THE SITE OF
the 23rd May, and, in a letter dated the 25th May, gave a full report of our inspection. In that report Mr. Williams enters into various particulars, upon which he had come to the conclusion that it was very well worth while to excavate and lay bare so impor- tant a Welsh abbey as Strata Marcella.
Upon this report, we obtained the permission of the Earl of Powis, the owner of the land, and of his tenant ; and the former very generously placed at our service half-a-dozen workmen for a week, to enable us to make a preliminary excavation. During this pre- liminary investigation, after tracing the walls of the Abbey for a considerable distance, a trench was cut across the supposed site of the church, and founda- tions were reached 4ft. 6 ins. in thickness, and 12 ft. further north an outcrop of sandstone was found, which, when stripped, proved to be the base of a clustral column 5 ft. by 6 ft. This important discovery led to the trench being driven further northward, when what seemed to be the north wall of the church was discovered, and projecting beyond the line of the wall a square piece of red sandstone, which subse- quently was pronounced to be the foundation of one of the buttresses. Other discoveries of masonry were made, and a number of encaustic tiles were found, and also a grave, which are hereafter particularly described in Mr. Williams's report.
Upon these discoveries being made, it was deter- mined to make a complete exploration of the site of the church if sufficient funds could be raised, and a committee was formed, consisting of the Rev. Grimaldi Davies, Vicar of Welshpool, the Yen. Archdeacon Thomas, F.S.A., Mr. W. Forrester Addie, Dr. Gill, and Mr. C. E. Howell, with power to add to their numbers. It was thought that an expenditure of £100 would go far to effect the object in view, and an effort was determined to be made to raise that sum, but that as soon as £50 was promised we would commence operations. A detailed report of the dis-
STRATA MARCELLA ABBKY. 151
coveries was published in the Osivestry Advertiser of the 30th July, accompanied by the following letter from the Hon. Secretary of the Powys-land Club : —
EXCAVATIONS AT STRATA MARCELLA ABBEY.
SIR, — Our operations on the site of the Abbey have given indica- tions which encourage us to persevere to make a complete explora- tion of the site of the Abbey, by clearing away the depth of two or three feet of debris which now obscure its remains.
It is intended to form a committee to conduct the more extensive and systematic operations that will be necessary, and the following gentlemen have signified their assent to act upon such committee : — The Yen. Archdeacon Thomas, F.S.A., the Rev. Grimaldi Davies, Vicar of Welshpool, Mr. W. Forrester Addie, Dr. Gill, and Mr. C. E. Howell, and we invite all who are interested in such subjects to join the Committee, and give their assistance.
It is thought that the expenditure of £100 would go far to effect the object in view, and an endeavour will be made to raise that sum, and, as soon as we see our way to £50, to commence upon excavating and investigating the eastern end of the Abbey Church, where we may expect to make interesting discoveries. A gentleman (Mr. A. C. Twentyman, of Castlecroft, Wolverhampton) has spontaneously offered £5 to the fund, and I am willing to give the like amount, as a commencement.
Our week's work has necessarily left the surface of the ground in disorder, and we are under great obligation to the noble owner and the worthy tenant for their permission to make the trial. In return for their kind consideration, we feel bound either to commence our further operations with as little delay as possible, or to restore the surface to something like its former state.
Early communications will, therefore, be thankfully received by yours, etc., MORRIS C. JONES.
Gungrog, near Welshpool, 28th July 1890.
The mode adopted for raising the money was by pro- curing reprints from the Oswestry Advertiser of the letter of the 4th June 1890, and also of the report of the preliminary exploration, with the Secretary's letter of 28th July appended, and circulating them amongst the members of the Powys-land Club and others likely to be interested. The appeal was promptly and liberally responded to, as appears by the statement of receipts and expenditure, which we append : —
152
EXCAVATIONS ON THE SITE OF
STRATA MARCELLA ABBEY EXCAVATION FUND.
s. d.
0 0
1 0 3 0
0 0
0 0
10 6
1890 Receipts. £
Aug. 7 Morris C. Jones ... 5
,, A. C. Humphreyes
Owen, Esq 1
„ Capt. Mytton 3
, 9 Miss Corrie 3
„ 11 W.W. Watts, Esq.,
Cambridge 3
,, Mrs. Squires 1
H. W, Lloyd, Esq. 0
„ Mrs. Kerrisou 0
,, Hon. and Rev. John
E. O. Bridgeman
„ E. H. Wood, Esq....
„ W. E.M.Wynne, Esq.
„ Dr. Gill
,, 12 Stanley Leighton,
Esq., M.P
A. Howell, Esq
„ E. M. Bickerton
Jones, Esq
„ 13 A. C. Twentyman,
Esq., W Ivrhmptn
Samuel Powell,Esq.
T. Eowley Morris,
Esq...
14 0. Slaney Wynne,
Esq
Eev. E J. Eoberts
15 J.MarshallDugdale,
Esq
,, 16 Col. Harrison
„ 18 Miss Mytton
„ G. D. Harrison, Esq. „ Dr. Hawks worth ... „ 23 Professor Boyd
Dawkins, F.E.S. ,, Eichard Williams,
Esq
„ 26 Lord Sudeley
„ Dr. Sowerby
Sept. 6 The Earl of Powis 20 „ 10 John Evans, Esq.,
President of Soc.
of Antiq
„ 16 Mrs. Pearce 1
„ 17 E. Mostyn Pyrce,
Esq..
,, Mr. John Jones,
builder
,, 19 Eev. D. Grimaldi
Davies, M.A. ... ,, 20 Eev. Prebendary
Matthews
„ 22 Alex. Davies, Esq. „ 26 Eev. G. A. Salus-
bury, M.A 330
|
1 0 |
0 |
|
3 3 |
0 |
|
1 1 |
0 |
|
1 1 |
0 |
|
1 0 |
0 |
|
2 10 |
0 |
|
0 4 |
0 |
|
5 0 |
0 |
|
1 0 |
0 |
|
1 1 |
0 |
|
1 0 |
0 |
|
1 1 |
0 |
|
1 1 |
0 |
|
] 1 |
0 |
|
1 1 |
0 |
|
1 1 |
0 |
|
1 1 |
0 |
|
1 0 |
0 |
|
1 1 |
0 |
|
3 0 |
0 |
|
0 10 |
6 |
|
0 0 |
0 |
|
1 1 |
0 |
|
1 0 |
0 |
|
0 10 |
0 |
|
0 10 |
6 |
|
1 1 |
0 |
|
1 1 - |
0 |
|
0 10 |
0 |
1890 Payments. Aug. 13 Paid for cheque- book
„ 16 „ Wages, as per
wages book
„ 23 „ do
„ 30 „ do
Sept. 6 „ do
„ 13 „ do
„ 20 „ do
„ 27 „ do
Oct. 4 „ do
„ 8 „ do
,, Mr. E. Green, the tenant, for surface damage „ Mr. Worthing. ton G. Smith, artist, for draw- ings, and travel- ling expenses ... „ S. W. Williams, for his travelling
expenses
„ J. and M. Morris for unclimbable rails fixed around the "Monks'
Grave"
PETTY DISBURSEMENTS — s. d.
Hostages 10 6
1st reprint from Oswes- try Advertiser (pre- sented by the Editor) Gratuity to man who
found the bit of silver 1 0 Gratuity to men lent by
Lord Powis for a we<k 11 0 Recc. and Wages-books 0 8 Gratuity to man who
found Elizabethan coin 2 0 Paid for 2nd reprint from Oxwestry Adver- tiser 7 0
Balance remaining unex- pended in Lloyd's Bank, Limited ..
£ s. d. 026
399 69<) 8 14 0 8 18 0 999 8 14 0 510 165 090
10 0 0
550 330
200
1 12 1
106
£75 14 6
£75 14 6
STRATA MARCELLA ABBEY. 153
Since this account was made out, a donation of £5 has been spontaneously offered by Col. Picton- T'urberville, R.A., of Ewenny Priory, Bridgend, if the further exploration of the Abbey should be determined upon.
On the 12th August 1890, the committee met on the site at 9 A.M., when Mr. Addie fixed the place where the debris was to be deposited, and. on behalf of Lord Powis, agreed to lend us barrows and planks, and also to allow one of his lordship's men (Mr. Edward Matthews) to act as foreman, who took an enthusiastic interest in the work. The committee met again at the same place at twelve at noon, there being present Mr. S. W. Williams, Mr. T. Simpson Jones, Captain Westby, and the Hon. Secretary, when Mr. Edward Matthews was appointed foreman and was instructed to engage six men at 3s. a day, and to obtain the barrows and planks from Lord Powis's saw- yard, and to begin work on Thursday, the 14th August. The committee in- spected the ground, and Mr. S. W. Williams arranged that the first job should be the tracing out the north and south walls of the church. The operations ex- tended from the 14th August to the 8th October without a day's intermission. We propose to give a short account of the course of the excavations, stating what was discovered and where, but we leave to Mr. Williams, in his report, to determine and state the value and significance of the various remains found.
During the first nine days, up to the 23rd August, attention was directed principally to the line of the south and north walls of the church. With reference to the south wall it was found in a very unsatisfactory and broken condition, and not unfrequently all traces of it were lost, but afterwards recovered. Pursuing it eastward, it ceased where one may have expected to have found the south transept. Of the latter not a trace was found, nor does it appear likely to exist, as there is a depression in the surface there. Following the wall westward, it was traced for some 200 feet
154 EXCAVATIONS ON THE SITE OF
and upwards ; but frequently the men were in despair, thinking they had lost it.
With reference to the north wall we had better success, although it was razed at intervals to the low- est layer of the foundation. Starting at the square projecting sandstone found at the preliminary excava- tion, and pursuing it eastward, at the distance of about 39 feet, we reached another projecting sandstone, 4 feet 6 inches wide, at the point E on the plan, this being another buttress. The wall proceeded for one yard further and then ceased.
Determining to cut across the line of wall in a northerly direction, we came to the face of an imperfect wall, which we followed northward for 18 feet, where it appeared to end. We then cut a trench in an east- ward direction for 35 feet ; there was a wall for 5 feet of that distance, then it failed, but for the last 9 feet 6 inches of the 35 feet the wall reappeared and then failed. We then cut across it in a south- ward direction and found no wall. We had hoped to have traced the north transept, but were not at this time successful. Starting from the same point, we followed the north wall in a westerly direction for a distance of about 236 feet, measuring from the east end, and found two foundations of two projecting buttresses at certain intervals (see plan), but we did not reach the west end of the church. The trench had now gone to a great depth — seven or eight feet — and the progress was slow.
During this period we also cut a trench near the south side of the chancel, or east end of the church, in a northward direction. This brought us to a piece of masonry in situ, which, when cleared out, seemed to be a corner or a buttress at the south-east corner of the extreme east wall of the church ; it is shown on the plan. Further cutting northward revealed no further wall.
In this neighbourhood some debris was removed, when a large number of encaustic tiles, all broken,
STRATA MARCELLA ABBEY. 155
were found, and also a small piece of masonry, marked F on the plan; and also, further north, a large number of moulded stones. During this period, near the line of the south wall the two gravestones (fig. 11, plate xii, and fig. 4, plate xi) were found. On 23rd August Mr. Williams paid us a visit of inspection, and he recommended that the full force of the men, now in- creased to ten, should be put on to the east end of the church, and, working westward, should clear the debris away to the floor-level of the church.
During the week, -from 23rd to 30th of August, we followed his instructions, and in clearing the east end (marked "Presbytery" in plan) a large number of en- caustic and incised tiles were found, but all in great disorder. In one instance we found four whole tiles and two half tiles set in mortar, but not to any design. Two of the tiles bore the " two lions passant", the Le Strange arms, as to which more hereafter. On the 26th we found the grave marked 0 on the plan. It is built with flags, apparently on their edges. It is 6 feet long and 2 feet wide at west end, and 1 foot 6 inches at east end, and about 1 foot deep. It had no cover, and the edges of some of the flags were through the turf and were covered with lichen. It contained only one small bone and some broken tiles.- Between this grave and the church the ground was full of bones, but no grave or headstone was found there. In the middle of the part marked " Tower" on the plan we found a piece of lead piping 2 inches in diameter and 9 feet long. When followed and dug out it seemed to be quite disconnected. Near this spot there were also a number of large carved stones, one of which is represented by fig. 1, plate vi. which are supposed to be portions of the pier of the tower. During this week we removed a large mass of debris, with no great result, until, on the 28th August, at noon, we struck upon masonry, which, when cleared, proved to be base of some carved columns at B on plan, which is represented on plate iv, fig. B, and on plate v. As we
156 EXCAVATIONS ON THE SITE OF
proceeded further westward there was a great depth of debris to be removed, and consequently our progress was slower.
In the week from 1st to 6th September as we proceeded we found bits of carved stone, and also tiles and fragments. By the 2nd September we had cleared out the centre of the church to our first trench across the nave. The base of the column first discovered (marked A in plan) was fully exposed, but no corresponding column was found on the south side. The carved piece of stone (fig. 6, plate xm) was found in this neighbourhood. On the 3rd September we came to an ornamental, and apparently important piece of masonry, about 20 feet further west of the base of the column A, and on the north side of the nave. It is marked C on the plan, and is figured on plates iv and v. It looked to us like one side of a gateway or door- way. Another carved stone (fig. 7, plate xm) was found hereabouts. For three days more the men proceeded with the excavations, many large and small carved and moulded stones being found, but none in position. As the distance for wheeling was getting very long, we began to wheel into the cloister garth.
One man was then employed to complete the ex- ploration of the south wall of the church, and at the distance of about 270 feet from the east end we found the south wall to cease, and another wall to run in a northerly direction, which we followed until we were convinced it was the west wall of the church. The man then went to the north wall, and at a depth of eight or nine feet or more found that wall to cease, and that there was the foundation of a wall running southerly. This satisfactorily established that we had arrived at the west end of the church, the length of which was shown to be equal to, or to exceed that of any abbey in Wales except one. Thus this week's work concluded satisfactorily.
In the week from the 8th to 15th September the excavation was now becoming deeper and the progress
STRATA MARCELLA ABBEY. 157
slower. We came upon an irregular piece of masonry, which is marked L on the plan. It had a carved or moulded stone built into it, but was regularly formed on the northern side. Eighteen feet further west we found a foundation of flags in the centre of the nave, and only five feet further on we came to some masonry (at D on the plan) of quite a different character to any pre- viously found. It looked like the base of an outside buttress. The week was chiefly occupied in removing a large quantity of soil in which a considerable number of moulded stones and some tiles were found, and it became a question where to deposit the soil. Mr. Williams came on a visit of inspection, and took par- ticulars of measurement for the plan of the church.
In the week from the 15th to 20th September, after employing two days in removing soil without much result, upon considering the state of the funds and the probable claim for surface damage, and also the ex- pense of levelling the land, it was determined to stop the excavation at the line P marked on the plan, and to confine the further operations to levelling the ground from that line to the east end ; first ascertaining definitely by excavation whether any remains of the south and north transepts were in existence. We cut trenches in the supposed site of the south transept, and failed to find any remains whatever ; the de- pression of the surface showed that all walls and foundations had been removed. We were more for- tunate with the north transept, the presumed site of which we cleared out to the floor-level. On the west side there was a wall 2 ft. 6 ins. wide, but which evidently was imperfect, and had been wider. It ex- tended northerly 18 ft., as before mentioned. The excavations showed that at the north-west corner there were remains of foundations 5 ft. by 5 ft. No wall was found on the north side, but at a distance of 35 feet from the north-west corner, in an eastward direction, there were foundations apparent, 7 ft. by 6 ft., which we concluded was the north-east corner of the
158 EXCAVATIONS ON THE SITE OF
transept. But we could find no trace of the east wall. The conclusion we came to wras, that the north transept was about 18ft. by 35 ft. In clearing out the north aisle we came to a bit of the north wall at E on the plan, about 5 ft. long and 2 ft. high, in situ. It showed signs of having been whitewashed, as indeed many of the moulded stones found did. This is the only bit of the internal wall of the church which is now extant. It is delineated on plates in and v. The whole of this week was occupied in levelling and putting the surface of the ground in order ; on the 23rd six of the men were dismissed.
From 29th September to 8th October the foreman only was employed, except another man for two days.
On the 7th and 8th October, Mr. Worthington G. Smith was engaged in sketching the remains and relics, and on the latter day the operations were brought to a close for the present. The Earl of Powis kindly had a plan made of a plot of land about 16 yards square, which comprised the sites of the principal remains found (viz., those marked A, B, and E — the part of the north wall showing the two buttresses, and C), around which he directed a fence to be erected in order to preserve such remains ; and a large pile of the carved and moulded stones found was also made in the centre of the proposed enclosure. His lordship also gave us permission to fix an unclimbable iron fence, 5 ft. G ins. high, around the grave at 0 on the plan, which has accordingly been done.
The result of the excavations, it is considered, has been satisfactory — the object in view of ascertaining the size and style of the Abbey Church has been attained .l
To the writer — a septuagenarian — there was an inci-
1 During the excavation we had few visitors when the men were at work, but in the evenings, and particularly on Sundays, crowds of people visited the site and carried away any pieces of tile or stones they could find. This necessitated our taking away daily all tiles, carved stones, or other relics found.
STRATA MARCELLA ABBEY. 159
dental advantage. Eight weeks, or forty-eight working days, were occupied in the operations ; the site of the Abbey is two miles from his house, and he drove his pony there (with hardly an exception) twice a day. He generally spent five hours a day there (sometimes more) and put off all other engagements. Therefore he travelled at least 300 miles, and spent 240 hours in the field. There was but one wet day. The result of his sojourn in the salubrious air of Strata Marcella was, that his health, which had not been strong, was improved, an intended and periodic autumnal visit to Buxton was dispensed with, and a doctor's bill de- ferred for an indefinite period.
We annex Mr. Stephen W. Williams's report, for which the Powys-land Club is much indebted to him.
160 EXCAVATIONS ON THE SITE OF
EXPLANATION OF REFERENCES UPON THE PLAN.
PLATE I. — GROUND PLAN.
A. Pier shown on plate n, and in perspective on plate
in, upper figure. (For detailed description, see p. 164.)
B. Pier shown on plate iv, upper figure, and in per-
spective on plate v, lower figure (see p. 167). c. Pier shown on plate iv, lower figure, and in per- spective on plate v, upper figure (see p. 167).
D. Part of pier shown in perspective on plate in,
second figure from top (see p. 168).
E. Part of interior of north wall, shown in perspective
on plate in (see p. 171).
F. Steps to presbytery (see p. 168).
G. Masonry (see p. 168).
H. Position where bones of infants were found
(see p. 169). j. West wall of tower. K. East wall of tower (see p. 169). L. Masonry in situ (see p. 168). M. Masonry in situ (see p. 167). N. Foundation of modern wall (see p. 164). o. Grave shown in perspective on plate in, lower
figure (see p. 171). P. Extent of excavations. Q. (?) Buttress (see p. 165). R. Ditto (seep. 165).
S. Foundations. T. Foundation of thin wall (see p. 168).
STRATA MARCELLA ABBEY. 161
REPORT ON EXCAVATIONS AT STRATA MARCELLA ABBEY, NEAR WELSHPOOL.
BY STEPHEN W. WILLIAMS, F.E.I.B.A.
On the 24th of May 1890, I visited for the first time the site of the ruined Abbey of Strata Marcel! a, situated upon the north bank of the river Severn, a short distance above Pool Quay weir, and near to the main road leading from Welshpool to Oswestry.
On that occasion I was accompanied by Mr. Morris C. Jones, F.S.A., the Hon. Secretary of the Powys- land Club ; his son, Mr. Simpson Jones ; Mr. J. Bickerton Morgan of Welshpool, and Mr. Green, the tenant of the farm upon which the Abbey was situated.
Our survey that day was confined to walking over, and a careful examination of, the site which had been occupied by this once important Welsh monastery, an off-shoot of Whitland, and founded by Owen Cyfeiliog, A.D. 1170. Not a trace of buildings of any kind appeared above ground ; all that was visible were certain irregularities in the general surface, which sloped somewhat gradually from north to south on the northern side of a central depression of consider- able area ; south of this it was more level, and still further south was a deep drain, occupying the line of an ancient water-course, and skirting the southern boundary of the site ; this has been laid with large pipes and partially filled up, and most probably had been used as the main drain into which the Abbey sewers had emptied.
Subsequently I learnt that, in the earlier part of the present century, a farmhouse and outbuildings had stood upon a portion of the ground formerly occu- pied by the Abbey, and those, equally with the church and monastic buildings, had totally disappeared.
VOL. xxv. M
162 EXCAVATIONS ON THE SITE OF
Not a vestige remained of the Abbey or farmhouse ; the only record of the existence of the monastery at this spot was in the name of the field, called the " Abbey Bank", and the only traces of buildings having stood there, were the slight ridges, like terraces, and the usual plentiful crop of nettles which betoken former human habitation.
On carefully examining the ground near two large elm trees, one of our party, Mr. Bickerton Morgan, pointed out a slab of stone projecting from the surface of the soil, and upon clearing this we found it was a fragment of a foundation of a wall bearing due north and south.
In the ruins of the old weir near the site, in the bed of the Severn, we discovered several fragments of moulded freestone, and at Pool Quay Vicarage we found the very beautiful carved capital, illustrated on plate xin, fig. 1. This exquisite specimen of Early English foliage apparently formed part of the capital of a detached shaft carrying the rear arch of a lancet- window ; the circular portion had surmounted a slender shaft of quatrefoiled section. At the same time we also secured another fragment of capital of early Transitional work, dating probably between 1170 and 1190 ; this apparently had formed part of a door- way (plate xn, fig. 7).
The other interesting relic of the Abbey which we saw that day was the font of Buttington Church, and it is clearly an Early English capital obtained from the ruins of Strata Marcella, and converted into a font. This has been admirably drawn by Mr. W. G. Smith, and is illustrated on plate xv. This capital must have surmounted a single detached shaft, and may have been the central pillar carrying the groined roof of the chapter-house. The foliations of this capital possess the peculiar characteristics of the Early English period, viz., the stiff upright stems with graceful curling conventional foliage ; it is an extremely fine specimen of stone-carving of that date, and a valuable illustra-
STRATA MARCELLA ABBEY. 163
tion of the beauty of the work at Strata Marcella, and proves that here, as at Strata Florida, the work- manship displayed was in no way inferior to that in the finest English abbeys of the same period.
The carving of the Buttington font may be com- pared with the capitals from the Abbey of Cwmhir, illustrated on plate at page 414, vol. xxiv, Mont. Collections, and it will be observed how great is the resemblance in the design and workmanship in fig. 1 on that plate with the sculpture at Strata Mar- cella ; it would require no great stretch of imagination to suppose that one and the same hand carved the work at both places.
Immediately after my visit to Strata Marcella, I prepared and sent to Mr. Morris Charles Jones, F.S.A., a short report of our inspection of the site, and the conclusions I came to as to the probability of finding some remains of the church and monastic buildings if excavations were undertaken.
This report was published, together with a letter from Mr. Morris C. Jones, in the Oswestry Advertiser of June 4th, 1890, and also appeared in "Archaeo- logical Notes and Queries" in the Archceologia Cam- brensis, July 1890.
Thanks to the energy of Mr. Morris C. Jones, this resulted in the raising by public subscription of a fund which enabled him to proceed with the work of excavation, and on the 21st of July we commenced with a small gang of workmen to break ground. Our first opening was made along the line of foundations, a fragment of which was observed on our first visit near to one of the elm trees marked upon the plan ; this wall we traced for a length of 91 ft., and found that it terminated at its southern end very near the deep drain before described ; upon following it north- wards, we came upon a wall going westwards, and, a little further on, traces of a second wall in the same direction. Between these two walls fragments of en- caustic tiles were picked up, pieces of stained glass,
M 2
164 EXCAVATIONS ON THE SITE OF
and there were distinct traces of the bed of mortar in which the tile paving had been laid. This was evidently a portion of the monastic buildings, and we were therefore much encouraged when we discovered that the foundations of this wall on the eastern side were fairly perfect for a height of from 1ft. to 1 ft. Gins., and hoped that by following out the line of it we should eventually come upon the chapter-house and line of the east wall of the south transept ; in this, however, we were disappointed ; beyond the point shown in black upon the plan we failed to find any trace of foundations in continuation of the wall we had laid bare, and, after cutting several cross-trenches, we did not discover any further foundations at this point.
Masses of fallen stone on their edges at the spot marked " probable site of chapter-house" on plan, appeared to have formed part of a groined roof, but not a trace of groin mould or foundations did we find.
Our next efforts were directed to ascertaining the line of the church, and assuming that the depression in the surface of the ground about the centre of the site indicated the position of the cloister garth, a trench was driven northwards, commencing a little south of the dotted line of foundation marked N on plan ; we first of all cut through the foundations of a thin wall which had been built of fragments of the ruins, and contained moulded freestones ; this was evidently some remains of the farm-house period. A little further on we came upon a mass of foundation of considerable thickness, but with no well-defined face, and yet a little further in the side of the trench we discovered a fragment of freestone in situ, A, which, when cleared, turned out to be the only perfect base of one of the piers of the nave arcade as yet discovered.
This was a most welcome find ; we were now satisfied that the church stood on the north side of the con- ventual buildings, arid that the central depression was really the site of the cloister garth, and this was sub- sequently proved when the face of the wall on the
MOMT. COUL. .VOl- XXV*
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STRATA MAROELLA ABBEY. 165
south and western sides of the cloister was followed and traced.
Continuing our trench northwards, we came upon the line of the north wall of the church, the found- ations of which were less disturbed than on the south side. Our next step was to follow the line of the external face of the north wall east and west, so as to define the outline of the church. This resulted in our finding the bases of the buttresses in situ, and fairly perfect, at the points where shown on the plan in black, those that are hatched with diagonal lines had disappeared, but, by spacing out the intervals carefully, their position was fixed, and the six eastward ones were found to be most exactly spaced from centre to centre ; the four to the westward were a trifle wider apart and broader.
The north-western angle of the church was found buried beneath a great accumulation of soil, and traces only of the foundations of the west wall were dis- covered. There were indications of buttresses on the lines of the nave arcade and much clearer indications of the foundations of the buttresses at the north- western and south-western angles ; at the latter point the face of a wall pointing somewhat obliquely in a southern direction was found. Ihe line of the south wall of the church was excavated eastwards, and no traces of buttresses could be found, except that at the point opposite to the pier A, the foundation was wider than at the other points where the thickness of the wall could be defined, and where buttresses were not likely to exist. At two points in the south wall we discovered junctions of walls going southwards, and the eastern one of these eventually proved to be the western boundary of the cloister garth, and is, in all probability, the foundation of the east wall of the cellarium and dorter of the conversi.
In excavating the outer face of the north wall east- wards, a line of wall was discovered going northwards. This has been assumed to be, and is shown on the plan,
166 EXCAVATIONS ON THE SITE OF
as the western wall of the north transept. At S and 8 foundations of large flags were discovered, but no traces of lines of walls ; every trace of the walls which had stood upon these had been cleared away ; nothing remained of the eastern portion of the church except the south-eastern angle of the presbytery, of which a small fragment was found sufficient to show that it was a portion of the foundation of a buttress which had escaped the hands of the spoiler.
This, however, was a valuable fragment, as it enables me to define the probable position of the presbytery, the central tower, and the north and south transepts, with some approach to accuracy, and to indicate the dimensions of the church of the Abbey of Strata Marcella.
These preliminary excavations having been com- pleted, it was then decided to clear the entire surface of the church to floor-level, provided the funds would admit of our doing so. Unfortunately, there was a difficulty in disposing of the surplus soil, and as the excavations proceeded westwards the accumulated earth which covered the foundations became deeper, consequently the actual space cleared extends only to the dotted line marked P. Eastward of that line the entire area of the church has been excavated to the floor-level, and the interesting fragments of walls, bases of shafts, steps and piers, marked A, B, C, D. F, G, L, and M on plan, have been discovered.
The discovery of the base of a pier at A has been previously mentioned, and a careful drawing of it to scale is shown in plate IT. When first uncovered it was fairly perfect, and is cased with fine red sandstone, evidently from the Shelvock or Grinshill Quarries, near Shrewsbury. The core was built of rubble masonry of local stone.
It is quite clear, from the plan of this base, that the nave piers of Strata Marcella were of clustered shafts, and fragments of these of various sizes and dimensions were found among the debris which was excavated.
MONT.
4-.
FtCT
MONT. COLL. VOL XXV.
STRATA
pi- -r.
PI6R. >vr C. OH PL.VXN
&>.* AT B
STRATA MARCELLA ABBEY. 167
Traces of foundations of some of the other nave-arcade piers were found, but none in such perfect condition as this one, and it is most fortunate that in this single instance so much was found intact, as to enable us to make an accurate drawing of the base.
This pier is also illustrated on plate in in perspective. At B we discovered a portion of the pulpitum, the solid stone screen which divided the monks' choir from the choir of the conversi. In this instance we found a portion of the base moulds of the south side of the doorway quite perfect and in situ, never having been disturbed. Upon reference to the view on plate v it will be observed that there is a large,* flat, chamfered stone on the west side of the pulpitum, and in the centre of it is a round hole about three or four inches in diameter. The total length of the flat chamfered stone is seven feet two inches, and at the end it is still two feet wide, but a portion has been broken away ; this appears to me somewhat like the base of a tomb. To the right of this were some slabs and fragments of foundations, which might indicate the position of one of the altars' in the choir of the conversi.
Westwards of this, and at C on plan, we found a somewhat similar mass of masonry, but, in addition to the base moulds, a short length of the jamb moulds remained, and instead of being on the south side of the centre line of the church, this fragment is on the north side. It presents many peculiarities ; it has been built upon an inferior and irregular foundation ; it does not occupy the original position for which the jamb moulds and base moulds were .worked. It will be observed, upon reference to the very accurate illustration on plate iv, which Mr. Worthington G. Smith has pre- pared, that the base mould is not continuous, and that the jamb moulds do not fit the bases. In the wall itself are fragments of mouldings built in, and when carefully examined it is seen that this is some later addition to the church. It looks remarkably like a fragment of a western doorway, inserted when the
168 EXCAVATIONS ON THE SITE OF
church was very considerably reduced in length, and at some period in the history of Strata Marcella when the eight western bays of the nave arcade may have become dilapidated and fallen into ruins — not improb- ably at the time of the destruction of the Abbey by Owain Glyndwr.
On the other hand, it may be the entrance to the choir of the conversi, erected at some later date than the screen at T, of which we found the foundations of a thin wall, and at D, still in situ, the base of a pilaster or buttress, illustrated on plate in. Unfortunately, so little is left in each of these cases that it would be presumptuous on my part to state absolutely the pur- poses these fragments originally served, and to what they belonged. I think there can be no doubt about the pulpitum at B — that is original masonry in situ and untouched. The base moulds of the south jamb of the entrance-door to the choir are perfect, and the levels indicate a four-inch step from the nave to the level of the floor of the choir.
At L we found a mass of foundations of a wall five feet three inches thick, which may be the base of a tomb ; it comes exactly midway between the proper position of the two piers of the nave arcade ; it seems too thick for the wall, which in some instances divides the aisles from the nave in Cistercian churches, a notable instance of which is to be seen at Tintern Abbey, and of which I also found traces at Strata Florida.
At G another very puzzling piece of masonry was found, the foundations of a thin wall running east and west, and upon it a chamfered and rabbetted sill- stone, 5 ft. 8 ins. long and 9 ins. wide. This may be some later introduction, but there it was in situ, the top of the sill exactly 1 ft. above the level of the floor of the choir as ascertained at the door of the pulpitum B. Eastward of this, at P, was a fragment of stone step, which indicated the level of the presbytery floor, being exactly 1 ft. 4 ins. above the floor of the
KOMT« COIU.VOU XXV
STRATA MABCELLA ABBEY.
169
choir, which would give four 4-in. steps from choir to presbytery. Here the principal mass of the fragments of the tile pavements was found, and at K could be traced the foundation walls which had carried the four steps ; the front of the first step aligned with the eastern face of the eastern arch of the central tow^er, assuming the position of this feature to be correctly shown on the plan. It was in this part of the church that some large blocks of red sandstone were found, which Mr. W. G. Smith has illustrated in plate vi, fig. 1 ; there is an exactly similar moulding in the pier of the tower of Chester Cathedral repeated
w
Moulding of Pier of Tower of Chester Cathedral.
three times. I therefore think there can be no doubt that this is a fragment of one of the piers of the tower, and would, if arranged as shown in the sketch, be an exact copy of the Chester example.
No traces of transeptal chapels were found, and the entire absence of any lines of foundations in this part of the church renders the plan of the eastern portion somewhat problematical.
At H on plan, Mr. Worthington G. Smith found interments of very young children ; fragments of bones of infants were discovered buried at this point. This is an exceedingly curious fact ; and may not this be
170 EXCAVATIONS ON THE SITE OF
some confirmation of the scandalous reports set forth in the letters of King Edward III to the Abbots of Clairvaux and Citeaux, charging the monks of Strata Marcella with " leading a fearfully dissolute life", and which are quoted in full at pages 138-141 in vol. v, Montgomeryshire Collections, in the paper on the Abbey of Ystrad Marchell (Strata Marcella), by Mr. Morris C. Jones, F.S.A.?
It certainly does seem an extraordinary thing to find these infant interments in a Cistercian abbey church, and one would be glad to know if any such a fact has been before observed. Quantities of human remains were discovered scattered among the debris, but in no case did we find any trace of an interment in situ or undisturbed, except those of children before described.
Mr. Worthington G. Smith writes : " Whilst mea- suring near this spot I picked up a Jiumerus (upper armbone) and femur (thighbone) belonging to a child of about six years of age ; on looking over the bone- fragments close by, several other infantile humeri and femora came to light, some broken ; eight perfect. On calling the gardener's attention to these small bones, he produced what was to him a remarkable bone ; it was the greater part of a child's skull, curiously distorted and flattened by post-mortem pressure ; skulls of young people are often so distorted. As a garden-fork was at hand, I asked the gardener to carefully loosen some of the surface soil ; on this being done other infant inter- ments were seen in situ, no infant being over seven years ; the young people were interred with adults, side by side."
In the presbytery, and also on the site of the north transept, a considerable quantity of encaustic and incised tiles were found, and also here and there portions of the mortar in which they were bedded ; all the tiles were in fragments, and had been much broken up and disturbed ; the patterns and make of the tiles exactly resemble those of Strata Florida, and only
STRATA MARCELLA ABBEY. 171
two fresh patterns were found, which are illustrated on plate xi, figs. 1 and 2 ; both these are heraldic tiles, No. 2 being the arms of Le Strange of Knockin, as to which more hereafter. The other tiles on plates xvi and xvn are copied from the drawings I made of the Strata Florida tiles ; see pp. 226-27, The Cistercian Abbey of Strata Florida. Similar tiles were found in the recent excavations at Old St. Chad's Church, Shrewsbury, and we thus trace the same patterns extending from Shropshire into Wales; and there seems little doubt that they were of Salopian manufacture, probably made at or near Broseley, and that many of the patterns were stock designs in common use at the time when the tiles were manufactured. Even in the case of the heraldic tiles we find the same patterns at places so far apart as Strata Florida and Strata Mar- cella. These tiles date about the middle of the four- teenth century, and both the tiles and freestone used at Strata Marcella would be brought by barges up the river Severn, which is navigable to Pool Quay, near the Abbey.
One of the most interesting discoveries we made was finding, just beneath the surface of the turf, a grave formed of flagstones set on edge at the point marked 0 on plan, and illustrated on plate in. Some of the stones actually projected slightly above the turf, so that the original surface in this case had been cleared away and lowered. This grave occupies the same position with reference to the church as the very interesting series of monks' graves with their head- stones and covering slabs that were discovered at Strata Florida, but in that case lying under something like eight to ten feet of debris, which had preserved them. Among the fragments of carved and moulded freestone turned up among the soil removed, was found the sepulchral headstone, fig. 4 on plate XI ; this no doubt had originally stood at the head of a grave in the monks' burial-ground, and is probably of thirteenth century workmanship. On plate in is shown a portion
172 EXCAVATIONS ON THE SITE OF
of the north wall, which was cleared down to the floor- level. This drawing indicates very accurately the kind of masonry used in the walls, which internally were plastered and whitewashed ; it is of the local stone obtained in the vicinity of the Abbey, in all probability from a quarry on the Rhalt, a high, wooded escarpment of Upper Silurian rock, situated no great distance from the site. All the dressed stonework of the piers, arches, windows, shafts, bases, and capitals was of red or white Grinshill or Shelvock stone, the red pre- dominating ; the white perhaps used in some of the capitals, as the font of Buttington Church, is of that colour, and some fragments of carved work found were also in the white variety of Grinshill stone. At some time in the history of the Abbey it had been all white- washed, probably at a late period, and after it had been damaged by fire : this was the case at Strata Florida. Among the many fragments of dressed stone discovered, certain examples were selected for illus- tration, and they are shown on plates vm, ix, x, and xi. We have sections of arch moulds on plate vi, figs. 4 and vi ; plate vm, figs. 1 and 2, 7 and 8, and on plate x, figs. 4, 5, 6, and 7. These mouldings consist chiefly of bold rounds and deep hollows ; the rounds are, most of them, filletted, and are of thirteenth century work, none of them perhaps much later than A.D. 1250.
Shafts and a mullion are illustrated on plate vi, figs. 2, 3, and 5 — the latter from a stone screen or monument of decidedly Decorated or early four- teenth century character ; on plate vn we have jamb- moulds, figs. 4, 5, 6, and 7, late Transitional and Early English types, very similar in section to jamb-moulds of north and south doors at Strata Florida. ~Figs. 4 and 5 on plate vm illustrate an exceedingly clever fragment of mason's work, the section showing an outline similar to fig. 7 on plate vn.
Part of a window-head grooved for glazing, and a window-sill, is shown on plate ix, figs. 6 and 7. On this plate we have a piece of coping and part of the
STRYVTA A\*RC€LU«A
STRATA MARCELLA ABBEY. 173
moulding round the inside of a window. Base moulds are illustrated on plate iv ; plate vn, figs. 8 and 9 ; and these are all of late twelfth century style. There is also an early base, which has been reworked and used in a cusped arch mould ; the base is Early English, the arch mould Decorated, a period of probably seventy or eighty years elapsing between the time when the stone was first used and the date when it was reworked.
On plate Vin are shown two fragments of geometrical tracery not grooved for glass, which may have formed part of the cloister arcade. Fig. 1, plate vn, shows an abacus of early type — in fact, the earliest fragment found — and may have formed part of the capital of one of the doorways.
On plate xi is an interesting little fragment, fig. 9, which probably was part of a monument or shrine of early fourteenth century date. Figs. 7 and 8, on the same plate, show part of a weather-stone, and gives the pitch of some roof; it is difficult to say to what pur- pose the fragment of cylindrical stone was applied ; it might have formed part of a chimney.
The fragments of carved stonework found are illus- trated in plates XTH and xiv ; fig. 1, on plate xm, is the Early English capital found in the weir in the Severn, and removed to Pool Quay Vicarage, before referred to ; figs. 2, 3, 4, and 5 are all of the same period ; fig. 7 is more of Transitional character and earlier, and this, and some of the fragments shown on plate xir, have a striking resemblance to some of the carved work found at Strata Florida. The groin boss, fig. 2 on plate xn, is a fragment of a very fine piece of work, probably early thirteenth century.
The only fragment found of an inscribed sepulchral slab is shown on plate xu, fig. 11 ; unfortunately, it was too much weatherworn to make out more than the letters H I c, and traces of the ornamental border.
On plate xiv are shown some of the miscellaneous finds. Figs. 2, 10, and 11, fragments of stained glass in the original leading ; figs. 7 and 9, also fragments of
174 EXCAVATIONS ON THE SITE OF
stained glass, the former with part of an inscription on it in thirteenth century characters ; the latter has on it, very faintly visible, a Maltese cross. Figs. 1 and 8 are small fragments of bronze or laten ; fig. 3, a die or stamp ; fig. 4, a strip of thin silver plate, gilt, with dots on it, apparently part of the binding of a book ; and lastly, fig. 5, a flint-flake of prehistoric age, a relic of a far earlier race than the founders of Strata Mar- cella Abbey.
The masons' marks, illustrated on plate xvn, may be compared with those found at Strata Florida. Nos. 2, 4, 6, 10, 11, and possibly 12, correspond with marks upon the dressed stone of the Cardiganshire abbey, and the men who used these trade symbols may have worked at both places, as the works during a long period must have progressed simultaneously — Rhys ap Gruffydd refounding Strata Florida in 1164, and Owen Cyfeiliog founding Strata Marcella in 1170. In all probability, Strata Florida was the sooner com- pleted of the two ; there is but little Early English work there except in the chapter-house, whilst at Strata Marcella it predominates ; and of the scanty fragments we have discovered, but little is of early Transitional type. We, however, get it in the forms of the bases of the buttresses in the north wall, and a somewhat later type in the bases of the shafts of the pulpitum door.
So far as can be ascertained, it would appear that the work done subsequently to the foundation of the Abbey in 1170 must have progressed very slowly, and that the church could not have been finished until seventy or eighty years subsequent to the date of Owen Cyfeiliog's first charter ; and it appears from the frag- ments that we have found, that the nave-arcades were of Early English work, dating about the earlier part of the thirteenth century.
With reference to the dimensions of the church, the following table will enable a comparison to be made with the more important ecclesiastical buildings in Wales.
STRATA MARCELLA ABBEY.
175
|
t |
•g |
"o-tf |
..si o -"3 . |
0 « |
g| ^ |
•s |
"o |
|
|
jl o> |
1=1 |
al.3| |
£ §* |
"o § * |
5 -53 |
±2 -r? |
||
|
Name. |
H |
W) a |
tl |
® ^ o |
c'j |
'O O |
||
|
EH |
I; |
II' |
!|f |
J |
!^ |
3° |
I? |
|
|
ft. . ins. |
ft. ins. |
ft. ins. |
ft. ins. |
ft. ins. |
ft. ins. |
ft. ins. |
ft. ins. |
|
|
Strata MarcellaAbbey1 Strata Florida Abbey |
273 0 213 0 |
201 0 132 6 |
62 0 61 0 |
96 0 117 3 |
30 0 28 0 |
30 0 28 0 |
72 0 52 6 |
30 0 28 0 |
|
Cwmhir Abbey2 |
|
242 0 |
69 10 |
135 8 |
32 0 |
— |
— |
— |
|
St. David's Cathedral3 |
208 10 |
127 4 |
51 3 |
116 0 |
27 3 |
27 0 |
53 6 |
30 3 |
|
St. Asaph Cathedral... |
— |
86 0 |
68 0 |
108 0 |
— |
29 6 |
— |
— |
|
Bangor Cathedral ... |
— |
116 0 |
60 0 |
96 0 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
|
Llandaff Cathedral4... |
|
107 0 |
70 0 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
|
Brecon Priory Church |
170 0 |
107 0 |
34 0 |
114 0 |
— |
29 0 |
34 0 |
29 0 |
|
Neath Abbey |
~~ |
110 0 |
— |
110 0 |
" |
~ |
_ |
It will be seen, upon reference to the figures, that in point of length of nave Strata Marcella takes rank after Cwmhir Abbey, and in other dimensions it exceeds in size most of the great churches of the Principality.
I am inclined to think that the original design of the church was shorter, and that the four western bays of the nave-arcade were a later addition ; the buttresses on the north wall, opposite the three western piers, are wider than those to the eastward, and are also spaced a little further apart.
The west front of a Cistercian church was generally aligned pretty nearly with the west wall of the cellarium and dorter of the conversi ; in this case it extends exactly the length of the four bays westward of that line.
Of the conventual buildings but very little was excavated, and it is to be hoped that these too may be thoroughly explored ; the expense of doing so would not be great, and it would be most satisfactory if the remainder of the surface within the walls of the church was cleared to floor-level, and the site of the cloister garth and domestic buildings of the monastery
1 Some of these dimensions are approximate.
2 Never completed.
3 As built by Bishop Peter de Leia.
4 No transepts.
176 EXCAVATIONS ON THE SITE OF
laid bare. If this is done, the whole of the surplus soil and debris should be entirely cleared away ; in a short time the surface would become covered with turf, the foundations of the various buildings, piers, buttresses, etc., would then be seen just above the surface, and if fenced in and properly preserved, would rescue from oblivion what still remains of one of the great Cistercian houses of Wales.
In conclusion, let me add that though what has been already discovered may appear but trifling, as compared with the result of excavations at other monastic ruins in Wales and elsewhere, it must be remembered that even the site of Strata Marcella was doubtful, and that the little that has been done has enabled us to define the position of the Abbey, and, to a large extent, recover the plan and dimensions of its church, which, when it stood complete in all its beauty, was, in all probability, a magnificent specimen of Early English architecture, and in no way inferior to some of the greater English monastic churches.
STEPHEN W. WILLIAMS, F.R.LB.A.
February 1891.
STRATA MARCELLA ABBEY. 177
EXPLANATIONS OF REFERENCES TO PLATES AND NOTES.
PLATS II.
See Mr. Williams's observations (p. 165 supra.) Base of pier on ground plan at A.
PLATE III.
Upper figure. — Base of pier at A on ground plan, sketched from north-west.
Second figure. — Part of pier or buttress on D on ground plan, sketched from the south-west.
Third figure from top. — The part of "the interior of the north wall at E is the only part of the interior wall of the church which is extant. It shows that it has been whitewashed. From this it may be inferred that the interior walls were built of the common stone of the neighbourhood and had been plastered." See Mr. Williams's observations on this wall on page 171.
Fourth figure from top. — See Mr. Williams's obser- vations (p. 171 supra).
The " Monk's Grave" at 0 on ground plan is formed by flags on their edges, and is only 1 ft. deep ; one of the stones on the edge was actually on the surface, and was covered with moss or lichen. It is 6 ft. long and 2 ft. wide at western end, and nar- rowing to 1 ft. 6 ins. at east end. Graves something similar were discovered on the site of Old St. Chad's, Shrewsbury, but not built with such rough and un- worked stones. (Transactions of Shropshire Archaeo- logical Society, 2nd Series, vol. ii, p. 367.)
A large quantity of bones, which seem as if they had been previously disturbed, were in the immediate neighbourhood. Only a small thigh-bone was found in this grave. To protect the grave it has been sur- rounded by an unclimbable iron railing, 5 ft. 6 ins. high.
VOL. XXV. N
178 EXCAVATIONS ON THE SITE OF
This is the only grave of the sort found here. It must have been the resting-place of some one of dis- tinction, and the question arises, Whose tomb could it have been ?
The Brut-y-Saeson records the death of Owen Cyfeiliog thus : —
" Anno 1197, having taken upon him the habit of religion, died Owen Cyfeiliog, and was buried at Ystrad Marchell."
Perhaps we may be forgiven if we recall what we wrote twenty years ago, bearing upon this subject :
" His having been buried in the Abbey is an interesting fact, which we trust may lead to a search being made on the site o'f the Abbey — now a mere pasture — for the purpose of discovering the stone coffin1 which probably contained the remains of the venerable founder. At his death he must have been of great age, as he succeeded his grand- father, Prince Meredydd> in 1130, and died 1197; and as a great warrior and bard he found a fitting resting-place in the confines of the house which he had dedicated to God. He was a liberal patron of the bards of his time, and, among the rest, of Cynddelw, who (tradi- tion says) lived at Pentre Mavvr, near Tafolwern."
Why did Owen Cyfeiliog take the cowl ? Possibly the reason may be found in the following circum- stance.
"In 1188, when Baldwin, Archbishop of Canterbury, made a visitation of Wales, for the purpose of preaching the Crusade, and celebrated Mass in all the cathedrals, which had never been done by
1 Here we assumed that such a mode of sepulture would be appropriate to his rank as a prince, but we did not pay due weight to the fact that he had become a monk. We find, however, that Mr. S. W. Williams does not take our view, and that he thinks that Owen Cyfeiliog would be buried inside the Abbey, although we have not found his grave. The following extract, which he quotes from Powell's History of Wales, p. 220, certainly shows the general practice : " A.D. 1200. The following year Gruffydh ap Conan ap Owen Gwynedh died, and was buried in a monk's cowl in the Abbey of Conway, which way of burying was very much practised (especially by the better sort), in those days ; for the monks and friars had deluded the people into a strong conceit of the merits of it, and had firmly persuaded them it was highly conducive to their future happiness to be thus interred. But this superstition, together with the propagators of it, they had lately received from England, for the first abbey or monastery we read of in Wales, since the destruction of that famous house of Bangor, which savoured of Romish dregs, was the Ty-Gwyn built in the year 1116, after which they mightily increased and spread over all the country."
STRATA MARCELLA ABBEY. 179
either of his predecessors, he does not appear to have been welcomed by Owen. G-iraldus, who accompanied the prelate in his tour, informs us that after Easter, in that year, he came with his retinue from Oswestry to Slopesbury (Shrewsbury), where they remained some days to refresh themselves ; and many assumed the cross in obedience to the precepts of the Archbishop, and the gracious sermons of the Archdeacon of St. David's. Here, also, they excommunicated Owen de Cyfeiliog, because he alone of all the Welsh princes had not advanced to meet the Archdeacon."1
" After this," it is added, " we hear no more of Owen Cyfeiliog until the time of his death in 1197."
The announcement in the Chronicles of his death, for the first time reveals the fact of his having assumed the habit of religion, and is it not probable that he took that step to make peace with the Church, and to have the ban of excommunication removed \ As a Prince, and as founder of the Abbey, his sepulchre might be expected to have been near the high altar. But none was found there. On becoming a simple monk he would lay down his princely rank and dignity, and be interred in the monks' burial-ground ; nevertheless, it is natural to expect that some distinc- tion would be allowed for him as the founder of the monastery. Our conjecture is that this rude grave, which has survived seven centuries, may be his lowly resting-place.
The following incident shows the means which the monks of this Abbey did not hesitate to use to enforce compliance with their wishes or demands. Within three years after Owen Cyfeiliog's death, Cynddelw, the celebrated bard, and (as before mentioned) a protege of Owen Cyfeiliog, had a contention with the monks of this monastery. When threatened, in his mortal illness, with excommunication by the Abbot, and being told that if anathematised he could not be buried in consecrated ground, he replied by the follow- ing stanza, which has received much admiration, and which testifies to the irreconcilable discord which prevailed between the bards and the " religious":
1 Mont. Coll., i, p. 10.
N 2
180 EXCAVATIONS ON THE SITE OF
" Cen i bai amnod dyfod im herbyn A Duw gwyn yn g wy bod Oedd iawnach i fyn ach fod Im gwrthfyn nag im gwrthod."
" Since against me no covenant can be shown,
As the pure God well knows, Becoming were it for the monks To ask, not to reject me."
PLATE IV.
(See Mr. Williams's observations on p. 167 supra.) Upper Illustration. — Plan of pier at B on plan. This seems in situ.
A. This stone is lower in the ground than the base moulding.
F. Section of base mouldings, twice the size of plan.
Plan of pier at C on plan. The pier has all
been rebedded.
Lower Illustration. — Pier at C on plan. On bottom of west side, north corner, there is
an arch mould used as a base of foundation.
The dotted lines show jamb-mouldings mis- placed on bases. D. is repetition of c. One should surmount the other.
Stone marked E is relaid and false bedded. Stone B. This stone is lower in the ground than the
base mouldings.
G. Sectron of base mouldings, twice the size of plan.
PLATE V.
Upper figure. — Perspective view of pier at C on plan and part of interior of north wall - in distance where lettered ; shown on large scale on plate in. The projecting square stone at the eastern end of wall is not indicated on plan.
Lower figure. — Pier, etc., at B on plan, with stone grave in distance where lettered.
STRATA MAECELLA ABBEY. 181
PLATE VI.
(See Mr. Williams's observations on these on pp. 169
and 172 supra.}
Fig. 1. Moulded stonework probably from Tower piers, similar to Chester Cathedral.
2. Column from angle of door or window, one of a
great number.
3. Part of pier.
4. Jamb of door (?) or part of arch mould.
5. Part of arch mould.
6. Mullion.
PLATE VII.
(See Mr. Williams's observations on these on pp,
172-3 supra.) Fig. 1. Abacus mouldings.
2. Abacus from underneath.
3. Portion of octagonal abacus from underneath.
4. Jamb mouldings.
5. Do.
6. Do.
7. Do.
8. Base of column.
9. Bases of columns.
PLATE VIII.
(See Mr. Williams's observations on these stones on
p. 173 supra.) Fig. 1. Mouldings of great arch, %. 2.
2. Great arch.
3. Section of tracery ; no groove for glass.
4. Part of tracery.
5. Section of tracery above.
6. Part of tracery ; no groove for glass.
7. Jamb.
8. Keystone of arch ; detail above, fig. 2.
9. Tracery ; no groove for glass.
10. Window tracery with orifice for iron bar — one of several.
182 EXCAVATIONS ON THE SITE OF
PLATE IX.
(See Mr. Williams's observations on these on p. 172
supra,)
Figs. 1, 2. Coping of a monument or screen. One piece of this coping is returned as shown on fig. 2.
3. Head of door.
4. Plan of window-sill, one of two, with irregular
mouldings as drawn.
5. Elevation of above.
6. Window mouldings, with groove for glass.
7. Window sill of one stone, but broken in two.
PL.ATE X.
(See Mr. Williams's observations on these on p. 172
supra. )
Figs. 1, 2, 3. Stone carved on three sides, old base mouldings, re-carved and re-used as an arch.
4, String mould of arch of large size, bed line,
straight.
5. Other mouldings following same curve, f inch
in 21 inches.
6. Another following the same curve.
7, Arch mouldings of different curve. Note the
two sides are different, as seen in section.
PLATE XI.
(See Mr. Williams's observations on these, p. 1 73 supra.)
Figs, 1 and 2.— These two tiles are mentioned with the other tiles illustrated on plates xvi and xvn.
Fig, 3. Part of a cylinder of stone. Could this be part of a circular chimney-shaft ?
Other stones of a similar character, but externally forming a hexagon, and internally a circular tunnel or shaft, were found in 1881, under the following circum- stances :
On December 7th, 188 1,1 Pool Quay Weir, on the river Severn, and near the site of the Abbey, and which had been erected by the monks, and had pro-
1 See Mont. Coll., vol. xv, p. 200.
MOMT.COUL.VOt- XXV
MONT, COUU.VOU XXV
ST RV? T-A
PL- 10.
STRATA MARCELLA ABBEY. 183
bably been since repaired with stones from the Abbey, was swept away by a flood, and the water above the weir was quickly reduced to a level with the water below — a fall of 9 or 10 feet. This catastrophe had a remarkable effect in many ways ; amongst others, it laid open to view several interesting pieces of the Abbey stone in the bed of the river, close to the site of the Abbey. Three of these stones are of the same thickness, and their exterior sides would, if they were quite perfect, form a hexagon, the inner side of each being curved, so that when the stones are placed together1 they form a circular tunnel or shaft. One stone represented in the plan is perfect, the others are fragments only of stones of similar size and shape. The perfect stone is 15 inches on its largest exterior side, and 7^ inches on its two short exterior sides, and forms one-third of a hexagon. It is 7^ inches thick. There is an appearance of* the action of fire-smoke on most of the stones. Subsequently, there were found two more stones of the same dimensions, except being 12 inches thick ; these evidently formed parts of another layer or course ; and also stones of a third layer, but only 3^ inches thick.
The suggestion was made by the Rev. J. E. Hill, formerly Vicar of Welshpool, that these stones formed part of a hexagonal chimney-shaft, formed of beds or layers of three stones ; which suggestion was con- firmed by two architects to whom the plan was shown. One of the architects thought that the diameter of the tunnel or shaft being 18 inches would imply a chimney-shaft of some important room, " There are (he added) a quantity of octagonal stone shafts form- ing the chimneys of the vicars' houses in Wells, but the tunnels are not more than 1 foot or 10 inches in diameter. They are engraved, with full details, in Pugin's Examples, No doubt this Strata Marcella chimney was about the same date, viz., the last quarter of the fourteenth century." 1 See Flans, ibid.
184 EXCAVATIONS ON THE SITE OF
The other architect thought " that the dimensions and general character of the shaft would assimilate to that of the kitchen chimney-shaft of the Vicar's Close at Wells". The conclusion was come to that the chimney-shaft, of which these stones formed a part, belonged to the Abbey of Strata Marcella, and was the most suggestive of any that had there been found of that utterly destroyed building. Whether they, or the stone, fig. 3 (plate xi), are sufficient to indicate the date and character of the Abbey buildings must be left to experienced archaeologists to decide, as well as the question whether the hexagonal form of the chimney is a feature from which any inference can be drawn.1 Fig. 4, Head-stone of grave with a sculptured cross.
5 and 6. Part of hood-mould.
7 and 8, A stone indicating old angle of roof; the, fillet projects 2f inches, and the angle is. 45-' deg, 7 is section ; 8, elevation.
9. Part of a monument or screen in white free- stone.
PLATE XII.
(See Mr. Williams's observations on these, pp. 162
and 173 supra.)
All the fragments of sculptured stones were found during the excavation among the debris removed. Fig. 1. Part of a small capital.
2. Part of a richly carved boss of a groined stone
roof.
3. Part of a narrow frieze mould, or fragment of
capital.
4. Part of capital.
5. Part of a richly carved large capital.
6. Part of a grotesque face in freestone.
7. Part of capital.
1 It has been suggested that the hexagonal stones would fit on to circular ones, in which case the lower part of the chimney would be circular and the upper part hexagonal.
Ut-. VQ4. XXV
STR^ATA
7
"PL. 13,
STRATA MARC ELL A ABBEY. 185
•*,
Fig. 8. Part of capital. 9. Do.
10. Do.
11. Part of inscribed and ornamented sepulchral slab found near the south wall. There are signs of other lettering, which, however, are too far worn to be legible.
12. Part of angle of capital similar to some found at
Strata Florida.
PLATE XIII.
(See Mr. Williams's observations on these, pp. 162 and 173 supra.)
Fig. 1. This' carved capital was found some years ago by the Re /. Aug. Field in the weir in the Severn, immediately bielow the Abbey, and was left by him at Pool Quay Vicarage. When we were arranging for the excavations, Rev. R. J. Roberts, the present vicar of Pool Quay, kindly presented this capital to the Powys-land Museum, also the fragment of carved stone, No. 7, plate xn, which Mr. Roberts thought was possibly Norman.
2, 3, 4. Portions of capitals.
Fig. 5. This capital also was found some time ago, and removed to the Coppy Farm. When the exca- vations were proceeding, the tenant presented it to Mrs. Addie, who kindly resigned it to the Museum.
The others, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 7, portions of carved capitals, were found during the excavations.
6 and 7. Portions of flat frieze, probably capital of square pier.
PLATE XIV (all full size).
(See Mr. Williams's observations on these, p. 173
supra.) Fig. 1. Object in bronze.
2. Glass in lead.
3. White mould.
186 EXCAVATIONS ON THE SITE OF
*
4. Thin strip of silver-gilt, possibly part of the binding of a service book.
5. Flint flake, white, grey, and lustrous ; probably palaeolithic, according to Mr. Worthirigton G. Smith ; it is in the same mineral condition as Fynnon Beuno cave flakes.
6. Bronze, query rim of a paten (?).
7. Glass in lead, with two letters on the glass.
8. Object made of lead.
9. Roundel of glass ; originally had a cross upon it, but the gum used to keep it together has obscured it.
10. Glass in lead.
11. Glass in lead,
PLATE XV.
(See Mr. Williams's observations, p. 162.) Buttington Font. — This font is in Buttington Church, which is about a mile from the Abbey, but on the opposite side of the river Severn. The font was always reputed " to have been formed out of one of the columns in the Abbey church. It had, until the year 1838, when the church was restored, remained covered with plaster, which was stripped off, and the bold and deeply carved foliage came to light."1
Mr. Worthington G. Smith thinks it may possibly have been the capital of a central octagonal shaft of an octagonal chapter-house.
The following interesting remarks were made by the Rev. J. Parker (of Sweeney Hall) Rector of Llanyblodwel, Salop, in his Architectural Drawings, vol. ii, p. 85 (which are now in the possession of his nephew, Stanley Leighton, Esq., M.P., of Sweeney Hall) :—
" This beautiful relic of ancient art was until 1838 so thickly coated with plaster and whitewash, that its elegance remained a secret, and the ' celata virtus' was very near being thrown away as rubbish. It is a most exquisite though damaged font of the thirteenth century, carved with scrupulous adherence to style, and containing three rows of Gothic foliage, arranged in a way that no sculptor could venture to improve. The general
1 See Mont. Coll., vol. xiv, p. 2, also note 1.
MONT- CTH.U .VOL XXV,
9,
-iloor.
