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THE  LIBRArV 
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OF  CALIFORNIA 

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JOURNAL 


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CEtntiriiin  Irrjuj^nlngiwl  l00nriatintt. 


VOL.  XIV.    THIRD    SERIES. 


LONDON: 

J.    RUSSELL    SMITH,    36,    SOHO    SQUARE. 

J.   H.   &   J.    PARKER,   JJ77,   STRAND. 

18(>8. 

LIBRARY 
IZHZVEISITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 


T.  RICHARDS,  87,  ORBAT  QOBBH   BTBBKT,  W.C. 


PREFACE  TO  VOL.  XIV. 


There  will  be  found  in  this  volume  several  papers  of 
considerable  interest,  though  not  immediately  connected 
with  each  other ;  more  particularly  on  the  early  camps 
and  earthworks  of  **  Ancient  Arwystli  in  Montgomery- 
shire," on  "  Berw  and  the  Hollands  of  Anglesey,"  the 
"  Index  of  Llyfr  Coch  Asaph,"  and  on  the  "  Original 
MS.  of  the  Liber  Landavensis'' 

The  series  of  papers  on  the  "  Domestic  Architecture 
of  South  Pembrokeshire"  is  concluded  in  it ;  but  it  is 
earnestly  hoped  that  the  author  will  undertake  similar 
researches  in  the  other  counties  of  Wales,  and  will 
record  them  in  the  pages  of  the  Journal. 

The  very  valuable  **  Contribution  towards  a  Cartu- 
lai7  of  Margam"  is  also  brought  in  it  to  a  completion, 
serving  as  a  model  of  the  manner  in  which  such 
researches  should  be  carried  on,  and  throwing  great 
light  on  the  history  of  Glamorganshire. 

Particular  attention  is  called  to  papers  by  the  Hon. 
W.  O.  Stanley  and  Mr.  Albert  Way,  on  "  Ancient  Inter- 


IV  PREFACE. 

ments  and  Sepulchral  Urns  found  in  Anglesey  and 
North  Wales,"  and  also  on  the  "  Remains  of  Ancient 
Circular  Habitations  and  the  Relics  associated  with 
them  in  Holyhead  Island."  These  papers,  which  are 
admirably  illustrated  by  Mr.  Blight,  form  two  of  the 
most  distinctive  features  of  the  present  volume. 

The  Editorial  Committee  desire  to  tender  their  thanks 
to  all  contributors  for  their  hearty  and  effectual  co- 
operation. 


^rthawkjia  Cawbrfttsis. 


THIRD  SERIES,  No.  LIIl— JANUARY,  1868. 


ANCIENT    ARWYSTLI. 


The  old  historical  cantref  of  Arwystli  previous  to  the 
time  of  Henry  VIII  formed  part  of  Meirionydd,  and 
included  the  three  commots  of  Uwch-coed,  Is-coed,  and 
Gwerthrynion,  but  by  the  statute  passed  in  the  twenty- 
seventh  year  of  that  monarch's  reign,  the  latter  commot, 
which  included  five  extensive  parishes,  was  to  form 
part  of  the  new  county  of  Radnorshire,  and  the  remain- 
ing portion  of  the  cantref  was  taken  from  Meirionydd 
to  constitute  a  part  of  Montgomeryshire.  These  two 
commots  form  the  ecclesiastical  deanery  of  Arwystli, 
and  the  modem  hundred  of  Llanidloes,  embracing  within 
their  limits  the  seven  parishes  of  Llangurig,  Llanidloes, 
Trefeglwys,  Llandinam,  Camo,  Llanwnog,  and  Pens- 
trowed.  Some  of  the  ancient  remains  in  these  parishes, 
forming  the  south-western  portion  of  Montgomeryshire, 
are  the  subject  of  the  present  paper. 

That  portion  of  Arwystli  lying  to  the  north  of  the  Severn 
was,  in  the  time  of  the  Britons,  peopled  by  a  portion  of 
that  nation  or  collection  of  tribes  which  went  under  the 
generic  name  of  Ordovices.  According  to  Camden  they 
were  so  called  because  the  River  Dyfi  ran  through  their 
territory  —  "Ar-Dyfi"  —  upon  the  Dyfi,  but  a  later^ 
writer  is  more  happy  in  his  conjecture,  that  the  Ordo- 
vices were  so  denominated  in  allusion  to  their  moun- 

1  The  late  Eliezer  Williams. 

3BP  8B11.,  VOL.  XIV.  1 


2  ANCIENT  ARWY8TLI. 

tainous  situation,  and  that  the  name  was  a  general  term 
applied  to  those  clans  or  septs  which  inhabited  the 
mountainous  district  of  North  Wales.  Camden  speaks 
of  them  as  a  *'  courageous  and  puissant  nation,  being 
inhabitants  of  a  mountainous  country,  and,  receiving 
vigour  from  their  native  soil,  they  continued  the  longest 
of  any  unconquered  by  the  Romans."  That  the  Britons 
of  Arwystli  deserved  the  high  eulogium  passed  upon 
them  by  the  old  antiquary,  may  be  gathered  from  the 
manner  in  which  they  resisted  the  advance  of  the  Ro- 
mans; the  numerous  remains  scattered  over  the  dis- 
trict, radiating  from  Caersws  as  their  centre,  bearing 
ample  testimony  to  the  nature  of  what  ultimately  proved 
to  be  a  futile  struggle  maintained  by  them  against  the 
aggressors. 

Caractacus,  when  pursued  by  the  victorious  Romans 
under  Ostorius  Scapula,  took  refuge  in  the  mountainous 
country  of  the  Ordovices,  and  there  made  his  last  stand 
in  defence  of  his  country.  The  attempt  to  identify  the 
site  of  this  battle  will  probably  continue  to  afford  a  cer- 
tain kind  of  fascination,  which  will  prove  too  powerful 
a  stimulant  to  allow  archaeologists  to  follow  the  excel- 
lent advice  proffered  by  Mr.  Wright  at  the  Ludlow 
Meeting  of  1852,  viz.,  *'  that  it  was  one  of  those  fruitless 
discussions  which  they  had  better  avoid."  Since  Pen- 
nant and  others  pronounced  so  strongly  against  the 
possibility  of  Caer  Caradoc  being  the  place  attacked  by 
Ostorius,  the  claims  of  Coxwall-KnoU,  advocated  by  Sir 
R.  C.  Hoare,  Sir  R.  I.  Murchison,  and  several  others, 
seem,  notwithstanding  the  strong  case  made  out  in 
favour  of  the  Breidden  Hill  by  Mr.  Ffoulkes,  to  receive 
the  largest  share  of  public  favour.  But  one  of  our  first 
antiquaries,  the  learned  author  of  Salopia  Antiqua^  after 
a  thorough  examination  of  the  various  sites  suggested, 
states  it  as  his  opinion  that  Ccfn  Carnedd^  near  Llan- 
dinam,  "  presents  very  well  founded  claims  to  take  pre- 
eminence of  all  the  foregoing  claimants."  Mr.  Harts- 
home  advocated  the  claims  of  Cefn  Carnedd  before  the 
late   Mr.    Davies   had   conducted   the   excavations    at 


EAKTMWOAK   AT  THE   MOAT   FARM. 


T- 

T 

ISO  PI 

AtCH.  Camb     Vol.  xiv. 


ANCIENT  ARWTSTLI.  6 

Caersws,  and,  as  if  anticipating  the  results  (which  have 
greatly  strengthened  its  claims  to  pre-eminence),  he 
writes,  "  What  is  more  likely  than  that  having  gained 
a  victory  on  the  spot,  they  should  choose  the  scene  of 
their  glory  as  the  one  of  all  others  most  agreeable  as  a 
habitation  of  the  colonists?" 

With  this  passing  allusion  to  the  claims  of  Cefn  Carn- 
edd  to  be  the  site  of  this  battle,  and  referring  the 
reader  to  Mr.  Da  vies'  paper^  for  an  account  of  Caersws, 
I  shall  proceed  to  describe  briefly  the  earthworks  and 
some  other  ancient  remains  to  be  found  in  the  cantref 
of  Arwystli. 

The  Moat — About  a  mile  and  a  half  to  the  south-east 
of  the  site  of  the  Koman  station  at  Caersws,  and  about 
half  a  mile  to  the  south  from  the  railway  station  at  Moat- 
lane  Junction,  lies  the  earthwork,  styled  on  the  ordnance 
map,  a  moat.  This,  perhaps,  after  Cefn  Carnedd,  is  the 
most  interesting  of  the  outlying  works  in  the  vicinity 
of  Caersws.  It  contains  three  distinct  parts  :  the  first, 
at  the  southern  end,  consists  of  a  very  high  conical 
mound,  rising  some  fifteen  or  sixteen  yards  above  its 
surrounding  fosse,  and  measuring  190  yards  in  circum- 
ference. On  its  summit  is  a  level  space  which  measures 
about  16  yards  by  13.  This  mound  has  given  rise  to 
much  conjecture  relative  to  its  age  and  object.  There 
appears  to  be  no  doubt  that  it  is  of  more  modern  con- 
struction than  the  rest  of  the  camp,  being  apparently 
the  site  upon  which  the  Welsh,  after  the  departure  of 
the  Romans,  erected  one  of  their  wooden  castles.  At 
present  the  mound  is  covered  with  trees.  It  projects 
slightly  on  its  northern  side  into  an  enclosure  of  rectan- 
gular form  with  its  corners  slightly  rounded,  which 
measured  70  yards  from  north  to  south,  and  65  from 
east  to  west,  and  is  surrounded  by  a  strong  rampart 
with  an  outer  ditch.  The  space  thus  enclosed  has  been 
converted  into  an  orchard,  and  to  this  fact  we  probably 
owe  its  preservation.  The  modern  entrance  was  doubt- 
less its  ancient  porta.     The  height  of  the  agger  above 

1  Arch.  Camh.  for  1857,  pp.  151-172. 


4  ANCIENT  ARWYSTLI. 

the  surface  of  the  orchard  is  5  feet,  its  breadth  at  the 
top  12  feet,  its  height  above  the  surrounding  fosse  15 
feet.  Adjoining  this  second  part  of  the  work  is  a  se- 
cond rectangular  enclosure  which  is  of  much  larger 
dimensions  than  the  first,  measuring  no  less  than  200 
yards  from  north  to  south,  and  110  from  east  to  west, 
its  boundaries  being  marked  by  a  modem  ditch  and 
fence.  The  ancient  vallum  is  still  in  places  broad  and 
high,  bearing  on  its  eastern  side  some  fine  old  oaks,  the 
growth  of  centuries.  This  enclosure  commands  a  view 
of  Cefn  Carnedd,  the  vales  of  the  Severn  and  the  Carno, 
and  the  entrenchment  on  Gwynfynydd  Common.  The 
farm  and  outbuildings  marked  on  the  accompanying  plan 
as  occupying  the  southern  extremity  of  the  enclosure, 
are  not  alluded  to  by  Pennant,  who  visited  the  spot  about 
the  year  1780.  The  writer  was  at  a  loss  to  account 
for  this  apparent  oversight,  until  he  saw  upon  a  stone 
inserted  in  one  of  the  pine  ends  of  the  house,  the  initials 
D.  K.  (David  Kinsey),  accompanied  by  the  date  1796. 
This  camp,  in  all  likelihood,  was  the  Castra  JEsttva  of 
Caersws,  and  not  the  work  on  Cefn  Carnedd,  as  was 
conjectured  upon  the  occasion  of  the  visit  of  the  Asso- 
ciation to  the  latter  in  1 866. 

Upon  the  western  side  of  the  first  enclosure  is  the 
field  known  as  Bhos  Ddiarhed^  the  traditional  scene  of 
a  sanguinary  battle  at  which  no  quarter  was  given. 
The  tradition  related  by  the  late  Mr.  Davies,  in  his 
paper  on  Caersws,  bears  a  strong  resemblance  to  the 
legend  of  Estrildis  and  Gwendolene,  as  given  by  Geof- 
frey of  Monmouth.  Mr.  Morgan,  in  his  Venedotia  and 
Cambrian  History^  has,  with  the  assistance  of  old  Oliver 
Matthews,  given  this  tradition  a  "  local  habitation,"  by 
establishing  the  palace  of  this  primitive  "  Fair  Rosa- 
mond" at  Caersws !  The  same  writer,  without  con- 
descending to  give  us  authorities  for  his  facts,  treats  us 
to  the  following  narrative  in  explanation  of  the  appella- 
tion "  field  of  no  quarter." 

"  Here  one  hundred  of  the  gens,  or  tribe  of  Conan  of 
Meirionydd  met  by  challenge  to  fight  out  a  feud  with  the  same 


ANCIENT  ARWY8TLI.  O 

number  of  the  gens  of  Gwion  Ben&rw  of  Ceredigion,  no  quarter 
to  be  given  or  asked  by  either  party.  The  agreement  was  as 
far  as  it  could  be,  observed.  The  two  hundred  fell  either  dead 
or  so  wounded  as  to  be  incapable  of  inflicting  further  injury  on 
each  other.  Gwion  being  slain,  his  side  was  pronounced  van- 
quished, and  such  of  his  followers  as  survived,  his  son  in- 
cluded, were  surrendered  as  prisoners  to  Conan,  who,  himself 
grievously  disabled,  was  borne  back  on  a  litter  to  his  hall  at 
Penllyn  on  Bala  Mere."^ 

Mr.  Morgan  then  proceeds  to  give  an  account  of  the 
manner  in  which  the  feud  was  healed  by  Gloin6  or 
Galena,  the  daughter  of  Conan,  falling  in  love  with  and 
marrying  the  son  of  her  father's  hereditary  foe  ! 

About  three  quarters  of  a  mile  to  the  east  of  the 
Junction  Railway  Station,  is  another  fortified  post,  also 
marked  on  the  ordnance  map  as  a  moat.  It  is  situated 
on  the  grounds  of  Bron-felen,  the  residence  of  J.  P. 
Davies,  Esq.,  and  consists  of  a  small  conical  mound 
situated  at  the  extremity  of  an  elevated  ridge  or  tongue 
of  land  divided  into  two  by  a  fosse.  Immediately  in 
the  rear  of  it  is  the  high  hill  called  Cefn  Nith.  This  is 
supposed  to  have  been  an  exploratory  station  in  con- 
nexion with  Caersws,  its  situation  being  admirably 
suited  for  this  purpose. 

Gwynfynydd  Earthwork. — Upon  the  left  bank  of  the 
Severn,  about  a  mile  to  the  north-east  of  Caersws,  on 
the  summit  of  Gwynfynydd  Common,  in  close  proximity 
to  the  Roman  trackway  leading  to  the  north,  is  an  en- 
trenchment bounded  by  a  single  fosse  and  vallum.  It 
is  nearly  circular  in  form,  measuring  ninety  yards  in  its 
longer  diameter,  and  about  eighty-five  in  its  shorter. 
Its  position  commands  a  view  of  the  vale  of  the  Severn 
and  the  lower  portion  of  the  valley  of  the  Camo.  This 
also  is  supposed  to  have  been  an  outpost  of  Caersws,  for 
it  has  been  ascertained  that  the  Romans  made  camps  of 
this  form  as  well  as  square  or  rectangular  ones. 

Cefn  Camedd. — This  work  has  already  been  described 
more  than  once,*  so  that  it  will  only  be  necessary  here 

^    Venedotia,  p.  84. 
2  Salopia  Aniiqua,  p.  63,  and  ^rcL  Camb,  for  1866,  p.  540. 


6  ANCIENT  ARWYSTLI. 

to  notice  it  very  briefly.  It  occupies  the  whole  sum- 
mit of  Cefa  Carnedd,  a  hill  of  considerable  height, 
which  commands  the  entrance  of  the  upper  vale  of 
the  Severn  on  the  right,  and  of  the  valley  of  the 
Carno  on  the  left.  It  is  equally  distant  from  the  vil- 
lages Caersws  and  Llandinam,  and  may  be  ascended 
from  either,  the  ascent  from  the  Llandinam  side  being 
perhaps  the  easier  of  the  two.  It  is  one  of  the  largest 
camps  in  the  county,  nearly  oval  in  form,  lying  in  the 
direction  of  south-west  and  north-east,  and  measuring 
650  yards  by  an  average  breadth  of  200.  The  enclosed 
space  occupies  an  area  of  about  25  acres.  About  150 
yards  from  its  western  end  a  rampart  runs  at  right 
angles  to  its  longer  diameter,  dividing  the  camp  into 
two  unequal  portions,  the  smaller,  from  the  nature  of 
the  ground,  being  the  stronger  of  the  two.  At  the  op- 
posite end,  where  the  hill  slopes  more  gently  towards 
the  river,  there  are  no  less  than  three  broad  deep 
ditches,  with  their  accompanying  ramparts,  evidently 
pointing  out  the  direction  whence  its  occupants  ex- 
pected the  attack.  Though  no  systematic  excavation 
has  been  carried  on  within  the  limits  of  the  camp,  part 
of  a  sword  and  a  fine  quern  have  been  dug  up  by  some 
labourers.  The  site  was  well  selected,  the  hill  com- 
manding a  view  of  the  approaches  for  a  great  distance 
on  all  sides,  and  embracing  the  villages  of  Caersws, 
Llanwnog,  Trefeglwys,  and  Llandinam,  the  distant  Plin- 
limmon,  together  with  the  Van,  Pen-y-gaer,  and  the 
post  on  Pen-clun. 

Oaer  Fechan. — Gaer  Fechan  (small  fortress),  a  name 
given  it  probably  in  contradistinction  to  the  larger 
camp  on  Cefn  Carnedd,  occupies  the  summit  of  a  ridge 
of  high  ground  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Severn,  a  mile 
and  a  quarter  to  the  south  of  Cefn  Carnedd,  and  about 
three  quarters  of  a  mile  to  the  south-west  of  Llandinam 
Railway  Station.  It  is,  or  rather  was,  a  pentagonal 
camp  of  great  strength,  described  by  Pennant  as  a 
"  British  post  surrounded  by  a  number  of  fosses,  from 
one  to  five,  as  the  strength  or  weakness  of  the  parts  re- 


ANCIENT  ARWT8TLI.  7 

quired."  When  the  writer  visited  the  spot,  the  old  en- 
trenchment was  occupied  by  a  farm-house  and  out- 
buildings erected  in  the  year  1863.  Portions  of  the 
ramparts  and  fosses  could  be  traced  in  the  rear  and 
front  of  the  house.  This  hill  commands  a  most  plea- 
sant view  of  the  vale  of  the  Severn,  and  the  Llandinam 
hills.  Whether  Pennant's  conjecture  of  its  being  a 
British  post  is  accurate  or  not,  is  a  matter  which  cannot 
now  be  determined.  Its  position  favours  his  opinion, 
and  of  its  not  forming  one  of  the  series  of  works  which 
were  probably  constructed  by  Roman  engineers  on  the 
high  ground  which  lies  between  the  Severn  and  the 
Taranon,  for  the  double  purpose  of  protecting  their 
communications  by  means  of  the  trackway  passing 
through  the  vale  of  Trefeglwys,  and  of  serving  as  posts 
of  observation.  Remains  of  two  of  these  works  still 
exist. 

dois-y-Bank  Earthwork. — ^The  first  is  on  a  field  be- 
longing to  a  small  farm  known  as  Clois-y-hank^  about 
a  mile  to  the  south-west  of  Cefn  Carnedd,  and  about  a 
mile  and  a  half  to  the  north-west  of  Gaer-Fechan.  Its 
position  is  marked  on  the  little  sketch  map  which  illus- 
trates Mr.  Davies'  paper  on  Caersws,  and  is  there  styled 
an  entrenchment.  Sufficient  vestiges  remain  to  pro- 
nounce it  to  have  been  originally  a  small  rectangular 
work  of  considerable  strength,  requiring  little  artificial 
aid,  the  approaches  being  precipitous  on  all  sides  except 
the  western,  which  is  strengthened  by  a  deep  fosse  and 
high  vallum.  The  camp  lies  almost  north-east  and 
south-west,  and  measures  about  90  yards  by  45.  When 
the  present  occupant  of  the  farm  first  ploughed  the 
site,  he  discovered  an  immense  quantity  of  stones  at  the 
western  end,  which  he  removed  for  building  purposes. 
In  his  opinion  they  formed  a  portion  of  an  old  wall, 
and  he  further  stated  that  much  stone  still  lies  buried 
there  beyond  the  reach  of  the  plough.  This  work  com- 
mands a  view  of  the  route  of  the  Roman  trackway,  and 
of  the  south-western  end  of  Cefn  Carnedd. 

Pen-y-CasteU. — The  second  station  lies  about  a  mile 


8  ANCIENT  ARWYSTLI. 

and  a  quarter  to  the  south-west  of  the  latter,  and  about 
three  miles  distant  from  the  town  of  Llanidloes,  on  the 
farm  of  Pen-y-Castell  Fach^  occupying  one  of  the  sum- 
mits which  overlook  Llyn  Ebyr^  a  beautiful  sheet  of 
water  covering  from  60  to  60  acres.  This  earthwork 
consists  of  a  circular  mound,  level  on  its  top,  with  the 
exception  of  what  appears  to  have  been  once  a  low 
agger  round  its  edge.  It  is  about  28  yards  in  diameter, 
surrounded  by  a  ditch  varying  from  10  to  16  feet  deep. 
In  the  rear  of  the  mound  may  be  traced  the  outline  of 
a  rectangular  entrenchment,  with  two  of  its  sides  nearly 
obliterated  by  cultivation.  Enough,  however,  of  its 
third  side  remains  to  give  an  approximate  idea  of  its 
form  and  extent.  Like  the  work  on  Clois-y-Bank  it 
lies  in  the  direction  of  north-east  and  south-west,  and 
measures  about  110  yards  by  a  breadth  of  about  90. 
From  its  elevated  position  it  commands  an  extensive 
and  pleasing  view,  the  two  earthworks  next  described 
being  plainly  visible  from  here.  A  few  fields  distant 
lies  a  piece  of  turbary  known  as  Rhos-y-heddau  (the 
moor  of  the  graves),  apparently  an  ancient  burial-place. 

Prof.  Babington,  in  his  notice  of  a  similar  work 
{Arch.  Camh.  for  1852,  p.  25)  at  Penlan  Castle,  after 
discussing  the  question  of  the  relative  ages  of  the  cir- 
cular fort  and  the  rectangular  enclosure,  without  pro- 
nouncing decidedly,  seems  inclined  to  the  belief  that 
the  former  was  the  later  construction.  His  arguments 
seem  applicable  to  the  mound  and  entrenchment  at  the 
moat  near  Caersws,  but  the  regularity  of  the  circular 
structure  at  Pen-y-Castell  militates  somewhat  against 
his  inference,  and  inclines  the  writer  of  these  lines  to 
the  opinion  that  the  mound  and  rectangle  in  the  present 
instance  are  the  work  of  the  same  people. 

Pen-y-Castell  (No.  2). — Two  miles  to  the  west  of  the 
last  work,  across  the  vale  of  the  Cerist,  lies  another 
post  bearing  the  same  name  on  the  summit  of  a  small 
hill,  which  might  be  said  to  overhang  the  small  farm  of 
Llywn-llySy  in  the  township  of  Manledd,  in  the  parish 
of  Llanidloes.     This  camp  seems  to  have  been  an  ex- 


ANCIENT  ARWYSTLI.  If 

tensive  one,  pentagonal  in  form,  pointing  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  brook,  which  runs  at  the  base  of  the  hill. 
The  northern  portion  has  been  under  cultivation  for  at 
least  thirty  years,  so  that  the  limits  of  the  work  in  this 
direction  cannot  very  well  be  made  out,  but  that  portion 
which  has  not  been  ploughed  up  is  in  good  preservation. 
As  nearly  as  could  be  ascertained  its  measurements 
were  in  its  longer  direction  about  200  yards  by  a 
breadth  of  about  sixty.  The  sides  which  form  the  apex 
of  the  pentagon  are  very  precipitous,  and  require  no 
fortifications  to  secure  the  camp  in  this  direction,  but 
on  the  side  nearest  the  Van  the  slope  is  more  gradual, 
and  the  engineer  constructed  a  line  of  works,  consisting 
of  an  agger  and  fosse,  at  a  distance  of  about  30  yards 
from  the  main  line  of  defence,  in  a  direction  parallel  to 
it.  Like  most  of  the  earthworks  noticed  in  this  paper, 
this  commands  a  view  of  a  vast  extent  of  country,  em- 
bracing the  beautiful  vale  of  Trefeglwys  as  far  as  the 
neighbourhood  of  Caersws.  One  of  the  farms  near  the 
earthwork  is  known  as  Lluest-wen  (fair  encampment). 

Although  not  of  the  usually  accepted  orthodox  rect- 
angular form,  several  reasons  lead  the  writer  to  con- 
jecture that  this  is  a  Koman  work.  The  site,  on  a  mo- 
derate eminence  sufficiently  elevated  to  protect  it  against 
a  surprise,  together  with  its  proximity  to  the  brook,is  just 
the  kind  likely  to  be  selected  by  a  Boman  engineer  ; 
while  its  inconsiderable  height,  as  compared  with  the  Van 
(which  is  1576  feet),  in  its  immediate  vicinity,  would  lead 
the  Britons  to  reject  it.  From  its  construction  the  occu- 
pants of  the  camps  evidently  expected  the  attack  from 
the  direction  of  the  mountain,  whither  the  Britons  were 
likely  to  retreat,  and  it  is  hardly  to  be  expected  that 
they  would  have  a  post  of  these  dimensions  in  the  im- 
mediate neighbourhood  of  their  camp  on  Pen-y-Clun. 
The  regularity  of  the  design  and  structure,  the  simi- 
larity of  its  form  to  the  well  ascertained  Boman  work 
at  Caer  Leb  ;  the  identity  of  its  name  with  the  un- 
doubted Boman  post  near  Llyn  Ebyr;  and  lastly,  it 
seems  the  last  link  of  the  chain  of  works  connected 


10  ANCIENT  ARWYSTU. 

with  Cefti  Camedd  which  was  occupied  by  the  Komans 
after  the  defeat  of  the  Britons ;  all  tend  to  point  out  its 
Roman  origin.  Should  further  proof  be  needed,  it 
may  be  found  in  Godwin's  English  Archceohgisfa  Hand^ 
hook,  at  p.  23,  where  the  following  passage  occurs : — 

"  The  two  former  (the  Castra  exploratoria  and  cestiva)  were 
constructed  with  more  or  less  care  according  to  the  strength  of 
the  enemy,  or  the  remoteness  of  the  new  camp  from  the  general 
base  of  operations ;  and  they  assumed  great  irregularities  of 
form,  as  induced  by  the  necessity  of  circumstances  or  the  nature 
of  the  ground.  They  were  generally  built  on  heights,  and 
have  left  their  traces,  and  frequently  their  generic  name  Castra 
(Anglice  'Castle,'  and  it  may  be  added  Welsh  Castell)  on  many 
of  our  principal  hills.*' 

Pen-t/'Clun  Camp. — The  British  post  alluded  to  in  the 
last  paragraph  is  rather  more  than  a  mile  to  the  west- 
ward, accommodating  its  form  to  the  crest  of  a  high 
isolated  hill  above  Pen-clun  farm.  It  is  situated  nearly 
three  miles  to  the  north-west  of  Llanidloes,  on  the  right 
hand  side  of  the  old  road  leading  to  Machynlleth.  The 
precipitous  nature  of  the  ground  protects  the  entrench- 
ment upon  its  northern  and  eastern  sides,  and  that  portion 
of  the  hill  which  faces  the  vale  of  the  Cerist  consists  of  a 
number  of  natural  platforms  ranging  one  above  the 
other,  and  admirably  adapted  for  the  purposes  of  de- 
fence. Yet  to  make  this  part  of  the  hill  secure,  a  cir- 
cular line  of  works,  consisting  of  a  fosse  and  agger,  140 
yards  in  length,  stretching  from  one  slope  to  the  other, 
has  been  constructed.  Eighty  yards  to  the  north-west 
of  this  line  another  stronger  rampart  and  fosse  almost  in 
the  form  of  a  horse  shoe,  forms  the  inner  enclosure  of 
the  camp.  The  space  thus  enclosed  is  nearly  level, 
sloping  slightly  to  the  west.  On  the  latter  side  the  hill 
slopes  very  gradually,  and  therefore  required  extra 
works ;  accordingly,  at  a  distance  of  40  yards  from  the 
last  mentioned  line  is  a  similar  strong  agger  and  deep 
fosse,  extending  from  the  vicinity  of  the  old  Machynlleth- 
road  in  a  semicircular  sweep  across  the  hill  to  a  point 
where  the  nature  of  the  ground  needs  no  artificial  as- 


\^^^H\\\^\::  ' 


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ANCIENT  ARWY8TLI.  11 

sistance  to  render  the  approach  inaccessible.  The 
entrance  is  on  the  western  side,  and  is  strongly  protected. 
A  good  view  of  the  work  may  be  obtained  from  the  old 
road  at  a  short  distance  in  its  rear.  Near  the  base  of  the 
hill  stands  a  small  farm,  now  called  the  BiUfal^  which  is 
evidently  a  corruption  of  the  old  Welsh  word  Bud-wal^ 
which,  according  to  Dr.  O.  Pugh,  signifies  an  encamp- 
ment. The  beacon  stations  upon  Rhydd-Howel  and 
Plinlimraon  can  be  seen  from  here. 

A  cam  formerly  existed  on  Bryn-tail  hill,  about  half- 
a-mile  to  the  west  of  the  entrenchment,  but  no  traces  of 
it  now  exist. 

Pm-p'Gaer. — On  the  summit  of  a  high  hill,  called 
Pm-y-Gaer^  situated  behind  the  farmstead  of  Crywlwm, 
rather  more  than  a  mile  to  the  south-west  of  Penclun, 
is  an  elliptical  rampart  of  loose  stones,  connected  by 
local  tradition  with  Druidic  rites.  This  wall  or  rampart 
is  in  some  places  several  yards  broad,  and  from  two  to 
three  feet  high.  The  stones  which  compose  it  are  not 
large,  few  of  them  weighing  more  than  two  or  three 
hundredweight.  The  enclosed  space  measures  75  yards 
in  its  longer  diameter,  and  55  in  its  shorter.  An  inner 
circle  is  said  to  have  existed,  but  no  traces  of  it  are  now 
to  be  seen.  Immense  quantities  of  the  stones  are  being 
continually  removed  for  the  construction  of  "dry  walls," 
which  form  the  fences  of  these  exposed  hill  tops.  Stones 
are  plentiful  in  the  neighbourhood,  so  that  there  is  no 
necessity  for  this  wanton  destruction  of  these  hoary  old 
records  of  the  past.  To  this  same  cause  we  doubtless 
owe  the  disappearance  of  the  Bryntail  Carn. 

In  a  plantation  on  the  adjoining  farm  of  Bryntail  are 
large  masses  of  detached  rocks  which  lie  in  such  fan- 
tastic forms,  that  it  is  not  surprising  that  the  country 
people  of  the  vicinity  ascribe  their  origin  to  those  in- 
dustrious manufacturers  of  antiquities — the  Druids. 

The  Dinas. — On  the  left-hand  side  of  the  mountain 
roadway  from  Llanidloes  to  Machynlleth  (a  road  con- 
jectured to  be  identical  with  an  old  British  trackway), 
near  the   fifth  mile  stone,  stands  the  massy  isolated 


12  ANCIENT  ARWY8TLI. 

hill  known  as  the  Dinas.  It  rises  precipitously  to  a 
great  height  on  its  southern  and  eastern  sides  where 
its  base  is  washed  by  the  river  Clywedog,  while  it 
slopes  more  gently  towards  the  turnpike- road.  This 
side  of  the  mountain  is  defended  by  two  strong  lines  of 
works,  which  originally  extended  some  800  yards  round 
the  north-western  slope  of  the  mountain,  being  distant 
from  each  other  from  100  to  150  yards,  varying  ac- 
cording to  the  nature  of  the  ground.  Nearly  the  whole 
of  the  two  aggers  of  this  extensive  camp  remain,  their 
construction  being  precisely  the  same  as  those  on  Pen- 
clun-hill.  The  entrance  was  from  the  north-east,  which 
is  the  most  accessible  part  of  the  mountain.  The  space 
enclosed  is  between  800  and  900  yards  long,  and  about 
260  yards  broad,  covering  an  extent  of  more  than  40 
acres.  Reference  to  the  ordnance  map  will  show  the 
advantageous  position  occupied  by  this  the  largest  camp 
in  the  county,  which  defended  the  approaches  to  the 
fastnesses  of  Plinlimmon,  whither  the  Britons  retired 
when  driven  from  their  positions  in  the  low  country. 
From  the  summit  of  the  hill  the  spectator  may  enjoy 
one  of  the  most  extensive  and  varied  panoramic  views 
in  the  neighbourhood — where  fine  views  are  the  rule, 
not  the  exception. 

At  the  south-eastern  foot  of  the  Dinas  on  a  small 
farm,  called  the  Merllyn^  there  is  a  tumulus  of  circular 
form,  with  a  radius  of  50  feet,  and  an  elevation  of  from 
8  to  10  feet.  It  is  composed  of  loose  stones  mixed  with 
earth.  Large  quantities  of  stone  have  been  removed 
and  used  for  building  a  bam  on  the  opposite  bank  of 
the  Clywedog.  This  partial  demolition  did  not  bring 
any  relics  to  light. 

Group  of  Tumuli, — On  a  plateau  washed  by  the  upper 
waters  of  the  Clywedog  and  its  right-hand  tributary  the 
Afon  Llwyd,  about  two  miles  to  the  north-west  of  the 
Dinas,  there  is  a  group  of  five  tumuli.  The  first  of  these 
is  situated  between  the  farms  of  Dolydd-Llwydion  and 
Nant-yr-hafod.  In  form  it  is  similar  to  that  on  the 
Merllyn  field,  but  its  dimensions  are  smaller,  its  radius 


ANCIENT  ARWYSTLI.  13 

being  36  feet,  its  height  10  feet.  Upon  making  a  small 
hole  in  its  top  it  appeared  to  be  composed  of  earth  and 
stones  mixed  together. 

The  second  tumulus,  known  as  Clap-Mawr^  lies  about 
half-a-mile  to  the  north-east,  and  occupies  the  summit  of 
a  gentle  elevation.  The  rising  ground  which  was  chosen 
for  its  site  has  probably  given  it  its  name,  for  the  arti- 
ficial portion,  both  in  form  and  dimensions,  is  similar  to 
that  near  Nant-yr-hafod.  This  mound,  to  judge  from 
its  prominent  position,  was  probably  used  as  a  beacon 
station.  Traces  of  excavations  are  to  be  seen  in  this 
barrow.  A  passage,  16  or  18  feet  long,  and  some  8  or 
10  feet  wide,  has  been  made,  with  what  results  could 
not  be  learned.  The  writer  heard  that  human  bones, 
weapons,  etc.,  had  been  discovered,  but  failed  to  trace 
the  report  to  any  reliable  source,  nor  could  he  ascertain 
by  whom,  or  at  what  time,  the  passage  alluded  to  was 
made. 

About  600  yards  to  the  north-west  of  Clap-Mawr,  on 
a  field  belonging  to  Llwyn-y-gog  farm,  is  another  tumulus 
which  appears  originally  to  have  been  a  counterpart  of 
the  others,  but  having  been  cultivated  like  the  rest  of 
the  field  in  which  it  stands,  for  a  number  of  years,  its 
elevation  has  become  inconsiderable.  When  visited  it 
was  covered  with  a  crop  of  oats. 

On  the  grounds  oi DoUGwyddyl}  the  Dol-Gwyddel  (or 

^  In  speaking  with  a  gentleman  of  the  neighhourhood  about  the 
derivation  of  this  name  and  the  probable  history  of  which  it  is  a  me- 
mento (vide  Vestiges  of  the  Gael  in  Gwynedd),  the  writer  received 
another  explanation  of  the  word  which  perhaps  would  not  be  out  of 
place  if  inserted  here  in  the  form  of  a  note.  If  pronounced  as  Mr. 
Jones  spells  it,  Ddl-gwydd^l,  the  people  of  the  neighbourhood  would 
scarcely  recognise  it,  their  pronunciation  being  Ddl-gweidd-il  or 
gwaiuid-ilf  which,  in  my  informant's  opinion,  is  a  corruption  of  Dol* 
gtcaedd-mil,  which  might  be  rendered  literally  **  mead  of  the  shout 
of  the  thousand."  This  conjectural  meaning  would  appear  rather  too 
far-fetched  to  be  the  true  one  were  it  not  supported  by  evidence  de- 
rived from  the  names  of  places  in  its  immediate  vicinity,  such  as 
Cefn-lte^r-gwydd,  a  corruption  of  Cefii-Ue^r-gwaedd,  literally,  **  ridge 
of  the  place  of  the  shout."  Maes-maeft-trisholy  a  corruption  of  Maes- 
maen-tri'Schol,  Anglice,  the  **  field  of  the  stone  of  three  skulls." 
Upon  the  other  side  of  the  valley  are  two  small  farmsteads,  called  re- 


14  ANCIENT  ARWYSTLI. 

Gael's  Mead)  of  the  Vestiges  of  the  Gael  in  Gwynedd^ 
about  300  yards  to  the  north  of  the  mound  mentioned 
in  the  last  paragraph,  are  two  other  tumuli,  situated 
about  80  yards  distant  from  each  other,  on  a  ridge  over- 
looking the  Clywedog.  In  form  and  size  they  are  very 
similar  to  those  already  described.^ 

Cefh-Cloddiau. — The  Diuas  was  not  the  only  work 
constructed  to  defend  the  approaches  from  the  low 
grounds  into  the  mountains,  for  at  a  distance  of  a  mile 
and  a-quarter  to  the  north-west  are  the  remains  of 
another  entrenched  camp  advantageously  situated  on  a 
tongue  of  high  ground  which  juts  into  the  glen  and 
commands  the  upper  end  of  the  Llawr-y-glyn  valley. 
The  best  preserved  portion  of  this  work  is  in  a  field  be- 
longing to  a  tenement  called  CefnCloddiau  (Ridge  of  the 
Ditches),  the  remainder  is  in  an  adjacent  field  belonging 
to  the  Pandy  farm.  The  earthwork  has  been  under 
cultivation  from  beyond  the  memory  of  the  inhabitants 
of  the  vicinity,  and  so  thoroughly  has  the  plough  done 
its  work  that  it  is  impossible  to  trace  accurately  its  de- 
sign and  extent.  From  its  position  it  is  natural  to  sup- 
pose it  to  have  been  constructed  with  a  view  to  watching 
the  Romans,  whose  trackway  must  have  left  the  glen 
for  the  mountains  at  a  point  not  far  distant  from  here. 

Remains  on  the  Gribbin, — A  little  less  than  a  mile  to 
the  north-west  of  Cefn-Cloddiau,  upon  the  summit  of  a 
precipitous  hill  called  the  Gribbin^  whose  base  is  washed 

spectively  Lluest-duallt  (encampment  on  the  dark  ascent)  and  Lluest- 
fedw  (encampment  of'  the  birches).  These  names  taken  in  conjunc- 
tion, their  being  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  fortified  posts  and 
tumuli,  seem  to  indicate  that  the  spot  was  the  scene  of  a  struggle  be- 
tween contending  thousands,  whose  shout  gave  the  name  to  the  mea- 
dow. It  is  quite  possible  that  Mr.  Jones's  Gael  were  participators  in 
the  struggle. 

1  The  plateau  alluded  to  is  not  the  only  unconsecrated  burial-ground 
on  these  spurs  of  Plinlimmon,  for  at  a  distance  of  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  from  the  D61-gwyddyl  tumuli,  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Clywedog, 
near  the  little  mountain  hamlet  of  Stay  Utiles  is  situated  the  "  quaker's 
garden,"  or  cemetery  of  that  sect.  They  had  formerly  a  place  of 
worship  at  Llanidloes.  The  burial-place  consists  of  a  square  piece 
of  ground  measuring  about  twelve  yards  each  way,  enclosed  by  a  rude 
stone  wall,  the  graves  being  arranged  in  three  parallel  rows. 


ANCIENT  ARWY8TLI.  15 

by  the  Taranon,  are  traces  of  entrenchments,  which, 
however,  are  not  of  sufficient  strength  to  be  of  much 
service  for  defence ;  they  are  more  probably  remains  of 
ancient  mining  operations.  Tradition  states  that  the 
Romans  worked  lead  mines  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
Llawr-y-glyn,  and  upon  the  opposite  side  of  this  very 
hill  a  vein  of  lead  ore  was  discovered,  and,  to  some  ex- 
tent, worked  within  the  last  few  years.  This  fact  con- 
firms, in  some  degree,  the  truthfulness  of  the  above 
conjecture. 

The  Roman  Trackway  and  the  Remains  connected  with 
it. — Mr.  Hancock,  in  his  paper  **0n  the  Roman  Roads 
of  Montgomeryshire,"  which  appeared  in  the  volume 
published  by  the  Association  in  1848,  p.  91,  conjectured 
that  the  road  leading  from  Caersws  to  Maglona  went  by 
Trefeglwys,  but  Mr.  Longueville  Jones,  the  late  Mr. 
Davies,  and  others,  have  indicated  its  true  course  up  the 
valley  of  the  Camo,  while  that  laid  down  on  the 
Ordnance  map,  which  trends  in  a  westerly  direction, 
passing  the  village  of  Trefeglwys  a  little  to  the  north, 
appears  to  have  been  constructed  for  the  purpose  of 
connecting  Caersws  with  the  lead  mines  w^hich  were 
worked  in  the  upper  portion,  and  upon  the  borders  of 
the  parish  of  Trefeglwys.  The  roadw^ay  has  been  traced 
as  far  west  as  a  field  belonging  to  the  Church  House, 
situated  about  quarter  of  a  mile  to  the  north  of  Tre- 
feglwys Church.  This  is  the  most  westerly  point  at 
which  the  earth  has  been  removed  and  the  pavement 
which  constitutes  the  upper  layer  of  the  road  laid  bare. 
Its  breadth  at  this  point  is  nearly  six  yards.  It  disap- 
pears in  a  boggy  tract  of  land  known  as  Sarn-y-glyn 
(Causeway  of  the  glen)  on  the  adjacent  farm  ;  and  at  a 
point  a  little  further  west  its  route  is  supposed  to  become 
identical  with  the  present  cartway  leading  from  Trefeg- 
lwys to  Llawr-y-glyn  (Floor  of  the  glen).  Of  the  five 
erect  stones  which  existed  some  thirty  years  ago  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  village  of  Trefeglwys,  and  which  are 
supposed  to  have  some  connection  with  the  old  cause- 
way, two  alone  occupy  their  original  position — those 


16  ANCIENT  ARWYSTLI. 

described  by  Mr.  Hancock,  which  are  still  to  be  found 
on  the  fields  belonging  to  the  Cyffiau  and  the  Ffinant. 
Trefeglwys  utilitarians  have  removed  the  one  which 
formerly  stood  at  the  east  end  of  the  church,  and  have 
converted  it  into  a  post  for  the  gate  which  opens  into 
the  churchyard.  The  stone  upon  Glangwden  farm, 
described  by  Mr.  Longueville  Jones  as  a  MaenCoK^)^  and 
that  upon  Talgarth  farm  have  been  removed  and  de- 
stroyed. The  latter  stone  for  some  time  resisted  all 
efforts  at  its  destruction,  and  only  succumbed  to  powder. 
The  attention  of  the  energetic  Secretary  of  the  new  club 
formed  in  Montgomeryshire  has  been  called  to  the  reck- 
less destruction  of  these  and  similar  historical  relics,  and 
it  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  efforts  made  for  their  future 
preservation  will  prove  successful. 

Higher  up  the  valley,  about  a  mile  and  a-half  to  the 
west  of  Trefeglwys,  on  the  grounds  of  Cil-JSauU  are  to 
be  seen  the  remains  of  an  old  smelting-house  similar 
to  that  mentioned  by  Mr.  Davies  as  having  been  dis- 
covered at  Caersws.  Numerous  small  flakes  of  lead  and 
large  quantities  of  slag  or  dross  were  found  among  the 
cinders  and  dibria  scattered  around  the  old  furnace. 
One  of  Lewis  Glyn  Cothi's  poems  shows  that  the  neigh- 
bouring hill,  called  the  Forest,  though  now  quite  desti- 
tute of  trees,  was  as  late  as  the  fifteenth  century  covered 
with  wood.  So  that  every  facility  existed  here  for  the 
conversion  of  the  ore,  brought  thither  from  the  hills 
higher  up  the  valley,  into  pigs  for  more  convenient  con- 
veyance. That  the  Romans  were  stationed  at  this  spot 
seems  to  be  placed  beyond  a  doubt  by  a  most  remark- 
able *'find"  of  coins  in  close  proximity  to  the  old  fur- 
nace. In  the  year  1836  one  of  the  horses  of  the  farm, 
while  scampering  over  the  ground  and  kicking  up  the 
earth  with  his  heels,  disinterred  an  earthen  vessel  (which 
was  unfortunately  broken  to  pieces  by  the  operation), 
filled  with  silver  coins.  Mrs.  Bennet,  the  mother  of  the 
present  occupant  of  the  farm,  kept  them  in  a  jug  some- 
what larger  than  a  pint,  which  they  nearly  filled.  When 
any  visitor  expressed  an  interest  in  the  coins  she  used  to 


ANCIENT  ARWYSTLI.  17 

empty  them  out  upon  a  table,  and  invite  him  to  help 
himself  to  those  he  liked  best.  By  this  means  they  soon 
became  scattered  over  the  district.  Mr.  Bennet,  of 
Glan-yr-avon,  has  in  his  possession  what  he  conjectures 
to  be  a  British  coin,  together  with  silver  pieces  of  the 
following  Caesars :  Julius,  Vespasian,  Domitian,  Adrian, 
and  Antoninus.  These  form  a  portion  of  the  Cil-haul 
coins,  and  are,  for  the  most  part,  in  a  good  state  of  pre- 
servation. A  bronze  spear-head,  about  four  and  a-half 
inches  long,  has  also  been  discovered  on  the  Cil-haul 
grounds,  which  are  only  separated  from  the  supposed 
route  of  the  trackway  by  the  small  river  Taranon,  which 
presents  no  obstacles  to  its  being  crossed  easily  except 
when  its  bed  is  filled  by  a  freshet. 

The  road  quitted  the  glen  about  half-a-mile  to  the 
west  of  the  little  hamlet  of  Llawr-y-glyn.  Its  most 
direct  route  for  Dylife,  where  remains  of  Roman  mining 
operations  have  been  discovered,  would  be  along  the 
modern  cart-road  which  goes  by  the  foot  of  the  earth- 
work on  Cefn-Cloddiau,  but  the  line  indicated  by  local 
tradition  is  identical  with  the  cart-track  on  the  left  bank 
of  the  Taranon,  which  leads  to  the  peat  grounds  on  the 
neighbouring  moor,  and  which  is  commanded  by  the 
Gribbin-hill  mentioned  previously.  There  are  indica- 
tions of  an  ancient  roadway — British  or  Roman — having 
at  one  time  taken  this  latter  route ;  for  there  is  a  house 
on  the  immediate  left  of  the  cart-track,  called  Tyn-Sam 
(House  in  the  Causeway),  and  further  on  upon  the  hill 
the  names  Sam-Fawr  and  Sarn-Bigog  occur.  There  also 
existed  formerly  two  erect  stones  in  the  neighbourhood 
of  the  road ;  the  one  nearest  the  valley  was  called  Car^ 
reg-y-Sticcan  (from  a  mark  upon  it  which  is  said  to  have 
resembled  a  spoon),  and  the  other  Carreg-Hir.  The 
writer  failed  to  find  any  traces  of  the  former,  and  what 
was  commonly  called  Carreg-Hir  he  found  to  be  a  small 
erect  stone  three  or  four  feet  high;  but  after  a  little 
searching,  what  appears  to  be  the  true  Carreg-Hir  was 
discovered  partially  embedded  in  the  ground  near  the 
spot  indicated  on  the  Ordnance  map.     This  stone  mea- 

3rd  8BB.,  VOL.  XI Y.  2 


18  ANCIENT  AEWT8TLI. 

sures  about  thirteen  feet  in  length,  and  four  feet  six 
inches  in  its  greatest  breadth.  Beyond  these  indications 
the  writer  failed  to  discover  further  vestiges  of  the  old 
roadway. 

Cameddau. — ^The  "Mountains  of  Carno"  form  part  of 
a  plateau  which  lies  between  the  Taranon  on  the  south 
and  south-east  and  the  Afon  Carno  on  the  north  and 
north-west,  stretching  from  west  to  east  a  distance  of 
about  six  miles,  by  a  breadth  of  between  two  and  three. 
This  plateau,  compared  by  Pennant  with  Gilboa,  is  rich 
in  historical  associations  connected  with  the  early  his- 
tory of  the  principality  ;  it  seems  to  have  been  a  chosen 
fighting  and  burial  ground  from  the  "primitive  ages  of 
antiquity."  In  its  western  part  are  to  be  found  what  may 
now  be  fairly  termed  the  ruins  of  several  earns  and  circles, 
the  most  interesting  being  those  of  Twr-Gwyn-Mawr^ 
which,  in  all  probability,  gives  its  name  to  the  district. 
For  in  the  Life  of  Gruffydd  ap  Cynan  the  following 
passage  occurs,  which  seems  to  have  escaped  Messrs. 
Morgan  and  Davies,  for  they  do  not  allude  to  it  in  their 
account  of  the  Carnedd: — 

"Now,  the  mountain  on  which  the  battle  was  fought  is 
called  by  the  people  of  the  country  the  Cam  Mountain,  that  is 
to  say,  the  Mountain  of  the  Carnedd ;  for  in  that  place  is  an 
immense  carnedd  of  stones,  under  which  was  buried  a  champion 
in  the  primitive  ages  of  antiquity." 

This  immense  carnedd  was  Twr-Gwyn-Mawr,  which 
was  opened  by  the  late  Local  Secretary  for  Mont- 
gomeryshire. The  passage  quoted  above,  and  the  re- 
mains discovered  at  the  opening,  clearly  prove  that  this 
earn  existed  anterior  to  the  time  of  the  first  of  the  two 
later  battles  on  the  Carno  mountains.  As  Mr.  Davies 
and  his  fellow-labourers  left  it  with  its  inside  turned 
out,  so  it  remains  at  present.  Would  it  not  be  well  to 
place  some  memorial  stone  upon  the  site — one  simply 
stating  when  it  was  opened,  and  by  whom. 

About  160  yards  to  the  south-east  are  the  remains  of 
two  small  stone  circles,  each  about  18  feet  in  diameter, 
and  not  more  than  two  yards  apart  from  each  other ; 


60  YARDS 


BARTHWORK    ON    RHTD-TN-OWEN    FARM. 


A    Entranre. 
B  u  u    Hedge. 


c    A  Path. 
D  £    Melds. 


ARCH.  CaMII.      \^■L.  XIV. 


ANCIENT  ARWYSTU.  19 

and  about  100  yard8  further  in  the  same  direction  is  a 
larger  one,  about  45  feet  in  diameter,  with  traces  of  a 
much  smaller  inner  circle  in  its  north-east  part,  plainly 
visible.  A  quarter  of  a  mile  to  the  south-west  of  this 
circle  lies  what  remains  of  Twr-Gtoyn-Bach^  which  has 
been  opened  at  a  time  which  dates  back  beyond  the 
memory  of  the  oldest  frequenter  of  the  mountain.  The 
epithet  "gwyn,"  (white)  applied  to  these  earns,  seems  to 
be  derived  from  a  white  lichen  which  covers  the  stones. 
A  short  distance  from  Twr-Gwyn-Bach  is  the  site  of 
another  cam,  the  name  of  which,  Twyn-gosod^  has  been 
preserved,  though  the  stones  which  formerly  composed 
it  have  been  entirely  removed. 

The  nature  of  the  remains  for  which  this  plateau  is 
famous  is  preserved  in  the  name  of  the  small  river  Cerniog 
(a  corruption  of  the  word  Cameddog^  which  signifies 
abounding  with  cams)  which  rises  in  their  midst,  and 
flows  by  two  farms,  to  which  it  imparts  its  name,  into 
the  Carno  river. 

The  remains  connected  with  the  northern  slope  of  the 
plateau  have  already  been  described  by  Mr.  Morgan  in 
his  paper  "On  Carno"  {Arch.  Camb.,  1853,  p.  1).  The 
writer  did  not  visit  its  eastern  and  south-eastern  sides, 
which  are  not  destitute  of  vestiges  which  plainly  indi- 
cate it  to  be  worthy  of  investigation. 

The  Earthwork  on  Rhyd-yr-Onen. — One  of  the  most  in- 
teresting and  best  preserved  earthworks  of  Arwystli 
remains  yet  to  be  described.  It  is  situated  upon  a 
small  farm  called  Rhyd-yr-Onen^  about  three  miles  to 
the  south-west  of  the  town  of  Llanidloes,  in  the  upper 
part  of  "  Cwm-glyn  Brochan."  It  occupies  a  small  tri- 
angular plateau  elevated  some  sixty  feet  above  two  deep 
rapid  brooks  which  flank  it  upon  either  side,  and  which 
unite  at  its  apex.  These  brooks  form  a  natural  moat 
on  two  of  its  sides,  and  if  dammed  up  near  their  junc- 
tion would  materially  aid  in  defending  the  position. 
The  third  side  is  defended  by  a  broad  deep  ditch,  and 
very  strong  rampart  of  earth,  which  stretch  from  one 
edge  of  the  plateau  in  the  direction  of  the  opposite 


20  ANCIENT  ARWYSTLL 

brook  for  a  distance  of  about  240  feet.  The  rampart  is  ^ 
covered  with  oak  trees.  At  a  distance  of  150  feet  from 
the  outer  ditch  is  another  deep  broad  fosse,  which  sur- 
rounds a  large  circular  mound  measuring  520  feet  in 
circumference,  and  between  40  and  50  higher  than  the 
ditch.  There  is  a  flat  space  on  its  summit  which  covers 
about  200  square  yards.  The  space  situated  between 
the  mound  and  the  junction  of  the  brooks  is  occupied 
by  two  platforms  separated  from  each  other  by  a  deep 
broad  fosse ;  the  platform  nearest  the  mound  is  some 
three  or  four  feet  higher  than  the  other.  That  portion 
of  the  work  lying  between  the  outer  age[er  and  the 
mound  is  cultivated.  An  entrance — to  all  appearance 
modern — broad  enough  for  carts,  being  made  at  this 
end. 

Local  tradition  states  the  work  to  be  a  great  barrow, 
but  the  conductors  of  the  Ordnance  Survey  held  another 
opinion,  and  in  all  probability  the  correct  one,  when 
they  pronounced  it  to  be  a  moat.  It  is  probably  the  site 
of  one  of  those  wooden  castles  which  figure  so  promi- 
nently in  the  early  history  of  the  Principality.  There 
is  much  in  its  form  and  position  that  is  similar  to  the 
site  of  Owen  Cyfeiliog's  castle  at  Tafolwern. 

The  farm  upon  which  it  is  situated  is  now  the  pro- 
perty of  the  North  and  South  Wales  Bank ;  it  is,  how- 
ever, advertised  for  sale.  We  hope  that  its  purchaser 
will  carefully  preserve  this  interesting  relic. 

Domen-y-Giw. — A  mile  to  the  south-west  by  west  of 
Rhyd-yr-Onen,  and  rather  more  than  a  mile  to  the 
north  of  the  village  of  Llangurig,  on  the  crest  of  a  high 
tract  of  moorland  which  here  forms  the  line  of  water- 
shed between  the  tributaries  of  the  Wye  and  the  Severn, 
is  a  tumulus  known  locally  as  Domen-y-Giw,  It  is  a 
low  flat  mound  about  60  yards  in  circumference  and 
about  three  yards  in  elevation.  From  the  vast  extent  of 
country  which  it  commands  it  was  most  probably  used 
as  a  beacon  station.  The  view  from  it  embraces  the 
Plinlimmon  Carneddau,  with  Cader  Idris  in  the  dim 
distance  on  the  north-west ;  to  the  north  may  be  seen 


ANCIENT  ARWYSTLI.  21 

the  Arran  ;  the  horizon  on  the  east  being  bounded  by  a 
belt  of  mountain  masses  stretching  from  the  Arran  to 
the  Breidden  Hill  and  Long  Mynd ;  while  the  Kerry 
hills  and  Rhydd-Howel  limit  the  view  on  the  south-east. 
In  front,  the  town  of  Llanidloes  nestling  at  the  foot  of 
Pen-rhiw,  with  the  sinuous  Severn  winding  through  the 
valley,  forms  a  pleasant  picture.  To  the  south-west 
are  the  Llangurig  Esgairs,  with  their  earns,  and  the 
beautiful  Wye  winding  pleasantly  through  the  wooded 
farms  at  their  feet  until  it  is  lost  among  the  hills  of 
Radnorshire. 

Llangurig  Cams. — Rather  more  than  three  miles  to 
the  west  of  the  village  of  Llangurig,  on  the  summit  of 
Esgair-Ychion,  formerly  stood  a  cam,  denominated  on 
the  ordnance  map,  Caerau.  The  stones  which  formed 
it  have  been  removed  for  the  purpose  of  building  an 
adjacent  outhouse. 

Another  carnedd,  known  as  Cam-Bwlch-y-Cloddiau^ 
lies  half  a  mile  to  the  south  by  west  from  the  site  of 
the  first.  It  is  a  circular  heap  of  stones  about  35  yards 
in  circumference,  the  stones  in  the  centre  of  the  mass 
being  piled  up  to  the  height  of  about  six  feet.  It  is 
situated  upon  one  of  the  summits  of  the  Esgair,  and 
commands  a  most  magnificent  and  extended  prospect. 

A  mile  and  a  quarter  to  the  south-east  of  the  second 
cam,  and  about  three  miles  and  a  half  to  the  south- 
west of  Llangurig,  is  an  artificial  ridge  several  hundreds 
yards  long  and  between  30  and  40  broad,  lying  in  the 
direction  of  north  and  south,  apparently  composed  of 
stones  which  are  in  part  covered  with  grass,  a  portion 
of  its  borders  being  protected  by  stones  regularly  placed 
upon  their  edges.  Upon  its  crest  are  two  cams,  the 
smaller  one  about  6  feet  in  elevation  and  about  37 
yards  in  circumference.  Eighteen  yards  to  the  north 
of  this  is  a  larger  cam  some  8  feet  high  and  67  yards 
in  circumference.  A  little  further  in  the  same  direction 
are  a  great  number  of  loose  stones  scattered  about, 
some  of  them  very  large,  and  are  to  all  appearance  the 
remains  of  another  earn.     Were  it  not  for  the  earns  on 


22  ANCIENT  ARWT8TLI. 

its  summit,  the  ridge  might  be  taken  for  an  entrench- 
ment.    It  is  styled  a  Cist-faen  on  the  ordnance  map. 

Carn-y-Groea  is  situated  a  little  more  than  a  mile 
to  the  south-east  of  the  Cist-faen  on  one  of  the  hills 
which  overlook  the  picturesque  little  vale  of  the  Der- 
nol.  The  greater  part  of  the  earn  is  low  and  covered 
with  grass,  but  the  stones  in  the  centre  are  piled  up  in 
a  heap  7  feet  high  and  about  6  yards  in  circumference. 
All  the  before  mentioned  earns,  Plinlimmon  and  Cader 
Idris,  can  be  seen  from  here. 

Remains  near  the  line  of  road  on  the  Llandinam  Hills. — 
This  line  of  road  leads  from  Llandrindod  by  Abbey- 
Cwm-Hir,  through  Bwlchrtf-Samau  (Pass  of  the  Cause- 
ways), over  the  mountains  by  Polin-Groes-Du  and  the 
Giant's  grave  to  Caersws.  The  route  is  almost  identical 
with  that  of  an  old  British  trackway.  Within  the 
limits  of  the  parish  of  St.  Harmon  are  several  tumuli 
which  have  been  noticed  in  Williams's  History  of  Rad- 
norshire. Three  quarters  of  a  mile  to  the  north-west  of 
the  earn  known  as  Crugyn-Terfyn  (situated  on  the 
boundary  line  between  Montgomeryshire  and  Radnor- 
shire) is  a  tumulus  known  as  Pegwns-Fach.  The  mound 
is  covered  with  grass  and  moss,  nearly  circular  in  form, 
being  about  70  yards  in  circumference  and  7  feet  in  ele- 
vation. The  cams  on  Esgair-Ychion  are  visible  from  here. 

Rather  more  than  half  a  mile  to  the  north-east  by 
north,  on  the  highest  peak  of  Rhydd-Howel,  at  an  eleva- 
tion of  1919  feet,  is  a  tumulus  known  as  Pegtons-Fawr. 
It  consists  of  a  low  mound  some  66  yards  in  circum- 
ference and  3  feet  in  elevation,  upon  which  was  erected 
some  twenty-five  or  thirty  years  ago,  for  the  purposes 
of  triangulation,  a  second  mound  of  conical  shape,  upon 
a  stone  foundation.  This  has,  within  the  past  years, 
been  reduced  from  its  original  height  of  16  feet  to  an 
elevation  of  9  feet.  In  its  centre  is  a  pole  some  6  yards 
long,  which  has  been  used  for  signalling  purposes  ;  this 
beacon  station  commands  a  most  extensive  view. 

About  a  mile  to  the  north,  is  another  circular  mound 
about  62  yards  in  circumference  and  five  feet  in  height, 
known  as  Domen  Du.     It  is  overgrown  with  grass. 


ANCIENT  ARWYSTLI.  23 

Near  the  finger  post  marked  on  the  ordnance  map  as 
Polin-groeS'Du^  which  is  only  a  few  yards  from  the  road, 
is  a  mound  of  small  stones  and  earth,  36  yards  in  cir- 
cumference and  4  feet  in  elevation. 

A  mile  to  the  west  of  Polin-groes-Du,  on  the  summit 
of  a  high  hill  called  the  Foel^  is  a  strongly  fortified 
British  post.  It  adapts  its  form  to  the  shape  of  the 
hill,  which  is  exceedingly  precipitous  on  all  its  sides, 
little  artificial  aid  being  necessary  to  make  the  camp 
inaccessible.  Near  it  is  a  farm  called  Cae-Zlt^est  (field 
of  encampment). 

A  short  distance  to  the  north  of  Polin-groes-Du  the 
roadway  bifurcates;  one  branch  leading  in  the  direction 
of  Llandinam  village  by  an  oblong  mound  measuring 
1 3  yards  by  5,  and  about  3  feet  in  elevation,  marked 
on  the  ordnance  map  as  a  earn  ;  the  other  branch  leads 
by  a  curious  work  called  the  Gianfs  grave  and  the  Moat 
to  Caersws.  The  Giant's  grave  consists  of  two  elon- 
gated mounds  or  entrenchments,  which  cross  each  other 
at  right  angles  in  the  form  of  a  star.     It  is  composed 


B 

A  to  B,  21  yards.    C  to  D,  21  yards.     B  to  D,  15  yards. 

of  soft  earth  and  is  about  five  feet  high  at  the  centre, 
gradually  declining  towards  each  point  (see  cut). 

E.  II. 


24 


CONTRIBUTION    TOWARDS  A  CARTULARY  OF 
MARGAM. 

{Continued  from p,  334,  vol.  xiii.) 


CHARTERS. 


l.'^Caria  Willielmi  Comitts  de  Dono  S,  Palmi/eri, 
\_Mvs,  Brit.  Cart,  Earl,  75,  A.  8.] 

WilHelmus  Comes  Gloecestrie  vicecomiti  suo  omnibusque 
baronibus  suis  et  probis  hominibus  salutem.  Sciatis  me  dedisse 
monachis  Sancte  Marie  de  Margan  Siwardum  palmiferum  cum 
domo  suo  et  curtillagio  ad  hospicium  per  manum  Roberti  filii 
mei  Hberum  et  quietum  ab  omni  secular!  servicio.  Testibus 
H.  Comitissa  Gloecestrie.  Hamone  filio  Geuffridi,  Consta- 
bulario.  Huberto  Dapifero.  Roberto  de  Almeri,  Dapifero. 
Adam  de  Eli.  Alano  de  Warnesteda.  Elia  Clerico.  Apud 
Bristou.     [a.d.  1166-1173.] 

William,  Earl  of  Gloucester,  son  of  Robert  the 
Consul,  founder  of  the  abbey,  succeeded  in  1147  and 
died  8.  p,  m.  in  1173.  He  married  Hawisia,  daughter 
of  Robert  Bossu,  Earl  of  Leicester,  who  is  the  countess 
^Yitnessing  this  charter,  and  75  a  9.  This  is  probably 
the  earliest  extant  charter  relating  to  Margam,  the 
foundation  deed  being  lost. 

Robert,  through  whom  Siward  was  presented,  was 
Earl  William's  only  son,  at  whose  death-bed  request 
the  earl  founded  the  Priory  of  Keynsham,  where  Robert 
was  buried.  The  date  of  the  foundation  is  uncertain, 
but  the  charter  mentions  the  Countess  Hawisia,  Ro- 
bert's mother,  and  among  the  witnesses  occur,  C,  abbot 
of  Margan  ;  R.,  abbot  of  Neath ;  Richard  de  Cardiflf, 
then  dapifer;  Hamo  de  Valoniis,  constable;  William 
de  Caril  and  Simon  his  brother.  The  date  of  the  Mar- 
gam  charter  lies  between  Robert's  death  in  1166,  and 
the  earl's  death  in  1173. 


CONTRIBUTION  TOWARDS  A  CARTULARY.  25 


II. —  Comes  Glocestrie  de  concesstone  ierre  Rogeri  Sturmi  petitione  G. 

/rairis  sui, 
\_M.B.  Cart.  Harl.,  lb,  A.  9.]     [Circa  1170.] 

Willielmus  Comes  Gloecestrie  Vicecomiti  suo  de  Glamorgan 
et  baronibus  suis  et  omnibus  hominibus  suis  Francis  et  Anglis 
et  Walensibus  salutem.  Sciatis  me  concessisse  monachis  Sancte 
Marie  de  Margan  donacionem  terre  quam  Galfridus  Sturmi  et 
Rogerus  filius  suus  et  heres  dederunt  eis  sicut  carte  eorum 
testantur.  Preterea  concedo  conventionem  factam  inter  pre- 
dictos  monachos  et  Rogerura  Sturmi  de  toto  residuo  terre 
ipsius  Rogeri  quam  tenet  de  feudo  meo  in  Margan.  Scilicet 
quod  ipsi  monachi  teneant  totam  terram  illam  de  Rogero  ad 
perpetuam  firmam  pro  dimidia  marca  argenti  annuatim  red- 
denda  pro  omni  servicio  Rogero  Sturmi  et  post  decessuin 
Rogeri  heredibus  suis  ita  quod  Rogerus  Sturmi  faciat  mihi 
servicium  quod  facere  debet  ipse  et  ante  ipsum  pater  ejus  de 
terra  ilia.  Hanc  conventionem  concessi  et  attestatione  sigilli 
mei  confirmavi  assensu  et  peticione  Galfridi  fratris  Rogeri  cui 
Abbas  dedit  marcam  argenti  et  unum  puUum  pro  assensu  illius 
Galfridi  et  si  Rogerus  defecerit  de  servicio  quod  debet  mihi  de 
terra  facere  in  nullo  alio  mc  capiam  ad  monachos  nisi  do  ilia 
dimidia  marca  quam  ipsi  monachi  debent  dare  annuatim  Rogero 
pro  firma.  Testibus,  Hawisia  Comitissa.  Hamone  de  Valoniis 
tunc  Constabulario.  Odone  de  Tichesia.  Symone  de  Cardif. 
Roberto  filio  Gregorii.  Gileberto  Almari.  Roberto  Bibois. 
Widone  de  Rupe.  Gileberto  Capellano,  Willielrao  de  Lud- 
wic.     Eglin  de  prb  (?) 

Sturmi  and  Esturmi  were  forms  of  a  name  widely 
spread  over  England  in  the  thirteenth  and  fourteenth 
centuries,  and  especially  known  in  Wilts,  Hants,  and 
the  Honour  of  Gloucester.  We  here  have  Galfrid 
Sturmi  and  Roger  his  son  contemporary  with  \\  illiam, 
Earl  of  Gloucester,  and  his  tenants  in  the  earl's  fee  of 
Margam,  no  doubt  for  what  is  now  called  "  Stormy." 
Galfrid,  the  brother  of  Roger,  is  also  assenting  to  bis 
brother's  donation.  Countess  Hawisia  occurs  as  first 
witness  as  in  75,  A.  8. 

Hamo  de  Valoniis  is  mentioned  by  Meyric  as  Vice- 
comes  in  1188.  The  title  of  constable  refers  of  course 
to  Cardiff  Castle,  which  was  for  centuries  governed  by 
such  an  officer.     He  is  the  Hamo  who  witnessed  the 


26  CONTRIBUTION  TOWARDS  A  CARTULARY 

Keynsham  foundation  charter,  and  probably  the  "  Hamo 
filius  Geuffredi,  constabularius"  of  75,  A.  8.  **  Gilbertus 
Almar"  may  be  brother  of  the  dapifer  "  Robertas  de 
Almar." 

The  above  Roger  Sturmi  also  tests  a  Margam  charter 
75,  B.  27,  of  about  1200.  The  transaction  recorded  here 
seems  to  point  to  the  retirement  of  the  family  from  the 
country,  where  they  are  again  but  once  heard  of.  "  Ec- 
clesia  de  terra  Sturmi  occurs  in  a  Margam  charter  75,  A. 
34  of  about  1220. 

III. —  Testtmonium  N,  Landavensis  epUcopi  de  controversia  canonice 
terminata  inter  nos  et  Ricardum  de  Kaerdif  super  terra  de 
Blackescerre. 

IffarL  Chart.  75,  A.  16.] 

N.  dei  gratia  Landavensis  Episcopus  presentibus  et  futuris 
salutem. 

De  his  que  in  nostra  facta  sunt  diocesi  verum  ut  decet  tes- 
timonium perhibemus.  Mota  erat  aliquando  controversia  inter 
Abbatem  de  Margan  et  Ricardum  de  Kardif  super  terra  quadam 
de  Blackescerre  que  in  nostre  diocesis  canonice  deterrainata 
capitulo  litteris  et  cartis  domini  Regis  et  Comitis  et  insuper 
apostolice  sedis  privilegiis  Abbatie  de  Margan  adjudicata  ut 
pura  elemosina  et  ecclesiastici  juris  possessio :  conprobavit  pre- 
terea  idem  Abbas  in  eodem  capitulo  qui  terram  illam  in  elemo- 
sinam  possedeat  x  annis  et  eo  amplius  antequam  Ricardus  ter- 
ram in  ilia  provincia  accessisset :  Quia  ergo  hec  omnia  veridi- 
corum  testium  inductione^  presbiterorum,  clericorum,  militum, 
discussa  et  probata  sunt ;  ea  et  nostre  humilitatis  et  testimonio 
quieti  posteritatis  et  paci  utile  duximus  vestre  intimare  uni- 
versitati.     Valete. 

It  does  not  appear  what  was  the  precise  nature  of  the 
claim  made  by  Richard  de  Kardif  upon  the  lands  of 
Blackescerre,  and  canonically  decided  against  him. 
Bishop  N.  was  Nicholas  ap  Gwrgant,  who  presided 
over  Llandaff  from  1163  to  1183. 

Blacksker,  now  called  "  Sker,"  is  a  farm  on  Kenfig 
parish,  on  its  southern  boundary,  a  few  yards  from  the 
sea,  and  so  called  from  an  adjacent  "  sker,"  or  reef  of 
rocks  on  the  shore.  The  house,  a  view  of  which  is  given 
in  the  Arch.  Camb.  for  1863,  p.  273,  was  a  grange  at- 
tached to  Neath  at  the  dissolution,  and  is  now  the  pro- 


OF  MARGAM.  27 

perty  of  Mr.  Talbot.  King  John's  confirmation  charter 
to  Neath,  in  1208,  mentions  the  gift  by  Robert,  Earl  of 
Gloucester,  and  Earl  William  his  son,  of  land  in  Black- 
sker  to  that  abbey,  and  the  gift  of  Thomas  de  Sanford  of 
a  quittance  of  two  shillings  per  annum  on  fifty  acres  of 
land,  and  one  acre  and  a  half  upon  the  sea  at  Blakeschen. 

Richard  de  Kardif  was  a  member  of  a  well-known 
family  in  the  counties  of  Gloucester  and  Glamorgan. 
The  Golden  Grove  Book  makes  him  son  of  Robert,  and 
nephew  of  Simon  de  Kardif,  who  witnessed  charter 
75,  A.  9.  Mr.  Knight  cites  Richard  as  witnessing  a  deed 
by  Richard  de  I-ucy  to  William  Earl  of  Gloucester  as 
**  senescallus,"  23  March  1159,  and  he  witnessed  the 
foundation  charter  of  Keynsham  Priory  by  the  same 
earl  as  ''  Ricardus  de  Card,  tunc  dapifer  (comitis) ; "  it 
further  appears,  from  a  general  confirmation,  1 1  Edw.  II, 
that  he  gave  land  in  Mapledurham  to  the  canons  of  that 
house  \_New  Mon.y  v,  452].  He  also  gave  to  Ewenny  a 
rent  charge  on  certain  lands  in  England  [^Arch.  Camb.^ 
1853,  p.  168]. 

A  fine  of  24th  January,  1197,  taken  after  his  death, 
shews  him  to  have  left  two  daughters,  coheirs,  of  whom 
Amabel,  the  elder,  claimed  the  half  of  three  parts  of  a 
knight's  fee  in  Toppesfeld,  and  half  a  quarter  fee  in 
Grancenden,  and  half  a  knight's  fee  in  Hameledenn, 
and  half  a  quarter  fee  "in  Nova-villa"  (Newcastle)  in 
Glamorgan,  and  half  a  fee  in  St.  Hilary,  and  half  of 
three  hydes  and  of  a  virgate  of  land  in  Haiston.  She 
was  allowed  all  Nova-villa,  Hameleden,  and  the  service 
of  Grancenden,  and  the  hydes  and  virgate  in  Haiston, 
to  her  and  her  husband,  Thomas  de  Sanford,  and  their 
heirs  for  ever. 

Hadwise,  the  younger  coheir,  married  Thomas  de 
Bavis.  They  had  all  Toppesfeld  and  all  St.  Hilary- 
Nova-villa  and  St.  Hilary  were  in  Glamorgan ;  the 
other  places  were  in  Essex  and  Surrey  [Fines  temp.  R  1]. 

In  his  capacity  of  dapifer  to  the  Earl  of  Gloucester, 
the  charter  conceding  to  the  burgesses  of  Neath  the 
privileges  enjoyed  by  those  of  Cardiff,  was  addressed  to 


28  CONTRIBUTION  TOWARDS  A  CARTULARY 

and  witnessed  by  Sir  Richard,  as  appears  from  its  recital 
in  the  confirmation  charter  of  20  R.  11. 

Meyric,  quoting  the  now  lost  register  of  Neath  Abbey, 
says  that  Sir  Richard  de  Cardiff  had  thirty  librates 
of  land  in  Newton  Nottage  from  Earl  William,  and 
held  them  as  the  fourth  part  of  a  knight's  fee  [by  the 
tenure  of  castle  guard  at  Cardiff],  and  the  Liber  Niger 
mentions  him  as  holding  of  the  earl  half  a  fee  in  Wales 
and  a  whole  fee  in  England. 

It  is  not  necessary  here  to  pursue  the  pedigree  of  the 
de  Cardiff  family.  They  were  of  QueenhuU  and  Wal- 
ton-Cardiff in  Gloucestershire,  and  were  represented  in 
1369  by  Edward  de  Kerdif  and  Paulinus  his  son,  who 
died  8.  p. ;  and  in  the  female  line  by  the  Bawdripps  and 
Bassetts  of  Beaupr^,  from  Joanna,  heiress  of  Wm.  de 
Kerdif  of  M  alton,  who  died  5  Ed.  III.  Walton  was 
afterwards  Walton-Bassett.  St.  Hilary  no  doubt  came 
from  the  Kerdif  s  to  Bassett  of  Beaupr^,  though  through 
what  channel  is  not  ascertained. 

The  date  of  the  above  document  may  be  about  1160. 
It  appears  from  it  that  Richard  was  the  first  of  his 
family  who  settled  in  Glamorgan. 

IV. — Donatio  Wrunujilii  BUtK  Eccleaie  de  Margan. 
[3/.  B,  Cart  HarL,  75,  B.  10.] 

OtDDlbus  sancte  ecclesie  filiis  presentibus  et  futuris.  Wrunu 
filius  Bleth'  salutem.  Sciatis  me  consilio  et  consensu  hereduin 
et  amicorum  meorum  concessisse  et  dedisse  Deo  et  ecclesie 
Sancte  Marie  de  Margan  et  monachis  ibidem  deo  serventibus 
totam  meam  partem  terre  de  Killeculin  scilicet  quartam  partem 
terre  illius  cum  omnibus  aisiamentis  et  pertinentiis  in  puram  et 
perpetuam  elemosinam  ut  habeant  et  teneant  eam  liberam  et 
quietam  ab  omni  servitio  et  consuetudine  et  exactione  seculari 
sicut  uUa  elemosina  liberius  haberi  et  teneri  potest.  Et  sci- 
endum quod  si  aliquod  servitium  vel  redditus  ad  coquinam 
Comitis  vel  ad  aliud  aliquod  requiratur  de  predicta  terra  ego 
et  heredes  mei  illud  faciemus  de  hereditate  nostra  de  Traikic 
ita  ut  predicta  terra  libera  penitus  et  quieta  prefatis  monachis 
remaneat  inperpetuum.  Notandum  etiam  quod  super  sanctu- 
aria  ecclesie  prescripte  juravimus  ad  warantizandum  banc  cartam 
predictis  monachis  contra  omnes  homines  in  perpetuum.  Hiis 
testibus,  Waltero  de  Sul'  tunc  Vicecomite  de  Glamorg'.     Er- 


OF  MARGAM.  29 

naldo  constabulario  de  Kenef.  Stephano  clerico.  Ricardo  de 
Dunest'.  Osmundo  Cuman.  David  filio  Hely.  Alaythu 
filio  Ythen.     Reso  Coh,  et  multis  aliis.     [Circa  1190.] 

This  charter  is  certainly  earlier  than  1205,  although 
its  donation  does  not  appear  to  be  included  in  King 
John's  confirmation.  Wrunu  or  Grono  ap  Bleth  is 
elsewere  unknown,  and  Killeculin  and  Trakic  with  the 
tenure  "ad  coquinara  comitis,"  cannot  now  be  dis- 
covered. Walter  de  Sully,  the  vicecomes,  was  a  mem- 
ber of  a  well  known  family  of  Devonshire  origin,  whose 
memory  is  preserved  in  the  parish,  manor,  and  ruined 
castle  of  Sully,  upon  the  coast  a  few  miles  west  of 
Cardiff. 

Meyric  makes  their  founder  Raymond  de  Sully,  a  fol- 
lower of  Fitzhamon,  and  mentions  Walter,  Raymond, 
and  Meyric  de  Sully  as  occurring  in  the  register  of 
Neath  Abbey. 

Walter  occurs  in  the  fine  rolls  in  1199  for  Glouces- 
tershire as  paying  ten  bezants  to  have  recognizance  of 
half  a  virgate  of  land  at  Winchecumb  [^Rot.  de  obl\  et 
fin,^  p.  25].  Also  in  the  same  year  he  gave  to  King 
John  twenty  marcs  and  a  horse  of  equal  value  to  have 
justice  concerning  a  knight's  fee  in  Coyty  against  Payn 
de  Turbervile,  and  that  the  cause  may  be  called  on  in 
the  great  court,  and  be  not  hindered  by  the  King 
[Ibid.  p.  70].  The  bribe  was  partially  effectual,  for  in 
1200-1  Payn  gave  four  marcs  for  the  saving  of  a  day 
fixed  for  him  at  Westminster,  when  he  was  not  present 
in  his  suit  before  the  king  against  Walter  de  Sully  con- 
cerning a  knight's  fee  in  Coyty  [p.  138].  ^ 

Six  years  later,  1207,  the  same  record  mentions 
Walter  as  giving  twenty  marks  for  a  quit-claim  from 
the  king  for  the  deterioration  and  ruin  of  the  king's  mill 
at  Leckwith,  and  for  damage  of  the  king's  rents  and 
multure  whilst  the  mill  was  in  Walter's  custody,  pro- 
bably as  sheriff,  and  he  has  the  royal  letters  patent  al- 
lowing him  the  quit-claim  sought. 

"'Glanmorgan. — Walterus  de  Sully  dat  viginti  marcas  ut 
Dominus  Rex   eum   quictum   clamet  [de]    deterioramento   et 


30  CONTRIBUTION  TOWARDS  A  CARTULARY 

ruina  molendini  Domini  Regis  de  Lequid  et  de  jactura  redditus 
Domini  Regis  et  molture  sue  dum  molendinum  iilud  fuit  in 
custodia  ipsius  Walteri,  et  quod  non  distringatur  ad  capiendum 
de  cetero  molend'  illud  ad  firmam,  ita  scilicet  quod  idem 
Walterus  reperiet  predictum  molendinum  de  eo  quod  deteriora- 
tum  fuit.  £t  etc  literas  d.  R.  patentes  quod  dominus  Rex  de 
predictis  eum  quietum  clamavit  sicut  predictum/'  [It.  dejin. 
p.  391.] 

Walter  also  tested  a  charter  by  Isabel  Countess  of 
Gloucester  and  Essex,  between  1199  and  1210.  He 
seems  to  have  been  succeeded  by  a  Raymond  de  Sully 
who  tested  charters  75  D.  14  of  1217;  75  B.  U  of 
about  1230;  75  B.  9  of  about  1234;  and  75  B.  19  of 
about  1250. 

There  was  also  another  Walter  who  tested  75  B.  17 
of  about  1260  ;  and  another  Raymond,  party  to  a  deed 
75  B.  22,  in  1302. 

Local  traditions  tell  of  a  Sir  John  de  Sully,  a  crusader 
of  renown,  who  brought  home  a  very  large  sum  in  gold, 
in  which  it  was  his  fancy  to  roll,  and  of  which  he  gave 
one  part  to  his  wife,  one  to  the  poor,  and  one  to  his 
officers  and  tenants. 

The  Sullys  were  also  of  Edesleigh,  Devon,  and  of 
Esse-Reigny,  by  the  names  of  Walter,  Raymond,  John, 
and  Henry.  [Pole,  Devon,  pp.  20,  83,  274,  380.]  Their 
arms  are  differently  given,  *'  Ermine^  three  chevrons 
gules,''  no  doubt  as  de  Clare  retainers,  also  ''^  Argent^  a 
chevron  gules,  an  annulet  or." 

They  were  allied  to  Umfravill,  of  Penmark,  and  their 
heiress  in  Glamorgan  married  Avene. 

Rees  Coh  was  probably  father  of  Rees  Cob,  junior,  of 
the  charter  75  B.  40,  where  Owen  ap  Alaythen  appears 
among  the  witnesses,  1234-40. 

V. — Donacio  Reuerijilii  Gileherti  Burdini, 
[  75  B.  27.] 

Sciant  omnes  presentes  et  futuri  quod  ego  Reuerus  filius 
Gileberti  Burdini  et  ego  Gaufridus  et  WilHelmus  frater  meus 
filii  ejusdem  Burdini  concedimus  donationera  quam  dedit  pater 
noster  ecclesie  de  Margan  in  perpetuam  elemosinam  pro  anima 
sua    scilicet    terram    que    vocatur   montan'   de   laholemedwe 


OF  MARGAM.  31 

videlicet  decern  acras  cum  prato  sibi  adjacente  et  quia  cartam 
eis  super  hac  donatione  voluerit  sigillare  sed  preventus  morte 
non  potuit  ejus  donationem  nos  filii  ejus  sigillo  ejus  firmavimus 
et  concedimus  eis  imperpetuum  terrain  illam  liberam  et  quietam 
ab  omni  servitio  et  seculari  exactione.  Testibus  jRogero 
Cellarario  et  fratre  Jordano  et  Glou  presbitero  Nove  ville. 
Johanne  filio  Chenetwini.  Michaelo  de  Cheinessam.  Rogero 
Sturmi.  Qui  omnes  audierunt  divisam  Gileberti  dum  adhuc 
viveret.  Waltero  Lunello.  Toma  de  Corneli.  Willielmo 
Dona  natura  qui  audierunt  nos  concedere  patris  nostri  dona- 
tionem banc.     [Circa  1^00.] 

Seal  of  red  wax,  chipped  at  bottom — an  oval  about  three 
inches  long.  In  the  centre  a  man  habited  in  a  dress  girded  at 
the  waist  and  open  at  the  neck,  on  his  head  a  peaked  cap.  His 
left  hand  extended,  and  in  it  a  small  tree.  Legend  '*  Sigil- 
lum  .  .  .  .  i  Bordini." 

VI, — Carta   Hugonis   de  Lancarvan, 
[OolL  Topog,  et  Oenealog,  v.  19.] 

Dilecto  Patri  suo  W.  Dei  gratia  Landavensi  Episcopo  et 
omnibus  sancte  Ecclesie  filiis  ad  quos  presens  scriptum  per- 
venerit  salutem.  Notum  facio  universitate  vestre  me  dedisse 
et  prefata  carta  mea  confirmasse  Deo  et  beate  Marie  et 
Monachis  de  Margan  in  liberam  et  perpetuam  elemosinam 
consilio  et  consensu  amicorum  meorum  et  conjugis  et  domini 
Henrici  de  Humfravill  unam  acram  terre  ad  auxilium  fabri- 
cande  capelle  in  honorem  Sancti  Meuthini  apud  grangiam  eorum 
quod  vocatur  Lantmeuthin.  Que  videlicet  acra  jacet  juxta  ter- 
ram  quam  eis  preter  dederam  in  xxx  acras  ad  australem  partem 
ut  ipsi  videlicet  Monachi  habeant  predictam  acram  libere  et 
quiete  ab  omni  servitio  et  seculari  exactione  in  perpetuum  pro 
salute  anime  mee  et  uxoris  et  domini  mei  et  antecessorum  et 
successorum.  Testibus  Rogero  Cellarario  et  Godefrido 
Monacho  de  Margan  Auel  Sacerdote  de  Sancto  Hilario 
"Waltero  Capellano  de  Lantcarvan  Fratre  Witsare  et  Ricardo 
Terre  [et]  Waltero  Rufo  Conversis  de  Margan  Margeria  con- 
juge  mea     Rogero     Cole. 

It  is  evident  from  John's  confirmation  of  1205  that 
the  grantor  of  this  charter  was  Hugh  of  Llancarvan. 
The  handwriting  is  of  the  thirteenth  century,  but 
William  was  a  common  name  with  the  Bishops  of  Llan- 
daff.  William  de  Salso  Marisco,  consecrated  1185,  died 
about  1 191.  William,  Prior  of  GoldclifFe,  Consec.  Oct. 
1219,  died  1299.    William  de  Burgh,  King's  Chaplain, 


32  CONTRIBUTION  TOWARDS  A  CARTULARY 

Cons.  1244,  died  1253.  William  de  Radnor,  elected 
30  July,  1256,  died  1265.  William  de  Braose,  Pre- 
bendary of  LlandaflF,  elected  March  1266,  died  19 
March,  1287. 

Llanmeuthin,  now  Llanveithen,  is  an  extra  parochial 
place  topographically  in  Llancarvan. 

Mr.  Traherne  cites  a  deed  in  Mr.  Talbot's  possession, 
from  "Hugo  Robert!  de  Lancarvan  filius,"  by  which 
he  gives  to  the  monks  of  Margam — 

'*xxx  acras  terra  sue  de  Landoyeuthin  cum  crofta  que  adjacet 
veteri  cemeterio  consensu  domini  mei  Henrici  de  Unifravill. 
Testibus  P.  de  Marecross.  W.  Flamenge.  Joh.  le  Sor.  P. 
de  Turbill.    Odo  de  Novo  Burgo.    W.  Prior  de  Goldclive." 

This  charter  and  75  B.  27  are  connected  by  the  oc- 
currence of  Roger  the  Cellarer  in  both.  Probably  he 
immediately  preceded  the  William  of  75  D.  15. 

Godfrid  the  Monk  occurs  here,  in  D.  15,  and  in  C.  48. 

Gilbert  Burdin  and  his  sons,  Reuer,  Gaufrid,  and 
William,  do  not  occur  again  here,  but  Walter  Burdin 
gave  four  acres  in  the  fee  of  Newton  to  Neath  before 
John  \_N.  Man.  v.  58]  and  Richard  de  B.  appears  in  the 
Gloucestershire  close  roll  in  1216. 

VII. — Carta  Henrici  de  Hum/ranvilU, 
IBrtt,  Mus.  Earl.  Chart.  75,  D.  15.] 

Universis  Sancti  Ecclesie  filiis  ad  quos  presens  carta  perve- 
nerit  H.  de  Hurafranville  salutem.  Notuni  facimus  universitati 
vestre  nos  concessisse  et  presenti  karta  nostra  confirmasse  Deo 
et  Reate  Marie  et  monachis  de  Margan  in  puram  et  perpetuam 
et  liberam  elemosinam  quietam  et  iramunem  ab  omni  servitio 
et  seculari  exactione  lUam  totam  terram  quam  pater  meus  Gille- 
bertus  dedit  Urbano  de  Penducaet  apud  Lantmeuthen  pro 
anima  Neste  uxoris  sue  ut  videlicet  prefati  monachi  de  Margan 
habeant  et  possideant  predictara  terram  libere  et  quiete  et  inte- 
gre  in  perpetuum  pro  salute  anime  mee  et  patris  mei  et  uxoris 
mee  et  liberorum  meorura  et  antecessorum  et  successorum. 
Hiis  testibus  Willielmo  de  Sancto  Johanne,  Engelranno  filio 
Odonis,  Johanne  de  Boneville,  Sibilla  uxore  Henrici  de  Hum- 
franville,  Odone  Bothan,  Henrico  Walensi,  Luca  de  Budicam', 
Willielmo  Cellarario  de  Margan,  Willielmo  de  Bedint',  Hen- 
rico monacho  de  Margan,  Godefrido  nionacho,  Jordan©  con- 
verso  et  Ricardo  magistro  de  Lanmeuthin,  et  aliis  pluribus. 

(Endorsed)  Henr'  de  Umfranville.     [1196-1205.] 


OF  MARGAM.  33 


VIII.— C7ar/a   Gereherti  Jilxi  Roberti. 
[CarL  Earl  75,  C.  48.] 

Keverendo  patri  suo  Henrico  divinft  gratiA  Land,  episcopo,  et 
universis  Sanctae  Ecclesise  filiis  ad  quos  presens  scriptura  per- 
venerit,  Gerebertus  filius  Roberti  salutem.  Noverit  Universi- 
tas  vestra  me  concessisse  et  present!  cart&  confirmasse  consilio 
et  consensu  Domini  mei  Henrici  de  Humframvill,  et  fratrum 
meorum  Adae  et  Jord.,  et  amicorum  meorum,  Deo  et  Beate 
Marine  et  monachis  de  Margan  in  perpetuam  elemosinam  libe- 
ram  et  quietam  ab  omni  servitio  et  seculari  exactione  pro  salute 
animse  mese  et  antecessorum  et  successorum  meorum,  omnes 
donationes  quas  frater  meus  Hugo  illis  fecit  in  terris  et  croftis 
per  omnia  et  in  omnibus  rebus  sicut  cartse  ipsius  testantur: 
scilicet^  XXX  acras  terrae  meae  quae  proximiores  sunt  terrae  eorum 
de  Lamaseuthin  cum  croM  quae  proximo  adjacet  vetere  cimi- 
terio  ex  occidentali  parte,  necnon  et  quatuor  alias  adhuc  croftas, 
quarum  una  jacet  subtus  vetus  cimeterium,  et  tres  reliquas  a 
magn&  vi&  versus  fontem  descendunt  de  Lanmeuthin  et  tres  acras 
terrae  quarum  duae  jacent  ad  occidentalem  partem  rivuli  qui 
descendit  per  Curtem  grangiae  a  fonte  et  tendunt  sursum  a  prato 
monachorum,  versus  aquilonem,  et  una  jacet  super  montem 
ad  occidentem  viae  magnae  quae  venit  a  Lantcarvan  ad  grangiam 
de  Lameuthin  et  unam  acram  terrae  ad  ausilium  fabricandae  ca- 
pellae  in  honorem  Sancti  Meuthin,  quae  videlicet  acra  jacet  juxta 
XXX  praedictas  acras  ad  australem  partem  illarum.  Ut  ipsi  eas 
habeant  liberfe  et  pacific^  et  integre  in  omnibus  sine  vexatione 
aliqud.  et  molesti&  in  perpetuum.  £t  si  aliquod  servitium  de 
prefatis  donationibus  fuerit  aliquando  requisitum  sive  Domini 
Regis  sive  aliud ;  ego  et  heredes  mei  illud  adquietabimus,  ita 
quod  monachi  in  perpetuum  quieti  erunt,  et  nemini  de  aliquo 
respondebunt.  Et  quando  praefatis  monachis  banc  confirmati- 
onem  feci,  ipsi  necessitati  meae  compatientes  xx  solidos  argenti 
mihi  dederunt,  et  fratribus  meis  unum  bissantium.  Hiis  testi- 
bus,  Henrico  Land,  episcopo,  Urbano  archidiacono,  Rogero 
abbate  de  Margan,  Henrico  de  Humframvill,  SibillA  uxore 
ejusdem,  Willielmo  de  Beditun  monacho  de  Margan,  Godefrido 
monacho,  Henrico  Walensi,  Galfrido  capellano^  et  Adam  fratre 
meo.     [1196-1205.] 

(Seal  in  red  wax,  of  the  size  of  a  penny.  Legend,  "  Sigillum 
Gerbertifil.  Rodberti."  In  the  centre  is  a  cinquefoil,  well  pre- 
served, adopted  evidently  from  the  Umfranvilles.  Henry, 
bishop  of  LlandafF,  consecrated  before  1196;  died  Nov.  1218.) 


3rT)  SEIl.,  VOL.  XIV. 


34  CONTRIBUTION  TOWARDS  A   CARTOLARY 

IX. — Confirmatio  Henrici  EpiscopL 
ICarL  Earl  75,  A.  19.] 

Henricus  Dei  gratia  Landavensis  episcopus  universis  Sancte 
Ecclesie  fidelibus  in  episcopatu  Landavensis  constitutis  ad  quos 
presens  scriptum  pervenerit  salutem  gratiam  et  benedictionem. 
Noverit  universitas  vestra  dilectos  filios  nostros  Henricum  de 
Hunframville  et  Gerebertum  filium  Roberti  terras  quasdam 
ecclesie  de  Margan  in  perpetuam  contulisse  elemosinam  liberas 
ab  omni  seculari  servitio  exactione  et  consuetudine.  Et  quia 
fidelium  elemosine  locis  religiosis  collate  ut  debitam  optineant 
libertatem  episcopali  sunt  auctoritate  confirm ande,  nos  ad 
peticionem  predictorum  Henrici  et  Gereberti  terras  quas  pre- 
nominate  ecclesie  de  Margan  in  nostra  presentia  concesserunt 
scilicet  ex  donacione  Henrici  de  Hunframville  totam  terram  de 
Lanmeuthi  et  ex  concessione  Gereberti  filii  Roberti  xxx  acras 
proximiores  terre  de  Lanmeuthi  cum  crofta  que  proxima  adja- 
cet  veteri  cimeterio  ex  occidentali  parte  necnon  et  alias  adhuc 
quatuor  croftas  quarum  una  jacet  subtus  vetus  cimiterium  et 
tres  relique  a  magna  via  versus  fontem  descendant  de  Lan- 
meuthi et  tres  acre  terre  quarum  due  jacent  ad  occidentalem 
partem  rivuli  qui  descendit  per  Curtem  grangie  a  fonte  et  ten- 
dunt  sursum  a  prato  monachorum  versus  aquilonem  et  una  jacet 
super  montem  ad  occidentalem  vie  magne  que  venit  a  Lantcar- 
van  ad  grangiam  de  Lanmeuthi  et  unam  acram  ad  ausilium 
fabricande  capelle  in  honorem  Sancti  Meuthini  que  jacet  juxta 
predictas  xxx  acras  ad  australem  partem  illarum.  Has  omnes 
predictas  terras  presentis  scripti  serie  testium  inscriptione  et 
sigilli  nostri  apposicione  confirmamus  ecclesie  de  Margan. 
Habendas  et  tenendas  ita  libere  et  quiete  sicut  predicti  Hen- 
ricus et  Gerebertus  cartis  suis  confirmaverunt  auctoritate  qua 
fungimur  inhibentes  ne  quis  predictis  monachis  de  Margan  de 
predictis  terris  que  ab  omni  seculari  servitio  exactione  et  con- 
suetudine exempte  sunt  contra  tenorem  cartarum  quas  monachi 
habent  vexacionem  molestiam  aut  gravamen  inferre  presumat. 
Hiis  testibus  Waltero  abbate  de  Neth.,  Urbano  archidiacono, 
Urbano  de  Pendmelin  6t  Willielmo  de  Langtwit  decanis,  Gere- 
berto  filio  Roberto,  Nicholao  Gobion,  Henrico  monacho  de 
Margan. 

In  rfor^o.— Confirmatio  H.  Episcopi  de  donationibus  H.  de 
Hunframville  et  Gereberti  filii  Roberti.     [1196-1205.] 

These  three  charters  relate  to  donations  by  the 
Hunframville,  Umfranville,  Umfreville,  or  Umfraville 
family  and  their  tenants  of  land  in  Llanveithen  to 
Margam.     Mention  is  made  of  Gilbert  de  Umfraville 


OF  MARGAM.  35 

and  Nest  his  wife,  Henry  his  son  and  Sibilla  his  wife; 
also  we  have  Gerebert  son  of  Robert,  an  Umfraville 
tenant,  and  his  brothers  Adam  and  Jordan,  and  Hugh, 
probably  a  deceased  elder  brother,  and  no  doubt  the 
Hugh  de  Llancarvan,  whose  donation  of  thirty  acres  is 
mentioned  in  King  John's  charter  of  1205.  Also  as 
Henry,  Bishop  of  Llandaff,  who  confirms  the  donations, 
was  promoted  from  the  priory  of  Abergavenny,  and 
consecrated  before  1196,  this  gives  about  1196-1205  as 
the  date  of  these  charters. 

The  Humfranvilles  were  lords  of  Penmark,  where 
the  ruins  of  their  castle,  described  in  a  former  volume  of 
this  Journal,  still  remain. 

Gilbert  de  Humfranville  gave  land  at  Aisse,  now 
Nash,  CO.  Somerset,  worth  31^.  per  annum,  to  Tewkes- 
bury Abbey  for  the  soul  of  his  wife,  and  in  1104  he 
was  a  witness  to  an  apportionment  of  the  abbey  revenues. 
[N.  Monast  II,  66,  81.] 

He  was,  it  is  believed,  succeeded  by  Robert,  who, 
about  1131,  witnessed  a  charter  to  Neath  Abbey,  by 
Richard  de  Granville,  and  who  was  probably  the  Robert 
who  witnessed  a  charter  by  William  E.  of  Gloucester, 
to  that  church.     [N.  Mon.,  V,  269.     Floyd.] 

His  successor  seems  to  have  been  Gilbert,  who,  in 
1166,  held  nine  knight's  fees  of  William,  Earl  of  Glou- 
cester. [L.  Niger,  161],  and  who  must  have  died  be- 
fore 1 189-90,  as  in  that  year  Henry  paid  £4t  for  the  relief 
of  his  land.  [Pipe  Roll  1,  R.  1.]  This  is  the  Gilbert 
mentioned  in  the  Harleian  charter,  75,  D.  15,  which 
names  also  Nest,  but  whether  as  his  wife,  or  as  is  more 
probable,  the  wife  of  Urban  de  Penducaet,  is  uncertain. 

Henry  de  Humfranville,  his  son  and  successor,  was 
the  grantor  of  the  cited  charter.  Between  1183  and 
1193  he  witnessed  a  charter  by  Pagan  de  Turberville 
to  Margam,  and  in  1186-7  he  was  rated  at  £45  for  the 
relief  of  nine  knights'  fees  held  of  the  Earl  of  Glou- 
cester, on  which  there  were  due  £32,  and  in  the  trea- 
sury £13.     [Pipe  Roll  33  H.  II.] 

3  John,  1201,  he  fined  ten  marcs  on  five  knights' 


36  CONTRIBUTION  TOWARDS  A  CARTULARY 

fees,  for  licence  "non  transfretare."  [Obi.  et  fin.  134. 
Pipe  Roll  2  John.] 

Besides  the  donation  recorded  in  the  charter  75,  D.  15, 
he,  as  chief  lord,  advised  and  consented  to  a  gift  and 
confirmation  to  Margam  by  Gerebert,  son  of  Robert 
[74,  C.  48],  originally  granted  by  Hugh  de  Lancarvan, 
elder  brother  of  Gerebert,  [Col.  Top.  v,  19],  and  con- 
firmed by  Henry,  Bishop  of  Llandafif,  in  another  charter 
[75,  A.  19].  It  appears  from  two  of  these  charters 
that  Henry's  wife  was  Sibilla.  He  probably  died  about 
1203,  for  in  the  accounts  of  the  Honour  of  Gloucester 
in  1203-4,  William  de  Braose  had  a  quittance  from  a 
fourth  scutage  of  the  five  fees  held  by  Henry  de  Hum- 
fi^nville;  also  in  1208-9,  Gulfrid  Whiting  accounted 
for  100  marcs,  and  a  palfry,  for  having  custody  of  the 
land  and  heir  of  Henry  de  Humfranville.  [Pipe  Roll 
5  and  10  John.] 

This  heir  was  another  Henry,  who  witnessed  a 
grant  by  Leisan  ap  Morgan  after  1213,  and  one  by 
Raymond  de  Sully.  He  was  in  rebellion  against  John, 
but  on  the  accession  of  Henry  III,  and  his  return  to 
his  allegiance,  I  H.  Ill,  1217,  a  writ  was  issued  to  the 
sherifi*  of  Devon  to  give  him  seizin  of  his  land.  [Close 
Roll  I,  313  ;  Fine  Roll  I,  258.] 

Next  in  succession  was  probably  another  Gilbert,  who 
in  1233  did  homage  to  H.  Ill  for  the  land  he  had  as 
one  of  the  heirs  of  his  cousin  Matthew  de  Torrington 
[Fine  Roll,  I,  238],  and  in  1249  witnessed  the  cyrograph 
of  the  sons  of  Morgan  ap  Cadwalathan.  In  1253  he 
sued  Walter  de  Pembroke,  Archdeacon  of  Barnstaple, 
for  impleading  him  in  the  ecclesiastical  court.  [Prynn 
records  III,  109,  and  plea  rolls  of  Justices  Itinerary,  M. 
14,  Devon.] 

A  Gilbert,  possibly  the  same,  in  1257,  was  witness  to 
the  charter  of  William  de  Clare,  granting  Lequid 
[Leckwith]  to  the  Sandfords,  and  from  the  "  Extent"  of 
the  de  Clare  lands  in  the  record  office  it  appears  that  he 
held  four  knights'  fees  in  Penmark  of  the  value  of  £60. 
[I.  P.  M.,  41-2,  H.  Ill,  No.  20.]    Mr.  Floyd  concludes 


OF  MABGAM.  37 

his  death  to  have  occurred  about  this  time,  and  his  suc- 
cessor to  have  been  Henry. 

Henry  de  Humfranville,  with  others,  in  1262,  paid  a 
marc  for  a  writ  of  attachment  that  the  Sheriff  of  Devon 
was  directed  to  issue,  He  died  55-6  H.  Ill,  1271-2, 
seized  of  one-fifth  of  the  manor  of  Torriton  and  one- 
fifth  of  Kilmington  and  of  the  manors  of  Layford  and 
Dun,  or  Down-Umfraville  and  of  Langrue,  all  in  Devon, 
and  John,  his  brother,  then  aged  30,  was  his  next  heir. 
[Escaet.  56  H.  Ill,  No.  2.     Fine  Rolls,  ii,  559.] 

In  1272,  15  Feb.,  John  did  homage  for  his  brother's 
land.  [Hundred  rolls,  70  and  82],  one-fifth  of  Toriton 
and  Kilminton,  etc.,  in  Devon.  [Exc.  Rot.  Fin.  II,  559.] 
In  1274  he  held  half  a  fee  in  Devon  of  Gilbert  de  Clare, 
occupied  by  undertenants.  [Plac.  de  Q.  W.,  170-3.]  In 
1280  he  was  summoned  witn  Walter  de  Sully  to  answer 
respecting  his  rights  in  Torrington  [Ibid.  169],  and  as  to 
certain  rights  in  Lyw  and  Kilmington  which  he  dis- 
claimed. 

In  1229  he  witnessed  an  agreement  between  Gilbert 
de  Clare  and  the  Abbot  of  Neath  [Francis's  Neath^  34.] 
In  1291  Ralph  de  Arundel  sought  to  recover  from 
John  and  his  wife  Alicia,  seizin  of  a  messuage,  etc.,  at 
Bishop's  Morchard,  15th  Oct.,  1294.  [Abb.  Orig.  Rot 
i,  69.]  15  Oct.,  1224,  being  then  a  knight,  he  was 
summoned  to  serve  against  the  Welsh  [Writs  M.  Sum. 
i,  265],  and  at  the  death  of  Gilbert  de  Clare  he  held,  as 
heir  of  Gilbert  de  Humfranville,  one  quarter  fee  in 
Northover  and  five  fees  in  Lakeford,  co.  Devon, 
(Escaet.  24  Ed.  I,  No.  107.) 

In  1289  John  was  member  for  Devon  [Pari.  Writs 
67],  and  12  March,  1301,  had  summons  to  serve  against 
the  Scots  [Writs  M.  Sum.  351].  In  305  he  witnessed  a 
Bonville  Charter  [75,  B  22]  "to  Margam,  and  at  the 
death  of  Johanna  in  1307  he  held  (four  fees)  one  mes- 
suage and  four  carucates  of  land,  paying  therefore  per 
annum  26«.  8rf.  By  Abb.  Rot.  Orig.  i,  200,  it  appears 
that  he  granted  a  part  of  his  maner  of  Torrinton  to  a 
Gilbert  de  Humfranville,  who  6  Ed.  II,  1313,  was  fined 


38  CONTRIBUTION  TOWARDS  A  CARTULARY 

forty  marks  for  having  acquired  it  without  the  king's 
leave.  John  also  witnessed  a  charter  by  William  de 
Braose,  of  doubtful  date.     [iV.  Mon.  vi,  491.] 

Mr.  Floyd  is  uncertain  as  to  the  period  of  John's 
death,  but  at  the  death  of  the  last  Earl  Gilbert  de  Clare 
in  1314  John  had  been  succeeded  by  Henry  de  Hum- 
franville,  who  held  four  fees  in  Pennard  [Penmark], 
worth  £60  per  annum.  [Escaet  8  Ed.  II,  68,  and  1 
Ed.  Ill,  No.  9,  2  Nov.] 

Henry,  the  successor,  before  1314,  at  the  partition  of 
the  de  Clare  estates,  held  four  fees  in  Penmark,  and  is 
so  set  down  in  the  Spenser  survey  of  1329.  In  1327 
he  was  on  the  inquisition  held  at  the  petition  of  Gilbert 
Turberville,  and  was  then  a  knight.  In  1333  he  is  stated 
by  Mr.  Traherne  to  have  been  on  the  court  which  de- 
cided on  a  claim  of  wreck  made  by  the  Abbot  of 
Margan,  and  in  1340  he  witnessed  a  Despencer  charter 
to  Cardiff,  and  in  1341  one  to  Neath  Abbey.  [Francis, 
Neath,  38. J  In  1349,  on  the  death  of  Hugh  le 
Despencer,  he  held  the  four  fees  in  Penmark,  value 
£70.  His  w  ife's  name  was  Isabella  [^N.  Man.  ii,  403] 
and  Alice  was  his  heiress. 

Alice  de  Humfranville  married,  12  Ed.  II,  Sir  Simon, 
son  and  heir  of  Matthew  de  Furneaux  of  Stringston. 
He  died  24  Ed.  III.  leaving  issue  by  her  one  child, 
Elizabeth. 

Elizabeth  de  Furneaux,  heiress  of  Furneaux  and 
Humfranville,  married,  says  Collinson  [iii,  213],  during 
her  father's  lifetime,  Sir  John  Blount,  who  died  before 
1362. 

Lady  Blount  survived  her  husband,  and  8  R.  II, 
founded  a  chantrey  in  Athelney  Abbey  for  the  good 
estate  of  William  Aungier  ?  and  Henry  Rodham,  and 
also  of  herself  Elizabeth,  of  Lady  Alice  Stafford,  Lady 
Maud  Stafford,  Robert  Wrench,  and  all  other  friends 
and  benefactors  of  the  said  Elizabeth.  Also  for  the 
souls  of  Sir  John  Blount,  Sir  Simon  de  Furneaux  and 
Alice  his  wife.  Sir  Henry  de  Humfranville  and  Isabel 
his  wife.  Sir  Wm.  Blount  and  Maud  his  wife,  the  Lady 


OP  MARGAM.  39 

Julian  Talbot,  Lady  Elizabeth  Cornwall,  Sir  Brian 
Cornwall  her  son,  Sir  Richard  Stafford  and  Sir  Richard 
Stafford  the  younger  his  son,  Robert  Flito  and  Robert 
Stockton,  and  for  the  souls  of  all  her  departed  friends. 
[Coll.  I,  262.] 

Among  the  St.  John  evidence  [Lansdown  MS.  860a. 
fol.  348]  is  a  charter  by  which  "Elizabeth  le  Blount, 
wife  of  the  Lord  John  le  Blount,  Kt.,  in  her  widowhood, 
grants  to  John  Purvill,  perpetual  vicar  of  Lankarvan, 
and  to  John  Tokiker,  son  of  William  Tokiker,  all  the 
pasture  between  my  wood  in  the  castle  of  Penmark, 
and  the  brook  there,  etc.     Dated  13  May,  36  Ed.  IIL" 

Sir  John  and  Lady  Elizabeth  had  one  daughter,  Alice 
le  Blount,  heiress  of  the  Humfranville  and  Furneaux 
estates.  She  married  first  Sir  Richard  Stafford,  who 
was  dead  8  R.  II,  and  afterwards  Sir  Richard  Storey, 
who  survived.  She  died  childless,  1414-5.  [Inq.  p.m., 
2  H.  IV,  No.  27.] 

Upon  Lady  Storey's  death  the  Furneaux  estates  seem 
to  have  gone  to  the  descendants  of  the  sisters  of  her 
grandfather.  Sir  Simon,  but  the  descent  of  those  of  Hum- 
franville, and  the  manner  in  which  they  eventually 
reached  St.  John  is  not  so  clear.  On  the  death  of  Ed. 
le  Despenser  in  1375  (1345-6)  [Escaet.  19,  Ed.  Ill] 
three  of  the  Penmark  fees  were  held  conjointly  by 
Elizabeth  Blount,  John  de  Arundel,  and  John  de  Hath, 
and  Thomas  Michell,  and  John  Andrews,  so  that  St. 
John  did  not  succeed  at  once  to  a  share  of  the  Hum- 
franville property,  even  if,  as  is  generally  stated,  he 
married  one  co-heir  of  Humfranville,  while  Blount 
married  the  other. 

44,  Ed.  Ill,  1370-1,  was  a  deed  of  partition  between 
John  St.  John,  chivaler,  and  Elizabeth  Blount,  Lady  of 
Calme,  runhing  thus : — 

**  Know  all  men  present  and  to  come  that  we,  Nichol  Denis, 
parson  of  the  Church  of  Coytif,  Thomas  Michel,  parson  of  the 
Church  of  Pourkerrye  [Porthkerry] ,  William  Bachelor,  parson 
of  the  Church  of  Pconstew  ?  give,  grant,  and  by  this  our  pre- 
sent charter,  confirm  to  Oliver  St.  John,  John  Arundel,  Robert 


40  CONTKIBUTION  TOWARDS  A  CARTULARY 

Willis,  and  John  de  Hach,  a  moiety  of  the  manor  of  Penmark, 
and  of  the  advowson  of  the  Church  pertaining  to  that  manor, 
with  all  their  appurtenances,  which  lately  were  given  to  Oliver 
St.  John  and  Elizabeth  his  wife,  daughter  of  John  de  la  Bere. 
Witness  Laurence  de  BerkeroUes,  Edward  de  Estradlyne, 
Thomas  Turberville,"  etc. 

Charter  75,  c.  48,  bears  the  seal  of  Gerbert,  son  of 
Robert,  the  device  of  which  is  a  cinquefoil.  This  evi- 
dently was  derived  from  the  coat  of  his  chief.  Lord 
Henry  de  Humfranville.  All  of  the  name,  including 
the  Northern  Earls  of  Angus,  bore  the  cinquefoil  as  a 
part  of  their  arms. 

The  pedigree  of  Humfranville  or  Umfreville,  given  in 
Pole's  Devon ^  commences  with  Henry,  who  bore  "oru- 
suly  a  rose  or"  [no  doubt  a  five-foiled  rose],  and  was  of 
Lapford,  a  member  of  the  Honour  of  Torinton,  probably 
by  his  marriage  with  one  of  the  five  co-heirs  of  Matthew 
de  There  ton.  His  son  John  was  father  of  Sir  Henry 
s.p.  and  John,  father  of  Sir  Henry,  who  left  two 
daughters,  coheirs,  Alice,  who  md.  Sir  Simon  Furneaux 
and  had  Lapford,  and  Elizabeth,  who  married  Oliver  St. 
John  of  Penmark.  To  their  heirs,  according  to  this  ver- 
sion, Lapford  reverted  on  the  death  of  Alice  Storey  s.p., 
and  while  St.  John  of  Fonmon,  ancestor  of  liOrd  St.  John, 
had  Penmark,  Lapford  was  settled  upon  Edward  St.  John, 
a  cadet,  whose  daughter  and  heir  married  Nicholas  Arun- 
del of  Trerice,  in  whose  descendants  Lapford  remained. 

There  was  another  family  of  Umfreville  of  Comb 
Pyne  and  Down  Umfreville,  in  Devon,  probably  cousins, 
who  bore  ^^ffuks,  three  roses  and  a  chief  or." 

William  the  Cellarer  is  probably  the  "  Frater  Wil- 
lielmus  ap  Lutegar  Cellararius,"  who  visited  King  John 
at  Bradenstoke  Abbey  in  September,  1207,  and  suc- 
ceeded in  obtaining  a  respite  for  the  payments  due  from 
Margam  to  the  king  for  the  Welsh  lands  at  Kenfig. 

The  earliest  William  in  the  St.  John  Pedigree  was 
son  of  Roger,  and  grandson  of  Sir  John  St.  John  of 
Fonmon,  Fitzhamon's  retainer,  who  appears  in  the  Liber 
Ruber  of  the  Exchequer.    His  rank  would  place  him  at 


OF  MARQAM.  41 

the  head  of  the  witnesses.  His  mother  Cicely  was 
daughter  and  heiress  of  Robert  de  Haia  of  co.  Sussex, 
but  who  probably  had  property  in  Monmouthshire, 
where  the  family  were  benefactors  to  the  church  of 
Basalleg.  According  to  Dugdale,  Sir  John  had  no 
children,  and  the  Fonmon  estate  went  to  the  descendants 
of  his  sister's  child,  who  married  Adam  de  Port  of 
Basing,  their  descendants  taking  the  name  of  St.  John. 
The  male  St.  Johns  were  of  Devon.  William,  the 
first  Port  who  took  the  St.  John  name,  was  great  nephew 
of  William,  and  great  great  grandsire  of  Sir  John  St. 
John  of  Fonmon,  reputed  to  have  married  Elizabeth 
Umfreville,  by  which  match  Pen  mark  was  eventually 
brought  into  the  St.  John  family. 

X^'-^Charia  Ruathlan  ,  ,  ,  et  Eynani  filii  Rohertijilii  Enyani  de  terra 

de  Roesowlin, 
\Coll.  Topog,  et  Gen.  v.  20.] 

Canaythen  prirao  dedit  terram  de  Rosowlin  domui  de  Margan 
consensu  domini  sui  et  postea  factus  ei  conversus  vir  . . .  et  tuds- 
sime  vixit  omnibus  diebus  vite  sue. 

Morgan  ab  Cradoc  tradidit  Canaythen  filium  Roberti  ab 
Eynon  obsidem  pro  se  domino  suo  Willielmo  comiti  Glovernie 
[et]  per  modicum  tempus  rebellavit  contra  dominum  suum. 

Hoc  audito  comes  precessit  erruere  oculos  obsidis  et  remittere 
ad  ....  In  recompensatione  oculorum  Morgan  dedit  ei  terram 
de  Rossowlin  et  ille  ex  consensu  domini  sui  dedit  ecclesie  beate 
Marie  de  Margan. 

The  original  is  endorsed  in  red  ink  upon  one  of  the 
cartulary  rolls  of  Margam,  and  is  supposed  by  Mr. 
Traherne  to  have  been  taken  from  the  register  of  Neath, 
extant  at  St.  Donats  in  1574,  but  now  lost. 

Rossowlin,  now  Resolven,  lies  in  the  vale  of  Neath. 
Bryn  Kynhaythwydd  occurs  in  an  old  survey  of  it.  A 
rude  cross,  on  which  the  words  **proparavit  banc''  are 
alone  legible,  is  attributed  to  Canaythen. 

XI. — Carta  Morgani  Jil.  Garadoci, 
\Harl.  Chart.  75,  B.  31.] 

Omnibus  ad  quos  presens  scriptum  pervenerit  Morgarius 
filius  Caradoci  salutem. 

Noverit  Universitas  vestra  me  concessisse  et  dedisse  monachis 
de  Margan  communem  pasturam  et  aisiamenta  terre  meein  bosco 


42  CONTRIBUTION  TOWARDS  A  CARTULARY 

et  in  piano  tempore  Conani  abbads  fere  triginta  annis  transactis 
postea  vero  tempore  Gilberti  abbatis  pluribus  jam  annis  trans- 
actis eandem  donacionem  eis  expressius  incartavi  sicut  carta 
quam  inde  habent  testatur  eum  monachi  de  Neth  eo  tempore 
nichil  omnino  haberent  de  terra  mea  in  montanis  ex  est  parte 
de  Neth  anno  autem  ab  incarnatione  domini  millesimo  ducen- 
tesimo  quinto  cupiditate  victus  propter  penuriam  quandam 
partem  ejusdem  pasture  monachis  de  Neth  incartavi.  Hoc 
testimonium  veritatis  ideo  script©  mandavi  ut  nota  sit  omnibus 
Veritas  et  controversia  inter  duas  domos  de  eadem  pastura 
facilius  et  justius  terminatur. 

(Endorsed)  Morgan  pro  domo  de  Margan  de  communi  pas- 
tura sua  ex  est  parte  de  Neth.  Appended  is  a  fragment  of  an 
oval  seal  of  red  wax,  on  which  a  figure  of  a  knight  riding  to 
the  right  is  partly  seen.     Legend,  ijf  sigillum  mar  .  • 


XII. — Carta  Moredach  de  Hushote  et  Heybote, 
[HarL  Chart.  15,  B.  28.] 

Omnibus  Sancte  Ecclesie  filiis  Moraduth  filius  Karadoci  salu- 
tem.  Sciatis  quod  quoniam  receptus  sum  in  plenam  fraterni- 
tatem  domus  de  Margan  tunc  recepi  et  ego  domum  ipsam  et 
omnia  que  ad  ipsam  spectant  et  maxime  grangiam  illorum  de 
Lantmeuthin  cum  omnibus  catallis  et  pertinentibus  suis  in  cus- 
todia  et  protectione  mea  sicut  propria  catalla  mea.  £t  tunc 
concessi  et  dedi  assensu  uxoris  mee  Nest  et  heredum  meorum 
pro  salute  anime  mee  et  Karadoci  patris  mei  et  uxoris  mee  Nest 
et  omnium  antecessor um  meorum  eidem  domui  in  perpetuam 
elemosiniam  aisiamenta  in  bosco  meo  in  usus  grangie  sue  de 
Lantmeuthin  quantumcunque  opus  habuerit  ad  merimmum  et 
ad  focalia  et  communem  pasturam  terre  mee  quantumcunque 
opus  habuerit  in  usus  ejusdem  grangie  ad  boves  et  equos  et 
porcos  et  animalia  pascualia.  Et  hoc  totum  warentizabimus  ei^ 
et  acquietabimus  ego  et  heredes  mei  ut  habeant  et  teneant  hoc 
totum  libere  et  quiete  ab  omni  seculari  servicio  et  consuetudine 
et  omni  exaccione  sicut  ulla  elemosina  liberus  teneri  potest. 
Et  quoniam  eis  banc  donationem  feci  dederunt  michi  monachi 
predicti  domus  de  Margan  c  solidos  karitatis  intuitu.  Hiis 
testibus  Henea  sacerdote,  Willielmo  sacerdote  de  Sancto  Juleta, 
domina  Nest  uxore  predicti  Moraduth,  Kanewrec  filio  Madoc, 
Madoc  filio  Kadugan,  Isac  Sedan,  Rogero  filio  Wiawan,  Evelin 
portario. 

(A  large  circular  seal  of  brown  wax  remains  attached,  bear- 
ing the  device  of  a  branch  curled  like  the  head  of  a  pastoral 
staff;  and  the  legend,  iji  sigil...m  moredvc  filii  caradoci). 


OF  MARGAM.  43 


XIII. — Carta  Confirmatianii  Regit  Johannis. 
ICart.  Joh,  8,  A.  5.     N.  Mon.  v,  741.] 

Johannes  Dei  gratia  etc.  Sciatis  nos  concessisse  et  hac 
carta  nostra  confirmasse  Deo  et  ecclesie  Sancti  Marie  de  Mar- 
gan  et  monachis  ibidem  Deo  eervientibus  omnes  subscriptas 
donationes  eis  rationabiiiter  factas  scilicet  ex  dono  R.  Comitis 
Gloucestrie  et  Willielmi  filii  ejus  terras  inter  Avene  et  Kene- 
feg  cum  pertinentiis  et  unum  burgagium  in  Kenefeg  et 
unum  burgagium  in  Lan  •  .  .  .  et  unum  burgagium  in  Novo- 
burgo  et  unum  burgagium  in  Bristoli,  ex  dono  eorundem. 
Et  ex  dono  Hugonis  de  Hereford  c  acras.  Ex  dono  Retbereth 
et  heredum  ejus  centum  acras.  Ex  dono  Gilberti  Germus  et 
heredum  ejus  1  acras.  Ex  dono  Willielmi  Gille  et  heredum 
ejus  xl  acras.  Ex  dono  Warini  filii  Eadigan  xx  acras.  Ex 
dono  burgensium  et  liberorum  hominum  de  Kenefeg  quicquid 
habent  in  villa  de  Kenefeg  vel  extra.  Ex  dono  Morgani  filii 
Oeni  et  Havedhaloch  quicquid  continetur  inter  Kenefeg  et 
Baytham.  Ex  dono  Willielmi  Scurlagge  et  heredum  ejus,  feo- 
dum de  Langwy.  Ex  dono  Nicolai  Puniz  et  concessione 
David  Scurlagg  totum  feodum  illud  de  Langwy.  Ex  dono 
Thome  de  Laghell  c  acras.  Ex  dono  Morgani  filii  Cradoci  et 
hominum  ejus  quicquid  habent  in  territorio  Novi  castelli.  Ex 
dono  Henrici  de  Hunfravill  apud  Landmanti  c  et  Ix  acras. 
Ex  dono  Johannis  de  Bonevill  1.  acras.  Ex  dono  Tem- 
plariorum  xl  acras.  Ex  dono  Morgani  filii  Cradocy  Punt- 
limor.  Es^  dono  Hugonis  de  Langkarnan  et  heredum  ejus 
XXX  acras.  Ex  dono  Urbani  sacerdotis  de  Pondewelin  xii 
acras.  Ex  dono  burgensium  sive  liberorum  hominum  de 
Kaerdif  quicquid  habent  in  villa  de  Kaerdiflf  vel  extra.  Ex 
dono  Morgani  filii  Cradocy  quicquid  habet  in  Marisco  de 
Aven  et  Kossamerin  et  communem  pasturam  in  montanis  inter 
Taf  et  Nethe.  Ex  dono  Gistelard  et  heredum  ejus  terram  quam 
idem  Gistelard  tenuit  extra  Kenefeg.  Habenda  et  tenenda 
imperpetuum  sicut  carte  donatorum  quas  inde  habent  rationa- 
biiiter testantur.  Concessimus  etiam  et  confirmamus  eis  omnes 
alias  donationes  venditiones  et  invadiationes  eis  rationabiiiter 
factas  vel  faciendas  sicut  carte  donatorum  venditorum  et  inva- 
diatorum  quas  inde  habent  vel  habituri  sunt  testantur  vel  testa- 
buntur.  Quare  volo  etc.  T.  Domino  H,  Cantuarensi  archi- 
episcopo.  Domino  E.  Eliensi  episcopo.  G.  filii  Petri  etc. 
Saero  de  Quency.  Symone  de  Pateshull.  Petro  de  Stoks. 
Reginaldo  de  Cornhill.  Fulcone  de  Kantilupo.  Datum  per 
manum  J.  de  Well,  apud  Westmonasterium  xv  die  Maii  Anno 
regni  etc.  vi.     [15  Maii  1205.] 


44  CONTRIBUTION  TOWARDS  A   CARTULARY 


XIV. — Carta  Henrxci  Episcopi  Landavensis. 
IHarL  Chart.  75,  A.  22.] 

H.  del  gratia  Landavensis  ecclesie  Minister  humilis  universis 
Sancte  Matris  ecclesie  filiis  ad  quos  presens  scriptum  pervenerit 
salutem  in  domino. 

Universitate  vestre  notum  facimus  nos  dedisse  et  concessisse 
et  hac  presenti  carta  nostra  confirmasse  monachis  de  Margan  ad 

firmam  in  perpetuum  totam  terrain  usque  in  T magna 

Bercheriam  domini  episcopi  walda  in  waldam.  Ha- 
bendum et  tenendum  de  nobis  et  successoribus red- 
dendo annuatim  iiij^*^  solidos  ad  festum  Sancti  Michaelis  pro 
omni  servicio  consuetudine  et  exaccione.  £t  habebunt  ipsi  et 
animalia  eorum  liberum  ingressum  et  regressum  ad  usus  pre- 
dicte  terre  quantum  opus  habuerunt  sine  impedimento  aliquorum 
6Z  et  waldam  manutenebunt  quantum  terre  eorum  durat.  Et 
nos  et  successores  nostri  warentizabimus  eis  predictam  firmam 
in  perpetuum.  Et  ut  hec  nostra  concessio  perpetuo  firma  con- 
sistat  earn  prefatis  scripti  serie  et  sigilli  nostri  confirmavimus 
appositione.  Hiis  testibus  Urban  Landavensis  archidiacono. 
Nicholao  thesaurario.  Magistro  Rogero.  Magistro  Walter© 
clerico.  Huberte  vicario.  Waltero  capellano.  Abraham 
vicario.     Thoma  serviente. 

This  donation  cannot  be  identified  with  anything  in 
John's  charter  of  1205,  and  may  therefore  be  later,  as 
Bishop  Henry  lived  to  1218.  That  the  date  is  not  far 
distant  from  75,  C.  48,  and  A.  19,  is  clear  from  the  oc- 
currence of  both  the  Bishop  and  Archdeacon  Urban  in 
the  three. 

XV.— [/2o/w/f  de  Finibus,  6  Joh,  1205.] 

Abbas  et  monachi  de  Morgan  dant  xx*^*  marcas  et  ij  palfredos 
pro  habenda  carta  domini  Regis  de  protectione  et  quod  quieti 
sint  de  theloneo  et  omni  alia  consuetudine  per  omnes  terras 
domini  Regis  de  blado  et  de  omnibus  aliis  rebus  qui  ad  opus 
suum  proprium  emerint  vel  de  suo  proprio  vendiderint  et  pro 
confirmanda  carta  sua  de  possessionibus  suis.  Abbas  de  Ford 
est  plegium.     Q.  pacaverunt  in  camera  apud  Stok.* 


XVI. — [(7a/.  Rotuli  Chartarum,  7  Joh,  in  dor  so,  Memb.  8.] 

Margam  Monasterium   in  Wallia.      Morgan  terre  Ricardi 
Sturmy.  Kanesfeg  terre.     [1805-6.] 


OP  MARQAM.  45 

Xyil.—[Rotuli  de  Finihus.  9  John,  1207.] 

Glanmorgan.  Abbas  de  Margan  dat  centum  marcas  et  ij 
equos  bonos  pro  habendis  terris  Walensium  in  tritorio  de 
Kaenefega  in  perpetuara  elimosinam,  xm  ipsi  solebant  reddere 
domino  Regi  per  annum  xxx  solidos  per  manus  ballivorum 
domini  Regis  de  Glanmorgan,  et  pro  habenda  inde  carta 
domini  regis  et  pro  habenda  confirmatione  domini  Regis 
de  aliis  terris  et  tenementis  que  tenent  in  ballia  de  Glanmor- 
gan, sicut  carte  donatorum  rationabiliter  testantur.  £t  man- 
datum  est  Faukes  tunc  vicecomiti  quod,  accepta  ab  eo  securitate 
de  illis  c  marcis  reddendis  ad  festum  Sancti  Michaelis  anno 
regni  Regis  ix°  4  marcis  et  duos  equos  infra  predictum  festilm 
Sancti  Michaelis,  et  ad  Pascham  proximo  sequens  4  marcis 
tunc  ei  sine  dilacione  habere  faciat  plenariam  saisinam  de  pre- 
dictis  terris :  et  si  eum  de  aliquo  tenentium  suorum  dissaisivit 
contra  libertates  cartarum  et  confirmationum  quas  de  domino 
Rege  habent,  eum  sine  dilacione  resaisiet  et  in  bona  pace 
tenere  permittat. 

XVIIL— L-Ko'.  I^iti'  Clam.  9  Joh.  1207,  memh.  14.] 
Rex  Baronibus  etc.  Sciatis  quod  Monachi  de  Morgania 
pacaverunt  nobis  in  camera  nostra  per  manum  Willielmi  Cella- 
rarii  sui  apud  Bradenestok  Dominici  proxima  post  festum 
Sancti  Mathei  Apostoli  anno  regni  nostri  ix®  quinquaginta 
marcis  de  fine  quem  nobiscum  fecerunt  pro  terris  Walensium 
in  Kenefega,  et  dedimus  eis  respectum  de  duobus  palfredis 
quos  nobis  inde  debent  usque  a  die  Sancti  Michaelis  in  xv 
dies.  Et  ideo  vobis  mandamus  quod  illos  de  1.  marcis  quietos 
esse  faciatis,  et  de  duobus  palefredis  predictum  respectum  eis 
habere  permittatis.  Teste  me  ipso  apud  Bradenestok  xxiiij 
die  Septembris. 

XIX.— [iRo^.  Litter.  Glaus.  9  Joh.  1207,  memb.  13  ] 

Rex  Baronibus  de  Scaccario  etc.  Sciatis  quod  Abbas  et 
Monachi  de  Morgania  pacaverunt  nobis  per  manum  Celararii 
sui  fratris  Willielmi  ap'  Lutegar'  die  Veneris  proxima  post 
festum  Sancti  Luce,  anno  regni  nostri  ix'^  duos  equos  quos 
nobis  deberunt  de  fine  quo  nobiscum  fecerunt  pro  terra  Walen- 
sium de  Kenefec,  et  ideo  vobis  mandamus  quod  illos  in  quietos 
esse  faciatis.  Teste  me  ipso  apud  Westm.  xxviij  die  Octobris 
per  ipsum  Regem. 

XX.—lRotuH  de  Finibus.  9  John,  1208.] 

Abbas  de  Morgan  dat  centum  marcas  pro  habenda  in  liberam 
elemosinam  tota  mora  de  la  Wareth  de  Honodhalcc  cum  per- 


46  CONTRIBUTION  TOWARDS  A  CARTULARY 

tinenciis  suis,  et  similiter  terra  Peitevin  cum  omnibus  perti- 
nenciis  suis  sicut  continetur  in  carta  domini  Regis  quam  iude 
habuit 

It  appears  from  the  Mise  and  Prestite  Rolls  that 
King  John  was  at  Cardiff  in  1210  on  the  Tuesday  be- 
fore Ascension  Day  [25  May],  and  at  Margara  on  the 
Thursday  following,  when  he  went  to  Swansea,  was 
there  Saturday,  and  on  Monday  was  at  Haverford  on 
his  way  to  Ireland.  The  record  that  fixes  his  presence 
at  Margam  is  as  follows  : — 

**  Die  Veneris  in  crastino  Ascensionis  Domini  apud  Margan. 
Johanni  filio  Cardonis  de  Fresenevilla  de  prestite  super  terram 
patris  sui  x  marcas  pro  Rege  liberatas  eidem  Johanni."  [RoL 
de  PresL  Memb.  8,  Ue  /oA.J 

In  the  same  year  another  entry  shews  the  king  to 
have  visited  Margam  on  his  return  to  England.  On 
Tuesday,  the  Feast  of  St.  Bartholomew,  he  was  at 
Dublin  ;  on  the  following  Thursday  at  Fishguard ;  next 
day  at  Haverford ;  on  the  Saturday  at  Margam,  and  on 
Monday  at  Newport  on  his  way  to  Bristol.  The  Mar- 
gam entry  is  brief. 

"  Die  Sabbati  proxima  [29  Aug.]  apud  Margan  Ricardo  de 
Samford  militi  ij  marcas  liberatas  Stefano  de  Bayusa."  [Ibid. 
Memb.  3,  12  Joh  ] 

It  is  recorded  that  John  was  so  satisfied  with  his  re- 
ception, that  he  excepted  Margam  from  his  extortions 
on  the  Cistercian  foundations;  the  only  other  excep- 
tion being  Beaulieu^  his  own  foundation.  If  the  royal 
visits  were  on  the  scale  of  that  paid  by  John  to  Bury 
Abbey,  Margam  must  have  been  a  flourishing  corpora- 
tion. 

Leland  says  Margam  had  privilege  of  sanctuary, 
which  the  Welsh  seldom  or  ever  used.  He  also  men- 
tions its  four  daughter  houses  in  Ireland — Kyrieleyson, 
Sancta  Crux,  Maio,  and  Chorus  Benedictus.  It  will 
be  seen  that  the  children  were  very  far  from  partaking 
of  the  prosperity  of  their  parent. 


OF  MAROAM.  47 


XXT. — Carta  Henrici  Episcopi  Landavensts. 
IHarl  Chart,  75  .^4.  21.] 

H.  dei  gratia  Landavensis  ecclesie  minister  humilis  universis 
Christi  fidelibus  ad  quos  presens  scriptum  pervenerit  salatem 
et  benediccionem. 

Universitati  vestre  significamus  quod  cum  quedam  contencio 
inter  dilectos  filios  nostros  monachos  de  Margan  et  Johannem 
Kairus  et  heredes  illius  super  pastura  totius  terre  sue  preter 
segetes  et  prata  que  dudum  prefatis  monachis  pro  quodam 
magno  excessu  suo  concesserat  verteretur  tandem  predictus 
Johannes  et  Milo  filius  ejus  prenominator  monachos  noleates 
injuste  molestari  memoratam  pasturam  monachis  de  Margan 
imperpetuum  libere  et  quiete  reddiderunt  Et  predictus  Milo 
coram  nobis  tactis  sacrosanctis  juramento  firmabit  se  predictis 
monachis  de  Margan  et  omnibus  rebus  suis  semper  fore  fidelem 
et  obedientem  et  predictam  pasturam  contra  omnes  pro  posse 
suo  warentizaturum  His  testibus  Urban  decano  de  Landavia 
Nicholas  capellano  Magistro  Mauricio  Rudulpho  de  Win- 
cestria  clerico  W.  de  Sane  to  Donate  Roberto  de  Berchele  et 
multis  aliis. 