FONT- BVTT1NCTON CM.
STRATA MARCELLA ABBEY. 187
design has a resemblance to the capital and base of a Gothic pillar, the shaft being of course omitted. The curling foliage, of which the central row bends in a different direction from those above and below it, conveys a beautiful effect of move- ment, and is like the branches of a tree or the leaves of a plant, swaying to and fro in the wind. The pedestal on which it has been raised has, I am sorry to say, been retouched, and some- what altered. The drawing, from which the engraving in vol. i of Mont. Coll. is taken, represents it as it was ; there are two blocks of pale red sandstone, such as the neighbourhood affords, but the third, which contains the bowl of the font and the octagon around which the foliage is carved, is of a cream- coloured freestone, and came either from Grinshill, near Salop, or the quarries of Khuabon. The contemplation of this present fragment, so long concealed, and now so happily rescued from destruction, can hardly fail to produce a degree of sadness in the mind of the spectator. If the remnants of Grecian art are carefully preserved and valued more than the smoothest production of the modern artist; if the spirit of their work- manship is discovered in spite of injuries done by time or violence, how much more highly should we value a work of sacred art where human talent of the highest order has been employed in providing for the due celebration of a sacrament."
From these remarks it may be inferred that this able amateur architect considers this fine work of ancient art had originally been a font, and that he had not heard of the tradition of its having been originally part of a column from this Abbey church.
NOTES ON THE TILES FOUND.
PLATES XI, XVI, AND XVII.
During the excavations, a large number of tiles and fragments of tiles were found, of various colours and patterns, which are now placed in the Powys-land Museum ; very few tiles were perfect • most of them were found in the east end of the church — chiefly in the presbytery — but fragments were found in every part of the church that was explored.
The two plates, xvt and xvn, give fifteen patterns of tiles, of which we found examples at Strata Marcella. All these
188 EXCAVATIONS OK THE SITE OP
patterns were also found at Strata Florida Abbey, and some of them at Welshpool Church.
None of the tiles found at Strata Marcella appeared to be in the position in which they were originally laid : wherever any were found together they were not arranged in any order.
We refer to Mr. Williams's remarks on the tiles delineated in plate xi on p. 171 and plates xvi and xvn on page 171 supra.
A considerable number of the tiles were plain white or buff, black, red, and green. These were doubtless used to divide and render distinct the devices and compositions formed by combinations of the ornamented tiles, by separating intervals of plain tiles. In this manner squares of 4, 9, 16 or more* tiles, forming by their combinations a complete design, may be interlaced with lines, which, at a general view, would have the appearance of a fret or trellis work.
PLATE XL
Figures 1 and 2 are drawings of two floor-tiles ; only one example of No. 1 was found, and that in a fragmentary condition, and of uncertain colour. The shield is of a greenish hue, bearing a white chevron ; the chevron does not come to the edge of the shield, and that has given rise to the idea that there may have been a bordure. We are unable to identify the armorial insignia. A similar tile was found at Strata Florida.
Of No. 2 numerous examples have been found — some whole, some half tiles, divided vertically and perpendicularly. The colours are not distinct; but as to the armorial bearings there can be no doubt, " Two lions passant" being the arms of the Le Strange family. This armorial tile is, so far as we know, the only one peculiar to this Abbey. With reference to the Le Strange arms being found on tiles in this Abbey, we think light will be thrown upon it by the following sketch pedigree : —
Owen Cyfeiliog, founder of this Abbey=f Gwenthlian, dau. of Owen Gwynneth,
in 1170, " having taken the habit of religion, died in 1197, and was buried at Ystrad Marchell."
Prince of North Wales.
Wenwynwyn, Prince of Upper Powys,=pMargaret, dau. of Kobert Lord d. 1218. Corbet.
Griffin ap Wenwynwyn, Prince of =Hawyse, dau. of John Le Strange, d. Upper Powys, d. dr. 3283. dr. Nov. 1310.
MONT. COUU .Vol. XXV PL. 11.
ST FVATV* /WA P^CQ: L. LV\
STRATA MARCELLA ABBEY. 189
Upon the death of her husband, Griffin ap Wenwynwyn, the grandson of the founder, Hawyse, his widow, had for some time the guardianship of her son, Owen de la Pole, and charge of all his lands. She held also in the name of dower the manor of Buttington, which is only separated from the site of the Abbey by the river Severn. Under these circumstances it is natural to suppose that she was a benefactor of this Abbey, and that her paternal arms, f< two lions passant", should be
Seal of Hawyse, the wife of Griffin ap Wenwynwyn.
found there. We reproduce a woodcut of her seal, which was found in digging a foundation at Oswestry, and which bears the impression of a female standing clothed in a kirtle, the long mantle, the round, low-crowned reticuled cap, and the gorget of the period, and holding a shield in either hand. That on the dexter side is charged with the arms of her husband, " a lion rampant", and that on the sinister side with the arms of Le Strange (her paternal coat), " two lions passant".
This we conceive is sufficient to account for the tiles bear- ing the Le Strange arms. But we confess to disappointment in not having also found the cognizance of her husband, Griffin ap Wenwynwyn, the ruddy lion ramping in gold. He was a benefactor to the Abbey, but not on the extensive scale of his grandfather the founder, or of his father, Prince Wenwynwyn.
PLATE XVI.
Fig. No. 1. This is an inlaid tile of red ground with a white or bufffleur-de-lys. The fleur-de-lys was in special favour with the designer of inlaid tiles of the Middle Ages. In some instances it may have been used as merely an ornament conformable to the
190 EXCAVATIONS ON THE SITE OF
style of architecture or character of decoration prevalent at the period, but devoid of any special import. But in one case it was certainly introduced as the badge of the founder of the Abbey, and, moreover, "it was the custom throughout the Gothic era to introduce the shields of arms of the sovereign and the several members of his family into the architectural decoration of the more important edifices, and in many in- stances also the armorial insignia of benefactors and persons of eminence at the time in the realm. Some relics of this usage remain in all our cathedrals, and in almost every early building that still exists."1
In Nicholls' Examples of Decorative Tiles the instance above referred is given in Nos. 53 and 54.
The dimidiated fleur-de-lys from Hailes Abbey, No. 53, is mentioned (p. XT) amongst specimens of personal devices and badges. Hailes Abbey was the foundation of Richard Earl of Cornwall, and King of the Romans (brother of Henry III, King of England), whose double-headed eagle, the ensign of the latter dignity, is represented on the 2nd tile, No. 54. In endeavouring to discover what dignity was represented by the 1st tile, No. 53, we found that the fleur-de-lys was one of the personal badges of Edward III and other of the Plantagenet Princes, and that it therefore seemed probable from the last- mentioned tile that the fleur-de-lys was also one of the badges of Richard Earl of Cornwall, and brother of Edward IIFs grandfather, Henry III. May we venture to suggest that the fleur-de-lys may have been introduced here as one of the badges of one of the Plantagenet Princes ?
Another, and a local origin may, however, be suggested. Although generally the fleur-de-lys, not being placed in a shield, may seem to indicate that it was not an armorial bear- ing, yet sometimes a tile is occupied by an armorial bearing without the intervention of a shield ; No. 24 of Nicholls' Examples may be quoted as an instance. This being so, it may be mentioned that Hugo Gerband (Lord of Trefuant, 1273) bore " Gu., a fleur-de-lys or", and his heiress, through the Pigotts, married one of the family of Williams of Wollaston, who quarter the Gerband arms (see Visitations of Shropshire, 1623, Harleian Society publications, 1889, p. 505). Wollaston or Willaston is close to the Breidden Hills, and not far distant from Strata Marcella Abbey. " Robertus films Willielmi Rufi Dominus de Wilauston" (a member of the family) granted a charter to the Abbey.2
1 Boutell's Heraldry, p. 338.
2 We found a small fragment, which appeared to be part of a tile
MQNT/CQU..VOU xxv
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PATTCRNS OF .PAV€/\£NT TIL.CS
8
* TiL.es
,1 ,2. ,3 .4- ,
STRATA MARCELLA ABBEY. 191
Fig. 2. This tile, of which we have several fragments but no perfect specimen, has a red ground, with the armorial bear- ings of thel)espencer family (viz., Quarterly ar. and gu.t in the 2nd and 3rd quarters a fret or, over all a bend sa.} — evidently part of a design of four tiles intended to be placed with the bottom of the shields pointing to the centre. The Despencer arms appear to be ubiquitous in the west, and probably have no local reference. We are not aware that the family had any connection whatever with this neighbourhood. Mr. Nicholls, in his Examples (p. xiii), mentions certain instances, which, he says, " show that it is not always safe to refer the explanation of the designs of tiles to the history of the place where they may chance to occur, since, after having been originally de- signed for one place, they were evidently frequently adopted for many other places in the same neighbourhood."
Fig. 3. This tile is nearly of an identical pattern with Fig. 1 , but it is incised and encaustic.
Fig. 4. This is an incised and encaustic tile with the figure of a dragon upon it. A specimen was also found in Welsh- pool Church. A dragon with the wings elevated and passant is the Royal Badge of Wales. As such it was adopted by Henry VII, the first of the Tudor kings, as one of his badges. It seems natural to conclude this tile bears the National Emblem, so appropriate to Welsh abbeys aud churches. Edward III has for one of his badges a kindred animal — a griffin. The dragon appears also as a military ensign on the Bayeux tapestry. On Prince Arthur Tudor's seal the single ostrich feather with scrowls appear on either side, and are held up by dragons.
Fig. 5. This is an inlaid tile, the ground whereof is red, and the figures white or buff. It has been suggested that it is one of a set of border tiles of very common regulation type. Whether that be so or not, we think it has a design which possesses considerable interest. Some have considered the birds as representing the dove which returned to the Ark with an olive-branch in its beak. We are inclined rather to
having the same design as No. 10 of the tiles figured in Williams's Strata Florida, but we were not sufficiently certain of the identity to reproduce the drawing. The design of No. 10 supports a sort of shield, bearing a single fleur-de-lys, with another fleur-de-lys in the place of the crest. In Nicholls' Examples, No. 21, there is a very similar design on a tile found at Warblington, Hants, having two birds supporting a heater-shaped shield bearing three fleurs-de- lys, 2 and 1. Unfortunately, Mr. Nicholls does not state whose arms these were.
192 EXCAVATIONS ON THE SITE OF
assign it an heraldic origin, and to suggest that it may be an instance of the " introduction of armorial insignia of persons of eminence at the time in the realm". Considering the fleur- de-lys and the dragon (tiles 1 and 5) to be heraldic badges, we would also regard these birds as falcons, which were borne as badges by many of the Plantagenet princes. Edward III had for one of his badges a falcon ; Richard II, a white falcon ; Richard III, a falcon with a virgin's face holding a white rose ; Queen Elizabeth, a crowned falcon with a sceptre (from her mother, Anne Boleyne, who had the same badge). But it is to John "of Ghent", the fourth son of Edward III, and the second Duke of Lancaster, we would more particularly point. " His well-known shield, in addition to his achievement of arms, is charged with his badges, two falcons holding fetter- locks in their beaks."1 The fetter lock (a shackle and padlock) was borne by his brother Edmond (" of Langley"), first Duke of York, and also by the latter' s great-grandson, Edward IV, (but conjoined with a falcon). In the play of Richard II, Shakespeare, in the words he puts into the mouth of Henry " of Bolingbroke" (the eldest son of John of Ghent by his first marriage, and afterwards Henry IV), evidently makes allusion to the badge of the falcon.
Bolingbroke loq. :
" O, let no noble eye profane a tear For me, if I be gor'd with Mowbray's spear ; As confident, as is the falcon's flight Against a bird, do I with Mowbray fight."
(Act I, Scene 3.)
Several of the Plantagenet kings were benefactors of this monastery. King John granted two charters of confirmation ; Henry III granted a freedom from toll, which lasted until the present century, and within the writer's memory; Edward I and Henry VI granted charters of confirmation. What so pro- bable that the armorial badges of their princely descendants should be used to adorn the Abbey church? We would there- fore venture to suggest that these two birds on the tile may represent the badge of John " of Ghent" — two falcons with fetterlocks in their beaks.
Fig. 6. We have a fragment of a tile which we thought bore this pattern, but it is uncertain. The animal here depicted seems more like a wyvern than anything else ; but we are unable to offer any suggestion as to its significance.
Fig. 7. This is an inlaid tile, with red ground and buff figures,
1 Bouteirs Heraldry, p. 235.
STRATA MARCELLA ABBEY. 193
and is part of a large pattern formed by four, or perhaps sixteen tiles.
Fig. 8. This is an incised and encaustic tile of a light buff colour, with a figure upon it representing what we take to be a woodman ; but there may be difference of opinion on that point.
Mr. Williams, in his work on Strata Florida (p. 212), de- scribes the pattern of this tile as " exhibiting the figure of a civilian in the costume of the 14th century, clad in a close- fitting tunic, or 'cote hardi', reaching to the thighs, with the hood worn over the head and over the shoulders ; close-fitting pantaloons, or hose, envelope the thighs and legs, and long liripipes fall from his close-fitting sleeves. . . . The costume depicted on this tile is of the period of Edward II, and there- fore seems to fix the manufacture in the 14th century." The Bishop of Ely, too, thinks there can be no doubt that the cos- tume of this figure prevailed about the middle of the 14th century. Mr. Williams added to his description, " In his left hand is held a roundel of some description (it may be intended for a hunting-horn), whilst a dog sitting on his haunches, and trees, figure as accessories."
We had taken the implement in his hand to be an axe or other instrument for cutting or pruning trees. This impression was confirmed by our finding in Mr. J. G. Nicholls' Examples of Ancient Tiles, 1845, in figure No. 78, a similar design, which is thus described: " This grotesque figure of an ancient billman is from Little Marlow Abbey, Bucks, and the original is in the possession of Thomas Wethered, Esq., at Great Marlow." The date is not given, but it looks earlier than the 14th century. There was also a specimen of this tile found in Welshpool Church. This is a design deserving of notice on account of the costume it exhibits. It has been suggested, and we had previously thought it probable, that this tile was one of a series repre- senting the months. " It would seem that in the Middle Ages,1 whether in illuminated manuscripts, early printed books, clogg almanacks, cut stone, carved wood, metal-work, incised pavers, encaustic tiles, mosaics, wall-paintings, or painted glass, representations of the months and seasons were of fre- quent occurrence. For each month the custom was to repre- sent the corresponding sign of the Zodiac, or some charac- teristic symbol or occupation, or both, with or without the name of the month or other inscription. Bepresentations of
1 " Mediaeval Representations of the Months and Seasons", Archceo- logia, vol. xliv, p. 137.
VOL. XXV. O
194 EXCAVATIONS ON THE SITE OF
the months are common in ancient manuscripts." To cite two instances (which are taken from many others in the paper quoted) :
1. The Illustrated Calendar, Cotton MSS., Tiberius B. v, in the British Museum, referred to about the 10th century, the labours of the months are depicted, and (quoting only what suits our present purpose), we find February is represented by the occupation of " Three men pruning trees, of which some resemble vines."
2. One of the pages in the Cologne edition of Bede, headed Mensium Notce, is occupied by a series of small woodcuts and mottoes emblematical of the months of the year. February thus appears : —
Month. I Motto. | Sign. I Symbol.
Februarius. | Ligna cremo. | A fish for Pisces. | Two men felling trees.
A number of other examples are given, wherein February is represented by pruning.
In Nicholls' Exam-ples, page xviii, an example is also given of a design on a tile, one of a set representing the months by the operations of husbandry, after the fashion of the old almanacks.
From the foregoing, we think we may reasonably suggest that the ancient billman on this tile (if our idea of the design be correct) may be one of a series representing the* months, and may itself represent the month of February.
On the jambs of the north door of the Cathedral at Modena1 is a series of symbols, with the names of the corresponding months beneath each, in Latin, and " December" is represented by " a man cutting wood", and in a note (71) the following distich is quoted :
" Yule logs No season to hedge Get beetle and wedge Cleave logs now all For kitchen and hall."
Tusser, edit. 1599, "December's Abstract."
But we prefer suggesting this tile for February. If, how- ever, our idea of the figure being a woodman or billman be not considered correct, the representation on the tile may be for some other month than February, although it may still form part of a set of mediaeval representations of the months.
Fig. & This is an inlaid and encaustic tile, with red ground and buff figure ; only one specimen was found. It is a corner
1 Archoeologia, vol. xliv, pp. 153 and 217.
M ONT. COU..VOU XXV
STRWT-A
PAV€A\eNTT|l_eS
12
13
ANASONS A\V\RKS
STRATA MARCELLA ABBEY. 195
tile, and forms part of a design which probably comprised many tiles.
Fig. 10. This is an incised and encaustic tile, of which a number of specimens were found, some all light buff, others black, and which would form part of a large design.
Fig. 11. This is an inlaid tile of red ground and light buff figure.
Fig. 12. This is an incised tile, coloured black, and would form part of a large pattern.
Fig. 13. A large number of these tiles were found, of four different colours, red, black, white, and green. They are incised, and generally glazed. A specimen was found also in Welshpool Church.
Fig. 14. This is an inlaid tile, with red ground and buff pattern. A similar pattern was found in Welshpool Church, but not identical with this tile.
Fig. 15. A large number of these tiles, which were incised and encaustic, were found, of three different colours, red, black, and buff; four tiles complete the pattern.
Masons' Marks. — Out of the fifteen specimens given in plate XTII, we find six are identical with the masons' marks given in Williams's Strata Florida, p. 218.
MISCELLANEOUS NOTES.
In 1873, on the barn of the Bank Farm, Pool Quay, being taken down, a considerable number of dressed and moulded stones were found built in one of the walls with the common stone of the district. There is every reason to believe that these formed part of the Abbey church. Some of them were removed to the Powys-land Museum, where they now are.
In 1875 a decade ring was presented to the Powys-land Museum by Mr. T. B. Barrett. It is engraved, with a short account, in vol. viii of the Mont. Coll., p. 63. This ring was found at the Abbey barn, the site of which is near the Abbey, but on the opposite side of the turnpike road and the canal, on the rising ground. The ring is of brass, and has ten knobs and a bezel of circular form engraved with a cross. The use of such rings can, it is said, be traced back to the close of the fifteenth century, and some have attributed them to even an earlier period.
During the excavations a bronze ring was found, about half an inch in diameter ; also a number of fragments of what were
196 STRATA MAHCELLA ABBEY.
taken to be mediaeval pottery ; also pieces of lead and iron ; also a piece of bronze about 6 ins long.
Also a circular stone, 1 ft. in diameter and 4 ins. thick, and pierced in the centre with a circular hole 4 ins. in diameter. It seemed as if it was the base of a standard for a light, the main stem of which would pass through a circular hole in the centre, and would be supported by three branches dowelled and leaded in the top of the stone ; the marks of such mode of fastening being visible, Also several roof tiles, consisting of very rough, hewn stones of great weight. These are not un- common in the neighbourhood. Also a piece of lead piping, mentioned in p, 155,
M, C, J,
197
PARISH TERRIERS— PARSONS' PAY.
BY EEV. ELIAS OWEN.
IN one of my previous papers, I alluded to the con- tents of parish chests, and I then referred to the curious information which often could be obtained from the scraps of papers buried for scores of years in the darkness of these but seldom opened coffers. I think I also mentioned that too often the corftents of these chests were uncared for. In fact, I could give strange incidents connected with parish records. And before commencing the subject which I intend treating of, I will give an instance of the shameful neglect of such documents, that has come under my own notice.
A few years ago, I attended the sale of a clergy- man's effects. His father had been a clergyman, and he had himself much regard for everything connected with the Church, and he was a collector of old things ; and this latter remark will account for what I am about to mention. As is usual on the occasion of an auction, things were a good deal knocked about, and I noticed on a heap of loose papers in the back-kitchen, a vestry - meeting book, with an account of parish money re- ceived and spent, written in a beautiful and legible hand. The book had been commenced in the early part of the seventeenth century, and it was continued, if I recollect rightly, up to the close, if not further, of that century. I took the book up and examined it. There were some missing leaves both at the beginning and end, so that I could not see what parish the book belonged to. I could hardly think that such a valuable and curious remain, of other days, could
VOL. xxv. p
198 PARISH TERRIERS PARSONS* PAY.
have wittingly been thrown on a rubbish heap for any- one to walk off with who felt so inclined. I went, therefore, immediately to draw the attention of the auctioneer to the book, but I could not find him, and as I was obliged to leave by train I left word with a friend to secure the book, if it was on sale, for me. He, however, lost all sight of what I thought much of, and, alas, that record, I fear, was burnt as waste paper.
There are, though, many churches that have not lost their old papers, and it is a real pleasure to spend a few hours culling information of the past from their pages.
The Terrier was a document of considerable value at one time, but, in consequence of modern changes, it has not the same kind of value, in our days, as it once had. It contains a careful statement of all Church property, and minute descriptions of rectories, etc., and glebe lands are given in it; and the clergyman's and parish clerk's sources of income are mentioned in Terriers. It will, therefore, be evident that such a document was a parish record of real worth.
Your readers know that previously to the passing of the Tithe Commutation Act in 1836, tithes were paid on stock, dairy produce, crops, etc. It is on these tithes that I intend speaking in this paper. The subject, therefore, belongs to ancient history, and notwithstanding the prominency lately given to tithes, I believe- 1 can venture, without prejudice, to write a short paper on tithes previously to 1836.
The information I shall give is derived from the Parish Terrier, and, therefore, must be correct.
It makes no difference where I begin, and so I will commence with the parish of Llanynys, a parish in the Vale of Clwyd, about four miles north of Kuthin.
The Llanynys Terrier is dated 1808, but this is merely a copy of a much more ancient document, as will be seen further on. The articles tithed in that parish, according to the Terrier, were many and various,
PARISH TERRIERS — P ARSONS' PAY. 199
including pigs, geese, apples, flax, hemp, honey, eggs, etc. Some of these articles, such as flax and hemp, are no longer grown in the parish, and but few keep bees. Thus, we obtain from a perusal of these Terriers a history of the past. But I will now give extracts from the Llanynys Terrier : —
" Item 5. All persons within these parishes pay all their Tythes of corn and hay in kind, and none have any right to any custom or prescription therein/'
The tithes of corn and hay are mentioned first, as being the chief source of the clergyman's income. Occasionally the parson collected himself the tenth sheaf, etc., but sometimes the tithe was sold by public auction. The sheaf belonging to the clergyman was marked by inserting into it a sprig of hazel, or of some other tree, and the produce of no field was allowed to be carted away until it had first of all been tithed. Old people have told me that delay sometimes occurred in marking the parson's portion of the produce, because the marker could not accomplish all his work in good time, for, often and again, several farmers would, at once, require his services. This delay was not, in unsettled weather, relished by anyone who had grain ready to be carried home; and the Commutation Act did away with all bitterness on this head, for henceforth the amount to be levied on the farms was fixed at a corn rent instead of an actual tenth sheaf throughout a parish. But to proceed —
" Item 6. A lamb is tythed out of any number above six, only paying to the Owner Twopence for every lamb wanting of ten ; but if they exceed not that number, the owner is obliged to pay twopence for every lamb."
From this extract it will be seen that, at the time the Terrier was drawn up, a lamb was valued at twenty pence. They are now sold for from ten to fifteen shillings each. Even allowing for the difference in the value of money, sheep fetch in our days a much larger sum than they did in the early part of this
P 2
200 PARISH TERRIERS — PARSONS* PAY.
century. I have spoken to a person who told me that he had bought lambs at Bettws-Gwerfil-Goch sheep fair — a celebrated fair on the borders of the Vale of Clwyd, — for two shillings each, and afterwards sold a pick of them for two and sixpence each. Some eight years ago, at a fair in the same place, lambs could be bought for from five to seven and sixpence each, but at present they are about double that price. Again quoting from the Terrier : —
" One penny is paid in lieu of Tythe milk for every cow. (N.B. This last clause is only found in the Terrier of 1749, made by the then Vicar, W. Butler, and is not found in the Terriers of 1710, nor in that of 1671, mentioned above, and seems to have been an obvious mistake ; for the penny a cow, most probably, is not paid as compensation for milk, but as the compensation for the calf, for nothing is paid for a cow that gives milk for more than a year, or for what is called Fuwch swynog, but only for a cow that has a calf, just as it is cus- tomary to pay four pence for every foal that drops. This custom of every foal is not mentioned in the old Terriers, but it is always demanded and paid without any doubts of its being due.)"
The preceding entry in the Llanynys Terrier is most interesting, as it presents to view the jealous care of the parishioners of their rights, and also their willing- ness to pay customary dues, even when they were not mentioned in the Terrier, providing such demands were in accordance with ancient custom. I know not who Vicar Butler was, but the name is English ; and possibly the new impost was only new to the parish of Llanynys, for tithes differed in different parishes, and the Vicar endeavoured to introduce into his new parish a custom that prevailed elsewhere, but it would seem that the attempt, which is described as an "obvious mistake", was ultimately rectified.
" It is customary to demand and pay a goose in kind some time before Michaelmas, or the price of a goose in money for every flock of geese, and not one out of every Ten."
This is a departure from the usual custom of
PARISH TERRIERS — PARSONS* PAY. 201
tithing, and it is difficult to say which party would be most benefited by the arrangement. If only a few goslings lived, it would come hard upon the farmer ; but, on the other hand, if fifteen lived, the parson would be the loser. This arrangement most probably arose from the difficulty of apportioning a fractional value upon a young goose demandable from either party, as in the case of lambs, when the flock is above or below ten.
" It is also customary in Llanynys, as in the neighbouring parishes, to pay a pig in kind, or the market price of one, for every litter. These particulars are not taken notice of in the old Terriers but are demanded and paid."
This also is not tithe, but custom, and that not only in Llanynys, but in the neighbouring parishes. The unwritten custom in other parishes becomes the written custom in Llanynys. It is impossible to ascertain whether this was an innovation or not, but the above entry is an honest entry, and states that the old Terriers do not take notice of this demand ; but evidently by 1808 the custom had been established. We can reasonably suppose that increased accuracy would be observed in succeeding Terriers, and customs previously not entered would be entered in them as years rolled on.
In addition to the above-mentioned things tithed, there was a tithe of corn and hay throughout the parish.
I will now, for the sake of comparison, give extracts from the Terrier of Llanbedr parish. This parish abuts, I believe, in parts upon Llanynys parish, but, in any case, it is only a short distance from it; consequently the following extracts are all the more interesting as shewing how parishes, in close proximity to each other, differed in the matter of tithe.
The Llanbedr Terrier is dated the 25th day of September, 1834, two years only before the passing of the Tithe Commutation Act. The Terrier therefore
202 PARISH TERRIERS PARSONS' PAY.
brings us on the very threshold of the new manner of paying tithes.
" Item, to the said rector is also belonging the Tythe of wool throughout the said parish, and the manner of Tything is this, the Rector taketh every tenth fleece of wool."
Wool is not mentioned in Llanynys Terrier as an article of tithe, but possibly it was there paid as here, for we have seen that in Llanynys Terrier entries were made in modern times of customary tithes, that had been omitted from the more ancient documents. In mountain parishes this tithe of wool would be very valuable and useful to a household.
"Item, the Tythe of Lambs in their proper kind throughout the parish, and the custom concerning them is this, if a Person's No. is one he pays two pence, and so two pence till seven, at seven he gives a whole lamb, the Rector paying back sixpence, at eight he pays back four pence, at nine pays back two pence, if ten the Rector hath his lamb compleat, and in like manner for every number above ten, and if sheep are sold in the Spring the Tythe of lambs is paid by the person with whom they are lambed, whether seller or buyer."
The tithe of sheep is the same in these two parishes, but there is in Llaubedr Terrier an additional clause about sheep sold in the spring. Evidently, if sheep were sold in the spring, and bought by a person who lived a distance off in some other parish, a question might arise as to which incumbent was entitled to the tithe of lambs, the one from whose parish the sheep came, or the one to whose parish they were taken. This entry seems to settle such a question by stating that the tithe belonged to that clergyman in whose parish the sheep had been up to the spring. This certainly is equity. From this entry we see how omissions in one parish Terrier were fully given in another, and we also detect the safeguards resorted to to protect the respective rights of the people and the parson. With regard to the possible transfer of sheep in the spring of the year, it can only be said, that sheep are hardly
PARISH TERRIERS — PARSONS' PAY. 203
ever sold then ; therefore, the clause would be acted upon in very exceptional cases.
" Item, to the said Rector belongs the Tythe of herbage of cattle, which is Two shillings in the pound according to the rent of the land, to be paid by the owner of the cattle."
It will be observed that this tithe of herbage is not mentioned in Llanynys parish Terrier ; but in parishes where fields were let for grazing, the tithes of produce, which otherwise these grazed lands or fields would produce, would be non-existent, and therefore the Rector would lose his just dues. But by the tithe of herbage he is protected from all such loss. It is worthy of notice that the owner of the stock pays the tithe, and if the rent of the field where he feeds his cattle is, say £5, his tithe is 106'., or exactly a tenth of his rent.
" Item, there is a modus of four pence for every foal, and a modus of one penny for every calf/'
" Item. The Tythe of pigs is one to the Rector out of each litter taken up at three weeks old."
" Item, the Tythe of eggs at Easter, but uncertain, the Tythe of Hemp and Flax are taken in kind."
It would seem that the tithe of eggs had by 1834 become an uncertain figure. This would imply that it had fallen into disuse in the parish. But I have been told that in some parishes the tithe of eggs was one egg for each hen kept, and two for each cockerel. In some places, too, I have heard that a small basket full of eggs was sent by large farmers to their vicar. Further investigation of old Terriers would clear up all doubt as to the number of eggs due at Easter to the clergy.
<f Item, for every married couple sixpence, due at Easter, Widower, and Widow, threepence."
The Easter dues or duties referred to in the last item were general, but not always the same in amount, and in some instances they were collected after the passing of the Commutation Act. This was the case
204 PARISH TERRIERS PAKSONS' PAY.
in Llanidloes, when the Rev. J. P. Morgan was vicar, but the dues were not willingly paid, and by-and-by, in consequence of this opposition, Vicar Morgan ceased collecting them. If Easter offerings are now made to the clergy, — and in many individual cases I am glad to say they are, — they are free-will offerings given by the donor to his spiritual pastor.
The subject which I have treated of in this short paper is a very interesting one, and it would be well if other writers wrould give like instances of tithing in their respective parishes. The manner of tithing was somewhat complicated, but when all the parishioners were Church people, though tedious, the work could be carried out amicably, and where the fruits of the ground abounded, and the cattle, etc., increased, the tenth would be paid ungrudgingly ; and in times of scarcity priest and people would alike suffer.
It is evident that, under the changed state of society, the old manner of tithing would lead to continual bickerings, and the Tithe Commutation Act was a happy release from considerable trouble and possible annoy- ance to all parties concerned, although it may be that the change was a monetary loss to the clergy.
205
MONTGOMERYSHIRE WORTHIES.
BY RICHARD WILLIAMS, F.R.HiST.S.
(Continued from Vol. xxii, p. 150.)
DAVIES, DAVID, of Llandinam, was one of the most re- markable men ever born and bred in Montgomeryshire. Indeed, few more typical or successful Welshmen ever lived. Born in very humble circumstances, and almost entirely self- taught, he yet, by his rare shrewdness, great natural ability, and immense energy, fought his way to a position of great wealth and influence. With in- domitable pluck and unremitting exertion he embarked during his busy life in many and various vast under- takings, conquered difficulties, and overcame obstacles before which a heart less stout than his might have quailed, and with hardly an exception it may be said that whatever he took in hand prospered. In addition to all this he was distinguished through life for his frankness, integrity, strict adherence to principle, great kindness of disposition, and princely liberality to every good and deserving cause. He was born on the 18th of December 1818, at Drain tewion, a small hillside tenement in the parish of Llandinam, on the opposite side of the valley, and in sight of the beauti- ful house afterwards built, and for the last twenty- five years of his life occupied by Mr. Davies. His parents were industrious and hard-working persons, but having a numerous family of nine children, of whom he was the eldest, they could not afford to keep any of them long in school. After attending the village school, then held in the parish church, until he was eleven years old, David was, therefore, kept at home to assist his father, who added to his small farming business that
206 MONTGOMERYSHIRE WORTHIES.
of a sawyer. From this time forth young David's life was one of hard and unremitting lahour, and he very soon came to be of great help to his father. From Drain- tewion the family removed to a larger farm in the same parish, called Neuaddfach, where his father died. At this time he was only twenty years old, and the care and support of his mother and eight younger brothers and sisters devolved upon him. This duty he did not attempt to shirk, but addressed himself to it with increased energy. He soon began to specu- late in a small way. One of his earliest specu- lations, it seems, was the purchase of an oak-tree, which the late Capt. Crewe-Read wished to cut down and dispose of, and offered to sell to him for £5. This offer he promptly accepted, and having felled the tree and sawn it into boards, he realised £80 by it. In 1848 he took a larger farm, called Tynymaen — on part whereof now stands Plas Dinam, the beauti- ful mansion occupied by his only son, Mr. Edward Davies. His mother remained at Neuaddfach until her death. In 1850 he also rented Gwernerin, a still larger farm on the opposite side of the Severn. He had meanwhile been engaged in carrying out various con- tracts, chiefly for the construction or repair of bridges and roads. The first of these was a contract for the making of a road and bridge at Llandinam over the Severn — a work wThich he carried out so satisfactorily that, on the recommendation of the County Surveyor (Mr. Penson), a sum of £15 was paid to him in addition to the contract money.
In 1851 Mr. Davies married Miss Margaret Jones, daughter of Mr. Edward Jones of Wern, Llanfair Caereinion, *who still survives him. The only issue of this marriage was a son, Mr. Edward Davies.
The rapidity and completeness of his grasp of details, and his promptness in making up his mind, showed themselves in his early undertakings, as they did so strikingly in after life. Thus, after looking at the plans and specifications of the Oswestry Smithfield,
DAVID DA VIES. 207
he was asked how long it would take him to make up his mind, when he at once replied, " Five minutes," other contractors stipulating for several days. He secured the contract, and it was while carrying it out that he first became acquainted with Mr. Thomas Savin, who afterwards became his partner in several important railway undertakings. The first of these was the railway from Llanidloes to Newtown, twelve miles in length, and with no railway within thirty miles of either terminus, the nearest being at Oswestry. For this reason the plant and materials were brought chiefly by canal to Newtown, and the locomotives and carriages for working the line were conveyed by road on specially constructed waggons from Oswestry. Before this line was completed, Messrs. Davies and Savin had undertaken the contract for the Yale of Clwyd line from Denbigh to Rhyl, which they completed in 1858. The XJanidloes line was completed and opened for traffic on 31st August 1859. They then entered into a contract for the completion of the Oswestry and Newtown line (portions of which had been made by other contractors), which they finished in the summer of 1862. They also contracted for the making of the line from Newtown to Machynlleth, which was finished the same year, and (in conjunction with Mr. Ward, Mr, Savin's brother-in-law) another line from Brecon to Merthyr. They also promoted a line from Machynlleth to Aberystwyth ; but Mr. Savin, not content with this, insisted, against Mr. Davies's better judgment, on em- barking in extensions along the Welsh coast, vid Aberdovey and Barmouth to Pwllheli, including also the erection of large and costly hotels at Aberystwyth, Borth, Aberdovey, and other places. Binding his remonstrances to be in vain, Mr. Davies dissolved his partnership with Mr. Savin. Subsequent events fully confirmed the soundness of Mr. Davies's judgment, and justified the course he took on this occasion — ending as they did in Mr. Savin's disastrous failure in February 1866. In partnership with Mr. Ezra Roberts
208 MONTC40MERYSHIRE WORTHIES.
he also made the Pembroke and Tenby line, which was opened in 1863, and subsequently, in partnership with Mr. Beeston, he constructed the line from Aberystwyth to Pencader, known as the Manchester and Milford Railway. The last railway he made was that from Caersws to the Van Mines, completed and opened in January 1871. He was, however, for many years a director of the Cambrian Railways Company.
In 1863 Mr. Da vies purchased the first of his estates, comprising Trewythen and other farms in Llandinam, and the following year he erected, on a site commanding a lovely prospect of the Severn Valley, Broneirion, the beautiful residence which he occupied during the remainder of his days. In 1865 he turned his attention from railway construction to coal mining. Having secured a large tract of land in the Rhondda Valley, he, in partnership with a few of his friends, sank several pits for the purpose of working the valuable coal deposits in that valley. Mr. Crawshay Bailey, the principal owner, was, it seems, at first reluctant to part with the land "to speculators and adventurers". Mr. Davies, however, boldly replied : " I am no ad- venturer, but an honest trader, and for every honest guinea you will put down I will put another." This straightforward and independent spirit overcame all obstacles, and secured the land on reasonable terms. The coal turned out to be of splendid quality, probably the very best for steam purposes, and the demand for it rapidly increased. In a few years the undertaking became so important that it was found desirable to convert it into a limited company, under the name of " The Ocean Coal Company, Limited". The Ocean Collieries consist of seven pits, where from six to seven thousand persons are constantly employed, whose wages amount to half a million pounds per annum, and the output of coal is about a million and a half tons per annum. In consequence of the great demand for the coal the profits have been enormous. Mr. Davies him- self told the writer that in the golden year, 1873, his
DAVID DA VIES. 209
own share, which was about the half of the whole, amounted to nearly £100,000.
The successful development of this great under- taking led to one of still greater dimensions. The heavy charges and inconveniences which the Company were forced to submit to at the hands of the Taff Vale Railway Company, and the Marquis of Bute, who had a monopoly of the means of transit and dock accommo- dation for the export of the coal, became at last in- sufferable. Every effort was made by the colliery pro- prietors to obtain better terms and facilities, but in vain. Then Mr. Davies conceived the bold idea of constructing a new dock at Barry Island, a few miles out of Cardiff, with a line of railway, twenty-seven miles in length, from the Rhondda valley to it. A company was formed to carry out this project ; surveys were made and plans deposited, and the usual notices were given in November 1882, and the following session the Bill was brought in. The fight over it between the monopolists on the one side, and the freighters on the other, was one of almost unexampled severity. After twenty-six days' contest it passed Committee in the House of Commons, but was rejected by the Lords' Committee after a further fight of seventeen days. It was introduced again the following year, and the battle was renewed with still greater obstinacy. The Lords' Committee sat thirty-three days on the Bill, but at length passed it, and on the 14th August 1884 it received the Royal assent, after an expenditure of £70,000. It was Mr. Davies, by his indomitable pluck and energy, the clearness of his views, and the shrewd- ness of his judgment, that really piloted the Bill safely through all the perils that surrounded it. The author- ised capital of the Company was £2,500,000. When asked in cross-examination in Committee how this capital could be raised, Mr. Davies, with characteristic boldness, replied : " If the public will not come forward, I will find the whole of the money myself;" and no one doubted his word. The first sod of the new dock was
210 MONTGOMERYSHIRE WORTHIES.
cut by Lord Windsor, Chairman of the Company, in November 1884, and it was opened by Mr. Davies, the Vice-Chairman, in Lord Windsor's absence, on the 1 8th July 1889. Barry Dock is one of the finest in the kingdom, and for its special purpose of loading and exporting coal it cannot be surpassed. It has already proved an immense success in every respect.
In July 1865 Mr. Davies stood as a candidate for a seat in Parliament for Cardiganshire, his opponent being Sir Thomas Lloyd, who defeated him by a majority of 342. Both candidates were Liberals. At the General Election in February 1874, he was elected, without opposition, member for the Cardigan Boroughs, which he continued to represent until they wrere merged in the county by virtue of the Reform Bill of 1885. At the General Election, which followed in November 1885, he stood for the county, but was opposed in the Conservative interest by Mr. Vaughan Davies, whom he defeated by the overwhelming majority of 2,323 votes. When Mr. Gladstone a few months afterwards brought forward his Irish Home Rule Bill, Mr. Davies could not agree with his policy, but joined the new party of Liberal Unionists. At the General Election in July 1886, which followed Mr. Gladstone's defeat, Mr. Bo wen Rowlands, Q.C., was brought for- ward as a Gladstonian Liberal in opposition to Mr. Davies, and defeated him by a majority of nine votes only. Party feeling ran very high, and the smallness of the majority was due, undoubtedly, to Mr. Davies's great personal popularity and influence in the consti- tuency. These secured for him hundreds of votes which otherwise would have gone for his opponent. He felt this defeat keenly, and especially the bitterness with which his return was opposed by some who were under deep personal obligations to him. After this he took no part in politics. He qualified as a Justice of the Peace for Montgomeryshire in 1873, and was returned unopposed in February 1889 to represent his native parish on the County Council for Montgomeryshire.
DAVID DAVIES. 211
Mr. Davies was a Nonconformist of a very robust character, and a Calvinistic Methodist of a very strict type. Notwithstanding this, he lived on the best terms with the clergy of his own and neighbouring parishes, and contributed liberally to all denominations, though his munificence to his own denomination was most conspicuous. Indeed, his liberality to all religious, educational, and benevolent objects was almost un- bounded. He gave about £6,000 to the University College of Aberystwyth, and the amounts he contri- buted towards the erection of places of worship and the extinction of chapel debts will never be known, but must have amounted to tens of thousands of pounds. He himself stated that he made some rough calculation of the amount of his various sub- scriptions during one year, and found that it came to about £16,000 ; but he never again took the trouble to add them up. His last, gift was £1,000 to the Jubilee Fund of the Calvinistic Methodist Foreign Missionary Society.
Mr. Davies had, at different times, purchased several considerable estates in the parishes of Kerry, Llandinam, and Llanwnog, and at the time of his death was one of the principal landowners in Montgomeryshire. He was an excellent landlord, spending annually thousands of pounds in the erection of new buildings, in drainage, and in other improvements, while the rents remained the same, or were lowered. This made him as popular with his tenantry as he had always been with his workmen. No man was ever more respected by the workmen than Mr. Davies. He would speak to the workmen as a workman, and his kind, unassuming manner won the hearts of all. Nothing tried him more than to see work badly performed. It is said of him that during one of his visits to the collieries he was walking by a place where a number of navvies were at work, one of whom, it appears, was not an expert workman, and the way he performed his work was painful to the eyes of the old gentleman, who
212 MONTGOMERYSHIRE WORTHIES.
immediately asked for the pick and gave the navvy a lesson in the way of using that tool, much to the amusement of his fellow-workmen. The navvy, with a little grumbling, took the pick in hand again, and shouted to one of his mates, " Who is that old chap ?" He would hardly believe that the man who had just given him a lesson, and who was so commonly dressed, with no outward show whatever, was the great " Davies yr Ocean", as the colliers would call him.
One more peculiarity of Mr. Davies's is worth a note. He was a man of fine physique, and on occasions when his workmen would be unable to proceed with their work through unfavourable weather, or other circum- stances, he would visit them in their sheds and go through different exercises with them, such as throw- ing the hammer, lifting weights, and other feats de- manding strength. He was a strict total abstainer, and no intoxicants were ever supplied to his servants on the farm, even in harvest time. He, too, was as strict a Sabbatarian. At all times, if in any way possible, he would return home for the Sunday, in order not to rniss service with his class in the Sunday School. So strict, indeed, were his views regarding the commandment to " keep holy the Sabbath Day" that he would not open letters on Sunday. When a young man, while contracting in a small way, the road surveyor who superintended the work Mr. Davies had in hand, one Sunday drove from Welshpool to Llandinam, a distance of about twenty miles, to see him on some matters connected with the work. On his arrival Mr. Davies was at chapel, and a messenger was despatched to him with the intelligence that the surveyor desired to see him. The reply was that Mr. Davies would see the surveyor on the following day. While attending to his Parliamentary duties in London he rarely failed to go down every Saturday to Llandinam to spend the Sabbath quietly with his family in simple Christian worship, returning to town again on Monday morning.
DAVID DA VIES. 213
With the exception of a visit to Egypt and Pales- tine at the time of the opening of the Suez Canal, and of another to Russia a few years later, at the invi- tation of the Grand Duke Oonstantine, who desired the benefit of his advice in regard to the con- struction of railways, Mr. Davies spent the whole of his life in England. His life and work were very remarkable in many respects, and presented a striking contrast to many self-made men. Many of these have amassed large fortunes by following devious paths and crooked ways, and by means not always honest, while others have been flung into a sea of wealth without effort, and often without expectation. But in the case of Mr. Davies, it was by dint of hard plodding and determined effort; and though circumstances very much changed to him, yet, in the midst of all, he maintained the same characteristics throughout his life. His high Christian character, deep religious convictions, stability and firmness of mind, were pro- minently noticeable during his whole life. From youth to ripe age, he was the same — the same in kindliness of heart, in purity of motive, in faith- fulness to his convictions, in fervent piety, and in the exercise of beneficence to so eminent a degree. His success depended more upon these qualities, com- bined with a constant and careful vigilance and cautious forethought, than upon anything else. During his younger years, Mr. Davies was a diligent worker, and throughout his life he never shirked any laborious effort. When a young man, he was noted for diligent application to the toil and labour of those years, and so robust and healthy was he that he was able to do with only four or five hours' sleep out of the twenty- four. The rest he would devote to assiduous work ; and this habit grew with him, so that he was able, by his own example, to arouse the energies of his work- men to their full operation. He ever manifested a broad, generous, and unselfish spirit in all his dealings, VOL. xxv. Q
214 MONTGOMERYSHIRE WORTHIES.
and never did a mean or shabby thing to friend or foe. His hand was always ready to help anyone who strove honestly to succeed.
The unremitting anxiety entailed in carrying out to a successful issue the stupendous commercial projects we have referred to told severely upon Mr. Davies's iron constitution, and probably helped to sow the germs of the disease to which he ultimately succumbed. His health had been failing for several years prior to his death, and for some months he was more or less an invalid. The most eminent physicians were called in, but all efforts to restore him to his former health failed, and for the last fortnight of his life he was confined entirely to bed, gradually getting weaker every day. He died on Sunday, the 20th of July 1890, in his 72nd year, and was buried the following Thursday in Llandinam churchyard. His remains were followed to the grave by about 2,000 persons from all parts of Wales and many English towns.
After Mr. Davies's death, it was generally felt by his numerous friends and admirers that steps should be taken to commemorate in a suitable manner his many virtues and great public services. Accordingly a public meeting was held at Llandinam, which was numerously attended, and at which a committee was appointed to carry out this object. In a short time nearly £1,000 was subscribed towards erecting Mr. Davies's statue in his native parish.
As a tribute to the memory of so good a husband and father, his widow and son have also signified their intention to devote £5,000 for the following purposes : £2,000 for scholarships in connection with Intermediate Schools in Montgomeryshire, tenable by scholars in public elementary schools within the county ; £2,000 for similar scholarships in Glamorganshire, tenable by scholars whose parents are employed at the Ocean Col- lieries ; and the remaining £1,000 for the erection of a Reading Room at Barry for the use of workmen em- ployed at the dock and on the railway. From this
DAVID HOWELL. 215
munificent gift it will be seen that Mr. Davies has left a son who worthily follows in his footsteps and emu- lates his princely liberality in the furtherance of pro- jects for the public good.
HOWELL, DAVID, was the son of William and Eleanor Howell, of Bontdolgadfan, Llanbrynmair, where he was born on the 31st of March 1816. His father carried on the business of a flannel manufacturer. Having a large family of twelve children (of whom the subject of this notice was the seventh) to bring up dur- ing the dear and hard times preceding and immediately following the downfall of the first Napoleon, he was unable to give them a better education than that afforded by the village school. They had all of them to go out into the world at an early age to earn their own bread, so a situation was found for David in a solicitor's office at Machynlleth. After some years he was articled, and in 1845 he was admitted a solicitor and taken into partnership by Mr. Hugh Davies. From this time until within a couple of years of his death he led a very busy life in the active pursuit of his profession, enjoying a very extensive practice, and being highly respected and trusted by all who knew him. Mr. Davies died very suddenly in 1850, when Mr. Howell succeeded to his appointments as Clerk (now Registrar) to the County Court, Clerk to the Guardians, Superintendent Registrar and Steward of the Manor of Cyfeiliog. He had been for some years Secretary of the Machynlleth Savings Bank, and he held that office until the business was transferred to the Post-office Savings Bank about twenty years later. About the beginning of 1855 he was appointed Clerk to the Justices of the Hundreds of Machynlleth and Estirnaner. In 1857 he promoted, and successfully carried through Parliament, a Bill for making a railway to Machynlleth from the Llanidloes and Newtown Railway at Moat Lane, and was secretary and solicitor to the company until its amalgamation with others, in 1864, under the name of the Cambrian Railways Oom-
Q2
216 MONTGOMERYSHIRE WORTHIES.
pany. Subsequently he successfully promoted a Bill for making another line of railway from Cemmes Road to Dinas Mawddwy, called the Mawddwy Railway, and for some years acted as its secretary. In Novem- ber 1876 he was appointed Coroner for the Machyn- lleth district of Montgomeryshire. Mr. Howell, who always took great interest in archaeological matters, was a member of the Council of the Powys-land Club from its formation up to his death. In 1857 he married Isabella Jane, daughter of the late Matthew Lewis, Esq., of Llanfair Caereinion, and a niece of his former partner, Mr. Hugh Davies, by whom he had four sons and three daughters, all of whom, as well as Mrs. Howell, survive. Mr. Howell had for some years resided at Craigydon, Aberdovey, and for a consider- able time his health had been gradually failing. About the beginning of August 1890 he went to Llandudno for the benefit of his health. On Saturday, the 16th of the same month, he died very suddenly at that place, in the 75th year of his age, and the following Thursday, the 21st, was buried at Penegoes, near Machynlleth. Mr. Howell, at the time of his death, owned considerable property, and he was a most kind and considerate landlord. His high integrity, kindness of disposition, and genial manner endeared him to a large Circle of friends, by whom his memory will long be affectionately cherished.
LLOYD, JACOB YOUDE WILLIAM, generally known as the Chevalier Lloyd, of Clochfaen, Llangurig, was the son of Jacob William Hiride, Esq., of Langham Hall, Essex, by Harriet, daughter and co-heir of the late Rev. Thomas Youde, of Clochfaen and Plasmadoc. He was born in 1816, and through his mother claimed descent through Tudor Trefor from Gwrth- eyrn Gwrtheneu or Vortigern, lord of Erging Ewias and Gloucester. He was educated at Wad- ham College, Oxford, and on the 12th December 1868 received her Majesty's licence to assume the old name of Lloyd of Clochfaen in lieu of that of Hinde,
J. Y. W. LLOYD. 217
and also to bear the arms of Lloyd. In early life he entered into holy orders, and for a time was curate of Old Chapel, Llandinam, but before long he went over to the Church of Rome, and when he succeeded to his mother's property in 1856, on her death, he expended a large portion of it on the Church of his adoption. Some years afterwards he joined the Pontifical Zouaves in defence of the temporal power of the Pope, serving as a private. In 1870 he was created a Knight of the Order of St. Gregory the Great by Pope Pius IX. He felt himself unable, however, to accept the new Papal dogmas soon afterwards promulgated, and in 1875 he, for a time, discarded the title of Chevalier, but it continued to be given to him by others, and he was always known as the Chevalier Lloyd. During the latter years of his life he became gradually estranged from the Roman Catholic Church. In 1877 he re- turned to Clochfaen, where he continued to reside up to his death, and where his catholicity of spirit, his kind and genial disposition, and his unstinted benevo- lence and generosity, gained for him the esteem and affection of all around him. Among other proofs of his munificence may be cited the restoration in 1878, at his sole charge, of the ancient parish church of Llangurig, at a cost of £l J,000, and this although he was not a member of the Anglican Communion. " As a mark of gratitude and esteem for his unbounded liberality, extraordinary charitableness, and his restoration of the parish church/7 his tenants and friends in 1885 erected a handsome obelisk in his honour in the village of Llangurig. The Chevalier was also devoted to anti- quarian pursuits, and a contributor to the Archcsologia Cambrensis and the Montgomeryshire Collections. He greatly assisted Mr. Edward Hamer in compiling the " History of Llangurig", which appeared in the latter, and was afterwards reprinted and published in a hand- some volume. But his chief literary work was the History of Powys Fadog, which came out in six volumes octavo. This work, it is true, contains much that
218 MONTGOMERYSHIRE WORTHIES.
might have been with advantage omitted, but the mass of pedigrees and old Welsh poems, with translations and other valuable materials illustrative of the genea- logy and history of the district to which it relates, gathered at great trouble and expense, supplies a rich quarry for local historians and genealogists. The Chevalier died, after a short illness, at Vent- nor, in the Isle of Wight, whither he had gone for the benefit of his health, on the 14th October 1887, aged 71 years, and was buried at Llangurig on the 21st of the same month. Having died unmarried, his estates passed on his death to his niece, Harriet Julia Morforwyn, the wife of George Hope Verney, Esq., a son of the Bight Hon. Sir Harry Verney, Bart.
TUDOR, OWEN DAVIES, barrister-at-law and the author of several well-known legal works, was a member of a family long settled in the neighbourhood of Welshpool. He was the eldest son of Robert Owen Tudor, a Captain in the Royal Montgomeryshire Militia, and Emma his wife, a daughter of John Lloyd Jones, Esq., of Maesmawr, and was born at Lower Garth in the parish of Guilsfield, on the 19th of July 1818. He was educated at Shrewsbury School, and choosing the Bar as his profession, he entered as a student at the Middle Temple in April 1839, and was called to the Bar in June 1842. For many years he successfully practised in London as an equity draftsman and conveyancer. In 1864 he was appointed joint Registrar of the District Bankruptcy Court at Birming- ham, the business of which he conducted with great ability. He continued in office until its abolition by the Bankruptcy Act, 1869, and after winding up the business of the Court in a most efficient manner, he, in 1872, retired on a pension. Mr. Tudor was a legal writer of considerable repute. His most important works (which have gone through several editions), are A Treatise on the Law of Charitable Trusts ; Leading Cases in the Law of Real Property and Conveyancing,
O. D. TUDOR. — RICHARD WOOSNAM. 219
and Leading Cases in Mercantile and Maritime Law. He married, in September 1849, Sarah Maria, eldest daughter of the Rev. David James, vicar of Llanwnog, who still survives, and hy whom he has left two sons, of whom the Rev. Owen Lechmere Tudor, M.A., vicar of Willingdon, Sussex, is one, and three daughters. Mr. Tudor died at his residence in South Kensington, London, on the 14th November 1887, aged 69 years, and on the 18th of the same month was buried in the Bromptori Cemetery (near his parents, who died in 1870). In private life Mr. Tudor's cultivated and well- stored mind and his genial disposition endeared him to a large circle of friends.
WOOSNAM, RICHARD, of Glandwr, Llanidloes, was the son of Mr. Bo wen Woosnam, solicitor, Llanidloes, and was born in the year 1814. Having passed through the University of Cambridge, he studied for the medical profession, and went out as an array surgeon to India and other places. He subsequently became private secretary to Sir Henry Pottinger during the Chinese war of 1842, and was present at most of the combined naval and military actions which led to the conclusion of the treaty of peace signed before Nanking on the 29th August 1842. For his services he received a medal, and was appointed Assistant Secretary of Legation to Her Majesty's Mission. From that date till 1854 he filled successively the appointments of Deputy Colonial Secretary at Hong- Kong, and Secretary to Her Majesty's High Commission to the Cape of Good Hope entrusted to Sir Henry Pottinger in 1846. and during the six years of Sir Henry's governorship of Madras he acted as his private secretary. About 1868 he returned to this country, and, after a short residence at Cheltenham, took up his abode at Glandwr. He had also another residence at Tynygraig, near Builth. Shortly afterwards he qualified as a magis- trate, and thenceforth took an active and prominent part in all county and political affairs. For some years he was Chairman of the Board of Guardians, and at the time of his death he was Chairman of the Llanid-
220 MONTGOMERYSHIRE WORTHIES.
loes Bench of Magistrates, the Llanidloes combined School Boards, and of the Newtown and Llanidloes Highway Board. Whatever duties he undertook it was always acknowledged that he discharged them with great conscientiousness, sparing no pains to study and master all the details of matters that came before him. Mr. Woosnam married Margaret, daughter of William Bell, Esq., of Queen's County, Ireland, who p re-deceased him, and by whom he left three sons and three daughters. He died on the 27th of November 1888, aged 74 years, and was buried in the Llanidloes Cemetery,
221
PLACE-NAMES IN AND AROUND MONTGOMERY.
AT a local literary meeting held at Montgomery in March last, a prize was offered for the best " Catalogue of Place-Names in and within a radius of three miles of Montgomery, with their meanings''. The following are extracts from the adjudication on the four composi- tions sent in : —
" The study of place-names is not only in itself interesting, but also very useful and important, as throwing light on the past and almost forgotten history of the localities where they occur. A local name may be the only memorial left to us of events in the far- distant past which history has forgotten to commemo- rate. It may be even a legacy left to us by pre- historic man. The names of some of our rivers, lakes, and mountains have hitherto puzzled learned men, and are supposed by some to be the only fragments we have of a long-lost speech — the speech of a small, dark- haired race who hunted the reindeer and the wild ox on our hill-sides and fished in our rivers thousands of years before ever a Norman, Saxon, Dane, or Roman invaded our shores, and even before the Cyrnry arrived here from their Eastern home in the land of the Deffrobani.
" Welsh names, in particular, are highly descriptive. Sometimes they are those of animals, or parts of the human body which they are supposed to resemble. To the former class belong the Twrch (mole), Bamv (calf), Iwrch (roebuck), Elain (fawn), Gwenol (swallow) ; and to the latter class, Bron (a woman's breast), very com- monly applied to a round-shaped hill ; Cefn (back),
222 PLACE-NAMES IN AND AROUND MONTGOMERY.
Braich (arm), Troed (foot), Givdr (back of the neck), Cesail (armpit), Esgair (spur), etc."
The prize was awarded to Lex (Mr. John E. Tomley), whose paper was described as " very well arranged, and abounding in explanatory notes and illustrations which were to the point, and added greatly to its value." An extra prize was also given to Zeta (Miss Mary E. James) for "an excellent paper"; and two others, P. J. A. and Cmvydryti, whose real names did not transpire, were " highly commended". " Each writer", it was said, (i had supplied some names and derivations omitted by the others. The four incorpo- rated into one would make a valuable contribution to the topography of the neighbourhood."
This paper is an attempt to carry out this sugges- tion, and at the same time to make some necessary corrections, and supply some omissions in the four papers sent in for competition.
R. W.
ABERNANT (Berriew), " the confluence of the brook."
ACKLEY (Forden), " Oak place/'
ALEXANDEA TERRACE (Montgomery}. So called in honour of the Princess of Wales.
ARGOED (Church stoke), "above the wood0; also "a place sheltered by a wood", and sometimes " a wooden fort".
ARGAE HALL (Berriew) f " the hall by the dam." So named after the embankment which dammed up the river Severn and diverted its course to a mill. This was made by Baldwin de Boulers, lord of Montgomery, to whom special permission for its construction was granted.
ARTHUR'S GATE (Montgomery). One of the four entrances to the town when it was walled.
ARTHUR STREET (Montgomery). The street leading to Arthur's Gate.
BACHELDRE (GhurchstoJce) = Bachell "a nook", and tre "a township"; " the township in a nook". This township was Welsh territory. It is almost wholly surrounded by townships whose names terminate with the Saxon -ton, as Hopton, Brompton, etc.; hence its name of " the township in a nook".
BAILIFF'S PATCH (Montgomery), a property " Ballivornm et
PLACE-NAMES IN AND AROUND MONTGOMERY. 223
Burgensium de Montgomery". It is separated from the Flos by the river Carnlad, and its rent was the perquisite of the bailiffs of the borough during their term of office.
BAKER'S HOLE (Llandyssil), a place on the side of the Cambrian Railway, about half-way between Abermule and Montgomery, where a terrible accident occurred some twenty- five years ago. Baker, an engine-driver in charge of a goods- train, and Kerr his stoker, had been drinking at Abermule, and, to make up for lost time, put on extra steam, and the train (being made up chiefly of empty waggons) soon attained a fearful speed, and at this spot left the metals, the engine rolling down the embankment, crushing to death both Baker and Kerr.
BEERIEW (Aber Rhiw), " the confluence of the Rhiw," or, more properly, Yr Iw, with the Severn.