The  family,  afterwards  called  Wilkins,  and  recently 
De  Win  ton,  were  anciently  De  Wintonia,  and  have  been 
settled  in  the  Vale  of  Glamorgan  from  a  very  early 
period,  and,  in  one  branch,  still  are  found  there.  Ralph 
may  have  been  of  that  family,  or  he  may  have  come 
himself  from  Winchester.  De  Wincestria  and  de  Win- 
tonia would  at  that  time  be  only  two  forms  of  the  same 
name. 

W.  de  Sancto  Donato  was  probably  an  ecclesiastic 
from  that  village,  and  Robert  de  Berchele  from  that  of 
Berkeley.  It  is  not  probable  that  he  was  of  the 
Berkeley  family,  who  never  had  an  interest  in  Gla- 
morgan. 

XXII.— [Oo//on  MS.  Cleop.  A.  vii,  85.     N.  Mon.  II,  77.] 

Carta  H.  Landavensis  episcopi  concedentis  domui  de  Mor- 
gan ecclesiam  de  Kenefet  cum  capellis,  terris  et  omnibus 
pertinentiis  suis  assensu  et  petitione  W.  Abbatis  et  conventus 
Theok.  solvendo  domui  Theok.  annuatim  x  marcas ;  quin- 
que  infra  octavam  Paschse,  et  quinque  infra  octavam  sancti 
Michaelis. 


48  CONTRIBUTION  TOWARDS  A  CARTULARY 

As  King  John's  charter  is  silent  as  to  this  acquisition, 
it  probably  came  between  1205  and  1218. 

Kenefet  is  Kenfig  in  Pyle,  the  parish  next  south  of 
Margam,  and  which  reaches  to  the  sea-shore.  Much  of 
it  has  long  been  covered  up  with  drift  sand,  but  under 
the  Normans  the  village  was  a  borough  town,  and  the 
parish  part  of  the  demesne  of  the  chief  lord.  A  slender 
remain  of  its  ancient  castle  rises  through  the  sand,  and  it 
is  celebrated  for  its  pool.  It  is  also  a  contributory  par- 
liamentary borough  to  Swansea,  but  this  is  solely  in  com- 
pliment to  its  former  prosperity. 
'KXllL'—lIioiuli  Litterarum  Clausarum  1  H.  Ill,  1216,  Memb.  25.] 

Rex  Majori  et  probis  hominibus  BristoUi  salutem.  Manda- 
mus vobis  quod  sine  dilacione  plenam  saisinam  habere  facialis 
Magistro  Michaeli  de  Londonia  de  domibus  suis  in  Bristolli 
quas  emit  de  Abbate  de  Morgan  unde  injuste  dissaisitus  est  ut 
dicitur.  Catalla  etiam  sua  quse  in  iisdem  domibus  capta  fuerunt 
eidem  Magistro  Michaelo  sine  dilacione  reddi  faciatis.  Et 
quam  etc.     Teste  apud  Bristollum,  xx  die  Novembris. 

Per  Comitem  W.  Mar. 

This,  no  doubt,  relates  to  the  Burgage  given  by 
Robert,  Earl  of  Gloucester,  and  confirmed  by  King 
John.  It  is  one  of  the  royal  documents  issued  by  the 
Earl  Mareschal  as  ''Rector  Regis  et  regni." 

XXIV. —  Conventio  indentata  inter  H.  de  UmframviUe  et  Monachos  de 

Margan, 
IHarl  Cart,  75  D.  14.J 

Sciant  presentes  et  futuri  quod  ita  convenit  inter  Henricura 
de  UmframviUe  et  monachos  de  Margan  anno  incarnacionis 
domini  m'^cc^xvij"  quod  scilicet  idem  Henricus  remisit  totam 
calumpniam  quam  habuit  adversus  eos  de  terra  de  Redingtone 
cum  pertinenciis  suis,  et  idem  Henricus  recepit  pre  manibus 
totam  firmam  suam  viginti  annorum  de  eadem  terra.  De  quibus 
XX  annis  octo  anni  tunc  fuerunt  elapsi,  et  duodecim  anni  adhuc 
erant  venturi,  unde  predicti  monachi  quiti  sunt  usque  ad  ter- 
minum  duodecim  annorum  futurorura  perimpletum,  nee  red- 
dent  predicto  Henrico  aliquam  firmam  pro  eadem  terra  ante 
passca  anni  supradicti  incarnacionis  m^cc^xxx^  et  si  forte  aliquis 
dirationaverit  illam  terram  de  predictis  monachis  infra  predictos 
xij  annos  prenominatus  Henricus  vel  heredes  sui,  redditum 
cujuslibet  Anni  de   predictis   xij    annis   reddet  eis    quamdiu 


OF  MARGAM.  49 

illam  non  poterunt  warantizare.  Hiis  testibus  Deno  [Oeno] 
decano^  Magistro  Radulpho  Mayloch  Willielmo  de  K[Rjenny, 
Raimundo  de  Sull',  David  de  Brehull'  tunc  vicecomite  de 
Kaerdif,  Roberto  Sampsonis,  Willielmo  de  Lichefeld,  Nicholao 
et  Waltero  monachis  de  Margan,  Gaufrido  monacho  de  V[N]eht 
et  multis  aliis. 

(Endorsed). — Cirografum  H  :  de  Umfravilla. 

A  small  circular  seal  of  green  wax  remains  attached,  bearing 
the  device  of  an  open  flower.  Legend — secret vm  henkici. 
[a.d.  1216.] 

MAELOG    OF    LLTSTALYBGNT. 

The  Welsh  genealogists,  with  their  usual  neglect  of 
dates  or  evidences,  contain  the  following  notices  of  this 
family ; — 

Sir  Ralph  Maelog  or  Mayloc,  Lord  of  Llystalybont,  a 
manor  by  CardiflF  in  Cibwr  Hundred,  was  father  of 
Maud,  who  married  Einon  ap  Cadogan. 

Sir  William  Maelog,  temp.  H.  Ill,  Lord  of  Llystaly- 
bont, Wysam  and  Maelog's  fee,  married  his  cousin,  a 
daughter  of  Rhys  ap  Griffith  ap  Ivor  Bach,  and  had  1, 
a  daughter,  married  Llewelyn  ap  Cynvrig ;  2,  a 
DAUGHTER,  married  Howell  ap  Cynvrig  Madoc;  3,  Ann 
or  Envin,  married  Sir  Gwrgi  le  Grand  or  Grant. 

Ralph  Maelog,  17  Ed.  II,  married  Gwirvil,  daughter 
of  Llewelyn,  and  had  1,  William  May  log.  Lord  of 
Littlebone  [Llystalybont]  temp.  E.  HI ;  and  2,  Roger 
Maylog. 

Maeloc,  married  Joan,  daughter  and  heiress  of 

Thomas  le  Eyre,  by  Margaret,  daughter  of  David 
Cantelupe.  They  had  1,  Richard;  2,  William;  3, 
Gilbert. 

Richard  Maeloc,  married  Alson,  daughter  of 

Berkerolles,  and  had  Roger  Maeloc,  married  Margaret, 
daughter  of  John  Dawbeny,  and  had 

Joan  Maeloc,  daughter  and  heiress,  married  William 
Chicheley. 

There  was  a  Philip  Maelog,  temp.  H.  VI.  The  fol- 
lowing particulars  are  supported  by  evidence. 

Magister  Radulphus  Maylock,  or  Maelog,  was  an  ec^ 

3ri)  smb.,  vol.  XIV.  4 


60  CONTRIBUTION  TOWARDS  A  CARTULARY 

clesiastic  and  a  member  of  a  family  who  appear  in  the 
early  records  of  the  county,  and  were  extant  as  late  as 
the  reign  of  Henry  VI.  As  Magister  Rafe  Mailoc,  he 
tested  a  charter  by  Isabel,  Countess  of  Gloucester  and 
Essex  [N.  Man.  iv,  634],  and  an  Umfraville  charter  of 
1217  [75  D.  14].  His  name  also  appears  in  the  Annals 
of  Tewkesbury  as  holding  the  church  of  Uanblethian 
apparently  in  farm.  He  died  2nd  June,  1231,  and  about 
the  16th  September  following  the  Bishop  of  Llandaff; 
Thomas,  Dean  of  Hereford ;  Peter,  Abbot  of  Tewkes- 
bury ;  Maurice,  Archdeacon  of  Llandaff;  the  Rector  of 
Thombury,  and  others,  met  at  Striguil  to  dispose  of  the 
church  of  Llanblethian.  The  result  was  the  sending  of 
Eustace,  a  Tewkesbury  monk,  to  take  seizin  of  the 
church.  On  his  arrival  the  keys  were  removed  to  the 
hills,  and  he  could  only  take  seizin  of  the  porch,  and 
protest  against  those  who  opposed  the  rights  of  his 
convent,  confirmed  by  the  Bishop  of  Llandaff. 

So  little  effect  had  this  in  his  favour  that  the  people 
stopped  him  on  the  highway  and  held  him  three  days  in 
the  hills.  Upon  which  Bishop  Elias  excommunicated  all 
and  sundry  in  full  chapter,  and  presented  his  sentence 
to  the  Justiciar  Hubert  de  Burgh.  Further,  the  Abbot 
of  Tewkesbury  excommunicated  J.  Grant  with  his  ac- 
complices, who  did  the  deed. 

How  the  matter  was  then  settled  does  not  appear. 
Probably  by  the  continuance  of  the  Mayloc  interest,  for 
25  July,  1242,  during  a  Welsh  riot  in  the  county,  the 
Abbot  of  Tewkesbury  went  to  Llanblethian  to  receive 
the  "mission"  of  that  church,  under  the  mandate  of  the 
Prior  of  Winchcombe,  sub-delegate  from  the  Pope,  on 
account  of  the  deprivation  of  Roger  Mayloc,  upon  his 
non-payment  for  the  farm  of  the  church.  But  the 
Archdeacon  of  Llandaff,  sede  vacante,  had  put  in  Thomas 
Pennarth,  which  could  not  be  allowed.  On  this  Thomas 
resigned  the  vicarage,  and  was  again  presented  by  the 
Abbot,  with  all  the  emoluments  save  tythe  sheaves,  and 
did  homage.  Mayloc  then  petitioned  to  hold  the  church 
to  farm,  as  he  had  held  it,  but  the  Abbot  refused  this. 


OF  MARGAM.  61 

and  in  the  court  at  Cardiff  declared  that  if  he  or  his 
suffered  injury  he  should  impute  it  to  Mayloc. 

Finally,  however,  on  the  petition  of  Rhys,  Roger's 
uncle,  and  of  others,  Roger  was  allowed  five  marks  per 
annum.  He  was  dissatisfied  with  this,  and  an  extra 
mark  added  to  it,  at  the  instance  of  Richard  de  Clare, 
who  gave  him  letters  of  defence  to  the  Sheriff. 

The  contumacious  Roger  Mayloc  entered  the  benefice, 
seized  the  wheat,  ground  it,  and  carried  it  off,  adding 
divers  threats  against  the  Tewkesbury  monks,  and,  in 
short,  made  himself  so  obnoxious  that  the  Abbot  had  to 
buy  him  off  with  twelve  marcs  per  annum  until  he 
should  obtain  a  benefice.  The  proceedings  must  have 
been  rapid,  for  the  Abbot's  first  visit  was  made  26  July, 
and  8  Sept.  Thomas,  vicar  of  Llanblethian,  had  his 
papers  sealed,  and  did  homage. 

Little  else  is  certainly  known  of  the  Mayloc  family 
beyond  Ralph,  who  tested  a  Bonville  Charter  about 
1260  [75  B.  17],  and  appears  to  have  been  an  ecclesi- 
astic, and  Rhys  in  one  generation,  and  Roger  in 
another.  William  Maylocke,  no  doubt  of  the  same 
family,  appears  in  the  Extent  of  1 264  as  holding  half-a- 
fee  *'  in  capella  valet  xx  solidos,"  and  is,  therefore,  pro- 
bably the  ancestor  of  William  Maylocke,  who  at  the 
survey  of  1320  held  half  a  fee  as  Lord  of  Llys-tal-y-bont 
by  Cardiff.  There  is  also  a  mountain  called  Garth- 
Mayloc  near  Llantrissant. 

XXV. — Cdria  WUh^lmi  Episcopi  Landaventis. 
[Harl.  Cart.  75  A,  16.] 

W.  Dei  gratia  Landavensis  EpiscopuB  ArchidiaconisDecanis 
personis  vicariis  totius  diocesis  sue  ad  quos  presentes  littere 
pervenerint  salutem  gratiam  et  benedictionem.  Et  si  omnibus 
in  nostra  constitutis  ditione  nostram  pro  juribus  nostris  de- 
beamus  defensionem  domum  tamen  de  Margan  intuitu  religionis 
qui  in  ea  domino  cooperante  florere  dinoscitur  speciali  amplec- 
timus  dilectione  et  servis  dei  in  ea  domino  mill  tan  tibus  et  pos- 
sessionibus  eorum  quas  intra  nostram  habent  diocesim  quatenus 
possumus  ubique  per  nos  et  nostros  protectionis  et  custodie 
specialem  volumns  exhibere  gratiam.  Inde  est  quod  univer- 
sitatem  vestram  in  solum  attentius  rogamus  sed  etiam  preci- 

4« 


52  CONTRIBUTION  TOWARDS  A  CARTULARY 

piendo  in  vi  obediencie  vobis  injungimur  ut  si  qui  ex  vestris 
parrochiis  monachis  de  Margan  injurias  vel  dampna  aliqua 
inferre  presumpserint  singuli  vestrum  in  malefactores  vobis 
nominates  nostra  auctoritate  ecclesiasticam  exerceatis  justiciam 
ipsaque  sententia  firmiter  per  vestras  parrochias  faciatis  ob- 
servari  donee  predictis  monachis  de  injuriis  et  dampnis  illatis 
congrue  satisfecerint  nostre  similiter  jure  reservato.  Vale. 
(Circa  1220.) 

Seal  of  white  wax,  broken.  Figure  of  a  bishop  standing  in 
act  of  blessing,  feet  gone.  Legend,  "  igill  .  .  .  .  ns  Epi  .  .  .  ." 
On  reverse  in  oval  centre  (not  entire)  two  profiles  of  men,  per- 
haps Roman  soldiers,  gazing  at  each  other,  separated  by  a  staff, 
crossed  at  head.     Legend,  "In  ...  .  tat  omne  verbum." 

William,  Prior  of  Goldcliff  co.  Mon.  was  consecrated 
to  LlandaflFOct.  1219,  and  died  1229. 

XXVI. —  Compositio  inter  Ahhatem  de  Margan  et  Heliam  Glericum  de 
JNovO'Castro.     [Harl,  Cart.  A,  34]. 

Sciant  omnes  tam  presentes  quam  futuri  quod  hec  compositio 
facta  est  inter  Abbatem  monachosque  de  Margan  et  Heliam 
clericum  Novi  Castelli  super  questione  quarundam  decimarum 
torre  Sturmi.  Quod  scilicet  ipse  Helias  inspecta  et  audita  con- 
scriptione  W.  Decani  de  Wrenit  et  J.  Prioris  de  Owein  necnon 
et  carta  testimonii  bone  recordationis  N.  Landavensis  Episcopi 
de  ecclesia  terre  Sturmi  et  priori  querela  que  Gillebertus  pre- 
decessor ipsius  Helie  moverat  aliquando  adversus  prefatos 
monachos  temporibus  pie  memorie  Abbatis  Conani  con- 
ventionem  illam  quam  pro  bono  pacis  factam  constat  per  omnia 
sponte  concessit  et  sacramento  firmavit  se  cunctis  diebus  vite 
sue  sine  dolo  et  malo  ingenio  et  omni  retractatione  servaturam 
recipiendo  annuatim  tres  solidos  prius  prefator  Gilleberto  ante- 
cessor suo  a  prefatis  monachis  concessos.  Salve  si  quas  decimas 
dederit  vel  vendiderit  predictis  monachis  de  Margan  in  territorio 
Novi  Castelli  ecclesia  de  Novo  Castello  nullum  prejudicium 
vel  juris  sui  dampnum  pacietur.  Testibus  R.  Abbate  de  Mar- 
gan. J.  Priore.  Godefrido  monacho.  Henrico  Hospitali. 
Kobberto  Sacrista.  Phillippo  de  Marecros  seniore  et  Philippo 
juniore.  Ilamone  clerico.  Waltero  filio  Marchere  et  aliis 
pluribus. 

(In  dorse) — Compositio  inter  monachos  de  Margan  et  Heliam 
clericum. 

Probably  in  the  Abbacy  of  Roger,  1196—1203. 
Novum-Castellum  is  Newcastle  by  Bridgend.  Wrenit, 
is  the  rural  deanery  of  Groneth. 


OF'MAEGAM.  53 

Philip  de  Marcross,  the  earliest  of  the  name  on  re- 
cord, is  mentioned  by  Giraldus  as  attending  on  Henry 
II  about  1189.  Mr.  Traheme  records  an  agreement 
between  W.  de  Barri  and  John  de  la  Mare,  witnessed 
by  this  Philip  in  1201,  as  is  a  Barri  Charter  to  Neath 
before  1207  [76  B.  5  b.],  and  a  charter  to  Margam, 
granted  by  W.  de  Londres  about  1210  [H.  C.  75  C.  301 
Philip  also  witnessed  a  final  concord  between  Gilbert  de 
Turbervile  and  Margam  about  the  same  time. 

This  Philip  seems  to  have  lived  to  see  his  son  Philip 
of  mature  age,  since  Philip  senior  and  junior  witness 
together  the  above,  com  position  between  Margam  and 
Helias,  clerk  of  Newcastle,  without  date,  but  early  in 
the  thirteenth  century.  Mr.  Traherne  mentions  a 
Walter  de  Marcross,  who  witnessed  a  grant  by  Thomas 
Lawilis,  of  uncertain  date. 

According  to  Meyrick,  the  daughter  of  Sir  Philip  de 
Marcross  married  William  Pincerna,  son  of  Simon  de 
Halweia ;  and  thus  Marcross  passed  into  the  family  of 
Pincerna  or  Butler. 

William  Pincerna  was  son  of  Simon  de  Halweia,  and 
of  kin  to  Sampson  de  Halweia,  who  exchanged  Gelligarn 
for  Little  Ham,  co.  Devon,  with  the  Abbot  of  Neath, 
though  about  this  is  some  obscurity,  since  Sir  Richard 
Pincerna  is  said  to  have  inherited  Gelligarn  from  the  Le 
Sores.  William  was  father  of  Richard,  and  John,  and 
a  DAUGHTER  Called  le  Butiler  ;  Butler,  or  Cupbearer,  in 
Latin  Pincerna,  being  their  hereditary  office  under  the 
Lords  of  Glamorgan.  Richard,  called  Lord  Richard  le 
Butiler,  died  before  1262,  childless,  leaving  Joan  his 
heir,  a  minor,  who  was  a  ward  to  Earl  Richard  de  Clare 
at  his  death  1262-3.  John,  brother  of  Richard,  had  a 
son,  William  Pincerna,  and  two  daughters.  William 
left  one  child,  Joan  la  Butiliere,  who  died  under  age. 

The  three  ladies,  sisters,  the  one  of  Richard,  and  two 
of  William,  contested  the  heirship  of  the  Marcross  and 
Butiler  estate.  How  this  was  settled  is  not  recorded, 
but  one  of  them  probably  married  a  de  la  Bere,  and 
John  de  la  Bere  held  the  Marcross  half- fee  in  1320. 


54  CONTRIBUTION  TOWARDS  A  CARTULARY 

Margery,  daughter  and  heiress  of  this  John,  is  generally 
reputed  to  have  married  Sir  Elias  Bassett,  son  of  Thomsts 
Bassett,  of  St.  Hilary,  and  ancestor  of  the  Bassetts,  of 
Beau  pre. 

Marcross,  however,  before  and  after  the  Bassett  match, 
was  the  residence  of  a  family  of  Van.  John  Van,  or  de 
Ann,  said  to  be  of  Cornish  descent,  held  at  his  death,  of 
the  heirs  of  Hugh  le  Despenser,  the  manor  of  Marcross 
by  the  service  of  one  knight's  fee,  annual  value  37^.  6rf., 
when  his  son  and  heir  was  John.  The  Welsh  pedigrees 
state  that  the  elder  John  obtained  the  manor  by  mar- 
riage with  Cecil,  daughter  and  coheir  of  Lewis  Marcross, 
Thomas  Bassett  marrying  the  other  sister,  for  which 
statement  there  seems  not  even  a  probability. 

The  Vans  held  Marcross  till  towards  1700.  They 
were  ancestors  of  those  of  Marshfield  and  Llanwern,  and 
of  several  cadet  branches. 

XXVII. — Epistola  fratris  G,  Ahhatis  CUierciensis, 
[ffarl.  Cart.  76  A.  6.] 

Venerabilibus  et  in  Christo  dilectis  abbati  et  conventui  de 
Margan  frater  G.  dictus  abbas  Cisterciensis  totusque  conventus 
abbatium  capituli  generalis  eternam  in  Christo  salutem. 

Clamor  exordinacionis  miserabilium  abbatiarum  Hibernie 
ordinis  nostra  sepe  delatus  ad  nos  nuper  manifeste  nobis  in- 
notuit  per  visitatores  in  auctoritate  et  potestate  nostra  specialiter 
ad  hoc  destinatos  ut  viderent  et  scirent  si  clamorem  opere  com- 
plevissent  qui  etiam  firm  iter  asserebant,  quod  prefate  abbatie 
non  possent  in  ordine  reformari  et  relevari  a  paupertate  nimia 
qua  laborant  nisi  ad  munus  alique  majores  abbatie  subtracte 
suis  inordinatis  matribus  que  pro  tanta  culpa  merente  jure  suo 
privari  et  aliis  ordinatis  abbatiis  perpetuo  jure  supponantur. 
£t  quia  ordinis  zelo  accensi  pro  salute  animarum  et  ordine  re- 
formando  vultis  recipere  in  filiam  abbatiam  de  Sancta  Cruce  que 
hucusque  fuit  filia  de  magis  eandem  abbatiam  nobis  et  ecclesie 
nostre  ex  certa  scientia  et  plenitudine  potestatis  damns  in  filiam 
perpetuo  possidendam  vobis  qui  distncte  precipimus  quatinus 
decetero  ad  reformandam  predictam  abbatiam  filiam  nostram  in 
spiritualibus  et  temporalibus  taliter  soUicite  intendatis  ut  anime 
salventur.  Et  nos  non  cogamur  predictam  adoptationem 
aliquando  immutare.  Datum  anno  gratie  m^cc®  viscesimo  octavo. 
Tempore  capituli  generalis. 

{Endorsed). — Donacio  Abbatis  Cisterciensis  Abbatie  de 
Sancto  Cruce. 


OP  MARGAM.  55 

Appended  is  a  fragment  of  a  circular  seal  of  brown 
wax  bearing  a  part  of  the  figure  of  an  abbot,  with  the 
legend,  +  sigillyh  abbatis is. 

75  A.  4  is  a  duplicate  of  this  letter  in  all  but  the  date, 
which  is  there  1227. 

XXVUh^Protectio  Henrici  RegU. 
{Mu8.   Brit.    Cart.   Earl.    75    A.    10.] 

Henricus  Dei  gratia  Rex  Anglie  Dominns  Hibemie  Dux 
Normannie  Aquitanie  et  Comes  Andegavie  omnibus  ballivis  et 
fidelibus  suis  ealutem  Sciatis  nos  suscepiese  in  protectionem  et 
defensionem  nostram  homines  terras  redditus  possessiones  et 
omnes  res  Abbatis  et  monachorum  de  Margan  in  mari  et  terra. 
Et  ideo  vobis  mandamus  (juod  homines  terras  redditus  pos- 
sessiones et  omnes  res  predictorum  Abbatis  et  monachorum  in 
mari  et  in  terra  manuteneatis  protegatis  et  defendatis  nuUam  eis 
inferrentes  yel  inferri  permittentes  molestiam  injuriam  dampnum 

aut et  si  quid  eis  forisfactum  fuerit  id  eis  sine  dilacione 

faciatis  emendari.  In  cujus  rei  testimonium  has  litteras  nostras 
patentes  eis  fieri  fecimus.  Teste  me  ipso  apud  Merewell 
xxviii  die  Maii  anno  regni  nostri  duodecimo  [1228]. 

XXIX. — Quietaclamatio  Mahille  de  Bona  villa  dotis  sua  in 
Bonevillestun.     [JBor/.  Chart.  75,  B.  14.] 

Sciant  presentes  et  futuri  quod  ego  Mabilla  de  Bona  villa 
consilio  amicorum  meorum  quietam  clamayi  Deo  et  ecclesie 
beate  Marie  de  Marfan  et  monachis  ibidem  Deo  seryientibus 
totam  dotem  meam  m  terra  de  Bonevillestun  pro  octo  libris 
sterlingorum.  £t  ego  warantizabo  istud  contra  omnes  homines 
quamdiu  vixero.  Hiis  testibus  Keimundo  de  Sulia.  Roberto 
Samson.  Galfrido  de  Bonavilla.  Henrico  de  Bonavilla.  Si- 
mone  de  Bonavilla.  Kadulfho  portario.  Willielmo  de  Kerd' 
monachis  de  Margan  et  multis  aliis.     [Circa  1230.] 

Oblong  seal  of  dark  green  wax^  twelve  inches  in  diameter. 
In  the  centre  is  a  gem  inscribed  in  Arabic  [translated]  "  .  .  .  . 
son  of  Mafhoud."     Legend,  "  S'  Mabilie  de  Bonavilla.'* 

There  is  no  pedigree  of  the  Glamorgan  Bonvilles, 
who  are  said  to  have  come  in  with  the  early  Norman 
settlers,  and  certainly  gave  name  to  Bonvileston,  called 
by  the  Welsh  Tre-Simwn,  from  Sir  Simon  de  Bonville, 
the  reputed  founder.  The  parish  church  is  dedicated 
to  St.  Mary,  but  no  pure  Welsh  name  for  the  parish 
has  been  preserved,  in  which  it  resembles  Sully,  Cogan, 
Barry,  and  some  others. 


66  CONTRIBUTION  TOWARDS  A  CARTULARY 

The  *'  Tre/'  or  stronghold,  was  placed  in  a  field  south 
of  the  church,  in  the  low  ground,  where  the  circum- 
scribing fosse  and  part  of  the  enceinte  wall  still  remain. 

The  main  stock  of  the  Bonvilles  settled  in  Somerset 
and  Devon,  and  were  of  Wescomb  and  Shute  in  the 
latter  county.  Pole  says  that  John  de  Bonville  was  of 
Bonvileston  in  Plymlegh,  co.  Devon,  27  H.  Ill  and  50 
Ed.  III.  They  also  gave  their  name  to  a  village  in 
Pembrokeshire.  The  estate  of  the  Glamorgan  Bon- 
villes seems  to  have  been  gradually  absorbed  by  Mar- 
gam.  John  de  Boneville  tested  an  Humfranville  charter 
to  that  abbey  before  V20o  [75,  D.  15],  and  himself  gave 
fifty  acres,  included  in  King  John's  confirmation.  Mabel 
de  Bonavilla,  as  recorded  above,  gave  up  her  dower  in 
Bonvileston  for  £8  sterling,  and  Geoffrey,  Henry,  and 
Simon,  no  doubt  near  kinsmen  of  her  husband,  test  the 
document.  Robert  de  Bonville  and  Juliana  his  wife 
gave  lands  in  Craumere  to  Tewkesbury.  \_N,  M.  iv,  73.] 

The  Close  Boll  of  1297  [25  Ed.  I,  M.  18,  9  May] 
mentions  James  de  Bonevill  and  Amabilia  his  wife,  as 
co-complainants  with  Simon  de  Ralee  and  Johanna  his 
wife  ;  the  subject  being  no  doubt  the  heritage  of  the 
two  wives,  who  were  probably  coheirs  of  de  Reigny.  It 
is  probable  that  Amabilia  died  childless. 

Some  time  after  Mabel's  charter,  perhaps  about  1250, 
Robert  de  Bonevilla  and  Aliza  his  wife,  conveyed  to 
Margam  his  whole  fee  of  Bonevileston,  to  be  held  of  him 
and  his  heirs  at  3  marcs  sterling  annually,  saving  the 
service  of  half  a  knight,  for  which  the  monks  were  to 
answer  to  the  Lords  of  WunfuU  or  Wenvoe,  whom  we 
thus  learn  to  have  been  the  lords  superior  of  Bonvileston. 
[75,  B.  19.] 

Next,  probably  about  1260,  occurs  William  de  Bona- 
villa, son  of  John,  who  gives  to  the  monks  of  Margam 
forty  acres  of  arable  land  which  they  held  of  the  Tem- 
plars in  the  time  of  his  father,  paying  to  them  forty 
pence  annually.  This  seems  to  be  a  gift  on  condition 
that  the  land  should  be  his  and  not  the  Templars,  and 
was  probably  taken  by  the  monks  as  a  measure  of  pre- 


OF  MARGAM.  67 

caution.  [75,  B.  17.]  It  may  be  observed  that  King 
John's  charter  enumerates,  next  after  the  Bonneville 
donation,  forty  acres  given  by  the  Templars.  The  ex- 
tent of  Glamorgan  in  1264  [Wallia.  Bag.  1,  N.  15]  is 
signed  by  Simon  de  Bonvile  as  a  juror. 

Soon  afterwards  Abbot  Gilbert  is  found  executing 
agreements  with  John  le  Norreys,  also  a  juror  on  the 
above  extent,  who  holds  lands  and  tenements  in  Bone- 
vileston  of  the  abbot  and  convent,  by  which  John 
admits  that  he  does  so  hold  them  at  the  service  of  1 2d. 
per  annum,  and  doing  monthly  suit  to  the  abbot's  court 
at  Bonvileston,  paying  such  foreign  service  as  pertains 
to  the  tenement,  and  reasonable  relief  to  the  abbot 
when  due,  and  custody  of  the  lands  and  heir  when  a 
minor,  and  fealty.  For  these  considerations,  and  at  the 
instance  of  Gilbert,  Earl  of  Gloucester,  the  abbot  war- 
rants to  le  Norreys  and  his  heirs  the  tenement  of  the 
fee  of  Bonevileston  should  he  be  impleaded  in  the 
earl's  court;  but  should  Le  Norreys  be  so . impleaded, . 
and  lose,  he  can  only  come  upon  Margam  for  a  pair  of 
gilt  spurs  of  6d.  value,  as  value  for  the  land, so  lost. 
And  Norreys  covenants  under  a  forfeiture  of  £100  ster- 
ling not  to  sell  more  than  the  gilt  spurs.     [75,  A.  36.] 

In  1291,  1  Feb.,  the  abbot,  as  lord  of  the  fee  of 
Bonvileston,  is  party  to  an  agreement  with  Thomas  le 
Spodur  of  that  place,  by  which  Thomas  gives  up,  in 
perpetuity,  an  acre  of  land  and  a  house  and  curtilage 
in  the  vill  of  Tudekistowe,  which  Thomas,  son  of 
Robert  Acus,  formerly  held  of  Margam,  and  which  lies 
between  the  Margam  lands  and  the  main  road  towards 
the  common  called  Newton's  Down. 

In  return  the  abbot  grants  to  Thomas,  in  perpetuity, 
two  acres  in  the  fee  of  Bonevileston, one  in  Redelond  field, 
and  one  near  the  vill,  which  Roger,  son  of  Cady,  formerly 
held,  paying  14^?.  per  annum,  and  doing  suit  of  court. 
At  Thomas's  death  a  heriot  of  5^.  to  be  paid.  [75,  A.  42.] 

In  1302,  on  the  Nativity  of  John  the  Baptist,  24 
June,  John,  son  and  heir  of  Henry  de  Bonvyle  de 
Bonevyleston,  in  Glamorgan,  informs  the  faithful  that 


68  CONTRIBUTION  TOWARDS  A  CARTULARY 

he  has  demised  and  acquitted  to  Margam,  for  himself 
and  his  heirs,  14^.  sterling  of  a  certain  40^.  annual 
rent  due  to  him  from  the  abbey,  and  this  in  exchange 
for  14^.  annual  rent  upon  the  tenement  which  Philip 
Le  Especer  formerly  held  of  Margam  in  Bristol,  and 
which  is  now  assigned  to  his  lord,  Reymund  de  Sullye, 
who  in  return  enfeoflfe  John  and  his  heirs  of  14*.  rent 
in  exchange  for  20^.,  which  Matthew  Everrard,  Joan 
his  wife,  and  Hugo  their  son,  used  to  pay  to  Reymund 
for  a  tenement  held  by  them  at  Holeton,  in  the  lordship 
of  Dinas  Powys.  A  somewhat  complex  arrangement, 
shewing  de  Sully  to  have  been  Bonevilles  lord,  and 
pointing  to  the  retirement  of  the  Bonvilles  from  the 
county.     [75,  B.  22.] 

It  does  not  here  appear  how  De  Sully  came  to  be  the 
superior  lord  of  De  Boneville;  perhaps  this  may  be 
connected  with  the  superiority  of  Wenvoe  over  Bone- 
vileston,  mentioned  above,  and  the  fact  that  in  1262,  as 
appears  by  the  county  extent,  Walter,  the  then  lord 
of  Sully  held  also  two  fees  in  Wenvoe. 

A  deed  of  26  July,  1378,  records  an  exchange  by  the 
abbot  and  convent  of  two  acres  of  arable  land  in  Rede- 
lond,  and  five  acres  next  the  old  castle  on  the  northern 
side  of  Bonvileston,^  with  Will.  Wronou  [Grono]  de 
Bonevileston,  against  his  seven  acres  next  Helligogy  on 
the  west  side.  [75,  A.  43.]  The  Spencer  Survey  of 
1320  mentions  Ma :  Bonville,  ij  plough  lands.  This  may 
be  Maurice  Bonville. 

26  Nov.,  1330,  occurred  a  plea  before  the  Sheriff  of 
Glamorgan  between  the  Abbot  of  Margam  and  John 
de  Woledon,  who  held  a  free  tenement  under  Margam 
in  Bonevileston,  for  which  John  le  Flemyng  of  St. 
George's  claimed  service.  Woledon  absconded,  leaving 
nothing  behind,  upon  which  the  abbot  became  re- 
sponsible to  John  le  Flemyng.     [Francis  MS.] 

30  Nov.,  1377,  an  indenture  was  agreed  to  between 
the  abbot  and  convent  and  John  Denys  of  Waterton,  by 
which  they  granted  him  in  farm  eighty-nine  acres  of 

1  This  may  rofer  to  the  castrum  or  military  earthwork  north  of  the 
church. 


OF  MARGAM.  59 

land  in  the  fee  of  Bonvileston,  during  the  minority  of 
John,  son  and  heir  of  John  Norreis  of  Leche  Castel,  at 
13^.  4d.  per  annum.  [75,  A.  45.]  The  abbot  held  the 
Norreis  lands  as  lord  of  the  fee. 

The  Golden  Grove  Book  mentions  Elias  de  Bonville  as 
contemporary  with  William  Earl  of  Gloucester,  Simon 
as  the  person  who  gave  name  to  the  parish  and  manor, 
William  as  named  in  a  dateless  deed,Maurice,  and  John, 
and  adds  that  an  heiress  of  Bonville  married  Lewis  Rag- 
lan. Bonvileston  probably  remained  in  the  crown  from 
the  dissolution  until  18  Feb.,  32  H.  VIII  [Ortff.,  p.  90, 
part  i,  m.  62],  when  the  manor  and  rectory  were  granted 
to  Sir  John  St.  John,  Kt.,  in  exchange  for  other  lands. 

Sir  John  did  not  long  retain  his  acquisition.  33  H. 
VIII  he  fined  £4  I3s.  4d.  for  licence  to  alienate  to 
John  Bassett  the  manor  and  rectory  of  Booevileston,  and 
John  Bassett  did  homage  and  fealty  to  the  crown  for 
the  manor  and  rectory  of  Bonevileston,  and  messuages 
in  Brandiston,  Monewydon,  Hoo,  Kilylboro',  Some- 
Count,  and  Cretyngham.  [Ibid.,  p.  93,  m.  126,  and  p. 
90,  m.  69.]  Further,  8  Eliz.,  is  a  memorandum  concern- 
ing the  exonerating  William  Bassett  and  Edward  Manx- 
well  from  the  annual  rent  of  five  marks  from  the  manor 
of  Bonwyshton.  The  Bassetts  thus  acquired  Bonvileston, 
which  they  still  retain  in  the  person  of  Richard  Bassett. 

Allusion  has  been  made  to  the  Templar  lands  in  or 
near  Bonvileston,  of  which  they  gave  forty  acres  to 
Margam  before  1206.  The  residue  no  doubt  descended 
to  the  Knights  of  St.  John,  for  in  the  Lansdown  MS. 
[No.  200,  p.  6]  is  a  charter  by  John  Kendall,  Prior  of 
St.  John  of  Jerusalem  in  England,  dated  20  June,  1492, 
by  which  he  lets  to  Roger  Vaughan,  and  Roger  his 
son,  all  their  demesne  lands  in  the  Lordship  of  Milton, 
Glamorgan,  with  a  water  mill  newly  built  there,  for 
forty-one  years  from  the  Assumption  of  the  Virgin,  at 
a  rent  of  44^.,  payable  to  the  Preceptor  of  Dynmor. 

This  property  was  acquired  by  John  Bassett,  who  did 
homage  35  H.  VIII  for  the  manor  of  Milton.  [On^.,p.77, 
part  i,  m.  91.]     It  has  descended  with  Bonvileston. 

{To  he  continued,) 


60 


EWYAS-HAROLD. 


The  first  thing  that  occurs  to  me  is  an  inquiry  into  the 
etymology  of  the  name.  With  respect  to  the  first  part 
of  it,  Ewyas,  I  only  know  of  two  other  combinations  in 
which  it  occurs — 1,  Ewyas-Lacy,  the  hundred  in  which 
Ewyas-Harold  is  situated ;  and  2,  Teffont-Ewyas,  a  small 
parish  in  Wiltshire.  1  have  sought  in  vain  from  Welsh 
scholars  for  any  reliable  explanation  of  the  name.  It 
occurs  as  Euas  in  a  Welsh  life  of  St.  Beino,  edited  by 
the  late  Rev.  Mr.  Rees,  of  Cascob:  By  Leland  it  is  spelt 
Ewis^  which  is  the  present  pronunciation  of  the  name  in 
the  district.  Can  it  have  any  connection  with  the  Welsh 
glas^  which,  in  composition,  seems  sometimes  to  have 
reference  to  streams  \  There  is,  in  the  immediate  neigh- 
bourhood, T>Mla8  and  Pontritos ;  or  can  it  be  of  Saxon 
origin,  like  its  affix  of  Harold  ?  Its  occurring  in  a  part 
of  England  so  remote  from  Wales  as  Wiltshire,  may 
favour  its  derivation  from  the  Saxon  Ea^  water. 

The  name  of  Harold  occurs  in  several  other  com- 
binations. In  Bedfordshire  there  is  Harrold,  simply ; 
in  licicestershire,  Stan  ton-Harold ;  in  Pembrokeshire, 
Harroldstone.  Though  there  is  no  doubt  that  King 
Harold,  the  last  of  the  Saxon  line,  before  the  conquest, 
laid  his  hands  upon  a  good  deal  of  property  in  Here- 
fordshire, which,  according  to  the  survey  in  Domesday 
Book^  was  restored  to  the  owners  by  William  the  Con- 
queror, yet  the  connection  of  Ewyas-Harold  with  him 
and  his  family  is  an  unsupported  suggestion  of  Leland's. 
It  seems  to  have  derived  this  name  from  a  Harold,  lord 
of  the  castle  here,  of  whom  we  have  clear  notices  as 
being  in  possession  of  it  very  soon  after  the  conquest, — 
at  all  events,  in  the  first  years  of  the  twelfth  century. 
From  Camden  it  would  seem  as  though  there  had  been 
a  castle  here  at  the  period  of  the  Conquest ;  and,  as  ap- 
pears from  the  Conqueror's  survey,  refortified  by  Alured 
de  Marleberg.    Dugdale,  however,  says  that  this  fortress 


EWYAS-HAROLD.  61 

was  originally  built  by  Fitz-Osborne,  Earl  of  Hereford, 
after  the  Conquest.  He  was  father  of  Harold,  in  whose 
possession  it  is,  any  how,  certain  the  lordship  and  castle 
were  within  half-a-century  from  the  Conquest.  In  old 
maps  of  Herefordshire  the  place  is  marked  as  Harold*s 
Ewyas,  and  in  other  old  descriptions  it  is  put  down  as 
Mapharald.  Mab  being  Welsh  for  son^  can  this  have 
reference  to  Harold's  son  and  successor,  ^foW  Haraldi, 
as  we  find  him  described  in  documents  to  which  I  shall 
presently  refer,  and  so  be  equivalent  to  the  Fits  which 
enters  into  the  composition  of  some  English  names  of 
places  ? 

The  first  Harold  was  the  founder  of  a  priory  of  Bene- 
dictines here,  removed,  it  is  supposed,  from  Dulas  a  mile 
higher  up  the  brook.''  This  monastery  was  a  cell  or  de- 
pendence of  the  Abbey  at  Gloucester,  and  lasted  at  Evvyas- 
Harold  for  about  two  and  half  centuries,  being  reunited 
to  Gloucester  in  1358.^  During  this  period  it  was,  we 
read,  a  common  burying-place  for  the  nobility  of  the 
county ;  so  that  excavations  might  produce  results  of 
interest.  But  the  very  site  cannot  now  be  identified. 
By  the  kindness  of  the  truly  venerable  father  of  archae- 
ology in  this  county,  the  Rev.  John  Webb,  I  have  been 
favoured  with  a  copy  of  the  cartulary  of  this  priory,  ex- 
tending through  the  whole  of  its  existence.  This  docu- 
ment, amidst  the  formal  legal  phraseology,  of  which,  of 
course,  it  mainly  consists,  gives  us  curious  and  valuable 
glimpses  of  the  period.  It  is  all  in  Latin,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  the  deed  which  recites  the  dissolution  of  the 
priory,  which  is  in  the  Norman  French  of  that  date 
(the  middle  of  the  fourteenth  century). 

The  names  of  localities  in  the  neighbourhood  occur 
in  these  deeds  so  as  to  be  easily  recognised.  Thus 
Dulas,   both    the   brook   and   the    parish,   appears    as 

^  The  connexion  of  Ewyas-Harold  with  Gloucestershire  is  still  re- 
tained by  the  great  tithes  of  Ewyas-Harold  forming  part  of  the  endow- 
ment of  the  see  of  Gloucester  (only  just  lapsed  to  the  Ecclesiastical 
Commissioners),  and  the  presentation  to  the  vicarage  being  in  the 
patronage  of  the  Bishop  of  Gloucester. 


62  EWYAS-HAROLD, 

Duneleis ;  Dore  Abbey  as  Dora ;  Pisdebrook  as  Pistel ; 
the  Maescoeds  (a  hamlet  of  Clodock  of  which  the  Welsh 
origin  is  clear)  as  Maischoit;  Clodock  as  St.  Cladack 
(the  name  of  a  Welsh  Saint).  The  neighbouring  parish 
of  Llangua  appears  as  Languen ;  and  the  Bradley 8^  a  farm 
in  the  parish  of  Kentchurch,  as  Braddelee.  There  are 
also  interesting  local  notices  of  Ewyas-Harold  itself,  of 
the  limits  of  the  churchyard,  for  example.  There  are 
two  peculiar  names  of  lands  at  Ewyas-Harold,  which, 
though  not  occurring  in  the  Cartulary,  as  far  as  I  have 
observed,  are  curious.  1,  King  Street,  the  name  by 
which  one  of  the  farms  in  the  parish  is  now  known,  and 
which  I  have  seen  in  a  copy  of  an  old  paper  as  Kyge 
Street ;  and  2,  Temple  Bar,  the  name  of  a  field.  Can 
this  latter  have  belonged  to  the  Templars  at  Earway  ? 
To  return  to  the  Cartulary,  amongst  the  witnesses  to  the 
several  deeds,  in  addition  to  the  frequent  mention  of  the 
Chaplain,  and  the  Seneschall  or  Constable  of  the  Castle, 
and  of  brothers  of  the  Priory,  occur  the  names  of  the 
neighbouring  lords  of  castles ;  in  three  instances,  names 
still  connected  with  the  neighbourhood,  William  and 
Walter  de  Scudemor,  Simon  de  Pateshull,  and  William 
le  Miners.  We  find  also  Roger  de  Marcle,  and  Hugo 
de  Kilpec  or  Culpec.  The  first  of  this  series  of  docu- 
ments is  a  grant  from  Haraldus  de  Ewyas,  the  first 
known  possessor  of  the  Castle,  of  certain  lands  and  im- 
munities to  the  Benedictine  monastery  of  Gloucester  for 
the  founding  of  a  religious  house  of  Ewyas-Harold. 
After  this,  come  no  less  than  five  grants,  or  exchanges 
of  tithes  or  lands,  to  the  monks  at  Ewyas,  from  Robertus 
de  Ewyas,  his  son  and  successor,  filius  Haraldi^  as  he 
styles  himself.^  This  Robert  seems  to  have  been  a  great 
benefactor  to  the  church.  He  is  said  to  have  founded 
the  Cistercian  Abbey  at  Dore,  and  it  is  probably  a  cor- 

^  He  grants  a  piece  of  land  for  the  building  of  a  church  at  Ew3ras- 
Harold,  in  addition  to  the  monastery,  and  also  'Uotam  fossam  quae 
claudit  terram  illam  cum  piscibus  illius  aquae."  We  have  thus  the 
date  of  the  interesting  tower  of  Ewyas  Harold  church, — an  instance 
of  the  transition  from  Norman  to  Early  English. 


EWYAS-HABOLD.  63 

rect  tradition  which  assigns  to  him  a  statue  of  a  knight 
in  armour  still  to  be  seen  in  Abbey-Dore  Church. 
Next  in  the  Cartulary  comes  a  grant  from  a  Robert  de 
Ewyas,  son  of  the  Robert  first  mentioned,  dated  1195. 
Next  a  grant  from  a  John  de  Ewyas,  whose  connection 
with  the  others  mentioned  we  have  no  means  of  ascer- 
taining. Then  follows  another  grant  from  Robert, 
second  of  that  name,  previously  referred  to.  With  him 
the  male  line  of  this  family  seems  to  have  ended.  His 
daughter,  Sibilla^  is  mentioned  in  this,  his  last  grant,  as 
his  heiress.  She  married  Robert  de  Tregoz,  who,  pro- 
bably then  on  a  visit  to  the  castle  as  her  suitor,  appears 
as  a  witness  to  one  of  the  grants.  This  was  a  dis- 
tinguished Norman  family,  traces  of  whom  remain  in 
the  affix  of  Tregoz  to  the  parish  of  Lydiard-Tregoz  in 
Wiltshire  (connected  with  the  Bolingbroke  title).  This 
was  their  property,  and  is  referred  to  in  subsequent 
documents  in  the  Cartulary  ;  exchanges,  and  other 
transactions  being  recorded  between  the  Abbot  of 
•  Gloucester  and  the  Rector  of  Lydeard-Tregoz.  We 
find  Robert  de  Tregoz  executing  various  deeds  in  his 
own  name, — and  his  wife  Sibilla  one  in  her  own.  He 
is  followed  by  his  son  Robert  de  Tregoz,  second  of  the 
name,  who  was  killed  in  the  Battle  of  Evesham  (1265) 
fighting  on  the  side  of  the  Barons,  and  acting  as  a 
Standard-bearer.  To  him  succeeded  John  de  Tregoz, 
who  died  1290.  There  are  deeds  executed  by  him  in 
the  Cartulary,  as  well  as  by  his  father  Robert.  With 
this  John,  third  in  succession,  the  male  line  of  this 
family  became  extinct,  as  far  as  Ewyas-Harold  is  con- 
cerned, and  an  heiress  carried  the  lordship  again  into 
another  family.  John  de  Tregoz  had  married  Juliana, 
the  daughter  of  Lord  Cantilupe,  and  sister  of  St.  Thomas 
Cantilupe,  Bishop  of  Hereford.  By  her  he  had  two 
daughters,  the  elder  of  whom,  Clarice,  married  Roger 
Delawarre.  (It  is  interesting  here  to  call  to  mind 
that  the  titles  of  Cantilupe  and  Delawarre  have  been 
united  since,  Cantilupe  being  the  second  title  of  the 
Earls  Delawarre.)     The  second  daughter  of  this  John 


64  EWYAS-HAROLD. 

de  Tregoz  was  named  Sibilla ;  the  name  of  the  Saxon 
heiress,  daughter  of  Robert  de  Ewyas,  who  first  brought 
the  castle  and  lordship  into  the  Tregoz  family,  being 
thus  kept  up.  This  Sibilla  married  William  de  Gran- 
dison.  Through  the  elder  of  these  two  daughters, 
Clarice,  the  castle  and  domain  of  Ewyas-Harold  passed 
to  the  family  of  Delawarre.  It  is  conjectured,  from  the 
date  of  the  dress,  that  an  interesting  effigy  under  a 
carved  canopy  in  the  chancel  of  Ewyas-Harold  church 
is  that  of  this  Clarice.  It  is  probable  that  she  died  away 
from  her  birth-place,  perhaps  in  Sussex,  to  which  her 
husband's  family  belonged,  and  that  this  is  one  of  those 
cases  of  heart-interment  which  have  of  late  years  been 
brought  to  light ;  the  heart  alone  being  sent,  in  those 
days  of  difficult  transport,  for  interment  under  the* 
effigy,  in  the  church  ^to  which  the  person  had  some 
especial  ties.  This  effigy  is  well  executed,  of  life-size, 
and  in  good  preservation.  She  holds  in  her  hands, 
which  repose  on  the  breast,  such  a  vessel  as  might  be 
supposed  to  contain  a  heart.  On  raising  the  effigy, 
some  years  since,  I  found  just  under  the  place  occupied 
by  the  hands,  a  stone  in  which  was  a  cavity  about  five 
inches  in  diameter.  In  this  cavity  were  fragments  of  a 
metal  vessel  that  had  been  lined  with  a  woven  fabric, 
forming  a  bag  in  which,  no  doubt,  the  heart  had  been 
deposited.  A  thin  slate,  like  stone,  covering  this  cavity, 
was  painted  on  the  under  side,  in  white,  with  the  form 
of  the  vessel. 

But  to  return  to  the  Cartulary.  Between  the  grants 
made  by  the  Tregoz  and  the  Delawarre  families  are 
grants  made  by  various  members  of  the  De  Lacy  family, 
lords  paramount  of  the  whole  district,  probably, — the 
hundred  of  Ewyas-Lacy  being  so-called  after  them. 
Following  one  of  these  grants  we  have  a  very  interesting 
document.  It  is  a  confirmation  of  a  grant  by  King 
Henry  III,  the  witness  to  the  king's  sign-manual  being 
St.  Thomas  Cantilupe,  Bishop  of  Hereford,  and  Lord 
High  Chancellor,  brother-in-law,  as  we  have  already 
seen,  of  John  de  Tregoz,  last  of  the  name.     The  con- 


EWYA8-HAR0LD.  65 

eluding  series  of  deeds  in  the  Cartulary  are  from  the 
Delawarre  family.  The  first  of  these  is  the  solitary  one 
in  French,  to  which  I  have  already  referred.  It  is  an 
indenture  executed  between  Roger  Delawarre  and  the 
Abbot  of  Gloucester,  and  gives  as  its  date  **May  7,  Tan 
de  regne  le  roy  Edward  tierce  puis  la  conquete  trentisme 
secunde/'  i.e.  1358.  (It  is  probable,  from  this  date, 
that  this  was  a  Roger  Delawarre,  second  of  the  name.) 
The  purpose  of  the  indenture  is  the  recall  of  the  monks 
of  Ewyas-Harold  to  the  parent  monastery  at  Gloucester. 
It  appears  there  were  at  this  time  only  a  prior  and  two 
monks  left  at  Ewyas-Harold,  besides-  a  chaplain  to 
officiate  in  the  chapel  of  St.  Nicholas  within  the  castle, 
which  had  been  a  condition  made  in  the  original  grant 
of  land  for  the  founding  of  the  Priory  here.  The  next 
deed  is  entitled  a  license  from  the  same  Roger  Delawarre 
for  recalling  the  above-mentioned  monks  to  Gloucester 
and  maintaining  them  there.  It  recites  that  his  prede- 
cessors in  the  lordship  of  Ewyas,  Harold  of  Ewyas  and 
Robert  his  son,  had  intended  to  found  and  endow  suffi- 
ciently, at  Ewyas-Harold,  a  Priory,  and  the  church  of 
St.  Michael ;  that  now  the  property  belonging  to  the 
Priory  was  not  sufficient  to  support  them  suitably,  con- 
sidering the  immoderate  concourse  of  people  flocking  to 
partake  of  their  hospitality,  and  that  the  monks  of 
Gloucester  had  for  some  years  been  obliged  to  furnish 
them  with  food  and  clothing,  lest  they  should  be 
reduced  to  mendicancy ;  that  the  zeal  in  the  country 
for  religion,  which  existed  at  the  time  of  the  first 
establishment  of  the  monks  at  Ewyas-Harold,  had 
now  become  lukewarm.  Next  follows  the  episcopal 
confirmation  of  this  document,  dwelling  also,  with  much 
expression  of  grief,  upon  the  degeneracy  of  the  age  in 
respect  of  religious  fervour.  This  document  closes  the 
Cartulary. 

From  the  Delawarre  family  the  castle  passed  to  the 
Grandisons  (a  family  of  Burgundian  origin,  into  which 
we  have  seen  the  other  co-heiress  of  the  Tregoz  family, 
Sibilla,  had  married). 

3BD  8SB.,  VOL.  XIV.  6 


66  EWTAS-HAROLD. 

A  William  de  Grandison  was  Bishop  of  Exeter  from 
1327  to  1369.  From  the  Grandisons  the  lordship  of 
Ewyas-Harold  is  said  by  Leland  to  have  passed  by  pur- 
chase to  Johanna  Beauchamp,  Lady  of  Abergavenny, 
who,  there  is  some  reason  to  believe,  was  by  birth  a 
Cantilupe,  and  so  connected  through  the  Tregoz  family 
with  those  of  Delawarre  and  Grandison.  We  read  that 
in  the  year  1403,  in  the  reign  of  Henry  IV,  during  his 
contest  with  Owen  Glendower,  the  king  was  at  Hereford 
giving  orders  to  William  Beauchamp, — probably  one  of 
the  family  to  whom  the  castle  of  Ewyas-Harold  had  now 
fallen,  to  "  take  his  rebels  about  Abergavenny,  (the 
Beauchamps,  we  have  seen,  were  Lords  of  Abergavenny), 
and  Ewyas-Harold,  into  the  grace."  From  this  date,  the 
beginning  of  the  fifteenth  century,  we  seem  to  lose  sight 
of  the  Castle  of  Ewyas-Harold.  Leland,  writing  in  the 
reign  of  Henry  VIII,  speaks  of  it  as  a  ruin.  He  says: 
•*  Great  part  of  Map  harald  Castle  yet  standeth,  and  a 
chapel  of  St.  Nicholas  in  it."  Now  nothing  remains  but 
the  marks  of  the  foundations, — the  fosse,  and  the  arti- 
ficial mound  on  which  the  keep  seems  to  have  been 
built,  with  loose  building  stones  scattered  over  the 
whole  area. 

Coming  down  from  the  reign  of  Henry  VIII  to  that 
of  Charles  I,  we  have  interesting  notices  of  Ewyas- 
Harold.  1.  An  extract  from  Symonds'  MS.  Diary,  kept 
by  a  follower  of  Charles  I,  and  now  in  the  British 
Museum.  Under  date  of  1645  he  notes  that  on  the 
II th  September  the  king,  attended  by  his  guards,  rode 
from  Hereford  to  Abergavenny.  Their  direct  road 
would  be  through  Ewyas-Harold,  which  is  just  half-way 
between  the  two  towns.  They  seem  to  have  made  their 
midday  halt  there,  for  the  writer  makes  the  following 
entry: — **  Ewyas-Harold  Church — ^under  an  arch  against 
the  north  wall  of  the  chancel  lies  a  statue  of  a  woman 
very  old,  holding  between  her  hands  either  a  peare  or  a 
heart.  (This  is  the  effigy,  supposed  to  be  that  of  Clarice, 
daughter  of  John  de  Tregoz).  He  goes  on :  Upon  an 
altar  tomb  in  the  church-yard,  very  faire,  an  inscription 


EWYA8-HAE0LD.  67 

and  this  coate,  for  Thomas  Cardiffe,  buried  1638.  (He 
has  a  drawing  of  this  coate  of  arms  which  consists  of  an 
Indian  bow.)  He  adds :  Upon  a  hill  near  this  church 
was  a  castle,  now  ruined  and  gone." 

Later  in  the  autumn  of  the  same  year  in  which  the  king 
paid  this  peaceful  visit  to  Ewyas-Harold,  it  became  the 
scene  of  an  engagement  between  the  two  hostile  parties 
in  the  civil  war,  the  first  that  took  place  in  Hereford- 
shire. I  proceed  to  give  a  short  account  of  it,  for  which 
I  am  indebted  again  to  the  Rev.  John  Webb's  memoirs 
of  the  civil  war  in  Herefordshire,  not  destined,  1  trust, 
to  continue  as  at  present  only  in  MS.  He  writes: 
"  Late  on  the  evening  of  November  12th,  the  Earl  of 
Stamford  called  a  council  of  war  upon  advice  that  three 
hundred  and  fifty  foot  of  the  enemy  (the  king's  men) 
were  posted  within  five  miles  of  Hereford,  and  it  was  re- 
solved that  a  party,  commanded  by  Kirle,  should  be  sent 
to  surprise  them.  After  this  he  sat  down  and  wrote  a 
despatch  in  which  he  hinted  at  his  design,  and  enclosed 
Lord  Herbert's  letter.  He  magnified  his  services  in 
having,  with  so  small  a  force,  kept  possession  of  so  im- 
portant a  city,  and  silenced  a  host  of  malignants  so  ef- 
fectuaUy  that  the  wavering  had  turned  to  his  side,  and 
the  obstinate  been  forced  to  hide  their  heads.  He  had 
called  a  county  meeting  for  the  following  Tuesday  to  try 
the  afiections  of  the  gentry  and  freeholders,  and  ascer- 
tain what  assistance  might  be  expected  from  them.  He 
promised  to  report  their  proceedings  ;  and,  as  if  he  had 
not  already  more  men  than  he  could  provide  for,  he 
announced  a  project  for  raising  five  hundred  dragoons, 
by  which  he  hoped  to  render  himself  more  useful,  and, 
personally,  to  be  more  secure. 

The  expedition,  having  gone  out  further  than  had 
been  intended,  returned  without  the  loss  of  a  man,  but 
also  without  bringing  in  a  single  prisoner.  The 
Royalists  intended  as  near  an  approach  as  had  been  re- 
ported, but  the  information  proved  merely  a  lure  to 
draw  Kirle  and  his  party  to  a  greater  distance.  When 
they  reached  the  place  that  had  been  pointed  out,  and 

5« 


68  EWYAS-HAROLD. 

where  they  thought  to  have  surprised  these  new-raised 
soldiers  in  the  negligence  or  habitual  repose  of  a  Sab- 
bath morning — they  found  that  they  had  been  deceived ; 
but,  learning  that  they  were  at  Harold's  Ewyas,  and 
being  keen  from  their  late  success,  they  were  unwilling 
to  return  without  an  attempt  to  dislodge  them.  If  the 
cavaliers  had  not  been  thoroughly  prepared  to  receive 
them,  it  would  not  have  been  the  fault  of  the  country 
people,  who  showed  great  good  will  and  alacrity  in 
giving  warning  of  their  approach.  Arrived  at  the  scene 
of  action,  the  commander,  with  his  lieutenant  and  three 
privates,  advancing  before  the  rest,  found  six  Raglan 
soldiers  at  the  entrance  of  the  village.  The  challenge 
and  reply  usual  at  such  meetings  was  sharply  given  and 
returned.  "Who  are  you  fori"  they  cried.  "For  the 
king,  and  plague  take  the  parliament."  Both  sides  then 
fired ;  and,  as  we  are  told,  all  the  Welshmen  were  killed, 
while  not  one  of  their  assailants  was  wounded.  This 
was  succeeded  by  a  rush  of  the  whole  party  into  the 
place,  where  they  killed  fifteen  men,  the  rest  escaping 
to  the  nearest  hilly  ground.  As  Kirle  and  his  officers 
might  reasonably  expect  some  ambush,  they  checked  all 
pursuit ;  and  contenting  themselves  with  sending  a  de- 
fiance to  them  to  come  down,  and  hanging  upon  a  tree 
the  body  of  one  of  the  slain,  who  had  rendered  himself 
odious  to  the  villagers  by  violence  and  robbery,  they 
marched  back  to  their  city  quarters." 

This  account  is  taken  from  a  report  made  to  the  par- 
liament by  the  Earl  of  Stamford,  commanding  the  forces 
in  the  district.  Since  this,  I  know  of  no  event  of  in- 
terest connected  with  Ewyas-Harold.  I  may,  however, 
in  conclusion,  mention  that  it  was  only  in  the  year  1849 
that  Ewyas-Harold,  with  eleven  other  parishes,  was 
transferred  from  the  Diocese  of  St.  David's  to  that  of 
Hereford.  This  district  was  part  of  the  debateable  land 
between  England  and  Wales.  Up  to  the  reign  of 
Henry  VHI,  it  seems  to  have  been  considered  as  Welsh 
but  was  then  (in  that  rearrangement  of  boundaries  by 
which    Monmouthshire   became    an   English   county). 


EWYA8-HAR0LD.  69 

placed,  for  civil  purposes,  in  Herefordshire,  while  left 
ecclesiastically  in  the  Welsh  diocese  of  St.  David's. 
The  Welsh  character  of  the  district  is  shewn  by  the 
names  of  the  great  mass  of  the  inhabitants  being  Welsh, 
as  well  as  the  names  of  the  farms,  hills,  and  separate 
fields.  The  old  British  usage,  a  most  pleasing  and 
poetical  one, — of  decking  the  graves  with  flowers  on 
Palm  Sunday  or  Easter  Day,  still  continues ;  in  con- 
nection with  which  I  may  mention  the  great  reverence 
shewn,  by  the  custom  of  all  attendants  at  funerals 
kneeling  on  the  bare  ground,  during  the  service. 

The  Welsh  mode,  or  rather  Celtic  generally,  of  calling 
one's  father's  or  mother's  first-cousin,  uncle  or  aunt,  is 
still  common.  To  this  I  may  add  that  traces  of  English 
being  an  acquired  language,  are  to  be  found  in  the 
Welsh  accent  which  still  lingers  among  the  older 
people,  and  the  purity  of  their  English,  both  as  to 
grammar  and  pronunciation,  as  compared  with  Hereford- 
shire generally.  Under  the  influence  of  railways  and 
the  influx  of  strangers,  these  peculiarities  are  fast  dis- 
appearing. 

W.  C.    FOWLE. 


70 


DOMESTIC    ARCHITECTURE    OF   SOUTH 
PEMBROKESHIRE. 

(  Continued  from  p.  374,  vol.  miii.) 

We  now  come  to  a  more  important  class  of  houses,  some 
of  which  approach  the  purely  defensive  structure,  and 
may  almost  be  called  the  castle  proper.  One  of  these, 
however,  the  so-called  Priory  House  of  Moncton,  a 
suburb  of  Pembroke,  although  built  on  vaulted  base- 
ments, does  not  present  any  decided  defensive  fea- 
tures, as,  indeed,  might  be  expected  from  its  situation 
close  to  the  great  Castle  of  Pembroke.  Even  in  its 
present  neglected  condition  it  is  a  very  picturesque 
edifice,  and  of  particular  interest  as  being  probably  the 
only  remaining  example  of  an  Abbot's  or  Prior's  house 
throughout  Wales,  for  such  it  appears  to  be.  In  Fen- 
ton's  time  it  was  occupied  by  a  farmer- — ^but  is  also  stated 
to  have  been  used  as  the  parish  workhouse — a  state- 
ment not  consistent  with  what  Fenton  says.  It  is  now 
principally  used  as  a  workshop.  A  view  of  it,  slightly 
differing  from  the  one  here  given,  will  be  found  in  the 
Domestic  Architecture  of  the  Middle  Ages  (fourteenth 
century),  where  it  is  called,  not  the  Prior's  house,  but 
the  Great  Hall^  or  the  Charity  Hall,  which  last 
appellation  may  be  connected  with  the  story  of 
its  having  been  used  as  the  poor-house.  The  as- 
sumption, however,  that  the  building  was  the  Prior's 
residence  creates  a  slight  difficulty,  as  it  is  of  earlier 
date,  according  to  the  author  of  the  work  mentioned 
above,  than  the  foundation  of  the  Priory  itself,  which,  as 
Leland  states,  was  founded  for  Blackfriars  by  Humphrey, 
Duke  of  Gloucester,  in  the  reign  of  Henry  the  Sixth. 
This  difficulty  may  be  partly  explained  by  the  fact  that 
Amulf  de  Montgomery  gave  the  original  church  of  St. 
Nicholas  within  the  castle  walls,  together  with  twenty 
carucates  of  land  to  the  abbey  of  Sayes,  in  Normandy, 
and  according  to  the  same  authority,  William  Marshall 
subsequently  founded,  and  liberally  endowed,  a  priory 


DOMESTIC  ARCHITECTURE,  ETC.  71 

for  monks  of  the  Benedictine  order,  and  made  it  a  cell  to 
the  same  abbey.  It  was  afterwards  seized  by  Edward  III 
into  his  own  hands ;  restored  by  Henry  IV;  again  seized 
by  the  crown,  19  Hen.  VI,  and  granted  to  the  Duke  of 
Gloucester,  who  made  his  new  foundation  a  cell  to 
St.  Alban's  (Fenton,  p.  373).  If,  then,  it  is  a  prior's 
house,  and  correctly  assigned  to  the  fourteenth  century, 
it  must  have  been  the  house  of  the  Benedictine  prior. 

The  house  consists  of  two  portions  at  right  angles  to 
each  other ;  that  portion  which  runs  parallel  with  the 
street  consisting  of  only  one  story,  while  the  other  has 
an  additional  one,  reached  by  an  internal  newel  stair. 
In  neither  of  the  two  portions,  however,  is  there  any 
direct  communication  with  the  basements,  which  are 
vaulted  in  the  usual  manner,  except  that  the  western 
basement  is  groined,  as  at  Carew,  Manorbier,  Stackpole, 
Elidur,  and  Gumfrestone,  as  well  as  in  the  central 
crypt  at  Stackpole  Court.  There  are  no  signs  of  tracery 
in  any  of  the  windows,  but,  as  suggested  by  the  author 
of  the  Domestic  Architecture  of  the  Middle  Ages^  wood 
tracery,  as  at  Tenby,  may  have  been  used.  Some  alter- 
ations appear  to  have  been  made  since  the  view  given  in 
that  work  was  taken,  as  there  are  at  present  no  small 
dormer  windows  in  the  eastern  portion  of  the  house. 
The  room  to  which  the  exterior  staircase  leads  would  in 
an  ordinary  house  be  the  common  hall,  which  in  the 
present  instance  communicated  with  the  other  apart- 
ments, the  arrangement  of  which  cannot  be  clearly  made 
out  owing  to  partition  walls  apparently  of  lat^r  date. 

The  rear  of  the  building  is  difficult  of  access,  and  is 
only  approached  through  a  stable.  On  this  side  is  the 
doorway,  probably  used  by  the  prior  and  his  attendants, 
as  leading  direct  through  the  park  or  paddock  to  the 
church,  so  as  to  avoid  goinj|^  by  the  public  road.  In 
Fenton's  time  this  park  wai  well  walled  round,  and 
contained  a  dove-cot,  the  onstomary  appendage  to  a 
house  of  importance. 

In  the  upper  part  of  the  building,  projecting  at  right 
angles,  is  an  opening,  which  is  evidently  a  doorway,  but 


72 


DOMESTIC  ARCHITECTURE 


where  it  led  to  it  is  difficult  to  conjecture.  It  is 
reached  by  a  newel  stair,  which  starts  from  an  upper 
room  resting  on  a  vaulted  basement.  From  the  remains 
of  corbels  beneath  it  is  evident  that  there  was  some  small 
stage  or  gallery,  which  must  have  been  of  wood,  as  there 
is  not  the  least  indication  of  any  external  stone  structure. 
It  could  not  have  been  intended  for  hoisting  heavy  ar- 
ticles to  the  upper  chamber,  as  it  would  not  have  opened 
on  such  narrow  stairs,  but  on  the  level  of  the  apartment. 
Unless  by  means  of  a  ladder,  or  something  of  the  kind, 
access  to  the  apartment  was  intended,  the  use  of  this 
opening  is  not  easily  explained. 

The  chimney  stack,  already  alluded  to  (p.  196)  is  one 
of  the  best,  if  not  the  best,  existing  specimen  of  the 


MonktOD,  Pembroke. 


OP  SOUTH    PEMBROKESHIRE.  73 

slender  elongated  shaft  as  distinguished  from  the  shorter 
and  more  massive  ones  so  common  in  parts  of  this  dis- 
trict, and  which  have  been  the  subject  of  so  many 
theories  as  to  their  origin  and  builders.  Very  few 
examples  of  the  Moncton  class  are  known  to  exist. 
Perhaps  they  were  never  so  much  in  fashion  as  their 
more  sturdy  brothers,  and  probably  only  used  in  more 
important  houses.  The  one  at  Moncton  is  certainly 
creditable  to  the  prior's  taste.  Another  example  may 
be  seen  at  the  back  of  the  house  in  Pembroke  already 
alluded  to  (p.  197).  It  is  considerably  out  of  the  per- 
pendicular, and  is  so  closely  surrounded  by  various 
mean  buildings  that  a  good  view  of  it  is  not  to  be  easily 
obtained.  The  small  shafts  surmounting  portions  of  the 
opposite  castle  may  be,  perhaps,  ranked  with  this  divi- 
sion of  Pembrokeshire  chimneys. 

Nearly  opposite  St.  Mary's  Church  in  the  town  of 
Haverfordwest  is  a  transition-Norman  substructure  of  a 
house,  which  was  visited  by  the  members  during  the 
Haverfordwest  meeting. 

The  ancient  vicarage  of  Castle  Martin,  now  used  as  a 
cottage,  has  a  pier  of  the  thirteenth  century,  with  two 
arcades  ;  but  further  notice  of  them  is  adjourned  for  the 
present,  as  illustrations  of  them  and  the  adjoining  church 
will  probably  appear  in  an  early  number  of  this  Journal. 

In  the  neighbouring  parish  of  Nangle,  too  frequently 
of  late  called  Angle,  still  exist  evidences  of  the  former 
importance  of  this  district,  so  much  greater  than  it  pos- 
sesses at  present.  At  a  time  when  the  ordinary  and  most 
easy  communication  to  this  part  of  the  country  was  by 
Milford  Haven,  a  secure  occupation  of  its  entrance  must 
have  been  of  considerable  importance,  as  it  is  at  this  day, 
when  strong  works  are  being  erected  along  the  shores, 
one  of  which  has  been  built  on  the  site  of  a  primitive 
earthwork. 

The  most  remarkable  of  the  structures  in  Nangle 
village  is  a  square  defensive  tower,  which,  from  its  in- 
ternal arrangements,  however,  may  be  placed  among 
domestic  edifices.     Fen  ton,  p.  401,  seems  to  allude  to  it, 


74  DOMESTIC  ARCHITECTURE 

and  states  it  to  have  been  the  principal  residence  of  the 
Sherbumes,  the  lords  of  the  place. 

It  appears  from  The  Golden  Grove  Book  that  Robert 
Sherburne,  in  the  reign  of  Edward  the  Third,  married 
Isabel,  daughter  and  heir  of  Stephen,  son  of  Philip  de 
Nangle  ;  but,  jf  Fenton  is  correct,  the  property  thus  ac- 
quired could  have  remained  but  a  very  short  time  in  the 
Sherburne  family,  for,  according  to  the  same  historian 
of  Pembrokeshire,  Robert  Cradock,  of  Newton  in  Rhos, 
married  the  coheiress  of  the  Sherburnes ;  and,  as  he  was 
an  ancestor  of  Sir  Richard  Cradock,  more  usually  known 
as  Richard  Newton,  Chief  Justice  of  the  Common  Pleas, 
who  died  in  1444,  it  is  clear  that  Robert  Cradock  must 
have  been  nearly  cotemporary  with  the  Sherburne  who 
married  the  heiress  of  Nangle.  Fenton,  however,  may 
be  as  incorrect  in  this  statement  as  he  undoubtedly  is  in 
the  very  next  sentence,  when  he  calls  the  wife  of  Richard 
the  Chief  Justice  the  heiress  of  Jestington  or  Eastington, 
which  she  certainly  was  not  {Arch.  Camb.^  1865,  p.  25). 
The  estate,  including  the  whole  of  the  parish  of  Nangle, 
with  the  exception  of  the  church  property  and  one  small 
farm,  was  purchased  early  in  the  present  century  by  Mr. 
Mirehouse,  the  great  grandfather  of  the  present  owner. 

Fenton  has  also  given  a  wrong  account  of  this  build- 
ing when  he  states  that  in  his  time  it  was  an  inn.  The 
inn  was  the  present  farm-house  near  tlfe  tower.  Al- 
though this  house  is  of  comparatively  modem  date,  yet 
the  adjuncts  of  a  moat,  and  the  mediaeval  detached  out- 
buildings still  retaining  those  curious  triangular  aper- 
tures, so  numerous  in  Manorbier  Castle,  indicate  that  the 
present  house  is  the  successor  of  an  earlier  and  more  im- 
portant one.  A  little  in  the  rear  is  the  ancient  dove- 
house,  which  is  very  similar  to  the  one  near  Manorbier 
Castle.  It  is  singular,  therefore,  that  two  houses  of  such 
importance  should  have  been  built  so  close  to  one 
another,  unless  the  singularity  may  be  explained  as  sug- 
gested by  a  gentleman  residing  near  Nangle,  and  who 
has  always  taken  the  greatest  interest  in  the  preserva- 
tion of  the  square  tower,  that  both  buildings  form,  in 


INTEBIOB  OF  OLD  BSCTOBT,   NANGLB^    PBMBBOKS8HIBS. 


ARCH.  CAMB.     VuL.  XIT. 


OF  SOUTH    PEMBROKESHIRE.  75 

reality, only  one  large  mansion  or  homestead,  more  or  less 
fortified,  the  square  tower  being,  as  it  were,  the  keep  of 
the  whole.  This  may  probably  be  the  correct  explana- 
tion, unless  another  suggestion  be  worth  consideration ; 
namely,  that  when  in  course  of  time  the  square  tower 
was  not  considered  so  convenient  a  residence,  another 
one  better  suited  to  the  requirements  of  the  time  was 
built  near  it,  and  protected  by  a  moat,  and,  perhaps, 
other  works  which  have  now  disappeared,  for  the  tower 
appears  to  have  been  so  strong  as  not  to  require  any 
additional  defences. 

The  tower  is  also  said  to  have  been  the  ancient  rectory, 
and  the  dove-cot,  farm-house,  and  appurtenances,  with  a 
considerable  farm-house  adjoining,  are  the  property  of 
the  sinecure  rector  of  this  benefice,  ^hich  Giraldus 
Cambrensis  thought  worthy  of  acceptance.  How  this 
account  is  to  be  reconciled  with  the  property  being  in 
the  hands  of  the  Sherburnes  after  his  time,  and  how  it 
subsequently  came  back  to  the  church,  remains  yet  to 
be  explained. 

In  the  tower  is  the  usual  vaulted  basement,  which 
could  never  have  been  used  for  other  purposes  than 
cellarage  or  storage.  The  first  floor  (see  cut  3)  is 
reached  by  a  staircase,  partly  internal  and  partly  ex- 
ternal, afterwards  continued  by  a  newel  stair,  which 
leads  to  the  second  and  third  stories.  There  are  no 
other  evidences  of  vaulting  employed  except  in  a  narrow 
passage  between  the  walls  on  the  level  of  the  second 
story,  lighted  by  small  windows  on  each  side.  This 
passage  leads  to  a  latrina.  Each  of  the  stories  is  pro- 
vided with  a  fire-place,  and  the  whole  arrangement  of 
rooms  is  on  a  more  ample  scale  than  in  houses  of  the 
same  time  and  locality.  The  large  opening  opposite  the 
fire-place  in  the  first  story  will  be  alluded  to  in  the 
notice  of  the  exterior  of  the  building. 

The  cut  No.  4  gives  a  faithful  representation  of  the 
exterior.  The  entrance  is  not  visible  from  the  point 
whence  the  view  was  taken,  but  is  above  the  level 
ground,  and  approached  by  stone  steps,  which  conduct 


76  DOMESTIC  ARCHITECTURE 

to  the  first  floor  and  the  foot  of  the  newel  stair  leading 
to  the  upper  stories.  Close  to  it  is  the  large  opening 
opposite  the  fire-place  (see  cut  No.  3),  and  which, 
reaching  to  the  ground,  is  not  a  mere  window  of  large 
size.  Its  use  may  have  been  two-fold,  either  to  furnish 
access  to  the  exterior  by  a  ladder  or  any  moveable  steps, 
or,  as  it  seems  more  likely,  for  hoisting  bulky  and 
heavy  articles  not  easily  introduced  by  the  small  stair- 
case in  the  turret.  Exactly  over  it,  and  in  the  story 
above,  are  two  small  openings,  which  have  at  one  time 
been  covered  with  a  small  projecting  roof;  and,  as  there 
are  two  small  corbels  remaining  at  the  base,  it  would 
appear  that  a  small  gallery  masked  this  part  of  the 
building,  and  was  intended  for  additional  protection  to 
the  larger  openjing  below,  or  for  working  the  machinery 
employed  in  hoisting  up  heavy  goods  to  the  story 
beneath. 

Above  are  also  well- developed  corbels,  continued 
round  the  other  sides  of  the  building,  and  which  once 
supported  a  gallery,  probably  of  wood,  access  to  it  being 
had  by  a  doorway  at  the  summit  of  the  stairs  in  the 
tower.  By  means  of  the  intervals  between  the  corbels, 
the  bottom  of  the  walls  was  protected  against  sapping 
or  undermining,  while  from  the  gallery  would  be  dis- 
charged missiles,  preventing  too  close  an  approach  to 
the  walls. 

It  would  be  a  matter  of  deep  regret  if  this  interesting 
relic  of  mediaeval  Pembrokeshire  were  permitted  to  fall 
to  ruin  from  neglect,  or  by  conversion  into  a  quarry  of 
hewn  stone.  The  walls  at  present  seem  substantial  and 
in  fair  condition,  and  very  trifling  repairs  from  time  to 
time  would  preserve  in  its  present  condition  for  many 
years. 

At  the  back  of  some  cottages  lining  the  principal 
street  of  the  village  exist  the  ruins  of  a  large  square 
building,  which  has  little  in  common  with  the  majority 
of  Pembrokeshire  remains.  The  present  building  ap- 
pears to  be  tolerably  complete  in  itself  with  the  excep- 
tion of  the  entrance,  which  was  probably  fortified,  if 


OF  SOUTH    PEMBROKESHIRE.  77 

such  an  inference  can  be  drawn  from  the  deeply  splayed 
opening,  half-window  and  half  loophole,  a  part  of  which 
appears  to  the  left  of  the  cut  (No.  5)  representing  the 


Nangle.    No.  5. 

interior.  It  is  questionable  whether  the  building  con- 
sisted of  one  or  two  stories  ;  if  the  former,  the  arrange- 
ments must  have  been  confined  to  the  basement,  and  a 
large  hall  above.  The  basement  must  have  been  ill- 
provided  with  light,  while  the  hall,  from  the  si«e  of  its 
windows,  must  have  been  unusually  well  lit.  No  traces 
of  the  usual  vaulting  exist.  The  floor  of  the  hall  was 
supported  by  a  huge  beam  running  the  length  of  the 
hall,  the  joists  also  resting  on  ledges  carried  along  each 
side  of  the  room.  In  the  angle  is  a  small  doorway, 
apparently  leading  to  nothing,  unless  access  to  the  upper 
story  was  obtained  through  this  entrance  by  wooden 
steps  capable  of  being  removed  at  pleasure.  This  may 
have  been  the  case,  as  there  are  no  traces  of  any  interior 
or  exterior  stairs. 

Whatever  external  offices  once  existed  have  vanished, 
and  have  been  succeeded  by  pig-sties  and  other  un- 


78 


DOMESTIC  ARCHITECTURE 


seemly  buildings.  The  recess  with  a  stone  shelf  seems 
to  have  served  as  a  cupboard.  Cut  No.  6  gives  the  ex- 
terior. 


NoDgle.    No.  6. 

Of  the  history  of  the  house  nothing  is  known.  Fenton 
(p.  402)  quotes  Canon  Lewis'  opinion  as  communicated 
to  Brown  Willis  in  1719,  that  it  had  been,  or  at  least 
was,  generally  reputed  to  have  been  a  nunnery.  This 
story  is  preferred  by  Fenton  to  another ;  namely,  that 
three  sisters  and  coheiresses  built  each  a  house — one, 
the  castle ;  another,  this  square  building ;  and  the  third, 
a  mansion  at  a  little  distance  to  the  south-east,  called 
the  Halk  The  three  buildings  are,  however,  of  such  dif- 
ferent periods  and  characters  as  to  enable  us  at  once  to 
include  this  particular  tradition  among  similarones  found 
in  all  parts  of  the  country  concerning  these  mythical  co- 
operative sisters.  In  confirmation  of  the  nunnery  theory, 
Fenton  states  that  the  site  of  a  church  could  be  easily 
made  out  in  a  field  to  the  west  of  the  village,  called 
the  Church-field.  But  even  this  circumstance  throws 
little  light  on  the  matter.  All  that  can  be  said  is,  that 
if  this  half-house  half-castle  was  a  nunnery,  Pembroke- 
shire nunneries  must  have  been  very  different  from  other 
nunneries.  The  same  story  of  a  nunnery  was  told  of  a 
house  in  St.  David's  which  has  been  demolished  a  few 


OF  SOUTH    PEMBROKESHIRE.  79 

years  ago,  but  which  was  in  reality  a  house  not  unlike 
some  of  those  mentioned  in  this  notice.  This  building 
was  of  moderate  dimensions,  and  consisted  simply  of  a 
vaulted  basement,  with  apartments  above,  and  could 
never  have  been  anything  but  a  superior  kind  of  house 
of  the  time.  The  street  is,  or  was,  called  Nun  Street 
after  the  mother  of  St.  David,  and,  being  probably  the 
oldest  building  in  the  street,  thus  obtained  the  name  of 
Nunnery. 

There  are  no  marked  details  of  the  house  in  Nangle 
whereby  its  date  can  be  accurately  decided,  but  it  does 
not  appear  to  be  anterior  to  the  fifteenth  century,  and 
may  be  a  century  later. 

One  of  the  most  perfect,  if  not  the  most  perfect,  ex- 
amples of  the  domestic  architecture  of  the  district  is  the 
house  of  Eastington  or  Iseston,  at  no  great  distance  from 
Nangle,  and  situated  close  to  the  shore  of  the  bay  of 
that  name.  In  some  early  deeds  it  is  spelt  Estyngeston ; 
but  its  earlier  form  was  Jestynton  or  Jestynstown,  being 
80  called  after  its  founder,  Jestyn,  a  grandson  of  Howell 
Dda.  The  original  name  was  probably  Tre-Jestyn,  or, 
as  the  Anglo-Norman  would  call  it,  Jestyngton.  There 
are  numerous  instances,  in  Pembrokeshire,  of  the  same 
change  from  the  Welsh  to  the  English  form. 

This  building  is  not  only  one  of  the  most  perfect,  but 
it  is  one  which  presents  least  difficulty  as  to  its  real 
date,  which  is  that  of  the  reign  of  Edward  II,  as  fixed 
by  Mr.  J.  H.  Parker.  The  property  came  into  the  Per- 
rot  family  by  the  marriage  of  Stephen,  the  first  of  the 
Pembrokeshire  line,  with  one  of  the  two  coheiresses  of 
Meirchion  (ap  Rhys),  the  great-grandson  of  Jestyn. 
The  present  structure,  therefore,  could  not  have  been 
erected  by  this  Stephen  Perrot ;  nor  is  it  certain  that  it 
occupies  the  site  of  the  original  house.  The  Perrots, 
however,  resided  here  for  many  generations,  although 
Fenton  thinks  that,  after  the  acquisition  of  Haroldston 
by  marriage,  their  principal  residence  was  transferred  to 
the  more  agreeable  neighbourhood  of  Haverfordwest, 
near  which  Haroldston  is  situated.     But  however  this 


80  DOMESTIC  ARCHITECTURE 

may  be,  it  continued  in  the  possession  of  the  Perrots 
until  the  attainder  of  Sir  John,  the  Lord  Deputy.  His 
grandson,  Hugh,  a  younger  son  of  Sir  John  Phillips  of 
Picton,was  of  this  place,  as  appears  from  the  Dale  Castle 
Genealogies  (p.  129),  and  from  his  tombstone,  partly  ille- 
gible, in  Rhoscrowther  church.  During  the  close  of  the 
seventeenth,  and  nearly  the  whole  of  the  eighteenth, 
century,  it  was  the  chief  residence  of  the  Meares  family, 
from  whom  the  estate  was  purchased,  circa  1840,  by 
Mr.  Common  Sergeant  Mirehouse,  the  son  of  the  pur- 
chaser of  Nangle. 

The  building  consists  of  the  usual  vaulted  basements 
and  the  apartments  above,  consisting  of  two,  namely, 
the  great  hall,  reached  by  an  external  flight  of  steps ; 
and  a  smaller  one  adjoining  it,  for  more  private  use. 
The  hall  was  lit  by  a  small  Early  English  two-light  win- 
dow at  each  end ;  others  probably  ^Iso  once  existed  in 
the  other  parts  of  the  building,  but  have  since  been  re- 
placed by  square  ones  of  a  later  date.  A  small  newel- 
staircase  leads  to  the  little  tower  on  the  roof,  whence  a 
wide  prospect  towards  the  haven  can  be  had.  This  might 
also  serve  as  an  additional  defence  to  the  angle  between 
the  two  parts  of  the  building,  shewn  in  the  accompany- 
ing illustration.  (Cut  No.  7.)  The  present  flight  of  stone 
steps  is  not  the  original  one.  The  vaulted  basements  are 
not  provided  with  means  of  warming,  as  is  so  frequently 
the  case.  They  are,  however,  more  lofty  and  spacious 
than  usual  in  the  district,  and  may  have  been  intended  for 
occupation, not  merely  as  a  repository  for  stores.  The  pre- 
sent lights  in  them  are  not  original.  The  modern  house 
of  the  Meares,  recently  removed,  abutted  on  the  western 
wall  of  the  main  building,  and  a  farmhouse  stands  at 
present  on  the  other  side ;  so  that,  as  might  be  expected 
under  the  circumstances,  no  remains  of  external  offices 
or  defensive  walls  can  be  made  out.  There  is,  however, 
no  doubt  that  in  the  present  building  we  have  substan- 
tially a  complete  residence  of  the  early  part  of  the  four- 
teenth century,  and  that  it  is  not  a  remnant  of  a  more 
extensive  structure,  as  Fenton  states. 


OP  SOUTH    PEMBROKESHIRE.  81 

In  the  parish  of  St.  Issel,  about  four  miles  from  Tenby, 
is  a  building  which,  like  that  last  noticed,  approaches 
the  castle  rather  than  a  domestic  edifice.  It  takes  its 
name  of  Bonvil  Court  from  one  De  Bonville,^  its  Anglo- 
Norman  possessor  ;  the  date,  however,  of  whose  arrival 
in  these  parts  is  uncertain.  If  he  was  among  the  first 
settlers, the  present  building  could  not  have  been  erected 
by  him,  as  it  must  be  assigned  to  the  Edwardian  time. 
As,  however,  there  is  another  place  of  the  same  name, 
although  in  a  slightly  different  form,  near  Cowbridge  in 
Glamorganshire,  called  Bonvilston,  or  Boulston,  the 
Pembrokeshire  De  Bonville  may  be  an  oflFshoot  of  the 
Glamorganshire  family,  and  have  come  into  the  posses- 
sion of  Bonville  Court  at  a  later  date.  Now,  according 
to  Fenton,  Nicholas  De  Bonville  was  returned  as  pos- 
sessing lands  in  Coedtraeth,  within  which  Bonville  Court 
stands,  in  the  time  of  Edward  II.  He  may,  perhaps, 
therefore,  have  been  the  builder.  Allusion  has  been 
already  made  to  the  contrast  of  ancient  and  modern 
Pembrokeshire  as  regards  its  woods.  Coedtraeth  is  an 
example,  where  the  only  evidence  of  its  former  woods 
and  forests  is  to  be  found  in  the  first  syllable  of  that 
name. 

Cut  No.  8  represents  the  front  of  the  house,  which, 
like  that  of  the  square  tower  at  Nangle,  is  provided  with 
internal  communication  by  a  newel  stair  placed  in  an 
angle  of  the  higher  tower.  The  entrance  on  the  right 
hand  leads  to  the  interior  of  the  larger  basement,  and 
to  the  stairs  which  conduct  to  the  upper  chambers  and 
the  exterior  of  the  roof.  At  the  opposite  end  of  the 
building  is  another  entrance,  which  merely  opens  into 
a  very  narrow  vaulted  room,  or  rather  a  wide  passage, 
which  was  evidently  intended  for  stores  only.  Over  it 
and  the  adjoining  basement  is  the  large  upper  chamber, 
which  is  vaulted  in  the  same  manner  as  the  basements. 

^  As  many  of  the  Anglo-Norman  settlers  in  South  Wales  came  from 
the  opposite  shores,  it  is,  as  suggested  by  Mr.  G.  T.  Clark,  probable 
that  the  De  Bonvilles  of  Glamorganshire  are  connected  with  the 
families  of  that  name  in  Devon  and  Somersetshire. 

3rd  ser.,  vol..  XIV.  6 


82 


DOMESTIC  ARCHITECTURE 


As  you  enter  there  is  a  large  fireplace  on  the  right  hand, 
and  beyond  it  a  window ;  which,  however,  is  a  later 
insertion,  like  that  beneath,  which  lights  the  basement. 
(See  cut  No.  9.)  The  original  windows  were  doubt- 
lessly better  adapted  for  defensive  purposes  than  the 
present  one. 


Bonvilla  Court.    No.  8. 


In  the  middle  of  the  building  is  an  opening,  the  sill  of 
which  is  level  with  the  floor  of  the  upper  chamber.  The 
use  of  this  opening  appears  to  have  been  the  same  as 
the  one  at  Nangle,  namely  the  hoisting  up  bulky  articles, 
such  as  could  not  be  easily  conveyed  up  the  stairs. 
There  are  no  traces  of  any  supporting  corbels  which 
might  have  supported  a  small  projecting  gallery  such  as 
might  have  commanded  the  entrances  below  on  each 
side.  At  some  period  an  additional  building  has  been 
reared  against  the  front,  but  has  long  since  been  de- 
stroyed. The  fragment  of  a  wall  still  remaining  may 
have  been  connected  with  this  addition,  and  which  may 
have  been  made  when  the  windows  in  the  principal 
chamber  were  inserted,  and  the  mansion  in  general  been 
adapted  for  more  modern  requisitions. 


OF  SOUTFI    PEMBROKESHIRE. 


sn 


Originally  there  were  parapets  all  round  the  build- 
ing ;  and,  as  the  rooms  below  the  roof  are  stone- vaulted, 
there  was  good  footing  for  defensive  purposes.  There 
appears  also  to  have  been  a  square  court  which  enclosed 


£LS    -^-^_' 


Boiiville  Court,    N«).  9. 


the  building,  one  side  of  which  seems  to  correspond  with 
the  present  low  garden  wall  in  front.  The  whole 
building  is  far  inferior  in  size  and  importance  to  those 
of  Eastington  and  Nangle,  but  is  nevertheless  a  valuable 
example  of  domestic  buildings  at  a  period  when  the 
country  was  still  unsettled,  and  the  security  of  such  pro- 
perty depended  more  on  the  strength  of  the  building  and 
occupants  than  parchment  deeds.  Of  its  history  little  is 
known, except  that  a  Welsh  family  of  good  descent  came 
into  possession  at  an  early  period.  The  first,  who  assumed 
the  surname  of  Jones,  married  an  Elliot  of  Amroth,  a 
place  not  far  distant.  His  son  William  married  a 
daughter  of  Walter  Philpin,  of  Tenby,  a  neighbour  on 
the  other  side,  and  whose  mother  was  Jane,  sole  heir  of 
Thomas  Perrot,  of  Scotsborough  ;  and,  as  in  the  time  of 
L.  Dwnn,  the  owner  of  Bonville  quartered  Perrot,  this 
coat  may  have  been  thus  assumed. 


84  DOMIiSTlC  ARCHITECTUUE,  ETC. 

It  is  iu  a  very  neglected  condition,  and  appears  to  be 
an  appurtenance  common  to  some  cottages  at  its  foot, 
and  which  are  occupied  by  coal-miners.  The  walls, 
however,  are  in  tolerably  sound  condition. 

For  the  present  the  Domestic  Architecture  of  South 
Pembrokeshire  may  be  considered  sufficiently  illus- 
trated ;  but,  as  there  are  probably  many  other  remains 
of  the  same  varied  character  and  importance,  it  is  to  be 
hoped  that  this  imperfect  notice  given  in  the  Journal  of 
the  Association  may  induce  members  who  reside  in  that 
part  of  the  country  to  turn  their  attention  to  the  sub- 
ject, and  communicate  the  result  of  their  investigations. 
But  another,  and  perhaps  more  desirable,  object  will  be 
attained  if  the  owners  of  such  houses  can  be  induced  to 
place  a  proper  value  on  them,  and  preserve  as  far  as 
possible  such  memorials  of  their  predecessors  as  are 
w^orthy  of  preservation,  not  only  from  their  individual 
character,  but  as  furnishing  a  safe  and  clear  insight  into 
the  manner  of  life  in  a  district  so  peculiarly  situated  as 
was  the  southern  portion  of  Pembrokeshire. 

E.  L.  Barnwell. 


85 


NOTES   ON    A   PORTION    OF   THE   MATGORN-YR- 

YCH  CANAWG,  OR  THE  HORN  CORE  OF 

THE  GREAT  OX. 

FROM    THE   CHURCH   OF  LLANDDEWI    BREVI,  CARDIGANSHIRE. 

Two  summers  ago  I  was  engaged  in  tracing  glacial 
phenomena  in  that  wild  district  of  South  Wales  which 
lies  between  Llandovery  and  Tregarron,  and  which,  oc- 
cupying a  hill  country  between  the  Towy  and  Teivy 
rivers,  rises  in  the  hill  of  Craig  Twrch  to  the  height  of 
more  than  two  thousand  feet  above  the  sea.  1  was  ac- 
companied by  my  friend  the  Rev.  James  Hughes,  of 
Glan  Rheidol,  Cardiganshire,  and  the  Berrow,  Worces- 
tershire, who  was  my  guide  over  the  hills,  and  conducted 
me  to  Llanddewi  Brevi,  a  place  of  considerable  interest 
in  the  ecclesiastical  history  of  Wales,  for  it  was  here 
that  a  synod  was  held  for  the  suppression  of  the  Pelagian 
heresy  a.d.  619.  Here  also  preached  St.  David,  the 
patron  Saint  of  Wales,  and  here,  according  to  Giraldus 
Cambrensis,  who  visited  Llanddewi  Brevi,  in  the  reign 
of  Henry  II,  a.d.  1188,  was  wrought  a  notable  miracle, 
or  rather  miracles,  for  **when  all  the  fathers  assembled 
enjoyned  St.  David  to  preach,  he  commanded  a  child 
which  attended  him,  and  had  lately  been  restored  to  life 
by  him,  to  spread  a  napkin  under  his  feet,  and,  standing 
upon  it,  he  began  to  expound  the  Gospel  and  the  law 
to  the  audience.  All  the  while  that  his  oration  con- 
tinued a  snow-white  dove  descending  from  heaven  sat 
upon  his  shoulder ;  and,  moreover,  the  earth  on  which 
he  stood  raised  itself  under  him  till  it  became  a  hill,  from 
whence  his  voyce,  like  a  trumpet,  was  clearly  heard  and 
understood  by  all,  both  near  and  far  oflF.  On  the  top  of 
which  hill  a  church  was  afterwards  built  which  remains 
to  this  day"  {Giraldus  in  vita  St  David  apud  Cresst/^ 
lib.  ii,  cap.  11). 

The  principal  reason  of  our  visit  to  Llanddewi  Brevi 
was  to  see  the  church  where  once  was  suspended  the 
horn  of  that  gigantic  ox  which  was  seen   by  Bishop 


86  NOTES  ON  A  PORTION 

Gibson,  and  is  described  in  his  additions  to  Camden's 
Britannia^  written  in  the  time  of  William  111  (edit. 
1695),  as  having  been  there  ever  since  the  time  of  St. 
David. 

"This  Matkorn,"  says  Gibson,  "  seemed  to  me  a  very 
remarkable  curiosity.  For  if  it  be  not  really  (as  the 
name  implies)  the  interior  horn  of  an  ox,  it  very  much 
resembles  it,  and  yet  is  so  weighty  that  it  seemed  abso- 
lutely petrified.  It  is  full  of  large  cells  or  holes,  and 
the  circumference  of  it  at  the  root  is  about  seventeen 
inches"  (Gibson's  Camden^  ed.  1695,  p.  644,  645). 

Again,  about  1813  or  1814,  all  that  was  left  of  the 
*'Matkorn"  was  seen  by  Rees,  who  describes  a  fragment 
of  what  was  seen  by  Gibson  as  being  still  preserved  in 
the  church,  but  as  being  "no  more  than  afoot  in  length." 

This  is,  1  have  no  doubt,  the  relic  which  1  have  now 
to  submit  to  your  inspection,  and  it  has  been  preserved 
in  the  family  of  Mr.  Hughes,  of  Glan  Rheidol,  since  the 
year  1823.     (See  label  on  the  Matkorn.) 

Before  I  enter  upon  the  history  of  what  this  "Mat- 
korn" proves  to  be,  1  would  invite  attention  to  a  few  of 
the  Welsh  traditions  respecting  the  former  existence  of 
large  horned  animals  in  South  Wales.  My  friend  Pro- 
fessor Ramsay,  who  took  much  interest  in  the  specimen, 
sent  me  the  following  extract  from  William  Owen's 
Welsh  Dictionary,  1803:— 

"  Banawg,  prominent,  conspicuous,  notable.  Ychain  banawg, 
the  large-horned  oxen,  were  some  kind  of  animals  formerly  in 
Wales,  probably  either  the  moose,  the  elk,  or  bison,  most  pro- 
bably the  latter.  These  gave  rise  to  many  stories  which  are 
current  over  all  Wales ;  and  there  is  hardly  a  lake  but  is  as- 
serted in  the  neighbourhood  to  be  the  one  out  of  which  the 
Ychain  banawg  drew  xheAvanc,  another  terrible  animal  under 
the  name  of  the  beaver.  At  Llanddewi  Brevi  they  shewed  till 
lately  some  very  large  horns,  which  they  asserted  were  those  of 
the  Yi^ain  banawg,  Cainc  yr  Ygain  banawg  is  a  strange  piece 
of  music,  still  known  to  a  few,  intended  as  an  imitation  of  the 
lowing  and  rattling  of  the  chains  of  the  Y9ain  banawg  in  draw- 
ing the  Avanc  out  of  the  lake." 

There  is  a  note  in  Gough's  additions  to  Camden  which 


OF  THE    MATGOUN   YR  YCH  CANAWG.  87 

does  not  appear  in  Gibson's  additions  to  the  Britannia^ 
viz.,  that  "the  oxen  called  ychen  bannog  drew  away  a 
monstrous  beaver  dead."  Professor  Ramsay,  however, 
informs  me  that  Mr.  Williams  of  Treffos,  and  Mr.  Johnes 
of  Dolaucothy,  both  accomplished  Welsh  scholars,  are  of 
opinion  that  the  avanc,  which  some  consider  to  mean 
the  beaver,  is  the  name  of  some  water  monster  which,  in 
these  days,  at  least,  is  fabulous. 

So  much  for  the  Welsh  traditions  of  certain  gigantic 
oxen,  and  some  other  animal  now  extinct.  It  remains 
for  us  to  see  if  we  can  gather  some  germs  of  fact  from 
the  clouds  of  tradition. 

This  precious  relic  from  the  church  of  Llanddewi 
Brevi  was  entrusted  to  my  care,  and  I  forwarded  it  to 
Sir  Charles  Lyell,  who  was  so  good  as  to  consult  Mr. 
Boyd  Dawkins,  a  gentleman  well-known  for  his  know- 
ledge of  the  comparative  anatomy  of  the  extinct  mam- 
malia, and  especially  for.  his  researches  respecting  the 
extinct  boves  (oxen).  The  following  letter  was  for- 
warded to  me  respecting  the  Matkorn : — 

"  Dear  Sir  Charles, — I  have  just  examined  the  fragment 
of  horn  core.  Its  great  size  and  curvature  prove  the  animal 
to  which  it  belonged  to  have  been  the  great  Urus — Bos  primi- 
genius,  that  Charlemagne  hunted  in  the  forests  of  Achen,  and 
the  monks  of  St.  Galle  ate  on  their  feast-days.  The  date  of  its 
disappearance  from  Britain  is  uncertain ;  any  light,  therefore, 
that  can  be  thrown  upon  the  question  is  of  very  great  value. 
The  condition  of  the  fragment  proves  that  it  was  derived  from 
a  peat  bog,  or  alluvium,  and  most  probably  from  those  of  the 
Teivy,  either  at  Lampeter  or  at  Gors  Goch. 

**  I  am,  dear  Sir  Charles,  yours  truly, 

"W.  Boyd  Dawkins." 

"  To  Sir  Charles  Lyell,  Bart.,  78,  Harley  Street." 

With  respect  to  Mr.  Dav^^kins'  remarks  as  to  the 
derivation  of  the  Matkorn  from  a  peat  bog  or  alluvium, 
I  v^rould  observe  that  near  Tregaron,  and  within  a  few 
miles  of  Llanddewi  Brevi,  there  is  a  large  morass  which 
was  undoubtedly  once  the  bed  of  a  considerable  lake, 
and  which  lake  was  formed  by  the  damming  up  of  the 


88  OF  THE    MATGORN,  ETC. 

waters  of  the  Teivy  by  masses  of  glacial  till  which  were 
transported  from  the  hill  regions.  The  Teivi  opposite 
Tregaron  flows  through  a  gorge  excavated  in  this  bar- 
rier of  till,  which  contains  numerous  large  and  small 
boulders  of  ice-grooved  stones.  It  is  singular  also  that 
a  long  bank  of  glacial  till  which  extends  for  some  dis- 
tance towards  the  east  and  west  is  called  *'Cwys  Ychain 
Banavvg,"  or  "the  furrow  of  the  Bannog  oxen",  tradition 
ascribing  the  raising  of  this  bank  to  the  great  powers  of 
these  large-horned  oxen. 

It  is  at  the  bottom  of  such  a  morass  as  that  near  Tre- 
garon that  geologists  would  expect  to  find  the  remains 
both  of  the  Bos  primigenius,  and  the  beaver,  which 
(whether  or  not  it  is  the  animal  associated  with  the 
legends  of  the  great  ox)  we  know  frequented  the  shores 
of  the  Teivy  in  the  days  of  Henry  II,  but  which  appears 
to  have  become  extinct  before  the  time  of  Queen  Eliza- 
beth (Camden's  Britannia).  The  Llostlydan  (broad  tail) 
was,  it  appears,  a  rare  animal  in  the  days  of  Hy wel  Dda 
(a.d.  907),  as  its  skin  was  valued  at  the  high  price  of  one 
hundred  and  twenty  pence,  whereas  that  of  the  avanci  or 
water-dog  (otter)  was  valued  at  eightpence.  The  descrip- 
tion given  by  Giraldus  Cambrensis  of  the  habits  of  the 
beaver  is  very  remarkable.  He  says  "they  construct 
their  castles  in  the  middle  of  the  rivers,  making  use  of 
the  animals  of  their  own  species  instead  of  carts,  who 
by  a  wonderful  mode  of  carriage  convey  the  trees  from 
the  woods  to  the  rivers."  The  zoologist  will  not  fail  to 
remark  that  the  description  by  Giraldus  of  the  ways  and 
habits  of  the  beaver  of  the  Teivy  correspond  precisely 
with  the  habits  of  the  social  or  Canadian  beaver,  whereas 
the  European  beaver,  as  now  known,  is  a  solitary  animal 
with  habits  more  like  those  of  the  otter. 

The  remains  of  the  beaver  have  been  found  in  several 
parts  of  England  in  peat  mosses,  and  alluvial  deposits. 
I  have  seen  the  jaws  and  heads  of  both  old  and  young 
animals,  which  were  obtained  from  the  ancient  lake 
beds  of  Cambridgeshire.  Remains  were  found  by  the 
late  Mr.   Hugh   Strickland   in   old   river   silt  on   the 


MONA  ANTIQUA.  89 

banks  of  the  Isis.^  In  short,  there  is  no  doubt  whatever 
that  the  beaver  was  an  occupant  of  our  British  rivers 
within  the  historic  period.  I  am  also  of  opinion,  as 
regards  the  specimen  before  us,  that  when  we  combine 
its  recent  appearance,  being  only  subfossilised,  with 
the  legendary  lore  of  the  Welsh  respecting  the  great 
oxen,  there  is  little  doubt  that  the  Bos  primig;enius  was 
a  contemporary  of  the  beaver,  and  lived  in  Wales  until 
that  comparatively  recent  period  when  man  came  upon 
the  scene  to  chronicle  his  existence  in  his  traditions. 

W.  S.  Symonds,  of  Pendock. 


MONA   ANTIQUA. 

On  the  broad  and  rather  bare  summit  of  a  limestone 
eminence  half-a-mile  north-east  of  the  main  road  leading 
from  Pentraeth  to  I^lanerchymedd,  in  the  county  of  An- 
glesey, contiguous  to  the  farms  of  Pant-y-Saer  and  Tyd- 
dyn  Tudur,  in  the  parish  of  Llanfairmathafarneithaf,  may 
still  be  seen  the  remains  of  the  small  cromlech  repre- 
sented in  the  annexed  sketch.    Its  rectangular  chamber, 


i. 


Cromlech,  Pant-y-Saer. 

which  presents  its  sides  to  the  cardinal  points,  is  eight 
feet  long  by  six  wide,  its  length  being  in  the  direction 
of  east  and  west.     The  dimensions  of  its  capstone  are 

^  In  Mrs.  Strickland's  collection  at  Jurdine  Hall. 


90  MONA  ANTIQUA. 

nine  feet  each  way,  with  a  mean  thickness  of  two  and 
a- half  feet.  This  partly  dismounted  stone  now  appears 
in  a  standing  position,  with  its  south-eastern  corner, 
which  is  considerably  rounded  off,  resting  on  the  ground, 
whilst  its  other  comers  are  elevated  and  sustained  by  the 
few  remaining  supporters.  The  broken  and  jagged  lime- 
stone slabs,  one  foot  thick,  which  constitute  the  sup- 
ports, rise  to  the  height  of  three  and  a-half  feet  above 
the  present  level  of  the  chamber  floor.  They  were 
doubled  in  parts,  as  appears  by  the  arrangement  of  those 
left,  or,  at  least,  were  so  placed  as  to  greatly  overlap 
each  other.  1  am  not  aware  that  there  is  anything  re- 
markable connected  with  this  cromlech,  unless  it  is  that 
stones  so  small  should  have  been  selected  in  a  district 
where  large  ones  abound.  Beneath  the  weather-worn 
faces  of  the  limestone  cliffs  in  this  parish,  blocks  and 
slabs  of  unusual  dimensions  lie  quarried  by  the  hand  of 
nature  ready  for  cromlech  or  other  purposes.  It  would 
appear  that  a  high  situation  was  preferred,  overlooking 
it  may  be  favourite  haunts  of  the  person  interred,  or 
scenes  of  his  former  rule  or  inheritance,  and  the  builders 
of  his  tomb  used  the  materials  nearest  at  hand.  The 
existence  of  a  covering  mound  in  the  original  state  of 
the  cromlech  is  plainly  indicated  by  the  depth  of  soil 
which  surrounds  the  structure. 

Hugh  Prichabd. 

Dinam,  July  I0th|  1S67. 


91 


Corregponljence* 


.      POWYSLAND  CLUB  PUBLICATIONS,  No.  1. 
CORRECTION. 

TO   THE   EDITOR   OF    THE   ABCH.    CAMS. 

SiE, — In  the  first  number  of  the  Powysland  Club  Collections,  His- 
torical and  Archaeological,  I  find  that  the  author  has  made  an  assertion 
that  my  ancestor,  David,  whom  he,  with  Dr.  Powel,  calls  the  sixth 
son  of  Prince  Gruffydd  ap  Gwenwynwyn,  but  whom  all  the  MSS.  in 
the  British  Museum,  which  treat  on  the  subject,  affirm  to  be  the  fifth 
son)  had  probably  received  ordination  before  a.d.  1290,  since  his 
lands  were  then  confirmed  to  him  only  for  the  term  of  hts  natural 
life.  (See  page  75.)  The  lord  David  died  before  a.d.  1308.  The 
reason  of  this  is  as  Dr.  Powell  and  other  Welsh  authorities  state,  and 
as  I  have  stated  in  my  paper  of  the  Arch.  Camb.  for  January  1867, 
that  this  was  done  by  virtue  of  a  family  compact,  in  which  it  was 
agreed  (in  consequence  of  the  opposition  of  Llewelyn,  John,  David 
and  Grufi'ydd  Fychan  to  the  claims  of  Hawys  Gadarn,  their  niece)  that 
her  said  uncles,  Llewelyn,  John,  David  and  Gruffydd  Fychan,  should 
enjoy  their  portion,  and  the  same  to  descend  to  their  heirs  male  per- 
petually ;  but  in  default  of  such  heirs  male,  the  same  was  to  descend 
to  Hawys  and  her  heirs. 

The  Harl.  MSS.  4181,  2299,  1793  ;  Add.  MSS.  9864-9865,  assert 
that  David  married  Elina,  illegitimate  daughter  of  Howel  ap  Madoc 
ap  Gruffydd  Maelor,  by  whom  he  had  issue  two  daughters,  his  co- 
heirs :  Margaret,  my  ancestress,  and  Mary,  ancestress  of  the  late  Sir 
Edward  Manley  Pryce,  of  Newtown  Hall,  Bart. 

I  am  etc.        I.  Youde  Wm.  Hinde. 

P.S. — I  am  fully  corroborated  in  what  I  stated  to  you  in  my  last 
letter,  that  my  ancestor  David  was  the  Ji/th  son  of  Gruffydd  ap 
Gwenwynwyn,  and  not  a  priest  or  likely  to  he  one.  By  Prince  Gruffydd's 
disposal  of  his  land  between  his  sons  (see  pages  38  and  41) :  to  his 
fourth  son,  John,  who  was  a  priest,  he  concedes  four  townships,  for 
the  term  of  his  natural  life  only ;  but  to  his  fifth  son,  David,  he  con- 
cedes four  townships,  to  himself  and  the  heirs  of  his  body  lawfully 
begotten ;  a  clear,  convincing  proof  that  he  had  not  been  brought  up 
for  the  priesthood.  I  take  this  opportunity  of  stating  that  Mallt,  the 
wife  of  Jenkyn  Lloyd,  of  Clochfaen,  was  the  daughter  of  Morgan  ap 
David,  of  Llanbrynmair,  ap  Jeuan  ap  David  Gethyn,  descended  from 
Aleth,  king  of  Dyfed.     {Harh  MSS.  1969,  2299 ;  Add.  MSS.  9865. 

To  the  above  a  learned  correspondent  adds : — 
''  I  have  seen  Harl.  2299,  and  also  Mr.  Youde  Hinde's  contribution 
to  the  ArchcBologia  Cambrensis,  respecting  the  daughters  of  David  ap 


92  CORRESPONDENCE. 

Gruffydd.  They  agree  in  every  particular;  in  fact  the  lines  dis- 
tinguishing the  legitimate  from  the  illegitimate  children  are  so  very 
distinctly  marked,  that  a  mistake  would  be  almost  impossible.  At 
folio  378  is  a  note  informing  us  that  the  reason  the  daughters  of 
David  ap  Gruffydd  did  not  inherit  their  father's  possessions,  was  that 
in  consequence  of  his  rebellion  against  his  niece»  the  lands  were  to 
descend  to  the  male  issue  only — thus  corroborating  Dr.  PowelJ's 
statement."  1  am,  etc., 

James  A.  Bubt. 


TO   THE   EDITOB   OF   THE   ARCH.    CAMS. 

Sir, — One  who,  like  myself,  is  in  the  habit  of  speaking  a  good 
deal  in  various  places  on  technical  subjects,  naturally  suffers  a  good 
deal  at  the  hands  of  local  reporters.  As  they  will  not  take  down 
one's  words,  and  as  they  cannot  analyse  what  they  do  not  understand, 
their  reports  are  of  course  simple  nonsense.  When  the  nonsense  does 
not  get  beyond  the  columns  of  a  local  paper,  it  is  best  to  leave  it 
alone.  The  mass  of  readers  will  not  know  that  it  is  nonsense,  and 
the  few  who  do  know  will  also  know  that  I,  or  any  other  scholar, 
cannot  have  uttered  such  nonsense.  It  becomes  more  serious  when 
the  nonsense  finds  its  way  from  the  local  paper  into  some  publication 
of  a  higher  character.  This  has  been  my  lot  with  regard  to  what  I 
said  at  various  stages  of  the  late  meeting  of  the  Cambrian  Archaeo- 
logical Association  at  Hereford.  The  nonsense  of  the  Hereford 
papers  has  found  its  way  into  the  Archaeologia  Cambrensis,  And 
some  of  the  nonsense  put  into  my  mouth  is  very  grievous  nonsense, 
making  me  talk  in  an  utterly  meaningless  way  on  my  own  subjects. 
I  must,  therefore,  trouble  you  tviih  a  few  corrections. 

First,  I  must  ask,  in  all  humility,  as  the  Hereford  papers  doubtless 
know  my  intentions  better  than  myself,  what  is  my  *'  intended  history 
of  Godwine?"  Also,  who  made  Godwine  a  prince?  How  could 
God  wine  have  any  connexion  with  Wales  or  anywhere  else  in  1063, 
ten  years  after  his  death  ?  What  I  did  read  were  extracts  from 
the  forthcoming  second  volume  of  my  History  of  the  Norman  Con- 
quest, on  **  7'he  House  of  Godwine  in  connexion  with  Herefordshire  and 
Walesy  Of  Godwine  himself  of  course  1  had  nothing  to  say ;  but  the 
local  chairman,  with  what  meaning  is  best  known  to  himself,  changed 
**  House"  into  **  Honour ;"  and  the  local  reporter,  after  hearing  all 
about  Harold's  great  campaign  against  Gruffydd,  seemed,  by  his 
report,  to  think  that  Godwine,  Harold  and  Gruffydd  were  all  one  and 
the  same  man. 

I  turn  to  p.  407.  I  made  some  remarks  on  a  paper  read  by  Mr. 
Edmunds,  seemingly  a  local  antiquary,  showing  some  creditable 
research,  though  of  course  not  up  to  the  mark  in  point  of  criticism. 
A  writer  who,  unless  the  reporters  have  belied  Mr.  Edmunds  also, 
talks  of  "  finding  it  distinctly  stated  by  Caradoc,  the  Welsh  historian, 
Sharon  Turner,  and  others,'^*  that  so  and  so  happened  in  586  cannot 
of  course  be  accepted  by  any  critical  historian  as  a  serious  antagonist. 


CORRKSPONDENCE.  93 

Still  it  was  creditable  to  Mr.  Edmunds  to  have  heard  of  Creoda 
King  of  the  Mercians  at  all,  and  his  paper  started  some  interesting 
questions. 

Now,  as  to  my  own  share  in  the  matter,  it  is  really  hard,  when  I 
am  taking  such  pains  to  persuade  people  that  Englishmen  are,  and 
always  have  been,  Englishmen,  to  be  myself  made  to  talk  about 
**  early  Saxon  Kings."  As  to  Credenhill,  I  had  never  heard  the  name 
before,  and  1,  therefore,  gave  Mr.  Edmunds  a  warning,  as  he  seemed 
going  rather  too  fast  in  his  etymologies.  I  have  since  gone  carefully 
into  the  matter.  Mr.  Edmunds  is  partly  right  and  partly  wrong.  He 
is  right  in  deriving  Credenhill  from  the  proper  name  Creoda  or  Crida. 
But  he  has  not  the  least  ground  for  connecting  it  with  Creoda,  King  of 
the  Mercians. 

Creoda  or  Crida — Creoda  being  of  course  the  earlier  and  Crida  the 
later  form  of  the  name — appears  in  the  English  Chronicles  under  the 
year  593,  as  dying  in  that  year.  Under  the  years  626  and  725  he  is 
spoken  of  as  a  forefather  of  Offa.  Comparing  Bseda,  Eccl.  Hist,  ii,  14, 
with  the  genealogy  at  the  end  of  Florence  (vol.  i.,  p.  268,  Thorpe) 
it  would  seem  that  he  was  the  same  prince  whom  Bseda  speaks  of  as 
Cearl.  That  he  was  the  founder  of  the  Mercian  kingdom  is  an  inference 
drawn  by  Henry  of  Huntingdon,  A.  584  (M.H.B.  714,  C.)  **  Regnum 
Merce  incipit,  quod,  ut  exscriptis  conjicere  possumus,  primus  obtinuit.** 

Had  I  known  or  remembered  that  the  name  "Creodan  hyl"  exists 
elsewhere,  I  should  not  have  doubted  Mr.  Edmunds*  derivation.  A 
priori,  I  thought  a  Herefordshire  place  was  likely  to  have  a  Welsh 
name.  But  I  find  that  there  are  several  places  called  from  the  proper 
name  Creoda.  Among  others  there  is  one  called  "  Creodan  hyl." 
See  Cod.  Dip.  v.  78,  138. 

But  this  Creodan  hyl,  as  also  Creodantreow,  and  several  names  of 
the  same  origin  (including  Crediton,  in  Devonshire,)  is  not  on  Mercian 
ground.  It  is  evidently  in  Wiltshire.  All  the  places  named  from  Creoda 
that  I  can  find  are  not  Mercian,  but  West-Saxon.  Criddesho,  in 
Worcester,  is  indeed  mentioned  as  a  doubtful  charter  of  Offa  (Cod. 
Dipl.  i.  167) ;  but  Criddesho  can  hardly  come  from  Creoda  or  Crida. 
Credenhill,  in  Herefordshire,  seems  not  to  be  mentioned  in  any 
charter. 

It  is  hardly  conceivable  that  any  of  these  West- Saxon  places  can  have 
been  called  after  Creoda  the  Mercian.  The  name  is,  doubtless,  one 
of  the  old  heroic  names,  like  Offa  and  many  others,  which  gradually 
went  out  of  use.  It  never  occurs  again  in  the  Chronicles.  There  is 
no  Creoda  in  Domesday.  You  might  as  well  look  for  an  Achilleus  in 
Thucydides,  or  for  a  Moses  in  the  Books  of  Kings.  But  it  must  have 
been  a  great  name,  whether  historical  or  mythical,  in  earlier  times,  to 
have  so  many  places  called  after  it.  But  there  is  nothing  to  connect 
either  the  Herefordshire  Credenhill,  or  any  other,  with  the  Creoda 
spoken  of  in  the  Chronicles. 

I  am  half  ashamed  to  have  to  say  that  I  never  uttered  such  stuff  as 
that  I  did  not  think  that  Creoda  was  an  Anglian  at  all,  and  that  I 
was  inclined  to  assign  the  establishment  of  Mercia  to  Ceawlin  of 
Wessex !     The  only  thing  at  all  like  this  that  I  ever  saw  was  a  play- 


94  CORRESPONDENCE. 

bill  which  I  once  saw  on  the  walls  at  Salisbury,  promising  the  per- 
formance of  a  tragedy  called  "  The  Sea-King's  Vow,"  in  which  one  of 
the  characters  was  "  Mercia,  King  of  Wessex."  (I,  however,  com- 
mended the  playwright  for  knowing  that  a  in  English  is  a  masculine 
termination,  not  like  the  people  who  call  their  daughters  Ida  and  Ella, 
or  the  historians  who  torment  one  with  Edgiva  and  Editha.)  What 
I  did  say  was  of  course  to  point  out  that  the  land  of  the  Magessetas 
did  not  become  English  till  the  time  of  Offa,  and  that  the  first  English 
conqueror  who  came  anywhere  near  to  it  was  not  the  Mercian,  and, 
therefore,  Anglian,  Creoda,  but  the  Welsh -Saxon  Ceawlin.  I  do  not 
understand  about  Ceawlin's  **  reaching  as  far  as  Malvern."  Dr.  Quest 
has  shown  that  his  conquests  reached  as  far  as  Cheshire.  Unluckily 
there  are  people  who  venture  to  talk  and  write  about  early  English 
history  without  reading  Dr.  Quest. 

Again,  I  did  not  say  that  Ewias  Harold  was  called  after  '*  some 
other  Harold."  I  mentioned  the  particular  Harold,  namely  Harold, 
the  son  of  Ralph  (''timidus  Dux  Radulphus")  the  son  of  Qodgifu, 
the  daughter  of  JEthelred  and  JElfgifu-Emma.  He  must,  however, 
have  got  possession  of  it  after  the  Domesday  survey,  as  Ewias  appears 
there  in  the  possession  of  JBlfred  of  Marlborough.  Harold's  own 
estates  in  Domesday  lie  elsewhere. 

Having  dwelt  so  long  on  these  weightier  historical  points,  I  have 
no  time  to  talk  of  merely  architectural  matters,  or  I  might  find  some- 
thing to  say  about  the  minsters  both  of  Hereford  and  of  Leominster. 

I  am.  Sir,  your  obedient  servant, 

Somerleaze,  Wells,  Edwabd  A.  Fbeeman. 

November  30th,  1867. 


MisttlUntom  j^ottces. 

Celtic  Tumuli  of  Dobset. — This  work,  in  folio,  by  C.  Wame, 
Esq.,  F.S  A.,  is  a  valuable  contribution  to  our  knowledge  of  early 
British  antiquities.  It  is  illustrated  with  many  copper  plate  engrav- 
ings and  woodcuts,  and  is  the  product  of  long  personal  research  and 
careful  comparison.  Two  companion  works  have  also  been  compiled 
by  the  same  author ;  one  an  Illustrated  Map  of  Dorset,  of  admirable 
execution,  the  other  Dorsetshire^  its  Vestiges,  Celtic,  Roman  and  Danish, 
as  well  as  a  most  useful  general  index,  classified.  We  may  observe 
that  the  author  has  been  long  favourably  known,  not  only  in  the  county 
of  Dorset,  but  amongst  antiquaries  and  archaeologists  generally,  as  a 
most  persevering  and  pains-taking  enquirer  into  the  early  history  of 
his  native  county;  and  his  object  in  conducting  his  researches  has  been 
to  endeavour  thereby  to  elucidate  somewhat  of  the  history  of  its  earliest 
inhabitants;  and  to  render  his  work  more  valuable,  he  has,  in  addition 
to  his  own  investigations,  availed  himself  of  the  labours  of  others  so 
far  as  attainable,  by  which  he  is  enabled  to  present  a  complete  history 
of  the  tumuli  of  Dorset. 


REVIEWS.  95 

Datid  Hughes,  M.A.,  and  his  Fbee  Grammar  School  at 
Beaumaris — This  is  a  short  historical  essay  compiled  by  one  of  our 
members  at  Beaumaris,  J.  Williams,  Esq.,  who  is  also  taking  part  in 
the  elucidation  of  antiquities  in  Anglesey,  lately  resumed  in  our  pages. 
We  understand  that  similar  researches  on  local  subjects  of  antiquarian 
interest  are  likely  to  proceed  from  the  same  source,  and,  if  so,  good 
service  will  be  done.  In  the  present  instance,  much  curious  informa- 
tion is  collected,  and  the  pamphlet  is  a  valuable  addition  to  what  is 
already  known  about  Beaumaris.  The  lists  of  masters  and  exhibi- 
tioners are  interesting,  and  the  collection  of  Latin  prayers  (not  very 
correctly  printed,  however)  is  curious.  There  is  a  great  deal  to  be 
said  about  the  old  families,  family  houses,  traditions  and  customs  of 
Anglesey,  as  well  as  about  its  early  remains,  and  we  rejoice  at  finding 
the  attention  of  some  of  our  more  active  members  again  directed  to 
the  subject.  The  biographical  account  of  David  Hughes,  the  worthy 
founder  (1603),  is  peculiarly  well  drawn  up;  we  should  like  to  see 
equally  comprehensive  accounts  of  all  our  old  grammar  schools  in 
Wales. 


Bebietos. 


The  Abchjeoloot  op  the  Peak  of  Derbyshire.      By  Henry 
H.  Vale,  Architect,  Liverpool. 

This  is  the  title  of  a  paper  by  an  author  whose  account  of  the  South 
Wales  castles  we  recently  mentioned.  Like  it,  this  short  pamphlet, 
the  form  which  it  has  taken  since  it  was  read  to  the  Historic  Society 
of  Juiancashire  and  Cheshire,  is  written  in  a  lively  graphic  manner  well 
calculated  to  interest  the  general  reader,  at  the  same  time  that  it  may 
instruct  him.  The  subject  is  full  of  opportunities  for  effecting  this 
double  purpose,  and  the  author  profits  by  them  with  skill.  His  ac- 
count of  H addon  Hall  is  peculiarly  interesting  to  the  architect  and 
antiquary,  as  well  as  to  the  uninformed  tourist ;  but  he  is  also  a  good 
describer  of  natural  scenery,  and  his  account  of  the  caverns  and  other 
wonders  of  the  Peak  constitutes  this  pamphlet  into  a  satisfactory 
guide-book  to  the  district. 

His  criticisms  on  Chatsworth  and  Haddon  are  good. 

"Sir  Jeffrey  Wyattville  (?)  designed  Chatsworth  House,  but  Derbyshire 
should  have  inspired  his  genius  with  a  style  more  in  harmony  with  the 
scenery — the  Tors,  the  caverns,  the  dales,  shut  in  by  limestone  walls  of  rugged 
splendour — but  Sir  Jeffrey  fell  upon  evil  times,  which  must  be  his  apology. 
Most  of  the  contemporaneous  Derbyshire  and  Cheshire  houses  possess  very 
similar  characteristics — wings  and  pediments,  pilasters,  urns  and  vases,  ad 
nauseam,  being  the  architectural  incubi  of  the  time,  as  we  shall  find  at 
Lyme  Hall,  Burleigh  House,  Worksop  Manor,  and  Chatsworth.  In  how 
much  better  taste  Yanbrugh  treated  his  works.  Castle  Howard  and  Blen- 
heim, with  their  irregularly  broken-up  but  well-balanced  plans  and  glorious 
sky-lines,  like  some  of  the  earlier  Elizabethan  houses,  such  as  Wollaton  and 
the  home  of  Bess  of  Hardwick  and  grand  old  Haddon  Hall,  where  we  hope 
to  linger  awhile,  after  exhausting  the  wonders  of  Chatsworth,  for  in  spite 
of  all  adverse  criticism,  Chatsworth  has  much  for  us  to  see  and  admire. 


96  REVIEWS. 

Ohatsworth  is  imposing  from  mere  size  and  grandeur,  and  its  rich  tone  of 
colour.  Haddon  and  the  other  ancient  houses  touch  pur  English  feelings, 
and  we  love  them.  Ohatsworth  reminds  us  of  Italian  grandeur,  and  it 
excites  our  wonder  rather  than  our  love. 

"  The  interior  of  Ohatsworth  struck  us  as  being  bare  and  cold,  and  with 
the  exception  of  the  sculpture  gallery,  and  the  original  sketches  of  great 
artists,  and  the  wonderful  oak  carvings  that  Grinling  Qibbons  would  not 
have  been  ashamed  to  own,  we  saw  nothing  to  detain  us  long  in  the  interior 
of  Ohatsworth  House. 

'*  Not  so  with  the  gardens.  Whatever  Paxton  touched  he  turned  to  beauty ; 
this  will  be  observed  at  every  turn,  and  not  least  in  the  marvellous  ridge 
and  furrow  roof,  the  prototype  of  all  the  Orystal  Palaces,  and  filled  with  the 
sumptuous  foliage  of  the  tropics ;  plane  trees,  indiarubber  trees,  bread  plants, 
and  a  hundred  others,  with  somewhat  less  familiar  titles,  growing  here  as 
freshly  and  luxuriantly  as  if  the  broad  Pacifiers  waves  still  lapped  their 
twisted  roots  and  moistened  their  green  and  oily  bark  cells ;  growing  here, 
nor  feeling  our  biting  winter  blasts;  growing  here,  and  flourishing  in  a 
tropical  atmosphere,  as  if  hail,  and  snow,  and  sleet,  and  Derbyshire  rain 
were  thousands  of  miles  away,  even  as  those  forest  monsters  grow  that 
formed  our  mighty  coal  fields  millions  of  ages  ago. 

^^  Looking  down  from  the  Eagle  Tower  at  Haddon,  we  wonder  at  the  per- 
fect state  of  repair  of  the  roofs  and  masonry.  This  ancient  structure  has 
already  outlived  two  Obatsworths,  and  may,  if  looked  to,  outlive  another 
Ohatsworth  yet.  Much  of  this  freshness  of  appearance  may  be  owing  to 
the  grand  high  chimneys,  which  serve  to  carry  the  smoke  clean  away,  and 
leave  the  masonry  untainted  and  unimpaired  by  the  products  of  combus- 
tion, which  are  driven  into  the  stonework  by  the  battery  of  the  elements  in 
most  buildings  of  a  classical  type,  and  these  soon  tell  a  tale  upon  the  classic 
urn,  statue,  and  balustrade.  We  are  not  of  those  who  would  make  a  modem 
mansion  like  the  hermit  cell  of  torisured  priest  or  childless  celibate  ;  the 
bare  Qothic  of  the  twelfth  century,  the  pre-Raffaelite  in  domestic  architec- 
ture, we  would  not  seek  out  or  encourage ;  but  our  middle  age  houses,  such 
as  Haddon,  have  never  been  surpassed  either  in  sesthetic  or  constructive 
excellence.  Here  Haddon  Hall  stands  almost  unimpaired,  and  with  charms 
that  attract  all  visitors  to  linger  along  its  corridors  and  pace  its  echoing 
courtyards,  as  the  imagination  endeavours  to  re-people  it  with  all  the  cele- 
brated men  and  beautiful  women  whose  wisdom  and  excellence  speak  to  us 
from  its  painted  oriels  and  fretted  roofs  and  emblazoned  panellings.*' 

Celtic  antiquaries  will  do  well  to  make  a  note  of  the  following: 

<*  In  the  neighbourhood  of  Hathersage  are  some  curious  and  interesting 
remains  of  ancient  British  castrametation.  The  fort  called  the  'Oarl's 
work  *  occupies  one  end  of  an  isolated  hill,  the  other  portions  of  the  hill 
have  steep  escarpments  that  serve  for  protection. 

The  object  of  forts  so  constructed  was  for  shelter  of  the  garrison  and 
cattle  of  the  ftdjaceut  land  during  the  inroads  of  the  enemy.  The  vallum 
is  about  eighteen  feet  wide ;  the  outer  face  or  scarp  is  lined  with  masonry, 
and  extends  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  in  a  straight  line  across  the  gorge  of 
the  hill.     There  is  a  gateway  seven  feet  two  inches  wide  on  the  south  side. 

*'  Some  of  the  stones  of  this  fort  are  fourteen  feet  long  and  four  feet  high. 
The  position  of  the  entrance  and  the  arrangements  of  the  approaches  dis« 
play  considerable  foresight  and  strategical  skill  on  the  part  of  those  who 
constructed  this  ancient  military  work. 

"  On  Eyam  Moor  are  the  remains  of  a  stone  circle  and  of  a  so-called  rock 
basin  similar  to  those  of  Oornwall  and  Devonshire,  to  which  so  much  mystery 
is  attached.** 


o 

SB 

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^Mhafalojgia  Camfrrwsis. 


THIRD  SERIES,  No.  LIV.— APRIL,  1868. 


BERW,  AND  THE  HOLLANDS. 

It  is  upon  record  that  Llewelyn  ap  Jorwerth,  Prince  of 
North  Wales,  used  to  hold  his  court  at  AberflFravv, 
in  Anglesey,  between  the  years  1190  and  12*46.  Be- 
sides being  the  ruler,  he  was  the  actual  owner,  according 
to  the  ideas  of  that  time,  of  most  of  the  land  which  he 
governed,  subject  to  such  grants  as  he  or  his  predeces- 
sors had  made  of  parts  of  it.  Powerful  nobles  there 
were  who,  under  such  grants,  held  estates  large  enough 
to  qualify  them  to  rival  their  liege  lord,  but  in  few  cases 
was  their  influence  so  used;  faithful  adherence  was 
commoner  than  rebellious  opposition,  and  these  grants 
of  territory  tended  more  to  strengthen  than  to  weaken 
the  hands  of  the  prince. 

One  important  landowner  was  Llywarch  ap  Bran, 
Lord  of  Menai,  a  descendant  of  Rhodri  Mawr,  and  the 
ancestor  of  many  families  in  Anglesey.  He  lived  on  the 
brow  above  Plas  coch  and  Porthamel,  where  still  some 
ancient  thotn-trees  mark  the  spot,  though  nothing  re- 
mains of  buildings.  Llywarch  had  a  son  Jerwerth.  Mr. 
Henry  Rowlands  states  '*  Jerwerth,  who  is  always  con- 
sidered as  the  eldest  son  of  Llywarch,  of  the  Menai, 
doubtless  lived  at  Porthamel-ychaf ;  this  Jerwerth  was 
succeeded  by  his  son  Meredydd,  and  he  also  by 
Goronwy,  who  in  his  turn  was  followed  by  Meredydd 
the  Black." 

3UD  8BB.,  VOL.  XIV.  7 


98  BERW  AND  THE    HOLLANDS. 

The  first  of  these  Meredydds  stood  high  in  the  favour 
of  Prince  lAewelya  ap  Jorwerth,  who  rewarded  his  good 
services  by  considerable  grants  of  land  in  addition  to  the 
estate  which  he  had  inherited,  and  further  testified  his 
friendship  by  giving  the  land  with  very  few  and  slight 
feudal  reservations.  Many  of  the  townships  in  the 
hundreds  of  Menai  and  Malltraeth  have  their  "  Wele 
Meredydd  ap  Jorwerth,"  part  of  the  demesne  of  this 
Meredydd,  and  named  after  him  who  first  held  it  inde- 
pendently. About  the  end  of  the  thirteenth  century 
most  of  these  places  were  in  the  possession  of  the  second 
Meredydd  surnamed  "The  Black."  Mr.  Rowlands  has 
shown^  that  he  owned  the  lands  now  known  as  Plas 
Newydd,  Bodowyr,  Porthamel,  Plasgwyn,  and  Berw — 
the  latter  possibly  so-called  from  the  cresses  which  abound 
there,  as  the  neighbouring  district  took  its  name  of 
Ysceifiog  from  the  elder  trees. 