BLACK HALL COTTAGES (Montgomery). Where these now stand, Black Hall formerly stood, " a low building, but of great capacity, my grandfather erected in his age," says Lord Herbert of Cherbury in his Autobiography. He adds: "It was an ordinary saying in the country at that time, when they saw any fowl rise, ' Fly where thou wilt, thou wilt light at Black Hall/ " The old building is said to have been de- stroyed by fire. Its site is now occupied partly by cottages and partly by the police-station.
BLUE BELL (Brompton and Ithiston). A public-house on the roadside between Montgomery and Bishop's Castle.
BOLERO (Llandyssil), "the front of the plain."
BRADES (Montgomery). Several houses named after a firm with which their owner had dealings.
BRADLEY (Berriew). Brad-le, " the place of treachery." A cottage situate in a nook formed by the junction of the Camlad with the Severn. The name takes us back to the time when a Welsh chief by a strategical movement enticed his English foes into this corner, where, hemmed in on two sides by the waters, the Saxons were at the mercy of the wily Welshman and his band.
BROAD STREET (Montgomery), as its name implies, is of ample width, and its very disproportionate length would make the term Square more appropriate than Street.
BROMPTON (Churchstolce), " broom-town." A township so named from the prevalence of broom on its slopes. Some, however, derive the name from the Welsh Bron-y-don, <( the bank or edge of the wave," on the supposition that at one time the flat country below, being marshy ground, presented the appearance of a lake. This, however, is too far-fetched to claim serious consideration.
224 PLACE-NAMES IN AND AROUND MONTGOMERY.
BRON, " a woman's breast," a name often applied to a round hill, or rising ground.
BRONHAFEEN (Berriew), " Severn bank."
BEONSEETH (Kerry), " the steep slope "; also written BEON- SERCH, " the slope of affection."
BEYNKIN (ChurdistoJse), " a little hill."
BEYNLLYN (Berriew), " Pool bank."
BEYNLLWYN (Berriew), "grove hill."
BEYNTALCH (Llandyssil), " the broken hill ; the fragment or part of a hill."
BEYNWLFFYN (Berriew). " Wlffyn, or Elphin's hill."
BUCKLEY'S ACEE (Llandyssil), a plot of ground formerly held by a tenant named Buckley.
BURNT HOUSE (Montgomery), so named because the original building was destroyed by fire.
CAEBITTRA (Churchstoke), Cae-butra=" the dirtiest field." Some say, however, Cae Bittolws = 'i the buffalo field/' but this is not very probable, although a species of ox resembling the buffalo was known in Wales in early times.
CAEDU (Llandyssil), " the black field."
CAE-MWGAL (Montgomery), " the field of mist/' which very accurately describes the spot. There is, a short distance from it, a place called " the Devil's hole", which suggests the possibility of this name being a corruption of Cae bwgan, "the goblin's field."
CAE PEIOE (Brompton and Rhiston), " the Prior's field." A farmhouse a mile distant from Chirbury, the name of which recalls the time when the Priory, or religious house of the Order of St. Bennett, still existed. This Priory was founded in the reign of King John, and removed from Chirbury to Snede (Snead) in the time of Edward I.
CAEEHOWEL (Montgomery). " Howell's Camp" or " fortifi- cation". The old Roman camp from which the Gaer farm takes its name is nearly equidistant from that place and Caerhowel.
CAMLAD or CAMLET, " crooked"; a term exactly descriptive of the winding course of this stream along the fertile lands through which it passes. It is said to be the only stream which flows out of England into Wales. It rises near Bishop's Castle and falls into the Severn. There is a river Cam in Yorkshire, and the county and town of Cambridge take their name from another.
CAMP (Llandyssil), so named from the remains of an old camp still remaining there.
CASTELL-Y-GWYNT (Llandyssil), (( windy castle", so named from its bleak situation.
PLACE-NAMES IN AND AROUND MONTGOMERY. 225
CASTLE HILL (Montgomery}, the hill upon which stands the ruins of the well-known Norman castle, the history of which is so closely identified with that of the town.
CASTLE STREET (Montgomery), the street leading out of Montgomery towards Bishop's Castle, hence its name.
CEFN HAFEN (hefin ?) (Llandyssil), " the summer ridge."
CEFN LLAN (Llandyssil), " back of the church." A farm- house.
CEFN-Y-COED (Llandyssil), " back of the wood." A hamlet.
CEFN-Y- GARTH MYL (Berriew), " back of the hill."
CHIKBURY or CHERBURY, " the fortified place on the stream." Among the fortresses built by Elfleda, the wife of Ethelred, in 916, was Cerburih, which may be identified with the modern Chirbury. Subsequently it became a place of considerable ecclesiastical importance. Some, however, derive the name from the Welsh Caer-bre, "the hill fort."
CLAWDD-Y-DRE (Montgomery'), " the town wall, or ditch." The residence of the Town Clerk (Mr. C. S. Pryce), which bears the date 1726, bears this name, which it derives from, having been built upon the site of the town wall.
CLIFF, CLIFT, or CLWT (Montgomery). The latter is the proper name of this place, and is used by the older people. It means " a patch", and the two cottages now standing there were built on a patch of waste land.
CLODDIA (Llandyssil), " the ditches."
CLOS-TAN-Y-MUR (Montgomery}, " the close under the wall." The name given to a field just outside the town wall.
COCKSHUTT (Churchstoke). A long correspondence took place in Byegones some time ago as to the origin of this word. Several different meanings were given to it, from which the following are extracted : Cock, a diminutive, sholt, shot, or shut, Old Eng. for " a wood, copse, or covert", hence Cockshutt would mean "a little wood". Another correspondent quoted from Shakespeare (Richard III}, where the words " Cockshut time" are used to denote the close of the day, roosting time, or twilight. The Cockshutt was a large net stretched across a glade, suspended upon poles, and used to catch woodcocks. There is another name, Hawkeshutt or hawk's holt, i.e., "hawk's wood", corresponding with Cockshutt, or cock's wood. Still another meaning was suggested — CocTi (Welsh), "red", and sudd, "juice", having reference to the red liquid oozing from the ditches on the side of the road.
COED-Y-CYMRY (Llandyssil and Montgomery}, " the Welsh- men's wood."
COED-Y-WIG (Llandyssil), (( the forest." This term is some-
226 PLACE-NAMES IN AND AROUND MONTGOMERY.
what tautological, inasmuch as coed and wig both signfy " a wood".
CONQUER HALL (Montgomery'). This peculiar name is given to a row of three small cottages, situate about a mile from the town. The land on which they are built was enclosed by a man named Hurdley, and an action against him to recover possession having resulted in his favour, the place was given the odd title it now bears.
COUNTY BEIDGE, crossing a stream which is the outlet of Lymore Pool and runs into the Camlad. This forms the boundary between the counties of Montgomery and Salop for the greater part of its course. Between this spot and Offa's Dyke the battle of Montgomery was fought.
COUET CALMORE (Montgomery), a large farm near the Eailway Station.
CRANKWELL (CMrbwnf), a draw-well in which a crank was used to raise the water.
CROGBREN (Montgomery}, " the Gallows tree/' The name now given to the houses built under the brow of the Town Hill, said to have been the place of execution in olden time, when the lord of Montgomery Castle for the time being had sovereign power within his jurisdiction.
CWM-BERLLAN (Kerry), " the orchard dingle."
CWM BROMLEY (Kerry}. " Bromley's dingle" — for many years known as The Farm; but the owner, Mr. Fairies Humphreys, a few years ago restored to it what appears to have been the original name.
CWMGWERN ( ), " the dingle swamp."
CWM-HINKIN (Montgomery), qy. " Inigo, or Inco's dingle."
CWM HOUSE (For den and Ohurchstoke), " the dingle house."
CWM-LIKEY (LlandyssiF). " Lleucu, or Lucy's dingle." Others derive the name from Cwm-llechu, " the dingle for sheltering or hiding/'
CWM-LLADRON (OastlewrigM), " the thieves' dingle."
CWM PADARN (Llandyssil), " Padarn's dingle/'
DEVIL'S HOLE (Ghirbury). See CAE MWGAL, ante.
DITCHES (Brompton and Rhistori), a farmhouse so called from its having been built on Offa's Dyke or Ditch.
DOLLAS (Berriew), " the green meadow."
DRAINLLWYNELEN (Llandyssil), " Elen's thorn-bush"; or DRAINLLWYNELAIN, "the hind's thorn-bush"; or DR^INLLWYN- MELYN, " the yellow thorn-bush," i.e., the gorse-bush.
DUCK LANE (Montgomery), the name by which Princes Street was formerly known.
DUDSTON (Chirbury), qy. " David's town".
PLACE-NAMES IN AND AROUND MONTGOMERY. 227
DYFFRYN ( ), " the valley."
EDDERTON (Forden), " Edward's town" (?).
EITHIN-Y-GATH (Gastlewright), " the cat's gorse."
FFORDD-LAN (Montgomery], " the road to the Church." See VERLON, post.
FFRIDD FALDWYN (Montgomery). Ffridd is the Welsh term for a rough sideland pasture, such as the place now bearing this name must have been before it was planted with trees a few decades ago. It bears traces of old fortifications, and must at one time have formed an important military position. Its contiguity to Baldwin's Castle will account for the other part of the name.
FFYNON-Y-BI (Brompton and Rhiston), " the magpie's well." The children of the neighbourhood repeat an old rhyme : —
" Fynnon-y-bi Well in a tree,"
referring to the peculiar position of the well in the root of a tree. It is sometimes called Ffynnon-y-pren.
FLOS (Montgomery), sometimes spelt inold record sFloace. Low- lying meadows on the left bank of the Camlad, and on both sides of the railway between Montgomery and Forden, subject to frequent floods. This, perhaps, may suggest that the name is derived from flash, a term applied in the neighbourhood of Welshpool to an overflow. It is a common term in old authors for a pool. These lands are said to have been conveyed by a former lord of the manor to the freemen of Montgomery in exchange for their rights of common over the waste lands.
FFORDEN— ; -ffordd-htin, " the old road," so called from the old Roman road to Caersws, passing through the entire length of this parish. It has been ingenuously suggested that the word was originally ffordd-daen, " the spread road/' referring to the scattered paths which must have existed on Forden Heath before its enclosure.
FRON (LlandyssiF), "the breast" or bank; see BRON. A farmhouse on the side or breast of a hill.
FRONGOCH (Berriew), " the red slope."
FRONFRAITH (Llandyssil), " the speckled breast," or bank.
FRONFELEN ( ), " the yellow bank." so called from
the yellow gorse growing there.
GAER (Forden), "a camp, or fortified post." Flos is often given as the cognomen of Gaer, but this is an error arising from the two names being engraved close to each other on the Ordnance Map, thus CAER Flos.
GARTHMYL (Berrieiv), has been variously interpreted as "the
228 PLACE-NAMES IN AND AROUND MONTGOMERY.
violet ridge", " the sultry ridge", and " near the ridge". Mael means " traffic", so Gartli-myl (mael) may signify a district, of which there are several called Maelor (according to Dr. Owen Pughe) which were neutral ground, where trade was carried on. GIPSIES' LANE (Montgomery}, a byway leading to some fields, which obtained this name from being a favourite camping place for these wanderers in days when they were more numerous than at present.
GLANHAFREN (Montgomery, also Bettws\\ Q i -,
GLANSEVERN (Berriew). J '
GOOSEBERRY HALL (Brompton and Rhiston). A cottage on the roadside near Brompton. Its name is suggestive of horti- cultural fertility.
GORONDU, Coryn du (Llandyssil), " the black top/' so called from its dark appearance, caused by its being covered with trees or gorse.
GULLET (Montgomery), a public-house reached, as its name implies, through a passage.
GWARTHLOW (Brompton audlthiston). Gwarth-le, "the place of disgrace, or reproach/' The two farms bearing this name, as well as the adjoining farms of Whitley and Rockleij (see post), were the scenes of severe fighting between the Welsh and English, and this name doubtless alludes to the discomfi- ture of one of the contending parties; though some attribute to it a Saxon origin, meaning " the fortified enclosure".
GWERNLIKEY (Brompton and Rhistcn), "Lucy's swamp or alder grove," or " the swamp of hiding". See CWMLIKEY, ante. GWERNYBEDIN, Gwern-y-leddau, " the swamp or alder grove of the graves."
GWERNYBUARTH (Llandyssil), " the swamp or alder grove of the fold."
GWERNYRYCHAIN (Llandyssil), "the swamp or alder grove of the oxen."
GWESTUN or WESTON (ChurcJistolce). Gwestydd = " places of entertainment." Weston is a common place-name in England, and where it occurs there is generally an Aston or Easton somewhere near, and so there is in this instance.
HAFREN or HABREN, the Welsh original name of the river Severn. It was the name of a daughter of Locrinus, King of Britain, by Essyllt, the beautiful daughter of the King of Ger- many. Gwenddolen, the queen, having caused Essyllt and Hafren to be drowned, the name of the latter was given to the river to commemorate her fate.
HEM (Forden). There are three farmhouses a few yards only apart from each other, bearing this name. The word signifies
PLACE-NAMES IN AND AROUND MONTGOMERY. 229
" an edge, or border", and was given to these places, it may be safely assumed, because of their proximity to the border, i.e., Offa's Dyke.
HENDOMEN (Montgomery), " the old mound." A hamlet deriving its name from the moated mound close by, formerly used as a place of observation and possibly of defence.
HENFRON (LlandyssiT), " the old breast or bank."
HILL COTTAGE (Montgomery), so called from its situation, near the summit of the Town Hill.
JAMESFORD (Montgomery). It appears from an old rent-roll that this farm was originally called James Ford's tenement, after the name of a former occupier.
KERRY STREET (Montgomery), the street which in olden times led " to the Chyrburie and Ceri Gates".
LACK ( ), " the clear brook."
LLANYHIKID (Churchstoke), Glan-yr-hir-ryd, " the edge of the long ford."
LEASTY ( ), lluesty, " a shepherd's hut ; an encamp-
ment."
LIONS, THE (Montgomery), the old name of the present Rectory, which has the figure of a lion carved in stone on either side of the steps leading to the front door.
LLANDYSSIL. " St. Tyssul's Church."
LLANFFYNNONWEN, "the church of the white well/' the old Welsh name of Chirbury.
LLEGODIG (Llandyssil), "the wooded place/'
LLETTYGYNFARCH (Forden), " Cynfarch's lodging."
LLWYNOBIN (Montgomery), {( Hobin's grove." Cf., Pentre- hobin, Denbighshire, or perhaps Llwyn ubain, " the grove of moaning."
LLWYN-MADOC (Llandyssil), " Madoc's grove."
LLWYNREDITH ( ), Llwyn Meredith, " Meredith's
grove," or Llwyn yr hedydd, " the lark's grove."
LLWYNCRWTH (Berriew), " the Fiddle grove."
LLWYN-Y-GARREG (Castlewright), tf the grove of the stone."
LYMORE (Montgomery), Lie mawr " the big place," or more probably Llyn mawr, " the big pool."
MAEN BEUNO (Berriew), " St. Beuno's stone."
MELIN-Y-WERN (Churchstoke), " the mill in the alder meadow, or swamp."
MELLINGTON (Churchstoke) , " Melting's town."
MILLPOOL COTTAGE (Montgomery). See STALLOB, post.
MOAT (Chirbury), a farmhouse formerly surrounded by a moat or ditch, traces of which still remain.
MONTGOMERY, so named after Roger de Montgomery, Earl of Shrewsbury, who in 1092, with his Norman followers, seized
VOL. XXV. R
230 PLACE-NAMES IN AND AROUND MONTGOMERY.
the present border lands of Shropshire and Montgomery, and took the town of Baldwyn (Trefaldwyn), giving his own name to it.
MOUNT (Montgomery), a farmhouse so called, from its elevated position near the Town Hill.
MUFFIN'S LANE (Montgomery), a steep bank leading from the Chirbury Road to the National Schools. This name it owed to the proficiency in muffin-making of a Mrs. Bishop, who once lived there. It is now generally known as School Lane.
MUNLTN (Forden). Min-llyn, " the edge of the pool," pro- bably referring to a deep part of the river Severn, which runs near. Some derive the name from Myn-llyn, " the kid's pool."
NAG'S HEAD (Berriew). An inn, whose sign bears the arms of Brochwel Ysgythrog, Prince of Powys.
NANTCRIBBA (Forden), "the ridges' brook." There are a tumulus and extensive remains of a British encampment at this place. There is a tradition that a Danish chief named Cribba was slain and buried here.
NANTYKENNEL (Montgomery*), "the brook of the kennel." This is the name given to the outlet of a prill of water into a stone cistern at the lower end of Castle Street.
OFFA'S DYKE (ChurchstoJce, Brompton and Ehiston). This cele- brated earthwork is so well known that a description of it here is unnecessary.
PANT-Y-MAEN (Montgomery), " the hollow of the stone." The hollow is very much en Evidence, but the stone non est. Probably there was at one time some stone of special interest here.
PENLLWYN ( ), " the grove's end."
PENSON'S TWIST (Montgomery). A very awkward curve that formerly existed in the road at a point about midway between Montgomery town and the station. It took its name from the surveyor (Thomas Penson, Esq.) under whose supervision it was made. Many accidents having occurred at this place, the Road Trustees at last carried the road straight across the hollow or dingle on a high embankment, thus doing away with " Penson's Twist".
PENTRE (Llandyssil), " the hamlet."
PENTRECWN (Churchstoke), " the dogs' village/'
PENTRE-HEYLYN (Brompton andRhistori), "Heylyn's township."
PEISTRE WILLEY, qy. PENTRE WYLO (Castlewriglit), the hamlet of weeping."
PENTRE-YN-LLAN (Llandyssil), " the Pentre in the village," so called to distinguish it from the other Pentre in the same parish.
PENTRE-NANT (Churchstoke'), " the hamlet by the brook."
PLACE-NAMES IX AND ABOUND MONTGOMERY. 231
PENYBRYN (Churchstoke), " the top of the hill."
PEN-Y-DRE ( ), " the top of the town."
PEN-Y-LLAN (Forden), " the church bank."
PEN-Y-GERDDI (Llandyssil), " the top of the gardens."
PEN-Y-LLWYN (Berriew), " the grove end."
PERTH-Y-BI (Kerry], " the magpie's grove."
PIGGIN TAVERN (Montgomery), a house formerly used as an inn. Piggin is a small wooden vessel.
PINION (Llandyssil). This word means the point of a wing, to which the position of the place bears some resemblance. Or possibly the word may be a corrupt form of Penwyn, (< the white summit" or beacon.
PLAS ROBIN (Llandyssil), (( Robin's mansion/'
PLAS MEREDITH (Berriew), "Meredith's mansion."
PLAS OFFA (Montgomery), " Offa's mansion." A very modern residence.
PLAS TREFALDWYN (Montgomery), " Montgomery Hall/' formerly and still sometimes called Plas-yn-dre, " the mansion in the town."
PLASSAU (Churchstoke), " the mansions."
POOL ROAD (Montgomery), the road leading out of Mont- gomery towards Welshpool.
POUND (Montgomery). A walled enclosure between the Chirbury.and Pool Roads, formerly used as a pinfold or pound where animals found straying on the highway or trespassing were confined.
PRINCE'S STREET (Montgomery), formerly called DUCK LANE. It probably owes its present name to the late Mr. W. R. Brown, who owned some property in it, and who evidently was a great admirer of royalty. He gave to other property of his the names of Victoria Buildings and Alexandra Terrace.
PWLL (Montgomery), " a pool," or " puddle."
PvfLL-BUVR (Churchstoke), " the filthy puddle/'
RHANDIR (Llandyssil), " allotment land."
RHISTON (Churclistoke), " Rees's town." A township.
.RHIWGOCH (Montgomery). " Red bank."
RHYDWHIMAN (Montgomery), " the rapid ford." A ford upon the Severn, within about two hundred yards of the Mont- gomery railway station.
RHYD-Y-GROES (Montgomery), " the ford of the Cross" ; a place of considerable historical interest, being a ford near the confluence of the Rhiw and Severn, but no longer so called, the name being now preserved in that of a farm about two miles and a half distant in the parish of Forden. There is an interesting allusion to it in the Mabinogi of " The Dream of
II 2
232 PLACE-NAMES IN AND AROUND MONTGOMERY.
Rhonabwy". It was the scene of several conflicts between the Welsh and the Saxons ; and was the place of meeting between Prince Llewelyn and the Commissioners of the English king, Edward I.
RHYD-Y-WAEE (Montgomery), " the weir ford," or perhaps " the quiet or calm ford."
BOBBER'S GRAVE (Montgomery}. This name is given to a sterile spot in the churchyard, where rest the bones of a man who was hanged for highway robbery. On the scaffold he protested his innocence, and declared that as a proof of it grass would not grow on his grave for one generation.
ROCKLEY (Brompton and Bhistori). Bhoch-le—( the place of noise or clamour/' referring doubtless to some of the severe conflicts that took place in this neighbourhood.
ROWNAL (Chirbury), a corruption of the words " Round hill". ROWE'S BUILDINGS (Montgomery), so called after a former owner, Mr. Samuel Rowe.
SALT BRIDGE (Montgomery and Forderi). Is allt=" under the ascent or steep hill." The river Camlad, over which this bridge is built, here meets the brow of the hill over which the road runs from Montgomery to Welshpool.
SARKLEY (Montgomery). Sarn-y-clai=" the stepping-stones of the clay." The old road from Montgomery to Berriew crossed a small brook near this place, which wrould necessitate the use of stepping-stones by foot passengers.
SIDNAL (Chirbury). The old form of this word is Sydenhale. Some of the retainers of the Black Prince, when he in 1343 received the allegiance of the Crown tenants of the lordship of Montgomery, bore this name.
SIGLEN (Montgomery}, " a bog," or " quagmire." ST. NICHOLAS, the parish church of Montgomery. STALLOE (Montgomery). It was suggested in Byegones some time ago that this name came from Stanlaw, quoting from an old deed, wherein permission was given to make a millstream, " Stanlaw eo scinlin sic vocat." The writer says that " scinlin" would refer to Siglen, which is near. A dwelling-house between the two places is called Mill Pool Cottage, so that doubtless there has been such a place in the neighbourhood. Some derive the name from the Welsh Ystal-wy, " above the river," with which the situation of the house, overlooking a long reach of the Carnlad's course, corresponds well. Others derive it from Ystalu, " to form a stack."
SUTTON (Montgomery), i.e., Sub-ton=" below the town." The latter is the form used in old deeds.
TIMBEETH (CliMury), Tyn-y -berth," the house in the grove."
PLACE-NAMES IN AND AROUND MONTGOMERY. 233
Old people can remember this house surrounded by fine oak trees, which, however, were cut down many years ago.
THOENBUEY (Forden), " thorny town."
TOWN DITCH COTTAGES (Montgomery). The traces of the old wall and ditch of the town are very distinct, though but little of the wall itself remains. There is only just a corner of it to be seen near the Cottage Inn, but the embankment on which it was built may be easily discerned. The above cottages are built, some in and others near the hollow which marks the ditch which existed outside the wall. By building and other means some of this hollow has been filled up, but in several places it may be traced for long distances.
TOWN GATES (Montgomery}. There were four entrances or gates to Montgomery in the days when it was a walled town, namely, Arthurs Gate, Chirbury Gate, Kerry Gate, and Cedewain Gate. The site of the latter is near the present Old Castle Farm, and took its name from the district of Cedewain, to which it led.
TOWN HILL (Montgomery). The proximity of this eminence to the town may have given rise to its name, or it may have been so called from the fact of its once having been the pro- perty of the freemen of the town.
TEEFALDWYN, " Baldwin's town," the Welsh and former name of Montgomery. Baldwin was a Norman adventurer, who built a castle here in the eleventh century. This, after being cap- tured by the Welsh, was retaken by Eoger de Montgomery, who fortified the place and named it after himself in 1092.
TEWST-LLEWELYN (Berriew), " Llewelyn's tumult/' The war- fare which the camps and earthworks in this neighbourhood indicate to have taken place, doubtless accounts for this name. We read that in 1231, on account of a quarrel between Prince Llewelyn ab lorwerth and the English King, Llewelyn brought an army against Montgomery Castle, seized it, and burned it. Possibly, the shouting and noise which heralded his approach on this occasion may have given its name to this place.
YEELON (Montgomery). This name~is variously pronounced and spelt, one way of spelling it being Fforddlon. It is applied to a house which would be the first reached on approaching the town from the Forden side, and is most likely an altered form of the words Ffordd-y-llan—" the road to the church."
WEENDU (Churchstoke), " the black alder meadow."
WEENLLWYD (Churchstoke), " the grey alder meadow/'
WESTON (Churchstoke). See GWESTUN, supra.
234 PLACE-NAMES IN AND AROUND MONTGOMERY.
WHITLEY (Brompton and RMston), probably derived from the Welsh Gwaed-le, " the place of blood," alluding to the severe fighting of which this was the scene in olden time.
WINDY OAKS (Montgomery*). A wooded part of the Earl of Powis's home farm at Lyinore. It is to be noted that the "i" in "windy" is invariably pronounced as a diphthong, hence some other derivation must be sought for the name besides the windy or exposed situation of the trees. Perhaps it may be found in the Welsh givaun-dir, " the upland."
WINSBURY (Cliirbiinj}. Win is perhaps a form of Whin, another name for gorse; bury being a fortified eminence, a term which would be very applicable to the commanding position of this place.
WYNNSTAY HOUSE (Montgomery}, formerly an hotel, but now a private house. In the severe struggle which took place in 1774 between the rival houses of Powis Castle and Wynnstay for the Parliamentary representation of Montgomeryshire in the persons of William Owen of Bryngwyn and Watkin Williams, the latter was placed under a great disadvantage, as all the inns in Montgomery, . and practically the whole town, belonged to the Herberts, so that his supporters had nowhere to go for refreshment. To remedy this, Sir Watkin Williams Wynn purchased a small plot of ground near the Town Hall, on which he built an inn called the "Wynnstay Arms", and which was the only property Sir Watkin owned in Montgomery or within about ten miles of it.
235
MONTGOMERYSHIRE SAINTS.
BY THE REV. JOHN FISHER, B.D., CURATE OF LLANLLWCHAIARN.
II.
S. CURIG (continued). — He also invokes him, among other saints, to bless his hero (p. 340) ; and more than once he uses the expression myn Haw Curigl "by Curig's hand !" In the latter part of an elegy (pp. 280-1) he is very satirical on the Mendicant Friars, who in his time used to go about hawking images of saints, made of glass or alder-wood, which they sold to the peasantry, receiving as payment in kind cheese, flour, wool, etc. Among other images they hawked about S. Curigs —
" tin a arwain, yn oriog, Gurig Iwyd dan gwr ei glog ; Gwas arall a ddwg Seiriol, A naw o gaws yn ei gol."
" One bears, fitfully,
Blessed Curig under the corner of his cloak ; Another youth carries Seiriol, And nine cheeses in his bosom."
We learn from the Itinerarium Cambrics of Giraldus Cambrensis that when he made his celebrated tour- through Wales with Archbishop Baldwin in 1187, S. Curig's crozier, or pastoral staff, was preserved in S. Harmon's Church, a few miles south-east of Llangurig. He thus speaks of it and its miraculous powers :
" In the Church of St. Germanus there is a staff of St. Cyric, covered on all sides with gold and silver, and resembling in its upper part the form of a cross ; its efficacy has been proved in many cases, but particularly in the removal of glandular and strumous swellings; insomuch that all persons afflicted with these complaints, on a devout
236 MONTGOMERYSHIRE SAINTS.
application to the staff, with the oblation of one penny, are restored to health. But it happened in these our days that a strumous patient, on presenting one halfpenny to the staff, the humour sub- sided only in the middle ; but when the oblation was completed by the other halfpenny, an entire cure was accomplished. Another person also coming to the staff with the promise of a penny, was cured ; but not fulfilling his engagement on the day appointed, he relapsed into his former disorder ; in order, however, to obtain pardon for his offence, he tripled the offering by presenting three- pence, and thus obtained a complete cure." (Bohn's Giraldus Cam- brensis, 335-6.)
The pastoral staff being an emblem of spiritual juris- diction and authority, it may be presumed that S. Curig was either a bishop or an abbot. His feast — Gwyl Gurig — is June 16 (lolo MSS. 152), and is referred to often from the Laws on. There was another S. Curig (spelt, generally, Cyric ; in Latin, Cyricus or Quiricus), a saint of Tarsus in Cilicia, who was martyred in his infancy, together with his mother Julitta, or Juliet, called in Welsh Hid. Their cultus was introduced into this country probably by the Nor- mans. They are commemorated in the Roman Mar- tyrology also on June 16. The two S. Curigs seem to have been quite confused by the Welsh ; and they are so represented in modern coloured glass in Llangurig Church. The following is a complete list of all the churches in Wales dedicated to the Welsh S. Curig, as well as the two foreign saints (who are patrons of a great number on the Continent). Llangurig, in Mont- gomeryshire ; Porthkerry ( = Forth Curig), in Gla- morganshire, of which we learn from the lolo MSS. 220 (the only authority for the statement, as far as I know), that S. Curig founded it " for the benefit of sailors' souls, and a port for them";1 and also, perhaps, Eglwys Fair a Churig, in Carmarthenshire — to the
1 The parish is called Forth Ceri in the text of the Henwau Plwyvau Cymru MS. in the Myv. Arch., 748 ; but at the foot we have the reading Curie given. In the Truman MS. Gwehelyih lestyn ab Gwrgan we are told (lolo MSS. 7, 345-6) that Forth Ceri is so called after Ceri ab Caid. One statement is perhaps as credible as the other.
MONTGOMERYSHIRE SAINTS. 237
Welsh S. Curig. Capel Curig, in Carnarvonshire, to SS. Cyricus and Julitta — called Capel Curig a'i fam lulita in the Myv. Arch., 422; Llanilid, in Glamor- ganshire, to SS. Julitta and Cyricus — called Llan (and Eglwys) Hid a Churig in the Myv. Arch.. 422, 748 ; and Llanilid, called also Cray S. Hid, in Brecknock- shire, to S. Julitta alone (Welsh Saints, 307, 325). There are dedications also to them in several parts of the west of England. In the Cambro- British Saints, 276-7, is given the text of Emyneu Curig Ferthyr, the Hymns of Curig the Martyr, written, as regards their present form, in comparatively modern Welsh. The devotions are also found, but differing to some extent from the printed text, in a MS. in the Earl of Maccles- field's collection at Shirburn Castle. The MS. was written the middle of the 16th century, and forms a large collection of miscellanea. The so-called Hymns in the printed text are six in number, and are all, with the exception of the third, really collects or short prayers, in prose, addressed to the Lord Jesus Christ " in the name of holy Curig the Martyr and his mother Julitta [written a Ddivlitta ei fam ef] and all the male and female saints of Heaven". The martyr is repre- sented in them as an infant and an adult. They are no doubt translations of Latin originals. GrufFydd ab Meredydd ab Dafydd (1290-1340) seems to be alluding to them in an ode, " To God," when he says that there should be praise to Him for our Lord's Incarnation.
" . . . . mal molyant sein Syric" (sic) — Myv. Arch., 315. Dafydd y Coed (1300-1350) also thought it high praise when he said of his hero in a poem —
" Emyn Cirig beirdd yw myn Carawn" (ib., 330).1
1 Since writing the above, Mr. Howel W. Lloyd, M. A., has kindly drawn my attention to a paper of his on " The Legend of St. Curig", which appeared in the Archceologia Cambrensis some years ago, and had escaped my notice. The Legend is there treated very fully — its origin, development, and the migration, so to speak, of the cultus of the two saints from the Eastern to the Western Church. He iden- tifies the Welsh S. Curig (as I have called him) with a Gaul, who,
238 MONTGOMERYSHIRE SAINTS.
S. CYNFELYN lived about the middle of the 6th cen- tury, and was the son of Bleiddud ab Meirion ab Tybiawn ab Cunedda Wledig. Cynfelyn used to be a fairly common Welsh name, and appears earliest in the form Cunobelinos, then Cinbelin or Conbelin, and Shakespeare's Cymbeline.1 He was a brother to S. Cynydyn, a periglawr, or chaplain, in Cor Padarn (70/0 MSS. 125 ; Myv. Arch., 422). There is no reason for concluding as R-ees (Welsh Saints, 261) has, that the founder of the religious house at Welshpool, Lle- welyn Sant ab Bleiddud ab Tegonwy ab Teon ab Gwineu da ei [or deu] Freuddwyd, was a brother of his, and that his pedigree should run Bleiddud ab Meirion, etc., though it is not easy to account for the insertion of Bleiddud in some of the Catalogues that give Llewelyn's pedigree (Myv. Arch., 427.; Cambro- British Saints, 271). The most reliable MSS. give simply " Llywelyn Sant o'r Trail wng ab Tegonwy ab Teon", etc. S. Cynfelyn was a saint of Bangor Deiniol (lolo MSS. 102) ; and the founder of a church at Trallwng, or Welshpool, afterwards dedicated to S. Mary ; Llangynfelyn, in Cardiganshire ; and, maybe, of Dolgynfelyn, which Rees (Welsh Saints, 346) gives as an extinct chapel under Manafon. The township of Dwyrhiew and Dolgynfelyn is separated from Manafon by a portion of Llanwyddelan.
S. CYNOG, called in Welsh literature Cynog Sant and Cynog Ferthyr, lived in the 5th century, and, according to all the Catalogues, was the eldest son of Brychan, the well-known half- Irish prince of Brycheiniog, by Banhadlwedd 'ch Banhadle o Fanhadla ym Mhowys
maybe bearing the saint's name, crossed into Wales about the 7th century, where he disseminated the Acts of the martyrs, and in course of time got himself confused with the original S. Cyricus. He also gives the fragmentary texts of poems on S. Curig by Huw Cae Llwyd, JSion Ceri, and Huw Arwystli, from the Ceniarth MS.
1 The first element cuno- possibly means a dog, whilst the other seems to be the name of the Gaulish divinity Belinos, which enters also probably into the favourite Welsh name Llywelyn, evolved from some form like Lugubelinos.
MONTGOMERYSHIRE SAINTS. 239
(Myv. Arch., 419, 421). There are three townships in the parish of Llanrhaiadr yn Mochnant which bear the names Banhadla Hamlet, Banhadla Ucha, and Banhadla Isa. These furnish us with the name of the district referred to. Brychan had three wives, by whom he had a great number of children — who became one of the great Holy Gwelygorddau, or Clans, of Britain — but Banhadlwedd (= " Broom-aspect" ; cf. Kiwallawn Wallt Banhadlen, of the Triads) is never mentioned as one of the three. Several of Brychan's children were illegi- timate. The MIS. generally called Cognatio de Brachan Brecheiniauc, preserved in the British Museum (Cott., Vesp. A. xiv), and printed in the Cambro- British Saints, 272-5, gives us the following particulars re- specting his birth. The passage is thus translated (ib., 603-4) :—
" Aulach gave his son Brychan a hostage to the King of Powys, and in process of time Brychan violated the daughter of Banadell [Beuadel in the text], and she becoming pregnant brought forth a son, named Cynog, who being carried to the camp was baptized [by S. Gastayn, afterwards his spiritual instructor, and founder of Llan- gasty Talyllyn, in Brecknockshire] ; which being done, Brychan took a bracelet [armilla] from his arm, and gave it to his son Cynog. This Saint Cynog is very celebrated in his country of Brycheiniog ; and the bracelet is preserved in the district, among its precious relics, to the present day."
The MS., it is said, was written aboub A.D. 900. The celebrated torques or collar of S. Cynog was preserved at Brecon in Giraldus Cambrensis' time (1187), who thus speaks of it in his Itinerarium Canibrice : —
" Moreover, I must not be silent concerning the collar (torques) which they call St. Canauc's ; for it is most like to gold hi weight nature, and colour ; it is in four pieces wrought round, joined to- gether artificially, and clefted as it were in the middle, with a dog's head, the teeth standing outward ; it is esteemed by the inhabitants so powerful a relic, that no man dares swear falsely when it is laid before him ; it bears the marks of some severe blows, as if made with an iron hammer ; for a certain man, as it is said, endeavouring to break the collar for the sake of the gold, experienced the divine ven- geance, was deprived of his eyesight, and lingered the remainder of his days in darkness." (Bonn's Giraldus Cambrensis, 343.)
240 MONTGOMERYSHIRE SAINTS.
He is said to have been killed by y Paganiaid Saeson, the Pagan Saxons (lolo MSS. 119; but did he not live at a period much too early for one to expect to hear ot Saxons in Brecknockshire ?), on the summit of a hill called Y Fan Oleu. The church of Merthyr Cynog was afterwards erected, over his grave, as a martyrium in memory of his martyrdom. The erection of churches in honour of martyrs is referred to by Gildas, and was not at all an unusual dedication (limited, of course, to one in each case), as is attested by the fact that there are no less than thirteen Merthyr s indexed in the Liber Landavensis, most of the names of which are no longer in use, though there are two or three still, such as Merthyr Tydfil, Merthyr Cynog, Merthyr Dovan (= Dyfan). Merthyr prefixed, as in these instances, it should be observed, stands for martyrium, and not for martyr, which as a rule would be affixed. Several saints of Brychan's family were honoured with martyria. The following is a full list of the churches supposed to be founded by, or dedicated to, him : — Llangynog (the name of a township in the parish as well), in Mont- gomeryshire ; Merthyr Cynog, Defynog (originally founded by S. Cynog, but afterwards re-dedicated, as it is supposed, in the name of S. Dyfnog ab Medrod ab Cawrdaf ab Caradog Freichfras, a 7th century saint — Welsh Saints, 295), Ystradgynlais, Penderin, Battle, and Llangynog, in Brecknockshire ; Boughrood, in Radnorshire ; Llangynog (generally spelt Llangun- nock, but called Llangynog yn Derllysg in the Myv. Arch., 421), in Carmarthenshire, though Rees (Welsh Saints, 139-40) says there are reasons for supposing that it is dedicated to S. Cynog, second Bishop of Llan- badarn. The ruined church of Llangunnock, or Llan- gynog, near Llansoy, in Monmouthshire, is also dedi- cated to S. Cynog ab Brychan according to Rees (ib., 343), but in a note in the Cambro-British Saints, 606-7, it is conjectured that it is dedicated to a S. Cynog ab Cynwyl ab Gwyngenau. There is a Llangynog in Herefordshire, where at one time there was probably a
MONTGOMERYSHIRE SAINTS. 2<1 L
church dedicated to him (Welsh Saints, 341). Most of these churches, it will be observed, are situated in Brecknockshire, of which his father was regulus. That, and the fact of his own popularity there as a saint, account for their grouping together principally in this district. The Montgomeryshire Llangynog adjoins the parish of Llanrhaiadr yn Mochnant, which claims his half-brother S. Dogfan as the founder of its church. It is also in the neighbourhood of " Banhadla in Powys", his birth-place, as it would appear. A saying of S. Cy nog's is preserved in Chwedlau 'r Doethion, the Sayings of the Wise (lolo MSS. 252)—
" A gly waist ti chwedl Cynog, Sant Penrhaith gwlad Brycheiniog, Deuparth addysg ym mhenglog."
" Hast thou heard the saying of S. Cynog, Supreme governor of the land of Brecknock 1 ' Two-thirds of one's education is already in the head.' "
A poem, Cywydd Kynog Sant, is printed in the lolo MSS. 302-4. It is by the bard and historian Hywel ab Dafydd ab lefan ab Rhys, whose floruit is given as 1450-80, and who was evidently connected with Breck- nockshire. In the course of it he says the saint, as Brychan's heir, was left the supreme governor (pen raith) of Brecknock. He had, in earlier life, relin- quished an Irish crown — " a prosperous, brilliant crown" — choosing instead the life of a hermit. He tells us how he encountered a fiendish giant of un- bounded cannibalism that infested Brecknock ; the " game" he made of him, and how he finally slew him. He then describes his wonderfnl torques (torch o nef) ; and says that after his head had been cut off (he does not even mention " the Pagan Saxons") he still, mira- culously, walked —
" kerddaist ath ben wrth dennyn wrth dy gorff o wyrth duw gwyn" —
and the "world" only stopped his walking when his crair, i.e., his torques, was taken off his person. The
242 MONTGOMERYSHIRE SAINTS.
bard concludes by invoking the saint's good offices on behalf of Brecknock — his father's land, of which he is " head and protector"; that he would protect it with his prayers, and preserve peace within its borders. S. Cynog's festival, according to the lolo MSS. Calendar, is October 9. but Cressy, in his Church History of Brittany, as quoted by Rees (Welsh Saints, 138, 318), gives February 11 as his festival in the English Mar- tyrology. There is no doubt but that the former is the correct one.
S. CYNON was a 6th century saint who was one of the large band of missionaries that came over here with S. Cadfan from Armorica. His name is some- times found written Kynan and Kenon (Myv. Arch., 421 ; lolo MSS. 103 -,'Cambro- British Saints, 266), and there are several persons in Welsh literature bearing the name. His parents' names are not given, but we are told that he was of the Gwelygordd, or Clan, of Emyr Llydaw, and therefore related to S. Cadfan (lolo MSS. 111-2). Like S. Cadfan and the rest of his companions, he was at one time a saint of Bangor Illtyd and Bangor Catwg, and when S. Cadfan went to Bardsey and founded a Bangor of his own, he accompanied him, as did nearly all his other " saints and learned men" (ib., 103). Here he became S. Cad- fan's cynghellawr, or chancellor (ib., 112, 133) — what- ever the compilers of the Achau exactly meant by the term. He is said to be the patron of the church of Tregynoii (called in the Henwau Plwyvau Cymru MS. in the Myv. Arch., 743, Llandie Gynon, evidently a misscript for Llandre Gynon), in Montgomeryshire ; and Capel Cynon, in Cardiganshire ( Welsh Saints, 215). It is but right to say that all this is supposition, for no churches are attached to his name in the alpha- betical Bonedd y Saint in the Myv. Arch., 421-2. There is another saint also of the name — S. Cynon ab Biychan, but mentioned onl}7, it appears, in the Cognatio de Brachan (Cambro- British Saints, 274). A saying of S. Cynon's is preserved in the anonymous Englynyon
MONTGOMERYSHIRE SAINTS. 243
y Klyweit, the Epigrams of the Hearing, in the Myv. Arch., 129—
" A gly weisti a gant Kynon
Yn ymoglut rac meduon
Curw yw alluyd Galon."
" Hast thou heard what Cynon sang
When avoiding drunkards 1 1 Ale is the key of the heart.' "
In the later Chwedlau 'r Doethion, the Sayings of the Wise, in the lolo MSS. 253, it differs slightly-
." A gly waist ti chwedl Cynon Yn ymochel rhag meddwon ? Cwrw da yw allwedd calon."
" Hast thou heard the saying of Cynon When avoiding drunkards 1 * Good ale is the key of the heart.' '
Like nearly all of these "sayings", it passed into a pro- verb, but in the form one usually hears and meets with its order is inverted. In the collection of proverbs printed in the Myv. Arch., 839, it runs — "Allwedd calon cwrwv1 da," " The key of the heart is good ale." S. CYNYW lived in the earlier part of the 6th cen- tury, and was a son of S. Gwynllyw Filwr (his Life, Vita S. Gundleii, is printed in the Cambro-British Saints, 145-157), lord of Gwynllwg, or Wentloog, in Monmouthshire, by S. Gwladys, daughter, or, more probably, grand-daughter of Brychan Brycheiniog. He had as brothers SS. Catwg Ddoeth, Cam march, Hywgi (or Bugi, S. Beuno's father), Glywvs Cernyw, Gwyddlew (or Gwyddly w), Cyflewyr ; and one sister, Maches Santes (lolo 'MSS. 130-1). Kees (Welsh Saints, 233) adds another brother, Cammab, on the authority of Myv. Arch., 423, it appears. Our saint's name presents a rather perplexing variety of forms in
1 Cwrw is written in earlier Welsh cwrwf and cwryf (cf. the derivatives cyrf-dy and cyrf-ydd], and is the Welsh equivalent, in form and meaning, to the classical cerevisia or cervisia (Zeuss, Gram- matica Celtica, 1066, 2nd ed.). Final /is apocopated, and especially in colloquial Welsh, oftener than any other letter.
244 MONTGOMERYSHIRE SAINTS.
the MSS., gran ting, of course, that they all represent one and the same person. It is spelt, among other forms, Kynvyw, Cynyw, Kyniw, Kyvyw, and Kiviw (Myv. Arch., 422-3; lolo MSS. 109, 130). The forms, as they stand, seem to suggest at least two different persons, but who would be brothers in any caes. Assuming that only one person is meant (which admits of but little doubt really, the original form being Cynfyw), we gather that he was a saint of the celebrated Bangor Catwg or Llaricarfan, where he acted as his brother Catwg's cofedydd, recorder or registrar (lolo MSS., ut supra). He is the patron saint of Llangyny w (spelt also Llangyniew), in Mont- gomeryshire ; and Llange view (given in the Myv. Arch., 423, as Llangyviw or Llangiviw), near Usk, in Mon- mouthshire. The Montgomeryshire Llangyny w is said by Rees (Welsh Saints, 71) to be dedicated to S. Cynyw and All Saints, and the Monmouthshire Llan- gyniow (as he spells it there) to SS. Cynyw and David.
S. DYFNIG is a saint of whom we know but next to nothing. All the Catalogues are silent about him, as far as I have seen, with the exception of one — one of the two MSS. (written 1578-1609) of Dr. Thomas Williams, of Trefriw, incorporated in the alphabetical Boned d y Saint in the Myv. Arch., 431, where we have this notice — " Ust and Dyfnig, the saints in Llan- wrin in Cyfeiliog, who came to this Island with Cad- fan." This makes him a saint of the earlier part of the 6th century, and joint-founder, with S. Ust, of Llan- wrin, in Montgomeryshire, which was afterwards re- dedicated in S. Gwrin's name, a 7th century saint. In an ode to King Henry VII, printed in the lolo MSS. 313-5, the bard commits the king to the guardianship of the saints, and among them he mentions S. Dyfnig. S. Ust is S. Justus, who has a few churches dedicated to him. Dyfnig is the rule-right form in Welsh of Dominions .
S. ERFYL was a female saint who is classed by Rees
MONTGOMERYSHIRE SAINTS. 245
(Welsh Saints, 307) among the saints of "uncertain date". As far as I have been able to discover, her name does not occur in any one of the published Catalogues of the Welsh Saints. The Ven. Archdeacon Thomas, in his St. Asap/i, 748, says she was " cousin-german to S. Cadfan"; whilst Mr. E. Williams, F.R.H.S., in his Montgomeryshire Worthies, s.v., says she was " a daugh- ter of S. Padarn". It would be impossible to har- monise these two statements, for SS. Cadfan and Padarn were themselves cousins-german. Upon what authority either are based I cannot say, but it seems as if the latter owes its origin to a tradition that S. Erfyi was buried, in Llanerfyl churchyard, where a rude headstone stands, locally supposed to commemorate her, bearing an inscription which Prof. Rhys (Lectures on Welsh Philology2, 373-4) reads thus — Hie [In] Tumulo Jacit R::stece Filia Paternini Ani XIII In Pa. He adds — " The inscription is not altogether legible, and it is impossible to guess with certainty the second letter of the first name ; but it must have been a vowel, and the name was perhaps Rustece" But it would be quite impossible to equate Paterninus (— Padernin) with Padarn (= Paternus), much more R\\stece with any form of the name Erfyl. Her name is variously spelt Erfyl, Erful, Eurfyl, Eurful, Urful, and Yrfyl. She is referred to twice by Lewis Glyn Cothi—
" Urvul a Gwenvul a ganvu ; Enog A Dewi oesog; a Duw lesu." — (Gwaitk, 261.)
" Tair santes oedd i lesu A rhan i Vair o'r rhai 'n vu ; Gwenvul o ymyl Gwynva, Urvul ddoeth a Gwervyl dda."— (76., 381.)
By " Gwervyl dda" he means Gwerfyl Hael, the sub- ject of his elegy, whose name is here also written several times Gweuryl. A note tells us Urvul = Urddvul=TJrvul Santes. It is not improbable that the name Erfyl is the same as Gwerfyl, which used to be a fairly common name once among the Welsh. As VOL. xxv. s
246 MONTGOMERYSHIRE SAINTS.
the name of the daughter of King Efrawg — who lived when " David the prophet was king in Jerusalem" — it is spelt Gweiruil in the 14th century Ystorya Bren- hined y Brytanyeit (Rhys and Evans's Bruts, 63). Archdeacon Thomas (St. Asaph, 684) says that the church of Bettws Gwerfyl Goch, in Merionethshire — now dedicated to the Virgin (Feast of the Assumption) — was probably dedicated at first to a S. Gwerfyl. a saint about whom Welsh hagiology, however, seems to be quite silent. The G of Gwerfyl disappears in com- position ; and it is just possible the name may have ultimately undergone the same fate as Cynyr, S. David's grandfather, which people have all along per- sisted in writing Gynyr and Ynyr. The only church said to be dedicated to S. Erfyl, as such, is Llanerfyl, in Montgomeryshire. A " holy well" of hers formerly existed about 400 yards from the church, from which the water long continued to be taken for all baptisms (Thomas's St. Asaph, 749). Her festival, or wake, is said to fall on the Sunday next following July 6 (Gwaith Lewis Glyn Cothi, 381) ; and perhaps the unknown S. Cofyl given under that day in the lolo MSS. Calendar is a misscripb for Erfyl. In the Calendar of the Hengwrt MS. 45, however, G .Yrvyl Sanies is given under July 7.
S. FFRAID. The name of the celebrated Irish virgin- saint called Brigida, Bridget, and Bride,1 assumes generally in Welsh the form Ffraid, but almost in- variably with her title Sant (apocopated, San or
1 There was a Brigit, the daughter of the Irish god Dagda the Great, who was worshipped by the poets of ancient Erinn as the goddess of poetry ; in fact, she was the Minerva of the Celtic pan- theon. How much her namesake, S. Bridget, owes to her prestige it is difficult to say (Rhys's Hibbert Lectures, 74:7). The name is formed from the word (reduced in Welsh to) bri, " renown," or "high estimation." The mutation of the sonant mute &, initial or otherwise, into the surd spirant^" (or ph), is not general in Welsh ; cf. however, the cognate forms brock— -frock, rage ; brysio—ffrysio, to hurry ; and broga — called in some parts of S. Wales ffroga — cognate with the Eng. frog (Old-Eng. froga).
MONTGOMERYSHIRE SAINTS. 247
Sain) prefixed, with the accent on the ultima — e.g., Sanffraid' .l The epithet Lleian, " Nun," is often added to her name ; and she is variously called in the
1 The title Sant is dropped as a rule when a saint's name enters into the composition of place-names. The principal exception is in the case of S. Ffraid — Llansant/raid. The other exceptions one meets with are few — Llansantsior, for S. George's, near S. Asaph ; Llansantffagan (Myv. Arch , 748 ; lolo MSS., passim), for S. Fagan's ; and Lann sant guainerth (Liber Landavensis, 263-4), now called S. Weonard's. Llandyfeisant (= S. Tyfei's), under Llandeilo Fawr, seems to be the only instance of its kind. When coupled with a saint's name, it is generally placed before it, as in English, but usage in some cases favours after it, e.g., Dewi Sant. It may be said that the Latin sanctus (whence, through the French, the Eng. saint) usually assumes in Welsh the forms sanct and sant, of which the latter is the more assimilated and naturalised form. Sant, in all periods, has been the favourite form for "saint", but in Modern- Welsh the form sanct is used where Middle- Welsh preferred generally sant. In the Welsh Bible sanct occurs in the Ter Sanctus, arid the title "the Holy One", with a few other instances; whilst sant never occurs (in the text)— at any rate, not in the Queen's Printers' Bible. This is not the only instance, by a good many, wherein the " Re- naissance" in Welsh letters succeeded in stamping out, in the case of loan-words, older and more rule-right forms — e.g., sacrament for the older sacrafen or segrafen, and apostol for abostol or ebostol. Like sanctus, both sanct and sant mean " holy"; e.g., Dy Sanct Fab lesu ("Thy Holy Child Jesus" — Actsiv, 27, A.V.) ; and there are plenty of instances where sant is similarly used ; e.g., the translation of the Officium Parvum B. Marice V. (Myv. Arch., 367-378) by Dafydd Ddu o Hiraddug (flor. c. 1340), Canon of S. Asaph, where the Gloria to the Hymn Memento, rerum Conditor (Coffa DofyddDuw tragywydd) is rendered thus —
" Mawl ogoniant miloedd foliant A'r [= I'r] tad a'r plant a'r Si
sant yspryd. Amen." (373.)
He also calls, passim, the Three Persons (Tair Person) in the Trinity Tad Sant, Mab or Plant (— Son, from Latin planta) Sant, and Yspryd Sant. Compare the names " Church of S. Saviour," "San Salvador," "Church of S. Sepulchre," and "Church of S. Cross." Sant (in Latin Sanctus) occurs as the name of S. David's father, though some writers like (but incorrectly) to write it Sandde and Xanthus. Sometimes the word undergoes eclipsis, and we have the form saith, which occurs in the Book of Taliessin (Skene, ii, 120)— " Seith pedyr ae dywawt," " Saint Peter said it." In the Liber Landavensis, 200, Saith occurs as a man's name ; and we have Lann idoudec seitk, " the church of the twelve saints," as the name of a church — called also Lannitoudec sent (ib., 244, 264).
s 2
248 MONTGOMERYSHIRE SAINTS.
MSS., Santffraid, Saintffraed, Sanffread, Sanffred Leian, Saint y Brid, y Brid, etc. She was born at Fochart, co. Louth, and lived during parts of the 5th and 6th centuries. In the lolo MSS. 106, her father's name is given as Dwpdagws, but in the Aclmu of the Cambro- British Saints, 270, as Duthach Wyddel. The MSS. forming the Bonedd in the Myv. Arch., 429, give it as Dwyppws ap Cefyth, and Cadwrthai [al. Cadwthlac] Wyddel, adding after the former that she was o rieni Yscotiaid, of Scoto-Irish parentage. Her Latin Lives state that she was the illegitimate daughter of an Irish chieftain named Dubtachus, which agrees, in particular, with the lolo MSS. form. He is thus mentioned by lorwerth Fynglwyd in his cywydd to her (referred to further on) —
" Merch i'r gwr mowrwych a gaid, Dip dacws o dop duciaid."
She refused to be married, and, vowing perpetual virginity, took the veil, which she received from the hands of S. Mel ( Mael, or Moel), a disciple and nephew of S. Patrick. She afterwards founded a nunnery at Kildare ; but the number of those who, attracted by her sanctity and good works, joined her increased to such an extent that she was obliged to found nunneries in many parts of Ireland. Legend, as usual, attributes a good many miracles to her ; and among the mar- vellous things she did we are told that she sailed all the way from Ireland to Wales on a green turf, landing near Holyhead. The sod afterwards became a green hillock, whereon she caused a chapel to be erected, which was called after her Capel Santffraid. Whether she really ever visited Wales (which she did in 488, according to Cressey) it is hard to say ;. but it is not at all improbable, when we remember the close inter- course that existed at the time between the Churches of Wales and Ireland. The presence of churches in Wales dedicated to other Irish saints besides her points to the same friendly communications. On the
MONTGOMERYSHIRE SAINTS. 249
other hand, the great veneration in which her memory was held all over the British Isles would alone be sufficient to account for the dedication of so many churches and chapels in her name in Wales ; and no- where are there more, in proportion, dedicated than here. The following is as near as possible a complete list of them — Llansantffraid yn Mechain, in Mont- gomeryshire ; Dyserth (called also formerly Llansant- ffraid), in Flintshire ; Llansantffraid Glan Conwy, and Llansantffraid Glyn Ceiriog, in Denbighshire ; Llan- santffraid Glyn Dyfrdwy, in Merionethshire ; Llansant- ffraid or S. Bride's (hence S. Bride's Bay and Haven), in Pembrokeshire ; Llansantffraid, in Cardiganshire ; Llansantffraid Cwrnmwd Deuddwr (called also simply Cwmtoyddwr), and Llansantffraid yn Elfael (or Elwel), in Radnorshire ; Llansantffraid-juxta-Usk, in Breck- nockshire ; S. Bride's Major, S. Bride's Minor, and S. Bride's-super-Ely, in Glamorganshire ; Llansantffraid, or S. Bride's, Skenfrith or Ysgynfraith, S. Bride's Netherwent, S. Bride's Wentloog, in Monmouthshire ; Bridstow, in Herefordshire ; and the following chapels, now either in ruins or extinct — Capel Santffraid, under Holy head, Anglesey ; Capel Santffraid, under Llan- drillo yn Rhos (Welsh Saints, 333), and Capel Sant- ffraid, under Llansantffraid Glan Coriwy, Denbighshire (Thomas's St. Asaph, 571); and Capel Ffraid, under Llandyssul, Cardiganshire (Welsh Saints, 209, 328). Kinnerley church, Salop, now dedicated to S. Mary, seems to have had an earlier dedication to S. Ffraid (Thomas's St. Asaph, 630). lorwerth Fynglwyd attributes to her daunaw eglwys, eighteen churches. E. Lhuyd mentions a " Ffynnon Sanffraid" about a quarter-of-a-mile from the church of Llansantffraid Glyn Dyfrdwy. Her memory, however, was nowhere so fondly cherished as at Kildare, which she specially favoured ; and it was in her church here that her body was laid to its rest. Here a sacred fire, kindled by her own hands, was kept up by " the nuns and holy women", Vestal-like, perpetually burning. Giraldus
250 MONTGOMERYSHIRE SAINTS.
Cambrensis, in his Topographia Hibernica, te]Is us how he found it, still burning, when he visited Ireland in 1185. Her sacred and "eternal" fire was, however, put out in 1220, to be rekindled again, but finally extinguished at the Suppression of the Monasteries. S. Bridget forms with SS. Patrick and Columba the " Irish Trinity"; but her name must not be confused with that of S. Bridget, the Northern Prophetess, whose name, coupled with that of our Lady, occurs as the patron saint of Sweden, and who lived many cen- turies after her namesake. S. Ffraid died, it is said, in 523, on the 1st of February, which has been ever since regarded as Gwyl Santjfraid Leian (lolo MSS. 152). lorwerth Fyngiwyd thus alludes to it —
" A'th wyl a 'sodes lesu, Noswyl Fair fal duw sul fu" —
from its falling on the Vigil of the Purification of the B.V.M. At LlansantfFraid yn Mechain her festival used to be held Feb. 12 (Thomas's St. Asaph, 771), i.e., plus the eleven days' discrepancy between the Old and New Styles. Her festival is often mentioned in Welsh literature, from the Laws down. One frequently comes across her name too. In an anonymous poem in the 12th century MS., the Black Book of Carmarthen (Skene's Four Ancient Books, ii, 44), she is thus in- voked—
" Sanffreid suynade in imdeith."
" S. Ffraid, bless ^ us on our journey."1 .
1 I so translate it because the substantive swjrn is simply the Latin signum (sygn9 a zodiacal sign, is the later form of the doublet), and meant at first the sign of the cross. Dwfr swyn means the water for making the sign of the cross, i.e., holy water. Dafydd ab Gwilym, in one of his poems (Barddoniaeth, 343), says —
" A chroesi, rhag echryshaint, Y corph mau a swynau saint."
" And cross, for fear of a malignant distemper, My body with the signs of the saints (or holy signs)."
Sivyn now means generally a charm or magic. The verb swyno, now meaning to charm or bewitch, meant at first to cross — thence, to
MONTGOMERYSHIRE SAINTS. 251
Cynddelw (1150-1200), in his "Elegy on the family of Ovvain Gwynedd" (Myv. Arch., 164), calls one of them gwas sanfreyd, i.e., S. Ffraid's servant ; cf. Gtvas- sanfreit, Gwas Duy (=Gwas Dwyw, servus Dei), and Givasmyhangel, in the Record of Carnarvon, and also the men's names Gwas Crist, and Givas Teilo. On one of the Eune-inscribed crosses of the Isle of Man occurs the Celtic name Malbrigd, i.e., the tonsured slave of S. Bridget. Lewis Glyn Cothi uses the expression myn Eglwys Sain Fraid /by S. Ffraid's church ! (Gwaith. 484); also myn bedd Sain Fraid! by S. Ffraid's grave (or shrine) ! (ib., 238) ; and refers to her bedd on p. 90. The betony is very often called in Welsh cribau Santffraid, lit. S. Ffraid's combs (cf. cribau Mair, the milk thistle) ; and its other name, y llysiau dwyfog, lit. the divine herbs, also points to the veneration in which it was held in the Middle Ages. As might have been expected, a great many Lives of S. Bridget have been written ; but none in Welsh, as far as I know. lorwerth Fynglwyd, a pro- minent bard of the latter half of the 15th century, has written a Cowydd i Sant Ffraid, in which he gives a poetical version of her legendary Life, and enumerates the various miracles attributed to her. It is printed in Williams's History and Antiquities of the Town of Abercomvy, 198-200 (Denbigh : 1835). Warren, in his Liturgy and Ritual of the Celtic Church, 270, gives the proper collects in the Missce for S. Bridget's from the Corpus and Rosslyn Missals. The Sarum Missal also contains a proper Missa for S. Bridget's.