Meredydd  the  Black  had  two  sons,  by  different  wives. 
Cynwrig,  the  elder,  succeeded  to  the  mansion  and  all 
the  manor  of  Porthamel,  while  Bodowyr  was  given  to 
his  half-brother  Evan,  surnamed  "  the  Irishman,"  his 
mother  having  been  an  Irishwoman.  Evan  Wyddel 
also  had  "Wele  Jerwerth  ap  Llowarch"  in  Porthamel, 
and  "  Wele  Meredydd  ap  Jerwerth"  in  Ysceifiog. 
Llewelyn  ap  Evan  Wyddel  succeeded  his  father,  and  in 
due  course  his  possessions  came  to  be  divided,  by  the 
law  of  gavelkind,  between  his  two  sons;  Rhys  took 
Bodowyr,  while  Howel,  the  younger,  was  sent  to  found, 
at  Berw,  a  new  branch  of  the  ancient  line  of  Llywarch 
ap  Bran. 

Berw,  described  in  1360  as  in  the  "hamlet  of  Trer- 
beirdd,"  seems  to  have  been  regarded  as  part  of  Port- 
hamel Manor,  because  in  1422  (8th  Henry  V),  this 
Howel,  described  himself  as  "  of  Porthamel"  in  a  deed 
whereby  he  granted  to  David  ap  Kenrick  ap  Meredydd, 
probably  his  cousin,  a  place  called  "  Tyddyn  Margad 
Verch  Evan  ap  Hwfa,"  in  the  township  of  Bodlew ;  but 
the  actual  limits  of  the  manors,  and  even  of  the  larger 

^  Antiquitates  Parochiales,     See  Arch.  Camb.f  vol.  iv,  p.  285. 


BERW  AND  THE    HOLLANDS.  99 

divisions  of  hundreds  at  that  early  period,  are  not  now 
accurately  known.  The  manor  of  Porthamel  was 
doubtless  an  extensive  one,  and  one  would  have  expected 
the  parish  of  Llanidan,  in  which  it  is,  to  have  been  co- 
extensive with  it ;  Berw,  though  a  long  way  from  the 
parish  church,  is  in  Llanidan  parish;  but  there  is  nothing 
in  the  extent  of  Edward  Til,  by  which  it  can  be  actually 
identified  as  any  one  of  the  "  Weles"  there  enumerated 
as  part  of  Porthamel. 

No  date  or  inscription  is  discoverable  on  the  oldest 
portion  of  the  walls  now  standing  at  Berw.  The 
masonry  is  of  antique  character,  massive,  and  meant  to 
last,  as  if  indeed  there  had  been  in  those  days  giants  to 
build  it.  The  material  is  chiefly  coarse  grit-stone,  cut  into 
huge  well-squared  blocks,  which  are  built  up,  especially 
at  the  angles,  with  most  commendable  regularity,  the  in- 
terstices, where  any  occur,  being  filled  with  shale.  In 
form  this  old  building  is  a  square  tower,  about  fifteen 
feet  each  way,  having  three  storeys  of  low  rooms.  The 
doorway  faced  the  south.  Eight  enormous  stones  de- 
fend the  door-frame ;  a  great  threshold,  a  huge  lintel, 
and  three  large  blocks  on  either  side,  yet  the  opening  is 
only  two  feet  and  a-half  wide.  On  the  ground  floor,  to 
the  west,  are  two  small  square  windows ;  to  the  east, 
one,  which  seems  to  have  been  tampered  with  and  en- 
larged. Above  there  is  to  the  south  a  small  window 
and  two  more  to  the  east ;  while  the  top  storey  of  all 
has  only  three  very  small  square  openings  framed  with 
heavy  stones,  and  one  window  with  two  lights,  a  little 
larger.  All  these  openings  suggest  a  period  when  to 
admit  much  light  was  to  admit  much  wind  and  rain  also, 
when  glass  was  unknown,  when  men  lived  out  of  doors, 
and  women  in  the  dark. 

Howel  was  succeeded  at  Berw  by  his  son  Ithel,  and 
may  be  regarded  as  the  founder  of  the  house,  which  ap- 
pears to  have  been  completed  in  Ithel's  time.  Ithel 
had  a  son  Owain,  and  a  daughter  Elinor ;  to  the  former 
descended  much  of  his  estate,  but  Elinor  had  the  great 
house,  which  by  and  by  departed  out  of  the  possession 


100  BERW  AND  THE  HOLLANDS. 

of  the  descendants  of  Llowarch  ap  Bran,  by  her  mar- 
riage with  a  certain  Englishman  '*  descended  from  the 
Dukes  of  Valence,"  and  named  John  Holland. 

In  a  grant,  or  confirmation  of  arms — {^^  azure  a  lyon 
rampant  gardant  between  five  flowers  de  lice  arffenf) — 
to  this  family,  bearing  date  1635,^  it  is  stated  that  this 
John  Holland  was  "  household  servant  to  King  Henry 
the  Sixth,"  in  which  capacity  he  would  very  probably 
have  met  Owen  Tudor,  and  may,  perhaps,  have  formed 
through  him  his  connection  with  Anglesey.  He  had 
arrived  at  sufficient  influence  there  to  be  sherifl^  of  the 
county  in  the  last  year  of  King  Henry  the  Sixth,  1461, 
the  year  in  which  Owen  Tudor  died;  but  it  is  not 
known  when  his  marriage  with  Elinor  took  place. 
There  is  a  local  tradition  that  an  heiress -of  Berw  "built 
a  church  and  a  tower,  and  made  a  road  before  she  got  a 
husband."  This  can  only  apply  to  Elinor  Verch  Ithel 
ap  Howel.  There  is  an  old  ruined  building  close  to 
Berw,  in  which  church  service  was  held  even  in  late 
years.  There  is  on  the  brow  above  Tyddyn  Hick  a  very 
curious  old  tower  with  a  vertical  opening  all  down  one 
side  of  it,  which  does  not  look  like  a  mill  tower.  And, 
indeed,  Elinor  may  well  have  been  the  builder  of  the 
square  old  house  at  Berw  above  described.  There  are 
plenty  of  bad  roads  about  the  neighbourhood,  and  there 
is  a  long  space  of  time  between  1422,  when  Howel  was 
"of  Porthamel,"  and  1461,  when  John  Holland  was 
sheriflF.  Even  in  1503,  in  a  description  of  "  Hamlett  de 
Berw  ychaf,"  given  in  a  Crown  Rental,  Holland's  name 
does  not  appear.     It  runs  thus : — 

"  Hamlett  de  Berw  ywchaf, 

*'terr  y  pentir,  xvijc/. 
terr  Griff  ap  Jevan  ap  Madoc,  iiijrf. 
terr  Res  ap  Howell  yno,  xiijrf. 
terr  Meibion  Owain  ap  Ithell,  xiiijrf. 
terr  y  tymawr  als  tir  EUnor,  iiijrf. 
terr  hicke,  xrf. 

some,  ys,  iijrf." 

^  Arch,  Camh.,  Ill  Series,  vol.  xiii,  p.  165. 


BERW  AND  THE  HOLLANDS.  101 

There  is  no  mention  of  Berw  isaf  in  the  roll,  although 
the  name  was  in  use  in  1600. 

The  circumstance  that  in  1523  a  son  of  this  marriage 
was  made  sheriff  of  Anglesey,  gives  foundation  for  a 
guess  that  Elinor  found  a  husband  about  1470-80. 

The  pedigree  and  history  of  John  Holland's  ancestors 
has  already  appeared  in  the  Arch.  Camb.  (third  series, 
vols,  xii,  p.  183,  and  xiii,  p.  164.) 

We  have  no  account  at  all  of  the  married  life  of  the 
heiress  of  Berw,  and  may,  therefore,  presume  that  her 
husband  and  her  brother  managed  to  agree ;  for,  had 
they  quarrelled,  it  is  likely  that  records  of  the  quarrel 
would  have  come  down  to  us.  A  few  years  ago  the 
writer  of  this  paper  discovered  in  an  ancient  chest  a 
number  of  most  beautifully  preserved  deeds  relating  to 
Berw,  from  which  a  large  portion  of  his  information  is, 
by  the  permission  of  the  then  and  present  owners, 
derived. 

The  extract  given  from  the  Crown  Rental  shows  that 
in  1503  Owain  ab  Ithel  was  dead,  and  his  sons  held  his 
lands.  They  were  Hugh  Owen,  and  Sir  John  Owen, 
the  latter  in  holy  orders.  All  these  lands  subsequently 
came  to  Elinor's  son,  but  not  without  much  legal  busi- 
ness. Of  his  mother's  lands  this  son,  Owen  Holland, 
granted  a  seven  years  lease  in  1515,  the  lessee  taking 
not  only  the  farm  but  the  stock  upon  it,  to  be  restored 
or  paid  for  as  valued  in  the  lease. 

**  XX  oxen,  price  of  every  oxe,  X5.  Item  xxxv  keyne  wt  xxxv 
calff  beside  them,  price  of  every  cowe  and  calf  vJ5.  viijcf.  Item, 
X  other  heffers  and  sterys  of  iiij  yere  age,  price  of  a  peece  v*. 
Item,  X  smal  beestes  of  one  yere  age,  price  of  a  peece,  ij«.  \\d. 
Item,  twelve  score  shepe  and  the  woU  upon  theyre  Bakks, 
x/.  lambys  wt  them,  price  of  a  peece  of  the  shepe,  x</.,  and 
lammys,  iiijc/.*' 

The  rent  for  the  whole  taking  was  ten  pounds  per 
annum.  Of  his  uncle's  estate  Owen  Holland  took  a 
grant  from  Sir  John  Owen  on  8th  November,  1521. 
''  John  Owen,  son  and  heir  of  Owen  ap  Ithell,  gentilman, 
releases  to  Owen  Holland,  gentilman,  for  ever,  all  his 


102  BERW  AND  THE    HOLLANDS. 

estate,  title,  claim,  interest,  and  demand  in  all  those 
messuages,  houses,  and  lands  in  Berrowe  yssa,  Berrowe 
ywcha,  Tree  Byrthe,  tree  Varthyn,  Bodlewe,  tree  Yvan, 
Rascolyn,  or  elsewhere  in  Anglesey,  which  the  said 
Owen  then  occupied,"  under  a  lease  previously  granted 
to  him  by  Sir  John.  On  the  20th  February,  1522,  a 
similar  release  was  made  by  Sir  John  to  Owen  of  "  all 
the  lands  in  Berrowe  yssa,  etc.,"  which  descended  to 
him  on  the  death  of  his  father,  Owen  ab  Ithel,  or  of 
his  brother,  Hugh  Owen,  Under  date  31  June,  1523, 
Owen  Holland  executed  a  settlement  of  the  entire  pro- 
perty, in  which  he  described  himself  as  Sheriff  of 
Anglesey.  This  office  Garter  King  of  Arms  has  certified 
that  he  held  for  life,  by  letters  patent  under  the  seal  of 
Kings  Henry  VII  and  Henry  VIII.  This  appointment 
appears  to  have  devolved  upon  Owen  Holland  in  suc- 
cession to  Rys  ap  Llewelyn  ap  Hwlcyn  of  Bodychen, 
who  earned  it  by  his  services  on  Bosworth  field. 

Owen  Holland  acquired  a  good  deal  of  property  by 
purchase,  one  of  his  title-deeds  being  signed  by  no  less 
a  person  than  the  bard.  Sir  Dafydd  Trevor,  parson  of 
Llanallgo.  It  bears  date  in  1524.  The  lease  already 
quoted,  and  other  similar  documents,  lead  us  to  suppose 
that  Mr.  Holland  did  not  reside  at  Berw.  Perhaps  his 
cousin.  Sir  John  Owen,  made  the  place  disagreeable  to 
him,  in  his  rivalry  of,  or  dislike  to,  the  English  blood 
which  flowed  in  the  Sheriff's  veins.  In  1528  Holland 
granted  a  lease  of  a  mill  at  Berw  for  so  long  a  term  as 
forty  years,  with  a  condition  that  he  might  redeem  the 
lease  by  paying  compensation,  at  any  time,  *'  If  he  hap- 
pen to  come  and  live  continually  at  his  place  at  Berw." 
Very  possibly  the  duties  of  his  office  made  it  convenient 
to  live  among  the  thoroughly  English  community  in 
Beaumaris,  His  wife  was  English,  Awdrey  or  Ethel- 
rede,  widow  of  Richard  Hampdune,  of  Kimble,  Esquire. 
She  is  a  silent  witness  of  the  futility  of  her  husband's 
proviso  about  the  mill  at  Berw.  One  year  only  after 
lease  was  granted  "  Ethelrede,  widow  and  executor  of 
Owen  Holland,"  appointed  an  agent  to  collect  her  rents 


BERW  AND  THE    HOLLANDS.  103 

at  Berw.  She  never  resided  there,  it  would  seem,  and 
it  was  not  until  1547  that  the  mill  lease  was  surrendered. 
In  that  year  Owen  Holland's  son,  Edward  Holland,  took 
a  surrender  of  it.  It  is,  therefore,  reasonable  to  suppose 
that  he  was  bom  before  1526,  and  may  have  been  four 
or  five  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  his  father's  death. 
Ethelrede  soon  found  another  husband,  one  Griffith 
Richard;  and  forthwith  Sir  John  Owen  renewed  his 
claim  upon  Berw,  desiring  apparently  to  repudiate  all 
the  deeds  he  had  signed  in  the  lifetime  of  Owen  Holland. 
The  matter  at  last  took  so  serious  a  form  that  it  was 
formally  referred  to  Sir  John  Pakyngton,  Justice  of 
North  Wales,  to  say  who  should  own  the  estate.  His 
award,  dated  in  1536,  commences  by  reciting 

*'  Whereas  certaine  suits,  debate,  and  stryffe  have  of  long  time 
ben  had  and  dependynge  between  John  Owen  Gierke,  son  and 
heir  of  Owen  ap  Ethell,  late  of  Berrow,  on  the  one  party,  and 
Griffith  Richard  and  Ethelrede,  his  wife,  late  wife  of  Owen 
Holland,  Esquyer,  decessed,  and  Edward  Holond,  son  and 
heir  of  the  said  Owen  Holond,  on  the  other  partie — upon  the 
right  title  interest  and  possession  of  certen  messuage  landes  and 
other  hereditaments  in  Berrow  yssa,  Berrow  yucha,  trebyerth, 
trewarthen,  Bodlew,  tre  Ifan,  RascoUyn,  Porthamell,  Gwydryn, 
and  Llangewenny— which  late  were  of  the  inheritance  of  the 
said  Owen  ap  Ithell — for  the  pacifying  whereof  the  said  parties 
have  submitted  themselves  to  the  award — of  me  the  said  John 
Pakyngton." 

And  continues,  "  I  awarde,  that  the  said  parties  from 
henceforth  shaU  be  lovers  and  friends,"  and  then  (after 
reciting  many  deeds  and  transactions,  and  the  will  of 
Owen  Holland,  leaving  all  the  lands  to  his  wife  for  life), 

"  I  awarde  that  the  said  Gruff,  and  Ethelrede,  his  wife,  shall 
quietly  and  peaceably  have  possess  and  enjoy  the  said  mes- 
suage, landes,  etc.,  duringe  the  life  of  the  said  Ethelrede,  and 
after  her  decease  the  said  Edward  shall  have  the  premises  to 
him  and  his  heires  and  assigns  for  ever,  according  to  the  last 
will  and  testament  of  the  said  Owen  Holland." 

He  also  awarded  that  Gruffudd  Richard  should  pay 
to  John  Owen  fifty  marks,  in  addition  to  eighty  pounds, 
which  Owen  Holland  had  paid  to  him  in  his  lifetime. 


104  BERW  AND  THE    HOLLANDS. 

Sir  John  Owen  forthwith  ratified  this  award  by  a  deed 
executed  in  London,  "  in  the  strete  called  flete  strete," 
and  the  dispute  was  finally  set  at  rest. 

Edward  Holland  married  Elin  Griffith,  daughter  of 
Rowland  Griffith,  of  Plasnewydd.  Whether  he  married 
young  or  old,  his  married  life  was  but  short,  for  in  1661 
we  find  his  widow  married  again  to  William  Hampton 
of  Henllys.  She  had  two  children,  and  her  second 
husband,  a  widower,  had  a  family  of  his  own.  That 
communications  had  been  kept  up  between  the  Hollands 
and  the  relations  of  Mrs.  Owen  Holland,  who  had  court 
infiuence,  would  appear  from  the  following  curious  • 
letter,  written  in  1561,  which  also  bears  upon  the  social 
history  of  that  period  in  Anglesey  : — 

"  Bight  Worshipful,  o^  duetyes,  with  most  hertye  comenda- 
cons  humbly  premised,  trustynge  that  y*^  mastershippe  is  in 
good  healthe  wherein  yo  may  long  continue  to  the  pleasure  of 
God,  as  yo'  Uttle  nephew  Owen  Holland  and  his  sister  your 
nece  with  all  others  yo'  well  willers  and  faithful  friends  in  these 
quarters  were  at  the  making  hereof.  These  may  be  and  signifye 
unto  yo'  mastershippe  that  when  yo'  mother  (whose  soule  God 
pardon)  during  her  lyef  tyme  held  certeyn  lands  in  this 
countrey  in  her  joynture  by  her  husband  Owen  Holland 
y'  father  in  lawe,  she  by  her  Tres  willed  Thomas  Lloyd  her 
ser vaunt  and  baylyff  w*  thassent  of  yo^  sayd  nephews  mother 
and  graundfather  Koland  gruf  deceased  to  sett  and  lett  those 
her  lands  here  att  ther  pleasure  during  her  tyme  to  the  best 
advantage  and  comodytie  of  y'  said  nephew  in  tyme  to  com  and 
to  remove  suche  tenants  as  he  thought  good  (amongst  the  which 
pne  Rythergh  ap  dd  Esquyer  held  a  porcon  of  the  sayd  lands 
att  fyve  shillings  rent  by  the  yere  allthough  hitt  was  worth 
foure  or  five  nobles  rent  yerely  whom  the  sayd  Thomas  Lloyd 
thought  to  remove  for  certeyn  unkynde  demeanors  practysed 
here  towards  the  said  hoUands  lands)  yett  of  a  whoUe  consent 
and  att  the  request  of  the  said  Rythergh  ap  dd  who  was  neare 
akynne  to  lyttle  hoUand  and  promysed  to  behave  hym  sellff 
kyndely  aneynst  the  said  holland  touchynge  other  lands,  he 
was  promised  to  have  the  sayd  lands  which  is  comonly  called 
ynys  ferw  with  the  apptces  sett  and  lyinge  in  the  Townshippe 
of  berw  and  countye  of  Angl,esey  during  his  natural  lyef  the 
which  he  had  accordingly  (and  now  hitt  hath  pleased  God  to 
call  for  the  said  Rythergh  ap  davydd  to  his  mercye)  after  whose 
death  the  sayd  Thomas  Lloyd  in  the  right  and  behalf  of  yo'  said 


BERW  AND  THE    HOLLANDS.  105 

lyttle  nephew  repayred  to  the  sayde  landes  and  withstode  one 
Eve  verch  Meredithe  late  wyf  and  executrice  unto  the  sayd 
Rythergb  ap  Davydd  to  occupy  and  enioye  the  sayd  landes 
and  drove  away  her  catell  from  thens,  at  which  doynge  one 
Richard  ap  Rytherche  sonne  and  heyre  unto  the  sayd  Rythergh 
beinge  a  Justice  of  the  Peace  in  this  sayd  countye  came  to  the 
same  land  and  highely  threatened  the  sayd  Thomas  Lloyd 
saying  that  for  ether  Hampden  or  hawtrys  he  would  putt  the 
said  Thomas  by  the  heeles  in  yrons  yf  hee  wold  intermeddle 
with  the  sayd  lands  agaynst  hym,  and  his  sayd  mother  in  lawe, 
with  many  other  opprobryowes  wordes,  wherefore  we  thought 
good  to  signiffie  yo'  mastershippe  hereof  that  you  might  send 
Ires  out  of  the  chauncerv  against  the  sayd  Richard  ap  Rethergh 
and  Eve  verch  Meredith  and  then  they  will  shewe  what  they 
have  whereby  to  clayme  the  said  landes  (yf  they  have  any- 
thinge)  for  here  wee  may  not  stryve  with  them,  because  that 
there  is  never  a  Justice  of  the  Peace  in  this  countye  butt  is 
akynne  unto  them  att  the  second  degree  at  the  furthest  and 
many  which  be  nearer,  ether  by  kynredde  or  allyaunce,  and  for 
the  most  part  redy  (yf  nede  be)  to  swear  what  the  other  will 
say,  the  more  is  the  pyttye,  and  this  Richard  is  one  of  them 
hymsellfe  as  I  sayd  beffor,  and  at  the  tyme  of  ther  apperence 
Thomas  Lloyd  himself  shall  give  his  attendance  upon  your 
mastershippe  to  give  you  full  notice  and  instruccons  herein  as 
shall  be  necessary,  and  the  charges  herein  susteyned  shalbe 
payd  when  Thomas  Lloyd  cometh  to  you'  mastershippe,  and 
this  bold  to  trouble  your  mastershippe  wee  comytt  you  to  the 
kayres  of  all  mightie  God  who  kepe  you.  ffrom  berowe  the 
xxviij^  day  of  Aprell  1561. 

"  Yo' to  comand  to  the  uttmost  of  ther  powers 

"  Wyllam  hamton  ffather  in  lawe  to  lyttle  hoUand 
**  Maurice  gruffith  of  vachwen  uncle  to  lyttle  holland 

and in  his  fathers  will. 

"Thomas  Uoyd. 

**To  the  Right  WorshipfuU  Mr.  Richard  hampdune  Esquyer 
clerke  of  the  queues  maiestyes  most  honable  kitching, 
delyur  this." 

These  Prytherchs  of  Myfyrian  were  near  neighbours 
of  the  Hollands,  and,  as  the  letter  says,  "near  akynne." 
The  mother  of  Rhydderch  ap  Dafydd  was  Mallt,  sister  to 
Elinor,  the  wife  of  John  Holland.  Richard  ap  Rhyd- 
derch, mentioned  in  the  letter,  was  afterwards  first  repre- 
sentative in  parliament  of  the  borough  of  Beaumaris. 


106  BERW  AND  THE    HOLLANDS. 

He  married,  strange  to  say,  the  mother  of  his  father's 
second  wife,  that  Eva  of  Bodowir,  who  is  named  by  Mr. 
Hampton  in  his  letter. 

One  can  easily  imagine  that  gentleman  with  his  wife 
and  his  co-signitaries  sitting  in  close  confabulation  about 
the  framing  of  this  epistle,  but  it  is  not  quite  so  easy  to 
assign  the  probable  scene  of  their  literary  labours. 
Probably  the  first  mansion  of  the  Hollands  had  become 
too  small  and  too  old  fashioned  for  them.  Adjoining  it 
there  still  remain  the  ruins  of  a  more  pretentious  struc- 
ture having  muUioned  windows  and  wide  handsome 
doorways.  Probably  it  was  in  some  part  of  this  edifice 
that  the  conclave  sat.  It  has  long  been  in  ruins,  and 
last  suffered  from  fire.  Together  with  the  old  square 
tower  it  forms  the  south-west  side  of  a  little  enclosed 
garden,  of  which  the  north-west  is  the  present  house, 
and  the  remainder  simply  walls  or  railings.  A  stone 
with  the  initials  o.  h.  is  built  into  a  portion  of  this 
structure,  but  it  is  difficult  even  to  guess  which  Owen 
Holland  caused  it  to  be  carved,  and  still  more  so  to  ex- 
plain how  it  got  into  its  present  condition. 

The  following  extracts  from  Crown  Rentals  give  some 
idea  of  the  extent  of  the  estate  at  Berw,  about  the  time 
that  William  Hampton  lived  there  in  preference  to  his 
own  place  at  Henllys,  near  Beaumaris.  We  cannot 
quite  safely  conclude  from  the  use  of  the  name  Owen 
Holland  that  Edward's  son  was  of  age,  as  this  may  only 
be  a  reminiscence  of  his  grandfather,  who  bore  the  same 
name. 

**RENTALE   COMOT   DE    MENAY,       1567. 

Villa  de  Bryngwyn, 
Richard  ap  Gruff  pro  terr  Owini  Holland,  y\\]d. 

Villa  de  Berw  Ichaf, 

Hugh  ap  Res  Wyn  pro  terr  Rys  Wyn  ap  hugh,  xviijrf. 
Idem  Hugh  pro  terr  voc  tir  y  pyntwr,  xvijcf. 
Lewis  gruff  pro  terr  tyddyn  hicke,  xrf. 
Thomas  Lloyd  pro  terr  Owini  Holland,  xiijrf. 


BERW  AND  THE    HOLLANDS.  107 

Villa  de  Bodlew. 
terr  Oweni  holland  in  Ynys  Acken,  \x.d. 
Villa  de  Porthamel, 

John  Wyn  ap  Jevan  ap  John  pro  terr  Owini  Holland  apud 

Carnan,  vje/. 
Rowland    ap    Jevan   pro  terr*  Owini   Holland   voc   tir   y 

pylys,  xxjrf. 
Richard  ap  David  ap  Richard  pro  tir  Elinor,  ixd. 

Villa  de  Trefarthen  et  Berw  hsaf. 

Willm  Hampton  pro  terr  Owini  Holland,  iij«.  viijcf. 

David  ap  Lin  pro   terr  Owini    Holland   voc   tir    coch  ap 

hoell,  ijrf. 
Owen  Holland  pro  terr  suis,  iJ5.'* 


*'  RENTALE   COMOTl    MENAV.       1577. 

Carnan, 

Owen  Holand  pro  terr  suis  ibidem,  vj</. 

Villa  de  Porthamel. 

Nycolas    Gruff   pro    terr  Owen    Holand   vocat  tyddyn   y 
pylys,  xxj</. 

Villa  de  Trefarthyn  et  herw  issa, 

Owen  holand  pro  terris  suis,  ij«.  iiijrf. 
Lewys  Edmond  pro  terr  koch  ap  holl,  ijd. 
Owen  Holand  pro  terris  suis  voc  tir  place,  ij«. 

Villa  de  Bryngioyn, 

Rys  gruff  pro  terr  Owen  Holand,  viijrf. 

Berw  uwcha,  hamlet  de  Porthamel. 

Hugh  ap  Reswyn  pro  terr  suis,  xviijrf. 
Eidem  Hugh  ap  Res  de  ter  y  pentyr,  vijrf. 
Lewys  gruff  pro  terr  voc  tir  hick,  xrf. 
Owen  Thomas  pro  terr  Owen  Holand,  xiijd. 

Villa  de  Bodlew. 

Dd  ap  Mathew  pro  terr  Owen  Holand,  iijd. 
Thomas  Jeffrey  pro  terr  Owen  Holand,  xd. 
Uxor  dd  ap  Thomas  pro  terr  Owen  Holand  in  ynys  acken 
et  terr  yr  ardd  ddu,  xixd. 


108  BERW  AND  THE  HOLLANDS. 

Willm  ap  Llewelyn  pro  terr  Owen  Holand  vockae  

bach,  iiijrf. 
Rys  Jeffrey  pro  terr  Owen  Holand  voc  y  carregpoeth,  iiijrf. 

It  will  be  observed  that  the  distinction  of  the  "  tir 
place,"  or  mansion  house,  as  being  in  Berw  issa  is  main- 
tained in  both  these  extracts. 

*'  Lytle  Holland"  in  due  time  arrived  at  man's  estate, 
and,  his  mother  dying,  Mr.  Hampton  followed  the  pre- 
vailing fancy  for  second  marriages  by  taking  to  himself 
another  wife.  In  1578  Owen  Holland,  no  longer  little, 
married  Elizabeth,  one  of  the  daughters  of  one  of  the 
principal  men  in  the  kingdom.  Sir  Richard  Bulkeley, 
of  Baronhill.  There  is  a  curious  mystery  about  this 
honourable  knight's  marriages — ^for  he  had  two  wives, 
and  the  pedigrees  do  not  agree  with  other  and  better 
evidence.  It  is,  therefore,  doubtful  who  was  the  mother 
of  this  Elizabeth  Bulkeley.  Among  the  trustees  of  the 
settlement  made  upon  the  marriage  of  Owen  Holland 
are  found  the  Rev.  Rowland  Bulkeley,  Rector  of  Llan- 
degvan,  and  Mr,  John  Bulkeley,  of  Cremlyn,  brothers  of 
the  bride ;  Mr.  William  Hampton,  of  Henllys,  half- 
brother  of  the  groom,  and  Mr.  Robert  Hampton,  half- 
brother  of  William,  son  of  his  father's  second  wife. 
Doubtless,  this  intimate  connection  with  the  Bulkeleys 
was  of  value  to  the  Hollands,  both  in  Owen's  and  in 
subsequent  generations.  Owen  Holland's  initials  ap- 
pear on  several  parts  of  the  house  at  Berw,  in  which  he 
lived  for  many  years;  he  also  acquired  by  purchase 
many  farms  and  lands  ;  but  he  chiefly  enriched  himself 
and  his  heirs  by  obtaining  an  interest  in  the  coalfield  at 
Berw. 

Though  it  is  known  that  coals  were  raised  in  England 
a  thousand  years  ago,  and  though  it  is  recorded  that  the 
Flintshire  mines  were  worked  in  the  time  of  Edward  the 
First,  no  allusion  to  the  Anglesey  veins  has  been  met 
with  earlier  than  1450,  when  Tudor  ap  Llewelyn  of 
Sychnantissa  in  Esceifiog  seems  to  have  known  some- 
thing about  their  value.  Some  fifty  years  later  his 
grandson,  Llewelyn  ap  Res  ap  Tuder  ap  Llewelyn,  was 


BERW  AND  THE  HOLLANDS.  109 

tenant  under  the  Crown  of  the  township  of  Esceifiog 
and  all  the  mineral  rights  therein.  This  grant,  it  will 
be  at  once  observed,  comprised  those  mines  which  are 
now  disused,  at  Tyddyn  Mawr  and  other  places  high 
up  the  Malltraeth  Marsh.  Llewelyn  had  only  a  term 
of  years  in  the  mines,  which  expired  in  1532,  and  on 
the  13th  September  in  that  year  King  Heni7  the  Eighth 
made  a  new  grant  of  them  to  William  Sackville,  one  of 
the  grooms  of  his  chamber,  for  forty  years,  "with  lycens 
to  take  and  to  sell  the  sea  coales  within  the  said  town- 
shippe."  For  this  he  was  to  pay  annually  £1 :  8 :  8. 
Twenty  years  later  Sackville  received  a  grant  in  fee 
farm  (from  Edward  VI)  of  fifteen  messuages  in 
"  Heredrevaike,"  at  a  yearly  rent  of  £5  :  2 :  6.  Very 
likely  he  got  a  good  deal  of  his  rent  back  by  subletting 
the  lands,  or  part  of  them:  thus,  in  1546  he  leased 
"  Tyddyn-y-Weine"  for  twelve  years,  reserving  "  to  the 
queue's  use"  sixpence,  and  to  his  own  use  a  contribu- 
tion of  "  two  labourers  for  one  day  yerely  in  the  sumer 
tyme  to  wurke  in  the  colepitts  at  Eskyviog  upon  a 
warning,"  and  *'one  day  reaping  to  the  rent  gatherer 
yerely."  Another  portion  of  the  coalfield  was  let  to 
Richard  Browne,  of  Dorking,  gentleman,  who  also  sub- 
let it.  Sackville  was  dead  in  1564,  but  his  lease  had 
still  eight  years  to  run.  Sir  Nicholas  Bagenal,  Marshal 
of  Ireland,  fully  alive  to  the  value  of  this  mineral  pro- 
perty, got  hold  of  the  lease,  and  obtained  from  the 
crown  a  further  grant  to  himself  of  an  extension  of  it 
for  twenty-five  years  from  1571.  He  also  became  pos- 
sessed of  the  messuages  in  Hirdrevaig.  For  this  he  paid 
a  fine  of  forty  pounds  into  the  Exchequer,  and  agreed 
to  pay  the  rents  before  accustomed,  and  to  keep  in  re- 
pair all  banks^  shores,  and  sea-walls  ;  a  condition  which, 
coupled  with  the  fact  that  a  grant  of  Eskyviog,  dated 
1577,  includes  wrecks  of  sea,  may  well  set  us  reflecting 
how  far  the  sea  then  came  up  the  marsh.  Example  so 
good  and  profitable  as  that  of  the  Groom  of  the  Cham- 
bers and  the  Irish  Marshal  could  not  fail  to  be  followed, 
even  if  immediate  enjoyment  could  not  be  had.     So, 


110  BERW  AND  THE  HOLLANDS. 

Henry  Harvie,  Esquire,  one  of  Her  Majesty's  Gentlemen 
Pensioners,  put  in  his  claim,  and  obtained  a  grant  of 
divers  rich  things,  including  the  township  of  Esceifiog 
with  its  coal,  which  he  was  to  enjoy  for  thirty  years 
from  1592 ;  that  is,  from  the  expiration  of  Bagenal's  ex- 
tended lease.  Sir  Nicholas,  however,  capped  this  little 
arrangement  by  getting  Queen  Bess  to  grant  him  in  fee 
simple,  the  reversion  of^  among  other  places,  "  the  town- 
ship of  Esceifiog  and  all  the  mines  and  minerals  there." 
This  is  dated  in  1577,  and  made  Bagenal  and  his  heirs 
Harvie's  landlords,and  possessors  of  all"  the  rights  of  the 
crown  in  Esceifiog,  including  '  mynes,  quarries,  wreakes 
of  the  sea,  natyve  men  and  natyve  women,  and  villayns 
with  their  sequell,"  in  as  ample  a  manner  as  any  Prince 
of  Wales,  or  any  other  person  the  same  had  held."  His 
tenure  was  "in  capite  by  the  twentieth  part  of  a 
knight's  fee,  and  the  annual  payment  of  £7  :  8 :  8." 

Sir  Nicholas  Bagenal  died,  and  his  son.  Sir  Henry, 
reigned  in  his  stead,  both  as  Marshal  in  Ireland ;  and 
over  Esceifiog.  There  we  find  him  in  1696.  He  was 
also  mortgagee  of  Plas  newydd  in  Anglesey,  then 
nominally  the  property  of  Mr.  Maurice  Griffith,  uncle — 
mother's  brother — to  Mr.  Owen  Holland  of  Berw,  who, 
seeing  that  Sir  Henry  lived  principally  in  Ireland, 
kindly  ofl^ered  to  assist  him  in  managing  his  Anglesey 
property.  One  result  of  this  piece  of  politeness  was 
that  by  deed  dated  8  August,  1596,  the  Berw  family 
became  owners  of  a  large  tract  in  Esceifiog — including 
Cefn  du  (where  there  is  no  coal),  subject  to  a  crown 
rent  of  £3  :  14  :  4 :  and  to  a  condition  that  one-half  of 
all  coals  found  upon  those  lands  should  belong  to  Sir 
Henry  Bagenal.  Holland  had  bought  up  Harvie's  lease, 
which  had  only  been  running  four  years,  and  seems  to 
have  made  the  surrender  of  that  term  to  Sir  Henry 
Bagenal  the  consideration  of  the  grant  of  half  the 
township.  It  would  appear  that  the  transfer  was  ar- 
ranged somewhat  sub  rosd^  because  the  royal  permission 
necessaiy  to  its  validity  was  never  applied  for.  Indeed, 
many  years  afterwards,  in  1607,  it  became  necessary  to 


BERW  AND  THE  HOLLANDS.  Ill 

have  the  transaction  ratified  by  letters  patent  under  the 
great  seal  of  James  I,  which  that  monarch  consented  to, 
for  a  consideration  of  eighty  pounds.  Even  then,  how- 
ever, the  Bagenal  people  seem  to  have  been  dissatisfied 
that  the  coal-field  had  left  them  ;  and,  so  late  as  1649, 
in  some  chancery  proceedings  relating  to  other  portions 
of  the  township,  Owen  Holland  is  distinctly  charged 
with  having  cheated  Sir  Henry  Bagenal. 

"Sir  Henry,"  says  the  petition,  "being  thereof  seized  in  fee- 
farme  after  y«  decease  of  his  said  father  and  y«  said  former  lease 
being  shortly  to  expire  and  y®  said  lease  in  revercon  [ue,  Har- 
vie's]  to  commence,  y®  said  Owen  Holland,  dwelling  neere 
y®  said  Townshippe  used  means  to  persuade  y*  s*  Sir  Henry 
Bagenall,  being  a  straunger  in  those  parts  and  residing  alto- 
gether in  Ireland  upon  y®  employment  and  service  of  y®  state 
there,  for  y®  extinguishing  of  y®  force  of  y®  s^  lease  in  revercon 
of  y®  said  townshippe  wherein  y*  s*  Owen  Holland  was  become 
interested  as  aforesaid  and  for  settling  y®  said  Sir  Henry  Bage- 
nal in  poss'on  of  y®  moyetie  thereof,  to  grant  y®  feefarme  of 
y®  other  moyetie  of  y®  said  townshippe  to  him  y®  said  Owen 
Holland  and  his  heires  and  to  permit  y*  said  Owen  Holland  to 
devide  y*  sayde  Townshippe  and  y®  s**  Sir  Henry  Bagenal 
should  have  y®  first  choyce  after  y*  division  made,  and  soe  enjoy 
y«  better  pte  of  y®  said  Townshippe,  for  and  in  respect  whereof 
y®  said  Sir  Arthur  [evidently  a  mistake  for  Henry]  Bagenal  was 
to  give  y*  some  of  one  hundred  pounds  of  lawful  money  of 
England  to  him  y*  said  Owen  Holland  and  y*  s^  Sir  Henry 
Bagenall  upon  y*  promise  allso  of  y®  s**  Owen  Holland  to  do  and 
perform  some  service  for  y*  s^  Sir  Henry  Bagenall  in  y*  letting 
and  advancing  his  estate  in  Wales  he  y®  s**  Sir  Henry  Bagenal 
did  assent  and  agree  thereunto  as  was  desired  and  agreed  unto 
by  y*  s**  Owen  Holland  and  his  friends ;  and  by  reason  of  his 
residency  in  Ireland  upon  y®  states  service  as  afs**  he  was  forced 
to  intrust  some  person  unknown  to  y*  oratrix  [petitioner]  y'  did 
live  in  y®  s^  com  of  Anglesey  to  see  y*  devision  of  y*  s^  Town- 
shippe and  y®  s*^  Owen  Holland  did  proceed  to  y*  making  of 
y®  8^  devision  and  after  such  devision  was  made  such  person  as 
was  intrust  by  y*  s**  Sir  Henry  Bagenal  to  choose  for  hy  m  y®  better 
p*te  and  moyetie  soe  devided  being  overs  waded  by  y®  s**  Owen 
Holland  did  make  choyse  of  y'  p't  of  y*  s^  premises  w*'*^  was  of 
y®  least  valew  and  worth  for  y®  s**  Sir  Henry  Bagenal ;  and 
when  y«8**divident  was  so  made  and  put  in  writing  he  y®  s^  Owen 
Holland  having  y®  same  in  his  custody  for  one  night,  caused  it 


112  BERW  AND  THE  HOLLANDS. 

to  be  altered  and  written  on  againe  and  one  tenement  of  that 
p'te  and  moyetie  soe  chosen  and  set  out  for  y®  said  Sir  Henry 
Bagenall  to  be  taken  out  of  his  moyetie  and  added  to  y*  p't  and 
moyety  of  y*  s**  Owen  Holland  and  then  unduly  procured 
y®  8**  p^son  intrusted  by  y*  s^  Sir  Henry  Bagenall  to  see  y*  s^  de- 
vision  made  accordinge  to  y®  true  intent  thereof  to  signe  y®  said 
writing  after  y®  same  was  altered,  y®  w^  was  accordingly  done, 
yet  nevertheless  y*  s^  one  hundred  pounds  was  paid  to  y«s*Owen 
Holland  by  y*  s^  Sir  Henry  Bagenall  upon  pretence  and 
imaginacon  y*  y®  s**  better  moyetie  of  y*  premises  had  beene 
sett  out  for  y®  s**  Sir  Henry  Bagenall.  Howbeit  y®  said  Owen 
Holland  procured  and  obteyned  y®  better  p'te  and  moiety  of 
y®  s**  Townshippe  and  y®  s^  one  hundred  pounds  likewise  to 
himselfe." 

If  all  this  were  true,  Mr.  Holland  certainly  got  the 
best  of.  the  bargain.  The  deed  of  conveyance,  however, 
seems  to  bear  it  out  in  some  part,  as  the  only  considera- 
tion there  mentioned  is  the  assignment  of  certain  pre- 
mises in  Esceifiog  for  thirty  years,  to  Griffith  Bagenal, 
son  of  Sir  Henry — referring,  doubtless,  to  Harvie's  lease, 
which  was  thus  kept  on  foot  in  Griffith  Bagenal's  name. 
To  avoid  disputes  about  the  coal-works,  these  parties 
executed  another  deed,  dated  10th  August,  1596 — two 
days  after  the  partition  had  been  ratified — according  to 
the  terms  of  which  both  Mr.  Holland  and  Sir  Henry 
Bagenal  were  at  liberty  to  "  digg  coale"  anywhere  in 
either  moyetie  of  the  township,  each  for  his  own  "use, 
proffitt,  and  comodytie."  No  pit  to  be  commenced  in  a 
corn-field  without  warning  the  tenant  before  his  corn 
was  sown.  If  either  party  commenced  a  pit,  the  other 
might,  by  notice  within  seven  days,  have  half  the 
coals  raised  there,  on  paying  half  the  expenses  of 
sinking.  All  these  conditions  are  manifestly  in  favour 
of  the  resident  proprietor.  The  description  of  the  tene- 
ments actually  granted  to  him  does  not  enable  us  to 
identify  them  now,  with  the  exception  of  one  farm 
called  Cefn-du ;  but  it  seems  clear  that  by  this  transac- 
tion the  family  of  Holland  acquired  the  royal  right  to 
the  minerals  and  commons  in  Eskeiviog — a  very  valu- 
able acquisition,  which  for  a  great  number  of  years  pro- 


BERW  AND  THE  HOLLANDS.  113 

duced  a  fine  income.  The  upper  diggings  in  Esceifiog 
have  been  long  closed,  and  the  lower  ones  are  much  in- 
terfered with  by  the  accumulation  of  water,  but  the 
colliery  is  still  of  considerable  value,  and  requires  only 
energy  and  capital  to  make  it  remunerative  both  to 
landlord  and  tenants. 

Mr.  Owen  Holland  represented  the  county  of  Angle- 
sey in  a  short  parliament  summoned  in  27th  Eliz.,  1585; 
but  gave  place  in  the  following  year  to  his  friend  Sir 
Henry  Bagenall,  the  connection  between  whose  family 
and  the  Griffiths  of  Plasnewydd — Holland's  cousins — 
may  be  mentioned  here.  Maurice  Griffith  mortgaged 
Plasnewydd  to  Sir  Nicholas  Bagenall,  which  mortgage 
does  not  appear  to  have  ever  been  redeemed.  Robert 
Griffith,  his  son,  married  Jane,  the  daughter  of  Sir 
Henry  Bagenall,  but  he  had  to  yield  up  the  estates  to 
his  brother- in-law,  Arthur  Bagenall,  in  whose  possession, 
and  that  of  his  widow  and  son,  Nicholas,  they  continued 
for  many  years :  descending  subsequently  by  default  of 
issue,  to  Sir  Edward  Bayly,  grandson,  and  Sir  Nicholas 
Bayly,  great  grandson  of  the  famous  Bishop  of  Bangor, 
Dr.  Lewis  Bayly,  who  had  married  Anne,  another 
daughter  of  Sir  Henry  Bagenall.  Henry  Bayly,  son  of 
Sir  Nicholas  and  Catherine  Paget,  took  the  name  of 
Paget  after  his  mother,  and  was  called  to  the  house  of 
Peers  in  1770  as  ninth  Baron  Paget  of  Beau  desert.  He 
was  the  father  of  the  late  Marquis  of  Anglesey,  of 
Waterloo  and  Peninsular  fame. 

Mr.  Holland  filled  the  office  of  Sheriff  of  Anglesey  in 
1591,  and  again  in  1599.  His  name  appears  in  a  sub- 
sidy roll  for  1594,  as  paying  twelve  shillings,  hardly  any 
person  on  the  list  being  rated  at  a  higher  sum.  He  died 
at  Berw  on  the  1st  February,  1600;  as  he  is  styled 
"lytle  hoUand"  in  1561,  he  cannot  have  been  a  very  old 
man  at  his  death.  An  inquisition  then  taken  at  Beau- 
maris found  that  besides  his  mansions  at  Berw  and  Tre- 
farthyn,  he  left  nine  tenements  in  Porthamel ;  five  in 
Trefarthyn ;  one  in  Nanhwrva ;  one  at  Caman  ;  ten  in 
Bodlew ;  two  in  Clynuog  vechan ;  five  in  Rhoscolyn ; 

8bD  8VR.,  VOL.  XTV.  8 


114  BERW  AND  THE    HOLLANDS, 

and  half  the  township  of  Esceifiog,  "valued  at  the  last 
rental  at  40^.,"  and  that  by  his  will,  dated  10th  March, 
1597,  he  provided  for  his  wife  by  leaving  her  Tyddyn 
mawr  and  other  lauds  in  Eskeiviog  for  her  life. 

Owen  Holland,  second  of  the  name  at  Berw,  had 
seven  sons  and  seven  daughters.  The  eldest  son,  Row- 
land, having  died  before  his  father,  the  second,  Thomas, 
succeeded  to  the  property.  The  others  were  variously 
disposed  of  about  Anglesey.  He  had  also  seven 
daughters,  one  of  whom  married  a  Wynne,  of  Voelas ; 
another,  a  Wynne,  of  Holyhead  ;  a  third,  to  Gwyn,  of 
Llanwnda  ;  and  a  fourth,  to  Hugh  Gwyn,  of  Cromlech. 
In  his  time  the  family  of  Holland  of  Berw,  having  en- 
tirely disencumbered  themselves  of  the  direct  race  of 
Meredydd  Ddu,  had  reached  a  position  of  very  con- 
siderable consequence  in  the  county  of  Anglesey,  and 
at  his  death  were  aiming,  as  far  as  we  can  judge,  at 
political  eminence  and  any  available  local  distinction 
which  offered  itself. 

Thomas  Holland,  who  succeeded  Owen,  lived  very 
nearly  the  allotted  portion,  three  score  years  and  ten. 
He  was  never  married.  It  seems  probable  that  the 
deeds,  from  which  much  of  this  paper  is  derived,  were 
arranged  and  packed  up  by  him,  and  not  disturbed  for 
some  two  hundred  years  or  more.  Had  he  bestowed 
like  care  upon  his  love-letters  or  private  memoranda, 
most  interesting  details  might  have  here  been  inserted  ; 
but  Thomas  Holland  seems  to  have  paid  more  attention 
to  "the  main  chance,"  and  we  have  but  dry  details  to 
offer  of  his  doings.  Very  soon  after  his  father's  death 
he  represented  Anglesey  in  Parliament,  being  returned 
in  1601,  to  one  of  Queen  Elizabeth's  last  houses.  Sir 
Richard  Bulkeley  succeeded  him,  a  near  relation,  pro- 
bably his  uncle :  the  old  knight  who  made  the  name  of 
Bulkeley  famous,  and  who  built  Baronhill  with  the  in- 
tention of  entertaining  there  the  son  of  James  I. 

Thomas  Holland  and  his  mother  having  made  ar- 
rangements by  which  she  lived  at  Tyddyn  Mawr,  and 
enjoyed  the  profits  of  the  coal  mines  for  her  life,  he  set 


BERW  AND  THE    HOLLANDS.  115 

to  work  to  continue  and  improve  the  orderly  arrange- 
ments which  he  had  inherited.  The  mills  at  Berw  he 
rebuilt,  making  conditions  with  Arthur  and  Griffith 
Bagenall  for  a  supply  of  water  from  their  division  of 
Esceifiog;  which  supply  works  the  mills  to  this  day* 
Hie  did  more ;  he  built  the  present  mansion  of  Berw, 
The  date  over  the  entrance  door  is  1615,  and  the  arms 
rudely  carved  there  are  the  arms  of  Thomas  Holland. 
Quarterly — 1,  a  lion  rampant  between  seven  fleurs  de 
lis ;  2,  a  chevron  between  three  bulls'  heads  cabossed  ; 
3,  a  chevron  between  three  choughs ;  4,  what  appears 
to  be  a  unicorn :  with  the  letters  t.  h.  and  motto,  ^'Detis 
sola  fortHudo  mea  esf  He  made  alterations  in  the  older 
building,  and  over  one  window  driven  into  the  walls 
there  appear  the  initials  t.  h.  The  third  house  of  Berw 
— of  ordinary,  but  interesting  Tudor  architecture,  having 
square  muUioned  windows  and  a  square  tower — is  falling 
into  decay  more  rapidly  than  the  strong  old  edifice  which 
has  been  attributed  to  Owen  ab  Ithel.  It  has  all  the 
characteristics  of  the  time  of  James  the  First ;  the  stiff 
little  garden,  close  quadrangle,  no  view,  low  rooms  ;  it 
cannot  boast  of  many  artificial  beauties,  although  it  is 
about  the  most  interesting  of  the  old  mansions  of 
Anglesey.  It  was  surrounded  by  a  deer-park,  one  part 
of  which  was  high  above  the  house,  the  other  down 
below  it  on  the  marsh.  Inside  the  entrance-hall  are 
found  the  initials  o.  h.,  but  they  must  be  attributed  to 
the  nephew  and  successor  of  Thomas  Holland,  not  to 
his  father. 

But  Mr.  Holland  had  a  town  house  besides  his  man- 
sion at  Berw.  Very  likely  his  connection  with  Sir 
Richard  Bulkeley  attracted  him  to  Beaumaris ;  subse- 
quent events  showed  that  he  bore  a  true  and  constant 
friendship  to  the  Bulkeley  family ;  and  if,  as  seems  to 
have  been  the  case,  he  in  his  younger  days  received 
from  Sir  Richard,  his  grandfather,  and  Sir  Richard,  his 
uncle,  support  and  advice,  Thomas  Holland  certainly 
repaid  it  in  his  services  to  junior  members  of  the  family 
of  Baronhill,  who,  when  he  was  old  and  experienced, 

83 


116  BERW  AND  THE    HOLLANDS. 

were  in  want  of  such  assistance.  In  1610  Holland 
bought  a  house  in  Beaumaris  from  Mr.  Rowland  Griffith, 
of  Coedaney — by  the  description  of  "a  mansion  house, 
or  burgage,  and  the  kitchen  and  houses,  buildinges, 
curtilages,  backsides,  courteyarde,  and  garden,  with 
thapttces  thereof  situate  lyeinge  and  beinge  in  the 
Castellward  strete  of  the  Borough  Towne  of  Bewmares 
in  the  said  Countie  of  Anglesie,  lieinge  there  betweene 
the  house  backside  and  garden  where  dwelleth  William 
ap  Res  Humphrey,  north-eastward,  and  the  nowe  dwell- 
inghouse  of  William  Jones  Esquier  in  the  said  Borough 
towne  south-westward;  and  between  the  town  wall 
south-eastward  and  the  high  strete  north-westward 
within  the  Borough  towne  aforesaid,"  which  premises 
had  been  previously  occupied  by  Raulf  Goodman,  Ellin 
Salisbury  (late  wife  of  Thomas  Bulkeley),  and  of  John 
Roberts,  mercer,  then  deceased,  or  of  Elin  Dobbe.    * 

The  William  Jones,  Esq.,  mentioned  in  this  descrip- 
tion, was  a  celebrated  lawyer,  afterwards  justice  of  the 
Queen's  Bench,  but  more  notable  in  Beaumaris  for  his 
services  in  establishing  the  Grammar  School  there,  over 
the  foundation  of  which,  at  David  Hughes'  cost,  Mr. 
Jones  personally  watched.  The  house,  or  the  site  of  the 
house,  purchased  by  Thomas  Holland,  may  easily  be 
recognised  in  Castle  Street,  Beaumaris,  by  his  initials, 
which  appear  not  only  over  the  street  door,  but  also  in 
the  rear.  It  is  a  curious  old  house,  containing  many 
points  of  interest;  it  is  now  (1867)  occupied  by  a 
cabinet-maker,  who  has  also  a  well-stocked  ironmonger's 
shop  and  supplies  the  young  ladies  with  instruments  for 
the  perpetration  of  croquet.  In  later  days  this  house 
was  the  residence  of  Mr.  Owen  Hughes,  town-clerk,  a 
great  business  man  ;  and  a  large  portion,  not  only  of 
the  borough,  but  of  the  county,  business  also  was  trans- 
acted there;  so  much,  indeed,  that  Sir  William  Jones' 
house  next  door  (now  No.  6,  Castle  Street)  was  used  as 
a  coffee-house,  where  clients  met  their  lawyers,  and  a 
great  variety  of  business  was  prepared,  not  only  for 
Mr.  Hughes'  Borough  tribunal,  but  also  for  the  County 
Hall. 


BERW  AND  THE    HOLLANDS.  117 

It  was,  probably,  Sir  Richard  who  appointed  Mr. 
Thomas  Holland  captain  of  the  trained  band  of  Tyn- 
daethwy ;  because,  Berw  being  in  the  hundred  of 
Menai,  it  would  more  naturally  have  devolved  upon  him 
to  command  there.  Mr.  Lloyd,  of  Maesyporth,  how- 
ever, had  that  office.  It  was  no  sinecure,  and  the  times 
were  getting  "  ticklish."  In  1 6 14  the  deputy-lieutenants 
of  Anglesey,  in  ordering  the  Tyndaethwy  Company  out 
for  practice,  informed  the  Captain  that  it  was '^verie 
unfitt  to  doe  his  maty's  service";  and  when,  in  1619, 
Captain  Holland  desired  to  get  his  men  into  good  work- 
ing order,  he  found,  to  his  dismay,  that  "divers  persons 
cessed  [i.e.,  drafted]  obstinatlie  &  wilfuUie  refuse  to 
provide  the  armoure  and  weapons  upon  them  cessed"; 
and  more,  "  most  contemptuouslie  make  default  of  their 
appearance  at  our  musters."  In  1621  this  gallant  com- 
pany, consisting  of  "as  well  the  better  quallitye  as  of 
such  other  freeholders,  farmours,  owners  of  land,  and 
householders  as  shall  be  fitt  for  the  same ;  none  to  bee 
excepted"  was  ordered  to  muster  on  the  "Castle  Grene 
at  Bewmares  by  eight  of  the  clock  in  the  forenoon  of 
the  18th  of  June,  with  the  list  of  names,  and  the 
drum  and  auncient  to  the  company  belonging." 

It  may  be  interesting  to  note  the  nature  of  this  force. 
"  A  muster  Rowle,  taken  at  Talwrn  Mawr  the  29th  of 
July  1625,  by  Thomas  Holland  Esq^^  Capten  of  Tin- 
daethwy"  gives  a  list  of  forty-eight  names  only,  as  the 
contribution  of  one,  and  the  principal,  of  the  six  hun- 
dreds of  Anglesey.  Of  these,  sixteen  are  constables  or 
petty  constables.  Out  of  the  entire  forty-eight  only 
sixteen  are  noted  as  "redie."  Two  are  "out  of  repair." 
Some  make  "default  of  caliver";  some  "default  of 
pike";  some  default  of  other  arms.  One  poor  wretch 
makes  "default  of  all  his  furniture."  Twenty- three  are 
absent. 

Mr.  Holland  filled  the  office  of  Sheriff  of  Anglesey  in 
1609.  He  built  or  altered  his  house  in  Beaumaris 
about  1627-29.  And  it  is  curious  to  note  the  difference 
of  the  two  initial  tablets  which  he  placed  there.     The 


118  BERW  AND  THE    HOLLANDS. 


earliest  is  t.  h.  1627;  the  later  J^\  1629.  It  is  certain 
that  from  about  that  period  until  his  death,  he  always 
received  the  style  and  title  of  "Sir  Thomas  Holland, 
knight,"  although  we  have  no  notice  of  his  being 
knighted  about  that  time,  nor,  except  in  being  made 
'*  Knight  of  the  Shire,"  at  any  time. 

Sir  Thomas,  not  content  with  building  two  family 
mansions,  desired  to  erect  a  private  chapel,  and  to  that 
end  obtained  grants  from  different  civil  and  ecclesiastical 
authorities.  The  Bagenalls,  his  neighbours,  afterwards 
tried  hard,  but  ineffectually,  to  have  these  permissions 
withdrawn.  As  if  it  was  impossible  for  country  gentle- 
men to  live  near  one  another  without  jealousy,  we  find 
the  first — and  not  unnatural — feud  between  Sir  John 
Owen  and  his  sister's  English  husband,  later  on  repeated 
in  a  long  standing  quarrel  between  the  Hollands  and 
the  Bagenalls.  One  great  reason  for  his  building  a 
chapel  may  have  been  the  distance  of  Berw  from  the 
parish  church  of  Llanidan — about  five  miles,  and  no 
direct  road ;  another  seems  to  have  been  Sir  Thomas' 
continual  quarrels  with  the  parson  of  Llanidan,  who  did 
not  suit  him  at  all.  The  church  of  Llanfihangel  Eskei- 
viog,  was  comparatively  close  to  Berw,  but  the  knight, 
not  being  a  resident  parishioner,  had  no  right  there. 
The  old  tradition  says  that  Elinor  verch  Ithel  had  built 
a  church.  Service  was  undoubtedly  held,  in  Sir  Thomas 
Holland's  time,  in  an  old  building  near  Berw  (now  in 
ruins,  but  long  used  as  a  bam)  for  the  benefit  of  such 
Llanidan  parishioners  as  could  not  journey  to  their 
parish  church.  In  the  time  of  Mr.  Jasper  Price,  of 
Bodowyr,  Rector  of  Llanidan,  who  died  in  1626;  and 
at  the  beginning  of  the  time  of  his  successor,  Mr.  Lewis 
Williams ;  the  custom  was  "that  notice  should  be  given 
in  the  Church  of  Llanedan  to  the  Inhabitants  of  the 
Townshippe  of  Berow,  that  they  that  were  impotent  and 
aged  should  prepare  themselves  to  receive  the  com- 
munion at  there  owne  houses  upon  the  Thursday  in 
Passion  Week  ;  and  upon  that  day  soe  manie  of  the  in- 
habitants as  intended  to  receive  the  communion  mett  in 


BERW  AND  THE    HOLLANDS.  119 

a  longe  house  in  the  said  Townshippe ;  wheather  it 
weare  a  barne  or  no  this  deponent  knoweth  not,  and 
there  the  minister  of  Llanedan  mett  them,  and  adminis- 
tered the  communion  unto  them,  so  that  they  came  not 
to  their  parish  church."  The  custom  of  the  parish 
seemed  to  be  that  the  communion — bound  by  law  to  be 
partaken  of — should  be  administered  to  the  inhabitants 
of  Berw  on  Thursday,  and  the  rest  of  the  parish  on 
Tuesday  in  Passion  Week.  By  way  of  complying  with 
this  custom,  after  the  quarrel  had  commenced  between 
the  new  rector  and  Sir  Thomas  Holland,  the  sexton,  in 
1635,  **  enquired  of  some  of  the  servants  of  Sir  Thomas 
Holland  of  Berowe  whether  there  were  any  sick  in  the 
townshipp  of  Berowe,  that  the  vicar  might  come  to  visit 
them ;  and  the  said  servants  said,  they  knew  of  none." 
In  one  of  the  old  registers  preserved — and,  we  regret  to 
say,  most  negligently  preserved — at  Llanidan,  there  is  a 
full  account  of  the  number  of  services  performed  weekly, 
but  there  is  not  any  mention  of  these  services  at  Berw. 
Sir  Thomas  Holland  appears  to  have  been  twice  ap- 
pointed churchwarden  at  Llanidan,  but  "never  attended 
service  there,"  One  of  his  causes  of  complaint  against 
his  vicar  was  that  he  employed  unqualified  persons  as 
curates.  One  Rowland  Williams,  who  was  acting  in 
that  capacity,  has  left  behind  him  an  affidavit  that  in 
in  1634  he  was  "apprehended  by  a  warrant  from  Sir 
Thomas  Holland  and  by  virtue  thereof  carried  to  Berw. 
Sir  Thomas  being  gone  to  Bangor,  he  was  carried  thither 
over  an  arme  of  the  sea  and  was  brought  before  the 
liord  Bishop  of  Bangor  [Dr.  Lewis  Bayly]  and  Sir 
Thomas  Holland,  and  was  there  committed  to  prison 
where  he  remayned  for  five  hours ;  afterwards  he  was 
brought  again  before  the  Lord  Bishop  and  upon  oath 
stated  that  he  was  a  Deacon  and  not  in  full  orders,"  for 
which  he  was  censured  by  the  Lord  Bishop :  he  appeared 
before  him  "in  priestly  apparel,"  and  eventually  received 
from  his  lordship"  a  toUeracon  ore  tenus  to  kepe  a  schole 
in  his  diocese."  The  immediate  result,  however,  of  in- 
curring the  displeasure  of  Sir  Thomas  Holland  is  de- 


120  BERW  AND  THE    HOLLANDS. 

tailed  by  Mr.  Owen  Hughes,  curate  of  Llanbadrig,  who 
saw  poor  Rowland  Williams  "stand  upon  the  markett 
crosse  at  Bangor  with  a  paper  uppon  his  breast  and 
shoulders,  with  some  writing  uppon  the  paper,  which 
he  did  not  read,  but  asked  Rowland  wherefore  he  soe 
stood  there ;  who  replyed,  that  it  was  for  servinge  under 
Mr.  Williams  at  Llanedan."  The  feud  between  Sir 
Thomas  Holland  and  the  vicar  of  Llanidan  was  long 
and  tedious,  and  seems  to  have  been  eventually  com- 
promised by  an  apology  from  the  parson,  in  which  he 
undertook — *4n  case  Sir  Thomas  Holland  hereafter  shall 
desire  such  service  to  be  officiated  and  done,"  to  perform 
evening  service  at  Llanddaniel  vab,  a  chapel  under 
Llanidan  and  nearer  to  Berw.  The  poor  parson  also 
engaged  that  his  "carriage  and  demeanour  toward  him 
[Sir  Thomas]  hereafter  shalbe  soe  respectfuU  as  doth 
well  become  a  man  of  his  worth  and  dignity."  This 
apology  was  given  in  1638,  but  Sir  Thomas,  apparently 
still  dissatisfied,  proceeded  with  the  erection  of  his 
chapel  at  Llanfihangel  Esceifiog.  In  a  settlement  dated 
Feb.  13,  1642,  he  alludes  to  "the  chappell  latelie  built 
by  me,  ^  and  all  seats,  sittings,  kneeling,  and  buryinge 
places  in  the  south  side  of  the  said  church."  On  the 
gable  end  of  this  chapel,  which  is  simply  a  very  plain 
transept  possessing  no  architectural  features,  he  placed 
a  tablet  bearing  this  inscription : — 

T.  H.  MILES 

POSSIDET    HA 

NO    CAP  ELLA  M 

LAVS   DEO 

V.T.    FEB 

163    . 

The  last  figure  is  defaced.  There  are  a  few  other  il- 
legible inscriptions  about  the  walls  of  the  church,  espe- 
cially a  very  old  and  remarkable  one  round  the  doorway 
and  lintel. 

Even  here,  the  knight  was  not  permitted  to  worship 
in  peace,  and,  curiously  enough,  his  principal  opponent 
seems  to  have  been  another  Lewis  Williams,  also  a 


BERW  AND  THE    HOLLANDS.  121 

parson.  The  L.  W.  of  Llanidan  is  registered  in  the 
books  of  that  parish  as  having  been  buried  there  in 
1666;  whereas  the  L.  W.  of  Llanfihangel  has  a  brass 
to  his  memory  in  his  own  church,  on  which  the  date  of 
his  death  is  given  as  1670.  It  appears  that  on  Christ- 
mas-day, 1642,  Mr.  Lewis  Williams,  with  Owen  Salis- 
bury, Thomas  Michael,  and  Arthur  Michael  (sons  of 
Thomas  Michael,  of  Glanygors,  a  country  gentleman  of 
good  position) — 

'*Came  together  to  the  said  church,  divers  of  the  parishioners 
being  then  and  there  assembled  and  attending  the  celebracoa 
of  divine  service,  and  did  then  and  there  assault  and  sett  upon 
divers  persons  in  the  said  church  being  ho  assembled,  pulling 
and  haleinge  some  by  their  necks  and  others  by  the  haire  of 
their  heads  ;  and  striking  others  with  cudgells  and  staues  in  the 
presence  of  Sir  Thomas  Holland  Knight,  one  of  his  mat"  Jus- 
tices of  the  Peace  for  the  s*^  Com.  who  commanding  them  to 
keep  the  peace,  the  said  Arthur  and  Thomas  Michael  said  he 
was  not  to  be  obeyed,  and  they  and  the  rest  of  their  complices 
refused  to  obey  his  authority,  and  they  or  most  of  them  privily 
had  beforehand  provided  halberds,  pitchforks,  long  staues, 
swords,  and  other  oflfensive  weapons  ready  in  and  about  the 
churchyard  of  the  said  church :  and  when  the  said  Salusbury 
for  the  cause  aforesaid  was  by  the  command  of  the  s^  Sir 
Thomas  Holland  apprehended  and  brought  out  of  the  said 
church  to  be  ezaied  touchinge  the  same,  the  most  parte  of  the 
said  persons  before  named  shewed  themselves  in  and  about  the 
churchyard  armed  with  the  weapons  aforesaid,  whereupon  to 
avoid  greater  bloudshed  the  said  Sir  Thomas  Holland  and 
most  of  the  Parishioners  left  the  said  church  before  service." 

These  amiable  rencontres  were  not  confined  to  the 
church. 

"The  said  Lewis  Williams  on  the  9th  Feb.  1642  armed  with 
a  longe  staffe,  and  the  others  all  armed,  came  to  a  place  in 
Eskeiviog  where  one  Thomas  ap  Richard  did  oversee  the 
buildinge  of  a  house  of  the  said  Sir  Thomas  Holland.  The 
said  Lewis  Williams  did  with  full  speede  ride  toward  the  said 
Thomas  ap  Richard  and  comaund  the  said  other  persons  then 
present  with  him  to  pursue,  knocke  downe,  and  kill  the  said 
Thomas  ap  Richard  and  he  would  warrant  them,  which  the  said 
Thomas  avoyded  by  outrunninge  the  said  Lewis  Williams  and 
his  company." 


122  BERW  AND  THE    HOLLANDS. 

The  Rev.  Lewis  Williams  on  the  same  occasion 
abused  (in  his  absence)  the  Knight  of  Berw,  calling  him 
"a  boobie,  and  a  Jew,  and  that  he  had  ever  been  a  Jew, 
and  would  die  a  Jew."  These  amenities  passed  just 
when  King  Charles  and  his  parliament  were  in  arms 
against  each  other,  and  "in  almost  every  shire  in  the 
kingdom  two  hostile  factions  appeared  in  arms."  The 
magistrates  seemed  to  regard  the  dispute  as  more  alarm- 
ing than  a  mere  assault  would  be,  and  forthwith  issued 
a  warrant  to  the  Sheriff  and  constables  to  arrest  the  of- 
fenders, and  put  a  stop  to  their  mutinous  meetings, 
which,  they  said,  "if  not  speedily  supprest  maie  procure 
a  dangerous  consequence."  We  do  not  find  that  Sir 
Thomas  Holland  took  an  active  part  in  the  civil  war  on 
either  side.  He  was  Sheriff  for  the  second  time  in  1622, 
and  not  afterwards,  nor  did  any  other  Holland  of  Berw 
hold  that  honourable  office  after  him. 

It  has  been  mentioned  that  one  of  the  Misses  Holland 
married  Cadwalader  Wynn  of  Voelas,  and  another 
Hugh  Gwyn  of  Cromlech.  With  both  of  these  families 
Sir  Thomas  had  enough  to  do.  The  former  marriage 
took  place  in  1692,  but  Mr.  Wynn  must  have  died  not 
long  after,  because  in  1608  his  widow  appointed  Sir 
Thomas  guardian  over  her  son  Robert.  Again  neithei: 
of  the  two  daughters  of  his  sister  Mrs.  Cromley,  or  Gwyn 
of  Cromlech,  were  to  be  married  without  his  consent,  a 
matter  which  seems  to  have  giveit  him  much  anxiety. 
He  was  also  a  party  to  the  settlement  made  on  the  mar- 
riage of  his  favourite  sister  Mary  Holland  in  1630,  with 
Mr.  Arthur  Williams,  of  Llanbadrig.  Mary  married 
again  five  years  later,  Mr.  Richard  Dryhurst,  of  Den- 
bigh, mercer.  She  survived  him,  and  finally  married 
Mr.  Richard  Williams,  of  Llysdulas,  sometime  M.P.  for 
the  County,  who  had  been  one  of  the  trustees  of  her  first 
settlement,  and  was  a  relation  of  her  first  husband. 
Mary  died  in  1654. 

Besides  looking  after  his  sister's  affairs,  the  knight 
had  some  occupation  found  him  by  his  brothers.  Ed- 
ward was  a  lawyer,  and  at  one  time  Clerk  of  the  Peace ; 


BBRW  AND  THE    HOLLANDS.  123 

nevertheless  in  1642  Sir  Thomas  was  called  upon  to  as- 
sist in  defending  him  in  a  criminal  information  which 
had  been  laid  against  him  and  Thomas  Prichard  for 
certain  "felonies  and  transgressions."  Another  brother, 
Richard,  gave  him  a  bond  for  £100,  voidable  on  this 
curious  condition:  "yf  the  sayd  Richard  Holland  shall 
happen  to  have  a  wedded  wyfe  with  hym  lawfully  co- 
ioyned  in  matrimony  att  the.tyme  of  hys  death,  or  other- 
wyse  shal  happen  to  have  a  child  by  hym  begotten  and 
living  att  the  said  tyme  of  his  death."  A  third  brother 
Robert,  who  had  an  annuity  of  five  pounds  charged  upon 
Berw,  sold  it  to  Sir  Thomas  in  1612  for  £100  down. 
Tristram  seems  to  have  been  the  most  independent  of 
the  younger  sons  of  Owen  Holland.  He  made  an  agree- 
ment with  one  Hugh  ap  William  by  which,  for  certain 
considerations,  the  latter  was  to  "mayntaine  and  keepe 
the  s^  tristram  hoUand  with  meate,  drinke,  lodging,  and 
washinge  in  convenient  manner,  upon  the  costs  and 
charges  of  the  said  Hugh,  at  his  house  at  Dinam." 

The  latter  part  of  Sir  Thomas'  life  was  much  embit- 
tered by  a  series  of  law-suits  with  Thomas  Chedle,  who, 
first  a  servant  and  next  a  lessee  of  Sir  Richard  Bulkeley 
— Sir  Thomas*  first  cousin — afterwards  married  his 
widow  and  obtained  virtual  possession  of  the  Baronhill 
estates.  A  certain  boundary  river  in  Malltraeth 
marsh  was  a  source  of  endless  contention ;  Chedle  living 
at  one  time  at  LledT^gan,  and  diverting  the  stream  of 
the  Cefhi  so  as  to  encroach  upon  Holland's  lands.  Fail- 
ing to  get  peace  here,  the  knight  raked  up  all  the  charges 
he  could  against  Chedle,  and  even  accused  him  of  having 
murdered  his  wife's  former  husband.  The  matter  seems 
to  have  been  hushed  up,  but  it  is  an  important  item  in 
the  history  of  the  Bulkeley  family ;  and  would  probably 
never  have  come  to  light  but  for  the  exertions  of 
Sir  Thomas  Holland.  Doubtless,  in  endeavouring  to 
preserve  from  waste  the  Baronhill  Estates,  he  was  re- 
paying the  kindness  and  aid  he  had  received  from  the 
former  owner  of  them.  In  the  course  of  the  quarrel 
Chedle  commenced  proceedings  for  conspiracy  against 


124  BERW  AND  THE    HOLLANDS. 

the  knight  in  the  Star  Chamber,  and  Sir  Thomas,  "by 
reason  of  his  age  and  unwildiness  to  travel,"  had  to  ap- 
ply for  and  pay  the  costs  of  a  commission  to  come  and 
take  his  evidence.  When  the  commissioners  arrived 
with  their  interrogatories,  Chedle  "rushed  into  the 
roome"  and  stopped  them.  Sir  Thomas,  in  a  petition  to 
the  king,  adds,  "for  that  Chedle  would  make  yo'subiect 
come  up  to  London  to  answere,  and  by  that  means  he 
the  said  Chedle  did  hope  yo"^  subiect  would  dye  by  the 
journey." 

Sir  Thomas  Holland  added  to  the  family  estates  by 
the  purchase  of  lands  both  at  Gaerwen  and  near  Beau- 
maris. The  Hamptons  sold  him  lands  near  Henllys 
and  in  Llanfaes.  A  very  curious  series  of  title  deeds  re- 
lating to  Gaerwenganol  purchased  by  him,  are  still 
preserved.  One  Thomas  Phelippe  sold  the  place  in 
1582  for  "twenty-six  pound  in  a  leather  bagge."  So 
with  the  coals  ;  the  knight  was  well  aware  of  their  value. 
He  obtained  a  lease  to  himself  from  Griffith  Bagenall  of 
the  Bagenall  moiety  for  sixty  years,  if  Griffith  should  so 
long  live,  and  so  became  for  a  time  at  least  the  owner 
of  the  whole  township.  He  was  afterwards  accused  of 
having  taken  advantage  of  that  opportunity  to  "committ 
great  waste  and  spoile,  and  greatly  encroach  upon  the 
parte  whereof  he  was  only  lessee."  Probably  he  did  no 
more  than  any  other  mining  lessee  would  have  done,  but 
raised  and  sold  as  much  coal  as  he  possibly  could.  Sir 
Thomas  sold  the  fine  farm  of  Carnan  to  John  White,  a 
connection  of  the  Whites  of  Fryars.  Some  idea  of  the 
roads  in  Sir  Thomas'  time  may  be  gathered  from  evi- 
dence given  on  the  trial  of  an  action  in  the  Court  of  the 
Marches  at  Ludlow,  in  which  Mr.  Prythergh,  of  My- 
fyrian,  obtained  judgment  against  the  knight  as  to  a 
right  of  way  which  he  claimed  over  Ynys  Ferw.  "  It  is 
usual  in  Anglesey,"  says  one  witness,  "when  the  high 
or  common  ways  prove  fouU  or  dangerous  in  winter,  to 
break  open  gapps  into  the  hedges  adjoining,  thereby  to 
avoyd  the  foulnes  and  danger  of  the  highwaies  by  going 
over  and   along   the    closes   or   grouud    adjoyninge." 


BERW  AND  THE    HOLLANDS.  125 

Another  mentions  that  it  took  "fortie  oxen  to  drag  a 
shaft  or  post  to  the  plaintiffs  windie  mylne  from  the  sea 
near  defendants  house."  This  house  was  one  which  Sir 
Thomas  had  built  on  his  lands  at  Trefarthen,  nearly  op- 
posite Carnarvon,  and  which  he  called  Tai  cochion. 
Just  below  it  he  had  a  warehouse,  at  which  were  landed 
stores,  etc.,  for  use  at  Berw,  and,  perhaps,  elsewhere. 
Sir  Richard  Bulkeley  used  to  import  wine,  fish,  and 
various  goods,  and  so,  perhaps,  did  Sir  Thomas  Holland. 
Mr.  Rowlands  says  of  the  latter  that,  "being  a  clever  man, 
he  carried  on  the  trade  of  merchandize."  Unfortunately 
his  business  books  have  not  been  preserved.  He  seems 
to  have  spent  a  portion  of  every  year  at  Tai  cochion,  at 
the  same  time  having  on  his  own  hands,  not  only  the 
family  mansion  at  Berw,  but  also  the  house  at  Beau- 
maris. The  latter  is  described  as  being  in  his  own  oc- 
cupation, in  a  settlement  dated  in  1642.  A  lease,  signed 
by  him  in  1643,  seems  to  be  one  of  the  last  deeds  he  lived 
to  execute,  for  his  nephew  and  heir  Owen  Holland  was 
in  possession  of  the  estates  in  1644 ;  so  that  the  old 
knight,  though  he  had  suffered  much  annoyance  from 
the  seething  of  those  angry  passions  which  soon  became 
civil  war,  scarcely  lived  long  enough  to  see  actual  hos- 
tilities in  Anglesey.  He  must  have  been  about  sixty- 
seven  years  old.  It  is  remarkable  that  no  tomb  or 
monumental  memorial  is  known  to  exist  of  any  of  these 
Hollands,  either  at  their  parish  church,  Llanidan,  or 
elsewhere. 

Amongst  other  law  proceedings  Sir  Thomas  seems  to 
have  been  called  to  account  for  some  oflFence  against  the 
laws  of  heraldry  and  to  have  received  the  sanction  of 
Sir  John  Borough  Garter  King  of  Arms  to  bear  "azure,  . 
a  lyon  rampant  gardant  between  five  flowers  de  lice  ar- 
gent." The  following  letter  relates  to  this  matter.  It  is 
written  by  Mr.  William  Bold,  some  time  Sherifl'  of 
Anglesey,  but  has  no  address: — 

''Worthy  Sir,  give  me  leave,  I  pray  you,  to  acquainte  you 
with  my  proceedings  in  these  partes ;  being  desirous  to  under- 
stand Sir  Thomas  Hollands  descent,  for  y'  better  satisfaction, 


126  BERW  AND  THE    HOLLANDS. 

after  some  conference  I  obtained  to  see  his  evidence ;  whear  I 
found  that  in  these  parts  his  ancestors  formerly  hadd  beene 
powerful!  men,  but  in  the  tyme  of  Henry  the  4th  Henry  6th 
Henry  7th  &  Henry  8th  and  soe  to  these  tymes,  for  their  coate 
they  nave  not  beene  such  curious  preservers  of  it,  or  at  least  it 
appears  so  unto  me  as  I  have  direct  proofe  of  it.  Only  they 
receave  it  by  tradition  from  tyme  to  tyme  preserved  by  our  an- 
tiquaries and  gentlemen  curious  in  petegrees.  Nor  do  I  find 
that  the  rest  of  his  family  derive  themselves  from  the  Duke  of 
Excester  but  from  the  Hollands  of  Lankeshire,  wch  in  all  like- 
lihood may  be  soe,  for  in  those  turbulent  tymes,  I  find  that 
manye  Englishe  out  of  Cheshire  and  Lankeshire  were  trans- 
ferred heare  to  places  of  Judicature  and  keeping  of  forts :  w**I 
might  very  well  instance  my  own  name  as  in  the  Pickmen, 
Spicers,  and  many  others  :  1  find  his  error  to  be  that  being  on 
a  suddaine  called  on  he  relyed  to  much  on  Mr.  Hughes  yo'  of- 
ficer's knowledge,  not  sending,  as  he  ought  to  have  done,  to  the 
rest  of  the  family;  but  now,  upon  conference  with  them  he  waves 
Mr.  Hughes  his  opinion  ;  I  dout  not  but  to  give  you  satisfaction 
therein ;  and  soe  desirous  he  is  of  it  that  in  person  he  intends 
as  I  hear  say  to  doe  it.  My  cozen  Jo :  Griffith  presents  his  love 
and  service  to  you,  and  both  of  us  doe  ioyntlie  intreat  you  that 
there  may  be  noe  proceedings  against  him  till  one  of  us  come 
to  towne,  whiche,  God  willing,  will  be  shortlie  this  terme." 

The  letter,  like  the  grant  of  arms,  bears  date  in  1635. 

Sir  Thomas  Holland  never  having  been  married,  his 
estates  descended  to  the  eldest  son  of  his  next  brother, 
Owen  Holland,  by  his  wife  Mary,  the  daughter  of 
Michael  Evans.  This  son  was  also  named  Owen,  and  he 
had  one  brother  only,  Edward  Holland,  of  Maes-y-wrach. 
Shortly  before  the  death  of  the  old  knight,  Owen  Hol- 
land the  third  had  married  Jane,  daughter  of  Pearce 
Lloyd  of  Llugwy  Esq.,  who  survived  him  many  years, 
and  died  at  Taicochion  in  1708 ;  his  possession  was  in- 
augurated by  a  chancery  suit  brought  by  Dame  Mag- 
dalene Tyringham,  the  widow  of  Arthur  Bagenall,  to  re- 
cover that  moiety  of  Eskeiviog  which  Griffith  and  Ar- 
thur Bagenall  had  leased  to  Sir  Thomas,  and  which 
Owen  refused  to  give  up,  although  Griffith  Bagenall  was 
dead,  for  whose  life  the  lease  had  been  granted.  Mrs. 
Tyringham  does  not  hesitate  to  accuse  Mr.  Holland  of 
"taking  advantage  of  the  distraction^  of  the  times"  to 


BERW  AND  THE    HOLLANDS.  127 

wrong  her ;  and  says  that "  y®  said  Countie  of  Anglesey 
and  p'ts  adjoyninge  being  under  y''  kings  power,  he 
y**  s**  Owen  Holland  beinge  in  authoritie,  taking  advan- 
tage thereof,  by  threats  and  power  forced  y®  tenants  to 
paye  theire  rents  unto  him."  A  commission  was  issued ; 
and  in  consequence  of  the  return  made  to  it,  Mr.  Holland 
had  to  restore  to  Madame  Tyringham,  of  Plasnewydd, 
the  Bagenall  moiety  of  Esceiviog,  which  is  still  enjoyed 
by  her  representatives. 

"  A  perfect  RentroUe  of  Mr.  Owen  Hollands  late  lands, 
as  they  were  sett  in  his  lief  tyme,"  dated  July  9,  1668, 
gives  the  names  of  the  tenants  only.  Nearly  all  gave 
fixed  "presents"  as  well  as  their  money  rent.  Thus 
"Hugh  ap  Wm.  John  for  Tythin  Claye  in  his  houldinge 
6Lj  but  set  at  5L  presents  two  capons  and  100  of  red 
herrings,  and  a  sixe  dales  of  mason's  worke."  This  farm 
was  near  Red  Wharf ;  hence  the  herrings.  "Res  ap  Wm. 
Carp'  Is.  two  capons,  and  a  week  service  in  harvest." 
"Moses  ap  Richard  for  a  house  and  garden  valued  at  10^. 
He  pays  in  work:  presents,  12  chickens,  and  one  dales 
reapinge."  "  Jonet,  for  a  part  of  old  Mores  house  and 
gardine,  y®  yearly  rent  of  68.  8d. :  presents :  six  chickens. 
She  pays  most  in  worke.  Old  Mores  for  the  other  part 
of  the  same  house,  2rf.,  which  he  pays  in  rushes."  "The 
Miller  for  the  mylne  and  the  close  belonging  to  it,  y* 
yearly  rent  of  £4  :  5:0:  this  year  sixe  pounds  and  five 
shillings."  The  total  value  of  the  money  rents  was  but 
£108 :  15:0:  out  of  thirty  tenements,  but  a  portion  of 
the  paper  is  wanting. 

Anglesey  took  no  prominent  part  in  the  civil  war,  but 
in  1648,  the  gentlemen  of  the  county  issued  a  rather 
wordy  and  bombastical  manifesto,  drawn  up  by  two 
parsons,  in  which  after  taking  credit  to  themselves  for 
having  preserved  order  up  to  that  time,  they  bound 
themselves  to  "preserve  the  said  island  together  with 
the  castles  and  houlds  therein"  for  the  king.  Among  the 
foremost  signatures  to  this  document  is  that  of  Mr. 
Owen  Holland.  The  only  result  was  a  very  feeble  stand 
made   near  Beaumaris   against  Gen.  Mytton  and  his 


128  BERW  AND  THE    HOLLANDS. 

troops,  who  had  little  or  no  trouble  in  defeating  the 
Anglesey  Royalists,  and  getting  possession  of  Beaumaris 
town  and  castle.  In  October  in  that  very  year,  Mr. 
Owen  Holland  and  other  gentlemen  signed  an  agreement 
to  pay  £7,000  towards  the  pay  of  the  Parliamentary 
army,  and  to  compound  for  their  estates  at  the  rate  of 
two  years'  income.  Holland  paid  £200.  Mr.  Holland's 
devotion  to  the  royal  cause  did  not  prevent  him  signing 
a  warrant  in  1653  for  the  levying  of  money  "to  pay  the 
armies  and  navies  of  the  comonwealth," — the  sum  of 
£1,396:  0 :  10  being  required  from  the  county  of  An- 
glesey alone.  This  Owen  Holland  enjoyed  the  estates 
about  twenty  years,  for  he  died  between  1665  and  1668, 
leaving  three  sons  and  two  daughters.  Dorothy  married 
Watkin  Kyffin,  of  Glascoed  ;  Jane,  Thomas  Madrin  of 
Madrin.  Hugh  had  no  family.  John  Holland  married 
Elizabeth  Levitt,  and  settled  at  Carnarvon ;  his  son  af- 
terwards owned  Berw.  Thomas,  the  heir,  married  his 
first  cousin,  one  of  the  numerous  family  of  Pearce  liloyd, 
of  Llugwy ;  and  he  afterwards  married  Lumley,  the 
daughter  of  Lord  Bulkeley.  By  his  first  wife  he  had  a 
son,  Thomas,  ^^eximit  spei  adolescens^'  and  two  others  who 
died  in  infancy.  Both  Thomases  father  and  son,  died 
between  1691  and  1708,  leaving  heir  to  the  Berw  pro- 
perty their  nephew  and  cousin  Mr.  Thomas  Holland, 
son  of  John  Holland,  of  Carnarvon,  he  then  being  in 
Bermuda.  Upon  the  decease  of  his  grandmother  in 
1 708,  Owen  Holland's  widow,  the  Rev.  Thomas  Holland, 
for  he  was  in  holy  orders,  took  a  transfer  of  bonds,  value 
£1100,  a  large  brass  pot,  a  cupboard  bed,  and  other 
rarities,  and  found  himself  regularly  established  as  the 
squire  of  Berw.  His  wife's  maiden  name  was  HoUing, 
and  their  family  consisted  of  two  sons,  John  and  Thomas : 
the  reverend  squire  had  also  a  sister  married  to  Mr.  Ellis 
Anwyl,  parson  of  Llaniestyn  in  Lleyn.  Besides  in- 
heriting the  family  estate  and  his  grandmother's  per- 
sonalty, in  1708  Mr.  Thomas  Holland  was  also  made 
rector  of  Llangeinwen,  to  which  church  he  presented, 
thirty  years  after,  a  communion  plate  of  silver,  ^  match 


BERW  AND  THE    HOLLANDS.  129 

a  cup  given  by  his  predecessor,  Dr.  Whyte.  In  the  same 
eventful  year  he  married  his  second  wife,  Mary,  daughter 
of  Mutton  Da  vies,  of  Gwysaney,  Esq.  This  connection 
brought  to  Mr.  Holland  the  living  of  Marchwiel,  where 
he  went  to  live,  at  the  same  time  keeping  up  the  deer 
and  deer-park  at  Berw,  though  he  let  the  house  to  a 
carpenter,  one  William  Owen.  No  Holland  ever  lived 
there  after  him.  There  exists  a  portrait  of  the  Rev. 
Thomas  Holland,  which  shows  him  as  a  jolly,  portly,  old 
gentleman  in  a  curly  wig  and  an  armchair.  Other  por- 
traits collected  by  him  show  that  he  was  a  man  of  liberal 
and  refined  tastes.  Contemporary  with  him  was  Mr. 
Henry  White,  of  Fryars,  near  Beaumaris,  a  gentleman 
who  had  a  good  estate,  and  an  only  daughter.  Between 
Miss  Jane  White  and  Mr.  John  Holland,  barrister-at- 
law,  heir  apparent  of  Berw,  a  marriage  was  arranged, 
which  in  due  time  took  place.  The  settlements  contem- 
plated a  long  line  of  Hollands  who  should  continue  not 
only  the  family  of  Holland  of  Berw,  but  also  the  branch 
thus  extended  to  Fryars.  Disappointment  attended  them. 
Thomas  Holland,  the  younger  son,  died  at  college — a 
student  at  Jesus  College,  Oxford,  where  he  promised 
well.  Soon  afterwards  the  heir,  John  Holland,  died  also. 
He  had  taken  up  a  good  position  at  Fryars,  where  he 
lived  regularly,  holding  office  in  the  Corporation  of 
Beaumaris  frequently  up  to  1 732,  in  which  year  he  was 
Mayor.  Fryars  was  sold  and  Berw  reverted  after  the 
death  of  Mrs.  John  Holland  without  issue,  to  her  father- 
in-law,  the  Rev.  Thomas  Holland,  of  Marchwiel,  who 
presently  died  there,  having  the  melancholy  distinction 
of  being  the  very  last  man  who  bore  the  name  and  style 
of  Holland  of  Berw. 

Two  hundred  and  fifty  years  after  the  time  of  Elinor 
verch  Ithel,  her  house  and  lands  again  passed  into  the 
hands  of  the  ladies.  One  of  the  daughters  of  Jane 
Holland  and  Ellis  Anwyl,  born  before  her  uncle  came 
over  from  Bermuda,  had  married  Mr.  Richard  Trygarn, 
a  gentleman  of  good  family  and  ancient  lineage,  by  pro- 
fession an  attorney.     This  marriage  took  place  in  1723. 

3ai)  SKR.,  VOL.  XIV.  0 


130  ANTIQUITIES  OF  DILWYN. 

Mrs.  Trygarn — a  staunch  Jacobite,  by  the  way — sur- 
vived her  husband,  and,  about  1750,  found  herself  the 
owner  of  Berw  on  the  decease  of  her  uncle.  She 
took  up  her  abode  there,  with  her  daughter,  Miss  Mary 
Trygarn.  Her  initials  e.  t.  appear  over  the  garden  gate 
at  Berw.  Their  butler  was  one  of  the  last  representa- 
tives of  the  family  of  Tudor  of  Penmynydd. 

Miss  Trygarn  married  in  1755  John  Griffith,  Esq.,  of 
Carreglwyd,  "a  worthy  and  convivial  gentleman,"  as 
Pennant  calls  him,  and  one  of  the  first  among  the  landed 
gentry  of  Anglesey.  In  memory  of  the  family  to  whose 
property  they  had  succeeded,  this  worthy  couple  chris- 
tened their  son  Holland  Griffith.  In  his  hands  and  those 
of  his  son,  the  late  respected  Mr.  R.  Trygarn  Griffith, 
the  estates  long  remained,  and  they  still  belong  to  that 
family,  the  worthy  successors,  not  only  of  the  old  Welsh 
owners  (with  whom  they  can  claim  collateral  relation- 
ship), but  of  that  once  important  and  flourishing  family 
the  Hollands  of  Berw. 

J.  W. 


ANTIQUITIES  OF  DILWYN,  HEREFORDSHIRE. 

The  paper  read  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Heather,  at  the  Here- 
ford Meeting  of  August  1867,  was  as  follows: — 

The  parish  of  Dilwyn  is  one  of  the  largest  and  most 
populous  of  the  rural  parishes  of  this  county.  The  acre- 
age exceeds  6,000,  and  the  population  is  nearly  1,100. 
Situated  in  the  north-west  angle  of  the  county,  it  com- 
bines the  luxuriance  of  Herefordshire  with  jiist  a  tinge 
of  the  bolder  scenery  of  the  country  over  the  border. 
The  origin  of  the  name,  variously  written  in  past  cen- 
turies Dilge,  Dilewe,  Dilwin,  Dilvin,  and  lastly  Dilwyn, 
is  involved  in  such  obscurity,  and  presents  so  many  diffi- 
culties, that  I  dare  not  venture  a  conjecture  even  on  the 
point. 

I  shall  divide  my  remarks  into  two  heads — the  Secular 


ANTIQUITIES  OF  DILWTN.  131 

and  Ecclesiastical  History  of  the  parish.  In  1207, 
Matthew  de  Gamages  was  Lord  of  Dilwin,  and  joined 
his  forces  to  those  of  William  de  Braos,  Lord  of  Breck- 
nock, in  his  resistance  to  King  John.  The  confederates, 
however,  were  defeated,  and  the  estates  of  the  Lord  of 
Dilwin  seized  by  the  king ;  and  henceforth  Dilwin  be- 
came a  royal  manor.  In  1 169,  a  Godfrey  de  Gamages 
held  lands  under  Hngh  de  Lacy  in  these  parts,  and  he 
may  have  been  the  immediate  predecessor  of  Matthew 
in  the  lordship  of  Dilwin.  *  It  seems  that  King  John, 
when  Earl  of  Moreton,  held  lands  in  Dilwin.  These 
and  the  lands  acquired  by  the  forfeiture  of  those  of 
Matthew  de  Gamages  were  granted  by  the  king  to 
William  Fitzwarrynne,  and  King  Henry  the  Third  con- 
firmed the  grant.  The  honour  was  next  held  in  suc- 
cession by  Almaric  de  St.  Armand,  Godfrey  and  Walter 
de  Burgh,  Robert  Wathamstide,  Peter  de  Genevey  (or 
Geneville).  The  honour  of  Dilwin  contained  two  hides 
and  a  half,  and  is  described  in  the  original  deed  as  a 
*' Royal  Honour."  We  now  arrive  at  the  most  illustrious 
of  the  Lords  of  Dilwin,  in  the  person  of  Prince  Edmund, 
Earl  of  Leicester,  on  whom  King  Henry  the  Third  be- 
stowed the  honour  of  Dilwin.  Upon  the  death  of  this 
illustrious  and  unfortunate  prince,  in  1 296,  of  a  broken 
heart,  his  son  Thomas,  Earl  of  Lancaster,  succeeded 
him,  followed  in  turn  by  his  brother,  who  took  King 
Edward  II  prisoner.  In  the  following  reign  (Edward 
III.)  Nicholas  de  Audley  held  Dilwin,  but  probably 
under  the  superior  Lord,  the  Lancaster  family — for  we 
read  that  when  the  military  fees  of  Henry  Earl  of  Lan- 
caster were  divided  between  his  two  daughters,  Maud 
or  Matilda  had  Dilwin  as  part  of  her  portion.  At  her 
death  it  might  have  reverted  to  the  crown,  as  her  first 
husband,  Lord  Staflbrd,  left  no  children,  and  there  is  no 
account  of  heirs  by  her  second  husband,  William,  Duke 
of  Zealand.  During  the  War  of  the  Roses  we  have  no 
record  of  the  Lordship  of  Dilwin.  In  the  time  of 
Richard  the  Third,  Sir  John  Talbot,  and  Dame  Margaret 
his  wife,  obtained  a  grant  of  one-third  of  the  manor.    In 

9« 


132  ANTIQUITIES  OF  DILWYN. 

the  reign  of  Henry  the  Eighth  the  Lordship  of  Dilwin 
was  taxed  for  one  knight's  fee  (£2).  The  last  mention 
made  of  the  manor  is  in  the  time  of  Queen  Elizabeth, 
when  it  was  held  of  the  Crown  by  Knight's  Service  of 
the  honour  of  Dilwin,  but  by  whom  does  not  appear. 
I  am  not  aware  that  any  mention  is  to  be  found  of  a 
Castle  at  Dilwin,  but  there  was  of  course  a  Manor 
House.  The  site  is  still  distinctly  marked,  and  its 
dimensions  are  traced  by  a  wide  and  deep  moat,  which 
throughout  the  greater  part  of  its  extent  is  still  filled 
with  water.  The  orchard  adjoining  it  is  called  the 
**  Court  Orchard."  Not  a  vestige  of  the  Court  itself  is 
left.  Without  attaining  to  the  dignity  and  strength  of 
a  regularly  fortified  place,  it  doubtless  was  capable  of 
defence  against  any  petty  raid  or  ordinary  surprise.  It 
is  situated  less  than  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  church, 
and  lies  south-west  of  it. 

It  will  be  evident  from  the  mere  recital  of  the  names, 
that  the  Lords  of  Dilwin  were  non-resident.  But 
alongside  the  royal  manor  was  that  of  the  Hamme  or 
Homme,  where  resided  the  family  of  Carpenter  for  500 
years  down  to  the  end  of  the  last  century.  Early  in 
that  century  one  of  the  Carpenters,  for  his  services  in 
the  wars,  was  made  Baron  Carpenter,  and  George,  his 
grandson,  become  Earl  of  Tyrconnel.  His  son  George 
possessed  the  Homme  in  1785. 

A  considerable  portion  of  the  parish  is  still  called 
"  Sellers  Dilwyn,"  from  the  family  of  Solers,  or  de 
Solariis,  who  came  in  with  the  Conqueror.  Their  seat 
in  this  county  is  supposed  to  have  been  at  Bridge 
Sellers.  Subsequently  a  Tyrrell  married  a  Sellers,  and 
so  their  lands  in  this  parish  passed  into  the  latter  family, 
and  the  principal  residence — now  a  farmhouse — in 
SoUers  Dilwyn  is  still  known  as  "  Tyrrels  Court." 
Chabbenore  (now  Chadnor)  was  long  the  seat  of  a 
family  who  took  their  name  from  the  manor,  which  in 
the  time  of  Henry  III  contained  three  hides  and  one 
sergeantry  for  service.  It  was  then  held  by  William 
de  Chabbenore,  of  the  heirs  of  Ralph  de  Thony  de 


ANTIQUITIES  OF  DILWTN.  133 

vetere  feoffmento  of  the  honour  of  Thony.  The  last  men- 
tion made  of  this  family  is  in  1676.  The  number  of 
court-houses  in  this  parish  is  worthy  of  remark,  viz., 
Chadnor  Court,  Alton  Court,  Tyrrell's  Court,  Luntley 
Court,  Swanston  Court,  Newton  Court,  in  addition  to 
the  Manor  House  of  Dilwyn,  now  destroyed.  I  have 
now  sketched  the  history  of  the  principal  estates. 

Respecting  eminent  or  public  persons  connected  with 
Dilwyn  ;  in  the  middle  ages  the  De  la  Beres  witnessed 
various  deeds  conferring  lands  upon  the  Church  ;  their 
arms  were  emblazoned  in  the  church  of  St.  Mary,  and 
Bearton  {i.e.  Bereton),  a  farm  house  on  the  northern 
side  of  the  parish,  doubtless  formed  a  portion  of  their 
estate.  This  family  was  also  connected  with  the 
Audleys,  already  mentioned,  by  marriage.  Thomas  of 
Chadnor  was  member  for  the  county  in  the  25th  and 
26th  of  Edward  the  First.  Amongst  the  sheriffs  I  find 
the  names  of  William  Fitzwarryne  (Lord  of  Dilwyn)  ; 
the  De  la  Beres ;  and  in  1729,  John  Tyler,  of  the  Great 
House,  Dilwyn.  The  grandmother  of  Southey,  the 
poet  laureate,  married  for  her  first  husband  a  younger 
brother  of  this  Mr.  Tyler,  who  was  nephew  to  Dr. 
Tyler,  Dean  of  Hereford  and  Bishop  of  Llandaff. 
Thomas  Carpenter  was  sheriff  six  years  earlier,  and 
William  Phillips,  of  Newton,  in  this  parish,  seven  years 
later.  Thomas  Dingley,  or  Dineley,  the  industrious 
antiquary,  who  died  at  Louvain  towards  the  close  of 
the  seventeenth  century,  is  described  in  his  will  as  of 
Dilwyn.  In  the  Dinely  MS.  now  in  the  possession  of 
Sir  T.  Winnington  (]),  there  is  a  sketch  of  Dilwyn 
church,  and  an  account  of  the  robust  health  of  its  inha- 
bitants, which  the  vicar  of  that  day  ascribed  to  their 
drinking  cider. 

.  I  now  turn  to  the  Ecclesiastical  History  of  Dilwyn : 
— The  advowson  of  Dilwyn  was  conferred  upon  the 
Priory  of  Wormesley  (a  parish  five  miles  distant)  by 
Prince  Edmund,  Earl  of  Leicester.  No  doubt  the 
advowson  passed  with  the  Manor  of  Dilwyn  from 
Matthew  de  Gamages  to  the  king,  upon  the  forfeiture 


134  ANTIQUITIES  OF  DILWYN. 

of  his  estate  to  King  John.  The  deed  of  gift  is  still 
in  existence,  and  bears  date  April  11th,  1274.  The 
Prince  gave  to  the  Priory  the  patronage  of  the  benefice, 
the  whole  of  the  tithes,  "  and  one  acre  of  land  which 
had  lately  belonged  to  Walter  de  Monyton,  and  lyes  in 
the  Manor  or  Dyelewe,  in  a  field  called  Heuynesfield." 
This  grant  was  confirmed  the  same  year  by  John  Bishop 
of  Hereford,  by  Thomas  Bishop  of  Hereford,  1281,  and 
by  Richard  Bishop  of  Hereford  in  1285,  and  also  by 
King  Edward  the  First,  at  which  time  the  church  was 
valued  at  £20  per  annum.  The  patronage  was  retained 
by  the  priory  until  1541,  i.e.  for  267  years,  when  it 
again  reverted  to  the  Crown,  by  whom  it  was  held  for 
only  twenty-one  years,  for  inl562Queen  Elizabeth  made 
an  exchange  of  various  manors  and  avowsons  with  the 
Bishop  of  Hereford.  In  this  exchange  Dilwyn  was 
included,  and  the  see  of  Hereford  has  retained  it  to  this 
time.  I  have  said  that  in  1274  the  church  was  vested 
with  the  Prior  of  Wormesley ;  and  after  an  interval  of 
eleven  years,  by  the  death  of  the  vicar,  Thomas  de 
Colcestre,  the  monks  were  called  upon  to  present  a 
successor.  On  the  next  Monday  after  the  feast  of 
S.  Mary  Magdalene,  the  Bishop  held  (by  his  Commissary, 
Nicholas  de  Eeygate)  a  full  consistory  at  Tatyton,  and 
declared  that  the  true  patrons  were  the  Monks  of 
Wormesley.  Richard  de  Monyton,  Capellanus,  was 
presented.  Twenty  years  later  there  was  a  dispute 
between  the  patrons  and  the  vicar  as  to  the  distribution 
of  the  profits  of  the  living.  The  Vicar  wished  his 
income  increased ;  but  the  Prior  demurred,  stating  ''that 
the  gifts  of  the  Church  were  not  worth  above  £70 
yearly ;  that  they  (the  religious)  have  built  the  chancell 
new,  and  doe  repayre  it  still,  and  find  bookes."  The 
Bishop  having  heard  both  parties,  confirmed  the  fol- 
lowing allowance  to  the  vicar:  At  Christmas  one 
mark  (1 3s.  4d.) ;  at  Easter  with  the  offerings  of  pence 
for  eggs,  and  bread  (3s.  4d.) ;  on  the  eve  of  the  Virgin's 
Nativity,  on  the  Feast  of  the  Dedication,  and  on  the 
Feast  of  All  Saints  (in  various  chapels),  6s.  8d. ;  in 


ANTIQUITIES  OF  DILWYN.  135 

bread  and  ale  yearly  half  a  mark  (6s.  8d.) ;  the  receipt 
of  Id.  every  Sunday  in  the  year  (4s.  4d.);  in  flax 
yearly  £1  10s. ;  the  principal  fine  on  three  carrucates 
in  the  liberty  of  the  priory  and  convent,  valued  yearly 
at  6s. ;  two  sums  of  bread  corn  and  two  of  wheat,  14s.; 
in  geese  and  pigs  one  mark  (13s.  4d.);  in  small  tithes  of 
calves,  kyne,fowls,&c.,10s. ;  the  tithes  of  wool  and  lamb, 
one  mark  (13s.  4d.)  ;  in  anniversaries  and  three  yearly 
feasts,  half  a  mark  (6s.  8d.) ;  in  offerings  for  the  dead 
yearly,  10s.;  forherriotts  (by  the  year), £2;  for  marriages 
and  churchings,  6s. ;  the  tenths  of  the  mills,  3s, ;  the 
tenths  of  the  gardens  and  Langton  penny,  8s.;  the  small 
tithes  of  Chabbenore,  3s. ;  making  a  total  of  £9  7s.  8d., 
for  which  sum  *'  the  vicar  is  to  serve  honestly,  and  to 
find  a  deacon  at  40s.,  and  to  pay  a  certain  chaplain  cele- 
brating at  Chabbenore  every  Lord's  day  at  10s.,  and  to 
find  a  competent  light  at  the  value  of  10s.,  and  bread 
and  wine  at  the  value  of  Ss.,  and  to  receive  the  bishop's 
officiary  and  archdeacon,  as  is  wont,  with  procurations 
and  synodalls  yearly  to  the  archdeacon,  and  to  bear 
the  third  part  with  us  (the  Priory)  of  all  extraordinary 
charges."  This  occurred  in  1305.  The  chapel  of 
Chabbenore  was  dedicated  to  S.  Hellin,  and  called  S. 
Hellin's — or  corruptly  by  the  inhabitants,  S.  Chillins. 
Not  a  vestige  of  it  remains,  and  the  site  can  only  be 
made  out  by  some  ancient  yew  trees  dotted  round  the 
chapel  yard.  The  church  contained  two  chantries, 
those  of  S.  Mary  and  S.  Nicholas.  The  former  was 
endowed  to  the  amount  of  £4  8s.  6d. ;  that  of  S. 
Nicholas  £4  per  annum.  There  were  three  oratories 
in  Dilwyn — all  granted  in  1346  by  the  then  Bishop  of 
Hereford,  to  John  de  Budeneweise,  Walter  of  Chabbe- 
nore, and  John  of  AUeton  (Alton). 

THE    CHURCH 

Is  dedicated  to  S.  Mary,  and  is  one  of  the  most  impos- 
ing and  interesting  in  the  county  of  Hereford.  The 
style  is  late  Early  English.     In  1305  the  Prior  stated 


136  ANTIQUITIES  OF  DILWYN. 

that  the  chancel  had  been  built  by  his  house  "  new" — 
the  church  was  not  in  the  patronage  of  the  Priory  until 
1274,  and  they  did  not  present  until  1285.  The 
chancel  therefore  was  built  (and  the  nave  is  of  the 
same  date)  during  the  last  twenty  years  of  the  13th 
century.  The  tower  (at  the  south-west  end  of  the 
nave)  is  also  early  English,  and  affords  conclusive 
evidence  that  Dilwyn  Church  was  built  twice  over  in 
the  13th  century,  for  the  weathering  of  the  original 
church  is  still  distinctly  traced  on  the  face  of  the 
tower.  The  present  church  has  north  and  south  aisles, 
the  former  church  wanted  these  latter  appendages. 
Why  was  a  new  church  taken  down  so  soon  after  its 
erection  1  I  think  the  explanation  is,  that,  the  Priory 
of  AVormesley  erecting  a  more  capacious  chancel — the 
parish  was  induced  to  rebuild  the  nave.  Late  in  the 
following  century  the  present  fine  south  porch  (of  stone, 
and  containing  two  bays)  was  erected,  and  also  the 
north  transept.  There  is  an  early  English  sacristy 
on  the  north  side  of  chancel,  and  the  tower  is  sur- 
mounted by  a  shingled  spire.  In  the  angle  formed  by 
the  junction  of  nave  and  chancel  is  a  turret  containing 
a  stone  stair,  which  led  to  the  rood  loft.  Some  of 
the  lancets  of  the  early  English  clerestory  still  re- 
main, and  in  addition  five  two-light  windows  inserted 
in  the  15th  century.  The  font  is  of  the  same  date — 
also  the  three  screens  separating  the  chancel,  the  north 
transept,  and  the  ladye  chapel  from  the  nave.  The 
church  is  particularly  rich  in  brackets.  During  the 
progress  of  the  restoration  (now  going  on)  several 
specimens  of  encaustic  tiles  have  been  dug  up,  and  are 
exhibited  in  the  Museum  this  week.  An  interesting 
example  of  the  13th  century  fresco  painting  has  been 
brought  to  light  in  the  lady  chapel;  and  in  the  15th 
century  a  good  deal  of  stencilling  was  executed  in  the 
south  aisle  of  the  nave  and  the  north  transept.  The 
west  gallery  was  erected  as  late  as  1631,  and  is  an 
interesting  quaint  structure.  Vermilion  was  freely 
used  in  the  decoration  of  the  screens  of  the  lady  chapel 


ANTIQUITIES  OF  DILWYN.  137 

and  north  transept.  The  church  was  formerly  rich  in 
stained  glass,  especially  heraldic  glass.  The  east  win- 
dow was  filled  with  stained  glass  by  the  Priory  of 
Wormesley,  containing  the  arms  of  England,  the  Earl 
of  Leicester,  the  See  of  Hereford,  the  Dean  and  Chapter 
of  Hereford.  The  Earl  gave  the  tithes  to  the  convent. 
The  king  confirmed  the  grant,  as  also  did  the  Bishop 
by  the  consent  of  the  Dean  and  Chapter.  Captain 
Symonds  in  his  diary  (1645)  describes  these  as  "  very 
large  and  old,  each  about  a  foot  broad."  North-east 
window  of  chancel — the  arms  of  Talbot,  North-west 
window  of  chancel — the  kneeling  figure  of  a  knight 
clad  in  armour  of  the  thirteenth  century,  the  hands 
joined  in  the  attitude  of  prayer.  The  South-west  win- 
dow of  the  chancel  was  also  filled  with  heraldic  glass. 
The  east  window  of  the  south  aisle  of  the  nave  contained 
the  arms  of  Lionel  Duke  of  Clarence,  and  the  south-east 
window  of  the  same  aisle  the  arms  of  Heven,  of  Heven 
(or  Haven,  as  now  pronounced),  of  the  parish  of  Dilwyn. 
The  next  window  in  the  same  aisle  also  contained 
heraldic  glass.  The  north  window  of  the  north  tran- 
sept is  a  noble  window,  of  very  late  decorated  work, 
and  was  filled  with  stained  glass, — as  Captain  Symonds 
says,  "fairly  adorned  with  the  pictures  of  the  twelve 
apostles."  There  were  thus  in  all  eight  stained  glass 
windows,  including  the  two  largest  in  the  church.  In 
the  north  wall  of  the  chancel,  under  a  fourteenth  cen- 
tury canopy,  is  a  recumbent  figure  of  a  knight,  cross- 
legged,  in  close  armour,  drawing  his  sword  half  out,  a 
lion  crouching  at  his  feet,  on  his  arm  a  target  bearing 
the  arms  of  Talbot.  In  the  north  transept  there  are 
the  remains  of  a  very  fine  15th  century  brass ;  the 
brasses  (those  of  a  male  and  female)  have  disappeared, 
together  with  the  whole  of  the  stained  glass  already 
mentioned,  except  a  few  fragments  in  the  head  of  the 
north  transept  window.  In  the  course  of  the  present 
restoration  three  monumental  slabs — two  sculptured 
and  one  incised — have  been  brought  to  light.  The 
most  perfect  of  these  is  in  memory  of  Thomas  Killing 


138  ANTIQUITIES  OF  DILWYN, 

and  his  wife.  This  slab  is  late  13th  century.  A  still 
earlier,  but  rather  rudely  sculptured  slab,  is  preserved 
as  the  sill  of  the  east  window  of  south  aisle  of  nave. 

The  bells,  six  in  number,  and  a  very  musical  and 
effective  peal,  were  cast  by  A.  Rudhal,  of  Gloucester, 
in  1733.     The  inscriptions  do  not  call  for  remark. 

The  churchyard  is  entered  through  what  is  called  by 
the  inhabitants  a  "scallenge,"  virtually  a  lych-gate. 
Captain  Symonds  thus  describes  it  in  1645 :  *'  At  the 
Church  Gate  Stands  a  Howse  and  square  with  pillars 
and  two  doores,  which  they  call  a  Palme  Howse ;  it 
formerly  stood  in  the  Churchyard."  And  he  gives 
sketches  of  a  stool  with  "  leather  or  cloth  "  top,  exactly 
similar  to  the  modern  camp  stool,  showing  it  when 
opened  and  when  closed. 

Then  Symonds  describes  "  a  water  wheele  six  feet 
in  diameter,  six  spokes,  and  about  four  inches  thick." 

A  sketch  of  the  wheel  is  given,  with  the  trough  to 
convey  the  water. 

"  This,"  proceeds  the  Captain,  "  will  turne  spitts,  two 
chernes,  and  beate  in  a  morter." 

I  will  conclude  with  the  following  inventory  of  the 
church  goods,  made  out,  as  I  believe,  either  in  1611 
or  1612,  and  the  title-page  of  the  register  book: — 

An  Inventory  of  ye  goods  lelongtnge  to  ye  Church  of  Dtltoyn. 

Inp'mis,  ye  parishe  stocke  for  ye  poore  ia  mony,  £7. 

Item,  another  stocke  of  mony,  £3. 

Item,  one  silver  chalice  with  a  cover,  worth  50s. 

Item,  one  pewter  pottle  pot  for  ye  communion  wine,  Ss. 

Item,  one  large  bible  and  an  old  bible,  40s. 

Item,  two  Tomes  of  Homilies,  5s. 

Item,  four  communion  books,  two  in  folio,  two  in  qrto,  20s. 

Item,  one  table  of  degrees  of  marriages  prohibited,  4d. 

Item,  one  booke  of  canons  made  Ano.  1604,  20d. 

Item,  one  booke  of  Articles  enquired  at  visitations,  8d. 

Item,  one    Bullinger's  Decades,   allowed    by  Mr.   Ballard, 

Surrogate  to  ye  Ordinary,  instead  of  Erasmus  paraphrased, 

10s. 
Item,  one  faire  wainscot  chest,  with  three  lockes,  lis. 


ANTIQUITIES  OF  DILWYN.  139 

Item,  one  poore  men's  box,  with  three  lockes,  49. 

Item,  three  other  old  chests,  whereof  two  are  in  the  vestrie, 

5s. 
Item,  one  cover  made  of  wainscot  for  ye  font,  4s. 
Item,  one  surplice,  old  and  scare,  5s. 
Item,  one  fair  coveringe  of  cloth  of  gold  for  the  communion 

table,  wh.  coste  the  parishe  26s. 
Recovered  from  ye  p'ishe  by  ye  p'ishioners  of  Webley,  of 

whom  it  was  bought  for  8d. 
Item,  one  newe  cambricke  table  cloth  for  ye  Co^in  Table,  ISs. 
Item,  an  old  coveringe  of  Darnin,  now  used  in  ye  pulpit,  28. 
Item,  an  old  holland  table  cloth,  12d. 
Item,  two  pay  bookes  for  Lownes  and  accounts,  5s. 
Item,  three  other  writinge  bookes  for  registeringe,  christen- 
ings, mariages  and  burials,  this  is  one,  1 6s. 
Item,  one  newe  surplice  of  holland,  which  cost  about  30s. 
Item,  one  little  vessell  and  two  bottells  for  wine,  which  cost 

about  2s. 
Item,  two  plate  dishes  for  the  co'ion  bread  cost  16d. 
Item,  Bishop  Jewell's  Works,  which  cost  20s. 
Item,  two  bookes  of  praiers  for  ye  6  of  August  and  ye  5  of 

November,  8d. 
Item,  two  forms  of  wainscot  for  ye  co'icants  for  burialls  and 

women  churched,  3s.  4d. 
Item,  ye  newe  bible  printed  by  authoritie  of  King  James, 

which  cost  £2  6s. 
Ye  old  bible  was  sold  by  the  churchwardens  to  William 

Howell  for  10s. 
Item,   two  larger   wainscot   formes   for   ye   communicants, 

which  cost  10s. 
Item,  the  stocke  of  money  given  by  Mr.  Goodman  to  ye  poor 
of  Dilwyn,  which  was  by  his  gift  £93  Ss.  4d.,  which  being  not 
to  be  had,  composition  was  made  with  ye  friends  of  Mr  Good- 
man's executor  after  ye  sute  was  commenced  in  ye  Chancery 
against  him  for  £40,  which  was  laide  on  land  of  William 
Bragen,  by  way  of  mortgage,  to  say  yearly  to  ye  church- 
wardens and  overseers  of  ye  poore  £3  10s.,  to  be  dealt  to  ye 
poor  £40. 

TITLE  PAGE  OF  PARISH  REGISTER. 

The  book  of  the  Parish  Church  of  Dilwyn,  in  the 
county  of  Hereford,  procured  by  statute  to  write  the 
nanies  as  well  of  those  who  for  these  forty  years  now 
past,  that  is  to  say,  from  the  beginning  of  the  reign  of 


140  HARL.  MSS. 

the  most  gracious  Queen  Elizabeth  were  either  bap- 
tised, or  married,  or  heretofore  received  the  benefit  of 
ecclesiastical  burial,  as  well  as  those  who  may  here- 
after receive  it.  Transcribed  by  Thomas  Hammond, 
vicar  there,  at  the  charges  of  the  parishioners,  namely, 
ten  shillings. 

He  began  from  the  year  of  our  Lord,  1559,  and  the 
first  year  of  Elizabeth,  and  continued  to  the  year  of  our 
Lord,  1599,  and  the  fortieth  year  of  Elizabeth,  for  the 
aforesaid  ten  shillings.  All  the  remaining  (entries) 
were  made  by  the  care  and  labour  of  the  vicars  for  the 
time  being,  of  whom  the  first  was  Thomas  Hammond, 
M.  A.,  of  Oxford,  a  native  of  Salisbury,  who  lived  vicar 
here  from  the  month  of  April,  in  the  thirty-ninth  year 
of  Queen  Elizabeth,  and  from  the  year  of  our  Lord, 
1597,  until  the  second  day  of  June,  in  the  fifteenth  year 
of  the  reign  of  our  most  gracious  King  James,  and  the 
year  of  our  Lord,  1617. 

Martin  Johnson,  vicar  of  Dilwyn,  M.A.,  of  Baliol 
College,  Oxford,  and  a  native  of  Oxford,  who  lived 
vicar  here  from  the  year  of  our  Lord,  1651,  to  the  year 
1698. 


HARL.  MSS  ,  No.  368,  fo.  180. 

[We  are  indebted  for  the  following  transcript  to  the  kind* 
ness  of  J.  Youde  Hinde,  Esq.] 

^^  Henry  the  8  Grantefor  Fees  to  he  allowed  to  the  Lord  Presydent 
and  Counsell  of  the  Marches  of  Wales, 

"  Henry  the  Eighte  by  the  grace  of  God  king  of  Eng- 
land and  of  ffraunce  defender  of  the  faith  and  Lord  of 
Ireland,  To  our  trustye  &  righte  well  beloued  Coun- 
selore  S"^  Bryan  Tuke  Knight  nowe  Treasurer  of  our 
Chamber  and  to  the  Treasurer  and  Treasurers  of  our 
Chambere  that  hereafter  shalbe  and  to  euery  of  you  for 
the  tyme  being  greetyng,  where  as  wee  haue  appoynted 
the  Righte  Reuerend  father  in  God,  o''  Right  and  wel- 


UARL.  MSS.  141 

beloued  Counselore  Roland  Bishope  of  Couenlry  and 
lycheefield  to  be  our  presydente  of  our  Counsell  in  the 
marshes  of  Walles.  And  also  haue  assocyate  &  ap- 
poynted  to  be  w^  him  other  our  Comyssyoners  there. 
And  also  haue  appoynted  &  assygned  to  them  for  theire 
dyets  stipends  fees  wages  &  other  their  charges  ther 
after  the  rate  herafter  following  that  is  to  saye  for  their 
dyetes  yearly  after  the  rate  of  thirteene  poundes  sixe 
shillinges  and  \iijd.  by  weeke  and  the  yearly  fees  wages 
and  stypendes  of  certayne  of  them  that  is  to  say  S"^  John 
Porte  Knighte  one  of  our  Justyces  forty  markes  star- 
lynge  S'  Anthony  ffitz-harberte  knight  xli.  S'  Edward 
Croftes  knighte  xli.  sterlynge  S'  Richard  Maunsell 
knighte  xli,  John  Russell  our  secretary  ther  xiijfo'.  \js. 
viijrf.  Roger  Wigstone  Esquire  \li  John  virnon  Esquire 
xiij//.  \J8.  viijt/.  Thomas  Houlte  our  Atterney  there  xujli. 
VJ8.  viijrf.  &  Richard  Hassall  our  Solicitore  there  vli. 
And  to  have  for  their  forreine  expences  yearly  after  the 
rate  of  one  hondred  markes.  And  also  for  the  wages  & 
diet  of  William  Carter  Armorer  making  his  aboad  at 
Ludlowe  for  the  keepynge  of  armor  and  arttyllerye  ther 
after  the  rate  of  vjrf.  by  the  daye  from  the  feaste  of  St. 
Michaell  the  Arche  Angell  laste  paste  hetherto  and  so 
from  hence  forth  duringe  our  pleasure.  Therefore  we 
will  and  comaunde  you  that  of  our  money  beinge  in 
yo*^  custody  and  charge  you  vpon  the  sight  hearof  to 
make  payment  vnto  their  vse  of  the  fors'd  diets  fees 
stypends  and  wages  accordyng  to  our  assyg'ment  as  is 
aboue  s'd  from  the  foresayd  feaste  of  St.  Michaell  the 
Archeangell  laste  paste  &  so  quarterly  from  henceforth 
tyll  ye  haue  from  vs  in  commaundemente  to  the  con- 
trary ye  taking  at  euery  quarter  for  euery  payment  an 
aquittance  assygned  by  the  hands  of  the  s'd  presydente 
and  this  our  letters  shalbe  to  you  a  suffityente  warrante 
&  discharge  in  this  behalfe.  In  witeness  whereof  wee 
haue  caused  thes  our  I'res  to  be  made  pattente.  ^^'ite- 
nes  our  selfe  at  Westemester  the  21  daye  of  November 
in  the  xxvjth  yeare  of  our  raigne." 


142  HARL.  MSS. 

HARL.  MSS.  NO.  368,  FO.   181. 

*'A  Catalogue  of  the  Names  of  the  severall  Lordes  Presedents  of  the 
Counsell  established  in  the  Marches  of  Wales  since  the  18  E  Aj 
fjo*^  the  seuerall  yeares  when  they  begane  their  Presidenties  there 
as  foloweth, 

*'Aii^  18  E.  4,  the  Earl  Rivers;  Joh'ne  Ep'us  Wigorn. 

An**  17  H.  7,  Will'us  Smith  ep  us  Lincolne. 

An^  4  H.  8,  Galfridus  Blith  ep'us  Couen'  et  Lichefeld. 

An''  17  H.  8,  Joh'es  Phesey  ep'us  Exoniensis. 

An**  26  H.  8,  Rolande  Lee  ep'us  Couent'  et  Lichefeild. 

An**  35  H.  8,  Ric'us  Sampson  ep'us  Couent'  et  Liche- 
feild. 

An**  2  E.  6,  Joh'es  dudley  Com'  Warwicke  magn'  Carae- 
rar'  Angl'ia. 

An**  4  E.  6,  Will'us  Herberte  nobilis  ordinis  Garteri 
miles. 

An**  1  M.,  Nich'us  Heath  ep'us  Wigorne  postea  Ebora- 
nensis  Archiep'us  et  Cancell'  Angl'i. 

An**  3  Mar.,  Will'us  Com'  Pembroke. 

An**  6  M.,  Gilbert  Bourne  ep'us  Bathoniensys. 

An**  1  Eliz.,  Johanes  Williams  miles  d'n's  AVilliames  de 
Thame. 

An**  2  Eliz.,  Henricus  Sidney  nobilis  Garterie  ordinis 
.    mil'. 

An^  28  Eliz.,  Henricus  com'  Pembroke. 

An'*44Eliz.,Edwardus  D'n's  Souche  de  Haringeworth." 


LUDLOW   CASTLE. 

The  history  of  this  noble  ruin,  in  modern  times,  is  curi- 
ously illustrated  by  the  following  document,  now  pre- 
served, with  other  papers,  in  the  collection  of  the  Earl 
of  Powis.  After  the  dissolution  of  the  Court  of  Wales 
and  the  Marches  in  1689,  the  Castle  of  Ludlow  was 
placed  under  the  charge  of  a  governor,  who  lived  in  it 
with  a  sort  of  sinecure  pension.  Some  portion  of  it  con- 
tinued to  be  inhabited ;  but  the  mass  of  the  buildings 


A  SURVEY  OF  LUDLOW  CASTLE.  143 

ran  more  and  more  into  decay,  and  it  was  gradually 
stripped  of  its  furniture.  The  Earl  of  Powis  obtained 
the  Castle  on  a  long  lease  in  the  latter  part  of  the  last 
century,  and  afterwards,  in  1811,  he  purchased  from  the 
crown  the  reversion  in  fee.  It  is  certainly  not  generally 
known  that  before  the  property  was  alienated  from  the 
crown,  the  government  contemplated  the  demolition  of 
the  whole  building,  and  the  sale  of  the  materials,  for 
which  purpose  a  surveyor  of  Shrewsbury,  named  Pritch- 
ard,  was  employed  to  value  it,  and  to  him  we  owe  the 
following  report.  It  is  evident  that  Mr.  Pritchard  sought 
to  save  the  building  by  wonderfully  undervaluing  the 
materials,  so  as  to  shew  that  they  would  not  pay  for  the 
work  of  destruction  ;  and  we  have  to  thank  him  partly, 
without  doubt,  for  the  prevention  of  so  extraordinary  an 
act  of  Vandalism.  I  will  only  add  that  every  part  of  the 
Castle  mentioned  in  this  Survey  may  be  easily  identified 
in  the  existing  ruin.  The  Survey  is  not  accompanied 
with  a  plan. 

Thomas  Wright. 


A  SURVEY  OF  LUDLOW  CASTLE,  MAY  1771. 

This  castle,  built  by  Roger  de  Montgomery,  in  the 
time  of  William  the  Conqueror,  is  now  in  the  utmost 
ruin,  the  roofing  and  flooring  having  almost  all  fallen 
in,  by  reason  of  timbers  being  rotten  and  decayed. 
The  wall,  though  in  many  places  very  thick,  being 
composed  of  common  stones,  used  the  same  as  they 
were  got  out  of  the  rock,  without  hewing,  are  very 
unsound,  and  where  there  are  no  quoins  or  coping  of 
red  hewn  stones  to  support  and  bind  them  together,  are 
in  a  very  bad  condition,  and  have  been  for  many  years, 
daily  falling,  as  will  appear  by  the  following  observa- 
tions— on  the  under  references  : — 

1.  The  entrance  of  the  castle  at  a  tower  extremely 
ruinous.  The  walls  composed  of  rubble  work.  The 
upper  parts  daily  trickling  down,  and  scarce  can  the 
old  gates  be  made  fast  to  inclose  the  castle. 


144  A  SURVEY  OF  LUDLOW  CASTLE, 

2.  Formerly  the  prison.  Has  only  the  walls  remaining, 
which  to  the  court  are  faced  with  ashler  work.  The 
cross  walls  are  almost  down  with  roof  and  floors. 

3.  The  stables,  faced  with  red  stones  to  the  court, 
have  a  floor  over  them  and  a  roof  in  bad  condition,  half 
thatched,  half  slated,  now  occupied  as  a  stable  by  Hill, 
tenant  of  the  Bowling  Green  House. 

4.  An  old  tower,  supposed  to  be  one  of  the  ancient 
sally  ports,  reduced  now  to  low  burr  walls  in  bad 
condition. 

5.  Offices  for  the  inferior  courts  of  law,  have  only  a 
few  rubble  walls  standing,  at  present  used  as  a  garden, 
faggot  yard,  etc. 

6.  Dinan  Gate,  one  of  the  entrances  to  the  town,  is 
the  extreme  part  of  the  castle  hill,  or  rock,  on  which  it 
stands,  built  adjoining  and  is  part  of  the  town  wall, 
arched  over  with  stones,  in  a  very  indifferent  state. 

7.  Mortimer's  Tower,  formerly  entirely  round,  the 
back  part  since  has  been  repaired  with  a  cross  wall, 
without  floor  or  roof     Walling  in  a  ruinous  condition. 

8.  The  gateway  entering  the  citadel,  and  formerly 
the  judges'  apartments  to  the  right.  The  roofing  and 
floors  of  these  buildings  are  almost  all  fallen  in  and 
rotted.  What  remains  hangs  impending  in  a  frightful 
and  dangerous  manner.  The  walls,  except  the  gate- 
way, tower,  doors,  and  windows,  all  composed  of  rubble 
work.  The  bridge  over  the  fosse  has  now  two  arches, 
without  parapet.     Walls  are  in  a  bad  condition. 

9.  Is  an  old  tower  on  the  left  hand  side  the  gateway, 
the  outside  wall  of  which  is  faced  with  ashler  work  of 
red  stone.  It  is  arched  over  in  the  middle  for  a  maga- 
zine, has  no  roof,  nor  but  one  floor,  under  which  there 
are  a  few  old  timbers  preserved.  The  walls  within  are 
in  parts  fallen  down. 

10.  A  tower  on  the  side  of  the  fosse,  built  with  burr 
walls,  under  which  is  standing  the  oven,  16  feet  by  14 
feet,  with  roof  or  floor. 

11.  The  castle  well,  eight  feet  diameter,  sunk  in  the 
rock,  and  said  to  be  lower  than  the  adjacent  river  Teme, 
now  mostly  filled  up  with  rubbish. 


A  SURVEY  OF  LUDLOW  CASTLE.  145 

12.  A  tower.  The  postern  without  any  roof.  The 
walls  built  with  burr  stone. 

13.  The  old  kitchen  has  no  other  remains  than  the 
walls,  reduced  to  a  low  height.  The  arch  of  the 
chimney,  which  is  of  hewn  stones,  16  feet  8  inches 
wide,    is   still    remaining.      There  is  adjacent  to  the 

'kitchen  an   old  oven    and    chimney,  which    was    the 
pastery. 

14.  Is  the  principal  part  of  the  body  of  the  castle, 
formerly  containing  the  hall,  council  chamber,  and 
other  apartments,  now  in  so  ruined  a  condition  that 
'tis  dangerous  to  go  under  the  walls,  and  the  small 
part  of  the  roof  that  remains  is  hanging  and  just  sup- 
ported by  a  few  braces.  There  are  some  large  timbers 
and  pieces  of  lead  fallen  from  the  roof  in  this  place, 
with  a  few  iron  bars  in  the  windows.  The  walls  are 
mostly  rubble  work,  and  the  battlements  greatly  de- 
cayed. The  outside  of  one  of  the  towers  is  faced  with 
ashler  work,  and  the  upper  parts  of  the  other  tower 
have  been  also  repaired  with  hewn  stones.  Some  more 
hewn  stones  have  likewise  been  used  to  windows  and 
doors. 

15.  Was  formerly  the  chapel,  of  which  are  no  other 
remains  than  the  rotunda  or  entrance.  This  building 
has  no  roof  upon  it.  The  walls  at  top  are  craggy, 
and  in  places  fallen.  The  doorway  and  a  few  small 
pillars  with  arches  over  them  being  rather  perfect,  are 
the  only  ornament  left  about  the  castle. 

16.  Hill  the  tenant  s  house,  to  whom  belongs  the 
bowling  green,  stable,  outer  court,  tennis  court,  gardens, 
faggot  places,  etc. 

The  house,  as  described  by  the  plan,  is  a  very  in- 
different building,  framed  many  years  since  of  the  old 
materials  of  the  castle.  The  roof  and  slating,  being 
kept  in  repair  by  the  tenant,  is  in  a  bad  condition. 

The  whole  rent  of  these  premises  within  the  walls  is 
eighteen  pounds  per  annum. 

17.  An  old  tower.  Has  only  the  burr  walls  standing, 
adjacent  to  what  is  an  ordinary  stable,  built  some  years 

3rd  8KR.,  VOL.  XIV.  10 


146  A  SURVEY  OF  LUDLOW  CASTLE. 

since  out  of  the  ruins  of  the  castle,  by  Henry  Carver  of 
Ludlow ;  which,  together  with  a  garden,  being  part  of 
the  outer  fosse,  are  now  let  to  Mr.  Burlton,  at  50s.  per 
annum. 

18.  A  stable  at  the  foot  of  the  castle  hill.  Was 
years  since  built  by  a  person  who  pays  annually  two 
shillings  reserved  rent. 

The  castle  walls  round  the  whole,  from  tower  to 
tower,  and  those  which  enclose  the  fosses,  are  built 
with  common  rubble  stones,  are  in  very  great  decay, 
and  the  battlements  mostly  down. 

Great  difficulty  will  arise  in  attempting  to  put  a 
value  on  so  prodigious  a  quantity  of  rough  stones. 
There  never  were  any  large  ones  used,  and  but  very 
few,  even  of  the  facings,  of  wrought  work.  The  length 
of  near  seven  hundred  years  has  consequently  rendered 
the  walls  (where  the  mortar  is  good)  in  one  universal 
mass,  that  would  not  easily  be  eraised  or  taken  down. 
In  the  outside  walls  the  mortar  is  not  of  that  strength 
and  texture  usual  in  castle  walls.  Many  of  the  stones 
are  rotten  and  perishable.  And  were  whole  premises 
ordered  to  be  converted  into  one  mount  of  land  or 
gardens,  t^hp  stone  walling  would  be  of  little  more  value 
than  the  expense  of  taking  down,  clearing,  and  carrying 
away  rubbish,  levelling  and  making  good  the  land. 

There  are  now  old  materials  convertible  on  the 
premises : — About  two  tons  of  lead,  £42 ;  about  sixty 
tons  of  timber,  part  rotten,  £60;  one  ton  of  iron, 
£12  10s. ;  materials  in  tenant's  house,  stables,  etc., 
£80^— £194  10s.     Premises  at  £20  12s.  per  annum. 

(Signed)         Thos.  Farnolls  Pritchard, 

Salop. 

Endorsed. — 1771— Survey  of  Ludlow  Castle.  Stable 
at  the  bottom  of  the  castle  bank  mentioned.  This 
stable  afterwards  converted  to  a  dwelling  house,  and 
became  matter  of  dispute  with  Harding's  family. — 
July,  1830, 


147 


MATRIMONIAL    ALLIANCES   OF    THE    ROYAL 

FAMILY  OF  ENGLAND  WITH  THE  PRINCES 

AND  MAGNATES  OF  WALES, 

WITH    THE    CAUSES    LEADING    THERETO. 

On  the  surface  of  the  subject  of  the  conquest  of  England 
by  William  Duke  of  Normandy,  as  far  as  the  people  to 
the  west  of  the  river  Severn  were  concerned  in  that  great 
event,  might  have  been  observed  a  speck,  the  germ  of 
future  consequences  of  the  most  momentous  kind  to  the 
fortunes  of  the  Cymry ;  but  which  being  as  yet  unde- 
veloped, produced  not,  at  the  time,  that  bitter  hostility 
which  an  event  of  so  alarming  a  character  was  calcu- 
lated to  inspire ;  but,  on  the  contrary,  sentiments  of 
complacency ;  thinking,  as  could  not  but  do  the  Cymry, 
from  the  antecedents  of  their  history,  that  the  vengeance 
of  Heaven  had  at  length  overtaken  the  slayers  of  their 
brethren  and  the  appropriators  of  their  soil :  in  a  word, 
they  regarded  the  invaders  as  the  avengers  of  their  own 
wrongs,  and,  to  a  certain  extent,  as  doing  that  which, 
with  all  their  efforts,  they  themselves  had  been  unable 
to  accomplish. 