S. GWRHEI or GWREI lived in the earlier part of the sixth century, and was one of the many sons of Caw o B-ydein (= Prydyn, " Pictland"). Caw — called also Kado (Kulhwch ac Olwen — Rhys and Evans's Mabin- ogion, etc., 123), and Kadu (Myv. Arch., 416 ; Cambro- Brit. Saints, 268 ; and see Y Cymmrodor, xi, 75, 90-1,
bless. In like manner the middle verb ymsivyno (like its synonym ymgroesi), which now means to beware, meant at first to make the sign of the cross over one's self as a preservative against danger or evil.
252 MONTGOMERYSHIRE SAINTS.
for other forms) — was lord of Cwm Cawlwyd, whose territory, as Dr. Skene thinks (Four Ancient Books, i, 1 73), is covered by the modern Renfrewshire. Owing to the incursions of the Gwyddyl Ffichti, or Pictish Goidels, he was obliged to leave his territory ; and he came, with his large family, to Anglesey, and settled down at Twr Celyn, on lands given him by Maelgwn Gwynedd. A good many of his family embraced the religious life, and are reckoned as one of the Holy Clans of Britain. Several of them figure in the Welsh Tales and Romances. Our saint's name occurs in the published MSS. in the following forms : — Gurhei and Gwrhei (Myv. Arch., 416, 425), Gurhel (Cambro-Brit. Saints, 268 — a misscript), Gwrie (ib., 269), Gwrai (lolo MSS., 102), and Gwr (Myv. Arch., 416). He is said, ad loc., to be o Penystryvc.it, o penn ysteryueit, o ben ystrywyeyt, o Benystrywed, o Benstrued —yn aruistli. His name appears only in one of the lists of Caw's children given in the lolo MSS., 136, where it is spelt Garhai — assuming, of course, that it is a scribe's error for the more correct form Gwrhei. I ought to say that there is a Garai mentioned (ib., 146) as one of the " saints in Morganwg and Gwent", who is no doubt the Garai Sant of Cor Banger mentioned (ib., 222) as the founder of Llanarai, now written Llanharry, in Glamorgan ; but we are told (ib., 107) that he was a son of S. Cewydd ab Caw. S. Gwrhei is said to have been a saint of Bangor Deiniol in Gwynedd (ib., 102) ; and the only church, as far as I know, that is connected with his name is that of Penstrowed, in Montgomeryshire. The Bangor Dio- cesan Calendar is certainly wrong in giving it as dedicated to S. Gwrgi or Gwrci, who, it should be observed, was a totally different saint. There is a Gwrei (elsewhere written Gwrhyr and Gwryr) Gwalstawt leithoed mentioned in the Romance of Gereint ac Enid (Rhys and Evans's Mabinogion, etc., 265), of whom it is said " yr holl ieithoed a wydyat".
(To be continued.)
253
ABSTRACT OF ANCIENT DEEDS RELATING TO MEIFOD AND ELSEWHERE.
BY H. W. LLOYD, M.A. (Continued from p. 104.)
THE publication of the miscellaneous collection of docu- ments relating not wholly to Montgomeryshire, but to persons dwelling in several counties of North Wales, may seem to require some apology, or explanation at least, to the readers of Montgomeryshire Collections. The explanation is simple. They are all taken from the same family archives, and all relate, with an exception or two perhaps, directly or indirectly, to the same families. In regard to one Montgomeryshire family, that of Williarnes, first written Williams, of Ystymcolwyn, in the parish of Meifod, they would seem calculated to throw a flood of light upon much that was previously obscure. This may readily be verified by reference to former volumes1 of Mont. Col- lections, where the obscurity has been admitted, and errors, not always successfully, attempted to be recti- fied. For example, in the will of Lumley Williams, living at Kyffin in 1703, mention is made of "my grandchild Lumley Williams, son to my second son, Rees Williams of Rhyd y Gro," to whom no issue is assigned by that most careful and accurate of genea- logists, the late W. W. E. Wynne, Esq., of Peniarth, although he certainly must have had access to this will, of which a partial abstract is given in the ninth volume. Other statements, again, in the pedigrees receive ample confirmation from the deeds, with the addition of important dates. In vol. v, a doubt
1 Vols. v, 417 ; ix, 346 et seq. ; xi, 387-8. -
254 ANCIENT DEEDS RELATING TO
thrown upon the identity of " Cowhitlands" with Coch- willan is removed by the occurrence of the word similarly spelt in a deed in the Cochwillan archives, to which Henry Williams of that place is a party. The family, therefore, must have been connected with the county in the time of William Williams, High Sheriff in 1589 and 1596 (this may well have been, since he had property in the adjacent county of Salop), and before the marriage of Lumley Williams with Dorothy, daughter and heiress of Thomas ab Rhys ab David ab Ithel of Ystymcolwyn. In Hengwrt MS. 96, by Robert Vaughan, the antiquary, Barbara, d. of George Lumley, is called the second wife of William Williams of Cochwillan. A deed of convey- ance of land in 1585, by Hugh Thomas Wynne of Garth and GrufFydd Lloyd of Maes Mawr, arm., to William Williams of Cochwillan, arm., seems to estab- lish a probability that his first wife may have sprung from one of those families. Again, his daughter Mary was wife of Richard Herbert of Parke, Esq., High Sheriff in 1557. The commonly received statement that his first wife was Agnes, d. of John ab Mere- dith of Gwydir, seems so improbable as to require more substantial proof than is found in the pedi- gree before it can be quite accepted as indisput- able fact ; that is to say, on the assumption that this Thomas, on a grand jury list in 1601, was really the father of the heiress. In a note, reference is candidly made to Burke's Baronetage, who, it is said, " inaccurately styles him Rhys Thomas of Ystym- colwyn." The fact, however, that Thomas ab Rhys was on a grand jury in 1601 is no proof by itself that he was her father ; and Rhys ab Thomas, whoever he was, if only Burke's authority could be come at, might prove to have as good a claim to be so as his com- petitor of the inverted name. From the deeds, how- ever, we discover that Rhys ab David ab Ithel had a son Thomas ab Rhys, also of Ystymcolwyn. The former executed a deed singly in 1574, and jointly
MEIFOD AND ELSEWHERE. 255
with his son Thomas in 1585. Again, Khys ab David ab Ithel ab leuan ab Meredydd was living so early as 1536, for in that year, 27 Hen. VIII, he is party to a deed with Reinallt ab John Wyn ab John ab leuan Vychan. That he had another son, David, appears probable from another deed.
So far back, then, as 1536 does the pedigree ascend, and we learn also the interesting fact that Rhys ab David's wife was Marred, daughter of David ab leuan Bach.1 But now comes the question, to what primary ancestor the line of descent can be traced ? In vol. ix, 346, of the Montgomeryshire Collections, it is stated, but without reference to any authority, that the Ystym- colwyn estate belonged to " an ancient family descended from Ednerth, Lord of Englefield, head of one of the tribes of North Wales, who bore arg., a cross fiory en- grailedsaWe, int. four Cornish choughs ppr., in chief azure a boar's head couped argent, tusked or, and langued gules." The authority for the statement is not given ; but from the fact that Idnerth is styled Lord of Englefield, and his name spelt Ednerth, which it never is by any Welsh genealogist, presumably it originated with some one imperfectly acquainted with Welsh history, and an Englishman. The Welsh herald-bards style him Idnerth Benvras (— Greathead), Lord of Maesbrock, or Maesbrock, and son of Uchtryd ab Edwin ab Goronwy, Prince of Tegeingl (Anglice, Engle- field). That some uncertainty, however, existed about this descent appears from the variation of the account given by Davies of Llansilin in Add. MSS. 9,864, f. 118. He says : " Goronwy, who married Jane, daugh. of Edwyn, Prince of Normandy, and has issu Edwyn caled (sic) King of Tegengell, one of the 15 Tribs of Gwynedd, who married Werydd, daugh. of Convyn, Prince of Powys, and had issu Owen who married Morfydd daugh. of Gronwy ap Ednowen lord of Tegeingl,
1 See L. Dwnn's Mont. Peds., pp. 11 and 24-28 of vol. xvii. " Robert ab John ap David ab Rees ab Evan Bach, of Knockin."
256 ANCIENT DEEDS RELATING TO
and had issu Gronwy, who m. Genilles, v'ch Hoedliw ap Tthel of Uwch Aled, Baron,1 and had issu Idnerth, lord of Maesbroc, who married Eva, daugh. and heir of Cadwgan Vychan, lord of Maesbroc, and had issu," etc. Into the vexed questions which have recently been raised regarding the history and genealogy of this family it would be out of place to enter as fully here as their importance would demand. Reasonable doubt has been thrown upon the very existence of Goronwy, the reputed father, by his wife Edelfleda, daughter of the Earl of Mercia, of Edwin, Prince, or, as he has been more commonly entitled, King, of Tegeingl. He may have been a son of one, and brother of another, Earl of Mercia, and the same Edwin who is said to have been slain by the Welsh, perhaps because put in possession of Tegeingl, after Harold had overrun part of North Wales, as English historians say, as far as Snowdon. A Welsh putative father may have been found for him in the person of a fictitious Goronwy, a direct descendant of Howel Dda, married to Edelfleda, daughter of the Earl of Mercia, and relict of Edmund Ironside,2 in order to cover the disgrace attaching to such an origin in the eyes of his countrymen. It is true, indeed, that IJchtryd has been styled Lord of Tegeingl by an authority so important as leuan Brechva in the fif- teenth century, and that some families in that district claimed him for their ancestor. On the other hand, that title is certainly ascribed to Ednowain Bendew, whose daughter is said to have been married to Owen, the elder brother of Uchtryd, and to whom the prince- dom over Tegeingl would, as such, have legitimately descended in the normal course of succession. Uchtryd would thus have been excluded from Tegeingl,
1 The style of Paron is evidence that he held his lands by feudal and English tenure and of an English, or now rather Norman, over- lord. Hoedliw ab Ithel was, be it observed, of the line of Welsh descent from Marchudd, whose father was also named Idnerth.
2 Hist. Powys Vad., iii, 105.
MEIFOD AND ELSEWHERE. 257
and accordingly we have him designated usually as Lord of Cyveiliog, and in that capacity he is known to history as concerned in certain military expeditions, in which it is natural to suppose that Idnerth would have aided his father, and that he was one of " the sons of Uchtryd" referred to as thus engaged in the Chronicle of the Princes, in the year 1113.1
It is remarkable that Idnerth is nowhere stated to have obtained Maesbroc, either by gift from his father, or by inheritance, but by marriage with the heiress, Eva, daughter of Cadwgan Vychan, who bore Az., a boar's head couped cm/., tusked or, langued gu.2 To what tribe this Cadwgan belonged, or whence he came, there seems to be no record extant. In the pedigree of Price of Newtown,3 Maesbroc is named among the possessions of Ynyr ab Cadvarch, to whom, by the Welsh genealogists, is ascribed the paternity of that somewhat mythological personage, Tudor Trevor. Hence it might be guessed that Cadwgan Vychan was one of the Tribe of the Marches, were it not that the boar's head in his coat would seem to be at variance with the hypothesis. We have it stated, however, in the History of Llangurig (p. 46), that Annest, a daughter of Idnerth, was wife of Cynwric ab Rhiwall- awn ab Dingad ab Tudor Trevor ; and as some of his descendants were distinguished by a similar cognizance, the earlier connection becomes not altogether improb- able ; the more so, as in Wales other instances have occurred of the coat of an heiress being borne by her husband, or his descendants, in chief, in preference to quartering.
The next question to be considered is whether, after all, Thomas ab Rhys of Ystym Colwyn was really descended from Idnerth. We have seen that in vol. ix, it has been stated on anonymous authority, that
1 Rolls ed., p. 141.
2 Hist. Pow. Vad., i, 90 ; ii, 326.
3 Mont. Coll., xxi, 114.
258 ANCIENT DEEDS RELATING TO
Thomas ab Rhys was fifteenth in descent from Idnerth. If Idnerth was living in A.D. 1100, and Thomas in A.D. 1600, the interval to be accounted for falls not far short of five hundred years. Of these, the six genera- tions given in the deeds, viz., Maredydd, leuan, Ithel, David, Rhys, and Thomas, account for the period back to 1485, the year in which John Gray, Lord Powys, made to Owen ap Madoc ap leuan ap Maredydd, the tenant of " dominium de Meghen Uchcoit", the grant in vol. xxiii, p. 392. Assuming that " leuan ap Mar- edydd"1 is identical with the ancestor of Thomas ap Rhys, also so called, nine generations are left still to be accounted for. The gap is satisfactorily filled up if the following statement be correct in a footnote to p. 217 of vol. ii of The History of Powys Vadog : — " Jenkyn Goch of Clochvaen married a lady named Catharine, daughter and heiress of Maurice Vychan, fourth in descent from Howel of Ceri and Mochdrev, second son of Tudor ab Einion Vychan ab Einion, lord of Cevn y Llys. Catharine's mother was Janet, daughter of leuan of Bryngwyn in Llanvechen, ab Howel ab leuan ab Maredydd ab Gruffydd ab Tudor ab Madoc ab Einion ap Madoc ap Gwylawg ap Eginir ab Llewelyn ab Idnerth Benvras, lord of Maesbrwg." Here, again, the authority for this genealogical suc- cession of names is not forthcoming. But the author could not have obtained them fortuitously ; and as he quoted them for a wholly different purpose, another quotation is applicable here : — " Cur in med re menti- retur niliil erat causce" Turn to the pedigrees of the families of Lloyd of Bryngwyn and Griffith of Bron- gain, in Mont. Coll., v, 255 and 259, and they are found to be descended from Howel ab leuan2 ab Mar-
1 Owen ab Madoc ab leuan ab Meredydd was of Main, which appears to have been the name of both a residence and a township in Meivod, and to have been the possession (" LI. Silin", in Arch. Camb., iv, 219, 5th Ser.) of descendants of Maredydd ab Bleddyn ab Cynvyn. See Hist. Powys Vad., i, 110.
2 Hist. P. V., ii, 217 ; Arch. Camb., iv, 69, 5th Ser.
MKIFOD AND ELSEWHERE.
259
edydd, from whom the ascent to Idnerth corresponds exactly with that above given, for which Add. MSS. 9,865 is quoted as the authority. In some pedigrees Howe! ab Maredydd is given, omitting leuan ; but in that of " Estyncolwyn" in Llyvr Silin, by the same author (Arch. Camb., iv, 221, 5th Ser.), we have the series given in full, with this remarkable difference, that it commences with Hys ap Thomas ap Rys ap Davydd ap leuan ap Maredydd, not the Thomas ap Rys stated in vol. v, p. 417, to have been his father- in-law. The pedigree, therefore, as amended, will now stand as follows : —
leuan ab Maredydd of Llanvechen Iscoed, ab Gruffydd ab Tudor ab Madoc=f= ab Einion ab Madoc ab Gwylawg (or Gwallawc, as LI. Silin) ab Eginir (Eynnir, LI. Silin) ab Lies (probably a corrupt abbreviation of Llewel- yn) ab Idnerth Benvras, Lord of Maesbroc, or Maesbrwc (A.D. 1110) ab Uchtryd ab Edwin (slain by the Welsh in 1039), son of Alfgar, and brother of Leofric, Earl of Mercia, and of Eddiva or Edith, ux. of, 1st, Gruffydd ab Llewelyn ab Seisyllt, and 2ndly of Harold, son of Earl Godwin, and last Saxon King of England. (See Saxon Chronicle, and Holinshed, sub anno.) But the last marriage must surely be regarded as apocryphal !
| 1 | 2
Howel ab leuan ab=j= Ithel
Maredydd.
I leuan Vychan of Bryn-=p Anghar-
gwyn.
ad, d. of Davydd.
.=Mali, d. of Madoc ab leuan Madoc ? =p ab Maredydd of Main, ab Llewelyn ab Gruffydd Llwyd ab Llewelyn Voel- grwn.
Owen.
John of =f -Margaret,
1st wife. 2nd wife.
Davydd =f=Catharine, d.=pLowry, d. of John Gray (of
|
Bryn- gwyn. |
d. of Davydd Vyohan ab Davydd ab Madoc ab Cyffin. |
ab Ithel ofYstym Colwyn. |
of Owen ab leuan Teg ab Davydd ab Llewelyn ab Einion ab Celynin of Llwydiarth. |
| Buildwas ?). Alice.=pOwen of Main. Thomas of Main.=f= |
|
1 Cadwaladr.=j= |
||||
|
Owen ab Cadwaladr. |
Howel of=T=Gwen, d. of Hugh ab leuan
Bryn- gwyn.
Davydd, from whom
Griffiths of Bron-
gain in Llanvechen.
of Bodvach, ab Llewelyn ab Einion ab Celynin of
Llwydiarth (cousin of Catb., ux. Dd. ab Ithel of
Ystym Colwyn.) (Mont. Coll, v, 260.)
TEhys ab=f= Davydd.
V
260 ANCIENT DEEDS RELATING TO
David Lloyd=rJanet, d. of leuan ab Thomas ab^Alice, dau. of Jeffrey
of | David Lloyd of Rhys.
Bryngwyn.
Abertanat.
Tanat of Aber Tanat — to Madoc Cyffin.
| 1 j 2 | 3 | 4
Robert Lloyd=f=Margaret, d. of Reinallt Thomas. Jeffrey. Ellis of of Bryngwyn. I ab Davydd of Carreg Crewe.
Hwva.
Rhys ab Thomas.=pGaynor, d. of John ab Owen Vaughan | of Llwydiartb.
John Lloyd=f=Ermine, d. of Randle Dorothy, heiress=j=Lumley Williams
of j Hanmer, son of Sir of Ystyni Col- V of Ystym Col-
Bryngwyn. V Thomas Hanmer. wyn. wyn.
It might readily be supposed, and may possibly be the fact, that Madoc ab leuan ab Maredydd was a brother of Howel of Bryngwyn, and of Ithel of Ystym Col wyn, also sons of leuan ab Maredydd, and that Owen ab Madoc was the person in whose favour the grant of Mechen Uchcoed by John Gray, Lord Powys, was made in 1485, on condition of the annual payment of a red rose, if required ; but this is by no means likely. The same succession of names, with the addi- tion of Owen, occurs in the pedigree of Griffiths of The Golva in Llansilin and of Meivod in Main, who came from Bleddyn ab Cynvyn (" LI. Silin", Arch. Camb., iv, 218, 5th Ser.) ; and Mali, the daughter of this Madoc, was married to Ithel of Ystyni Col wyn, whose property, as well as that of the families of Bryngwyn and Brongain, lay in Mechen Iscoed, not in Mechen Uchcoed. On the other hand, we find Lumley Williams, son of the heiress Dorothy, liv- ing at Kyffin in Llangadvan in Mechen Uchcoed, as late as in 1703. From this it might, perhaps, be inferred that Kyffin was part of the original property derived from the grant. Nor does it appear in what manner the lands in Llanvechen Tscoed became the property of descendants of Idnerth. The point has its interest, to be solved perhaps by further discoveries.
ME1FOD AND ELSEWHERE, 261
The conclusions above suggested as resulting from the Saxon conquest of the territories of Tegeingl, Maesbrock, and Cyveiliog, derive confirmation from an unexpected quarter, in the connection between the great houses of Lumley and Cochwillan. At first sight this would appear to commence from a date as recent as the match between William Williams of Cochwillan and Barbara, daughter of George, and grand-daughter of John Lord Lumley of Lumley Castle, in the parish of Chester-le- Street, Co. Durham, in the reign of Henry VIII. But the previous history of the latter family would suggest a considerable probability that members of it had been interested in political events in North Wales at a much earlier period, and even so far back as the era of the Norman conquest of England. Ralph de Lumley joined in the attempt of Thomas rle Holland, Earl of Kent, to restore King Richard II, for which he was attainted and deprived of his lands, but was slain in a skirmish at Cirencester. The Hollands of Berw, in Anglesey, were said to have been descended from one of the name who secretly left England in that century, owing to some political trouble. The rising seems to have been simultaneous with that of Owen Glyndwr, and if so, doubtless in sympathy with it.
The surname of the family was assumed from a place named " Lumley on the Weare", and its lineage is deduced from Liulph, who married Algitha, daughter of Aldred,Eaii of Northumberland (also called Uchtred the Bold), by his wife Algetha or Aelgitha, daughter of the English king, Ethelred II. The wife ascribed to Goronwy, father of Edwin, King of Tegeingl, by some of the Welsh herald-bards is said to have been a daughter of the Saxon king, Ethelred the Unready. Can it be the fact that Alfgar or Aldred has been disguised by them under the pseudonym of Goronwy, a factitious de- scendant of Howel Dda ? And here one cannot but be struck with the general similarity of the names to those transmitted by these herald -bards in the princely genealogies of the period. First we have Uchtred,
VOL. xxv. T
262 ANCIENT DEEDS RELATING TO
here a Saxon nobleman, there the Welsh Lord of Cyveiliog, but mentioned also more than once in leuan Brechva's Book of Pedigrees by the style of "King of Tegeingl", though that title is attributed by them more commonly to Edwin, who passes for Uchtred's father, and godson to Edward the Confessor, from whose coat of arms, moreover, that of Edwin is merely differentiated heraldically. According to others, Goronwy (Edwin's so- called father, but whose name occurs here for the first time in Welsh history, and cannot be identified as the son, as they term him, of Owen ap Howel Dda) married Ethelneda, daughter of an Edwin, Earl of Mercia, and relict of Edmund Ironside. Under the year 1039, we find in the Saxon Chronicle that " the Welsh killed Edwin, brother of Leofric, Earl of Mercia, and Thukell", etc. Again, a lady, named Editha, sister of Edwin and Morcar, sons of Leofric and brothers of Alfgar, is wife of Gruffydd ab Seisyllt, and afterwards of Harold, King of England ; while Edwin is himself stated to have married Gwerydd, Ewerydd, or Werydd, a daughter of Convyn, Prince of Powys, and sister of Bleddyn ab Convyn. But the strangest statement of all, perhaps, is that introduced into the genealogies, though bearing no direct relation to any of them, in reference to a person named "Aldud". The name is remarkable in two ways. 1. Its meaning as a Welsh word is an alien and an exile. 2. Take out one letter — the liquid r — and it is the very name of AldredEarl of Northumberland, the husband of Liulph's daughter, Algitha! "Aldud" (say the Welsh Genealo- gies) " maintained the whole of Tegaingl with his spear and his sword, in despite of country and Lord, and against the King ; and the third year he delivered up his territory at the King's entreaty, and himself ob- tained pardon of the King," etc. There can be little doubt that this fragment has been thus preserved from some early Welsh History, nowjost. That it obscurely represents a genuine historical tradition, seems clear from the following somewhat inaccurate summary in Holinshed's Chronicle of such information as he could
MEJFOD AND ELSEWHERE. 263
gain from his authorities, Matthew Paris and Simeon of Durham : — •
" Algar III, Earl of Mercia and of Chester, who died in 1059, when banished by Edward the Confessor, went to Ireland, whence coming to Wales with twenty-eight ships, he joined Prince Gruffydd ap Seisyllt. Uniting their forces, they defeated Raulfe, the Earl,1 in a battle about two miles from Hereford, and took and burnt the city. Harold afterwards pursued them into North Wales, by way of ' Stradluid' (the Vale of Clwyd ?), occupied Snowdon for two years, returned to Hereford, retook it, and then made peace with Griffith and Algar at a place called ' Biligelhage'. Algar then sailed to Chester, where he left his ships, and went and besought pardon of the King, who restored to him his Earldom, A.D. 1057. Rebelling a second time, aided by a fleet from Norway, his kingdom was invaded by Harold, who burnt his palace at Rhuddlan, and also his ships. Harold afterwards sailed to Bristol, and round the coast of Wales. Joined by his brother Tostig, he subdued the Welsh, who paid tribute, and brought him Gruffydd's head, and that of his brother Rhys."
We are then told that " all the savage people of Wales were reduced into the form of good order under the subjection of Edward", and that he " afterwards granted Wales to Bleagent or Blethgent, and two brothers Griffin, who did him homage for Wales".
There is error, as well as exaggeration, in this ; for Matthew of Westminster says nothing of the burning of Rhuddlan, but only that, failing to meet with GrufFydd and Alfgar, he wasted the country, and returned to, and fortified Hereford. Bleddyn ab C}rnvyn, we know, became only Prince of Powys, and subsequently occu- pied Gwynedd, or part of it, in conjunction with his brother Rhiwallawn, after whose death he became for a short time the sole monarch of both Powys and Gwynedd. GrufFydd had no brother.
Who can the Aldud of the Welsh herald-bards be, if not the Algar (also called Aldred) of the Saxon writers, Earl of Mercia, Chester, and Northumberland, having a palace at Rhuddlan, and maintaining his
1 -Nephew of King Edward the Confessor.
T 2
2G4 ANCIENT DEEDS RELATING TO
power for three years against country, nobles, and king ? After the death of Gruflydd ap Llewelyn Harold had the greater part of Wales at his feet. If Bleddyn ap Cynvyn and his brother Rhi walla wn now sat on the throne of Powys, it was by favour of Harold. By his gift also the crown of South Wales fell to Maredydd ab Owen ab Edwyn ab Einion ab Owain ab Howel Dda, its rightful claimant. We do not read, however, of his making any such disposition of the kingdom of Gwynedd, although part of the cantref Meirionydd is afterwards found in possession of Bleddyn and his sons. Strangely enough, we find this territory, together with Cyv eiliawg, Mawddwy, and Penllyn, not long after, in possession of Uchtryd, which is thus explained by the genealogists. They say that these were given up to him by Bleddyn's son Cadwgan, in consequence of the marriage of his mother Iwerydd, Bleddyn's sister, with his father Edwin, " King of Tegeingl", and perhaps also of his own marriage with Gwenllian, Edwin's daughter, his third wife.1 Uchtryd was despoiled of these territories, and Cymmer Castle, on the Mawddach, which he had built, was taken and burnt2 by Einiori and Maredydd, sons of Cadwgan and Bleddyn respectively, because they were disappointed of their expectation that Uchtryd would have been their faithful friend and ally against their enemies, who, however, are not specified. The last we hear of Uchtryd is in 1115, when a pitched battle was fought in the Vale of Clwyd between him and his nephews, sons of Owain, and Maredydd, Bleddyn's son, with his nephews, Howel lord of Rhos, and Madoc and Einion. This, probably, was a last and desperate stand made by Edwin and
1 See Hist. Powys Vadog, i, 93, 94. According to Harl. 2299, and --ft pedigree in Mont. Coll., xi, 379-80, Uchtryd m. Arddyn, daughter
of Ehys Sais ab Ednyved, Lord of Bromfield, ab Llowarch Gam ab Lludoccav ab Tudor Trevor ; and Idnerth Benvras was his grandson by his son Maredydd, who m. Elin, d. of Tewdwr Mawr, Prince of South Wales.
2 Some remains of what was probably this fort are still visible in a field above the old Dolgelly road from Llanelltyd and Cymmer Abbey.
MEIFOD AND ELSEWHERE. 265
Uchtryd's family for supremacy in North Wales ; it failed, however. The sons of Owain ab Edwin and their friends, after much slaughter, were defeated, and took to flight. The opposite party gained but an empty triumph, because the Normans, whom the other side had called in to assist them, were strong enough to keep the country in their own hands. What became of Uchtryd and his family is left to conjecture. We hear no more of him. His brother Owen had died of a lingering disease in 1103, stigmatised by his coun- trymen as a traitor. In the Life of Gruffydd ab Cynan he appears as a tool in the hands of the Normans and English, who set him up as "fictitious King of Gwynedd and Mona" in opposition to Gruffydd, notwithstanding that he had married his daughter. It was at his insti- gation, says the Brut, that the Normans first came into Mona. In 1122 we read that three of Owain's sons, Goronwy, Rhirid, and Meilyr, were blinded, dismem- bered, and' put to death by their nephew, Cadwallawn ab Gruffydd ab Cynan — a cruel revenge indeed — for their father's baseness.
Who, then, were Edwin and Uchtryd, styled in turn by the genealogists — kings and princes of Tegeingl ? Was Edwin, as they tell us, son of Goronwy, a de- scendant of Howel Dda, by his wife Edelfleda (or rather Elgiva), the relict of Edmund Ironside ? It may be so, but is improbable, for historical and genea- logical reasons. There is no improbability, however, in the supposition that they were of Saxon or English origin, who owed their authority, whatever its extent, to English power and English policy. A clue may be found perhaps in the identification of the Welsh Aldud1
1 The following strange pedigree is in Plengwrt MSS. 113, 114, fol. 20, a portion of which is the " Llyvr leuan Brechva", a late fifteenth century MS.
" TEGEINGL.
" Belllwyt ap dd llwyt ap dd ap Ken ap len'nap gruff ap Mad ddu ap Ryrit ap ll'e ap Owain ap alfobt vch ywain ap edvvyn ap . . . i ." [ends thus].
2G6 ANCIENT DEEDS RELATING TO
with Alfgar, the great rival of Earl Godwin, Earl of Mercia, Chester, and Northumberland. His daughter, Algitha, was the wife of the Welsh prince, his ally, Gruffydd ab Llewelyn. What more natural, then, that after the murder of Gruffydd, the Earl of Chester should have maintained his power for a time between Dee and Clwyd, and even set up a petty kingdom, named after the portion which would form naturally its nucleus, the Caritred of Tegeingl, or that he should be succeeded in it for a time by near relatives of his own — Edwin, perhaps his brother, Uchtryd his nephew, or brother-in-law ? When Uchtryd quits Tegeingl for Cyveiliog and the west of North Wales, his brother, Owen, comes on the scene in the north-east — not as prince now, but as Lord of Tegeingl ; and after him a mysterious personage — most likely a brother of Gruffydd ap Cynan — Edriowain Bendew, the acknowledged chief of one Noble Tribe of Gwynedd, as Edwin himself is of another. And, here, occupying the intermediate ter- ritory of Maesbrook, once beyond a doubt a possession of the Tribe of the Marches, is interposed Idnerth, bearing on his shield the united coats of Edwin and Ednowain, and variously described as a son, or grand- son, of Uchtryd or of Owen, therefore of the same great Saxon family. What other conclusion is possible than that the dominion over this great territory, first acquired from the Welsh by conquest, was consolidated during the troublesome period of the Norman conquest of England by matrimonial alliances with the families of the dispossessed Cymric princes ? And that the mixed race engendered of these, and subsequently also of Norman alliances, left behind them descendants who followed their customs, and continued, for some cen- turies at least, to be respected by their compatriots as even Cambris ipsis Cambriores ?
The Norman survey of Domesday, 1086, positively proves that the sovereignty, princedom, and even lord- ship of Tegeingl had departed from Owain ab Edwin. Not even its name was suffered to continue. In its
MEIFOD AND ELSEWHERE. 267
stead is the " Hundred of Atiscross",1 of which Engle- field is a small part, described as a manor, together with "Roedent" (Khuddlan), held by Earl Hugh (Lupus) of the King of England. As to the precise manner in which Owen was dispossessed of his petty princedom history is silent. It may, however, be presumed that, on finding himself unable to withstand the Norman invasion, he hastened to effect a com- promise with the foreigner on the best terms he could obtain, by ceding to them his stronghold of Rhuddlan with all its adjacent territory, and accepting the empty title of King of Gwynedd, in which Anglesey of course was included — the shadow for the substance. His new kingdom would doubtless be held by him in capite of the King of England, but only when wrested by the Norman arms, aided by recreant Welshmen, from his son-in-law, Gruffydd ab Cynan, its rightful sove- reign. The Norman invasion of Anglesey, at O wain's instigation, and fatal issue of the enterprise, we learn from the Brut and the Life of Gruffydd. These tell also of his name held in abhorrence as a traitor to his country, and the ultimate assassination of his sons, regarded doubtless as a judicial execution, by princes, his near relatives, of the royal house of Powys.
John, Lord Lurnley, was the fifth baron of his lineage summoned by writ to the House of Peers ; this was in 1515. In 1531 his name appears in a list of signatures to a letter addressed to the Pope by fifteen noblemen at the instance of King Henry VIII, urging him to decree the divorce of the latter from his wife, on the ground that the Papal Supremacy might be imperilled by refusal. In 1537 he is conspicuous among the leaders of the Pilgrimage of Grace, when the most part of the population of the north of England
1 Atiscross, called in Pennant's time " Croes Ati" by the Welsh, was the site of a cross of great antiquity, of which he saw only the pedestal, at Pentre, once a Roman smelting station, now but a modern village, at a mile's distance from Flint. The land still bears that name, but the hundred is called Coleshill. (Taylor's Historic Notices of Flint, p. 7.)
268 ANCIENT DEEDS RELATING TO
rose in insurrection in protest against the change of religion, chiefly as exhibited in the suppression of monasteries, and the expulsion of their inmates "by reason the same would be the destruction of the whole religion in England".1 So numerous were they, that for a time the king's forces, under the Duke of Norfolk, would not venture to cope with them. Recourse was had to temporising, and Lord Lumley, who was the d uke's brother-in-law, each being married to a daughter of Henry Lord Scrope, of Bolton, conducted the negotiations on the part of the Pilgrimage. The people returned to their homes, deceived by the king's promise of a free pardon, and a Parliament to be speedily assembled at York, the non-performance of which, and the execution of four monks and eight yeomen, terrified the people, and occasioned a second rising, wherein, however, the name of Lord Lumley is conspicuous by its absence. Now its place is occupied by that of his son George, who is stated to have been apprehended and taken to London. Lord Darcy was executed on Tower Hill. George Lumley, the Abbots of Jervaulx and Fountains, two priors and a friar, with five others, were hanged and quartered at Tyburn by a species of judicial murder, effected by the violation of a king's word, and for the crime of asserting rights, spiritual and temporal, of which the victims had been wrongfully and ruthlessly deprived.
The peerage of Lumley of the first creation became extinct by his attainder, his father, who survived him, having no other issue. George had been married to Jane, daughter and heir of Sir Richard Knightley of Fausley, co. Northampton, and by her had a son John, who became Lord Lumley by a new creation of Edward VI, with limitation in tail male, and who died s.p., and two daughters : Jane, the wife of Geoffry Markham, s.p., and Barbara, married first to Humphrey
1 Henry VIII and the English Monasteries, by F. A. Gasquet, O.S.B. Hodges, 1889; Collier's Ecc. Hist., ii, 132 seg.
MEIFOD AND ELSEWHERE. 269
Lloyd,1 the antiquary, of the family of Foxhall, near Denbigh, and author of the History of Wales, com- monly ascribed to Dr. Powell, by whom she had two sons, Splanidian, o.s.p., and Henry Lloyd of Cheam in Surrey, third in descent from whom the Rev. Dr. Lloyd of Cheam petitioned unsuccessfully, in 1723, for the revival in his own person of the peerage in right of his descent from Ralph, Lord Lumley. The claim was rejected on the ground that, the attainder of George being still unreversed, the restoration of John Lord Lumley, in blood only, could not revive the ancient barony. This John married (1) Joanna, eldest of the two daughters and coheirs of Henry Fitzalan, Earl of Arundel, K.G., by his wife, Lady Grey, daughter of Thomas, Marquis of Dorset, by whom he had two sons, Charles and Thomas, and a daughter, Mary, who all died in infancy ; and (2) Elizabeth, daughter of John, Lord Darcy of Chiche, who survived him. His barony, therefore, died with him. He bequeathed the ancient castle and estates to Richard, son of Roger, and grandson of Anthony, brother of the fifth Lord Lumley, the ancestor of the present Earl of Scar- borough. He was himself buried at Cheam, where probably he died, and where is a noble monument to his memory, having sumptuously repaired the monu- ments of his Catholic ancestors in the parish church of Chester-le-Street. He was not himself a Catholic, doubtless from the fact of his education, and that of his sisters, having fallen into the hands of the Protestant Government, on the death of their natural guardian and protector, whose rights were thus cruelly usurped. Another interesting fact relating to this ancient and noble family is that, but for his death in 1609 without surviving issue, the earldom of Arundel, with the Barony of Oswestry and Chin, would have fallen to his
1 Supra, p. 6, where Humphrey Lloyd is said to have farmed the three rectories of Guilsfield, Meivod, and Welshpool, of the Dean and Chapter of Christchurch, Oxford, for £65 3s. 8d., on lease for sixty years.
270
ANCIENT DEEDS RELATING TO
family, as issue of the elder coheir. These Mary, the second daughter and coheir, carried by her marriage to Thomas Howard, the fourth Duke of Norfolk, and their issue, Philip Howard, the persecuted victim of Eliza- beth, who died for his faith in the Tower.1
FITZALAN, LUMLEY, AND LLOYD.
Henry Fitzalan, Earl of Arundel,=j=Lady Catharine Grey, d. of Thomas, K. G. Marquis of Dorset.
Joanna (Jane), 1st d.=j=John Lord Lumley, restored in Thomas=f=Mary,
and co-heir.
I I I
Charles. Thomas. Mary.
Ob. infantes.
blood and created Baron (1st Howard,
Edw. VI); ob. 1609, s. p. 4th
superst.; son of George Lura- Duke of
ley, occ. v. p., 1538. He mar- Norfolk, ried (2) Elizabeth, d. of Lord Darcy of Chiche, co. Durham.
2nd d. and co- heir.
|
Jane Lum- ley, d. of Hon. George Lumley, ux. George Markham, Esq., s. p. |
Humphrey Llwyd,q the historian, of the family of Foxhall, co. Den- bigh. |
= (l)Bar- = bar a Lumley, 2nd d. of Hon. George Lumley. |
j= (2) William Philip Howard, Williams of Earl of Arundel Cochwillan. and Surrey. |
|
|
\ Splanidian Lloyd, ob. s. p. |
Henry Lloyd=j of Cheani. |
=Mary, d. of Robert Brome of Bromfield, Essex. |
1 15 Henry Wil-=j liams of Cochwillan ; most of which he sold. |
98. -Jane, d. and heir of Thomas Salisbury of Denbigh, Esq., 3rd son of Sir John Salisbury of Lleweny, Kt., who ob. 1578. |
Henry Lloyds-Isabella, d. of Sir Itham | Parkyns, Bart.
Henry Lloyd,=fElizabeth, d. of Benja- ob. 1704. I niin Goodwin of
Stretham, Esq.
I
Lumley Williams, =pDorothy, sole
jure ux. of d. and
Ystyni Colwyn, heiress of
Esq. ; ob. 20th V Ystym June 1638. Colwyn.
Eev. Dr. Robert Lloyd, unsuccessfully claimed the Barony in 1723.
Elizabeth. Susan. Catharine. (Banks, Dormant Baronage.)
1 For this information, as for other valuable assistance in the investigation of materials for this paper, I am indebted to the kind- ness of C. A. Buckler, Esq., Surrey Herald Extraordinary, and also to that of H. F. J. Vaughau, Esq.
MEIFOD AND ELSEWHERE. 271
(41.) The following deed (A.D. 1489), in Latin, is in exceed- ingly faded ink, but is sufficiently clear to show that it is a grant by Lleucu, dau. of Meredydd Vychan ab Hoell, a free- holder under King Edward [IV ?] of " Eudloyd" and " Koyge- lothy," infra comota de Lytyarth in Com. Caern., to William ap Gruff ap Robyn1 and his heirs for ever, heretofore the property of Tudyr [or larddur ?] Dwn, in the vills of Bodwy and Doygelovlothy [Dwygyvylchi ?]. The deed concludes with the following sentence : — " In cuj. rei testimoniu' hu' p'senti scripto meo sigillu' meu' apposui dat' apud Bodwyd (or Bod- wye, perhaps for the Bodvayc of other deeds relating to the same family) die huic (?) xx post festu' s'c'i Mathei ap'li anno regni Regis Henrici septimi post conquestu' Anglise quarto."
(42.) Lease by John Owen Vaughan2 of Llwydiarth, 26th Eliz. (1584), of a farm in fee, called Ty Newydd yng Ngyffin (in Cyffin) for an annual payment of 40s. Copy certified by Thomas ab Owen of Brainiarth [Broniarth ?]. Witnessed by Thomas Ey. Williams, Humphrey Bowen,in presence of Thomas Tannatt,3 Cadwaladr ab Evan Vychan, David Goch ap Evan
r William ab Gruifydd ab Robyn " led a troop of horse for his own retinue to Bosvvorth Field, 22nd Aug. 1485, to assist Henry, Earl of Richmond, against Richard III, after which he was ap- pointed (in 1508), by patent, Sheriff of Caernarvonshire for life" (Hist. P. V., vi, 428). This deed should be read in connection with those on p. 86, No. 1 ; p. 94, No. 29 ; and p. 95, No. 30. Bodvai and Dwygyvylchi were acquired by grant from the Crown (Hen. VI) in 1439 by Robyn's father, Gruffydd ab Gwilym. " Koygelothi" may be meant for Coed Gyfylchi, i.e., a wood where two defiles meet. The spot is celebrated as the site of a very perfect ancient circle of stones, and as the scene of the beautiful poem by Prince How el Gwynedd in the Myvyrian Archaiology. " Lytyarth" may be "Llech- wedd", as there is no such name for a Comot in the ancient lists.
2 John Owen Vaughan was High Sheriff of Montgomeryshire in 1583. His wife, Dorothy, was dau. of Howel Vaughan of Glanllyn, co. Merioneth, descended from Rhirid Flaidd, and her brother John's great-grandson, Edward Vaughan, by his marriage with the eldest dau. and coheiress of John Purcell of Nantcribba, by Eleanor, dau. of Sir John Vaughan of Llwydiarth, Knt, became possessed of the Llwydiarth and Llangedwin estates, in addition to his own hereditary property of Glan Llyn Tegid, whence they passed to Sir Watkin Williams Wymi, the third baronet, by his marriage with Anna Josephina, one of their daughters and coheirs. (See Mont. Coll., v, pp. 403 seq., for a fuller account of the Llwydiarth family.)
3 Probably Thomas Tanat of Llanervyl (27 Eliz.), younger brother of Rees, son and heir of Thomas Tanat of Abertanat, High Sheriff in 1570 (Mont. Coll., iv, pp. 368-9). The other witnesses I have failed to identify from the reprinted pedigrees.
272 ANCIENT DEEDS RELATING TO
ap William ap David, James Rees ap Mathew, Thomas David ap John Mathew Goch, David dinse (?), and others.
(43.) Bond, dated 37 Eliz. (1593), for £14, of Oliver Lloyd Vaughan1 de Pola, in Com. Mountgomery, et Morici ap John Sadler to William Williames, " Armigero".2 S'd p' me Oliver Lloyd Vychan, MI. Witnessed by Tho. ap Ra. John Brassier, Ed. sz mk. (sic\ Hugh ap M. Lloyd, Tho. Lloyd. Two seals: on 1. a cock or eagle, with wings displayed; 2. an eagle or falcon, with the neck over the head, not visible, of a deer statant youtte in front.
(44.) Deed of Release in Latin, dated in 1595, of Ricseus [Rhys] ap David ap Ithell de Ystymcolwyn in com. Mount- gomery, generosus, et Thoma3 ap Rees ap David ap Ithell, filius p'dicti Ricaei ap D'd, Ahurell [qu. for Angharad], verch david ap leuan Bach4 de eodem vill et david p'dict' gen'osus. Releases to George Griffith5 of Llanvathen, Co.Montg'y, certain
1 Oliver Lloyd Vaughan was eldest son of Oliver Lloyd of Leighton, J.P., Bailiff of Pool with "John ap Dd. Sadler (17 Eliz.), 1575, and brother of Charles Lloyd of Leighton, Sheriff in 1601, to whom he was Deputy Sheriff'' (Mont. Coll., v, 464 seq.) The Morrice of the deed was son of John ab Davydd Sadler of Welsh- pool. (See reprint of Mont. Peds., p. 13.)
2 This was the William Williams of Cochwillan who was Sheriff in 1589 and 1596, father of Henry Williams, who sold that place, and of Arthur Williams, the first of that name of Meillionydd, by Barbara, his second wife, dau. of George, son of John, Lord Lurnley, by his wife Joan, dau. of Henry, Lord Scrope, of Bolton, sister of the Duchess of Norfolk, whose husband was the agent and counsellor of Henry VIII in the massacres perpetrated in violation of the royal promises, and following upon the rising of the people for their religion known as the Pilgrimage of Grace.
3 Thomas ab Rees (not Rees Thomas, as stated in Mont. Coll., xi, 387) is shown by this deed to have been the father of Dorothy, the heiress of Ystym Colwyn, who married and carried the estate to Lumley Williams, son of Henry Williams of Cochwillan.
4 A line of descent under Llauvechain from Evan Bach of Knockin is given in reprint of Mont. Peds., p. 2i, but through his son Rees, not his son David, whether by confusion of the son with the grandson does not appear.
* George Griffith of Brongain, in Llanvechen, 'son of Richard Griffith, on Jury List at Pool, 14 Eliz., by his wife Catharine, dau. of Humphrey Chambers of Petton, another branch of the family of Chambres of Plas Chambres and Llys Meirchion, co. Denbigh (for an account of this family, see Hist. Pow. Vad., v, 385). For a description of a quadrangular entrenchment on Bryn Cynvelyn Hill, see Mont. Coll., vol. v, pp. 244-5.
MEIFOD AND ELSEWHERE. 273
parcells of arable land (terras arabilis) per estimacionem [?] named Bryn Cynvelin, Co. Montg., Scitulit (qu. scilicet ?) terr' in Llanvechen.
(45.) A Commission to Sir Edmund Anderson, Justice, etc., in 41 Eliz. (1599), for the apprehension1 of William Williams
of Cochwillan, Co. Caern.,and of in villa de Salop. It is
in parchment, under the Great Seal, now broken off all but a small piece at the top.
The following deed has already been referred to as No. 5, on p. 88, but so imperfectly, that, being one of no little curiosity and importance, it is here printed nearly in full.
(46.) A.D. 1600.— Indenture made 30 October, A'o 42 Eliz., between Peter Semyne -of London, Marchaunt Framiger, and Henrye Williams2 of Cowhitlande [Cochwillan], Co. Caernarvon, Gent., and Edwarde Gray3 of Buyldwas,Co. Salopp,Esquier,Wit- nesseth that whereas Henry Williams and Edw. Gray, by one Statute or Recognizance of the nature of a Statute Staple,
1 The Commission, in difficult but beautiful writing, does not specify the cause for the arrest. Perhaps it was for debt.
2 See the pedigree in Mont, Coll.., xi, 387.
3 Edward Grey lived at Build was Abbey, conferred by Hen. VI 11 on his father, Edward Grey, the last Lord Powys, who died in 1552, son of John Grey, Lord Powys, who died 1594, aged only nineteen, son of the John Grey, Lord Powys, who, in 1486, conferred the charter on Owen ap Madoc ap leuan ab Maredydd, published in M. C., vol. xxiii, p. 392. (This Owen would seem to have been descended from Madoc ab Meredydd ab Bleddyn ab Cynvyn, Princes of Powys, and his grandfather therefore is not to be confounded with the leuan ap Meredydd of the Ystym Colwyn pedigree.) In default of legitimate issue, Edward Grey of Build was, the eldest of six natural sons, by Jane, daughter of Sir Lewis Orwell, Knt., succeeded by his father's will to the Barony and Lordship of Powys, with the Castle and Manor of Poole, which, in 1587, he sold to Sir Edward Herbert, second son of William, Earl of Pembroke, son of Richard Ddu, a natural son of Sir William Thomas of Raglan. Both he and his mother Jane, who married secondly John, son of Sir Richard Herbert of Coldbrooke, assumed, or enjoyed by courtesy, the style of Lord and Lady Powys. Edward Grey was of age in 1568, and was living in 1597, having married Cresagon, dau. of John Gifford of Weston-under-Edge, co. Gloucester, by Elizabeth, dau. of Sir George Throgmorton, Knt. ("Feudal Barons of Powys", Mont. Coll., i, 344 seq.9 and ex inf. H. F. J. Vaughan, Esq. See also Transactions of Shropshire Arch. 8oc., vi, 54.)
274 ANCIENT DEEDS RELATING TO
provided for the most speedy recovery of debt, dated 25th Oct., taken before the Rt. Hon. SV Edmonde Anderson, Kt., I/d Cheif Justice of the Co'en Pleas at Westm'r, stand jointly bound to Peter Semyne in £1,200, said Peter Semyne is contented to grant that if Henry Williams & Edward Gray paye to Peter Semyne, at the house of John Fearne of London, Marchaunt, in Mark Lane, £500, within one month after the first arrival of Thomas Morris of London, Gent., from the Cittie of Constantinople, in Grecia, under the dominion of the great Turk, into England, and notice given of his retorne. Att or w'th'n the now Shoppe of Walter Lewes Stevens, in Tower Strete, Thomas Morris bringing a Certifi- cate of his being there, that then the recognizance or Statute Staple be void, but otherwise to hold good. Witnessed by the parties. Signed, with his original signature in the margin, by Henry Williams.1
(47.) A.D. 1603. — Settlement of £300, prior to a marriage between Symon Williams, son of Arthur Williams, M.A., of Meillionydd, Rector of the parish church of Llaneingian, and Mary Rowland, daughter of Hugh Rowland of Mellteyrn, gentleman. Parties, Robert Owen of Ystym Cegid,2 and Owen Wynne of Bodgadley. Dated 20 July, 1st James I.
(48.) Indenture, dated 7th Feb. [year not given], between Arthur Williams of Meillionydd, Esq., and Robert Owen of Ystym Cegid, and Owen Wynne of Bodgadley, gent., in reign of James XI (sic) and Mary William (sic), widow, late wife of Simond (sic) Williams of Meillionydd, deceased, recites deed of 20 January last, and names lands in Beddgelert, Tydweiliog, Cwmdyliwr, Bodrydd, Aberdaron, Morva, and Tre'r Rhiwe [or desauhyre ?].
Mary was sole child and heiress of Hugh Rowlands of Mellteyrn, and carried the hereditary property to her husband, Symon, son of Arthur Williams of Meill- ionydd, fourth son (by his second wife, Barbara Lumley)
1 This is the same as No. 5, p. 88, which, for its curiosity, is here given more fully. Henry Williams must be the son of William, and father of Lumley Williams. It would be interesting to know who was Thomas Morris, arid why ,£700 of debt should have been forgiven to the debtors contingently on his arrival from " the dominion of the Great Turk", or what means they may have had whereby to pro- mote or accelerate the recovery of so valuable a life.
2 Originally called Cevn y Van. See Hist. Gwydir Fam., pp.36, 78, ed. 1874.
MEIFOD AND ELSEWHERE. 275
of William Wy nn ab William of Cochwillan, ab Gruffydd ab Robyn, by his wife Dorothy, dau. of Sir William Griffith of Penrhyn, Chamberlain of Gwynedd. Symon had a son, Arthur Williams of Meillionydd, who married Ann, dau. and co-heir of Robert Owen of Ystym Cegid, by his wife Lowry, dau. of William Glynne of Plas Newydd in Llandwrog parish. Arthur's second son, Edward Williams of Meillionydd, succeeded his brother John, o.s.p.,&nd married Susannah, dau. of Thomas Wynn of Boduon, Esq. (ancestor of Lord Newborough), by his wife Susannah, dau. of Sir Thomas Dayrell, son of Francis Dayrell of Shudy Carnp Park, co. Cambridge, second son of Paul Dayrell of Lillington Dayrell, co. Bucks, by his wife Barbara, dau. of Anthony Powell, Esq., of the co. of Gloucester.1 By this lady Edward Williams had a son, Arthur Williams, who married, in 1703-4, Meriel, dau. and heir of Lumley Williams of Ystym Colwyn, Esq., b. 1684, d. 1725. They had issue a dau., Meriel, wife of Robert Williams of Erbistock, M.P. for Montgomeryshire, brother to Sir Watkin W. Wynn of Wynnstay, the first Baronet, and son of Sir William Williams of Llanvorda (see Hist. Gwydir Family, Table IV, p. 104, 2nd ed.), two sons named Lumley, who died in infancy, and a third son, Edward Williames, as the name was now spelt, who married, first, Anne, dau. of Roderick Lloyd of Penmachno and Lincoln's Inn, Barrister-at-law. She died soon after the birth of her only child, Anne, who died March 4th, 1791, having married Sir Robert Howel Vaughan, Bart., of Hengwrt and Nannau, to whom she carried the estate. Sir Robert died in 1792, aged 69. (See also Mont. Coll., xi, 308-9.) This account will serve to explain the curious fragment (No. 48, p. 278) found in an old MS. volume containing a rent-roll of Ystym Colwyn estates in Salop and Montgomery. It has been of material assistance in the construction of the fol- lowing pedigree,
1 Burke* 8 Peerage and Commoners, ed. 1865.
276
ANCIENT DEEDS RELATING TO
PEDIGREE OF ARTHUR WILLIAMS OF MEILLIONYDD.
William Wyn ab William ab Gruffydd ab Robyn of Cvvchwillan, ab Gruff- ydd ab Gwilym ab Gruffydd ab Heilyn ab Sir Tudor ab Ednyved Vychan.
=Dorothy, d. of Sir William Griffith, Kt., Chamberlain of North Wales, by his wife Alice, d. of Sir William Troutbeek, Kt.
|
1 1 i William = Agnes, dau. of John Wynn ab=j Williams Meredydd of Gwydir. (So the of Coch- genealogists ; but the state- willan. nient seems to require confir- mation.) |
2 ^Barbara, d. of George, son of John, Lord Lumley, executed by Henry VIII for his share in the " Pil- grimage of Grace". |
|
Henry Williams of Cochwillan, Esq.,=j=Jane, d. and heir of Thomas Salis- sold most of his estate. bury of Denbigh, Esq. |
|
|
Lumley Williams of Ystym= Colwyn, Esq.; ob. 20th June 1638. |
rDorothy, d. and heir of Rhys ab Thomas ab Davydd ab Ithel of Ystyni Colwyn — to Idnerth Benvras. |
|
| 1 2 | 3 John Wil- = Meriel, d. of Rees Wil- Lumley = liams, Richard Hams, Williams ob. s. p., Powell of 06. s. p. of Cyffin. 1706. Worthen, Esq. |
f= Ann, d. and 1 . Jane, co-heir of T. 2. Bar- Owen of bara. Bodtalog. 3. Eliza- beth. 4. Doro- thy. |
|
| 1 | 2 Lumley ^Elizabeth, d. Rees of- Williains. of Edw. Rhyd y Bradeley. Gro. |
3 |4 P John=.... Matthew.=.... |
Meriel, = Arthur Williams of d. and Meillionydd, Esq. heir.
I
Lumley Williams, named in will of his grandfather as his "grandchild, son to my 2nd son, Rees Williams of Rhyd y Gro in par. of Llanfaire, co. Montg'y."
Arthur William s=j= Ann, d. of John Lewis of Y Chwaen Wen, co. Anglesey, of Meillionydd. I and relict of Owen ab John Wyn Owen of Ystym Cegid.
Simon=j=Mary, d. and heir of Hugh Rowlands
Wil- (Bach) of Mellteyrn, Esq., ab Edward
liams ab Rowland ab Robert ab Rhys ab
of Howel ab leuan Vychan, by his wife
Meilli- Margaret, heiress of Mellteyrn (Aber-
onycld. dunant MS. ), d. and heir of Mr. Hugh
Trygarn.
| 1 Ellen.
I 2 Blanche.
Mary.
MEIFOD AND ELSEWHEKE.
277
Arthur Williams: of Meillionydd.
Ann, d. of Robert Owen of Ystym Cegid ab Owen ab John- Wyn ab Owen ab John ab Owen of Ystym Cegid, second son of John ab Maredydd of Ystym Cegid and Rhiwaedog, by his wife Lowry, d. of William Glynne of Plus Newydd. (H. P. V., vi, 228.)
E iward Williams of Meillionydd,=f=Susannah, d. of Thomas Wynn of Bod-
succeeded his elder brother John, High Sheriff in 1660 and 1661. Other issue, Arthur, Robert, Owen and William (twins), all s. p.
vean (H. P. V., vi, 35), by his wife Susannah, d. of Sir Francis Dayrell, Kt., ab John Wynn, by his wife Eleanor, d. of Edward Rowlands of Mellteyrn. (Pedigree, p. 279.)
Arthur Williams, 06. -1723 =j=Meriel,d. and heir of Lumley Williams of Ystym
Colwyn, 06. 1725. (Mont. Coll.,xi, 387 et seq )
|
1 |
| |
|
|
Luraley, |
Lumley, |
Meriel, ux. Robert Williams, Esq., of Erbistock, |
|
b. 1704 ; |
b. 1707, |
M.P. for Montgomeryshire, brother to Sir W. W. |
|
ob. |
ob. s. p. |
Wynn of Wynnstay, Bart., second son of Sir Wil- |
|
infans. |
liam Williams of Llanvorda, s. p. |
Edward Williames=f 1 Anne, d. of Roderick Lloyd = 2 The Lady Charlotte Her-
of Ystym Colwyn, Esq., b. 3rd Oct. 1708, married at
Westminster
Abbey 14th May
1730.
of Lincoln's Inn, Esq. Barrister - at - Law, etc. She died shortly after the death of her only child.
bert, d. of William, 1st Duke of Powis, and re- lict of Edward Maurice of Lloran, co. Denbigh, Esq., married to Edward Williames 2nd Novem- ber 1732.
Anne,1 only child ; March 1791
06. 4th^j=Sir Robert Howel Vaughan of Hengwrt and Nannau, Bart. ; 06. 13th October 1792, aged 68.
|
1 1 Sir Robert Wil-= liames Vaughan of Nannau and Ystym Colwyn, Bart. ; b. 17(58, ob. 1843. |
pAnna Maria, d. of Sir Roger Mostyn of Mostyn, Bart.; 06. 1858. |
1 2 Edw. Williames Vaughan Sales- bury of Rug ; 06. ccelebs, 1807. |
1 3 Griffith Howel Vaughan of Hengwrt and Rug, Esq. ; ob. ccelebs, 19th January 1848. |
Sir Robert Williames Vaughan of Nannau, = Frances Margaret, eldest d. of Rug, etc. ; b. 1803. Sold Ystym Colwyn Edward Lloyd of Berth and to James France France, Esq.; ob. s. p., Rhagatt, Esq.; ob. 16th Sept. 29th April 1859. 1858.
1 The date of the marriage of Anne Williames to Robert Howel Vaughan, Esq., created a baronet in 1791, is not stated in the pedigree above quoted, but from this deed it appears that it took place at some date between 2 1st April 1764, and 30th Nov. 1768, and that she then resided at Erbistock.
VOL. XXV. TJ
278 ANCIENT DEEDS RELATING TO
48. Do [qu. Arthur, son of Edward Williams, here referred to as already mentioned above in part of MS. now lost] four [great?] grandmothers were: — Edward Williams, son of Ann Owen of Ystym Cegid, whose mother was Lowry Glynne of Plas Newydd ; Edward, son of W. (sic), whose mother was Mary, sole dau. and heiress of Hugh Rowland of Mellteyrn, Susannah Williams, dau. of Thomas Wynn of Bodvean, whose mother was Ellen Edward [i.e., dau. of Edward Rowlands] of Mellteyrn. His lady was dau. of Sir Thomas Dorrell [Dayrell, pronounced Dorrell], Bart., whose mother was ye Lady Dorrell, afterwards Lady Hind. [The last fact is omitted by Burke.]
So that the said Arthur Williams, son of the said Edward's four Great Grandmothers were, By his said Father, Lowry Glynne and Mary Rowland; By his said Mother, the Lady Hind and Elin Edwards (i.e., dau. of Edward Rowlands).