Of  this  picture  we  must  now  make  a  reversal,  by  turn- 
ing to  the  feelings  entertained  by  the  conquerors  of 
England  towards  those  who  were  beyond  the  pale  of 
their  conquest,  the  Cymry  of  Wales,  to  whose  territory 
they  laid  no  claim.  Their  chief,  the  Norman  duke, 
founding  his  claim  solely  on  the  will  of  Edward  the  Con- 
fessor, a  document  which,  whether  forthcoming  or  not, 
(a  matter  of  some  doubt),  was  not  pretended  to  embrace 
Wales,  of  which  the  testator,  or  supposed  testator,  him- 
self was  not  in  possession  ;  the  consequence  of  this  was 
that  Wales  long  stood  in  a  totally  different  relation 
to  the  Normans  from  what  England  and  its  inhabit- 
ants did;  for,  as  has  been  well  observed,  ^^vce  victisr 

10' 


148 


ALLIANCES  OF  ROYAL  FAMILY  OF  ENGLAND 


and  whilst  the  Welsh  for  two  centuries,  till  subdued  by 
Edward  I,  were  treated  with  the  respect  due  to  an  in- 
dependent nation,  the  inhabitants  of  England  were  rob- 
bed, spoiled,  and  treated  with  every  species  of  ignominy, 
and  finally,  were  considered  as  totally  unworthy  of  form- 
ing matrimonial  alliances  with  the  reigning  family, 
notwithstanding  the  solitary  exception  of  Henry  the 
First's  politic  marriage  with  the  niece  of  Edgar  Atheling, 
heir  to  the  English  throne. 

Before,  however,  I  proceed  to  shew  the  difference  of 
the  Welsh,  in  this  respect,  from  the  English,  I  wish  to 
say  a  few  words  on  the  subject  of  Duke  William's  fit- 
ness for  a  testamentary  bequest  by  Edward  the  Confes- 
sor, supposing  such  bequest  to  have  been  actually 
made  him ;  which,  however,  seems  very  uncertain,  judg- 
ing, as  we  do,  by  the  light  of  English  history  in  other 
cases  of  disputed  succession.  Whether  we  look  to  the 
case  of  Stephen  and  Henry  II  in  early  Norman  history, 
to  Henry  VII  and  his  competitors,  or  to  Lady  Jane 
Grey  and  Queen  Mary  at  a  later  period,  all  stood  in 
approximate  affinity  to  the  crown  by  consanguinity. 
But  how  stood  the  case  with  William  of  Normandy  1 
The  following  genealogical  sketch  will  best  answer  that 
question. 

RiCHABD,  first  Duke  of  Normandy,  ==Gunilda,  a  Danish 
surnamed  "iS'aw*  Pewr,"  died  960    |  lady 


Richard,  8econd= 
Duke  of  Nor- 
mandy, 
died  1027 


Emma,  **  7%e==Ethelred  II,  king  of  England, 


Tearl  of  Nor^ 


who,  to  avoid  the  incursions 
of  the  Danes,  fled  into  Nor- 
mandy, died  1016 


Richard,     Robert,  8umamed=Arlotta,     Edward  the  Confessor,  king 


third  '*LeDiabU; 

Duke  of       fourth  Duke  of 
Normandy,      Normandy 
died  1027, 
8.p. 


a  skin-  of  England,  educated  at  the 

ner's  court  of  Normandy,  but  as- 

daughter  cended  the  English  throne, 

of  1041,  died  5  Jany.  1066,  s,p. 

Falaise  N 


William,  fifth  Duke  of  Normandy,  and  conqueror  of  England. 


WITH  PRINCES  AND  MAGNATES  OF  WALES.  149 

By  which  it  will  be  seen  that  though  William  the  Con- 
queror was,  indeed,  related  to  Edward  the  Confessor,  he 
was  related  to  him  on  the  wrong  side^  on  the  Norman 
instead  of  the  English  side ;  and  this,  in  any  claim  to 
the  English  crown,  amounted  to  nothing,  absolutely 
nothing,  and  therefore  his  acquisition  has  been  well 
termed  a  conquest^  which  it  really  was. 

And  now  on  the  intermarriages  between  the  Welsh 
and  this  thereafter,  and  in  some  sort  to  this  day,  sove- 
reign house  of  England. 

The  first  we  find  is  that  of  Emma,  daughter  of  the 
Empress  Maud  (grandaughter  of  the  Conqueror),  and 
sister  of  King  Henry  II,  with  David,  son  of  Owen  Gwyn- 
edd.  Prince  of  North  Wales,  by  whom  she  had  Gwen- 
llian,who,  though  niece  to  the  king  (Henry  II),  married 
one  of  her  own  paternal  stock,  viz., Griffith  ap  Cadwgan, 
Prince  of  Powis. 

The  next  I  find  is  Eleanor  of  Montfort,  grandaughter 
of  King  John  and  niece  of  Henry  III,  who  married 
Prince  Llewelyn,  3  Oct.  1271,  and  died  1280. 

And  Edward  I  married  his  grandaughter,  Eleanor 
de  la  Barre,  to  Llewelyn  ap  Owen,  the  representative 
of  the  sovereign  princes  of  South  Wales. 

The  intermarriages  of  the  highest  Norman  nobles, 
and  those  nearest  the  throne,  with  the  Welsh  during 
the  same  period,  are  almost  too  numerous  to  admit  of 
enumeration  in  this  place;  but  all  shewing  the  same 
fact  of  respect  for  a  nation  as  yet  unsubdued,  and,  not* 
withstanding  recent  ungenerous  theories  to  the  con-' 
trary,  aborigines  of  the  soil;  yet  we  may  mention  Ralph 
Mortimer,  one  of  the  early  progenitors  of  the  house  of 
York,  who  married  Gwladys,  the  daughter  of  Llewelyn 
ap  lorwerth,  Prince  of  North  Wales.  For  the  rest  we 
refer  to  York's  Catalogue  of  Honour^  Brook  and  Vincent's 
Catalogues  of  the  Nobility  of  England^  in  which  will  be 
found  ample  verification  of  what  we  here  assert  of  the 
numerous  matrimonial  alliances  of  the  ancient  Norman 
nobility  of  England  with  the  Cyrary  of  Wales. 

In  respect  to  the  conquest  of  England,  Sir  Bernard, 


150  ALLIANCES  OF  ROYAL  FAMILY,  ETC. 

Burke,  in  his  Royal  Descents^  whilst  treating  of  the 
despotism  thereby  established  (vol.  i,  p.  12),  says  ^^with 
a  cruelty  that  it  is  to  he  hoped  has  few  parallels  in  the  his- 
tory of  mankind^  William  dispersed  his  followers  over 
the  country  with  injunctions  that  they  should  spare 
neither  man  nor  beast,  but  should  involve  houses,  corn, 
and  implements  of  husbandry,  as  well  as  all  that  had  the 
breath  of  life^  in  one  common  destruction.  Such  an  order 
was  not  likely  to  find  any  mitigation  in  the  hands  of  a 
people  like  the  Normans.  One  hundred  thousand  natives 
were  inhumanly  slaughtered ;  and  for  nine  years  not  a 
patch  of  cultivated  ground  could  be  seen  between  York 
and  Durham*';  and  in  such  manner,  affirms  the  histo- 
rian, "  did  William  make  himself  undisputed  master  of 
England";  and,  he  continues,  **  the  Normans  in  a  Uttle 
time  became  possessed  of  all  the  lands  in  the  kingdom^  and 
the  Anglo-Saxon  families  of  rank  and  wealth  were  either 
swept  off  or  merged  into  the  body  of  the  (common) 
people."  With  a  people  so  humbled  and  prostrate  before 
their  conquerors,  and  regarded  by  them,  as,  says  the 
same  authority,  "  no  more  than  the  hogs  they  fattened 
for  the  market,"  it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  if  no  matri- 
monial alliances  were  made,  for  these  in  some  sort 
would  have  implied  equality.  They,  in  fact,  had  too 
much  contempt  for  a  people  whom  they  had  subjugated 
in  a  ''  single  battle,"  and  whose  lands  they  already  pos- 
sessed, to  enter  into  such  contracts  with  them ;  for  the 
Normans  were  proud,  haughty,  and  arrogant ;  and  when 
they  had  no  longer  any  foreign  foe  to  encounter,  they 
exercised  their  pugnacious  qualities  in  disputes  amongst 
themselves,  of  so  fierce  a  kind,  especially  in  the  contests 
between  York  and  Lancaster,  that  at  the  end  of  four 
centuries  scarcely  a  representative,  in  the  male  line^  re- 
mained of  all  those  proud  barons  that  had  overrun  and 
monopolized  the  soil.  Of  all  the  peers  assembled  in 
King  Henry  the  Seventh's  parliament,  in  1485,  it  is 
asserted  that  only  nine  (including  in  that  number  some 
of  a  very  questionable  kind)  were  of  the  ancienne  noblesse; 
and  at  this  time  the  oldest  peer,  as  to  creation,  is  only 


INDEX  TO  "LLYFR  COCH  ASAPH."         161 

of  the  date  of  Henry  III,  a  century  and  a  half,  or  more, 
from  the  Conquest ;  and  this,  too,  in  the  female  line,  and 
through  innumerable  twistings  and  windings  which  it 
must  have  required  a  skilful  herald  to  trace  to  such 
result  as  that  of  placing  him  at  the  head  of  the  English 
nobility  in  point  of  antiquity. 

Edward  S.  Byam. 

Penrhos  House,  Weston-super-Mare. 


INDEX  TO  "LLYFR  COCH  ASAPH.'' 

COPIED   OUT   OF  A  MS.    IN   THB   BISHOP's   LIBRARY  AT 
ST.  ASAPH. 

[The  Beferences  at  the  commencement  of  each  paragraph  represent  the 
orig^al  MS.,  folio  and  page;  those  at  the  end,  the  pages  in  the  existing 
MSS.  (marked  "  Dd"  and  "  CJoch  Asaph  No.  2"),  where  a  Transcript  may 
be  found.] 

Summa  Lxbri  Ruhm  Assaphens  communiter  dicti  lAyfr  Coch  Assaph, 
exscripta  26^  Octobris  1602. 

Fol.  1.— Deest. 

2a. — Copia  record!  curiae  Dominii  de  Denbigh  testificans 
quod  Reignaldus  E'pus  de  S'to  Asaph  et  Decanus  et  Capitulum 
ejusdem  clamant  quasdam  libertates  &c.  in  villis  de  Meriadog, 
Henllan,  Llanyvyth,  Llangernew,  Branan,  Bodnod,  Treflech, 
Bodgynnwn  et  Llansannan.  A'o  D'ni  1291.  Scribitur  in  capite 
paginse  b.  61 

Sa. — Annualia  qusedam  beneficiorura  Dioceseos.  66 

Sa. — Nomina  Villarum  quas  Malgunus  Rex  dedit  Kentigerno 
Ep'o  et  successoribus  suis  Ep'is  de  Llanelwy,  etc.  66 

Sb, — Quoddam  Begistrum  L.  Assavens.  Ep'i  datum  die  Mer- 
curii  in  Septimana  Pentecostes  a*o  1294  cons'  a'o  2°  (non  potest 
tot  urn  legi). 

Indulgentia  concessa  iis  qui  pro  animabus  defunctorum 
orant.  Indulgentia  concessa  iis  qui  aliquid  dant  ad  fabricam 
Ecclesise  de  No'. 

4a. — Collacio  Canonise  Jo.  ap  Adam  annulo  investiture. 

CoUacio  Bectoris  Llanarmon  in  Yale ;  B.  Gwenysgor ;  R. 
Corwen  ;  V.  Kegidva ;  B.  Llanwyddelan  ;  Porcio  Llanrhaidr ; 
Collacio  V.  Wrexham  cum  assignatione  partis  decimarum.    Dat* 


152  INDEX  TO  "LLYFR  COCH   ASAPH." 

apud  S'c'm  M artinum  8  Id.  Apr.  1294  cons*  1**  per  Le.  Ep*um, 
Collacio  Vic.  de  Kuabon  per  eundem  17  Cal.  Jul.  1294.  Colla- 
cio  Vic.  de  Llanrhaidr  in  Mochnant  Llewelino  ap  lorw  Moel. 
per  eundem  E'pum  14  cal.  Jul.  cons.  2"-  Collacio  Ecclesiae  de 
Llanwarchell  juxta  Denbigh  Wmo  de  Dymbych  per  eundem 
Ep'um  in  die  Epiph.  1294.  Cons.  2^*  Annua  Pensio  Reginal- 
dus  Grey,  &c.  1 

Literse  patentes  Edw.  I  concessse  Aniano  Ep'o  de  Assaph  de 
privilegiis  ouibus  Predecessores  dicti  Ep*i  gaudebant  Dat* 
apud  Kothelan  i°  Nov*  a*o  regni  sui  5^  1 

5a. — Institucio  Madog  ap  M'red'  porcioni  Ecclesise  de  Myvot 
per  L.  Ep'um  7  Martii  a'o  1310.     Cons.  18^ 

Institucio  B.  de  Mallwyd  a'o  et  die  predicto. 

Institucio  R.  LlandeshuU  cum  assign atione  3  partis  ejusdem 
Rectorise  tunc  et  ibidem. 

Institucio  in  2  partes  R.  LlandeshuU  tunc  et  ibidem. 

Institucio  Llanmenith  dat'  3°  No'is  1309.     Cons.  17. 

Institucio  porcionis  R.  de  Kilkain. 

Institucio  Llandegla. 

Institucio  porcionis  R.  de  Kilkain. 

Institucio  R.  Kaerwys. 

Institucio  R.  de  Llanverrey  (?). 

Institucio  ad  R.  Llanymenych. 

Institucio  ad  porcionem  R.  de  Llanverreys^jnzt.  3  partis  ex- 
ceptis  edificiis ;  et  institutio  3  partis  ejusdem  et  sunt  3  partis 
ejusdem  exceptis  edificiis. 

Institucio  R.  Llanurvyl.  Institucio  R.  de  Hirnant.  Conces- 
sio  pensionis  5  marcarum  vicario  chorali  per  decanum. 

6.-*--Fartitio  pannorum  Episcopi.  6a. — Nomina  totius  familise 
Episcopi.  1-2 

6b,  7a,  i,  8a,  b,  9a,  b, — Officium  cujuslibet  domesticorum  et 
officium  Ep'i.  2-9 

10a. — ^Vendicio  porcionis  Llanrhaidr  pro  anno  1304  pro 
summa  8  lib.     D'no  Ep'o  per  porcionarium  ibidem. 

Certificatorium  Ep'i  factum  R.  Edv.  I.  anno  1305  de  quodam 
Brevi  Ep'o  directo  pro  levandis  quibusdam  pecuniae^  summis  de 
clericis  [non]  laica  feoda  habentibus.  82 

Approbacio  testamenti  Comitis  Lincolnise. 

lOi. — Breve  Regium  Ep'o  directum  pro  levandis  pecuniarum 
summis  de  clericis  [non]  laica  feoda  habentibus.  83 

11a. — Returnum  ejusdem  brevis.  85 

lli.^<^Convencio  inter  Ep'um  et  capellanum  de  fructibus 
Llansilin  et  Llansanffraid.  86 

Petitio  dilacionis  execucionis  brevis  regii  pro  debitis  clerico- 
rum  capelte  Ep'i  apud  Llanelwy.  86 


153 

Inquisitio  de  jure  presentacionis  Ecclesise  de  Northop  tenta 
apud  Flint  coram  Justic.  Cestr.  tempore  L.  Ep'i  quae  testatur 
quod  Episcopus  semper  habuit  jus  conferendi.  89 

Pensio  annualis  per  Episc.  concessa  cuidam  clerico. 

12a. — Breve  regium  pro  decimis  cum  returno  ejusdem  brevis 
regii  directum  Justiciano  Cestrise  quod  moneat  L.  Ep'um  Assa- 
vens.  ad  Parliamentum  apud  Stamford  ad  dicendam  causam 
quare  non  admisit  clericum  regis  ad  Ecclesiam  de  Northop  pre- 
sentatum^  quam  presentationem  vindicavit  Rex  ut  Principatui 
Walliae  annexatam.  89 

i2b. — Rupes  rubea  quse  pertinet  ad  fabricam  Ecclesise  As- 
say. 91 

Redemptiones  penitentiarum  ad  fabricam Eccl.Cathed.  Ass. 91 

Participationes  decimarum  inter D'num  Ep'um  firmse  rectoriae 
de  Llanarmon  in  Yale  etvicarium  ejusdem  loci  a'o  D'ni  1205.  91 

Pars  Episcopiy  villa  de  Budugree,  villa  de  Altkembeber,  sub 
petra  Bodidris.  Sed  a  Chwilerych  supra  viam  quae  ducit  versus 
Llanarmon.  Terra  Banhadlen,  Keveneynt^  Gwaunfiynnawn»  et 
hsBC  sunt  partes  Ep'i.  91 

Pars  vicarii  Eellikenan,  Llanarmon,  Errercs,  Kerrygioch,  et 
residuum  partis  D'ni  L.  Dei  gratia  Assavens.  Episc'i  de  Chwil- 
eyrychy  sub  via  predicta  et  partis  D'ni  Ep'i  de  Altkember  supra 
petram.  91 

Prebenda  de  Llanvthydd  coUata  etc, 

Collacio  vie.  Abergeley. 

Collacio  Ecclesise  de  Llanfair  Talhayarn  (viz.  prebend). 

13a. — Quaedam  porciones  ad  fabricam  Eccles.  Assavens. 

Convencio  inter  firatres  Monasterii  de  Dongenewall  circa 
divinum  officium  in  Ecclesia  Cathed.  Assav.  &c.  11 

Procuratorium  concessum  Archidiacono  Arran  ad  interessen- 
dum  in  consecratione  G.  Epl  Bangor  dat'  1306  11 

Procuratorium  ad  comparendum  pro  Episcopo  in  Parlia- 
mento.  93 

136. — Porciones  pertinentes  ad  rectorem  Abergeley. 

14a. — Excommunicatio  lata  in  violatores  privilegiorum  per 
A.  Assav'  Ep'um,  per  consensum  Ep'i  Eboracen'.  94 

14 J. — Obligacio  fra'  Aniano  Ep'o  Assav'  de  quadam  summ& 
pecuniae  solvendae  in  curia  Romana,  &c. 

15a. — Constitutio  Procurator um  ad  comparendum  in  curia 
Romana  in  cau8&  appellacionis  propositae  per  Abbatem  et  Con- 
ventum  Monasterii  S'ti  Petri  Salop  contra  Anianum  Assaph' 
Ep'um  super  Ecclesiam  de  Albo  Monasterio  Dioces'  Assaphehs. 

Duae  Epistolae  cujusdam  Fratris  Minoritani  ad  A.  Ep'um 


Convencio  inter  Mauricium  Custodem  Ass.et  decanum,  archi- 


154         INDEX  TO  "LLYFR  COCH  ASAPH." 

diaconum  et  capitulam  ejusdem  de  beneficiis  vacaturis  et  tem- 
pore custodie.    Datum  in  festo  S'ti  Michaelis  a'o  1266.     11-12 

15 J. — Mandatum  Papee  ad  erogandam  eleemosinam  ad  fabri- 
cam  EcclesieB  S'ti  Michaelis  Menevensis  diocesis. 

Forma  procuratorii  (?). 

Indulgencia  orationibus  pro  amm&  cujusdam  et  uxoris  suae. 

Indulgencia  accedentibus  ad  locum  Fratrum  Fredicatorum 
orationis  causa. 

16a. — Indulgencia  pro  animabus  &c. 

Forma  facultatis  per  Papam  concesse  ad  retinenda  plura  bene- 
ficia. 

Testimoniale  admissionis  ad  vicariam.  Datum  in  festo  Trinit* 
a'o  1270. 

Privilegium  Pape  concessum  Hospitali  de  Jerusalem  in  An- 
glia. 

17a. — Citacio  Ep'i  Exon'ad  interessendum  consecrationi  Ani- 
ani  Electi  Assav'  Ep'i  in  EccP  beatse  Mariae  in  Southwarke  die 
dominico  post  festum  b'ti  Lucae  Evangelistae  a'o  Domini  1268, 
Londini. 

Supplicatio  Richardi  Bangor  Ep'i  ad  Papam,  ut  cum  plus- 
quam  30  annos  eidem  Ecclesise  prsefuisset,  jamque  senio  et  regi- 
onis  turbis  vexatus  sic  eum  pastorali  cura  exonerare  dignetur... 
qui  eum  in  plenitudine  potestatis  posuit,  dictaeque  Ecclesise 
alium  pastorem  provideat.     (I^oii  ^st  dat*.)  12 

17J. — Facultas  concessa  Priori  Hospitalis  de  Jerosolem  ut 
aliquis  non  compareat  in  capitulo  eorum  &c.     (Non«dat'.) 

Privilegium  Cisterciensium  concessum  per  Alexandrum  Pa- 
pam. 

18a. — Forma  citacionis  quod  quis  servum  Ep'i  restituat. 

Forma  procuratorii.     Literse  ordinum  forma. 

Forma  procuratorii.  Literae  pro  excommunicato  deliberando. 
Forma  procuratorii. 

18i,  19a,  19J,  20a. — Processus  litis  quae  pendebat  in  curia 
Romanft  inter  Anianum  Ep'um  Ass*  et  Abbatem  et  Conventum 
SalopsburMn  a'o  D'ni  1271. 

Procuratorii  forma  ad  comparendum  in  Parliamento. 

20J. — Licentia  Rectoris  cuidam  (?)  ad  Scholas  D'm'ae  cum  con- 
cessione  rectoriae  de  Abergeley,  excepta  quarta  parte  quae  est 
vicarii. 

Literae  ordinum.     Dat'  a'o  1272  per  Anianum. 

21 .— -Excusacio  cujusdam  officialis  pro  absentia  sua  ab  Epis- 
copo. 

Obligacio  quaedam  pro  comparitione  quorundam.    {Crossed,) 

2lb. — Testimoniale  Aniani  Ep'i  Ass',  dat'  a'o  1272  testificans 
quod  Ep'us  secundum  tenorem  literarum  Papae  hie  recitatarum 


INDEX  TO  "LLYFR  COCH  ASAPH."  165 

quendam  clericum  ab  executione  officii  suspenderit^quod  ordines 
ap  Ep'o  quodam  Ultramontano  acceperit^  et  tempore  suspensi- 
onis  elapso^  ad  ordines  restituerit. 

Literse  direct©  per  Anianum  Ep'um  dat*  1272  Jo.  Ep'o  He- 
reff.  rogantes  quatenns  mandet  Priori  de  Chyrburv  suae  diocesis 
quod  restituat  R.  Poise,  Bettws  et  Aberrhiw  yillulam  de  Kil« 
kewydd  quam  prius  tenebat. 

Remandacio  cujusdam  qui  clericum  in  Cemit'rio  de  Llan- 
emeneych  percusserat  &c.  ad  officialem  Pap8B. 

22a,  b. — Copia  concordise  facts  per  Anianum  Ep'um  de  S'to 
Asaph'  inter  Ep'um  Bangor'  et  Dominum  Principem  apud 
Rydyarw  die  Veneris  proximo  post  Pascha  a'o  1261.  14 

23,  24. — Articuli  quibus  Seculares  Domini  Ecclesiam  gra- 
vant.  16 

246. — Liber  textus  Eyangelorum  Ecclesiee  S'ti  Ass.  vulgo 
dictus  Evenegyllten.  16 

25a.  — Pars  voluntatis  seu  testamenti  cujusdam  Ep'i. 

Ordinaciones  qusedam  Aniani  Ep'i. 

25i. — Copia  concessionis  J.  filii  Alani  D'ni  Arundell  fratri 
Aniano  Ep'o  et  successoribus  suis  de  omnibus  terris  quas  Eie- 
nen  fil.  Owen  fil.  Gronw  emit,  tam  in  villa  de  Martinchurch 
quam  apud  Ifton,  viz.  de  Griffri  ap  Gronw  tres  acras  apud  If- 
ton  et  undecim  acras  apud  Martinchurch  cum  quodam  prato  in 
eadem  viUa  de  Kenwrico  Vychan ;  4'uor  acras  apud  Ifton  de 
Kenwrico  Du :  Quinque  acras  de  David  filio  Lewelini,  unum 
messuagium  in  villa  de  Martinchurch,  et  4'uor  acras  terrse  in 
campis  ejusdem  villsB  de  Llewarch  ap  Enon  Meredyth :  Tres 
acras  apud  Ifton  quae  jacent  ex  opposite  domus  quae  fuit  Owein 
fil.  Gronw,  de  Gronw  fil.  Meredyth;  sex  acras  apud  Martin- 
church de  Gruffyd  ap  Kenwrig ;  unam  acram  qu»  vtdgo  dicitur 
Llindir  Menedus,  de  Gronw  Gam  fil'  Maredyt;  unam  acram 
apud  Martinchurch  de  Willelmo  ap  Bettris ;  unam  acram  de 
Kenwrig  pamo  et  Gruffyn  fratre  ejus,  filio  Kenwric ;  viii  acras 
de  Kenwric  ap  Llewelin  ;  unum  messuagium  juxta  cemiterium 
de  Martinchurch,  de  Kenwrico  Yachan ;  3  acras  quae  jacent  in 
angulo  juxta  molendinum  de  Gruffri  ap  Gronw ;  duas  acras 
apud  Ifton  de  Johanne  Goch  filio  Llewelini ;  duas  acras  apud 
Martinchurch  quarum  una  jacet  in  angulo  molendini,  altera 
juxta  cemiterium  dictae  villae,  de  Aniano  filio  Gronw;  duas 
croftas  quae  jacent  desuper  clivum  villie  de  Ifton  de  David  Du 
fil'  Lewelini ;  duas  acras  apud  Martinchurch  quae  jacent  in 
angulo  molendini  de  Griffino  fil'  Wronw  de  Merton^;  unum 
messuagium  cum  4'uo]^  croftis  terrae  eidem  messuagio  circum- 
jacentibus  de  Willelmo  fil.  Phi'.  Unum  pomerium  juxta  domum 
Ecclesiae  de  Martinchurch,  habendum  &c.  in  perpetuum,  red- 


156 

dendo  annuatim  unum  par  calcarum  de  auro  ad  festum  Johannis 
Baptists  ad  castrum  nostrum  Albi  Monasterii  pro  omnibus  ser- 
vitiis.  Ita  tamen  quod  nulli  Ep'o  liceat  dictas  terras  aut  ali- 
quam  eorum  partem  alienare  quominus  Ecclesia  predicta  eis 
gaudeat  &c.  Datum  apud  Album  Monasterium  in  crastino 
Pasche  a'o  1271.  17 

26,  27. — Examinacio  controversiae  inter  Lewelinum  Princi- 
pem  WalH»  ex  un&  parte  et  Anianum  Ep'um  ex  altera  parte 
circa  bona  conyictorum.  18 

Idem  continetur  WalHce,  fo.  181, 182,  188 

274,  28a. — Estimationes  omnium  bonorum  Ep*i  apud  mane- 
rium  de  Martinchurch,  Llantegla,  Llanelwy,  et  AUtmelyd, 
factae  annis  Domini  1306,  1307,  and  1308. 

28a. — Copia  concordise  inter  Edw.  I  regem  Angliae  et  Lew- 
elinum Principem  factae  apud  Rudlan  in  lesto  S'ti  Martini  a*o 
R.  R's.  50  a'o  1277. 

Convencio  inter  Ep'um  et  tenentes  quosdam  de  Llandegla  de 
dimissione  terrse  dominie  dicti  Ep'i  ibidem,  die  Mercurii  post 
octabis  Assensionis  a'o  1278. 

29,  30a. — Pars  processus  inter  A.  Ep'um  et  vicarios  ecclesi- 
arum  de  Wrexham  et  Llangollen  ex  una  parte  et  Abbatem  de 
Valle  Crucis  et  Abbatem  de  Talellechau  Menevens.  diocesis 
Papse  delegatum  ex  altera  coram  officiali  Cant,  a'o  1 275. 

306. — Literae  Ep'i  pro  deliberando  captivo  ex  sanctuario  ex- 
tracto  per  breve  regium. 

31a. — Convencio  inter  L.  Ep'um  et  David  Sackamor  circa 
manerium  et  terras  Ep'i  apud  Llandegla  et  grangiam  suam  apud 
Buddugre  &c.  in  crastino  Bartholom.  Apostoli  anno  1806. 

316. — Extract'  sive  rentale  maneriorum  Ep'i  in  Ros.  21 

32a,  b. — Concessio  lactualium  ep'atus  a'o  1285. 

33a. — Commendacio  Libri  Evangelorum  de  S'c'o  Assaph' 
vocati  Evenegyllten  per  Archiep'  Cant'.  23 

Litera  Roberti  Archiep'  Cant'  ad  Comitem  Warwici  et  exer- 
citum  Cestrise  residentem  quod  parcant  ecclesiis,  audito  quod 
quoddam  manerium  Assaphen'  Ep'i  combussissent,  interfici- 
entes  unum  de  hominibus  ejus.  28 

Nomina  Librorum  Ep'i  depositorum  in  domo  Fratrum  Mino- 
rum  apud  Rudlan.     ^Crossed,] 

Vasa  argentea  D'ni  Aniani  Ep'i  Assavens'  15  discos  argenti 
magnos,  3  medipcres,  6  sauceria  magna  &  xi  parva.  24 

336. — Literae  dimissoriae  Ep'i  Co  vent'  et  Lichfield.  [Crossed,] 

Litera  Ep'i  Lichfield  et  Covent'  Ep'o  Ass'  de  eodem. 
[Some  small,  uncertain  thing  crossed.] 

Indulgentiae  forma  pro  orationibus  pro  animabus. 

34a. — Monitio  quod  clerici  Litanias  in  diebus  rogationum 
juxta  Canones  solemnizent  per  L.  Ep'um. 


INDEX  TO  "LLYFR  COCH  ASAPH."  157 

Revocaciones  Cletnentis  Papse  decretorum  predecessoris  sui 
Bonifacii  8,  quorum  I'ma  circa  regem  et  regina  ffrauncia  est. 

346. — Breve  Dunelm'  Ep*i  ad  A.  Ep^uin  Ass'  de  translatione 
beati  Willelmi  quondam  Ep'i  Eboracen*  fienda.    Dat'  a'o  l!283. 

Procuratorium  L.  Ep'i  Ass'  ad  comparendum  in  Ro.  Curia 
apud  Llantegla.     12  cal.  Maii  1306. 

Obligacio  Abbatis  et  Conventus  de  Valle  Crucis  facta  L.  Ep'o 
Assavens'  anno  supra  dicto 

S5a. — Obligaciones  Evangelii  Spissi  Assavens*  a'o  1293  per 
tres  annos  95  lib.  6  sol.  10  den.  ob.  per  man  us  D'ni  David  vicar 
de  Corwaen. 

Breve  David  Ep'i  Covent'  et  Lichfield  Ep'o  Ass*  de  confe- 
renda  in  partibus  suis  pace. 

Convencio  inter  Hospitale  Jerusalem  in  Anglia  et  Abbatem 
et  Conventum  de  Haghmon  de  possessione  Alb  Monasterii.  J24 

Kesignacio  Archidiaconatus  Assav'  et  R.  de  Llanymowddwy 
et  Mallwyd  in  manus  Ep'i.     Dat'  8  non.  Octob'  a'o  1306.      24 

356,  36a. — Statuta  de  Officiis  (Economi,  Receptoris  et  oblig. 

366. — Convencio  qu®dam  (qu©  vix  legi  potest). 

Testimoniale  literarum  Papse  una  cum  injunctione  pro  earun- 
dem  executione  per  Robertum  Cant'  Archiep';  dat  3  idus  Jan. 
a'o  1296, quarum  literarum  tenor  est  inhibitio  totius  cleri  Angliae 
Wallise  et  Scotiae  ne  ullum  tribunale  sive  tributum  sive  subsi- 
dium  sive  uliam  aliam  solucionem  iaicis  principibus  ;  una  cum 
excommunicatione  omnium  laicorum  qui  tales  soluciones  vel 
uUas  pecuniarum  summas  levare  vel  recipere  presumpserint&c. 
A'o  1296. 

87a. — Forma  Literarum  Ordinum  ;  Forma  CoUacionis. 

376. — Substitutio  coUecionis  decimarum  Papse  in  negocium 
Terrae  Sanctse;  dat'  26  Aug'  a'o  1309. 

Acquietantia  facta  Abbati  de  Valle  Crucis  super  solucionem 
decimee  predict®. 

Monitio  pro  celeriore  solucione  earundem  decimarum. 

38.— Deest. 

39a. — Vendicio  lactualium. 

Concessio  lactualium  de  Ros  decano  Rosi  pro  a'o  1312. 

Dimissio  Llansilin'  pro  12  annis  ab  a'o  1301  per  Ep'um,  de- 
canum  et  capitulum. 

Dimissio  Llansilin'  per  decanum  et  capit'  Ep'o  pro  eisdem 
annis. 

Dimissio  decimarum  de  Martinchurch  Ep'o  Ass'  per  Abba* 
tem  et  Convent'  de  Albo  Monasterio  Assavens'  dioces'  pro  uno 
autumpno  pro  40  marcis  argenti  a'o  1301. 

40a. — Decanus  et  Cap'm  Assav'  concedunt  Ep'o  quod  ipsi 
omni  jure  medietatis  rectorie  de  Corvaen'  renunciabunt  quocun- 


158  INDEX  TO  ''LLYPR  COCH  ASAPH." 

que  tempore  rectoria  de  Llanhasaph  vacate  contegerit,  dictique 
Decanus  et  Cap'm  possessionem  ejusdem  nacti  fuerint  ad  fabri- 
cam  et  luminaria  ecclesise  Assavens',  qua  rectoria  de  Llanha- 
saph' dicti  decanus  et  cap'm  ad  predictum  usum  gaudebunt, 
prout  antiquo  tempore  fuerat     Dat'  a'o  1296. 

Testimoniale  quod  Ep'us  percipiet  sextam  partem  garbarum 
de  Llansilin^  et  3  partem  lactualium  remittet.     Dat'  a'o  1296. 

Confirmacio  electionis  capituli  Assaven'  de  persona  L.  in  suum 
Episcopum  et  concessio  administrationis  spiritualium  ejusdem 
ep'atus  eidem  L.  per  Priorem  et  capit'm  Cant'.  Dat'  7  idus 
Maii  a'o  1293. 

40&. — Certificatorium  directum  decano  et  capitulo  Assaphens 
per  priorem  et  capit'm  Cant',  sede  archiepiscopali  vacante,  de 
confirmacione  electionis  Lewelini  de  Brumfield  in  ep'um  Assa- 
phen',  et  mandatum  quod  percipiant  in  pastorem.  Dat'  7  id. 
Maii  1293. 

Restitutio  temporalium  dioc.  Ass.  Lewelino  de  Bromfield 
canonico  Assaph'  per  Edwardum  Regem.  Dat'  13  Maii  a'o 
regni  sui  21  (quod  fuit  a'o  1293). 

Licentia  per  Regem  Edw.  concessa  L.  Ep'o  Ass*  ad  conden- 
dum  testamentum.     Dat'  12  Octob'  a'o  regni  sui  22"^- 

Mandatum  Capituli  Cant',  sede  archiepiscopali  vacante,  clero 
et  populo  Assaph'  de  recipiendo  L.  in  Ep'um  &c.     Dat'  &c. 

41.— Deest. 

42a. — Duae  concessiones  Sychart  huclan  (Uwchlan  ?)  in  Kyn- 
llaith  L.  Ep'o  Asaph'  et  heredibus  suis  et  terrarum  ibidem  per 
Meurig,  Madog  Goch,  Howel  et  lorwerth  filios  Kenwric  ap 
Mado^  de  Sychart  &c.  et  ad  majorem  securitatem  sigillum  nobi- 
lis  viri  Madog  p'ni  presenti  apponi  per  curiam  hiis  testibus 
Mag'ro  Aniano  decano  Assapli,  Ric'o  ap  J.  &c. 

["  Not  dated.    Of  these  2  grants,  y®  beginning  of  y®  first 
is  out,  because  y®  leafe  41  is  wanting."] 

426. — Confirmacio  concessionis  Johannis  filii  Alani  Domini 
de  Arundell  factae  (ut  est  folio  25,  26)  Ep'o  Ass'  &c.  de  terris 
apud  Martinchurch  &c.  per  Richardum  filium  dicti  Johannis 
filii  Alani  una  cum  concessione  44  acrarum  terrse  &c.  situs  mane- 
rii  et  domus  eidem  pertinentis  apud  Martinchurch  predict'  per 

fredict'  Richardum  D'no  Ep'o  et  successoribus  in  perpetuum. 
JVtthout  date,] 

43a. — lokyn  Ddu  de  Sychart  concedit  L.  Ep'o  Assaph'  here- 
dibus et  assignis  suis  5  acras  terrse  jacentes  in  Maes-crofibrd 
(Croesfford  ?)  unum  pratum  vocatum  Gwerglodd  Kenwric  cum 
omni  jure  suo  in  Maestanglwyth,  pro  qua  donacione  dictus 
Ep'us  Yzo  Local  (?)  heredibus  suis  concessit  dicto  lockyn  quod 
nee  ipse  nee  heredes  sui  non  solvant  pro  aliquo  gavel  nisi  3  sol. 


INDEX  TO  "LLYFR  COCH  ASAPH."  159 

2  d.  et  quod  fait  (sint  ?)  liberi  in  molendino  solventes  tantum 
solvetur,  et  quod  fuit  (sint  ?)  liberi  a  procuratione  equorum  duo- 
rum  et  balliorum  canum,  avium  et  garcionum  et  ab  averagio  et 
dece'  (decimarum  ?)  coatgula  comm'  in  perpetuum.  Sigillum 
meum  apposui  et  ad  majorem  securitatem  sigillum  nobilis  viri 
Madoci  Weychau  &c.     [  Without  date.] 

Confirmacio  concessionis  Martinchurch  Johannis  filii  Alani 
D'ni  de  Arundel  per  Richardum  &c.  ut  habetur.  (Folio  426 
supra.) 

43 J. — Confirmacio  libertatum  et  privilegiorum  ep'atus  Assaph' 
facta  Aniano  Ep'o  Assaph'  per  Edw.  I  regem  Anglise  &c.  [Not 
dated.']  25 

Protec'io  cleri  pro  1  a'o  per  Edw.  I  regem  ratione  decimee 
quas  clerus  ei  tribuerat  a'o  preterito  ad  negocium  Terrse 
Sanctse. 

Concessio  advocacionis  ecclesiae  de  Ruthlan  Aniano  Ep'o 
Assaph'  per  Ed.  regem  in  compensationem  concessionis  quam 
dictus  Episcopus  ad  instantiam  dicti  Regis  (dictus  Episcopus) 
dedisset  abbati  et  conventui  Monasterii  de  Aberconwy  apud 
Maenan,  de  advocacione  ecclesiae  de  Eglwysvach.  160 

44a. — Concessio  duarum  partiura  ecclesiae  de  Bryneglwys 
Madoco  abbati  et  conventui  deValle  Crucis  per  Anianum  Ep'um 
Ass.  Ita  tamen  quod  porcio  de  Llandegla  quam  ipsi  habeant 
redeat  in  usum  vicarii  ejusdem  loci.     [Without  date,] 

Recognitio  Magistri  Ednevet  Prioris  Johannis  de  Jerusalem 
in  Nortwair  quod  presentatio  ad  vicarium  de  Kinnerdinlle  per- 
tinet  ad  Ep'um  Ass'  et  semper  pertinet  (pertinuit  ?). 

Locacio  porcionis  de  Llanrhaidr  Ep'o  pro  x  lib.  pro  anno 
D'ni  1307. 

44J. — Quaedam  statuta  de  conservatione  ecclesise  et  cemiterii 
et  ministrorum  ecclesie  ibi,  aliquod  de  sacrista. 

Statuta  anni  1295  quod  canonix^i  bini  et  bini  unum  et  unum 
pro  se  substituant  vicarium  propter  guerrarum  discrimina ;  et 
quatuor  sacerdotes  in  una  domo  habitent  et  communibus  bonis 
vivant. 

Nota  de  mor&  Simonis  de  Hibernia  cum  Ep'o  per  unum  an- 
num 1304.     Similiter  de  Gruff.  Goch. 

Firma  rectorie  de  Llanymenych  concessa  per  Ep'um  (qui  eam 
habuit  a  rectore)  vicario  ibidem  a  vicario  a'o  1305. 

Post  istud  folium  est  parvum  inventorium  de  vasibus  et  libris 
ecclesie  Assaph'.     Dat'  a'o  1300. 

45a. — Nomina  archiepiscoporum  Cant'  ab  Augustino  ad  mor- 
tem Bonifacii  qui  successit  Edmundo.  25 

45i. — Sequestra tus  rectorie  de  Llanassa  a'o  1300,  per  L. 
Ep'um  suorum  clerici  et  Lewelino  ap  L.  ap  Henyr  (?). 


160         INDEX  TO  "LLYFR  COCH  ASAPH." 

Mandatum  coUectionis  decime  Domini  Pape  ad  negocium 
Terr®  (Sanctse)  directum  abbati  de  Aberconwy  a'o  130S. 

Convencio  inter  R.  Caerwys  et  2  beneficiatos  in  ecclesia  de 
Llaneurgain  a'o  1310. 

46a. — Nomina  comitatum  et  episcopatuum  Anglire. 

46i. — Nota  de  quibusdam  scquestracionibus. 

Dimissio  familie  £p'i  in  itinerando.  Damna  negligentia  in 
familia. 

47a. — Procurationes  ecclesiarum. 

Articuli  convencionis  inter  P.  abbatem  de  Stratmarchell  et 
Howel  ap  Hova  rectorem  de  Llangwm  pro  firm&  quarundam 
terrarum  apud  Eskyngaenog,  quas  Dominus  Gr.  Bangor  Ep'us 
ten  nit. 

Dispensatio  concessa  perL.Ep*um  Ass'  rectori  deGresforde  de 
Hon  residendo  per  annum  integrum.  Dat' consecrationis  a*ol7®. 

476. — Vendicio  lactualium  a*o  1308. 

Vendicio  partis  Ep'i  Ecclesie  Catlied'  Assaph*  cum  campis 
a'o  1307. 

48a. — Firma  maneriorum  Ep^i  viz.  manerium  de  S'to  Mar- 
tino  !iJ6s.  8d.,  Llandegla51ib.,  AlUmeliden  l^li.,  Llanelwy  lOli. 
10s.,  Terra  Leprosorum  13s.  4d.,  moiendinum  de  Llanelwy 
31i.  6s.  Sd.y  moiendinum  Llandegla  40  sol.  moiendinum  Meria- 
do^  40soi. 

Obligacio  qucedam  facta  per  juramentum. 

Conce88io40s.  annuatim  soivend'per  Ep'um  Assaph'  curato  de 
Bodvari  pro  inserviendo  cureAberchwilar  per  L.Ep'um  Assaph' 
et  concessio  decimarum  et  proventuum  parochie  de  Llanelwy 
4  vicariis  choralibus  pro  inservienda  cura  infra  4  cruces  ex- 
ceptis  et  Episc'o  reservatis  decimis  fruinenti  et  oblacionibus  4 
temporum.     Dat'  a'o  1310. 

486. — Concordia  facta  inter  rectores  juris  ecclesie  de  Meyvod 
et  rectores  ecclesie  de  Llanvibangel  circa  decimas  villarum,  per 
juramentum  prober um  virorum  coram  Griiffino  filio  Wenoyn- 
wyn  a'o  1265.  .  27 

Arbitrium  London*  Ep'i  super  causam  quee  vertebatur  inter 
Thomam  Herefford'  Ep'um  et  Anianum  Ass'  coram  delegatis 
Fapse  (in  qua  causa  ad  apostolicam  sedem  a  dicto  Thoma  appel- 
latum  fuit)  de  jurisdictione  episcopali  in  territorio  de  Gordor* 
(dicto  Thomse  mortuo  successit  Rich'us  Herefford  Ep'us)  et 
utroque  in  xi  lib.  obligato,  ordinatum  fuit  ut  jurisdictio  mane- 
ret  in  statu  quo  tunc,  protestante  Ep^o  Ass'  de  non  fiendo  eccle- 
siis  suis  prejudicio  per  banc  concordiam. 

49a. — Forma  appellacionis  A.  Ep'i  Ass'  in  causa  inter  eum 
et  abbatem  de  Taleilechen.     Dat'  Lont^on'  a'o  1275. 

496. — Literse  abbatum  Walliae  ad  Papam  contra  Ep'um  Assa- 


INDEX  TO  "LLYFR  COCH  ASAPu/'  161 

ven*  qiierentem  de  militum  Principis  Walliae  rapinis  &c.  Dat' 
1274,  7  Martii.  27 

Submissio  Eignon  ap  Cadwgan  T)du  D'no  Ep'o  L.  et  Howelo 
ap  1 1  ova  clerico  pro  injuria  dicto  Howelo  illata.  28 

50,  51. — Procufrationes  ecclesiarum. 

61a. — Rectoria  de  Molde  impropriata  Monasterio  de  Bisham 
sol  vet  pensionem  5  IH).  Ep'o  omnibus  aliis  juribus  consuetis. 

Relaxatio  Philippi  de  Mortuo  Mari,  (^'omitis  de  March  et 
D'ni  de  Denbighe  advocacionis  rectorie  de  Denbighe  Lewelino 
Ep*o  Assav'  et  suis  successoribus.  Dat'  20  Septembris  a*o  R. 
Edw.  Ill  S'^- 

61  i. — Petitiones  qu8Ddam  Abbatis  et  Conventus  de  Stratmar- 
chell  de  jure  quarundam  ecclesiarum  dioc'  Assavens'. 

Breve  de  R.  Edw.  I  quod  Anianus  Ep'us  Ass'  compareat  in 
Parliamento.  Dat*  1  Septemb'  a'o  regni  sui  S'io  apud  West- 
mon'. 

Ordinaciones  observaudae  in  visitatione  L   Ep'i  a'o  1312, 

52a. — Articuli  ad  examinandum  clerum  in  visitatione. 

Litera  L.  Ep'i  Ass*  ad  Regem  Edw.  testificans  quod  Willel- 
mus  Lygons  constab*  de  Conwy  aegritudine  detinetur  quominus 
officium  suum  debite  exequi  possit  et  petitio  quod  placeat  idem 
officium  in  Johannem  Lygons  filium  suum  conferre.  [Noi 
dated.] 

Litera  ejusdem  formae  ad  Comitem  Cornu*.     [Not  dated.] 

Recognitio  Edmundi  Comitis  Arundel*  advocationem  ecclesise 
de  Llanemeneych  esse  jus  Lewelini  Ep'i  Ass*  et  successorum 
suorum.     Dat'  1312  a'o  R.  R.  Edw,  fil.  Edw.  6^- 

53a. — Test*  A.  Ep'i  Ass'  quod  heredes  Goronw  Velin  quod 
ad  tcrram  Ep'i  apud  Llangerniw  liberi  sunt  ab  omni  relevio, 
amobragio  et  solario  porrectionis  terrarum,  1  Gobyr  Estyn. 
Ita  tamen  quod  marca  una  Ep'is  annuatim  ad  festum  Omnium 
Sanctorum  persolvant,  et  Dyroe  et  Canilovo  si  forefecerint. 
Dat'  die  Veneris  post  festum  Apostolorum  Philippi  et  Jacobi 
a'o  1244.  28 

Concordia  inter  L.  ap  Gruff  Principcm  et  David  fratrem 
ejus.     Dat'  a'o  D'ni  1269. 

53J. — Articuli  in  visitatione  inquirendi. 

54a. — Anianus  Ep'us  porcionem  R.  Rudlan  ad  firmam  dat 
vicario  ibidem  a'o  1273.     [Crossed.] 

Similiter  pro  a*o  1274.     [Crossed.] 

Locacio  lactualium  Mechein  eodem  anno  [crossed]  et  quae 
sequuntur  sunt  lactuales  locate.     [Crossed.] 

Excommunicatio  Prioris  et  Conventus  Coventr*  per  Ep*um 
ibidem. 

55a. — H.  Ass*  Ep*us  concedit  monialibus  dc  Llanllugan  por- 

3BD  sib.,  vol.  XIV.  11 


162  INDEX  TO 

cionem  ecclesie  de  Llanvair  in  Caereneon  reservata  sibi  alia 
porcione  et  taxacione  vicarie.     Dat'  1239.  29 

A.  Ass'  Ep*U8  concedit  Abbatisse  et  Conventui  Monialium  de 
Llanlugan  medietatem  ecclesie  de  Llanllwchayarn.     Dat'1263. 

A.  concessit  Abbati  et  Conventui  de  Pola  ecclesiam  de  Aber- 
riw,  excepta  vicaria  vicariique  institutione  a*o  1265. 

55i. — Institutio  ad  porcionem  de  Rudlan  ad  presentacionem 
Edv.  filii  Regis  Anglise  per  Anianum  Ep'um  Assaph'  a'o  1254. 

Institutio  ad  aliam  porcionem  ibidem  ad  presentacionem 
Henrici  Regis  per  A.  Ep'um  Ass'  1252. 

Note  de  criminibus  et  defectibus  clericorum. 

56. — Deest. 

57a. — Forma  appellacionis  quae  vix  legi  potest. 

57b, — Instructiones  in  quibus  casibus  potest  aliquis  appellare. 

Forma  appellacionis. 

58a. — Appellacio  ex  parte  Ep'i  ad  Papam  in  causa  quae  ver- 
tebatur  inter  eum  et  Isabellam  de  Mortuomari  quondam  uxorera 
Johannis  fil' Alani  de  jure  patronatus  ecclesie  de  Llanemeneych. 

58b. — Interdictio  prioratus  S'ti  Martini  de  Dover  propter 
contumacias  monachorum  ibidem. 

Breve  Regis  Ed.  ad  Vice-Comit.  Salop,  quod  distringat  bona 
A.  Ep'i  Ass'  quod  non  admittat  idoneam  personam  ad  ecclesiam 
de  Llanemeneych  ad  presentationem  Isabellae  uxoris  Johannis 
fir  Alani  quam  contra  dictum  Episcopum  recuperavit  in  curia 
Regis.     Dat'  a'o  regni  sui  10. 

Interdictum  eccles'  conventualis  Covent'  per  Ep'um  ibidem. 

69a. — Reynerus  Ep'us  Assavens' concedit  Abbati  et  Conven- 
tui de  Valle  Crucis  medietatem  ecclesie  de  Wrexham  ad  fabri- 
cam  ecclesie  sue.     [Noi  dated,] 

Eadem  donacio  aM  forma.     Dat'  3  cal'  Maii  1220. 

Confirmacio  ejusdem  charte  per  decanum  et  capit'  Assav'. 

Confirmacio  ejusdem  charte  per  Archiep'  Cant'. 

Confirmacio  ejusdem  charte  per  A.  Ep'um  Assav'. 

Confirmacio  ejusdem  chart,  per  Honorium  Papam  16  cal.  Jan. 
pontific  sui  a'o  7®- 

Tradicio  ejusdem  confirmacionis  Papae  abbati  et  monachis  de 
Valle  Crucis  per  R.  Ep'um  Insularum  et  testimonial  ejusdem 
Ep'i  super  eadem  liberacione. 

60a. — Confirmacio  predictarum  literarum  per  A.  Ep'um  Assav' 
a'o  1228. 

A.  Ep'us  concessit  iisdem  abbati  et  conventui  medietatem 
aliam  ecclesise  de  Wrexham  a'o  1227. 

Confirmacio  sequentis  concessionis  per  Archiep^ra  Cant', 

Concessio  totius  ecclesiae  de  Wrexham  eidem  abbati  et  con- 
ventui per  A.  Ep'um  Ass.     [Not  dated.] 


INDEX  TO  "LLYFR  COCH  ASAPH."  163 

60i. — Eadem  concessio  iisdem  fere  verbis.  Dat'  mense  No. 
1225. 

Eadem  concessio  iisdem  fere  verbis.     [Not  dated,^ 

Concessionis  ejusdem  confirmacio  per  decanum  et  capitulum 
Assav'. 

61a. — Idem  iisdem  fere  verbis.     Dat'  1251. 

Confirmacio  donacionum  Reineri,  Abraham  et  Howeli  Ep'o- 
rum,  necQon  confirmacionis  Aniani  Ep^i  factae  de  ecclesia  de 
Llangolhen  et  Wrexham  per  M.  (Mauritium)  custodem  Assa- 
phens.     Dat^  in  Octavis  Innocent'  1267. 

Renunciatio  juris  patronatus  ad  ecclesiam  de  Wrexham  ab- 
bati  et  conventui  de  Valle  Crucis  per  Madocum  filium  Gruffith. 

61i. — Confirmatio  concessionis  Abrahem  Ep'i  factae  Monas- 
terio  de  Valle  Crucis  per  Anianum  Ep'um.  Dat'  in  crastino 
beati  Thomse  Archiep'i  a'o  1249,  consecrationis  1°- 

Concessio  partis  ecclesiae  de  Llangollen  dicto  abbati  et  con- 
ventui per  A.  Ep'um  Ass'.     Dat'  1232,  4to.  non  det. 

Eadem  concessio  iisdem  verbis. 

62a. — Confirmacio  ejusdem  concessionis  per  decan'  et  capit' 
Ass'. 

Concessio  porcionis  de  Llangollen  Monasterio  de  Valle  Crucis 
per  A.  Ep'um  Ass'  1236. 

Confirmacio  ejusdem  concessionis  per  decanum  et  capit'  Ass' . 
Dat'  1286,  18  cal.  Feb. 

Concessio  alterius  porcionis  de  Llangollen  Monasterio  per  H. 
Ep'um  reservatis  5  mercis  solvendis  ad  Pentecost'  et  f'tura 
Michaelis.     Dat'  a'o  1237. 

Concessio  totius  ecclesie  de  Llangollen  D'ni  (conventui  ?)  de 
Valle  Crucis  per  H.  Ep'm.  Dat'  14  cal'  Maii  1238,  cons,  3^ 
Reservata  institutione  vicarii. 

Confirmacio  ejusdem  concessionis  per  Anianum  Ep'um,  dat' 
in  crastino  beati  Andree  Apostoli  1249 ;  cons,  a'o  1**- 

Confirmacio  et  repetitio  ejusdem  concessionis  per  Anianum 
Ep'um  dat' 1261. 

64a,  i. — Privilegium  Monasterii  de  Valle  Crucis  per  Inno- 
centium  Fapam. 

65a. — Idem  per  Gregorium  Papam  ibidem  ;  recapitulatio 
omnium  revencionum  dicti  Monasterii,  ubi  ingress^  (?  inquest') 
fact'  est  de  M.  Principe  et  Baronibus  de  Powys. 

65i. — Idem  per  Honorium  Papam. 

Idem  per  Alexandrum  Papam. 

\lchun,  Butugre,  Wrexham,  Ercacane  &c. 

V,  ^^a. — Dispensa  per  Papam  Urbanum  cuidam  clerico  de  pres- 
byter v  nato  ut  sacros  ordines  et  beneficia  suscipere  valeat 

Pensio  concessa  per  decan'  et  capit'm  Ass'cuidam  Will'mo  &c. 

IP 


164 

66J. — Reconcessio  privilegiorum  Ep'i  Ass'  infra  Bervetwlad 
per  L.  Principem  Wallise  a'o  1269,  pontificatus  Aniani  a'o 
primo.  ^9. 

Pensio  concessa  per  Ep'um  David  cuidam  Will'o ;  dat'17  cal. 
Jun.  1342. 

67a. — Literse  Principis  Wallie  ad  Archiep'ura  Cant'  respon- 
dentis  suggestionibus  Ep'i  in  territoriis  Principis ;  dat'1275.  80 

67i. — D'ca'  qusedam  Solomonis  et  oratio  Augur  filii  Jace. 

Orationes  alise  qu»dam  ad  Deum. 

68a  — Oratio  ad  Deum. 

Locacio  porcionis  de  Hiraethawg  quam  L.  Ep's  ad  fabricam 
ecclesie  constituit  per  procuratorern  fabrice  ecclesie  predicte  pro 
uno  anno  pro  9li.  a'o  1312. 

Certificatorium  beneficiorum  vacantium  per  unum  annum  in- 
fra dioc'  Ass'  factum  per  David  Ep'm  Asb'  Rigam  de  Asserio 
Papse  in  Anglia  nuncio  ;  dat'  1318. 

686. — Queedam  obligaciones  factse  Aniano  Ep'o  Ass'  a'o  1274, 
quarum  ultima  est  obligatio  consanguineor.  K.  porcionarii  de 
Llanrhaidr  de  8  libris  solvendis  dicto  episcopo,  si  dictus  porcio- 
narius  convictus  fu'it  aduiterii  cum  quadam  muliere  nominata. 

33 

69a. — Literse  ad  Ep'um  Menevensem  per  A.  Ep'um  ^ss*  con- 
tra abbatem  de  Talellecheu  qui  dictum  Ep'um  Ass'  Domini 
Principis  fuicitus  presidio  q'i  Sacrosanctse  Ecclesise  in  nostrum 
odium  se  opponit,  excommunicasset,  et  a  quo  ipse  ep'us  appel- 
lasset.  33 

LiteraB  ad  archid'm  de  Caer  Merddin.     In  canonicam  Ass'. 

Literse  A.  Ep'i  ad  priorem  et  capitulum  predicatorum  Angliae 
quod  orent  pro  eccles'  Assaph  &c.  33 

69J. — Privilegia  quaedam  concessa  A.  Ep'o  Ass*  per  L.  ap  Gr. 
Princ' Wallie. 

70a. — Articuli  quidam  per  Ep'm  Ass'  exhibiti  contra  officia- 
rios  regis  pro  eorum  injuriis  ecclesise  Assavens*  illatis.  32 

706. — Nomina  plegiorum  (fidemissorum)  Ep'o  datorum  pro 
'  conventibus  quibusdam.     [CrossedJ]  33 

Obligacio  quorundam  dicto  Ep'o.     [Crossed.] 

Fidemissores  Howel  ap  LI.  Ep'o.     [Grossed.]  34 

Fidemissores  Angharad  vch  Ph.  Ep'o.     [Crossed]  34 

Locacio  vicarie  de  Llanrylling  vacan  a'o  1275,      [Crossed.] 
**Annis  mille  Dei  ducentis  subtrahe  binos       )  04 

Tunc  fuit  ad  castrum  Wallia  victa  Paen."    J 
"Annus  millenus  septenus  septuagenus 
Primus  quo  primas  corruit  ense  Thomas." 

(1171,  Thos.  Becket  Abp.  Canterbury.) 

71a. — Inhibicio  ab  officiali  Cant' contra  archid'  Mon'  in  eccle- 


INDEX  TO  "LLYFR  COCH  ASAPH."  165 

sia  Bangor  substitutum  abbatis  de  Talellechau,  delegati  D'ni 
Paps  ne  vexent  dictum  Ep'um  eo  quod  ab  eis  ante  hac  appel- 
larit ;  dat'  1275. 

Testimoniale  sin'e(sententi8B)  latas  per  abbatem  deTalellechau 
ex  parte  abbatis  et  conventus  de  Valle  Crucis  contra  exist^  oflF* 
et  vicarios  quos  ipse  instituerat  in  Wrexham  et  Llangollen  quae 
sin'a  (sententia)  condemnat  dictos  yiearios  in  Ix.  lib.  pro  fructi- 
bus  per  eos  receptis  et  capelias  dictis  abbati  et  conventui  restitu- 
endas^  et  dictum  Ep'um  condemnat  in  quinque  libris  quas  sum- 
mas  solvet  sub  poena  excommunicationis. 

Tli. — Certificatorium  archid'ni  de  Caer  Merddin  ad  officia- 
lem  Cant'  super  mandate  ei  directo  quod  moneat  dictum  abba- 
tem de  Talellecheu  quatenus  revocet  omnia  quae  fecit  contra 
Ep'um  Ass'  post  ejusdem  appellacionem^  et  compareat  ad  diem 
&c. 

Nota  super  eodem  decreto. 

72a. — Citacio  pro  abbate  de  Talellecheu  et  suspensio  ab  in- 
gressu  ecclesias  directa  archid'o  de  Caer  Merddin  per  oflf  Cant'. 

Certificatorium  de  oxecutione  ejusdem  mandati. 

Concessio  beneficiorum  sequestratorum  abbati  et  conventui 
de  Valle  Crucis  per  Ep'um  Ass'  in  yisitatione  sua  apud  Album 
Monasterium.  34 

13a, — Inhibitio  a  curia  Cant'  contra  Reverendum  Patrem 
Anianum  Ep'um  Ass'  super  appellacionem  abbatis  et  conventus 
S'ti  Petri  Salop  in  causa  ecclesise  S'ti  Oswaldi  de  Albo  Monas- 
terio  Ass'dioc';  una  cum  citatione  ejusdem  Ep'i  ad  comparen- 
dum  in  causa  predicta.     Dat'  2  id'  Octob'  1269. 

Allegacio  dictorum  abbatis  et  conventus  coram  D'ni  officiali 
contra  dictum  Ep'um  continens  quod  cum  dicti  abbas  et  con- 
ventus dictam  ecclesiam  in  suos  proprios  usus  possidissent^  dic- 
tus  Ep'us  alium  in  eandem  induci  fecit  &c. 

18b. — Alia  allegacio  eorundera  de  200  li.  damno  quod  passi 
sunt  ea  occasione  quam  per  amissionem  honor um  quae  ibi  habe- 
bant. 

Procuratorium  dictorum  abbatis  et  conventus  in  causa  pre- 
dicta.    Dat'  in  fest'  Bartolomei  Apost'  1269. 

Acta  in  causa  predicta  die  Martis  post  Omnium  Sanctorum 
1269  et  prorogatio  in  proximum  post  Nicholai. 

lia. — Privilegium  abbatis  et  conventus  predicti  per  Euge- 
nium  p'p'  transmissum  Ep'o  Ass'  ab  offic'  Cant'  die  Lunae  post 
Nichol'1269. 

Denuo  emanat  citacio  Ep'i  in  causa  predicta  in  qua  citacione 
transmittitur  dictum  privilegium. 

Acta  et  prorogatio  diei  in  dicta  causa  et  decretum  de  citando 
Wallero  de  Engmere,  clerico,  ecclesie  S'ti  Oswaldi  de  Albo 
Monasterio  si  sua  viderit>  interesse. 


166  WATER-STOUPS  IN  WALES  AND  CORNWALL. 

75a. — Acta  die  Martis  ante  Purif.  Marie  1269.  Comparuit 
dictus  Walterus,  et  parte  adversa  accusata  contumacia  Ep^i  noa 
comparentis,  proposuit  dictus  Walterus  dictum  Ep'um  esse  di- 
mittendum  qui  non  ex  officio  processit  ad  versus  dictos  religiosos 
ad  instantiam  ipsius  Walteri,  altera  parte  dissentiente,  eo  assig- 
natus  est  dies  Jovis  post  invocav'it. 

75 J. — Acta  eodem  die  Jovis  in  cam'  predict'  1269,  et  irritum 
est  s'cu'  quodcunque  Ep'us  egit  circa  premissa  post  appellacio- 
nem  partis  adversae  interpositam  et  Walterus  Hangmere  recessit 
sine  die  et  assignatus  est  dies  iunae  post  d'mic'  (dominicum) 
quasi  modo  geniti  &c.  et  procedebat  abbas  et  conventus  testes. 

76a,  J. — Acta  dicto  die  Lunse  1270  in  causa  predicta. 

Acta  in  crastino  Assensionis  1270. 

77a. — Citacio  mandans  quibusdam  exhibere  convcntionem 
quandam  inter  predictos  et  in  causa  predicta. 

Certificatorium  de  conventione  predicta. 


ON   SOME   WATER-STOUPS    FOUND    IN   WALES 
AND   CORNWALL. 

Having  observed  certain  water-stoups  of  what  I  con- 
ceive to  be  unusual  forms,  in  Wales  and  Cornwall,  I  am 
induced  to  offer  a  short  account  of  them. 

1.  Llanfairynghornwy,  Anglesey. — In  the  garden 
of  the  Rectory  of  this  remote  village,  one  of  the  sweetest 
spots  in  the  Isle  of  Anglesey,  lies  the  ancient  water- 
stoup  of  which  three  views  are  here  given.  It  is  said 
to  have  been  brought  hither  from  the  neighbouring 
church  of  Llanfigail ;  and  at  first  sight,  to  any  one  not 
acquainted  with  such  objects,  and  found  in  such  a  situ- 
ation, it  might  seem  difficult  to  make  out  its  true  pur- 
pose. It  is  of  the  hard,  greenish  rock  of  the  district ; 
but  has  been  cut  with  care,  with  much  attention  paid  to 
its  symmetry.  Looking  on  it  as  circular,  its  external 
diameter  at  the  upper  rim  is  17  inches  ;  the  inner  dia- 
meter of  the  basin,  12  ins. ;  the  circular  basin  itself  is 
10  ins.  deep  outside,  but  only  5  ins.  inside.  The  base 
is  a  square  of  14  ins.,  and  crossings  of  ribs  afford  a  simple 


LLANFAIRTNOHOENWY,    ANQLF8KT. 


LLANFAIBTNOHORNWT,    ANOLE8KT. 


LLANFAIRYNQUORNWY,    ANGLESEY. 


A.  CH.  Lamm        \oL   XiV 


LLANGEFNI,    ANULESET. 


LLANDDEW,    BRECON. 


CABNANTON,   CORNWALL. 


ARCH.  CaMB.      Vol..  XIV. 


WATER-ST0UP8  IN  WALES  AND  CORNWALL.  167 

yet  effective  ornamentation.  A  curious  point  to  observe 
in  it  is  the  occurrence  of  four  excavated  channels,  pro- 
bably symbolical,  like  the  ribs,  as  if  for  the  insertion  or 
the  extraction  of  water,  in  the  flat  surface  of  the  upper 
rim ;  and  on  account  of  its  being  the  most  perfect,  and 
the  largest  of  the  specimens  I  have  met,  I  have  thought 
it  worth  while  to  illustrate  this  stoup  fully  in  three  dif- 
ferent views.  This  object  is  safe,  for  the  time  being,  in 
possession  of  the  present  Rector,  though  lying  among 
the  beehives  of  his  garden  ;  but  whenever  the  benefice 
changes  hands,  it  is  highly  probable  that  it  may  become 
injured.  It  would  be  highly  desirable  to  place  it  some- 
where within  the  church,  which,  as  mentioned  in  the 
Mona  MedicBva^  has  been  lately  repaired  by  the  present 
excellent  incumbent,  and  is  in  gobd  condition.  But  if 
not  placed  here,  it  should  be  removed  either  to  the  Caer- 
narvon Museum,  or  to  some  other  public  collection. 

2.  Llangefni,  Anglesey. — A  stoup  of  similar  stone, 
but  of  smaller  dimensions,  closely  resembling  the  first 
one  described,  is  preserved  in  the  vestry  of  Llangefni 
Church,  where  it  stands  near  the  Roman  inscribed  stone 
also  preserved  there.  The  exterior  is  only  10  ins.  square 
and  6  ins.  deep ;  while  the  basin  is  7  ins.  in  diameter, 
and  4  ins.  deep.  It  will  be  observed  that  there  are 
only  two  water-channels,  cut  at  opposite  corners  of  the 
upper  surface ;  and  that  the  bulging  of  the  sides  and 
ribs  forms  its  sole  ornamentation. 

3.  Llanddew,  Brecon. — The  next  stoup  of  this  kind 
which  I  have  observed,  I  found  in  the  cottage  of  a  shoe- 
maker, close  to  the  ruined  gateway  of  the  old  palace  of 
the  bishops  of  St.  David's,  at  Llanddew  near  Brecon. 
Here  it  is  degraded  to  the  use  of  a  receptacle  for  nails 
and  other  rubbish  of  a  cobbler's  shop ;  and  it  is  com- 
monly considered  in  the  neighbourhood  as  a  Roman 
mortar.  It  is  of  very  nearly  the  same  dimensions  as  the 
stoup  at  Llangefni ;  and,  as  far  as  my  recollection  ex- 
tends, is  of  a  calcareous  stone.  There  are  no  ribs  nor 
channels  on  the  surface,  and  the  only  subject  of  orna- 
mentation consists  in  the  two  handles.     It  is  much  to 


168  WATER-STOUPS  IN  WALES  AND  CORNWALL. 

be  desired  that  this  object  should  be  rescued  from  its 
present  position,  and  put  within  the  church,  or  in  some 
place  of  security  ;  otherwise  it  may  be  destroyed  at  any 
moment. 

4.  Carn  ANTON,  Corn  WALL. — The  fourth  stoup  is  found 
in  Cornwall,  and  is  preserved  carefully  in  the  hall  of 
Humphrey  Willyams,  Esq.,  of  Carnanton.  It  is  of 
white  stone,  probably  granitic,  and  is  rather  deeper  than 
the  stoup  at  Llangefni.  It  is  commonly  called  a  Roman 
mortar.  It  has  four  handles,  but  one  of  them  is  broken  ; 
and  it  is  devoid  of  water-channels.  It  most  probably 
came  from  one  of  the  neighbouring  churches ;  but 
whether  from  the  parochial  church  of  St.  Mawgan,close 
by, — now  so  admirably  restored, — is  not  known. 

I  confess  that,  looking  at  an  isolated  object  like  this, 
and  unaware  of  the  existence  of  similar  ones,  I  should 
be  much  puzzled  to  conceive  its  true  destination ;  nor 
could  I  fully  resolve  my  doubts  with  regard  to  any  of 
these  stoups  until  I  had  an  opportunity  of  making  an 
architectural  tour  in  Picardy  and  the  Boulonnais  a  few 
years  ago.  Then,  especially  in  the  latter  district,  and 
in  churches  of  various  dates,  I  frequently  found  stoups 
of  this  kind  fixed  in  their  usual  places,  just  within  the 
entrance  doorway,  and  still  serving  their  original  sacred 
purpose.  They  were  very  similar  in  size  and  ornament- 
ation ;  but  though  they  had  projecting  ribs,  were  fixed 
within  small  niches,  and  evidently  were  not  intended  to 
be  removed.  At  one  place  in  particular  (Clari  ?),  the 
small  church  just  north  of  Etaples,  where  the  old  port 
once  was,  and  where  traces  of  the  Roman  station  have 
been  observed,  a  stoup  occurs  which  may  well  puzzle 
an  antiquary,  for  it  is  almost  impossible  to  distinguish 
it  from  a  common  apothecary's  marble  mortar ;  and,  in 
fact,  it  seems  as  if  it  were  quite  modern.  It  is  just 
within  the  west  doorway ;  while  the  old  font  of  the 
church  is  pitched  out  into  the  graveyard,  to  make  room 
for  a  debased,  semi-classic  one  of  no  interest,  either 
ancient  or  modern. 

II.  L  J. 


169 


ALIGNMENTS    IN  WALES. 

If  it  is  allowed  that  the  ancient  inhabitants  of  Brittany 
were  of  the  same  race  as  those  who  occupied  Devon- 
shire, Cornwall,  Wales,  and  other  parts  of  Great  Britain, 
we  should  expect  to  find  a  similarity  in  the  monuments 
they  have  left.  But  instead  of  such  similarity  we  find  a 
remarkable  contrast ;  for  while  on  this  side  of  the  British 
Channel  we  have  circles  of  various  dimensions,  on  the 
other  side,  and  especially  in  Brittany,  they  are  not  usually 
found.  On  the  other  hand,  numerous  alignments  exist  in 
that  country,  but  are  unknown  in  these  islands,  except 
on  a  small  and  irregular  scale.  In  speaking,  however,  of 
circles,  it  is  necessary  to  confine  the  term  to  such  as  can- 
not have  been  the  remains  of  earns  or  similar  structures ; 
for  in  many  cases  where  the  earns  have  vanished,  all  but 
the  outer  rings  of  stones,  which  limited  the  base  of  the 
cam,  remain  ;  and  these  stones  being  usually  larger  and 
more  unwieldy  than  the  small  ones,  and  not  adapted  for 
building  walls  or  houses,  have  been  leftwhen  the  earth  and 
the  smaller  and  more  useful  stones  have  been  removed. 
By  circles,  therefore,  should  be  understood  those  of  some 
size,  and  composed  of  isolated  blocks  or  pillar-stones. 
Some  difficulty  also  arises  as  regards  what  the  French 
call*' cromlechs," — a  term  as  unfortunate  and  objection- 
able as  it  is  when  used,  in  the  English  sense,^  of  another 
kind  of  monument,  viz.  the  denuded  chamber.  To  illus- 
trate the  confusion  of  ideas  in  such  a  matter,  we  may  quote 
M.  Mahe's  description  of  what  he  calls  cromlechs,  which 
he  always  speaks  of  as  particularly  rare  in  a  country, 
where  stone  chambers  or  dolmens  abound  in  great  num- 
bers, and  yet  does  not  perceive  that  the  instances  he 
gives  are  nothing  more  than  ruined  stone  chambers,  the 
supporting  stones  of  which  are  arranged  more  in  a  cir- 
cular than  rectangular  form.  He  describes  one  in  Arra- 
don,  about  nine  feet  (French)  in  diameter,  as  still  retain- 

^  The  term  **  cromlech"  is  unknown  in  Ireland. 


170  ALIGNMENTS  IN  WALES. 

ing  its  cap-stone ;  another,  in  the  commune  of  St.  Mau- 
rice, about  sixteen  feet,  has  also  its  covering ;  while  a 
smaller  one,  of  seven  feet  in  diameter,  in  the  He  d' Arz, 
has  lost  that  appendage.  Even  without  the  proof  of  the 
existing  covering  stones,  it  is  evident  that  his  cromlechs 
are  chambers  more  or  less  circular,  which,  no  doubt,  are 
much  rarer  than  the  rectangular  ones. 

M.  Du  Caumont,  in  his  Cours  (vol.  i,  p.  87),  describes 
them  as  enceintes  druidiques^  including  under  the  term 
"cromlech,"  circles  composed  of  stones,  and  those  com- 
posed of  earth ;  and  seems  to  mean  a  very  different 
monument  from  those  of  M.  Mah6:  in  fact,  he  reckons 
among  them  our  Wiltshire,  Cornish,  and  Scotch  circles, 
and  therefore  means  what  is  ordinarily  meant  by  a  stone 
circle.  But  of  such  circles  he  hardly  knows  of  any  in 
France  ;  at  least  he  only  refers  to  one  of  twelve  stones 
in  the  Chartrain  district,  and  having  a  diameter  of  sixty 
feet. 

In  his  own  country,  Normandy,  he  does  not  know  of 
a  single  instance,  although  that  district  is  rather  rich  in 
other  megalithic  remains.  In  the  departments  of  Eure 
and  Seine  InfSrieure,  circles  appear  to  be  wanting ;  but 
he  speaks  of  the  remains  of  one  near  Aigle,  in  the  de- 
partment of  Arne.  He  gives,  however,  no  particulars. 
There  was  formerly,  he  informs  us,  near  Saumur  an 
eminence  consisting  of  twelve  stones  and  a  central  one, 
which  may  possibly  have  been  one  of  the  supporters  of 
a  chamber.  If,  however,  circles  were  to  be  found  any- 
where, it  would  be  in  that  district,  where  the  most 
numerous  and  the  grandest  monuments  exist ;  but 
even  in  that  district,  Lower  Brittany,  with  one  ex- 
ception, they  are  not  found.  That  one  exists,  or 
rather  did  (for  we  believe  the  stones  have  vanished),  on 
the  small  peninsula  of  Kermovan,  a  few  miles  from 
Brest.  An  account  of  it  is  recorded  in  the  Transactions 
of  the  Royal  Society  of  French  Antiquaries  (vol.  iii,  p. 
16),  and  no  doubt  was  contributed  by  M.  Fiemenville,  a 
member  of  the  society,  and  is  probably  the  same  as  the 
one  he  has  printed  in  his  Finisterre.     As  he  saw  Druid 


ALIGNMENTS  IN  WALES.  171 

work  in  almost  every  monument,  he,  of  course,  makes 
this  an  enceinte  druidique^  and  thus  explains  the  details. 
The  circle,  or  rather  the  ellipse,  of  120  feet  one  way, 
and  90  feet  another,  consists  of  twelve  stones ;  the 
highest,  about  8  feet,  placed  at  the  eastern  extremity ; 
and  the  next  highest,  one  about  6|  feet,  at  the  opposite 
end.  Under  the  highest  sat  the  archdruid ;  but  we  are 
not  informed  who  occupied  the  next  seat  of  honour. 
Just  beyond  the  ellipse  are  two  dolmens,  which  he  con- 
verts into  altars,  where  the  mystic  ceremonies  were  per- 
formed in  presence  of  the  Druidic  convocation.  It  was 
no  doubt,  a  burial-place,  for  under  one  of  the  stones  a 
stone  celt  has  since  been  found.  In  his  Cotes  du  Nord 
(p.  331)  he  finds  another  enceinte  druidique  near  Begars, 
but  which  looks  more  like  a  defensive  earthwork.  This 
was  an  ellipse,  1,300  feet  from  north  to  south,  with  a 
raised  kind  of  esplanade  at  the  northern  end.  He  men- 
tions some  stones  (nineteen  in  all),  which  he  thinks 
lined  the  chord  and  arc  of  the  raised  part ;  but  he  allows 
they  are  not  in  their  original  place,  and  may,  therefore, 
have  formed  part  of  the  defences.  But  he  mentions 
one  fact  which  may  be  recorded,  namely,  the  existence  of 
a  menhir,  24  feet  high,  at  the  extremity  of  the  enclo- 
sure opposite  the  esplanade.  Half  way  up,  on  the  face 
of  it,  are  cut  three  circles,  placed  nearly  one  above  the 
other,  and  of  different  sizes.  In  these  circles  he  recog- 
nises the  sun  in  the  highest,  the  earth  in  the  middle 
one,  and  the  moon  in  the  lowest  and  smallest.  But 
whatever  the  nature  of  this  enclosure,  it  does  not  look 
like  a  stone  circle ;  so  that  we  may  conclude  this  writer, 
who  traversed  Brittany  on  foot  with  some  care,  could 
only  discover  one  such  stone  monument,  viz.  the  one 
near  Brest. 

At  the  meeting  of  the  late  Bretonne  Association,  held 
1852,  at  St.  Brieuc,  mention  was  made  of  a  stone  circle 
at  Trebeurden,  which,  if  really  a  circle,  was  unusually 
gigantic.  There  are,  however,  only  eight  stones,  of 
which  the  average  height  is  not  given ;  but  they  are 
described  as  ^^disposh  en  cercle  a  un  kilometre  de  distance.'' 


172  ALIGNMENTS  IN  WALES. 

If  this  means  they  were  placed  at  a  kilometre  apart 
from  one  another,  the  circle  must  have  had  a  circumfe- 
rence of  five  miles,  putting  the  kilometre  at  3,288  Eng- 
lish feet.  If  it  is  meant  that  the  diameter  is  a  kilometre, 
it  would  still  be  a  very  large  circle,  greater  than  our 
own  Avebury  circle.  It  is  simply  mentioned  as  one  of  a 
list  of  Celtic  remains  of  the  department ;  but  as  it  does 
not  appear  to  be  elsewhere  noticed,  there  may  be  some 
misconception  on  the  subject,  and  the  stones  are  pro- 
bably not  parts  of  a  circle  at  all. 

With  the  exception  of  a  circular  enclosure  on  the  high 
narrow  ridge  by  which  the  peninsula  of  Crozon  is  con- 
nected with  the  rest  of  the  department,  and  which  is 
said  to  be  more  of  a  military  character,  there  does  not 
appear  to  be  any  circle  except  those  which  have  been 
mentioned.  Had  they  ever  existed  to  the  same  extent 
as  they  are  found  in  this  country,  we  might  have  ex- 
pected to  have  found  at  least  traces  of  them  in  the 
wilder  and  uncultivated  districts.  We  find  alignments 
in  abundance,  of  which  the  most  important  are  the 
three  or  four  separate  groups, .  which  have  generally 
been  confounded  together,  as  the  great  Carnac  align- 
ment ;  but  that  these  are  separate  and  distinct  align- 
ments is  shewn,  not  so  much  by  the  intervening  void 
spaces,  as  by  the  fact  that  each  group,  as  one  proceeds 
westward,  commences  with  smaller  stones,  which  in- 
crease in  size  until  they  reach  a  certain  point  where 
there  appears  to  be  an  enclosure  generally  rectangular. 
The  same  is  observed  in  the  succeeding  groups,  and 
finally  in  the  grandest  of  them,  near  the  village  of  Car- 
nac, which  terminates  with  a  semicircular  enclosure. 
This  is  the  group  near  St.  Michael's  Mount  that  is  usu- 
ally visited.  Proceeding  westward,  the  large  Plouharnel 
chambers  (in  one  of  which  the  two  curious  gold  collars 
were  found)  are  passed  on  the  route  to  the  Erdeven 
groups ;  beyond  which,  again,  at  some  little  distance,  is 
the  Plouhinec  alignment,  consisting  of  several  rows  of 
massive  blocks  rather  than  the  ordinary  menhirs.  These 
include  what  may  be  called  the  great  alignments  of  Brit- 


ALIGNMENTS  IN  WALES.  173 

tany ;  but  there  are  numerous  others,  more  or  less  per- 
fect:  in  one  of  which,  at  Plobannalec,  near  Pont  TAbb^, 
the  rectilinear  system  is  again  met  with,  consisting  of 
lines  of  small  chambers  and  menhirs  intermixed.  It  is 
important  to  notice  that  in  all  instances  these  lines  were 
connected  with  sepulchral  remains,  although  in  the 
more  imperfect  alignments  these  adjuncts  are  sometimes 
wanting. 

While,  then,  one  class  of  stone  monument  is  so  well 
represented  in  Brittany,  and  another  (the  circle)  almost 
entirely  wanting,  the  reverse  seems  to  be  the  case  in 
these  islands,  where  the  circles  are  the  rule,  and  the 
alignments  the  exception ;  and  even  where  they  are 
found,  they  are  so  small,  and,  comparatively  speaking,  so 
insignificant  (never  exceeding  two  rows  of  stones,  and 
more  often  consisting  of  a  single  one),  that  they  bear  the 
same  relation  to  the  large  groups  on  the  other  side  of 
the  Channel  as  the  most  humble  of  our  circles  bear  to 
Stonehenge  and  Avebury,and  our  more  important  monu- 
ments of  this  class.  As  there  is  no  reason,  however  (as 
Mr.  Stuart  justly  remarks  in  the  addition  to  the  Appendix 
to  his  magnificent  volume  lately  issued),  why  the  nature 
and  use  of  the  smallest  circle  should  be  considered  dif- 
ferent from  that  of  the  largest,  so  such  humble  align- 
ments as  we  possess  probably  differ  only  in  extent,  and 
the  number  of  lines,  from  the  largest  ones  of  Carnac. 

There  is  another  point  which  should  be  noticed. 
Excluding  Avebury  as  8ui  generis^  with  the  two  sinuous 
lines  diverging  from  the  great  circle,  and  its  huge 
rampart  of  earth,  we  find  some  instances  where  avenues 
of  stones  are  connected  with  circles.  This  is  particu- 
larly the  case  in  Scotland,  which  within  the  last  century 
had  some  very  large  ones,  and  still  possesses  some  which 
deserve  more  notice  than  they  seem  to  have  attracted. 
One,  indeed,  is  well  known,  namely  that  of  Callernish 
in  the  Isle  of  Lewis,  where  two  parallel  lines  of  stones 
issue  from  a  circle ;  from  which  also  project  three  sHort 
single  lines  at  the  other  three  points  of  the  compass. 
The  whole  monument  thus  gives  the  notion  of  a  large 


174  ALIGNMENTS  IN  WALES. 

Latin  cross  with  a  central  disc.  From  the  position  and 
character  of  the  stones  forming  what  would  be  the  shaft 
of  the  cross,  it  is  probable  that  they  have  never  formed 
the  sides  of  a  covered  gallery,  although  Mr.  Stuart  seems 
to  think  such  may  have  been  the  case.  Other  instances 
are  mentioned  by  that  gentleman  (p.  xcv  in  Addition  to 
Appendix) :  thus  at  Brochwin,  on  the  Clyth  estate,  in 
Caithness,  at  the  base  of  a  hill,  the  crest  of  which  appears 
to  have  been  fortified,  more  than  one  hundred  stones 
radiate  in  lines  from  a  central  earn.  At  Canister  is  a  simi- 
lar group,  also  connected  with  a  small  earn.  Other  ex 
amples  also  occur,  but  where  the  last  traces  of  cams  have 
vanished.  One  of  the  largest  is  at  Bruan,  on  the  estate 
of  Ulbster,  consisting  of  four  or  five  hundred  pillar- 
stones  in  parallel  rows.  Nor  are  such  monuments  want- 
ing in  other  parts  of  Scotland.  There  was  formerly  in 
Balnabroch,  in  Strathhardle,  a  large  cam  surrounded 
by  smaller  ones  and  hut-circles.  At  the  close  of  the  last 
century  an  observer  describes  two  parallel  stone  fences 
running  southwards  from  the  earn,  upwards  of  one  hun- 
dred yards.  At  a  later  period  (1834)  Mr.  Skene  of 
Rubishaw  found  it  extending  one  hundred  feet,  and 
thirty-two  broad ;  and  from  his  sketch  it  appears  that 
the  line  rau  from  two  of  the  small  earns  to  the  large 
one.  Maitland  describes  a  stone  monument  at  Tnverury, 
in  Aberdeenshire,  as  consisting  of  two  distinct  portions : 
the  smaller  lying  to  the  south,  surrounded  by  a  ditch  ; 
the  larger  being  a  small  cam  surrounded  by  three  rows 
of  standing  stones.  An  avenue  of  such  stones,  two  hun- 
dred yards  long,  led  from  the  south  to  the  lesser  circle, 
and,  crossing  it,  continued  to  the  stone  circles.  {Hist. 
Scot.,  vol.  i,  p.  154.) 

Sir  James  Simpson,  in  his  British  Archaic  Sculptur- 
ings,  one  of  the  most  valuable  contributions  of  this  cen- 
tury to  the  archaeologist's  library,  mentions  a  group  at 
Ballymenach  in  Argyleshire,  which  appears  to  be  the 
remains  of  an  alignment  connected  with  a  circle.  Some 
of  these  have  cups.  Mr.  Stuart  speaks  also  of  six  large 
pillar-stones  in  the  same  neighbourhood,  ranged  three 


ALIGNMENTS  IN  WALES.  175 

and  three,  in  parallel  lines,  with  a  seventh  beyond  them ; 
but  which  would,  if  the  lines  were  continued,  stand 
midway  between  them.  There  are,  however,  in  this 
instance,  no  earns  or  remains  of  any ;  but  it  may  be 
fairly  supposed  that  one  or  more  did  once  exist. 

As  far,  therefore,  as  Scotland  is  concerned,  these 
avenues  seem  to  have  been  uniformly  connected  with 
circles  or  earns,  or,  in  other  words,  with  sepulchral  re- 
mains. As  we  come  southwards,  the  only  one  known  is 
the  once  celebrated  avenue  of  Shap,  which  formerly 
consisted  of  a  very  long  line  of  two  rows  of  stones  con- 
nected at  one  end  with  a  circle.  Only  a  few  of  the 
stones  remain  now  of  one  of  its  sides,  some  of  which 
are  marked  with  those  mysterious  figures  to  which  Sir 
James  Simpson  has  drawn  public  attention.  Whatever 
remained  of  the  circle  itself  has  been  dislodged  by  the 
railway.  About  two  miles,  however,  to  the  north  is  the 
fine  double  circle  at  Gunnerkild ;  and  as  the  avenue  is 
said  to  have  been  a  mile  in  length  in  Camden's  time,  so 
before  him  it  may  have  continued  further  northwards, 
and  may  even  have  been  connected  with  the  Gunnerkild 
circle :  at  any  rate  this  remarkable  avenue  was  certainly 
connected  with  one  circle.  On  Dartmoor  are  traces  of 
the  same  rectilinear  system. 

In  Cornwall  only  one  instance  is  known  to  Mr.  Blight, 
This  line  consists  only  of  nine  stones,  called  "  The  Nine 
Maidens."     They  are  near  St.  Colomb. 

The  short  double  row  of  stones  on  Mr.  Harrison's 
land  at  Rockmount,  in  the  Isle  of  Man,  and  which  has 
been  described  in  the  Archceologia  Camhrensis^  is  not, 
strictly  speaking,  an  alignment  or  avenue.  The  stones 
have  evidently  formed  the  sides  of  a  covered  gallery 
under  a  tumulus  which,  with  its  chambers,  has  been 
removed.  Mr.  Harrison  has  promised  to  excavate  where 
the  chamber  is  supposed  to  have  stood  ;  but  the  results 
of  his  exploration  have  not  yet  been  ascertained. 

If  there  are  any  avenues  in  Ireland,  they  have  not,  as 
far  as  we  know,  been  noticed  or  published. 

As  regards  Wales,  although  it  still  possesses  no  small 


176  ALIGNMENTS  IN  WALES. 

number  of  circles,  cromlechs,  and  other  similar  early 
remains,  such  avenues  or  alignments  are  extremely  rare. 
In  Gower  there  is  something  approaching  to  them,  as 
far  as  it  seems  to  carry  out  the  connection  between 
sepulchral  places,  and  what  may  be  called  the  rectilinear 
system.  Thus  starting  from  the  great  cromlech  called 
**  Arthur's  Quoit,"  is  a  very  long  line  of  small  mounds, 
placed  at  regular  intervals  from  each  other,  and  which 
have  the  appearance  of  remains  of  small  cams.  We 
are  not  aware  that  they  have  been  examined ;  if  not, 
they  should  be,  and  if,  as  anticipated,  they  are  found 
to  be  separate  graves,  we  should  have  in  Wales  some- 
thing not  unlike  the  lines  at  Plobannalec,  near  Pont 
TAbb^,  already  alluded  to.  In  North  Wales,  how- 
ever, is  a  remarkable  example  of  a  circle  and  avenue, 
unnoticed  by  Pennant  and  other  writers.  The  descrip- 
tion of  it  is  kindly  given  by  Miss  Davies,  of  Penmaen 
Dovey,  the  daughter  and  representative  of  one  of  the 
most  accomplished  scholars  and  judicious  antiquaries 
of  Wales.  It  is  situated  between  two  streams,  called 
Cwym-y-Rhewi  and  Avon-y-Disgynfa,  looking  down 
from  a  considerable  elevation  on  the  Vale  of  Moch- 
nant,  and  two  miles  above  the  well-known  waterfall  of 
Pistill-y-Rhaiadr.  It  consists  of  a  large  circle  of  iso- 
lated stones,  of  which  thirteen  were  remaining  when 
Miss  Davies  last  saw  it,  and  an  avenue  of  two  rows  still 
retaining  thirty-nine,  and  many  portions  of  others  that 
had  been  broken  up.  In  the  centre  of  the  circle  is  a 
deep  hollow,  the  site,  no  doubt,  of  the  sepulchral  cham- 
ber. The  name  Rhos-y-beddau,  or  the  graves  on  the  moor^ 
has  rescued  the  monument  from  being  claimed  by  the 
Druids.  The  avenue  appears  to  lead  directly  into  the 
circle,  the  breadth  of  it  corresponding  to  the  space 
between  the  two  stones  of  the  circle  where  the  circle 
and  avenue  meet,  but  it  is  probable  that  a  stone  or  two 
is  wanting  at  this  part  of  the  circle. 

The  late  Mr.  Lloyd  of  Caerwys,  the  companion  of 
Pennant  in  his  Welsh  wanderings,  and  the  father  of  the 
late  Angharad  Lloyd,  has  left  some  notes  of  the  stone 


04 


ALIGNMENTS  IN  WALES.  177 

monuments  in  Carnarvonshire,  which  have  been  printed 
in  the  first  series  of  the  Archceohgia  Cambremis  (vols, 
for  1848-49).  These  notes  are  dated  1772,  so  that  it  is 
no  matter  of  surprise  that  so  many  there  recorded  have 
disappeared.  He  mentions  an  immense  number  of 
chambers,  circles,  and  pillar-stones,  but  no  alignment, 
although  he  alludes  to  what  he  calls  a  serpentine  course 
of  low  stones,  a  quarter  of  a  mile  long,  on  each  side  of 
which  are  numerous  barrows.  This  was  situated  near 
Aber,  on  the  ancient  road  from  Caerhun,  but  was  cer- 
tainly not  discovered  by  those  members  who  traversed 
that  ancient  route  during  the  Bangor  Meeting,  The 
stones  have  either  since  been  removed,  or  Mr.  Lloyd  mis- 
took, for  an  artificial  arrangement,  the  work  of  accident 
or  nature.  At  any  rate,  even  allowing  that  he  was  cor- 
rect in  his  opinion,  he  did  not  see  an  alignment 

In  the  northern  part  of  Pembrokeshire  is  a  single  line 
of  stones  of  great  size,  which  Fenton  does  not  mention, 
although  he  deliberately  pulled  to  pieces  a  fine  cromlech 
near  it,  and  which  seems  to  have  been  connected  with 
this  row  of  stones,  for  it  was  probably  continued  further 
northwards  than  it  is  at  present.  On  referring  to  the 
Ordnance  map,  a  little  to  the  right  of  the  word  *'  Llan- 
lawer,"will  be  seen  the  position  of  the  line  called  in  the 
map  "  Parc-y-marw"  (field  of  the  dead) ;  and  a  little 
further  to  the  east,  but  slightly  to  the  north,  is  marked 
down  the  cromlech  destroyed  by  Fenton,  and  of  which 
only  some  small  fragments  remain.  The  line  of  stones 
is  parallel  to  the  narrow  road,  and  if  continued  would 
pass  within  a  few  paces  of  the  ruined  cromlech.  Here, 
as  at  Rhos-y-beddau,  the  name  points  to  the  character 
of  the  monument ;  for  experience  has  shewn  that  local 
names  of  this  kind  in  Wales,  handed  down  from  time 
immemorial,  may  be  generally  depended  on.  Local 
tradition,  however,  adds  an  account  of  a  desperate  battle 
fought  on  the  spot,  among  the  pillar-stones  themselves, 
as  if  the  possession  of  them  were  said  to  have  been  the 
sole  object  of  the  combatants.  A  lady,  clad  all  in  white, 
appears  to  those  who  are  rash  enough  to  walk   that 

3ki»  beb.,  vol.  XIV.  13 


178  ALIGNMENTS  IN  WALES. 

way  by  night ;  and  so  ancient  is  this  tradition,  which 
is  still  firmly  believed,  that  a  short  distance  before  the 
stones  commence,  a  foot-path,  by  long  use  now  become 
public,  turns  across  the  fields  to  the  left,  making  a 
detour  of  nearly  a  mile  before  it  leads  again  into  the 
road.  During  day-time  the  peasants  do  not  think  it 
necessary  to  take  the  roundabout  course.  The  road 
itself  is  evidently  one  of  great  antiquity,  and  apparently 
led  to  the  great  work  at  Dinas.  The  height  of  the 
stones  is  not  so  striking  as  their  lower  part  is  embedded 
in  the  tall  bank  of  earth  that  does  the  duty  of  an  ordi- 
nary hedge;  but  some  of  them  are  full  sixteen  feet 
long.  An  accurate  representation  is  here  given  of  them, 
from  the  skilful  pencil  of  Mr.  Blight,  taken  on  the  spot 
in  June  1866.  (See  plate.)  One  of  the  stones  has  fallen 
across  the  road;  and  on  it  are  incised  some  curious 
lines,  which  are  not  modern  work,  and  have  the  appear- 
ance of  having  been  cut  in  the  same  manner,  and  by 
the  same  means,  as  other  archaic  incised  work.  (See 
woodcut.)     None  of  the  other  stones  has  any  mark- 


Parc-y  Marw,  Pembrokeshire. 

ings  at  all;  but  as  they  are  deeply  embedded  in  the 
bank,  only  the  upper  parts  are  visible.  There  were  no 
traces  to  be  discovered  of  any  second  or  other  lines  of 
stone,  so  that  this  seems  to  have  always  been  a  single 
line  ;  but  although  single,  it  must  have  been  a  striking 
object  at  a  time  when  no  enclosures  existed,  and  the 
present  level  of  the  soil  lower  than  it  is  now.  It  is 
hardly  necessary  to  state  that  in  the  view  the  hedge- 
bank  is  omitted. 

It  is  not  impossible  that  careful  examination  of  some 


KCULFTUKKD   8LAB,    HEBEFOKD8HIRE. 


AftCII.  Cauu.     VuL.  XIV. 


INCISED  STONE,  BURGHILL.  179 

of  the  more  remote  parts  of  Wales,  where  monuments 
of  this  period  exist,  may  lead  to  the  discovery  of  others 
hitherto  unnoticed,  as  this  one  seems  to  have  been  up 
to  this  time.  If  so,  there  will  be  additional  means  of 
testing  the  value  of  the  suggestion,  that  all  these  recti- 
linear arrangements  of  stones  are  invariably  connected 
with  burial-places.  Allowing  the  line  in  Gower  to  be- 
long to  this  class,  we  find  it  confirmed  in  that  instance. 
No  one  can  doubt  of  the  sepulchral  character  of  the 
circle  and  avenue  at  Rhos-y-beddau,  and  the  same  may 
be  said  of  Parc-y-marw. 

E.  L.  Babnwell. 


INCISED  STONE,  BURGHILL,  HEREFORDSHIRE. 

Among  other  objects  of  interest  connected  with  Burghill 
Church  is  a  small  oblong  slab,  which  was  discovered 
under  the  pavement  when  the  present  encaustic  tiles 
within  the  communion-rails  were  put  down.  It  was 
immediately  under  the  communion-table.  It  is  a  fine- 
grained sandstone,  brought  probably  from  one  of  two 
quarries  of  the  district  whence  similar  slabs  are  obtained 
at  the  present  day.  One  of  these  quarries  is  in  the 
parish,  the  other  in  the  neighbouring  parish  of  Creden- 
hill.  The  accompanying  representation  of  it,  from  the 
pencil  of  Mr.  Blight,  has  been  submitted  to  Mr.  Albert 
Way,  Mr.  Stuart,  and  Professor  Westwood,  who  are  un- 
able to  form  any  satisfactory  opinion  as  to  its  character. 
It  is  now  submitted  to  the  members  of  the  Association 
in  the  hope  that  some  light  may  be  thrown  on  the  ques- 
tion. From  the  upper  portion  of  the  stone,  where  two 
lines  end  abruptly,  it  is  possible  that  a  part  of  it  is 
missing,  and  that  the  original  number  of  main  com- 
partments was  four,  and  not  three.  The  upper  one 
on  the  left  hand  side  corresponds  with  the  lowest  one 
on  the  same  side ;  neither  of  them  being  divided  by  a 
vertical  line,  as  in  the  case  of  the  other  compartments. 

12  « 


180  INCISED  STONE,  BURGHILL. 

The  present  upper  compartment  has  two  of  its  sub- 
divisions rather  defaced ;  but  they  appear  to  contain  the 
figures  which  occur  in  the  other  two  compartments. 
This  is  a  shaft  arising  from  a  square  base,  and  sur- 
mounted with  what  may  be  called  a  fleur-de-lis.  This 
figure  is  repeated  four  times,  although  in  one  instance 
the  base  is  wanting. 

Taking  the  upper  compartment  from  left  to  right,  we 
have — 1,  one  of  the  figures  already  mentioned  ;  2,  some 
implement  with  two  notches ;  3,  another  having  the 
form  of  the  stock  of  a  gun,  with  three  notches,  surmounted 
by  a  rude,  crescent-shaped  knob ;  4  and  5,  as  No.  1  ; 
6,  a  fish,  not  unlike  such  as  are  found  in  the  Wemyss 
Caves,  Fifeshire,  and  some  of  the  sculptured  stones  in 
Scotland,  of  which  Mr.  John  Stuart  has  given  us  so  full 
an  account.  In  his  magnificent  second  volume,  lately 
issued,  are  representations  of  several  forms  of  fish,  none 
of  which  exactly  correspond  with  this  one.  But  one 
hardly  expects  to  find  in  such  carvings  attempts  to  dis- 
tinguish one  species  of  fish  from  another.  7,  a  figure 
which  looks  like  h  or  n,  but  may  not  be  a  letter  at  all ; 
8,  a  shaft  arising  from  a  cone-formed  base,  and  having 
its  upper  part  bent  at  an  angle ;  9,  a  figure  which  seems 
to  be  a  mere  ornament,  but  is  probably  intended  to  repre- 
sent something;  10,  the  trapezoid  figure  is  apparently 
a  boat, — an  opinion  in  which  Professor  Westwood  agrees. 
It  certainly  bears  a  kind  of  rude  resemblance  to  an 
undoubted  boat  on  a  stone  at  Dundee,  given  in  Mr. 
Stuart's  second  volume  (plate  125),  out  of  which  arises 
a  cross  with  other  details.  Out  of  our  boat  (if  it  is  such) 
arise,  in  the  same  way,  two  figures, — one  an  implement 
with  notches,  and  the  other  the  same  as  No.  1.  The 
notched  implement  bears  a  very  faint  resemblance  to 
one  of  the  Cave  carvings  in  Scotland  (plates  33  and  34, 
No.  3) ;  but  the  resemblance  is  so  very  faint,  that  it 
would  be  unsafe  to  consider  them  in  any  way  connected. 
The  vertical  division  of  the  compartment  is  carried  only 
to  the  upper  part  of  the  boat,  so  that  the  two  divisions 
of  the  lowest  compaitment  may  be  considered  as  agree- 


INCISED  STONE,  BURGHILL.  181 

ing  in  being  twice  as  large  as  the  other  subdivided 
spaces;  and  the  same  arrangement,  as  already  men- 
tioned, seems  to  have  existed  in  the  upper  compartment, 
which  is  conjectured  to  have  completed  the  stone. 

Of  all  these  devices,  the  only  point  of  resemblance 
with  the  peculiar  figurings  on  certain  Scottish  stones 
and  caves  seems  to  be  the  fish.  The  figures  1,  2,  3,  4, 
whatever  they  mean,  are  not  found  at  all  in  Mr.  Stuart's 
book.  It  was,  however,  evidently  in  favour  with  the 
workman,  for  he  has  repeated  it  so  often. 

Mr.  Westwood  is  not  inclined  to  assign  to  it  any  great 
antiquity,  and  many  will  probably  agree  with  him ;  but 
the  difficulty  of  assigning  the  workman  is  considerable. 
It  appears,  from  the  nature  of  the  stone,  to  have  been 
the  work  of  a  person  in  the  district,  who  may  have  drawn 
on  his  inventive  powers,  but  which  must  have  been  of  a 
limited  character.  It  may  also  have  been  the  production 
of  some  wandering  artist  accustomed  to  some  local  or 
traditional  forms.  He  was  probably  not  a  Welshman, 
for  no  such  figurings  are  found  in  the  Principality.  It 
is  likely,  however,  that  the  figures  are  intended  to  de- 
note something,  and  are  not  mere  rude  attempts  at  un- 
meaning ornaments.  Even  its  Christian  character  is 
uncertain,  although  its  being  found  within  a  church 
does,  to  some  extent,  make  it  likely  that  it  is  of  that 
character.  As  matters  stand,  all  that  can  be  said  is  that 
it  appears  to  be  a  curious  specimen  of  native  Hereford- 
shire art. 

E.  L.  Barnwell. 


182 


CONTRIBUTION   TOWARDS  A  CARTULARY  OF 
M  ARC  AM. 

(Coniiwuedfromp.  59.) 


XXX.— [75  B.  23.] 

SciANT  presentes  et  futuri  quod  ego  Osbernus  Bosse  consensu 
etconsilio  heredum  meorura  et  aliorum  amicorum  meorum  dedi 
et  concessi  et  hac  carta  mea  confirm avi  deo  et  ecclesie  Beate 
Marie  de  Margan  et  monachis  ibidem  deo  servientibue  in  puram 
et  perpetuam  elemosinam  totam  terram  meam  in  Hoheleswrdi 
scilicet  unani  acram  terre  et  dimidiam  et  aliquantulum  majus 
ut  dicti  monachi  habeant  et  teneant  eandem  terram  de  me  et 
heredibus  meis  libere  et  quiete  et  pacifice  ab  omni  consuetudine 
et  exactione  et  servicio  seculari,  sicut  ulla  elemosina  liberius  et 
quietius  teneri  potest  vel  haberi  in  perpetuum,  excepto  regali 
servicio  quod  ad  tantam  portiunculam  terre  pertinet.  Hiis  tes- 
tibus,  Petro  Croc,  Badulfo  de  Stokes,  Hugone  de  Howelle, 
Kicardo  Venatore,  Willielmo  de  Crihulle,  Petro  senescallo, 
Johanne  de  Frith,  Ricardo  tunc  capellano  de  Tokuit',  Johanne 
Aylard  monacho  de  Kyngeswde,  Dunstano  et  Waltero  monachis 
de  Margan  et  multis  aliis. 

(Circa  a.d.  1230.) 

Round  seal  of  white  wax,  about  two  inches  diameter;  in 
centre  a  fleur  de  lis  richly  floriated ;  legend,  "  SigilP  Osberti 
Bose/' 

It  appears  from  the  taxation  of  Pope  Nicholas  (p.  238) 
that  Margam  held  lands,  a  windmill,  and  certain  rents, 
the  whole  valued  at  £12:  0:  10^,  in  and  about  Tokyn- 
ton ;  and  to  this  it  is  probable  that  the  charter  relates. 
Of  the  grantor  and  witnesses  nothing  has  been  disco- 
vered. Fosbroke  (H.  of  Glouc,  ii,  105)  mentions  a 
family  of  Croke  who  held  under  Bath  Abbey  in  Tokyn- 
ton,  and  appears  in  an  inquisition,  16  Ed.  II.  Roger 
Croke  held  the  property,  5  Ed.  Ill ;  and  John  Croke, 
outlawed  for  felony,  2i  Ed.  Ill,  held  the  superior  manor 
of  Olveston  under  the  Prior  of  Bath.  Peter  was,  there- 
fore, probably  a  member  of  this  family.  He  appears 
also  in  B.  19.  A  Gilbert  Croc  witnessed  William  Earl 
of  Gloucester's  charter  to  Neath ;  and  about  1 166  Ruald 
Croc  held  a  knight's  fee  under  the  same  Earl  William, 


CONTRIBUTION  TOWARDS  A  CARTULARY.  183 

as  recorded  in  the  Niger  Liber  of  the  Exchequer.  Mr. 
Floyd  meets  with  a  Walter  Croc  in  the  Pipe  Roll  for 
Stafford,  31  H.  I ;  and  in  the  Close  Roll  of  King  John 
for  Devon.  The  latter  entries  probably  relate  to  a 
stranger ;  but  the  two  former  shew  that  a  family  of  the 
name  were  tenants  under  Earl  William.  The  fleur  de 
lys,  like  the  star,  was  a  common  emblem,  and  throws  no 
light  on  the  user  of  it. 

Peter  de  Stoks  tests  the  confirmation  charter  of  8th 
John.  A  family  of  this  name  held  land  in  the  same 
part  of  Gloucestershire  early  in  the  reign  of  Henry  III. 

XXXI.— [75  a  21.] 

XJniversis  Christi  fidelibus  ad  quos  presens  scriptum  perve- 
nerit,  Morganus  Kam  salutem  in  Domino.  Noveritis  universi- 
tas  vestra  me  dedisse  et  concessisse  et  present!  carta  confirmasse 
deo  et  ecclesie  sancte  Marie  de  Margan  et  monachis  ibidem  dec 
servientibus  totam  communem  pasture  mee  inter  Avenam  et 
di  visas  que  sunt  inter  dictos  monachos  de  Margan  et  monachos 
de  Neth,  tam  in  marisco  quam  in  melis  ad  usum  vaccarum  sua- 
rum  et  ceterorum  animalium.  Ita  ut  dicti  monachi  habeant  et 
teneant  dictam  pasturam  et  utantur  ea  bene  et  in  pace  libere  et 
quiete  sine  contradictione  mei  vel  heredum  meorum  reddendo 
inde  mihi  vel  heredibus  meis  quadraginta  denarios  annuatim 
ad  festum  sancti  Andree-pro  omni  servicio  exactione  et  demanda 
seculari.  Cohcessi  etiam  dictis  monachis  locum  unum  idoneum 
in  dictis  metis  ad  domum  faciendum  si  voluerint  ad  opus  vacca- 
rum suarum.  Hec  omnia  ego  et  heredes  mei  dictis  monachis 
pro  predicto  servicio  contra  omnes  homines  varentizabimus. 
Et  ut  premissa  firmitatis  robur  inperpetuum  optineant,  presens 
scriptum  sigilli  mei  apposicione  roboravi.  Hiis  testibus,  Hen- 
rico ab  Willim,  Lewelino  ab  Rog's,  Reso  fratre  ejus,  Galfrido 
ab  Herebert,  Osberto  et  Thoma  monachis  de  Margan,  Hespus 
Roberto  petit  conversis  de  Marg',  et  multis  aliis.    [1180-1240.] 

Endorsed, — Carta  Morgani  Gam  de  communa  pasture  in  me- 
lis et  in  mariscis  de  Avene. 

A  circular  seal,  nearly  perfect, of  green  wax,  remains  attached, 
bearing  the  impress  of  a  mounted  knight  in  armour,  riding  to 
the  proper  left.  Legend,  -f-sioiLLVM  .  moroani  .  gam.*  (See 
next  page.) 

Morgan  Gam  was  the  very  active  representative  of 
the  lords  of  Avene,  or  Aberavan,  towards  the  close  of 
the  twelfth  and  the  commencement  of  the  thirteenth 


184  CONTRIBUTION  TOWARDS  A   CARTULARY 

century.  Some  account  of  his  family  and  of  himself  has 
already  appeared  in  this  Journal.  No  record  of  the 
Abbey  of  Margam  would  be  complete  without  honour- 
able mention  of  these  lords,  the  leading  Welsh  family 
of  their  time  in  Glamorgan,  and  the  local  protectors  of, 
and  liberal  benefactors  to,  the  religious  community. 


XXXII. — Gonfirmatio  Morgani  Gam  de  Terrts  ifc,  MonachU  de 
Margam.     Penes  C.  R.  M.  Talbot. 

Ego  Morgan  filius  Morgani  et  fratres  mei  Leisan  et  Owein 
concessi  eis  et  confirmavi  eis  scilicet  monachis  quod  decetero 
non  vexabo  eos  nee  impediam  de  aqua  sua  de  Avene  aut  aliquid 
injurie  contra  eos  faciam  aut  fieri  permittam  et  quod  oves  eorum 
de  pastura  non  amovebo  aut  araoveri  permittam  pro  aliqua  causa 
aut  ira  quam  erga  prefatam  domum  habuero.  Preterea  scien- 
dum quod  eos  non  vexabo  nee  impediam  de  terris  suis  colendis 
quas  habent  in  feodo  Novi  Castelli  quamdiu  ipsum  Novum  Cas- 
tellum  fuerit  extra  manum  meam  scilicet  de  me  et  de  meis  fir- 
mam  pacem  habebunt  licet  cum  aliis  pro  predicto  Novo  Castello 
guerram  fecero.  Insuper  et  supra  sanctuaria  eidem  ecclesie 
juravi  quod  ego  et  heredes  mei  hec  omnia  fideliter  et  absque 
dolo  tenebuntur  et  prefatis  monachis  contra  omnes  homines  pro 
posse  nostro  warantizabimus.  Hujus  testibus'  Cuichlin  filio  Ca- 
nan,  Rederch  et  Ririd. 

(Circa  1240.) 


OF  MAROAM.  •    185 

XXXUh—Harl.  Chart.  75,  B.  40. 

TJniversis  Christi  fidelibus  presens  scriptum  visuris  vel  audi- 
turis  Resus  Coh  junior  salutem  in  domino. 

Noverit  universitas  vestra  quod  ego  consilio  et  consensu  ami- 
corum  meorum  quietum  clamavi  et  abjuravi  et  hac  carta  mea 
confirmavi  pro  salute  anime  mee  et  antecessorum  et  successorum 
meorum  deo  et  ecclesie  beate  Marie  de  Margan  et  monachis  ibi 
deo  servientibus  totum  clamium  meum  et  totum  Jus  quod  dice- 
bam  me  habere  in  terra  de  Egleskeyn  occasione  forestarie  vide- 
licet tres  domes  in  pastura  de  Egleskeyn  ad  pascendum  ubi 
vellem  inter  aquam  de  Garewe  et  aquam  de  Uggemor :  extra 
pratum  et  bladum  hoc  totum  quietum  clamavi  pro  omnibus 
heredibus  meis  et  omnibus  meis  ut  habeant  et  teneant  dicti 
monachi  dictam  terram  suam  scilicet  quicquid  continetur  inter 
predictas  aquas  libcre  et  quiete  et  pacifice  pro  me  et  omnibus 
meis  sicut  ulla  elemosina  liberius  et  quietius  haberi  potest  vel 
teneri  in  omnibus  et  per  omnia  sicut  carte  donatorum  quas  inde 
habent  testantur.  Et  ego  et  heredes  mei  warantizabimus  banc 
quietum  clamacionem  contra  omnes  homines  et  omnes  feminas 
in  perpetuam.  Et  sciendum  quod  hoc  totum  pactum  est  coram 
domino  Ely  a  Landavense  episcopo  apud  Margan  circa  festum 
omnium  Sanctorum  anni  domini  millesimi  ducentesimi  trice- 
simi  quarti.  Et  preterea  sciendum  quod  affidavi  et  super  sacro- 
sancte  ecclesie  de  Margan  juravi  quod  omnia  ista  fideliter  et 
sine  dolo  servabo  in  perpetuum  et  quod  fidelis  ero  dicte  domui 
semper  et  ubique  et  quod  bona  illorum  custodiam  et  defendam 
pro  omni  posse  meo  ubicunque  et  precipue  in  t^rra  de  Egles- 
keyn et  quod  non  sinam  pro  omni  posse  meo  quod  aliquis  cum 
averiis  suis  intret  in  terram  de  Eglesken  ad  pascendum.  Et  ut 
hoc  concessio  mea  rata  et  inconcussa  permaneat  predictus  epis- 
copus  et  Morganus  Gam  huic  scripto  sigilla  sua  apposuerunt 
una  cum  sigillo  meo.  Hiis  testibus  Domino  Elya  Landavense 
episcopo  Magistro  Ricardo  de  Kerlyun  Johanne  Capellano 
Ricardo  Notario  Episcopi  Morgano  Cam  Anyano  ab  Madoc 
Lewelino  ab  Roger  Yoruardo  ab  Espus  Oweno  ab  Alaythen 
Reso  fratre  ejus  David  ap  Wylym  Lewarh  Puynel  OsDerno 
et  Thomte  de  Cantelo  monachis  de  Margan  Espus  et  Anyano 
conversis  de  Margan  et  multis  aliis.     [1234.] 

Endorsed, — Abjuratio  Resi  Coch  j unions  de  terra  de  Eglis- 
canwir. 

Three  seals  remain  attached  :  1,  circular,  of  dark  green  wax, 
with  a  star-like  device,  and  the  legend,  H-sigill.  resi  coh 
lYNioRis.  S,  oval,  of  green  wax ;  on  one  face  a  bishop  fully 
habited  ;  on  dexter  side  a  star ;  on  sinister,  a  crescent ;  legend, 
ELI  AS  DEI  ORACiA  la[ndav.]  episcopvs.  Counter- Seal,  a  right 
hand  raised  in  act  of  benediction ;  legend,  +  secret  :  slie  lan- 


186  CONTEIBUTION  TOWARDS  1  CARTULARY 

DAYBNSis  EPiscoPTS.  8,  a  sDiall  circular  seal  of  dark  green 
wax  ;  thereon  a  rude  impression  of  a  knight  on  horseback  ; 
legend,  [8]igil[l.  mor]gani  ca[m]. 

The  Garw  and  the  Uggemor,  or  Ogwr,  are  mountain 
streams  which  contribute  to  form  the  modern  Ogmore, 
the  river  of  Bridgend.  Elias  de  Radnor  occupied  the 
see  of  LlandafF  from  1230  till  his  death,  13  May,  1240. 
The  first  four  witnesses  are  ecclesiastics,  the  next  seven 
Welsh  laymen.  Puynel  is  probably  Paynel,  a  Norman 
name ;  and  Cantelupe,  no  doubt,  one  of  a  great  family 
of  "Advense,"  whose  mark  may  still  be  traced  in  Cante- 
lupeston  or  Cantleston. 

XXXIV.— Oa/.  RotuL  Chart,  22  H.  III. 
Morgan,  domus.     Libertates.     [1237-8.] 

XXXV.— [76  B.  19.] 
Sciant  presentes  et  futuri  quod  ego  Robertas  de  Bonevilla 
consilio  et  assensu  Aliz.  uxoris  mee  et  aliorum  amicorum  meo- 
rum  dedi  et  concessi  et  hac  presenti  carta  mea  confirmavi  pro 
salute  anime  mee  et  antecessorum  et  successorum  meorum  deo 
et  ecclesie  Beate  Marie  de  Margan  et  monachis  ibidem  deo  ser- 
vientibus  in  perpetuam  elemosinam  totum  feudum  meum  de 
Bone  vilest' cum  omnibus  pertinenciis  suis.  Habendum  et  tenen- 
dum de  me  et  heredibus  meis  reddendo  inde  annuatim  michi  et 
heredibus  meis  tres  marcas  sterlingorum  ad  Nativitatem  Beati 
Johannis  Baptiste  pro  omni  servitio  consuetudine  et  exactione 
seculari  excepto  servicio  dimidii  militis  unde  predicti  monachi 
respondebunt  Dominis  de  Wunfal  de  predicto  feudo.  Relerium 
vero  de  eadem  terra  quandocunque  evenerit  faciet  heres  ille 
qui  humagium  faciet  de  dicta  firma  vel  unde  voluerit.  Ita  quod 
monachi  super  hoc  non  vexabuntur.  Hanc  donationem  feci 
predictis  monachis  ut  habeant  et  teneant  dictum  feudum  de  me 
et  heredibus  meis  libere  et  quiete  et  pacifice  cum  omnibus  per- 
tinenciis suis  in  bosco  et  piano  in  pratis  et  pasturis  in  aquis 
molendinis  et  piscariis  et  omnibus  rebus  et  aisiamentis  sicut 
uUa  elemosina  liberius  et  quietius  haberi  potest  vel  teneri  ex- 
cepta  dicta  firma  et  dicto  servitio.  Et  ego  et  heredes  mei  waren- 
tizabimus  predictis  monachis  dictam  donationem  contra  omnes 
homines  et  omnes  feminas  in  perpetuum.  Hiis  testibus  Petro 
Pincerna  tunc  Viceco mite  de  Glamorgan',  Reimundo  de  SuUia, 
Mauricio  tunc  Archidiacono  Landavie,  Reso  et  GrifEno  fratri- 
bus  ejus,  Magistro  Radulpho  Mailoc,  Willielmo  de  Reigni, 
Gaufrido  de  Bonevilla,  Johanne  Croft,  Waltero  Flandrense, 
Dunstano  et  Waltero  de  Haverford  monachis  de  Margan',  Ro- 


OF  MAROAM.  187 

berto  de  Landraeuthin'  et  Espus  conversis  de  Margan'  et  muK 
tis  aliis.     (Circa  a.d.  1250.) 

Seal  of  green  wax,  nearly  oval,  about  two  inches  in  length ; 
in  centre  a  fleur  de  lys  of  early  form ;  crosses  right  and  left  of 
stem;  legend^  sigillvm  robbrti  de  bomevile. 

Wunfall  is  Wenvoe,  a  parish  named  in  the  Book  of 
LUmdaff.  Archdeacon  Maurice  is,  no  doubt,  the  person 
fvhose  death,  in  1242,  is  recorded  in  theilwnafo  ofTewkes- 
hury.  He  and  Rees  and  Griffith,  his  brothers,  seem  to 
have  been  of  the  family  of  Ivor  Bach  of  Senghenydd, 
afterwards  known  as  Lewis  of  Van. 

There  is  a  Maurice,  brother  of  Clement,  abbot  of 
Neath,  mentioned  by  Giraldus  Carabrensis  in  his  book, 
De  Instructione  Principis^  who  might,  chronologically,  be 
the  archdeacon.  The  Welsh  also  mention  a  Maurice, 
archdeacon  of  Llandaff,  called  *'  Cleppa,"  as  having  writ- 
ten on  the  history  of  Wales. 

William  de  Reigni  bore  a  name  well  known  in  the 
honour  of  Gloucester,  and  lines  of  which  flourished 
long,  and  from  an  early  period,  in  Somerset,  Devon,  and 
WUts.  John  de  Reigny  was  of  Eggesford  and  Culm- 
Reigny,  otherwise  Culm-Sackville,  in  27  H.  III.  They 
held  lands  in  Biddeford,  of  the  honour  of  Gloucester ; 
and  their  name  was  long  preserved  in  Brixton-Reigny, 
Austy- Reigny,  and  Esse-Reigny.  They  also  held  lands 
in  the  honour  of  Totnes  in  Melcomb,  at  Rowell  in  Wilts, 
and  at  Sheerston  in  Somerset  Anne  Reigny,  the  heiress 
and  tenth  recorded  possessor  of  Eggesford,  married 
Charles  Copplestone  of  Bicklow ;  and  the  coheiresses  of 
Reigny  of  Brixton  married,  about  4  E.  I,  Crubb,  Prony, 
Luscomb,  Horey,  and  Wanton.  Sir  John  Paulet  of 
Goathurst  married  the  heiress  of  the  Wilts  and  Somer- 
set branch  before  the  reign  of  R.  II.  The  family  were 
allied  to  Dennis,  Sully,  and  De  Londres,  all  names  con- 
nected with  Glamorgan.  22  E.  Ill,  Robert  de  Reigny 
died  seized  of  Colwineston  manor,  called  in  Gloucester- 
shire, but  probably  in  Glamorgan. 

The  connexion  of  the  English  Reignys  with  the  honour 
of  Gloucester  is  sufficient  to  account  for  their  occasional 
presence,  and  to  render  probable  the  actual  settlement  of 


188  CONTRIBUTION  TOWARDS  A  CARTULARY 

some  of  the  family  in  Glamorgan ;  but  the  precise  gene- 
alogical point  of  connexion  has  not  yet  been  discovered. 

Roger  de  Reigni  witnesses  a  charter  to  Kidwelly  Priory 
in  the  reign  of  HenryI(OW  J[fon.,i,424);  and  the  Welsh 
pedigrees  mention  a  Sir  Milo  de  Reigny,  probably  in  the 
reign  of  H.  Ill,  as  lord  of  Wrinston,  or  Wrenchester 
Castle  in  Wenvoe ;  of  Michaelston-le-Pit ;  Llantwit  and 
Llancarvan.  His  daughter,  Ela,  carried  some  of  these 
possessions  to  her  husband,  Simon  de  Raleigh,  of  Nettle- 
combe,  but  who  seems  to  have  resided  at  Wrenchester. 

Ela  de  Reigny  is  reputed  to  have  held  Dinas  Powis 
Castle.  The  Golden  Grove  Book  (i,  c.  743)  gives  a  pedi- 
gree of  another  family  or  branch,  commencing  with 
Robert  de  Rayni  of  Brocastle,  about  1340,  whose  great- 
grandson,  William  Rayny  or  Rhun,  lived  28  H.  VI,  and 
left  Joan,  who  carried  the  house  and  manor  of  Carnllwyd^ 
in  Llancarvan,  to  her  first  husband,  Lewis  Mathew. 

The  family  of  Flandrensis,  Fleming,  or  Le  Fleming, 
is  one  of  those  whose  history  has  come  under  the  accu- 
rate eye  of  Mr.  Floyd.  The  name  was  a  considerable 
one  in  Glamorgan,  where  the  family  recorded  themselves 
in  the  manor  and  parish  of  Flemington,  usually  called 
Flimston.  Though  reputed  to  have  come  in  with  Fitz- 
hamon,  and  counted  among  the  chosen  twelve,  their 
name  does  not  occur  till  nearly  a  century  and  a  quarter 
after  the  Conquest.  The  presumption,  therefore,  is  that 
they  were  not  earlier  in  the  county,  since  they  were 
people  too  considerable  to  be  overlooked. 

The  earliest  on  record  is  Richard  Flandrensis  of 
Glamorgan,  who,  with  Walter  de  Sully,  was  appointed 
in  1213  to  inquire  into  the  damage  sustained  by  the 
clergy  of  LlandafF  from  the  king's  measures.  About  the 
same  time  he  granted  to  Margam  a  rent  of  \2d.  per  ann., 
which  he  received  from  thence  for  a  free  tenement  at  Car- 
diff. This  was  before  1218, when  Walter  de  Sully,one  of 
the  witnesses,  died.  Richard  also  witnessed,  about  the 
same  date,  a  charter  of  Lleisan  ap  Morgan  to  Margam. 

Contemporary  with  Richard  was  Walterus  Flandren- 
sis of  75  B.  19 ;  and  William  Fleming,  who  witnessed 
the  grant  of  Lanmeuthin  to  Margam  by  Hugh  de  I^an- 


OF  MARQAM.  189 

carvan  (CoU.  T.  and  G.,  v,  18),  and  in  1230  witnessed  the 
agreement  of  Raymond  de  Sully  with  Margam.  He,  or 
another  William,  also  witnessed  a  fine  by  the  sons  of 
Morgan  ap  Cadwathen.  In  1230-50  William  was  on 
the  county  court  of  assize,  in  a  suit  between  the  abbot 
of  Neath  and  Lleisan  ap  Morgan ;  and  in  1238  William 
le  Fleming,  of  Glamorgan,  took  out  a  writ  against  the 
abbot  of  Tewkesbury.  (Annales  de  T.,  1238.)  In  1257  he 
witnessed  a  charter  of  Richard  de  Clare  granting  Lec- 
quid  to  the  Sandfords ;  about  1 260  a  Bon  vile  charter  ; 
and  in  1261  a  grant  by  Robert  Bassett,  also  to  Margam. 
(75  B.  17.)  In  1262  he  was  one  of  the  jury,  at  Cardiff, 
upon  the  county  extent 

The  next  recorded  is  another  Richard  Fleming,  pro- 
bably the  Richard  of  the  preceding  date  (75  B.  17),  who 
in  1289  witnessed  an  agreement  by  Gilbert  de  Clare 
with  Neath  Abbey  about  an  exchange  of  lands.  He  was 
bailiff  under  Gilbert  de  Clare,  and  led  his  troops  on  the 
celebrated  raid  into  Brecknock  in  1290,  recorded  in  the 
Rolls  of  Parliament  for  20  Ed.  I  (i,  75-7). 

Though  much  connected  with  the  county,  there  is  no 
positive  evidence  that  he  held  a  manor  there  until  after 
the  death  of  Countess  Johanna  in  1307,  for  he  is  neither 
named  in  the  extent  of  1262  nor  in  her  inquisition  of 
1307,  and  the  lands  afterwards  held  by  the  Flemings 
were  then  in  other  hands. 

Before  the  death  of  the  last  Gilbert  de  Clare,  in  1315, 
one  branch  of  the  Fleming  family,  probably  that  of 
Flimston,  was  of  St.  Tathan's,  and  there  held  a  part  of 
the  Nerber  estate.  A  Walter  Flandrensis,  probably  of 
this  family,  tested  a  Bonvile  charter  to  Margam  of  about 
1250.     (75  B.  19.) 

In  1276  Philip  le  Fleming  was  substitute  for  Walter 
de  Sully  in  the  force  summoned  against  Llewelyn. 
(Writs  of  Military  Service,  i,  209.)  In  1304  a  Maurice 
le  Fleming  tested  a  Margam  deed.     (75  A.  43.) 

In  1315  at  the  death  of  Earl  Gilbert  de  Clare  Philip 
held  part  of  the  four  knight  fees  formerly  held  by  Philip 
de  Nerbert  {Escaet  8  E.  II,  No.  68),  and  in  1327  he  was 
on  a  jury  at  Cardiff  to  inquire  into  the  seizure  of  Gilbert 


190  CONTRIBUTION  TOWARDS  A  CARTULARY 

Turberville's  lands.  (Ibid,  i,  E.  Ill  [2d  No.]  No.  9).  The 
date  of  Philip's  death  is  uncertain,  but  he  left  two  sons, 
Philip  and  Richard.  (Ibid.34,E.  HI  [1st  No.]  No.  11). 

Philip  le  Fleming,  the  eldest  son,  married  Christiana, 
and  died  s,p.  She  died  1  May,  1361,  a  widow,  seized 
of  one-third  of  the  fee  (of  Flemingston) — evidently  in 
dower — and  paying  2s,  2d.  per  annum  in  lieu  of  all  ser- 
vice.  The  value  was  33*.  4rf.  per  annum.    Her  heir  was 

Richard,  son  of  Richard  le  Fleming,  «t.  21,  25th 
January,  1360,  born,  therefore,  in  1339.  As  a  minor, 
he  was  in  ward  to  Guy  de  Brien,  husband  of  the  widow 
of  Hugh  le  Despenser,  and  holding  under  the  king  the 
farm  of  Glamorgan  Lordship  during  the  minority  of 
Edward,  heir  of  Hugh. 

The  other  two- thirds  of  the  fee  of  Flemingston  had 
descended  to  Richard  on  the  death  of  his  uncle  Philip ; 
and,  no  doubt  for  this  reason,  at  the  inquest  on  the  death 
of  Hugh  le  Despenser,  in  1349,  there  is  no  mention  of 
Flemingston,  though  in  1352Richard  le  Fleming, brother- 
in-law  of  Christiana,  was  on  the  inquest  at  the  death  of 
Roger  de  BerkeroUes.  {Esc.  26  E.  Ill  [2d  No.]  No.  13.) 

It  is  not  known  when  the  younger  Richard  died,  but 
before  1376,  when,  on  the  death  of  Edward  le  Despenser, 
Philip  le  Fleming  held  a  knight's  fee  in  St.  Tathan  s. 
It  is  more  probable  that  this  Philip  was  the  brother 
than  the  son  of  the  last  Richard,  seeing  that  fifteen  years 
before  he  was  but  twenty-one,  and  Philip  must  have 
been  of  full  age  at  Edward  le  Despenser's  death. 

Philip  was  ancestor  of  a  family  who  held  Flemingston 
into  the  seventeenth  century,  and  gave  off  various  cadet 
branches.  John  Flemyng,  senior,  no  doubt  of  Fleming- 
ston, tested  a  Llancovian  charter,  5  Oct.,  1452. 

The  other  branch  of  the  Fleming  family  was  of  St. 
George's,  and  probably  descended  from  Sir  Williast, 
no  doubt  a  son  of  Richard  Fleming,  who  led  the  Brecon 
raid  in  1290.  Sir  William  was  well-known  in  Gla- 
morgan. In  1315  he  was  locum  tencns  for  Bartholomew 
de  Badlesmere,  who  was  custos  of  Glamorgan  for  the 
king  on  the  death  of  Earl  Gilbert  in  1315.  (Esc.  8 
Ed.  II,  No.  68).     In  1316  Sir  William  was  summoned 


OF  MAROAM.  191 

to  raise  a  thousand  men  in  Glamorgan  for  the  Scotch 
war  (Writs,  iii,  472) ;  and  he  had  the  custody  of  Llan- 
trissant  Castle,  and  was  bailiflFof  the  bailiwick  of  Miscin. 
(Abb.  Oriff.  Rot.,  i,  226.)  At  the  Spenser  survey,  in  1320, 
he  held  two  knights' fees  in  Wenvoe.  He  seems  to  have 
sided  with  the  barons  against  Edward  II  and  Despenser ; 
and  after  the  defeat  of  Boroughbridge  the  sheriff  of 
Gloucester  was  ordered  to  seize  his  lands,  and  in  that 
same  year  he  was  hung  at  Cardiff. 

His  successor  was,  no  doubt,  John  le  Fleming  of  St. 
George's,  who  in  1330  witnessed  a  grant  by  John 
d'Avene  to  Margam.  The  settlement  of  Richard  Tur- 
berville  shews  that  this  John  married  the  third  daughter 
of  Payn  de  Turberville,  and  was  father  of  William, 

William  le  Fleming,  at  the  death  of  Hugh  le  De- 
spenser (Esc.  23  E.  Ill,  Ist  No.,  No.  169)  held  two  fees 
in  Wenvoe,  value  per  ann.  £10  ;  and  two  parts  of  a  fee 
in  Lanmays,  value  £20 ;  and  was,  no  doubt,  he  who  wit- 
nessed, in  1358,  the  Cardiff  and  Llantrissant  charters, 
and  whose  son  was  John. 

Sir  John  Fleming  (Esc.  49  E.  Ill), on  the  death  of  Ed- 
ward le  Despenser  in  1375,  held  two  knights' fees,  value 
£16;  andwholeftadaughter,Margaret(iA.6R.II,No.36). 

Margaret  Fleming,  daughter  and  heiress,  died  on 
the  Wednesday  before  21  Sept.  1382,  s.  p.^  seized  of  the 
lordship  and  manor  of  Wenvoe  by  the  service  of  two 
knights'  fees,  and  13^.  4c?.,  ward  silver,  to  Cardiff  Castle, 
which  manor  was  worth  a  clear  value  of  £20  per  ann. 
She  also  had  the  lordship  and  manor  of  Lanmays  by  the 
service  of  two  parts  of  a  knight's  fee,  and  6«.  8rf.  ward 
silver,  and  the  manor  was  worth  £20  per  ann. 

Margaret's  heirs  were  another  Margaret,  set.  31, 
1382,  widow  of  William  Malefaunt;  and  Johanna,  set. 
30,  1382,  wife  of  William  de  Hornby.  They  were  sis- 
ters of  William  Fleming,  father  of  Sir  John  ;  and  thus 
ended  Fleming  of  St.  George's. 

The  fortified  manor  house  of  Flemingston  still  stands. 
Part  is  original,  and  the  court  is  still  enclosed  within 
the  old  embattled  wall  which  skirts  the  contiguous 
churchyard,  and  is  connected  with  the  remains  of  a  tower. 


192  CONTRIBUTION  TOWARDS  A  CARTULARY 

The  whole  is  kept  in  excellent  order  by  the  Countess  of 
Dunraven,  and  none  but  an  antiquary  will  regret  the 
complete  reconstruction  of  the  church. 

XXXVI.— [75  A.  37.] 

Memorandum  quod  anno  domini  m^'cc**!®  sexto  in  octabis 
Sancti  Laurencii  martyris  apud  Christi  ecclesiam  facta  est  hec 
finalis  Concordia  et  amicabilis  composicio  inter  Abbatem  et  Con- 
uentum  de  Margan  ex  parte  vna  et  Abbatem  et  Conuentum  de 
Karlyun  ex  altera  super  quadam  controuersia  inter  ipsos  ex- 
orta  de  assignacione  et  limitacione  centum  acrarum  terre  eisdem 
Abbati  et  Conuentui  de  Karlyun  per  tenorem  sentencie  diffini- 
tive  per  venerabiles  de  Byldewas  de  Brueria  et  de  Kyngeswode 
Abbates  auctoritate  Capituli  Generalis  inter  partes  judicialis 
in  contiguo  loco  mansionis  sue  de  Bolgoyth  in  pastura  de  Hyr- 
wenwurgan  concessarum:  videlicet  quod  cum  eas  secundum 
quod  oportuit  ibidem  habere  non  possent  memorate  Abbas  et 
Conventus  de  Margan  pro  bono  pace  et  litis  in  posterum  occa- 
sione  tollenda  pro  dictarum  centum  acrarum  recompensacione 
viginti  acras  terre  in  contiguo  loco  de  Redvayn  dictis  Abbati  et 
Conuentui  de  Kerlyun  in  quoscunque  suos  vsus  proprios  eas 
convertere  voluerint  vna  cum  dictis  mansione  sua  et  bosco  de 
Bolgoyth  et  vnica  domo  cum  trium  acrarum  clausura  tantum 
apud  Estymwereleh  nullo  ibidem  religioso  manenti  in  futuro 
perpetuis  temporibus  libere  possidendas  concesserunt.  Quas 
quidem  viginti  acras  fossandi,  claudendi,  necnon  domos  per 
vim  sentencie  prefate  dirutas  reerigendi  secundum  quod  eas 
prius  habuerunt  ibidem  si  voluerint :  plenam  in  posterum  habe- 
ant  facultatem  tenore  ejusdem  sentencie  seu  compositionum  in- 
ter partes  confectarum  non  obstante  aliqua  tenens  in  hac  parte. 
Ita  tamen  quod  Abbas  et  Conventus  de  Margan  toto  residuo 
dicte  communis  pasture  de  Hyrwenwrgan  omni  tempore  anni 
in  perpetuum  die  noctuque  ubique  libere  et  pacifice  cum  omni 
genere  animalium  :  utantur  infra  has  diuisas  subscriptas  vide- 
licet a  magna  pola  ubi  Werelet  oritur  tendendo  usque  in  fluvi- 
um  de  Neth  versus  septemtrionem  et  per  fluvium  de  Neth  ten- 
dendo versus  orientem  usque  ad  Redcvaynet  a  Redevayn  usque 
ad  fines  Brethon  et  inde  versus  austrum  tendendo  usque  ad 
rivulum  Canan  et  per  rivulum  Canan  usque  ad  Aberdar  et  ab 
Aberdar  directe  versus  occidentem  usque  ad  Pulthadar  et  a 
Pulthadar  usque  ad  cilium  montis  directe  tendendo  versus 
occidentem  usque  ad  predictam  magnam  polam.  Ceteris  omni- 
bus fossatis  clausuris  et  edificiis  in  dicta  pastura  factis  uel  con- 
structis  per  ipsos  de  Karlyun  penitus  amouendis  nee  aliquibus 
aliis  preter  prenominata  ibidem  per  eosdem  iraposterum  con- 
struendis.    Hoc  nichilominus  supra  dictus  adjecto  quod  si  quis 


OF  MARGAM.  193 

monachus  vel  conversus  dictarum  domorum  contra  banc  quod 
absit  finalem  concordiam  et  corapositionem  amicabilem  aliquo 
modo  uenire  presumpserit  omni  occasione  e^cusacione  et  dila- 
cione  postpositus  a  domo  propria  penitus  emittatur  non  rever- 
surus  nisi  de  licencia  capitule  generalis.  Tenore  nichilominus 
dicte  sentencie  et  composition  em  inter  dictas  domos  jam  dudum 
confectarum  in  ceteris  omnibus  preterquam  in  premissis  in  suo 
robore  inviolabilit'  persistente  inperpetuum.  Et  ut  hec  finalis 
Concordia  composicio  amicabilis  firmitatis  robur  optineat  imper- 
petuum  dictarum  domorum  abbatis  una  cum  venerabilibus  de 
Heleya,  de  Tynterna,  de  Neth  de  Alba  domo  et  de  Strata  florida 
Abbatibus  presens  scriptum  sigillorum  suorum  inpressionibus 
duxerunt  roborandum. 

[1^56.     Deed  indented.] 

Endorsed. — Composicio  inter  domum  de  Kyleun  et  domum 
de  Margan  ultima  facta  apud  Christi  ecclesiam  anno  domini 
ujo^j^ojo  sexto  de  pastura  in  hyrvan  Vrgan. 

Six  labels  for  seals,  but  only  five  seals  remain  :  1,  small  oval, 
red  wax,  full  length  figure  of  an  abbot ;  sigillvm  .  abbatis  . 
DE  .  MAROAN.  2,  fragment,  small  oval,  green  wax,  full  length 
figure  of  an  abbot;  legend,  si. ..axis... de  .ti....  3,  small  frag- 
ment, oval,  green  wax,  full  length  figure  of  an  abbot ;  legend, 
...ATI8.L....  4,  scarcely  anything  remains.  5,  small  oval, 
green  wax,  full  length  of  an  abbot ;  legend  entirely  gone. 

Bolgoyth,  or  Bolgoed,  is  a  property  near  Hirwain- 
Wrgan,  known  now  as  Hirwain,  above  the  town  of 
Aberdare.  The  Conan,  or  Cwnou,  is  the  river  which 
receives  the  Dare  at  the  town  of  Aberdare. 

XXXVII.— [75  A.  38.] 

Hec  est  convencio  facta  inter  Abbatem  et  Conventum  de 
Margan  ex  parte  una  recipientem  etWillielmum  Frankelein  tra- 
dentem  ex  altera  videlicet  quod  dictus  Willielmus  dictis  Abbati 
et  Conventui  invadiavit  unam  acram  terre  sue  cum  pertinen- 
ciis  tenendam  et  habendam  a  festo  Sancti  Marchi  evangeliste 
anno  domini  m°cc°  quinquagesimo  octavo^  usque  ad  finem  tri- 
ginta  annorum  continue  subsequentium  pro  vna  marca  argenti 
sibi  ab  eisdem  pre  manibus  pacata  que  scilicet  jacet  inter  has 
divisas  et  se  extendit  in  longum  versus  Goylake  ex  parte  aus- 
trali  et  ex  parte  boreali  versus  la  Schilue  et  in  latum  jacet  inter 
terram  Henrici  Vachan  ipsam  vicinam  habens  ex  parte  occi- 
dentali  ex  parte  vero  orientali  terram  dicti  Abbatis  et  Conven- 
tus.     Et  sciendum  quod  si  dictus  Willielmus  vel  heredes  sui 

1  25  April  1258. 

SrD  8KR.,  VOL.  XIV.  13 


194  CONTRIBUTION  TOWARDS  A  CARTULARY 

dictam  acram  post  dictum  terminum  acquietare  voluerunt :  dic- 
tam  marcam  cum  custo  melioracionis  ejusdem  terre  dictis  Ab- 
bati  et  Conucutui  restituerent.  Singulis  tamen  annis  per  tei- 
minum  prefatum  de  dicta  marca  nomine  redditus  duo  denarii 
remittantur.  Et  dictus  Willielmus  vel  heredes  sui  dictam  acram 
cum  pertinenciis  dictis  Abbati  et  Conventui  per  totum  dicti 
temporis  spacium  contra  omnes  mortales  warantizabunt.  Hanc 
vero  convencionem  sine  dolo  ex  utraque  parte  tenendam  fidei 
caucione  prestita  et  sigillorum  suorum  impressionibus  presens 
Fcriptum  in  modum  cyrographi  confectum  et  inter  se  divisum 
alternatim  munierunt.  Hiis  testibus  Thoma  Grammu8,Philippo 
de  Corneli,  Mauricio  Grammus,  Thoma  Russel,  Waltero  Here- 
bert  et  aliis. 

[1258.     Deed  indented.] 

Small  oval  seal  of  green  wax ;  full  length  effigy  of  an  abbot ; 
legend  gone. 

75  A.  39  is  a  duplicate  of  the  above,  but  sealed  with  a  small 
circular  seal  bearing  the  device  of  a  star-flower,  and  the  legend, 

...I    DE   BONVILL. 

Frankelein,  or  Franklin,  is  a  name  of  early  and  con- 
tinual occurrence  in  the  western  part  of  the  county  about 
Cornellau,  and  in  Gower,  though  it  probably  was  never 
so  well  represented  as  at  present.  William,  no  doubt 
the  same  person,  occurs  as  a  witness  to  A.  41  in  1267. 
A  William  Frankleyn  had  a  confirmation  of  lands  in 
Caerwigga  from  Thomas,  Abbot  of  Margam.  According 
to  the  Welsh  pedigrees  the  ancestor  of  the  later  branches 
was  a  John  Franklen  hen,  when  they  were  of  Park-le- 
Breose  in  Gower,  and  intermarried  with  the  Swansea 
and  Gower  families.  One  branch  settled  in  Caermar- 
thenshire,  of  whom  Walter  practised  in  the  Marches 
Court  at  Ludlow,  and  Thomas  was  Rector  of  Charlton, 
Co.  Hants,  in  1685.  The  present  representative  of  the 
only  extant  Glamorgan  line  is  Mr.  Franklin  of  Clement- 
ston. 

Maurice  Gramus  is  not  again  mentioned,  but  Thomas, 
son  of  Roger  Gramus,  and  Isud  his  wife,  gave  lands  to 
Hugh  Fitz  Hugh  by  an  undated  charter  (75  C.  8). 

Cornelly,  or  Cornelian,  is  a  manor  near  Kenfig,  which 
gave  or  received  its  nnme  to  or  from  some  early  Norman 
settlers.     Thomas  de  Corneli,  no  doubt  the  witness  of 


OF  MARGAM.  195 

75  B.  27,  gave  ten  acres  of  arable  land  in  his  fee  of 
Cornelly  to  Neath  before  the  9  John  (N.  M.  v.  58). 
William  de  Corneli  tests  75  B.  27,  and  appears  to  have 
been  the  son  of  Thomas,  and  Philip  de  Corneli,  perhaps 
a  grandson,  tests  75  A.  38,  in  1258. 

Roger  Sturmi  is  mentioned  under  75  A.  9,  perhaps 
about  1170. 

XXXVIII.— [75  A.  6.] 

Universis  Christi  fidelibus  presens  scriptum  visuris  vel 
audituris  Frater  B.  dictus  Abbas  Cisterciensis  totusque 
Conuentus  Abbatium  capituli  generalis  rei  geste  noticiam  cum 
salute,  universitati  vestre  presentibz  innotescat  quod  nos  senten- 
tiam  a  venerabilibus  coabbatibus  nostris  de  Bildewas  de  Bruera 
et  de  Kyngeswode  Judicibz  a  capitulo  generali  constitutis  in 
causa  que  vertebatur  inter  Abbatiam  de  Margan  ex  una  parte  et 
Abbatiam  de  Kelyon  ex  altera  rite  ac  j  udicialiter  latam  prout 
inferius  continetur  partibus  presentibus  ac  consentientibus  auc- 
toritate  dicti  capituli  diximus  roborandara.  Omnibus  sancte 
matris  ecclesie  filiis  presens  scriptum  visuris  vel  audituris  de 
Bildewas  de  Bruera  de  Kyngeswode  Abbatis  salutem  in  domino 
sempiternam.  Quem  quocumque  a  mortalibus  gerantur  nisi  ad 
posteriorum  memoriam  litterarium  diligentis  script©  commen- 
dentur  ceca  oblivione  perire  dinoscuntur  universis  presentibus 
et  futuris  que  per  nos  auctoritate  capituli  generalis  inter  domes 
de  Margan  et  Kelyon  sentencialiter  terminata  sunt  presenti 
scripto  p*palare  decrevimus  cum  enim  ad  peticionem  Abbatis 
de  Margan  dati  fuissimus  judices  a  capitulo  generali  super 
communa  pasture  de  Hyrwen  Worgan,  unde  nobis  liquido  con- 
stabat  per  retroacta  alias  bine  motam  fuisse  questionem  et 
eandem  amicabili  concordia  per  compositionem  inter  partes 
factum  fuisse  sopitam.  Sedeam  postea  ex  parte  dictorum  Abbatis 
et  Conuentus  de  Kelyon  minus  integre  observatam.  Nos  con- 
vocatis  rite  partibus  in  ecclesia  Cathedrali  Wygornie  anno 
domini  m**cc4**  tercio,  feria  secunda  post  clausum  pasche  pre- 
positis  utri  mgne  proponendo.  Testibus  admissis  et  attesta- 
cionibus  puplicatis  cartis  et  scriptis  inter  partes  confectis, 
lectis,  et  sane  intellectis  assidentibus  nobiscum  venerabilibus 
patribus  de  Dora  de  Tinterna  Abbatibus  necnon  et  aliis  discretis 
nostri  ordinis  personis  dictam  controversiam  auctoritate  capituli 
generalis  qua  fungibamur  in  hac  parte  per  eententiam  diffinitam 
cum  nullatenus  licet  per  nos  plurimum  esset  elaboratum  amica- 
bilem  posset  finem  sortiri  hoc  modo  terminavimus,  Primo 
scilicet  irrefragabiliter  censuimus  compositionem  inter  dictas 
domos  anno  domini  m'^cc'^iij'^  de  dicta  pastura  et  possessionibus 

133 


196  CONTRIBUTION  TOWARDS  A  CARTULARY. 

aliis  factam  perpetms  fore  temporibus  inviolabiliter  observan- 
dam.     Secundo   quod   Abbas  et  CoDuentus  de  Margan  dicta 
pastura    de    Hyrwenworgan    omnibus    anni   temporibus   die 
notuque  ubique  lib  .  .  .  et  pacifice  cum  omni  genere  animalium 
utantur.     Et  ut  litis  in  posterum  tollatur  occasio,  dicte  com- 
muni  terminos  per  has  diuisas  facta  pejus  inde  diligenti  inqui- 
sicionem  per  viros  religiosos  et  fide  dignos  duximus  .  .  .  clarare 
videlicet  a  magna   pola  ubi    Wrelech  oritur   per   aquam  de 
Wrelech  tendendo  usque  in  fluvium  de  Neth  versus  septen- 
trionem,  et  per  fluvium  de   Neth  tendendo  versus  orientem 
usque  ad  Redevayn  et  a  Re . . .  usque  ad  fines  Breconie  et  inde 
versus  austrum  tendendo  usque  ad  rivulum  Canan  et  per  rivu- 
lum  Canan  usque   ad  Aberdar  et  ab  Aberdar  directe  versos 
occidentem  usque  ad  Puthladar  et  a  Puthladar  usque  ad  cilium 
mentis,  et  per  cilium  mentis  directe  tendendo  versus  occidentem 
usque   ad  predictam    magnam    polam.      Qui   quid   infra   hos 
terminos  continetur  dictis  Abbati  et  Conuentui  de  Margan  in 
communem  pasturam  adjudicavimus  exceptis  mansioni  et  bosco 
de  Bolchoyth  et  centum  acris  eidem  mansioni  contiguis  in  loco 
dumtaxat  Abbati  et  conventui  de  Margan  minus  nocenti,  et 
unica  cum  domo  apud  Estunwreleth  in  qua  nuUus  maneat  reli- 
giosus  nee  aliqua  ibi  excepta  tantum  trium  acrarum  quantitate, 
circa  eandem  domum  fiat  clausuram.    Tercio  quod  sepes  fossata 
clavsure  et  alia  quelibet  edificia  per  ipsos  de  Kelyon  constructa 
preter  prenominata  penitus  amoveantur.  Quarto  et  ultimo  quod 
si  aliquis  monachus  vel  conversus  dictorum  domorum  contra  banc 
sentenciam  venire  presumpserit  sine  omni  excusacione  et  dilaci- 
one  auctoritate  ordinis  a  domo  propria  penitus  emittatur :  non 
reversurus  nisi  de  licentia  capituli  generalis.     Et  ut  hec  sen- 
tencia  diffinitiva  firmitatis  robur  optineat  imperpetuum  nos  cam 
in  scripto  redactam  sigillorum  nostrorum  impressione  roboravi- 
mus.      Antedictis  vero  judicibus  coramittit  iterate  capitulura 
generale  eisdem  firmiter  injungendo  ut  sicut  in  dicta  causa  super 
principali  laudabiliter  processerunt :  ita  super  accessoriis  vide- 
licet super  expensis  factis  et  dampnis  illatis  domui  de  Margan 
ejusdem  auctoritate  capituli  juris  ordine  observato  procedant 
prout  fuerit  procedendum  facientes  quod  decreverint  per  cen- 
suram  ordinis  irrefragabiliter  observari.     Quod  si  omnes   hiis 
execrandis  intcresse  non  poterent :  duo  ea  nichilominus  fideli- 
ter  exequantur.     Datum  Cist'  anno  domini  ni"cc4'^iij°  tempore 
capituli  generalis.     [1253.] 

Endorsed. — Confirmacio  capituli  generalis. 

A  round  seal  of  green  wax ;  in  the  centre  the  figure  of  an 
abbot ;  legend,  -f  sigillvm  .  abbatis  .  cistekciensis. 

(  To  he  continued,) 


li^. 


0  tei^i 


urc'- 


o 

H 

n 


197 


ST.  BEUNO'S  CHEST. 

CLYNKOG    VAWR. 

Clynnog  Church,  one  of  the  greater  churches  of  North 
Wales,  has  been  fully  described  in  the  first  series  of  the 
Archceologia  Cambrensis,hy  the  Rev.  H.  Longueville  Jones 
and  Professor  Westwood.  Since  that  time  the  church 
has  been  put  in  a  satisfactory  condition,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  the  chapel  of  St.  Beuno.  This  saint,  the  founder 
of  the  original  church  at  the  commencement  of  the 
seventh  century,  holds  a  distinguished  place  among  his 
brother  saints  of  Wales,  and  was  honoured  by  having 
several  churches  and  chapels  dedicated  to  him.  One 
of  these,  Llanfeuno,  is  in  Herefordshire ;  and  there  are 
ten  in  Wales.  Near  Berriw,  in  Montgomeryshire,  is  a 
maenhir,  a  representation  of  which  is  given  in  the  Arehw- 
ologia  Camhrensis  for  1867.  It  marks  the  bounds  of  the 
two  townships  in  which  the  parish  is  divided,  and  is  called 
Maen  Beuno,  but  is  not  connected  with  the  saint  by  any 
local  tradition.  Mr.  T.  O.  Morgan  suggests  that  it  is  so 
named  because  the  church  is  dedicated  to  the  saint. 

His  fame  was  not  undeserved  if  what  is  said  of  him  is 
true.  In  addition  to  the  well-known  story  of  his  re- 
storing to  his  niece,  the  decapitated  Winifred,  her  head 
and  her  life,  he  is  said  to  have  raised  five  others  from 
death  to  life,  and  will  still  raise  the  seventh.  It  is  also 
stated  of  him  in  a  note  appended  to  the  communication 
given  in  Leland's  Collectanea^  and  mentioned  below,  that 
when  the  other  saints  have  lost  their  dignity,  he  shall 
perform  the  first  miracle.  His  fame  also  as  a  restorer 
to  health  was  not  less  than  of  his  restoring  to  life  ;  for, 
even  down  to  Pennant's  time,  sick  children  and  persons 
were  brought  to  his  chapel  aiid  placed  on  rushes  strewed 
upon  his  grave  for  the  night,  which  operation,  with  a 
bath  in  the  holy  well  adjoining,  was  considered  a  sure 
remedy.    Pennant  saw  a  paralysed  man  from  Merioneth 


198  ST.  BEUNO'S  CHEST. 

then  reposing  on  the  tomb,  with  the  exception  of  a  feather 
bed  being  substituted  for  the  rushes.  The  substantial 
masonry  round  the  well,  neglected  as  it  is  at  the  present 
time,  indicates  its  former  importance.  Of  the  great  vene- 
ration in  which  this  saint  was  held  in  Wales,  and  espe- 
cially in  North  Wales,  there  can  be  little  doubt ;  and 
hence,  perhaps,  the  fact  that  the  College  at  Tremeir- 
chion,  near  St.  Asaph,  bears  the  name  of  Saint  Beuno. 

In  the  vestry  of  Clynnog  Church  is  preserved  the 
ancient  chest,  which  is  here  given  from  a  drawing  made 
in  1866.  Beyond  its  great  rudeness  and  its  form,  so  dif- 
ferent from  the  ordinary  church  chests  still  remaining  in 
many  of  our  Welsh  churches,  there  is  nothing  to  indicate 
its  exact  or  even  probable  date.  It  must,  however,  be 
referred  to  a  period  anterior  to  the  reign  of  our  sixth 
Edward,  and  is  probably  one  of  the  oldest,  if  not  the 
oldest,  of  church  chests  in  Wales.^  Pennant  mentions  it 
in  his  account  of  Clynnog  thus :  "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.  They  are  brought  to  the 
church  on  Trinity  Sunday,  the  anniversary  of  the  saint, 
and  delivered  to  the  churchwardens,  who  sell  and  account 
for  them,  and  put  it  into  a  great  chest, '  Cuff  St.  Beuno,' 
made  of  one  piece  of  oak,  and  secured  with  three  locks. 
From  this  the  Welsh  have  a  proverb  for  attempting  a 
very  difficult  thing,  *  You  may  a»  well  try  to  break  up 
St.  Beuno's  chest.'  The  little  money  resulting  from  the 
consecrated  beasts,  or  casual  offerings,  is  either  applied 
to  the  relief  of  the  poor,  or  in  aid  of  repairs.'^ 

This  account  of  Pennant  does  not  exactly  correspond 
with  the  statement  made  in  a  communication  (1589) 

^  There  is,  or  was  lately,  a  chest  somewhat  of  the  same  character 
in  Llanelian  Church,  Anglesey,  called  **  Cyff  Elian,"  one  of  the  seven 
patron  saints  of  Mona.  The  holy  well  of  this  saint  also  was  in  high 
estimation  as  to  its  healing  powers ;  the  invalids,  after  their  bath  in 
it,  dropping  their  offerings  into  the  chest.  Their  number  must  have 
been  considerable,  as  the  offerings  so  contributed  enabled  the  parish^ 
ioners  to  purchase  three  tenements  for  the  benefit  of  the  incumbent's 
income. 


ST.  BEUNO'S  CHEST.  199 

concerning  superstitious  practices  then  prevailing  in 
Wales.  This  will  be  found  in  Leland's  Collectanea^  and 
also  in  a  former  volume  of  the  Archceologia  Cambrensis. 
According  to  this  account,  Trinity  Sunday  is  not  neces- 
sarily the  day  of  oflfering,  as  the  circumstance  related 
occurred  on  Whitsunday — nor  are  the  oflferings  confined 
to  lambs  and  calves,  as  in  the  present  case  a  bullock 
about  a  year  old  was  offered  ;  or,  more  strictly  speaking, 
half  only  of  the  beast  was  offered,  as  the  other  half  was 
due  from  the  offerer  to  the  keeper  of  the  hostel.  As 
the  beast  was  led  with  a  rope  through  a  little  porch  into 
the  churchyard,  the  young  man  who  led  the  beast  said 
with  a  loud  voice,  "  Thy  Halfe  to  God  and  St.  Beino." 
He  had  previously  asked  the  host  what  he  considered  the 
value  of  it,  who  replied  about  a  crown,  for  (adds  the 
host)  on  the  preceding  Sunday  the  vicar  had  purchased 
a  bullock  of  the  same  size  for  sixteen  groats,  and,  there- 
fore, the  young  man  was  not  likely  to  obtain  more.  The 
churchwardens  do  not  appear  to  act  in  this  instance,  the 
vicar  only  being  apparently  the  valuer  and  the  pur- 
chaser. It  was  a  general  opinion  at  that  time  that  all 
St.  Beuno's  beasts  prospered  marvellously  well,  whence 
arose  much  competition  for  them.  The  writer  goes  on 
to  say  that  some  beasts  when  first  calved  have  St. 
Beuno's  mark  on  their  ears,  from  which,  perhaps,  it 
may  be  inferred  that  unmarked  beasts  might  also  be ' 
offered.  No  mention  is  made  of  lambs  being  offered ; 
but,  as  the  practice  had  not  altogether  ceased  in  Pen- 
nant's time,  it  is  probable  that  some  information  may  be 
gathered  from  the  oldest  inhabitants  of  the  district  re- 
garding the  kind  of  beasts  offered,  and  the  manner  of 
offering.  Another  superstition  existed  at  that  time 
about  the  sacred  character  of  all  trees  growing  on  ground 
belonging  to  St.  Beuno,  which  no  one  dared  to  cut  down 
lest  the  Saint  should  kill  or  do  some  grievous  harm  so 
them. 

In  the  volume  of  the  Archceologia  Cambrensis  for  1848 
is  an  account  of  the  monies  taken  out  of  the  chest 
Dec.  3,  1688. 


4  2 

6 

10  5 

0 

4 

11 

8 

0 

7 

10 

200  ST.  BEUNo's  CHEST. 

Taken  out  of  the  box  of  broad  money 

Of  all  sortes  of  groates      ..... 

Of  Fourpence  halfepence  ?        .         .         .         . 

Of  small  moneys 

Of  Mead  f  moneys    ...... 

One  broken  sixpence  and  one  gro  (groat  ?)  nigh  3d. 

Total         .     16  8     S 

Within  a  few  years  ago  the  chest  was  placed  to  the 
south  of  the  altar  against  the  east  wall ;  and,  within  the 
memory  of  many,  persons  living  came  from  distant  parts 
of  the  country  to  deposit  their  offerings  in  the  chest, 
under  the  belief  that  they  would  thereby  propitiate  the 
old  Saint,  and  so  obtain  his  intercession  on  behalf  of 
their  cattle  afflicted  at  that  time  with  some  fatal  dis« 
order.  The  Rev.  Robert  Williams,  formerly  vicar  of 
the  parish,  informs  me  that  the  late  Dean  of  Bangor 
(Cotton)  in  his  capacity  of  Rural  Dean,  had  the  chest 
opened  by  a  blacksmith  in  the  presence  of  the  church- 
wardens, which  could  only  be  done  by  forcing  open  the 
iron  bars.  The  keys,  in  this  instance,  seem  to  have  been 
lost,  but  it  is  somewhat  curious  that  no  steps  had  been 
taken  to  replace  them.  In  the  chest  were  found  a  sove- 
reign and  several  silver  pieces,  most  probably  deposited 
by  those  who  had  still  faith  in  the  power  of  the  old  saint* 

That  such  a  curious  relic  of  former  days  should  be 
suffered  to  perish  from  neglect,  would  reflect  little  credit 
on  its  lawful  guardians.  At  present  it  lies  on  a  damp 
floor  in  the  vestry,  and  is  never  seen  except  by  strangers. 
Would  it  not  be  desirable  to  have  it  replaced  on  a  suit- 
able stand,  in  its  former  or  some  other  appropriate  posi- 
tion in  the  church,  and  be  protected  from  atmospheric 
action  by  proper  varnishing?  Not  only  would  such  a 
plan  tend  to  preserve  the  actual  wood,  much  of  which 
is  decayed,  but  would  win  for  it  more  general  respect 
than  by  leaving  it  on  the  ground  in  the  vestry,  where  it 
cannot  be  inspected  satisfactorily  without  being  dragged 
forth  into  the  light, — a  task  not  very  easy. 

J.  T.  Blight. 


201 


RELICS  OF  DINAS   MAWDDWY. 

DiNAS  Mawddwy  is  remarkable  for  the  dubiousness  of  its 
real  history.  Some  have  considered  the  present  city,  or 
town,  or  village,  to  be  the  remains  of  a  much  more  im- 
portant place  than  it  is  at  present.  Others  of  equal,  if 
not  higher,  authority,  believe  that  it  never  was  very  dif- 
ferent from  its  present  state.  The  arguments  of  those 
who  hold  this  view  are  of  considerable  weight  One  of 
these  is  from  the  character  of  the  ground  on  which  it 
stands.  It  is  siluated,  not  on  the  Cerist  or  Ceris,  as 
stated  in  Lewis's  Topographical  Dictionary^  but  on  the 
Dyfi,  which  actually  washes  the  rock  on  which  the  town 
stands.  The  river,  dashing  against  the  north-east  rock, 
is  forced  to  make  a  bend  towards  the  south,  and  so 
washes  almost  the  whole  length  of  the  rock.  The  Cerist 
falls  into  the  Dyfi  from  the  right  bank,  about  three 
hundred  feet  or  more  before  the  latter  comes  in  contact 
with  the  rock.  Craig  y  Dinas,  a  very  steep,  rocky  hill, 
rises  to  a  great  height  above  the  town,  which  consists  of 
two  lines  of  houses  with  a  road  between  them ;  and  the 
space  between  the  foot  of  the  Craig  and  the  river  is 
about  all  the  available  ground  for  building.  It  is  clear, 
therefore,  that  if  Dinas  Mawddwy  was  ever  a  large  and 
important  place,  it  must  have  occupied  some  other  site 
at  some  distance.  There  are,  moreover,  no  vestiges  what- 
soever of  a  former  greatness ;  no  tradition,  unless  the 
word  **  Dinas"  may  be  considered  to  denote  a  fortified 
stronghold ;  but  the  real  meaning  of  the  word  is  not, 
we  believe,  determined  by  Welsh  scholars.  Moreover, 
it  is  not  mentioned  as  a  place  of  importance  in  any 
ancient  Welsh  documents  that  have  come  under  the 
notice  of  the  Rev.  D.  Silvan  Evans,  the  Rector  of  Llan- 
ymawddwy,  who  considers  that  the  place  has  not  materi- 
ally altered.  If  it  had  been  walled  round,  and  had  been 
a  strong  and  important  post,  traces  of  walls,  and  cer- 
tainly traditions  of  its  supposed  importance,  might  be 


202  RELICS  OF  DINAS  MAWDDWY. 

expected  to  exist;  but  there  are  no  traces  and  no  tradi- 
tions of  either. 

On  the  other  side  of  the  question  there  is  the  indis- 
putable fact  that  this  village  was  a  corporate  town,  or, 
as  it  is  called,  city.  It  had  its  mayor,  recorder,  and  bur- 
gesses, and  the  usual  authority  of  such  potentates.  Of 
its  history  as  a  corporation  nothing  seems  to  be  known, 
as  to  whether  a  corporation  was  granted  by  the  crown 
or  the  lord  of  the  manor;  for  of  the  antiquity  of  the 
manor  there  is  no  question.  As  the  power  of  the  corpo- 
ration extended  over  the  whole  lordship,  it  would  seem 
that  the  lord  either  granted  or  procured  this  honour  for 
his  own  town.  The  form  of  an  election  for  mayor  is 
gone  through  by  the  burgesses  every  year  at  Michael- 
mas. The  meeting  is  called  in  the  records, "  the  general 
sessions  of  the  peace  held  and  kept  at  the  Court  House 
situate  at  Dinas,  in  and  for  the  said  manor,  borough, 
and  city."  The  mayor,  however,  is  called  the  bailiff  for 
the  said  manor,  borough,  and  city,  unless  he  is  a  distinct 
officer  from  the  mayor.  The  office  of  recorder  is  always 
filled  by  the  steward  of  the  manor  of  M awddwy.  A  jury- 
is  summoned  in  June  and  November  to  find  and  present 
all  nuisances  or  encroachments  on  the  waste  lands 
within  the  borough.  There  are  also  similar  courts  for 
the  manor  held  twice  a  year  before  the  steward.  There 
is  no  record  of  any  other  proceedings  at  the  borough 
courts,  which  appear  to  be  merely  formal,  as  the  neces- 
sary work  is  done  at  the  manor  courts  as  regards  pre- 
sentments, etc.  The  mayor  and  his  colleagues  had,  how- 
ever,formerly  more  extensive  powers, although  at  present 
the  magisterial  duties  of  the  mayor  are  confined  to 
granting  beer  and  spirit  licenses  within  the  Dinas.  The 
public  stocks  (removed  within  the  memory  of  the  pre- 
sent generation)  and  the  great  iron  fetter,  called  "  Y  Feg 
Fawr,"  are  proofs  that  he  had  power  to  restrain  those 
who  misbehaved  themselves,  or  patronised  to  excess  the 
licensed  ale-houses.  No  record,  however,  or  account  of 
these  corrective  implements  having  been  used  is  in  ex- 
istence.   The  annual  election  of  the  mayor  seems  a  mere 


IRON    FSTTSB8,    DINA8    MAWDDWT. 


MACE,   DINAU   MAWDDWT. 


^\ucii.  Cam II.    Vol.  xiv. 


RELICS  OF  DISAS  MAWDDWY.  203 

formality.  Originally  the  mayor  was  elected  annually, 
then  triennially,  and  latterly  apparently  for  life ;  for  the 
late  mayor,  a  respectable  farmer,  who  died  a  short  time 
ago,  held  the  office  for  many  years. 

The  only  real  remains,  therefore,  of  the  ancient  cor- 
poration are  the  courts  they  hold,  the  licensing  of  public 
houses, "  Y  Feg  Fawr,"  and  a  curious  mace.  These  civic 
insignia,  until  the  present  lord  of  the  manor  has  resided 
there,  used  to  be  kept  at  the  Red  Lion  Inn ;  but  are 
now,  we  hope,  in  the  more  desirable  custody  of  Mr.  Buck- 
ley, the  lord  of  the  manor,  or  at  least  his  steward.  By 
the  kindness  of  Mr.  Buckley  they  were  exhibited,  at 
Machynlleth  during  the  Meeting  of  the  Association  in 
1866  ;  and  as  they  are  certainly  the  oldest  examples,  if 
not  unique  badges  of  their  kind,  of  municipal  authority 
in  Wales,  Mr.  Blight  made  drawings  of  them  with  a  view 
to  their  appearing  in  the  Journal. 

"  Y  Feg  Fawr"  is  a  formidable  looking  apparatus,  mea- 
suring twenty  inches,  and  of  considerable  weight.  They 
were  intended  to  secure  the  feet ;  but  may  also  have 
been  used  for  the  hands,  which  is  not,  however,  likely. 
A  man  secured  thus  by  his  feet  must  have  been  unable 
to  move,  except  by  very  short  jumps ;  and  as  there  does 
not  appear  to  have  been  any  public  prison,  they  may 
have  been  used  to  secure  a  person  in  any  ordinarily 
secured  room,  until  he  could  be  removed  to  the  nearest 
prison  ;  or  they  may  have  been  used  as  stocks  prior  to 
the  introduction  of  that  contrivance. 

The  mace,  which  is  of  copper,  measures  sixteen  inches 
and  a  half,  and  seems  to  have  lost  the  upper  portion 
which  covered  the  hollow  part.  The  present  cover  is  of 
brass,  loose,  and  of  much  later  period,  and  has  the 
royal  arms  engraved  on  it.  The  mace  itself  has  the 
characteristics  of  the  fifteenth  century,  and  there  is  no 
reason  to  think  that  it  is  later.  It  should,  however, 
be  remembered  that  the  particular  character  of  civic 
maces  seems  to  have  been  long  continued.  Presum- 
ing, however,  that  the  right  date  is  assigned  to  the 
Dinas  mace,  it  may  be,  as  far  as  we  know,  the  earliest 


204  RELICS  OF  DINAS  MAWDDWY. 

evidence  of  the  Dinas  mayor  and  corporation.  Welsh 
mayors  and  corporations  probably  had  similar  insignia  ; 
but  few,  we  believe,  have  them  at  present,  and  certainly 
none  of  as  early  a  date  as  that  here  mentioned.  In 
Lewis's  Topographical  Dictionary  it  is  said  that  the  cor- 
poration also  retains  the  original  standard  measure :  we 
presume  this  is  the  Winchester  standard.  If  this  is  the 
case,  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  it  will  not  be  separated  from 
the  mace  and  fetter ;  for  whatever  may  have  been  the 
importance  of  ancient  Dinas  Mawddwy,  its  last  relics 
should  at  least  be  carefully  preserved. 

E.  L.  Barnwell. 


CAMBRIAN   ARCH^OLOGICAL   ASSOCIATION. 


NOTICE  OF  MEETING. 


The  Meeting  for  this  year  is  appointed  to  be  held  at 
Port  Madoc,  Caernarvonshire,  during  the  latter  part  of 
August.  The  presidential  chair  will  be  taken  on  that 
occasion  by  Edward  Foster  Coulson,  of  Cors  y  Gedol, 
Esq. ;  and  the  precise  day  of  Meeting,  with  the  other 
arrangements, will  be  made  known  in  our  next  number. 
The  place  chosen  is  accessible  by  rail  from  Caernar- 
von in  one  direction,  and  from  Barmouth  in  another  ; 
is  in  one  of  the  most  beautiful  parts  of  Wales ;  and  is 
rich  in  attractions  both  for  the  archaeologist  and  the 
lover  of  grand  mountain  scenery. 


205 


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206 


dTorresponlience^ 


PREHISTORIC    REMAINS   IN    LANCASHIRE. 

TO    THE    EDITOR   OF   THE   ABCH.    CAMS. 

Sir, — The  following  particulars  of  a  recent  archaeological  "  find"  will 
probably  be  interesting  to  your  readers. 

The  village  of  Wavertree  now  forms  one  of  the  outlying  suburbs  of 
Liverpool,  and,  of  late,  building  has  extended  itself  in  this  direction. 
On  the  4th  of  July  last,  as  the  workmen  were  excavating  for  the  erec- 
tion of  a  house  in  Victoria  Park,  they  turned  up  various  fragments  of 
pottery  which  were  at  first  disregarded;  but  afterwards  the  urn  No.  1 
in  the  accompanying  photograph  was  disinterred  entire,  and  subse- 
quently the  smaller  urn.  No.  2.     The  excavation  for  the  house  being 


No.  2. 


completed,  further  research  has  for  the  present  been  suspended  ;  but 
by  consent  of  the  proprietor,  Mr.  O'Connor,  the  Committee  of  the 
Public  Museum  of  Liverpool  have  agreed  to  defray  the  expense  of  a 
thorough  and  careful  examination  of  the  locus  in  quo,  which  it  can 
scarcely  be  doubted  will  lead  to  interesting  results. 

The  site  is  a  gentle  declivity  sloping  to  the  west,  having  a  thin 
stratum  of  soil  over  the  red  sandstone  rock.  There  is  no  appearance 
whatever  of  barrows  or  tumuli  of  any  kind.  It  has  been  brought  to 
mind  that  a  few  years  ago  there  existed,  scattered  about  the  site,  a 
number  of  rough,  upright  stones ;  all  of  which  have  been  removed, 
and  some  of  them  used  to  construct  a  fence  bounding  a  neighbouring 
field. 

The  vase.  No.  1,  is  ten  inches  in  diameter,  and  twelve  inches  high. 
It  was  found  with  the  mouth  downwards,  with  a  flat  stone  beneath. 


CORRESPONDENCE.  207 

The  material  ia  coarse  brown  clay,  without  any  ornament  except  a 
small  indented  pattern  on  the  edge  of  the  rim.  The  interior  is  coarse  ' 
and  granulated,  but  more  burnt  than  the  exterior,  presenting  the 
appearance  of  having  been  fired  from  the  inside.  The  interior  of  the 
vase  was  filled  with  a  mass  of  ashes  and  calcined  human  bones,  appa- 
rently of  an  adult.  The  only  objects  found  were  a  rude  flint  knife, 
and  a  beautifully  formed  flint  arrow  head. 

The  vase,  No.  2,  is  six  inches  in  diameter,  and  seven  inches  deep. 
This  was  found  with  the  mouth  upward,  and  covered  with  a  flat  stone. 
The  interior  contained  calcined  bones,  apparently  of  a  young  child, 
but  no  objects  of  art.  The  pottery  was  of  the  same  coarse  brown 
clay  as  No.  1  ;  the  interior,  when  fractured,  black  and  granulated. 
The  flat  rim  is  scored  with  what  is  called  the  ''thong  pattern,''  made 
apparently  by  pressing  a  twisted  twig  or  cord  in  diagonal  lines  on  the 
soft  clay.  Both  vases  are  entirely  hand-made,  no  wheel  having  been 
used  in  their  fabrication. 

There  can  be  little  doubt  that  the  site  has  been  used  as  a  cemetery. 
Fragments  of  several  other  vases  have  been  turned  up ;  some  of  a 
more  ornamental  character,  but  very  archaic  in  form  and  structure. 
The  question  arises,  to  what  race  and  period  can  these  remains  be 
referred  ?  The  time  was  when  everything  of  this  kind  was  relegated 
to  the  ancient  Britons,  and  a  reference  to  the  Druids  satisfied  all  in- 
quiries. We  have  fallen  on  more  critical  times,  and  modern  investi- 
gation points  to  ages  vastly  more  remote,  and  to  several  successive 
periods  of  these  prehistoric  remains.  The  classification  of  Sir  J.  Lub- 
bockMnto  the  archseolithic,  neolithic,  bronze,  and  iron  periods,  scarcely 
satisfies  the  conditions,  since  it  makes  the  accidental  presence  or  ab- 
sence of  a  trifling  bronze  implement  the  sole  criterion  of  a  difference 
of  date,  when  everything  else  may  be  identical.  Perhaps  a  better 
classification  would  be  established  by  the  mode  of  interment.  It  is 
agreed  on  all  hands  that  the  earliest  known  mode  of  interment  in  the 
British  isles  is  the  contracted  mode,  by  drawing  the  limbs  into  a  folded 
form,  and  pressing  them  into  a  small  cist.  To  this  succeeded  crema- 
tion, the  ashes  and  bones  being  collected  into  vases ;  which  in  turn 
gave  place  to  the  interment  of  the  corpse  in  its  extended  form.  These 
modes  correspond  roughly,  but  by  no  means^exactly,  with  the  stone, 
the  bronze,  and  the  iron  ages.  The  date,  the  periods  during  which 
these  respective  modes  prevailed,  and  the  races  which  practised  them, 
are  hitherto  unresolved  problems.  We  may,  however,  very  safely 
refer  the  earliest  of  them  to  a  time  much  more  remote  than  what  has 
until  recently  been  supposed. 

I  may  state  that  within  three  quarters  of  a  mile  from  the  relics  here 
noticed  there  still  exist  the  remains  of  an  ancient  stone  circle,  called 
*'  The  Calder  Stones,"  which  is  the  meeting-point  of  three  townships, 
and  doubtless  derives  its  name  from  the  Anglo-Saxon  galder,  meaning 
the  enchanter's  or  sorcerer's  stones.  These  stones  display,  though 
much  worn  and  weather-beaten,  examples  of  the  cup  and  circle  mark- 
ings which  have  of  late  attracted  so  much  attention.     The  connexion 

>  Prehistoric  Times.    London,  1866. 


208  CORRESPONDENCE. 

of  this  stone  circle  with  the  neighbouring  prehistoric  cemetery  seems 
natural  and  obvious.  Judging  from  a  comparison  of  these  remains 
with  the  specimens  found  in  Denmark  and  elsewhere,  and  especially 
with  the  interesting  series  of  discoveries  in  the  lake -dwellings  in 
Switzerland,  we  are  fairly  authorized  in  ascribing  to  the  present  remains 
an  antiquity  preceding  the  advent  of  the  Celtic  races  to  the  British 
islands.  On  this  subject  I  will  quote  a  few  words  from  a  paper  on 
the  Calder  Stones  read  by  Professor  J.  Y,  Simpson,  of  Edinburgh, 
before  the  Historic  Society  of  Lancashire  and  Cheshire,  Jan.  12, 1865  : 
'*  The  ethnological  proofs  gathered  from  the  examination  of  the  crania 
found  in  connexion  with  megalithic  sepulchral  structures,  tend,  as  far 
as  they  go  at  present,  to  point  to  a  race  different  from,  and  seemingly 
anterior  to,  the  appearance  of  the  Celtic  race  in  our  islands.  If  this 
view  (a  view  held  by  some  of  our  first  archaeologists)  ultimately  prove 
to  be  correct,  then  we  have  in  the  Calder  Stones, —  and  within  hail,  as 
it  were,  of  the  busy  mart  and  great  modern  city  of  Liverpool, — a  stone 
structure  erected  and  carved  by  a  Turanian  race  who  dwelt  in  this 
same  locality,  and  lived  and  died  in  this  same  home,  many  long  cen- 
turies before  Roman  or  Saxon,  Dane  or  Norman,  set  his  invading  foot 
upon  the  shores  of  Britain ;  and  possibly  anterior  even  to  that  far 
more  distant  date  when,  in  their  migration  westward,  the  Cymry  first 
reached  this  remote  isle  of  the  sea." 

The  recently  discovered  remains  may  be  fairly  ascribed  to  the  second 
mode  of  interment,  or  what,  in  Sir  J.  Lubbock's  classification,  would 
be  the  earliest  portion  of  the  bronze  period, 

J.  A.  PiCTON. 

Sandyknowe,  Wavertree.     Sept.  5,  1867. 


PEN  CAER  HELEN,  CAERNARVONSHIRE. 

TO   THE   EDITOR   OF   THE   ABCH.    CAMB. 

Sib, — As  a  pendant  to  the  interesting  description  of  Pen  Caer  Helen 
in  Arch.  Camo.,  No.  LI,  I  beg  to  send  you  an  extract  from  a  little 
handbook  which  I  compiled  a  year  or  two  ago.  It  may  have  some 
interest.  Yours  obediently, 

Beaumaris.     8  Sept.  1867.  John  Williams. 

On  that  round  bluff,  called  Moel  y  Gaer,  some  four  miles  from  Conway, 
is  one  of  the  most  perfect  British  forts  in  Wales.  It  is  defended  on  the  only 
approachable  side  in  a  remarkable  and  unusual  manner,  the  ground  being 
there  thickly  planted  with  upright  stones,  which  project  from  one  to  three 
feet  above  the  ground ;  and  are  so  numerous,  and  so  close  together,  as  to 
form  the  most  serious  obstacle  to  the  onward  progress  of  man  and  beast, 
without  amounting  to  such  a  wall  as  would  interfere  with  exit  in  a  time  of 
peace.  It  is  evident  that  beneath  the  fort  there  was  an  extensive  town  in 
very  early  times,  for  many  circular  foundations  are  met  with  here  and  on 
the  adjoining  farm  of  Qorswen.  It  is  also  clear  that  the  road  which  passes 
up  the  vale  below,  and  so  by  Rh6  village  over  the  pass  of  Bwlch  y  ddaufaen, 
was  the  chief,  or  one  of  the  chief,  means  of  access  into  Snowdon.  Indeed, 
the  advent  of  the  Roman  armies  may  be  followed  from  Denbighshire,  by 


CORRESPONDENCE.  '  209 

Tal-7*cafh  Ferry  across  the  Conway,  to  Caerhun,  the  scene  of  the  battle  in 
Bulwer*s  Harold^  where  they  had  a  strong  establishment,  and  have  left 
many  traces  of  their  industry  and  science.  Thence,  below  the  cliffs  of  Moel 
y  Chier  (the  bluff  of  the  fort),  they  followed  the  Rhd  river  up  the  gap  of 
!Bwlch-y-ddaufaen  (so  called  from  the  two  maens,  or  upright  stones,  which 
are  on  the  highest  point)  to  Llanfairfechan  and  Aber,  whither  the  pedestrian 
may  follow  them  with  ease  and  interest.  The  road,  as  it  approaches  Aber, 
is  surrounded  with  remnants  of  very  ancient  houses  and  places  of  burial ; 
while  up  a  valley  above  Aber,  one  of  the  wildest  in  Wales,  is  the  traditionary 
Arrow  btone  (Carreg  y  Saethau),  the  scores  and  scratches  on  which  are  held 
to  have  been  made  by  the  Welsh  chieftains  sharpening  their  arrows  or  spears 
on  it  as  they  swore  allegiance  to  the  king,  or  death  to  their  country's 
enemy.    (See  Arch.  Camb.y  Series  I,  No.  I.) 


FIGURE   OF  ST.   DERFEL. 

TO   THE   EDITOR   OF   THE  ARCH.   CAMB. 

Sir, — In  the  Arch,  Camh,  for  1847,  p.  187,  it  is  stated,  on  the 
authority  of  Sir  Henry  Ellis's  original  letters,  that  this  wooden  effigy 
-was  removed  to  London  at  the  time  of  the  Reformation ;  and  that  in 
Ciomwers  time  the  parishioners  offered  40«,  to  redeem  it,  but  their 
request  was  refused.  In  Lewis's  Dictionary  it  is  said  that  it  was  re- 
moved in  1538,  and  used  in  burning  Friar  Forrest  in  Smithfield.  I 
am  not  able  to  refer  to  the  original  letters ;  but  the  accounts  contra- 
dict each  other,  and  even  the  letter  appears  to  be  inaccurate.  In 
Lewis  it  is  said  to  have  stood  over  the  screen ;  so  that  in  a  small 
church,  like  that  of  Llandderfel,  a  huge  statue  would  be  out  of  place. 
If  the  offer  of  the  40«.  in  CromweFs  time  is  true,  it  is  more  likely 
that  it  was  removed  to  London  about  the  same  period. 

I  am,  Sir,  yours  obediently,  M.  N. 


HAVERFORDWEST.    TEMP.  HENRY  III. 

TO   THE  EDITOR   OF   THE   ARCH.  CAHB. 

Sir, — In  the  reign  of  Henry  III  the  merchants  of  Haverfordwest 
applied  to  the  civic  authorities  of  Hereford  for  the  custom  of  that  city 
regarding  strangers  wishing  to  sell  their  wares  in  the  city.  They  paid 
for  the  information,  and  probably  the  license,  one  hundred  shillings, — 
a  large  sum  in  those  days.  The  wares  specified  were  wool,  cloth, 
com,  and  other  provisions ;  and  on  every  Saturday  market  they  were 
to  pay  the  dues  and  customs,  under  pain  of  forfeiting  their  goods. 
Considering  the  distance  between  the  two  places,  and  the  risk  and 
cost  of  carriage,  even  if  they  went  by  sea  from  Milford  Haven  up  the 
Severn  or  Wye  as  far  as  they  could  go,  it  is  clear  that  the  difference 
of  prices  must  have  been  great  in  the  two  districts.  At  any  rate  the 
merchants  and  manufacturers  at  Haverfordwest  must  have  been  in  a 
flourishing  state,  and  that  part  of  Wales  more  firmly  settled,  than 
might  have  been  expected  at  such  a  period.  It  would  be  interesting 
to   ascertain,  if  possible,  whether  the  merchants  of  Haverfordwest 

3BD  SEB.,  vol.  XIV.  14 


210  MISCELLANEOUS    NOTICES. 

attended  other  of  the  larger  markets  in  England,  or  whether  our  find- 
ing them  at  Hereford  arises  from  some  connexion  between  the  two 
places.  The  explanation  of  the  name  Haverfordwest  has  not  yet  been 
satisfactorily  made  out.  In  early  documents  it  is  called  "  Hereford 
West";  and  even  down  to  the  time  of  Elizabeth,  state  warrants  describe 
it  as  "Hereford  in  partibus  occidentalibus",  although  Haverford  is 
always  found  in  contemporaneous  use.  Hereford  itself  is  sometimes 
called  **  Hereford  East";  and  there  seems  no  more  easy  solution  of 
the  reason  why  Haverford  should  have  the  suffix  '*  West",  than  the 
supposition  that  the  original  form  was  Hereford ;  and  hence  the  neces- 
sity of  the  distinction.  The  information  about  the  Haverford  mer- 
chants is  obtained  from  a  well  got  up  volume  lately  issued  by  the  pre- 
sent Town  Clerk  of  Hereford,  which  I  recommend  to  the  favourable 
notice  of  our  members. 

I  am,  Sir,  yours  obediently,  An  old  Mbmbeb. 


Quety  165, — Humecillus. — A  correspondent  wishes  to  know  the 
meaning  of  humecillus.  He  cannot  find  the  word  in  any  Latin  dic- 
tionary, classical  or  mediseval,  accessible  to  him. 


f&isttllmtoviS  0Dtice0« 

The  Miniatxtres  and  Obnaments  of  Anglo-Saxon  and 
Irish  MSS.— This  is  the  title  of  a  most  superb  and  elaborate  work 
recently  published  by  Professor  Westwood.  It  constitutes  a  volume 
in  imperial  folio,  with  fifty-four  magnificent  plates,  most  carefully 
executed  in  exact  facsimile  of  the  originals,  in  gold  and  colours.  A 
descriptive  text  accompanies  each  plate,  serving  as  a  history  of  British 
palaeography  and  pictorial  art.  The  author  has  been  engaged  on  this 
Magnum  Opus  for  several  years,  and  for  that  purpose  has  paid  re- 
peated visits  to  France,  Germany,  Italy,  and  other  parts  of  Europe, 
it  is  one  of  the  most  sumptuous  works  of  the  century,  and  is  all  the 
more  valuable  from  the  scientific  care  exercised  in  its  compilation. 
There  is  only  one  drawback  connected  with  it,  and  this  is  its  great 
costliness,  which,  however,  has  been  a  matter  of  necessity.  No  such 
work  could  have  been  produced  without  large  outlay.  We  understand 
that  the  subscription  list  has  absorbed  nearly  the  entire  number  of 
copies  printed.  Professor  Westwood  has  stipulated  with  the  publisher 
that  two  hundred  should  be  the  entire  Edition,  and  that  the  stones 
should  then  be  destroyed — this  has  been  done.  No  New  Edition  can 
ever  appear,  as  the  cost  of  production  is  £30  a  copy.     Mr.  Quaritch's 


MISCELLANEOUS  NOTICES.  211 

name  appears  on  the  title  page ;  and  we  have  heard  that  z.fevo  copies 
may  still  be  procured  from  him  at  £21  each.  Would  that  we  could 
review  it ! 


A  DicTioNABY  OF  THB  Welsh  Lavouags  is  announced  as  in 
course  of  publication  by  the  Rev.  D.  Silvan  Evans,  Rector  of  Llany- 
mawddwy,  Merionethshire,  late  Welsh  lecturer  at  St.  David's  College^ 
Lampeter;  and  we  are  both  gratified  and  surprised  at  the  intelligence. 
We  borrow  the  author's  words  in  setting  forth  this  proposed  under- 
taking: 

"  The  incompleteness  of  all  the  existing  Dictionaries  of  the  Welsh  tongue, 
considerably  the  most  copious,  and  for  centuries  past  the  most  cultivated 
branch  of  the  Celtic,  has  been  long  felt  and  generally  deplored,  not  only  by 
those  who  speak  the  laoguage,  and  employ  it  as  their  literary  medium,  but 
by  philologists  and  students  of  Celtic  history  in  Germany,  France,  and  other 
parts  of  Europe.  The  present  work  has  been  undertaken  with  the  view  of 
supplying  this  deficiency,  and  materials  for  its  completion  are  abundant. 
Besides  printed  books,  and  such  MSS.  as  are  publicly  accessible,  the  Editor 
is  enabl^,  by  the  courtesy  of  the  present  possessor,  to  avail  himself  of  the 
magnificent  and  unrivalled  collection  of  Welsh  MSS.  preserved  at  Peniarthy 
formerly  known  as  the  Hengwrt  Library. 

''  The  undertaking  is  obviously  a  most  onerous  one,  and  the  Editor,  while 
thankfully  acknowledging  the  assistance  which  he  has  already  received, 
earnestly  invites  the  cooperation  of  all  Welsh  scholars  and  others  interested 
in  the  advancement  of  Celtic  philology." 

We  fully  participate  in  the  feelings  of  anxiety  thus  pointed  out  by 
the  author ;  for  we  look  back  on  the  history  of  previous  undertakings 
of  this  nature,  and  we  are  aware  of  the  impediments  offering  them- 
selves to  the  production  of  any  literary  work  in  modern  Celtic,  and 
especially  Welsh  society.  The  author  does  not  say  whether  his  pro- 
posed dictionary  is  to  be  on  a  scale  larger  or  smaller  than  those  already 
existing;  whether  it  is  to  exceed  Owen  Pughe*s  two  volumes,  or  to 
be  limited,  like  Spurrell's,  to  one.  We  have  no  doubt  that  the  pos- 
sessor of  the  Peniarth  Library  would  willingly  aid  by  giving  access  to 
his  invaluable  MSS. ;  but  we  find  nothing  said  as  to  the  cooperation 
of  living  scholars  in  the  various  Celtic  dialects.  As  a  knowledge  of 
the  ancient  tongues  of  western  Europe  has  now  become  so  much  more 
widely  extended  than  formerly,  and  as  philological  studies  have  been 
placed  on  so  much  broader  and  more  solid  bases  than  heretofore,  it  is 
to  be  hoped  that  the  cooperation  of  scholars  in  Irish,  Qaelic,  Cornish, 
Armoric,  and  other  dialects,  may  be  obtained ;  or  otherwise  the  finish 
of  the  work  may  be  dubious,  notwithstanding  the  acknowledged  scho- 
larship of  Mr.  Evans  himself. 

With  regard  to  its  composition  he  says : 

^^  This  work,  which  has  engaged  the  attention  of  the  Editor  for  many 
years,  will  comprise  not  only  all  the  legitimate  words  occurring  in  the  printed 
and  manuscript  literature  of  Wales  from  the  earliest  times  to  the  present, 
including  the  ancient  Qlosses,  but  also  some  thousands  of  genuine,  though 
hitherto  unregistered,  words  orally  collected  in  difierent  parts  of  the  Prin- 
cipality.   Each  word  in  its  difierent  significations  will  be  illustrated  by 


212  MISCELLANEOUS    NOTICES. 

ample  quotations  from  approved  sources,  and,  as  fSur  as  possible,  its  earliest 
appearance  in  the  language  will  be  indicated.  The  synonyms  will  be  given 
in  the  cognate  dialects  of  the  Celtic ;  and  in  addition  to  the  proximate  origin 
and  relation  of  a  word,  its  affinities  with  the  classical  and  other  languages 
belonging  to  the  same  family  will  be  pointed  out  Fanciful  etymologies  and 
explanations  will  throughout  be  diligently  avoided." 

We  will  only  add  that  we  hope  he  will  be  on  his  guard  against  that 
spirit  of  theory,  conjecture,  and  wild  assumption,  which  has  so  much 
interfered  with  all  intellectual  operations  in  Celtic  matters,  and  that 
he  will  not  hasten  to  produce  his  work  before  it  has  been  well  con- 
cocted and  tested.  He  should  remember  how  long  it  took  Zeuss  to 
produce  his  Grammatica  Celttca,  and  Williams  his  Cornish  Diction' 
ary  ;  nor,  though  delays  are  vexatious,  should  he  be  annoyed  at  find- 
ing himself  slow  rather  than  quick  in  his  work.  Under  any  circum- 
stances he  may  feel  assured  of  our  cordial  good  will,  and  count  upon 
what  humble  support  we  may  be  able  to  give  him  in  his  arduous  un- 
dertaking. 

Bells  in  Old  Pabish  Chxtbohes  op  Detonshibe. — A  most 
interesting  work  on  this  subject  has  been  compiled  by  the  Rev.  H.  T. 
EUacombe,  Rector  of  Clyst  St.  George.  It  was  originally  read  as  a 
paper  before  the  Exeter  Diocesan  Architectural  Society,  but  has  now 
assumed  the  proportions  of  a  medium  quarto  volume,  with  eighteen 
plates  of  illustration,  and  is  about  to  be  published  by  subscription, 
with  a  Supplement  containing  an  account  of  bell-founding,  with  many 
illustrations ;  a  history  of  various  Societies  of  Ringers  from  the  Guild 
of  Ringers  in  the  time  of  Edward  the  Confessor ;  the  Law  of  Church 
Bells,  and  a  List  of  Bell  Literature ;  Ancient  Ecclesiastical  Bells  from 
Scotland,  Ireland,  and  Wales;  with  many  other  Articles  connected 
with  the  subject.  Appended  to  this  will  be  an  account  of  the  bells  in 
all  the  old  parishes  of  Cornwall.  We  may  observe  that  in  the  south 
of  England  much  attention  is  now  paid  to  the  history  and  condition  of 
church  bells ;  and  in  particular  the  Sussex  Archaeological  Society  lately 
issued  a  long  and  interesting  account  of  all  the  church  beUs  in  that 
county,  drawn  up  by  an  Oxford  member.  Something  of  the  same 
kind  might  be  attempted  in  Wales,  though  necessarily  on  a  small 
scale  \  for  the  parsimonious  spirit  which  has  always  stifled  the  Welsh 
Church  has  seldom  left  more  than  one  bell  for  each  parish — happy, 
too,  if  that  one  be  not  cracked !  Still  something,  as  at  Cardiff,  Llan- 
daff,  Carmarthen,  St.  Asaph,  Wrexham,  Gresford,  etc.,  might  and 
ought  to  be  attempted.  This  good  work  would  find  much  appropriate 
support  and  means  of  publication  in  our  own  pages.  The  author  of 
this  Devonshire  book  is  also  doing  something  to  make  the  bells  useful 
as  well  as  soothing,  as  we  find  by  the  following  paragraph  copied 
from  the  Marlborough  Times  :^ 

''Great  Bedwyn. — A  simple  and  very  ingenious  arrangement  has  been 
adopted  for  chiming  the  fine  old  bells  of  this  church.  It  is  that  invented 
by  the  Rev.  H.  T.  EUacombe,  Rector  of  Clyst  St.  George,  Devon,  which  has 
been  used  for  some  years  in  various  churches  in  the  west  of  England,  but  is 
little  known  elsewhere.    It  combines,  with  great  simplicity,  the  following 


REVIEWS.  213 

yery  decided  adyantages.  It  brings  all  the  bells  under  control  in  the  body 
of  the  church,  where  they  are  chimed  for  service,  with  perfect  ease,  by  one 
man  or  boy.  Beinff  independent  of  the  belfry,  it  interferes  in  no  way  with 
with  the  ringers  when  a  peal  is  to  be  rung.  The  chiming  gear  being  dis- 
tinct from  the  clappers,  it  does  away  with  the  practice  which  is  so  common, 
but  so  destructive,  of  'clocking'  the  bells,  or  tying  the  clappers,  by  which 
numbers  of  fine  bells  are  cracked.  The  apparatus  has  been  put  up  at  a  cost 
of  about  £1  per  bell." 

An  Intebnational  Celtic  Congke88  was  held  at  the  town  of 
St.  Brieuc,  in  the  C6te8  du  Nord,  on  the  15th  of  October  last.  It  was 
got  up  by  the  SocidtS  tP Emulation  of  that  department,  and  is  con- 
sidered to  have  been  successful.  The  object  was  to  examine  and  dis- 
cuss local  antiquities,  and  to  bring  together  antiquaries  taking  in- 
terest in  Celtic  questions.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  an  account  of  the 
proceedings  will  be  published,  and  will  reach  us ;  had  the  Editor's 
health  permitted,  he  would  certainly  have  endeavoured  to  attend  this 
Congress  himself;  for  the  objects  indicated  by  the  Society's  pro- 
gramme seemed  well  selected,  and  the  country  itself  is  interesting  in 
the  highest  degree;  add  to  which,  personal  intercourse  between  Cam- 
brian and  Breton  arch  geologists  is  highly  desirable. 


The  Builder  of  Feb.  8,  1868,  contains  a  beautiful  set  of  plans 
and  elevation  of  "  The  Cliflf,'*  a  villa  just  built  at  Eastbourne  by  one  of 
our  correspondents,  Mr.  Vale,  the  well-known  architect  of  Liverpool. 
The  design,  in  the  Italian  villa  style,  is  light  and  effective ;  but  the 
plan  shews  the  anomalous  idea  of  warming  the  whole  building  by  a 
single  shaft  or  chimney.  Without  wishing  to  impugn  our  friend's  taste, 
or  the  accuracy  of  his  calculations,  we  can  only  say  that  we  think  he 
runs  great  risk  of  failing  in  his  object,  and  wish  him  well  through  the 
needless  difficulties  which  his  theory  imposes  upon  him.  His  powers 
of  design  are  all  brought  out  in  the  present  instance ;  but  these  have 
become  so  widely  known  at  Liverpool  as  to  need  no  commendation 
from  ourselves. 


Lb  Catholicok  db  Ibhak  LaoabbuCi  etc. 

This  is  a  valuable  edition  of  a  curious  Breton  dictionary  given  to  the 
antiquasian  world  by  M.  Le  Men,  one  of  our  active  Armorican  corre- 
spondents, printed  and  published  at  Lorient ;  and  the  more  creditable 
to  the  literary  zeal  and  public  spirit  of  the  editor,  because,  as  we  have 
been  informed,  it  has  been  put  forth  at  his  own  risk  and  cost ;  limited 
to  only  three  hundred  copies,  so  that  it  can  hardly  be  remunerative. 
M.  Le  Men,  as  our  members  probably  know,  is  Keeper  of  the  Archives 
for  the  department  of  Finist^re.     His  name  has  not  appeared  in  our 


214  REVIEWS. 

pages  for  some  years,  on  account  of  illness  and  domestic  affliction  t 
and  we  therefore  welcome  the  issuing  of  thb  volume  as  a  sign  of  his 
return  to  a  life  of  literary  and  archaeological  industry.  We  have 
styled  it  a  curious  work,  and  so  it  is ;  for  the  original  work  character- 
izes a  period  of  literary  activity  in  Brittany  during  the  fifteenth  and 
sixteenth  centuries;  and  as  it  is  little  known  in  England,  even  to 
Celtic  scholars,  we  give  a  brief  sketch  of  the  literary  history  of  that 
period  among  our  Armorican  brethren,  for  which  we  are  indebted  to 
the  pen  of  M.  De  Subainville  in  a  local  periodical,  the  Revue  critique 
SHittoire  et  de  Literature :  *'  Three  periods  may  be  distinguished  in 
the  history  of  Armorico-Breton  literature :  the  first  begins  at  the 
establishment  of  the  Bretons  in  Armorica"  (rather  a  misty  epoch,  by 
the  way),  "and  ends  with  the  commencement  of  the  fifteenth  century; 
the  second  lasts  during  the  fifteenth  and  sixteenth  centuries ;  and  the 
third  is  the  modern  period,  comprising  the  present  and  two  preceding 
centuries.  The  first  of  these  periods  is  very  little  known  to  us  :  a  few 
proper  names,  a  few  words  scattered  up  and  down  amidst  Latin 
charters, — this  is  about  all  that  remains  to  us  of  it.  For  the  second 
period  we  are  more  fortunate,  represented,  as  it  is,  by  several  docu- 
ments of  a  certain  length ;  but  whichi  at  the  commencement  of  the 
present  century,  were  either  inedited,  or  preserved  in  printed  works 
themselves  as  scarce  as  MSS.  The  first  document  made  accessible  to 
philologists  is  the  Mystery  of  the  Life  of  St,  Nonne,  published  in  1837. 
Zeus  had  no  other  printed  text  at  his  disposal  than  this  when  he  was 
studying  Armorico-Breton  of  that  period.  Since  then  M.  De  la  Ville- 
marqu^  has  brought  out  his  edition  of  the  Grand  Mysikre  de  Jesus. 
These  two  Mysteries  are  not  the  only  monuments  of  Breton  dramatic 
art  which  date  from  the  sixteenth  century ;  for  we  can  also  cite  the 
Mont  du  Calvaire,  printed  in  1517;  the  Vie  de  P  Homme,  1530;  the 
Mort  de  la  Vierge,  1530;  the  Vie  de  Ste,  Barhe,  1550.  But  happy 
are  those  who  can  meet  with  them  !  The  third  monument  of  the  Armo- 
rican language  of  that  period,  which,  however,  has  been  publbhed 
within  our  own  century,  is  the  Caiholicon  recently  edited." 

We  now  go  on  in  the  words  of  M.  Le  Men's  preface :  '*  Jean  Balbi, 
a  Genoese  Dominican,  who  lived  in  the  thirteenth  century,  and  who 
is  better  known  under  the  name  of  Jean  de  Janua  or  Januensisy  is  the 
author  of  a  kind  of  classical  encyclopaedia  bearing  the  title  of  Catholi* 
con  ieu  summa  Grammaticalis,  and  containing  a  grammar,  a  treatise 
on  rhetoric,  and  a  dictionary.  This  work,  which  appears  to  have  had 
a  great  reputation  in  the  middle  ages,  was  printed  at  Mayence,  in 
1460,  by  J.  Faust  and  Schoeffer  (see  Brunet,  Manuel,  etc.,  under  the 
word  Janua)  ;  and  four  years  later  served  as  a  model  to  J.  Lagadeuc, 
a  priest,  who  was  a  native  of  Plougonven  near  Morlaix,  when  com- 
piling a  dictionary  in  Breton,  French,  and  Latin,  for  the  poor  students 
of  his  country  (*a</  utilitatem  pauperum  clericorum  Britannia*).*' 

The  first  known  edition  of  the  Catholicon  is  that  printed  at  Tr^guier 
by  Jean  Calvez  in  1499,  of  which  there  are  probably  only  two  copies 
remaining,— one  of  them  being  in  the  Imperial  Library  at  Paris,  the 
other  in  the  Public  Library  of  Quimper.  The  present  edition  is,  to  a 
certain  extent,  an  abbreviated  one,  M.  Le  Men  having  omitted  much 


REVIEWS.  215 

of  that  part  which  consisted  of  the  derivations  and  synonyms  m  Bre- 
ton ;  and  which  might  have  been  valuable  to  students  of  iUt  fiftecntK 
century,  but  which  have  become  superfluous  in  the  nineteenth.  Tbe 
Catholicon,  indeed,  cannot  be  considered  as  a  complete  vocabulary  of 
the  Armoric  tongue  as  spoken  in  Brittany  at  the  period  of  its  being 
originally  composed  ;  and,  indeed,  very  considerable  addiltons  might 
be  made  to  it  from  the  texts  of  documents  which  have  sinco  beeome 
known.  But  it  has  a  peculiar  archaeological  value,  inasmuch  as  the 
Catholicon  is  dated  (1499),  and  therefore  renders  inadmissible  the  pre- 
tended antiquity  of  documents  vaunted  by  a  certain  school  of  modem 
Armorican  philologists. 

In  Brittany,  as  in  Wales,  until  very  lately  there  existed  a  Rpiuloua 
spirit  of  national  honour  which  delighted  in  assuming  that  everything 
connected  with  the  national  literature  was  superior  to  anything  of  car- 
responding  date ;  and  in  assigning,  often  on  mere  hypothesis,  datefi 
and  titles  of  antiquity  to  what  was  by  no  means  of  distant  cirigin-  All 
through  the  eighteenth,  and  during  too  much  of  the  nineteenth  cen- 
turies, the  Celtic  public,  always  easy  to  be  deceived  on  accoanl  of  its 
ignorance,  believed  in  many  historic  myths  which  have  been  corrected 
by  the  progress  of  modem*  scholarship  and  research, — the  settlement 
of  America ;  the  bardic  and  Druidic  theories  ;  the  early  genuineness 
of  the  Triads ;  and  much  of  the  rubbish  which  is  still  brought  forward 
and  talked  about  at  the  Eisteddfodau  of  Wales.  This  was  the  sort  of 
stuflF  palmed  off  on  the  public  as  genuine  Welsh  literature  :  indeed,  a 
very  curious  book  might  be  written  upon  the  spuriousnesti  of  much 
that  was  thought  to  be  "gospel"  during  the  literary  Welsh  movement 
of  the  latter  half  of  the  eighteenth  century.  But  for  ourselves,  we 
have  no  wish  to  rake  up  disputes  long  since  dismissed  to  oblivion,  nor 
to  place  in  an  invidious  light  names,  which  for  other  services  done  are 
deservedly  honoured  by  their  fellow  countrymen.  But  a  eimilar  spirit 
in  favour  of  sham  antiquity  seems  to  have  beset  the  Bretons,  and,  we 
believe  the  Irish  also.  The  Bretons  are  still  to  be  taken  in  with  the 
exploits  of  King  Arthur ;  and  we  have  lived  to  see  how  much  roguery 
and  folly  can  be  perpetrated  under  the  name  of  FenianiBm.  M.  Le 
Men,  in  his  paper,  censures  M.  De  la  Villemarqu6  for  adoptnig  too 
carelessly  the  absurdities  of  spurious  Breton  literature ;  and  even 
accuses  him  of  having  "doctored"  certain  Breton  poems  with  the 
Tiew  of  giving  them  an  air  of  antiquity.  Some  French  savans  go  still 
further,  and  declare  that  the  poems  known  under  the  name  of  Barzaz 
Breizy  adopted  by  M.  De  la  Villemarque  as  genuine,  are  themselves 
only  the  work  of  an  Armorican  M'Pherson.  The  publication  of  the 
Popular  Songs  of  Lower  Brittany,  announced  by  a  competent  scholar, 
M.  F.  M.  De  Luzel,  and  the  republication  of  the  Catholicon,  will,  no 
doubt,  throw  light  upon  these  controverted  subjects,  and  will  tend  to 
place  the  study  of  Armorican  literature  upon  a  sounder  basis  of  philo- 
logical criticism. 


216  REVIEWS. 


The  Akcient  Customs  of  Hehbfobd.    By  Richabd  Johkbon, 

Town  Clerk. 

Since  the  Hereford  Meeting  this  excellent  volume  has  made  its 
appearance,  and  been  distributed  among  the  subscribers.  It  is  a  book 
of  great  interest,  not  only  to  the  inhabitants  of  that  city  and  the 
county,  but  to  all,  as  it  gives  so  true  and  accurate  a  description  of 
mediaeval  habits  of  trade  and  government  in  our  ancient  corporate 
towns,  and  especially  cities  where  the  ecclesiastic  and  civic  authorities 
came  so  often  in  hostile  contact.  The  numerous  allusions  to  Wales 
and  Welshmen  will  give  it  additional  value  in  the  eyes  of  those  who 
take  an  interest  in  the  early  history  of  their  own  country.  While  the 
Hereford  merchants  claimed  certain  rights  of  trade  in  some  of  the 
Welsh  towns,  merchants  from  Wales,  even  so  far  as  Haverfordwest, 
purchased  the  privilege  of  bringing  their  wares  to  Hereford.  The 
volume  itself  is  extremely  well  got  up  as  regards  the  paper  and  print- 
ing; and,  as  we  believe  but  few  copies  remain  undisposed  of,  we 
recommend  an  early  application  to  the  To^vn  Clerk  to  those  who  wish 
to  add  so  desirable  a  book  to  their  libraries. 


Pig.  20.— 1NCKN8E    CUP   FOUND   IN    A  CARNEDD   OB  8TONB    HBAP   AT   MBINAU*B 
aWTB,    IN   THE   PABIRH   OF    LLANDT88ILIO,    PEMBBOKESUIBB. 

(Oiig.  fcize.) 


Fig.  21. — CBUCIFOBM   OBNAUENT   ON  THE   BOITOM    OF  THE   INCENSE  CUP 
FOUND   AT   MEINAU'b  OWTB. 

(Grig,  size.) 


Abch.  Caub.    Vol.  xiv. 


Fig.  25. — INCKN8E   CUP,    FOUND   WITH   A   LABOE   UBN   AT   MTNTDD  CABN  OOOH, 

NEAB  SWANSEA. 
(Orig.  size.     British  Museum.) 


Fig,  26. — INCISED   OBNAMENT  ON  THE  BOTTOM   OF  AN   INCENSE  CUP  POUlf^ 
AT   MTNTDD   CABN  OOCH. 

I  Orig.  size.) 


Ahoh.  Camb.    Vou  XIV. 


Fig.  31. — UBN   FOUND   IN   A   CI8T   AT    BH08BBIR10,    ANOLE8BT. 

In  possesaiun  of  Miss  M.  Conway  Grifflib. 

Height  8  inches;  Dinmeter  at  the  month  about  3|  inches. 


Abcb.  Camb.    Vol.  xiv. 


^n:liH^0l0jgiH  Cmlrr^nsis. 


THIRD  SERIES,  No.  LV.— JULY,  1868. 


ANCIENT  INTERMENTS  AND  SEPULCHRAL  URNS 
FOUND  IN  ANGLESEY  AND  NORTH  WALES, 

WITH    SOME   ACCOUNT   OF    EXAMPLES    IN    OTHER 
LOCALITIES 

Fr(m.  Notices  hy  ike  Hon.  William  Owen  Stanley,  M.P.,  with  Additional 
Observations  by  Albert  Wat,  M.A.,  F.S.A. 

On  a  former  occasion,  in  describing  the  remarkable 
sepulchral  deposit  with  cinerary  urns,  brought  to  light 
at  Forth  Dafarch,  on  the  western  shore  of  Holyhead 
Island,  in  1848,  the  attention  of  archaeologists  (of  those 
more  especially  who  devote  their  researches  to  vestiges 
of  ancient  races  in  the  Principality)  was  invited  to  the 
deficiency  of  information  recorded  with  sufficient  preci- 
sion regarding  interments  of  the  earlier  ages.^  During 
the  interval  of  nearly  twenty  years  that  has  elapsed  since 
those  observations  were  made,  some  progress  has  been 
gained  in  this  particular  department  of  antiquarian  in- 
vestigation; a  fresh  impulse  has  been  given  through 
the  annual  gatherings  held  in  various  districts  by  the 
Cambrian  Archaeological  Association ;  and  the  constant 
record,  in  their  Transactions,  of  discoveries  that  have 
been  made,  has  essentially  contributed  to  stimulate 
greater  energy  and  precision  in  the  study  of  national 
antiquities.  But  much  remains  to  be  done.  We  have, 
indeed, emerged  from  that  dim  age  of  scanty  information 

^  Memoir,  by  the  Hon.  W.  O.  Stanley,  on  a  sepulchral  deposit  in 
Holyhead  Island.     {Archaol.  Journal,  vol.  vi,  p.  226.) 

3Ul»  SEIl.,  VOL.  xtv.  1 5 


218  INTERMENTS  AND  SEPULCHRAL  URNS 

when  the  Nestor  of  Cambrian  archaeology,  Pennant,  was 
compelled,  in  his  remarks  on  ancient  interments  and 
urn-burials,  to  admit,  "  I  cannot  establish  any  criterion 
by  which  a  judgment  may  be  made  of  the  people  to 
whom  the  different  species  of  urns  and  tumuli  belonged, 
whether  they  are  British,  Roman,  Saxon,  or  Danish."' 
The  whole  subject,  however,  as  one  of  our  most  saga- 
cious antiquaries,  Dr.  Thurnam,  has  truly  observed, 
deserves  more  careful  study  than  it  has  hitherto  ob- 
tained.2  We  are  still  in  uncertainty  in  regard  to  various 
details  connected  with  the  fictile  vessels  of  the  earliest 
periods,  the  distinctive  character  of  their  fashion,  and 
the  uses  to  which,  as  some  are  of  opinion,  these  curious 
vessels,  now  known  to  us  only  in  their  applicatioa  to 
mortuary  purposes,  may  have  been  originally  destined, 
in  the  daily  life  of  ancient  occupants  of  these  islands. 

Such  have  been  the  considerations  that  have  seemed 
to  give  particular  interest  to  some  discoveries  of  sepul- 
chral deposits  in  Anglesey  and  North  Wales,  and  also 
in  other  parts  of  the  Principality,  either  recently  brought 
to  light  or  hitherto  unrecorded. 

The  general  classification  of  burial-urns  of  the  earlier 
period,  as  proposed  by  Sir  Richard  Colt  Hoare  and  other 
writers,  although  doubtless  familiar  to  many  readers  of 
this  Journal,  may  here  be  briefly  noticed.^  A  very  use- 
ful summary  of  our  knowledge  of  relics  of  this  descrip- 
tion, accompanied  by  numerous  illustrations,  has  also 
been  given  by  the  late  Mr.  Bateman  in  his  record  of  the 
careful  investigations  of  barrows  and  urn-burials  in 
Derbyshire  and  other  parts  of  central  England.*     The 

^  Pennant,  Tour  in  Wales,  vol.  i,  p.  383,  where  a  valuable  summary 
of  antiquarian  knowledge  at  that  period  (1778),  in  regard  to  the  rites 
and  relics  of  ancient  interments,  may  be  found.  Several  cinerary  urns 
found  in  burial-mounds  in  the  parish  of  Llanarmon,  Flintshire,  are 
noticed.  They  had  been  placed,  inverted,  on  flat  pieces  of  stone ;  a 
second  stone  being  also  placed  over  each  urn  for  its  protection  in  the 
mound. 

2  Crania  Britannica^  vol.  i,  ch.  v,  p.  108. 

'  Hoare,  Ancient  WiltSy  vol.  i,  p.  25. 

*  Bateman,  Ten  Years'  Diggings,  p.  279.    See  also  the  valuable  dis- 


IN  ANGLESEY  AND  NORTH  WALES.  219 

vessels  exhumed  from  the  so-called  Celtic  tumuli  may 
be  conveniently  arranged,  as  he  has  pointed  out,  under 
the  following  classes : 

I.  Cinerary  or  sepulchral  urns,  such  as  have  either 
contained  or  have  been  inverted  over  calcined  bones. 
They  vary  much  in  dimensions,  material,  and  ornament- 
ation. Those  that  are  supposed,  from  their  being  accom- 
panied by  weapons*  or  other  objects  of  flint,  to  be  the 
most  ancient,  are  formed  of  clay  mixed  with  small  peb- 
bles or  broken  gravel.  They  were  wrought  by  hand 
alone,  without  the  use  of  a  lathe,  and  the  process  of  firing 
them  was  very  imperfect.  These  ancient  vessels  are  fre- 
quently described  as  sun  baked,  or  hardened  only  by 
exposure  to  the  air.  This,  however,  seems  very  impro- 
bable. The  use  of  the  kiln,  even  in  its  simplest  con- 
struction, may  have  been  unknown  until  a  much  later 
period ;  the  only  mode  of  firing  the  rude  ware  having 
been,  possibly,  to  fill  the  urn  with  hot  ashes,  and  to  heap 
the  glowing  embers  around  it.  The  colour  of  the  sur- 
face is  dark  brown  ;  the  interior,  as  appears  by  any  frac- 
ture, is  black.  These  urns,  holding  from  three  or  four 
pints  to  as  many  gallons,  measure  in  height  from  about 
ten  inches  to  eighteen  inches.  The  upper  part  is  usu- 
ally fashioned  with  an  overhanging  rim,  measuring  in 
many  examples  more  than  a  third  of  the  entire  height 
of  the  vessel ;  and  it  is  decorated  by  impressions  appa- 
rently produced  by  a  tool  of  wood  or  bone ;  in  other  ex- 
amples by  some  twisted  cord,  possibly  of  skin,  sinew,  or 
of  vegetable  fibre,  with  scored  and  other  patterns  also,  in 
which  the  herring-bone  prevails  in  various  combinations, 
frequently  presenting  a  reticulated  appearance.  Some 
examples  of  very  large  dimensions  have  been  brought 
tp  light  in  Wales.  In  a  carnedd  near  Cronllwyn,  on 
the  northern  coast  of  Pembrokeshire,  near  Fishguard, 
an  urn  was  found  measuring  nearly  three  feet  in  height. 
Within  it  was  a  small  cup.     These  vessels  were  exhi- 

sertation,  by  Dr.  Thurnam,  on  the  historical  ethnology  of  Britain 
{Crania  BriL,  ch.  v,  p.  107),  where  it  is  proposed  to  arrange  the  vessels 
found  in  barrows  under  three  principal  types. 

15' 


220  INTERMENTS  AND  SEPULCHRAL  URNS 

bited  at  the  meeting  of  the  Cambrian  Association  at 
Tenby  in  1851.^  The  occurrence  of  any  object  of  bronze 
with  urns  of  this  class  is  rare. 

II.  "  Incense  cups"  or  "  thuribles";  a  designation  com- 
monly adopted,  although  the  purpose  of  such  small 
vessels  is  doubtful.  They  occur  with  calcined  bones,  not 
containing  them,  and  are  found  deposited  within  urns  of 
the  first  class.  In  dimensions  they  vary  from  one  inch 
and  a  half  to  about  three  inches  in  height.  The  colour 
is  mostly  lighter  than  that  of  the  large  urns ;  the  paste, 
which  is  moreover  less  mixed  with  pebbles  or  sand, 
being  more  perfectly  fired.  The  vessels  of  this  descrip- 
tion have,  in  many  instances,  two  perforations  at  the 
side,  and,  more  rarely,  two  also  at  the  opposite  side, 
doubtless  for  suspension.  In  a  few  rare  instances  they 
are  furnished  with  side-loops  or  ears.  They  likewise 
are  fashioned  with  open  work,  or  with  long  narrow  slits. 
The  ornament  is  impressed  or  incised,  as  on  the  larger 
urns.  They  vary  much  in  form  and  general  fashion, 
and  very  anomalous  examples  have  occurred.  Sir  R.  C. 
Iloare  gives  a  little  vessel  that  seems  to  belong  to  this 
class,  resembling  a  colander  (Ancient  Wilts^vol.  i,  p.  209, 
pi.  XXX ) ;  also  another  formed  with  what  may  be  termed 
a  false  bottom, — that  is  at  mid  depth  within  the  little 
vessel,  so  that  it  has  on  either  side,  obverse  or  reverse, 
a  similar  shallow  cavity.^  There  is  reason  to  suppose, 
as  the  late  Mr.  Bateman  remarks,  that  they  do  not  accom- 
pany the  earliest  interments.  Mr.  Birch  has  suggested 
that  they  may  have  been  used  as  lamps.^  They  have 
also  been  compared  to  salt-cellars.  The  peculiarity  does 
not  appear  to  have  been  noticed  hitherto,  that  in  many 
instances  such  "incense-cups"  are  ornamented  on  the 
under  side,  as  shewn  by  examples  figured  hereafter  in 
this  memoir.  This  circumstance  seems  certainly  to  sug- 
gest that  these  diminutive  vessels  were  intended  to  be 

1  Arch  Camh,  vol.  ii,  N.  S.,  p.  334. 

2  Hoare,  Ancient  Wilis,  voL  i»  p.  114,  pi.  xiii. 

3  Birch,  Ancient  Pottery,  vol.  ii,  p.  380.  See  also  Dr.  Wilson's  Prr- 
htittoric  Annah  of  Scotland,  2nd  edit.,  vol.  i,  p.  423. 


IN  ANGLESEY  AND  NORTH   WALES.  221 

hung  up  above  the  height  of  the  eye.  With  one  excep- 
tion, noticed  by  the  late  Mr.  Bateman  {Ten  Years'  Dig- 
gings, p.  285),  no  urn  of  the  other  classes  of  sepulchral 
pottery  has  occurred,  of  which  the  bottom  bears  any 
external  ornament. 

III.  Small  vessels,  probably  for  food,  greatly  varying 
in  fashion  and  ornament.  They  occur  usually  with  un- 
burnt  remains,  and  were  placed  near  the  head  or  at  the 
feet ;  but  not  unfrequently  with  incinerated  bones — not, 
however, containing  them.  The  dimensions  are  from  four 
inches  and  a  half  to  five  or  six  inches  in  height.  The 
mouth  usually  is  wide,  the  foot  small.  It  is  difficult  to 
determine- the  age  of  these  vessels,  which  frequently  are 
rude,  and  almost  devoid  of  ornament ;  whilst  others  are 
well  wrought,  and  elaborately  decorated  with  impressed 
markings  and  herring-bone  patterns.  Examples  occur 
in  which  there  are  several  small  projections  or  vertical 
ribs  at  intervals  around  the  circumference,  mostly  formed 
in  a  groove  round  the  upper  part  of  the  urn,  and  these 
are  sometimes  pierced,  in  the  direction  of  the  groove, 
with  small  holes  just  sufficient  for  passing  a  thin  cord. 

IV.  Drinking  cups,  as  designated  by  Sir  Richard  Colt 
Hoare,  doubtless  in  true  accordance  with  their  inten- 
tion. These  are  highly  ornamented  vessels  of  compa- 
ratively fine  clay,  well  baked,  holding  from  two  to  three 
pints.  The  height  is  about  six  inches  to  nine  inches ; 
the  form  contracted  in  the  middle,  and  somewhat  globu- 
lar towards  the  foot  ^  the  colour  usually  light  reddish 
brown  ;  the  ornament,  very  elaborate,  and  in  many  in- 
stances produced  apparently  by  a  toothed  implement,  is 
arranged  in  horizontal  bands,  chevrony  patterns,  trian- 
gular or  lozengy  compartments,  etc.,  mostly  covering  the 
entire  surface.  These  cups  are  usually  found  with  un- 
bumt  remains,  and  had  been  placed  near  the  shoulders. 
Flint  relics  of  superior  workmanship  occur  with  them. 
In  a  few  instances  a  diminutive  bronze  awl  has  been 
found ;  but  Mr.  Bateman,  in  the  course  of  the  indefati- 
gable researches  by  which  his  highly  instructive  collec- 
tion at  Youlgrave  was  formed,  came  to  the  conclusion 


222  INTERMENTS  AND  SEPULCHRAL  URNS 

that  these  beautiful  vessels  appear  to  belong  to  a  period 
when  metal  was  almost  unknown.  A  few  examples  are 
known  of  a  remarkable  variation  in  form,  having  a  small 
handle  at  the  side.  Of  these,  one  was  disinterred  by 
Mr.  Bateman  near  Pickering,  Yorkshire  ;^  another, found 
in  the  Isle  of  Ely,  is  figured  in  the  Archceoloff icalJbumal ;^ 
the  third,  obtained  in  Berkshire,  is  in  the  British  Mu- 
seum.^ 

Of  the  first  class  of  sepulchral  urns  a  remarkable  ex- 
ample was  brought  to  light  in  Holyhead  Island,  accom- 
panying one  of  the  two  deposits  found  at  Forth  Dafarch, 
to  which  allusion  has  been  made  at  the  commencement 
of  this  memoir.  The  discovery  was  briefly  noticed  in 
the  ArchcBohgia  Cambrensis,  and  more  fully  recorded  in 
the  ArchcBohgical  Journal}  The  ums  have  been  depo- 
sited in  the  British  Museum,  where  previously  scarcely 
any  specimen  of  the  sepulchral  pottery  of  the  British 
islands  was  to  be  seen.  Through  the  kindness  of  Mr. 
Franks,  keeper  of  the  British  Antiquities,  the  accom- 
panying representations  of  the  relics  in  question  are  now 
submitted  to  the  readers  of  the  Arehmologia  Cambrensu^ 
with  a  view  also  of  the  little  bay  on  the  western  shore 
of  the  island  where  they  were  found. 

In  October,  1848,  an  interment  that  presented  some 
unusual  circumstances  in  the  mode  of  deposit  was  acci- 
dentally noticed  on  the  shore  of  the  small  harbour  or 
bay,  called  Forth  Dafarch,  about  midway  between  the 

^  Figured  in  Ten  Years*  Diggings,  p.  209. 

*  Archaol.  Joum,,  vol.  xix,  p.  364. 

*  In  Mr.  Warne's  Celtic  Tumuli  of  Dorset  a  drinking  cup  with  a 
broad  handle  is  noticed,  found  on  Ballard  Down.  (**  Tumuli  opened 
at  various  periods,"  p.  71.)  The  late  Mr.  Davison  described  one  of 
simple  cylindrical  fashion,  and  without  ornament,  found,  1826,  in  a 
circular  cist,  with  a  skeleton,  at  Winford  Eagle,  Dorset.  Figured, 
Oent,  Mag.,  vol.  xcvii,  p.  99.  Another,  of  different  form,  was  found 
on  the  same  Down  by  the  Rev.  J.  H.  Austen,  and  is  figured,  Papers 
read  before  the  Purbeck  Society,  p.  159,  pi.  xv. 

*  Arch,  Cambr,,  vol.  iv,  p.  67.  See  also  Arch.  Journal,  vol.  vi,  p. 
226.  The  woodcuts  prepared  for  the  memoir  then  given,  and  now  in 
possession  of  Mr.  A.  W.  Franks,  late  Director  Soc.  Ant.,  are  here 
reproduced  by  his  obliging  permission. 


IN  ANGLESEY  AND  NORTH  WALES.  223 

South  Stack  and  Porth-y-Capel.  The  tenant  of  the  late 
Lord  Stanley  of  Alderley,  Mr.  Roberts,  was  occupied  in 
collecting  stones  suitable  for  the  construction  of  some 
farm  buildings.  Near  the  road  leading  to  the  bay  there 
was  a  small  mound  that  had  originally  been,  in  alj  pro- 
bability, of  greater  elevation.  Its  dimensions  were,  at 
the  time  of  the  discovery,  about  thirty  feet  only  in  cir- 
cumference. It  seemed  to  have  been  lowered  on  some 
previous  occasion,  and  an  enclosure- wall  formed  adjoin- 
ing to  the  mound,  or  partly  crossing  it,  by  which  the 
shape  of  the  hillock  had  been  changed.  At  this  spot 
Mr.  Roberts  had  directed  a  stone  of  some  considerable 
siz^e  to  be  removed ;  and  on  its  being  displaced,  an  urn, 
described  as  resembling  a  beehive,  was  exposed  to  view 
beneath  it,  within  a  cist  formed  of  stones  set  edgeways. 
This  unfortunately  crumbled  to  pieces,  a  few  fragments 
only  being  preserved,  of  which  the  largest  is  here  figured, 
shewing  the  unusually  elaborate  ornament  within  the 
hollow  lip  of  the  vessel,  here  shewn  in  the  inverted  posi- 
tion in  which  it  had  been  placed  in  the  rude  cist^  (See 
woodcut,  fig.  2.)     The  urn  was  of  coai'se,  light  brown 


Fig.  2.— I<*niginent  of  the  large  Urn  fuuiid  nt  Porth  Dafttrob 

coloured  ware,  and  ornamented  with  a  trellised  or  lozengy 
pattern  around  the  rim,  and  also  on  its  inner  margin, 

^  The  inner  side  is  rarely  ornamented  with  so  much  care  in  urns  of 
this  description.  In  some  more  elaborately  worked  vessels,  such  as 
that  found  by  Mr.  Fenton  on  Cwm  Cerwyn,  Pembrokeshire,  the  inte- 
rior of  the  mouth  is  scored  or  impressed  with  no  less  care  than  the 
outside.     {Hist.  Pembrokeshire,  p.  360,  pi.  i,  fig.  1.) 


224       INTERMENTS  AND  SEPULCHRAL  URNS 

produced  apparently  by  impressing  a  cord  of  twisted 
fibre  or  of  sinew,  possibly,  upon  the  clay  when  in  a  moist 
state.  The  decoration,  however  rude  in  design,  is  re- 
markable for  its  regularity.  The  neck  of  the  urn  is 
fashioned  with  several  grooves  or  parallel  flutings  of 
equal  width,  with  impressed  markings  that  seem  to  have 
been  produced  by  a  little  toothed  implement,  about  half 
an  inch  in  length,  and  are  arranged  in  alternating  order 
so  as  to  present  a  zigzag  effect.  The  surface  of  the  ware 
is  of  a  dingy  brown  colour,  that  extends  only  through  a 
slight  crust ;  the  interior,  as  is  usually  found  in  these 
imperfectly  baked  vessels,  being  dark  coloured,  and  de- 
ficient in  compactness.  The  strongest  parts  of  the  frag- 
ments that  have  been  preserved  measure  nearly  seven- 
eighths  of  an  inch  in  thickness.  It  is  probable  that  this 
large  urn,  which  had  been  placed,  as  already  stated,  in 
an  inverted  position,  had  become  decayed  by  moisture 
and  proximity  to  the  surface,  the  deposit  being  less  than 
two  feet  beneath  the  sward.  It  had,  however,  been  sup- 
posed that  it  was  open,  or  rather,  that  previously  to  its 
being  placed  in  the  cist,  the  bottom  of  the  inverted  um 
had  been  broken  off,  and  the  aperture  closed  by  the  flat 
stone  which  first  led  to  the  discovery.  It  may  seem 
more  probable,  however,  that  the  vessel  had  been  placed 
entire,  with  the  mouth  downwards,  on  a  flat  stone  form- 
ing a  sort  of  floor ;  the  base,  thus  inverted,  being  pro- 
tected by  a  slab  laid  over  it  when  the  mound  was  raised. 
This  part  of  the  urn,  placed  nearest  the  surface,  had 
become  decayed  and  crumbled  away,  owing  to  the 
moisture  of  the  soil  and  the  superincumbent  weight. 

On  searching  further,  a  small  vessel  (fig.  3)  of  very 
unusual  fashion,  and  fabricated  with  considerable  skill, 
was  found  placed  within  the  larger  um.  Both  contained 
ashes,  portions  of  incinerated  bones  with  sand,  of  which 
some  part  had  probably  fallen  into  the  cavity  when  the 
top  stone  was  removed.  The  smaller  um  was  placed  in 
the  centre,  upon  a  flat  stone ;  and  the  exterior  um  had 
been  carefully  protected  all  around  by  a  little  wall,  so 
to  describe  it,  of  pieces  of  shingle  set  edgeways,  about 


IN  ANGLESEY  AND  NORTH  WALES. 


225 


six  or  eight  inches  in  height,  and  serving  to  protect  the 
deposit  from  the  pressure  of  the  surrounding  soil.  The 
inverted  mouth  of  this  larger  urn,  indeed,  was  so  firmly 
embedded  and  fixed  in  this  manner,  that  it  proved  im- 


Fig.  3.—lJnt  enclosed  within  the  larger  Vessel.    Height,  three  inches. 

practicable  to  extricate  it  without  breaking  the  vessel 
into  pieces.  It  seems  to  have  been  of  unusually  large 
size ;  the  diameter  at  the  mouth  must  have  measured 


Fig.  4. — ^The  Urger  Urn.  restored,  and  small  Urn  found  within  it;  shewing  the 
supposed  proportions  of  the  pair.    Scale,  one-sixth  original  size. 

nearly  thirteen  inches ;  the  height  cannot  now  be  ascer- 
tained.    The  smaller  urn,  which  is  of  lighter  brown 


226       INTERMENTS  AND  SEPULCHRAL  URNS 

colour,  and  of  compact  aud  well  formed  ware,  measures 
four  inches  and  five-eighths  in  diameter  at  the  mouth  ; 
its  height  is  three  inches  ;  the  diameter  of  the  base  one 
inch  and  three  quarters.  It  is  marked  over  the  entire 
surface,  as  is  also  the  interior  of  the  lip,  by  lines  closely 
scored  or  impressed  with  a  fine  edged  implement,  and 
forming  a  succession  of  zigzag  bands.  The  contour  of 
the  form  is  of  very  unusual  and  not  inelegant  character. 
This  urn,  as  it  is  stated,  was  not  inverted.  It  may  pos- 
sibly be  regarded  as  a  rare  variety  of  the  "  food- vessel," 
and  cited  as  a  specimen  of  the  third  class  of  sepulchral 
urns,  according  to  the  general  classification  that  has 
been  suggested.  In  the  woodcut  (fig.  4)  the  proportion 
of  the  two  urns  respectively  is  shewn,  as  nearly  bs  it  can 
be  ascertained  by  careful  examination  of  the  fragments 
of  the  larger  urn. 

A  second  similar  deposit  was  brought  to  light,  adja- 
cent to  that  which  has  been  described  within  the  cist. 
The  larger  urn  had  become  quite  decayed,  and  had 
crumbled  into  black  dust.  Within  it  had  been  placed 
a  small  vessel  of  more  diminutive  size  than  the  little, 
highly  ornamented  urn  in  the  other  interment.  It  is 
quite  plain,  without  any  impressed  or  scored  decoration. 
This  vessel,  which  likewise  contained  ashes,  was  fortu- 
nately preserved.  It  measures,  in  height,  two  inches 
and  five-eighths ;  diameter  of  the  mouth,  two  inches  and 
a  half;  of  the  widest  part,  three  inches  and  a  half;  of 
the  base,  one  inch  and  five-eighths.  (See  woodcut,  fig. 5.) 


Fig.  5.— Stnnll  Cinerary  Urn,  sooond  deposit.    Height,  two  inches  luid  five-eighths. 

A  little  cup  found  in  Wiltshire,  very  similar  in  form,  is 
figured  by  Sir  R.  C.  Hoare.^ 

1  Ancient  WiUsj  p.  85,  pi.  ix. 


IN  ANGLESEY  AND  NORTH  WALES.  227 

A  few  feet  to  the  west  of  these  remains  a  rudely 
formed  cist  or  grave  was  found,  placed  nearly  east  and 
west.  It  was  constructed  with  slabs  set  edgeways,  and 
covered  by  a  fifth  slab  of  large  size.  This  depository 
bore  some  resemblance  to  the  graves  at  Towyn-y-Capel, 
to  the  south  of  Forth  Dafarch,  described  on  a  former 
occasion.^  No  bones  or  remains  of  any  kind  were  found, 
as  it  was  stated,  in  this  cist.  Dry  sand  appeared  cover- 
ing its  floor.  There  were  some  traces  of  fire  and  ashes ; 
and  it  was  even  supposed  that  this  cist  might  have 
served  as  an  ustrinum,  in  which  the  corpses  might  have 
been  burned.  Careful  examination  of  the  spot  having 
been  subsequently  made,  a  considerable  quantity  of 
bones  were  found  scattered  around.  As,  however,  no 
one  witnessed  the  first  discovery,  except  the  agricultural 
labourers,  and  the  mound  was  afterwards  disturbed  by 
persons  in  quest  of  treasure,  on  the  report  of  the  finding 
of  the  interments,  it  is  unfortunately  impossible  to  deter- 
mine to  which  deposit  those  dispersed  remains  should 
be  assigned,  or  whether  there  may  not  have  been  evi- 
dence of  an  interment  of  an  unbumt  body  as  well  as  of 
cremation.  Many  large  stones,  it  should  be  observed, 
lay  in  the  sand  around  :  they  may  have  formed  a  cairn, 
or  possibly  a  rude  kistvaen,  that  had  become  denuded 
of  the  earth  which  covered  it,  so  that  the  stone  covering 
the  urn  was  nearly  exposed.  There  was  also  a  larger 
slab,  which  may  have  been  an  upright  stone  or  maenhir. 
The  mound  was  covered  with  green  sward  before  the  ex- 
cavation. In  former  ages  the  sea  had  probably  reached 
to  within  a  hundred  yards,  or  upwards,  of  this  tumulus ; 
but  there  had  been  a  gradual  encroachment,  and  the 
waves  now  wash  its  base.  The  general  appearance  of 
the  spot,  and  the  position  of  the  mound,  are  shewn  in 
the  view  that  accompanies  this  notice.    (See  fig.  1  ante.) 

The  supposition  which  the  appearance  of  the  two  urns 
first  described  suggested  was  that  the  mound  might  have 
covered  the  remains  of  a  mother  and  her  infant ;  this 

1  See  the  memoir  on  the  tumular  cemetery  at  Towyn-y-Capcl,  by 
the  Hon.  W.  O.  Stanley,  ArchnBol.  Journal,  vol.  iii,  p.  226. 


228  INTERMENTS  AND  SEPULCHRAL  URNS 

conjecture  was,  in  a  certain  degree,  confirmed  by  subse- 
quent investigation.  The  contents  of  the  small  urn 
(fig.  3)  having  been  submitted  to  the  late  Mr.  Quekett, 
to  whose  skill  and  obliging  aid  in  elucidating  questions 
connected  with  animal  remains  archaeologists  have  fre- 
quently been  indebted,  he  pointed  out  half-burnt  frag- 
ments that  might  unquestionably  be  distinguished  as 
portions  of  the  skeleton  of  a  very  young  infant.  He 
noticed  also  other  fragments  considered  to  be  the  re- 
mains of  a  young  adult,  the  age  presumed,  from  the 
occurrence  of  part  of  the  jaw-bone  enclosing  one  of  the 
"  wisdom  teeth  "  not  yet  cut,  to  have  been  about  twenty- 
four  years.^ 

Among  the  bones  and  sand  one  small  portion  of  bronze 
was  found ;  it  seemed  to  have  been  a  rivet,  measuring 
about  an  eighth  of  an  inch  only  in  length :  this  little 
relic  sufficed,  however,  to  prove  that  some  object,  of 
wood,  possibly,  or  of  bone,  or  other  perishable  material, 
and  compacted  with  metal,  had  been  either  burned  or 
deposited  with  the  remains.  On  the  inner  surface  of 
the  small  urn  were  noticed  filaments,  evidently  traces  of 
some  vegetation  ;  these,  on  careful  examination,  Mr. 
Quekett  was  enabled  to  affirm  to  be  the  ribs  of  the  leaf 
of  the  pteris  aquilina^  the  braken,  a  kind  of  fern  that 
abounds  near  Forth  Dafarch.  It  should  appear,  therefore, 
that  the  urn  had  been  lined  with  fern-leaves  previously 
to  placing  within  it  the  burnt  relics  of  the  beloved  child, 
whose  deposit,  as  it  may  be  believed,  was  here  brought 
to  light.^  Another  circumstance  deserving  of  attention 
presented  itself  in  the  inquiry.     With  the  portions  of 

^  A  bone  of  a  frog  and  several  small  land-shells  were  found  with 
these  remains,  and  also  several  specimens  of  the  ptinusfur.  It  was 
questioned  whether  it  were  possible  that  insect-life  could  be  thus  pre- 
served in  long  confinement,  especially  as  the  ptinus  commonly  feeds 
on  wood,  paper,  or  leather.  It  seems,  however,  certain  that  these 
small  beetles  had  long  found  their  way  into  the  urn.  The  larger 
fragments  of  bone  were  channeled  by  the  slow  operations  of  the  little 
creatures,  whose  food,  in  their  larva  state,  the  half-burnt  remains  had 
supplied.  This  curious  discovery  has  been  more  fully  related,  Archceol, 
Joum,  vol.  vi,  p.  232. 

*  See  some  more  detailed  particulars,  ihid.,  p.  233. 


IN  ANGLESEY  AND  NORTU  WALES.  229 

human  bone  appeared  fragments,  which  Mr.  Quekett 
confidently  pointed  out  as  those  of  a  small  animal ;  and, 
although  unable  positively  to  identify  the  kind  of  crea- 
ture to  which  they  belonged,  he  stated  his  opinion  that 
they  probably  had  been  part  of  a  small  dog.  The  occur- 
rence of  such  remains  in  this  interment  is  by  no  means 
improbable;  in  several  instances  that  have  been  recorded 
by  the  late  Sir  Richard  Colt  Hoare  and  other  writers  on 
British  burials,  bones  of  the  dog,  and  also  of  the  horse, 
cow,  goat,  and  swine,  have  been  brought  to  light  with 
or  near  the  human  remains.  It  will  be  remembered 
that  such  usages  in  Britain  are  in  accordance  with  the 
ancient  practice  of  the  Gauls,  recorded  by  Caesar,  who 
states  that  the  funerals  of  that  people  were  not  devoid 
of  costly  ceremony ;  that  they  tlirew  upon  the  funereal 
pile  every  object,  even  the  animals  that  the  deceased 
when  living  had  regarded  with  attachment.  "  Funera 
sunt,  pro  cultu  Gallorum,  magnifica  et  sumptuosa ;  om- 
niaque,  quee  vivis  cordi  fuisse  arbitrantur,  in  ignem 
ferunt,  etiam  animalia."^ 

The  remains  of  small  mammalia,  and,  as  I  believe,  of 
the  dog,  appear  to  have  repeatedly  been  foun  din  early 
interments,  especially  in  the  sister  kingdom.^  Amongst 
instances  that  have  occurred  in  the  southern  parts  of 
England,  two  may  claim  special  mention.  The  first  was 
in  a  barrow,  near  Everley,  Wilts,  in  which  the  skeleton 
of  a  dog  lay  apart  from  the  burnt  remains  of  his  master  ; 
it  was  placed  above  them,  nearer  the  surface,  but  there 
can  be  little  question  that,  as  Sir  Richard  C.  Hoare  re- 
marked, the  deceased,  whose  relics  were  found  sur- 
rounded by  a  wreath  of  the  horns  of  the  red  deer,  with 
arrow-heads  of  flint  among  the  ashes,  may  have  been 

^  Caes.  Comm.,  lib.  vi,  c.  19. 

^  Catalogue  of  the  Anttguities,  Mus,  Roy,  Irish  Acad.,  by  Sir  W.  R. 
Wilde,  ("Mortuary  Urns"),  pp.  173,  185.  A  bone  of  a  dog,  as  sup- 
posed, occurred  with  human  skeletons  in  the  chamber  within  a  barrow 
in  the  Phoenix  Park,  destroyed  in  1838.  (Ibid.,  p.  181.)  The  reader 
may  remember  the  burial  of  CuchuUin  on  the  Irish  shore.  The  hero's 
favourite  hound,  Luath,  was  laid  near  him.  {Ossian,  edit.  1773,  vol.  i, 
p.  388.) 


230  INTERMENTS  AND  SEPULCHRAL  URNS 

killed  in  the  chase,  and  that  his  faithful  attendant  was 
interred  over  his  grave.^  The  second  instance  is  the 
deposit  on  Sutton  Down,  Dorset,  where  a  remarkable 
barrow  was  opened  by  Mr.  C.  Wame,  whose  experience 
in  such  researches  is  perhaps  unrivalled ;  he  describes 
the  discovery  of  a  mass  of  ashes  and  burnt  bones  with  a 
plain  urn  having  two  pierced  ears,  as  often  seen  in  the 
ancient  pottery  of  Dorset,  deposited  in  a  space  about 
four  feet  in  diameter ;  and  immediately  under  the  urn 
lay  a  skeleton  of  a  small  dog,  the  teeth  still  firm  in  the 
jaws.*  Professor  Nilsson,  in  his  account  of  the  primitive 
inhabitants  of  Scandinavia,  states  that  in  Sweden  skulls 
*  of  dogs  have  occasionally  been  found  with  human  skele- 
tons in  tumuli.  The  missionary  Cranz  relates  also  that 
many  Greenlanders  used  to  lay  the  head  of  a  dog  beside 
the  grave  of  a  child,  in  order  that  the  soul  of  the  dog, 
which  can  always  find  its  way  home,  might  show  the 
helpless  child  the  road  to  the  country  of  souls.* 

It  is  to  be  regretted  that  the  precise  facts  of  the  dis- 
covery at  Forth  Dafarch,  and  certain  details  regarding 
the  condition  of  the  deposits,  were  not  minutely  observed, 
when  they  were  casually  disturbed  by  the  labourers  in 
Mr.  Roberts'  employ  ;  the  particulars  above  given  were 
collected  from  him,  and  by  careful  observation  on  the 

^  Hoare,  Ancient  Wilts,  vol.  i,  p.  184.  See  also  the  notices  of  bar- 
rows opened  near  Amesbury,  pp.  124,  125;  and  atWilsford,  pp.  208, 
216.  The  skeletons  of  the  dogs  were  usually  found  somewhat  above 
the  primary  deposit. 

2  See  Mr.  Warne's  valuable  work,  The  Celtic  Tumuli  of  Dorset, 
Personal  Researches,  pp.  29,  30.  In  a  barrow  at  Way  Hagg,  on  Ayton 
Moor,  Yorkshire,  Mr.  Tissiman  found  a  large  urn  with  burnt  remains, 
an  "incense-cup,"  arrow-heads,  etc.;  also  bones  of  some  small  ani- 
mal that  had  been  burnt  with  the  corpse.  {Joum.  Brit,  Arch.  Ass., 
vol.  vi,  p.  2  ;  see  also  Reliquary,  vol.  iii,  p.  206 ;  Arch,  Joum,,  vol. 
xiii,  p.  101.) 

3  Nilsson,  Inhabitants  of  Scandinavia  during  the  Stone  Age,  trans- 
lated by  Sir  John  Lubbock,  Bart.,  p.  140.  Skulls  of  dogs  have  been 
found  in  Esquimaux  graves.  Scoresby  relates  that  he  found  one  ''in 
a  small  grave,  which  probably  was  that  of  a  child."  Sir  R.  Colt 
Hoare  found  in  a  barrow  near  Amesbury  two  skeletons  of  infants  de- 
posited in  a  very  singular  manner,  each  having  been  placed  over  the 
head  of  a  cow,  which,  we  might  conjecture,  had  supplied  nourishment 
during  the  brief  term  of  life. 


IN  ANGLESEY  AND  NORTH  WALES.  231 

spot.  It  is  possible  that  some  of  the  remains,  of  which, 
moreover,  only  a  small  portion  was  procured  and  sub- 
mitted to  scientific  examination,  had  become  displaced  ; 
and  that  some  of  those  that  had  been  placed  in  the 
larger  urn  had,  in  the  confusion  of  opening  the  mound 
without  any  proper  care,  been  mixed  with  the  contents 
of  the  smaller  vase.  It  cannot  even  be  ascertained 
whether  the  remains  were  originally  placed  in  distinct 
receptacles,  respectively ;  the  facts  that  have  been  de- 
tailed are  the  result  of  very  careful  investigation,  and 
it  appears  certain  that  the  deposit  consisted  of  the  re- 
mains of  a  person  in  the  prime  of  life,  probably  a  female, 
and  of  an  infant  newly  born,  or  of  the  tenderest  age. 
It  must  further  be  noticed  that  the  interment  seems  to 
belong  to  the  period  subsequent  to  the  use  of  bronze. 

The  question  naturally  occurs  whether  the  tumulus 
ought  to  be  regarded  as  a  British  burial-place,orwhether, 
situated  so  close  to  the  shore,  which  from  the  earliest 
times  must  have  been  exposed  to  piratical  incursions  of 
the  Northmen,  and  especially  to  the  assaults  of  ruthless 
plunderers  from  the  opposite  coast  of  Ireland,  the  ves- 
tiges that  have  been  described  may  not  be  assigned  to 
the  stranger,  to  whose  aggressions  those  parts  Were, 
even  in  much  later  times,  frequently  a  prey.  The  Irish 
undoubtedly  made  sojourns  on  these  coasts,  and  the 
tradition  is  preserved  in  the  names  of  the  adjacent  land- 
ing place,  Porth-y-Gwyddel,  and  the  village  of  circular 
dwellings — Cyttiau'r  Gwyddelod — the  Irishmen's  huts, 
on  the  flank  of  the  mountain  that  commands  the  little 
harbour.^  The  suggestion  has,  moreover,  been  made 
that  certain  features  of  the  urn-burials  that  have  been 
brought  to  light  may  be  regarded  as  analogous  to  such 
as  have  been  noticed  in  ancient  Irish  interments.  The 
smaller  urn  (fig.  3)  wholly  covered  with  zig-zag  orna- 
ments is  dissimilar  in  form  to  those  commonly  found  in 
England  or  Wales,  and  in  its  fabrication  differs  greatly 

^  See  some  further  observations,  ArchaoL  Journal,  vol.  vi,  p.  236 ; 
and  Mr.  Stanley's  memoir  on  the  Cyttiau*r  Gwyddelod  on  Holyhead 
Mountain.     {Ibid.,  vol.  xxiv,  p.  123.) 


232  INTERMENTS  AND  SEPULCHRAL  DRNS 

from  the  large  ura  within  which  it  was  placed  ;  this  last 
bears  much  general  resemblance  to  the  early  cinerary 
vessels  found  in  England  and  Wales,  whilst  those  oth 
tained  in  Ireland  are  far  more  elaborately  decorated  with 
chevrony  and  other  ornament  over  the  greater  part  of 
the  surface,  as  shown  by  examples  figured  in  the  Dublin 
Penny  Journal^  the  Catalogue  of  the  Museum  of  the  Royal 
Irish  Academy^  the  Ulster  Journal  of  Archaeology^  and 
other  works.^  May  not  this  little  cup  have  been  brought 
from  Ireland  by  the  pirate  chieftain,  and  the  larger  um 
have  been  of  the  ordinary  manufacture  by  the  natives 
of  Mona? 

It  has  been  stated  also  that  in  Ireland  small  urns  have 
occurred,  not  unfrequently,  deposited  within  those  of 
larger  size  containing  burnt  bones  and  ashes.  Sir  W. 
R.  Wilde  relates  a  remarkable  discovery  in  the  county 
of  Carlow,  in  1847.  In  a  small  cist  were  found  a  large 
urn  of  rude  fashion  filled  with  fragments  of  adult  human 
bones,  and  within  it  a  little  vessel,  the  most  elaborate  in 
workmanship  hitherto  brought  to  light  in  the  British 
Isles,  enclosing  the  burned  bones  of  an  infant  or  very 
young  child,  thus  presenting  to  us  an  example  of  mor- 
tuary usages  strikingly  resembling  those  noticed  in  the 
interment  at  Forth  Dafarch.  This  little  cup,  measuring 
only  2|  inches  in  diameter  by  3|  inches  across  the  mouth, 
is  described  by  Sir  W.  Wilde  as  resembling  a  sea-egg 
or  echinus;  the  bottom  is  conical,  so  that  the  vessel  could 
not  stand  erect ;  there  is  on  one  side  a  handle  that  is 
tooled  over  like  the  surface  of  the  vessel,  and  projects  so 
slightly  that  the  finger  could  not  be  passed  through  it 

1  Dublin  Penny  Journal^  vol,  i,  p.  108 ;  CataL  Mus.  Roy.  Irish  Acad,, 
pp.  177,  179  ;  Ulster  Journal,  vol.  ix,  p.  112,  plates  1,  2;  Trans.  Kil- 
kenny Arch.  Soc,  vol.  ii,  part  ii,  pp.  295-303 ;  see  also  the  elaborately 
wrought  urn  found  in  a  cairn  in  co.  Tyrone,  described  by  Mr.  John 
Bell,  Journal  Brit.  Arch.  Assoc,  vol.  i,  p.  243.  In  the  last  instance  the 
large  inverted  urn  enclosed  a  very  singular  specimen  of  the  '*  incense- 
cup/'  fashioned  with  triangular  apertures  all  round,  and  measuring 
only  three  inches  and  a  half  in  diameter.  A  richly  decorated  Irish 
urn,  in  the  collection  of  the  Society  of  Antiquaries,  is  figured,  Pro- 
ceedings, vol.  ii.  Second  Series,  p.  5.  A  notice  of  the  great  discovery 
of  urns  on  Ballon  Hill,  co.  Carlow,  is  given  Arch.  Joum.,  vol.  xi,  p.  73. 


IN  ANGLESEY   AND  NORTH  WALES.  233 

This  rare  addition  may  have  served  as  a  means  of  sus- 
pension.^ 

Of  the  first  class  of  cinerary  urns,  namely,  those  that 
may  be  regarded  as  earliest  in  date,  Anglesey  has  sup- 
plied another  memorable  example,  the  urn  brought  to 
light  in  1813  in  a  cist  on  the  banks  of  the  river  Alaw, 
traditionally  regarded  as  having  been  the  depository  of 
the  remains  of  Bronwen  the  Fair,  sister  of  Br&n  the 
father  of  Caractacus,  and  consort  of  the  discourteous 
Matholwch,  an  Irish  prince,  from  whose  insulting  treat- 
ment she  sought  refuge  in  Mona.  The  spot  where  this 
interment  was  found  is  marked  in  the  Ordnance  Survey ; 
it  is  about  a  mile  NE.  of  the  village  of  Llantrisaint,  and 
about  five  miles  from  the  mouth  of  the  Alaw,  where  its 
waters  flow  into  the  sestuary  dividing  Anglesey  from 
Holyhead  Island.  The  following  particulars  are  ex- 
tracted from  a  periodical,  the  Cambro- Briton^  which  may 
not  be  accessible  to  many  of  our  readers. 

"  It  is  said,  in  the  additions  to  Camden,  edited  by 
Gough,^  that,  according  to  tradition,  the  largest  of  the 
numerous  cromlechs  in  Anglesea  is  the  monument  of 
Bronwen,  daughter  of  Llyr  Llediaith,  and  aunt  of  Car- 
actacus. The  precise  site  of  this  noted  pile  is  not  stated  ; 
a  local  antiquary  of  the  last  century,  Mr.  GriflSth,  in  a 
letter  to  Mr.  Vaughan,  of  Hengwrt,  speaking  of  Angle- 
sea  as  the  burial-place  of  many  distinguished  persons 
in  ancient  days,  observes,  *  as  to  Brownwen,  the  daughter 
of  Leir,  there  is  a  crooked  little  cell  of  stone,  not  far 
west  of  Alaw,  where,  according  to  tradition,  she  was 
buried.' "» 

^  This  unique  relic  of  fictile  art  is  figured  Proceedings  Royal  Irish 
jicad.,  vol.  iv,  p.  35;  see  also  vol.  v,  p.  131  ;  and  Sir  W.  Wilde's 
Calctlogue  of  the  Museum  of  the  Academy^  in  which  the  cup  is  now 
p^ese^^•ed,  p.  1 79.  A  little  vessel  of  like  dimensions  and  form,  but 
without  a  handle,  and  less  elaborate  in  workmanship,  is  figured  Trans. 
Kilkenny  Arch,  Soc,  vol  i,  p.  136. 

«  Vol.  iii,  p.  200,  edit.  1806. 

*  It  may  deserve  notice,  that  the  statement  above  cited  as  from 
Gough's  additions  to  the  Britannia,  is  derived  from  a  letter  from  the 
Rev.  John  Davies,  Bector  of  Newborough,  to  Bishop  Gibson,  and  pub- 
lished in  the  translation  of  Camden's  work  by  that  learned  prelate, 

liRD  bEU.,  VOL.  XIV.  16 


234  INTERMENTS  AND  SEPULCHRAL  URNS 

The  account  of  the  discovery  of  the  interment  in  1813 
was  communicated  by  Mr.  Richard  Fenton,  the  historian 
of  Pembrokeshire,  to  Sir  Richard  Colt  Hoare,  and  by 
that  distinguished  antiquary  to  the  Camhro- Briton.^  Its 
special  interest  was  thus  stated  by  Sir  Richard: — 

"  During  the  long  and  minute  examination  of  our 
numerous  barrows  in  Wiltshire,  and  especially  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  Stonehenge,  1  had  often  reason  to  la- 
ment that,  by  their  contents,  we  could  form  no  conjec- 
ture either  at  what  period,  or  to  what  personage,  the 
sepulchral  tumulus  was  raised.  But,  from  the  follow- 
ing record,  this  mysterious  deposit  seems  to  have  been 
ascertained.  A  farmer  living  on  the  banks  of  the  Alaw, 
a  river  in  the  Isle  of  Anglesea,  having  occasion  for  stones 
to  make  some  addition  to  his  farm  buildings,  and  hav- 
ing observed  a  stone  or  two  peeping  through  the  turf  of 
a  circular  elevation  on  a  flat  not  far  from  the  river,  was 
induced  to  examine  it,  where,  after  paring  oflF  the  turf, 
he  came  to  a  considerable  heap  of  stones,  or  camedd, 
covered  with  earth,  which  he  removed  with  some  degree 
of  caution,  and  got  to  a  cist  formed  of  coarse  flags 
canted  and  covered  over.  On  removing  the  lid  he  found 
it  contained  an  urn  placed  with  its  mouth  downwards, 
full  of  ashes  and  half-calcined  fragments  of  bone.  The 
report  of  this  discovery  soon  went  abroad,  and  came  to 
the  ears  of  the  parson  of  the  parish,  and  another  neigh- 
bouring clergyman,  both  fond  of  and  conversant  in  Welsh 
antiquities,  who  were  immediately  reminded  of  a  passage 

vol.  ii,  p.  810,  second  edition,  1722.  This  valuable  communication 
regarding  the  antiquities  of  Mona  refers  (as  above  mentioned  from  the 
Cambro' Briton)  to  the  letter  of  the  then  deceased  antiquary,  Mr.  John 
Griffith,  of  Llan  Dhyvnan  (Llanddyfnan),  concerning  the  "crooked 
cell"  where  Bronwen,  according  to  tradition,  was  buried.  "  Crooked" 
seems,  by  the  context,  here  used  as  by  some  old  writers,  not  in  the 
sense  of  awry,  but  of  bunch-backed  or  gibbous.  Compare  Promp. 
Farv.f  "  crokyd,  curvua,  reflexus" 

^  CambrO' Briton,  vol.  ii,  p.  71 ;  October  1820.  Sir  Richard  has 
also  given  an  extract  of  this  curious  account  {Ancient  Wilis,  vol.  ii, 
p.  111).  It  has  also  been  given  Archaol.  Joum,,  vol.  vi,  p.  237.  The 
discovery  is  related,  with  a  rough  woodcut  of  the  urn,  in  Angharad 
Llwyd*s  Htst,  of  Mona,  1833,  p.  45. 


IN   ANGLESEY  AND  NORTH  WALES.  235 

in  one  of  the  early  Welsh  romances  called  the  Mahinogiony 
or  Juvenile  Tales,  the  same  that  is  quoted  in  Mr.  Davis' 
Latin  and  Welsh  Dictionary^  as  well  as  in  Richards',  un- 
der the  word  Petrual  (square) — 

"  Bedd  petrual  a  wnaed  i  Fronwen  ferch 
Lyr  ar  Ian  Alaw,  ac  yno  y  claddwyd  hi." 

*'  A  square  grave  was  made  for  Bronwen,  the  daughter 
of  Llyr,  on  the  banks  of  the  Alaw,  and  there  she  was 
buried. 

"  Happening  to  be  in  Anglesea  soon  after  this  dis- 
covery, 1  could  not  resist  the  temptation  of  paying  a 
visit  to  so  memorable  a  spot.  I  found  it  in  all  local 
respects  exactly  as  described  to  me  by  the  clergyman 
above  mentioned,  and  as  characterised  by  the  passage 
cited  from  the  romance.  The  tumulus  raised  over  the 
venerable  deposit  was  of  considerable  circuit,  elegantly 
rounded  but  low,  about  a  dozen  paces  from  the  river 
Alaw.^  The  urn  was  presented  entire,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  a  small  bit  out  of  its  lip,  was  ill-baked,  very  rude, 
and  simple,  having  no  other  ornament  than  little  pricked 
dots,  in  height  from  about  a  foot  to  fourteen  inches,  and 
nearly  of  the  following  shape.*  When  I  saw  the  lirn 
the  ashes  and  half-calcined  bones  were  in  it.  The  lady, 
to  whom  the  ancient  tale  ascribes  them  was  Bronwen, 
daughter  of  Llyr  Llediaith  (of  foreign  speech),  and  sister 
to  Bran  the  Blessed,  as  he  is  styled  in  the  Triads,  the 
father  of  Caractacus.  By  the  romance,  her  adventures 
are  connected  with  Ireland,  where  she  was  ill-treated 
by  Matholwch,  then  king  of  that  country,  in  conse- 
quence of  which  she  left  it,  and,  landing  in  Wales,  the 
romance  tells  us  she  looked  back  upon  Ireland,  which, 

^  The  following  note  is  here  added  by  the  Editor  of  the  Cambro- 
Briton,  **  this  spot  is  still  called  Ynys  Bronwen,  or  the  islet  of  Hron- 
wen,  which  is  a  remarkable  confirmation  of  the  genuineness  of  this 
discovery." 

*  A  representation  of  the  um  was  given  in  the  Camhro- Briion,  of 
somewhat  questionable  accuracy,  having  been  supplied  by  Mr.  John 
Fenton  partly  from  his  father's  sketch,  "  and  from  having  seen  some 
scores  of  the  same  urns  which  are  uniform  in  their  proportions  or 
shapes,  whether  found  in  Wales,  Wiltshire,  or  elsewhere." 

1G2 


236  INTERMENTS  AND  SEPULCHRAL  URNS 

freshening  the  memory  of  the  indignity  she  had  met 
with  there,  broke  her  heart.  To  confirm  the  fact  of  the 
affront  given  her  one  of  the  Triads  (that  very  ancient 
and  singular  Welsh  chronicle  by  Threes)  records  it  as 
one  of  the  three  mischievous  blows  (with  the  palm  of 
the  hand)  of  Britain,  viz.,  the  blow  of  Matholwch,  the 
Irishman  (Gwvddelian)  given  to  Bronwen,  the  daughter 
ofLlyr."^ 

In  1821  the  urn  was  in  the  possession  of  Richard 
lilwyd,  the  "  Bard  of  Snowdon,"  then  living  in  Chester.* 
It  was  subsequently  presented  to  the  British  Museum 
through  the  late  Dr.  Owen  Pughe,  the  Welsh  lexico- 
grapher; a  letter  from  his  son,  Aneurin  Owen,  dated 
October  15th,  1834,  preserved  in  the  correspondence  of 
the  Department  of  Antiquities,  announces  that  the  valu- 
able relic  had  actually  been  despatched  to  London, 

The  so-called  "  Urn  of  Bronwen  "  is  here  figured. 
(Fig.  6).     Its  dimensions  are — height,  12  inches;  dia- 


Fig.  6.— Ui-n,  fts  suppoacd,  of  Bronwen,  duughter  of  IJyr.    Date  of  her  death,  about  a.d.  50. 
Height,  12  iuches;  diameter,  at  the  mouth,  9  ius.    British  Museum. 

1  See  the  **  Three  fatal  Slaps,"  Cambro-Briton,  vol.  ii,  p.  10. 

*  Note  in  Gambro- Briton,  vol.  ii,  p.  371.  Miss  Angharad  Llwyd 
(Hist.  ofMona,  1833,  p.  46)  observes  that  the  urn  **  is  now  in  the  pos- 
session of  one  of  the  most  ingenious  of  the  bards  of  Mona,  who  resides 
in  Chester." 


IN  ANGLESEY  AND  NORTH  WALES.  237 

meter  of  the  widest  part,  1 1  ins. ;  of  the  mouth,  9  ins. 
It  is  shown  here  in  the  inverted  position  in  which  it 
was  stated  to  have  been  found ;  the  ornament  consists 
of  a  few  diagonal  markings  irregularly  impressed,  and, 
as  Mr.  Franks  pointed  out,  somewhat  peculiar,  such  as 
might  be  produced  by  the  angular  edge  of  a  blunt  four- 
sided  implement.  Within  the  mouth  the  lip  is  slightly 
curved  ;  the  hollow  bears  two  rows  of  roughly  impressed 
markings  as  on  the  outside.  On  recent  examination 
thece  appeared  amongst  the  incinerated  contents  a  paper 
inscribed — "Bones  from  Bronwen's  urn,  August  24, 
1813;  "  also  a  portion  of  a  cranium  that  had  not  been 
exposed  to  fire,  and  a  few  fragments  of  a  second  sepul- 
chral vessel  of  pale  brown  ware,  elaborately  ornamented, 
and  obviously  relics  of  a  "  drinking  cup,"  of  the  type 
already  noticed  under  the  fourth  class  of  mortuary  fic- 
tilia.  It  is  probable  that  a  small  portion  only  of  this 
remarkable  urn  having  been  preserved,  its  discovery 
has  remained  unrecorded  in  the  accounts  that  have  been 
given.  The  fragments,  which  have  been  re-adjusted  by 
the  skilful  hand  of  Mr.  Franks,  were  wrapped  in  a  paper 
that  had  hitherto  escaped  observation  amongst  the  pieces 
of  bone,  and  upon  which  was  found  written — "  Portions 
of  Bronwen's  urn  sent  to  the  British  Museum.  See 
Cam.  Briton^  This  peculiarly  decorated  vase  bears 
some  resemblance  to  one  of  similar  form  disinterred  by 
Sir  R.  C.  Hoare  in  a  barrow  at  Beckhampton,  Wilts, 
with  a  skeleton  placed  in  a  cist,  the  legs  drawn  up ;  the 
cup  lay  close  to  the  he^d.^  Amongst  the  numerous 
varieties  of  the  "  drinking  cup  "  may  also  be  cited  a  spe- 
cimen elaborately  decorated,  found  by  Mr.  Bateman  on 
Alsop  Moor,  Derbyshire.^  No  example,  however,  equals 
in  the  curious  intricacy  of  design  that  which  formed  so 

1  Ancient  Wilts,  vol.  ii,  p.  93,  pi.  36.  No  other  relics  accompanied 
the  deposit.     Coiripare  also  vol.  i,  plates  17,  18,  pp.  164,  168. 

*  Vestiges,  p.  59.  Ten  Years'  Diggings,  p.  285.  The  skeleton,  in 
a  contracted  position,  lay  in  a  cavity  in  a  rock  under  a  mound.  The 
cup  was  placed  near  the  head,  with  a  ball  of  pyrites  and  flint  weapons. 
There  were  also  barbed  arrow-heads  and  bone  implements. 


238  INTERMENTS  AND  SEPULCHRAL  URNS 

remarkable  an  accompaniment  of  the  deposit  near  the 
river  Alaw ;  the  destruction  of  such  a  relic  is  greatly  to 
be  regretted.  It  is  not  possible  to  ascertain  the  exact 
dimensions  of  the  cup ;  it  may  have  measured  about  5^ 
inches  in  height  and  4  inches  in  diameter;  the  ornament 
is  produced  by  impression  of  a  twisted  cord  or  fibre.  The 
annexed  woodcut  may  be  considered  a  fairly  accurate 
representation  of  the  form  and  proportions.  (Fig.  7).  The 


Fig.  7.— Diinkiug-cup.    Fragments  found  with  Bronwen's  Urn. 

small  portion  of  bony  remains  still  found  in  the  urn 
having  been  submitted  to  Professor  Owen,  we  are  in- 
debted to  that  distinguished  anatomist  for  the  following 
observations : — "  The  series  of  bones,  including  portions 
of  those  of  the  limbs  and  two  parts  of  the  upper  jaw- 
bone, belongs  to  an  adult,  or  nearly  adult,  female;  these 
are  from  a  body  that  has  been  burnt.  One  portion  of 
the  cranium  (frontal  bone)  has  not  been  subject  to  the 
action  of  fire  ;  it  may  have  been  part  of  a  female,  but 
there  is  nothing  against  its  having  been  part  of  a  young 


IN  ANGLESEY  AND  NORTH  WALES.  239 

man.  It  is  from  a  skeleton  distinct  from  the  first  or 
burnt  remains."  Professor  Rolleston  expressed  the  opi- 
nion that  the  fragment  of  a  skujl  is  of  a  young  adult, 
not. a  female,  and  concurred  in  pronouncing  the  burnt 
bones  to  be  those  of  a  woman  ;  on  one  of  them  he  de- 
tected a  very  slight  bronze  stain.  There  were  clearly 
two  interments,  possibly  at  diflPerent  periods,  one  of  them 
only  after  cremation.  The  unburnt  deposit  may  pro- 
bably have  been  the  earliest,  and  to  this  Mr.  Franks 
suggests  that  the  richly  ornamented  drinking  cup  may 
be  assigned.  The  vases  of  that  class,  as  shown  by  the 
researches  of  Sir  R.  C.  Hoare,  Mr.  Bateman,  and  other 
careful  investigators,  almost  invariably  accompany  un- 
burnt remains,  and  occur  with  flint  weapons  of  superior 
workmanship  ;  the  deposit  having  been  mostly  in  a  cist, 
or  a  cavity  dug  in  chalk  and  the  like,  and  covered  over  by 
a  mound.  Mr.  Bateman  states  that  "  there  is  suflScient 
evidence  to  show  that  they  belong  to  a  period  when 
metal  was  almost  unknown,"  but  that  in  one  or  two  in- 
stances a  very  small  bronze  awl  has  been  found  with 
such  drinking  cups ;  in  an  interment  also  at  East  Ken- 
nett  (noticed  Arch,  Joum,^  vol.  xxiv,  p.  28)  a  skeleton 
was  brought  to  liglit,  accompanied  by  a  broad,  thin  blade 
of  bronze,  a  well-wrought  axe-head  of  stone,  and  a  cup 
decorated  with  unusual  perfection. 