Robert Owen of Ystym Cegid had, by his wife Lowry, daughter of Richard Glynne, Esq., of Plas Newydd, in the parish of Llandwrog, in Nantle, three daughters, coheiresses. 1. Catharine, the eldest, by her marriage with .Robert Wynne of Glyn and Sylvaen, in 1625, carried Ystym Cegid to the Wynnes of Glyn1 ; she died in 1675. 2. Anne, married in 1644 to Arthur Williams of Meillionydd, Esq., son of Simon Williams, by his wife Mary, daughter and heiress of Hugh Rowlands of Mellteyrn, Esq., descended, through Sir Hugh Trygarn,2 a younger brother of Richard Trygarn Hem, ancestor of the Try gar ns of Trygarn in Lleyn, from Llywarch Holbwrch,g and, through the marriage of Sir Hugh's daughter and heiress, Margaret Trygarn, with Rhys ab Howel ab leuan Vychan ab leuan ab Gruffydd of Llanuwehllyn, ab Madoc ab lorwerth, also from Rhirid Ylaidd.4 The Trygarn estate passed, by the marriage of Mary, the heiress, to the family of Holland of Berw, and by that of her daughter by the last male representative of that ancient house, to the family of Trygarn Griffith of Carreglwyd, also in Anglesey.
1 H. P. V., vi, 159. 2 Harl. 1969.
3 Tai Croesion MS. 4 //. P. V., vi, 122.
MEIFOD AND ELSEWHERE.
279
EOWLANDS OF MELLTEYEN. (Harl 2288.)
Howel ab leuan Vychan ab Gruffydd ab leuan ab Gruffydd ab leuan ab=p Madoc ab Ehirid Vlaidd. I
Ehys ab=j= Margaret, d. of Sir Hugh Trygarn, descended from Llowarch Howel. I Holbwrch.
Eobert ab=f=Elen, d. of Robert Griffith of Plas Newydd in Porthaml, Angle- Ehys. I sey, son of William Vychan of Penrhyn, co. Caern., Chamber- lain of Gwynedd.
Eowland ab^Elizabeth, d. of Gruffydd ab Robert Vychan (of Cochwillan ?). Robert.
|
1 1 Henry Eowland, Protestant Bishop of Bangor; ob. 6th July 1616. |
1 2 Edward =5 Eowland. |
-Margaret, d. of John Griffith of Cevn Amwlch, Esq. |
1 1 Marsli, ux. Dav- ydd ab Ehys of Neugwl in Lleyn. |
12 ...,adau.,ux. Morris ab Gruffydd ab leuan. |
Hugh=f=Annes, d. of Harry=|=..., d. to
Eow- land.
Thomas Madryn of
Madryn Uchaf. He
lived at Melldeyrn.
Eow- land.
an
English- woman.
Ellen Eowland, ux. Thomas Wynn of Bodeon, and mother of Su- sannah, ux. Edward Williams of Meillionydd, son of Arthur Wil- liams and Anne Owen, d. and co-heir of Eobert Owen of Ystym Cegid, by his wife Lowry, d. of William Glynne of Plas Newydd.
Mary Eow-=f Simon Williams of Harry Eow- land, d. I Meillionydd, son land.
and I of Arthur heiress. V Williams.
= Jane, d. of Edmund Griffith,
Protestant Bishop of
Bangor.
Cynwric (or Cadwgan, as Harl. 1969) Trygarn ab Ithel Llwyd ab Llywarch= Vychan ab Llywarch Goch ab Llywarch Holbwrch.
Cynwric Vychan .=f=
|
1 Llywelyn ab=p Cynwric j Vychan. V |
1 Richard Trygarn Hen, ancestor=p of the Trygarns of Trygarn, | co. Caern., and of Griffith ofV Carreg Lwyd in Anglesey. |
Sir Hugh Trygarn, Parson of... (?). |
.u 2
280
ANCIENT DEEDS RELATING TO
a|
Margaret, d. and heir=pRhys ab Howel ab leuan Vychan ab Gruffydd ab of Sir Hugh Trygarn. leuan ab Madoc ab Jorwerth ab Ririd Vlaidd.
(Harl. 1969, p. 577.)
Rob
ert.=f Ellen, d. of Robert Griffith of Plas Newydd in Porthatnl in Angle- sey, son of Sir William Griffith of Penrhyn. (Hist. Pow. Fad., vi, 208.)
Rowland. =f Elizabeth, d. of Gruffydd ab Robert Vychan.
. |2 j 1 Edward. =pMargaret, d. of John Henry Row- Griffith of Cevn lands, Bp. of Ainwlch. Bangor.
3 dans., all married, one of
whom, Ellen, was ux.
Richard Trygarn (06. 1604)
of Trygarn ab Thomas.
Hugh Rowlands.=j=Annes, d. of Thomas Madryn of Madryn Uchaf.
Two other sons.
Mary,=j=Symon Williams of Meillionydd, son of Arthur Williams, fourth son d. and of William Wynn ab William of Cochwillan, ab William ab Gruff- heir, ydd ab Robyn, by his wife Dorothy, d. of Sir William Griffith,
Knt., of Penrhyn, son of William Vychan, both Chamberlains of
North Wales,
Arthur Williams=j=Ann, d. of Robert Owen of Ystym Cegid (see Hist. Pow.
of Meillionydd.
Fad., vi, pp. 228, 229), by his wife Lowry, d. of William Glynne of Plas Newydd in Nantlle.
John Williams, = Ellen, d. of Arthur Wil- Esq., Sheriff, Edward liams, M.A., co. Caern., 1660 Williams s. p.
and 1661 ; of Wig,
06. s. p. Esq.
Robert Williams, s. p. Owen Williams ) twins, William Williams j s. p.
Edward Williams of=pSusannah, d. of Thomas WTynne of Boduon,1 Esq. Meillionydd. V
1 The name of this place is variously spelt Bodeon, Boduon, and Bodvean.
MEIFOD AND ELSEWHERE.
281
GLYNNES OF GLYNN LL1VON, LLEIAR, AND PLAS NEWYDD.
(Tai Croesion MS., and Lewis Dwnn, ii, 149. See also Hist. Poiv. Vad., v, 485, and Williauis's Eminent Welshmen. )
Tudor Goch ab Goronwy ab Einion ab leuan ab lorwerth Goch ab: Ystrwyth ab Ednowain ab Gwrydr ab Dyvnant ab Iddon ab Iddig ab Llywarch ab Lleon ab Cilmin Droed Du, Chief of one of the 15 Noble Tribes of Gwynedd.
Hwlkin Llwyd=j=Nest, dau. of Cynan (or Cynwric) ab Meredydd Du of
of Glynllivon,
Esq.
Porthaml, ab "Gronow ab Maredydd ab lorwerth ab Llowarch ab Bran, Chief of one of the 15 Tribes.
Maredydd,=j=Gwenhwyvar, dau. of Llewelyn ab Gruffydd ab Ednyved ab LL.D. | Gruffydd.
Ellen, d. of Wil-=pl Robert=p2 Jane,d. of Sir John Pulestpn=p2 Sir William
|
liam Bulkeley |
ab Mar- |
Hen (H. P. V., ii, 138 |
; iv, |
Griffith of |
|
of Beaumaris. |
edydd. " |
342). |
Penrhyn. |
|
|
iam Glynne, |
||||
|
1. Edmund Llwyd, ancestor of=f=Annes, d. of William |
Will |
|||
|
Glynnes of Glynllivon and Hawarden Castle, and |
I ab Grutfydd ab Robyn of Cochwillan. |
Sergeant-at- Arms to Hen. |
||
|
Wynns of Bodeon. |
V |
VIII. ancestor |
||
|
2. Morris Glynne, |
LL.D. |
of Glynnes of Lleiar in Clynog, |
||
|
3. William Glynne, = Grace, d. of Thomas ab Richard |
co. Caern. |
|||
|
LL.D. |
abHowelofMostyn. (H.P. V., |
|||
|
iv, 150.) |
4. Richard Glynne of Plas Newydd, co. Caern.
page.)
5. John Glynne.
(Next
Sir Rhys Griffith=f=Catharine, d. of William Gruffydd of=j=Margaret, d. of
of Penrhyn.
Pyers Mostyn of Talacre.
Caernarvon, Esq. ; ob.
Nov. 30, 1587, whose
altar-tomb, of white
marble, is in Llan-
beblig Church.
John Wynn ab
Maredydd of
Gwydir.
Pyers Griffith of Peurhyn, sold the estate. = John Griffith of Caernarvon.
282
ANCIENT DEEDS RELATING TO
GLYNNES OF PLAS NEWYDD IN LLANDWEOG.
Richard Glynne of Plas Newydd,==f=Catharine, d. of William ab Jenkin ab co. Caernarvon; b. 24th June I lorwerth ab Einion ab Llewelyn ab 1520. Party to a bond 24th May | Cynwric ab Osborn Wyddel (Fitz- 1581. gerald) of Cors y Gedol.
|
[ i | 2 William Glynne, Thorn as = Jane, d. of John Griffith of Cevn Amwlch, 06. s.p. Glynne. Esq., by his wife Jane, d. of Owen ab Robert Owen of Bodavon, Esq., and relict of Richard ab Owen Tudor of Penmynydd, co. Anglesey, Esq. ("Cevn Amwlch Pedigree" in Tai Croesion MS.) |
||
|
13 Richard Glynne= of Bryn y Gwyd- ion, co. Caern. Will proved 1642. |
|4 = Simon. |
|5 | 1 | 2 Harri. Lowry, ux. Robert Owen Jane, ux. of Ystym Cegid, Esq. j Rhys ab 06. 1626. Living a Robert ab widow in 1643; 06. Rhys Wyn 1655, leaving three of daus., co-heiresses. Graianog. (Supra, pp. 275-6.) |
William Glynne, Sheriff in 1634.=Mary, d. and heir of Evan ... of Eleirnion,
co. Caernarvon.
(49.) Conveyance, dated 29 May, 4 James I (1607) in Eng- land, and 39 in Scotland, in Latin, by Edward Hanmer of Kyffin, Co. Montg'y, and his son and heir apparent, Thomas Hanmer, to Edward Thornes of Melverley, and Eanulph Hanmer of Maysbroock, to use of Edward Hanmer and Ellen his wife, then to use of Thomas Hanmer and his heirs, and Gwenn his wife. Signed by David and Thomas Hanmer.1 Witnessed by Thomas Hunt, Edward Tanat, Robert Lloyd Edward Tanat, John Davies, and others. On seal a fleur-de-lys.
(50.) A.D. 1655.— Will of Owen Griffith of Aberdaron,2 within
1 David, Edward, and Thomas Hanmer were the three sons of Eandolph Hanmer of Penley, in Flintshire ; descended, as well as the Hanmers of Hanmer, Halghton, Bettisfield, and Fenns, from Sir John de Hanmer, Knt., who assumed this name as a surname temp. Edward I. The Welsh Genealogies mention Hanmers "o'r Owredd", the meaning of which I am at a loss to explain. For a short summary of their history see Mont. Coll., iii, p. 379 'seq., and " Llyfr Silin" in Arch. Camb., vi, 149 seq., 5th Ser.
2 This family was a branch from that of Griffith of Cevn Amwlch, from Trahaiarn Goch of Lleyn, perhaps identical with that usually described as of Penllech. There is at Aberdaron a very ancient mansion, perhaps originally occupied by the secular canons, parties to a composition with the Abbot and Convent of Enlli (Bardsey) in 1252. (tiecord of Caernarvon, fol. 157b.)
MEIFOD AND ELSEWHERE. 283
C.omote of Cytnytmaen. Bequeaths sundry legacies to different persons, and to his nephew, Richard ap William Griffith, his heir apparent, Tythin Rhydynfry, and Tythin Griffith ap David. And residue to his other nephews, Rowland Thomas, and William ap Richard Griffith, his joint executors. Probate attached, signed by Geo. Potts for R. Stanley. It begins : " Oliver, Lord Protector of ye Comonwealth of England, Scotland, and Ireland, and ye dominions thereunto belonging." (51.) Bond, dated in 1662, for £180, by Moricen David of Ystym Colwyn, Co. Montg'y, to John Williams of Coed Cowryd, Esq. Witnessed by Ruhun [qu. Rhun] Williames, Robert Parry, — ~ pline, [qu. Catherine] Lloyd, David
Pryce, John Davies.1
(52.) A.D. 1667.— A Deed of Obligation by John David John of Cevn Llyffno,2 Co. Montg'y, and Walter ap John, his son and heir.
(53.) The Will of Lumley Williams, dated llth February, 1700, the Elder, of Kyffin, in the parish of Llangadfan and County of Montgomery, Esq., names lands, or farms, called Mayne, in the township of Mayne, and parish of Myvod, " to my Eldest son Lumley Williams of Ystym Colwyn, and his heirs male. Bequeaths an Annuity of £20 to his grandchild Lumley Williams, " son to my second son Rees Williams of Rhyd y Gro, in the parish of Llaufaire, Co. Montg'y, and his heirs, and in default to my third son, John Williams/' then in default to his fourth son, Matthew Williams, and in default to his eldest son, Lumley, and in default of ail £500 to his said grandchild Lumley. Mentions an estate in or about the town of Denbigh. Again, in default, the farm of Mayne3 to go to Rees Williams of Cyffin, to his wife, subject to the payment of £60 to his third son, John Williams, and
1 I have failed to identify any of these names, unless John Williams be the John Williams of Ystym Colwyn, son of Lumley Williams, and married to Meriel, dau. of Richard Powell of Worthen. Robert Parry may have been of " Mayne" (Mont. Coll., xi, 387). Possibly the name of Cowryd ab Cadvan, chief of one of the Fifteen Tribes, descended from the Princes of Powys, may be preserved in " Coed Cowryd", if still in existence.
2 This place occurs as No. 5 in the "Distribution of Seats". The right name appears to be Cefn Llyfnog. (See "Notes by Arch- deacon Thomas", infra.)
J The farm of Main, then, was at this time a part of the Ystym Colwyn estate, and must, therefore, have been previously alienated from its original owners, descended from Llewelyn Voelgrwn. (See "Notes on Distribution of Seats", No. 17, infra.)
284 ANCIENT DEEDS RELATING TO
Cyffin to his fourth son, Matthew, after her decease, subject to a legacy to his third son, John. Proved 5th Jan. 1751, by Dr. Robert Wynne, D.D. (of Garthewin, Chancellor of St. Asaph), for Edward, Bishop of St. Asaph. Signed by Thomas Lloyd, Reg'r [of Cevn], Esq., John Edwards, Surrogate.
(54.) Deed of Release, 1701, by Arthur Williams of Meilli- onydd, Co. Caern., Esq., and John Vaughan of Aberkin,1 gent., in same co., in which are mentioned these places: Clogwrn y Gwin in Beddgelert, Aberdaron, Nant y None, Llanvachrys (Llanvachreth ?), Penrhyn, Slevin (qu. Nevin), Methlan, Rhiw Dau Glawdd, Gweetbrian ; and these persons : Catharine Bodwrda, Jane Parry, widow, Maurice Trygarn, Sir Griffith Jenkin, Susanna Williams. Seal, in pale six fleurs-de-lys, 3 and 3. Witnesses, Thomas Wynne, Griffith Williams. Signed by John Vaughan in a curious hand.
(55.) Account of money paid by Mrs. Vaughan, widow of Griffith Vaughan, Esq., 4th son of Robert Vaughan, the antiquary, and Inventory of his goods enclosed therein, by direction of his Trustees. Her name was Catharine, d. of John ab John ab Robert of Glyn Maiden (or Maelda). She lived at Dol y Melynllyn, Co. Mer'th, after the death of her husband. It contains an item for 3 wild goats at 3s. od. apiece, 106'. 6d., and is addressed to Mr. Vaughan of Erbistock. Griffith Vaughan was a son of the Antiquary of Hengwrfc, Robert Vaughan, and was believed by the late W. W. E.
1 The Vaughans of Abercyn were descended from Rhys of Chwilog and Abercyn, son of Rhys ab leuan ab Einion ab Gruffydd of Bron y Voel in Ystymllyn and Chwilog, ab GrufFydd ab Maredydd ab Kinion ab Gwgan ab Merwydd Goch ab Collwyn ab Tangno, Lord of Eivionydd, Ardudwy, and part of Lleyn, by his wife Madlen Benlydan, dau. of Cynan, father of Gruffydd ab Cynan, and sister of Ednowain Bendew. Collwyn was chief of one of the Fifteen Noble Tribes of Gwynedd. Sa., a chev. int. 3 fleurs-de-lys arg. Gruffydd ab Howel was father of Sir Howel y Vwyall (of the Battle-axe). From the same stock sprang the Griffiths of Plas Tan y Bwlch, the Bodvils of Bodvil, the Wynnes of Boduon, ancestors of Lord Newborough, the IVladryns and Jones-Parrys of Madryn, and the Prydderchs and Lloyds of Tregayan. Maternally they derived from many other great families, as the Pulestons and Salisburys, from Osborn Wyddel, Trahaiarn Goch of Lleyn, and Marchudd, through Eduyved Vychan; and by the marriage of his descendant, Rhys ab Sir Tudor, exe- cuted at Chester in 1412 for his armed support of Owain Glyndwr, with Eva, dau. of Griffith Goch of Keri (see Mont. Coll. for 1889), they descended from Elystan Glodrydd, Brochwel Ysgythrog, and Princes of South Wales.
MEIFOD AND ELSEWHERE. 285
Wynne, Esq., of Peniarth, to have been the author of the very large folio MS. volume of pedigrees in continuation of the famous volume of pedigrees by his father (Hengwrt MS. 96), both now in the possession of W. R. M. Wynne, Esq., of Peniarth.
(56.) A.D. 1719. — Draft of Settlement prior to marriage. Indenture quinpartite between — 1. Robert Vaughan of Hen- gwrt,1 Co. Merioneth; 2. Jonet Nanney, Spinster, 3rd daughter2 of Catharine3 Nanney of Nanney, widdow, by Hugh Nanney, late of Nanney, Esq., deceased, Anne Nanney of Nanney, spinster, eldest daughter of ye said Catharine by ye said Hugh Nanney ; 3. Richard Vaughan of Cors y Gedol, Thos. Wynne, of Glynllivon,4 Esq., and William Wynne, Esq., Standard Bearer to H.M. Band of Gentlemen Pensioners ; 4. Lewis Price, of Aberllefen}7, Co. Mer'th, Esq., John Lloyd of [blank], Co. Denbigh, Esq., Athelstan Owen, of Rhiw Saeson, Co. Moritg'y, Esq., Thos. Price, Ystrewethan, Co. Merioneth, Esq. ; 5. Sidney Vaughan of llengwrt, widdow, mother of said Robert Vaughan, her eldest son, John Vaughan, also of Hengwrt, Gent., her 2nd son. Portion, £2,500. Places named, Hengwrt, includ- ing lands, etc., described in his Common Recovery Deed to Mrs. Sidney Vaughan, in lieu of her annuity. Provision for younger sons and daughters, and for purchase of lands.
(57.) A.D. 1730.— Settlement, dated 13th May, of Ystym Colwyn on Anne Lloyd, daughter of Roderick Lloyd of Lin-
1 Son of Howel Vaughan, High Sheriff 1697, by his wife Sidney, dan. and coh. of John Price, o.a.p., by his wife, Margaret, dau. of Lewis Lloyd of Rhiwaedog, eldest son of Colonel William Price of Rhiwlas, oo. Merioneth. He m. Janet, third dau. and coh. of Hugh Nannau, Esq. By this marriage JSTannau passed to the owner of Hengwrt.
2 Eldest dau. of Hugh and Catharine Nannau, o.s.p. innupt. 1729, cet. 37.
3 Dau. of William and sister of Richard Vaughan of Cors y Gedol, by the marriage of whose dau. Catharine that place passed to the Rev. Hugh Wynn, D.D., of Bodyscallen and Berthddu, and, by that of her dau. Margaret, to Sir Roger Mostyn of Mostyn, Bart. (H. P. V., vi, 165.)
4 Probably the husband of Frances, second dau. and eventual heiress of John Glynne of Glynllivon, Esq., descended from Cilmin Droed Du, Chief of one of the Fifteen Tribes. Thomas was created a baronet in 1742, and was grandfather of the first Lord Newborough. (See " Melai", H. P. V., vol. v.) William may have been his brother. Athelstan Owen of Rhiw Saeson m. Elizabeth, d. of William Vaughan of Cors y Gedol. (//. P. V., v, 115.)
286 ANCIENT DEEDS RELATING TO
coin's Inn, on her marriage [with Edward Williames of Ystym- colwyn ?], in consideration of her marriage portion of £5,000, of Nant y Meichied, Trefnaney, Street y Wern, Peniarth, Broniarth, Cefn Llyfnos (or Llyfnog ?), in Llanvechen, Ystym Gadach, Colfrith, Bodrith M. B., Aberbechan, named as then forming part of the Ystymcolwyn property. Parties: 1. Edward Williams of Ystymcolwyu ; 2. The Hon. Robert Price, one of the Justices of H.M. Court of Common Pleas, and Sir William Williams of Llanvorda, Co. Salop, Bart. ; 3. The Right Rev. John Wynne, Bishop of Bath and Wells, and Watkin Williams Wynne (sic) of Wynnstay, Esq. ; 4. John Pughe1 of Mathavarn, Co. Montg'y, Esq., and Robert Meyrick2 of Ucheldre, Co. Merioneth, Esq. ; 5. Roderick Lloyd, of Lincoln's Inn, Co. Middlesex, Esq., and Anne Lloyd, spinster, only daughter of said Roderick Lloyd, in consideration of £4,000 then paid in part, and £1,000 more to be paid on the value thereof con- veyed in full. Taken from ye original at Erbistock, in the Custody of Miss Williames, 28 Febr 1764. Lands in Co. Caernarvon, Capital Messuage House called Meillionydd, Bod- rith, Cwmdilie, Llanvailys, tenements in Aberdaron, Bodverin, Lhingwnodl, Bryn Croes, Rhiw Mellteyrn, Tydweiliog, Deneio, alias Denio, Pwllheli, Beddgelert, all in Co. Caernarvon.
(58.) A.D. 1735.— Will of Sir William Williams of Llan- vorda, dated 15th August. Mentions the marriage of his second son, Robert Williams, and the first marriage of his third son, Richard Williams, on or about the 3rd May, 1722, and his last marriage with Charlotte, his now wife, only daughter of Richard Mostyn, Esquire (of Penbedw).3
(59.) Will of Roderick Lloyd4 of Lincoln's Inn, wherein he bequeaths Tithes and other property in Penmachno and Nevin
1 (See Mont. Coll., xi, 388.) John Pugh, son of William, by his wife Margaret, dau. of John Lloyd of Ceiswyn, Esq., died s./?., and was succeeded by his brother Rowland, who by his wife Elizabeth, dau. of Roger Salisbury of Rug, Esq., had a son, William Pugh Salisbury, o.s.p., and two daus., one of whom, Maria Charlotte, was heiress of Rug and Mathavarn. (See H. P. V., vi, 31 and 40.)
2 The Meyricks of Ucheldref, a very old house near Corwen, were a branch from Bodorgan ; Robert was son-in-law of the above famous Sir Robert Price of Giler. (See H. P. F., vi, 9, and v, 276, 371.) By his will, dated 22 Oct. 1747, he left Ucheldre to John Kyffin, who left it to his brother, Sir Thomas Kyffin of Maenan.
3 See Hist. Gwydir Fam., Table IV, p. 104.
4 That Roderick Lloyd was of Penmachno seems probable from this will, the copy of which seems to be undated, but of what family I have at present no information.
ME1FOD AND ELSEWHERE. 287
for the foundation of a school and almshouses, etc., in Trust, to the Church of Penmachno, and to his nephew Lewis Lloyd, and his sisters Margaret Lloyd, and Catharine Lloyd, wife of John Williams, separated from her husband, his nieces Barbara and Margaret Ffoulkes, etc.
(60.) A.D. 1768. — Assignment of Mortgage, dated 30 Nov.. on Mrs. Vaughan's Estate of Bryn Cynvelin and Pen y Bryn, in parishes of Llanvechen and Llan St. Ffraid, Co. Montgorn'y, between Conway Longueville, late of Bersham, Co. Denbigh, but now of Hope, Co. Flint, spinster, Rev. Thos. Edward, Vicar of Wrexharn, and Thos. Hayman, gent., of the 1st part, and Anne his wife, late Anne Williams, spinster, of the 2nd part, and Alice Price of Overton [qu. Bryn y Pys ?], Co. Flint, widow, of the 3rd part, recites Deed of Mortgage dated 21 April 1764, between Anne Vaughan, then Anne Williams of Erbistock, now assigned to Alice Price for £400.
ERRATA. Vol. xxiii, 392, Deed of John Gray, Lord of Powys.
Line 2. For etc., read Cu' (for Cum).
„ 3. „ n'ro „ n'ri (for nostri).
„ 5. „ pud „ p'us (for prius).
„ 12. „ p'ing „ Ring' (for Ringildi).
„ 20. „ Thonus, read Thornes.
„ 21. „ E'd Shipnor, read Rhrd Thornes.
„ 23. ,, Thorne, Junior, read Thornes, Junior.
Vol. xxv, 1, p. 85, line 14. For Llandgai, read Llandegai. „ ,, „ 97, „ 10. Dele drowned in 1381. „ „ „ „ „ 11. For Vechan, read Vychan. „ „ „ 100, note 1. „ Cwny Van, read Cevn y Van. „ „ „ „ „ „ Glynnes, read Wynnes of Glyn.
„ „ „ 101, line 20. „ autography read autograph. „ „ „ 259, „ 17. „ Alfgar read Leolfwine.
288 ANCIENT DEEDS RELATING TO
THE NEW 1LE, 1636, IN MYVOD CHURCH.
(NOTES BY ARCHDEACON THOMAS.) Vide supra, p. 102.
This must have been the lean-to on the north side of the nave, which so continued until 1837. In that year, through the instru- mentality, and largely, I believe, at the expense of my predecessor, the Rev. Hugh Wynne Jones, the then Vicar, this lean-to was removed, and the present north aisle substituted for it ; but the timber pillars, by which the arcade was supported, were only re- placed by stone ones at the recent restoration, in the time of Canon Wynne Edwards, 1871-2.
The list is given in part at the end of the Register, 1649 to 1674, where it is stated that " the seates in the new He are thus disposed of by the Comissioners, beginning in the west end of the He, and so upwards to the east, as folio weth :
" The vacant place over agt the first seate for Olivir Moris and Evan ap John ap Williams wife.
" The first forme for William David ap Caddr . . . ." and so on to " the 8th forme for Caddr", where it suddenly breaks off.
In the 2nd forme the fourth name is given as " David ap Evan ap HowM*.
In the 3rd „ the second name as " Thomas ap Evan".
In the 5th „ the second name as " Richard David ap Lewis".
In the 6th „ the first name is " Lewis ap Richard's wife".
In the first thirteen "formes" the names are, with a very few exceptions, undistinctive ; for, though they may be found in the Register, yet as no place, not even the township, is given with them, it is not possible to identify them with certainty. The exceptions are (in 11) Calcot of Coedoerle in Nantymeichied, (8) Cadwaladr ap Hugh («de Diffryn, Gen.", Gd. Jury, 2 Chas. I), and Prynalt of Trefnanney, the same which occurs in the Grand Jury List for the County in 1653 as " William Prinalt, late of Trefnanney, Gent." (Mont. Coll., vol. ix, p. 41), and to this family we may probably assign (9) "John ap John ap Reynald".
From 14 onwards they represent the more important families, and are easily identified, e.g. :
14. "Mr. John Humphreys" was of Cwm, in Nantymeichied, which, together with FrOnlas and Fronfriallau, belonged to the Humphreys family till the beginning of the present century, when it passed by purchase to the Rt. Hon. Sir Henry W. Williams Wyun.
15. "Mr. Roger Vaughan" was of Glasgoed, and married Mary, daughter of Richard David ap Humphrey of Cynhinfa. The property remained in the family till 1749, when Mary, the heiress of Owen Vaughan, married John Rocke of Trefnanney. It was subsequently sold to Mr. Jeffrey Hopkins, and by his representatives to the late Mr. Peate of Oswestry.
16. "Lumley Williams, Esq.", was the grandson of William
ME1FOD AND ELSEWHERE. 289
Williams, Esq., of Cochwillan, in Carnarvonshire, by Barbara, daughter of George, son of John, Lord Lumley (the widow of Humphrey Lloyd of Foxhall, the historian), and he married Dorothy, the daughter and heiress of Rees ap Thomas ap Rees ap David of Ystum Colwyn, which property remained in his descendants until it was sold by Sir Robert Williames-Vaughan to Mr. France about the year 1850.
17. " Mr. Ellis ap Ellis" was of the Main, and
" Mr. John Bowdler" of Teirtre Township, but of what house I cannot say.
18. "Mr. Edward Harries" was of Tan House, in Trefnanney ; an old picturesque timber house, which he or his son appears to have built, as it bears the initials "E. H., 1690".
19. "Mr. Andrew Parry" was of the Main, hodie the Ceunant, was great-grandson of "John ap Harri of Meifod", mentioned by Lewis Dwnn as an able genealogist. He married Margaret, the daughter of Thomas Tanat ap Res Tanat of Abertanat. The last of the family was Margaret Parry of Glanyrafon, who died in 1827, and left her property to the Hamers. Ceunant now belongs to Mr. C. W. Williams Wynn.
20. "Mr. Griffith Bynner, and his son, John Bynner", were of Nantymeichiaid. " Griffinus Bynner de Nantymeichiaid, Gen." Gd. Jury, 1616. " Johes Bynner et Thomas Griffiths, gen., Ballivi de Llanvillinge." "John Bynner, of Nantymeichiaid, Gent." Grand Jury List, 1654.
21. " Mr. Edward Vaughan" was probably of Llwydiarth.
22. "Andrew Lawton" was of Plas isa'r plwyf, hodie the Fferm. ** Andreas Lawton de Kefnllyfno, Gen." Gt. Sessions List.
" Andrew Lawton of Meifod", son of George Lawton, parson of Banbury, married Margaret, daughter of Edward Tannatt of Trewylan. He was High Constable of the Hundred of Pool, 1654-5. (Mont. Coll., xx, 31.)
The Fferm passed by marriage from the Lawtons to the Parrys of Main ; from them, by purchase, to General Dallas, Governor of St. Helena ; thence, by marriage, to Admiral Harding, whose son sold it to Mr. Charles Brown of the Goitre ; and his nephew to Mr. Edward Jones, the present owner.
" William Jones, Cwm", son of Humphrey Jones, baptised 31 May 1607.
"Mr. Humphrey ap John ap William" was of Penyfoel, and descended from Evan Teg ; his grandson William bought Ehosfawr, and was styled of Rhosfawr and Ffinnant.
23. "James Mytton, Esq.", of Pontyscowryd, son of Richard Mytton, was baptised at Meifod, 18 Jan/ 1600, and buried 1 April 1658. This fine old timbered house was built in 1593, as appears from the inscription in the wainscotted parlour : — " 1593 : I.N.R. I. I.M.A.M." The sacred monogram implies the solemn dedication of the house, and is commonly found in Brittany. The initials point to John Mytton (4th son of Richard Mytton of Halston), and Anna Mytton his wife, probably the heiress of the place. He was
290 ANCIENT DEEDS KELATING TO MEIFOD.
buried Dec. 5, 1605; she Feb. 5, 1606 By the marriage of Richard Mytton in 1718 with Dorothy Wynne of Garth, the latter became the residence of the family.
Pontyscowryd was formerly in " Street y Fyrnwy" Township, but for parochial convenience it was attached to Cefnllyfnog. " Ricus Myttou de Street y fyrnwy, Ar." (Mont. Coll, vol. xxiv, 211.) The old Pigeon House is a fine specimen of its kind.
" Mr. William Herbert" was of Dyffryn. His father was Richard Herbert, High Sheriff 1657, and proposed to be made a Knight of the Royal Oak. His grandfather, Richard Herbert of Park, Sheriff 1576, married Elizabeth, daughter and coheir of Humphrey Wynn of Dyffryn.
"John Lloyd, Esq.", of Dolobran, married Catherine, the other daughter and coh. of Humphrey Wynne of Dyffryn. Their eldest son was Charles Lloyd, the Quaker; the second, John, gave the silver-gilt flagon and paten to the Parish Church ; and the third, Thomas, joined William Penn in founding Pennsylvania.
" Mr. John Matthews" was of Trefnanney. On the Grand Jury 1632. Descended from Llewelyn Foelgrwn of the Main. The property passed, by marriage, to the Rockes, and by them was sold to the Rev. Richard Mytton. They are now represented by the Rockes of Clungunford.
" Mr. John Vaughan" and " Herbert Vaughan, Esq.", were pro- bably the brothers of Roger Vaughan of Glasgoed" (suprct, 15), being the sons of John Vaughan and Bridget Herbert.
" Thomas Maurice, Esq." of Trefedryd, descended from leuan Gethin ap Madoc Kyffin. ("Llyfr Silin", Arch. Camb., 1887, p. 219.) By the marriage of an heiress, Margaret, with Edward Maurice of Henfachan, the property passed to the Rev. William Roberts, M.A., Rector of Whittington and Selattyn, d. 1784, and was ultimately sold by his representative, Sir Roger Palmer, Bart., in 1877, to Messrs. Dewhurst and Sagur.
"Mr. Robert Ffoulkes, viccar of Myvod", 1628-1647, had been Rector of Aberhafesp 1623-27; and was Rector of Llanvmynech 1627-33 ; and Rector of Llanfechain 1633-34.
291
A GENEALOGICAL " CRUX" AND SOLUTION.
MANY hitherto leading families in Montgomeryshire derive their descent from " Beli of the Garth",1 in the parish of Guilsfield, who is said to have been the son of Brochwel ap Aeddan, de jure Prince of Powys.2 This parentage, it will be seen, is at variance with chronological data and requirements. It is almost needless to remark that the structure of genealogies, no less than of histories, becomes either an idle farce or a careless falsehood unless founded upon a consistent chronological basis.
It seems almost a presumption on the part of a modern inquirer to criticise or question the accuracy of a line of descent which has been generally accepted on the authority of ancient and reputedly accurate genea- logists ; but the writer, having noticed what appeared to him as a serious anachronism, has made a study of this genealogical difficulty, and, in the interest of truth and accuracy, has given it prominence with the view, principally, of eliciting the more competent criticism of others.
Brochwel Ysgythrog, Prince of Powys, living at the commencement of the seventh century, was in the tenth ascending generation from Brochwel ap Aeddan, who in some pedigrees is given as the father of Beli of the Garth. By allowing thirty-two years to a generation, and computing downwards from Brochwel Ysgythrog to Brochwel ap Aeddan, the era of the latter would be about the middle of the tenth century. Working upwards from 1496 on the same plan, the era of Beli of the Garth will be the close of the twelfth century.
1 Ilarl. MSS. 1982, 1977. 2 Mont. Coll., vol. vi; pp. 77-8.
292 A GENEALOGICAL " CRUX AND SOLUTION.
We are here confronted with an impossibility, an in- terval of over two centuries between father and son.
The solution of this " crux" or apparent difficulty is that some early copyist has in transcription placed " ap" for ** ag" after the name of Beli of the Garth, thereby making him uson of" instead of "descended from" Brochwel ap Aeddan, ninth in descent from Brochwel Ysgythrog.
The geneaiogy of the ancestry and descendants of Beli of the Garth has reached us principally through the medium of such transcribers as the compilers of the Cedwyn MS. and John Rhydderch. The latter's transcription of, arid scarcely pardonable selection from, the now lost Visitation of Montgomeryshire by the herald, Lewys Dwnn, have been given to us in the work of Sir Samuel Meyrick. This portion of the Heraldic Visitation of Wales makes no pretension either to originality or heraldic authority. But that portion of the work entitled the " Heraldic Visitation of the Counties of Carmarthen, Pembroke, and Cardi- gan" is derived from the very valuable original MS. in Lewys Dwnn's own handwriting, and in which the signatures are annexed to each pedigree by the then representatives of the family. Here we have the autograph of a legally appointed herald to guide us in our interpretation of the ancestry of " Beli of the Garth". In 1613 " Eees Griffith" here signs Lewys Dwnn's record of his family descent from this Beli, who is there described as "Beli o'r Garth ag \ Frochwel", and whose descendant in the seventh generation is there styled " Syr Gruffydd Vychan o'r Garth ar Drelydan Kt."1
The herald in 1613 merely vouched for the fact of Beli's descent from Brochwel, which lineage Lewys Glyn Cothi in his ode claimed some 500 years ago for u Gruffyth ap leuan ap Madog ap Gwenwys o Gawres",2 the father of Sir Griffith Vaughan.
1 Lewys Dwnn's Visitations, vol. i, p. 242.
2 Gwaith Lewis Glyn Cothi, Oxford, 1837, i.e., of Cawres, or Caus. See Notes, loc. cit. Y Dosparth, vi, 11, p. 423.
AND SOLUTION. 293
" Gryfith ! of BrochweUs lineage, pure, strong of arm."
This poet-historian of a remote era arranges his odes or elegies under tribal headings, and confirms this tes- timony by ascribing the first and second poems of the "Llwyth Brochwel Ysgythrog" to " Syr Grufydd Vychan o Bowys" and his father, presumably then considered by him as chief of the tribe.
With the view of clearly showing our difficulty, and at the same time aiding its solution, the pedigrees of two cognate families, as they appear in Sir Samuel Meyrick's work, have been arranged in parallel genera- tions. The generation of " Selyf", son of Brochwel ap Aeddan, although omitted in both the above, is given by Lewys Dwnn1 and others elsewhere. Being found to satisfy chronological requirements, it has been intro- duced in the following form of descent.
Starting from a well-accredited chronological basis, 7 Henry IV, 1406, when the contemporaries "Evan Blayney of Tregynon (Gregynog)" and " Sr Gryfith Vaughan of (? ag) Gwenwys, Knt.", appear on the Welshpool burgess-roll, we can, by using the ordinary computation, where many generations are in question, of thirty-two years, ascertain the approximate year in which their respective ancestors flourished. The Blayney line is taken from the reprint of Dwnn's Montgomery- shire Visitations, page 79, and the "Havodwen", or Harrington line, from page 126 of the same Mont. Coll. reprint.
Brochwel ap Aeddan.
Selyf.
Gwaeddan.
Rhodri.
Owen. tt|
1 Lewys Dwnn's Vis., vol. ii, p. 15. VOL. XXV.
294
A GENEALOGICAL "CRUX" AND SOLUTION.
|
a\ lorwerth. 1 |
||
|
Johannis, 1170.=f= |
Griffith. 1 |
|
|
1 1 1 Goroun Morauc, Eva.1 I 1202. Joab. Idnerth. |
Meilyr Gryg, A.D. 1214. Llewelyn, 1246. Einion, 1278. Llewelyn, 13LO. |
1 Beli of the Garth. 1 Griffith. 1 Gwenwys. 1 Madoc. 1 |
Llewelyn Vaughan, 1342. leuan. Griffith, 1374. Griffith.
Evan Blayney of Tregy- Sir Griffith Vaughan non, 1406. of Garth.
Existing records confirm the above estimate of the era of Meilyr Grug, and therefore of Beli of Garth. Moreover, Salisbury of Erbistocke, in his pedigree of the Wynnes2 of Garth (now Mytton) descended from Beli of the Garth, makes Beli and Meilyr brothers.
It is on record that " Johannis films Gwardwoit" (? Edward or lorwerth), the father of Eva, and appa- rently the uncle of Meilyr Grug, was fifth clerical witness to Prince Owen Cyfeiliog's foundation charter of Strata Marcella Abbey, in the year 1170. Goroun, Joab, and Idnerth, his sons, with " Meilir nepos illorum", united in a deed of sale of Stredalvedan, in the parish of Pool, to the monks of the same abbey. The notice of this sale is without date; but "Morawk filio Johannis", presumably another son of John ap* lorwerth above, was fifth witness to Prince Gwenwynwyn's confirma- tion charter to the monks in 1202. " Meilir de T.';3
1 This Eva is styled by some authorities as the daughter of "John ap lorwerth ap Owen ap Rodri, descended from Brochwel", and the wife of Henwyn ap Ithel Aur Gledde, ancestor of the Owens of Rhiwsaeson. (Lewys Dwnn's Vis., vol. i, p. 297, n. 6.)
2 Mont. Coll., vol. xii, p. 256.
3 Meilyr Grug is variously styled "Lord of Wyton (Whitton) Westbury", of " Llvvyn Melyn", and " Baron of Tregynon".
AND SOLUTION. 295
(? Tregynon) appears as a witness, in 1226, to Prince Llewelyn's charter to the same monks. From the above there can be little doubt that Meilyr Grug, and therefore Beli, were in the flesh in the reigns of King John and Henry I, or in the years 1214 to 1226.
The solution of our genealogical " crux" is this : Since Meilyr and Beli were contemporaries, and prob- ably brothers, the five or six progenitors of Meilyr were common also to Beli, and their omission, in most of the pedigrees we meet with of Beli's line, must be due to the careless transcription of some early scribe, who, for Lewys Dwnn's authoritative "ag i Frochwel", substituted " ap" Brochwel ; an error which has been perpetuated by subsequent copyists, and has served to discredit the authenticity of one of our best accredited genealogies.
W. V. LL.
Corrigendum.— Supra, p. 291, line 30. For "1496" read "1406".
X 2
296
VAVASOR POWELL'S WELSH ^IBLE.
A COPY of the small Welsh Bible of 1630, which tradition says is the one carried about and used in his travels by the renowned Nonconformist preacher, Vavasor Powell, came into my possession in September 1883. It contains a large number of marginal notes and references, Welsh and English, in manuscript, some of them unintelligible to anyone but the writer himself, and being just such notes as a preacher would be likely to make. It seems to have been rebound about 150 years ago, when unfortunately the edges were cut very closely, the Apocrypha was taken out, and part of A Briefe Concordance, etc., "carefully perused and enlarged by Mr. John Downame, B. in Divinitie," (1642) was bound up with it. This in- teresting relic of the celebrated Puritan with his Latin Bible and other works were obtained by Mr. John Jones of Llettyderyn, Mochdre, some seventy or eighty years ago, from a member of the Powell family who then lived at Gartheilyn, Kerry. The Latin Bible and other books were given by him to a Baptist minister, who subsequently left the neigh- bourhood. Mr. Jones died about forty years ago, and this Bible, with other books and papers, came into the hands of his nephew, Mr. John Williams of Sunny- bank, Mochdre, from whom I purchased it. Mr. Jones had a great veneration for Powell, and commenced the publication, in parts, of a Welsh translation of his Auto- biography; but this project, I believe, he was forced to abandon for want of support after one or two parts had come out of the press. This was about the year 1826.
R. WILLIAMS.
297
PEDIGREE OF JONES OF GARTHMILL.
THE following is a verbatim extract relating family from a " Visitation of Mountgomeryshi
to this lire and
Powis" made by Handle Holme of Chester ; the date on it is 1630.
(Harl. MS. 1973, folio 49 ; pencil number, folio 59.)
Cadwallon ap Madd ap Cadwgan.=f=
I
Dolphin.=j=
Kynvelyn. =j=
I Eigneon.=f=
r~
Madock.=f=
I |
Griffiths Howel.
I
Griffith Vychan.
I Meredeth.=j=
I
Gruffith Lloyd.=p
T
Howell ap Gruff. Lloid.=f Jane, dau. to D'd ap Philip Goz ap Hoel ap ll'n ap j Meiler Gryge.
John ap Howell.=j=Marg't, d. and h. to leun undeg, etc., ll'n archdourchog. •I
298
PEDIGREE OF JONES OF GARTHMILL.
a|
leu n Lloyd ap John.=f=Marg't, da. to D'd glynn ap leuan ap 11' n Dolgar.
Edward ap Ieun=j=Marg't, da. to D'd Lloyd. ap Holl ap leun
blane.
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Meredd. ap Ieun=pAnne, da. and co-h. Lloyd. to John Bour-
cher ap Hugh.
|
| 1 |2 David. Rees ap Ed- ward. |
Richard= ap Ed- ward. |
^Margaret, da. to Gruff, ap D'd Lloyd ap Cad- der ap S'r Gruff. Vychan, Kt. |
)hn ap=p
Rees ap =j=Katharen, da. to John ap Richard. Gruff, ap Owen ap Gruff, goz of Penryn.
John ap=pLowrey, da. to Others. Meredd. Owen ap
leun ap Holl
of the Welshe- poole.
! i I
Rees ap = Joyce, da. Hum-
John. to Roger phrey. Jonnes.
|
1 2 |
1 3 |
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John. |
Mor- |
Ric- |
= Elizabeth, Lowry. |
Ellen. |
= Rich. ap |
Mary. |
Eliza- |
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ris. |
hard |
da. to |
Ed.1 of |
beth. |
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ap |
Rob't |
Keuen.1 |
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Whetgers |
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ap Rees |
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i. IEUAN LLOYD ap John ap Howell of Garthrnill had two sons —
Edward ap leuan Lloyd. Meredith ap leuan Lloyd (n).
Ti/r_- T
ii. MEREDITH AP IEUAN married Anne, daughter and co-heir to John Bourcher ap Hugh, and died intestate. Administration granted to his son leuan 3rd June 1588. He had two sons and one daughter —
1. leuan, administrator to his father, living 1599, and men-
tioned in the will of John Lloyd (Mont. Goll., vol. xxi, p. 160).
2. John Lloyd (in).
3. Jane, mentioned in her brother John's will.
in. JOHN LLOYD, a Grand Juror 27 Eliz., as "John ap Me'dd ap leuan Lloyd de Bery we generosus'' (Mont. Coll., vol. iii, p. 317); as " Joh'es ap M'dd ap leuan
1 Both these words are so smeared as to be almost illegible. The superintendent of the MSS. room agrees with our conjectural reading.
PEDIGREE OF JONES OF GARTHM1LL. 299
Lloyd de Garthmil, gen.", 34 Eliz. (ib., vol. iv, p. 256), one of the contributories on Lay Subsidy, §f f , Record Office, 1571. He married "Lowrey, daughter to Owen ap Jenn. ap Holl of the Welshepoole." His will is dated 13th July 1598, and was proved 26th October 1599. (76., vol. xxi, p. 160.) He had six children, live of whom are mentioned in his will—
1 . Rees Jones1 (iv).
2. Humphrey Jones (v).
3. Mary, married Thomas (?) Jones, mentioned in Rees Jones's
will (ib., vol. xxi, p. 161), and had three children —
i. Thomas Jones, legatee under Rees Jones's will and
Humphrey Jones's will.
ii. Elizabeth, mentioned in Rees Jones's will, iii. Ann, mentioned in Humphrey Jones's will; also called
niece in Rees Jones's will. (76. , vol. xxi, p. 161.)
4. Margaret, mentioned in her father's will, married Richard
Edwards of Llifior, and had one son and a daughter —
i. Richard Edwards of Llifior, nephew, mentioned in Rees
Jones's will. (/6., vol. xxi, p. 161.)
ii. Bridgett, who is mentioned in Richard ap Richard ap Reynold's will. (Ib., vol. xxiii, p. 19.)
5. Elizabeth, married Richard ap Richard ap Reynold of
Forden, whose will is dated 29th May 1622, and proved 8th August 1629. (Ib., vol. xxiii, p. 18.) They had nine children —
i. David ap Richard, mentioned in Rees Jones's will, died intestate. Administration granted to his mother, Elizabeth, 4th March 1637-8. (Ib., vol. xxii, p. 251.) ii. Edward ap Richard, deceased before 1637. (Rees Jones's
will, ib., vol. xxi, p. 161.)
iii. John Reynolds (vi), devisee of Humphrey Jones. iv. Richard \
v. Roger V mentioned in Humphrey Jones's will, vi. Rees J
vii. Francis of Llandyssil, witness to Humphrey Jones's will, viii.-ix. Rose and Anne.
iv. REES JONES, eldest son of John Lloyd (in), styled in his will "of Garthrnill, gentleman"; on grand jury at Assizes, 44 Eliz., and 16 James I, as
1 Lay Subsidy, 3 James I, for lands in Berriew parish.
300 PEDIGREE OF JONES OF GARTHMILL.
Lloid de Berewe", 29 Eliz. ({&., vol. iii, p. 324), and " Riceus Jones de Garth myle, gen." (Mont. Coll., vol. iv, p. 286, and vol. vi, p. 269.) Will dated 20th Oct. 1636, and proved 13th Feb. 1636-7. (Ib.9 vol. xxi, p. 161.) He devises his land and messuages in Garthmyl, Trustllewelyn, and Forden to his brother Humphrey Jones. He married Joyce, daughter to Roger Jones. Gilbert Jones -of Pool, barrister-at-law, in his will (ib.y vol. xxi, p. 170) calls Rees Jones his brother-in-law. No issue being named in his will, Rees Jones is presumed to have died without issue.
v. HUMPHREY JONES, second son of John Lloyd (in), and brother of Rees Jones (iv). By his will, dated 26th February 1652-3, proved 28th May 1653, he devised all his land, etc., in Garthmill, Trustllewelyn, and Forden to his nephew, John ap Richard ap Richard ap Reignold, in tail general, with remainder to his nephews, Richard ap Richard ap Richard ap Reig- nold, Roger ap Richard ap Richard ap Reignold, and Rees ap Richard ap Richard ap Reignold, succes- sively in like tail, with ultimate remainder to his right heirs for ever in fee. He also recited that there was an intention of a marriage between the said John ap Richard ap Richard ap Reignold, by the name of John Reynolds, of the one part, with Elizabeth, the daughter of James Price of Pilleth, co. Radnor, Esq. As in the will of John Reynolds Mary is the name of his wife, appointed sole executrix, the marriage with Elizabeth Price probably did not take place. Humphrey Jones was the founder of Berriew School, and endowed it. (See epitome of his will in Appendix A,infra, p. 308.)
vi. JOHN, third son of Richard ap Richard- ap Rey- nold, by Elizabeth his wife, sister of Humphrey Jones (v), and described in his will as " John Reynolds of Garthmill, gentleman". He married Mary, eldest daughter of John Pryce, Esq., of Park, by his wife Mary, daughter of William Reed, Esq., of Castle Bromshill, Herefordshire. She was appointed his
AKMS, CARVED IN OAK; OVKR THK FRONT DOOR OF OLD GARTHMILL HALL.
(Actual dimensions. 2 ft. I in. by 1 ft 2 in.)
SHIELD OF ARMS, CARVED IN OAK ; OVER THE FRONT DOOR OF OLD GARTHMILL HALL.
(Actual dimensions, 2 ft. 1 in. by 1 ft. 2 m.)
PEDIGREE OF JONES OF GARTHMILL. 301
sole executrix.1 In his will, dated 19th December 1670, and proved 10th July 1672 (see epitome in Ap- pendix B, w/ra,p. 311), he mentions "his son Humphrey Jones" (who, it is presumed, took his grandmother's maiden surname, she being an heiress), " his son Valen- tine Reignolds," and his " youngest son Matthew Reignolds". He had three sons and three daughters, who are mentioned in his will, viz. —
1. Humphrey Jones, eldest son (vil).
2. Valentine Keignolds, Rector of Llangower 1685-88; seemed
to have died there, or went to some other diocese.
3. Matthew Reignolds, legatee under his father's will of
£40, and executor of his mother's will.
4. Mary.
5. Elizabeth.
6. Bridgett.
Over the door of the ancient black and white house at Garthmill, called Garthmill Hall, was a shield, carved in oak, bearing '*' The three nags' heads", with the date 1666, which probably indicates the date of the erection of the house. If so, it must have been built by John Reynolds, who succeeded to the estate in 1653, and died in or about 1672. The shield is now in the possession of Mr. John Morgan Edwards Jones (xm), at his residence, 80, Wimbledon Hill. (See Illustrations.)
vn. HUMPHREY JONES, eldest son of John Reynolds (vi), in whose will he is called " my son Humphrey Jones", married Mary, daughter of Stephen Donne2 of Glascombe, co. Radnor. The post-nuptial settlement is dated 1st March, 35 Car. II, 1684. For copy of
1 Burke's Extinct Baronetage, sub nom. "Pryce of Newtown". Another sister of Mary Pryce, viz., Bridget, married John Edwards of Melyn y grug, whose daughter and heiress, Bridget, married Humphrey Jones (vin). See infra, p. 302. Another sister, Dorothy, married Lodowick Lewis, Esq., of Dolgwenith, whose only daughter and heiress, Lydia, married Thomas Pryce of Cyffronydd. (Mont. Coll., vol. xix, p. 140.) The three ladies were sisters and co-heirs of their only brother Matthew Pryce, M.P. for Montgomery Boroughs from 1678-85.
2 As to the Donne family, see Byegones, 1882, p. 112.
302 PEDIGREE OF JONES OF GARTHMILL.
this settlement, see Appendix C, infra, p. 311. He had one son —
Humphrey Jones (viu).
viii. HUMPHREY JONES of Garthmill, married Bridget, daughter and (on the death of her brother, Morgan Edwards) eventual heiress of Morgan Edwards of Melyn y grug, parish of Llanfair Caereinion (see his pedigree in Appendix D, infra, p. 315), Sheriff Mont- gomeryshire, 1738. They left issue five children —
1. Humphrey Jones (ix).
2. Susan Jones, ob. s.p.
3. A daughter married Baker.
4. A daughter married Captain Erlam, and died leaving one
child, Mary Erlam.
5. A daughter married Jones, and had one son . . .
Jones, Captain in the Army.
ix. HUMPHREY JONES of Garthmill and of Melyn y grug, married Catherine, daughter of David Ellis of Llwydiarth Hall (see Appendix E, infra, p. 316, for copy of his Kent-roll, dated 1 748). They had1 twenty- two children, of whom we have particulars of only ten —
1. Humphrey Jones (x).
2. David Jones, married Anne, daughter of Baines,
and had six children —
i. David Jones of Trw stile welyn and Llwydiarth, agent to Sir W. W. Wynn, Bart,, born 14th March 1789, married 30th June 1820, at Meifod, his cousin Mary, daughter of Joseph Jones of Dolobran (see infra, p. 304), (born 28th July 1793, and died 24th July 1863) ; he died at Llwydiarth Park 8th September 1857, leaving issue —
1. Joseph Owen Jones of Fron y gog, Machynlleth, born 19th September 1822 ; married, 8th May 1847, his second cousin Charlotte, daughter of Humphrey Row-
1 An old man, Mr. Jones, currier, of Llanfair Caereinion, aged 82, some forty years ago informed Mr. John Morgan Edwards Jones (xin) — the great-grandson of Humphrey Jones (ix) — that be once saw Humphrey Jones, last named, walking to Berriew Church with thirteen of his sons, and the shortest was 6ft. 3in. and the tallest was 6ft. 9 in. The old man added, " It was a grand sight ; and they were not all."
PEDIGREE -OF JONES OF GARTHMILL. 303
lands Jones, see infra, p. 307 (born 6th March 1820, and died 8th May 1886) ; he died at Fron y g6g 10th February 1876, leaving seven children — i. Charlotte Jones, born at Llwydiarth 29th October 1848,
and died 3rd March 1882, unmarried.
ii. Frances Anne Jones, born at Llwydiarth 10th February ] 850; married, at Machynlleth, John Buckley Williames of Pennant (see infra, p. 305), 4th February 1880; died at Pennant 7th July 1882, leaving no issue, iii Mary Jane Jones, born at Llwydiarth 31st March 1851. iv. Humphrey Watkin Jones, born at Llwydiarth 1st July 1854 ; died at Dolcorsllwyn 26th June 1861, and buried at Darowen.
v. Joseph Jones, born at Llwydiarth Park 27th February 1856 ; assumed the additional surname of Evans in pursuance of the provisions of the will of Humphrey Jones Evans of Fron y gog. Machynlleth, 27th February 1877 (see infra, p. 306) ; married at Machynlleth, 18th August 1880, Mary Elizabeth daughter of Richard Gillart, Llynlloedd, Machynlleth. Mr. Joseph Jones-Evans is J.P. and County Councillor of Montgomeryshire, and has issue —
1. Humphrey Jones-Evans, born at Fron y gog 19th
February 1883.
2. Joseph Jones-Evans, born 12th May 1884, and
died same day.
3. Elizabeth Nesta Jones -Evans.
vi. Laura David Jones, born at Dolcorsllwyu 4th August
1858, died at Aberystwith in December 1889. vii. Elizabeth Ann Jones, born at Dolcorsllwyn 8th April 1861, and died at Fron y gog 18th July 1872, and buried at Darowen.
ii. Humphrey Jones of Sutton, died s. p. iii. John Jones, married Anne granddaughter and heiress of . . . Oliver, of Hendomen, and died leaving four daughters —
Anne Mary Jones, born 2nd February 1827, and three
others. All died unmarried.
iv. Edward Jones, married Mary Anne Pryce of Llandinam (she was born ]2th October 1795, and died in Welshpooll85...). v. Martha Jones, married her cousin, Joseph Jones (see
infra, p. 304). vi. Mary.
3. John Jones, in holy orders, Rector of Bosherton, co. Pembroke, married . . . daughter of General Parslow, and died in 1831, leaving four children —
i. Thomas Jones, died s. p.
ii. John Jones, married and left one son, John Parslovv Jones. He was in the Royal Marines, and was so tall that Bernadotte is said to have offered him a Colonelcy in his regiment of Guards.
iii. Charlotte Jones, died 1851, unmarried.
304 PEDIGREE OF JONES OF GAUTHM1LL.
iv. Anne Jones, married her cousin Humphrey Rowlands
Jones of Garthmill (see infra, p. 307).
4. Joseph Jones of Liverpool, afterwards of Dolobran, born 1762, married Mary, daughter and heiress of Edward Pryce of Burgeding, Guilsfield, and died 17th March 1 806, having had issue two sons and one daughter — i. Joseph Jones, born 9th March 1799; married, 22nd March 1822, his cousin Martha, daughter of David Jones, (see supra, p. 303) ; of Dolobran, Clerk of the Peace co. Montgomery, he died 19th April 1848, having had issue —
1. Joseph Jones, born at Maengwyn, Machynlleth, 9th
February 1823, and died 14th May 1824.
2. Charles -Jones, born 8th March 1824. and died 30th June
1824.
3. Martha Anne Jones, coheiress, born 29th May 1825;
married John Buckley Williames of Glyncogen (see infra, p. 305), (who had been previously married), and died s. p. ; buried at Bettws.
4. Mary Jones, coheiress, born 13th August 1826, married
Rev. Thomas Davies, M.A., Rector of Llanwrin (who died 20th April 1872), and died at Torquay 7th December 1889, leaving one son — i. Charles Joseph Davies, born 16th October 1864, of The Queen's College, Oxford, and of the Inner Temple, now (1891) the representative of this Branch of the family.
5. Eliza Jones, coheiress, born 19th January 1828, and
died 3rd July 1866, unmarried.
6. Jane Jones, coheiress, born 12th October 1829 ; married,
28th November 1849, David Tannatt Pryce of Batavia, afterwards of Bronwylfa Llandderfel, co. Merioneth (born 20th October 1815), and had one son — i. Edward Montgomery Tannatt Pryce, born 29th August 1850 ; died at Batavia 2nd May 1881, unmarried.
ii. Mary Jones, born 28th July 1793, died 24th July 1863, having married her cousin, David Jones of Trustllewelyn and afterwards of Llwydiarth Park (see supra, p. 302).
iii. Humphrey Pryce Jones, died 8th June 1829, having married and left one daughter, since dead.
5. Charles Jones, Clerk of the Peace, co. Montgomery,
married . . . widow of ... Bowen and dau. and h. of . . . Hughes of Aberllolwyn, died s. p.
6. James Jones.
7. Jane Jones, married Rev. William Parslow, son of General
Parslow, and died s. p.
8. Rhys Jones, died s. p.
9. Catherine Jones, married Rice Pryce1 of Manafon, D.L.,
and died, leaving two daughters and coheiresses —
1 See Mont. Coll., vol. ix, p. 352.
PEDIGREE OF JONES OF GARTHMILL. 305
i. Catherine Pryce, married, 6 March 1800, John Williames Buckley- Williames1 of Pennant, Major in the Mont- gomeryshire Yeomanry Cavalry, J.P. and D.L. co. Mont- gomery, Sheriff 1820 ; he died 4 January 1866, aged 90, leaving four children —
1. Rice Pryce Buckley-Williames. of Pennant ; married in
1854 Ann Frances Pars^w Jones, daughter of Hum- phrey Rowlands Jones (see infra, p. 307), (she died 1883); marriage settlement dated 12th July 1854. He was the Editor of the Cambrian Quarterly Magazine, Major in the Montgomery shire Yeomanry Cavalry, J.P. co. Montgomery; in Board of Control Office. He died 24th March 1871, having had one child — i. Catherine, born 20th May 1855 ; died 27th October 1862.