It  will  be  obvious  to  any  one  conversant  with  the 
facts,  so  largely  augmented  by  recent  researches  into 
British  burials,  that  the  relics  with  which  so  interesting 
a  tradition  has  been  associated  must  be  assigned  to  a 
much  earlier  period  than  the  days  of  Bronwen  the  Fair. 
The  introduction  of  the  use  of  bronze  may  indeed  be 
stated,  approximately,  as  having  occurred  about  a  thou- 
sand years  before  our  era  ;  it  may  be  inferred  that  some 
considerable  interval  would  elapse  before  its  extension  to 
the  distant  shores  of  Mona.  A  gratifying  example  of 
good  taste  and  patriotic  feeling  for  an  object  that  may 
be  accounted  almost  a  national  monument  deserves  men- 
tion. In  1820  the  tenant  of  the  farm  was  about  to 
plough  the  field  where  Ynys  Bronwen  is  situated ;  the 


240  INTERMENTS  AND  SEPULCHRAL  URNS 

mound  would  thus  have  been  nearly  obliterated.  The 
circumstance  having  come  to  the  knowledge  of  the 
owner  of  the  land,  Mr.  Davies,  of  the  Menai  Bridge,  he 
forthwith  gave  directions  for  preserving  the  tumulus, 
and  intimated  his  intention  of  protecting  it  from  future 
injury.^ 

Of  the  first  class,  namely,  the  cinerary  urns  of  large 
dimensions,  belonging  to  the  age  when  cremation  pre- 
vailed, a  good  example  found  in  Caernarvonshire  was 
recently  brought  before  the  Archaeological  Institute  by 
Mr.  Turner,  of  Caernarvon,  in  whose  possession  it  is  now 
preserved.  It  had  been  exhibited  by  Miss  Roberts,  of 
Maentwrog,  in  1860,  in  the  Temporary  Museum  during 
the  meeting  of  the  Cambrian  Association  at  Bangor,  and 
is  noticed  in  the  catalogue  as  having  been  '-  found  in  a 
gravel-pit  at  Pen-y-glanau."^     We  are  indebted  to  the 


Fig.  8.— Urn  found  near  Tomen  y  Mar.  Caernarronshlre,  the  Romnn  Henri  Mons. 

He'iKbt.  \^  ins.:  diameter,  at  the  mouth,  11  ins. 

In  the  possession  of  Thomas  Tiu-nei-,  Esq  ,  Caernarvon. 

^  Arch.  Camh.  vol.  vi,  Third  Series,  p.  334. 

'  Arch,  Camb,  toI.  vi,  Third  Series,  p.  376.    Pen-y-Glanau  is  about 
a  mile  and  a  half  west  of  the  Roman  station,  Henri  Mons.     A  consi- 


IN  ANGLESEY  AND  NORTH  WALES.  241 

kindness  of  Captain  Turner,  son  of  the  present  possessor, 
for  the  following  information  regarding  the  place  of  its 
discovery.  The  urn  was  found  a  few  years  since  near  the 
ancient  line  of  way  known  as  the  Sam  Helen,  and  about 
a  mile  distant  from  the  Roman  Station,  Herin  Mons^ 
the  site  of  which  is  now  known  as  Tomen  y  MAr, 
about  two  miles  south  of  Ffestiniog.^  The  urn  (fig.  8) 
contained  incinerated  bones  and  ashes ;  amongst  these 
were  found  three  relics  deserving  of  notice.  I'hese  are, 
a  bronze  blade  (fig.  9)  supposed  to  have  been  a  knife  or 
small  dagger,  which  in  its  perfect  state  may  have  mea- 
sured about  2^  inches  in  length  and  1 1  inch  in  breadth 


Fig.  9.  Fig.  10. 

Bronze  blade  and  relic  of  flint  found  in  an  nm  near  Tomen  y  Mur.    Original  aiz«. 

at  the  end  where  it  was  affixed  by  two  rivets  to  a  handle ;' 
and  an  hemispherical  object,  apparently  of  flint  (fig.  10) 

derable  quantity  of  pottery  and  Roman  relics  found  there  and  in  the 
neighbourhood  was  collected  by  the  late  Mr.  Lloyd  of  Maentwrog, 
and  bequeathed  to  his  relative,  Miss  Roberts. 

^  Notices  of  this  station,  and  of  the  Sam  Helen  leading  towards  it, 
are  given,  Arch.  Camb.  vol.  xi,  Third  Series,  p.  215.  A  centurial  in- 
scription found  at  Tomen  y  Mur  has  been  figured,  ArchcBologiUj  vol. 
xiv,  p.  *276.  The  course  of  the  Roman  way  is  shewn  in  the  map  of 
Britannia  Secunda,  accompanying  a  memoir  by  the  Rev.  W.  Wynn 
Williams,  Arch.  Camb.  vol.  vi.  Third  Series,  p.  186.  See  also  a  notice 
by  the  Rev.  H.  L.  Jones  in  vol.  xi,  Third  Series,  p.  215. 

^  Small  bronze  blades  have  repeatedly  occurred  in  ancient  inter- 
ments. One  (length,  three  inches)  with  three  rivets  was  found  by 
Sir  R.  C.  Hoare  with  burnt  remains  at  Wilsford.  {Ancient  Wilts,  vol. 
i,  p.  209,  pi.  28.)  A  similar  implement  (length,  three  inches  and  a 
half)  with  two  rivets,  accompanied  the  deposit  in  the  trunk  of  an  oak 
It  Gristhorpe,  Yorkshire.  {Gmt.  Map,,  Dec.  1834,  p.  362;  Crania 
Brit.,  vol.  i,  p.  52.)     In  barrows  at  Broughton,  Lincolnshire,  exca- 

•  ated  by  Mr.  Arthur  Trollope,  a  small  blade  of  different  form  was  also 

ound.     {Arch.  Journ.,  vol.  viii,  p.  346.) 


242  INTERMENTS  AND  SEPULCHRAL  URNS 

of  brown  colour,  the  edge  white  or  cream-coloured ;  it 
is  possibly  only  a  small  broken  pebble,  such  as  occur 
often  in  river  gravels,  and  it  may  have  been  preserved 
on  account  of  the  regularity  of  its  form,  or  some  pecu* 
liarity  in  its  colour.    Also  a  wooden  implement  (fig.  11), 


Fig.  11.— Woodm  Bodkin  foimd  in  an  Urn  near  Tomen  y  Mar,  Cftrnarrondnie. 
Length,  6  ins. 

measuring  6  inches  in  length,  pierced  with  an  eye  like 
a  bodkin.  It  has  been  supposed,  possibly  from  this  ac- 
companiment of  the  deposit,  that  the  remains  may  have 
been  those  of  a  female ;  this,  however,  is  perhaps  ques- 
tionable. It  seems  that  in  urn -burials  of  the  early  occu- 
pants of  the  British  Islands  the  burnt  bones  were  some- 
times collected  from  the  ashes  of  the  funereal  fire  and 
wrapped  in  some  coarse  tissue,  fastened  or  held  together 
by  a  pin,  which  in  deposits  of  somewhat  later  times  is  of 
bronze.^  The  wooden  object,  however,  here  found  in 
remarkable  preservation  may  doubtless  have  appertained 
to  the  deceased  person ;  the  conjecture  is,  moreover,  by 
no  means  inadmissible  that  it  was  placed  with  the  ashes 
as  a  relic  associated  with  daily  life  or  industry.  This 
interesting  urn,  which  had  been  much  fractured,  has 
been  repaired  under  Mr.  Ready's  skilful  care.  The 
colour  is  reddish  brown;  the  dimensions  are  13 J  inches 
in  height ;  1 1  inches  in  diameter  at  the  mouth.  The 
ornament  seems  to  have  been  produced  by  impressing  a 
twisted  thong  or  sinew ;  possibly  a  twisted  rush  or  some 
vegetable  fibre  might  thus  be  used.  Within  the  lip 
there  are  four  parallel  lines  of  the  like  corded  orna- 
ment. 

Pins  of  bone  have  been  repeatedly  noticed  in  British 
burials.  Sir  R.  C.  Hoare  describes  a  long  pin  found 
in  a  barrow,  with  a  small  lance-head  of  gilt  bronze; 
the  pin  was  perforated  at  the  larger  extremity.     In 

1  Hoare,  Ancient  Wilts,  vol.  ii,  p.  110.  Some  remarkable  bronze 
pins  are  figured,  ibid.,  vol.  i,  p.  210,  pi.  30. 


IN  ANGLESEY  AND  NORTH  WALES.  243 

other  interments  near  Kingston  Deverill  he  brought  to 
light  pins  described  as  of  ivory  or  bone,  also  a  pair  of 
tweezers,  length  3  inches,  deposited  in  a  cist  with  burned 
bones,  beads,  and  other  relics.^  Professor  Phillips  no- 
tices two  needles  of  bone,  one  of  them  9  inches  in  length, 
found  in  barrows  on  Acklam  Wold,  Yorkshire,  with 
urns  and  burned  remains.*  Two  of  our  most  experienced 
investigators  of  mortuary  relics,  Mr.  C.  Warae  and  the 
Rev.  Canon  Green  well,  allude  to  the  occurrence  of  such 
objects  as  comparatively  frequent.^  The  deposit  of  some 
object  of  stone,  valued  possibly  for  supposed  talismanic 
or  physical  virtues,  or  merely  on  account  of  some  pecu- 
liarity in  its  form  or  colour,  "has  been  likewise  recorded 
in  several  instances.  Sir  R.  C.  Hoare  found  a  small  oval 
pebble  of  red  colour,  with  a  barbed  arrow-head,  in  a 
heap  of  burnt  remains ;  also,  in  a  barrow  in  the  Hey- 
tesbury  district,  several  pebbles  of  various  sorts  not 
found  in  the  neighbourhood,  eagle-stones  (cetites)  of 
flint,  and  other  relics.*  In  a  barrow  near  Scarborough, 
opened  by  the  late  Lord  Londesborough,  were  found  a 
flint  arrow-head,  a  "  flint  graving  tool,"  and  a  **  small 
flint  sphere,"  diameter  nearly  l^  inch.*^ 

Another  urn,  an  example  more  elaborately  ornamented, 
with  lines  arranged  in  zigzag  fashion  around  its  upper 
part,  next  claims  notice.  (Fig.  12.)  It  was  found  in 
Anglesey  about  five  yards  from  the  turnpike  road  to- 
wards Holyhead,  at  a  spot  opposite  the  Anglesey  Arms, 
Menai  Bridge.  This  urn,  of  light-coloured  coarse  ware, 
had  apparently  been  imperfectly  fired,  and  is  in  good 
preservation.     It  measures  in  height  13^  inches;  the 

^  Ancient  Wilis,  vol.  i,  pp.  40,  41,  46.  Bone  needles  are  also  men- 
tioned, vol.  ii,  p.  11. 

*  Rivers,  Mountains,  etc.,  of  Yorkshire,  p.  206.  In  a  barrow  on 
Ayton  Moor,  Yorkshire,  opened  by  Mr.  Tissiman,  a  large  cinerary  urn 
was  fonnd.  Amongst  the  bones  lay  broken  arrow-heads  of  flint,  a 
bone  pin,  and  other  objects.    {Joum.  Brit.  Arch.  Assoc,  vol.  vi,  p.  1.) 

^  Warne,  Celtic  Tumuli  of  Dorset,  Personal  Researches,  p.  50,  tumu- 
lus 37.  Memoir  on  barrow-burials  in  Yorkshire,  by  the  Rev.  W. 
Greenwell,  Arch.  Journal,  vol.  xxii,  p.  256. 

*  Ancient  Wilts,  vol.  i,  p.  183,  pi.  22.     See  also  p.  76. 

*  Journal  Brit.  Arch.  Assoc,  vol.  iv,  p.  103. 


244  INTERMENTS  AND  SEPULCHRAL  DRNS 

diameter  of  the  mouth  is  11^  inches,  and  that  of  the 
base  4^  inches;  the  lip  is  beveled  off  inwards;  the  thick- 
ness of  the  sides  is  |  of  an  inch.  It  contained  burnt 
bones,  and  was  surrounded  by  a  little  protecting  wall  of 


Fig  13.— Urn  found,  about  1855,  near  the  Menai  Bridge.    Height,  18^  ins. ; 
diameter,  at  the  mouth,  ll^  ina. 

loose  stones,  with  a  flat  slab  placed  on  the  top  of  the 
vessel.  It  came  into  the  possession  of  Mr.  Fricker  near 
Bangor.  A  second  urn  was  found,  which,  as  stated,  was 
sent  to  London.  In  1857  a  stone  relic  bearing  some  re- 
semblance in  form  to  a  celt  or  axe-head  was  found  near 
the  same  spot.  The  material  seemed  to  be  limestone 
containing  shells. 

Of  another  urn,  similar  in  its  form  and  ornamentation 
to  that  last  described,  the  fragments  are  in  the  Caernar- 
von Museum.  They  have  been  there  deposited,  with 
other  relics,  by  Mr.  Turner.  This  vessel,  unfortunately 
broken,  was  brought  to  light  in  Anglesey,  at  Cadnant, 
about  a  mile  from  the  Menai  Bridge.  The  discovery 
occurred  during  the  formation  of  a  road  to  Beaumaris' 
about  1825.  The  interment  was  found  in  the  grounds 
at  Cadnant.  The  fragments  were  given  by  the  owner 
of  that  place  to  Mr.  Turner's  father. 


IN  ANGLESEY  AND  NORTH  WALES.  245 

About  1864  two  urns,  with  burnt  bones,  were  found  near 
the  landing-stage  for  steamers  at  the  village  of  Menai 
Bridge.  One  of  them  was  destroyed  by  the  finders  ;  the 
other  came  into  the  possession  of  the  late  Dr.  Thomas, 
then  residing  in  the  neighbourhood.  It  has  unfortunately 
perished.  Within  one  of  the  urns  lay  a  bronze  pin  about 
three  inches  and  a  half  in  length ;  one  end  pointed,  the 
other  flat,  in  like  fashion  as  bronze  "  awls"  often  found 
in  urns  in  Wiltshire,  described  by  Sir  R.  C.  Hoare. 
Capt.  Grifl&th,  Chief  Constable  of  Anglesey,  to  whom  we 
are  indebted  for  these  particulars,  has  kindly  sent  a 
sketch  of  one  of  the  urns  by  his  son,  Mr.  Glynne  Grif- 
fith. It  seems  to  have  been  of  unusual  fashion,  without 
ornament ;  and,  although  of  somewhat  Roman  character, 
it  is  probably  British.  Capt.  Griffith  has  also  sent  a 
bronze  blade  lately  found  by  him  amongst  burnt  bones 
at  the  same  spot.  Length,  two  inches  and  a  half;  breadth, 
five-eighths  of  an  inch. 

By  the  obliging  courtesy  of  Thomas  Hughes,  Esq., 
of  Ystrad,  Denbighshire,  an  urn  found  in  1852,  at 
Bryn-yr-Orsedd,  on  the  Nantglyn  Hills  in  that  county, 
has  been  entrusted  to  us  for  examination,  and  is  here 
figured.  It  is  a  specimen  of  the  first  class,  rudely 
fashioned,  but  not  ungraceful  in  outline  and  propor- 
tions. (Fig.  13.)  It  is  of  dingy  brown  ware,  imperfectly 
fired ;  the  substance  of  the  paste  is  black,  with  a  few 
grains  of  quartz  or  some  other  white  stone.  The  dimen- 
sions are — height,  five  inches  and  a  quarter ;  diameter 
at  the  mouth,  seven  inches  and  a  half;  at  the  base,  four 
inches  and  a  quarter ;  circumference  at  the  widest  part, 
nearly  twenty-seven  inches.  The  ornament  externally, 
and  within  the  lip,condsts  of  irregular  rows  of  impressed 
markings,  mostly  diagonal  and  in  herring-bone  fashion, 
produced  apparently  by  an  implement  like  a  blunt  chisel. 
At  the  base  there  is  a  neatly  rounded  moulding  or  bead 
rarely  found  in  these  ancient  vessels.  A  cinerary  urn  dis- 
interred lately  in  the  Kingston  Hill  gravel  pits,  Surrey, 
and  brought  before  the  Archaeological  Instituteby  Mr.  W. 
H.  Tregellas,  has  a  somewhat  similar  base.    A  moulding 


246  INTERMENTS  AND  SEPULCHRAL  URNS 

occars  likewise  around  the  bottom  of  a  "  food-vessel" 
found  at  Arbor  Low,  Derbyshire,  by  Mr.  Bateman.^ 
Mr.  Hughes  has  favoured  us  with  the  following  particu- 
lars regarding  the  discovery  of  the  vase  in  his  posses- 
sion, as  related  by  the  late  Mr.  William  Owen.  This 
account  was  read  at  the  meeting  of  the  Cambrian  Archae- 
ological Association  at  Ruthin  in  1854.^  Three  Nant- 
glyn  quarrymen  having  read  of  treasure  in  tumuli, deter- 
mined to  search  those  scattered  over  the  adjacent  part 
of  Moel  Hiraethawg.  That  first  opened  was  on  the  sum- 
mit of  Gorsedd  61  &n,  about  six  miles  south-west  of 
Denbigh,  one  of  the  most  elevated  heights  of  the  Hir- 
aethawg range.  After  clearing  away  the  earth  the  dig- 
gers found  a  heap  of  stones,  or  camedd.  On  removing 
these  they  espied  what  they  imagined  to  be  an  inverted 
pot :  to  their  disappointment  it  proved  to  be  only  a  stone 
covering  a  small  square  cist  full  of  calcined  bones,  which 
may  have  been  deposited  in  an  urn  that  had  fallen  into 
pieces.^  The  cist  was  constructed  of  slabs  nicely  fitted 
together,  the  crevices  being  closed  over  by  a  coating  of 
clay.  Within  twenty  yards  of  this  deposit  the  quarry- 
men  opened  another  barrow,  in  which  they  found  an  urn 
full  of  burnt  bones ;  but  it  was  roughly  handled,  and 
destroyed.  In  a  direct  line  with  these  barrows,  and 
about  half  a  mile  distant  to  the  east,  there  was  another 
that  proved  to  have  been  prenously  opened.  They  then 
proceeded  to  a  fourth,  and  found  an  urn  so  soft  and 
friable  that  it  fell  into  fragments.  In  the  fifth  the 
treasure-seekers  exposed  to  view  two  urns  side  by  side. 
One  was  destroyed.  Fortunately  a  quarryman  passing 
near  the  spot  had  a  trowel  in  his  pocket.  The  men  were 
now  anxious  to  take  out  one  entire  urn,  and  accordingly 

1  Ten  Years^  Diggings,  p.  283.  See  also  a  cinerary  urn  {U>id,y  p.  59). 
The  fashion  of  the  base-moulding  is  not  distinctly  shewn. 

*  Arch,  Gamb.f  vol.  v,  N.  S.,  p.  242.  The  urn  was  sent  by  Mr. 
Hughes  to  the  Temporary  Museum  on  that  occasion.   {Ibid.,  p.  252.) 

^  Mr.  Owen  conjectured  that  this  was  the  burial-place  of  Brkn  ab 
Llyr,  king  of  Britain  in  the  first  century,  Oorsedd  Brkn  having  been 
his  judicial  seat.  Two  miles  distant  is  Havod  Caradog,  the  summer 
abode,  as  has  been  imagined,  of  Caractacus,  son  of  Bran. 


IN  ANGLESEY  AND  NORTH  WALES.  247 

cleared  away  the  earth  with  great  care  with  the  trowel. 
An  opening  being  thus  made  beneath  the  vessel,  a  hand- 
kerchief w£is  drawn  under  it,  and  the  r^lic  here  figured 
was  thus  happily  preserved. 

Mr.  Wynne  Ffoulkes  has  given  a  full  account  of  an- 
other discovery  in  Denbighshire  in  1851  The  narrative 
of  his  excavations  in  a  field  called  Caedegai,  at  Flas 
Heaton,  two  miles  north-west  of  Denbigh,  may  be  found 
in  the  Archceohgia  Cambrensis}  Several  interments  with- 
out cremation  were  brought  to  light,  and  also  a  deposit 
of  burnt  bones,  with  a  broken  urn  more  than  usually 
ornamented.  This  may  have  been  a  secondary  deposit. 
It  lay  within  a  foot  of  the  surface.  In  another  part  of 
the  mound  a  skeleton  was  found  crouched  up  within  a 
cist,  accompanied  by  a  drinking  cup  which  is  figured 
in  a  subsequent  part  of  this  memoir,  with  the  notices  of 
mortuary  vessels  of  that  class.  In  the  same  year  Mr. 
Ffoulkes  dug  into  a  mound  at  Rhiwiau,  on  the  moun- 
tains between  Denbigh  and  Pentrefoelas,  that  had  been 
partly  carried  away  by  some  treasure-seeker,  who,  as  he 
was  informed,  found  an  urn  with  bones  and  a  bronze 
dagger :  the  urn  was  covered  by  a  stone,  but  not  placed 
in  a  cist.  A  shaft  was  sunk  by  Mr.  Ffoulkes  in  the  centre 
of  the  barrow,  which  appeared  to  have  been  raised  on  a 
layer  or  floor  of  blue  clay  seamed  with  charcoal,  under 
which  the  original  surface  of  vegetation  could  be  dis- 
cerned, retaining  an  olive-green  colour,  but  it  soon  be- 
came black  on  exposure.  This  tumulus  appeared  to 
have  had  a  circle  of  large  stones  around  it,  leaning 
against  the  base.^ 

By  the  kindness  of  Mr.  W.  W.  E.  Wynne  we  are  en- 
abled to  give  a  representation  of  an  interesting  urn  dis- 
interred, in  July  1851,  in  a  barrow  at  Bryn  Bugailen 
Fawr,  in  the  parish  of  Llangollen,  Denbighshire.   A  full 

^  Vol.  ii,  N.  S.,  p.  274.  See  also  tbid.,  p.  281,  Mr.  Ffoulkes'  account 
of  Bedd  Robin  Hood,  a  tumulus  in  the  parish  of  Llansannan,  Den- 
bighshire. 

^  Two  urns  had  been  found,  about  1880,  on  the  south-east  side  of 
this  mound,  when  a  portion  was  carted  away  by  a  neighbouring  farmer. 
They  lay  about  four  feet  under  the  surface. 


248  INTERMENTS  AND  SEPULCHRAL  URNS 

account  of  the  exploration,  that  was  carried  out  under 
the  direction  of  Mr.  Wynne  and  Mr.  Wynne  Ffoulkes, 
has  been  given  In  the  Arch.  Camb}  The  accompanying 
woodcut  (fig.  14)  has  been  engraved  from  a  drawing  by 
the  tasteful  pencil  of  the  late  Mrs.  Wynne.  The  depo- 
sit was  found  within  a  earn,  in  a  cist  formed  with  stones 
set  edgeways,  and  measuring  nineteen  inches  by  seven- 
teen inches  inside,  the  covering  slab  being  only  six  inches 
below  the  surface  of  the  mound.  The  cist  was  full  of 
loamy  earth.  When  this  had  been  cleared  out,  the  urn 
was  found  inverted  upon  aflat  stone  fitted  to  the  dimen- 
sions of  the  depository.  The  vessel  having  been,  raised 
carefully  by  Mr.  Ffoulkes,  a  large  quantity  of  burnt  bones 
fell  out.  Amongst  them  was  a  skilfully  wrought  flint 
implement  (fig.  15),supposed  to  be  a  knife-blade ;  having 


'~jz^^ 


Fig.  15.— Flint  Knife  found  in  an  Urn  in  the  Parish  of  Llanpollen. 
Scale,  two-thirds  original  size.    (With  a  ti-ansverse  secliou.) 

one  of  its  sides  convex,  the  other  flat  and  smooth ;  the 
edges  slightly  serrated.  Length,  three  inches  and  three 
quarters ;  greatest  width,  one  inch.  The  urn,  of  brown 
colour  tinged  with  red, measures  eleven  inches  in  height; 
greatest  diameter,  nine  inches  and  a  half;  the  base  un- 
usually small, — diameter  about  three  inches  and  a  half. 
The  ornament  consists  of  rows  of  impressed  markings 
produced  by  a  pointed  tool,  and  a  row  of  irregularly 
oval  impressions,  such  as  might  be  made  by  the  blunt 
end  of  a  stick.  The  former,  Mr.  Wynne  suggests,  might 
have  been  worked  by  the  point  of  the  flint  knife.  On 
the  rim  of  the  vessel  Mr.  Ffoulkes  detected,  by  a  strong 
magnifier, some  traces  of  the  impression  of  woven  tissue; 

^  Arch.  Camb.,  vol.  ii,  N.  S.,  p.  218. 

2  Compare  Scandinavian  specimens,  Prof.  Nillson,  S(one  Age,  trans- 
lated by  Sir  John  Lubbock,  p  39,  pi.  iii,  fig.  60  ;  |)1.  v,  fig.  80.  These 
arc,  however,  of  somewhat  larger  size  than  the  knife  above  figured. 


IN  ANGLESEY  AND  NORTH  WALES.  24.9 

and  he  suggests  the  curious  inference,  that  when  the 
urn  was  inverted  in  depositing  it  within  the  cist,  a  cloth 
may  have  been  tied  over  the  mouth  in  order  that  the 
incinerated  contents  should  not  fall  out.  The  cist  had 
been  constructed  on  a  floor  of  blue  clay  overspread  with 
ashes.  This  urn,  Mr.  Wynne  informs  us,  was  preserved 
at  Ruthin  Castle. 

Another  urn  of  this  first  class  is  in  possession  of  our 
friendly  archaeological  auxiliary  at  Peniarth.  It  was 
found,  in  1858,  by  labourers  employed  on  a  gravel-bank 
adjoining  the  Caernarvon  railway,  at  a  place  called 
Waterloo  Port,  about  a  mile  from  Caernarvon,  on  the 
Bangor  side.  Mr.  Wynne  has  kindly  sent  a  drawing  of 
this  urn,  with  an  account  of  the  discovery.  The  men 
first  noticed  a  mound  filled  with  human  bones,  as  sup- 
posed. At  a  short  distance  was  disinterred  the  urn  con- 
taining calcined  bones  and  ashes.  It  is  of  red  colour, 
and  it  measures  1 1  inches  in  height ;  diameter,  at  the 
mouth,  nearly  8  ins. ;  at  the  base,  4|  ins.  In  form  it 
bears  general  resemblance  to  the  urns  found  near  Tomen- 
y-Mur  and  the  Menai,  before  described  (see  figs.  8,  12, 
ante)^  but  the  upper  part,  which  bears  three  rows  of 
herring-bone  ornament,  has  a  more  marked  projection, 
and  the  neck  or  hollow  portion  below,  which  in  those 
examples  is  plain,  is  also  worked  with  a  herring-bone 
pattern.  The  deposit  lay  about  twenty  yards  from  the 
shore  of  the  Menai.  Mr.  Turner, of  Caernarvon,  describes 
the  spot  as  near  the  Tycoch  boundary  fence.  He 
visited  it  shortly  after  the  discovery,  and  found  a  deep 
hed  of  loose  gravel  that  appeared  to  be  in  its  original 
«tate ;  and,  with  the  exception  of  the  small  excavation 
made  for  the  urn,  no  trace  of  any  other  deposit  was  to 
be  seen  in  the  railway  cutting.  This  part  of  the  shores 
of  the  Menai  was  doubtless  the  field  of  many  conflicts. 
It  is  not  far  from  the 'scene  of  the  crossing  by  Sueto- 
nius, and  is  full  of  ancient  vestiges. 

A  cinerary  urn  inverted  on  a  layer  of  black  ashes,  and 
enclosing  burnt  bones,  was  found,  in  1851,  in  a  large 
carnedd,  sixteen  yards   in  diameter,  on   the  farm    of 

3UD  8EB.,  VOL.  XIY.  17 


250       INTERMENTS  AND  SEPULCHRAL  URNS 

Penyberth,  or  Gloucester  Hall,  five  miles  north  of  Aber- 
ystwyth, as  stated  by  Mr.  Claridge,  the  tenant.  A  short 
notice  was  given  in  the  Arch.  Camb.  by  Mr.  T.  O.  Mor- 
gan of  Aberystwyth,  to  whose  courtesy  we  are  indebted 
also  for  some  further  particulars  and  drawings.  Mr.  Cla- 
ridge had  endeavoured  to  clear  the  spot  of  stones,  and 
after  hauling  away  several  loads,  a  pitched  paving  ap- 
peared leading  to  the  centre  of  the  heap.  At  the  end  of 
this  pavement  lay  a  flagstone  covering  a  cist,  in  which 
the  urn  was  found.  The  floor  of  the  cist  was  also  paved. 
Amongst  the  burnt  bones  lay  a  bronze  pin  :  length,  two 
inches  and  three-quarters.  The  urn  was  imperfectly 
baked,  and  fell  into  fragments.  It  had  been  ornamented 
with  lines  crossing  each  other  diagonally,  forming  a 
chequy  pattern.  Some  years  before  a  similar  urn  was 
found  by  Mr.  Claridge's  father  in  this  camedd.^ 

Another  discovery  had  previously  occurred,  in  1840, 
at  PwU-isaf,  six  miles  from  Aberystwyth,  in  the  parish  of 
Llanilar.  An  urn  was  found  in  the  centre  of  a  barrow ; 
also  a  small  cup  enclosed  in  the  urn,  well  baked,  and  in 
perfect  preservation.  The  ornament  on  these  vases  con- 
sists of  zigzag  and  fretty  patterns :  one  of  them,  which 
is  worked  with  skill  and  precision,  apparently  produced 
by  a  twisted  cord  or  fibre.  The  patterns  on  the  small 
urn  seem  to  have  been  scored  by  a  pointed  implement. 
It  measures  two  inches  in  height,  three  inches  in  dia- 
meter ;  the  bottom  is  quite  plain.  Mr.  Williams  states 
that  about  1835  a  small  urn  of  similar  fashion  was  found 
near  Holywell,  but  unfortunately  broken.* 

A  remarkable  barrow  in  Denbighshire,  called  Yr  Or- 
sedd  Wen,  about  two  miles  west  of  Selattyn,  was  exca- 
vated by  Mr.  Wynne  in  1850,  by  permission  of  the  late 

1  Arch.  Camb,,  vol.  ii,  N.  S.,  pp.  164,  334.  '  See  also,  in  vol.  xiii, 
Third  Series,  p.  284,  an  account  by  Mr  J.  G.  Williams  of  Glouces- 
ter Hall,  communicated  to  the  Cambrian  Meeting  at  Machynlleth, 
1866,  in  a  memoir  on  encampments  and  other  vestiges  in  Cardigan- 
shire, and  their  connexion  with  the  mines  of  the  district.  The  farm 
on  which  the  discovery  occurred  is  there  called  Penrhyncoch. 

^  Exhibited  by  Mr.  Morgan  at  the  Cambrian  Meeting  at  Welshpool, 
1856.     Arch,  Camb.,  vol.  ii,  Third  Series,  p.  366. 


IN  ANGLESEY  AND  NORTH  WALES.  251 

F.  R.  West,  Esq.  Mr.  Wynne  Ffoulkes  has  related  in  full 
detail  the  curious  results  of  this  exploration,  and  stated 
the  reasons  for  supposing  it  to  be  the  tomb  of  Gwen, 
one  of  the  sons  of  Llywarch  Hen,  prince  of  the  Cum- 
brian Britons  in  the  sixth  century.^  The  interment  had 
been  without  cremation,  but  charcoal  or  burnt  earth 
was  found  in  considerable  quantities  in  the  mound.  Just 
over  the  left  breast,  and  where  the  right  hand  seemed 
to  have  rested,  lay  a  fragment  of  a  bronze  blade,  pro- 
bably a  dagger.  There  was  also,  higher  up  in  the  cairn, 
a  piece  of  iron,  possibly  part  of  a  weapon.  The  bronze 
relic  may  have  measured,  in  its  perfect  state,  about  six 
inches  and  three-quarters  in  length;  and  about  two 
inches  and  a  quarter  in  breadth  at  the  end,  where  it  was 
attached  to  the  haft  by  three  rivets.  Mr.  Wynne's 
notices  of  the  discovery  were  accompanied  by  a  drawing 
that  shewed  the  probable  form  and  dimensions  of  the 
weapon  by  comparison  with  a  perfect  blade  found  with 
other  objects  of  bronze  at  Ebnall,  near  Oswestry,  and 
about  three  miles  from  Orsedd  Wen.^ 

Through  Mr.  Wynne's  investigations  of  sepulchral 
remains  in  Merionethshire,  in  conjunction  with  Mr. 
Wynne  Ffoulkes,  much  valuable  information  has  been 
obtained.^  The  record  of  their  operations  in  1851  is 
given  in  the  Arch.  Camb.^  commencing  with  cameddau 
in  the  parish  of  Llanegryn.  In  none,  of  these,  however, 
was  any  urn  found.  Also  of  similar  remains  on  part  of 
the  Cader  Idris  chain,  and  elsewhere.  In  one  instance 
bones  of  a  horse  were  found,  and  the  remains  of  other 
animals,  as  pronounced  by  the  late  Mr.  Quekett.     The 

^  Arch,  Comb.,  vol.  ii,  N.  S.,  p.  9.  At  about  half  a  mile  from  the 
barrow  there  is  a  cam  in  which  twelve  urns  with  burnt  remains  were 
found.     (Ibid,,  p.  12.) 

*  Arch.  Gamb.f  vol.  ii,  N.  S.,  p.  15.  See  the  various  types  of  dag- 
ger blades,  Kemble,  HortD  Ferales,  p.  155,  pi.  vii.  At  the  Cambrian 
Meeting  at  Ruthin,  1854,  the  fragment  above  mentioned,  and  also  an 
urn  described  as  found  at  Orsedd,  were  exhibited  by  Mr.  Wynne  in  the 
Temporary  Museum.  This  urn  was,  however,  that  before  described, 
from  Bryn  Bugailen.    (Fig.  14.)     (Ibid.,  vol.  v,  N.  S.,  pp.  238,  252.) 

*  Arch.  Camb.,  vol.  iii,  N.  S.,  pp.  65,  96,  214,  etc. 

17« 


252  INTERMENTS  AND  SEPULCHRAL  URNS 

interments  had  been  by  cremation,  and  in  cists.  Mr. 
Wynne  states  that  no  well  ascertained  discovery  of  any 
urn  has  occurred  in  his  district  of  Merionethshire.  He 
had  been  informed  that  one  had  been  found  in  raising 
stones  on  the  mountains  near  Barmouth.  This  absence 
of  urn-burial  he  attributes  to  the  want  of  any  suitable 
clay  for  pottery.  The  cists,  as  he  observes,  are  remark- 
ably regular  in  form ;  owing,  doubtless,  to  the  abund- 
ance of  slaty  material  for  their  construction.  The  cap- 
stones were  of  great  size  and  weight,  but  fashioned  with 
less  regularity.  Mr.  Wynne  noticed  especially  the  small 
quantity  of  bones,  all  calcined,  found  in  any  of  the  cists. 
In  one  they  lay  in  small  heaps  at  different  sides  of  the 
cist.  A  single  flint  flake  only  was  found.  The  mate- 
rial does  not  occur  in  Merionethshire.  The  camedds 
examined  by  Mr.  Wynne  were  mostly  enclosed  by  circles 
of  stones,  wfiich  are  never  of  great  height.  Whenever 
he  had  observed  a  ring  of  stones  on  the  mountains,  he 
felt  assured  that  a  carnedd  had  existed  there. 

By  courteous  permission  of  the  Society  of  Antiquaries 
a  beautiful  group  of  urns  found  near  the  southern  shores 
of  the  Principality  is  here  placed  before  the  reader, 
including  two  cinerary  vessels  of  somewhat  unusual 
fashion ;  but  of  which  one,  at  least,  may  be  assigned  to 
the  first  class  of  these  mortuary  vases.  (See  woodcuts, 
fig.  16.)  They  were  found,  in  1855,  by  Mr.  J.  T.  Dill- 
wyn  Llewelyn,  in  a  earn  on  waste  land  about  five  miles 
west-north-west  of  Swansea,  known  asMynyddCarnGoch 
(the  Mountain  of  the  Bed  Cam).  The  heap  measured 
ninety  feet  or  upwards  in  diameter,  and  about  four  feet  • 
only  in  height,  but  some  sixty  years  ago  there  was  a  pile 
of  large  stones  that  were  removed  to  make  a  road.  Within, 
at  about  eight  or  twelve  inches  from  the  surface,  there 
was  a  circle  of  stones  nearly  concentric  with  the  circuit 
of  the  earn.  The  largest  of  the  three  urns  here  figured, 
and  which  measures  ten  inches  and  three-quarters  in 
height,  had  apparently  been  deposited  in  the  ground 
before  the  earn  was  raised,  having  been  placed  below 
the  original  surface.    After  tlie  vessel  had  been  interred 


IN  ANGLESEY  AND  NORTH  WALES. 


253 


in  the  cavity  formed  to  receive  it,  the  space  around  the 
deposit  seems  to  have  been  filled  in  with  charcoal  (sup- 
posed to  be  of  fir-wood),  and  the  whole  was  covered  by 
a  flat  slab.    The  urn  next  in  size,  which  measures  about 


Fig.  16.— Three  Urns  fuund  ut  Mynydd  Carn  Ooob,  near  Swansea.    Height  of  the  laiigest 
Urn,  ID)  ins.    Presented  to  Ibe  British  Museum  by  Mr.  J.  T.  Diliwyn  Llewelyn. 

seven  inches  in  height,  was  found  above  the  original 
level.  It  was  placed,  inverted,  on  a  flat  stone.  This 
urn  may  have  contained  a  second  deposit.  It  should, 
perhaps,  in  its  original  intention, be  regarded  as  a  variety 
of  the  "food-vessel."  The  smallest,  which  measures 
about  two  inches  in  height  by  three  inches  and  a  half 
in  diameter,  is  pierced  with  small  holes  at  the  side. 
This  curious  little  vessel,  of  the  "  incense-cup"  type,  lay 
near  the  western  margin  of  the  carn.  It  is  figured  on 
a  larger  scale  in  the  notices  hereafter  given  of  the  curious 
little  urns  of  that  class.  (See  fig.  25,  wfra,)  Charred 
wood  was  found  throughout  the  mound  in  large  layers, 
especially  near  the  spot  where  urns  or  bones  occurred : 
the  latter  were  principally  within  the  vessels,  and  were 
almost  wholly  human.    These  urns  have  been  presented 


254  INTERMENTS  AND  SEPULCHRAL  URNS 

by  Mr.  Llewelyn  to  the  British  Museum,  where  the 
series  of  this  class  of  early  relics  is  still  scanty.^ 

Several  interesting  illustrations  might  be  cited  of  the 
mortuary  usages,  that  varied  in  some  respects  according 
to  local  conditions  of  the  surface  or  the  soil.  The  ready 
supply,  for  instance,  of  slabs  suited  for  the  sepulchral 
cist,  or  of  loose  stones  for  raising  the  earn,  would  neces- 
sarily lead  to  certain  modifications  in  the  funereal  depo- 
sit. Of  the  cist,  or  diminutive  chamber  constructed 
within  the  mound,  the  discoveries  made  by  Mr.  Llew- 
elyn at  Cam  Goch,  as  before  cited,  supply  instructive 
illustrations.  One  of  the  remarkable  examples  formerly 
figured  in  the  Arch.  Camb.  is  here  reproduced,  in  which 


Fig.  17.— Cist  enclosing  Urns  found  in  a  Mound  on  Mynydd  Caro  Ooch,  near  Swansea, 
Olamorganshii^,  in  1655,  by  Mr.  J.  T.  Oillwyn  Llewelyn. 

1  Proceedings^  Soc.  Antig.,  vol.  iv,  p.  303.  Mr.  Llewelyn  has  given 
some  further  notices  of  this  cam  in  the  Arch.  Camb.f  vol.  ii,  Third 
Series,  p.  63,  where  a  ground-plan  and  section  of  Cam  Goch  may  be 
found.  Amongst  other  results  of  researches  there  made,  in  1855,  are 
noticed  cists  cut  in  the  substratum,  with  bones  and  ashes.  One  of 
the  cists,  of  cylindrical  form,  contained  bones,  as  supposed,  of  the 
wild  boar.  A  large  urn,  much  broken,  was  brought  to  light  in  another 
cist.  It  measured  more  than  thirteen  inches  in  height,  and  was  much 
ornamented  by  impressions  of  twisted  thongs  or  reeds.  Representa- 
tions of  some  fragments  are  given  shewing  the  varied  ornamentation. 
{Ibid,,  p.  65.) 


IN  ANGLESEY  AND  NORTH  WALES.  255 

the  large  inverted  urn  appears  protected  by  flat  pieces 
of  rock  that  were,  doubtless,  easily  obtained  in  those 
parts  of  Glamorganshire.^  (See  fig.  17.)  It  is  not  with- 
out a  certain  deep  interest  that  we  mark  the  feeling 
of  pious  aflFection  or  respect  to  the  remains  of  the  rela- 
tive or  the  chieftain, — the  desire  for  preservation  of 
their  ashes,  the  careful  precaution  against  their  mingling 
with  the  common  earth, — that  might  seem  darkly  to 
shadow  forth  some  notion  of  a  future  existence. 

It  may  deserve  notice  in  regard  to  cist-burials  that 
examples  not  unfrequently  occur  in  Wales  in  which  the 
corpse  had  been  deposited  unburnt,  either  crouched  up 
or  extended  at  full  length,  and  it  is  probable  that  some 
of  these  deposits  may  be  referred  to  times  anterior  to  the 
practice  of  cremation.  About  the  year  1860  the  re- 
mains of  five  skeletons  were  found  in  making  a  road  at 
Carreglwyd  in  Anglesey,  the  seat  of  the  late  Mr.  R.  Try- 
garn  Griffith,  in  the  parish  of  Llanfaethlu.  From  the 
remains,  which  were  much  decayed,  the  bodies  seemed 
to  have  been  stretched  out  at  full  length  ;  four  of  them 
appeared  to  have  been  of  small  stature,  about  4|  feet, 
the  fifth  had  been  nearly  5  feet  in  height.  They  had 
been  placed  upon  rough  stones,  and  were  surrounded  by 
other  stones  in  the  form  of  a  rude  coffin  or  chest,  but 
apparently  without  any  covering- stones.  The  bones  had 
mostly  been  reduced  to  dust.  These  graves  were  sunk 
about  2  feet  in  the  clay  below  the  general  surface  of  the 
field.  From  the  appearance  of  the  ground  there  had, 
in  all  probability,  been  a  mound  over  the  graves,  but  it 
had  been  removed,  the  spot  being  near  the  lodge-en- 
trance to  Mr.  Griffith*s  house.  The  direction  in  which 
the  bodies  had  been  buried  appeared  in  this  instance  to 
have  been  east  and  west.  Each  corpse  had  a  separate 
cist  of  rough  stones  ;  no  object  of  bronze,  no  ornament 
of  metal,  of  jet,  or  of  amber  was  found.  According  to 
tradition,  a  battle  was  fought  with  the  Danes  near  Car- 
reglwyd ;  a  large  upright  stone  or  maenhir,  about  a  mile 

^  See  the  detailed  account  of  the  discovery,  Arch.  Camb,,  3rd  Series, 
vol.  ii,  p.  65. 


256  INTERMENTS  AND  SEPULCHRAL  URNS 

distant  from  the  interments  in  question,  has  been  tradi* 
tionally  regarded  as  marking  the  spot  where  that  conflict 
occurred ;  there  is,  however,  no  distinctive  feature  in 
the  discovery  above  related  that  would  associate  it  with 
the  invasions  of  the  marauding  Northmen. 

Class  II. — Of  the  second  class,  the  urns  designated  by 
the  late  Sir  Richard  Colt  Hoare  **  Incense  Cups,"  a  very 
curious  example  has  been  found,  with  several  other 
sepulchral  vessels,  near  Bryn  Seiont, Caernarvonshire,  not 
far  from  the  site  of  Segontium.  (Fig.  18.)  It  lay  within 
a  large  cinerary  urn  that  was  unfortunately  broken  into 
fragments  by  the  finders.  It  is  to  be  regretted  that  the 
form  and  ornamental  peculiarities  of  that  vessel  are  not 
known  ;  these  little  cups,  especially  of  so  curious  a 
fashion  as  the  specimen  in  question,  have  rarely  occurred 
in  Wales.  As  already  noticed,  they  have  commonly  been 
found  associated  with  the  large  cinerary  vessels  of  the 
early  races,  although  probably  not  with  the  most  ancient 
of  their  interments.  The  cup  is  formed  with  consider- 
able skill ;  the  paneled  compartments  are  arranged  lo- 
zengewise,  with  open  work,  suggesting  a  certain  resem- 
blance to  a  little  basket;  some  of  the  mouldings  are 
impressed  with  irregularly  formed  punctures.  The  bot- 
tom of  this  vessel  is  very  curiously  wrought  with  bands 
disposed  spirally  in  contrary  directions ;  the  upper  series 
of  these  bands,  six  in  number,  is  marked  with  punctures 
or  dots  like  those  already  mentioned ;  the  bands,  as  will 
be  seen  by  the  woodcut,  radiate  from  a  central  disc  that 
is  impressed  with  a  small  cross  surrounded  by  dots. 
(Fig.  19.)  Although  this  cruciform  ornament  may  pro- 
bably have  no  special  or  symbolical  significance,  it  is 
doubtless  remarkable  that  it  occurs  likewise  on  several 
other  examples.  On  the  bottom  of  another  of  these 
"  incense  cups  "  found  in  South  Wales,  having  likewise 
lozengy  apertures  around  its  circumference,  a  cruciform 
ornament  is  found  of  even  more  remarkable  fashion  than 
on  the  Bryn  Seiont  vessel.  A  representation  of  this  cup 
is  here  given.  (See  figs.  20,  21.)  It  was  found  in  a 
carnedd  or  stone  heap  at  Meinau'r  Gwyr  in  the  parish 


IN  ANGLESEY  AND  NORTH  WALES.  257 

of  Llandyssilio,  Pembrokeshire.^  A  small  sword  or 
dagger  of  bronze  is  stated  to  have  accompanied  the  de- 
posit.   A  circle  of  large  stones  formerly  existed  near  the 


Fig.  32.— Small  Um  found  at  UaudysaiUo. 

spot.  Another  very  singular  little  vessel  was  likewise 
found  at  Meinau'r  Gwyr ;  a  representation  is  given  by 
Mr.  Fenton,  who  describes  it  as  resembling  *'  a  minia- 
ture Stonehenge,"  being  fashioned  with  upright  pro- 
jecting ribs  that  meet  a  rim  at  the  top  of  the  drum- 
shaped  urn,  and  may  remind  us  of  a  certain  general 
resemblance  to  the  trilithons  of  the  massive  monument 
in  Wiltshire.  (See  fig.  22.)  He  adverts  to  a  somewhat 
similar  urn  in  the  Heytesbury  Museum,  but  rather 
larger.* 

The  strange  notion  suggested  by  the  late  Mr.  John 
Fenton  in  his  account  of  this  curious  discovery  can 
scarcely  be  accepted.     He  observes  that  these  little  ves- 

^  See  a  memoii  by  the  late  Mr.  John  Fenton,  son  of  the  author  of 
the  **  Tour  in  Pembrokeshire"  (Arch.  Camb.,  vol.  vi,  3rd  Series,  p.  82). 
This  cup  was  in  possession  of  the  late  Rev.  E.  Harris  of  Bryndyssil, 
but  the  bronze  blade  had  unfortunately  been  lost. 

*  The  little  vessel  to  which  Mr.  Fenton  referred  was  found  by  Sir 
R.  C.  Hoare  with  burnt  bones  and  ornaments  of  amber  and  gold  in  a 
barrow  at  Normanton.  {Ancient  Wilis,  vol.  i,  pi.  xxv,  p.  201.)  The 
cup  is  flat;  diameter,  four  inches  and  a  half;  height  about  one  inch; 
and  formed  with  a  series  of  narrow,  vertical  apertures,  presenting  the 
appearance  of  an  arcade  of  oblong  openings.  Sir  Richard  mentions 
that  **  an  enthusiastic  antiquary  who  was  present  at  the  opening  of 
this  barrow  fancied  that  he  could  trace  a  design  taken  from  the  out- 
ward circle  of  Stonehenge." 


258  INTERMENTS  AND  SEPULCHRAL  URNS 

sels  ^^  may  have  appertained  to  inhabitants  of  diminutiYe 
stature  that  existed  among  the  Celtic  tribes  at  a  pre- 
historic period ;"  he  adds  that  vestiges  of  such  a  supposed 
race  of  pygmies  have  occurred  likewise  in  Wiltshire, 
with  very  small  bronze  weapons  and  stone  celts.^ 

The  cup  found  near  Bryn  Seiont,  now  in  possession  of 
the  Rev.  W.  Wynn  Williams,  is  of  pale  brown  coloor. 
It  measures  nearly  2  inches  in  height  by  2^  inches  in 
diameter.  No  example  of  the  like  form  and  elaborate 
fashion,  it  is  believed,  has  hitherto  been  noticed  in 
Wales ;  it  may,  however,  be  compared  with  other  "  in- 
cense cups*'  of  more  simple  character  found  in  the 
Principality,  such  as  that-  above  described,  from  Llan- 
dyssilio,  and  another,  which  differs  from  it  in  not  having 
compartments  of  open  work,  being  only  pierced  with 
small  perforations  as  if  for  suspension.  This  last,  like- 
wise from  Pembrokeshire,  was  brought  to  light  in  a 
carnedd  near  Cronllwyn.  Three  of  these  little  vessels 
were,  in  that  instance,  as  related  by  Mr.  Fenton,  placed 
around  an  urn  of  unusually  large  dimensions,  that  had 
measured  nearly  3  feet  in  height.^  Such  small  urns,  he 
observes,  had  occasionally  been  found  placed  within 
those  of  larger  size  in  mounds  or  "  carneddau";  from 
the  perforations  in  the  sides  and  underneath,  and  also 
from  the  very  singular  shape  of  these  vessels,  it  might 
be  presumed  that  they  were  filled  with  some .  combus- 
tible  or  oleaginous  substances  and  suspended  over  the 
sepulchral  fire  to  add  force  to  the  flame.^    In  these 

^  TbU  supposition  was  brought  under  the  consideration  of  the  Cam- 
brian Archseological  Association  by  Mr.  Fenton  at  their  Cardigan 
Meeting.  {Arch.  Gamb,,  vol.  v,  8rd  Series,  p.  831.)  Mr.  Green  well 
has  noticed  the  occurrence  of  such  ''toy  implements.''  {Arch.  Joum., 
vol.  xxii,  p.  243,  note  3.)  The  most  singular  relic  of  this  description 
is  a  very  diminutive,  socketed  celt  of  bronze,  found  in  a  barrow  at 
Hessleskew  on  the  Yorkshire  Wolds.  It  measures  barely  an  inch  in 
length.  (Memoirs,  Meeting  Archaeological  Instit.  at  York,  Museum 
Catalogoe,  p.  27.     See  also  the  Crania  Briiannica.) 

»  Arch.  Camb.,  vol.  ii,  N.  S.,  p.  334. 

8  Fenton,  Tour  in  Pembrokeshire,  p.  680 ;  see  pi.  ii,  fig.  7.  Some 
interesting  particulars  are  there  given  in  connexion  with  interments 
and  burial-urns  in  that  part  of  Wales.     The  upper  part  of  the  cup 


IN  ANGLESEY  AND  NORTH  WALES.  259 

conclusions  Mr.  Fenton  seems  to  have  found,  whilst  en- 
gaged on  his  tour  through  Pembrokeshire,  a  very  able 
guide  and  coadjutor — the  first  reliable  authority  in  re- 
gard to  sepulchral  vestiges  of  the  earlier  periods  in  these 
islands — Sir  R.  Colt  Hoare.  Subsequent  investigations 
have  not  adduced  any  fact,  so  far  as  we  are  aware,  op- 
posed to  the  conjecture  that  has  given  the  designation 
**  thuribles "  to  the  diminutive  vessels  in  question,  or 
suggestive  of  any  probable  explanation  of  their  use.  The 
supposition  that  they  were  intended  to  be  hung  up 
above  the  level  of  the  eye  may  seem  in  some  degree  con- 
firmed by  the  occurrence  of  ornament  on  the  under  sur- 
face, wrought  with  considerable  care,  and,  with  one 
exception,  never  found,  so  far  as  we  are  aware,  on  the 
bottom  of  any  urn  of  the  other  types,  in  which  also  any 
similar  adjustment  for  suspension  is  very  rarely,  if  ever, 
provided. 

An  **  incense  cup  "  of  simple  fashion,  of  interest  as 
bearing  on  the  under  side  punctured  ornamentation  in 
cruciform  arrangement,  is  in  the  possession  of  Mr. 
Wynne  Ffoulkes.  It  was  found  in  some  farming  opera- 
tions at  Bryn  CrAg,  near  Llanfair  Isgaer,  about  two  miles 
from  Caernarvon,  and  about  half  a  mile  east  of  the  road 
towards  Bangor.  The  name  CrAg,  a  mound,  seems  to 
indicate  that  there  had  been  a  barrow  at  the  spot,  but  it 
had  been  removed.  In  cutting  a  trench  the  labourers 
met  with  two  cinerary  urns,  inverted  one  over  the  other ; 
the  space  between  the  two  vessels  being  apparently  filled 
with  charcoal  and  earth.  The  burnt  bones  were  en- 
closed within  the  innermost  urn;  amongst  them  was  the 
cup  (fig.  23) ;  also  a  bronze  pin  about  1^  inch  in  length. 
No  other  relic,  as  the  finders  assured  Mr.  Ffoulkes, 
was  found ;  he  suspected  that  the  bronze  relic,  now  lost, 
was  only  part  of  the  object  that  lay  with  the  bones,  the 
remainder  being  probably  secreted,  from  a  supposition 

that  he  has  figured  is  ornamented  with  a  trellised  or  lozengy  pattern, 
but  without  open  work.  It  is  not  stated  whether  any  markings  were 
to  be  seen  scored  or  incised  on  the  bottom,  as  on  the  t^pecimen  found 
at  Llandyssilio.     See  figs.  20,  21,  supra. 


260 


INTERMENTS  AND  SEPULCHRAL  URNS 


that  it  was  of  more  precious  metal  than  bronze.  He  was 
at  Caernarvon  at  the  time  of  the  discovery,  and  forth- 
with visited  the  spot  to  examine  the  fragments  of  the 
two  urns  and  their  contents.  It  was  stated  that  similar 
discoveries  had  previously  occurred  at  the  same  place. 
The  cup,  ornamented  roughly  by  vertical  rows  of  irre- 
gular round  punctures,  five  rows  of  similar  dots  around 
the  lower  part,  and  one  within  the  lip,  is  of  light  reddish 
brown  ware,  with  a  few  little  pebbles  imbedded  in  the 
paste.  On  the  bottom,  which  is  slightly  convex,  is  the 
cruciform  ornament  (fig.  24).  Height,  2^  inches ;  dia- 
meter, at  the  mouth,  2|  inches ;  at  the  base,  1^  inch; 
thickness,  rather  more  than  a  quarter  of  an  inch.  There 
are  no  perforations  on  the  sides,  as  frequently  found  in 
cups  of  this  class.  The  circumstance  that  in  this  inter- 
ment the  deposit  had  been  protected  with  such  especial 


Fig.  23.  Fig.  34. 

"  lucense  Cup"  found  at  Bryn  CrCig,  and  cruciform  Ornament  on  its  bottom  (orig.  size). 

care  by  two  urns,  one  within  the  other,  has  rarely,  if 
ever,  been  noticed  in  ancient  burials.  These  urns,  of 
which  Mr.  Ffoulkes  has  preserved  fragments,  seem  to 
have  been  of  large  dimensions,  with  impressed  or  in- 
cised ornaments  around  the  upper  part,  consisting  of 
irregular  diagonal  markings  not  arranged  in  any  formal 


Fig.  18. — INCSN8B   CUP  yOUND   IN   A   SEPULCHRAL   URN    NEAR  BRTN    SEIONT, 
CARNARVONSHIRE. 


do  I 


of  Uie  RflT.  W.  Wyiin  Williauiji,  of  Meiiaifron,  Anglesey.) 
Height  nearly  2  iuclies.iliHueter  2^  inches. 


Pig.  19. — INCI8KD  ORNAMENT  ON  THE  BOTTOM    OF  THE   CUP   FOUND   NEAR 

BRYN   8EIONT. 


Abcu.  Camb.    Vol.  xiv. 


IN  ANGLESEY  AND  NORTH  WALES.  261 

design.  The  paste  is  very  coarse  and  badly  compacted, 
brown  externally  and  black  within,  the  walls  of  these 
broken  vessels  being  of  considerable  thickness.  CrAg 
was  the  property  of  the  late  Mr.  Griffith,  of  Llanfair,  by 
whom  the  cup  and  fragments  were  given  to  his  relative, 
Mr.  Ffoulkes. 

Another  interment  was  found  at  CrAg,  about  1855, 
with  urns  that  unfortunately  were  not  preserved ;  it  is 
stated  that  they  resembled  in  character  the  larger  urns 
that  accompanied  the  cup  above  described.  With  this 
deposit  were  brought  to  light  three  objects  of  bronze  : 
a  small  blade  with  a  flat  tang  for  insertion  into  a  haft  ; 
a  pin  or  implement  with  a  flat  head  pierced  with  three 
holes ;  the  length  of  this  object  when  perfect  may  have 
been  about  6  inches ;  and  a  small  celt  of  peculiar  type, 
length  3f  inches,  with  a  pierced  loop  or  ear  at  either 
side,  at  about  mid-length.  This  object  approaches  most 
nearly  to  the  class  of  palstaves,  but  there  is  no  stop- 
ridge,  only  a  very  slightly  raised  space  between  the  side- 
loops  ;  bronze  palstaves,  or  other  relics  of  this  descrip- 
tion with  two  side-loops,  are  very  rare.  These  relics  are 
figured,  Arch.  Journ,^  vol.  xxv. 

The  decoration  scored  or  incised  on  the  bottoms  of 
"  incense  cups"  is  much  varied,  and  in  several  instances 
does  not  present  the  cruciform  type  of  which  examples 
have  been  given.  Some  observations  on  that  remarkable 
ornament  will  be  given  hereafter.  A  curious  example 
of  these  mysterious  little  mortuary  vessels  is  that  already 
noticed  as  found  by  Mr.  Llewelyn  with  two  urns  in  a 
cist  at  Cam  Goch.  (See  fig.  16,  supra.)  They  have  been 
presented  to  the  British  Museum.  The  bottom  of  this 
Pembrokeshire  specimen,  here  figured  of  the  original 
size  (fig.  25)  is  ornamented  with  parallel  rows  of  dia- 
gonal scoring,  fonning  a  herring-bone  pattern  over  its 
entire  surface.  (Fig.  26.)  At  the  side  of  this  vessel 
are  perforations,  as  on  many  other  urns  of  this  class. 

Several  of  these  little  cups  have  occurred  in  other 
sepulchral  deposits  in  the  Principality,  of  which  some 
have  been  briefly  noticed   previously.     In  a  earn  on 


262  INTERMENTS  AND  SEPULCHRAL  URNS 

Trecastle  Mountain,  Brecknockshire,  Mr.  Holford  found, 
about  1820,  a  small  turbinated  specimen,  in  form  re- 
sembling that  from  Meinau'r  Gwyr  (fig.  20,  supra),  but 
without  any  ornament. 

A  brief  notice  of  some  other  examples  of  the  "  incense 
cup  *'  found  in  various  parts  of  England  may  be  ac<5ept- 
able  to  our  readers.  One,  elaborately  worked,  pierced 
also  with  lozengy  and  oval  apertures  over  the  whole 
surface,  was  brought  to  light  in  1849,  with  a  large  cine- 
rary urn,  in  a  barrow  at  Bulford,  near  Amesbury.^  The 
form  is  unusually  elegant;  this  cup,  of  dark  brown 
colour,  measures  3  inches  in  height  by  3J  in  diameter. 
Two  bronze  pins  or  "awls'*and  some  little  beads  of  awhite 
coralloid  material  occurred  with  it.  These  are  doubt- 
less the  common  chalk  fossils  (orhitolina  ghbularia)  that 
occur  both  solid  and  perforated,  the  perforation  being 


V\%.  27. — Ornftinent  incised  on  the  bottom  of  an  Inoense  Cup  found  at  Bulford,  Wilts. 
Orig.  sixe. 

often  as  smooth  and  straight  as  if  artificial.^  On  the 
under  side  of  the  base  an  ornament  is  deeply  incised,  as 
here  shown.  (Fig.  21.)  The  concentric  circles  are  traced 

1  Figured  Arch,  Joum.,  vol.  vi,  p.  319.  The  circles  on  the  bottom 
are  not  there  noticed.  A  thurible  almost  identical  in  form  to  the  Bui* 
ford  specimeni  but  without  any  open  work,  was  found  at  Throwley, 
Staffordshire,  and  is  figured  by  Mr.  Jewitt,  Life  of  Wedgwood,  p.  12. 

*  We  are  indebted  to  Mr.  E.  T.  Stevens,  to  whose  exertions  and 
intelligence  the  admirable  arrangement  of  the  Blackmore  Museum  at 
Salisbury  is  mostly  due,  for  information  regarding  these  fossil  beads, 
which  are  found  frequently  in  the  Wiltshire  drift  with  implements  of 
flint  of  the  palseolithic  type.  (Catal.  Salisbury  and  South  Wilts  Mu- 
seum, p.  9.) 


IN  ANGLESEY  AND  NORTH  WALES.  263 

with  great  precision,  and  they  bear  a  certain  resemblance 
to  some  of  the  mysterious  rock-markings  that  have  re- 
cently excited  so  much  attention  in  Northumberland, 
North  Britain,  and  other  localities,  as  described  by  Mr. 
George  Tate  and  Sir  James  Simpson.^  A  similar  orna- 
ment occurs  on  the  unique  gold  cup  found  in  a  cist  near 
the  Cheese-wring,  in  Cornwall,  and  preserved,  as  trea- 
sure trove  of  the  Duchy,  in  a  small  collection  of  objects 
of  interest  formed  by  the  late  Prince  Consort  at  Osborne. 
By  gracious  permission  of  Her  Majesty  and  of  the  Prince 
of  Wales,  it  was  lately  brought  for  the  inspection  of  the 
Archaeological  Institute  by  Mr.  Smirke,  and  it  has  been 
published  in  their  Journal.^  It  is  scarcely  needful  to 
observe  how  frequently  the  concentric  circles  occur  as 
a  type  of  British  or  "  Celtic  "  ornament. 

A  curious  "  incense  cup,"  figured  in  the  ArchoBologia^ 
was  found  near  the  "  Nine  Ladies  "  on  Stanton  Moor, 
Derbyshire.  It  measures  about  2J  inches  in  height  by 
3  inches  in  diameter;  the  form  is  cylindrical  like  a  small 
barrel ;  it  is  fashioned  with  triangular  openings  in  zig- 
zag design  around  the  upper  part,  and  pierced  on  each 
of  its  sides  with  two  perforations  (about  an  inch  apart), 
probably  for  the  purpose  of  suspension.^  It  was  found 
in  a  large  urn  with  the  unusual  accompaniment  of  a 
cover  in  form  of  a  disc  of  baked  clay.  In  another 
example  the  upper  part  of  the  cup  is  entirely  closed  and 
impressed  with  corded  lines,  trellis-fashion ;  the  lower 
part  is  formed  with  narrow  diagonal  slits.  The  dimen- 
sions are  3^  inches  by  2^  inches  in  diameter.  It  was 
found  on  Clayton  Hill,  near  Brighton,  and  it  contained 

1  The  Ancient  BritUh  Sculptured  Roche  of  Northumberland,  by  Geo. 
Tate,  F.G.S.  (Alnwick,  1865 ;  twelve  plates).  The  remarkable  volume 
published  under  the  auspices  of  the  Antiquaries  of  Scotland,  by  Sir  J. 
Simpson,  Bart.,  and  forming  part  of  ihtii  Proceeding  $  (vol.  vi,  Appen- 
dix), comprises  all  examples  of  the  markings  hitherto  noticed  in  various 
parts  of  the  British  islands. 

*  Arch,  Journal^  vol.  xxiv,  p.  192. 

'  Archaoloffia,  vol.  viii,  p.  59.  An  example  from  co.  Tyrone  is 
wholly  pierced  with  triangular  openings,  so  that  the  circumference  is 
entirely  of  open  work,     (journ.  Brit,  Arch,  Assoc,  vol.  i,  p.  244.) 


264       INTERMENTS  AND  SEPULCHRAL  URNS 

a  circular  object  of  very  curious  character,  a  little  locket 
of  vitrified  paste  of  light  blue  colour.^  The  fashion  of 
the  "  incense  cups  "  is  singularly  varied ;  Sir  Richard 
Colt  Hoate  gives  several  examples,  two  of  them  covered 
with  bosses,  like  a  bunch  of  grapes,  in  his  Ancient  Wtlts.^ 
In  the  collection  of  Wiltshire  relics  found  by  one  of 
our  most  sagacious  investigators,  Dr.  Thumam,  three 
*'  thuribles"  are  preserved.  Of  these  interesting  examples 
two  are  doubly  perforated  on  one  side  only  ;  these  cups 
are  elaborately  ornamented ;  on  the  bottom,  in  one  in- 
stance, two  concentric  circular  lines  are  incised ;  on  the 
other  cup,  which  has  no  lateral  perforations,  are  two  con- 
centric circles,  close  to  the  margin  of  the  base,  with  two 
rows  of  dots  that  recall  the  fashion  of  the  bronze  British 
shields  with  circular  ribs  and  rows  of  studs  alternately. 
These  cups,  which  seem  peculiar  to  the  British  Islands, 
have  occurred  likewise  not  uncommonly  in  Yorkshire, 
Derbyshire,  and  in  Scotland,  mostly  enclosed  within 
cinerary  urns  of  large  dimensions. 

Class  HI. — Of  the  third  class  of  sepulchral  urns, 
designated  "  Food-vessels,"  no  well  characterised  speci- 
men has  hitherto  been  noticed,  so  far  as  we  are  aware, 
in  Anglesey  or  Wales.  The  small  urns  that  accompanied 
incinerated  deposits  at  Forth  Dafarch,  before  noticed  in 
this  memoir  (figs.  3, 5),  may  possibly  belong  to  this  divi- 
sion, as  they  have  no  lateral  perforations,  and  possess 
none  of  the  usual  features  of  the  "  incense  cup."  They 
jseem  more  suited  to  have  served  as  food- vessels. 

^  Arch.  Journal^  vol.  xix,  p.  185,  where  both  the  urn  and  locket  are 
^gured.  An  "incense-cup"  found  in  a  "bell-barrow"  at  Beedon, 
Berks,  is  given  ibid.,  vol.  vii,  p.  66,  with  another  from  the  Malvern 
Hills.  See  also  a  good  example  from  Dorset  (vol.  xii,  p.  193) ;  and 
two  richly  decorated  cups  found  at  Woodyates  in  the  same  coantj. 
(Warne's  Celtic  Tumuli,  pi,  2,  from  Hoare's  Ancient  Wilts),  Mr. 
Greenwell  found  one  in  a  barrow  in  Yorkshire  (ibid.,  vol.  xxii,  fig.  12, 
p.  247).  See  various  other  forms  of  the  "  incense*  cup"  in  Akerman's 
Archaol.  Index.  Two  remarkable  specimens  found  by  Mr.  Tissiman 
on  Eyton  Moor,  Yorkshire,  are  figured  Joum,  Brit.  Arch.  Assoc.,  vol. 
vi,  p.  1. 

*  Vol.  i,  pi.  24,  p.  199.  See  also  Diary  of  a  Dean,  by  the  late  Very 
Rev.  Dr.  Merewether ;  antiquities  found  near  Avebury,  figs.  3,4,  p.  44. 


IN   ANGLESEY  AND  NORTH  WALES.  265 

In  the  neighbourhood  of  Tenby  there  are  a  consider- 
able number. of  barrows  ;  some  of  them  have  from  time 
to  time  been  examined,  and  a  more  complete  investiga- 
tion was  projected,  on  occasion  of  the  meeting  of  the 
Cambrian  Association  at  Tenby,  in  1851  ;  this,  however, 
having  been  deferred,  the  late  Mr.  Dearden  undertook 
the  excavation  of  a  few  barrows  on  the  Ridgeway 
and  the  British  line  of  road  between  Tenby  and  Pem- 
broke. He  has  recorded  the  results  in  the  ArchcBologia 
Cambrensis^  with  a  map  showing  the  position  of  the 
grave-hills ;  several  relics  found  in  that  known  as 
Carew  Beacon  are  there  figured.  The  interments  were 
in  cists  without  cremation ;  in  one  instance  the  floor  of 
the  cist  was  paved  with  round  pebbles.^  Further  ex- 
cavations of  barrows  in  those  parts  of  Pembrokeshire 
have  been  made  by  the  Rev.  Gilbert  N.  Smith,  rector  of 
Gumfreston,  to  whom  we  are  indebted  for  the  following 
particulars,  with  drawings  and  photographs  of  the  mor- 
tuary vessels.  Some  of  the  mounds  are  slightly  raised 
above  the  surface,  not  more  than  2  feet ;  others,  locally 
called  beacons,  have  an  elevation  of  20  feet  or  there- 
abouts. The  general  character  of  the  contents  shows,  as 
Mr.  Smith  infers,  that  they  are  sepulchres  of  a  poor  and 
degenerate  race.  Sometimes  more  than  one  urn  has 
accompanied  the  deposit ;  occasionally,  besides  the  urn, 
heaps  of  scattered  bones  have  been  found  in  some  other 
part  of  the  barrow,  but  in  all  instances  burned.  One 
mound,  however,  was  an  exception.  It  contained  a  re- 
gular cistvaen  with  a  skeleton ;  it  appeared  that  a  lump 
of  limestone  had  been  laid  on  the  abdomen ;  the  cover 
of  the  cist  was  of  a  different  material,  old  red  sandstone.* 
Of  the  urns  obtained  in  Mr.  Smith's  excavations  two 
are  here  figured ;  both  of  these  seem  to  belong  to  the 
class  of  '*  food-vessels,'*  comparatively  rare  in  the  Prin- 
cipality ;  one  is  of  simple  fashion  (fig.  28,)  the  ornament 

1  Arch,  Camb.y  vol.  ii,  N.  S.,  p.  291. 

'  Mr.  Smith  observes  that  the  singular  fact  here  noticed  recalled 
the  popular  practice,  in  the  west  of  England  and  some  other  parts,  of 
placing  a  plate  of  salt  on  the  stomach  of  the  corpse. 

3rd  8XR.,  VOL.  XIV.  IS 


266 


INTERMENTS  AND  SEPULCHRAL  URNS 


consisting  only  of  three  rows  of  vertical  impressions ; 
this  vessel  measures  6  J  inches  in  height.^  The  second 
is  a  specimen  of  remarkable  and  elaborate  fashion  (fig. 
29,)  decorated  with  scored  and  impressed  work,  with 
bands  also  of  zig-zag  ornament,  that  seem  to  have  been 


Fig.  Sd.    Height,  6i  ins.  f  ig.  99     Height,  4  ius. 

"  Food- Vessels"  found  by  the  Rev.  O.  K.  Smith  near  Tenby. 

tooled  out  with  more  than  usual  skill.  There  are  also 
markings  within  the  lips.  Height,  4  inches ;  greatest 
breadth,  5  inches.  It  has  a  groove  round  the  middle, 
in  which  are  two  projections  or  stop-ridges ;  in  other 
examples  of  this  rare  variety  of  the  ''  food-vessel"  these 
appliances  are  more  numerous,  four  or  even  five  in 
number,  and  are  pierced  in  the  direction  of  the  groove 
with  holes  just  sufficient  to  pass  a  small  cord.  Remark- 
able examples  found  in  Derbyshire  are  figured  in  the 
Crania  Britannica  and  in  Mr.  Llewellyn  Jewitt's  Memoir 
on  the  Early  Potteries  of  Staffordshire  ;  other  varieties  of 
urns  thus  provided  with  means  probably  for  suspension 
have  occurred  in  the  northern  parts  of  England  and  in 

^  Compare  an  urn  of  somewhat  similar  fashion  found  in  a  cist  with 
burnt  bones  at  Arbor  Lowe,  Derbyshire.  (Bateman,  Vestiges,  p.  65 ; 
7 en  Years^  Diggings,  p.  283.)  In  this  interment  a  second  urn  more 
elaborately  decorated,  a  **  food-vessel,"  was  placed  at  thp  side  of  the 
other. 


IN  ANGLESEY  AND  NORTH  WALES.  267 

Scotland.^  They  recall  certain  peculiar  Scandinavian 
types,  of  which  some  examples  are  provided  with  covers 
that  were  kept  in  place  by  cords  passing  through  the 
pierced  ears  or  projecting  ridges.  A  very  curious  vessel 
with  such  pierced  ridges  found  in  a  barrow  at  Derby 
Dale  is  figured  by  Mr.  Jewitt  in  his  memoir  above  cited. 
It  is  much  ornamented  with  corded  impressions.  Mr. 
Jewitt  considers  it  to  belong  to  the  cinerary  vessels,  but 
it  seems  probable  that  it  should  be  associated  with  the 
third  class,  now  under  consideration.*  It  is  difficult  to 
explain  the  intention  of  the  little  stop-ridges  that  are 
not  pierced,  and  project  so  slightly  that  it  may  have 
been  scarcely  practicable  to  pierce  them,  as  in  the  speci- 
men found  by  Mr.  Smith  and  some  others ;  in  these  the 
original  use  of  the  groove  seems  forgotten.  Mr.  Smith 
possesses  many  fragments  of  other  urns  of  larger  size ;  it 
is  to  be  regretted  that  a  full  report  of  the  burial-mounds 
near  Tenby  should  not  have  been  recorded. 

A  good  example  of  the  food- vessel  of  this  type,  richly 
decorated,  and  having  four  knobs  or  ears  at  regular  dis- 
tances apart,  is  preserved  in  the  Museum  of  the  Anti- 
quaries of  Scotland ;  height,  nearly  5  inches.  It  was 
found  with  unbumt  remains  in  a  short  stone  cist  in 
Forfarshire.* 

1  Wetlon  Hill  barrow,  Crania  BriL,  decade  11,  12,  p.  3  ;  Bateman, 
Vestiges,  p.  83  ;  Jewitt,  introd.  to  Life  of  Wedgwood,  p.  11 ;  Reliquary, 
vol.  iii,  p.  165.  See  a  remarkable  little  urn  found  near  Edinburgh 
(ArchaoL  Scot.,  vol.  ii,  p.  76 ;  V^iUon,  Prehist.  Annals,  vol.  i,  p. 
422).  The  pierced  projections,  five  in  number,  are  in  this  instance 
developed  into  vertical  ribs  extending  to  about  two-thirds  of  the  height 
of  the  urn.  Another  like  urn  was  found  in  a  cist  under  a  cairn  at  Tol- 
craik,  Midlothian. 

*  Worsaae,  Afhildninger,  select  examples  from  the  Copenhagen 
Museum ;  Stone  Age,  figs.  71,  73.  See  the  classification  of  Scandina- 
vian urns,  Guide  to  Northern  Archaology,  edited  by  the  late  Earl  of 
Ellesmere,  p.  42  ;  Nillson,  Age  of  Stone,  edit,  by  Sir  John  Lubbock, 
pi.  10,  fi%,  209. 

*  Proceedings  Soc,  Antig.  Scot.,  vol.  v,  p.  82,  where  is  also  figured 
a  food-vessel  of  more  simple  fashion,  likewise  found  in  Forfarshire 
with  a  skeleton  in  a  short  cist.  See  a  curious  specimen  with  a  medial 
groove,  but  no  ridges  at  intervals,  found  by  Mr.  Tindall  near  Bridling- 
ton (Wright,  Archaol,  Essags,  vol.  i,  p.  29).   Also  another  with  a  deep 

182 


268 


INTERMENTS  AND  SEPULCHRAL  URNS 


For  the  curious  example  next  to  be  described  we  are 
indebted  again  to  the  kindness  of  Mr.  Wynne  Ffoulkes. 
This  urn  (fig.  30)  was  found  about  1840  in  a  cam  on 
some  enclosed  mountain  land  called  Mynydd-jr-Bryn, 
about  a  mile  to  the  north  of  Glan-yr-afon  house,  the  re- 
sidence of  J.  Hamer,  Esq.,  in  the  parish  of  Llanyblod- 
well,  Shropshire ;  the  spot,  however,  where  the  earn  is 
situated,  if  not  actually  within  the  county  of  Denbigh, 
is  on  its  immediate  confines.     In  clearing  the  land  of 


Fig.  80.— Urn  found  near  Olan-yr-afon,  borders  of  Denbiglishire. 

stones  to  render  it  fit  for  ploughing  the  cam  was  brought 
to  light.  The  precise  circumstances  have  unfortunately 
not  been  recorded,  but  it  is  stated  that  the  urn  was  placed 
within  a  cist,  and  was  inverted  over  a  deposit  of  burnt 
bones.  No  weapon  or  other  relic  was  noticed  in  this 
deposit.  The  urn,  measuring  5  inches  in  height  by  4| 
inches  at  the  widest  part,  is  of  a  reddish  brown  colour, 
of  hard  and  close  texture,  better  fired  than  British  urns 
usually  are.   The  design  of  the  ornament  that  covers  the 

groove  and  singularly  overhanging  mouldings,  from  Monsal  Dale,  Der- 
by.shire,  found  with  a  skeleton  of  a  child.  (LI.  Jewitt,  Celtic  FoUery, 
Jieliguary,  vol.  ii,  p.  68.) 


Pig.  13. — URN   FOUND   ON   THK   DENBIGHSHIHE   HILLS,    NEAR   NANTQLTN. 
IKiyhl  b\  i:.che.-. 


^^^-- 


\^ 


^    A  £i   £ 


5^»  14. — «BN  rOITND  AT  BBTN  BUGAILXN,  IN  THE   PABI8H  OF  LLAKOOLLBN. 
Height  11  inohet.    (From  a  Drawing  by  the  Uta  Mrs.  W.  W.  K.  Wynne.) 


Aboh.  Camb.    Vol.  xit. 


IN  ANGLESEY  AND  NORTH  WALES.  269 

entire  surface,  the  under  side  excepted,  which  is  per- 
fectly plain,  suggests  an  imitation  of  interlaced  or  basket 
work,  bound  around  by  twisted  cords  at  intervals ;  it  is 
wrought  in  a  somewhat  unusual  manner,  not  being  im- 
pressed or  scored,  as  in  most  examples,  but  tooled  or 
chased  with  considerable  skill.  The  form  is  inelegant  ; 
the  rectangular  arrangement  in  the  ornament  is  very 
singular.  Mr.  Hamer  assured  Mr.  Ffoulkes  that  this 
urn  bore  traces  of  gilding  internally,  but  that  they  had 
worn  off;  this  appearance,  however,  may  have  been 
caused  by  fragments  of  mica  or  by  pyrites,  of  which  Mr. 
Ffoulkes  perceived  a  portion  inside  the  mouth.  A  Scot- 
tish urn  similar  in  general  form  and  dimensions  (5^ 
inches  by  5|  inches  at  the  mouth)  may  be  mentioned  as 
presenting  also  features  of  resemblance  in  some  of  its 
details,  but  the  arrangement  of  ornament  is  vandyked, 
not  in  rectangular  compartments,  and  the  work  is  less 
deeply  tooled.^ 

Although  used  as  a  cinerary  urn,  for  some  special 
cause  that  it  is  now  impossible  to  ascertain,  the  urn  that 
Mr.  Hamer  has  kindly  permitted  us  to  publish  may  pro- 
bably be  assigned  to  the  class  of  food-vessels ;  it  pre- 
sents, however,  some  analogy  in  its  form  to  that  of  the 
drinking-cups,  with  which  perhaps  it  should  be  asso- 
ciated. The  urns  of  this  class,  it  has  been  already 
observed,  usually  accompany  unbumt  remains;  their 
varied  fashion  has  been  well  illustrated  by  Sir  Richard 
C.  Hoare,  and  also  by  the  late  Mr.  Bateman  in  his  works 
on  sepulchral  vestiges  in  Derbyshire.^  The  ornament 
is  mostly  wrought  by  pointed  or  blunt  implements,  of 
wood  probably  or  bone,  and  it  is  frequently  found  only 
on  the  upper  part  of  the  vessel. 

^  This  fine  urn  is  preserved  in  the  Peterhead  Museum.  It  was 
found  in  a  barrow  at  Savock,  Aberdeenshire,  and  is  figured  Catal, 
Mus,  Archaol.  Inst,^  Edinburgh  Meeting,  p.  11,  plate  of  urns,  fig.  3. 

*  Bateman,  Derbyshire  Antiquities ;  see  also  his  Ten  Years*  Dig' 
gingSy  and  the  detailed  catalogue  of  his  museum  at  Youlgraye.  The 
permanent  preservation  of  that  very  instructive  collection  has  been 
ensured,  as  far  as  practicable,  by  the  provisions  of  Mr.  Bateman's  will. 
Mr.  Oreenwell  figures  two  examples  of  the  food-vessel  from  Yorkshire 
grave-hills.     {Arch,  Journ.,  vol.  xxii,  p.  260,  figs.  8,  17.) 


270  INTERMENTS  AND  SEPULCHRAL  URNS 

Class  IV. — We  now  proceed  to  describe  the  examples 
of  the  fourth  group,  the  *'  Drinking  Cups,"  according  to 
the  classification  previously  given.  Vessels  of  this  pecu- 
liar and  highly  decorated  type  are  not  uncommon  in 
Wiltshire,  Derbyshire,  Yorkshire  and  some  other  parts 
of  England,  but  no  specimen  appears  to  have  been 
noticed  that  had  occurred  in  Anglesey  or  in  Wales. 

The  most  striking  example  that  we  have  now  to  bring 
under  notice  is  presented  by  the  fragments  that  had  for 
some  years  remained  unheeded,  as  already  stated,  amongst 
the  incinerated  contents  of  the  **  Urn  of  Bronwen,"  at 
the  British  Museum.  By  the  sagacity  and  skill  of  Mr. 
Franks,  these  portions  of  a  second  urn,  found  in  the 
same  deposit,  as  appeared  by  a  note  on  the  paper  in 
which  they  had  been  wrapped,  have  been  rescued  from 
oblivion,  and  the  design  of  the  vessel  satisfactorily 
estabUshed.  (See  fig.  7,  ante.)  This  "  drinking  cup" 
claims  our  consideration,  not  less  on  account  of  the 
singular  character  of  its  ornament,  produced  by  the  im- 
pression of  a  cord,  aided  possibly  in  small  details  by  a 
bluntly-pointed  implement,  than  as  regards  the  interest* 
ing  tradition  of  the  alleged  resting-place  of  Bronwen. 
It  may  have  measured,  as  Mr.  Franks  informs  us,  about 
6^  inches  in  height,  being  of  rather  lower  proportions 
as  compared  with  other  examples.  It  is  well  baked,  of 
yellow  brown  colour,  the  "  walls"  scarcely  a  quarter  of 
an  inch  in  thickness ;  they  are  mostly  much  less  sub- 
stantial in  the  urns  of  this  class.  The  ornament  con- 
sists of  three  horizontal  bands,  like  hoops,  with  diagonal 
bands  crossing  each  other,  forming  a  pretty  pattern  over 
the  entire  surface  of  the  urn,  and  overlaid,  as  it  were, 
by  vertical  strips,  notched  out  in  a  peculiar  fashion  where 
they  meet  the  horizontal  bands.  Thus,  the  whole  beai-s 
a  certain  resemblance  to  a  vessel  **  harnessed,"  according 
to  middle-age  phraseology,  or  banded,  as  mazers,cocoa- 
nuts,  and  other  mediaeval  drinking  cups  mostly  were, 
with  a  frame-work  of  strips  of  metal  plate.  In  the  ves- 
sel under  consideration  the  type  may  possibly  be  traced 
to  basket-work  surrounded  by  an  open  frame  of  bark  or 


IN   ANGLESEY  AND  NORTH  WALES.  271 

of  wood  cleft  into  thin  strips.  Amongst  many  examples 
of  this  kind  of  cup,  more  or  less  similar,  that  found  by 
Mr.  Bateman  in  the  Green-low  barrow,  Derbyshire,  in 
1845,  bears  the  closest  resemblance  to  this  curious  vase, 
and  is  even  more  elaborate  in  its  workmanship.^ 

The  occurrence  of  such  a  cup  in  the  cist  near  the 
river  Alaw  is  doubtless  a  remarkable  fact.  Urns  of 
this  class,  it  will  be  remembered,  usually  accompany 
unburnt  skeletons  laid  in  cists  or  rude  mortuary  cham- 
bers. A  single  fragment  of  an  unburnt  cranium  was 
pointed  out  by  Mr.  Franks  as  evidence  of  a  deposit  dis- 
tinct from  that  of  the  incinerated  remains  in  the  so-called 
"  Urn  of  Bronwen,"  and  doubtless  of  more  remote  an- 
tiquity. 

Another  cup,  ornamented  with  a  pattern  somewhat 
less  elaborate,  has  been  lately  disinterred  near  a  farm- 
house belonging  to  Mr.  Lloyd  Edwards  at  Rhosbeirio, 
in  the  northern  parts  of  Anglesey,  about  two  miles  from 
the  coast,  and  in  a  district  full  of  ancient  remains.  A 
burial-place  was  brought  to  light  in  the  farm-yard ;  it 
measured  about  3^  feet  in  each  direction,  and  was 
covered  by  one  large  flagstone,  the  bottom  and  sides 
being  formed  of  several  flat  slabs.  Within  this  cist  lay 
human  bones  and  the  urn,  which  is  elaborately  orna- 
mented with  lines  of  impressed  punctures  produced  by 
some  blunt  instrument ;  it  was  much  broken,  but  has 
been  skilfully  repaired  by  Mr.  Eeady.  No  bones  or 
ashes  were  found  in  the  urn ;  the  body  appeared  to  have 
been  interred  crouched  or  doubled  up.  This  cup,  which 
was  placed  near  the  head  or  shoulders  of  the  corpse, 
measures  8  inches  in  height ;  the  circumference  at  the 
mouth  is  about  11  inches.  It  is  of  a  light  reddish-brown 
colour,  and  the  surface  is  slightly  lustrous  in  some  parts. 
(Fig.  31.) 

>  Bateman,  Vestiges,  p.  59  ;  Ten  Years*  Diggings,  p.  286 ;  Lubbock's 
Prehistoric  Times,  p.  1 13 ;  Crania  Britannica;  Jewitt's  Reliquary,  vol. 
iii,  p.  1 78,  where  a  beautiful  drinking-cup  is  figured  found  on  Round- 
way  Hill,  North  Wilts ;  and  also  a  view  of  the  skeleton  crouched  up 
in  an  oblong,  cist  in  the  chalk,  with  the  cup  placed  near  the  feet. 


272  INTERMENTS  AND  SEPULCHRAL  URNS 

Not  far  from  the  spot  where  this  discovery  occurred 
there  was  found  in  a  place  described  as  a  semicircular 
fort,  at  Llanrhyddlad,  a  bronze  celt  or  axe-head  of  simple 
type,  stated  to  have  been  in  shape  like  "  the  heater  of  a 
box-iron."  Its  weight  was  about  2^  lbs.;  this  relic  is 
unfortunately  lost,  having  been  sold  to  a  pedlar  for  three 
shillings  and  sixpence.  Within  the  earthen  fortification 
a  pavement  of  stones  was  noticed.  The  urn  remains  in 
possession  of  Miss  Maria  Conway  Griffith,  of  Carreglwd, 
Anglesey,  by  whose  permission  it  was  recently  sent  for 
the  inspection  of  the  Archaeological  Institute,  and  is  here 
figured. 

This  part  of  Anglesey  is  believed  to  have  been  the 
scene  of  many  a  conflict  between  the  ancient  inhabitants 
and  the  Irish  or  Danish  marauders.  There  are,  as  al- 
ready observed,  numerous  vestiges  of  antiquity,  earth- 
works and  other  remains,  scattered  throughout  the 
district. 

The  beautiful  vessels  brought  to  light  in  the  sepulchral 
cists  at  Ynys  Bronwen  and  Rhosbeirio  may  probably  be 
assigned  to  a  race  that  had  comparatively  made  advance- 
ment in  civilisation.  The  relics  or  weapons  by  which 
such  vases  are  accompanied  indicate  superior  skill  in 
working  and  polishing  flint  or  other  material :  the  use  of 
bronze  was  not  wholly  unknown.  Cremation,  moreover, 
was  not  practised.  The  corpse  was  deposited  in  a  con- 
tracted posture  (the  knees  drawn  up  towards  the  head), 
either  in  a  cist  of  stones  set  edgeways,  or  in  an  oblong 
cavity  formed  in  the  earth.  The  corpse  seems  to  have 
been  laid  most  frequently  on  its  left  side;  the  head 
being,  in  many  instances,  placed  towards  the  north.  In 
Wiltshire,  in  East  Yorkshire,  and  in  other  parts  of 
England,  the  sepulchral  depository  is  sunk  in  the  chalk, 
clay,  or  other  local  substratum.  A  mound  or  a  cam, 
according  to  the  nature  of  the  material  at  hand,  usually 
marked  the  site  of  the  burial.^ 

By  the  friendly  assistance  of  Mr.  Wynne  Ffoulkes  we 

^  See  Mr.  E.  Tindall's  account  of  an  interment  near  Bridlington,  in 
Mr.  T.  Wright's  Essays  on  Archaoloyical  Subjecis,  p.  23. 


IN  ANGLESEY  AND  NORTH  WALES. 


273 


are  enabled  to  augment  this  exemplification  of  the  class 
of  "  drinking-cups"  by  a  third  specimen  from  the  Prin- 
cipality. In  his  exploration  of  a  large  mound  in  a  field 
called  Caedegai,  at  Plas  Heaton,  Denbighshire,  in  1851, 
in  which  he  disinterred  portions  of  cinerary  urns  of  the 
ordinary  character,  with  interments  by  cremation,  two 
skeletons  were  found  deposited  one  across  the  other, 
saltirewise,  so  to  speak,  resting  on  the  covering-stone  of 
a  rude  cist  that  lay  level  with  the  floor  of  the  mound, 
and  measured  in  length  three  feet  ten  inches  by  one  foot 
six  inches  in  breadth.  Within  lay,  on  its  left  side,  a 
skeleton  with  the  arms  and  legs  gathered  up  against  the 
body,  the  head  to  the  north.  Immediately  behind  the 
head  were  fragments  of  the  drinking-cup.  (Fig.  32.)   It 


^r'V^"'^ 


f  rfiit 
n  i  i  i  /  i  nr/ 


W.. 


t ( i  f  (Hit n 
(ilia  (if ft 

piM^  i  f  n  n  rf  f ' ' 

M  ^  f  rcn  i  , 

fj  i  i  i '//  f  f  I  '  ' 
Iff/////  I  i r 
Ji  i  f  if  n  lUi 

(u  u  n  i  n  i 
u  u  n  n  n  f  ' 


Fig.  38.— DrinkiDg-cnp  fonnd  at  Plas  Heaton,  DenbiRhshire.    Id  the  powession 
of  Mr.  W.  Wynne  Ffoulkes.    Height,  8  Ina. 

was  much  broken,  and  has  been  skilfully  reconstructed 
by  Mr.  Ready.  The  height  is  eight  inches ;  diameter, 
at  the  mouth,  about  six  inches ;  at  the  base,  about  three 


274  INTERMENTS  AND  SEPULCHRAL  URNS 

inches  and  a  half.  The  thickness  of  the  "  walls"  is  from 
a  quarter  of  an  inch  to  three-eighths.  The  surface  is 
wholly  covered  by  small  diagonal  indentations  produced 
rudely  by  a  round-ended  implement,  somewhat  more 
than  a  quarter  of  an  inch  in  breadth.  Under  the  first 
and  the  fourth  row  from  the  top  there  are  some  very 
small,  irregular  punctures.  There  are  also  impressed 
markings  on  the  narrow  lip.  Mr.  Ffoulkes  states  that 
it  might  have  contained  some  liquid,  the  surface  inside 
being  stained  of  a  dark  blackish  colour  when  first  ex- 
posed. The  paste  is  hard  and  well  compacted,  with  a 
few  scattered  white  grains  of  quartz  (?),  and  is  of  reddish 
brown  colour,  stained  partially  with  a  darker  hue.  The 
vessel  had,  doubtless,  been  broken  at  a  remote  period, 
for  small  fibres  of  vegetation  appeared  over  the  edges  of 
the  fractures.  There  appears  to  be  a  narrow,  roughly 
rounded  bead  or  moulding  around  the  base.  On  the 
surface,  in  some  parts,  were  to  be  discerned  slight,  regu- 
lar, diagonal  lines ;  accidentally  produced,  doubtless,  in 
the  operation  of  potting,  but  through  what  manipula- 
tion it  is  difficult  to  understand.  A  fourth  skeleton  was 
subsequently  disinterred  on  a  level  with  the  top  of  the 
cist.  It  was  crouched  up,  like  that  already  described. 
The  skull  was  perfect,  and  has  been  pronounced  by 
Dr.  Thurnam  as  possessing  the  character  of  the  early 
Celtic  race,  but  comparatively  advanced  from  the  lowest 
state  of  barbarism.^ 

As  the  urns  of  this  fourth  class,  and  also  those  desig- 
nated "  food- vessels"  (class  iii),  very  rarely,  if  ever,  con- 
tain either  ashes,  burned  bones,  or  any  object  of  personal 
use,  we  may  conclude  that  they  were  appropriated  to 
some  other  special  purpose.  The  custom  appears  to 
have  prevailed  amongst  certain  races  of  antiquity,  as 
Sir  R.  C.  Hoare  has  remarked,  which  is  still  practised 
by  some  savage  peoples,  of  depositing  articles  of  food 

1  Mr.  Ffoulkes  has  given  a  very  full  account  of  the  Plas  Heaton 
barrow  {Arch,  Camb,,  vol.  ii,  N.  S.,  p.  274.  The  urn  is  noticed  at 
p.  277.  The  skull  above  mentioned  is  figured,  Crania  Britannica^ 
No.  23. 


IN  ANGLESEY  AND  NORTH  WALES.  275 

with  the  corpse ;  and  it  seems  highly  probable  that  the 
vessels  in  question  may  have  served  such  a  purpose. 
This  conjecture  has  received  some  confirmation  from  the 
observations  recorded  by  Mr.  Ffoulkes  and  by  Mr.  Bate- 
man.^  The  careful  investigator  last  named  describes  a 
deposit  at  Castem  near  Wetton,  Staffordshire.  The 
skeleton  lay  in  a  cist  cut  in  the  rock.  It  was  accompa- 
nied by  one  implement  of  flint  and  a  fine  drinking-cup. 
The  vessel  showed  distinctly,  on  its  interior  surface,  an 
incrustation  indicating  that  it  had  contained  some  liquid 
when  deposited  in  the  grave :  the  liquid  had  filled  about 
two-thirds  of  the  vase.  Sir  Richard  Hoare  has  described 
also  a  remarkable  interment  in  a  barrow  near  Stone- 
henge;  three  skeletons  were  found  laid  one  over  the 
other,  placed  north  and  south.  Near  the  right  side  of 
the  head  of  one  of  them  was  a  cup  containing  a  quantity 
of  a  substance  that  in  its  perishing  condition  seemed  to 
be  decaying  leather,  possibly,  however,  some  article  of 
food ;  six  feet  below  lay  a  skeleton,  with  a  richly-deco- 
rated "  drinking  cup."^ 

Many  notices  and  representations  of  "  drinking  cups," 
closely  resembling  in  form  and  dimensions  that  found 
at  Ynys  Bronwen  and  Rhosbeirio,  may  be  found  in  the 
works  of  Sir  Richard  Hoare,  the  late  Mr.  Bateman,  and 
other  antiquaries.^ 

^  VestigeSf  Antiqu,  of  Derhyshiref  p.  87. 

*  Ancient  Wilts,  vol.  i,  pi.  xvi,  p.  163. 

*  See  the  account  of  a  barrow  at  Winterbourn  Stoke  {Ancient  Wilts, 
▼ol  i,  pi.  xiY,  p.  118).  Skeletons  were  found  in  cists  cut  in  the  chalk. 
At  the  feet  of  one  of  them  lay  a  cup  ornamented  with  horizontal  bands, 
also  two  pieces  of  stone  resembling  hones,  a  bead  of  jet,  and  a  flint 
spear.  A  barrow  near  Stonehenge  (described  ibid.,  pi.  xvii,  p.  164) 
contained  three  skeletons.  At  the  feet  of  that  first  deposited  there 
was  a  drinking  cup  elaborately  ornamented.  It  contained  a  broad 
spear-head  of  flint  and  an  oblong  stone  highly  polished.  Another  cup, 
found  at  Dorrington,  lay  at  the  head  of  a  skeleton,  with  stags'  horns 
and  pieces  of  flint  apparently  prepared  for  implements  of  war  or  the 
chase.  This  urn  is  the  best  preserved  and  most  decorated  specimen 
disinterred  by  Sir  R.  C.  Hoare.  {Ibid,,  pi.  xviii,  p.  168.)  Several 
urns  of  this  class,  scarcely  less  remarkable,  may  be  found  in  Mr.  Bate- 
jnan's  Vestiges  of  Ancient  Baces  in  Derbyshire  and  his  Ten  Years* 
Diggings,  passim.    Several  beautiful  specimens  have  occurred  also  in 


276  INTERMENTS  AND  SEPULCHRAL   URNS 

Certain  anomalous  varieties  of  form  occur,  which,  in 
the  absence  of  precise  evidence  in  regard  to  the  spedal 
uses  for  which  these  vessels  may  have  been  originally 
intended,  and  of  a  more  complete  classification  in  chro- 
nological series,  we  must  be  content  to  include  under 
the  class  of  vessels  under  consideration.  Of  such  dis- 
tinct varieties  are  the  "flower-pot  shaped"  urns,  ex- 
emplified by  the  specimen  found  near  Tenby  (fig.  28), 
another  from  Trentham,  Staffordshire,  given  by  Mr. 
Llewellyn  Jewitt,  an  urn  found  at  Arbor  Lowe,  Der- 
byshire, with  a  second  vessel  much  ornamented,  and 
other  like  vessels.^  A  general  resemblance  in  form 
might  justify  the  classification  of  some  other  wide- 
mouthed  urns  of  much  larger  proportions  with  these 
supposed  food- vessels.  Mr.  Fenton  gives  in  his  Hutory 
of  Pembrokeshire  a  singular  urn  found  in  a  cist  covered 
by  a  mound  at  Park  yr  Och  (Field  of  Lamentation)  near 
Fishguard.  This  vase  measured  18  inches  in  depth  and 
13  inches  in  diameter  at  the  mouth,  with  the  peculiarity 
that  it  terminated  at  bottom  in  almost  a  sharp  point 
like  a  boy's  top.*  It  has  no  overhanging  shoulder  or 
other  characteristic  feature  of  the  usual  type  of  cinerary 
urns.  (Class  I.)  A  peculiar  vessel  was  disinterred  in  1806, 
in  a  barrow  on  the  elevated  range  in  the  same  county, 
known  as  the  Breselu  or  Presele  Mountains.'  It  lay  in  a 
cist  within  a  carnedd,  and  contained  burnt  bones ;  the 
fashion  is,  perhaps,  unique ;  around  the  upper  part  are 
corded  bands  embossed  in  considerable  relief,  like  a  net- 
work with  triangular  and  lozengy  spaces ;  the  body  of 

Northumberland  accompanying  bones  in  cists.  A  valuable  collection  is 
preserved  at  Alnwick  Castle.  One,  from  a  deposit  at  Amble,  near  the 
mouth  of  the  river  Coquet,  is  figured  ArchaoL  JourtuU,  vol.  xiv,  p. 
282.  See  also  Scottish  examples,  Wilson's  Prehist.  Annals,  vol.  ii, 
p.  245. 

1  Early  potteries  of  Staffordshire,  Life  of  Wedgwood^  p.  10;  there 
figured  as  a  rude  specimen  of  the  food-vessel ;  Bateman,  Ten  Yeari 
Diggings,  p.  283. 

^  See  the  description  of  this  curious  mound  by  the  author's  son,  the 
late  Mr.  John  Fenton,  Hist  Pembrokeshire,  p.  679,  and  plate  2,  fig.  5. 

'  Ibid.,  p.  849,  plate  1,  antiquities,  fig.  1.  This  unique  urn  is  like- 
wise figured  Arch,  Camb,,  vol.  iv,  N.  S.,  p.  85. 


IN  ANGLESEY  AND  NORTH  WALES.  277 

the  urn  being  formed  with  several  flat  faces,  and  ela- 
borately ornamented  with  herring-bone  work;  height, 
about  18  inches;  diameter  at  the  mouth,  13  inches.  A 
wavy  line  in  relief  runs  round  the  shoulder  of  the  vase, 
just  above  the  multangular  facets.  The  base  is  very 
narrow.  Although  used  as  a  cinerary  vessel,  this  urn  can 
scarcely  be  ascribed  to  the  urns  of  that  description,  from 
•which  it  differs  so  essentially. 

The  curious  interlacement  shown  in  this  and  other 
Cambrian  urns  recalls  a  conjecture  to  which  Mr.  Birch 
has  adverted,  that  the  British  fictilia^  in  which  a  basket- 
work  type  so  frequently  occurs,  may  have  been  the 
British  bascaudce^  that  appear  to  have  been  exported  to 
Rome  and  used  amongst  appliances  of  the  table.^ — "  Bar- 
bara de  pictis  venit  bascauda  Britannis."*  The  notion, 
however,  appears  untenable,  for  various  reasons  that  it 
is  not  necessary  here  to  state,  and  it  is  more  probable 
that  the  object  thus  valued  by  the  luxurious  Roman  was 
simply  some  ingeniously  constructed  basket.  Mr.  Birch 
remarks  that,  in  the  Irish  urns,  the  resemblance  to 
basket-work  in  which  coloured  patterns  were  worked  in, 
is  still  more  distinct  than  in  the  British.  Whether  the 
bascauda,  to  which  allusion  is  made  by  classical  writers, 
were  a  fictile  production  of  British  skill  or  not,  it  is  very 
probable  that  the  early  pottery  of  Europe  retains  in  its 
ornamentation,  as  Mr.  Tylor  reminds  us,  traces  of  hav- 
ing passed  through  a  stage  in  which  the  clay  was  sur- 
rounded by  basket-work  or  netting,  either  as  a  backing 
to  support  the  vessel  or  a  mould  to  form  it  in.  This 
notion  was  long  since  stated  by  Klemm,  and  it  has  been 

^  Bircb,  History  of  Ancient  Pottery,  vol.  ii,  p.  381 ;  also  Scottish 
bascauda,  p.  384. 

^  Martial,  1.  14,  Epiy,  99;  Juvenal,  Sat.  12,  v.  6.  The  name  in 
Welsh,  hasgawdy  it  is  observed,  was  conveyed  to  Rome  with  the  articles 
that  it  denoted.  Wherein  consisted  the  value  or  curiosity  of  these 
baskets,  we  are  not  informed ;  but  they  seem  classed  amongst  vessels 
capable  of  holding  liquids.  The  Britons  were,  doubtless,  skilled  in 
fashioning  baskets,  and  even  made  coracles  of  wicker-work.  It  is  well 
known  that  baskets  which  would  hold  water  have  been  manufactured 
bj  savage  peoples  even  in  recent  times. 


278  INTERMENTS  AND  SEPULCHRAL  URNS 

accepted  by  Dr.  Wilson  in  his  Archaeology  of  SeofUmd. 
In  this  point  of  view  the  Breselu  um  invites  carefbl 
consideration.^ 

The  repeated  occurrence  of  cmcifonn  ornament,  as 
already  noticed,  on  pottery  found  in  the  British  islands, 
that  we  cannot  hesitate  to  ascribe  to  pre-Christian  times, 
is  a  remarkable  fact,  which,  so  far  as  we  are  aware,  had 
not  been  brought  under  the  notice  of  archaeologists. 
The  examples  supplied  by  the  "incense  cups"  from  Bryn 
Seiont  and  Llandysilio  (figs.  19,  21,  supra)  me^  perhaps, 
those  most  distinctly  marked;  that  found  by  Mr.  Ffoulk» 
at  CrAg  (fig.  24)  is  more  rude  in  execution,  but  the 
cross  is  undeniably  the  motive  of  the  punctured  decora- 
tion. Of  similar  fashion  is  the  little  cruciform  ornament 
scored  on  the  narrow  base  of  a  cup  in  possession  of  Mr. 
J.  Jope  Rogers;  it  was  found  in  1787  in  Lancashire, 
and  published  in  the  ArchcBohgia  by  Pegge.*  Mr.  Bate- 
man  found  a  vase  at  Newton-upon-Bawcliif,  Yorkshire, 
described  as  a  food- vessel,  which  has  a  cruciform  ornament 
on  the  bottom  formed  by  rows  of  punctures  impressed.* 
The  cross  occurs  likewise  on  a  little  cup  found  in  Aber- 
deenshire, of  which,  with  various  other  valuable  notices 
of  urns  in  Scotland,  information  has  been  supplied  by 
the  obliging  curator  of  the  Edinburgh  Museum  of  Anti- 
quities, Mr.  W.  T.  M'CuUoch.  In  that  instance  the 
cross  is  roughly  scored  within  a  circle  surrounded  by  a 
chevrony  bordure,  that  almost  presents  the  appearance 
of  a  radiant  star  of  eight  points ;  the  diminutive  vessel 
measures  near  If  inch  in  height  by  3  inches  in  diameter, 
and  has  two  small  perforations  at  the  side.*     There  are 

1  See  Tylor's  valuable  remarks  on  the  origin  and  advance  of  fictile 
ait,  Early  History  of  Mankind,  pp.  269-72.  In  connexion  with  the 
beautiful  Breselu  um,  compare  the  spheroidal  Germanic  vase,  not 
made  on  the  lathe,  wholly  different  from  the  Pembrokeshire  um  in 
form,  but  retaining  in  like  manner  the  tradition  of  the  sustaining  net- 
work of  more  remote  antiquity.  (Brongniart,  Arts  cSramiques,  pi 
XXVII,  ^g,  14.) 

*  Archaologia,  vol.  ix,  p.  17,  pi.  ix. 

*  Ten  Years'  Diggings,  p.  285. 

*  Proceedings  Soc,  Ant,  Scot,,  vol.  v,  p.  13.  It  was  found  with  an- 
other, there  also  figured,  in  a  earn,  Hill  of  Bennachie. 


IN  ANGLESEY  AND  NORTH  WALES.  279 

several  specimens  of  these  mysterious  cups  in  that  col- 
lection, all  perforated  with  two  holes,  mostly  on  one  side 
only,  but  occasionally  there  are  two  small  perforations 
on  each  side.  On  the  bottom  of  one  from  Orkney  are 
three  concentric  circular  scorings  around  a  central 
cavity,  and  surrounded  by  chevrony  patterns ;  another, 
from  Penrith,  Cumberland,  bears  one  circular  border ; 
another,  from  Dunbar,  has  a  lozenge-shaped  figure  in 
the  centre,  scored  diagonally.  A  little  barrel-shaped 
cup  found  in  a  barrow  at  Cauldchapel,  Lanarkshire, 
bears  a  well  defined  cross  on  the  bottom;  it  measures 
2J  inches  in  height,  and  is  perforated  with  two  holes  on 
one  side  only.  Such  ornaments,  as  our  best  guide  in  most 
matters  of  Scottish  antiquity, Mr.  John  Stuart,informs  us, 
mostly  occur  on  these  little  cups ;  the  larger  urns,  how- 
ever richly  decorated,  have  no  markings  on  the  bottom. 
Of  the  concentric  circles,  the  best  recorded  example  has 
been  already  given — the  Bulford  "incense  cup"  (fig.  27, 
supra.)  Many  other  instances  of  cruciform  and  other 
patterns  may  doubtless  be  found ;  the  ornament  thus 
applied  would  obviously  be  lost  to  view,  unless  these 
vessels  were  destined  for  suspension.  The  decoration  on 
the  bottom  is  found  almost  exclusively  on  the  diminutive 
vessels,  of  which  the  intention  is  so  questionable.  Mr. 
Bateman,however,has  made  known, as  before  mentioned, 
an  example  of  another  class,  a  **  food- vessel,"  found  in 
1850,  at  Newton- upon-Rawcliff,  described  as  haying  "  a 
singular  ornament  in  the  shape  of  a  cross,  formed  by  rows 
of  punctures  carefully  impressed  outside  the  bottom."^ 
More  strange,  however,  is  the  occurrence  of  the  cross  in 
pottery  of  another  class  that  seems  associated  with  ves- 
tiges of  races  existing  in  Britain  long  before  Christianity. 
In  certain  instances  the  cross  is  found  carefully  worked 
on  the  bottom  of  urns  of  large  size,  but  inside  the  vesseL 
Mr.  Franks  pointed  out  to  us  at  the  British  Museum 
fragments  of  a  vessel  of  dark  reddish  ware,  diameter  11 
inches,  that  show,  on  the  inner  surface,  a  cross  in  strong 

^  Ten  Years*  Diggings,  p.  285 ;    Observations  on  Celtic  Pottery  by 
Llewellyn  Jewitt ;  Reliquary,  vol.  ii,  p.  69. 


280  INTERMENTS  AND  SEPULCHRAL  URNS 

relief  with  a  round  cavity  sunk  at  the  intersection  of  the 
limbs.  The  thickness  of  the  ware  being  only  half  an 
inch,  it  may  be  suggested  that  these  cross-ribs  would 
serve  to  give  strength  to  the  flat  bottom  of  the  vase,  but 
it  is  difficult  to  comprehend  why  they  should  not  have 
been  applied  externally,  since  the  operation  of  fashioning 
with  care  and  perfect  symmetry  such  a  moulded  cross 
inside  the  vessel  must  have  been  attended  with  no  slight 
difficulty.  It  must,  at  the  same  time,  be  remembered 
that  we  are  in  ignorance  what  was  the  form  of  the  vessel ; 
when  entire  it  may  have  been  a  shallow  dish  or  pan. 
These  relics  were  found  in  a  cavern  at  Brixham,  Devon. 
Mr.  Farnham  Lyte,  whose  father,  the  late  vicar  of  Brix- 
ham, made  considerable  researches  in  the  caves  near  that 
place,  had  in  his  possession  another  similar  relic,  part 
of  the  bottom  of  a  large  vessel  that  may  have  measured 
12  or  13  inches  in  diameter.  On  this  fragment  appeared 
a  cross,  in  relief,  that  had  probably  been  wrought  on  the 
interior  surface,  as  in  the  instance  above  described.  The 
reverse  was  perfectly  flat;  the  thickness  of  this  piece  of 
ware  was  three  quarters  of  an  inch ;  the  projection  of 
the  cross-ribs  nearly  half  an  inch ;  the  paste  of  coarse 
clay  full  of  small  pebbles.  Portions  of  the  curved  rim 
and  lip  were  found,  rudely  ornamented  with  ten  zig-zag 
lines,  impressed  by  a  twisted  sinew  or  cord,  and  three 
similar  lines  close  to  the  mouth.  There  were  also  two 
rows  of  deeply  impressed  circles,  about  three-eighths  of 
an  inch  in  diameter,  produced  by  a  piece  of  hollow  bone, 
possibly,  a  stalk  of  hemlock,  or  the  like.  The  corded 
lines  were  in  all  instances  double,  two  and  two  close  to- 
gether ;  the  wall  of  this  remarkable  vessel  measured  an 
inch  in  thickness.  Human  remains,  bones  of  reindeer, 
and  other  animals  were  obtained  by  Mr.  Lyte  from  this 
cavern.  Amongst  the  miscellaneous  relics  collected  by 
the  late  Dr.  Mantell  on  the  South  Downs,  near  Lewes, 
and  now  in  the  British  Museum,  there  is  a  flat  bottom 
of  a  large  vessel,  on  the  inner  surface  of  which  is  a  cross 
produced  by  some  pointed  implement,  the  lines  of  mark- 
ings traversing  the  entire  diameter.     In  a  barrow  near 


IN  ANGLESEY  AND  NORTH  WALES.        281 

Wareham,  Dorset,  opened  by  the  late  Mr.  J.  F,  Pennie, 
amongst  twenty-four  unis  that  were  brought  to  light, 
there  was  one  that  presented  on  the  inside  a  cross  partly 
raised  and  partly  grooved.^  No  example  of  the  cross 
was  noticed  by  Sir  R.  C.  Hoare  on  any  of  the  mortuary 
urns  in  Wiltshire.  In  a  very  large  vessel  (height  about 
22^  inches  by  1 5  inches  diameter)  full  of  ashes,  he  found 
at  the  bottom  ornamental  work  in  relief,  resembling  a 
wheel  or  star  with  six  rays,  a  peculiarity  never  noticed 
by  him  before.*  The  cross  occurs  on  Irish  urns.  I  am 
indebted  to  M.  Du  Noyer  for  a  valuable  example  from 
a  barrow  at  Stackallen. 

The  frequent  occurrence  of  cruciform  ornament  on 
pottery  of  remote  periods  is  very  remarkable.  M.  Rabut 
figures  a  little  vase  from  a  pile-wrought  village  in  the 
Lake  Bourget,  near  Aix  in  Savoy,  the  narrow  base  of 
which  bears  the  cross,  the  only  ornament  found  on  this 
lacustrine  pottery.^  In  the  curious  dissertation  by  M.  de 
Mortillet  on  its  use  as  a  symbol  and  emblem,  and  also  as 
an  ornament,  numerous  examples  of  a  cross  occur  on  the 
under  surface  of  vessels  from  the  Terramare  of  Emilia,  the 
cemeteries  of  Villanova  and  Golasecca,  vestiges  of  a  race 
whose  history  is  lost  in  dim  antiquity  long  previous  to  our 
era,  the  cross  is  shewn  as  found  on  relics  of  bronze  and 
other  objects,  but  especially  on  fictile  vessels.*  The  close 
resemblance  of  some  of  these  Italian  examples  to  the 
cruciform  devices  on  incense-cups  obtained  from  British 
barrows  claims  notice.  We  are  not  disposed  to  seek  any 
deep  or  mysterious  significance  in  this  remarkable  fact ; 
the  use  of  the  ornament  seems  unquestionable,  not  only 
on  Celtic  vases  in  the  British  islands,  but  also  on  gold 
ornaments,  many  centuries  probably  before  Christianity.* 

*  Warne,  Celtic  Tumuli  of  Dorset,  p.  29. 

*  Ancient  Wilts,  vol.  i,  p.  243 ;  Fovant.  The  "  Stonehenge  urn/'  to 
which  that  ahove  described  is  similar  in  fashion  and  dimensions,  is 
figured  ibid.,  pi.  xvi. 

'  Habitations  lacustres  de  la  Savoie,  Mimoires  d'Histoire  et  d^Archi' 
ologie,  Sociiii  Savoisienns,  I.  viii,  p.  112,  pi.  4. 

*  Le  iSigne  de  la  Croix  avant  le  Christianisme,  par  Gabriel  de  Mor- 
tillet.    Paris,  1866. 

*  Compare  the  gold  disks  found  with  unburnt  deposits  in  a  barrow 

3lll)  SER  ,  vol..  XIV.  19 


282  INTERMENTS  AND  SEPULCHRAL  URNS 

In  concluding  this  account  of  fictile  relics  brought  to 
light  in  various  parts  of  the  Principality,  in  which  also 
it  has  been  thought  desirable  to  refer,  for  the  purpose 
of  comparison,  to  such  objects  of  the  like  classes,  respec- 
tively, as  have  occurred  elsewhere,  it  is  needless  to  re- 
mind the  reader  that  it  is  almost  exclusively  from  the 
grave-mound  and  the  recesses  of  the  burial-cist  that  our 
imperfect  knowledge  has  been  gathered  in  regard  to  the 
earlier  occupants  of  the  British  Islands.  Of  the  active 
life  of  those  remote  races,  we  possess  some  vestiges  in 
the  strongholds  and  vast  entrenched  works  that  crown 
many  of  our  hills,  whilst  no  one  can  fail  to  be  impressed 
by  the  solemn  yet  simple  grandeur  of  stone  monuments 
— the  Cromlech,  the  Circle,  and  the  Maenhir — but  it  is 
from  the  dark  chambers  of  the  tomb  that  we  are  enabled 
to  gain  our  slender  knowledge,  not  merely  of  the  fune- 
real usages  of  those  ancient  races,  but  of  the  skill  to 
which  they  had  attained  in  fabricating  objects  of  war- 
like or  of  domestic  use.  Hence,  moreover,  may  we 
seek,  however  dimly,  a  certain  insight  into  the  progreM 
of  civilisation.  Amongst  those  relics  the  urns,  com- 
monly designated  sepulchral,  are  almost  the  only  objects 
that  present  any  approach  towards  the  arts  of  decora- 
tion, and  afford  some  evidence  of  peculiar  style  or  motive 
of  ornament.^    Hence  it  is  that  fictile  vessels  of  the 

on  Mere  Down,  Wilts.  A  fine  drinking-cup,  a  bronze  dagger,  etc, 
lay  near  the  skeletons.  A  cross  likewise  decorates  the  conical  orna- 
ment of  gold  found  at  Upton  Lovel  (Ancient  Wilts,  vol.  i,  pp.  44-99). 
The  occurrence  of  the  cross  on  disks  and  other  ornaments  of  gold  in 
Ireland  is  well  known.     See  Wilde's  Catal,  Mus,  Roy.  Irish  Acad, 

*  A  few  examples  of  cells  and  blades  of  bronze,  with  geometrical 
ornaments  incised  or  impressed  by  hammering,  have  occurred  in  Eng- 
land; the  designs  resembling,  for  the  most  part,  those  that  occur 
upon  urns,  such  as  zigzag  lines  and  the  like.  Such  objects  of  broqze 
are,  however,  very  rare  in  this  country,  although  comparatively  com- 
mon in  Ireland.  A  large  celt  found  in  Northumberland,  and  thus 
decorated,  is  in  the  museum  at  Alnwick  Castle.  {Arch(Bol,  Joum., 
vol.  xix,  p.  363;  see  also  vol.  xviii,  p.  167.)  These  relics  are,  how- 
ever, of  a  much  later  period  than  the  greater  portion  of  the  large  cine- 
rary urns  such  as  those  noticed  in  this  memoir,  and  which  present, 
without  exception,  the  only  examples  of  decorative  work  in  Britain  at 
the  earl}  period  to  which  such  fictile  productions  may  be  assigned. 


IN  ANGLESEY  AND  NORTH  WALES.  283 

earlier  races  claim  careful  consideration.  Greatly  are 
we  indebted  to  such  zealous  and  acute  observers  as  the 
late  Mr.  Bateraan,  Dr.  Thurnam,  and  Mr.  Greenwell 
During  investigations  of  grave-hills  in  Yorkshire,  the 
indefatigable  antiquary  last  named,  more  especially,  has 
thrown  a  very  important  light  on  the  traces  of  early 
occupation.  We  may  refer  to  the  series  of  burial-urns 
and  other  relics  brought  to  light  in  his  recent  researches, 
as  comprising  the  most  instructive  exemplification,  pro- 
bably, hitherto  brought  before  the  archceologist.^ 

A  question  of  considerable  interest  suggests  itself  in 
connection  with  the  ancient  vessels,  the  fashion  and 
uses  of  which  it  has  been  the  object  of  the  present 
memoir  to  illustrate  by  examples  chiefly  derived  from 
various  parts  of  Wales,  or  from  the  ancient  Mona.  The 
urns  familiarly  designated  "  sepulchral"  have  been  re- 
garded by  antiquarian  authorities,  whose  conclusions 
deserve  our  best  consideration,  as  properly  and  exclu- 
sively destined  for  funereal  uses,  presenting  also  in  their 
form  or  their  decoration  features  specially  significant  or 
symbolical  in  connection  with  the  hallowed  purposes  of 
funeral  rites.  Mr.  Birch  has  stated  his  opinion  that  urns 
found  in  Celtic  barrows  are  properly  sepulchral  in  in- 
tention. The  paste,  he  remarks,  consists  of  the  clay 
found  on  the  spot  prepared  without  irrigation,  conse- 
quently coarse,  and  sometimes  mixed  with  small  pebbles, 
which  appear  to  have  been  added  to  hold  it  compactly 
together.  **  As  it  is  impossible,  owing  to  their  very 
great  friability,  that  they  could  have  been  of  much  use 
for  domestic  purposes,  it  is  probable  that  they  were  ex- 
pressly made  for  sepulchral  rites. "^  Dr.  Thurnam,  in 
his  valuable  Historical  Ethnology  of  Britain^  distinctly 
asserts  his  conclusion  that  the  large  coarse  vases,  known 

It  has  been  observed  by  Mr.  Llewellyn  Jewitt,  and  it  is  doubtless  a 
remarkable  fact,  that  no  example  of  Celtic  pottery  shews  the  slightest 
indication  of  an  attempt  to  imitate  any  natural  form,  although  the 
contrary  is  the  case  in  the  Jktilia  of  most  savage  nations.  {Reliquary, 
▼ol  ii,  p.  62.) 

^  Archaol.  Journ,,  vol.  xxii,  pp.  97,  241. 

*  Birch,  Ancient  Pottery ^  vol.  ii,  p.  379. 

192 


284       INTERMENTS  AND  SEPULCHRAL  URNS 

as  cinerary  urns,  were  made  expressly  for  sepulchral 
use.  He  remarks  that "  this  is  the  more  probable,  as,  in  a 
few  instances  of  large  earthen  vessels  from  what  appear 
to  have  been  British  dwellings,  the  form  and  style  are 
altogether  different."  He  cites  discoveries  in  the  cavern 
near  Brixham,  Devon,  and  in  hut-circles  at  Worle  Hill, 
Somerset,^  to  which  may  be  added  the  singular  domed 
pits  near  Salisbury,  vestiges  of  an  early  troglodytic  race, 
of  whom  we  hope  to  receive  ere  long  a  full  account 
from  Dr.  Blackmore  and  Mr.  E.  T.  Stevens.  The  frag- 
ments of  pottery  there  obtained,  and  preserved  in  the 
Blackmore  Museum  at  Salisbury,  are  very  peculiar,  some 
portions  bearing  coloured  ornaments,  so  far  as  we  are 
aware,  unique.  The  fictile  fragments  obtained  by  Dr. 
Thurnam  from  the  Long  Ban-ow  enclosing  a  sepul- 
chral chamber  at  West  Kennet,  Wilts,  are  also  of  most 
curious  character ;  although  that  structure  was  unques- 
tionably of  mortuary  intention,  numerous  flint  relics, 
scrapers,  and  implements  of  familiar  types,  with  animal 
bones  and  heaps  of  broken  pottery,  seem  distinctly  to 
prove  that  it  long  had  been  a  dwelling-place  for  the 
living.^ 

By  one  diligent  explorer  of  urn-burials  the  notion 
has  even  been  entertained  that  the  funereal  vessel  may 
have  been  fabricated  for  the  occasion  and  actually  fired 
in  the  glowing  embers  of  the  pile.  M.  de  Caumont'  also 
is  of  opinion  that  such  urns  were  specially  made  for 
mortuary  use ;  that  their  fashion  perhaps  was  prescribed 
conformably  to  mortuary  rites  or  usages ;  even  the  earth 
of  which  they  were  made  may  have  been  determined,  as 

^  See  a  brief  notice  of  the  caverns  at  Berry  Head  by  Mr.  F.  Maxwell 
Lyte  (Arch.  Joum.,  vol.  ix,  p.  93 ;  Proceedings  Somerset  Arch,  Soc., 
vol.  iii,  1852,  p.  9). 

*  ArchtBologiOf  vol.  xxxviii,  p.  405 ;  Crania  Brit,  ;  Lubbock,  Pre- 
historic Times f  pp.  107,  109. 

^  Cours  d'Antiquitis  Monumentales^  Ere  Celtique,  p.  255.  This  emi- 
nent archseologist  observes  that  our  knowledge  of  fictile  art  before 
Roman  times  is  the  more  limited  because  the  vases  that  we  can  safely 
refer  to  the  Celtic  period  are  exclusively  sepulchral,  and  present "  des 
formes  particuli^res  qui  ^taient  peut-^tre  commandoes  par  des  motifs 
superstitieux.*' 


IN  ANGLESEY  AND  NORTH  WALES.  285 

he  suggests,  by  certain  religious  considerations.  M. 
Boucher  de  Perthes,^  who  gives  an  instructive  chapter 
on  pottery,  both  Celtic  and  of  more  remote  antiquity, 
expresses  the  like  opinion.  One  of  the  savants  of  Abbe- 
ville, Dr.  Ravin,  by  whom  the  fictilia  of  Picardy  have 
been  carefully  examined,  concurs  in  this  conclusion, 
dividing  the  vases  of  the  Celtic  period  into  *'  la  poterie 
usuelle  ou  menag^re,"  of  which  few  examples  exist,  and 
"  la  poterie  fun^raire."*  Paste  of  very  hard  quality  and 
black  colour,  enclosing  small  white  pebbles,  is  pro- 
nounced by  the  same  authority  as  indicating  wares  des- 
tined for  funereal  purposes. 

The  conclusions  in  which  these  eminent  foreign 
antiquaries  thus  appear  to  have  concurred  accord  like- 
wise with  the  opinion  lately  expressed  by  one  of  our 
most  sagacious  investigators,  who  distinctly  asserts  his 
belief  that  none  of  the  vessels  accompanying  interments 
— incense-cups,  drinking-cups,  or  the  like — were  domes- 
tic ;  all  these  fictilia  were,  according  to  his  judgment, 
specially  manufactured  for  the  purposes  of  burial.^  This 
may,  however,  as  we  apprehend,  appear  questionable. 
Amongst  ancient  peoples,  of  whose  advanced  conditions 
and  of  whose  skill  in  decorative  arts  we  have  ample 
evidence — the  Greeks  and  the  Etruscans — we  may  re- 
cognise the  use  of  sepulchral  vases,  properly  thus  desig- 
nated; the  subjects  delineated  upon  them  appearing, 
in  many  instances,  to  indicate  such  a  primary  intention. 
On  the  other  hand,  the  admirable  vases  of  bronze,  of 
clay,  and  of  glass,  that  occur  with  Roman  interments, 
are  perhaps  without  exception  such  as  were  in  daily 
use.  The  so-called  "  cinerary  vases,"  with  which  fre- 
quent discoveries  of  Roman  burials  have  made  us  fami- 

^  Antiquitis  celtique$  et  aniidiluviennes,  t.  i,  p.  S2.  M.  B.  de  Perthes 
seems  to  include  the  food-vessels  in  the  series  of  pottery  specially 
made  for  funereal  uses. 

'  See  Dr.  Ravin's  letter,  ibid.,  p.  507.  Some  valuable  remarks  on 
Celtic  pottery  may  be  found  in  Brongniart,  TraiU  des  Arts  ciramiques, 
t.  i,  p.  4S0-4S5. 

^  See  Mr.  GreenwelFs  memoir  on  grave-hills  in  the  North  Riding 
of  Yorkshire,  Archaol.  Journ.j  vol.  xxii,  p.  90,  note  4. 


286  INTERMENTS  AND  SEPULCHRAL  URNS 

liar,  are  almost  exclusively  such  as  were,  in  their  original 
intention,  of  daily  use,  but  more  readily  available  also 
as  obrmdaria  or  depositories  for  the  incinerated  remains. 
Of  the  same  unquestiouably  domestic  character  are 
ampullcB^  paiellm^  and  pateroB^  the  lamps,  and  the  jars  or 
oIUb^  with  other  accompaniments  of  burial  in  the  Roman 
age. 

To  revert,  however,  to  burial-urns  of  the  pre-historic 
age  to  which  the  present  memoir  relates;  it  appears 
highly  improbable  that  in  times  of  low  and  inartificial 
conditions  any  objects  or  fictile  vessels  should  have  been 
specially  fabricated  for  funeral  rites.  It  must  be  con- 
sidered, moreover,  that  a  few  scattered  fragments  only 
of  pottery  of  that  early  period  have  been  brought  to 
light  in  Britain,  so  far  as  we  are  aware,  that  may  cer- 
tainly be  regarded  as  of  domestic  use,  in  contradistinc- 
tion to  such  as  are  considered  by  some  antiquaries  to 
have  been  exclusively  sepulchral.^  All  other  accoBEH 
paniments  found  in  the  grave-hill  are  such  as  were  used 
in  daily  life,  implements  of  the  chase  or  of  war,  the 
knife  or  the  arrow-head  of  flint,  ornaments  of  jet  and  of 
amber,  or  the  whorl  of  the  distaff.  Of  the  four  types  of 
urns,  according  to  the  classification  given  at  the  oom- 
mencement  of  this  memoir,  two — the  food  vessel  and  the 
drinking  cup,  appear  unquestionably  designed  for  the 
ordinary  uses  of  life.  We  can  scarcely  doubt  that  such 
was  their  original  intention ;  that  they  were  actually  the 
household  appliances  used  by  the  deceased  when  living, 
and  placed  near  the  corpse,  with  provision  for  the  dreary 
journey  of  darkness  to  a  state  of  existence  beyond  the 
grave.^     The  so-called  "  food- vessel "  is,  moreover,  in 

^  The  investigation,  however,  of  any  sites  of  dwellings  in  the  early 
time»  has  hitherto  been  very  imperfect.  It  is  probable  that  some  of 
the  <'  hut-circles/'  or  the  remains  of  trogloditie  abodes,  for  instance, 
in  the  cavities  lately  explored  near  Salisbury,  may  be  referable  to  very 
archaic  times.  The  earliest  traces  of  fictile  manufacture  have  been 
assigned  to  the  '*  reindeer  age.*'  Fragments  of  rude  pottery  occur  ia 
the  kjoekkenmoeddings  in  Denmark,  supposed  to  be  of  the  age  of 
polished  stone  implements. 

*  In  some  "long  barrows,*'  in  which  urns  are  not  found  in  the 


IN  ANGLESEY  AND  NOKTH  WALES.  287 

some  examples,  as  before  noticed,  provided  with  pro^ 
jections  or  ears  pierced,  so  that  a  cord,  of  twisted  sinew 
possibly,  or  of  vegetable  fibre,  might  pass  through  them. 
The  inference  seems  obvious  that  such  vessels  were 
adapted  either  for  convenient  transport  or  for  suspension 
in  the  dwelling. 

The  **  cinerary  urns"  of  the  first  class,  above  noticed, 
mostly  of  unwieldy  proportions  and  ill-compacted  ware, 
are  those  which  seem  to  have  been  most  confidently 
assumed  to  be  exclusively  sepulchral.  Coarse  in  fabric, 
they  frequently  shew  much  skill  and  elaborate  work- 
manship. However  imperfectly  baked,  it  is  needless  to 
point  out  the  fallacy  of  a  long-received  notion  of  the 
older  antiquaries  that  such  pottery  was  merely  dried 
in  the  sun.  Its  tenacity  and  durability,  as  proved  by 
the  condition  of  such  vessels  after  being  deposited  for 
many  centuries  in  damp  recesses  of  the  grave-mound  or 
the  cist,  prove  beyond  controversy  that  some  rude  baking 
process,  unknown  to  us,  but  probably  on  an  open  hearth, 
was  practised  from  the  earliest  age  to  which  such  relics 
may  be  assigned.  These  urns,  no  less  than  the  **  food- 
vessels"  and  the  drinking  cups,  were,  as  we  believe, 
properly  and  originally  domestic  in  their  use.  In  the 
overhanging  brim  or  shoulder  characteristic  of  their 
fashion,  or  in  the  deep  groove  around  the  upper  part, 
in  many  examples,  a  convenient  contrivance  may  be 
recognised  for  the  adjustment  of  a  twisted  band  of 
reeds,  or  straw,  of  supple  withs,  or  other  like  material ; 
the  requisite  means  of  transport  would  thus  readily  be 

primary  intermentSi  small  circular  or  oval  cavities  have  occasionally 
been  noticed,  sunk  in  the  chalk,  near  the  deposit  of  bones.  See 
Dr.  Thumam's  remarks  on  such  round  cavities  scooped  in  chalk,  and 
about  eighteen  inches  in  width  and  depth,  near  unburnt  remains  in  a 
**  long  barrow"  at  Winterbourne  Stoke  and  Wikford,  Wilts.  (Forms 
of  British  skulls,  Mem.  Anihrop.  So€,,  vol.  i,  p.  142.)  These  may,  as 
Mr.  Qreenwell  observes,  have  served  the  same  purpose,  namely  re- 
ceptacles for  food  or  drink,  as  the  urns  deposited  with  unburnt  bodies 
in  the  later  grave- hills.  {Arch,  Journ,,  vol.  xxii,  p.  105,  note  9.) 
Such  cavities  were  also  formed  to  receive  the  incinerated  bones.  {Ibid., 
p.  259,  note  3.) 


288  1^TERM£NTS  AND  SEPULCHRAL  URNS 

obtained,  and  the  ponderous  vessel  rendered  available 
for  many  homely  uses. 

In  regard  to  the  curious  so-called  "  incense  cup,"  and 
the  purpose  conjecturally  assigned  to  it,  namely,  to  con- 
tain certain  perfumes  or  unguents  suspended  over  the 
funereal  fire,^  either,  as  Mr.  Fen  ton  imagined,  to  aug* 
ment  the  flame,  or  to  diminish  the  disagreeable  odours 
of  the  burning  corpse,  it  is  doubtless  possible  that  even 
in  a  very  primitive  state  of  society  such  a  practice  may 
have  existed.  It  were,  indeed,  no  idle  supposition  to 
trace  herein  some  tradition  of  Oriental  usages,  preserved 
through  descendants  of  certain  immigrant  Asiatic  races. 
We  are  indebted  to  Mr.  Lodge,  whose  residence  in  India 
has  made  him  conversant  with  usages  in  the  East,  for 
the  information,  that  in  cremation  at  the  present  time, 
as  he  had  occasion  to  observe,  it  is  not  unusual  to  place 
upon  the  breast  of  the  corpse  a  small  cup,  containing 
some  powerful  perfume,  whereby  the  disgusting  and 
insalubrious  stench  might  be  remedied.  In  Eastern 
lands  such  potent  fragrance  was  readily  obtained ;  but 
whence,  it  may  be  asked,  were  perfumes  or  unguents  to 
be  procured  in  the  "  Neolithic"  or  Later  Stone  Age,  to 
which  the  vessels  under  consideration  appear  mostly  to 
belong  ?  In  some  districts  of  Britain  even  the  resin  of 
the  Pinus  sylvestris^  the  stately  growth  of  which  in  Den- 
mark at  that  period  seems  subsequently  to  have  been 
superseded  by  the  oak,  may  have  been  obtained  with 
difficulty,  although  possibly  this  and  other  coniferous 
trees  had  long  flourished  in  some  of  our  forests. 

In  default  of  any  satisfactory  designation,  the  term 
**  incense-cup,"  commonly  received,  has  been  retained  in 
the  foregoing  notices.  There  are  obvious  objections  to 
the  conjecture  that  vessels  of  such  varied  fashion — some- 
times without  any  apertures  around  the  sides,  sometimes 
pierced  like  a  colander,  or  wholly  of  open  work ;  the 
mouth  sometimes  narrow,  sometimes  widely  expanded ; 
with  or  without  the  double  lateral  perforations  that  seem 
to  suggest  acontrivance  for  suspension;  should  have  been 

1  Ancient  Wills,  vol.  i,  p.  209. 


IN   ANGLESEY  AND  NORTH  WALES.  289 

intended  for  the  same  identical  purpose  in  each  instance, 
or  for  either  of  the  purposes  hitherto  assigned,  as  thuribles 
or  unguentaries,  feeders  of  the  funereal  flame,  or  lamps 
to  be  suspended  in  the  dwelling.  The  suggestion  may 
deserve  notice  that  these  cups  might  perhaps  be  desig- 
nated censers,  namely,  for  conveying  fire,  whether  a 
small  quantity  of  glowing  embers,  or  some  inflammable 
substance  in  which  the  latent  spark  might  for  awhile 
be  retained,  such,  for  instance,  as  touchwood,  fungus,  or 
the  like.  The  chief  exception  to  which  such  a  supposi- 
tion is  liable  is  the  size  of  the  vessel,  needlessly  diminu- 
tive, as  it  should  seem,  whilst  a  chafer  of  rather  larger 
dimensions  would  be  far  more  serviceable  for  such  sup- 
posed uses.  The  fact,  however,  that  vessels  of  this  descrip- 
tion mostly,  if  not  invariably,  occur  in  urns  with  incine- 
rated remains,  undoubtedly  suggests  the  supposition  that 
such  a  little  chafer  may  have  actually  served  to  convey 
the  element  requisite  for  the  funeral  rite  ;  its  preserva- 
tion with  the  ashes  is  consistent  with  feelings  of  religious 
veneration  that  in  all  times  and  all  countries  must  have 
hallowed,  so  to  speak,  the  accessories  and  usages  of  fune- 
real observance.  On  the  other  hand,  however,  we  hesi- 
tate to  admit  the  inference  that  the  so-called  "  incense 
cup,"  the  most  singular  enigma  of  the  history  of  urn- 
burial,  was  necessarily  sepulchral  in  its  original  inten- 
tion or  exclusive  purpose,  any  more  than  the  weapon  or 
implement  of  flint,  the  blade  of  bronze,  the  bone  pin,  or 
other  relics  of  personal  use  that  accompany  the  cremated 
deposit.  It'  were  scarcely  needful  to  observe  that  care- 
ful comparison  of  the  habits  of  savage  races,  within 
recent  times,  frequently  presents  to  the  ethnographer 
a  clue  amidst  the  dense  obscurities  of  our  own  pre- 
historic age.  It  is  remarkable  that  some  savage  tribes 
never  produced  fire  by  artificial  means,  but  always  car- 
ried it  from  one  camping-place  to  another.  In  Australia, 
where  the  natives  were  perfectly  able  to  make  new  fire, 
if  they  chose,  with  the  "  fire-drill,"  the  habitual  practice 
was  to  carry  fire  with  them.^     In  examination  of  the 

^  Researchei  into  the  Early  History  of  Mankind,  by  E.  B.  Taylor, 
p.  235. 


290       INTERMENTS  AND  SEPULCHRAL  URNS 

diminutive  vessels,  such  as  have  been  described  as  found 
with  the  burials  of  ancient  races  throughout  the  British 
Islands,  the  suggestion  that,  for  some  motive  of  con- 
venience or  superstition,  the  like  usage  may  have  pre- 
vailed, seems  well  deserving  of  consideration. 

On  reviewing  the  arguments  advanced  in  favour  of 
the  exclusively  sepulchral  intention  of  certain  burial* 
urns,  an  inference  that  may  have  found  acceptance  with 
some  antiquaries,  for  the  simple  reason  that  the  only 
fi-cUlia  known  to  them  were  such  as  had  been  obtained 
from  the  tomb,  the  question  seems  to  claim  renewed 
consideration.  It  is  doubtless  true  that  the  paste  is 
mostly  of  very  bad  quality ;  also  that  such  unwieldy 
vessels  would  be  fragile  and  imperfectly  suited,  as  Mr. 
Birch  and  other  writers  have  inferred,  for  many  domestic 
uses  ;  they  would,  however,  be  well  adapted  to  serve  as 
receptacles  for  grain  or  dry  provisions,  even  if  it  be 
thought  questionable  whether  they  could  have  served  as 
recipients  for  liquids.  The  inhabitants  of  the  Swiss 
Pfahlbauten  seem  to  have  stored  away  the  dried  fruits, 
nuts  and  other  provisions  for  winter  use  in  their  large 
earthen  vessels.^  It  must  not  be  forgotten  that  the 
paste  of  our  cinerary  urns,  extremely  friable  when  first 
disinterred,  becomes  far  more  compact  and  durable  after 
some  exposure  to  air,  and  it  doubtless  has  suffered  no 
slight  deterioration  in  the  damp  depository  whence  it  is 
drawn  forth,  whether  cist  or  barrow. 

In  our  ignorance  of  the  arts  and  usages  of  daily  life 
amongst  ancient  races  in  the  British  Islands,  we  have 
yet  to  ascertain  with  certainty  even  such  simple  parti- 
culars as  by  what  contrivance  fire  was  obtained,  by  what 
appliances  the  most  simple  culinary  process  was  carried 
on.  It  is  only  through  recent  observation  that  evidence 
of  stone-boiling  being  practised  in  Britain  has  been 
adduced ;  by  further  search,  the  prevalence  of  such  a 
process  may  probably  be  demonstrated.  By  such  expe- 
dient, when  pottery  or  other  vessels,  which  would  bear 
exposure  to  fire,  were  unknown,  water  was  heated  in 

1  Lubbock,  Prehittoric  Times,  p.  161. 


IN  ANGLESEY  AND  NORTH  WALES.  291 

skins,  vessels  of  wood,  friable  earthen  ware,  and  the 
like,  by  means  of  stones  made  hot  in  a  fire  close  by,  and 
gradually  dropped  into  the  seething  liquid.^  It  seems 
certain  that  such  a  process  was  well  known  to  the  occu- 
pants of  the  villages  of  domed  pits  at  Fisherton,  near 
Salisbury,  to  which  allusion  has  already  been  made. 
Our  acute  and  courteous  informant,  Mr.  E,  T.  Stevens, 
pointed  out  in  the  Blackmore  Museum  the  fractured 
vessels  there  brought  to  light,  encrusted  internally  with 
a  sooty  deposit.  The  sus^gestion  seemed  by  no  means  im- 
probable that  such  black  indurated  crust  might  have  been 
caused  by  the  stones,  reeking  from  the  adjoining  hearth, 
that  were  thrown  into  the  fragile  boiling-pots,  according 
to  the  primitive  means  employed,  whilst  the  skill  of  com- 
pacting vessels  that  would  bear  exposure  to  fire  was  as  yet 
unknown.  Amongst  the  earth  and  dibris  around  those 
supposed  vestiges  of  a  troglodytic  race  in  Wiltshire,  as 
also  in  the  hut-circles  of  the  northern  shores  of  the 
Principality,  half-calcined  stones  lay  in  abundance,  that, 
as  we  believe,  had  been  used  in  certain  simple  culinary 
processes.  This  subject  demands  patient  exploration 
of  the  numerous  sites  of  ancient  habitations  that  are 
to  be  found  throughout  the  British  Islands,  and  careful 
comparison  of  the  fragmentary  vestiges  so  long  neg- 
lected ;  meanwhile,  however,  it  appears  by  no  means 
unreasonable  to  suppose  that  even  the  most  friable  and 
unwieldy  of  our  cinerary  vessels  were  available  for  cer- 
tain homely  uses,  such,  for  instance,  as  that  of  stone- 
boiling,  undoubtedly  practised  in  Britain,  and  to  which 
it  has  seemed  desirable  to  invite  notice  in  connection 
with  the  subject  of  the  present  memoir. 

These  are,  however,  points  of  curious  investigation 
that  the  limits  of  the  present  notices  do  not  permit  us 
to  pursue.  It  may  suffice  to  invite  attention  to  the 
probability  that  all  the  so-called  sepulchral  vessels,  with- 
out exception,  may  have  been  fabricated  for  the  ordinary 
purposes  of  daily  life. 

^  See  notices  of  '^stone-boiling"  in  a  memoir  on  hut- dwellings  in 
Holjhead  Island,  Archaol.  Journ.,  vol.  xxiv,  pp.  240,  262. 


292  INTERMENTS  AND  SEPULCHRAL  URNS 

In  the  foregoing  notices  of  a  very  remarkable  class  of 
early  relics,  no  endeavour  has  been  made  towards  deter- 
mining the  age  of  the  various  types  respectively,  or  the 
precise  periods  of  advancing  civilisation  to  which  they 
may  appertain. 

The  address  on  Primeval  Antiquities,  delivered  by 
Sir  John  Lubbock  at  the  congress  of  the  Archsological 
Institute,  held  in  London  in  1866,  has  brought  before  ns 
a  valuable  and  lucid  summary  of  the  results  of  modon 
research  in  regard  to  the  succession  of  periods,  and  the 
evidence  on  which  conclusions  have  been  based.'  Amongst 
relics  of  the  "  Palaeolithic  Age,"  it  is  believed  that,  in 
Western  Europe,  no  trace  of  pottety  or  of  metal  is 
found;  implements  of  stone,  never  polished,  and  distinct 
in  their  form,  characterise  that  archaic  period.  Hand- 
made pottery,  with  polished  stone  axes  or  implements, 
occurs  first  amongst  vestiges  assigned  to  the  "  Neolithic 
Age."  To  this  later  stone  period,  extending,  according 
to  the  conclusions  of  archaeologists  of  reliable  autho- 
rity, to  a  thousand  years,  approximately^  before  our  era, 
the  most  ancient  interments  seem  to  belong.  The  corpse, 
in  a  sitting  posture  or  crouched  up,  or  the  ashes  after 
cremation,  was  deposited  in  the  burial-mound.  The 
introduction  of  bronze  into  Western  Europe,  about  the 
time  that  has  been  mentioned,  by  no  means  superseded 
the  use  of  stone  implements.  During  the  examination 
of  burials  by  Mr.  Bateman,  in  no  less  than  three-fourths 
of  the  barrows  containing  bronze,  stone  objects  also 
occurred. 

To  the  Bronze  Age,  commencing  possibly  some  thou- 
sand years  before  our  era,  the  more  skilfully  fabricated 
urns  are  doubtless,  for  the  most  part,  to  be  assigned.  It 
should,  however,  be  no  marvel  if,  with  vessels  apparently 
analogous  to  the  drinking  cup,  the  incense  cup,  or  the 
food  vessel,  relics  of  types  recognised  as  properly  of  more 
archaic  character — the  axe  of  stone,  or  the  flint  flake- 
should,  in  certain  rare  and  abnormal  cases,  be  found 

^  Arch.  Journal,  vol.  xxiii,  p.  190.     Introd.  to  Nilsson's  Stone  Agt 
in  Scandinavia, 


IN  ANGLESEY  AND  NORTH   WALES.  293 

associated  in  the  tomb.     It  is  even  possible  that  some 

evidence  of  the  incipient  knowledge  of  iron,  by  which 

bronze  may  have  been  almost  superseded,  in  most  parts 

of  ^Westem  Europe,  about  two  thousand  years  before 

our  days,  should,  in  a  few  exceptional  instances,  be 

brought  to  light  amidst  vestiges  of  more  ancient  usages 

and  industry.  These,however,are  subjects  still  involved 

in  great  obscurity ;  the  most  sagacious  may  hesitate  to 

assert  positive  conclusions,  in  regard  even  to  inquiries 

that  arise  as  we  approach  more  nearly  to  the  dawn  of 

historic  light. 


SUBTERRANEAN   CHAMBERS  AT  LA  TOURELLE, 
NEAR  QUIMPER,  BRITTANY. 

In  the  fourth  volume  (p.  57)  of  the  Bulletin  of  the  Breton 
Association  occurs  the  following  statement :  "  Among 
the  Celtic  monuments  which  are  less  known  1  will 
mention  two  subterranean  structures  in  Dineault,  near 
Chateaulin,  Finistere,  not  far  from  the  high  Celtic  hill 
of  Mene  Hom.     One  is  at  the  village  of  Keredan,  in  a 
warren  called  Goarem  Menhir  (the  menhir  still  remains 
near  the  souterrain)^  and  is  surrounded  with  a  large 
enclosure  which  appears  to  be  Celtic.     This  souterrain 
consists  of  two  grottoes  or  chambers  united  by  a  gallery, 
which  the  plough  has  laid  open.     This  work,  at  my  re- 
quest, is  preserved  by  the  owners  of  the  warren.     The 
other  «M<forram,  situated  at  Ty-ar-gall,  and  nearer  Menez 
Hom,  has  been  destroyed."    I  immediately  wrote  to  Dr. 
Halleguen,  author  of  this  communication,  made  at  the 
Nantes  Meeting  in  1852,  to  ask  for  some  information  of 
these  curious  monuments.     Unluckily  he  had  not  been 
abl6  to  visit  them  himself,  and  could  give  me,  therefore, 
no  information  which  could  throw  light  on  the  nature  of 
such  works.    He,  however,  suspected  the  existence  of  a 
third  example  in  the  commune  of  Qulmerc'h,  also  in  the 
arrondissement  of  Chateaulin. 


294  SUBTERRANEAN  CHAxMBERS 

Soon  afterwards  I  obtained  from  a  competent  snrveyor 
a  plan  of  the  souterrain  at  Keredan,  but  he  unfortunately 
had  not  made  any  excavations.  The  gallery  is  sunk  in 
the  slate  schist  which  forms  a  large  portion  oiLes  Mon^ 
iagnes  Noires^  and  is  entered  by  a  couloir  exactly  like  the 
mouth  of  a  fox-earth,  being  about  sixty  centimetres  in 
diameter.  The  arrangement  of  this  souterrain  appeared 
to  me  to  be  so  curious  that  I  determined  to  visit  the 
ground,  and  ascertain  by  digging,  whether  it  was  an 
underground  dwelling,  or  a  grave,  analogous  to  the  well 
known  sepulchral  galleries,  which,  however,  essentially 
differ  in  not  being  sunk  within  the  earth,  but  built  upon 
the  surface,  by  means  of  ordinary  dry  rubble-work  or 
immense  masses  of  stone.  I  was  prevented,  however, 
from  carrying  out  my  intention,  and  might  have  still 
delayed  to  do  so  but  for  an  accident,  in  which  chance, 
the  great  auxiliary  of  archaeologists,  played  the  princi- 
pal part  About  two  years  ago  a  peasant,  on  digging 
his  field  on  the  top  of  the  hill  over  Quimper,  laid  open 
some  walls,  the  Roman  character  of  which  was  clear 
enough.  I  was  charged  by  the  archaeological  commis- 
sion of  the  department  of  Finistere  to  make  further 
researches,  which  led  to  the  discovery  of  a  Roman  station 
consisting  of  buildings  enclosed  within  a  walled  enceinte^ 
and  a  watch-tower  placed  outside,  the  plan  of  which 
reminds  one  of  the  observatories  or  look-outs  which 
occur  on  the  bas-reliefs  of  Trajan's  column. 

M.  Grenot,  one  of  the  professors  of  Quimper  College, 
having  noticed  about  two  hundred  metres  from  this 
Roman  station,  and  on  the  side  of  the  town,  in  a  field 
called  Pare  ar  Bosaer  (or  the  butcher's  field),  and  part 
of  the  manor  of  La  Tourelle,  that  the  moles  had  thrown 
up  some  fragments  of  tile  and  pottery,  thought  he 
had  discovered  some  adjunct  to  the  principal  Roman 
establishment,  and  began  opening  some  trenches.  This 
work  was  commenced  in  November  1867, and  revealed  at 
first  only  common  tiles,  some  pieces  of  fair  Samian  ware, 
and  others  of  a  more  ordinary  character ;  but  soon  after- 
wards the  workmen  found  a  considerable  quantity  of 


Platb  II. 


1.  Iron  piercsr,  wiih  bone  handle.  2.  The  same  ol^ect,  before  the  oxidation  uf  ihe  iron. 

3.  Iron  Sheftth  for  the  piercer. 


SUBTB&RANEAN   CUAMBBBS,    LA  TOUKBLLB,   QUIMPEB,   BBITTANT. 
(Original  tise.) 


Arch.  Camb.    Vol.  xiv. 


SffcrLau  from  '?  to  U,  fi^t^fion  JVoBi  O  to  F. 


Sffniiiii  (TtiMi  G-  trt  H. 


iitiEtef.'.f 


Section  from  A  to  B. 
0.  Kntranoe  to  the  Oallery  from  the  Passage,  n. 


M.  Chamber.        s   Entrsnee.        i.  Gallery.        k.  Entrance.       l.  Chamber. 
0.  Entrance  to  the  Passage  {  n)  from  the  surface. 


BBCTI0N8  AMD   PLAN   OF   8UBTEBRAKEAN   CHAMBERS  AT   LA  TOUBBLLB,   NEAR 
QCriHPER,   BRITTANT. 


Arch.  Camb.    Vol.  xiy. 


AT  LA  TOURELLE.  295 

GalloRoman  figures  in  terra-cotta,  representing  a  great 
variety  of  subjects  ;  but  figures  of  Venus  Anadyoraene 
and  horses  with  and  without  riders  were  the  most  nume- 
rous. All  these  objects  were  spread  in  a  bed  of  black 
soil,  which  formed  a  band  pf  about  a  metre  in  breadth. 
On  removing  this  soil  a  tolerably  deep  gallery  was  found 
sunk  in  the  ground,  which,  on  being  cleared  out,  dis- 
closed at  each  of  its  extremities  a  semicircular  arch  ex- 
actly like  the  mouth  of  an  oven.  M.  Grenot,  continuing 
his  researches  in  these  two  openings,  came  to  the  con- 
clusion that  they  were  the  ovens  in  which  the  figures 
and  pottery  had  been  baked ;  but  on  my  examining  the 
excavations  on  the  following  day,  I  was  struck  with  the 
resemblance  of  this  gallery  to  the  souterrain  of  Kere- 
dan  above  alluded  to.  I  pointed  out  flint  chippings 
and  other  stone  implements  which  had  been  overlooked 
by  him  under  the  idea  that  he  was  exploring  purely 
Koman  remains. 

Before,  however,  entering  into  details  it  will  be  as 
well  to  give  a  brief  description  of  the  souterrain.  Like 
that  of  Keredan,  it  consists  of  a  gallery  (i  in  the  plan, 
plate  1)  about  8  metres  20  long,  and  a  breadth  of 
1"-  40,  with  two  chambers ;  the  larger  (m)  is  3  by 
1"^  70 ;  the  smaller  one  (l),  2  by  1°*  45.  The  open- 
ings (k,  e)  from  the  gallery  into  the  chambers  are  in 
the  form  of  semicircular  arches  slightly  contracted  at 
the  lower  part.  These  openings  measure  1  metre  in 
height,  by  60  centimetres,  for  the  large  chamber ;  and 
for  the  other  one,  85  by  50  centimetres.  The  chambers 
themselves  are  1"**  50  high,  and  the  gallery  1°^  30. 
The  thickness  of  the  earth  above  the  chambers  at  pre- 
sent is  about  70  centimetres.  The  entrance  to  the  soU' 
terrain  was  effected  by  a  small  couloir  (n)  of  about  60 
centimetres  in  size ;  and  the  opening  (o),  very  similar 
to  the  entrance  of  a  fox-earth,  is  placed  at  2  metres  dis- 
tant from  the  gallery  into  which  it  opens.  The  souter- 
rain lies  nearly  due  north  and  south,  and  has  been  dug 
out  on  a  plateau  slightly  inclined  towards  the  north  in 
very  stiff  ground  thickly  interspersed  with  rough  stone. 


296  SUBTERRANEAN  CHAMBERS 

The  floor  of  the  larger  chamber  is  perfectly  level ;  that 
of  the  smaller  one,  to  the  extent  of  65  centimetres,  slop- 
ing downwards,  apparently  in  consequence  of  the  nata- 
ral  inclination  of  the  ground. 

When  the  discovery  was  fi|st  made,  the  souterram  was 
not  found  in  as  good  a  state  of  preservation  as  that  of 
Keredan.  The  smaller  chamber  was,  however,  intact 
The  vaulted  roofs  of  the  other  chamber  and  gallery  had 
given  way  at  some  unknown  period ;  but  the  springs  of 
the  vaults  remained  so  far  perfect  as  to  enable  one  to 
determine  the  original  height.  Subsequently  to  the  de- 
struction of  these  vaults,  the  interior  spaces  had  become 
filled  up  with  materials  of  different  characters.  In  the 
gallery  were  found  stone  implements,  a  so-called  whorl 
of  baked  clay,  fragments  of  pottery  of  all  kinds,  and 
little  Gallo-Roman  figures.  In  the  larger  chamber 
was  a  layer  of  fine  black  soil,  20  centimetres  thick,  and 
greasy  to  the  touch.  In  the  layer  were  discovered 
fragments  of  charcoal,  two  stone  hatchets,  two  polish- 
ing or  sharpening  stones,  three  whorls  of  baked  clay, 
and  a  large  quantity  of  well  made  pottery  marked  with 
an  ornamentation  of  genuine  Gaulish  character  as  it 
seems  to  me.  Above  this  layer  of  black  earth  was 
ordinary  earth  mixed  with  stones.  The  small  chamber 
was  full  of  fine,  black  soil,  without  pebbles  or  other 
stones,  but  containing  a  tolerable  quantity  of  char- 
coal and  fragments  of  Gaulish  pottery,  principally 
in  its  lower  part,  where  also  were  noticed  burnt 
stones. 

The  couloir^  however,  was  the  richest  in  remains  of 
all  kinds.  Here  were  found  an  almost  perfect  vase  of 
coarse  clay,  a  large  piece  of  baked  clay,  several  stones 
hollowed  out,  doubtlessly  intended  for  crushing  grain ; 
a  flint  knife ;  five  stone  hatchets,  some  broken,  others 
perfect ;  stone  hammers ;  large  polishing  or  sharpening 
stones ;  several  whorls  of  burnt  clay,  and  large  quan- 
tities of  charcoal  and  broken  pottery. 

In  the  presence  of  this  remarkable  monument,  and 
the  numerous  and  varied  objects  it  contained,  I  confess 


AT  LA  TOURELLE.  297 

I  was  much  at  a  loss  in  determining  its  character.  Was 
it  a  tomb,  a  dwelling,  or  storehouse  for  grain,  like  the 
silos  of  Algeria.  To  these  questions  I  could  find  no 
satisfactory  answer.  It  presented  a  remarkable  analogy 
with  the  ancient  caves  and  ''  weems"  of  Scotland  and 
Ireland.  It  did  not  seem  too  hazardous  to  suggest  that 
it  might,  at  some  very  remote  period,  have  served  as  a 
human  habitation.  No  traces  of  bones,  burnt  or  un- 
"burnt,  nor  any  object  in  metal,  had  yet  been  found.  All 
its  contents  were  most  carefully  examined,  and  further 
research  was  at  last  given  up,  when,  by  means  of  pick 
and  spade,  it  was  ascertained  that  the  natural  ground 
had  been  reached.  The  workmen  were  accordingly 
directed  to  continue  their  researches  in  another  part  of 
the  field. 

Three  weeks  after  this  abandonment  of  the  souterrain, 
M.  Grenot,who  continued  to  superintend  the  operations 
of  the  labourers,  was  driven  by  a  biting  east  wind  to 
seek  shelter  in  the  larger  chamber.  There,  more  to  pass 
away  the  time  than  from  any  thought  of  making  further 
discoveries  in  ground  so  closely  examined,  he  was  amus- 
ing himself  with  a  small  pick  in  removing  a  layer  of 
yellow,  stony  soil,  which  appeared  to  be  natural  ground, 
when  he  came  on  fragments  of  charcoal  and  burnt  bones; 
and  soon  after,  two  greenish  little  projections,  denoting 
the  presence  of  some  bronze  implement  or  implements. 
He  at  once  stopped  his  examination,  and  sent  a  messen- 
ger for  me,  thus  showing  his  prudence  and  sagacity,  for 
under  such  circumstances  two  heads  are  certainly  better 
than  one.  On  my  arrival  we  commenced  with  the  greatest 
care  and  order  to  extract  the  buried  objects,  and  the 
following  is  the  result  of  our  labour.  In  the  eastern 
part  of  the  large  chamber,  at  p,  we  found  a  hollow  ten 
or  twelve  centimetres  deep,  and  seventy  long,  and  fifty 
broad,  which  contained  a  layer  of  charcoal  of  small  wood 
about  three  centimetres  thick,  on  which  lay  the  follow- 
ing articles  placed  in  regular  order : 

1.  An  iron  instrument  of  the  form  of  a  piercer  (plate 
II ),  set  in  a  bone  handle.     The  blade  was  about  four 

Sun  SEU.,  VOL.  XIV.  20 


298  SUBTERRANEAN  CHAMBERS 

centimetres  long,  and  of  rectangular  form.  The  bone 
handle,  which  had  been  much  burnt,  and  so  oxydised  as 
to  easily  flake  off,  was  of  a  round  form,  its  length  being 
eight  centimetres  and  a  half.  The  end  nearest  the  blade 
was  ornamented  by  two  rows  of  lines  joined  by  short, 
oblique  ones ;  while  about  three  centimetres  from  the 
lower  extremity  is  a  little  circle  with  a  central  dot,  ex- 
actly similar  to  those  which  occur  on  the  little  figure 
and  pottery  to  be  presently  noticed. 

2.  A  piece  of  hollow  iron  (plate  ii,  fig.  3)  of  conical 
form,  three  centimetres  long,  which  appears  to  have 
been  the  sheath  of  the  piercer. 

3.  A  blade  of  iron,  seven  centimetres  long  by  two  and 
a  half  broad,  and  probably  a  knife. 

4.  Four  bronze  rings,  of  which  two  are  three  centi- 
metres in  diameter,  and  the  others  half  a  centimetre 
less.  If  fastened  together  by  a  cord,  they  might  have 
served  as  a  bracelet. 

6.  A  flat  bronze  object,  six  by  two  centimetres  in 
dimensions,  but  which  has  suffered  so  much  from  rust 
as  to  have  lost  its  original  form. 

6.  A  necklace  of  twenty  small  sheep-bones  (plate  in) 
pierced  in  the  centre  for  suspension,  and  very  much 
burnt.  In  addition  were  pendants  of  larger  and  flatter 
bones,  and  pierced  near  the  edges,  and  not  in  the  centre. 

7.  A  piece  of  flat  bone,  two  centimetres  long,  and 
perhaps  part  of  the  necklace. 

8.  A  bone  ring,  very  thin  and  well  wrought,  about 
two  centimetres  in  diameter  (fig.  1),  and 
found  close  to  the  bone  necklace. 

9.  A  round  piece  of  bone,  six  centi- 
metres long,  and  which  may  have  served 
as  a  handle  to  some  implement. 

10.  The  extremity  of  a  cow's  horn 
sharpened  to  a  fine  point,  and  probably 
used  as  some  kind  of  piercer.  These 
four  last  objects  were  burnt  like  the  necklace-bones. 

11.  Four  sharpening  stones,  the  smallest  of  which 
was  seven  centimetres,  and  the  largest  fourteen  and  a 


VlaAXB    III. 


NECKLACE    OF    BONE    FOUND    IN    THE    SUBTERRANEAN    CHAMBER   AT 
LA  TOURELLE,   NEAR  QUIMPER,   BRITTANY. 

(Two  thirds  original  size.) 


ABcn.  Camd.    Vol  xit. 


AT  LA  TOURELLE.  299 

half.  These  stones  were  marked  with  lines  perpendi- 
cular to  their  larger  axis,  caused  by  the  friction  of  metal 
instruments  or  arms.  One  of  these  stones  had  lost  a 
part  which  could  not  be  found,  and  which  perhaps  was 
never  deposited. 

12.  Two  whorls  of  burnt  clay,  of  diflferent  forms,  but 
of  the  same  diameter,  of  about  three  centimetres.  The 
clay  was  full  of  quartz  fragments. 

AH  these  objects  had  been  carefully  placed  in  the 
midst  of  the  charcoal,  one  above  the  other,  in  regular 
order,  and  had  all  been  subjected  to  violent  heat.  The 
oxides  of  iron  and  copper  had  formed  so  strong  a  cement 
that  the  whole  collection  was  removed  in  one  consoli- 
dated mass.  As  already  mentioned,  this  deposit  had 
been  made  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  large  chamber, 
about  forty  centimetres  from  its  walls.  Our  researches 
were  then  continued  with  the  greatest  care ;  and  while 
I  noticed,  with  pencil  in  hand,  the  smallest  details  of 
discovery,  M.  Grenot  found,  in  the  same  bed  of  char- 
coal, about  twenty  centimetres  to  the  north  of  the  pre- 
ceding objects,  a  small  vase  (fig.  2)  of  burnt  clay,  eight 


Fig.  2. 

centimetres  high,  and  nine  and  a  half  in  its  greatest 
diameter.     The  vase,  made  by  hand,  was  of  a  reddish 

20« 


300  SUBTERRANEAN  CHAMBERS 

clay  containing  numerous  particles  of  mica.  It  was 
perfect,  and  placed  with  its  mouth  downwards  in  the 
charcoal,  in  which  position  it  seems  to  have  been  sub- 
mitted to  intense  heat.  The  interior  was  lined  with  a 
thick,  shining  layer  formed  by  fat ;  and  the  fire  coming 
in  contact  with  the  exterior  of  the  vase,  has  left  deep 
traces  of  its  action,  while  the  bottom  and  adjacent 
parts  are  of  a  beautiful  reddish  tint,  and  so  completely 
free  from  all  blemishes,  that  I  am  very  much  inclined  to 
think  that  the  vase  was  newly  made  when  placed  in  the 
fire  in  the  exact  spot  where  it  was  found ;  for  after  the 
most  careful  examination,  not  only  of  all  the  articles 
found,  but  the  place  of  finding,  I  am  confident  that  they 
were  all  in  their  original  places,  and  that  no  sacrilegious 
hand  had  touched  them  from  the  day  they  had  beeu 
thus  deposited. 

This  last  discovery  removed  all  my  former  doubts  as 
to  the  character  of  this  souterrain.  It  was  a  tomb,  and 
from  the  character  of  the  articles  found,  probably  that 
of  a  female.  In  spite,  however,  of  my  unwillingness  to 
mix  up  suggestions  with  simple  statements  of  facts,  yet 
I  would  state  the  impression  made  upon  my  mind  by  a 
careful  examination  of  the  places  and  the  relative  posi- 
tions of  the  various  articles. 

The  absence  of  burnt  bones  in  the  souterrain  and  ad- 
joining ground,  with  the  exception  of  the  necklace  and 
accompanying  ornaments,  seems  to  exclude  the  idea  of 
the  burial  having  been  by  incineration.  On  the  con- 
trary, the  presence  of  the  thick,  black,  unctuous  earth, — 
which  was,  in  fact,  so  adhesive  that  it  was  no  easy  mat- 
ter to  remove  it  from  the  fingers, — shews  that  the  body 
was  buried  entire,  and  that  its  decomposition  has  im- 
parted this  rich  and  greasy  character  to  the  soil.  On 
this  supposition  there  must  have  been  a  fire  made  of 
small  wood,  with  a  view  to  more  easy  and  rapid  combus- 
tion in  a  spot  where  the  air  was  rarified.  Then,  next 
in  order,  the  various  articles  once  used  by,  and  destined 
to  perish  with,  the  defunct  would  be  placed  near ;  next 
would  follow  the  customary  libations ;  after  which  the 


AT  LA  TOURELLE.  3()1 

vase  employed  for  this  purpose  would  be  plunged  into 
the  burning  pile,  mouth  downwards,  so  as  not  to  lose  a 
single  drop  of  the  liquid  used  at  the  sacrifice.  Such 
was  the  result  of  my  impressions;  but  they  are  only 
conjectures,  and  entitled  to  no  more  weight  than  they 
deserve. 

After  this  discovery,  M.  Grenot  continued  his  excava- 
ations  for  several  weeks  in  different  parts  of  the  field. 
These  researches  brought  to  light  the  fact  that,  previ- 
ously to  the  cultivation  of  the  land  the  surface  was  very 
uneven,  owing  to  a  great  number  of  small  cavities  from 
which  stone  had  been  formerly  extracted,  and  some  of 
which  were  more  than  two  metres  deep.  In  levelling 
the  plain,  the  men  had  filled  up  these  cavities ;  and  the 
rubbish  which  had  been  employed  for  that  purpose, 
after  a  careful  examination,  was  found  to  contain  remains 
of  all  kinds,  and  even  some  stone  articles ;  but  the 
greater  part  of  these  last  were  found  near  the  souterrain. 
The  workmen  discovered  also  several  heaps  of  cinders 
and  charcoal ;  two  among  them  about  a  metre  and  a 
half  in  extent;  one  placed  six  metres,  and  the  other 
ten,  to  the  east  of  the  larger  chamber.  These  were 
placed  on  a  layer  of  burnt  clay.  A  third  deposit  was 
found  about  two  metres  from  the  gallery,  but  lying  on 
the  natural  ground.  At  a  distance  of  two  metres  to  the 
south-east  of  the  large  chamber  a  mass  of  cinders  was 
discovered  in  one  of  the  cavities  sunk  in  the  ground  to 
the  depth  of  forty  centimetres.  No  traces  of  walls,  or 
even  a  fragment  of  cement,  etc.,  were  discovered ;  but 
some  molars  of  a  horse  came  to  light. 

It  is  now  necessary  to  give  a  short  description  of  the 
various  remains  found  during  the  excavations,  a  few 
only  of  which  have  been  hitherto  mentioned,  to  inter- 
rupt the  account  of  the  investigation  as  little  as  possible. 

1.  Eight  stone  hatchets,  two  only  of  which  were  per- 
fect, the  others  having  been  intentionally  broken.  The 
largest  of  these  is  eighteen  centimetres  long,  the  cutting 
edge  being  five  broad  (fig.  3a).  These  are  all  formed  of 
a  very  hard  kind  of  stone,  with  the  exception  of  one 


302 


SUBTERRANEAN  CHAMBERS 


(fig.  3), which  deserves  particular  mention.  The  form  of 
this  one  approaches  more  closely  our  modern  hatchets 
than  any  I  have  yet  seen.  It  is  fifteen  centimetres  long, 
and  has  a  cutting  edge  of  five  centimetres ;  but  is  more 
remarkable  for  being  formed  of  common,  simple  slate, 
about  two  centimetres  thick,  and  soft  enough  to  be 
scratched  by  my  nail.    It  has  been  carefully  sharpened, 


Fig.  3. 

but  a  smart  blow  with  it  against  any  hard  body  would 
have  splintered  it  into  fragments.  It  was  evidently, 
therefore,  not  intended  for  use,  and  may  have  been  some 
official  badge  of  authority  or  dignity.  This  weapon, 
with  four  others,  were  found  in  the  couloir.  The  three 
others  came  from  the  large  chamber. 


Fig.  9k. 

2.  Three  casse-t^tes,  one  of  which,  of  polished  silex,  is 
here  represented  (fig.  4).  This  curious  article  was  found 
six  metres  from  the  large  chamber.  It  is  of  oval  form, 
measuring  seven  centimetres  long,  four  broad,  and  two 
and  a  half  thick.  One  end  is  sharpened  somewhat  like  the 
hatchets, but  not  so  as  to  form  a  regular  cutting  edge.  On 
each  of  them  are  certain  little  hollows,  caused  by  friction, 


AT  LA  TOURELLE. 


303 


placed  one  above  the  other.  I  at  first  thought  that  these 
hollows  had  been  intended  for  securing  a  handle  by  liga- 
tures or  otherwise ;  but  Mr.  Albert  Way  has  suggested 
to  me  that  these  were  intended  to  give  a  firm  hold  to 
the  fingers.  I  made  the  experiment,  and  found  it  answer 


Hg.4. 

admirably;  the  stone  being  thus  firmly  held  by  the 
thumb,  fore,  and  middle  fingers,  and  resting  against  the 
palm  of  the  hand.  Thus  held  by  a  strong  hand,  it  must 
have  been  a  very  formidable  weapon.  Two  other  stones, 
but  larger  and  less  elegant  in  form,  but  intended  for  the 
same  use,  were  found  near  the  souterratn. 

3.  A  sling-stone  of  baked  clay,  four  centimetres  and 
a  half  long,  having  its  diameter  a  little  less  than  four. 


Fig.  ft. 


304  SUBTERRANEAN   CHAMBERS 

and  weighing  thirty-two  grammes.  (Fig.  5.)  It  is  of 
the  exact  form  known  in  France  as  New  Zealand  and 
New  Caledonian  olives,  and  which  are  still  used  by  the 
natives  of  those  two  countries.  This  was  found  some 
metres  from  the  large  chamber.  A  large  number  of 
pebbles  of  small  size,  found  in  several  parts  of  the  field, 
might  have  served  the  same  purpose. 

4.  A  hammer  of  cylindrical  form,  made  of  a  very  bard 
and  heavy  stone,  four  centimetres  thick,  and  seven  broad 
in  its  greatest  diameter.  On  one  of  its  faces  is  an  arti- 
ficial cavity  in  which  the  thumb  was  fixed ;  while  on 
the  angle  of  the  opposite  face  was  another  hollow,  which 
conveniently  fitted  the  fore-finger  when  used  in  this 
manner.  Its  form  has  not  been  effected  by  friction,  but 
by  some  cutting  implement  of  stone  or  bronze.  It  was 
found  in  the  couloir. 

5.  Twenty-nine  hammers,  almost  all  of  them  of  quartz, 
the  heaviest  of  which  weighed  1,600  grammes,  and  the 
lightest  250.  All  of  them  bear  marks  of  heavy  usage 
in  various  parts,  as  they  were  more  or  less  conveniently 
grasped  by  the  hand,  for  all  of  them  had  artificial  de- 
pressions evidently  intended  for  this  purpose.  Among 
these  hammers,  which  are  of  very  differeut  forms,  are  two 
large  quartz  pebbles,  which  have  been  broken  obliquely, 
so  as  to  give  them  a  coarse  cutting  edge.  The  greater 
part  of  the  collection  came  from  the  passage  and  from 
near  the  souterrain.  Besides  these,  was  a  great  number 
of  unbroken  pebbles,  which  were  apparently  intended 
to  have  been  manufactured  into  hammers. 

6.  Nine  stones,  hollowed  out,  intended  for  crushing 
corn,  the  largest  of  which  is  thirty-six  centimetres  by 
nine.  One  only  of  them  has  the  form  of  a  cup.  The 
cavities  of  the  others  present  a  somewhat  cylindrical 
section,  and  are  of  a  slightly  triangular  form,  having  the 
largest  side  much  thicker  than  the  opposite  ones.  They 
are  made  of  gneiss  or  granite,  containing  large  grains  of 
quartz,  and  the  hollows  are  so  well  polished  that  they 
must  have  been  long  in  use.  One  of  them  is  so  exactly 
like  the  one  so  well  described  by  Mr.  Blight  (page  8  in 


AT  LA  TOURELLE.  305 

his  interesting  account  of  the  subterranean  work  atTre- 
veneagne  in  Cornwall,  England),  that  the  representation 
there  given,  and  finuexed  here  (fig.  6),  represents  this 


one  with  equal  fidelity.     Four  fragments  of  grain  rub- 
hers,  convex  and  polished,  were  also  found.     The  best 
preserved  of  these  implements  has  the  form  of  a  half 
egg  cut  longwise,  and  measures  40  by  20  centimetres, 
with  a  thickness  of  10.  They  are  polished  on  both  sides. 
It  is  remarkable  that  most  of  these  convex  and  concave 
stones  are  more  or  less  broken ;  and,  like  the  one  de- 
scribed by  Mr.  Blight,  several  of  them  have  been  sub- 
jected to  so  violent  a  fire  that  they  are  easily  crumbled 
by  the  fingers,  and  present  the  red    tinge  of  burnt 
stones.     One  of  them  is  ornamented  with  rude  mould- 
ings on  the  part  opposite  the  hollow.     Some  of  these 
stones  were  found  in  the  couloir,  others  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  the  work.     With  reference  to  these  coarser 
implements,  it  should  be  noticed  similar  ones  have  been 
found  under  what  I  think  remarkable  circumstances. 
Thus,  M.  Duchatellier  sometime  ago  found  under  each 
of  the  two  great  menhirs  on  the  right  of  the  road  from 
Pont-rAbb6    to   Penmarc'h,   a    hollow   grain -crusher 
broken  in  two  parts.     He  also  subsequently  discovered 
in  the  covered  alley  of  Poulguen  Bras,  in  the  Commune 
of  Plomeur,  a  similar  one,  with  a  whorl  of  baked  clay, 
and   fragments  of  a  vase  made  by  hand.     M.  A.  de 
Closmadeuc  reports,  in  the  bulletins  of  the  Polymathic 
Society  of  Morhiban,  1866,  that  he  found  in  one  of  the 
dolmens  in  the  commune  of  Crac'h  (Morhiban)  on  the 
pavement  of  the  chamber  a  stone  30  by  25  centimetres 
dimensions,  having  on  one  .side  a  well  polished  and  re- 


306 


SUBTERRANEAN  CHAMBERS 


gularly  formed  cavity,  and  representing  an  actual  mor- 
tar. There  was  another  granite  fragment  rather  less  in 
size,  but  equally  well  polished,  and  intended  for  the 
same  use.  The  connection  of  these  primitive  mills, 
therefore,  with  dolmens,  covered  galleries,  and  menhirs^ 
is  placed  beyond  all  doubt. 

7.  A  flint  knife  (fig.  7),  about  seven  centimetres  long, 


Fig.  7. 

found  in  the  couloir  with  forty-nine  chippings  from  the 
same  stone,  capable  of  being  used  as  scrapers  or  points 
to  spears  and  arrows.  Similar  chippings  were  found 
scattered  all  through  the  field  where  the  diggings  were 
carried  on. 

8.  Twenty-five  polishing  or  sharpening  stones  of  all 
sizes  from  seven  to  seventeen  centimetres  long.  The  two 
largest  found  in  the  passage  are  of  gneiss,  containing 
large  grains  of  granite.  The  others  are  of  a  different 
kind  of  stone  ;  almost  all  of  them  were  found  either  in 
or  near  the  souterrain. 

9.  Nine  whorls  of  baked  clay,  exclusive  of  the  two 
previously  mentioned.  They  are  of  the  different  ordi- 
nary forms;  one   has  one.  of  its  faces  hollowed  out; 


AT  LA  TOURELLE. 


307 


another  is  spherical ;  a  third  (fig.  8)  is  ornamented  with 
triangles  rudely  engraved  on  the  face,  which  is  convex, 
and  on  the  other  with  an  object  which  may  represent  a 
collar  or  necklace.  All  these  were  found  in  the  sou* 
terrain,  or  near  it.  I  call  these  articles  spindle-whorls, 
although  archaeologists  are  not  yet  agreed  as  to  their 


\X 


Fig.  8. 

real  character.  Some  have  considered  these  to  be  the 
beads  of  necklaces,  but  in  that  case  traces  of  the  sus- 
pending cord  would  have  existed  equally  on  the  edges 
of  the  apertures  on  each  side,  and  this  is  not  the  case 
in  the  present  instance.  In  all  instances  I  have  noticed 
the  hole  conical.  Its  edges  are  intact  and  perfect  in  the 
side  where  the  aperture  is  smallest,  but  it  bears  marks 
of  much  usage  in  the  case  of  the  larger  aperture.  It 
appears,  therefore,  that  some  object  of  conical  form  must 
have  been  introduced,  and  such  as  the  lower  part  of  a 
spindle ;  for  the  sake  of  comparison  reference  should  be 


308  SUBTERRANEAN  CHAMBERS 

made  to  the  representation  of  the  Fusus  given  by  Mr. 
An  th.  Rich  in  h\^  Dictionary  of  Greek  and  Latin  Antiquities. 
,  10.  A  vase,  almost  perfect,  of  coarse  material,  mixed 
with  quartz  fragments,  and  which  appears  to  have  been 
made  by  hand.  The  height  is  seventeen  centimetres, 
and  its  greatest  breadth  eighteen.  It  was  originally  of 
a  reddish  colour,  but  it  has  been  so  burnt  in  the  inte- 
rior, where  some  fragments  of  charcoal  still  remain,  that 
it  has  for  the  most  part  lost  its  colour.  It  was  found  ia 
the  bottom  of  the  couloir  near  the  gallery. 

11.  A  mass  of  burnt  clay,  nineteen  centimetres  in 
diameter,  enclosing  fragments  of  quartz.  It  was  found 
in  the  couloir. 

$  12.  Such  a  quantity  of  broken  pottery  of  all  kinds  as 
to  fill  several  baskets.  All  kinds  were  represented,  from 
the  rudest  hand-made  ware  to  fine  Gaulish  pottery, 
covered  with  a  slight  varnish  of  graphite,  and  orna- 
mented with  festoons  formed  of  concentric  circles,  joined 
by  dotted  arches.  Several  of  the  fragments  show  that 
the  vases  had  been  internally  burnt,  but  it  would  be 
useless  to  attempt  to  classify  them  all.  It  should,  how- 
ever, be  remembered  that  mere  rudeness  does  not  prove 
antiquity,  for  I  have  found  in  dolmens  remarkably  fine 
specimens  of  pottery,  and  in  Gallo-Roman  ruins  speci- 
mens of  extreme  coarseness  and  rudeness.  Figures  9, 
10,  11,  12,  plate  IV,  will  serve  to  show  the  character  of 
the  ornamentation. 

1 3.  The  fragments  of  several  hundred  Gallo-Roman 
little  figures  in  baked  clay,  and  of  white  colour,  repre- 
senting a  great  variety  of  personages  and  animals.  There 
must  have  been  some  manufactory  of  these  figures  not 
far  from  the  Roman  station  mentioned  above. 

14.  Several  portions  of  a  Gaulish  statuette  of  red 
baked  clay,  but  painted  white.  These  portions  are  the 
entire  head.  (Plate  v,  fig.  I.)  Part  of  the  breast, 
(plate  V,  fig.  2),  an  arm,  and  the  lower  part  of  the 
body.  (Plate  v,  figs.  3,  4.)  AVhen  perfect,  it  must  have 
been  twenty  centimetres  high.  The  personage  repre- 
sented, and  which  must  have  been  a  divinity,  perhaps 


Plate  IV. 


Fig.  11. 


Fig.  10. 


Fig.  18. 


FBAOVXNT8  07  GAULISH  POTTSRT  FOUND  IN  OB  NSAB  THB  8UBTBBBANXAN 
CHAVBXB  AT  LA  TOUBXLLX,  NXAB  QUIVPBB,   BBITTANT. 

(Figs.  9, 10.  Original  size.    Figs.  11, 12.  Half  original  sice.) 


AocB.  Cams.    Vol.  xit. 


Pr.\TK  V. 


FBAGMINT8  OF  TIBRA-COTTA   STATUE,   FOUND  IN   THB   SUBTBBBANBAN   CHAMBBB 
AT  LA  TOUBKLLE,   NBAB  QUIMPBB,   BBITTANT. 


Aacu.  Cams.    Vul.xiy. 


AT  LA  TOURELLE.  309 

Apollo  (Belenus)  is  naked.   The  hair,  which  is  arranged 
in  plaits,  is  on   the   forehead   adorned  with  thirteen 
circles  with  central  points,  and  on  the  sides  with  a 
series  of  pearls  and  eight  radiating  ornaments.     On  the 
middle  of  the  breast  is  a  sun  formed  of  three  concentric 
circles,  from  whence  diverge  rays,  which  are  circum- 
scribed by  a  larger  and  exterior  circle.     On  the  side  of 
this  ornament  are  other  circles,  but  smaller,  with  central 
points  ranged  in  a  circular  form.     Below,  and  occupy- 
ing the  whole  breadth  of  the  breast,  is  a  line  of  festoons 
and  circles  like  those  above.     On  each  side  of  the  leg, 
front  and  back,  are  seen  a  system  of  varied  ornamenta- 
tion, the  elements  of  which  are,  however,  concentric  or 
radiating  circles,  either  isolated  or  grouped  in  quincunx, 
and  separated  by  dotted  lines.     This  statuette,  which 
approaches  the  Greek  rather  than  the  Roman  type,  be- 
longs to  Gaulish  art,  but  probably  of  a  period  approach- 
ing the  time  of  the  Roman  conquest.  Coins  bearing  these 
two  kinds  of  circles  are  often  found  in  France ;  and  the 
Arch.  Camb.^  iii  series.  No.  27,  has  given  some  good  ex- 
amples of  them.    In  the  last  plate  of  the  second  volume 
of  Montfaucon's  Antiquity  Explained  will  be  found  con- 
centric circles  among  the  ornaments  of  a  Gaulish  fune- 
real monument ;  and  in  plate  cxciv  of  the  same  volume 
there  is  behind  the  goddess  Nehalennia  a  decoration  of 
festoons  similar  to  that  on  the  breast  of  our  statuette. 
I  have  seen  the  same  festoons  on  a  Gaulish  gold  coin 
found  near  Pont  I'Abb^  in  1857.      It  may  be  observed 
also  that  these  concentric  circles  form  the  most  frequent 
ornaments  in  objects  of  the  bronze  period.     To  go  still 
higher,  they  are  the  principal  elements  of  decoration  in 
the  case  of  megalithic  monuments.    I  limit  myself,  how- 
ever, to  merely  stating  these  facts,  and  draw  no  conclu- 
sions.    M.  Toulmouche,  in  his  history  of  Rennes,  gives 
the  head  of  a  statuette  of  burnt  clay,  which  is  adorned 
with  the  same  kind  of  circles. 

In  conclusion,  it  appears  to  me  that  the  souierrain  of 
La  Tourelle  is  a  sepulchral  monument  analogous  to  the 
covered  alleys,  and  diflFering  only  in  the  mode  of  construe- 


310  SUBTERRANEAN  CHAMBERS 

tion.  The  souterrains  in  Cornwall  (England),  and  among 
others  those  of  Treveneague  and  Trelowarren,  described 
by  Mr.  Blight,  consist  of  chambers  and  galleries  (some 
of  which  are  built  of  stones  like  the  covered  alleys,  while 
others  sunk  in  the  ground,  as  in  the  examples  of  Kere- 
dan  and  La  Tourelle)  form  a  natural  transition  between 
the  two  kinds  of  monuments.  Where  stones  of  suffi- 
cient size  and  suitable  forms  for  the  safe  protection 
of  the  grave  were  not  easily  procured,  it  would  naturally 
suggest  itself  to  those  who  wished  for  such  security  to 
seek  for  it  by  digging  the  grave  deep  within  the  ground. 

I  do  not  think  that  the  souterrain  of  La  Tourelle  en- 
closed a  single  burial,  but  several,  as  seems  to  be  shown 
by  the  number  of  articles  in  stone,  bone,  and  burnt  clay, 
all  found  close  by.  They  would  have  been  cast  aside  as 
useless,  subsequent  to  the  violation  of  the  tomb.  As 
regards,  however,  the  Gaulish  and  Roman  debris  found 
mixed  with  the  objects  above  described,  the  explanation 
seems  easy.  The  plateau  in  which  the  souterrain  stands 
is  so  well  situated  that  it  must  have  been  occupied  from 
the  earliest  period  down  to  Roman  times.  Subsequently, 
when  the  change  of  times  and  manners  rendered  the  situ- 
ation less  important  or  desirable,  and  the  land  came  into 
cultivation,  it  is  easy  to  understand  how  these  rarious 
remains,  left  by  successive  generations,  became  scattered 
over  the  surface  of  the  ground ;  and  hence  we  find  lying 
in  mingled  confusion  objects  of  so  many  various  a^es. 

Souterrains  like  those  of  La  Tourelle  and  Keradan  are 
not  probably  so  rare  as  is  generally  supposed ;  and  if 
we  hear  so  little  of  them,  it  must  be  probably  assigned 
to  the  facility  with  which  ignorant  peasants  can  destroy 
them  in  their  agricultural  improvements.  It  is  not  the 
same  with  most  of  our  dolmens  and  covered  alleys^  the 
solid  and  heavy  remains  of  which  have  remained  long 
after  the  dismantling  of  the  monuments  themselves. 

It  is  to  this  class  of  monuments  that  it  is  necessary  to 
assign  the  origin  of  a  belief  widely  spread  among  the 
Bretons,  namely  that  there  exists  a  race  of  dwarfs,  or 
genii,  or  fairies,  called  Korriket  or  Korriganed,  and  who 


AT  LA  TOURELLE.  311 

live  in  holes  under  ground.  The  following  is  a  couplet 
referring  to  this  superstition,  which  I  have  often  heard 
infants  sing : 

"  Bin  Ban,  Korriganan, 
Pelec'h  e  moc'h  epad  ar  goan  ? 
— 'Birs  un  toullik,  bars  an  douar  ? 
Da  gortoz  an  amzer  klouar." 

Which  means 

Bin  Ban,  fairy, 

Where  are  you  in  winter  ?■ 

— In  a  little  hole  under  ground. 

To  wait  warm  weather. 

Dolmens,  covered  alleys,  and  similar  monuments,  are 
always  spoken  of  in  Britanny  as  the  houses  of  fairies, 
dwarfs,  or  similar  characters  (Ty  Korriket).  Even  those 
Bretons  who  do  sometimes  associate  the  idea  of  sepul- 
ture with  tumuli  and  galgals  which  have  not  been  dug 
into,  cannot  imagine  that  the  other  monuments  of  the 
same  class,  which  they  call  "  Ty  Korriket,"  have  beerf 
intended  for  the  same  purposes.  In  this  respect  the 
chain  of  tradition  has  long  since  been  broken. 

B.  F.  Le  Men. 

Quimper,  25  March,  I86S. 


ORIGINAL  MS.  OF  THE  LIBER  LANDAVENSIS. 

It  may  interest  the  readers  of  the  ArchcBoloffia  Camhrerms 
to  have  some  account  of  the  history  and  contents  of  the 
original  MS.  of  the  Book  of  Llandaf.  When  this  MS. 
was  sought  for  by  Mr.  Bees,  in  order  to  print  it  for  the 
Welsh  MSS.  Society,  in  1840,  the  search  was  a  fruitless 
one  ;  although,  singular  to  say,  Mr.  Bees,  in  his  preface, 
actually  mentions  the  then  and  present  owner  of  it  by 
name,  in  order  to  say  that  he  did  not  possess  it.  Mr.  Bees 
could  hardly  have  applied  to  him  for  information  on  the 
subject.  In  consequence  of  his  imperfect  inquiries,  the 
work  was  printed  mainly  from  a  facsimile  copy  made 
in  1660  by  Mr.  B.  Vaughan  of  Hengwrt;  a  very  beau- 
tiful MS.,  according  to  description  ;  but,  unfortunately, 
in  Mr.  Bees's  transcript  from  it  (but  not,  I  am  informed, 


312  ORIGINAL  MS.  OF  LIBER  LANDAVENSI8. 

in  Mr.  Vaughan's  copy  itself)  there  exists  a  very  consi- 
derable number  of  small  discrepancies  from  the  original 
I.  The  history  of  the  later  fortunes  of  the  original 
MS.  appears  to  have  been  as  follows.  Bishop  Godwin, 
of  course,  consulted  it  at  LlandaflF  itself,  of  which  see  he 
was  bishop,  1601-1618.  If  we  except  a  previous  tem- 
porary loan  of  it  to  Archbishop  Parker,  from  whose 
notes  Wharton's  extracts  were  taken,  and  who  must 
have  duly  returned  it, — and  possibly  a  second  loan  to 
Dr.  James,  returned  with  a  like  honesty, — Bishop  Field 
of  Llandaff  (a.d.  1619-1627)  is  responsible  for  its  first 
departure  from  its  lawful  owners.  He  lent  it  to  Selden 
between  the  years  just  mentioned.  While  in  Selden's 
possession  it  appears  to  have  been  consulted  and  used 
by  Ussher,  Spelman,  and  Dugdale  also,  and  by  the 
Rev.  Bryan  Twyne ;  and  either  at  the  beginning  of  that 
period,  or  earlier,  as  above  intimated,  by  Dr.  James,  the 
Bodleian  Librarian  (1598-1620);  the  extracts  made  by 
the  last  named  of  whom  were  in  part  taken  from  the 
original  Liber  Landavensis  itself,  as  Mr.  Rees  would  have 
seen  had  he  inspected  them ;  and  from  the  additions  to 
that  original  MS.,  of  which  Mr.  Rees,  of  course,  knew 
nothing ;  as  well  as  from  another  and  totally  different 
MS.,  likewise  belonging  to  Llandaff.  Ussher  and  Spel- 
man speak  of  the  MS.  as  belonging  to  Llandaff;  but 
their  words  do  not  afford  reason  for  believing  that  Sel- 
den had  actually  returned  the  MS.  to  its  cathedral  home 
at  the  time  when  they  were  making  use  of  it.  On  the 
contrary,  upon  Selden's  death,  in  1654,  the  MS.  is  still 
found  in  his  possession,  and  is  mentioned  by  Mr.  (after- 
wards Sir)  John  Vaughan  of  Trawscoed,  one  of  his  ex- 
ecutors, in  a  letter  dated  Sept.  24, 1659,  as  then  belong- 
ing to  the  Public  Library  of  the  University  of  Oxford, 
to  which  Selden's  MSS.  were  given  by  his  executors  in 
that  very  month  and  year.  The  Llandaff  MS.,  however, 
if  it  really  did  go  to  Oxford  at  all  with  the  rest  of  the 
collection  (which  probably  it  did  not),  could  only  have 
been  there  for  a  few  days.  A  negotiation  had  been  in 
progress  since  1655,  on  the  part  of  Mr.  Robert  Vaughan 


ORIGINAL  MS.  OF  LIBER  LANDAVENSJS.  313 

of  Hengwrt,  for  the  purpose  of  procuring  the  MS.  from 
Sir  J.  Vaughan  (its  possessor,  as  one  of  Selden's  execu- 
tors, from  1654  to  1659),  in  order  to  make  a  copy  of  it ; 
and  in  the  letter  above  referred  to,  Sir  J.  Vaughan 
speaks  of  the  MS  as  at  that  time  (Sept.  1659)  belong- 
ing to  the  University  of  Oxford,  and  states  that  he  had 
**  procured"  it  for  Mr.  R.  Vaughan 's  use,  and  requires  a 
bond  for  its  restitution.     Mr.  R.  Vaughan's  copy,  of 
which  he  made  but  one,  although  originally  intending 
to  make  two,  was  written  (according  to  the  MS.  Hen- 
gwrt  catalogue  now   at  Peniarth)  in   1660;    between 
which  year  and  his  own  death,  in  1667,  he  obviously 
returned  the  MS.  to  Sir  John,  according  to  his  bond. 
The  latter,  however,  who  had  ignored  all  through  the 
original  ownership  of  the  LlandaflF  Chapter,  appears 
now  to  have  ignored  also  the  gift  of  Selden's  MSS.  (this 
one  inclusive)  by  himself  and  his  co-executors  to  the 
Bodleian  Library ;  for  the  next  account  we  have  of  the 
MS.  finds  it,  in  1696,  in  the  possession  of  Robert  Davies, 
Esq.,  of  Llanerch  and  Gwysaney,  two  estates  close  toge- 
ther,  in  the  counties  respectively  of  Denbigh  and  Flint ; 
whose  wife,  Letitia,  was  the  granddaughter  of  Sir  John 
Vaughan,  and  to  whom  it  must  have  passed  either  by 
gift  of  Sir  John,  or  upon  his  death  in  1674. 

The  cover  of  the  MS.  had  suffered  in  the  course  of 
its  travels ;  and  in  1696  Mr.  Davies,  a  learned  and  care- 
ful antiquary,  while  preserving  the  leaf  of  the  cover, 
on  which  was,  and  is  still,  the  curious  figure  in  relief 
to  be  hereafter  mentioned,  supplied  the  MS.  with  a  new 
leaf  (of  thick  board,  made  to  resemble  the  old  one)  on 
the  other  side,  upon  which  he  caused  the  following  in- 
scription to  be  placed  in  small  brass  nails :  "  Librum 
hunc  temporis  injurias  passum  novantiquo  tegmine  mu- 
nire  curavit  R.  D.  1696." 

In  the  old  catalogue  of  the  Llanerch  MSS.,  which 
is  now  at  Owston,  co.  York,  the  MS.  occurs  as  No.  22 ; 
and  Mr.  E.  Lhuyd,  in  his  Archceologia^  mentions  it,  in 
1707,  as  at  Gwysaney,  in  the  possession  of  Mr.  Davies, 
who  died  in  1710.     From  Mr.  Robert  Davies  the  MS. 

3bd  bib.,  vol.  xrv.  21 


314  ORIGINAL  MS.  OF  LIBER  LANDAVENSIS. 

descended  to  the  successive  owners  of  his  estates,  and 
finally  to  Mr.  John  Davies,  his  great-grandson,  who  died 
without  issue  in  1785.  It  is  mentioned  during  the  in- 
terval by  Bishop  Tanner,  who  died  in  1735,  as  at  that 
time  in  the  possession  of  Robert  Da  vies,  Esq.,  of  Llan- 
erch  ;  and  likewise  by  the  Rev.  Evan  Evans  in  1760, 
to  whose  extracts  Mr.  Rees  refers  as  among  the  MSS. 
of  Lewis  Morris  in  the  Welsh  School  Library  iri  Lon- 
don, and  who  also  mentions  Llanerch.  In  1792  the 
Welsh  estates  of  the  Davies  family  were  divided  by  act 
of  Parliament  between  the  two  sisters  of  Mr-  John 
Davies,  and  the  MSS.  were  divided  at  the  same  time. 
The  IM>er  Landavensis^  among  others,  went  (with  Gwys- 
aney)  to  Mary,  who  married  Philip  Puleston  of  Hafod- 
y-Wern,  co.  Denbigh,  Esq. ;  of  which  mamage  the  sole 
issue  was  a  daughter,  Frances,  who  married  Bryan  Cooke, 
Esq.,of  Owston,co.  York,M.P.  for  Malton ;  whose  grand- 
son and  heir,  Philip  Bryan  Davies  Cooke,  Esq.,  of  Ows- 
ton,  is  accordingly  the  present  most  careful  and  courteous 
owner  of  the  never  really  missing  MS.  Even  so  late  as 
1815,  it  appears  that  Archdeacon  Davies  of  Brecon,  and 
in  1811  Bishop  Burgess,  then  of  St.  David's,  were  aware 
that  the  MS.  had  passed  into  the  hands  of  Mr.  Bryan 
Cooke,  and  that  it  was  in  his  library ;  although  they  do 
not  actually  speak  of  Owston  by  name,  and  may  have 
fancied  that  it  still  remained  at  Gwysaney. 

It  must  be  said  on  behalf  of  Selden  and  of  his  execu- 
tors, that  for  the  time,  or  most  of  it,  during  which  he 
kept  the  MS.  (1627-1654),  its  proper  owners,  the  Bishop 
and  Chapter  of  lAandaflF,  were  abolished, — so  far  as  the 
law  of  the  land  could  abolish  them, — and  that  they  con- 
tinued so  in  1659,  when  the  gift  was  made  to  the  Bod- 
leian Library.  Sir  John  Vaughan  is  apparently  the 
greater  culprit,  who,  in  1660-1667,  when  the  MS.  came 
again  into  his  hands,  returned  it  neither  to  Llandaff  nor 
to  Oxford. 

Looking  back  to  the  period  preceding  Parker,  Mr. 
Rees  has  printed  an  extract  from  a  Llandaff  chronicle 
in  the  Cotton  MSS.  (Titus  D.  xxii,  1),  dated  1439,  which 


ORIGINAL  MS.  OF  LIBER  LANDAYENSIS.  315 

cites  charters, etc.,  as  "  in  Graffo  Sancti  Thelyai";  and  the 
entries  in  the  end  of  the  MS.  itself,  as  will  be  seen  below, 
amply  prove  its  continued  domicile  at  Llandaff  (unless 
perchance  it,or  more  probably  the  documents  themselves 
which  were  copied  into  it,  went  to  Rome  and  back  in  11 28 
or  1129)  from  the  date  of  its  compilation,  shortly  before 
1134,  to  the  episcopate  of  Bishop  Field  in  1619.  That 
its  compiler  and  scribe  was  Galfridus,  brother  of  Bishop 
Urban,  rests  upon  an  inference  from  Cotton  MSS.  Vesp. 
A.  XIV,  which  contains  a  life  of  St.  Teilo,  ascribed* there 
to  this  Galfridus,  and  identical  with  the  life  contained 
in  the  Llandaff  MS.  The  identity  of  Galfridus  with  the 
Esni  mentioned  in  the  MS.  itself  (p.  81,  Rees)  as  dean 
of  Llandaff,  rests  onlv  on  the  fact  that  this  Esni  was  also 
Urban's  brother.^ 

II.  From  the  history  of  the  MS.  let  us  turn  next  to 
the  MS.  itself;  and,  to  begin  with  its  outside,  one  leaf 
of  the  cover,  as  mentioned  above,  was  supplied  by  Mr. 
Davies  in  1696;  the  other  is  part  of  the  original  cover — 
1.^.,  of  the  cover  which  the  book  had  before  it  first  left 
Llandaff.  This  is  a  thick  oak  board,  once  overlaid  with 
gold  and  silver,  and  partially  jewelled.  Some  of  the 
small  pins  which  fixed  the  metal  work  to  the  oak  still 
remain.  The  gold  and  silver  and  the  jewel  work  have 
disappeared.  Some  traces  of  precious  metal  still  continue 
around  a  bronze  figure,  6|  inches  long,  in  full  relief, 
formerly  gilt,  and  still  partially  so,  which  occupies  the 
centre  of  the  cover,  and  which  represents  (not  St.  Teilo, 
as  the  Hengwrt  catalogue  wrongly  says,  and  Mr.  Rees 
repeats,  but)  our  Lord  Himself  standing  on  a  crescent, 
and  uplifting  His  hand  in  the  act  of  blessing.  The 
figure  is  far  from  despicable  as  a  work  of  art,  although 
the  body  is  disproportionately  small  for  the  head. 

The  MS.  itself  consists  in  its  original  portion  of  108 
large   folio  vellum   leaves  (nearly  thirteen  inches   by 

^  The  authorities  for  the  above  statements  are  either  to  be  found 
referred  to  in  Rees'  preface  to  his  edition  in  1840,  or  are  derived  from 
the  MS.  Hengwrt  Catalogue,  from  information  supplied  by  Mr.  P. 
Davies  Cooke,  or  from  the  MS.  itself.  See  also  Short's  Hist,  of  Ch,  of 
England y  c.  i,  p.  3. 

212 


316  ORIGINAL  MS.  OP  LIBER  LANDAVENSIS. 

nine)  beautifully  written  in  double  columns,  and  in  ex- 
cellent preservation.  Its  contents  show  it  to  have  heea 
written  throughout  (with  certain  small  exceptions  to  be 
hereafter  mentioned)  at  the  same  period,  although  not 
consecutively,  viz.,  during  the  Episcopate  of  Urban,  a.d. 
1107-1134,  and  during  the  latter  part  of  that  Episco- 
pate. It  begins  with  the  Gospel  of  St.  Matthew,  in 
Latin,  47  pp.  (the  48th  is  blank) ;  Vulgate  text,  but 
with  a  trace  here  and  there  that  the  transcriber  was 
familiar  with  the  old  Latin  {e.ff.^  the  words  ventura  and 
omnes  are  interlined  respectively  at  c.  iii,  v.  7,  and  c.  vii, 
v.  23).  The  body  of  the  MS.,  beginning  at  p.  49,  con- 
tained, in  the  fii^st  instance,  the  legends  of  Elgar  and 
Sampson,  now  on  pp.  49-63  (there  is  no  pa^nation,  how- 
ever, in  the  MS.  itself) ;  which  were  written  consecu- 
tively, and  probably  (as  the  relics  of  Elgar  with  those 
of  Dubricius  were  removed  from  Bardsey  to  Urban's 
new  Cathedral  in  May,  1120,  and  as  Elgar  had  no  pre- 
vious connection  whatever  with  LlandafF)  shortly  after 
the  May  of  1120.  At  the  same  period  were  entered, 
but  after  an  interval  of  twenty-four  pages,  viz.,  upon 
pp.  87-98,  the  legend  of  Dubricius  (headed  "  De  Prime 
Statu  Landavensis  Ecclesise  et  Vita  Archiepiscopi  Du- 
bricii"j,  followed  by  an  Indulgence  of  Ralph,  Arch- 
bishop of  Canterbury,  towards  the  re-building  of  the 
Cathedral  in  1120 ;  and  on  pp.  98-103,  letters  of  Pope 
Calixtus  II  in  1119,  relating  to  Urban 's  first  appeal  in 
that  year  to  the  Pope  at  Rheims  in  his  suit  with  the 
Bishops  of  St.  David's  and  Hereford,  Consecutively 
with  these,  follow  the  Legends  of  St.  Teilo  and  St 
Oudoceus,  pp.  104-141,  and  copies  of  charters  and  other 
entries  from  Teilo  down  to  the  consecration  of  Bishop 
Urban  in  1107  (pp.  141-216) ;  all,  except  two  interpo- 
lations mentioned  below,  and  a  blank  or  two  near  the 
end  for  entries  after  all  not  made,  written  consecutively, 
and  apparently  a.d.  1120-1124.  The  MS.  breaks  off  in 
the  middle  of  a  sentence,  after  mentioning  Urban 's  con- 
secration, either  for  lack  of  vellum,  or  because  the  fol- 
lowing page  or  pages  have  been  lost.     Subsequently  to 


ORIGINAL  MS.  OF  LIBER  LANDAVEN8I8.  317 

these  entries,  we  find  entered  in  paler  ink  upon  p.  64, 
-which  had  been  left  blank,  certain  statements  about  the 
city  of  Rome  and  Pope  Eleutherius  (on  pp.  26-27  of 
Rees) ;  and  upon  pp.  65-66  a  concordat  between  Bishop 
Urban  and  Robert,  Earl  of  Gloucester  and  Lord  of 
Glamorgan,  in  1126,  written  in  a  different  character, 
but  at  the  same  period  with  the  remainder ;  upon  the 
right  hand  column  of  p.  66,  not  filled  by  the  concordat, 
two  documents,  out  of  their  place,  of  Pope  Honorius  II, 
dated  a.d.  1128-1129  (p.  30  of  Rees),  of  which  the 
contents  will  shew  why  they  were  at  first  omitted ;  and 
upon  pp.  67-76  other  letters  and  bulls  of  Honorius,  of 
A.D.  1128-1129,  relating  to  Urban's  second  and  third 
appeals  against  the  Bishops  of  St.  David's  and  Here- 
ford ;  and  upon  pp.  77-79  an  Indulgence  of  the  Legate 
John  of  Crema,  and  the  well-known  summons  of  the 
Bishop  of  Llandaff  to  a  Council  of  London,  to  be  held 
by  the  Papal  Legate,  by  permission  of  the  Archbishop 
of  Canterbury, — ''legis  ordinatione  nostraque  conni- 
ventia," — both  dated  in  1125;  and,  lastly,  summaries  of 
two  journeys,  and  no  more,  of  Urban  to  Rome ;  all  of 
which  were,  therefore,  written  into  the  volume  before 
A.D.  1133,  in  which  year  he  undertook  his  third  journey. 
On  a  half  page  (p.  79),  left  blank  at  the  end  of  these 
summaries,  are  entered,  out  of  their  place,  two  letters  of 
Pope  Honorius  (pp.  61-52,  Rees),  one  of  which  is  a  repe- 
tition of  one  of  the  two  previously  raisentered,  as  above 
said.  Finally,  the  volume  was  completed  by  filling  the 
leaves  from  p.  80  to  p.  86  (both  inclusive)  with  bulls 
and  letters  of  Pope  Innocent  II,  a.d.  1130-1132,  relat- 
ing to  Urban 's  final  appeal  in  those  years;  which  he 
attempted  to  renew  in  1133-1134,  but  was  hindered 
from  prosecuting  by  his  death  in  the  last-named  year. 
These  last  entries  break  off  at  the  bottom  of  the  last 
column  of  p.  86,  in  the  middle  of  a  document  and  of  a 
sentence,  either  because  some  pages  were  lost  before  the 
book  was  bound  (of  which,  however,  there  is  no  trace), 
or  because  the  life  of  St.  Teilo  was  already  written  upon 
pp.  87-89.     These  documents  of  Innocent  are  the  latest 


818     .  ORIGINAL  M8.  OF  LIBEK  LANDAVENSI8. 

entries  in  the  book  itself  in  point  of  date,  except  the 
two  interpolations  above  mentioned,  which  are  (1)  a 
note  on  a  blank  space  following  the  Wekh  version  of 
the  Privilegium  of  St.  Teilo  (p.  114,  Rees),  setting  forth 
that  this  solemn  sentence  was  promulgated  in  Llandaff 
Cathedral  a.d.  1410,  with  the  effect  of  driving  certain 
wicked  transgressors  of  it  mad ;  and  (2)  a  document, 
purporting  to  be  copied  into  the  volume,  because  the 
original  (which  refers  to  a  transaction  dated  in  a.d.  958) 
was  perishing  with  age,  inserted,  however,  pretty  well 
into  its  place  in  point  of  date  (pp.  237-238,  Rees),  but 
on  a  space  originally  blank,  and  containing  an  ag^ree* 
meut  made  at  the  bidding  of  Eadgar  of  England  as 
suzerain,  between  Owen,  King  of  South  Wales,  and 
Morgan,  King  of  Morgan wg ;  the  scribe  of  which,  possi- 
bly the  original  scribe,  possibly  the  later  one,  has  written 
throughout  the  better  known  name  of  Howel  for  that  of 
Owen,  his  son,  who  was  the  person  really  concerned  in 
the  transaction.  There  are  also  copious  marks  and  short 
marginal  notes  (fifteenth  century  probably)  throughout 
the  volume,  written  by  an  enthusiastic  Llandaff  church- 
man, and  calling  attention  triumphantly  to  every  em- 
phatic sentence  in  Papal  bulls,  or  in  the  old  charters, 
exalting  the  dignity  or  maintaining  the  privileges  of 
Llandaff.  The  whole  of  the  above  matter,  which  is,  in 
fact,  the  whole  of  the  contents  of  the  original  MS.,  the 
Gospel  of  St.  Matthew  and  the  brief  marginal  notes 
excepted  (which  Mr.  Vaughan  omitted), has  been  printed 
by  Rees  from  the  Hengwrt  copy,  collated  with  other 
MSS.,  which  were  taken  in  truth  from  that  copy.  Un- 
fortunately, there  are  considerable  discrepancies  of  text 
between  Mr.  Rees's  printed  edition  and  the  original; 
which,  however,  as  I  am  informed,  are  due  to  Mr.  Rees 
or  his  copyist,  and  not  to  the  Hengwrt  copy.  Mr.  Rees 
has  obviously  acfded  to  the  number  out  of  his  own 
ingenuity — as,  e,g,^  in  the  Concordat  of  1126  between 
Robert  of  Gloucester  and  Bishop  Urban,  where  he  has 
invented  for  us,  not  only  an  "  Oinus  Bishop  of  Eureux," 
but,  worse  still,  a  "  John  Bishop  of  Richmond,"  with  a 


ORIGINAL  MS.  OF  LIBER  LANDAVEKSI8.  319 

various  reading  of  *•  Oxford."  It  would  have  been  surely 
better  to  have  confessed  ignorance,  if  he  had  (very  ex- 
cusably) failed  to  guess,  for  the  latter — what  the  original 
MS.  actually  has — "  Johannes  Luxoniensis,"  meant  ob- 
viously for  John,  Bishop  of  Lisieux,  instead  of  which 
Mr.  Rees  has  written  "  Ricomiensis."  But  one  might 
have  hoped  that  the  other  well-known  name  and  see 
would  have  been  correctly  translated. 

In  addition,  however,  to  the  original  matter,  the 
Owston  MS.  contains  additions  peculiar  to  itself,  and 
belonging  to  dates  subsequent  to  Urban's  Episcopate : 
in  one  place,  indeed,  coming  down  as  late  as  to  Bishop 
Field  in  1619.  These  occur  at  the  end  of  the  volume, 
and  consist  of  (1)  six  vellum  leaves  of  the  size  of  the 
original,  which  contain — 

Upon  p.  1  (i)  a  Postcommunio  from  a  Missa  S.  Teilaui, 
written  at  the  top  left  hand  corner,  apparently  fourteenth 
centuiy,  as  follows : — 

"  Omnipotens  sempiterne  Deus,  Qui  de  beato  corpora  Scti 
Thelyai  confessoris  tui  atque  pontificis  tria  corpora  consecrasti, 
et  per  illud  miraculum  pacem  et  concordiam  inter  inimicos  re- 
fer m&sti,  concede  propitius  per  eius  suffragia  pietatisTue  ueniam 
consequamur :  per  Dominum  nostrum.    Amen." 

II.  A  Statement  of  the  duties  of  the  Archdeacon  of 
Llandaff,  and  of  the  payments  to  which  he  is  entitled 
from  each  church  in  the  diocese,  written  on  the  same 
page,  but  a  little  earlier  than  No.  i,  to  make  room  for 
which  the  first  words  of  this  have  been  erased,  beginning 
thus : — 

**....  Landavens,  in  tantum  quoad  potest,  serael  in  anno 
quando  voluerit,  per  se  vel  suum  deputatum  discretum  et  eccle- 
siasticum  visitare,  ac  de  criminibus  et  excessibus  clericorum 
et  laicorum  ad  ecclesiastici  fori  cognitionem  spectantibus  in- 
quirere,  necnon  criminosos  et  in  minoribus  criminibus  delin- 
quentes,  viz.  pro  non  reparatione  ecclesiarum  et  ornamentorum, 
pro  fornicatione  ac  adulterio,  cum  his  similibus,  debite  corrigere 
et  punire  ;  et  inductiones  concedere,  et  facere  ;  testatnenta  pro- 
bare,  administrationes  committere  de  bonis  intestatorum ;  et  in 
causis  matrimonialibus,  causis  divortii,  et  difiamationis,  proce- 
dere ;  ac  easdem  fine  debita  terminare.     Majora  tamen  crimina 


320  ORIGINAL  MS.  OF  LIBER  LANDATEN8IS. 

ac  causas,  viz.,  causam  here^eos  mendacii  (?)  periurii,  causam 
deputationis^  institutionis,  et  destitutionis,  cum  talibus  caosis 
inajorem  jurisdictionem  requirentibus,  Episcopo  debet  referre; 
quia  dicitur  oculus  Episcopi.  Cuius  quidam  jurisdictionis  et 
visitationis  ratione  dictus  Archidiaconus  Landavensis  de  con- 
suetudine  postcript:  debet  annates  habere  et  percipere  de  quali- 
bet  ecclesiarum  inl'ra  dictarum  dioc.  nomine  visitationis ;  et 
etiam  sum  mas  ratione  expensarum  impensas  ....  perpetuis 
hujus  libri  infra  .  .  .  jurisdictionis  nomine  solidos  x,  .  .  .  et 
quatuor  denarios.*' 

The  vellum  is  torn  oflF  at  the  edge  of  the  last  three 
lines,  which  are  followed  by  a  list  of  the  churches  and  of 
their  several  payments. 

Upon  p.  2  (hi),  left  hand  top,  a  list  of  donations  to 
the  See  of-  LlandafF  by  Henry,  who  was  Bishop  of  the 
See,  A.D.,  1193-1219;  and, 

(iv),  right  hand  top,  a  list  of  Kings  of  Kent,  etc.,  and 
England,  from  Ethelbert  to  Richard  I ;  both  of  them 
thirteenth  century ;  and, 

(v),  on  the  rest  of  the  page,  a  considerably  later  entry 
of  the  taxations  of  churches  in  the  deanery  of  "  Bar- 
geuney." 

Upon  pp.  3-4  (vi)  are  copies  of  documents  of  Inno- 
cent II ;  and, 

(vii),  of  the  statement  about  Eleutherius  and  Lucius ; 
all  merely  repeated  from  the  earlier  and  proper  MS.:  and, 

(viu),  upon  p.  4,  a  record  of  a  claim  of  services  in  the 
Cathedral  of  LlandafF,  made  Dec.  26,  1332,  by  William 
Mayloc  and  his  wife,  and  of  the  diplomatic  answer  of 
Nicolas  the  treasurer,  which  led  to  the  abandonment  of 
the  claim. 

Pp.  5-6  contain  a  list  of  Bishops  of  LlandafF,  from 
Dubricius  onwards  to  Bishop  John  Paschal  (1344-1361), 
made  up  to  that  date  in  the  fourteenth  century.  The 
list,  however,  is  continued  in  different  hands  and  dates 
to  the  consecration  of  Bishop  Field,  Oct.  7,  1619.  This 
list,  which  is  repeated  further  on  (as  will  be  seen  below) 
as  far  as  Bishop  Wells  (1425-1441),  is  as  follows: — 

"  Sanctus  Dubricius  Ar'ep'us. — Sanctus  Thelyaus. — Sanctus 
Oudocheus. — Ubclinus. — Aidanus. — Elfystil. — Lunapeius. — 


ORIGINAL  MS.  OF  LIBER  LANDAVENSIS.  321 

Coniergwynus.^ — Arj^wystyl.  —  Goruannus.  —  Gwydlonius. — 
Edylbinus.  —  Grecielis. — Berthgwynus. —  Trichanus.  —  Eluo- 
gus. — Cathgwareth. — Cerenhir. — Nobis. — Pater. —  Gulfridus. 
— Nuth. — Cymelliauth.  —  Libye.* — Gowganus. —  Marchlyud. 
—  Blethery. — Joseph. —  Herwaldus. — Urbanus. —  Uicthredus. 
— Nicholaus. — Will' m us  de  Salso  Marisco. — Henricus  Prior 
de  Bergeueny. — Will'mus  Prior  de  Goldclivia,  1218. — Elyas 
de  Radnore,  1230.— Wiirmus  de  Burgo,  1245.— Joh'nes  de 
la  Ware,  Abbas  de  Margan.  1254. — Will'mus  de  Radnore, 
1256. — Wiirmus  de  Brewys,  1265. — Joh'nes  de  Monemuta, 
1296.— F.  Johnes  de  Eglesclif,  predicator,  1323.— F.  Joh'nes 
Paschal,  Carmelita,  1344. — Frater  Rog'us  Credoc,  Minor*.^ — 
Frater  Thomas  Busshonk,*  predicator,  sa.  theol.  doctor. — Fra- 
ter Will'mus  Botesham,  ordinis  predicatorum,  sa.  theol.  doc- 
tor.— Frater  Edmundus  de  Burgo,  monachus  mon.  de  Burg,^  sa. 
theol.  doctor. — Tidemannus,  Abbas  de  Bello  Loco. — Magister 
Andreas  Baret,  utri usque  juris  doctor. — Frat'  Joh'es  Borchul,* 

f)redicator.  — Frat'  Thorn's  Peuerel,  Carmelita. — Frat'  Joh'es 
a  Zouche,  sacre  theol.  doctor,  ordinis  minor. — Frat'  Joh'es 
Wellys,  ord.  minor,  sacre  theol.  doctor. — Nicholaus  Assheby, 
quondam  Prior  Mon.  Westmon. ;  cons.  1441. — Johannes  Hou- 
den,  predicator,  sacre  theologiae  doctor.  —  Johannes  Smith, 
doctor  theologise.  —  Johannes^  Marshall,  doctor  theologian, 
quondam  socius  CoUegii  de  Merton,  Oxon.® — Joh'es  Yngyl- 
by,  ordinis  Carth'siensis  ac  quondam  Prior  de  Sheyn. — Milo 
Salley,  ordinis  S'ti  Benedicti,  quondam  elemosunarius  monas- 
terii  Abendon*  et  ibidem  professus,  et  postea  Abba.*^  de  Eynes- 
ham. — Georgius  de  Atequa,  professor  theologi©  et  ordinis  Pre- 
dicatorum.— Robertus  Uolgate,  doctor  sacrse  theologise,  ac 
magister  ordinis  Sancti  Gilebertin',  et  postea  Presidens  Consi- 
lii  Regii  in  plaga  boreali  Anglie,  installatus  fuit  in  ecc'a  Lan- 

davensi  in  vigilia  Sanctse* an'  mcccccxxxvii. — Anthonius 

Kechyn,  sacree  theologiae  doctor,  ac  quondam  de  Eynesham 
Abbas,  possessionem  dictse  sedis  adeptus  est  in  vigilia  S'c'te 
Trinitatis  anno  D'ni  1545  in  persona  tTo.  Apharii  legis  doctoris 
Cancellarii  sui&c. — Hugo  Johnes,  in  legibus  Bacc'. — Will'mus 
Blethyn,  in  legibus  Bacc'. — Arthurus  Brechon,  Ep'm  Lanel- 

^  Comergwjus  in  second  list.      *  Kusthook  in  second  list. 

8  In  second  list  Libiauth.  *  "  De  abb'ie  S'c'ti  EdmMi,"2d  list. 

5  The  writing  changes  here.       '  The  writing  again  changes  here. 

^  The  hand  changes  here  again,  and  what  follows  is  in  many  differ- 
ent hands. 

'  "  Consecrated  an**  d'ni  1479"  is  added  in  the  latest  hand  of  all. 

•  A  hole  in  the  vellum.  The  remaining  letters  look  something  like 
'*  Julii  vii";  but  Holgate  was  consecrated  March  25. 


322  ORIGINAL  MS.  OP  LIBER  LANDAYEN8I8. 

uens.  qui  p.  WiU'm  Thomas  avunc'Ium  suum  in  eadem,  29^ 
Aprilis  anno  D'ui  1576,  re^nique  regine  n*ri  Elizabethe  17**, 
installatus  est — Geruasiiis  Babington,tfaeoIogi8e  doctor. — WilP- 
miis  Morganus,  theol.  doctor;  consecratus  20°  Julii  1595. — 
Franciscus  Godwyn,  s.  theol.  doctor;  cons.  Nov.  22^  1601. — 

Georgius  Carleton,  s.  theologise  doctor,  cons — Theophilus 

Field,  8.  theologiae  doctor,  cons.  Octob.  1^  1619." 

The  dates  in  the  earlier  portion  of  the  above  list, 
several  of  which  are  one  year  too  early,  are  added  in  one 
of  the  later  hands.  The  list  itself  down  to  Urban  is 
evidently  constructed  by  simply  entering  the  names  in 
the  order  in  which  they  occur  in  the  charters  contained 
in  the  Liber  Landavensia  itself.  But  these  charters,  in- 
dependently of  other  evidence,  are  inconsistent  in  them- 
selves with  the  assumption  that  they  were  placed  in 
exact  chronological  sequence;  «.y.,Berthgwyn  is  expressly 
said  in  one  of  them  (p.  173,  Rees)  to  have  succeeded 
Oudoceus  immediately,  while  ten  names  are  inserted  be- 
tween them  in  the  list;  and,  in  another  (p.  175),  Gre- 
cielis  appears,  not  as  immediately  preceding,  but  as 
succeeding,  Berthgwyn,  and  that  "post  longum  tempus." 
The  second  list  inverts  (wrongly)  the  order  of  Bishops 
Tidemannus  and  Baret,  placing  the  latter  first.  Other- 
wise the  two  lists  agree,  except  in  a  few  insignificant 
matters,  so  far  as  the  second  extends,  viz.,  to  Bishop 
Wellys.  These  lists  also  agree  with  Godwyn,  as  indeed 
they  were  the  authorities  on  which  he  relied ;  except 
that  he  has  transferred  Marchlwyd  and  Pater  (in  that 
order)  from  their  places  in  the  list,  and  has  inserted 
them  between  Libiau  and  Gwgan,  no  doubt  owing  to 
the  dates  assigned  to  them  in  the  Welsh  chronicles  and 
in  the  laws  of  Howel  Dda.  Bishop  Paschal's  consecra- 
tion recurs  again  at  greater  length  further  on  in  another 
document.  The  only  other  point  requiring  notice  is  the 
entry  following  the  name  of  W.  Blethyn.  It  really  con- 
cerns Bishop  Blethyn  himself,  who  was  consecrated 
April  27,  1575,  and  doubtless  installed  on  the  29th. 
He  was  Archdeacon  of  Brecon,  so  that  "  Arthurus"  is 
probably  a  miswriting  for  "  Archidiaconus,"  and  the 


ORIGINAL  MS.  OF  LIBER  LANDAVENSIS.  323 

scribe  must  have  fancied  Brecon  to  have  been  in  the 
diocese  of  St.  Asaph. 

Pp.  7-8  contain  (x)  statutes  of  Bishop  John  of  Mon- 
mouth (1296-1323),  and  of  Bishop  John  of  Eglesclif 
(1323^1340),  and 

(xi)  of  Bishop  John  Paschal  (1344-1361) ;  all  relat- 
ing to  residence  and  duties  of  canons  of  the  Cathedral, 
and  entered  in  this  place  at  the  same  time,  but  in  the 
fourteenth  century. 

Upon  p.  9  are  three  grants  in  different  hands — 

(xii)  of  William  de  Burgo,  Bishop  (1245-1254)  to 
the  Monastery  of  Goldclive. 

(xiii)  of  William,  the  Bishop,  and  of  the  Chapter  of 
Llaudaff,  but  which  William  does  not  appear. 

(xiv)  of  the  Chapter  of  Llandaff  to  John  de  Hybernia, 
of  lands  in  Llandaff,  a.d.  1328. 

At  the  top  of  p.  10  is  (xv)  a  record  of  a  suit  between 
the  King  (H.)  and  John,  Bishop  of  Llandaff,  respecting 
the  right  of  presentation  to  a  church,  claimed  by  the 
bishop  as  having  been  granted  by  Edward  I  to  Bishop 
William  de  Brewys:  from  the  Rolls  of  "  Mich.  32,  Rot. 
vi."  Which  John,  however,  it  is  not  easy  to  decide. 
From  1408  to  1500  six  bishops  out  of  seven  were  named 
John';  but,  unfortunately,  the  third  in  order  of  the 
seven,  who  was  named  Nicholas,  is  the  one  in  whose 
Episcopate  falls  the  thirty-second  year  of  Henry  VI. 

On  the  remainder  of  the  page,  there  follows  (xvi)  an 
entry  of  money  duly  paid  to  the  executor  of  his  creditor 
by  the  same  John,  Bishop  of  Llandaff,  in  the  year  fol- 
lowing the  previous  entry  : 

And  (xvii)  an  entry,  miscopied  by  the  scribe,  of  the 
four  bishops,  who  were  consecrated  with  Bishop  Urban, 
viz.,  upon  August  11,  1107,  sc.  *'  In  Vill.  Wintoniens. 
Will'us  Exoniens.  Remelius  Herfordens.  Rogierius  Sa- 
lesberiens.,  consecrati  fuerunt  in  Ep'os."  The  copyist 
ought  to  have  written  "  Will.  Wintoniens."  William^ 
Bishop  of  Winchester,  was  one  of  the  five  then  conse- 
crated, and  they  were  not  consecrated  at  Winchester, 
but  at  Canterbury. 


324  ORIGINAL  MS.  OF  LIBER  LANDATENSIS. 

Next  come  (xviii),  in  the  same  page,  the  forms  for 
admission  of  a  Bishop  of  Llandaff  (Nicholas  the  Bishop 
being  probably  Nicholas  Ashby,  Bishop  (1441-1458),  as 
follows : — 

"  No8  auctoritate  Archidiaconi  Cantuarise  nobis  in  hac  parte 
commissa  vos  venerandum  Prssulem  Dominum  Nicbolaum  ia 
praesenti  eccl'ia  Landavensi  in  Ep'm  admittimus. 

"  £t  vos  etiam  prefatum  Presulem  eadem  auctoritate  instal- 
lamus  et  locum  in  Choro  assignamus. 

•*  Vos  etiam  prenominatum  presulem  presentis  eccPie  diosces- 
auum  intronizamus. 

**  Et  vos  etiam  prefatum  presulem  in  domo  nostra  capitulari 
in  fratrem  et  canonicum  admittimus,  et  nobis  principalem  lo- 
cum assignamus.*' 

It  will  be  remembered  that  the  Bishop  of  Llandaff  was 
eX'Offido  canon  of  the  chapter,  and  filled  the  office  of  its 
dean. 

Lastly,  pp.  11-12,  contain  (xix)  the  oaths  of  Bishop 
(N  standing  for  the  initial  letter  of^  his  name),  and  canons 
on  admission,  viz.: 

'^  Forma  Juramenti  Epi'  Landau'  die  Intronizationis  susb, 
quod  quidem  juramentum  preestabit  in  primo  ingressu  suo  an- 
tequam  ingrediatur  cimiterium:  vz.  ad  oram  sacelle  occidentalism 
8ub  hac  forma  verborum. 

*'  Forma  iuramenti  Epi'  quod  faciet  in  Domo  Capitulari* quum 
admittitur  in  canonicum  et  in  fratrem:  fiet  hoc  modo. 

**  Forma  iuramenti  obedientise  quam  faciet  canonicus  Ep'o 
quando  per  Ep'm  in  Canonicum  admissus  est." 

There  is  nothing  remarkable  in  the  form  of  the  oaths. 
They  are  followed  by  statutes  respecting  canons,  etc., 
made  in  the  episcopates  of  W.  de  Breuse  in  1275,  of 
Joh.  de  Monemuta  in  1318,  and  of  Job.  de  Eglesclif  in 
1326,  the  entries  breaking  off  in  the  middle  of  a  sen- 
tence at  the  foot  of  the  page.  One  enactment  is,  that 
each  canon,  on  admission,  shall  give  either  "  a  choral 
cope"  worth  five  marks,  or  the  same  sum  in  money 
towards  the  fabric  of  the  Cathedral. 

2.  Eight  vellum  leaves  follow,  of  smaller  size ;  the 
second  interpolated  between  the  first  and  third,  which 
are  consecutive.     Their  contents  appear  to  have  been 


ORIGINAL  MS.  OF  LIBER  LANDAVENSIS.  325 

written  about  the  same  time,  viz.,  in  the  fifteenth  cen- 
tury, but  a  note  about  Henry  of  Abergavenny  is  written 
in  at  the  foot  of  two  of  the  pages  in  a  different  hand. 

They  contain,  pp.  13-14,  and  17-18  (xx),  the  list  of 
bishops  already  given,  repeated  down  to  Bishop  Wells 
(1425-1441),  but  the  last  two  names  (after  Peverel, 
1397-1398)  are  added  to  the  list  as  it  first  stood.  It  is 
entitled,  "Noi'aEp'or:  qui  fuerunt  in  Ecc'iaCath.Land. 
a  p'ma  fundatione  eiusdem,  et  sequt  successive.'*  After 
the  title  and  before  the  names  is  thrust  into  a  blank 
space  a  statute  about  residence  of  canons.  The  list 
itself  has  been  already  spoken  of.  It  differs  only  in 
trifling  particulars  from  that  given  above,  which,  indeed, 
seems  to  have  been  copied  from  it ;  but  at  the  end  of  it 
is  added  a  further  and  important  statement  respecting 
the  rights  of  the  Lords  of  Glamorgan  to  the  tempo- 
ralities of  the  see  during  a  vacancy,  which  were  actually 
enjoyed  by  them  down  to  the  time  of  Edward  I,  although 
by  grant  of  the  crown  from  the  time  of  Henry  III,  a  fact 
which  the  document  fails  to  mention.  It  does  not  ap- 
pear, however,  that  any  claim  was  ever  advanced  by 
them  to  nominate  also  to  the  see  itself;  and  such  claim 
is  expressly  repudiated  in  the  suit  between  them  and 
the  crown  in  1241.  This  statement  sets  forth — the 
earlier  portion  of  it  in  Norman  French — that  between 
Bishops  Herwald  and  Urban  {i.e.  1104-1107)  the  tem- 
poralities were  held  by  Robert  of  Gloucester  in  right  of 
bis  wife,  daughter  of  Robert  Fitzhamon  (a  confusion  of 
dates,  however;  for  Fitzhamon  died  in  1107,  and  Robert 
of  Gloucester  did  not  marry  his  daughter  until  1109) ; 
that  the  same  Robert  held  them  between  Urban  and 
Uchtred  (1134-1140);  that  William,  son  of  Robert, 
held  them  between  Uchtred  and  Nicolas  (1148),  and 
again  on  the  death  of  Nicholas  in  1 1 83,  in  which  same 
year  William  himself  also  died  (but  William  of  Salt- 
marsh,  the  next  bishop,  was  not  consecrated  until  1186, 
and  the  record  omits  to  state  whether  this,  with  other 
rights  of  the  lordship  of  Glamorgan,  had  then  already 
passed  or  not  to  John  \i,e,  afterwards  King  John],  who 


326  ORIGINAL  MS.  OF  LIBER  LANDAVENSfS. 

married  Earl  William's  youngest  daughter,  and  had  his 
earldoms):  that  between  William  of  Saltmarsh  and 
Henry  of  Abergavenny  (1191-1193)  they  were  held 
by  John  "de  Morteyn,"in  right  of  his  wife  Isabella, 
daughter  of  William  of  Gloucester  (as  just  said) :  be- 
tween Henry,  who  "fist  les  xiiij  provendres"  (prebends), 
and  William  of  Goldclive  (1218,1219),  and  again  on  the 
death  of  William  in  February,  1230,  they  were  held  by 
Gilbert  de  Clare,  Earl  of  Gloucester,  who  inherited  the 
earldom  and  lordship  through  William's  second  daughter, 
and  who  himself  died  in  1230 ;  that  Richard  de  Clare, 
Gilbert's  son,  a  minor  and  ward  of  King  Henry,  then 
succeeded  to  them,  until  Elias  de  Radnore  had  the  see 
in  1230  ;  that  Gilbert  le  Mareschal  Earl  of  Pembroke, 
as  guardian  of  Earl  Richard,  held  them  between  Elias 
de  Radnore,  who  died  "24  H.  Ill,  1240,  on  the  morrow 
of  St.  John  ante  portam  Latinam,"  and  Will,  de  Burgh 
(consecrated  1245);  and  Richard  de  Clare  in  his  own 
right,  between  W.  de  Burgh,  who  died  "37  H.  HI,  on 
St.  Barnabas'  Day,  1253,"  and  John  de  la  Ware  (con- 
secrated 1254) ;  and  again  between  John  de  la  Ware, 
who  died  "40  H.  Ill,  on  the  day  of  St.  Peter  and  St. 
Paul,  1256,"  and  Will,  de  Radnor  (consecrated  1257): 
that  Gilbert  de  Clare,  Richard's  son  and  heir,  had  them 
between  Will,  de  Radnor,  who  died  "49  H.  Ill,  Friday 
before  Epiphany,  1265,"  and  Will,  de  Breuse  (con- 
secrated 1266),  and  again  between  Will,  de  Breuse, 
who  died  "the  Tuesday  before  the  Annunciation  in 
1287,"  and  John  of  Monmouth  (consecrated  1297). 

This  statement  omits  to  mention,  that  in  1241  Gilbert 
Marshal,  Earl  of  Pembroke,  was  summoned  by  Henry 
III  to  show  cause  why  he  and  not  the  king  should  enjoy 
these  temporalities  ;  that  he  pleaded  in  his  own  case  a 
personal  grant  (a  purchase,  indeed, from  the  crown  of  the 
wardship  of  R.deCIare,and  of  this  particular  right  inclu- 
sive); that  inquiry  into  the  general  question  of  right  was 
then  directed  to  be  made ;  and  that  upon  W.  de  Breuse's 
death  in  1287,  Edward  I  actually  claimed  and  had  the 
right  thenceforth ;  save,  indeed,  a  like  personal  grant, 


ORIGINAL  MS.  OF  LIBER  LANDAVEN8IS.  327 

which  reverted  to  the  crown  temp.  Edward  II,  who 
thereupon  constituted  the  chapter  perpetual  lessees  of 
the  crown  in  respect  to  such  temporalities* 
The  MS.  continues  in  Latin  : — 

"  Postea  Joh'nes  de  Monemuta  consecratus  fuit  in  Ep'm  Lan- 
dav.  apud  Cantuar.  iiij  idus  Februarii  anno  D^ni  1296,  et  obiit 
apud  Landaf  feria  v.  post  octav.  Pasche  ann.  D'ni  1323. 

"  Postea  Prater  Johannes  de  Eglesclif  de  ordine  predicato- 
rum^  consecratus  in  curia  Rom^na,  venit  ad  dyoc.  suam  Lan- 
dav.  octavis  S^t'e  Trinitatis  anno  D'ui  1323,  et  obiit  apud  Lan- 
cadwaladur,  viz.  ii^  die  mensis  Januarii  anno  D'ni  1306,  et 
sepultus  est  in  ecc'ia  fratruin  predicatorum  de  Kerdyf. 

"  Postea  Frat.  Joh^nes  Paschell  de  ordine  montis  SHe  Marie 
de  Carmela,  consecratus  in  Ep^m  in  cur.  Romana...^  vj  anno 
D'ni  1344,  cassataque  electione  facta  de  d^no  Joh'ne  de  Coven - 
trie  archid^no  Landav.  per  reservacionem  factam  in  curia  Ro- 
mana  de  Ep'atu  Landav.,  vacante  per  mortem  supradicti  fratris 
Joh'is  de  Eglesclif.  Prenominatus  frater  Joh'es  Paschal  Ep^us 
Landav.  veniens  de  curia  Romana  in  Angliam  admissus  est  ab 
Archiep'o  Cant.  viz.  iij  non.  Jun.  anno  D^ni  1347;  et  obiit  apud 
Landaf,  et  sepultus  est  in  capella  Beat©  Mariae  ibid... 2  lapide 
marraoreo." 

Across  the  foot  of  pp.  14,  17  is  written  the  following 
memorandum : — 

"  Iste  Henricus  de  Bergaueny  constituit  xiiij  prebendas  in 
SHo  Cathed.  Land. ;  et  tot  adhuc  deberent'  esse  :  quarum  xiiij 
prebendarum  secundum  statuta  nostra  octo  defungi  debent  per 
uicarios  sacerdotes,  quatuor  vero  per  uicarios  diaconos :  et  alie 
due  prebende  defungi  debent  per  uicarios  subdiaconos :  qui 
faciunt  xiiij  vicarios  respondentes  xiiij  prebendis  seu  xiiij  cano- 
nibus  prebendariis  :  ut  premissum  est." 

Upon  pp.  15,  16,  which  is  the  intei-polated  leaf,  are 
contained  (xxi)  the  oaths  already  mentioned  as  in  No. 
XIX,  but  with  J.  de  1.  (John  de  la  Zouch,  Bishop  1408- 
1425)  inserted  instead  of  the  N.  of  the  already  men- 
tioned copy.  The  present  copy,  therefore,  is  the  earlier 
of  the  two. 

Lastly,  upon  pp.  19-28  follow  entries: — (xxii.)  1. 
De  Procurationibus  annuls  debitis  Ep*o  Landav.  pro 

1  One  word  illegible.  *  One  word  of  two  letters  illegible. 

3  So  in  MS. 


328  ORIGINAL  MS.  OF  LIBER  LANDAVENSIS. 

Ep'atu  8UO.  2.  A  list  of  the  patronage  of  the  see.  3. 
An  assessment  of  tenths  upon  each  parish  of  the  diocese. 
It  only  remains  to  add,  that  four  leaves  at  the  beginning 
of  the  volume,  and  one  at  the  end,  which  have  no  con- 
nection whatever  with  the  MS.  itself,  or  with  Llandaff, 
have  been  bound  up  with  it,  apparently  by  the  original 
maker  of  the  magnificent  cover :  those  at  the  beginning 
professing  to  come  from  the*'Quodlib.  S.  de  Lan.;"  that 
at  the  end  belonging  to  some  treatise  of  canon  or  civil 
law. 

It  may  be  said,  in  conclusion,  without  lengthening 
unduly  this  already  lengthy  account,  that  the  MS.,  as 
originally  written  in  Urban 's  Episcopate  bears  no  other 
marks  of  untrustworthiness,  than  that  the  scribe  was 
evidently  destitute  of  either  the  will  or  the  power  to  sift 
his  materials,  and  of  the  knowledge  requisite  to  enable 
him  to  arrange  them  correctly,  and  in  accordance  with 
historical  accuracy.  He  obviously  had  before  him  docu- 
ments of  various  dates,  which  he  did  not  invent,  but 
copied ;  although  these  documents  themselves  were  not 
contemporary  (save  the  later  ones)  with  the  transactions 
recorded  in  them,  and  were  memoranda  drawn  up  by 
interested  parties,  with  no  one  to  check  their  inventive- 
ness. And  whenever  he  ventures  upon  a  date,  or  upon 
an  historical  fact  that  can  be  tested,  he  (or  the  document 
he  copies)  is  almost  invariably  wrong.  Plainly  he  had 
very  little,  if  anything,  beyond  the  documents  them- 
selves, to  guide  him  in  the  chronological  arrangement  of 
the  Bishops  before  Urban. 

Arthur  W.  Haddan. 

Barton  Rectory.     Feb.  1868. 


329 


INDEX  TO  "LLYFR  COCH   ASAPH." 

{Continued  from  p.  166.) 

Simile  certificatorium  de  conventione  transmissa. 

78a. — KespoDsio  Ep^i  quod  quando  a  Wallia  recessit,  reliquit 
dictos  religiosos  viros  in  possessione  ejusdem  ecclesie  et  cum 
rediit  invenit  ejectos  et  quod  credit  ingressum  fuisse  vitiosum. 
Acta  super  certificatoriis  pred^  1270. 

78i. — Articuli  ex  parte  Abbatis  et  Conventus  pred^m  contra 
Ep'um  pred'm. 

79a. — Interrogatoria  Ep'i  contra  testes  eorundem. 

79i. — Concordia  in  causa  predicta  1272  per  quam  Abbas  et 
Conventus  renunciant  &c.  Dictus  Abbas  et  Conventus  conce- 
dunt  dicto  Episcopo  et  successoribus  omnem  terram  suam  apud 
Martinchurch.     Dat'  1272.  34,  35 

80a. — Dictus  Episcopus  fatetur  se  non  repulsisse  dictos  Ab- 
batem  et  Conventum  a  possessione  Ecclesie  Oswaldi  supra- 
dicte,  nee  credere  eos  fuisse  legitime  repulses,  1272.  35 

Gruffinus  Vychan  ap  Gruff,  ap  Madoc  D'nus  de  Yale  conce- 
dit  A.  Ep'o  Ass.  et  successoribus  suis  totam  terram  suam  infra 
terminos  subscriptos ;  vizt.  a  termino  ville  de  Llandegla  anti- 
quo  Versus  australem  partem  ipsius  ville  usque  ad  rivulum  qui 
Wallice  dicitur  Genech  et  hoc  in  latitudinem  in  parte  occiden- 
tali  ipsius  terrse  et  extendit  se  versus  orientem  in  longitudine 
usque  ad  alium  rivulum  qui  Wallice  dicitur  Nant-yr-Erw  fordin 
et  in  latitudine  illius  capitis  terr»  extendit  se  ab  illo  loco  montis 
Barvauc  qui  est  parte  illius  terras,  qui  commode  arrari  poterit 
sine  Brueto  usque  dictum  rivulum  Genech,  tam  terram  cultam 
quam  non  cultam,  ita  quod  Ep'i  terram  non  cultam  redigere 
valeant  in  cultam.     Dat'  5  idus  Feb.  a*o  D'ni  1278.  35 

80J. — Mandatum  Ep*i  Officiali  de  Powys  de  instituendo  et 
inducendo  Walterum  de  Haugmere  clericum  ad  ecclesiam  Albi 
Monasterii  presentatum  per  Joh.  fil.  Alani  Dominum  Arundel. 
DatM269. 

Convencio  inter  comportionarium  de  Llansaintffraid  in  Mech- 
en  et  comporcionarium  de  Castell  super  firma  de  Llansaintffraid 
predicta.     Dat'  in  festo  Margarette  1306. 

81a. — Mandatum  Abbatis  de  Talellechau  directum  Officiali 
de  Dyffrjm  Clwyd  pro  citando  Ep'o  Assaphen'  et  Vicario  de 
Llangollen  &c.  ad  respondendum  Abbati  et  Conventui  de  Valle 
Crucis,  asserenti  quod  ecclesia  de  Llangollen  cum  suis  capellis 
80.  Wrexham,   Rhuabon,  Y  Wayn,  Llansantffraid,  Llandegla, 

ailD  8EB.,  VOL.  XIV.  22 


330  INDEX  TO  "  LLYFR  COCH   ASAPH." 

ab  antiquo  tempore  canonice  sunt  adepti,  et  quod  cum  unos 
vicarius  (sufficiat)  in  matre  ecclesia  constitutus  sufficiat,  Ep'us 
vicarios  in  capellis  contra  jus  ordinaverit.  Dat'  &c.  idus  Mar- 
tii  1274. 

81i. — Appellatio  dicti  Ep'i  a  dicto  Abbate  de  Talellechau  ad 
Off.  Cant. 

82. — Inhibitio  contra  abbatem  de  Talellechau  in  causa  pred- 
una  cum  citacione  abbatis  et  conventus  de  Valle  Crucis  ad 
comparendum  in  causa  predict^. 

Literae  tuitionis  qoncessae  Ep^o  contra  dictum  Abbatem  de 
Tallellechau  in  causa  pred'  per  Offic'  Cant.  1275. 

Mandatum  directum  Archid'no  Caermerddin  quod  inhibeat 
denuo  Abbatem  de  Talellechau  in  causa  pred*  et  quod  eundem 
citet  responsurum  pro  inobedientia  sua. 

83a. — Vendicio  Lactualium  Anno  1312. 

Vendicio  aliarum  decimarum,  inter  quas  Cjrrchynan,  &c. 

83b. — Vendicio  Sequestratorium ; 

Firma  Maneriorum. 

Firma  annualium  procuratorium. 

Dimissio  terrae  apud  Llandegla.     A^o  1317. 

84a. — Vendicio  porcorium  (portionum?) 

Institutio  ad  rectoriam  Ecclesie  de  Monte  Alto  per  David 
Ep'ura  Ass*  ad  presentationem  Roberti  de  Monte  Alto.  Dat' 
3  Id' Junii  1318. 

845. — Placitum  apud  Denbighe  per  Communitates  de  His- 
aled  &c.  contra  tenentes  ep'i  quod  non  contribuant  ad  solucionem 
200  marcarum  concessam  in  auxilium  comitis  Lancastr.  36 

Besponsio  ep^i  quod  non  dent. 

85.— Deest. 

86. — Litere  dimissorie  1312. 

Dispensatio  de  non  residendo. 

Certificatoriumdebeneficiis  vacantibusinDioc*  Assaven.  1 318. 

86i.— CoUacio  Rectorie  Skeiviog  1312. 

CoUacio  R.  de  Mallwyt  an'o  pred'o. 

CoUacio  de  Kilkain  eodem  anno. 

Collacio  porcionis  de  Llanykil  eodem  anno. 

Resignacio  Rect.  de  Machynllaeth  a'o  1317,  per  Thomam 
Trwjnwyn  David  Ep*o  et  coUata  fuit  Dn*o  Johanni  Prichard  a'o 
1318. 

Collacio  ejusdem  rectorie  1818  Johanni  Prichard. 

Collacion  2  porcionum  de  Llangoweir  a'o  pred'o  Rerit  Llwd. 

Resignacio  Bleddyn  ap  Einion  ap  Adda  et  Collacio  Rect. 
de  Llandoget  a'o  1319  Jorwerth  ap  Bleddyn  Sais. 

Collacio  Skeiviog  Bleddyn  ap  Kennric  a'o  pred'o. 

Collacio  Llanfair  a'o  pred'o  Ithal  Du  fil  David  ap  Llowarch. 


INDEX  TO  "  LLTFR  COCH  ASAPH."  331 

87. — Pensio  annualis  concessa  &c  1814  per  David  Ep*um.    38 

Idem  eodem  anno.  Idem  eodem  a'o ;  Idem  eodem  a'o 
Consec'  I'o. 

Convencio  inter  Ep'um  et  liberos  tenentes  de  Nannerch,  per 
quod  ipsi  liberi  tenentes  concedunt  Ep^o  quoddam  boscum 
consideracione  quod  illi  boscum  Epi'  sine  licentia  succiderunt. 
A'o  1805.  87 

87i. — Demissio  Manerii  D*ni  de  Nannerch  cum  60  acris  terra; 
Madoco  Vychan  cum  tenemento  vocato  Llys  Esgob,  cum 
molendino  et  solvet  per  annum  6/t.  et  Bledynt  ap  Madoc  tenet 
unum  tenementum  et  diversas  parcellas  tense  continentes  per 
estimacionem  30  acras  pro  xx«. 

88a. — Locacio  Sequestracionis  Hirnant  1313. 

Locacio  Kerrygydrydion.     1.  Sequestr  ibidem  eod'  anno, 

Locacio  Sequestri  Vic.  de  Kilken  eodem  anno. 

Breve  Regis  Edwardi  directum   David  ep*o  quod  inquirat 

Suibus  die  et  loco  GruiEnus  fil'  et  heres  Madog  ap  GruiEth  de 
rlyndouerdwy  et  Elizabetha  filia  Johannis  de  Straunge  mari- 
tati  fuere.  Dat'  in  crastino  nativitatis  Johannis  Baptiste.  Anno 
regni  sui  ITo.  38 

Returnum  ejusdem  brevis  quod  maritati  fuere  apud  Rhyddalt 
in  15'o  Johannis  Baptiste  1304. 

884.— Familia  L.  Epi'  a'o  1312.    Consec'  19'o  cum  Sequent' 

68,  69 

89a. — Idem  in  2  columnia ;  prima  Columna  vacat. 

894. — Not89  de  tempore  mortis  2  beneficiatorum. 

Agnoscit  quidam  Canonicus  se  deliquisse  contra  libertates 
Ecclesie  et  obligat  se  in  100  marcis  non  amplius  delicturum 
1312. 

Nota  de  oblacionibus  Evangelii  spissi  Assaven. 

Testimonium  de  bona  conversatione  cujusdam  Howeli  parvi 
de  Dinmael  anno  1312. 

90,  and  904. — ^Vendicio  lactualium  et  sequestratorium. 

91  and  92.— Desunt. 

93a,  4. — Nota  de  Scriptis  L.  Epi'  quibus  pixibus  continentur 

39 

934. — Litere  Epi'  et  Capit'  Comiti  Lancastr'  et  Excestr*  super 
qnibusdam  libertatibus  infra  dominium  de  Denbighe  (Vix  legi 
potest'.) 

94a.— Duse  Regum  litersB  Gallice,  difficile  leguntur. 

944. — Vendicio  lactualium  1319. 

95a. — Vendicio  Sext'  garbarum  de  a'o  1318. 

964. — CertiBcatorium  a  Primario  papae  ad  Ep'um  Ass*  de 
absoluto  quodam  Clerico  qui  alium  clericum  vulnerasset  &c. 
a'o  Johannis  Papae  xxii,  24'o. 

222 


332  INDEX  TO  "LLYFR  COCH   ASAPH." 

Certificatorium  de  beneficiis  vacantibus,  a'o  1318. 

96a. — L.  Ep'us  clamat  placitum  suum  apud  Flint  coram 
Tho*  de  Ffelton,  Justic'  Cestr*  aoRegni  Ed'  III  45'o.        120 

Qusdam  Privilegia  et  libertates  apud  Llanelway  vix.  curia' 
Wayff,  Strayff  :— 

Et  bona  intestatorum ;  libera  persona.  Standart  pro  mensu- 
ris  :  Escaet :  Unam  feriam  annuatim  per  tres  dies,  vi«'t  vigiUa, 
festo  et  Crastino  Apostol'  PhiP  et  Jacobi. 

(Note  in  the  margin.  Vide  Libr*  Antiq*  Pergamen'  FoL  8 
and  Transcript  P.  i.    Vide  etiam  p.  120  Sequentis  hujus  librL) 

964. — Certificatorium  beneficiorum  vacantium  1319. 

Missio  denariorum  CoUectorum  eisdem  1319. 

Privilegium  regis  Edw'  Ep'o  Ass'  a'o  regni  sui  6'o.  39 

97a. — Testimoniale  regis  et  approbacio  priviligii  predeces- 
soris  sui  facti  Aniano  Ep'o  Ass'. 

Vendicio  lactualiura  a'o  1321. 

974. — Concessio  xl*/,  pro  Serviendo  Curse  Aberchwiler  et 
Concessio  4  partium  R.  de  Llanelwy  4  Vicariis  Choralibus  pro 
inserviendo  curae  infra  cruces.  Dat'  20  Septemb'  IS  10  quod 
idem  habetur  folio  48a  &  fol.  151a. 

98a. — Quedam  Statuta  Aniani  Epi'  Ass'  a'o  127S. 

984, 99a. — Articuli  gravaminum  qu®  L.  Princeps  Walliae  Ec 
clesiffi  Assavens  intulit  ejusdem  ecclesi  libertatis  iniringendo. 
Dat'  apud  SH'm  Asaphum  a'o  1276.  39 

994. — Convencio  inter  Ep'um  et  M.  de  locacione  firmse  a'o 
1292.     [Crossed.] 

Taxationes  quarundam  ecclesiarum. 

lOOa,  1004. — Pars  vit»  beati  Kentigemi  et  de  fundacione 
Ecclesie  Assavens. 

101a. — Litere  Isabella  de  Mortuomari  ad  A.  Ep'um  Assavens 
intimantes  quod  Cant'  Arcbiep's  quosdam  de  suis  hominibus 
excomm  unnica  verat . 

Responsio  Ep'i  ad  easdem. 

Litere  Dimissoriee  Ep'i  Lich'  1277  Mandatum  quod  indu- 
cendum  &c. 

1014. — Literse  Isabellse  Dominse  Arundell  ad  oflTem  super- 
iorum  in  alter&  paging  responsio  Ep'i  ad  easdem. 

Mandatum  Prioris  et  Conventus  Glouc'  deput'  Legati  Sedis 
Apostolice  directum,  quod  subpoena  suspensionis  ab  officio  re- 
mittat  clericos  quos  Ep'us  Hereflf  pro  notoriis  criminibus  sus- 
pendisset.     Dat'  1272. 

Litere  supplices  Ep'i  Ass'  ad  papam  M.  quod  cum  ecclesia 
Cathedralis  in  Villa  Campestri  sita  ubi  propter  guerram 
Canonici  habitare  non  possint,  et  nobilis  rex  Edw'  in  vicinio 
locum  celebrem  edificavit  fossatis  et  turribus  munitum  et  aream 


INDEX  TO  "  LLYFR  COCH  ASAPH."         333 

suiEcientem  ofierat  et  mille  marcas  ad  translacionen  sedis^  &c. 
(*  The  end  of  this  is  not  here.')  46 

102a. — Dimissio  terr'  apud  Rywlyfnwyd  per  Ep'um  ("The 
middle  piece  of  the  lease  is  cat  out.")  47 

Convencio  inter  L*  Ep'um  et  David  Goch  de  conficiendo 
apud  Llandegla  fornace  panerario.     Dat'  1305. 

1024. — Dimissio  Llanvihangel  yn  Llyn  Mever  Jervasio 
Vachan  ap  Jorw  ap  Bledynt  per  A.  Ep'um  Ass'  a'o  1285. 

Dimissio  Llangwm  Dinmael  Sil'n  (similiter)  a'o  eodem : 
(the  piece  cut  away.) 

Obligacio  Vicarii  de  Corwen  pro  crimine  commisso  1285. 

103,  104,  106,  106, 107,  108,  109,  110,  111,  112,  113,  114, 
115,  116,  117,  118,  119,  120,  121,  122,  123,  124,  125,  126, 
127,  128,  129,  130,  desunt,  (folios  28.) 

131, 132, 133. — Inhistribus  integris  foliis  continetur  Wallice 
quod  ante  foliis  26  et  27  continetur  Latine. 

134a. — Litera  Off  Cant  in  quadum  causa  instanti  1306. 

Idem  quod  continetur  folio  51a  de  Advocatione  Rectorie  de 
Denbighe.  28 

134J. — Flacitum  inter  Edw'  Regem  et  Leolinum  Ep'um  de 
bonis  cujusdam  intestati  decedentis.  52 

135,  136.— Desunt. 

137a. — Breve  regis  Edw'  Primi  ad  Leolinum  Ep'um  de  col- 
ligendo  subsidio  cleri  a'o  regni  sui  24'o  26  Aug.  1296. 

Super  quod  breve  citat  Ep'us  clerum  ad  comparendum  in 
Synodo  apud  Oswaldstree,  die  Lunse  post  Festum  Luce  proximo 
sequenti. 

Idem  super  Rectoriam  de  Llanassa  quod  continetur  fol.  40a. 
quoad  Decanum  et  Capitulum  concernuntur. 

iSlbi — Confirmacio  Donacionis  Howeli  Ass'  Epi'  Rectorie 
de  Llanassa  Decano  et  Capitulo  ad  fabricam  Ecclesie  Assavens 
per  L.  Ep'um  Ass'  eo  quod  ipsum  donacionis  scriptum  cum 
multis  aliis  periit  racione  guerrarum.  Dat'  2  Idus  Aprilis 
1296  Cons,  a'o  3'o. 

Decretum  quod  Incumbens  Rectorie  de  Llanassa  e&  regau- 
debit  quoad  vixerit  et  tunc  Rectoria  predicta  remanebit  ad 
fabricam  ecclesie  et  quod  interea  porcio  Rectorie  de  Corwaen 
(ut  de  antiquo  fuit)  remaneat  ad  fabricam  postea  vero  liceat 
iSp'o  eam  clerico  conferre.     Dat'  ut  supra. 

Leolinus  Ep'us  Ecclesiam  S'ti  Egidii  in  Kynlleith  et  beatse 
Marie  de  Rothelan  capellas  facit  ecclesise  sue  Assay'  proinde 
annuales  etc.  lactuales  Ep'o  de  iisdem  ecclesiis  debitas  remittens, 
acceptaque  pro  eis  sibi  et  successoribus  suis  earundem  sexta 
parte  garbarum  fibeni  et  oblacionum,  prout  habet  ex  ceteris 
capellis  Ecclesie  Cathedralis.  Dat'  2  Id'  Apr.  1296,  Cons'  3'o. 


334  INDEX  TO  "  LLYFR  COCH  ASAPH." 

138a.-^Confirmacio  Ponacionis  Anianide  Ecclesia  S'i  Egidii 
in  Kynlleith  et  medietatis  Ecclesie  de  Radian,  pro  eo  quod 
ipsum  donacionis  Scriptum  ratione  guerrse  amissum  sit,  necnon 
donacio  alterius  medietatis  do  Radian  Ecclesise  Cathedrali  p' 
L.  Ep's  dat.  2  W  Apr.  1296.     Cons'  3'o. 

Ratihabitio  Decani  et  Capitali  de  Donacione  supradicta  2 
Ecclesiaram  et  permutacione  Lactaaliam  et  annaaliam  pro 
sexta  parte  garbarum  foeni  et  oblacionam.  Dat'  in  festo  Phil' 
et  Jacobi,  1296. 

138J.— Ordinaciones  L.  Ep'i  de  divinis  in  ecclesia  cathedrali 
&c.     Dat'  die  Martis  post  dine'  in  70a,  1296. 

Hoc  noviter  scriptum  est  fo.  151. 

lS8b. — Vizt.  ultima  totias  libri  pagina  quod  et  hie  invenies 
post  hoc  scriptum  ad  notam. 

139a,  bf  140a,  b. — Taxacio  ecclesiaram  auctoritate  literarum 
Papffi  a'o  1291.  63 

141,  142,  143,  144.— Desunt. 

146a. — Bona  Abbatie  de  Llanlugan. 

Bona  Abbatie  Strataflorida  Menevens'  Dioc. 

Bona  Abbatie  de  Haugmon'  dioc'  Cestr'. 

Bona  Ep'i  Bangor'. 

Summa  totius  taxacionis  dioc^  Assav'. 

145J. — Taxacio  Norwicensis  dicta,  et  146, 148  (7  ?)  per  totam 
et  3  linea  148. 

1 464. — Llany  wy  thllyn. 

148a. — Ordinaciones  de  solvendis  decimis. 

1484. — Quod  in  hac  pagina  scriptum  est  non  potestomninolegi. 

149a. — Idem  quod  fo.  2a  continetur,  noviter  scriptum. 

1494. — Confirmacio  privilegii  Ed.  I  anno  regni  3'o  Aniano 
Ep'o  concessi,  per  Edw.  2  anno  regni  sui  3. 

Henricus  Dei  gratia  Angliae  et  Frauncise  Rex  et  Dominas  Hi- 
bernise  omnibus  ad  quos  frc.  Inspeximus  literas  patentes  (quas) 
clarse  memorise  Dominus  Henricus  Rex  Angliae  et  Fraancise, 
pater  noster,  fieri  fecit  bonae  memoriae  David  nuper  Ep'o  Ass' 
in  hsec  verba,  H.  Rex  A.  et  Ffr.  et  D'nus  Hiberniae  volentes 
Venerabili  Patri  David  Ep'o  S'ti  Assaph'  et  concessimus  &c. 
ut  possessionibus,  libertatibus  etc.  gaudeat  quibus  idem  Ep'us 
et  predecessores  sui  gavisi  fuerunt  tempore  bonse  memoris 
D'ni  Edw.  quondam  Regis  Angliae  progenitoris  nostri.  In 
cujus  rei  &c.  Dat'  20  Julii  r(egni)  n(ostri)  3'o.  Nos  autem 
concessionem  predictam  ratam  habentes  literas  patris  nostri  &c. 
Dat'  4  Febr'  anno  regni  nostri  2'o.  57 

150a. — Inquisitio  capta  inter  Coraitem  Cestr.  et  Ep'um  Ass' 
super  statum  ville  de  Vaynol  apud  Flint  die  Lunae  post  festum 
Trinitatis  a'o  R.  R.  Edw.  Ill  24'o.  58 


INDEX  TO  "  LLYFR  COCH  ASAPH."  335 

In  eadem  villa  sunt  sex  lecti,  Daii  wely  Pengwern  sunt  Ep'i : 
4  alii  lecti  per  equales  porciones  inter  Com.  et  Ep'um.  68 

151a. — Concessio  40*/.  de  Aberchwilar  &c.  quod  idem  con- 
tinetur  folio  48(j  et  97i. 

15 1  J. — Idem  quod  continetur  in  138J  viz.  haec  verba: 

Anno  D'ni  mcc  nonagesimo  sexto  die  Hartis  post  d*nicam  in 
Septuagesima  in  pleno  capitulo  apud  S'um  Assaph'  coram  vene- 
rabili  Patre  D'no  L.  Ass'  Ep^o  sic  extitit  ordinatum  quod  vizt. 
beneficiati  in  eccl'ia  de  Godolwern  intersint  omnibus  horis 
canonicis  in  eccPia  Assaven'  singulis  diebus  sub  poena  unius 
denarii  pro  singulis  defectibus :  Item  quod  omnes  sacerdotes  in 
eadem  ecclesia  beneficiati  celebrent  missam  beatse  Virginis  cum 
nota  secundum  ordinacionem  Precentoris  Ecclesise  per  circui- 
turn.  Et  tam  alii  sacerdotes  quam  non  sacerdotes  intersint  ei- 
dem  missae.  Item  quod  in  choro  sint  duse  missae  cum  nota  vizt. 
magna  missa  et  missa  beatse  Virginis  et  VesperaD.  Ac  preterea 
ordinatum  et  decretum  est  ubi  ex  defectu  ministrorum  in  dicta 
ecclesia  cathedrali  omnia  dicta  in  eadem  exercita^  vizt  matu- 
tinae^  horaeque  canonicae  missae  et  vesperae,  diu  fuerunt  sub 
eilentio  absque  cantu  in  dicta  ecclesia  celebrata,  pro  cujus  cele- 
bratione  in  hac  parte  habenda  et  etiam  ut  divina  in  eadem  sicut 
in  aliis  eccl'iis  cathed'  de  cetero  cantarentur :  Nos  L.  Ep's  pro 
parte  nostra  et  successorum  nostrorum  in  augmentum  divini 
cultus  in  eadem  quatuor  vicariis  choralibus  ejusdem  curatis- 
que  assignatis  ad  deserviendum  curae  infra  quatuor  cruces  pa- 
rochias  de  Llanelwy,  rectoriam  de  Llanassaph  dignitati  nostrae 
annexam  vel  aliquam  aliam  ad  placitum  nostrum  tantummodo 
duratur,  contulimus  et  donamus :  Et  ulterius  in  dicto  capitulo 
ordinatum  est  cum  consensu  eorum  vizt.  decani  et  prebendari- 
orum  ibidem  presentium  ac  capitulum  ibidem  facientium  quod 
decanus  dictae  ecclesiae  cathedr*,  prebendarii  de  Vaynol  et 
Llanufydd  in  eadem  ecclesia  cathedr'  pro  tempore  existentes  in- 
venirent  inter  se  ipsos  tres  presbyteros  bene  cantantes  et  in 
eadem  scientia  expertes,  vizt.  singuli  eorum  unum  ad  deservi- 
endum eorum  curis  eis  in  hac  parte  spectantibus  et  etiam  ad 
intereendum  singulis  diebus  in  dicta  ecclesia  cathedr'  cum  vie, 
choralibus  tempore  celebracionis  divinorum  in  eadem  sub  poena 
predicta :  Et  quod  archidiaconus  ecclesie  predictae  pro  seipso 
inveniet  unum  presbyterum  vel  laicum  bene  cantantem  et  ad 
organa  ludentem:  Prebendariusque  prebenda  de  Altmeliden 
ac  prebendarii  prebenda  de  Llanfair  in  predicta  ecclesia  pro 
tempore  existentes  similiter  invenient  quatuor  pueros  bene  can- 
tantes in  dicta  ecclesia  vocatos  Queresters,  vizt.  prebendarius 
do  Altmeliden  duos  et  prebendarii  de  Llanvair  duos  pro  con- 
servacione  divinorum  ibidem  quotidie  celebrandorum :  ac  fina- 


336  INDEX  TO  "  LLYFR  COCH  ASAPH." 

liter  decretum  est  quod  prebendarius  de  Meyvot  pro  tempore 
existenti  in  dicta  ecclesia  cathedrali  ad  augmentationem  salarii 
aque  bajulo  ut  intersit  quotidie  cum  ceteris  ministris  in  eccks' 
cath'  tempore  divinorum.  In  cujus  rei  testimonium  et  notitiam 
pleniorem  presentibus  Uteris  nostris  sigillum  capituli  nostri 
apponi  fecimus.  Dat'  et  act'  in  pleno  cap^o  nostro  apud  S'am 
Ass'  die  et  a'o  supradictis. 

Finis  Coch  Assaph'. 

Wm.  Bullockb. 


Appended  to  the  above. 

Haec  experientia  inventa  per  quondam  Enianum  £p'm  Assa- 
phen'  in  quodam  Libro  Antiquo  Londoniis  de  libertatibus  pri- 
vilegiis  donacionibus  traditis  concessis  et  confirmatis  S'to  Ken- 
tigerno  suisque  successoribus  eorumque  tenentibus  et  libere 
tenentibus  annoD'niMCCL<*vi^  Notum  fietquod  in  tempore  cnjus- 
dam  regis  Dyganwy  nomine  Malgini  et  cujusdam  regis  Powysie 
nomine  Maye  quidam  vir  venit  ex  latere  orientali  nomine  Ken- 
tigernus  ad  quandam  civitatem  nomine  Llanelwy  et  cum  eo 
turba  multa  clericorum  militum  et  ministrorum  numero  trecent' 
quem  quidem  Kentigernum  Rex  Maye  constituit  et  ordinaTit 
(in  Epi&copum)  in  toto  suo  dominio  quia  tunc  suum  dominium 
episcopalis  gubernacionis  officio  esset  destitutum  et  plenarie 
exhaustum.  Et  tunc  Malginus  Rex  dedit  illi  S'to  Kentigerno 
s'c'am  civitatem  Llanelwy  ad  libamina  et  sacrificia  facienda 
necnon  ad  cetera  divina  officia  celebranda  sine  aliquo  dominio 
vel  redditu  regali  in  perpetuum.  Et  cum  h&c  predictus  Rex 
Malginus  dedit  et  concessit  eidem  S'to  Kentigerno  alias  Tillas 
annexas  ad  succurrendum  (et)  serviendum  illi  civitati  Llanelwy 
pro  sustentacione  predicti  Kentigerni  (et)  suorum  successorum 
sine  aliquo  dominio  vel  redditu  regali  in  perpetuum,  ut  pre- 
dictum  est :  Quarum  villarum  nomina  sunt  hsec,  Altemeliden, 
Llanhassaph,  Bryngwyn,  Disserth^  Kilowain,  Llansannan^  Bod- 

eugan,  Henllan,  Lllanufydd, gemyw,%....man, gynwcb, 

Uchaled,  Meriadog,  Movoniog,  Hendrenewydd,  Pennant,  Llan- 
arthu,  Havenwen  juxta  Llanufydd,  Bodnod,  Maledyr,  Bod- 
valleg  ac  Ardney-y-menllyn  et  alias  villas,  ac  quam  plures 
alias  villulas  Dominus  Rex  Malginus  dedit  prefato  Kentigerno 
suisque  successoribus  sine  aliquo  tributo  vel  reditu  regali 
in  perpetuum.  Et  quicunque  fuerit  transgressor  alien  us  pre- 
dictarum  libertatum  donacionum  in  predictis  villis  vel  villu- 
lis,  ab  omnibus  tribubus  anathema  et  maledictus  fiat  in  infi- 
nita  secula  seculorum.  Amen.  Ut  originale  c Et  qui- 
cunque predictorum  auditor  et  defensor  contra  rebell.,,  verbo 


INDEX  TO  '*  LLYFR  COCH  ASAPH."  337 

vel  tiigno  contra  infringent'  hujusmodi  libertates  et  donaciones 
concessas  eidem  S'to  Kentigerno  suisque  successoribus  questi- 
ones  transgress'  controvers'  excitand'  a  tribus  Personis,  ratre, 
Filio  et  Spiritu  Sancto  ac  ab  omni  choro  ecclesiastico  benedic- 
tioDibus  repleatur  per  infinita  secula  seculorum. 

Et  ad  illud  tempus  auedam  discordia  orta  et  mota  fuit  inter 
duos  milites  in  curia  Malgini  et  Kedicum  Draws  seu  de  ludes : 
Et  Kendicus  percussit  filium  Malgini  Regis  cum  cornu  bibali 
super  caput  suum  usque  ad  sanguinis  effusioncm :  qu&  de  caus& 
Kedicus  fugit  et  venit  ad  civitatem  munitam  Llanelwy  in  qua 
quidem  civitate  Ken  tiger  n  us  erat  pro  immunitate  securitate  et 
defensione  illi  Kedico  a  dictis  S'to  et  civitate  habendis.  Et  tunc 
predictus  Malginus  misit  buragianum  et  alios  plures  ministros 
cum  eo  ad  querendum  Kedicum  predictum ;  et  postquam  in- 
venerant  ilium  Kedicum  ad  metas  et  limites  illius  sanctse  civi- 
tatis  Llanelwy,  omnes  equi  eorum  cseci  facti  sunt.  Et  tunc 
statim  illi  equites  converterunt  se  ad  Malginum  Regem  et  nar- 
raverunt  Regi  ilia  ardua  et  improspera  quae  contigerant  illis, 
hac  fabula  declarata  seu  his  rumoribus  declaratis  tunc  ille  solus 
Malginus  venit  cum  illis  ad  metam  et  limites  illius  civitatis  et 
illico  ille  rex  csecus  factus  est  et  descendit  desuper  equum  suum 
et  tunc  sui  milites  adduxerunt  ilium  regem  caecum  coram  S'to 
Kentigerno.  El  ille  rex  procumbens  oravit  cundem  Kentiger- 
num  pro  venia  sibi  impetranda,  deinde  incessanter  postulabat 
dictum  Sanctum  ut  oculos  suos  creates  signo  crucis  signaret, 
quibus  signo  crucis  per  eundem  Sanctum  signatis,  statim  rex 
oculos  aperuit  et  vidit,  laudes  Deo  et  Sancto  reddens^  intuens 
ilium  Kedicum  facie  ad  faciem  secum  sedentem,  et  tunc  ait  illi, 
£s  tu  ibi?  Et  ille  respondit,  Sum  hie  in  immunitate  et  defen- 
sione venerabilis  Sancti.  Et  illo  die  rex  Malginus  pro  restitu- 
tione  anime  et  invencione  luminis  oculorum  dedit  illi  S'to  Epis- 
copo  illius  civitatis  Llanelwy  spatium  immunitatis  et  defensionis 
septem  annorum  et  septem  mensium  et  septem  dierum  et  unius 
diei  primiim.  Et  cum  illo  spacio  postea  immunicionem  et  defen- 
sionem  in  perpetuum.  Et  propter  ilia  mysteria  a  Deo  et  dicto 
Sancto  collata  dictus  Rex  Malginus  augmentavit  diversas  dona- 
ciones viz.  plures  villas  ad  serviendum  Deo  et  S*to  Kentigerno 
in  dicto  cultu  sine  aliquo  dominio  vel  reditu  regali  in  perpe- 
tuum. Quarum  villarum  nomina  sunt  haec,  Berry ng^Dolwynan, 
Bodlyman.  Et  dedit  plures  alias  villas  cum  illis  et  istse  dona- 
ciones factae  per  Malginum  Regem  extendunt  metas  et  limites 
episcopatus  S'ti  Kentigerni  ej  usque  successorum  ab  urbe  Con- 
way usque  ad  rivum  •  •  •  .latus  (?)  Glatiri  juxta  Dinas  Basing. 
£t  Dominus  Malginus  ista  ultima  sibi  dedit  ob  restitucionem 
oculorum  suorum,  et  ad  ista  predicta  fideliter  observanda  ab 


338  INDEX  TO  ''  LLTPR  COCH  ASAPH." 

omnibus  fidelibas  et  custodienda  predictus  Malginus  Rex  testes 
idoneos  tarn  Clericos  quam  Laicos  ad  ista  vocavit:  Vocavit 
Clericos^  Sanctum  Danielem  quondam  Ep^um  Bangorens'  et 
Patronum, — Sanctum  Trillum  et  Sanctum  Grwst. — ^Laicoe,  Mal- 
ginum  Regem  Rwyn  filium  ejus  et  Gwrgenan  senescallam  ejus. 
Meta  et  limites  terrse  immunitatis  sanctse  ciyitatis  Llanelwy, 
existunt  in  longitudine  ap  Adwy  Llweni  usque  locum  vocatum 
Pen  isaf  i  Gell  Esgob  usc^ue  locum  Tocatum  Pontyr  wddar,Tixt. 
spacium  miliarii  in  longitudine  et  unius  miliarii  in  latitudine: 
Et  si  quis  violaverit  predictum  immunitatem  (quod  absit)  sen 
ad  hoc  concilium  auxilium  vel  favorem  dederit,  aut  fecerit 
occulte  vel  expresse,  excommunicatus  est  ab  omni  chore  eccle- 
siastico  et  etiam  indignacionem  omnipotentis  Dei,  beats  Maris 
Virginis,  Sanctorumque  Assaph'  et  Kentigerni  378  Sanctorum 
et  Sanctarum  se  norerint  incursuros.  Et  quicunque  predictara 
immunitatem  non  servaverit  divinis  officiis  ibidem  celebratis 
destituitur  et  Dei  maledictione  repleatur.  Amen  per  infinita 
secula  seculorum. 