2. John Buckley-Williames of Glyncogen, J.P., born llth
June 1808, and died 27th June, 1881, having been married twice : 1st, to Mary Anne, daughter of Richard Ford Whitmore of Birmingham (she died 24th December 1867) ; 2nd, to Martha Anne, eldest daughter and co. h. of Joseph Jones of Dolobran, Clerk of the Peace (see supra, p. 304), and by his second marriage had no issue. By his first marriage he had four sons and three daughters —
i. Laimley Buckley-Williames, born 25th July 1844 ; Lieu- tenant in the Montgomeryshire Yeomanry Cavalry ; and died 22nd September 1873, unmarried.2 ii. Catharine Buckley-Williames, married, at Llandyssil, 4th Sept. 1862, Richard Edward Jones of Cefn Bryntalch, J.P. and County Councillor co. Montgomery, High Sheriff 1875 ; and has issue three sons and four daughters —
1. Walter Buckley Jones, born 16th August 1864 ; of
Christ's College, Cambridge, and Lincoln's Inn.
2. EdwardWhitmore Jones, born 10th January 1869;
2nd Lieutenant 2nd Battalion South Wales Borderers, now in India,
3. Lumley Owen Williames Jones, born 1st Decem-
ber 1876 ; at Winchester School.
4. Alice Morgan.
5. Cicely Katharine.
6. Mabel Eliza.
7. Gladys Meryal.
iii. John Buckley-Williames, of Pennant, born 12th November 1845 ; married Frances Anne Jones, daughter of Joseph Owen Jones of Fron y gog (see supra, p. 303); she died 7th July 1882, and he died at Pennant, 14 September 1883, s. p.
iv. Pryce Buckley-Williames, died 13th June 1849, s. p.
v. Elizabeth Mary Buckley-Williames, married, 3rd Febru- ary 1874, to Robert Lewis Andrew of Rockferry, Cheshire, and has no issue. She is now of Pennant and Glanhafren (1891).
1 See Mont. Coll., vol. ix, p. 347, and vol. xi, p. 387.
2 See Mont. Coll., vol. iv, p. 157.
306 PEDIGREE OF JONES OF GARTHMILL.
vi. Alice Buckley Buckley- Williames, married, 9th June 1880, at the parish church of Manafon, John Arthur Talbot of Newtown, solicitor, and. has had three children —
1. John Lumley Williames Talbot, born 17th May
1881 ; died 3rd February 1891.
2. Eric Lawrence Talbot, born 15th December 1883.
3. Alys Merial Talbot.
vii. Rhys Buckley- Williames, of Pennant, J.P., married, in 1884, to Gertrude Susannah, daughter of the late Charles Jones Humphreys, Esq., and died 21st November 1887, s. p.
3. Catherine Buckley Williames.
4. Mary Buckley Williames.
ii. Jane Pryce, born 1785; married, in 1814, Rev. John Davies, M.A., of Maesmawr and Fronfelyn, J.P. co. Montgomery (who was born 1770, and died 1853); she died in 1857, leaving two children —
1. John Pryce Davies of Maesmawr and Fronfelyn, J.P. ;
High Sheriff, 1869 ; living, 1891.
2. Jane Anne Davies, married, in July 1847, John Devereux
Pryce1 of Dolforwyn Hall (who was born 5th Feb. 1819, and died Feb. 1848, s. p.), and is now of Maes- mawr Hall, Montgomeryshire (1891).
10. Anne Jones.
11. Mary Jones.
12. Elizabeth Jones, married Thomas Owen of Dyffryn Meifod,
and died s. p.
There were ten more children of this marriage.
x. HUMPHREY JONES of Garthmill and Melyn ygrug married Jane, daughter and heiress of Edward Row- lands of Rhiewfelen (Mont. Coll., vol. xvii, p. 55), and died in 1808, leaving three children —
1. Humphrey Rowlands Jones (XT).
2. Catherine Jones, married, in 1809, David Gwynne, third
son of Sackville Gwynne of Glanbrane, co. Carmarthen^ and died s. p.
3. Jane Jones, married Henry Evans of Penrallt, Machyn-
lleth, and died, leaving one son —
i. Humphrey Jones Evans, D.L. Co. Montgomery, born 14th Feb. 1806, and died 21st Nov. 1862, having left his property, Fron y g6g, to Joseph Jones Evans, upon condition of his taking the additional surname of Evans. See supra, p. 303.
xi. HUMPHREY ROWLANDS JONES of Garthmill and
1 See Mont. Coll., vol. xix, p. 154.
2 See Burke's Landed Gentry (edit. 1846), p. 520.
PEDIGREE OF JONES OF GARTHMILL. 307
Melyn y grug, Co. Montgomery, and Ystymllyn, Co. Carnarvon, bom 6th November 1777, and christened at Machynlleth 17th February 1778; High Sheriff Co. Carnarvon 1810 ; married twice : 1st, in 1807, Mary, only daughter and heiress of the Rev. Edward Thel- wall, Rector of Llanbedr, Co. Denbigh, and niece of Simon Thelwall of Blaen lal in the same county (she died 28th May 1808); and 2nd, in 1809, his cousin, Ann Jones, the daughter of John Jones (supra, p. 304), (who died in 1864). By his first marriage he left one son —
1. Humphrey Thelwall Jones, born 26th March 1808 ; Fellow Commoner of Trinity, and died at Cambridge 10th May 1827, unmarried.
By his second marriage he had nine children —
1. John Parslow Jones, born 24th March 1810, died at
Ystymllyn 15th September 1810, and was buried at Criccieth, co. Carnarvon.
2. Charles Jones (xn).
3. A son, still-born, 16th July 1813.
4. Thomas Jones, born 16th June 1815 ; died 23rd December
1839, unmarried ; buried at Berriew.
5. Ann Frances Parslow Jones, married, 1854, her second
cousin, Rice Pryce Buckley-Williames (see supra, p. 305).
6. Rees Jones, born 24th December 1818, and died 20th
July 1872, unmarried.
7. Charlotte Jones, born 6th March 1820 ; married, 8th May
1847, her second cousin, Joseph Owen Jones (see supra, p. 305). She died 8th May 1886.
8. John Morgan Edwards Jones (xui).
9. Frances Elizabeth Jones, born 20th March 1822 ; married,
in 1850, Samuel Devonshire Penrose of Farren Lodge, Ireland, and died 20th November 1865, s. p. ; buried at Berriew.
xii. CHARLES JONES, born 17th July 1811; edu- cated at Trinity, Oxford ; High Sheriff of Montgomery- shire, 1851; married Ann Rubbathan, daughter of John Rubbathan of Wilmington (she died 21st January 1844, aged forty-three, M.I, Montgomery Church). He married, secondly, Jane Valentine of Ludlow. He died in November 1874, s. p., and was
308 PEDIGREE OF JONES OF GARTH MILL.
buried at Norwood. His relict, Jane, died 20th September 188.9.
xni. JOHN MORGAN EDWARDS JONES, late of No. 5, Gloucester Road, Regent's Park, London, now (1891) of Loubcroy, Wimbledon Hill, born 6th March 1821, and, on the death of his elder brother Charles, in 1874, succeeded to the representation of the family. He married, 28th June 1853, Harriet, daughter of Sir William Clay, Bart., and sister of the present Sir Arthur Temple Felix Clay, of Burrows Lea, co. Surrey, Bart., and has one son and two daughters.
1. GEORGE MOEGAN EDWARDS JONES (xiv),born 16th July 1858,
of 11, King's Bench Walk and Pembroke College, Cam- bridge, bracketed 4th Wrangler 1881 ; elected Fellow of his College, 3rd October 1882 ; called to the Bar (Inner Temple), Trinity Term 1883, and joined the North Wales Circuit.
2. Laura Harriet Edwards Jones ) r .
3. Fanny Mary Penrose Jones J llvmg
APPENDIX A (see page 300).
AN EPITOME OF TITE WILL OF HUMPHREY JONES OF GARTHMILL ; made 26th February 1652-3 ; proved 28th May 1653.
Testator directed that his body should be buried in the church of Berriew.
He devised the sum of £30 for the charges of his funeral, and £10 " to be distributed to the poorer sort of people" who should be at his funeral.
He devised to Thomas Lloyd of Berriew, clerk-, John Kyffyn of Manafon, clerk ; Thomas Price of Dolforin (Dolforwyn), gentleman ; Howell Jones of Brithdir, gentleman ; Richard Edwards of Llifior, gentleman ; Thomas Jones of Garthmill, gentleman ; and John Reignolds of Garthmill, " my nephew," the Rectory of Bettws and lands in Tregynon parish which testator held in mortgage from John Blayney of Gregynog, Esq., for .£400 consideration — his trustees above named to hold the same in trust to- wards finding arid maintaining a free school in the parish of Berriew, at the discretion of his trustees, with the interest of the £400 for ever.
If John Blayney redeemed the mortgage of ,£400. the same to be again put on mortgage on other lands.
He also devised to the said trustees all the tithes of corn, etc., of the township of Garthmill, which testator also held in mortgage from John Blayney for £200 consideration, the trustees to hold the same to the same uses.
If the £200 mortgage should be redeemed, the same to be invested on
JONES OF GARTHMILL. 309
the same security as before. Testator devised to Richard Jones of Trwst- llewelyn £5, to Edward Morgan £5, and to Joyce, vcz (verch = daughter) of John of Trwstllewelyn £5, payable one year after testator's decease.
To Morris, Edward, Eleanor, and Anne Griffith of Trwstllewelyn £5 each, payable as above. To Richard Edwards of Llifior, testator's nephew, an annuity of £20, payable out of all testator's lands, tenements, etc., in Garthmill. To Richard Edwards, testator bequeathed the sum of £50.
To his nephew, Thomas Jones of Garthmill, testator bequeathed the sum of £100.
To William Phellippe of Freeth,1 in the said county, and Ann his wife, testator bequeathed £10.
To his cousin, Evan ap Rees of Keele, and cousin, Meredith Blayney of Alltucha,2 he bequeathed the sum of £5 each.
To Richard Davies of Garthmill testator devised the sum of £20 12s., due to him on a bond upon Richard Pryce and John Whittingham of Hem, gent.
To his servants, David Alexander, Isaac and John Watkin, to Margaret Newton and Eleanor Griffiths, his maids, he bequeathed 20s. each. To Anne Jones, his niece and servant, a bay mare, and a black cow, and house- room, " ooe chamber in my dwelling house at Garthmill, with meat and drink at the charge of my heir for her life."
To Evan Watkin of Trwstllewelyn testator bequeathed the sum of 20s. a year for life, payable on the 24th of December each year.
To his nephew, Griffith Owen, £30 ; to Katherine, Mary, and Elizabeth Owen, £5 each.
To his godson, George Robbins, 20s. ; to his niece, Mary Evans, widow, £10 due to testator on a bond by Randolph Piers.
To his niece, Elizabeth Broughton, £10 due by Richard Jones of Forden, gentleman, and the interest thereof.
To Rees Morris and his wife Margaret, one day's math of hay laying in Gwerglodd, Garthmill, lying between the lands of Thomas Jones on the one side and a brook called Llifior on the other, for the life of the said Margaret.
To his nephew, Oliver Owens, 20s. ; and to his niece, Mary Colletts, spinster, six heifers and one bullock, two years old. due to testator from Richard Daviea and Richard Evans for tithe for Trwstllewelyn, £25 — of which sum he abated them. £8. The sum of £46, due to testator from other townships in Berriew parish (named in the will), he devised to his nephews, Roger ap Richard and Rees ap Richard, equally.
To Margaret, wife of Rees Morris, he bequeathed two yearling calves ; to Blanch Edwards, widow, 20s.
" To John ap Richard ap Reignald, my nephew, I devise all my mes- suages and lands lying in Garthmill and Trwstllewelyn, and those in Furden parish, to hold the same to the said John ap Richard ap Reignald and the heirs of his body lawfully issuing for ever.
"In default to Richard ap Richard ap Reignald and his heirs, in default to Roger ap Richard and his heirs, in default to Rees ap Richard and his heirs, in default to my right heirs for ever."
Testator directed his executors to pay George Devereux the sum of £11 towards the discharge of a debt, due by bond upon Mary3 Jones of Brithdir, widow, and Richard Edwards of Llifior.
1 A township in Berriew parish, 2 Ibid.
3 Probably testator's sister.
VOL. XXV. Y
310 JONES OF GARTHM1LL.
He bequeathed 40s. to his nephew, Edward Blaney, and to William Newton of Penryn twenty-nine sheep.
He devised to his nephew, John ap Richard ap Reignalds, all his lands in Penryn, which he held in mortgage from Owen and John Penryn for the sum of £300, subject to redemption. This money John ap Richard ap Reignalds was to make use of to pay the legacies with.
He bequeathed to Charles Price of Trwstllewelyn the sum of £5.
" Whereas there was an intention of a marriage between the said John ap Richard ap Reignald, by the. name of John Reynolds, of the one party, and Elizabeth Price of Pilleth, daughter of James Price of Pilleth, in the county of Radnor, Esquire, deceased, of the other party ; and whereas there was a draft of an agreement touching the said marriage, and my will, desire, and meaning is that the said marriage shall take effect accordingly ; and if the said marriage shall take effect, then my will is that £300, part of the portion of the said Elizabeth, my debts and legacies being paid and £20 thereof deducted. I devise the remainder to my executors to be disposed of at their discretion amongst my kindred."
Testator revoked all former wills, and appointed Thomas Price [? of Dolforwyn], Howell Jones [? of Brithdir], John ap Richard ap Reignald, and Richard Morris ap Rees of Bettws, his executors.
HUMPHREY JONES.
To his nephew, John Owen of Brithdir, he devised £70, £50 of which was to be paid to him at the end of one year after ttstator's decease, and £20 at the end of two years.
To his nephews, Richard Edwards and Roger ap Richard ap Reignald and Rees ap Richard ap Reignald, he devised the residue of all debts owing to him to the extent of £1,000 on an unsatisfied statute due to him by John Blayney of Gregynog Hall, Esq.
To Samuel Lloyd the younger, John Lloyd, Richard Lloyd and Anne Lloyd, children of Samuel Lloyd of Dudson, in the county of Salop, he bequeathed the sum of £5 each. Provided always
That the said Richard Edwards and John Owens, upon receipt of their several legacies, and enjoying the annuity and the several sums bequeathed to them in this my will expressed, and to them severally given and devised, shall release and quit claim unto my said nephew, John ap Richard ap Reignald, and his heirs, all their claim, right, and interest of and in all my messuages, lands, and tenements and hereditaments situate in Garthmill, Trwstllewelyn and Forden, except the messuage and lands in the possession of William Burley,1 and if they, the said Richard Edwards and John Owens, do implead or evict the said John ap Richard ap Reignald or his heirs, for or touching any of the said lands, etc., then the devise and bequest to Richard Edwards and John Owens shall be void, and the said John ap Richard ap Reignald to have the benefit of the annuity, etc.
Testator devised to John Thomas of Penryn a parcel of pasture, Comet with lying in Penryn, for two years.
To George Robins of Brithdir, 40s. for writing this will.
He charged his heir to pay the use of £42 yearly, every 24th of Decem- ber, to the use of the poor of Berriew for ever.
To Margaret, wife of Piers Ambrose of Brithdir, £6 13s. 4c/., to be paid to her out of the price of the first cattle sold by his executors.
To John ap Richard ap Keignald all his cattle and sheep.
1 See Rees Jones's will as to this. (Mont. Coll., vol. xxi, p. 161.)
JONES OF GARTHMILL. 311
Witnesses.
John Blayney, Andrew Blayney, Ar. Jones, Pryce Owen, Penryn ; George Robbins, the X of Ffrancis Reynolds of Llandyssil.
APPENDIX B (see page 301).
WILL OF JOHN REIGNALDS, GENTLEMAN, OP GARTHMILL ; made 19th December 1670; proved 10th July 1672.
Testator bequeathed his soul to God, body to the earth. To his youngest son, Matthew Reighnalds, testator bequeathed all the buildings, lands, etc., which he, testator, had purchased of Richard ap John of Trwstllewelyn, to hold to him, Matthew, and his heirs for ever, yet nevertheless notwithstanding this devise, my will and mind is that " my son Humphrey Jones " doe well and truly pay or cause to be paid to my son Matthew, his heirs and assigns, the sum of £40 within four years of my death, and then the said lands are to go to my son Humphrey and to his heirs and assigns.
To his son Valentine Reignalds I devise all that messuage and tenement in Forden1 where Thomas Ffoulke lives, situate in Great Hem, and a messuage in Little Hem occupied by Edward Jones, they to go to my son Valentine, his heirs and assigns, for ever.
To his three daughters, Mary, Elizabeth, and Bridgett, he devised all the lauds he held in mortgage from Edward Davies and Edward Jones, lying in Garthmill, to hold to them and their heirs. If the mortgage of £200 was paid, then the money to go in equal parts between the three daughters. He also devised the land he held in mortgage from Richard Davies, lying in Garthmill, or the money, share and share alike (amount not mentioned). To son Valentine a bequest of £40. Beloved wife Mary, sole executrix. Witnessed by Arthur Pryce [Vaynor], the X of Anne Lloyd, and Thomas Pryce [probably Dolforwynj.
APPENDIX C (see page 302).
1 March 1684. Marriage Settlement made subsequent to the marriage of Humphrey Jones, Esq., with Miss Mary Donne.
THIS INDENTURE made the first day of March in the 35th year of the reigne of Charles the Second [1684] Between Humphrey Jones of Garthmill in the County of Montgomery Gent. Valentine Reynolds of Llivior in the said County of Montgomery Cler.2 and Mary Reynolds of Llivior aforesaid in the said County Widd. Mother of the said Humphrey and Valentine of the first part Matthew Price of Park penpryce in the said County Esquire Stephen Donne of Glase combe in the County of Radnor Gentleman of the second part and James Donne of St. Martin-in-the-fields in the County of Middlesex Esq and William Probert of Llandewy ystradenny in the said
1 As to this see Rees Jones's and Humphrey Jones's wills.
2 Rector of Llangower, 1685.
Y 2
312 JONES OF GARTHMILL.
County of Radnor Esq of the third part WITNESSETH that the said Humphrey Jones Valentine Reynolds and Mary Reynolds in consideration of a marriage already had arid solemnized bet'n the said Humphrey Jones and Mary his now wife sister of the said James Donne and of the sum of £600 paid by the said James Donne for the marriage portion and pre- ferment of her the said Mary and for the settling the messuages, etc., herein- after ment'd To the uses hereinafter mentioned It is agreed betweene the said parties to these presents that the said Humphrey Jones Valentine Reynolds and Mary Reynolds shall att the next Great Sessions to be held in the said county of Montgomery acknowledge and leavy unto the said Matthew Pryce and Stephen Donne one fine sur cognizance de droit come ceo, etc., according to the Statute in that case provided of All that Capital Messuage tenement and lands in Garthmill aforesaid and Trustelewelin in the said County of Montgomery wherein the said Humphrey Jones doth now dwell with all the demeasne lands thereunto belonging or therewith at any time heretofore used And of all that Messuage in Trustewelin afore- said sometime in the tenure of Mary Moris widow and now in the occupa- tion of Moris Arthur Edward Broughton and the said Humphrey Jones And of all those Messuages and lands in Trustewelin aforesaid heretofore in the po;-session of Thomas ap Evan and now in the possession of Thomas Moris Thomas ap Pro bert and Matthew Jones their undert'ts or ass's And of all ye Messuage and lands in Trustewelin af's'd late in the possession of Evan Watkin and now of the s'd Humphrey Jones his undert'ts or ass's All which messuages, etc., were heretofore in the possession of John Reynolds and Richard Reynolds or either of them their undertenants and assigns and are now in the tenure poss'n or occup'n of the sev'l persons here- after named and called or known by the sev'l names hereafter ineiit'd (viz.)1 Cae dwr Cae grino, Cae werne, Cae Llwyd and y patch glase, Cae helig wyn, Cae Llivior, Cae r hen du gweir, Llivior, fron goch ucha, fron goch issa, fron goch ganol, Cud is pistodlyn bryn y maen,in the possession of the s'd Humph'y Jones — gweir glodd ar hen du and the dogt in the poss'n of Matthew Jones hia uud'ts or ass's Cefn garth mill in the poss'n of Griffith Robinson Gent, gweir glodd Garth mill in the poss'n of Robert Jones Gent. Cwm gwydd ucha and Cwm gwydd issa als Cwm y gwydd Llwyn y berth byarth y Daile the upper Cae John ap Prichard and part of the middle Cae John ap Prichard in the poss'n of Edw'd Davies gent. Bella wen the rest of the midle Cae John ap Richard the lower Cae John ap Prichard Close y garnedd and Cae goch in the poss'n of the said Humphrey Jones and by him lately demised to William Jennings Salt Currier All that Messuage called Pen y bryn formerly in the poss'n of the said Mary Moris in Trustewelyn af's'd viz. Cae tan y Strybor Cae tan y berllan Peny bryn those sev'l parcels of land lieing in the sev'l fields called the upper maes ur gweir glodd rnaes o ddiar y bont Close bach. All that parcell of land lying in a field called Erw goch Two thirds of one part of a meadow lying in Gweir glodd r helyg Two other third parts of a meadow lying in Gweir glodd bach now in the sev'l poss'ns or occ'ns of the said Humphrey Jones Morris Arthur Edward Broughton and Hugh ap Pritchard their undert'ts or ass's All that Messuage tenement and lands 'formerly in the poss'n of Thomas ap Evan (viz.) The messuage and tent't with one parcel of land adjoining to it now in the poss'n of Thomas Moris One meadow called Gweir glodd pwll y boding in the poss'n or occu'n of Richard Evans
1 The names of the fields are curious and worthy of attention. Also the parcels of land lying within common fields.
JONES OF GARTHMILL. 313
yeoman One parcel of land lying in a field called Maes Llettu Evan called Erw gron in the poss'n or occ'n of Thomas ap Probert Two other parcells lying in Maes Llettu Evan af's'd now in the poss'n of the s'd Matthew Jones The sev'l parcells lying in a common field called lower Maes r gweir glodd in the sev'l poss'ns of the said Humphrey Jones and Robert Jones The sev'l parcells of land lying in two sev'l common fields called Maes y bont ucha and Maes y bont issa now in the tenure of the s'd Humphrey Jones Two meadows called Gwerglodd ddu and ddol in the sev'l tenures of the s'd Humph'y Jones and Moris Arthur And All the other part of a meadow called Gweir glodd Helig tog'r with a third part of another meadow lying in another meadow called Gweirglodd Vach in Trustewelyn af's'd lately purchased by the said Humph'y Jones of George Morgan and Elizabeth his wife now in the poss'n of the s'd Humph'y Jones The third part of a messuage and ten't lately p'chased by the s'd Humph'y Jones from Francis Jones and Joice his wife now in the possession of Matthew Jones his undert't or ass's All those parcells of arable and meadow ground lately purchased by the s'd Humphrey Jones from Cadw'r DaviesEhz'th his wife and George Morgan or either of them now in the poss'n of the s'd Humph'y JoLes And all that Messuage and lands lately purchased of Edward Davies the Elder Edw'd Davies the y'r and Anne Smyth of Walcott by the s'd Humph'y Jones All those chiefe or fee farm rents1 arising out of those sev'l houses in the Towne of Poole in the sev'l poss'ns of Mary J'n Tudder Elizabeth Griffith John Corbett Robert Jones and Rees Lloyd And of all other the Messuages, etc., of the s'd Humphrey Jones his undert'ts or ass's And of all houses, etc., All which s'd mess's, etc., are sit'e in Garth mill and Trustywelyn in the parish of Berriew in the County of Montg'y and all comprized in the said fine by the name or names of 6 mess's Seven Tofts five gardens 6 orchards 200 acres of land 110 acres of meadow 180 acres of pasture 40 acres of Wood and 500 acres of furrs and heath in Garthmill and Trustewelyn in the p'sh of Berriew And that the s'd fine to be levyed shall be enure To the use of the s'd Matthew Pryce and Stephen Donne and their heires To the iut't that a common recovery may be thereof had against them att the s'd next Great Sessions on the tenants of the free- hold thereof.
And that the s'd Recovery soe to be levied shall enure To such uses etc. as are hereafter decl'd viz. As touching 13 acres lying in the lower maes ir weirglodd now in the poss'n of the s'd Robert Jones and Humphrey Jones to the use of the s'd Mary Reignolds for the term of 3 years from the Annuntiation of the Blessed Virgin Mary next CL suing And after the determination thereof To the use of the s'd Humph'y Jonts for the term of his life and after his decease Then to the use of the s'd Mary his wife for the term of her life as parte of her jointure out of the Estate of the s'd Humphrey Jones And as concerning the sev'l parcells of land called Gweir glodd 'r hen du and the croft in the poss'n of the s'd Matthew Jones Cefn Garthmill in the poss'n of the s'd Griffith Robinson Gweir glodd Garthmill in the poss'n of the s'd Robert Jones Cwni gwydd ucha als Cwm Gwydd byarth y dail the upper Cae Jo'n ap Pritchard and part of the Middle Cae John ap Pritchard in the poss'on of the said Edward Davies the rest of the middle Cae John ap Pritchard the lower Cae John ap Pritchard Close y garnedd and Cae Coch now in the poss'n of the s'd Humphrey Jones Ihose sev'l parcells of land lying in the several fields called the upper maes y gweirglodd maes oddiar y bont and
1 These chief rents were probably acquired by Rees Jones (iv) by his marriage with Joyce, daughter of Roger Jones of Welsh pool.
314 JONES OF GA.RTHMILL.
Close bach All that parcell of land lying in a field called Erw goch two thirds of one parte of a meadow lying in gweir glodd helig two third parts of a meadow lying in gweir glodd vach now in the sev'l poss'ns of the said Humphrey Jones Edward Broughton and Hugh ap Pritchard All that messuage &c. formerly in the poss'on of Thomas ap Evan (viz.) the messuage with one parcell of land belonging to it in the pos'n of the s'd Thomas Moris one meadow called Gweir glodd pwll y beding in the poss'n of the s'd R'd Evans One parcell of lai.d lying in a field called Maes Hetty Evan called Erw grin in the p'n of the s'd Thomas ap Probert Two other parcells lying in Maes Lletty Evan af's'd now in poss'n or occ'n of the s'd Matthew Jones The sev'l parcells of land called Maes Llettu ir Telaf and Cae ir finnon now called Maes Truslewelyn and Pen llwyn y Pi in the pos'n of the s'd Matthew Jones Sev'l parcells of land lying in two common fields called Maes y bont ucha and Maes y bont issa now in the tenure or occ'n of the s'd Humphrey Jones All the third parte of a meadow called Gweir glodd helig tog'r with the third parte of another meadow lying and being in a meadow called Gweir glodd Vach in Trustlewelyn af's'd lately purchased by the said Humphrey Jones of George Morgans and Elizabeth his wife now in the possession of the s'd Humphrey Jones The thirde part of a mess'e and ten't lately purchased by the said Humphrey Jones of Francis Jones and Joice his wife now in the poss'n of the said Matthew Jones his undert'ts and six obeds in Maes tan y bont in the poss'n of the s'd Humph'y Jones To the use of the s'd Mary Reign olds for the terme of her life in full satisfaction of her dower out of the Estate of the said John Reignold her late husband dec'd and in lieu of a rent charge h'tofore granted to the said Mary out of the Estate of her s'd husband and after her decease to the use of the s'd Humphrey Jones for the terme of his life And after his decease To the use of the s'd Mary his wife for the term of her life for and in recompence of another parcell of the jointure and dower of her the said Mary out of the Est'e of tiie s'd Humphrey Jones And as concerning All that Mess'e etc. lately purch'd of Edw'd Davies the Elder Edward Davies the y'r and Anne Smythe of Walcott by the s'd Humphrey Jones To the use of the s'd Humphrey Jones for the term of his life And from his decease To the use of the s'd Mary his wife for the term of her life in lieu of and in full redemption of her dower out of the Estate and of the endowm't of the said Humphrey Jones And as concerning All that mess'e called Pen y bryn formerly in the poss'n of the s'd Mary Moris (viz.) Cae tan y Sty b or Cae tan y berllan and Pen y bryn with the orchards and Closes adj'g now in the pos'n of the s'd Moris Arthur and Fron goch issa in the pos'n of the s'd Humphrey Jones To the use of the s'd H. Jones for the term of his life and from his decease To the use of the s'd Mary his wife for the terme of her life if the s'd Humphrey Jones die with't issue of her body by him begotten or that shall not be of her body born alive after his death And as concerning All that Cap'l Mess'e ten't and lands with the app'ts in Garth mill af's'd in the s'd Co. of Montg'y wherein the said Humphrey Jones doth now dwell and all the demesne lands thereto bel'g or therewith now or heretofore at any time used And of all those sev'l pieces of land called Cae dwr Cae gronow Caen waen Cae Lloyd and y Patch glase Cae ir helygwyn Cae Llivior Gweir glodd llivior Fron goch ucha Fron goch ganol Cae ir pistodlyn and Bryn y maen in the poss'n of the s'd Humphrey Jones To the use of the s'd Humph'y Jones for the term of his life and from his decease To the use of the s'd Mary his wife for the term of 60 years next ensuing if the s'd Mary Reiguolds mother of the s'd Humphrey Jones sh'd so long live and not otherwise And as touch- ing All those sev' pieces of land called Cae ir hen du in the s'd pos'n of
JONES OF GARTH MILL.
315
the s'd Humphrey Jones Sev'l pieces of land being in a common field called lower maes r weir glodd in the sev'l pos'ns of the s'd Humphrey Jones and Robert Jones Two meadows called Gweir glodd ddu and y Ddol in the sev'l ten's or occ'ns of the s'd Humphrey Jones and Moris Arthur And all those chief or fee farm rents arising or growing out of all those sev'l houses in Towne of Poole And all o'r the Mess'es etc. of the s'd Hurnpb. Jones and All and sing'r all houses etc. To the use of the s'd Humphrey Jones for the term of his life and from his decease To the use of the s'd Mary his wife for the term of the life if the s'd H. Jones die with't issue of her body by him begotten or that shall not be of her body borne alive after his death And as touching All the reversion and rem'r of all and sing'r the premises after the sev'l Est's lim'd as af's'd And as the same shall resp'ly deter- mine To the use of William Donne and W. Probert and their heirs during life of H. Jones In trust to preserve contingent rem'r To the use of the 1st son of the marriage in tail gen' with rem'r to the 23456 and 7 and o'r sons in like tail with rem'r To the 1 and other daughters in like tail with rem'r To the use of Rees Reignolds of Llivior Gent, in tail gen'l rem'r To the use of Matthew Reynolds of Llivior Gent, in tail gen'l rem'r To the use of Elizabeth Reynolds of Llivior af's'd Spinster in tail
rem'r
Tc the use of Bridgett Reynolds of Garthmill af's'd Spinster rem'r
To the use of the right heirs of the s'd Humphrey Jones for ever. Proviso if Mary die without issue within 3 years £300 to be returned to S. Donne.
Power to H. Jones to will a deed to charge portion for younger children not ex'g £300.
APPENDIX D (see page 302). MELIN Y GEUG : YR HIE lios IN LLANLODDIAN.
John ap Evan ap David ap Tudur=f Mali, v'rch David Lloyd. = Griffith ap Vaughan ap Ednyved Gocb, ap Meredith.
Griffith.
I
Howell.=rElen, verch Evan ap John ap Ednyved of the Wayn, in Martin.
OJU.-T-J
(" David ap Huwell ap leuan, gent.", on county Grand Juries, 33-4 Henry VIII.)
Daviii.=pMawd, verch David ap Meredith ap Howell ap Dai ap Madoc Lloyd ap David Vain.
(" Evanus ap David ap Howell de Llan- vayre", and "Evanus David ap Howell ap John", on county G. Juries from 41 Eliz. to 7 James I.)
|
1 van.^ P s ? |
-Catherine, verch Evan Owen Marg't, mar. ap David ap Griffith ap Evan ap ap Dai. Her mother David. David ap was G \venllian, verch David ap Kees ap David ap Meyrick Bedo ap Meyrick Lloyd. Kwch. |
|
Gwen, Jane, mar. Cadwaladr ap Owei married. ap Evan David ap Gwilyru. |
! "
316
JONES OF GARTHMILL.
|
Edward.= ("Edrusapleun,gen.", and "Edrus Evans |
=Lowry , verch David. = Seina, verch Morgan James David ap David |
! 1 1 Jane. Eleanor. |
|
de Pentirch, gen.", |
Llewelyn ap Lloyd of |
Seina. |
|
on G. Juries from 8 James I to 17 |
David Lloyd. Llanvair. (On G. J. |
All mar |
|
James I.) |
from 27-37 |
ried. |
|
Eliz.) |
[fg|r Morgan Edward.:
(" Morganus Edwards de Pentirch, gen," Hund. of Mathraval, on G. Juries, 3 Ch. I to 6 Ch. II.)
Ales, verch Cadwaladr ap Owen.
John Edwards of Melyn^Mary, dan. of John Pryce of Park, sister and co- ygrug. heir of Math. Pryce, M. P. for Montgomery
Boroughs from 1678-85.
Morgan Ed wards of Melyn= y grug, Sheriff in 1738.
=pSusanna, second of the nine daughters and co- heirs of Ehys Wynn of Eunant, by Anne his •wife, daughter of Eobert John Wynne of Glyn, High Sheriff of Merioneth in 1657 and 1659. Lewys Dwnn, vol. i, p. 321, under " Eunant", has " Eobert Wynu of Glynn".
|
1 |
|||
|
Morgan= Edwards |
=..., daughter and heiress |
Bridget, only= daughter |
-Humphrey Jones of Garthmill, by whom she had with other |
|
of Melyn |
of ... Owen |
and heiress. |
children Humphrey Jones of |
|
y grug. |
of Ehyd.y- |
Garthmill and Meylyn y grug, |
|
|
gro: |
A Son, o. s. p.
From " Morgan Edward" upwards, with the exception of the corrobo- rative evidence between brackets, is derived from Lewis Dwnn's Visitations, vol. i, p. 286. The notes and succeeding generations are on sufficiently good authority.— W. V. LL.
APPENDIX E (see page 302).
A RENTAL OF ME. HUMPHREY JONES'S, OF GARTHMILL, ESTATE,
LYING IN THE PARISH OF BERRIEW AND COUNTY OF
MONTGOMERY. [1748.]
The Capital Messuage called Upper Garthmill, together with part of the ffarme and Lands thereunto belong- ing on the same, now is lett (subject to Land tax and chief rent only) unto William Rubbathan at the yearly rent of
d.
67 00 00
JONES OF GARTHMILL. 317
Another part of the lands usually lett with the said Capital £ s. d. Messuage, but now lett to Mr. Edward Turner of Kilgorgan, clear of taxes and deductions, at the yearly rent of M 20 00 00
Another part of the same lands, but now in Mr. Jones's own holding, called by the name of Llivior meadows, and lett to .... the last occupier thereof ... ... 12 00 00
Another parcell of the same lands, but now lett to Samuel Parry of Truttewelin, clear of all abatements, at the yearly rent of 02 00 00
Another part of the same lands, but now lett to Vaughan
Price of Llivior, clear of all taxes, at the yearly rent of 02 17 06
Another parcel of the same lands, formerly let with the Capitall Messuage, but now lett to Francis Edwards of Trustewelin, together with (but exclusive of the rent of) another messuage and ffarme of the said Mr. Jones's, at the yearly rent of 05 00 00
The said messuage and ffarme called the Whitehouse, lying in Trustewelin in the said parish of Berriew, lett to the said Francis Edwards, subject to land tax and chief rent, at the yearly rent of 19 00 00
Another Messuage called Pen-y-Bryn, lying in Trustewelin aforesaid, lett to the said Samuel Parry (subject to land tax and chief rent) at the yearly rent of 09 00 00
Another messuage and lands lying in the Township of Garth- mill, lett to John Broughton (subject to land tax and chief rent) , at the yearly rent of 04 08 DO
Another messuage and land called Tu ton y ffron, lying in the Township of Trustewelin, lett to Thomas Evans (subject to land tax and chief rent) at the yearly rent of 03 00 00
A small messuage and garden lying in Garthinill, called Cwm gwydd, lett to Thomas Kynerley, free of all taxes and deductions, at the yearly rent of 01 10 00
Several parcells of lands called the Cwm gwydd's, lying in Garthmill, lett to Humphrey Turner, clear of all taxes, at the yearly rent of ' 08 00 00
Three several parcells of land in Garthmill, now in Mr. Jones's hands, but lett to the last occupier (clear of all taxes) at the yearly rent of 05 00 00
That part of the Capitall Messuage with the orchard, and
one parcell of land in Mr. Jones's hands 03 00 00
£161 15 06
The outgoings are only a charge of ... £15 00 00 per annum towards the free Schools of Berriew, and to the Poor 02 00 00
To Mrs. Bridgett Jones, mother of Mr. Jones,
for life, instead of Dower 25 00 00
42 00 00
£119 15 06
318 JONES OF GARTHMILL.
AN ACCOUNT OF ALL MR. HUMPHREY JONES'S DEBTS DUE FROM
HTM TO ANY PERSON OR PERSONS WHOMSOEVER.
To Mrs. Anne Howells of Garthmill, by Mr. Jones's single £ s. bond, dated on or about the 25th day of March 1747 ... 80 00
To Mr. Humphrey Jones of Clethie, in the parish of Llanllochaiarne, by Mr. Jones's single bond, dated on or about the 30th day of April 1747 80 00 00.
£160 00 00
N.B. — Mr. Jones's arrears of rent due to him from his Tennants at Lady diy last, his Household furniture, corn now cutt and divided with the present tenants at Garthmill, the remainder of his stock of cattle, unsold Horses and implements of husbandry, will nearly balance the above debt 160 00 00
The rental on the other side, with the outgoings therein mentioned, and the above amount of his debts, as allsoe the value of Mr. Jones' personall estate, I know to be strictly just and true in all respects as if the same were given in upon oath. Witness my hand this 17th day of August in the year of Lord 1748,
CHARLES HUMPHREYS.
319
UNUSUAL FORMS OF GROWTH IN PLANTS:
WITH LOCAL EXAMPLES.
BY THE EEV. J. E. VIZE, M.A., F.R.M.S., etc., Forden Vicarage,
Welshpool.
THE monstrosities of plants, including all their eccen- tricities, be they great or small — the departures, in fact, from the standard shape or growth of all vege- tables— are interesting. The subject of these unusual changes in life is a very wide one, and, without a doubt, may affect every plant that grows. The freaks, however, are very uncertain. You never can rely upon them. They may be present one season upon certain plants, and not necessarily there the next, although, as a rule, they are permanent.
Man has a good deal of influence upon plants. He may enrich his soil so that, instead of producing certain standards of the usual type, he may cause luxuriant growths to start into existence which would not other- wise be there ; or he may impoverish the land, so that poor, puny, depauperated specimens are grown. Man, however, with his actions for good or bad, is not the only agent accountable for these things. Some seasons are richer than others. We may have a seasonable winter with a good amount of snow, thus manuring the earth with chemical compositions it would not otherwise have. On the other hand, there may be a warm winter, which certainly deprives the trees and shrubs of the frost to harden the timber, and so invigorate them. The effect of these variations is felt more than we think. They exist without our appreciating them, but are none the less real.
Moisture, such as rain and heavy dews, also exerts its influence. This can easily be understood. Let
320 UNUSUAL FORMS OF GROWTH IX PLANTS I
vegetation be for a time without rain, how stagnant it becomes : growth in the right season of the year for growth is checked. But wait for the genial rain to come, and the old remark about seeing things grow under our eyes seems to be verified.
The effects of these changes will be detected in all sorts of ways. Moreover, they can be found close at home, if we look for them. It will be safe to venture the remark that scarcely a garden of any kind is free from these freaks of nature.
In flowering plants an interesting variation from the usually somewhat round stem sometimes takes place. The stem may become flattened by the branches con- glomerating together, and retaining no longer the round, but a very flat, appearance. It is not like a ribbon exactly, because a ribbon is thin ; but if we could imagine a ribbon with the thin side thickened to less than a quarter of its width, we might get a fair idea of the reality of the bundling together of the head and stem of the plant. The term given to this process is fasciation. When the flowers are borne at the tips of the branches in a healthy state, they would be on separate stalks, but they are very apt to become fused together in fasciation. It is interesting to see these eccentricities.
But without fasciation the stems of plants may be eccentric : they sometimes twist spirally in the fashion of a corkscrew", instead of being straight. This occurs frequently on plantains, and it is to be noticed that this spiral shape makes the head of it forked or branched. The cause of this may be that the spiral vessels and the other parts of the plant are so much out of their ordinary course that the fluids, etc., are diverted from the usual plan, and hence become queerly shaped.
Leaves are also not confined as to normal shape and number. The scarlet runner bean gives a fusion of two leaves into one, thus making what should be three leaves only two. Again, you may find the
WITH LOCAL EXAMPLES. 321
uppermost leaf divided into two, by which means four leaves are formed in the place of the three. And you may get each separate leaf formed into two, so that, instead of three, there are six leaves on one stalk.
Then, again, the very queer way in which many of the umbelliferous plants start a new side branch of flowers from their head blossoms is remarkable. It has been said that the cause of this arises from the blossoms having been formed, and then some luxuriant and sudden vigour is given to the plant, such as rain, or the rootlets finding unusual richness in the soil. But this version of the matter will scarcely be thought satisfactory, because more than one branch should grow — indeed, several more should — whereas they do not. One effort is all that is obtained. Several other plants besides the umbelliferous ones are liable to this freak. Cultivated geraniums, scabious, etc., will supply instances.
Instead of a side shoot, it is possible to meet with a shoot from the very centre. This form is much more difficult to find than the other.
Seeds and seed-cases furnish many peculiar forms of eccentric shape. The common hazel nut is frequently found with two or three nuts where only one is generally. In some parts of the country there is a superstition about these double nuts. People think it very unlucky to crack them. They also consider it to be lucky to keep them in their pockets. Super- stition must have a vast hold on a boy's temper when it will let him forego the pleasure of eating a nut, so that in preference he will keep it as a charm. Nuts of all kinds, the stones of peaches, nectarines, plums, apples, etc., give instances of double or even treble fructification.
Mosses vary their external form sometimes. It is not easy to detect this, because their size is so small. Records, however, exist in which some of them have grown all well at first, but the stalk bearing the fruit-vessels has divided in its growth upwards, and so
322 UNUSUAL FORMS OF GROWTH IN PLANTS I
two heads of fruit instead of one have been produced. Again, other examples are given in which they have had one single stalk, but at the top of the stalk there have been two ovaries, and the result has been that two capsules of fruit have been formed, closely con- nected together, and firmly attached to each other.
Should any one think that the subject here treated of is of no importance, the reply in part would be, that as a necessity the active minds of some people must have an occupation over and above the ordinary business of life ; and why these queer forms of life should not take their place amongst the various extra studies for the improvement of the mind, no one can tell. If people like to study these freaks of nature and kindred subjects as a study, there is a vast and unexplored field of labour ahead. If they take it up as an amusement, they may become pleased and delighted with it. It will make them spend many and many an hour in the enchanting book of nature.
I append a few eccentric forms of plants, princi- pally obtained from the neighbourhood of Welshpool, and even from a distance if well worthy of record.
On the 16th May 1891 I was supplied with some unusual forms of geranium from Gunley. One of them has the bunch, of what are generally flowers only, divided about equally between leaves and flowers. Two others, instead of being floral at the head, have branched themselves into twro floral heads opposite to each other, and are both of them full of buds ; the centre between the two has several leaves the size of a sixpenny-piece. Another shows a very tall stalk of flowers, arid, strange to say, there issues, five inches down the stem, another bunch of flowers, four inches high, with a flattened instead of a round stalk. A fourth form has a lateral shoot four and a half inches long, one blossom of which is very elongated, and another very twisted and thickened.
In my garden there grew some very queerly shaped plums. They were malformed, possibly from an imper-
WITH LOCAL EXAMPLES. 323
feet development of the stalk on which they were pro- duced. The result was that instead of taking the normal shape, one side of the plum was much smaller than the other, especially at the lower part of the stone. By making two marks for eyes, and one slit for a mouth, they very much resembled the head of a monkey on a small scale. I have seen a plate of a sloe, the fruit of which assumed a somewhat funny shape, different from my plums. A figure of it is given in the Berwickshire Naturalists' Club Proceedings. One of the fruits appears to resemble the bottom of a slipper ; another gives the idea of a green fig.
The ordinary polyanthus sported exceedingly in the spring of 1891, at Mr. Mostyn Pryce's garden at Gun- ley. One plant was very large indeed, and had only one floral head proceeding from its very centre. The stem, when growing, showed a conglomeration of four stems into one, and the flowers, either in bud or blossom, numbered fifty-nine, from the fully expanded ones to those which were only just formed. Contrasted with the normal form of half a dozen more or less, the specimen is very remarkable. A second example was found, but it was not so marked as the above.
A potato of a black colour throughout was grown in Montgomery, at Mr. Farmer's garden, in the year 1890. On being raised from the ground, it was found to have six tubers of the original black colour, and one perfectly white. This albino was to be kept for plant- ing next year, but a protest was raised to its being so used, for fear of something dreadful in the way of ill- luck being sure to follow.
A parishioner gave me, last year, an unusually large potato, out of which grew five smaller potatoes, all of them horizontally in the earth.
A dahlia has been grown, from its roots grew four stems, and on each of the stems different coloured flowers blossomed. An instance of this kind is not often recorded.
Amongst the plants bearing thickened stems may be
324 UNUSUAL FOUMS OF GROWTH IN PLANTS I
instanced the common agrimony, bearing a branched head ; the dandelion, two specimens of which I have found with double masses of flowers on one stalk. This is a form frequently found in the Marguerite daisy. The artichoke (helianthus) produces the same form as far as the spot where the blossoms would de- velope if they could, but which they only occasionally do in our country.
The primrose varies exceedingly in the number, size, and beauty of its sepals. Very little credit is given to the Great Creator for the diversity produced in this way throughout nature. If all our daisies, buttercups, anemones, geraniums, were one uniform standard of tint and shape, they would be wearisome to us. No two exactly resemble each other. During the present spring I have found the anemone of our woods with seven, eight, or even nine sepals, instead of the usual number. The narcissus has supplied my herbarium with six flowers on one stem, instead of one or two. hi one instance two stems formed themselves into one, the tubes preserving their shape throughout, just like two gas-pipes would if laid side by side. As for the plantains, they sport immensely, supplying forked flowering heads, reversion to leaves, etc., in endless forms. One wants to see them to believe in their diversity. Last year I discovered one plant on the railway line which was most prolific in varieties, but the progress of civilisation has destroyed it and all my hopes. This year the spot of its growth has had to yield to potatoes.
Reversion to leaves in the place of flowers is of occasional occurrence. The Rev. Wolley Dod has sent me some beautiful instances of this kind from Cheshire. If he were living in this county my list would be largely increased. In Montgomeryshire specially may be noticed the garden scabious, the marigold, and chrysanthemum.
Sometimes the heads of plants become prolific, and shoot from their centre and sides a separate branch.
UNCJSUAL FORMS OF GROWTH IN PLANTS. 325
The umbelliferous plants are very prone to this sport ; the garden parsley, the hog-weed, furnishing examples.
Leaves are queer : scarlet runners, as found in the garden of Mr. Hawks worth of Park Lane, Welshpool, supplying the best I ever saw. They numbered four and six, instead of the usual quantity, three. Clover gives four, five, and even six, instead of the standard three amongst trefoils.
Surpassing any and every thing I have ever had submitted to rny notice is a part of a plant called Calystegium sepium. It was kindly sent to me by Mr. Boulton from Leominster. The stem is excessively thickened and flattened, and was distorted about four feet in height by assuming a very spiral twist. It was worth photographing alive.
Before ending this subject it is only due to say how obliged I am to Mrs. Naylor of Leighton Hall, and also to Mr. and Mrs. Mostyn Pryce of Gunley, who gave me free access to their gardens at any time to search for any eccentricities that could be discovered ; also to the willingness of other friends, who have been ready to assist me in any possible way.
THE "JUBILEE TWIG".
IN connection with this subject we may perhaps men- tion a donation made to the Powys-larid Museum in March 1887 by T. Eowley Morris, Esq., then Mayor of "Welshpool, of a Natural History curiosity which has acquired historic interest. It is thus described1: — " A hazel branch of abnormal growth having peculiar flat twigs, found a,t Rhos-y-Garreg farm, in the parish of Machynlleth."
1 Mont. Coll., vol. xxi, p. xxiii. VOL. XXV. Z
326 THE " JUBILEE TWIG".
In forwarding to the Mayor a formal acknowledgment for his donation, the Secretary of the Powys-land Club sent him a printed copy of the Trust Deed of the Powys- land Museum and Library, with the view of bringing officially under his notice clause 12 (Mont. Coll., vol. vii, Appendix, p. viii). By virtue of that clause the trustees were enabled, under certain conditions, to transfer the Public Museum, Library, and School pre- mises to the mayor, aldermen, and burgesses of the borough of Welshpool for public purposes. The Secre- tary added the observation, u Whether the Jubilee Year be a fitting time for such an operation is a question not unworthy of consideration."
This communication led to a correspondence with the Corporation of Welshpool, which resulted in the trans- fer of the Museum property to the Corporation of Welshpool, in pursuance of the provisions of clause 12, and, as a consequence, on the 14th October 1887 the Public Libraries Act was adopted and a free public library for the borough of Welshpool was established.1 All this was done as a Memorial of the Queen's Jubilee Year.
Thus the presentation of this " hazel branch" led to important consequences, and justifies it being termed " The Jubilee Twig".
M. C. J.
1 See Mont. Coll., vol. xxi, p. xii et seq.
327
CELTIC BELL FROM LLANGYSTENYN.
THERE is a cast-bronze bell in the Powys-land Museum to which considerable interest attaches, as it pos- sesses all the typical features of an ancient Celtic bell.
The bell is represented in the above outline-sketch, quarter-size. It is 8 inches high, inclusive of the stumps or remains of the handle, which is broken off, and which stumps rise about half-an-inch above the top of the bell. The body of the bell is thus 7^ inches in height, and
z 2
328 CELTIC BELL FROM LLANGYSTENYN.
51 inches by 5f inches across the mouth, tapering to 4 inches by 2J inches across the top ; the thickness of the metal is about a quarter of an inch, but at the mouth there is a thickening in the form of a slight bevel of the outer edge. The stumps or remains of the handle rise almost straight from the two narrow sides of the bell.
The loop, represented in the sketch by dotted lines, is of iron, and is attached to the bell by an iron rod, which passes through the bell, and to which is hung an iron tongue. This and the iron loop are evidently modern additions.
There are two holes pierced through the top of the bell, by which, probably, the original clapper was hung.
There is a crack running up about an inch and a half from one of the narrow sides of the bottom of the bell ; in other respects it seems in perfect condition. When struck by the tongue, it produces a deep sound.
On the 27th January 1891 this bell was offered for sale to the Secretary of the Powys-land Club. He replied stating what he was prepared to give on behalf of the Powys-land Museum. On the 14th March his offer was accepted. The purchase-money was provided by a small subscription, to which our late much-lamented President1 (the Earl of Powis), Mr. A. C. Humphreys Owen, Mr. Richard Williams, Mr. Murray Brown, and Mr. M. C. Jones contributed.
The following letter from the Rev. Elias Owen gives an account of the finding of the bell :
"Efenechtyd Rectory, Ruthin, 27th June 1891. " MY DEAR SIR, — You ask me to give you an account of the finding of Llangystenyn Bell. I have not much to say on the matter. On my first visit to the parish school, -which is a new
1 The cheque was received from the Earl of Powis on the 1 6th April, and on the same day was verbally acknowledged by the Secretary to his lordship whilst in the train in Shrewsbury Station, just twenty- two days before his lamented death on the 8th May.
CELTIC BELL FEOM LLANGYSTENYN. 329
building, I was struck by the bell, which was suspended half- way up the gable end of the school ; and, from its appear- ance, I knew that its date was from the earliest times of Christianity.
" Upon inquiry, the Eev. Eees Jones, then curate of that parish, but at present vicar of Llansantffraid, near Corwen, informed me that the bell at one time belonged to the old parish church, which has been supplanted by another building, and that, on the erection of the school, the old unused bell was placed where I saw it, not for protection, but to avoid the expense of a new bell to call the children to school. The rope, however, broke, or otherwise there was a mishap, and consequently the bell was used only for a short time in its new home, and to this fact it owes its preservation.
"Knowing the value of this relic of former days, I there and then endeavoured to take such steps as would lead to its safe custody, but the attempt failed, and ever since the erec- tion of the school, some twelve years ago, the bell was un- cared for, and ran great risks of being cracked, if not broken, by being made a target for the stones of the school-children.
"I heartily congratulate you on at last finding, in the Powys-land Museum at Welshpool, a fitting resting-place for this church bell, which carries the mind back upwards of a thousand years.
"I am, with kind regards,
" Yours very truly,
"ELIAS OWEN."
The Vicar of the parish, the Eev. William Davies, wrote that he was not able to give much information respecting the old bell. He adds : —
" Our parish Clerk says that it was the church bell up to the rebuilding of the church in 1843. It was afterwards kept at the Rectory until it was put up as a school bell when the schoolroom was built about fourteen years ago. If I can find any farther facts concerning it I will let you know. It is hardly likely that it was originally a church bell, but a handbell for some special purpose. I thank you for the cheque."
The Rev. Rees Jones, in reply to our inquiries, wrote the following letter, which gives the oral tradition, and, although all his conclusions may not be concurred in, will afford a record, not without value, of what was said fifty years ago.
330 CELTIC BELL FROM LLANGYSTENYN.
''Rectory, Carrog, Corwen, 7 July, 1891.
" DEAR SIR,
" I heard, when I was Curate of Llangystenyn, that the old church was the smallest and oldest in North Wales, giving accommodation to about forty. That was pulled down in 1843, and a much larger church built on the same foundation, with a new bell ; the old bell was taken to the Rectory, from thence it was taken by me and hung up at the end of the new school- room. At that time there was a good deal of talk in the neighbourhood about the old church and the old Bell ; and the church and the bell, I was informed, were coeval, the foundation stone of the former having been laid by a Welsh princess, who married one of the Constan tines. So far 1 believe that oral tradition in this case, though not supported, so far as I know, by written evidence ; it is quite reliable, but whether this Constantine was the son of the great first Christian Emperor, part of whose dominion was Great Britain about the beginning of the fourth century, who supported his pretensions by many victories in Great Britain, is not at all certain.
" The general belief is that the old church was built about 338 A.D. If so, then the foundation stone was laid by the second Christian Emperor.
" The bell was quite sound when I first saw it. It got cracked by ill-usage at the school. It may be asked, and it ought to be asked, Why did a great Emperor alight on an out- landish locality like that at Llangystenyn ? It is so now, but not so then, for just above the church there was then a very large monastery. The evidence in support of this theory or supposition is, I think, very strong.
" i. There are about thirty very old yew-trees in the wood just behind the church.
" ii. A few hundred yards off there is a village called Mochdre (in full, Mynach-dre), i.e., Monks' Town. It is also said, I think on good ground, that just above Llangystenyn Church is the warmest little nook in North Wales in winter. If so, the monks would be there without fail, and the Emperor coming from abroad to this country would of course pay them a visit, which, in my opinion, fully accounts for the fact that the church is called after his name.
" The bell was given by the Princess, not by the Emperor, so it is supposed.
" I shall be glad to answer any further questions. " I remain, yours very truly,
(Signed) "REES JONES.
" M. C. Jones, Gungrog Hall."
CELTIC BELL FROM LLANGYSTENYN. 331
In a subsequent letter of 10th July 1891, the Rev. Rees Jones further states :—
" I believe the tradition I have given you is of value, for I had it from old people about the year 1874, who are now dead. .... I would sooner accept simple oral tradition of any locality on a subject like this as truth, than any written statement, however old, for it would probably be varnished with a colour of the writer's choice. You can find out which of the Christian Emperors did marry a Welsh princess. There is the ruin of a military camp on the top of a hill (Dinas),
within half-a-mile of the church The old monastery on
one side and the camp on the other are living monuments, bearing testimony to the truthfulness of the tradition that one of the great Constantines was there, and the church dedicated to him in memory of his visit."
If an article in the Antiquary (vol. ii, p. 21) on "Our Early Bells" can be relied upon, it appears that bells were of very early use.
" In the second century, when Christianity had taken rcot in Britain, King Lucius, having been instructed in the faith at Rome, and seeking the welfare of his countrymen, arranged with his teacher for some native converts to be instructed so as to be employed as missionaries, the pagan temples became Christian sanctuaries, and many were baptized. This caused the persecution of Diocletian, and prevented the spread of the use of bells in Christian assemblies. The native Chris- tians of Angleland then fled, and in Mona and Wales the sacred assemblies were summoned by these sounds. But when Constantine ordered that the temples should be used for Christian worship and practices, these were assimilated to the pagan acts and rites, so that there was but little difference between the pompous and splendid ritual ; gorgeous robes, mitres, tiaras, croziers, images, fonts, pictures, and bells became general. And with bells the significant uses and purposes were retained in identical form as sanctus, funeral, and wedding bells. Although the Saxon robbers again persecuted the Christians, demolishing their churches, yet, when Augustine came with his followers to reduce the pagan temples into Christian churches, the hand-bells were again in the hands of the priests for ecclesiastical, funeral, and wedding pur- poses.
"In 614 we are told, by the Venerable Bede, that Begu of
332 CELTIC BELL FROM LLANGYSTENYN.
Whitby Abbey on a sudden heard the sound of a bell in the air, which used to awake and call her sister to prayers. So it is found that the prayer-bell was in constant use in Angle- land at this period. The bishops carried their bells, and in some cases made them with their own hands. Dunstan, who was skilful in metal-work, has been celebrated as a bell-maker about 942, these, in some cases, being of beaten work (rivetted), in iron and in bronze, and in others cast in metal to particular forms.
" Benedict went over to Gaul and brought to England all things necessary for the church and altar, including sanctus bells of Christian worship.
" Many of these early bells received the names of saints, who were supposed to call by their sounds, and were supposed to be possessed of miraculous powers. All the early mission- aries were thus provided, St. Patrick, St. Columba, and others, as St. Francis Xavier in more modern times. Before the more general introduction of the larger bells, and, indeed, in Saxon and Norman times, the office of bellringer was not deputed to an unqualified person or a mere youth. Egbert made a law ' that every priest, at the proper hour, was to ring the bells of his own church'."
Small ancient quadrangular portable hand-bells of iron and bronze, not the least interesting of the objects of the early Christian period, have been for many ages regarded with the highest reverence by the early Christians of the British and Irish Churches. The bells so reverenced by the British and Irish Christians were relics of some one or other of the early founders of Christianity in these islands, to whom they had belonged, and which had been preserved ever since the time of the saint in the religious establishments founded by the saints themselves.1
Judging from the analogy with other early Celtic cast-bronze bells, there seems no reason to doubt that this bell was a relic of the early foundation of the church of Llangystenyn, to which at one time it belonged. If so, it is of very great antiquity. It is not certain to whom the church of LlangYstenyn was
o i/ t/
dedicated. One work, to which the Rev. Walter 1 Arch. Camb., 1st Series, vol. iii, p. 232.
CELTIC BELL FROM LLANGYSTENYN. 333
Davies1 is said to have largely contributed, and which on that ground has a certain amount of authority (viz., Lewis's Topographical Dictionary of Wales (1834), under " Liang wstenyn"), states :
" The church, dedicated to St. Constantino, is a small plain structure, situate in a pleasing valley close to the boundary- line between the counties of Carnarvon and Denbigh, and said to be the first Christian church erected in Wales : it is con- jectured to have been founded by Constantine the Great, who died in the year 330."
We have not found any other authority for the statement that this was the first Christian church erected in Wales. The Rev. Bice Rees, in his Essay on Welsh Saints,2 says :
"A church in Carnarvonshire, called Llangystennyn,is perhaps dedicated to Constautine the Great3 ; but this must be un- certain, as, soon after the departure of the Romans, there was a sainted king in Britain, called Cystennyn Fendigaid, or Constantine the Blessed."
The Rev. Robert Williams, in his Dictionary of Eminent Welshmen (1852), pp. 98-99, follows Rees,
1 The following paragraph, in the Preface to the work, refers, it is believed, to him. " In this department of their labours they have been aided by a gentleman, a native and resident of the Principality, whose researches into Welsh literature have procured for him deserved celebrity, and who with much care and attention has perused every page of the work."
2 An Essay on the Welsh Saints, or the Primitive Christians usually considered to have been the Founders of Churches in Wales, 1836, p. 99.
3 A belief, though founded on insufficient grounds, is known to have existed so early as the time of Nennius (see Stevenson's or San Marte's editions, § 25), that " Constantius, Constantini magni films", by which he may mean the Emperor, or his grandson of the same name, was buried at Caernarvon ; and, in proof, it was alleged that a stone with a certain inscription pointed out the place of his grave. This, however, is contradictory to the testimony of classical writers, who state that the first Constantine was buried at York, and the second in Cilicia ; but the words of the inscription have not been preserved, and, as the name Constantine can be proved to have been common in Britain for some time after the retirement of the Romans, the stone probably commemorated some other person, who was after- wards mistaken for the Emperor.
334 CELTIC BELL FROM LLANGYSTENYN.
and says " that Llangystennyn in Carnarvonshire is supposed to be dedicated to him (Cystennyn Gorneu, often styled Cystennyn Vendigaid or The Blessed)", who is there stated to have been living in A.D. 433.
Archdeacon Thomas, in his History of the Diocese of St. Asaph (p. 558), also following Rees, says under " Llangystenyn" :
" The church, dedicated to Cystenyn Fendigaid, Pendragon of the Britons, and father of Digain, the founder of Llangernyw, was rebuilt in 1843 at a cost of £780."
Mr. Egerton Phillimore has favoured us with the following observations on the dedication of Llangy- stenyn Church :
" Lewis, in his Topographical Dictionary of Wales (sub voce f Llangwstenyn'), says that the church is ' said to be the first Christian church erected in Wales; it is conjectured to have been founded by Con stan tine the Great, who died in the year 330' ; but this supposition is entirely unfounded. That Hals also had a similar notion with regard to the dedication of the church of Constantino in Cornwall, may be seen from Davies Gilbert's Parochial History of Cornwall, i, 236-7.
"There was a well-known St. Constantino, said to have been the son of Paternus, King of Cornwall, to have abdicated his throne on the death of his wife, and thenceforward to have pursued a religious life, first in Ireland, and subsequently in Scotland, under SS. Columba and Kentigern (by the latter of whom he was sent to evangelise Galloway) ; and finally to have been slain in Kintyre (or Can tyre) in about A.D. 576. He was commemorated as St. Constantine, King and Martyr, on the llth of March. See folio Ixvii of the Proprium Sanctorum ad usum insignis ecclesice Cathedralis Abirdonensis, forming the third part of the Breviarium Aberdonense, or Breviary of Aberdeen (printed for the Bannatyne Club, 1854) ; and for further information about this St. Constantine see Forbes' Calendars of Scottish Saints (Edinburgh, 1872), pp. 311-4, whence it appears that he was abbot of Bahan (Eathin Mochudd), near Tullamore in King's County, Ireland ; that he was confused with a rather later St. Constantine, of Pictish origin ; and that several churches in Scotland are dedicated to him, e.g., Kilchousland in Campbeltown, Can tyre. His name is also corrupted into Chousland in Chousland Chapel, in Cranston,
CELTIC BELL FROM LLANGYSTENYK 335
near Dalkeith, and elsewhere in Scotland into Cousland, Cowslan, Cowstin, and even Cutchew. In Ireland a St. Constantino was commemorated on March llth and on March 18th.
" This Constan tine is generally identified with the Constan tine, King of Damnonia (which included Cornwall), addressed by Gildas (Epistola, Stevenson and San Marte's edition, §§2, 3), which king must have been living previously to 547, the date of the death of Maelgwn Gwynedd, another of the British kings addressed in Gildas' Epistola (§ 7 et seqq. ; cf. the tenth- century Annales Cambrice in Y Cymmrodor, ix, 155). This Constantino again is generally identified with the person mentioned in the same Annales under the year 589, where we have the entry 'Conversio Constantini ad Dominum' (Y 0., ix, 156) ; this does not, be it remarked, tally with the date given for his death in the Breviary of Aberdeen, viz., 576, which Forbes, however (pp. cit., p. 311), silently corrects into 596.
" There are two churches in Cornwall dedicated to a St. Constantine. The first is the parish church of Constantino, situate in the Hundred of Kerrier, and between the towns of Falmouth and Helston. The second is the ruined church of St. Constantine in the parish of St. Merryn (Hundred of Pyder), situate on the sea-coast about four miles W. of the town of Padstow, which has left its name to Constantine Bay. Hals gives the local pronunciation of the first-named Con- stantine (Gilbert's Cornwall, i, 236) as Custenton, to which he assigns, more suo, an absurd etymology. This Custenton really represents the vernacular Cornish form taken by the name Constantinus ; for Cornish (as may be seen from the Cornish and Breton kanter, ' half, in Welsh hanner, now spelt haner, and in Old-Welsh, circa 820, written hanther) did not assimi- late nt in such a position into nn, as did Welsh. I believe that the name of the Cornish parish is still accented by the natives in the true Cornish (and Welsh) fashion, being pronounced Constdntin or the like. As for the Welsh forms, the original one must have been Custentin (as consilium made cusul or cussul, and monasterium made mustwyr — see Lib. Land., 1981 — ,
1 As well as iheMathenni Mustuir Mur (" Mathenny of the Great Monastery", now Llandenny in Monmouthshire) there mentioned, there was a " villa quse dicitur Mistuir" (or " jfyttvyr"), apparently in Montgomeryshire, a " moiety" of which is mentioned in the Ystrad Marchell charters (see Dugdale's Monasticon, 1825, v, 637). There is also a township of Mwstwr (probably, by assimilation, from Mustwr, for Mustwyr} in the parish of Corwen, now forming part of the ecclesiastical district of Glyn Dyfrdwy. See Archdeacon Thomas's Hist, of the Diocese of St. Asapk, 685, 692 — E. P.
336 CELTIC BELL FROM LLANGYSTENYN.
and in Breton moustoer — see Loth's Chrestomathie bretonne, p. 2221), and the modern Welsh form, if strict regularity had been observed, would be Oustennin. The forms Llangwstenin and Llangwystenin are not correct ; the second one must have been formed on the assumption that the w of the first one was a colloquialism for wy. That the form Llangwystenin is by no means extinct is shown by the fact that not so long ago a writer in a local newspaper adduced it as a word contain- ing the element gwy ' water', itself a word which does not exist in Welsh, and is the mere invention of antiquarian etymologists.
" In the ancient Welsh district of Erging (now narrowed to the Deanery of Archen-fie\d, mostly included in Herefordshire) there was a church of ' Lann Custenhin Garthbenni', other- wise known as ' Mainaur Garthbenni' (on the word maenawr see Y Cymmrodor, xi, 57-8), 'Lann Garthbenni', and 'Garth- benni', mentioned in the Liber Landavensis, p. 69 (cf. 155-7), as granted to St. Dubricius by Peibio, son of Yrb, King of Erging. This place was identified by the late Mr. Wakeman in his Supplementary Notes to the Liber Landavensis, p. 7,2 with Preston on Wye, about eight miles W.N.W. of Hereford ; but as a church at ' Lanncusthennin in Garthbenni' is said (Lib. Land., p. 264 ; cf. 263) to have been consecrated by Herwald, Bishop of Llandaff, in the reign of William the Conqueror, it is clear that neither Preston on Wye nor any place near it can be intended, for the northern part of Erging, bounded by the river Dore, had been annexed to Mercia at least as early as the year 942 (see Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, sub anno), and is excluded from the limits of the Diocese of Llandaff specified in Lib. Land.,pp. 41-2,126-7. The church in question is more prob- ably identical with that of Welsh Bicknor (in a detached portion of Monmouthshire on the Welsh or Herefordshire bank of the Wye, between Ross and Monmouth), which is called in a Saint- Florent charter of 1144 (printed in vol. xl, p. 182, of the Biblio- theque de I'Ecole des Chartes, Paris, 1879) 'Ecclesia Sancti Custenin de Biconovria'. It should be added that in the boundaries of the grant of Llangystennin Garthbenni occur the words 'inter silvam, et campum, et aquam, etjaculum Constantini Regis socerisui trans Guy amnem'. Whatjaculum means (' a fishery', fromjaculus, '& casting net7; or 'a boundary-stake' ?) is obscure ; but sui refers to Peibio King of Erging, the grantor, who is almost certainly
1 It cannot be derived from the French moustier (now moutier), as there suggested by Loth. — E. P.
2 Printed as a supplement to the Cambro- British Saints (1853).
CELTIC BELL FROM LLANGYSTENYN. 337
to be placed in the fifth century, so that he cannot well have been the son-in-law of the Cornish king (or either of the Cornish kings) Constantine who is (or are) mentioned as living from the middle to the end of the sixth century. But it would appear likely that the Erging church took its name from this 'King Constantino' whose property bounded its own.
" The old Welsh Bonedd y Saint of the twelfth or thirteenth century (of which a text is printed in the Myvyrian Archaiology, ii, 23-5) does not mention any Cystennin as a saint. It mentions a Cystennin Gorneu (Corneu = ' of Cornwall' or ' the Cornish- man' = Cornish Cernow) as the ancestor of St. Cybi ; but this Constantine, from his place in the genealogy (assuming the latter to be authentic), must be earlier than the sixth century. Several Cornish saints are commemorated in Wales, especially in Gwynedd.1
1 On p. 334, above, it will be seen that the church of Llangernyw, situate, like Llangystennin, in Bhos and Rhufoniog, was so called from the Cornish nationality of its patron saint. In some of the MSS. of the later forms of Bonedd y Saint (see, e.g., the Dinorben Fach MS., p. 236 ; and cf. Myv. Arch., ii, 42, 56), that church is said to be dedicated to Digain and his brother Erbin, both sons of Cystennin Gorneu ; the second presumably identical with the St. Erbin (see Palmer's article in Archaeological Review, vol. i, p. 21), to whom Erbistock (a corruption of JZrbin-stock) church was dedicated before the usurpation of St. Hilary. The calendars in the Hengwrt MSS. 22 and 45 (according to my friend Mr. Howel Lloyd's transcripts) give St. Erbin's day as May 28, whilst No. 45 also gives it as January 13 (the month of January is said to be nearly illegible in No. 22, and thus 1 have no copy of that month from that MS.). St. Digain's day is given by Archdeacon Thomas (Hist, of the Diocese of St. Asaph, p. 389) as November 21, under which day Hengwrt MS. 22 has " gwyl Migain", no doubt a mistake for Ddigain. In the rare Llyfer Plygain (Llunden, dros Ed. White, 1618) the same days are given : Jan. 13 and May 28 (or perhaps May 29 is meant) for St. Erbin, and Nov. 21 for St. Digain.
There was another Llangernyw in the Golden Valley, Hereford- shire (see Lib. Land., 69, 156-7 ; 182-3), Latinised into Cornubium, and there is a church and parish called Coed Cernyw near Newport in Monmouthshire. Not very far from this Llangernyw, in Much Birch in Archeufield (in Welsh Erging), is a place called Stricksten- ning, which has been ingeniously conjectured by Mr. J. A. Bradney of Tal y Coed, Monmouth, to embody the name Cystennin ; if so, the first part of this Anglicised place-name would perhaps stand for one of the Welsh words ystre, ystred, or ystrad. Possibly the two Herefordshire place-names commemorate the St. Constantine of Welsh Bicknor, which was also in Erging. — E. P.
338 CELTIC BELL FROM. LLANGYSTENYN.
" Probably some confusion has taken place between Gildas' Constantino and the Constantino who was proclaimed Roman Emperor in Britain in 407, whose son Constans, who had previously been a monk (which would give him some claims to saintship), was subsequently created Csesar by his father; they were slain, at Aries and Vienne respectively, in 410. All three have been annexed by the fabulist Geoffrey of Monmouth (see his History, vi, 4-8 ; xi, 2-4 ; he makes the second one father, not only of Constans, but also of Aurelius Ambrosius and Uther Pendragon), and will be found in the Welsh transla- tions and adaptations of that work generally known as Brut Tyssilio, Brut y Brerihinoedd, and Brut Gruffudd ab Arthur. The name ' Cystennin Fendigaid' (see above, pp. 333-4) is simply that by which the Constantine of 407-410 is called in those translations, as may be seen by comparing pp. 126-7 of Rhys and Evans' Oxford Bruts with the Latin original in Geoffrey, vi, 6. He is also called ' Custennin Vendigeif in the Bed Book Triad No. 6 — see the Oxford Mabinogion, pp. 298-9, Y Cymmrodor, iii, 54, or Myv. Arch., ii, 4-5, where his son Con- stans is called ' Custennin Vychan' (= the younger) and Constantine the Great 'Custennin vab Elert \ but the passage is mainly taken from Geoffrey of Monmouth.
" There is no certain ground for identifying the Constantine of 407-410 with Cystennin Gorneu. I believe myself that by the latter was meant Gildas' Constantine, King of Damnonia (for whom see pp. 334-5, above), and that the genealogy of St. Cybi in Bonedd y Saint is more or less apocryphal. That
§enealogy differs entirely from the one given in the Lives of t. Cybi (see Cambro- British Saints, p. 183) ; for it runs : ' Cybi ap Selyf ap Geraint ap Erbin ap Cystennin Gorneu', whilst the Lives of St. Cybi make him ' the son of Solomon (= the Welsh Selyf), the son of Erbin, the son of Geraint, the son of Lludd.' This latter genealogy is confirmed by Chrestien de Troyes' Erec (the original of the Welsh tale of Geraint), which makes (see line 19) Erec (= the W. Gerent or Gereint) ' the son of I/ac', presumably a mis-script for Lut, = Lud or Lludd. The Breton genealogy quoted in Y Cymmrodor, xi, 90 (note 5 on p. 89 (2)) goes up to another son of Geraint, Cadwy or Cado, who from more than one source (see loc. cit.) is known to have ruled in Damnonia towards the beginning of the sixth century; but the line is not carried up further than Geraint, who is there called Gerenton. The traditional Welsh ' Geraint ap Erbin' is probably a mistake for ' Erbin ap Geraint'; for in Old- Welsh Erlin map Gereint might (at least in poetical lan- guage) equally well have meant ' Erbin son of Geraint' or ' Geraint son of Erbin'."
CELTIC BELL OF LLANGWYNODL.
339
The original structure of the church was taken down in 1843, and a new church built in its place. We have endeavoured to get a plan or view of the church, or the name of the architect that erected the new church, in the hope that some particulars may be gleaned respecting the old church. Our inquiries have hitherto been in vain, but possibly the printing of this paper may lead to further information being obtained.
This is the fourth of those Celtic cast-bronze bells now known in Wales. The others are :
i. — THE BELL OF LLANGWYNODL, CARNARVONSHIRE.
It measures 5 inches in height (exclusive of the handle), and at its mouth it is 6j in its largest and 4 inches in its shortest width. It is a quadrangular bell of mixed rnetal, which time out of mind had been kept in the Church of Llangwynodl. It now is in the posses- sion of Sir Love Jones -Parry, Bart. It will be noticed that the handles had the head of an animal repeated. The heads of the animals are, in Mr. Westwood's opinion, similar to those represented in the oldest Irish and Anglo-Saxon illuminated MSS.
340 CELTIC BELL OF LLANDDEUSANT.
The handle of St. Fillan's bell, subsequently de- scribed, may be compared with it, as each end of the handle is ornamented with what one authority takes to be the heathen emblem of the Phallus (see infra, p. 343); but that now is controverted.
ii. — THE BELL OF LLANDDEUSANT IN ANGLESEY.
The dimensions are not given. It is rather of an oval shape, and composed of cast bronze, and not of so pure a Celtic type as the other Welsh bells. It was formerly kept in Llanddeusant Church, but was not in it during the visit of the Cambrian Archaeological Association in 1870.
in. — THE BELL OF LLANRHYDDLAD CHURCH. T
It is of small dimensions, being only 4 inches high, and 2 J by 2 inches at the bottom, and is of cast bronze. It is quadrangular type, and has evidently been sus- pended by a cord, and not intended for the hand. A
Arch. Camb., 1871, p. 275, and 1872, p. 74.
CELTIC BELL OF ST. FILLAN. 341
small rivet denotes some repairs. It was formerly in the Church of Llanrhyddlad, Anglesey, arid was after-
wards discovered by Miss Con way Griffith in an old chest, where it had been concealed for years.
In Scotland, also, there are only four of these Celtic bells of cast-bronze known : —
i. — THE BELL OF ST. FILLAN, from Strathfillan, now in the National Museum of Scotland.
"This Bell1 formerly belonged to the Chapel of St. Fillan, and was in high reputation among the votaries of that saint in old times. It seems to be of some mixed metal. It is about a foot high, and of an oblong form. It usually lay on a grave- stone in the churchyard. When mad, people were brought to be dipped in the Saint's Pool. It was necessary to perform certain ceremonies, in which there was a mixture of Druidism and Popery. After remaining all night in the chapel, bound
1 Proceedings of Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, vol. viii, p. 267. Notice of the Ancient Bell of St. Fillan, by the late Dr. Forbes, Bishop of Brechin.
VOL. XXV. A A
342 CELTIC BELL OF ST. FILLAN.
with ropes, the bell was set on their head with great solemnity. It was the popular opinion that, if stolen, it would extricate itself out of the thief's hands, and return home ringing all the way. For some time the bell has been locked up to prevent its being used to superstitious purposes " (Old Statis- tical Accounts, vol. xvii, p. 377.)
" This must not be passed over, that the people of Ireland and Scotland, as well as those of Wales, held in great honour the saints' bells, hand-bells (campana, baj'ulas), and pastoral staves, curved at the upper end, and formed of gold, silver, or
The Bell of St. Fillan.
brass, so that they fear to take oath on these, and to perjure
themselves more than they do upon the Gospels " (G-iral-
dus Cambrensis.)
" The bell of St. Fillan is very similar to the Rennell bell at Birnie, but not so large. It is 12 inches high, four-sided, like most of the ancient bells, 9 by 6 \ inches, with a handle, of which more hereafter. It has been cracked, and there is a hole at the top, which greatly impedes the sound. The present tongue of iron is of recent manufacture, probably since it went to England. It is to be observed that the part worn by the ancient clapper does not correspond with the present tongue. It must have been rung by being beaten by some
CELTIC BELL OF ST. EONAN. 343
object that worked on a pivot outside of it. The weight of the bell is 8 Ibs. 11 oz., and its composition is a mixed metal. It is not rivetted together, but cast in one piece. The handle, however, is the most remarkable part of the bell, for there, the Bishop of Brechin says, we find twice repeated the well-known heathen emblem of the Phallus. This symbol has, it was believed, never hitherto been found in any of the Scoto-Irish metal-work, although the cultus of the men-hir, which is the same in stone, still survives among the cognate race in Brittany
" It is, therefore, a moot question whether St. Fillan's bell is Christian or Pre-Christian
" ' The symbol', Lord Crawfurd says, 'carries the bell back to a very distant period, and seems to me to link it with pagan antiquity — not that I think it pagan, but Christian."
It should, however, here be mentioned that Dr. Anderson, the eminent Assistant Secretary of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, in his recent work1 takes a different view of the handles of the bell, which he thus describes: "In the middle of the top is the loop-like handle, terminating where it joins the bell in two dragonesque heads with open mouths"; and in a foot-note he adds, " that a different and, as he conceives, an altogether untenable explanation of this ornamental ending of the handle of St. Fillan's bell has been given by the late Bishop of Brechin, attributing to it a connection with a form of pagan worship of the existence of which among the Celtic tribes in Britain there is no evidence/'
In this feature of its handle it resembles the bell of St. Ruadhan of Lorrha in Tipperary,2 and also, as we have before remarked, the bell of Llangwynodl (supra, p. 340), which also has an ornament at each end of the handle.
ii. — The BELL of ST. EONAN (Adamnan) at Insh on the Spey, near Kingussie.
"The bell3 which is preserved at the old church of Insh,
1 Scotland in Early Christian Times (1881) p 186
2 Ibid., p. 187.
3 Proc. ofSoc. Ant. Scot., vol. xiv, 1879-80, p. 107.
A A 2
344 CELTIC BELL OF ST. EON AN.
near Kingussie, is of cast bronze, closely resembling in form and appearance the bell of St. Fillan of Glendochart. The bell is 10 inches high, exclusive of the handle, and 8 inches by 5 inches along the edges of the rim at the bottom. The handle is 3f inches wide, and 1J inch high. The bell stands on the sill of a window in which there is a curious- shaped hollow, which may have been the font of the early
The Bell of Eonan at Insh.
church. The slab which now forms the window-sole is of granite, and the basin-shaped hollow is 17 inches wide at the mouth, narrowing somewhat to the bottom, and 4 inches deep."
The bell is still carefully preserved in the church of Insh, and Dr. Anderson relates a curious tradition, from which he concludes that the church of Insh was originally dedicated to St. Adamnan, Abbot of lona in 679, and that the bell is either the one that he had
CELTIC BELL OF ST. FINAN. 345
blessed, or one that was subsequently attributed to him as the founder of the church.1
in. — ST. FINAN'S BELL, of cast bronze, is engraved by the Eev. H. T. Ellacornbe in his work, Bells of the Church (p. 138), 1872. He does not give the dimen- sions, but states he was " indebted to the kindness of Miss Jane Macdonald of Lochiel for the representa- tion of this very ancient relic/' This bell now lies on a stone in the churchyard on Eilan Fin an, in Loch Shiel, Arnamuchan. St. Finan was a contemporary of St. Columba.2
iv. — BRONZE BELL FROM LITTLE DUNKELD.
The ecclesiastical foundation of Dunkeld is attributed by the Eegister of St. Andrew to Constantine Mac
1 Scotland in Early Christian Times, p. 197.
2 Ibid., p. 198.
346 CELTIC BELL FROM LITTLE DUNKELD.
Fergus, the last of the Pictish kings, in whose reign the irruptions of the pagan Northmen on the West Coast had threatened the security of Ion a as the resting-place of the relics of St. Columba, and scattered its monks. In 849 the church of Dunkeld was re- edified by Kenneth McAlpin, the first of the Scottish dynasty who had united the Scottish and Pictish kingdoms. For his new church he collected the relics of St. Columba, and enshrined them there.
" This bell1 is of cast bronze, is 8 J inches high, inclusive of the handle, which rises 1^ inch above the top of the bell. The body of the bell is thus 7 inches in height, and 7J inches by 6J inches across the mouth, tapering to 3J inches by 2f inches across the top, the thickness of the metal varying from j5g in the middle to § of an inch at the mouth, where there is a thickening in the form of a slight bevel of the outer edge. The handle, which rises almost straight up from the two narrow sides of the bell, exhibits a flaw in the casting, which has
been repaired by a subsequent pouring of the metal
There was no parish of Dunkeld, and Little Dunkeld was thus the parish church of the district around the cathedral. If this bell was a relic of the early foundation, as from its analogy with other early Celtic bells there seems no reason to doubt, it is quite in accordance with the history of other known bells of its kind that it should not have been found associated with the cathedral [of Dunkeld], but with the parish church, which retained the older associations, when the new cathedral was supplied with Augustinian Canons, to whom the veneration of the Celtic saints was little better than heresy.
" Nothing was known of the history of the bell. It was carelessly thrown aside, and afterwards preserved in the Manse, having narrowly escaped being rouped at the sale of the effects of a former incumbent."
We have thought it desirable to compile the fore- going short account of the other similar cast bronze bells found in Wales and Scotland, of which there are only
1 Proc. of Soc. Ant Scot., vol. xxiii, 1888-9, p. 120.
CELTIC BELL FROM LLANGYSTENYN. 347
seven, in order that an opportunity may be afforded for comparing the Llangystenyn bell with them. It will be observed that the Llangystenyn bell nearly resem- bles the St. Fillan and Little Dunkeld bells, but is most like the latter.
If this bell be coeval with the foundation of the old church of Llangystenyn, which seems a natural inference, a high antiquity may be claimed for it. The traditions connected with the church invest it and its ancient quadrangular Celtic bell with unique interest. The sees of St. David and St. Asaph were traditionally founded in the latter part of the sixth century. That event is generally conceded to be the foundation of the present Episcopate in Wales.1 Doubtless Christianity was introduced into Britain by the Romans before the end of the fourth century, and possibly, although not certainly, in an episcopal form. If the Constantino (by whom Llangystenyn was founded, or to whom it is traditionally dedicated) was prior in date to, or early in, the sixth century, as it ap- pears probable, Llangystenyn may be taken to have been founded in the time of the ancient Romano-British Church, and before the foundation ,of the present Episcopate of Wales and the formation of the parochial system. If so, this ancient bell may have been in existence before the Romano-British Church passed over to the native British population and became a purely British Church. The date of the latter event Canon Bevan2 thinks there is no evidence to show, and " that the transitional period is shrouded in impene- trable gloom".
It is well that this relic, an object " actually in itself a portion of the history of art, and in its associations a portion of the history of the ecclesiastical and social condition of the country", has escaped the vicissitudes
1 See Bevan's Dioc. History of St. David's, p. 9.
2 Ibid., p. 11.
348 CELTIC BELL FROM LLANGYSTENYN.
to which it has been subjected, and has at length found a safe resting-place in the Powys-land Museum, " where it will (it is hoped) be preserved for all time coming".
M. C. J.
3-49
BRONZE BELL FROM JAVA.
THIS bell was presented to the Powys-land Museum, in the year 1878, by Mr. Thomas Pryce, then of Batavia, but now of Pentreheilin, Montgomeryshire. It is formed of cast bronze. Its height is 1^ inch, exclusive of the circular handle, which is | inch in diameter. Across the top it is 1^ inch by 1 inch. The mouth of the bell is of elliptical shape, with the ends not round, but angular, and it measures If inch by 1| inch.
It is something similar to the bronze bell figured in the History of Java, by Sir T. Stamford Raffles (2nd ed., 1830). Sir T. Stamford Raffles says :
" The casts in metal which have been discovered in the central districts of Java are numerous. These casts are generally of copper, sometimes of brass, and rarely of silver. A variety of bells, tripods, and ornaments of various descrip- tions occur in casts of metal. These are of small size, seldom exceeding a few inches in length, although bells sometimes occur much larger." (Vol. ii, pp. 59 and 60.)
350 BRONZK BELL FROM JAVA.
Mr. T. Pryce states that this bell —
(f Was probably found among some of the ruins of the numerous Buddhist temples in Java. It was bought at a sale in Batavia. The natives use these bells still, attached by cords or leather thongs to the necks of their cattle. Little is known of the history of Java for some centuries after the Mahomedan invasion, A.D. 1400. The arts of sculpture, metal casting, architecture, etc., in which the natives had been great proficients, appear to have been entirely lost for ages. Metal casting is, however, still carried on principally for the manufac- ture of native instruments of music."
To whatever use the Javanese may apply these bronze bells, there can hardly be a doubt they are of great an- tiquity, and were at one time used in religious worship.
There are some small bells, made of sheet iron and bronzed, now sold in Switzerland to tourists, not unlike this bell, but being of quadrangular rather than elliptical shape.
The sheep-bells in use in some parts of Wales are also of quadrangular shape and cast of bell metal, and are not improbably a survival of bells of ancient character and shape.
In Ellacornbe's Bells of the Church (1872) a variety of small bells, or Tintinnabula, such as these, are figured, viz., on p. 108 four small bells found at Nimroud, and three bells found at Hyderabad, in Dekhun ; on pp. 109-10 two bells found in Egypt of the Ptolemean period, 200 years B.C. ; on p. Ill six small bells with Greek inscriptions, and two small bells in Antwerp Museum — all the foregoing are circular; but on p. 112 two bells are figured more resembling this in not being circular but elongated, viz., a bell in the Public Library at Boulogne-sur-Mer, and another bell, apparently elongated, reproduced from a representation in Strutt's Manners and Customs.
This Java bell is peculiar in being elongated, and each end terminating in an acute angle; the bell before referred to, and figured in RafHes's History of Java, appears to be quadrangular.
351
ENGRAVING OF THE EISTEDDFOD IN 1824, IN THE POWYS-LAND MUSEUM.
IN a political periodical, in an article by A. C. Hum- phreys-Owen, Esq., Chairman of the County Council of Montgomeryshire,, and a Member of the Council of the Powys-land Club (with the political purport of which we have nothing to do), the writer expatiates upon the fact that, " though the fire of patriotism had burned low and dim" in Wales, "it was never extinguished"; and, in illustration of his argument, makes the follow- ing rather interesting allusion to the above engraving: —
" There is an interesting engraving, which sums up the whole story, in the Powys-land Museum at Welshpool. It represents an Eisteddfod held in that town little more than sixty years ago. In the centre of the picture is a party of elderly men, rudely dressed, their whole aspect that of simple peasants, but engaged in a manner showing tokens of culture, in strong con- trast with their modest garb. Some of them hold harps, others scrolls of music or books. All round is a circle of fine folks, looking at the show with benevolent curiosity. This humble group was a link between the patriotism of the past and the promise of the future. It typifies a national self- consciousness and self-respect, which never wholly died out, which rapidly grew with the vigour, intelligence, and wealth of the country, and which was developed into fuller life by — [certain means which the writer specifies, but which it is beyond our province here to enter into or mention]. A further stage was reached [the writer adds] when the Local Government Act entrusted the whole of the administrative business of the counties to the ratepayers ; and, to-day, the descendants of those rustic poets and musicians, and of their patronising audience, sit side by side on the benches of the County Councils, all alike owing their position to the mandate of the electors, and working with equal zeal for the common good."
352 ENGRAVING OF THE EISTEDDFOD.
It may, however, with truth be added that neither one nor the other now appears as "rudely dressed" or as "fine folks", or distinguishable one from the other by their apparel, or in any way "ear-marked"; but per- haps some of them may be considered to indicate their descent from the " rustic poets" by their garrulity.
353
THE OLD QUAKER BURIAL-GROUND AT DOLCARADOG,
IN THE TOWNSHIP OF UWCH-Y GARREG, PARISH OF MACHYNLLETH.
IT is probably known to but few that there was formerly a small Quaker burial-ground, the traces of which can be distinctly made out at the present time, on the farm called Dolcaradog, in Uwch-y-garreg, parish of Machynlleth.
This ground was set apart for the purpose by one Humphrey Thomas Morris, the owner of the farm, in his will, dated 21st December 1694.
Some notes concerning this gentleman and his family, and respecting the ground itself, will, I hope, prove interesting.
In 1660, Humphrey Thomas Morris, described as a weaver, of Machynlleth, was presented by the Grand Jury at the Great Sessions, held at Pool on October 6th, for absenting himself from church for the space of three months (vide "Montgomeryshire Nonconformity", by Richard Williams, F.R.Hist.S., vol. xxiv, p. 201). And he was presented several times after this date as an "obstinate sectarian" and " Quaker". Besides being a weaver, which was then, at least in Wales, a some- what important calling, he was a person of some means, for I find him tenant in 1666, under Ed. Pryce, Esq., of Esgairweddan, of some land called Kay glas, in the township of Is y garreg, at a yearly rent of £13 105. And he certainly died possessed of the freehold estate of Dolcaradog, and some other property in its neigh- bourhood— for example, Maes-y-pandy, in the parish of Penegoes.
354 OLD QUAKER BURIAL-GROUND AT DOLCARADOG,
My friend Mr. Rowley- Morris, whose painstaking work in elucidating the past history of Powysland can never be too highly estimated, has kindly made out for me, from the copy at Somerset House, a summary of the will of Humphrey Thomas Morris, which I give before proceeding to further remarks :
WILL OF THOMAS MORRIS.
" I bequeath my soul to God and my body to be buried according to Christian burial in the bury ing -place upon mine own lands hereinafter mentioned. As to Dolcaradog, situate in the township of Uwch y garreg, now in the occupation of Humphrey Thomas and Harry Pugh, I devise the afore- mentioned lands, that Mary, my daughter, the wife of Harry Pugh, is to take £3 yearly for life, the rest of the inheritance to Humphrey, second son of Harry Pugh ; also all of the tenement, after his mother's death, to him and his heirs lawfully begotten. Failing issue, to Harry Pugh, above mentioned, and his heirs begotten upon his now wife, my daughter Mary, saving one garden above the barn, containing about eight yards in length and six yards in breadth, to be only excepted for a burying-place of my body and others of my friends that have a desire to be buried therein, with free ingress, egress, and regress thereto.
" To John Pugh, third son of the said Harry Pugh, a mes- suage called Maes y pandy, in the parish of Penegoes, in the occupation of Oliver Morris ; and £2 to be paid by John Pugh, within one year after the messuage is free to him, to Gwen John (testator's niece). To his sons Thomas Humphrey (als. Morris) and Richard Humphrey, and daughters Jane, Eliza- beth, and Sarah, one shilling each.
" Eesidue to loving son-in-law, Harry Pugh, with provision for funeral expenses and for hedging or fencing the above- mentioned garden for the only proper use of a burying-place as aforesaid, and to lay my body therein, whom (Harry Pugh) I do appoint my sole executor, etc/'
He appoints his well-beloved friends,, William Pugh of Mathafarn and Humphrey Owen (of the well-known Quaker family) of Llwyndu, Merioneth, to be the overseers of his will. The will was proved July 1st, 1701.
At what date between 1694 arid 1701, the dates of
IN THE TOWNSHIP OF UWCH-Y-GAREEG. 355
making and proving the will, Humphrey Thomas Morris died, it is impossible to discover, because the parish register could not bear any entry of his burial.
It is not easy to determine who Humphrey Thomas Morris was, or from what family derived. By the kind permission of Owen Slaney Wynne, Esq., 1 have searched carefully the Court Rolls of the Manor of Cyfeiliog and the Borough of Machynlleth, for the years 1633, 1648, and 1655, now in the muniment-room of Wynnstay, and I cannot find any Thomas ap Morris whose son Humphrey might have been. I am inclined to think, though I have no proof, that he belonged to the well- known Quaker family of Bryncowney in Llanwddyn, and was brother to the John Thomas Morris and Edward Thomas Morris, sons of Thomas ap Morris ap John (vide Mont. Coll., vol. xxiv, p. 229, note), who were repeatedly presented at the various sessions about the period 1660-1680 as Quakers, and suffered much at the hands of persecutors. Thomas ap Morris ap John set apart a portion of his land at Bryncowney as a burial-ground.
Humphrey Thomas Morris was the father of Elizabeth, wife of John Jones of Esgair Evan in Llanbrynmair, who died in 1675 (vide Mont. Coll., vol. xxii, p. 56). Harry Pugh, the favoured son-in-law of Humphrey Thomas Morris, was son of Richard Pugh of Vronwen, in the parish of Darowen, probably an offshoot of the great Mathafarn stock, but of which branch I find it im- possible to determine. Besides being the owner of Vronwen, Richard Pugh owned Llwyn y gronfa, Hendre yr onn, Tyddyn llwyn coch, Gelli bartra gwen, and a portion of Esgair galed in the parish of Penegoes.
Harry Pugh was probably a Quaker. The Machyn- lleth Registers contain no entry of his marriage or of his burial; he was probably buried at Dolcaradog, in the burying-place set apart by his father-in-law.
He made his will in August 1721, and it was proved at St. Asaph in 1724.
356 OLD QUAKER BURIAL-GROUND AT DOLC1RADOG,
He had sons, Richard, Humphrey, and John, and daughters, Anne, Lowry, Bridget, and Elizabeth.
Lowry was the wife of ... Vaughan, and Elizabeth was married to my ancestor, John David, or John David Jones, who predeceased his father-in-law, who in his will speaks of "John David, late husband of daughter Elizabeth".
This John David was the second son of David Jones, then owner of Cleiria, in Uwch-y-garreg, Machynlleth, who was on the Grand Jury at Pool, August 1684 (Gaol File), and was buried July 4th, 1689.
John David Jones was presented as a Quaker at the Sessions held at Llanfyllin, 26th March 1683 (Gaol File), but he must have conformed subsequently, for all his children (the first in 1692, he being probably married in 1690, though no entry can be found, registers being defective) were baptised at church. The first entry of baptism of a child is made in a very large hand, and stands out prominently on the page of the register, as if the clerk wished to emphasise the fact of his return to orthodoxy. Dolcaradog became eventually the property of Humphrey Pugh, the second son of Harry Pugh, who settled it upon his wife, Margaret How el, the widow of David Pritchard of the Ceniarth family (marriage settlement ex. inf. the late Mrs. Pritchard of Ceniarth).
The present state ot the burying-place at Dolcaradog naturally claimed attention, and I wrote to County Alderman Edward Davies, the present owner, inquiring about it. I received from him a very full reply, of which I print the pertinent points.
Mr. Davies made some inquiries of a person in the neighbourhood who had mentioned to him having heard a tradition of a burial-garden at Dolcaradog, and in his letter says :
" I may inform you that the tradition itself is known locally, but, until I received your letter of inquiry, I must confess I always treated it with incredulity. My information is gleaned from Mr. Edward Eoberts, draper, aged about 70, and living
IN THE TOWNSHIP OF UWCH-Y-GARREG. 357
at Aberhosan. When a youth he resided in a cottage attached to the farm-house. His father, David Roberts,1 also told me of the tradition years ago. His recollection would go back more than half-way to 1701.
"The spot referred to in the will is now quite distinguish- able, and looks like an old piece of garden, and is above the barn. In Edward Roberts's youth it was a small orchard having apple-trees producing superior fruit. There is now no apple-tree, but surrounding it a few plum-trees and two walnut-trees — I suppose, the only trees of that kind in the parish. One part of the space has evidently been especially levelled, about the size, eight yards by six. Ed. Roberts well remembers Quakers, from a place called Stay-little (in Treveglwys), coming to Dolcaradog to visit the then owner, Humphrey Roberts.
" Children when passing this place at night, even my own when young, I find, used to shudder just as they would do in passing an ordinary burying-place."
This, perhaps, is not an important matter to record upon our pages, but it appears to me to be one of those almost forgotten bits of local history which, <fi when found", should be made " a note of".
It might not be amiss here to call the attention of members of our -club to the neglected state in which these old burial-grounds, for the most part, are to be found. A little trouble and small expense would suffice to keep them from desecration. The quaker burial-ground at Llwyngwril offers a good example of what might be done with the others.
D. C. LLOYD OWEN.
1 David Robert of Dolcaradog, doubtless an ancestor of theirs, occurs on a Petit Jury at Pool, 17th March 1758 (Gaol File).
VOL. XXV. B B
358
AN ANCIENT PAINTING ON LEATHER IN THE POWYS-LAND MUSEUM.
THE Honorary Secretary has lately purchased and presented to the Museum an ancient painting on leather. Its size is. 5 ft. 6 ins. by 3 ft. 2 ins. ; it is in a rather dilapidated con- dition. It has a wide margin, which is covered with diaper- work stamped on the leather and coloured brown and yellow ; in the centre there is an oil-painting about 18 ins. square, containing three figures walking hand in hand, representing the Virgin, the Child, and Joseph, the latter carrying a lily. The Rev. Edward Byrne, priest of St. Winefred's, Welshpool, pronounced it to be an Antependium, or altar frontal. The diaper of the two sides retains the brightness of its colours much more than the centre part, from the fact of the over- hanging altar-cloth protecting these parts.
The subject of the painting in the centre is "The going up to the Temple previous to the three days' loss". On ^one side of the painting, where it joins the diaper work, there is a slit in the leather.
The Secretary heard of this painting nine years ago, and made a memorandum of the conversation he had on 3rd May 1882, with Mrs. Mclntosh (widow of the Rector of Llanerfyl), who stated
"That Mrs. Lloyd Jones of Garthllwyd was staying at Pool Quay with her sister, Miss Beard, at the time they were removing the remains of the old chapel at Buttington Hall, and this picture was in the chapel and in the place over the altar; so Mrs. Alfred Jenkins had heard from her mother, Mrs. Lloyd Jones, who begged it and took it away to Garthllwyd."
It was purchased from Mr. Bromley Jones, one of Mrs. Lloyd Jones' sons. On the back a comparatively modern-looking printed or engraved paper-label is pasted, bearing the following inscription : " Samuel Williams, At the Golden Lyon and Ball in St. Paul's Church Yard makes and sells all sorts of Guilt Leather Screens, Hanging and Japan Skreens, Carpets, and Chairs"; whether it had been made or only repaired by him is a question we cannot answer.
The painting is worthy of attention. We are not able, as yet, to make out its probable date, or by whom it was executed, but hope to get the opinion of some expert upon it.
359
ON THE STRATA FORMING THE BASE OF
THE SILURIAN IN NORTH-EAST
MONTGOMERYSHIRE.
BY J. BICKERTON MOEGAN, F.G.S.
THE question of the relationship which the basement beds of the Silurian system bear to the rocks of the underlying Cambrian has long been a most interesting one to geologists, and much has been done of late years towards a proper elucidation of the problem.
In the year 1855, Professor Sedgwick declared that his Cambrian System was distinctly separated, both physically and palaeontologically, from the succeeding Silurian by the intervention of the May Hill Sand- stone. " Commencing with the May Hill Group/' he says, " there is a sudden change of mineral type and an obvious physical break, sometimes marked by a change of strike and clear discordancy of position."1 Referring to the testimony of the fossils to this break, he also says that when an elimination has been effected of all doubtful species and of those which have been recorded on insufficient authority, and such as range into the Devonian and Carboniferous rocks, " the number of common species [i.e., common to Cambrian and Silurian] will fall considerably below ten per cent."2
Since his time a much wider extension of this strati- graphical break has been observed, for geologists have demonstrated its existence not only in Britain, but also
1 Sedgwick and McCoy's Palaeozoic Rocks and Fossils, 1855. Introduction, p. xxvii. 2 Loc. cit.
B B 2
360 ON THE STRATA FORMING THE BASE OF THE
in Bohemia, Scandinavia, and North America,1 so that it has now become a well-accepted fact.
It seems more than probable, however, that a great deal of the opposition which this theory first met with in this country was due, to a certain extent, to the confusion which once existed, and still exists in a less degree, as to whether certain beds were of Bala age or belonged to the Llandovery or May Hill series.
A good instance of this confusion has happened in mapping some of the rocks of our own district, and this I now intend pointing out in as brief a manner as possible.
The area2 in which the rocks referred to occur is situate between the towns of Welshpool and Llanfyllin, on the North Wales border. These basal rocks are first seen in Powis Castle Park, one mile to the south-west of the former place, where they come to the surface in the form of a small faulted anticlinal, the southern limb of which furnishes the foundation upon which stands the ancient and picturesque structure of Powis Castle. From this point they take a north-easterly direction, as I have indicated on another occasion,3 and, passing through the upper, or western, portion of the town, are abruptly terminated at Hed Bank by a north-east and south-west fault. To the westward of the town they crop out in the neighbourhood of Frochas, and, striking thence through the folded strata in a north- easterly direction, they extend for several miles in the direction of Llansaintffraid.
The character of these basement beds is, for the most part, that of a hard quartzose grit, the base of which in places takes the form of a coarse purple conglomerate. This conglomerate is exposed near
1 For further information on this point see Marr's Classification of the Cambrian and Silurian Rocks, 1883, pp. 18-19.
2 The following remarks are the substance of a paper read by the author before Section C. of the British Association at Leeds. See Brit. Assoc. Report, 1890, p. 816.
3 Montgomeryshire Collections, vol. xviii, p. 151.
SILURIAN IN NORTH-EAST MONTGOMERYSHIRE. 361
Welshpool, in the quarries on Cherry-tree Bank. At Gwreiddyn, near Guilsfield, the grit includes, amongst its more siliceous constituents, a few pebbles which have been derived from the underlying rocks. The beds of grit are generally separated by thin way- boards of red shale, in which occur green earthy con- cretionary patches. They are sometimes sub-cal- careous, as in Powis Castle Park, and graduate upwards into fine-grained sandstone and shale, the whole being characterised by the possession of a deep red colour.
On Sheet 60 N. E. of the Geological Survey Map these grits and sandstones are represented as being of Caradoc or Bala age. and in his Silurian System1 Sir Roderick Murchison identifies them as belonging to the upper portion of his Caradoc sandstone ; a similar correlation being also given in his Siluria.2
Although the fossils contained in these rocks are by no means abundant or generally distributed, I have succeeded in obtaining ample palaBontological evidence to prove the above correlation to be erroneous. The red grits beneath Powis Castle bear evidence on their surface of having once contained a fair number of fossils, but this is chiefly in the form of cavities from which calcareous actinozoa have either partly or entirely weathered out ; but at Cherry-tree Bank, half-a-mile to the north of the town, one of the small quarries previously mentioned has yielded the following :
Pentamerus oblongus. Sow. Euomphalus, sp.
undatus. Sow. Petraia bina. Lonsd.
Stricklandinia lirata (?). Sow. sp.
Atrypa marginalis. Dalm. Favosites, several species, Khynchonella, sp.
with other less characteristic forms. It is, therefore, evident that these red sandstones, grits, and con-
1 The Silurian System, 1839, p. 303 et seq.
2 See /Siluria, 3rd ed., 1859, p. 82, footnote. Also accompanying map.
362 ON THE STRATA FORMING THE BASE, ETC.
glomerates are of later date than the Caradoc or Bala beds, with which they have hitherto been classed, and that they belong unquestionably to the May Hill series above, and, therefore, form the base of the Silurian system in this part of Montgomery- shire.
As these strata are followed from point to point in the district they are found to repose transgressively upon different zones of the underlying Ordovician rocks, so that in this area also there is a distinct prolongation of the regional unconformity between the Ordovician and Silurian systems, an unconformity which can now be followed continuously from Llandeilo to Llanfylliri.1
Above these red Pentamerus beds comes a series of shales, mudstones, and sandstones, with occasional courses of more calcareous matter, in which occur fossils of Lower Werilock age.
The discovery of the May Hill age of these rocks will, therefore, necessitate a re-mapping of the district for the purpose of rectifying the boundary-line at the base of the Silurian — a task I hope to complete in my leisure time.
1 The actual junction of the May Hill beds with the Ordovician in the Breidden area was not observed by Mr. Watts. He has, however, given his reasons for inferring a marked break between the Ordovician and Silurian systems in that locality. See his paper on "The Breidden Hills and their Igneous and Associated .Rocks", Mont. Coll., vol. xxiv, pp. 113, 118.
363
HISTORY OF THE PARISH OF KERRY.
BY E, ROWLEY-MORRIS. . (Continued from Vol. xxv, p. 35. )
To the county of Montgomery, one of the four counties created out of the Marches, the lordship of Kerry was assigned, and from that date the Fee of the lordship has vested in the Crown. At the commencement of the period immediately following the creation of the four new counties, the Crown appears to have appointed officers to represent it in the various departments, from whom an account was sent in to the Exchequer, exhibit- ing their receipts and disbursements.
The sources of revenue were from forests, courts, chief rents, escheats, wills, heriots, from demesne lands, houses, cottages, etc. The names of these officers are entered on the Gaol Files, and have been printed in "Miscellanea Historica", in vol. iii et seq. of the Mont- gomeryshire Collections.
It will be remembered that in 1507 the Kerry people obtained their Charter of Liberties. The following year but one, the King (Henry VIII) granted the steward- ship of the manors and lordships of Montgomery, Kerry, Kedewen, and the members of the same, to Sir Charles Somerset, Knight, the King's Chamberlain,1 in 1515 he also had the appointment, amongst other offices, of Chancellor and Chief Forester, with the ap- pointment of officers, in the lordships of Montgomery, Kerry, Kedewen, and several others in Wales.2
William Herbert, Earl of Huntingdon, whose daughter married Sir Charles Somerset, was first cousin to Sir
Mont. Sherifs, p. 98. 2 /^., 99.
3G4 HISTORY OF THE PARISH OF KERRY.
Richard Herbert of Montgomery, and it has been sug- gested that, through this relationship, Sir Richard Herbert's connection with the county commenced, as "the Booke of Payments" indicates clearly that Sir Richard Herbert there represented the Earl of Wor- cester at the time of the accession of Henry VIII.1 The same year there was a grant of the reversion of the same, to his son by Elizabeth Herbert, Henry Somerset, Lord Herbert.2 The Accounts during this period are at the Record Office.3 In the same year, 29th August, " Griffith Vachan of the Guard" was ap- pointed to be Forester of the Lordships of Kere and Kidewen.4 In 1527 Richard Powell of Edenhope, Serjeant- at- Arms to King Henry VIII, was appointed Chief Forester of Kerry, Llanllwchaiarn, and Tregynon for life.
On page 15 of the "Sheriffs of Montgomeryshire" it is stated that one Owen Henstheman, on the 10th Jan., 19 Henry VIII (L528), was appointed Seneschal of Montgomery Castle, and he was to receive the profits and revenues arising from the lordships of Montgomery, Kerry, and Kedewen. Subsequent researches have resulted in discovering that this was an error. The following was his appointment : — " In the 19th year of Henry VIII, Patent, pars 1, m. 9-19, 10th January, an Annuity of £5 a year was granted to Owen Heri- thesman, Clerk, for the performance of Divine Service in Montgomery Castle (Marches of Wales), payable out of the issues of the Lordships of Montgomery, Kerry, and Kydewen, as enjoyed by Ryce Maelgwyn,5 deceased."
In 1540, which is the first year a Sheriff was ap- pointed for the new county of Montgomery, Humphrey
1 Mont. Sheriffs, p. 99. 2 State Papers, Domestic, vol. ii, p. 1448.
3 Ministers' Accounts, 2-3 Hen. VI11, No. 105, Nos. 17 and 3'2, Nos. 11 and 16, and Jf 8.
4 7 Hen. VIII, Patent, pars 2, m. 9.
5 Ryce (or Richard) Maelgwyn was parson of Llandyssil. (See his will, Mont. Coll.. xxiv, p, 30.)
HISTORY OF THE PARISH OF KERRY. 365
Lloyd of Leighton, Esq., was so appointed. He also held simultaneously " the analogous trust of Eirigild of the Crown demesnes of Kerry and other places — a Eirigild being an officer who collected the King's rents of assize, if necessary, by distraint."1 He was succeeded, apparently, by Hugo ap John Lloyd.2 An Account of his was sent in to the Exchequer in 36-7 Henry VIII. (It is in Exch. Roll, Ministers' Accounts, for that year, No. 78.)
It is not necessary, for the purposes of this sketch, to follow the several appointments of officers. The above will illustrate the position in life of the earlier ones. The following are mentioned in "Miscellanea Historica" in the Journal of this Society : —
Chief Stewards.
1553-1568. William Earl of Pembroke (of the second creation).
1570-1589. Sir James Croft.3 1592-1607. Herbert Croft, Esq.
Foresters.
1528. Richard Powell of Edeuhope, Esq., for life.
1560. William Deacon, Esq. (Dackyn).
Ringilds.
1540. Hugo ap John Lloyd.
1540. Humphrey Lloyd of Leighton.
1555. John Lloyd.
Recorder.
1561. John Gwynne.
Herbert Croft, Esq., above, appears to have been the last Chief Steward appointed, for on the 23rd of
1 Mont. Sheriffs, p. 7. 2 Ibid., p. 16.
3 Sir James Croft, Knight, probably of Croft Castle, Herefordshire. (Mont. Sheriffs^ p. 314, n. 1.) Richard Herbert of Montgomery, Esq., married Catherine, daughter of Sir Edward Croft, Knt., of Croft Castle (Betham's7?arowe%re, vol. ii, p. 417). It is likely that it was through this alliance that the appointment of Sir James Croft came about.
366 HISTORY OF THE PARISH OF KERRY.
August 1605 a lease of Kerry Manor was granted to Lady Mary Herbert.1 She was only daughter and heiress of Sir Thomas Stanley of Stan den, in Hert- fordshire, Master of the Mint in 1570, and married to Sir Edward Herbert of Powis Castle, who was second son of the Earl of Pembroke of the second creation.2 The following year she had a " grant of Crown lands in the County of Montgomery on a lease of 21 years, at a rent of £197 25. 5d."3 In 1613 there is an account of Sir William Herbert, His Majesty's Farmer of Mont- gomery, Kerry, and Kedewen, parcel of the possessions formerly belonging to the Earl of March/1
According to a manuscript at Powis Castle, King James the First, in 1616, granted the manors of Kerry and Kedewen, and borough and Castle of Montgomery, to the above Sir William Herbert.5 This Sir William was, on the 2nd of April 1629, elevated to the peerage by Charles I, by the title of " Baron Powys of Powys". He died 7th March 1655, and is buried at Hendon, co. Middlesex. He held Kerry, etc., at his death. He was succeeded by his eldest son, Sir Piercy Herbert, who married Elizabeth, daughter of Sir William Craven. Sir Piercy succeeded to the interest in Kerry lordship, which had been his father's, and during the civil war his estates were seized by the Parliamentary Party. In vol. xviii of the Montgomeryshire Collections the writer has made some references to their proceedings. In vol. civ, First Series Roy. Comp. Papers, there is a letter, dated 18th August 1652, written at Welsh- pool, touching the purchase of the lordships of Kerry and Halcitor, by Richard Price, Esq.6; and in vol. xlix of the same series the following petition may be found at p. 559 : —
1 Index Warrant Book, p. 46. State Papers, Domestic, 1605-10, p. 231. 2 Mont. Coll., vol. v, pp. 170-75.
3 Mont. Coll., vol. iv, p. 290.
4 Sheriffs of Montgomeryshire, p. 204.
5 Ex inf. Mr. Morris Charles Jones, in a letter to the writer, dated 21st May 1869. 6 Of Gtmley.
HISTORY OF THE PARISH OF KERRY. 367
" To the Hono'ble the Com'rs for Managing Estates under Sequestration.
"The humble petition of Richard Pryce, Esq.
" That whereas the Lordships of Kerry, Kedewin, and Hal- citor, being taken in Ffee Ffarme of the late King by Sir Piercy Herbert a papist, paying £144 16s. 9fc?. yearly for ye same for ever, and the interest of the said Sir Percy Herbert beinge still unsould at Drury House, and soe disposable by yo'r Honors.
" And whereas yo'r petition'r having bought the said Ffee Ffarme rent received upon the said Lordships, and the same being att present without a tenant from whom yo'r petition'r may call for his rent, there being one half yeares rent payable to yo'r petitioner the next 25th of March.
" Humbly prayeth that the same may be disposed to some responsible hand, and to that end humbly recommends the late tenant.
" And yo'r petition'r shall pray/'
Note on margin — " 23 * March, 54, the Com'rs to let ye estate to hym who will give most, the same for a year."
It was four years and a half before the following decision was come to, p. 561, 10th Dec. 1659 : —
" Order directing that Capt. Eich. Price, having, on the second day of July preceding, contracted for the fie ffarme of the Manours of Montgomery, Kerry, and Kedewen, per annum £144 16s. 8d., and the fie ffarme of demesne landes called B eander lands, per ann. £13 19s. 9c?., and having paid the full purchase money, that he and his assigns should receive the rents which were due 29th Sepr. last, and all future rents."
As far back as 1650 a petition was presented by one Elizabeth Robe, spinster, showing that then formerly petitioner had been accustomed to receive an annuity of £40 a year, which, had been secured on the lordship of Kerry and other places to Elizabeth Robe and her brother, John Robe, but that payment had been sus- pended; the matter had been referred to the Committee's counsel, who required proof from petitioner. She stated that her proof was then very remote in Wales ; that only William Lord Powys was then in town, and that he was so infirm that he could not be removed from his chamber. Petitioner therefore prayed that his tes-
368 HISTORY OF THE PARISH OF KERRY.
timony might be taken at his lodgings, or that peti- tioner might be permitted to take his oath before a Master iu Chancery. It was agreed that Mr. Reading should take the testimony of Lord Powys, and report it to the Committee, dated 6th Sept. 1650. On the 20th of the following month, Peter Brereton, who had taken Lord Powys's examination, reported in favour of peti- tioner. Much delay was experienced in the case, and it was found later on that, on the marriage of Sir Piercy Herbert, his father's property had been placed in set- tlement, Sir Piercy to pay his father £800 a year for his life, the latter consenting to abate £40 a year oil the £800. In the end, Eliz. Robe obtained an Order upon the Commissioners of the county of Montgomery for them to pay her the annuity, unless they showed cause within a month. The Commissioners answered that the lordships in question never were within their management, but that the rents had been paid to the Auditor, and that, since the proceedings commenced, the property in question had been sold by the Parliament. Failing in this, it was then suggested that she should resort to the property in Montgomeryshire which had been given as security for the £800 annuity.1
On the death of Sir Piercy, he was succeeded by his son William, who was created Earl of Powis on the 4th of April 1674 ; and on the accession of James II he was created Viscount Montgomery and Marquis of Powis. Attaching himself to the cause of James II, he withdrew with that monarch to France, and was there by him created Marquis of Montgomery and Duke of Powis.2 These titles, however, were never recognised in England. " He was outlawed for not returning within a certain period, and submitting to the new Government. All his estates were confiscated by the Crown, and granted by letters patent to the
1 The writer has set out Sir Percy Herbert's case with the Seques- tration Commissioners, at length, in vol. xix of these Collections, pp. 257-306, to which readers are referred for greater details.
2 See " Herbertiana", in Mont. Coll., vol. v, pp. 353-364.
HISTORY OF THE PARISH OF KERRY. 369
Earl of Roch fort. These letters are dated 1st April, 8 William III (1696), and afford much interesting in- formation." They are printed at length in Archceologia Cambrensis (1859). We append a rough translation of the description of his possession in Kerry.
" He was seised of and in the whole of the manor of Kerry, lying in the several parishes of Kerry, Mochtree, Church- stoke, and Montgomery, with their rights, members, and appurtenances in our county of Montgomery aforesaid, and of the rents and services of all the men and inhabitants within the aforesaid manor of Kerry, and to the same manor belong- ing and pertaining, and of the Court of the View of Frank Pledge, to the aforesaid manor belonging, and all waifs, estrays, goods, and cattels of felons, fugitives, etc., in the said manor, the clear annual value of which, beyond outgoings, is £27 14s. 3c7. ; and also of and in all those two messuages, thirty cottages, and ten acres of land, five acres of meadow, and twenty acres of pasture,1 with their appurtenances, lying and being within the aforesaid parishes of Kerry, Mochdre, Churchstoke, and Montgomery, in our said county of Mont- gomery, and on the aforesaid day of the taking of this Inquisition, or then lately in the possession of Robert Jones, Margarete Jones, widow, Ed'ri ap Richard, -Thomas Jones, John Arthur, John Thomas, John Lewis, Evan Pryce, Maurice Davies, David Evan, Thomas Richards, Roger Evans, Richard Morris, Richard Phillips, Elizabeth Phillips, Ed'ri Lewis, ... Fernol, widow, John Jenkin, Susanna Evans, John Evans, Richard Robert, Marie Jones, widow, ... Mathews, widow, Evan Mathew, Ed'ri John, Thomas Matthew Fisher, David Jenkins, Thomas Rogers, and David Powell, and of the clear annual value of £60 5s. beyond reprisals/'
His Grace died at St. Germains, 2nd June 1696. Before ihe end of that year his son and successor, William, second Duke of Powis, was distrusted and persecuted by the Government, when, on the 15th of Dec. 1696, he surrendered himself to the Lord Chief Justice, who committed him to Newgate. It was not until 1722 that he obtained restitution of his estates, subsequent to which date Kerry manor, with all its
1 We think this expression is not intended to accurately state quantities.
370 HISTORY OF THE PARISH OF KERRY.
rights and privileges, remained and still remains in the possession of his descendants and successors.
The foregoing narrative, though imperfect in many respects, has traced the devolution of the lordship from the date when it was conceded by Edward I to Eoger de Mortimer, to the possession of its present holder, citing English records of unimpeachable authority for each step. Readers who have followed the story will have noticed that practically the lordship has, under the Crown, been in the hands of two noble families, and two only — namely, the Mortimers and Herberts — during the long period which has intervened between 1278 and 1891.
The writer has, from his inability to obtain access to the Court Rolls, Minute and other Books connected with the Court Baron, been unable to illustrate either the tenures, customs, or usages which obtained in the lordship, and hence pictures of life are lacking. It would have been interesting to be able to trace the steps by which land, which, at the period when Roger de Mortimer first obtained possession of the lordship, was held in common, has passed through till it became the freehold of the present day.
A cursory examination of "Historica Miscellanea", which at the cost of so much labour has been un- earthed by the Rev. W. Valentine Lloyd, M. A., one of our Hon. Secretaries, and printed in these Collections, would show any reader what vast quantities of land in the county of Montgomery, usually described as " parcels of the possessions of the Earl of March", were in the hands of persons who could show no title to them ; and how, from the reign of Henry VIII down to a recent period, persons who had influence obtained grants of these parcels, usually on leases, which ulti- mately, by payment of the capitalised value of the fee farm rents, became freehold with a Crown title. As an illustration, we append the particulars of a grant1
1 For the information of readers, it may be said there are excellent indices at the Record Office relating to these grants, both of places and persons, separately.
HISTORY OF THE PARISH OF KERRY. 371
made to John Price of Newtown Hall in the J 2th of Elizabeth, dated June 9th.
" Grant of the following concealed lands in the possession of the inhabitants to John Price for 21 years : Dolvor Mill [this should be VilT\t a parcel of meadow of an acre ; Keven and Veowstre vills ; Mogtievill; Garthelin vill; Kilwythe vill; Machaithelan vill ; Grange vill ; Delvor vill ; Keven y Beren vill ; Bronllowarthe vill ; Kelliberisse, Trevor, Kerry, and Vaestre, Clothie, Treyllan, Tiry manor, all and singular houses and premisses there ; Trylan, a water-mill there/' (Land Rev. JRolls, N. W.y vol. iv, p. 22.)1
In addition to these concealed and other lands, there were at one time nineteen mills in Kerry parish in the hands of the Crown, besides the possessions belonging to Cwmhir Abbey, and the rectorial tithes ; these were all dealt with by leases, and in connection therewith there was a vast amount of litigation. The depositions relating to these suits are of an interesting nature, and illustrate many points connected with the lordship which, in their absence, would not have been known ; so, instead of incorporating the information obtainable from an examination of these documents with this section, we propose at a later stage to deal with them, and we shall be much disappointed if it will not be found that their contents will unfold many things not dreamt of now, and be the most interesting section connected with this paper on Kerry.
ECCLESIASTICAL.
The actual period when a church was first founded in the parish of Kerry is unknown. There are several facts with which we are acquainted which tend to show that it was at an early period. We may mention three: (1) That the parish is coterminous in its boun- dary with the ancient Welsh Cwmwd of Keri, in the Cantred of Malienydd; (2) that Mochdre, which has been
1 See Mont. Coll., vol. iii, p. 148.
372 HISTORY OF THE PARISH OF KERRY.
severed from it in the Middle Ages, originally was part and parcel of Kerry ; (3) that churches dedicated to St. Michael are of an early date. The dedication of churches to St. Michael, as to the period, is referred to in Archdeacon Bevan's Diocesan History of St. David's in the following terms : " As regards churches dedicated to St. Michael, the Annales contain an entry under date 718 to the following effect — * Consecration of a church of St. Michael the Archangel' ; which accords exactly with the entry in Bede's Martyrologium as the title of the festival (September 29th), and not as indi- cating the erection of any church in England ; whence wTe conclude that the entry in the Annales implies no more than the introduction of the festival into the calendar."
The incident is interesting, as an indication that the isolation of the Welsh Church was not so complete as to shut out all intelligence of what was passing outside Wales.
The celebrity of St. Michael originated in Italy in the fifth century, in connection with a vision seen in Mount Garganus, to which reference is made in Codex B. of the Annales, " S. Michaelis in Monte Gargano." Thence it traversed Europe, reaching Wales in the beginning of the eighth century, where it became a very favourite dedication, there being no less than • forty-five St. Michael churches in the diocese of St. David. To what cause this popularity is to be attri- buted we are riot aware — whether it was from the association of St. Michael with hills (though we do not see this illustrated in the position of the churches), or whether there was something that appealed to Welsh sentiment in the significance of this dedication as symbolic1 of the Church's victorious progress.
The dedication seems, at all events, to be thoroughly characteristic of the Welsh, as distinct from the Norman or English elements in our Church history; such, for instance, as the Llanfair (St. Mary) dedications of a
1 Mrs. Jameson, Sacred Art, i, 96-97.
HISTORY OF THE PARISH OF KERRY. 373
later period. Only a single instance occurs in the diocese of St. David of a St. Michael dedication in a town, namely, at Pembroke, and this may have been in existence before the town grew up under Norman influence.
The above manifestly points to a period pre-Norman, when the first church was dedicated in Kerry.
In a Had. MS. (1973) in the British Museum there is a notice of Elystan Glodrydd, the reputed lord of the district between the Severn and the Wye, and it also states that his son, "Cadwgan ap Elystan,1 founded the Abbey of St. Mary's at Cwmhir, and three churches to St. Michael — that is, Kerry, Cefnllys, and St. Michael's on Bryn pab lenaf in Bualet." There is a palpable error in the above, for it was Cadwallon ap Madoc, great- grandson of Cadwgan, who founded Cwm Hir, yet it may be true that Cadwgan was the founder of Kerry Church. There was a reconsecration of Kerry Church before the death of Cadwallon ap Madoc2 ; we refer to the time when that determined but bloodless struggle occurred between the celebrated Giraldus Cambrensis and Adam, Bishop of St. Asaph. The question in- volved was as to the jurisdiction of Kerry, whether it was in the diocese of St. Asaph or St. David, and the occasion was the reconsecration referred to above, which occurred in 1175, and during a vacancy in the see of St. David's.
The incident is thus related in Archdeacon Thomas's valuable history of the diocese of St. Asaph3 :
" Kerry being in the lordship or march of Montgomery, Adam was invited by two of the local chieftains, Biuion Glyd and Cadwallawn, and some of the clergy, to come and dedicate the church ; but on proceeding to do so was confronted by Giraldus, who, as Archdeacon of Brecon and representative of the see of St. David, solemnly inhibited him f ex parte Dei, Dominique Papse et Archiepiscopi necnon et Eegis Anglise in
1 See pedigree, Mont. Coll., xxiii, p, 102.
2 He died in 1179.
3 Hist. Diocese St. Asaph, pp. 37-39.
VOL. XXV. C 0
374 HISTORY OF THE PARISH OF KERRY.
cujus manu et custodia tune erat Ecclesia S. Davidis, paulo ante orbata pastore, ne falcem mitteret in messam alienam.' To this the Bishop rejoined by quoting letters of the Arch- bishop confirming to him the see of Llanelwy (St. Asaph), ' with all its appurtenances', and by producing1, in further support of his claim, an ancient book which declared that not Kerry only, but all the churches between the Wye and the Severn ' ad ecclesiam Llaneluensis jure parochiali pertinere.' This was in complete accord with the ancient arrangement which assigned to this diocese (St. Asaph) the province of Powys, of which Kerry formed a part, but it was not to stand against the practice of three hundred years, during which it was alleged by Giraldus that Kerry had belonged to St. David's.
"Judging from the retinue that attended the Bishop from Powysland and Caedewen, and the armed body which on the shortest notice answered the summons of the Archdeacon, it would appear that the dispute had been one of some standing, and had now corne to its expected crisis. The whole account is curious. On the morning of the dedication two of the clergy (for the church was a collegiate foundation), after first hiding the keys, set out to meet the Bishop. Meanwhile*, Giraldus, the Archdeacon, appears at the gates, and having with some difficulty obtained admission, has the bells rung in token of possession.1 Learning definitely, through his rural dean, that the Bishop was coming in his official capacity,2 he warns him not to enter into another's field ; and to the Bishop's threat of excommunication, he replies that it did not signify to him as he was not his Bishop, and hints that he, too, could and would try that experiment.
" And when at length the Bishop, wearing his mitre, and holding his pastoral staff, solemnly advanced to put his threat into execution, Giraldus had the church door thrown open, and issued forth with a train of priests and clergy robed in surplices and stoles, with the other sacerdotal vestments, and preceded by lighted candles and a processional cross. The two parties stood face to face, and when the Bishop began in a loud voice to excommunicate the Archdeacon, the latter in still louder tones began to excommunicate him ; and to add
1 " Tanquam in investiture signum et possessionis."
2 Giraldus and the Bishop were old fellow-students. Giraldus sent some of his clergy, attended by the dean of the district, to inform the Bishop that if he came as a friend he would be kindly received, but if not he urged him to advance no further.
HISTORY OF THE PARISH OF KERRY. 375
solemnity to the sentence, he ordered all the bells to be tolled in the slow and peculiar manner (simul omnes trino invervallo) usual on such like occasions.
"The issue was that the Bishop turned on his heel and galloped off, pursued by the sticks and stones and yells of the multitude, as was always the case whenever these ominous sounds were heard. Be it added, however, to the honour of both disputants, that the Archdeacon's steadfast maintenance of the rights of his see secured to him ever afterwards the respect and esteem of his old fellow-pupil, the defeated Bishop."
Among the few monuments in Kerry Church is one, erected in 1818, by Bishop Burgess, founder of Lampeter College, to commemorate the above incident, and perpetuate the name of Giraldus in connection therewith. It has upon it the following inscription :
To the memory
of GIRALDUS DE BARRI
commonly called
GIRALDUS CAMBRENSIS
Son of WILLIAM DE BARRI
Maternal Grandson
of
RHYS AP TUDOR Prince of South Wales
and Archdeacon of Brecon
To whose
Judicious and Intrepid Conduct
in his capacity as Archdeacon
The See of St. David's
Is indebted For the ancient preservation
and Present Possession
of The Parish of Kerry
with
The rights emoluments and privileges Thereunto belonging
This monument Is gratefully erected
By THOMAS BURGESS, D.D., F.R.S. and F.S.A.
Bishop of St. Davids
A.D. — MDCCCXVIII.
The incident related above, in connection with the rededication of Kerry Church, at first sight appeared
c c 2
376 HISTORY OF THE PARISH OF KERRY.
to us to be irreconcilable with well-known facts. The two local chieftains, Einion Clyd and Cadwallon,1 were brothers, fourth in descent from Elystan Glodrud, and the then representatives of the old Welsh lords. The former was lord of Elfael, a large district in the now county of Radnor; the latter, lord of Malienydd, of which Kerry was a member, and he was the founder of Cwrn Hir Abbey. Why these two, whose principal interests lay in an undisputed part of the diocese of St. David's, should invite the Bishop of St. Asaph to come and rededicate Kerry Church, and so cut it off from St. David's, to which it had pertained for three centuries, is difficult to explain, unless upon the hypo- thesis that they foresaw that the Mortimers (with whom they were constantly entangled in border skir- mishes, and who had for a long period been gradually pushing their frontiers from the south side into terri- tories which belonged of right to the ancient Welsh lords) would ultimately drive them from these lands into the sterile and mountainous district which inter- vened between Kerry and the valley of the Wye. It may be that Einion Clyd and Cadwallon conceived that their temporal interests would be better safe- guarded by restoring Kerry to the diocese of St. Asaph, where the Mortimers had no interest what- ever at this period, rather than permitting it to remain a part of the diocese of St. David's, where the Mortimers then had, not only a large, but a growing, interest. Cadwallon was connected, too, with the Princes of Powys, he having married Eva, daughter of Meredydd, Prince of Powys, which might have influ- enced him in the course he took. Judging by the jeers with which Bishop Adam was greeted when he made his undignified retreat, the popular voice was against the transfer. They, the people, did not know, and, if they knew, would not have appreciated the motives which, we suggest, might have influenced Einion Clyd and his brother in the matter.
1 See Mont. Coll., xxiii, p. 102.
HISTORY OF THE PARISH OF KERRY. 377
It may be that Cadwallon, by founding Cwm Hir Abbey in the position it stood, by granting to it such large tracts of land, not only between it and Kerry, but in the parish of Kerry as well, was influenced by other considerations, as well as by his reverence and love for Holy Mother Church.
In all human probability, though there are no records testifying to the fact, Cadwallon would have been among, if not the principal contributor towards the expenses of the restoration at this period ; Einion Clyd also ; but neither of these ancient chiefs were spared long after the rededication. In 1177-8, Einion Clyd was treacherously slain by the Normans, and, on the 22nd September 1179, his brother Cadwallon was waylaid and murdered by the retainers of Roger, son of Hugh de Mortemer.1
It has been conjectured that at one time Kerry formed a part of the diocese of Llanbadarn, and that, on the death by violence of Bishop Idnerth at Llan- dewi-Brefi, which brought that episcopate to a close about the year 720,2 that diocese was merged in St. David's, and, with it, Kerry parish.
Previously to the time of Henry III, the advowson of Kerry appears to have belonged to the Prince of Wales, but, in 1246, the King, who "claimed it as King of England by virtue of conquest", presented to the church of St. Michael in Kerry Henry de Breton.3
Giraldus Cambrensis complained loudly and repeat- edly of the mode of dividing benefices between two or more incumbents.4 The church of Kerry in 1176, he tells us, had two such rectors5; one church in Kadnor- shire had six or seven,6 and he intimates that so large a number was not unusual. It has been inferred from
1 See Mont. Coll., xxiii, p. 104.
2 Bevan's St. David's, p. 32.
3 Arch. Thomas's Hist, of St. Asaph, p. 321, and note ], ibid.
4 Ang. Sacra, ii, pp. 450-519.
5 Ibid., p. 472. 6 Ibid>j p 471>
378 HISTORY OF THE PARISH OF KERRY.
that statement that at this time Kerry Church was collegiate, as was the usual custom of the early Welsh churches ; but an eminent authority,1 referring to the above statement of Giraldus's, says : " We are not to suppose that this statement implies the existence of a collegiate foundation in those churches, but that they were simply instances of portionist rectories, such as are still to be found in England." The same writers seem to consider that such a state of things was rather the effect of the operation of the law of gavelkind, mentioning an instance where two brothers were rectors of a church — the one a cleric, the other a layman.
In the History of the Diocese of St. Asaph,2to which we are chiefly indebted for the facts connected with this part of the history of Kerry, it is conjectured that about the time of Henry de Breton's incumbency the church ceased to be collegiate, for in the Taxatio of 1291 it is simply described as "Eccl'ia de Kery", and taxed at £20, deeim' £2.
We met with a document of some interest, among a collection of charters and other papers connected with the diocese of St. David's, which may have some bearing upon the point as to the period when the rectory of Kerry became appropriate to the Bishop of St. David's. It is a mere conjecture, based mainly upon the fact that the parish of Glascwm, in the county of Radnor, is associated with Kerry in this " Bull" of Pope Innocent's ; and it appears also to be associated with Kerry some four hundred years later.3
BULL OF POPE INNOCENT IV. Harleian MS. 1249, pp. 168-9.
Innocentius Episcopus servus servorum Dei venerando fratri Thomao Menevensi episcopo salutem et apostolicam benedic- tionem. Ilia libenter tibi concedimus per quse salus animarum tuis subditis Deo propitio valeat provenire. Sane tua petitio
1 Jones and Freeman's Hist, and Antiquities of St. David's. p. 274.
2 Hist. Dio. St. Asaph, pp. 320-321. a /^ p< 321.
HISTORY OF THE PAKISH OF KERRY. 379
nobis exhibita continebat et quod quandam partem tuae dio- cesis pro eo quod ibidem non habes hospitium ubi possis commode hospitari visitare non vales propter quod subditorum tuorum excessus interdum remanent incorrect] super quo petisti per sedem Apostolicam salubre remedium adhiberi.
Nos itaque tuis supplicationibus inclinati auctorifcate tibi presentium indulgemus ut tu et successores tui cedentibus vel decedentibus rectoribus de Kery et de Glascom ecclesiarum ad collationem tuam spectantium Menevensis diocesis medie- tatem reddituum quas cujuslibet ecclesiaB medietas septuaginta solidos sterlingoruin valorem annuum non excedit ad con- struendum juxta quamlibet ecclesiarum ipsarum domicilium competentem in quo tu et successores ipsi valeatis commode hospitari et ad sustentandum et gubernandum hujusmodi domi- cilium auctoritate nostra possitis perpetuo deputare.
Nulli ergo omnino homini liceat hanc paginam nostrae con- cessionis infringere vel ei ausu teinerario contraire. Si quis autem hoc attemptare presumpserit indignationem omni- potentis Dei et beatorum Petri et Pauli1 ejus se noverit incursum. Dat Asisij tertio kalendas Junii pontificatus nostri anno undecimo.
Translation of the BULL or POPE INNOCENT IV, granting to the Bishop of St. David's and his successors part of the rents or profits arising from the Rectories of Kerry and Glascwm, co. Radnor.
Innocent,2 Bishop, servant of the servants of God. To our venerable brother Thomas,3 Bishop of St. David's. Health and Apostolical benediction. We willingly grant unto thee those things whereby the health of thy subjects' souls may, by God's blessing, be advanced. Thy petition presented to
1 Apostolorum, in pencil, in the margin.
2 Innocent IV became Pope in 1242, and held the Papacy for eleven years, five months, and fourteen days (Isaacson's Chronology, p. 336).
3 Thomas [Wallensis] was, as his surname implies, a Welshman by descent, and probably by birth, and he did credit to his country by his abilities. Previously to his elevation to the see, he had held the position of Archdeacon of Lincoln, appointed thereto by the great Bishop Grosseteste on his merits, as we learn from the letter (No. 51 in Luard's edition of Grosseteste's Letters) in which the offer of that post was conveyed to him while holding a Professorship in the University of Paris (Arch. Bevan's Diocesan Hist, of St. David's, p. 109).
380 HISTORY OF THE PARISH OF KERRY.
us contained tlie fact that thou art unable to visit a certain part of thy diocese, inasmuch as thou hast not any lodging there where thou mayest conveniently be lodged, whereby the excesses of thy subjects remain at times unconnected, where- upon thou hast sought to have a wholesome remedy applied through the Apostolic See. We therefore, being favourably disposed to thy prayers, do grant unto thee, by the authority of these presents, that thou and thy successors may for ever, by our authority, assign, in the case of Rectors of the churches of Kerry and Glascombe, in the Diocese of St. David's, belonging to thy collation, who vacate those benefices by cession or death, a moiety of the rents [or profits], such rnoiety not to exceed, in the case of each church, the annual value of seventy shillings sterling, in order to build, beside each of the said churches, a sufficient domicile wherein thou and thy successors may conveniently lodge, and for the main- tenance and government of such domicile. Therefore let it not be permitted to any man whatever to violate this charter of our grant (?), or to contravene it by any audacious attempt. But if any one shall presume to attempt this, let him know he will incur the wrath of Almighty God and of His Apostles (?) the blessed Peter and Paul. Given at Assisi, on the 3rd day of the Kalends of June, in the eleventh year of our Pontifi- cate.1
Whether the above instrument may be regarded as indicating approximately the period when the Bishop of St. David's became interested in the Rectory of Kerry or not, it will probably be considered unique as regards the diversion of a moiety of the rectorial profits or rents to build a domicile where the Bishop could lodge, and so, being on the spot, could correct the " excesses of his subjects, which remained at times unconnected". It is certain that the rectory had, at some unknown date between 1291 and 1535, become appropriate to the Bishop of St. David's, for in the Valor of Hen. VIII it is returned among the " Ecclesia ad dignitatem Episcopalem Episcopi Menevensis perti- nentes", and as let at £20 per ann., the vicarage being worth £17 8s. 4d., minus tenths, £1 145. 10cL
The tithes were commuted in 1840 at £850 to the
1 Harl. MS. 1249, pp. 168-9.
^
§5
HISTORY OF THE PARISH OF KEERY. 381
Bishop of St. David's (now in the hands of the Eccle- siastical Commissioners) ; £10 to the parish clerk — this was in consideration of the " bell-sheaf" (ysgub y gldch), an immemorial acknowledgment of his services in summoning the parishioners to church ; and £550 to the vicar, who has also an excellent house and ninety- nine acres of glebe.1 The patronage is in the hands of the Lord Bishop of St. David's. By an Act passed in the 6-7 of William IV, it was enacted " that such alterations be made in the apportionment or exchange of ecclesiastical patronage among the several bishops as should be consistent with the relative magnitude and importance of their dioceses when newly arranged, and as should offer an adequate quantity of patronage to the new sees."
In accordance with this, an Order in Council for the transfer from Chester, Hereford, and St. David's bore date 30th July 1849, and it came into operation on being gazetted 26th July 1861. This included Kerry and Moughtre.
THE CHURCH BEFORE THE RESTORATION IN 1883.
Believing that a description of the church before it was restored will be interesting, and possibly useful, we again avail ourselves of Archdeacon Thomas's re- searches.
" Giraldus's interesting account of the consecration fixes the date of the edifice, or at least the earliest portion of it, in A.D. 1176, whilst its own features supply a sufficiently accurate index to its after history. The four Norman pillars that divide the western portion of the nave from the north aisle probably mark the extent, as well as indicate the form, of an earlier wooden church, which the one dedicated by Giraldus had superseded, to which a chancel was subsequently added, and the north aisle correspondingly prolonged; for the dividing pillars are of later character, and the piscinae of
1 Thirty-five acres sold to John Naylor, Esq., in 1881 (Arch. Thomas's St. Asaph, pp. 321-2).
382 HISTORY OF THE PARISH OF KERRY.
Early English date. Of the Perpendicular period, again, we have the panelled and foliated roof of the nave (that of the chancel and north aisle is concealed by ceiling) and the hand- some font, which has its panels ornamented with the emblems of the Passion. The massive western tower, surmounted by a wooden belfry in two stories, is probably the same that existed in 1176, and the three bells which it holds may still represent the peal that contributed so materially to settle the dispute which he describes when, ' simul ornnes trino inter- vallo', they tolled out their solemn and awful clang. They may represent them, but they have a tale of their own to tell, for they, too, bespeak a struggle of long duration, and of sad and serious consequences, but at that time happily closed; for they bear the date of A.D. 1679, and in their inscriptions breathe the prayer, ' Prosperity to the Church of England', and ' God GA^s1 his Church'. The priest's door and one on the north side still retain their strong and primitive bolts ; and another interesting memento of the past is the chained Bible, at the west end of the north aisle, now used as the vestry.
" A window on the south side shows the date 1613, and an inscription elsewhere states the church to have been beauti- fied in 1714. Its beauty, however, can hardly be said to have survived to the present time, for in 1853 it was reported to have been in a very dilapidated condition, and recommended to be pulled down. A large gallery2 at the west end projects some twenty-six feet into the nave, and a small recess has been constructed in the north wall for the organ/'
THE CHURCH AFTER THE RESTORATION.
When the present incumbent, the Rev. O. A. Nares, was appointed in 1879 to the vicarage of Kerry, by the Bishop of St. David's, it was upon the understand- ing that he should undertake the restoration of the church. The late Mr. George Street, R.A., was con-
1 Sic.
2 As this gallery was not re-erected in the restored church, the following "Minute", made at a Vestry in 1753, may be worth recording : " That the vestry agrees to enlarge and improve the gallery. Note, that £50 was subscribed towards the cost, and agreed, that a rate of 2d. in the pound be made to pay the balance of the cost."
HISTORY OF THE PARISH OF KERRY. 383
suited ; he prepared an exhaustive report upon the condition of the building, with suggestions for its restoration. An appeal was made to the landowners and parishioners of Kerry for contributions towards the work, in a circular of which the following is a copy :
" Thisantient edifice having become so dilapidated as to be insecure and unfit for the reverent worship of God, it has been determined to raise a Fund for the Re-building of the fabric on the present site, and in accord- ance with its original character.
" Designs for this object have been prepared by G. E. Street, Esq., R.A., who estimates the cost at about £4000.
" The Church is well known to those interested in ecclesiastical architec- ture, as possessing features of more than ordinary importance. Its central arcade of Norman arches, massive tower, and richly-decorated font, denote a construction earlier than that of most churches in Wales; while the historical associations of the parish to which the church bears the only remaining testimony, justify the endeavour now being made to repair the ravages of time upon the venerable structure.
" The landowners having contributed most liberally in starting this fund, we are encouraged to make an urgent appeal to the parishioners, and all Christian friends who may be disposed to assist so good a cause, to forward donations to us, in order that the required sum may be collected, and the operations commenced without delay.
" On the other side is a List of Subscriptions which have been promised.
" We are, yours faithfully,
" OWEN A. NARES,
Vicar of Kerry.
" JAMES MARTIN, ) Church- " LAWTON L. MOORE, ) wardens.""
This was liberally responded to. Plans were prepared by Mr. Street, and were finally adopted ; he, however, did not live to witness the completion of the work. His designs were then carried out by his son, with the assistance of Mr. V. Cotterill Scholefield, A.RI.B.A., clerk of the works. Mr. Edward Davies, builder, of Newtown, was the contractor. The amount of the contract was £3,005. The work was expeditiously carried out, having been completed within a year of its commencement.
The following detailed account of the restoration was prepared by Mr. Scholefield :
The original church was of Early Norman character, and dated from about the latter part of the eleventh century. The tower, with walls over six feet thick, and the nave arcade are
384 HISTORY OF THE PARISH OF KERRY.
the only portions remaining of that structure. The church was rebuilt in ] 176 — as we have seen by the graphic account of the re-dedication by Giraldus Cambrensis. It was the period of the transition from Norman to Early English, and this accounts for the arches of the chancel still being circular. About this time, however, the pointed arch came into use, and to this date may be assigned the porch and chancel doorways. In taking down the south wall of the church an old column was discovered embedded in the wall, and parts of the bases of two other columns, in position corresponding to the nave arcade. This discovery showed that the original church possessed two arcades, and followed the plan of most Norman churches, being finished with small north and south aisles, probably covered with stone vaulting, and a circular apse at the east end, the tower being in a corresponding position at the west end.
The bases were carefully restored and placed in the posi- tions in which they were found, and may be seen outside the walls. Other portions of Norman work were found built into the walls. Thus in the east jamb of the chancel door, but hidden in the wall, is a portion of a capital and string-course with the tan and dentil mouldings and rough carving, and in the lower part of the east pier of the nave arcade is a portion of the base of window pier or mullion. Another portion of the same character was found in the south wall, together with large quantities of red sandstone re-used from the old church. The existence of this portion in the pier indicates that the arcade of what is now the chancel was rebuilt. [This arises from the custom of lengthening the churches eastwards, which commenced in the latter part of the twelfth century.] This is also indicated by the character of the work, and by the use of a different sort of stone; the different jointing and shape of the last column in the nave, and a bend in the last arch of the nave arcade to narrow the chancel.
Further repairs were done in the Decorated period, as is shown by the mouldings on the capitals, and by the profusion of ball-flowers on one of them.
The arches of the chancel arcade are more finished than those in the nave, having two rings of masonry instead of one, and the sharp edges of the rings chamfered off.
The eastern arch of the nave arcade has two rings of masonry on the north side, which is a further proof that it was rebuilt. The columns are octagonal and of a superior description of work, but the capitals were probably finished at a later date. The bases of the columns in the nave were nearly covered by
HISTORY OF THE PARISH OF KERRY. 385
the accumulation of soil, consisting almost entirely of human remains, masses of bone being found in many places within a few inches of the surface. The floor has been lowered to its original level, so as to show these bases, which were carefully restored with stone from the old church. Human bones were also found in the south wall, close under the wall-plates. It seems probable that soil from the churchyard had been used to make the mortar, which was of the poorest description; and that in this way these bones were built in. Other portions which appear to belong to the rebuilding in 1176 are the porch and chancel doorways, and those into the tower and belfry stairs ; the east window of the north aisle, and the small windows in the ringing chamber and belfry.
The porch doorway is of very plain work, having a pointed arch with label and very plain moulding. The chancel door has similar moulding, but is peculiar in having a key-stone with a square head. On each side of it was a carved head, and these have been used as bosses to a new label. The north, or " Devil's door", as it is locally named, is an unusual feature. It has been restored as far as possible to its original form, though but little remained of the old work, which was very rough and devoid of mouldings. The doorway into the tower appears to have been inserted. The east window in the north aisle is a very large three-lighted one, built of red stone. It appears to have been brought from some other church, as it was too large for its position, and had about four feet of the lower part filled with rubble. It is certainly the oldest window in the church, and is a specimen of the transition from plate tracery to bar tracery.
This is shown by the form of the window head, and by the moulding. The tracery was much decayed, but it has been restored and replaced in its original position. Further addi- tion and restoration took place in the Decorated period, about the early part of the fourteenth century. To this period belong some of the windows — most of which were too far decayed for restoration — the piscina in the chancel, the roofs, etc.
Near the porch was a stone window1 with a square head, enclosing three lights with arched and cusped heads.
In the chancel was a window of a form corresponding to the chancel doorway, a stone arch with square top, but without tracery, which had probably been removed at a later date, as on the north side was one of similar form, but with the tracery
1 1755. Ordered — " That the window under the Gallery is to be enlarged." Vestry Book.
386 HISTORY OF THE PARISH OF KERRY.
remaining. These windows were of an unusual form, but were too much decayed for restoration. A small two-light window of this period has been replaced at the east end of the north side. It is of red stone, and is peculiar in having the top part of one stone with a horizontal joint, and not following the radius lines of curves.
The rest of the windows in the old church are not worthy of mention, as they were modern and of the worst possible descrip- tion. On the sill of the western window, on the north side, was a wooden frame, to which the old Welsh Bible was chained.
The roofs of the north aisles and the old roof of the chancel date from the fourteenth century. The latter was much decayed, and has been replaced with a new fir roof, of a form corresponding nearly with the old one. The north aisle roofs are of oak, and of very good plain design. The principals have collar beams very high up, with large curved braces, and pur- lines running through them, stiffened with windbraces. These roofs have been taken down and thoroughly repaired. They were originally hidden by plaster ceilings fixed to the curved braces, but are now left open. The piscina in the church is of the fourteenth century. It is in a very good state of pre- servation, and has been restored to its former position. There is also a piscina in the eastern respond of the chancel arcade ; it is of a very rough description. There is no evidence as to its date ; it is probably, however, of the latter part of the twelfth century. Further restoration and addition were effected in the Perpendicular style, about the fourteenth or beginning of the fifteenth century. These were, the east window of the chancel, the roof of the nave, and the font. The east window is of ordinary Perpendicular form and design. The stone is very hard, and full of small white pebbles. It was in a very good state of preservation, and has been re-inserted, with the addition of a new freestone arch inside. The nave roof is of oak, and was thickly coated with whitewash. This was all removed. It is a good specimen of an open timber roof, with moulded curved braces from the collar-beams running down on the wall, and moulded intermediate principals and purlines dividing the spaces into squares, which are filled in with cusped windbraces. There were originally heavy tie-beams on alternate principals. Of these only one remains, as one at the west end was removed, probably to give head room in the old gallery, and the eastern one was unsafe through decay, and has been replaced by an iron tie-rod. On removing some plastering between the lowest purline and the wall plate,
HISTORY OF THE PARISH OF KERRY. 387
several fine tracery panels were found, of the Perpendicular character. The laths for the plastering were nailed on the panels, but they were in a very good state of preservation, and have been utilised in the new pulpit. They were in only one bay of the roof, but were nevertheless very varied in design.
The font is octagonal in form, with cusped panels on the sides, containing emblems of the Crucifixion and heraldic designs.
It appears to be of the same stone as the east window, and is well preserved. It was thickly coated with white paint, which was cleared off.
The roof of the porch was probably of this period. It has very heavy timbers, with shallow mouldings. All the lower part was much decayed, and has been replaced with new framing and tracery panels.1
The bells, three in number, date from the end of the 17th century. It is said that there were originally six, and that three were lent to Montgomery, and never returned. It is, however, plain that there never were more than three, as the framing, which is evidently of the same age as the bells, is constructed to support that number only. On the tenor bell is the inscription (mentioned supra), " God 9ABS2 His Church", with the date 1679 ; on the next, " Ora pro nobis sancto "; on the small bell, " Prosperity to the Church of England''.3
In the tower is an old clock, possibly of the same age as the bells. This clock had only one hand. Both that and the dial are lost. It required winding every day, and it is evidently the work of a village blacksmith, and, though of rough con- struction, kept very good time till quite lately (1882-3), when it was neglected.
Mr. Scholefield suggested that it was well worthy of care as an antiquity.4
In the restoration the contract was commenced on the 1st
1 1750 paid — for half a tun of tymber to the porch and " carradge" 12/6. 2 SiCt
3 In one of the parish books there is an entry in 1768 that — "a Poll of the inhabitants was taken, whereby there was a majority of 45 against 5 for having the Bells taken down and recast, and that there shall be an assessment of Qd. in the pound for the year for the purpose of taking down the 3 old bells and having them recast, and six new ones put up in their stead."
4 There is an entry in 1744 in one of the parish books — "Agreement 24 June 1744 with David Meredith to pay him £1 7s. Qd. for re- pairing the clock, and to pay him one shilling (I/) a year for seven years for maintaining it in order."
388 HISTORY OF THE PARISH OF KERKY.
of November 1882, and the church re-dedicated on Friday, October 26th 1883.
All the external walls were taken down with fche exception of the west wall of the north aisle, and new walls of rubble masonry, constructed of stone from the Llanymynech quarries, with quoins and windows of Grinshill stone, are built upon the old foundations.
The lectern was designed by Mr. Scholefield, and carried out by him in connection with Mr. David Thomas, of Kerry, and Mr. E. Davies, the contractor's son. It consists of a double desk, supported on a hexagonal column, and on the stand are three mythical creatures. On the front desk is the old Welsh Bible, secured by the old chain to a brass plate.
The reredos is of Grinshill stone, formed of sunk tracery panels at the back, the centre one containing a cross. It was designed by the architect, and executed by Mr. Koberts, of Welshpool.
The roof of the nave was underpinned, and left in situ, and the walls built up to it. The rest of the roofs were placed in position after the walls were finished.
The whole of them are now covered with boarding, over which is laid Croggan's patent roofing felt, and the external covering is of Whitland Abbey green slate. The whole of the seatings, stalls, and screens were new, of Riga wainscot oak, and are of Perpendicular design. The floors under the seating are laid with Gregory's wood block flooring ; the aisles with plain tiles, in pattern, from Godwin and Sons, Engwardine Works, Hereford, and the chancel with encaustic tiles from the same firm, laid in patterns with Forest of Dean and yellow Mansfield stone. The steps to the altar-place are of Derby- shire marble. The iron work throughout is by Barford, of Maidenhead : hinges, latchworks, casements, and altar-rail. The glazing by Mr. John Davies, of Shrewsbury. The masonry was executed by Mr. Roberts, of Welshpool, and is chiefly of Grinshill stone.
The church is heated by an apparatus from Mr. Truswell, of Sheffield. This is placed in a chamber under the north aisle, and the hot-air grating is in the chancel, another grating for the intake of cold air being in the north aisle. Mr. Henry Walton presented the altar-cloth ; Mrs. Walton, of Dolforgan, the sanctuary furniture ; Miss Sarah Walton, the alms basin ; Messrs. Scholefield, David Thomas, and Edward Davies, jun., the lectern; Mr. Scholefield, the font cover. The Ladies' Bazaar Committee provided the coronas, heating apparatus, rug seating, hassocks, and kneelers throughout the church, the pulpit and Bible, vestry curtains, etc.
HISTORY OF THE PARISH OF KERRY.
389
The rededication took place on the 26th October 1883. The following is a list of the names and sums con- tributed towards the Restoration Fund :
SUBSCRIPTION LIST.
J. Naylor, Leighton Hall J. Walton, Dolf organ ... W. Buckley Pugh, Pat-
rington
Lawton L. Moore, Glan-
mihely...
J. E. Poundley, Blackball George Pryce, Penygelley Ecclesiastical Com'rs. ... " A Friend to the Cause" The Vicar of Kerry Col. Herbert, Glanhafren Bishop of St. Asaph Bishop of St. David's ...
Earl of Powis
Pryce Jones, Dolerw Mrs. Corbett, Cardiff ... Mrs. Pryce, Brook Cottage William Kinsey, Cloddiau Walter H. Long, M. P. ... Bishop Ollivant ... W. B. Broome, Birkenh'd James Martin, Kerry ... Rev. J. Albert Cheese ... Thomas Holmes, Kerry... Lewis Lewis, Newtown
Hall
G. Stott Stanhope, Snow- fields
W. LI. Lloyd, Castell-
f orwyn ... Mr. and Mrs. Morris,
Kilkewydd
Christmas Tree (1880) ... Christmas Tree (1881) ...
|
£ |
s. |
d. |
|
000 |
0 |
0 |
|
000 |
0 |
0 |
|
100 |
0 |
0 |
|
50 |
0 |
0 |
|
50 |
0 |
0 |
|
50 |
0 |
0 |
|
50 |
0 |
0 |
|
50 |
0 |
0 |
|
50 |
0 |
0 |
|
30 |
0 |
0 |
|
25 |
0 |
0 |
|
20 |
0 |
0 |
|
20 |
0 |
0 |
|
20 |
0 |
0 |
|
20 |
0 |
0 |
|
20 |
0 |
0 |
|
20 |
0 |
0 |
|
20 |
0 |
0 |
|
10 |
0 |
0 |
|
10 |
0 |
0 |
|
10 |
0 |
0 |
|
10 |
0 |
0 |
|
10 |
0 |
0 |
|
10 |
0 |
0 |
|
10 |
0 |
0 |
|
10 |
10 |
0 |
|
10 |
0 |
0 |
|
41 |
2 |
3 |
|
40 |
4 |
3 |
Services
£ s. d.
Re-dedication
Collection 55 14 2
Sunday after ditto ... 6 13 9 Col. Smith, London ..." 5 5 0
Rev. T. Barrett, Sarn ... 500
Lady Edwards 500
The Misses Griffiths, Mont- gomery 500
Mr. & Mrs. Milnes, Kerry 500
W. & C. Davies, Newtown 500
Mrs. Nares, The Moat ... 5 0 0
Edward Harding, Kerry 500 R. and J. Jones, Grove
Place 500
Mr. and Mrs. W. S. Pryce,
Herbert Arms 500
Edward Hughes, Kerry ... 500 Rev. J. Williams, New- town Rectory 550
Stuart Rendel, M.P. ... 500
Ed. Morris, Gwernygoe ... 500
S. Richards, Rhyddwr ... 5 0 0
Rev. J.S.Gammell, Clifton 500
Kerry School Trustees ... 500
Sale of Oak Pews, etc. ... 80 0 0 Incorporated Church
Building Society ... 175 0 0 St. Asaph Church Building
Society 150 0 0
Bishop Carey's Fund ... 50 0 0 Total, including Smaller
Sums £3,513 10
SPECIAL GIFTS.
The Ladies Bazaar Committee i Th° Pulpi*» Coronas, Heating Apparatus, Rug ( Seating, Hassocks, Altar Linen, and Bible.
Mrs. Walton The Sanctuary Furniture
Mrs. Henry Walton The Altar Cloth.
Messrs. V. C. Scholefield, David Thomas and Edward I rp, T
Davies \ ••• Tne Lectern.
V. C. Scholefield, Esq The Font Cover.
Rev. G. H. Scott Altar Service Books.
The following statement shows the expenditure in restoring the church.
VOL. xxv.
DD
390
HISTORY OF THE PARISH OF KERRY.
KERRY CHURCH RESTORATION FUND, 1883.
RECEIPTS.
Contributions as pi Bank Interest ... Sale of Pulpit ... Proceeds of Bazaar Baptist Chapel Trustees for Churchyard Fence
|
EXPENDITURE. |
||||||
|
£ |
8. |
d. |
£ |
s. |
d. |
|
|
st 3513 |
10 |
1 |
Contractor 3089 |
17 |
11 |
|
|
.. 30 |
6 |
4 |
Clerk of the Works |
156 |
15 |
0 |
|
3 |
0 |
0 |
Architect |
168 |
2 |
0 |
|
.. 228 |
16 |
10 |
Ironwork |
48 |
10 |
9 |
|
es |
Circulars, Monument, |
|||||
|
je 2 |
0 |
0 |
Faculty |
9 |
13 |
9 |
|
Re-Opening Services ... |
20 |
6 |
8 |
|||
|
Fuel, Gravel, Parcels ... |
7 |
9 |
9 |
|||
|
Churchyard Fence |
22 |
9 |
8 |
|||
|
Platforms, Lightning Con- |
||||||
|
ductor... |
15 |
12 |
6 |
|||
|
Gable of North Aisle ... |
1 |
5 |
0 |
|||
|
Furniture, as per printed |
||||||
|
Bazaar Account |
228 |
16 |
10 |
|||
|
Ladder, Slates, and Sun- |
||||||
|
dries |
7 |
11 |
7 |
|||
|
Balance in the Bank |
1 |
1 |
10 |
|||
|
£3777 |
13 |
3 |
£3777 |
13 |
3 |
In December 1890, a new organ was erected in Kerry Church at a cost of £300, which although not a new instrument is possessed of several fine stops, is rich and full in tone, and appears well adapted to the needs of the church. The builders were Harrison and Harrison, of Durham. The following is the specifi- cation of the organ : —
GREAT ORGAN. — Open diapason, 8 ft.; dulciana, 8 ft.; stopped diapason bass, 8 ft. ; stopped diapason treble, 8 ft. ; principal, 4 ft. ; flute, 4ft. ; fifteenth, 2 ft. ; twelfth, 2§ ft. ; clarinet, 8 ft.
SWELL ORGAN. — Lieblich bourdon, 16 ft. ; viola, 8 ft.; echo dulciana, 8 ft. ; lieblich gedacht, 8 ft. ; gemshorn, 4 ft. ; mix- ture, 3 ranks ; cornopean, 8 ft. : oboe, 8 ft.
PEDAL ORGAN. — Grand bourdon, 16 ft. tone ; open diapason, 16 ft. ; couplers, swell to great ; couplers, pedal to great ; couplers, pedal to swell.
KERRY CHURCH, MONUMENTS AND MONUMENTAL INSCRIPTIONS THEREIN.
These tablets have been arranged as near as possible to the order of family and connections. The following include the whole of the monumental tablets, with their full inscriptions,
HISTORY OF THE PARISH OF KERRY. 391
within the church, and the whole are placed on the western walls of the two aisles. There are within the steeple in the lowest floor chamber several stone slabs which formerly were in different parts of the old church, with two hatchments, but they are all placed so high and in such dark and shady parts that they could not be deciphered.
MAEBLE TABLET To the memory of Giraldus de Barri (see supra, p. 375).
JONES'S MONUMENT.
A tomb monument in marble with a bust in relievo of deceased. An armorial design with the motto — "Vitee est honorati, mors decus." Inscription : —
" This monument is erected to perpetuate the memory and donations of Richard Jones, Esq., late of Greenwich in the county of Kent, formerly a Purser in the Royal Navy, who was born at Black Hall in this parish, and died on the 3rd of November 1788, in the 65th year of his age."
In his will and codicils he bequeathed to trustees the sum of £1,000 3 per cent. Consol. Bank Annuities; £,1000 4 per cent. Consolidated Bank Annuities ; £1,000 5 per cent. Bank Annuities.
The dividends whereof to be for ever applied in victualling, clothing, and educating the children of the poor, and appren- ticing boys, and directed that the charity be called THE BLACK HALL INSTITUTE ; and he also bequeathed the further sum of £700 3 per cent. Consol. Bank Annuities to the same trustees, the dividends whereof to be for ever applied in supporting a Sunday School established by him, and which he directed to be called THE KERRY CHURCH SUNDAY SCHOOL on the Black Hall Institute.
The £1,000 3 per cents, having been redeemed by the Government has been advanced on mortgage to the Commis- sioners of the First District of Eoads in Montgomeryshire.
THE JENKINS TABLET. A Marble and Slate Slab.
" Sacred to the memory of John Jenkins, A.M., Prebendary in the Dioceses of York and St. David's. Chaplain to H.R.H. Duke of Clarence, and 22 years Vicar of this parish, who in every relation of life, whether clergyman, magistrate or husband, father, brother, friend, was most ex- emplary. He departed this life 20th November 1829, aged 59 years, leav-
D D 2
392 HISTORY OF THE PARISH OF KERRY.
ing a mournful widow, an infant son, and a numerous circle of relations and friends to lament his loss."
(His gravestone, with part of the inscription, " Eeverend John Jenkins/' is also preserved upon the wall.)
HERBERT MONUMENTS. Urn-Monumental Tablet, Marble.
" Sacred to the memory of John Owen Herbert, of Dolvorgan, who died March 31, 1824, aged 41. In testimony of her regard to a kind and affectionate husband this monument was erected by his widow."
MARBLE MONUMENT,
With a carved figure reclining on a broken column, sur- mounted by
" Sacred to the memory and as a token of fond affection this monu- ment is erected to John Herbert, Esq., of Dolf organ Cwmydalfa, etc., etc., in this parish, who died May 12th 1807 in the 73 year of his age.
" And to Avarina Brunetta, his wife, Heiress of Thomas Owen, Esq., of Llynlloedd in the Parish of Machynlleth, who departed this life February 9th 1816, in her 73 year.
" Also to Mary Ann Herbert of Forest, in this parish, third daughter of John and Avarina Brunetta Herbert, who died December 27, 1848.
" ' Our days on the earth are as a shadow, and there is none abiding.' — 1 Chron. xxix, 15."
MARBLE TABLET, With a carved figure in mourning attitude.
" Sacred to the memory of Margaretta Georgina Herbert of Forest, eldest daughter of the late John Herbert, Esq., of Dolf organ Hall, in this parish. She departed this life on the 24th March 1838, in the city of Bath, and her remains are deposited in a vault in the Abbey Church of that city.
THE LONG MONUMENT.
Elaborately ornamented monument in Caen stone, enclosing a marble tablet.
" Sacred to the memory of Avarina Brunetta Long, daughter and sole heiress of the late John Owen Herbert of Dolforgan Hall, Esq., who died at Seagry House, Wilts., on the 28th January, 1847, aged 18 years.
" Also to the memory of her husband, Walter Long, jun., Esq., of Rood Ashton, Wilts., who departed this life after a short illness at Rome, in the 24th year of his age.
Endued with all the virtues which adorn the Christian, the youthful pair were cut off in the morning of their age.
u Lovely and pleasant in their lives, in their death they were not divided."
BUCKLEY SLAB.
Brought from the church wall outside and erected in the north aisle wall of the church inside — much decayed by
HISTORY OP THE PARISH OF KERRY. 393
the weather. Surmounted with a shield of arms and crest, which are not distinguishable. Inscription, in double columns underneath :
lieth interred ye Body And ye Body of
of Joseph Buckley Jane his wife
who departed this life who departed this life Sept 28 1739 April 24th 1738
Aged 62 Aged 49
MARBLE TABLET.
"In memory of Joseph Buckley of Dolfor, Esq., who died 28th Sep- tember 1739, aged 62.
" Also of Jane his wife, who died 24th April 1738, aged 49.
" Also of Millington their son, who died 10th March 1766, aged 42."
MARBLE TABLET.
" In memory of R. Millington Buckley of Dolvor, who died 23rd Sept. 1821, aged 67.
" Frances Matilda Pugh, born 21st April, 1818 ; died at Claines (Worcester) 26th Sept. 1843, aged 25 years.
" Price Buckley Pugh, born 6th Sept. 1821 ; died at Patrington, near Hull, 25th June 1883, aged 61 years."
MARBLE TABLET.
"In memory of William Pugh of Caerhowell, Esq., who died 3rd November 1823, aged 74 years.
" Also Frances his wife, who died 13th Feb. 1824, aged 68 years.
" Also Beatrice Matilda Pugh of Brynllowarcb, who died 29th June 1829, aged 58 years.
" Also William Pugh of Brynllywarch, Esq., who died at Caen, France, 4th March 1842, aged 58 years."
MARBLE TABLET.
" Sacred to the memory of William Broom of Brynllowarch who died April 22, 1786, aged 58.
u Also of Mary, wife of William Broom, who died March 1st, 1780, aged 35 years.
" Also of Benjamin Broom, who died Jan. 5th, 1757, aged 33 years.
" Also of Thomas Broom, who died June 20th, 1787, aged 67 years."
SMALL TABLET.
"In the aisle adjoining the Freeholders' Pew is interred the body of John Pugh, Esq., late of Goedtref, in this parish. He died 22nd Oct. 1808. Mt. suse 81.'
SMALL TABLET.
" Sacred to the memory of Anne Havard Home of Penygelley, who died December l()th, 1836, aged 58 years.
u ' O Lord, thou art a shield for me, my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.'— 3rd Psalm, 3 verse."
394 HISTORY OF THE PARISH OF KERRY.
MARBLE TABLET.
"To the memory of the Revd. Edward Davies, M.A., of Jesus College, Oxford, and late curate of the parish of Llannierewic. He died on the 17th day of January 1838, in the 32nd year of bis age.
"This tablet is most affectionately inscribed to his memory by his brother and sisters."
MAEBLE TABLET.
" Near this place is deposited the body of John Davies, who died July 31st, 1823, aged 59.
" This tablet, by direction of his surviving mother and brother, is placed here to remain a memorial of his work and their affection."
BRASS PLATE.
" In memory of the Rev. Horace Monro, M.A., Vicar of this parish, who died Oct. 3rd, 1836, aged 38 years, and was buried in the chancel of this church."
MARBLE TABLET,
" To the blessed memory of Frances Mary Ann, the beloved wife of the Rev. Alfred Hensley, M.A., curate of this parish, and eldest daughter of the Rev. William Morgan, B.D., Vicar, who departed this life on the 21st day of April 1856, aged 26 years, leaving an infant daughter.
'* ' Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.' "
SLATE STONE,
"In memory that Christian Careless, youngest daughter of the late Rev. Joseph Careless, late Vicar of this parish, left £300 in trust to the Vicar and Churchwardens. The interest thereof to be given yearly in useful clothing to the poorest and oldest people of the parish.''
SMALL TABLET.
"Sacred to the memory of Hugh Maxwell, son of the late Hugh Maxwell of Dalswinton, Dumfries, who died in this parish, at Forest, 15th July 1810, aged 76 years."
(To be continued.)
395
THE LAND AND FRESHWATER SHELLS OF MONTGOMERYSHIRE.
BY J. BICKERTON MORGAN.
Concluded from MONT. COLL., Vol. xxii, p. 234.)
III.
IN Montgomeryshire Collections for the year 1S87,1 the present writer drew attention to the fact that no reliable record existed of the molluscan fauna of the county, and advocated the advisability of at once compiling a fully authenticated list, so that this want might be supplied. The co-operation of Montgomery- shire corichologists was cordially invited, in order to make the proposed list as full and complete as possible. On that occasion some forty-two different shells
J
were recorded as a first contribution to the county list, in addition to the two which alone were down to the credit of Montgomeryshire on the Conchological Society's " Census",2 and mention was further made of several other species in the collection of the Rev. J. E. Yize of Forden,3 which the writer at the time had not had the privilege of examining.
In the year following, a second list of twenty-five additional names was published, bringing up the total number of species and varieties to sixty-nine.
We are sorry to say, however, that, owing either to
1 Vol. xxi, p. 103.
2 " Census of the Authenticated Distribution of Briti h Land and Freshwater Mollusca," by Messrs. Taylor and Roebuck, F.L.S. ; vide Journal of Conchology, vol. iv, p. 319.
3 Mont. Coll., vol. xv, p. 179.
896 THE LAND AND FRESHWATER
indifference on the part of our local conchologists, or it may be to the scarcity of conchological material in their possession, but little response has been made to that appeal for assistance, and I am therefore again compelled to depend upon my own note-book for the following records.
Anodonta "cygnea var. intermedia, Pfeiffer. — Found in a shallow pond at Trederwen Hall, Llandrinio ; also in Llyn du pool in Powis Castle Park. One specimen only was taken in the latter locality, and this, strange to say, was brought to bank by an angler. The Trederwen Hall shells are exceedingly fine, one of them measuring 6f inches in an antero-posterior direction, and 4 inches from hinge-line to outer margin.
Anodonta cygnea var. zellensis, Gmelin,' — Found in great numbers in the Tyddyn branch of the Shropshire Union Canal, at Deep Cutting, near Welshpool.
Paludina vivipara, Linn. — Taken in the Tyddyn branch of the Shropshire Union Canal at Deep Cutting, near Welshpool. Very abundant, and associated with the foregoing.
Sphaerium ovale, Ferussac. — Only one specimen of this little bivalve was found, and that a dead one. Same locality with the foregoing.
Sphaerium rivicola, Leach. — Several empty shells of this species, and of Unio tumidus and pictorum, were taken from the mud which had been thrown up in cleaning out the Shropshire Union Canal at Pool Quay, near WTelshpool.
Helix caperata, Mont. — Only one immature specimen of this shell was found. Locality : Morben, near Machynlleth.
Zonites purus, Alder. — Taken underneath stones in a quarry at Gaerfawr, near Welshpool, together with Zonites alliarius, Zonites fulvus, and Vitrina pellucida.
Limax Isevis, Mull. — Two representatives of this species were found, the one in Messrs. Jones's Timber Yard, Welshpool, and the other at Pwll brwynen, north of Llanwddyn.
Arion ater var. nigrescens. — In damp moss at Pwll brwynen, Llanwddyn. Two specimens found.
Arion ater var. albolateralis, Roebuck. — Only one example obtained ; Messrs. Jones's Timber Yard, Welshpool, accompanied by the following :
Arion subfuscus, Drap. — Two immature* specimens were found with the last mentioned. One full-grown example was also found at Sarnau, near Welshpool.
SHELLS OF MONTGOMERYSHIRE. 397
Amalia gagates, Drap. — In a garden at Welshpool. Tate states, in his British Molluscs, that this species is entirely littoral in its distribution. This is an error, as, in addition to the above locality, it has been found abundantly in the Midlands,1 and in Middlesex and Herefordshire.2
The most interesting shell in the above short list is undoubtedly the Sphcerium ovale, affording, as it pro- bably does, an instance of the operation of artifi- cial means in assisting the ordinary methods of nature for transporting the fauna and flora of a country to widely separated areas. So far as I have been able to ascertain, this shell has been found in but few English counties, and has never been recorded from Wales until now. By some conchologists, Dr. Gwyn Jeffreys among them, Sphcerium ovale has long been regarded as identical with the American Sphcerium transversum, and the suggestion has been made that our English form must have been imported from the United States in some of the articles of commerce which we receive from that country.3 It is at least curious that in the canal at Burnley it should be associated with an undoubted American shell, Planorbis dilatatus ; but whether such coincidence follows from their supposed community of origin, or is due to the fact that a similar environ- ment is essential to the existence of both, there is not yet sufficient data to determine.
This list will conclude my contributions on Mont- gomeryshire mollusca for the present. I have again to express my indebtedness to Messrs. Taylor and Roebuck for their kind and ever-ready assistance in corroborating my identifications of the specimens.
Since the above was written, I have become in- debted to my friend, Mr. F. D. Ward of Welshpool, for several examples of the following :
Anodonta cygnea, Linn. — Type form. Found in the Dairy Pool, Powis Castle Park, Welshpool.
Anodonta cygnea var. stagnalis, Sow.— Same locality.
Science Gossip, 1887, p. 244.
Journal of Conchology, vol. iv, p. 320. 3 Ibid., vol. v, 220.
398 LAND AND FRESHWATER SHELLS, ETC.
The mollusca of the county, as detailed in this and the two previous lists, may therefore be summarised thus :
Genera. Species. Varieties.
Land shells - - 11 34 8
Freshwater shells - - 12 32 9
23 66 17
or a total of eighty-three different shells.
399
POWYSIANA.
(Continued from Vol. xxiv, p. 200.)
LVIII. — THE REV. ROWLAND WILLIAMS, D.D., VICE- PRINCIPAL OF ST. DAVID'S COLLEGE, LAMPETEB. BY MRS. E. WILLIAMS.
" He passed his early childhood in the beautiful vale of Meifod. Of it, when his father was promoted to Ysceifiog, he writes : * T always consider Meifod more my birthplace than Halkyn.' As he wandered by Vyrniew's stream, the boy's enthusiastic nature received its earliest impressions ; here his lively imagination was fostered, and here he first learned to read the book of Nature, and acquired that intense love for her, which he preserved through life. It was in her wilder forms he more especially delighted, and, when absent from mountain scenery, he had ever a keen longing for it. His first inquiry in a new place would generally be for the highest ground near, and a dead level country had the same depressing effect upon him, which it is said to have had upon Dr. Arnold. The sea also had a great charm for him, the love for it having been early awakened during some months passed on the coast of Anglesey, where he was sent as a young child on account of delicacy."
LIX. — JONES OF BLUE BELL AND WESTWOOD.
(Supplemental to page 351, line 7, MONT. COLL., Vol. xxiv.)
Richard Jones of Ehiston, Churchstoke, Mont- gomeryshire, born Dec. 15th, 1801, married, firstly, in 1829, at St. Mary's, Welshpool, Anne Withers, only
400 POWYSIANA.
daughter of Richard Edwards of Garthmyl, Lieut.-Col. in H.M. 7th West India Regiment (Mrs. Jones died springtime 1841, and was interred at Berriew), and married, secondly, on Nov. 5th, 1 842, at St. Philip's Church, Birmingham, Mary, first cousin to his former wife, and only daughter of William Hall, manufacturer of tortoise-shell goods, of Digbeth, Birmingham ; and he died at Bristol, January llth, 1870, and was buried at Llangollen.
By his first marriage he had issue —
1. William Withers Jones, M.P.S. (Lond., 1853), of Kings-
down, Bristol, born Aug. 19th, 1830, married at Victoria Chapel, Clifton, Sept. 4th, 1866, Mary Anne Eenell,only daughter and heir of John William Upham of Carl ton House, Bristol ; forty years Secretary and Librarian of the Literary, Scientific, and Philosophical Institution, Park Street, Bristol (Upham — Arms : A chevron gu. between three water-bougets ppr. Crest : An ostrich rising from a coronet, in its mouth a horse- shoe ppr.), and has issue —
i. William Upham Jones, b. Dec. 30th,. 1867, a Medical
Student.
ii. Florence Ellen Jones, iii. Gertrude Emily Clara Jones.
2. Mary Ann Edwards Jones, born 1831 ; died unmarried,
1862; buried at Llangollen.
3. Henry Richard Jones, born 1833 ; died unmarried,
Feb. 20th, 1861; buried at Llangollen.
By his second marriage Mr. Richard Jones had no issue. Mrs. Mary Jones (nee Hall) died 1862, and was buried at Llangollen.
LX. — LORD SANDFORD OF SANDFORD.
Sir Francis Richard John Sandford, who was raised to the peerage at the commencement of this year by the title of Baron Sandford of Sandford, co. Salop, claims an uninterrupted male descent from a Norman follower of the Conqueror, and is heir to an estate
POWYSIANA. 401
which has been in possession of his family since the year 1066. He was born May 14, 1824.
Twelve of his ancestors, or collateral relatives, have obtained the honour of knighthood, and some of them were greatly distinguished in the international contests between England and the warlike inhabitants of the Cymry.
Sir William, son of Sir Ealph de Sandford, was renowned in the border warfare with the Princes of North Wales, Llewellyn ap Griffith and David, and two representatives of the family were Seneschals of the Castle of Montgomery.
Eadus (or Bicardus) Sonford, A.D. 1327 Seneschal of Montgomery Castle, in an Inquisitione post mortem is mentioned as of Montgomery Castrum, 1 Ed. II, 1307. (Mont. Coll., vol. x, p. 123.)
Radus (or Bicardus) Sanford was Seneschal of Montgomery Castle, 1354. He fought at Cressy, and his " good service" is acknowledged by letters patent under the Great Seal of England, still preserved at Sandford. (See Burke's Landed Gentry.) " In an Inquisitione post mortem, 28 Edw. Ill, Montgomery Castrum is entered among his possessions, or residences." (Mont. Coll., vol. x, p. 123.)
Sir Bichard Sandford of Sandford was knighted on the morning of the battle of Shrewsbury, in which he fell in 1403.
Francis Sandford was loyal to his sovereign, Charles the First, and compounded with the Parliament for his estates by a fine of £459.
Francis Sandford, the Bouge Dragon Pursuivant of Arms, was a member of this family. He surrendered his patent of the office of Lancaster rather than proclaim William of Orange king.
The grandfather of the newly created peerwas Bishop of Edinburgh, and younger brother of Thomas Sandford of Sandford.
His father was Sir Daniel Keyte Sandford, M.P. for Paisley.
402 POWYSIA.NA.
Sir Francis Sandford was a First Classman of Balliol College, and married, in 1849, Margaret, fourth daughter of Mr. Robert Findlay of Boturich Castle, co. Dumbarton.
He was one of Her Majesty's Commissioners for the National Exhibition of 1851, and became Assistant Secretary for the Colonies in 1868. He was subse- quently appointed Secretary to the Committees of Council on Education for England and Scotland, and resigned that office in 1886. In the next year he was appointed a Privy Councillor, having in 1871 received the distinction of a Commander of the Bath, and that of a Knight Commander of the same Order in 1879.
Thomas Hugh Sandford of Sandford, in the parish of Frees, Whitchurch, Salop, to whose estate Lord Sandford is heir, was Sheriff of Shropshire in 1866. Burke observed, that it would be difficult for either France or Germany to rival the claims to hereditary nobility of such untitled families as those of Sandford of Sandford, etc. He married (1) Alexina Nisbet Lind- say, niece of the Earl of Crawford and Balcarres, and (2) Sarah, second daughter of William Halsted Poole, Esq., of Terrick Hall, co. Salop, who survives him.
G. S.
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