The  Bishop  of  St.  Asaph  is  patron  of  all  the  livings  in  his 
diocese,  excepting  these  that  follow,  viz. : 

Rectoria  Kegidog.     Rex  patronus. 

Vicar.  Holywell.  Collegium  Jesus  in  Oxonio  ex  done  Ro- 
berti  Davies  de  Gwysaneu. 

Vic.  Kinnerley. 

Vic.  Knockin,  cujus  Comes  Derbie  aut  Dominus  Elsmer 
patronus. 

Vic.  Oswestrie.     Comes  Suffolk,  patronus. 

Contenta  in  altera  Libro  Pergameno. 

Fol'  la,  b. — Fundacio  ecclesiae  Asaphens. 

^Za. — Placitum  apud  Flint  coram  Tho*  de  Felton  Justiciar' 
Cestr*  a'o  R*  Ed'  III,  45'o  quod  continetur  in  Coch  Asaph 
fol.  96a. 

26. — Sile  (simile)  Placitum  pro  manerio  de  Altymeliden, 
excepta  ferift. 

3a. — Confirraacio  Privilegii  quod  habetur  in  Coch  Asaph 
96J.  etl49A. 

3J. — Placitum  inter  Leolinum  Ep'm  et  Regem  de  quibusdam 
libertatibus. 

4a. — Inquisitio  quod  est  in  Coch  Asaph  fol.  15a,  b, 

4J, 5a, 5, 6a,  J. — Placita  apud  Flint  iutef  etc.  Ep'us  et  tenentes 
8ui  agnoscunt  coram  Justiciar'  Cestr  in  sessione  indenturam 
submcncionatam  esse  scriptum  suum. 


INDEX  TO  ''  LLYFR  COCH  ASAPH."  339 

Haec  indentura  facta  inter  nos  Ep'm  Ass'  Decan  et  capitulum 
As'  ex  unft  parte  et  libere  tenentes  et  proprietarios  infra  Vil- 
lain de  Llanelwy  qui  sunt  heredes  de  7  lectis^  voc*  Aldrid, 
XJliar,  Kedmor^  Segenabeit,  Cateit,  Possenet  et  Alan,  (ex  altera) 
parte,  testatur  quod  cum  predicti  libere  tenentes  et  eorum 
antecessores  fecerunt  et  facere  deberent  pro  terris  villae  pre- 
dictse  certa  servicia  in  operibus  ad  inveniendum  omni  die 
feriali,  riz.  omni  die  Anni  exceptis  diebus  Dominicis  et  Festivis 
a  solis  ortu  ad  occasum  6  homines  sufficientes,  et  ad  laborem 
aptos  ad  dis  cooperiendam  rupem  rubeam  Ecclesise  Cathedr' 
Ass'  et  si  contingat  defalta  in  aliquo  dictorum  tenentium  fuerunt 
amerciati  per  4d.  pro  qualibet  defalta,  hocque  a  tempore  cujus 
memoria  hominum  non  existit,  dicti  Ep'us  et  Decanus  con- 
siderantes  paucitatem  tenentium  predictorum,  exonerant  eos  a 
dicto  servicio,  pro  qu&  exoneracione  dicti  tenentes  concedunt 
dictis  Ep'o  et  Capit'o  unum  annuum  redditum  decern  marcarum 
ad  festum  S^i  Michaelis  et  Pasche  per  equales  porciones,  cum 
causa  districtionis  si  post  dies  predictos  fuerit  non  solutus.  In 
cujus  rei  testimonium  Ep'us  et  Capit^m  sigilla  sua  apposuerunt 
et  septem  predicti  tenentes  viz.  pro  quolibet  lecto  unus,  sigilla 
sua  apposuerunt  et  quia  eorum  sigilla  non  sunt  nota  sigilla  Ab* 
batis  de  Basingwerke  etValle  Crucis  apponi  fecerunt.  Dat'  apud 
Llanelwy  die  Dominico  post  festum  exaltationis  Sanctse  Crucis. 
A'o  Dom'  1380  et  Richardi  Ildi  Anno  4'to. 

(This  agreement  appears  to  be  the  original,  the  confirmation 
of  which  is  given  in  Willis,  Appendix  39.) 

Fol.  6J. — 18J  continentur  nomina  eorum. 

19a. — Tres  Ballivi  Episcopi  in  Llanelwy  and  Llangernyw 
viz.  Raglot,  Segynnab  et  forestar. 

De  lectis  Llanelwy  et  eorum  serviciis. 

De  feodis  offerendis  I'mo  die  Maii. 

Exitus  maneriorum  variorum  dom'  Epi'  apud  Llanelwy. 

Nativi  Epi'  Ass\ 

Perquisita  curiae  Llanelwy  et  Llangernyw. 

Servitia  tenentium  de  Alltmeliden. 

194. — Redditus  ibidem. 

Terrae  Dincates  ibidem. 

Redditus  Llandegla. 

Terra  apud  Llanelwy. 

20a. — Redditus  et  servicia  Kil-Owain  &  Bodeugan  cum 
serviciis. 

Redditus  de  Bryngwyn  cum  serviciis. 

Redditus  de  Pengwern  cum  serviciis. 

20b  — Redditus  de  Meriadog  cum  serviciis. 

Redditus  de  Llanufydd  cum  servic  : 


340  OBITUARY. 

Redditus  et  servicia  Ville  de  Vaynol. 
Redditus  et  servicia  Ville  de  Treflech. 
Redditus  et  Servitia  Ville  de  Boduid. 
Bodaynwch  similiter. 
Llansannon  similiter. 
Llangerniw  similiter. 
Proficua  Ep*i  apud  Llanelwy. 
Nannerch  redditus. 

(21J.) — Concordia  inter  Ep'um  et  L.  Principem  WalHaj  de 
quibusdam  libertatibus  facta  apud  Campum  Crucis  a'o  1260. 
Abergeley  Ecclesia  cum  pertinentiis. 

This  is  subscribed  by 

Gabriel  Roberts,  R 


It  is  with  great  regret  that  we  have  to  record  the  death 
of  Thomas  Wakeman,  Esq.,  on  the  23rd  April  last,  at 
the  age  of  79.  He  had  been  declining  in  health  for 
some  time,  and  unable  to  follow  up  his  usual  antiquarian 
pursuits  with  vigour.  His  decease  took  place  at  the 
Graig  House,  near  Monmouth,  where  he  had  long  re- 
sided. From  almost  the  first  starting  of  the  Cambrian 
Archaeological  Association,  Mr.  Wakeman  has  been  an 
active  member  of  it ;  but  his  connection  with  it  ceased 
after  the  Monmouth  meeting,  in  consequence  of  some 
differences  of  opinion  which  led  to  this  unfortunate  re- 
sult. Mr.  Wakeman  was  one  of  the  best  and  most 
accurate  antiquaries  in  our  ranks,  and  his  papers,  pub- 
lished in  our  pages  at  various  periods,  testify  his  exten- 
sive and  valuable  information.  He  was  always  well 
known  for  the  care  with  which  he  examined  all  points  of 
doubt  or  difficulty,  and  from  the  lucid  manner  in  which 
he  made  his  knowledge  known.  His  collections  for 
Monmouthshire  are  believed  to  be  voluminous,  and  we 
hope  that  some  of  his  brother  antiquaries  in  that  county 
will  give  a  selection  of  them  to  the  world.  One  of  his 
works — Antiquarian  Excursions  in  the  Neighbourhood  of 
Monmouth — is  well  known  ;  and  his  contribution  to  the 


CORRESPONDENCE.  341 

JHemoirs  of  the  Caerleon  Antiquarian  Association,  as 
well  as  to  our  own  pages,  have  had  their  special  value 
assigned  to  them  immediately  on  publication.  It  will 
be  very  diflScult  to  replace  Mr.  Wakeman  for  the 
amount  of  his  antiquarian  knowledge,  for  his  correct- 
ness in  facts,  and  his  shrewdness  in  examining  doubtful 
evidence. 

These  departures  of  our  old  friends  and  fellow 
labourers  in  the  archaeological  field,  unfortunately 
frequent  of  late,  are  deeply  felt  by  those  who  remain 
behind:  they  are  in  the  due  course  of  nature,  and 
lamentation  on  their  account  is  almost  misplaced ;  but 
it  is  impossible  to  avoid  expressing  the  hope  that  they 
may  be  succeeded  by  others  from  among  ourselves,  who 
will  continue  similar  labours,  and  worthily  emulate  the 
good  examples  they  have  left 


ConesfponHence* 


PROPER  NAMES  ON  EARLY  INSCRIBED  STONES. 

TO   THE   EDITOR  OF  THE  ABCH.    CAMB. 

Deab  Sib, — I  am  anxious  to  procure  a  list  of  proper  names  from 
ancient  British,  or  what  are  termed  Romano«British  monuments,  found 
on  the  west  coast  of  Wales,  Cornwall,  and  Devon.  I  have  procured 
some,  as  you  will  see  by  the  following  list ;  but  there  are,  doubtless, 
others  with  which  you  are  acquainted,  as  your  researches  have  been 
much  in  that  direction.  Should  you  have  any  such  at  hand,  I  should 
feel  much  obliged  for  a  list  of  them,  or  for  directions  where  I  might 
procure  them.  I  am,  dear  sir,  very  truly  yours, 

Sundays  Well,  Cork,  June  28th,  1868. 

R.  R.  Brash. 

Proper  iVbme*.— Turpilli,  Danocati,  Rhifidi,  Brohe,  Brochmael, 
Catamanus,  Nin  or  Nim,  Cungen,  Trenacatus,  Maglagni,  Fannuci, 
Deceti,  Denocuni,  Evali,  Ovende,  Cunocenni,  Teffernacus,  Mari, 
Maquirini,  Faqquci,  Sasramni  or  Sagramni,  Fannoni,  Vital,  Torrici, 
Macarit,  Beric,  Nounita,  Ercili,  Barrivenda,  Vendibarra,  Metiaco. 


342 

Pedigree  of  Williams  alias  Cromwell  Family  from  about  the  %f  1066 
'ta  1657,  hy  Brooke,  York  Herald. 

Olothiak,  lord  of  Powi8,=Maryeth,dr.  and  hr.  of  Edwin  ap  Tydwill, 
I  lord  of  Cardigan 

Owarth  Voed,  lord  of  Powis^Morveth,  dr.   and  cofar. 
and  Cardigan  |  of  Inys,  lord  of  Gevante 

Gwrivestan  ap  Owaith  Voed,  lord  of  Powis= 

Gurgannj  ap  Gwivcs^n  ap  Gwaith= 
Voed  I 

Gwrganny  Vaughan  ap  Gwrganny= 
ap  Gwivestan  | 

Gwrgan,  son  of  Gwrganny = 
Vaaghan  | 

Llowarth,  son  of= 
Gwrgan  Vaughan  | 

Gronwell  (Edw.  I),  son  of  =  Catherine,  dr.  of  Roger  ap  Howell  Melyn 
Llowarth  | 

Gronwey  Vichan=...  dr.  and  cohr.  of  Rhyne  ap 
I  Sitoilt 

Rhyde  ap  Gron well,  = . . .  dr.  Avon  ap  Howell 
lord  of  Rybore^      I    Igham,  lord  of  Brigan 

Madock  ap  Rhyde,  lord  of  = 
Riboure j 


Howel  ap  Madoc,  lord  =Wenttyan,  dt.  and  hr.  of  Llyne  ap  Yevan  of 
of  Ribour  |  Raby 

Morgan  ap  Howell = Jane,  dr.  Thomas  Button,  Esq., 
I  of  Glamorgan 

Yevan  ap  Morgan  of  New  Church, = Margaret,  dr.  of  Jenkyn  Kemys, 
near  Cardiff,  Glamorgan  I  of  Begam,  Esq. 


Wm.  ap  Yea  van  served  Jasper  D.  of  Bedford  = 
and  K.  Henry  7 ^| 

Morgan  Williams,  "son  and  heir=...  sister  to  Thos.  Lord  Cromwell, 
of  Wm.  I  and  dr.  Walter  Cromwell 

Sir  Richa.  Cromwell  alias  Williams, = Frances,  dr.  and  cohr.  of  Thos. 
of  Thucpanbrook,  Huntingdonshire  |  Murfyn,  Knt. 

Sir  Henry=Joan,  dr.  of  Sir  Rafe 
I        Warren,  Kt. 
Robert^ Eliz.  Steward,  descended  from  the  1  Walter  Steward 

Oliver,  Lord  Protector. 
J  Cybor  or  Kyfpr,  the  hundred  in  which  Cardiff,  the  chief  town,  is  situated. 


MISCELLANEOUS    NOTICES.  343 

PEDIGREE  OF  THE   FAMILY  OF   WILLIAMS, 
ALIAS  CROMWELL,  FROM  1066-1657. 

TO   THE   EDITOR   OF   THE   ABCH.    CAMB. 

Sib, — The  accompanying  paper  or  pedigree  of  "Oliver  (Cromwell) 
Lord  Protector,"  originally  compiled  by  the  celebrated  York  Herald 
Ralph  Brooke,  and  bearing  the  contemporary  date  of  "1657,"  having 
recently  fallen  into  my  hands,  I  take  the  liberty  of  sending  it  to  you ; 
it  being,  in  its  composition,  almost  entirely  Welsh,  and  likely,  there- 
fore, to  interest  many  of  your  readers,  to  whom  this  document,  or  a 
similar  one  (which  I  have  not  hitherto  observed  in  your  pages)  may 
be  unknown,  and  am,  sir,  your  obedient  servant, 

Edwabd  S.  By  am. 

Penrhos  House,  Weston-super-Mare. 
7  May,  1868. 


fftiscellaneous  l^otices* 

Holywell,  Flintshibe. — We  understand  that  the  Commis- 
sioners of  the  Holywell  Local  Board  are  taking  steps  for  repairing  and 
"improving,"  as  the  local  papers  term  it,  the  ancient  holy  well  of  their 
town.  The  idea  of  repairing  the  building  is  good,  if  it  can  be  carried 
into  effect  by  a  competent  architect;  but  that  of  "improvement"  has 
something  suspicious  about  it  in  the  very  term  employed.  We  have 
seen  so  many  churches  and  other  buildings  "  improved"  and  "restored" 
in  Wales  that  we  entertain  lively  apprehensions  when  we  find  this  ob- 
noxious word  employed.  Improvement  too  often  is  synonymous  with 
destruction  ;  it  all  depends  upon  the  architect  who  takes  the  task  in 
hand  :  we  will  hope  for  the  best ;  because,  no  doubt,  the  intention  of 
the  authorities  at  Holywell  is  a  laudable  one.  We  will  only  remind 
them  that  their  responsibility  is  great;  that  the  monument  is  a 
thoroughly  historical  one :  and  that  since  the  chapel  over  St.  Mary's 
Well  at  Wigfair  has  been  destroyed,  this  at  Holywell  is  altogether 
unique.  Sooner  than  maim  this  interesting  piece  of  mediaeval  archi- 
tecture, we  had  much  rather  hear  of  its  being  left  alone. 

D.  SiLTAN   EtANS'  DiCTIONABY   of   THE   WeLSH    LaKOUAGE. 

We  were  premature  in  giving  it  to  be  understood,  in  our  last  number, 
that  Mr.  Silvan  Evans's  Dictionary  was  in  course  of  publication.  For 
the  latter  word  we  ought  to  have  said  "preparation".  The  learned 
author,  we  understand,  has,  as  yet,  no  idea  of  the  time  when  it  may 
be  actually  ready  for  issuing  to  the  public.  His  principal  object  in 
issuing  a  preliminary  prospectus  has  been  to  invite  the  co-operation 
of  Celtic  scholars ;  but,  hitherto,  as  we  regret  to  be  informed,  he  has 
received  more  encouragement  from  Saxons  than  from  Celts. 


314  MISCELLANEOUS    NOTICES; 

Holland  Abms,  Conwat  Chubch.^Iii  the  south  or  HoIUnd 
transept  of  Conway  Church,  there  is  a  raised  tomb  commemoratmg 
the  Holland  family :  and  on  it  are  the  following  armorial  bearings— 
On  a  shield,  of  the  sixteenth  century,  seme  of  fleurs  de  lis,  a  lion  ram- 
pant, reguardant  to  dexter.  The  shield  is  surmounted  by  a  knighfs 
helmet,  which  itself  is  capped  with  the  crest  on  a  wreath,  a  lion's 
paw,  issuing  from  flames,  and  holding  an  eagle's  claw;  shadowed 
with  a  mantle  enveloping  the  shield  from  behind.  Above  the  shield 
are  two  compartments :  that  to  dexter  bearing  fiat  pax,  that  to 
sinister  flobeat  justicia,  in  two  lines.  Beneath  the  shield  occurs 
the  following  inscription,  in  six  lines — edwabd  Holland  armigeb 

POSUIT  HOC  MEMOBIALE  HOLLANDOBU'  AD  BEQUISICo'EIC  HUGOVIS 
HOLLAND  AB'  PB'iS  SUI  PAULO  ANTE  OBITU'  QUI  OBIIT,  13  DIB  MAII, 
A.D.   1584. 


Old  College,  Conwat. — It  is  stated  that  the  building  called 
"  The  Old  College"  in  Conway  is  being  demolished  :  an  act  of  petty 
Vandalism  which  we  regret,  but  at  which  we  are  not  surprised,  after 
what  we  have  seen  done  in  that  town. 


New  Wobks  on  Abchjbological  Sttbjeots. — We  regret  that 
want  of  space  will  not  allow  of  our  doing  more,  at  present,  than  ac- 
knowledge  the  receipt  of  the  following  highly  interesting  pamphlets, 
viz. — An  Account  of  the  Ogham  Chamber  at  Drumloghan,  County  of 
Water/ord,  by  R.  R.  Brash,  Esq.,  M.R.I.A.,  being  a  well  illustrated 
description  of  a  most  important  early  Irish  monument ;  On  the  Re- 
mains of  the  AuBtin  Friary  at  Ludlow,  by  George  Cocking,  Esq , 
with  a  ground  plan;  and  Abbey  Ruins  of  the  Severn  VaMey^  by 
another  correspondent,  H.  H.  Vale,  Esq.,  F.S.A.,  of  Liverpool. 
This  is  peculiarly  graphic  and  well  written,  but  lacks  illustrations. 
For  the  same  reason  we  are  reluctantly  compelled  to  defer  till  a  future 
number,  reviews  of  Mr.  Skene's  highly  important  work  on  the  Four 
Ancient  Books  of  Wales,  one  of  the  most  valuable  contributions  to 
Celtic  history  and  literature  of  this  century ;  The  Pedigree  of  the  En- 
glish People,  by  Dr.  Nicholas;  and  a  second  notice  of  Sir  J.  Y. 
Simpson's  Essay  on  theRock  Carvings  of  Scotland,  and  other  countries, 
including  Wales. 


[We  have  to  apologise  for  a  delay  in  the  issuing  of  the  present 
number ;  but  we  have  been  compelled  to  wait  for  dbe  completion  of 
arrangements  connected  with  the  approaching  August  Meeting. — Ed. 
Arch,  Camb,~\ 


'^vthuoltt^in  €^mlivtmh. 


THIRD  SERIES,  No.  LVL— OCTOBER,  1868. 


CONTRIBUTION    TOWARDS  A  CARTULARY  OF 
MARGAM. 

(Confinuedfromp,  196.) 


XXXIX.— [75  B.  17.] 

Omnibus  sancte  ecclesie  filiis  ad  quos  presens  scr]ptum<.per- 
venerit  Willielraus  de  Bonavilla  filius  Johannis  de  Bonavilla 
salutem.  Sciatis  me  concessisse  et  hac  carta  confirmasse  Deo 
et  ecclesie  Sancte  Marie  de  Margan  et  monachis  ibidem  Deo 
servientibus  in  puram  et  perpetuam  eleraosinam  xl.  acras  terre 
arabilis  quas  de  templariis  tempore  patris  mei  tenuerunt  red- 
dendo illis  annuatim  pro  omni  servicio  consuetudine  et  exacti- 
one  xl.  denarios.  Has  xl.  acras  si  ego  de  templariis  dirationare^ 
potero  concessi  et  confirmavi  predictis  monachis  imperpetuum 
tenendas  et  habendas  de  me  et  heredibus  meis  libere  quiete  et 
pacifice  et  plenarie  sicut  antea  de  templariis  tenuerunt  scilicet 
reddendo  mihi  et  heredibus  meis  annuatim  pro  omni  servicio 
xl.  denarios.  Hiis  testibus,  Hereberto  de  Sancto  Quintino, 
Willielmo  de  London,  Waltero  de  Sulia,  Ricardo  Flamang, 
"Willielmo  de  Cantelo,  Ricardo  sacerdote  de  Bonavilla,  Magistro 
Kadulfo  Mailoc,  Johanne  Torsi  et  multis  aliisr 

(S.  d.  circa  1260.) 

Seal  of  pale  red  wax,  slightly  oval,  about  one  inch  and  a 
quarter  in  greatest  length.  In  the  centre  the  holy  lamb  and 
banner,  the  badge  of  the  Templars.     A  gem.     Legend,  sigil* 

LVM    WILL'i    DB    BONEVILLA. 

This  is  one.  of  the  most  powerfully  attested  charters 
in  the  whole  series ;  St.  Quintin  and  London,  or  De 
Londres,  being  members  of  (and  probably  the  heads), 

aK»J  SEU.,  VOL,  XIV.  28 


346  CONTRIBUTION  TOWARDS  A  CARTULARY 

and  Cantelupe  a  cadet  of,  very  considerable  families,  and 
Sully  and  Fleming  important  loccJ  gentry. 

Herebert  de  St.  Quintin  tests  a  charter  by  R.  de  Haia 
in  the  time  of  Fitzhamon  (N.  Mon.^  iv,  633).  Richard 
de  St.  Quintin,  in  the  time  of  William  Earl  of  Glouces- 
ter, gave  the  church  of  Frome-St  Quintin  to  Tewkes- 
bury ;  and  Richard  de  Granville  gave  to  Neath  the  mill 
of  Pandelia,  which  he  held  of  Richard  de  St.  Quintin 
(N.  Mon.y  V,  68).  They  were  a  wealthy  and  numerous 
race,  holding  lands  in  Wilts,  Dorset,  Essex,  and  York- 
shire, in  which  last  county  the  name  is  still  found.  In 
Glamorgan  they  founded  St.  Quintin's  Castle  in  Uan- 
bethian,  of  which  a  fine  Edwardian  gateway  remains. 
Their  connexion  with  Glamorgan  ceased  early.  Her- 
bert de  St.  Quintin  was  summoned  to  Parliament  in 
1294 ;  and  in  consequence  the  Earls  of  Pembroke,  who 
married  his  heirs  general,  assumed  the  creation  of  a 
barojiy  in  fee. 

De  Londres  was  an  early,  perhaps  an  original,  settler 
under  Fitzhamon  upon  the  lower  Ogmore,  where  his 
family  built  a  castle,  of  which  the  square  keep,  in  the 
late  Norman  style,  still  remains.  The  Butlers  of  Dun- 
raven  were  tlieir  vassals  ;  and  they  afterwards  extended 
their  possessions  into  Caermarthenshire,  where  they 
acquired  or  built  Kidwelly  Castle  and  the  lordship  of 
Camwylhion.  Of  this  family,  Maurice  gave  lands  in 
Aisse,  or  Nash,  to  Neath  before  9  John ;  and  about  1200 
the  church  of  Calwinston  to  the  church  and  monks  of 
St.  MichaePs  of  Ogmore  (probably  Ewenny),  which  was 
founded,  in  1141,  as  a  cell  to  Gloucester  by  Sir  John 
de  Londres  {N.  Man.,  v,  68  ;  i,  537  ;  Cott.  Cart,  xi,  24). 
William  was  brother  to  Richard,  and  tested  a  charter  to 
Neath  by  Henry  Earl  of  Warwick  (Coll.  Top.  et  Gm.^iv, 
29).  The  name  is  of  frequent  occurrence  both  here  and 
in  Berks,  till  Hawisia  de  Londres,  heiress  of  the  Welsh 
and  Berks  estates,  conveyed  them  by  marriage  to  the 
Chaworth  or  De  Caduris  family ;  her  son.  Pagan  de 
Chaworth,  coming  into  possession  on  her  death,  2  Ed.  I. 
The  heiress  of  Chaworth,  Maud,  married  Henry  Earl  of 


OF  MARGAM.  347 

Lancaster,  grandson  of  H.  Ill ;  and  her  grandaughter, 
Blanch,  carried  the  Welsh  estates  to  her  husband,  John 
of  Gaunt.  They  have  since  merged  in  the  Duchy  of 
Lancaster,  of  which  the  old  De  Londres  Castle  of  Og- 
more,  with  a  large  upland  estate,  is  still  held. 

William  de  Cantelo,  or  Cantelupe,  bore  a  name  very 
widely  known  throughout  the  Welsh  Marches ;  but  the 
actual  connexion  of  the  family  of  Gower  and  Cantilupes- 
.ton  with  the  Barons  Cantilupe  and  the  canonized  bishop 
of  Hereford,  has  not  been  ascertained,  although  various 
circumstances,  besides  the  peculiarity  of  the  name  and 
arms,  render  the  connexion  more  than  probable. 

Sir  William  Cantilupe  of  Cantleston  or  Trecantlo 
Castle,  in  Merthyr  Mawr,  is  reputed  ancestor  of  William, 
Elias,  and  William,  three  generations  allied  by  various 
ties  withDunstanvilleof  Corn  wall,Umphraville,Vaughan, 
Butler,  De  Londres,  and  De  Braose  of  Glamorgan  and 
Gower.  Robert  de  Cantelow  tested  a  Gower  deed  in 
1304,  and  a  Margam  charter  (75  A  43)  in  1308.  The 
Welsh  pedigrees  deduce  the  Lords  Cantilupe  of  Aber- 
gavenny from  this  ancestry;  but  this  is  exceedingly 
improbable,  and  the  reverse  is  more  likely  to  be  true. 
It  seems  certain  that  Cantleston,Newton,  and  Cornelian, 
were  conveyed  in  marriage  by  Joan,  the  Cantelupe 
heiress,  to  Horton,  whose  grandaughter,  Jenet,  daughter 
of  Jenkin  Horton,  married  Richard,  and  was  mother  of 
the  well  known  Sir  Matthew  Cradock  of  New  Place  in 
Swansea. 

XL.— [75  A,  40.] 

Examinatio  testium  productorum  ex  parte  Abbatis  et  Con- 
ventus  de  Margan  et  eorum  deposicio  facta  die  Mercurii  prox- 
ima  post  festum  Beate  Agathe  Virginis  anno  Domini  millesimo 
ducentesimo  sexagesimo  secundo  in  ecclesia  Beati  Johannis  de 
Kaerdif  per  Dominum  Priorem  de  Talelecho  Commissarium 
Abbatis  de  Wygemor  et  Magistri  Galfridi  de  Burgo  canonici 
Landavensis  judicium  a  Domino  Papa  delegatorum  in  causa 
appellationis'iiiota  inter  Abbatem  et  Conventum  de  Margan  ex 
parte  una  et  Abbatem  et  Conventum  Monasterii  Sancti  Petri 
Gloucestrie  ex  altera. 

Frater  Johannes  Comyn  monachus  de  Margan  juratus  ct  ex- 
aminatus  dicit  quod  vidit  ct  audivit  et  presens  fuit  in  ecclesia 

23  3 


348  CONTRIBUTION  TOWARDS  A  CARTULARY 

cathedrali  Landavensis  in  crastino  Sancti  Hyllarii  anno  Domini 
millesimo  ducentesimo  sexai^esirao  primo  ubi  frater  Philippus 
de  LulHwelle  procurator  Abbatis  et  Conventus  de  Margan  Cis- 
terciensis  ordinis  Landavensis  dyocesis  comparuit  coram  Decano 
Christianitatis  Landavensis  et  Magistro  Rogero  de  Stauntone 
clerico  vices  officiales  Domini  Landavensis  Episcopi  gerentibas 
in  causa  tunc  mota  inter  Abbatem  et  Conventum  Monasterii 
Sancti  Petri  Gloucestrie  ex  parte  una  et  Abbatem  et  Conven- 
tum de  Margan  ex  altera  super  decimis  provenientibus  de  ter- 
ris  eorundem  Abbatis  et  Conventus  de  Margan  consistentibus 
in  parochia  ecclesie  de  Lankarvan  Landavensis  dyocesis.  Qui 
quidem  procurator  humiliter  ac  instanter  petiit  ut  ipsi  acta  judi- 
cii  coram  eis  habita  in  causa  ipsa  tam  eadem  die  quam  in  vigilia 
Beati  Nicholai  proximo  preterita  per  quam  causa  ipsa  instrue- 
batur  et  processu  temporis  instrui  poterat  redigi  facerent  in 
auctenticam  scriptam  et  eadem  acta  in  scriptis  redacta  sigiUis 
suis  signarent  ut  per  ea  in  auctenticam  scriptam  redacta  causa 
eorundem  Abbatis  et  Conventus  de  Margan  pro  loco  et  tempore 
instrui  possit  et  vivari.  Set  ipsi  Decanus  et  Rogerus  hoc  ei 
facere  precise  denegarunt  propter  quod  idem  procurator  de 
Margan  nomine  suo  et  dominorum  suorum  predictorum  ad  se- 
dem  apostolicam  in  scriptis  appellavit  et  apostolos  instanter 
petiit  quos  ipsi  Decanus  et  Rogerus  eidem  procuratori  conce- 
dere  denegarunt.  Requisitus  de  hora  diei  quando  hoc  factum 
fuit,  dicit  quod  circa  horam  terciam.  Requisitus  qui  fuerunt 
presentes,  dicit  quod  ipse  et  predictus  frater  Philippus  de  Lul- 
liwelle,  et  fratres  Johannes  de  Nova  villa,  Willielmus  Sortes, 
Philippus  de  Kaermardin  monachi  de  Margan,  Magister  Nicho- 
laus  de  Kaenetona  phisicus,  Johannes  Pernat,  Johannes  Du  et 
multi  alii  tam  clerici  quam  laici  qui  consistorium  sint  ea  die. 
Requisitus  quare  non  fuit  causa  appeilationis  ipsius  infra  annum 
terminatam  a  tempore  appeilationis  ipsius  interponite,  dicit 
quod  hoc  stetit  per  curiam  Romanam  sive  per  nuncios  eorun- 
dem quos  ad  eandem  curiam  miserant  ad  impetrandum  super 
eadem  appellatione,  miserunt  enim  predictos  nuncios  suos  ver- 
sus curiam  Romanam  infra  Octavas  predicti  Sancti  Hyllarii  et 
neminem  eorum  receperunt  ante  vigiliam  Beati  Vincentii  Mar- 
tiris  anno  Domini  millesimo  ducentesimo  sexagesimo  secundo 
eo  quod  impediti  erant  ut  dicebant  'per  viam  et  eciam  in  pre- 
dicta  curia  propter  audientiam  et  bullam  in  eadem  curia  dia 
suspensam  ut  dicebant. 

Frater  Willielmus  Sortes  monachus  de  Margan  juratus  et 
examinatus  super  predicta  appellatione  et  ejus  causa  et  aliis  cir- 
cumstanciis  suprascriptis.  Idem  dicit  et  concordat  cum  fratre 
Johanne  preconjurato  suo. 


OF  MAROAM.  349 

Frater  Philippus  de  Kaermardin  monachus  de  Margan  jura- 
tus  et  examinatus  super  predicta  appellatione  et  ejus  causa  et 
aliis  circumstanciis  suprascriptis.  Idem  dicit  et  concordat  cum 
fratre  Johanne  preconjurato  suo^  adiciens  quod  ipse  propria 
manu  scripsit  tenorem  appellationis  predicte  quam  predictus 
procurator  de  Margan  in  predict©  crastino  Sancti  Hillarii  inter- 
posuit  ab  audientia  dictorum  Decani  et  Rogeri. 

Magister  Nicholaus  de  Kanetone  phisicus  juratus  et  exami- 
natus super  predicta  appellatione  et  ejus  causa  et  aliis  circum- 
stanciis memoratis.  Idem  dicit  et  concordat  cum  fratre  Johanne 
preconjurato  suoexcepto  quod  missioni  nuntiorum  predictorum 
non  interfuit  bene  tamen  scit  literam  super  dicta  appellatione 
impetratam  fuisse  a  sede  apostolica  ad  quam  fuit  appellatum. 

Frater  Johannes  de  Mova  villa  monachus  de  Margan  juratus 
et  examinatus  super  predicta  appellatione  et  ejus  causa  et  aliis 
circumstanciis  memoratis  idem  dicit  et  concordat  cum  fratre 
Johanne  preconjurato  suo. 

Magister  Rogerus  de  Staunton  clericus  juratus  et  examinatus 
super  dicta  appellatione  et  ejus  causa  et  aliis  circumstanciis  pre- 
dictis.  Idem  dicit  et  concordat  cum  fratre  Johanne  primo  jurato 
adiciens  et  jurans  quod  incptus  et  coactus  hujusmodi  testimo- 
nium dixit. 

(1  Feb.  1262.) 

XLI.— [75  A.  41.] 

Hec  est  convencio  facta  inter  Thomam  Abbatcm  et  Conven- 
tum  de  Margan  ex  una  parte  et  Michaelem  Tusard  de  Kenefeg 
ex  altera^  anno  incarnacionis  domini  m.cclx.  septimo  in  festo 
Sancti  Martini.^  Videlicet  quod  predictus  Abbas  et  Conventus 
tradiderunt  Michiel  Tusard  de  Kenefeg  vel  heredibus  suis  vel 
assignatis  ad  terminum  viginti  annorum  duas  partes  unius 
mesuagii  cum  orto  uno  et  crofto  et  una  acra  terre^  que  acra 
jacet  juxta  novam  fossam  ad  australem  partem  et  juxta  terram 
Philippi  Coh  et  que  partes  mesuagii  sunt  inter  mesuagium  Wil- 
lielmi  Sturie  et  mesuagium  Johannes  Asceline.  Tenendum  et 
habendum  de  nobis  et  domo  nostra  usque  ^d  predictum  termi- 
num integre,  quiete,  et  pacifice.  Reddendo  inde  annuatim 
nobis  predictis  Michael  vel  heredi  sui  vel  assignato  duos  solidos 
sterlingorum  ad  duos  anni  terminos,  videlicet  ad  festum  Sancti 
Michaelis  duodecim  denarios,  et  ad  Pascha  duodecim  denarios 
pro  omni  servicio  exactione  et  demanda.  Pro  hac  autem  con- 
vencione  et  concessione  et  presentis  carte  confirmacione  dedit 
nobis  dictus  Michael  decem  solidos  sterlingorum  premanibus, 
Nos  vero  et  successores  nostri  predicto  Michaeli  Tusard  et 

1  1267,  U  Nov. 


350  CONTRIBUTION  TOWARDS  A  CARTULART 

heredibus  suis  vel  assignatis  predictas  partes  mesuagii  cUm  uno 
orto  et  una  acra  terre  contra  omnes  homines  et  feminas  waran- 
tizabimus  acquietabimus  et  defendemus  usque  ad  predictum 
terminum.  In  cujus  rei  testimonium  predictus  abbas  et  pre- 
dictus  Michael  Tusard  sigilla  sua  apposuerunt.  Hiis  testibos, 
Willielmo  Frankelin,  Adam  Harding,  Johannem  Lune,  Thoma 
Rus8el,AdamWeremoth,Philippo  Kifth,  etmultis  aliis.  [1267.] 
Endorsed. — Cyrographum  Michaelia  Tusard. 
Circular  seal  of  brown  wax,  impressed  with  a  star-like  device, 
remains.     Legend,  sigill'  .  michakl  .  tvsa... 

There  was  a  William  Tusard,  who  was  upon  a  Llan- 
twit  jury  iu  an  Extent  of  about  the  date  of  1 364-6  ;  and 
a  Michael  Tnsard,  who  held  one-sixth  of  a  knight's  fee 
in  Llantwit  at  the  partition  of  the  De  Clare  estates  about 
1316.  It  is  uncertain  whether  this  Harding  is  con- 
nected with  Hardingsdown  in  West  Gower. 

XLIL-[75  C.  52.] 

Universis  Christi  fidelibus  presens  scriptum  visuris  vel  audi- 
turis.  Wronu  ab  Teysil  salutem  in  domino.  Noverit  univer- 
sitas  vestra  quod  ego  consilio  et  consensu  Knaitho  et  Wronu 
Vahhan  filiorum  meorum  et  heredum  et  aliorum  amicoram 
meorum  concessi  et  quietum  clamavi  et  abjuravi  et  hac  presenti 
carta  confirmavi  Deo  et  ecclesie  Beate  Marie  de  Margan  et 
monachis  ibidem  deo  servientibus  totum  jus  meum  et  totum 
clamium  quod  habui  in  terra  ilia  de  Egleskeyn  que  apellatnr 
Taleschaulhere  que  jacet  inter  rivulura  qui  apellatur  Nantikki 
et  aquam  de  Uggemore  scilicet  quicquid  ego  et  antecessores 
mei  unquam  habuimus  inter  aquam  de  Garwe  et  aquam  de 
Uggemore  in  bosco  vel  in  piano.  Ut  habeant  et  teneant  dicti 
monacbi  dictara  terram  libere  et  quiete  et  pacifice  pro  me  et 
omnibus  heredibus  meis  qui  sunt  vel  erunt  sicut  uUum  tene- 
mentura  vel  ulla  elemosina  liberius  haberi  potest  vel  teneri.  Et 
sciendum  quod  ego  et  predicti  filii  mei  affidavimus  et  super 
sacrosancta  ecclesie  de  Margan  juravimus  quod  istam  concessi- 
onem  et  quietam  clamacionem  fideliter  et  sine  dolo  servabimus 
et  contra  omnes  homines  dictis  monachis  waran tizabimus  in 
perpetuum.  Hiis  testibus,  Mauricio  clerico  de  Langonet  et 
Keso  fratre  ejus,  Ricardo  clerico  de  Kenefeg,  Yorvard  ab  Es- 
pus,  Reso  Coh,  Cradoco  ab  Ricard,  Osberno  et  Thoma  de  Kan- 
telo  monachis  de  Margan  Espus  etKanaan  conversis  de  Margan 
et  multis  aliis.     [Circa  1270.] 

Endorsed, — Abjuratio  Wronu  ab  Seisil  de  terra  deEgliskein- 
wir. 


OF  MARQAM.  351 

XLIII.— [75  j4.  36.] 

Cum  quedam  convenciones  mote  fuerant  inter  Gillebertum 
Abbatem  Monasterii  beate  Marie  de  Margan  ex  ana  parte  et 
dominum  Johannem  le  Norreys  ex  altera  super  quibusdam  con- 
suetudinibus  et  serviciis  exeuntibus  de  terris  et  tenementis  que 
idem  Johannes  tenet  in  Bonevileston  de  prefato  Abbate  et  eccle- 
sia  sua  predicta  in  Bonvileston  amicabilis  composicio  inter  ipsos 
conquievit  sub  tali  forma  videlicet  quod  prefatus  Johannes  pro 
se  et  heredibus  suis  et  assignatis  suis  recognovit  et  concessit  se 
tenere  omnia  predicta  tenementa  de  predicto  Abbate  et  ecclesia 
sua  predicta  per  servicium  duodecim  denariorum  per  annum 
ad  festum  Sancti  Michaelis  et  faciendo  sectam  ad  curiam  pre- 
fati  Abbatis  de  Bonevileston  de  mense  in  mensem  et  forinsecum 
servicium  quantum  ad  tantum  tenementum  pertinet  et  raciona- 
bile  relevium  cum  evenerit  et  custodia  predictorum  tenemen- 
torum  in  tempore  minoris  etatis  heredum  suorum  seu  heredum 
assignatorum  suorum.  £t  fidelitatem  pro  hac  autem  recogni- 
cione  concessione  et  ad  instanciam  Domini  Gilleberti  de  Clar* 
Comitis  Gloucestrie  et  Hertfordie  prefatus  Abbas  pro  se  et  suc- 
cessoribus  suis  et  ecclesia  sua  Beate  Marie  de  Margan  concessit 
warantizare  prefata  tenementa  de  feodo  suo  de  Bonevileston 
prefato  Johanni  le  Norreys  et  heredibus  suis  si  contigerit  ipsos 
ab  aliquibus  implacitari  per  breve  Domini  Gilleberti  de  Clar* 
Comitis  Gloucestrie  et  Hertfordie  in  comitatu  de  Kardif  sub 
tali  condicione  quod  si  idem  Gillebertus  Abbas  vel  aliquis  alius 
Abbas  successor  suus  de  Abbacia  de  Margan  in  prefato  comi- 
tatu vel  alibi  ubi  respondere  debeat  versus  quemquam  ipsum 
Johannem  le  Norreys  seu  heredes  sues  cum  vocatus  fuerit  ad 
warantum  warantizaverint  et  prefatam  terram  per  warantiam 
suam  per  processum  placiti  seu  per  patriam  seu  per  non  defen- 
sum  seu  per  defaltam  seu  quocunque  aliquo  alio  modo  versus 
petentem  amiserit  seu  amiserint.  Idem  Johannes  vel  heredes 
sui  nichil  habebunt  per  judicium  illius  curie  seu  alicujus  alte- 
rius  pro  Valencia  predictorum  tenementorum  de  prefato  Abbate 
seu  successoribus  suis  sive  de  ecclesia  sua  de  Margan  predicta 
nisi  unum  par  calcarium  deauratorum  precii  sex  denariorum 
sive  sex  denarios  nomine  valencie  prefate  terre  sic  amisse.  ^t 
ego  Johannes  le  Norreys  miles  hoc  concede  et  pro  me  et  here- 
dibus meis  confirmo  et  ratifico  imperpetuum.  £t  preterea  ego 
Johannes  le  Norreys  volo  et  concede  pro  me  et  heredibus  meis 
quod  si  aliquo  tempore  presumamus  plus  pro  Valencia  predicte 
terre  de  Bonevileston  versus  predictum  Gillebertum  Abbatem 
seu  successores  sues  Abbacie  de  Margan  si  amissa  fuerit  per 
placitum  petere  quam  unum  par  calcarium  deauratorum  precii 


352  CONTRIBOTION  TOWARDS  A  CARTULARY 

sex  denariorum  vel  sex  denarios  quod  ex  tunc  ego  Johannes 
vel  heredes  mei  tenearaur  Abbati  de  Margan  qui  pro  tempore 
fuerit  et  ecclesie  sue  Beate  Marie  de  Margan  ex  puro  debito 
in  centum  libris  sterlingorum  persoWendis  omnino  eidem  Ab- 
bati et  ecclesie  sue  beate  Marie  de  Margan  antequam  aliqua 
seysina  alicujus  terre  pro  Valencia  predicte  terre  de  BonevUe- 
ston  de  prefato  Gilleberto  Abbate  seu  successoribus  suis  mihi 
seu  heredibus  meis  liberetur.  In  cujus  rei  testimonium  partes 
predicte  huic  scripto  in  modum  cyrographi  confecto  alternatim 
sua  sigilla  apposuerunt. 

(Fragment  of  a  seal  of  dark  green  wax  remaining.     In  the 
centre  a  portion  of  a  shield  on  which  is  a  cross  flory.) 
Endorsed, — Convencio  Johannis  le  Norreys.  [S.d.  circa  1270.] 

The  first  Norris  or  Norreys  on  record,  in  Glamorgan, 
is  a  certain  Robert  Norris,  *'  Vicecomes,"  under  Earl 
Robert,  to  whom  a  Gloucester  Abbey  charter  is  thus 
addressed,  says  Mr.  Traherne,  in  the  time  of  Bishop 
Uchtred  of  LlandafF.  The  family  held  two  knights'  fees 
of  William  Earl  of  Gloucester,  and  various  inquisitions 
shew  these  to  have  been  in  Penllyne.  Robert  was,  no 
doubt,  dead  in  1166,  as  the  earl  then  accounts  for  two 
fees  held  by  his  heir.  This  first  Robert  was  possibly 
the  builder  of  the  square  keep  of  which  a  fragment, 
with  herring-bone  masonry,  still  stands  at  Penllyne. 

Robert  Norris,  or  Le  Norris,  probably  his  son,  was 
also  "  Vicecomes";  and  as  such  witnessed  the  charters 
of  Earl  William  to  Margam  and  to  Neath,  cited  in 
Francis's  Neath,  38-9. 

John,  the  next  heir,  gave  a  croft  to  Margam  in  1 188  ; 
and  in  1203  was  a  final  concord  between  him  and  Gil- 
bert, abbot  of  Margam,  respecting  lands  at  Bonvilston. 

Richard  le  Norreys,  his  successor,  witnessed  charters 
by  Payn  de  Turbervile  to  Margam,  1185-91  ;  and  by 
Gilbert  de  Turbervile,  1207-12;  and  by  William  de 
Cantlo  about  1215.  Richard  himself  made  a  grant  to 
Margam  about  1217-18.    (75  B.  37.) 

Next  was  William  le  Norreys  who  witnessed  a  charter 
by  Raymond  de  Sully ;  and  another  by  P.  de  Cornhili, 
to  which  his  brother  Gilbert  Norreys  was  witness. 

The  Extent  of  1264-6  shews  that  John  le  Norreys 


OF  MAROAM.  353 

then  held  two  knights'  fees  in  Penllyne, — annual  value, 
£15.  He  was  party  to  aMargam  deed  concerning  Bon- 
vileston  about  1279.     (75  A.  36.) 

In  1289  John,  perhaps  his  successor,  witnessed  the 
agreement  of  Gilbert  de  Clare  with  Neath.  (Francis,  34.) 

By  the  inquisition  at  the  death  of  Countess  Joanna  in 
1307  (Esc.  35  E.  I,  No.  47),Bichard  de  Nerber  held  Pen- 
llyne,  probably  as  custos  of  the  minor,  since  in  the  inqui- 
sition on  the  death  of  Gilbert  de  Clare  in  1*315  (8  E.  II, 
68),  John  le  Norreys  held  two  fees  in  Penllyne  and 
Llanvihangel,  as  he  did  in  1320  at  the  Spenser  Survey. . 
He  also  witnessed  Payn  de  Turberville's  charter  to  his 
tenants  at  Coyty.    (H.  H.  Knight  on  LI.  Bren.) 

In  1317  he  and  others  were  directed  to  raise  1,000 
foot  in  Glamorgan  (Writs,  ii,  490),  and  in  1333  he  was 
upon  an  inquiry  into  the  claims  of  the  abbot  of  Margam 
to  a  right  of  wreck.  In  1339  John  le  Norreys  witnessed 
Hugh  le  Despenser's  charter  to  Margam,  and  in  1340 
to  Cardiff,  and  in  1341  to  Neath.  At  Hugh's  death,  in 
1349,  John  held  the  two  fees  in  Penllyne  and  Llanvi- 
hangel. In  1358,  as  Sir  John  le  Norreys,  Knt.,  he  wit- 
nessed charters  to  Cardiff  and  Llantrissent  boroughs, 
and  to  Neath  Abbey,  and  in  1359  to  Neath  borough. 
(Fran.,  p.  40.) 

In  1379  the  abbot  of  Margam  granted  to  John  Denys 
a  lease  of  eighty-six  acres  of  land  at  Bonvileston  during 
the  nonage  of  John,  son  of  John  Norris  of  Leche  Castle. 
(75  A.  45.)  How  this  estate  was  acquired  does  not 
appear.  Leche  Castle  is  a  square  earthwork  of  Roman 
aspect,  and  near  the  old  Roman  road  from  Cardiff  to 
Cowbridge.  This  is  the  only  evidence  of  its  having  been 
a  residence.  The  manor,  of  small  extent,  is  dependent 
upon  Wenvoe.  As  Bonvileston  had  already  been  made 
over  to  Margam,  John  was  probably  in  ward  to  the 
abbot. 

In  1453  another  John  le  Norris,  perhaps  a  grandson 
of  the  above,  was  an  executor  of  the  will  of  Isabella 
Countess  of  Warwick,  daughter  of  Thomas  le  Despenser. 
(Dug.,  Bar.,  i,  247  ;  Pat.  1  H.  IV.) 


354  CONTRIBUTION  TOWARDS  A  CARTULARY 

Collinson  states  that  Elizabeth,  daughter  and  heiress 
of  John  Norris  of  Penllyne  Castle,  married  William  de 
Coker  of  Coker,  co.  Somerset.  {Coll.  Som.^  ii,  334.)  The 
Welsh  pedigrees  call  her  Eva,  and  marry  her  to  John 
Fleming.  The  elder  of  the  two  coheirs  they  call  Gwen- 
LLiAN,  and  state  that  she  had  a  share  of  Penllyne, 
7  H.  VI ;  and  married,  first,  Tompkin  Turbervile,  and 
second,  Thomas  Morgan  of  Langston.  It  was  from  this 
match  that  descended  the  Turberviles  of  Penllyne. 

The  ambiguity  of  the  Norris  genealogy  is  much  in- 
creased by  their  long  and  successive  use  of  the  name  of 
John,  and  the  absence  of  any  inquisitions  relating  to 
them. 

In  1390-1,  under  the  head  of  canons  and  chapter  of 
LlandafF,  is  an  inquisition  touching  the  manors  taken 
into  the  king's  hands  on  the  death  of  Bishop  William. 
{I.  P.M.  19  C.I.) 

XXLIV.— (ifar/.  Ch.  75  A.  42.) 

Hec  est  convencio  facta  inter  Abbatem  et  Conventum  de 
Margan  ex  una  parte  et  Thomam  le  spodur  de  Bonevilistone 
ex  altera  videlicet  quod  idem  Thomas  concessit  remisit  et  qui- 
etum  clamavit  pro  se  et  heredibus  suis  et  assignatis  inperpe- 
tuum  dictis  Abbati  et  Conventui  et  eorum  successoribus  unam 
acrara  terre  arabilis  cum  una  domo  et  curtilagio  in  villa  de  Tu- 
dekistowe  quam  terram  domum  et  curtilagium  Thomas  filios 
Roberti  cecus  quondam  tenuit  de  Abbate  et  Conventu  de  Mar- 
gan que  quidem  acra  cum  pertinenciis  jacet  inter  terram  mona* 
chorum  de  Margan  et  magnam  viam  que  ducit  ad  communem 
pasturam  que  dicitur  Neutonis  doune.  Habendum  et  tenen- 
dum libere  et  quiete  bene  et  pacifice  absque  ulla  reclamacione 
seu  retinemento  dicte  Thome  vel  heredum  suorum  seu  assigna- 
torum  inperpetuum.  Pro  hac  autem  concessione  remissione 
et  quieta  clamacione  dictus  Abbas  et  Conventus  concesserunt 
dicto  Thome  et  heredibus  suis  duas  acras  terre- arabilis  in  feodo 
de  Bonevilistone  quarum  una  jacet  in  campo  qui  vocatur  Rede 
lond  et  altera  juxta  villam  de  Bonevilistone  quam  Rogerus 
filius  Cady  quondam  tenuit  Habendum  et  tenendum  sibi  et 
heredibus  suis  imperpetuum.  Reddendo  inde  annuatim  xnijd, 
ad  duos  anni  terminos  videlicet  ad  Pascha  vijrf.  et  ad  festum 
Sancti  Michaelis  vijrf.  pro  omni  servicio  seculari  exaccione  et 
deraanda  exceptis  sectis  curiarum  dictorum  Abbatis  et  Conven- 
tus.  Et  post  decessum  dicti  Thome  dictus  Abbas  et  Conventus 


OF  MARGAM.  355 

dictam  terrain  in  manu  sua  tenebunt  quonsque  heredes  sui 
quinque  solidos  sterlingorum  dictis  Abbati  et  Conventui  pro 
herieto  et  ingressu  suo  pacaverint.  Et  dicti  Abbas  et  Conven- 
tus  dicto  Thome  et  heredibus  suis  dictam  terram  contra  oranes 
homines  warantizabunt  acquietabunt  et  defendent  inperpetuum. 
In  cujus  rei  testimonium  dicti  Abbas  et  Conventus  et  dictus 
Thomas  huic  presenti  cyrographo  alternatim  sigilla  sua  appo- 
sueruntv  Acta  apud  Margan  in  vigiiia  purificacionis  [1  Feb. 
1291]  beate  Marie  anno  domini  m**cc^  nonagesimo  primo. 

(A  small  oval  seal  of  dark  green  wax  remains  attached, 
bearing  the  device  of  a  double-headed  axe.     Legend,  s'  t... 

SPODVIl.) 

XLV.— [76  B.  22.] 

XJniversis  Christi  fidelibus  ad  quos  presens  scriptum  perve- 
nerit  Johannes  de  Bonevyle  filius  et  heres  Henrici  de  Bonvyle 
de  Bonevyleston  in  Glammorgan  salutem  in  domino  sempiter- 
nara.  Noveritis  me  dimisisse  et  quietum  clamasse  pro  me  et 
heredibus  meis  sive  assignatis  in  perpetuum  Abbati  Monasterii 
beate  Marie  de  Margan  et  ejusdem  loci  conventui  quatuorde- 
cim  solidos  sterlingorum  de  illis  quadraginta  solidis  annui  red- 
ditus  in  quibus  mihi  dicti  Abbas  et  Conventus  tenebantur  ad 
festum  beati  Johannis  Baptiste  annuatim,  Ita  quod  nee  ego 
nee  aliquis  hercdum  meorum  sive  assignatorum  aliquid  juris 
vel  clamii  aut  calumpnie  in  illis  quatuordecim  solidis  annui 
redditus  prenominatis  de  cetero  aliquo  modo  poterimus  vendi- 
care  in  eternum.  Pro  hac  autem  dimissione  mea  et  quieta 
clamacione  assignaverunt  dicti  Abbas  et  Conventus  Domino 
Reymundo  de  Sullye  Domino  meo  quatuordecim  solidos  annui 
redditus  in  excambium  in  villa  de  Bristol!'  de  tenemento  illo 
quod  Philippus  le  Especer  quondam  de  eis  tenuit  pro  quibus 
prefatus  Dominus  Reymundus  de  Sullye  me  et  heredes  meos 
seu  assignatos  feofavit  de  quatuordecim  solidis  annui  redditus 
in  excambium  de  viginti  solidis  quos  Matheus  Everrard  et  Jo- 
hanna uxor  ejus  et  Hugo  filius  eorum  dicto  Domino  Reymundo 
annuatim  solvere  consueverunt  pro  terris  et  tenementis  quas 
prefati  Matheus  et  Johanna  uxor  ejus  et  Hugo  filius  eorum  de 
predicto  Domino  Reymundo  tenuerunt  apud  Holeton'  in  domi- 
nio  de  Denys  Powys.  Ego  vero  dictus  Johannes  et  heredes 
mei  sive  assignati  dictam  dimissionem  meam  ac  quietam  clama- 
cionem  dictis  Abbati  et  Conventui  contra  omnes  homines  et 
feminas  warantizabimus  acquietabimus  et  defendemus  in  per- 
petuum. In  cujus  rei  testimonium  huic  presenti  scripto  sigil- 
lum  meum  apposui  et  eciam  sigillum  prefati  Domini  Rcymundi 
4e  Sullye  una  cum  sigillo  Domini  Symonis  de  Ralee  tunc  Vice- 


356  CONTRIBUTION  TOWARDS  A  CARTULARY 

comitis  de  Glamorgan  apponi  procuravi.  Hiis  testibus  Domino 
Johanne  de  Umframvyle  Domino  Johanne  le  Waleys  militibas 
David  Basset  WilHelmo  de  Berkcroles  Johanne  de  Wyn- 
cestr'  David  de  la  Here  Philippo  le  Sor  Ricardo  Govel 
Manricio  de  Bonevyle  et  multis  aliis.  Datum  apud  Kerdif  die 
Nativitatis  Beati  Johannis  Baptiste  anno  Domini  milleeimo  tre- 
centesimo  secundo.     [130S.] 

(Round  seal  of  green  wax,  about  one  inch  diameter.  In 
centre  a  hexafoil  with  double  bordure ;  within^  a  shield  with 
three  bars.     Legend,  big  ill'  bemvn^  db  svlib. 

Another  seal  of  about  same  size.  In  centre  a  starred  object 
with  six  points  or  rays.     Legend,  s'  joh'is  bonevil'.) 

The  introduction  of  the  De  Raleigh  family  into  Gla- 
morgan by  the  reputed  marriage  of  Ela  de  Reigny,  the 
heiress  of  Wrenchester  Castle,  Michaelston-le-Pit,  Llan- 
twit,  and  Llancarvan,  with  Simon  de  Raleigh,  has  already 
been  mentioned  under  the  former  family.  The  Raleighs 
sprang  from  Raleigh  by  Barnstaple,  and  as  retainers  of 
the  Earls  Mareschal  adopted  their  modified  coat  of  "^te 
a  bend  fusilly  argent^''  instead  of  the  earlier  bearing  of 
''  six  cross  crosslets." 

I.  Hugh  de  Raleigh  of  Raleigh  received  Nettlecombe 
from  John  Fitz  Gilbert,  mareschal  of  England,  in  the 
reign  of  Henry  II.     He  bestowed  it  upon  his  nephew, 

II.  Warine  de  Raleigh,  whose  son, 
in.  Warine,  was  father  of  a  third 

IV.  Warine  of  Nettlecombe,  living  1242,  who  mar- 
ried Margaret, — a  deed  by  whom  is  witnessed  by  Wil- 
liam de  St.  Quintin  and  others  and  her  sons:  1,  Sir 
Warine ;  2,  Simon. 

v.  Sir  Warine  de  Raleigh  of  Nettlecombe, 42  H.  Ill, 
married  Hawise,  and  was  father  of — 1,  Reginald,  who 
died  8.  p. ;  2,  Maud,  married  Sir  Matthew  de  Fur- 
neaux,  connected  with  the  Umfrevilles  of  Penmark ; 
3,  Sarah,  married  Richard  de  Londres,  evidently  one  of 
the  Ograore  family,  and  therefore  of  kin  to  that  Thomas 
de  Londres,  who,  with  the  heirs  of  De  Reigny,  held 
three  fees  in  Bideford  of  the  honour  of  Gloucester.  The 
male  heir  was 

V  2,    Simon  de  Raleigh  of  Nettlecombe,  who  married 


OF  MARGAM.  357 

Ela  de  Reigny,  and  held  her  lands  in  Glamorgan,   They 
had 

VI.  Sir  Simon  of  Nettlecombe  and  Wrenchester,  who, 
21  E.  T,  purchased,  for  one  hundred  and  twenty  marks, 
from  Henry  de  Gamages,  the  custody  of  the  cantred  of 
Dinas  Powis,  formerly  belonging  to  Sir  Milo  de  Reigny, 
Gamages  was  Ela's  second  husband,  and  tenant  by 
courtesy  during  her  life.  Simon  married  Joan,  sister 
and  heir  of  Lawrence  de  Tort  of  Owknolle.  She  was  a 
widow  9  E.  11.  They  had — 1,  John;  2,  Simon,  who 
had  the  Welsh  estates  and  his  mother's  lands  in  Somer- 
set: all  which,  however,  passed  on  his  death,  21  E.  II, 
to  his  nephew  John. 

VII.  John  de  Raleigh  of  Nettlecombe,  who,  with  his 
brother  Simon,  rebelled  with  Thomas  of  Lancaster,  and 
were  fined  severally  £100  and  £40.  Fines  remitted 
1  Ed.  III.  He  married  Margaret,  daughter  and  coheir 
of  Richard  Bret.     She  survived.     They  had 

VIII.  Sir  John  Raleigh  of  Nettlecombe  and  Wren- 
Chester,  knight  of  the  shire  for  Somerset,  38  and  42 
Ed.  III.  In  1368-9  he  granted,  as  Sir  John  Raleigh  of 
Nettlecombe,  Knt,  a  charter  of  all  his  tenements  in 
"Wrenchelston  in  Wales"  to  John  Hiwys,  rector  of  Net- 
tlecombe :  no  doubt  as  a  feoflfee  in  trust  upon  one  of 
his  marriages.  He  married, — 1,  Maud,  who  died  child- 
less ;  and  2,  Ismayn,  daughter  and  coheir  of  Simon 
Hanaps  of  Gloucestershire  ;  who  died  a  widow,  8  Sept. 
1420,  having  married,  2nd,  Sir  John  Borowash  or  Burgh- 
ersh  of  Ewelme,  co.  Oxon.,  where  he  was  bom  1347. 
He  died  21  Sept.  1391.  As  this  second  marriage  brought 
much  trouble  upon  the  descendants  from  the  first,  it  will 
be  convenient  to  add  a  few  words  concerning  it. 

Sir  John  was  son  of  Sir  John  Burghersh,  who  died 
30  June,  1349,  by  Matilda,  elder  daughter  and  coheir  of 
Sir  William  de  Kerdestan  by  Margei7,  daughter  and 
heir  of  Sir  Edmund  Bacon  of  Essex,  who  died  1327. 

Sir  John  Burghersh,  husband  of  Ismayn,  was  the  sub- 
ject of  a  fraudulent  attempt  by  Sir  William  Molyns,  hus- 
band of  Margery,  a  descendant  of  Sir  Edmund  Bacon  by 


358  CONTRIBUTION  TOWARDS  A  CARTULARY 

a  second  wife.  Sir  William  actually  got  possession  of 
a  part  of  the  Burghersh  estate,  but  justice  finally  pre- 
vailed. 

By  Sir  John  Burghersh,  Ismayn  had  Margaret,  aged 
fifteen  in  1391,  who  married  John  Arundel  of  Bideford; 
and  Matilda,  heiress  of  Ewelme,  aged  twelve  in  1391, 
who  married  Thomas  Chaucer,  son  of  the  poet,  bom 
about  1360,  and  died  1434.  They  had  Alice  Chaucer, 
bom  1404,  heiress  of  Ewelme,  who  was  affianced  in  early 
youth  to  Sir  John  Phelip,  who  died  when  he  was  twelve 
years  old.  She  actually  married, — Ist,  Thomas  Earl  of 
Salisbury  ;  and  2nd,  William  De  la  Pole,  Duke  of  Suf- 
folk, by  whom  she  had  John,  second  duke,  who  married 
Elizabeth  Plantagenet,  and  was  thus  brother-in-law  to 
Edward  IV.  He  inherited  Ewelme,  and,  as  will  be  seeo, 
had  tortious  possession  of  the  Raleigh  Welsh  estates. 

Sir  John  de  Raleigh,  the  first  husband  of  Ismayn,  had 
by  her — 1,  John,  who  succeeded,  but  died  childless; 
2,  Simon ;  3,  Joan  ;  and  4,  Maud,  eventual  coheirs. 
Maud  had  the  Welsh  estates,  which  on  her  death  (42 
H.  VI),  childless,  passed  to  her  sister,  Joan. 

IX.  Simon  de  Raleigh  of  Nettlecombe  and  Wrenches- 
ter,  on  whose  death,  childless,  the  estates  seem  to  have 
been  parted  between  his  two  sisters.  He  married,  first, 
Joan  — ,  who  died  14  H.  VI ;  and,  second,  another  Joan, 
daughter  of  Oliver  Hiwysof  Donniford,  who  survived 
her  husband  seventeen  years.  Simon  died  12  March, 
18  H.  VI  (1441-2),  and  Joan  died  before  1455. 

X.  Joan  de  Raleigh,  sister  and  eventual  heir,  was  of 
Nettlecombe,  Wrenchester,  Llantwit,  and  Llancarvan. 
She  married  Sir  John  de  Whellesborough,  or  Walesbo- 
row,  or  Whalesborough,  in  Marham- Church,  co.  Corn- 
wall. They  were  a  considerable  Cornish  family,  and 
possessed  Lancarfe,  Treisdor,  Lamelwyn,  and  Perran- 
Uthnoe ;  and  had  besides  estates  in  Somerset,  Devon, 
and  Surrey.  They  bore  argent^  a  fess  lozengy  gules^  in- 
dicating some  early  feudal  dependence  upon  the  Earls 
Mareschal,     They  had — 

XI.  Thomas  Whellesborough  of  Whellesborough,  Net- 


OF  MARGAM.  369 

tlecombe,  and  Wrenchester  Castle,  who  was  recognised 
as  right  heir  of  Simon  de  Raleigh.  He  was  dead  in 
1482.  He  married  Matilda  or  Maud,  living  1482.  She 
-was  a  daughter  of  Sir  William  Bowes.  They  had — 
1,  Elizabeth  ;  2,  Catherine^  who  seems  to  have  died  8.  p. 

XII.  Elizabeth  Whellesborough,  heiress  of  the  Corn- 
ish, Somerset,  and  Welsh  estates.  She  married  John 
Trevelyan  of  Trevelyan  and  Basil  in  St.  Cleather,  co. 
Cornwall,  who  bore  gules^  a  horse  argent^  armed  or,  rising 
out  of  the  sea,  party  per  fess,  wavy,  azure  and  or.  In 
consequence  of  this  marriage  the  Trevelyans  settled  at 
Nettlecombe,  and  became  also  Glamorganshire  land- 
owners dejure^  though  not,  as  will  appear,  for  some  time 
de  facto.  The  marriage  settlement  is  dated  London, 
19  July,  1462.  It  does  not  include  the  Welsh  property, 
which  possibly  was  then  vested  in  Catherine.  It  appears 
from  the  Trevelyan  papers,  recently  printed  by  the  Cam- 
den Society,  that  the  Duke  of  Suffolk,  who,  by  descent 
from  Ismayn  Hanaps,was  of  kin  to  the  Whellesboroughs, 
had  got  possession  of  their  Welsh  property.  In  1463 
John  Trevelyan  addressed  the  duke,  pointing  out  that 
his  wife,  Elizabeth,  was  the  true  owner  of  the  manors 
of  Mighelstone  and  its  advowson,  of  Lancarvan,  Lan- 
tewyte,  "  and  Wrygstone,  with  their  appurtenances," 
which  had  always  been  in  their  blood  until  lately,  when 
Alice  Chaucer,  the  duke's  mother,  by  the  management 
of  William,  late  Lord  Herbert,  entered  upon  the  lands 
contrary  to  right ;  and  he  prayed  the  duke  to  consider 
his  own  estate  and  the  poverty  of  Thomas  Whellesbo- 
rough and  his  heirs,  though  of  the  duke's  blood,  and  to 
appoint  a  day  to  have  the  truth  examined  into,  and  the 
lands  restored. 

At  the  same  time  Trevelyan  moved  the  king,  who  also 
in  1463  wrote  to  the  duke,  stating  that  he  understood 
that  Trevelyan  had  long  made  suit  to  him  no  longer  to 
withhold  his  wife's  inheritance  in  Wales,  entailed  upon 
her  and  her  heirs  by  fine,  as  the  heir  of  Sir  John  and 
Simon  Raleigh,  "  which  entail  rest^th  to  our  exchequer 
at  Cardiff."     The  king  adds  that   the  duke's  mother 


360  CONTRIBUTION  TOWARDS  A  CARTULART 

entered  on  the  lands  on  the  plea  that  her  father,  Thomas 
Chaucer,  was  enfeoffed  of  them,  whereas  Trevelyan  caa 
shew  that  he  was  enfeoffed  only  as  trustee. 

The  letter  from  Edward  IV  seems  to  have  produced 
no  effect.  Trevelyan  (then  Sir  John),  twenty-five  years 
later,  in  1488,  addressed  himself  to  Henry  VII,  relating 
how  he  had  been  despoiled  of  his  lands  in  the  time  of 
Jasper  Duke  of  Bedford,  the  king's  uncle,  by  Sir  Walter 
Herbert,  now  deceased ;  who,  because  the  manors  lay 
near  his  own  lands,  and  he  could  not  obtain  them  by 
fair  means,  used  his  great  power,  and  feigning  a  title, 
entered  upon  them  wrongfully,  and  left  them  to  his 
widow.  Lady  Anne,  now  living,  and  a  sister  of  Edward 
Stafford,  Duke  of  Bucks.  Sir  John  adds  that  he  cannot 
prevail  against  such  power,  and  prays  the  king's  inter- 
ference. 

The  effect  of  this  further  application  was  to  produce 
a  release  from  John  Duke  of  Suffolk  in  the  same  year, 
in  which  he  quits  all  claim  to  the  "  manors  of  Michestow, 
Wrynchester,  Lancarvan,  and  Lantwit,  with  the  advow- 
son  of  Michelstow,"  and  yields  them  up  to  John  Tre- 
velyan. Among  the  witnesses  are  John  Butler,  Matthew 
Cradock,  and  Maurice  Butler. 

From  the  above  statements  it  may,  perhaps, be  inferred 
that  Sir  Walter  Herbert,  who  was  second  son  of  William 
the  great  Earl  of  Pembroke,  availed  himself  of  Duchess 
Alice's  shadow  of  a  claim,  through  the  .enfeoffment  of 
her  father,  to  enter  on  the  lands  ;  intending,  since  Tre- 
velyan would  not  sell,  to  secure  them  to  the  duchess, 
who  was  not  likely  to  care  for  them,  and  thence  obtain 
them  for  himself    Herbert  died  childless  before  1488. 

John  Trevelyan,  who  so  perseveringly  fought  for,  and 
successfully  established,  his  right,  died  in  1493,  leaving 

XIII.  Sir  John  Trevelyan,  Knt, then  aged  thirty  years 
and  upwards,  and  who  died  21  Sept.  1552,  leaving 

XIV.  John  Trevelyan,  then  aged  thirty  years  and  up- 
wards, and  who,  or  his  father,  seems  to  have  disposed  of 
the  estate,  which  a  few  years  later  appears  in  the  posses- 
sion of  the  Earl  of  Worcester.     The  Trevelyan  muni- 


OF  MARGAM.  361 

TTients  have  evidently  been  so  carefully  preserved  that  it 
is  not  improbable  that  the  date  and  particulars  of  the 
sale  may  be  found  among  them. 

Of  the  Castle  of  Wrenchester,  or,  as  the  place  is  now 
called,  Wrinston,  ^''eHam  periere  ruince'*;  but  the  name  of 
the  family  who  held  it  in  the  thirteenth  and  fourteenth 
centuries  is  preserved  in  the  adjacent  seat  of  Cwrt-yr- 
Raleigh  (now  known  as  Court-yr-Alla),  where  the  Ra- 
leighs  probably  resided  when  the  circumstances  of  the 
country  rendered  the  confinement  of  a  castle  unneces- 
sary ;  and  which  may  have  been,  in  later  times,  the 
residence  of  their  agent  or  steward. 

Of  Dinas  Powis  Castle,  part  of  the  reputed  heritage 
of  Ela  de  Reigny,  the  walls  of  the  principal  enclosure 
remain.  'J'hey  retain  no  traces  of  ornament,  nor  even 
of  ashlar  ;  but  are  probably  of  the  twelfth  century,  and 
the  work  of  Sir  Milo  or  his  immediate  progenitors.  The 
name  and  position  of  the  fortress  support  the  tradition 
of  its  having  been  a  Welsh  stronghold,  where,  not  impro- 
bably, Jestyn  and  his  father  may  have  resided.  It  stands 
upon  and  crowns  a  knoll  of  rock  in  the  mouth  of  Combe 
George,  and  besides  being  inconveniently  small  for  a 
wealthy  knight  of  the  thirteenth  century,  was  scarcely 
tenable  against  the  improved  military  engines  of  that 
age,  for  which  reasons  it  was  probably  abandoned  for 
Wrinston. 

The  manors  of  Wrinston  in  Wenvoe  and  Michaelston- 
le-Pit  are  contiguous,  forming  one  compact  estate,  and 
were  holden  under  the  lordship  of  Dinas  Powis ;  but  it 
is  singular  that  this  lordship  or  cantred,  which  was  held 
by  Ela  and  her  husband,  should  not  have  been  held, 
with  the  Castle,  by  the  later  Raleighs  and  Trevelyans. 
At  a  somewhat  subsequent  period  Dinas  Powis  lordship 
appears  as  divided,  one  moiety  being  in  the  crown,  and 
the  other  in  the  Herberts. 

The  two  manors  of  Wrinston  and  Michaelston,  as  well 
as  that  of  Llancarvan,  of  which  Trevelyan  seems  to  have 
recovered  possession  in  1488,  were,  together  with  West 
Orchard  manor,  the  subject  of  a  family  settlement  (10th 

3et,»  seu.,  vol.  XIV.  24 


362  CONTRIBUTION  TOWARDS  A   CARTULARY 

Nov.  1 1th  Ch.  I)  on  the  marriage  of  Edward  Lord  Her- 
bert, Earl  of  Glamorgan,  with  Lady  Katherine  Dormer; 
in  which  these,  with  many  other  manors  elsewhere, 
were  settled  on  Lord  Herbert  for  life,  with  remainder 
to  Henry,  his  eldest  son.  These,  no  doubt,  were  either 
sold  to,  or  exchanged  with,  the  Herberts  by  Trevelyan ; 
and  thence  passed,  on  the  marriage  of  the  Pembroke 
heiress  with  Sir  Charles  Somerset,  into  the  latter  family. 

What  is  enumerated  with  the  above  three  as  ''  Llant- 
wit  Manor,"  is,  no  doubt,  West  Llantwit  or  Llantwit- 
Raleigh, called  also  Abbot's  Llantwit;  and  not  Boverton 
Manor  in  Llantwit,  which  has  always  been  annexed  to 
the  lordship  of  Glamorgan ;  and  was  with  it  sold  or 
granted  to  Sir  William  Herbert,  ancestor  of  the  bastard 
branch  of  that  family. 

Llan twit-Raleigh  probably  was  held  on  lease  under 
Tewkesbury  Abbey,  and  from  its  chief  lords  derived  its 
name  of  Abbot's  Llantwit;  for  12  June,  15  H-  VlII, 
Edward  Stradling  applied  to  purchase  it  as  parcel  of 
the  possessions  of  the  dissolved  monastery  of  Tewkes- 
bury; and  with  the  application  there  exists,  in  the  Aug- 
mentation Office,  a  confirmation  (23  Eliz.)  of  the  manor 
by  Sir  William  Cecil,  Knt,  Lord  Burghley,  Lord 
Treasurer,  and  Robert  Keylway,  Esq.,  one  of  the  sur- 
veyors of  the  Court  of  Wards,  to  Edward,  son  of  Edward 
Stradling,  gent. 

As  Lord  Bute  includes  this  manor  in  his  periodical 
advertisements  of  manor  courts,  he  is,  no  doubt,  now  its 
lord ;  but  its  history  after  the  above  confirmation  to 
Edward  Stradling  is  not  known. 

The  subsequent  history  of  the  manors  of  Wrinston, 
Michaelston,  and  West  Orchard,  is  curious.  Having 
been  a  part  of  the  Marquis  of  Worcester's  (Lord  Glamor- 
gan's) estate,  they  were  given  by  the  Parliament  to 
Colonel  Horton's  brigade  as  a  reward  for  their  services 
at  the  battle  of  St.  Pagan's.  The  brigade  sold  them  to 
Colonel  Philip  Jones  of  Fonmon,  who  also  bought  up 
the  title  of  the  Somerset  family,  and  so  preserved  them 
after  the  Restoration.     Llancarvan  manor  is  still  pos- 


OF  MARGAM.  363 

sessed  by  his  descendant,  R.  O.  Jones.  Michaelston 
belongs  to  Colonel  Rous  of  Cwrt-yr-Ala,  Wrinston  to 
Mr.  Jenner  of  Wenvoe,  and  West  Orchard  to  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Rayer. 

The  term,  "  cantred  of  Dinas  Powis,"  is  not  well  de- 
fined. Does  it  mean  the  present  lordship  without  its 
dependent  manors  ?  or  has  it  a  larger  signification,  in- 
cluding the  whole  hundred  1 

The  family  of  Wallensis,  or  Le  Walsh,  whose  name 
speaks  their  foreign  origin,  were  early  settlers  at  Llan- 
dough  by  Cowbridge,  where  they  built  the  castle,  and 
lie  buried  in  the  church. 

Adam  Waletis  tests  a  Waleran  charter,  in  the  collec- 
tion of  Major  Francis,  of  about  1 200 ;  and  Henricus 
Walleusis  an  Umfreville  charter  of  about  the  same  date 
(75  D.  15).  A  century  later,  in  1302, "  Dominus  Johan- 
nes le  Waleys,  Knt.,"  tests  a  Bonville  charter  (75  B.  22). 
In  the  Spenser  Survey  of  1320,  Adam  Welsh  held  one 
knight's  fee  in  Llandoch  and  St.  Mary  Church. 

According  to  the  local  genealogists  the  descent  is  as 
follows : 

I.  Adam  le  Walsh,  lord  of  Llandough,  contemporary 
with  John  le  Wales,  25  Ed.  I.  He  married  Margaret, 
daughter  and  heir  of  Thomas  Bosnaber,  and  had — 
1,  Robert ;  2,  Beatrice,  married  Aaron  ap  Howell  vachan. 

II.  RoB£RT  le  Walsh,  living  20  Ed.  II,  bore  ermine  a 
bend  gules.  Married  Ann,  daughter  of  Robert  German, 
and  had — 1,  Adam  ;  2,  Sybil,  married  John  de  St.  Mary 
Church  of  co.  Pembroke. 

III.  Adam  le  Walsh,  lord  of  Llandough  and  St.  Mary 
Church,  1320.  By  writ  dated  CardiflF,  28  Oct.  1326, 
Adam  le  Walsh  was  ordered  to  raise  four  hundred  foot 
soldiers  for  the  defence  of  the  town  and  castle  of  Car- 
diff.   (T7nfe,  ii,  453.) 

The  next  descents  are  wanting,  but  there  w£is  a  Sir 
Simon  Walsh,  Knt.,  lord  of  Llandough,  who  married 
Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Thomas  Bawson  of  Brigan ;  a 
Robert  Walsh,  who  witnessed  a  Kenfig  charter  of  20 
R.  II ;    and    another  Robert,  who  lived  4  II.  V  and 

24  « 


364  CONTRIBUTION  TOWARDS  A  CARTULARY 

1  H.  VI.  The  final  representatives  of  the  name  were 
two  sisters,  Gwenllian  or  Bettina  and  Elizabeth. 

GwENLLiAN  Walsh  of  Llandough,  part  of  whose  sepul- 
chral brass  remains  in  that  church.  She  died  6  H.  VI, 
1427,  having  married  Walter  or  Watkin  Morton,  lord 
of  Goston  and  constable  of  Cardiff  Castle,  9  H.  V. 

Elizabeth  Walsh  of  Llandough,  St.  Mary  Church, 
and  East  Orchard,  7  H.  VI,  final  heiress,  married  John 
de  Aune  or  Van.  Their  son,  Payn  Van  of  Marcross,  is 
said  to  have  sold  Llandough  and  St.  Mary  Church  to 
Sir  William  Thomas,  22  H.  VI. 

No  authentic  pedigree  of  the  Welsh  De  la  Beres  has 
been  preserved.  They  seem  to  have  been  of  Gower, 
where 

I.  Sir  John  de  la  Bere  was  father  of  David  and  Isa- 
bel, who  married  Thomas  Graunt. 

II.  Sir  David  de  la  Bere,  25  E.  I  and  7  E.  II,  bore 
azure  a  bend  ar^^^  cotised,  between  six  martlets  or.  He 
had — 1,  x\dam  ;  2,  a  daughter,  married  John  Butler. 

III.  Adam  de  la  Bere  of  Knolston  in  Gower  had 

IV.  Sir  John  de  la  Bere  of  Weobley  Castle  in  Gower, 
who  had  a  moiety  of  Marcross  manor.  He  married 
Agnes,  daughter  and  coheir  of  Sir  Payn  Turberville  of 
Coyty,  and  had  Elizabeth,  married  to  Oliver  St.  John  ; 
and  Margaret,  married,  first,  Roger  Dennis ;  and  second. 
Sir  Elias  Bassett.  The  De  la  Bere  quarter ings  were 
always  used  by  the  Lords  St.  John  and  Bolingbroke,  and 
appear  in  the  Bassett  shield  over  the  porch  at  Beaupre. 

Besides  these,  Richard  de  la  Bere  was  sheriff  of  Gla- 
morgan 5  H.  V ;  and  Sir  Roger  was  of  Cheriton  and 
Llangenydd,  in  Gower,  about  the  time  of  Ed.  HI.  His 
grandaughter  and  heir,  Elizabeth,  married  David  Cra- 
doc,  who  thus  obtained  Cheriton. 

The  family  of  Le  Sor  seem  to  have  settled  very  early 
upon  the  honour  of  Gloucester,  in  Somerset  and  Glou- 
cestershire, and  to  have  followed  Fitz  Hamon  into  Gla- 
morgan ;  in  whose  time  Robert  le  Sor  tests  a  charter 
by  R.  de  Haia,  a  Monmouthshire  knight.  {New  Mon.^ 
iv,  633.)    Also  John  Sore  had  certain  rights  over  Kelti- 


OF  MARGAM.  365 

gar,  or  Gelligarn,  before  the  reign  of  Henry  II.  [Ibid.^ 
V,  58.)  There  is  also  an  early  letter  from  Odo  le  Sore 
to  the  Bishop  of  Worcester  about  Hugh  de  Fucheroles 
and  the  church  of  Senedone.  (Ibid.^  iv,  71.) 

In  the  reign  of  Henry  II,  Jordan  le  Sor  was  respon- 
sible for  fifteen  knights  in  the  retinue  of  the  Earl  of  Glou- 
cester. Sir  Peter  le  Sor  is  usually  reputed  the  person 
who  gave  name  to  their  manor  of  Peterston,  and  who 
built  castles  there  and  at  St.  Pagans.  He  was  lord  of 
Gelligarn,  which  was  *8ubinfeuded  to  Sir  Richard  Pin- 
cerna,  from  whom  it  came  to  Sampson  de  Halweia. 
William  and  Sir  Robert  le  Sor  appeared  in  the  Register 
of  Neath  Abbey,  and  Alexander  and  Henry  le  Sor  wit- 
ness Glamorgan  deeds  by  Peter  le  Sore,  contemporary 
with  Ivor  Hael,  in  the  fourteenth  century.  Philip  le 
Sor  tests  a  Bonvileston  deed  in  1302.    (75  B.  22.) 

In  Somerset,  William,  William,  and  John  le  Sor  were 
successive  lords  of  Backwell,  and  temp.  H.  HI  and  E.  I 
were  lords  of  Yatton.  The  heirs  of  John  held  Hard- 
ington  and  West  Sengrave,  9  E.  II.  John  was  probably 
a  De  Clare  tenant. 

3  Ed.  I,  Isabel  le  Sore,  Lady  of  Clare,  held  half  the 
manor  and  advowson  of  Backwell.  It  was  probably  her 
sister  and  coheir,  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Sir  John  le  Sore 
or  De  Lisures,  who  married,  1291,  Sir  Robert  Wickham, 
ob.  1327.  They  are  said  to  have  sold  the  manor,  but 
47  H.  VIII  it  was  in  possession  of  William  le  Sor  of 
Backwell-le-Sor. 

The  Glamorgan  Le  Sores  bore  **  quarterly  or  and  ffules^ 
in  the  first  quarter  a  lion  (two  lions)  passant  azure.'* 
Lizures  bore  "  or,  a  chief  azure^ 

The  Glamorgan  pedigree  is  very  imperfect,  but  may 
be  stated  as  follows : 

Sir  Peter  le  Sore,  lord  of  Peterston,  St.  Pagans,  and 
Gelligarn  ;  the  last  being  held  by  their  tenant,  Pincerna. 
Meyrick  calls  them  lords  of  Fonmon;  but  this,  no 
doubt,  means  of  Odyn's  fee  in  Penmark,  close  to  Fon- 
mon. He  married  Jane,  daughter  of  Sir  William  le 
Fleming,  Knt.,  of  St.  George's,  who  bore,  in  the  jargon 


366  CONTRIBUTION  TOWARDS  A  CARTULARY 

of  the  local  heralds,  *'  Y  Flelt  argent,  ar  Ffess  asur ' 
{gules  a  fret  or,  a  fess  azure).     They  had 

Sir  Odo  le  Sore,  said  to  have  given  name  to  Odyn's 
Fee,  a  distinct  manor  in  Penmark. 

Sir  John  le  Sore,  who,  being  son  of  Sir  Odo,  ratified 
the  exchange, by  Sampson  de  Halweia,of  Gelligam  with 
Neath  Abbey.  John  le  Sor  witnessed  a  Llancarvan  deed 
of  the  thirteenth  century.     He  was  probably  father  of 

Sir  Mayo  or  Matho  le  Sore  of  St.  Fagan's,  Knt, 
sheriff  of  Glamorgan  20  Ed.  III.  His  descendant  of  the 
same  name  is  said  to  have  had  a  feud  with  David  ap 
Gwilim  about  the  capacity  of  a  drinking  cup ;  and  to 
have  been  besieged  in  Peterston  Castle  by  Owain  Glen- 
dowr,  who  took  the  place,  dismantled  it,  and  cut  off 
Sir  Mayo's  head.  The  hill  from  which  Owain  descended 
upon  the  castle  is  called  in  consequence  "AUt  Owain." 
This  final  Sir  Mayo  was  probably  the  last  male,  as  Peters- 
ton  escheated  to  the  lord.  He  married  Maud,  daughter 
and  coheir  of  Philip  Huntley,  who  bore  "  sable  ar  goble 
argent  y  3  chom  sable  Rhwng  y  3  pheu  karwst  gardant" 
{argent^  on  a  chevron  gules  between  three  stags'  heads 
cabossed  sable,  three  hunting  horns  argent,  stringed  or). 
Sir  Mayo  seems  to  have  left  three  daughters,  coheirs, — 

I.  Wenllian,  married  Sir  Wm.  (John)  Wolf  of  Wolfs 
Newton,  who  bore  "  3  wolff  pais  Rodri  gules  Hew  saliant 
or"  in  a  border  engrailed  or ;  and  their  descendant,  Bar- 
bara Wolf,  married  Sir  Henry  Seymour  of  Wolf  Hall, 
whence  the  ducal  family.  In  the  Seymour  escutcheon 
appear  the  arms  of  Huntley,  miscalled  "  Le  Sore  of  St. 
Pagans. 

II.  Sarah,  married  Howell  ap  Griffith,  whence  Lewis 
of  Van,  Llanishen,  etc.  Her  descendants  have  usually 
quartered  Le  Sore,  and  still  do  so. 

III.  Coheiress  of  St.  Pagans,  married  Peter  le  Vele, 
from  whom  came  John  Vele,  who,  by  Inq.  p.  Mortem, 
9  H.  VI,  died  seized  of  St.  Pagan's  Castle  and  manor, 
and  a  member  of  the  manor  of  Llysworney. 

The  Veles,  who  were  a  Gloucestershire  family  of  Tort- 
worth,  there  continued  ;    but   the  St.   Pagan's  branch 


OF  MAROAM.  367 

ended  in  Alice  Vele,  an  heiress,  who  married  David 
Mathew,  and  had  four  daughters,  coheirs,  who  seem  to 
have  sold  the  property.  Charter  L.  shews  that  Sir  Peter 
de  Veel  was  in  possession  before  1377.  St.  Pagan's 
was  sold  to  Dr.  John  Gibbon  in  1578,  and  was  for  a 
generation  or  two  the  residence  of  the  Lewises  of  Van. 

Por  the  Le  Sore  pedigree  see  Sir  S.  Meyrick,  i,  13; 
ColL  Top.,  iii,  73  ;  v,  19,  22 ;  Rees  Meyrick,  p.  41;  I.p. 
M.,  ii,  129;  Heame,  Liber  Scacc,  i,  161  ;  CoUinson's 
Somerset,  ii,  148,  306,  320,  463,  545. 

XLVL— [//ar/.  C%.  75  A.  43.] 

Anno  domini  m**ccc''  octavo  ad  festum  Beati  Jacobi  apostoli 
convenit  inter  Dominum  Thomam  Abbatem  de  Margan  et  ejus- 
dem  loci  conventum  ex  parte  una  et  Willielmum  Wronou  de 
Bonevileston  ex  altera.  Ita  videlicet  quod  dicti  Abbas  et  Con- 
ventus  una  cum  consensu  dederunt  et  concesserunt  dicto  Wil- 
lielmo  et  heredibus  suis  ac  suis  assignatis  duas  acras  terre  ara- 
bilis  in  Redelond  et  quinque  acras  terre  juxta  vetus  castrum  a 
parte  boreali  de  Bonevileston'  in  excambium  septem  acrarum 
terre  dicti  Willielmi  quas  habuit  juxta  Hellegogy  in  parte  occi 
dentali.  Habendas  et  tenendas  sibi  et  heredibus  suis  sive  suis 
assignatis  absque  uUo  impedimento  sive  aliqua  calumpnia  dic- 
torum  Abbas  et  Conventus  vel  successorum  suorum  imperpe- 
tuum.  In  cujus  rei  testimonium  partes  prenominate  presenti 
scripto  in  modum  cyrographi  confecto  alternatim  sigiila  sua 
apposuerunt.  Hiis  testibus  Roberto  de  Cantelou  Wiliielmo 
Fraunkelyn  Wiliielmo  Thomas  Mauricio  le  Flemeng  Thoma 
Adam  et  multis  aliis.     [25  Julii  1808.] 

(A  small  circular   seal,   impressed  with  a  star-like  device. 
Legend,  ...wil.  i  .  wroi...) 


XLVII. — {_Inq.  p.  Mortem  Oilberti  de  Olare  Oom,  Olouc.  et  Herts, 
S  Ed.  Ily  6S,  1314-15.] 

Morgan  abbatia  [advocatio  abbatie  Cisterciensis  ordinis.] 


XLVIII. — [Carta  Domini  Willielmi  de  Brehaus  de  Relaxacione 
Tollneti.^      From  Majob  Fkancis'  Collection, 

Sciant  presentes  et  futuri  quod  ego  Willielmus  de  Breusa 
consensu  heredum  meorum  pro  salute  anime  mee  et  omnium 


368  CONTRIBUTION  TOWARDS  A   CARTULARY 

antecessorum  et  successorum  meorum  et  pro  salute  anime  Ag- 
netis  uxoris  mee  dedi  et  concpssi  et  hac  present!  carta  mea  con- 
firmavi  deo  et  ecclesie  beate  Marie  de  Margan  et  monachis 
ibidem  deo  servientibus  plenariam  perpetuam  libertatem  ad 
emendum  et  vendendum  per  totam  terrain  meam  quicquid  sibi 
placuit  ac  sibi  viderint  utile  aut  necessarium  libera  et  quiete 
sine  omni  tallagio  et  sine  omni  consuetudinario  demando.  Et 
ego  et  heredes  mei  banc  libertatem  iisdem  warrantizabimus  in 
perpetuum.  Et  ut  hac  libertas  rata  et  stabilis  perseyeret  in 
perpetuum  presenti  scripti  attestacione  et  sigilli  mei  impressi- 
one  earn  roboravi. 

Hiis  testibus  domino  Roberto  de  Penrys  Domino  Johanni 
de  Vilers  Henrico  Scurlagio  Philippo  de  Neth  Magistro 
Johanne  de  Sweynef^ea     Ada  Curyl  et  aliis. 

(Seal  of  green  wax,  in  excellent  preservation  save  a  fragment 
of  the  upper  margin.     Device^  a  lion's  head  erased.     Legend, 

...S  .  DNl  .  WILLEMI  .  DE  .  BREU8... 

The  grantor  of  this  charter  appears  to  have  been 
William  de  Braose  of  Gower,  who  succeeded  his  father 
of  the  same  name,  19  Ed.  I,  and  had  livery  of  his  inhe- 
ritance at  once.  His  mother  had  Gower  in  dower,  but 
exchanged  it  with  her  son  against  a  charge  upon  lands 
in  Sussex.  He  married  a  daughter  of  Thomas  de  Moul- 
ton,  usually  called  Aliva,  but  here  Agnes.  14  Ed.  II, 
1320-1,  William  contracted  to  sell  Gower  to  the  Earl  of 
Hereford,  having  previously  settled  it  upon  his  own 
daughter,  Olivia,  upon  her  marriage  with  John  de  Mow- 
bray, with  remainder,  failing  the  heirs  of  their  body, 
to  the  earl.  This  transaction  gave  rise  to  great  scandal, 
during  which  Hugh  le  Despencer,  then  in  the  ascend- 
ant, contrived  to  obtain  the  lordship  by  an  enforced  pur- 
chase. Of  the  witnesses,  the  Lord  Robert  de  Penrys 
was  of  Penrice  Castle  in  Gower ;  and  Philip  de  Neth 
was  seneschal  of  Gower,  witnessing  a  Bloncaynel  deed 
without  date,  in  company  with  Penrice.  John  de  Vilers 
does  not  appear  elsewhere ;  but  he  was,  no  doubt,  of  the 
family  of  Henry  de  Vilers,  who  witnesses  many  Gower 
deeds  a  little  earlier.  Various  members  of  the  Scurlage 
family,  of  Scurlage  Castle  in  Gower,  witness  Gower  and 
Margam  charters ;  but  this  is  the  only  appearance  of 


OF  MARGAM.  369 

Henry  Curyll  and  John  de  Sweynesea.     The  date  of 
this  charter  probably  lies  between  1291  and  1320. 

In  the  Spenser  Survey,  1320,  the  abbot  of  Margam 
held  one  fee  in  Langwith  or  Langewydd,  therefore  not 
extended.     (Meyric,  p.  23.) 

XLVIIL— [75  A,  27.] 

Universis  sancte  matris  ecclesie  filiis  ad  quos  presentes  litere 
peryenerint.  Frater  Johannes  permissione  divina  Episcopus 
Landavensis  salutem  in  eo  qui  est  omnium  vera  salus.  Cum 
nos  actualem  visitacionem  nostram  in  dyocesi  nostra  excercen- 
tes  religiosos  viros  Abbatem  at  Conventum  de  Margan  Cister- 
ciensis  ordinis  nostre  dyocesis  omnes  decimas  proprii  laboris 
in  parochia  de  Kenefeg' necnon  et  omnes  decimas  garbarum  ad 
dictam  ecclesiam  de  Kenefeg'  et  ad  omnes  capellas  ejusdem 
ecclesie  pertinentes  ac  eciam  omnes  decimas  proprii  laboris  pro- 
venientes  de  parochia  ecclesie  de  Novo  Castro.  Necnon  omnes 
decimas  garbarum  cum  omnibus  juribus  ecclesiasticis  ad  dictam 
ecclesiam  de  Novo  Castro  pertmentibus.  Et  omnes  decimas 
garbarum  capellarum  de  Laweleston  et  Tegestowe  ex  concessi- 
one  et  donacione  religiosorum  virorum  Abbatis  et  Conventus 
de  Teokesbur'  in  perpetuam  firmam  se  optinere  pretendentes 
ad  ostendendum  et  exhibendum  si  quod  pro  se  haberent  quare 
hujus  firmam  detinebant  contra  jura  ad  certos  diem  et  locum 
peremptorie  fecerimus  evocari  qui  per  fratrem  Thomam  Benet 
monachum  dicte  domus  procuratorem  sufficienter  constitutum 
ad  dictos  die  et  locu  comperuerunt  dicto  procuratore  muni- 
menta  et  instrumenta  quamplura  occasione  dicte  firme  nomine 
predictorum  rehgiosorum  virorum  de  Margan  predicto  exhi- 
benti  instanterque  petente  nomine  dominorum  suorum  predic- 
torum  ut  pote  sufiicienter  et  legittime  munitorum  ab  ex  animo 
nostro  se  dimitti  per  decretum.  Nos  vero  super  exhibit  volen- 
tes  plenius  deliberare  ad  faciendum  super  eisdem  prefato 
procuratori  nomine  dominorum  suos  certos  diem  et  locum  pre- 
fiximus.  Quibus  die  et  loco  prefato  procuratore  ut  prius  com- 
perente  visisque  instrumentis  et  munimentis  predicte  firme 
concessionis  et  plenarie  discussis  premissis  que  aliis  que  requi- 
rebantur  in  hac  parte  prefatos  Abbatem  et  Conventum  de  Mar- 
gan quo  ad  firmam  dictarum  decimarum  suflBcienter  munitos  in 
personam  dicti  procuratoris  ab  examine  nostro  dimisimus  per 
decretum.  In  cujus  rei  testimonium  sigillum  nostrum  presen- 
tibus  fecimus  apponi.  Datum  apud  Worleton  x""  kalendas 
Augusti  anno  Domini  millesimo  ccc"^*^  tricesimo  secundo.  [23 
Jiilii  1322.] 


370  CONTRIBUTION  TOWARDS  A  CARTULARY 

Worleton,  now  Duffryn  Golwch,  or  St.  Nicholas,  was 
long  an  episcopal  manor  and  seat.  A  later  bishop  con- 
veyed it  away  from  the  see,  and  it  was  for  very  many 
years  the  residence  of  the  Button  family. 

XLIX.— [Cfl/.  Rot  Patentium,  20  Ed,  II,  m,  6,  1326-7.] 
Pro  Ahbate  de  Morgan  de  Manerio  de  Kenton, 

Probably  this  patent  was  granted  during  Edwards 
stay  at  Margam,  at  the  close  of  his  reign  and  life,  for 
the  next  entry,  laying  an  embargo  upon  the  ports,  is 
dated  ''  apud  Morgan  4*"  Novembris.'' 

L. — Comitatus  Glamorganie  Tenia  apud  Kaerdif  die  Lune  proximo 
ante  festum  Sancti  Andree  apostoli  anno  regni  Regis  Edward 
tercii  post  conquestum  quarto  —  coram  Petro  de  Veel  Victcth 
mite  Glamorganie  et  Morgannok.  [Francis  MS8.1 

Abbas  Ecclesie  beate  Marie  de  Margan  optulit  se  versus 

Johannem  de  Woledon  in  placito quod  acquietet  dictum 

Abbatem  de  servicio  quod  Johannes  le  Flemrayag  de  Sancto 
Georgeo  ab  eo  exigit  de  libero  tenemento  quod  de  prefato 
Johanna  de  Woledon  tenet  in  Bonevylleston  unde  idem  Johan- 
nes de  Woledon  qui  medius  est  inter  eos  eum  acquietare  debet 
ut  dicit.  Et  unde  queritur  quod  pro  defectu  eius  distringatur. 
Et  predictus  Johannes  de  Woledon  summonitus  fuit  et  fecit 
defaltum  per  quod  preceptum  fuit  quod  attachietur.  Et  balli- 
vus  respondet  quod  nihil  habuit  in  balliva  sua  per  quod  attach- 
iari  potuit  per  quod  consideratum  fuit  quod  dictus  Johanna 
de  Woledon  distringet.  Et  quod  proclamacionem  fieret  in 
duobus  plenis  comitatibus  quod  predictus  Johannes  de  Wole- 
don veniret  ad  dictum  Abbatem  acquietandum  de  servicio  quod 
dictus  Johannes  le  Flemmyng  ab  eo  exigit  &c.  Et  ballivus 
respondet  quod  nihil  habuit  in  balliva  sua  per  quod  distringere 
potuit.  Et  proclamacio  facta  fuit  in  duobus  plenis  comitatibus 
videlicet  in  comitatu  tento  die  Lune  proximo  ante  festum 
omnium  Sanctorum  et  in  comitatu  tento  die  Lune  proximo  ante 
festum  Sancti  Andree  anno  supradicto  et  raodo  solempniter 
vocatus  et  non  venit.  Ideo  consideratum  est  quod  predictus 
Johannes  de  Woledon  amittat  servicium  predicti  Abbatis  et  a 

modo  et respondeat  sed  quod  predictus  Abbas  predict© 

Johanni  le  Flemmyng  de  servicio  suo  decetero  sit  intendens  et 
respondens.  Et  predictus  Johannes  le  Woledon  inde  imper- 
petuum  sit  exclusis  etc.      [xxvj***  Nov'*"  1330.) 

(Sigillo  araisso.) 


OF  MARGAM.  371 

LI. — Inq,  p.  Mortrm  Edwardi  le  Despenser  Chivaler  et   ElizahethcB 
Uxoris  ejus  ^c.     [49  E,  III,  2nd  pars.  No.  46,  1375-6.] 
Morgan  Ahhatia  de. 


LIL— [Oa/.  Rot.  Patent.  51  E.  Ill,  m.  27,  1377.] 

Quod  Abbas  de  Morgan  in  Wallia  possit  dare  Petro  de  Veel 
militi  in  feudo  quandain  placeara  terre  et  tenementum  vocatum 
Hosbridge  in  comitatu  Gloucestrie  in  escambio  pro  advocatione 
iEcclesie  de  Sancto  Fagano  Landavensis  diocesi. 


LIV.— [^a;/.  Chart.  75  A.  51.] 

Noverint  universi  legentes  et  audientes  banc  cartam  quod 
nos  Abbas  et  Conventus  Theokesburie  conventionavimus  Abbati 
et  Conventui  de  Margan  quod  de  illis  viginti  duobus  solidis 
quos  nobis  ipsi  reddunt  pro  Jordano  de  Hameledena  quamdiu 
ipse  vixerit  quod  de  illis  viginti  duobus  solidis  post  mortem 
ipsius  Jurdani  nichil  omnino  requiremus  a  domo  de  Margan. 
Set  ipsa  domus  inperpetuum  erit  inde  quieta  et  carta  de  Mar- 
gan quam  inde  habemus  ipsis  sine  omni  contradictione  resig- 
nabitur.  £t  super  hoc  fecimus  eis  cartam  nostram  in  testimo- 
nium. 

(Portions  of  two  seals  attached.) 

This  acknowledgment  by  the  Abbot  and  Convent  of 
Tewkesbury,  that  the  fine  of  22s.  (per  ann.)  was  to  be 
paid  to  them  by  Margam  during  the  life  of  Jurdan  de 
Hameleden,  is  without  date ;  neither  is  it  known  who 
Jurdan  was.  Jurdan  or  Jordan  was,  however,  a  name  in 
use  in  the  allied  Sandford  and  De  CardiflF  families ;  and 
Hameleden  has  been  shewn  to  have  descended  from  the 
former  family  to  the  latter  in  1197.  Jurdan,  therefore, 
may  have  been  a  De  Cardiff. 


LV.— [Ca/.  Rot.  Patent.  1  R.  II,  m.  26,  1377-8^.1 

''Pro  Abhate  de  Morgan,''  and  8  R.  II,  m.  9,  ''Pro    Abate  de 

Morgan  in  Wallia  J*' 


LVI. — Bailliage  de  Bovilliston  a  John  Dengs  par  VAbbi  et  Covent 
de  Morgan.     \_M.  B.  Cart.  Harl.  75  A.  45.] 

Ceste  endenture  faitz  Pan  du  regne  le  Roi  Edward  tierce  pus 
le  conqueste  sincqantun  tesmoigne  qe  PAbbe  et  Covent  de 
Morgan  ount  graunte  et  a  forme  bailie  a  John  Dcnys  de  Watir- 


372  CONTHIBUTION  TOWARDS  A  CARTULARY 

ton  iiij*  et  ix  acris  de  terre  deyns  le  fee  de  Bovillistou  duraont 
la  nonnage  de  John  Norreis  fitz  et  heir  a  John  Norreis  de 
Lache-Castel.  Rendaunt  chequn  an  duraunt  la  ferme  8usdite 
as  avaunt  diste  Abbe  et  Covent  en  le  feste  de  Seint  Michel 
xiijs.  iiijrf.  saunz  outre  delaie.  Et  qe  le  hure  qe  le  dist  John 
Denys  ne  face  la  paiement  de  xiij«.  iiijrf.  chequn  an  al  fest  de 
Seint  Michel  ou  deynz  le  quinseyme  procheyn  suaunt  lisce  (?) 
donqe  as  avaunt  ditz  Abbe  et  Covent  ouste  le  dist  John  et  ly 
forsclore  de  sa  ferme  et  de  tote  manere  action  de  la  terre  avaunt 
dist.  En  tesimoinaunce  de  quele  chose  lez  avauntditz  Abbe  et 
Covent  et  John  a  ceste  endenture  changablement  ount  mys  lour 
seals.  Don  a  Morgan  le  jour  Seint  Andreu  le  Apostle  Pan 
susdit.     [bV'  Edward  III"»%  30™«  Novembre,  1377.] 

John  Denys  was  probably  one  of  a  family  of  that 
name,  of  Gloucestershire  origin  and  connexion,  but  con- 
nected with  Glamorgan.  The  local  pedigree  commences 
with 

I.  William  Denys,  who  married  a  Turberville,  and 
had  John  Denys  living  1st  and  11th  Ed.  II.  William 
probably  had  also  a  son, 

II.  Richard,  who  married  Alison  Bren  or  Brent,  and 
had 

III.  Roger  or  Hoskyn  Denys,  who  married  Margaret, 
daughter  and  coheir  of  Sir  John  de  la  Bere.  They  had 
1,  Nicholas;  2,  Richard,  married  Alison  Berkerolles, 
and  had  Richard  ;  3,  William,  married  Joan,  daughter 
of  Thomas  le  Eyre,  and  had  Richard  ;  4,  Sir  Gilbert 
Denys,  who  also  married  an  Eyre,  and  had  William, 
married  Alice,  daughter  of  John  Norris,  lord  of  Sutton ; 
5,  John  Denys  of  Waterton  by  Bridgend,  married  Joan, 
daughter  of  Hopkin  Powell  Vachan,  and  had  Sir  Gilbert 
Denys. 

IV.  Nicholas  Denys,  called  by  others  son  of  William 
Denys  and  Alice  Norris,  from  whom  he  inherited  Can- 
tleston,  Knolton,  Cornellau,  Brynchanswell,  Nottage, 
Brocastle,  Corndon,  Sutton,  and  Llanvihangel, — manors 
which  came  to  his  daughter,  Joan,  by  his  wife,  Margaret 
Da  when  y. 

V.  Joan  Denys,  married  William  Chicheley,  and  had 
issue. 


OF   MARGAM.  373 

Denys  bore  '^asure,  a  bend  engrailed  between  three 
pards'  heads  jessant  fl.  de  lys  or." 

LVII,— [75  A.  12.] 

HenricQS  Dei  gratia  Rex  Anglic  et  Francie  et  Dominus 
Hibernie  justiciariis  vicecomitibus  senescallis  receptoribus  audi- 
toribus  ballivis  constabulariis  prepositis  et  omnibus  aliis  minis- 
tris  nostris  dominii  nostri  de  Oggemore  in  Suthwallia  et  eorum 
cuilibet  salutem.  Cum  nos  per  literas  nostras  patentes  datas 
sub  sigillo  nostro  Ducatus  nostri  Lancastrie  apud  castrum  nos- 
trum de  Wyndesore  terciodecimo  die  Julii  anno  regni  nostri 
vicesimo  sexto  ob  internam  affectionem  quam  ad  beatam  Virgi- 
nem  Mariam  matrem  Domini  nostri  Jesu  Christi  gerimus  et 
habemus  ac  pro  salute  et  succursu  anime  nostre  et  progenito- 
rum  nostrorum  quos  sancta  intercessione  sua  prse  aliis  mediis 
cum  opus  habuerit  certissime  ab  omnipotente  domino  credimus 
impetrari  volentes  Abbathiam  de  Morgan  in  Suthwallia  in 
honorem  ipsius  Beate  Marid  a  diu  fundatam  et  omnes  possessi- 
ones  ejusdem  diversis  libertatibus  quietanciis  immunitatibus  et 
privilegiis  ab  incursu  et  gravamine  aliorum  dominorum  magna- 
tum  et  eorum  ac  nostrorum  ministrorum  quorumcunque  protegi 
et  defendi  de  gratia  nostra  speciali  et  ex  mero  motu  et  certa 
sciencia  nostris  concesserimus  ratificaverimus  approbaverimus 
et  confirmaverimus  Abbati  Abbatie  predicte  et  ejusdem  loci 
conventui  et  monachis  in  eadem  degentibus  et  deo  servientibus 
et  successoribus  suis  imperpetuum  quod  ipsi  dominium  et  terras 
suas  inter  aquas  de  Oggemore  et  Garrewe  ab  eo  loco  ubi  Gar- 
rewe  cadit  in  Oggemore  usque  Rotheney  quantum  terra  sua 
durat  in  Suthwallia  habeant  et  teneant  de  nobis  et  heredibus 
nostris  in  perpetuam  elemosinam  imperpetuum.  Salvis  inde 
nobis  et  heredibus  nostris  antiqua  annua  feodi  firma  quadra- 
ginla  solidorum  prout  antea  reddere  consueverunt  scilicet 
viginti  solidos  ad  festum  Sancti  Michaelis  et  yiginti  solidos  ad 
Pascha  pro  omni  servicio  consuetudine  et  exactione  et  quod 
iidem  Abbas  et  successores  sui  inter  aquas  predictas  habeant 
curiam  suam  coram  senescallis  et  ballivis  suis  apud  Egliskeyn- 
wyre  de  tribus  septimanis  in  tres  septimanas  tenendam  et  potes- 
tatem  tenendi  et  cognoscendi  quolibet  anno  in  eadem  omnia 
placita  tam  personalia  quam  realia  et  mixta  et  assisas  tam  nove 
disseisine  quam  mortis  antecessoris  de  quibuscumque  terris  et 
tenementis  inter  aquas  predictas  et  de  quibuscumque  contracti- 
bus  transgressionibus  convencionibus  titulis  clameis  rebus  casi- 
bus  et  demandis  inter  aquas  predictas  contingentibus  factis  seu 
qualitercumque  emergentibus  et  ea  per  querelas  in  eadem  curia 
levandis  et  alia  debita  media  prosequendis  per  summoniciones 


374  CONTRIBUTION  TOWARDS  A  CARTULARY 

attachiamenta  districtiones  ac  capciones  personarum  per  earum 
insufficientes  et  alios  processus  legitimos  terminandis  ac  justi- 
ciam  et  justicia  de  eisdem  ultimate  faciendis  reddendis  et  ple- 
narie  exequendis  necnon  potestatem  et  auctoritatem  audiendi 
et  terminandi  in  eadem  curia  coram  eisdem  senescallis  et  balli- 
vis  omnia  et  omnimoda  felonias  transgressiones  et  alia  malefacta 
inter  easdem  aquas  qualitercumque  factas  seu  perpetratas  ac 
omnes  illos  quos  rebelles  inter  aquas  predictas  invenerint  justi- 
ficandi  imprisonandi  et  castigandi  quousque  recto  stare  volue- 
rint  et  justiciarii  se  permiserint  de  delictis  trans^ressionibus 
criminibus  et  offensis  que  perpetraverint  in  hac  parte  et  si  per 
eosdem  senescallos  et  ballivos  se  justiciari  reliquerunt  tunc  per 
Abbatem  Abbatie  predicte  vel  senescallos  et  ballivos  predictos 
pro  tempore  existentes  prisone  Castri  nostri  de  Oggemore  com- 
mittantur  ubi  eos  per  janitorem  ejusdem  absque  contradictione 
sua  recipi  voluerimus  quandocumque  evenerint  ibidem  tenend' 
quousque  justicientur  de  transgressione  et  iniquitate  et  rebelli- 
one  per  eosdem  perpetrato  et  plenam  satisfactionem  inde  fece- 
rint  et  quod  per  preceptum  dicti  Abbatis  pro  tempore  existentis 
seu  ejus  senescallorum  vel  ballivorum  suorum  ibidem  et  non 
aliter  post  hujusmodi  satisfactionem  factam  a  castro  et  prisona 
predictis  deliberentur  quieti  de  aliqua  prestacione  solucione  seu 
feodo  preterquam  de  quinque  denariis  pro  feodo  janitoris  castri 
predicti  sibi  pro  quolibet  ibidem  imprisonato  solvendis.  Et 
ulterius  ut  iidem  nunc  Abbas  et  Conventus  et  successores  sui 
Deo  in  ecclesia  Abbatie  predicte  poterint  in  antea  quiecius  de- 
servire  concessimus  eisdem  quod  ipsi  et  successores  sui  ac 
omnes  tenentes  eorum  et  residentes  in  feodo  dominico  et  domi- 
nio  eorundem  inter  aquas  predictas  decctero  sint  quieti  de 
omnibus  donis  theoloniis  auxiliis  talliagiis  nobis  aut  heredibus 
nostris  solvendis  sectis  et  adventibus  ad  comitatum  hundreda 
turna  commota  commortha  sessiones  justiciariorum  itinerantium 
et  aliorum  commissionariorum  nostrorum  et  alias  curias  nostras 
heredum  et  successorum  nostrorum  quorumcunque  in  perpe- 
tuam  elemosinam  imperpetuum  sal  vis  nobis  et  heredibus  nostris 
quadraginta  solidis  annuis  supradictis.  Set  super  eosdem  homi- 
nes et  residentes  in  curia  Abbatis  predicti  et  non  aliter  nee 
alibi  de  omnibus  rebus  et  casibus  emergentibus  fiat  justicia  ex- 
hibenda.  Et  insuper  de  uberiori  gratia  nostra  dederimus  con- 
cesserimus  ratificaverimus  et  confirmaverimus  predictis  nunc 
Abbati  et  Conventui  et  eorum  successoribus  in  perpetuam  ele- 
mosinam imperpetuum  omnimoda  fines  amerciamenta  exitus 
forisfactos  forisfacturas  et  redempciones  de  tenentibus  et  resi- 
dentibus  supradictis  vel  quovismodo  delinquentibus  in  dicta 
curia  sua  qualitercumque  facta  forisfacta  seu  cmcrgencia  et 


OF  MARGAM.  375 

catalla  felonum  et  fugitivorum  necnon  omnimodas  forisfacturas 
et  escaetas  omnium  terrarum  tenementorum  bonorum  et  catal- 
lorum  eorundem  tenendum  dicti  Abbatis  et  successorum  suo- 
rum  et  aliorum  residencium  infra  aquas  supradictas  felonum 
fugitivorum  seu  qualitercumque  dampnatorum  unacum  libera 
piscaria  in  dictis  aquis  quantam  terra  sua  de  Oggemore  se  ex- 
tendit.  Et  voluerimus  quod  bene  liceat  eisdem  nunc  Abbati 
et  Conventui  et  successoribus  suis  per  ministros  suos  se  in  seis- 
inam  eorundem  ponere  et  ea  pacifice  habere  et  possidere  abs- 
que aliqua  prosecucione  nobis  seu  ministris  nostris  pro  eisdem 
aliqualiter' facienda  licet  eadem  terras  tenementa  possessiones 
bona  seu  catalla  prius  in  manus  nostras  seu  heredum  nostrorum 
seisita  fuerint.  Et  insuper  volentes  eisdem  Abbati  et  Conven- 
tui et  successoribus  suis  de  omnibus  terris  et  possessionibus 
suis  securitatem  facere  luciorem  omnimodo  cartas  literas  paten- 
tes  scripta  munimenta  et  evidencias  de  omnibus  terris  tene- 
mentis  et  possessionibus  suis  tam  per  nos  et  progenitores  nos- 
tros  quam  per  alios  quoscumque  ante  hec  tempora  facta  inno- 
naverimus  ac  ea  et  omnia  et  singula  in  eis  contenta  eisdem  nunc 
Abbati  et  Conventui  et  successoribus  suis  pro  nobis  et  heredi- 
bus  nostris  approbaverimus  ratificaverimus  et  confirmaverimus 
licet  de  hiis  in  presentibus  expressa  mencio  facta  non  fuerit. 
Volentes  quod  si  quod  hiis  dono  et  concessione  nostris  in  ali- 
quo  prevaleat  Abbas  ibidem  pro  tempore  existens  effectual 
eorum  et  cujuslibet  eorum  habeat  et  eo  gaudeat  et  utatur  hiis 
dono  confirmacione  et  concessione  nostris  in  aliquo  non  obstante. 
Et  ulterius  concesserimus  pro  nobis  et  heredibus  nostris  pre- 
dictis  Abbati  et  Conventui  et  successoribus  suis  predictis  quod 
nee  ipse  Abbas  nee  successores  sui  de  aliquibus  libertatibus 
franchesiis  quietanciis  terris  tenementis  possessionibus  sectis  et 
privilegiis  eisdem  Abbati  et  Conventui  per  antea  datis  coUatis 
seu  per  eos  habitis  et  usitatis  ratione  accepcionis  presentis  carte 
nostre  aliqualiter  excludantur  vel  quovismodo  prejudicentur 
molestentur  inquietentur  seu  graventur.  Has  autem  donacio- 
nes  concessiones  innonaciones  confirmaciones  et  ratificaciones 
prefatis  nunc  Abbati  et  Conventui  et  successoribus  suis  fecimus 
in  puram  et  perpetuam  elemosinam  imperpetuum  ad  omnipo- 
tentis  dei  laudem  et  in  honorem  beate  Marie  Virginis  supra- 
dicte  et  pro  bono  statu  nostro  dum  vixerimus  et  salute  anime 
nostre  cum  ab  hac  luce  migraverimus  et  animarum  omnium 
progenitorum  nostrorum  et  omnium  fidelium  defunctorum.  Eo- 
quod  expressa  mencio  de  vero  valore  annuo  seu  aliquo  valore 
premissorum  seu  alicujus  eorundem  aut  de  aliis  donis  confirma- 
tionibus  ratificacionibus  restitucionibus  et  concessionibus  per 
nos  seu  progenitores  nostros  eisdem  nunc  Abbati  et  Conventui 


376  CONTRIBUTION  TOWARDS  A  CARTULARY 

seu  predecessoribus  suis  ante  hec  tempora  factis  in  presente 
facta  non  existit  aut  aliquo  statuto  acta  ordinatione  seu  restric- 
clone  incontrarium  factis  in  aliquo  non  obstante  prout  in  Uteris 
nostris  patentibus  supradictis  prefatis  Abbati  et  Conventui  et 
eorum  successoribus  superinde  confectis  plenius  potent  appa- 
rere.  Volumus  ac  vobis  et  vestrum  cuilibet  precipiraus  et  man- 
damus quod  prefatos  Abbatem  et  Conventum  et  successores 
suos  omnes  donaciones  concessiones  innovaciones  confirmacio- 
nes  et  ratificaciones  predictas  Uteris  patentibus  specifice  conten- 
tas  habere  gaudere  uti  et  tenere  pacifice  quiete  et  in  pace  per- 
mittant  et  quiUbet  vestrum  permittat  juxta  tenorem  et  eflFectum 
Uterarum  nostrarum  patencium  supradictarum.  Aceciam  tarn 
vobis  et  cuiUbet  vestrum  quam  deputatis  vestris  et  cujusUbet 
vestrum  prohibemus  ne  vos  aut  aliquis  vestrum  dictos  Abbatem 
et  Conventum  aut  successores  suos  contra  tenorem  et  effectum 
earundem  Uterarum  nostrarum  patencium  molestetis  inquietetb 
in  aU'quo  seu  gravetis  molestet  inquietet  in  aliquo  sive  gravet 
Datae  sub  sigillo  nostro  dicti  Ducatus  nostrse  terciodecimo  die 
Julii  anno  regni  nostri  vicesimo  sexto.     [13  June,  1428.] 

Per  biUam  signo  manuali  ipsius  Regis  signatam  signeto  Aquile 
sigiUato  et  de  data  predicta  auctoritate  parliament!. 

(L.  S,     Fragment  only.     Red  wax.) 

These  are  letters  of  H.  VI  to  the  officers  of  his  lord- 
ship of  Ogmore,  referring  to  a  charter  of  the  twenty- 
sixth  of  his  reign,  sealed  with  his  Duchy  of  Lancaster 
seal,  in  which  he  attests  his  affection  for  the  Virgin 
Mary  by  granting  to  St.  Mary  of  Margam  the  land 
between  the  rivers  Ogmore  and  Garw,  from  their  meet- 
ing to  Rotheney,  at  a  fee  rent  of  40«.  He  also  grants 
to  the  abbot  a  court  held  at  Egliskeynwyre,  with  certain 
very  ample  powers  here  set  forth,  including  the  use  of 
the  Duchy  prison  in  Ogmore  Castle.  Certain  liberties 
are  also  granted  to  the  tenants,  and  certain  fines  to  the 
abbot ;  free  fishing  in  the  waters,  etc. 

LVIII. 

Nos  Johannes  de  Obizis  decretorum  Doctor  Anglie  collector 
et  apostolicae  sedis  nuncius  rccepimus  de  domino  Abbate  de 
Morgan  Landavensis  diocesis  vij  soUdos  sterlingorum  de  procu- 
rationibus  nobis  debitis  de  anno  Domini  mcccc  xxxv®  de  quibus 
prefatum  dominum  Abbatem  et  ejus  monasterium  acquietamus 
per  presentes.  Datum  Londoniis  sub  nostro  sigillo  xj  die  men- 
sis  Julii  sub  anno  Domini  predicta  &c.     [1435.] 

(Seal  gone.     Deed  poll.     No  endorsement.) 


OF  MARGAM.  377 

This  is  the  usual  form  of  receipt  from  the  papal  col- 
lector for  England,  for  a  payment  of  Is.  for  procuration 
fees. 

hlX.-^lEscaet.  18  H,  Vl,  No.  3,  1439  40.] 
Isabella  nuper  Comitissa  Warto, — Morgan,  Advocacio  Ahbatie, 

Countess  Isabel,  as  heiress  of  the  De  Clares,  was  pa- 
troness of  Margam. 

Harl.  Charter  75  A.  ii  is  a  letter  by  H.  VI  to  Janves 
Lord  Audley  and  others  concerning  the  claim  of  William 
Morys  to  be  abbot  of  Strata  Florida,  which  mentions 
John  abbot  of  Build  was,  and  Thomas  abbot  of  Margam, 
as  visitors  of  the  Cistercian  order.  Dated  Shene,  3  March 
21  H:  VI,  1443. 

LX.— [Har/.  Cart  75  A.  7.] 

Nos  frater  Guillermus  Abbas  Clarevallis  Cisterciensis  ordinis 
Langonensis  dyocesis  notum  facimus  universis  quorum  interest 
et  interesse  debet  quod  venerabilis  co-abbas  noster  de  Morgan 
sicut  in  nostris  et  antiquis  ordinis  nostre  registris  reperimus 
est  frater  Abbas  et  visitator  immediatus  ordinario  jure  monas- 
teriorum  de  sancta  Cruce  de  Kyrieleyson  de  cboro  sancti  T3ene- 
dicti  et  de  Magiom  et  ad  nullius  jurisdiccionem  spectat  dicta 
monasteria  visitare  seu  in  eorum  captis  loco  seu  vice  visitaciono 
prebidere  nisi  manifeste  ac  temeriter  velit  patrem  Abbatum 
jurisdiccioni  contra  apostolicas  nostri  ordinis  instituto  dampna- 
biliter  derogare.  In  cujus  rei  fidele  testimonium  sigillum  nos- 
trum presentibus  duximus  appendendum  contra  sigillum  que 
nostrum  earum  dorso  imprimendum  die  quarta  mensis  August! 
anno  domini  millesimo  cccc®  quadragesimo  quinto.  [4  Aug. 
1445.] 

De  Poncello. 

(There  remains  appended  the  central  part  of  a  seal  of  the 
thirteenth  century,  with  the  figure  of  an  abbot  under  tabernacle- 
work,  and  the  legend,  ...gu,..ermi  abatis...  Tbe  counter-seal 
is  a  shield  of  arms  surmounted  by  a  hand  holding  a  pastoral 
ataff.    On  either  side,  s,  b.     Legend,  contra  sigillum  a.  b...) 


LXL— [^.  C  75,  A,  46.] 

Hec  indentura  facta  inter  Willielmum  Abbatem  Monasterii 

beate  Marie  de  Margan  et  ejusdem  loci  conventum  ex  parte 

una  et  Howell  ap  Jevan  ap  Jankyn  William  ap  Howell     David 

ap  Jevan  ap  David  the  ....  et  Grono  ap  David  dew  conjunc- 

;3ed  seb.,  vol.  XIV.  25 


378  CONTRIBUTION  TOWARDS  A  CARTULARY 

tira  et  divisim  ex  parte  altera  testatur  quod  predictus  Abbas  et 
Conventus  unacum  assensu  consensu  concesserunt  tradidernnt 
et  ad  firmam  dimiserunt  predictis  Howell  WilHelmo  David 
et  Grono  et  cuilibet  eorum  grangiam  de  terris  cum  pertinentiis 
suis  exceptam  bereiariam  ibidem  cum  pertinentiis  suis  ex  anti- 
quo  tempore  usitatam  et  exceptas  omnimodas  decimas  preter 
soloraodo  decimis  garbarum  et  exceptis  eciam  omnibus  proficiis 
proven tibus  emolumentis  curie  baronis  qualitercunque  perti- 
nentibus  et  exceptis  omnimodis  piscariis  ubicunque  ibidem  ac 
eciam  dictus  Abbas  et  Conventus  concesserunt  et  tradiderunt 
predictis  Howell  WilHelmo  David  et  Grono  quandam  par- 
cellam  terre  vocatam  Gamlase  cum  omnibus  pertinentiis  suis 
exceptis  omnibus  terris  in  manibus  tenencium  existencium  et 
exceptis  duabus  acris  terre  nuper  in  manibus  Jankyn  ap  Gre- 
gore  usque  ad  ulteriorem  ripam  aque  in  parte  boreali.  Haben- 
dum et  tenendum  predictam  grangiam  cum  omnibus  pertinen- 
tiis suis  predictis  exceptis  preexceptis  et  predictam  parcellam 
terre  cum  pertinentiis  suis  prefatis  Howell  Willielmo  David 
et  Grono  et  cuilibet  eorum  ad  terminum  viginti  annorum  post 
datum  presencium  et  mediate  sequencium  plenarie  complen- 
dorum.  Reddendo  inde  annuatim  predict!  Abbati  et  Conven- 
tui  et  eorum  successoribus  pro  predicta  grangia  decern  marcas 
sterlingorum  ad.  terminos  subscriptos  videlicet  quinque  marcas 
et  unum  carnocum  salis  ad  festum  Sancti  Michaelis  Archangel! 
et  quinque  marcas  ad  festum  sanctorum  apostolorum  Philippi 
et  Jacobi.  Reddendo  eciam  predicto  Abbati  et  Conventui  et 
eorum  successoribus.  pro  predictam  parcellam  terre  vocatam 
Gamlase  quinque  marcas  sterlingorum  sex  solidos  et  iij  denarios 
ad  festum  Assumpcionis  beate  Marie  Virginis.  Et  si  predict! 
Howell  Willielmus  David  et  Grono  obierunt  infra  terminum 
predictum  quod  absit  dicta  grangia  cum  omnibus  pertinentiis 
suis  et  predicta  parcella  terre  cum  omnibus  pertinentiis  suis 
dicto  Abbati  et  Conventui  et  eorum  successoribus  remanebunt 
sine  aliqua  contradiccione  hiis  indenturis  non  obstantibus.  Et 
predict!  Howell  William  David  et  Grono  tenentes  dictorum 
Abbatis  et  Conventus  super  feodum  de  Havodporth  quocunque 
colore  quesito  non  vexabunt  molestabunt  seu  quocunque  mode 
gravabunt  sed  si  predict!  tenentes  super  terras  ferme  eorum 
predicle  transgredi  contigerint  tunc  prepositus  seu  ballivus  dic- 
torum Howell  William  Da^id  et  Grono  predictis  tenentes 
ad  curiam  dictorum  Abbatis  et  Conventus  de  Havodporth  at- 
tachiabunt  et  secundum  qualitatem  delicti  per  juramentum  sex 
fide  dignorum  taxabuntur  et  predict!  Abbas  et  Conventus  me- 
dietatem  amerciamentorum  pro  transgressione  illic  facta  insuper 
diet!  Howell      William      David  et  Grono  predictam  grangiam 


OF  MAROAM.  379 

tarn  in  domibus  qnam  in  fossis  clausuris  reparabunt  manutene- 
bunt  et  sustentabunt  et  in  fine  termini  predicti  predictam  graa 
giam  cum  pertinentiis  suis  compu tenter  et  sumcienter  repara- 
bunt et  predictam  parcellam  terre  cum  pertinentiis  8uis  predictis 
Abbati  et  Conventui  et  eorum  successoribus  pacifice  dimittent. 
Percipiendo  maheremium  sufficiens  ad  usum  dicte  grangie 
per  visum  et  liberacionem  forestiariorum  vel  aliorum  quos 
Abbas  qui  pro  tempore  yoluerit  assignare.  Preterea  hec  inden- 
tura  testatur  quod  non  licebit  predictis  Howell  Willielmo 
David  et  Grono  dictam  grangiara  vendere  impugnare  aut  alie- 
nare  sine  licentia  dictorum  Abbatis  et  Conventus.  Et  si  pre- 
dictus  annualis  redditus  decem  marcarum  quinque  marcarutn 
sex  solidorum  viij  denariorum  et  unum  carnocum  salis  a  retro 
fuerit  in  parte  vel  in  toto  terminis  subscriptis  ex  tunc  bene 
liceat  dictis  Abbati  et  Conventui  et  eorum  successoribus  super 
feodum  dicte  grangie  et  terre  distringere  et  districciones  sic 
ibidem  captos  abducere  et  asportare  et  penes  se  retinere  donee  de 
predicta  annuali  firma  decem  marcarum  quinque  marcarum  sex 
solidorum  viij  denariorum  et  unum  carnocum  salis  unacuni 
aragiis  si  que  fuerint  plenarie  satisfactum  ac  eciam  si  predictus 
annualis  redditus  decem  marcarum  quinque  marcarum  sex  soli- 
dorum viij  denariorum  et  unum  carnocum  salis  a  retro  fuerit 
in  parte  vel  in  toto  per  unam  quindenam  post  terminos  superius 
limitatos  ex  tunc  bene  liceat  predictis  Abbati  et  Conventui  et 
eorum  successoribus  in  predictam  grangiam  et  predictam  par- 
cellam terre  cum  omnibus  pertinentiis  suis  reintrare  et  ea  paci- 
fice retinere  hiis  indenturis  in  aliquo  non  obstantibus  de  eciam 
predictus  conventus  habebunt  solaciura  in  predicta  grangia 
annuatim  in  die  Sancti  Theodorichi  presbiteri.  £t  si  contingat 
predictos  Howell  William  David  et  Grono  aut  aliquem  eo- 
rum dictam  grangiam  aut  aliquam  ejus  partem  vendere  impug- 
nare aut  aliquem  parcenarium  acceptare  aut  alienare  sine  licen- 
cia  dictorum  Abbatis  et  Conventus  aut  feloniam  coramittere  aut 
dominium  disclamare  aut  sufficiens  districcio  de  bonis  eorum 
super  feodum  dicte  grangie  et  terre  non  poterit  reperire  ex 
tunc  bene  liceat  dictis  Abbati  et  Conventui  et  eorum  successo- 
ribus in  dictam  grangiam  et  dictam  terram  cum  omnibus  perti- 
nentiis suis  intrare  et  ipsam  pacifice  retinere  hac  indentura  in 
aliquo  non  obstante.  £t  nos  vero  predicti  Abbas  et  Conventus 
dictam  grangiam  cum  pertinentiis  suis  in  dicta  parcella  terre 
cum  pertinentiis  suis  exceptis  preexceptis  Howell  Willielmo 
David  et  Grono  pro  nobis  et  successoribus  nostris  in  modo  et 
forma  predicta  durante  termino  supradicto  ut  premittitur  con- 
tra omnes  gentes  warentizabimus  et  defendemus  per  presentes. 
In  cujus  rei  testimonium  hujus  indenture  sigillo  parcium  pre- 

252 


380  CONTRIBUTION  TOWARDS  A  CARTULARY 

dictorum  alternatim  sunt  appensa.  Data  in  festo  Sancti  Micha- 
elis  archangeli  anno  regni  Regis  Edwardi  quarti  post  conques- 
tum  decimo.     [29  Sept.  1470.] 

The  grange  of  Havod-y-Porth,  hereby  leased  for  twenty 
years,  was  a  well-known  part  of  the  possessions  of  Mar- 
gam. 

LXIL— [75  A.  29.-] 

Noverint  universi  per  presentes  me  dorainum  Johannem  As 
ton  priorem  prioratus  Sancti  Jacobi  Bristollie  recepisse  et  habu- 
isse  die  confectionis  presencium  de  fratre  Bicardo  Stradlyng 
celerario  Monasterii  de  Margan'  iij/».  sterlingorum  de  annuali 
pencione  pertinente  ad  cenobium  Monasterii  deTewk'  solvenda 
a  festo  Omnium  Sanctorum  de  quibus  iij/t.  fateor  roe  solutum 
ante  idem  festum  videlicet  die  Translacionis  Sancti  Edwardi 
dictosque  Ricardum  et  conventum  monasterii  sui  inde  esse  qui- 
etos  per  presentes.  In  cujus  rei  testimonium  sigillum  meum 
apposui.  Datum  Bristol!*  xiij**  die  mensis  Octobris  anno  regni 
Regis  Henrici  septem  post  conquestum  Anglie  secundo.  [13 
Oct.  I486.] 

LXIII.— [if.  (7.  75,  A.  47.] 

Hec  indentura  facta  xix  die  Julii  anno  regni  Regis  Henrici 
octavi  octavo  inter  David  Abbatem  Monasterii  beate  Marie  de 
Morgan  et  ejusdem  loci  conventus  ex  una  parte  et  Germanum 
ap  Harolde  Kibo  ex  altera  parte.  Testatur  abbas  et  conventus 
unanimo  assensu  et  consensu  concesserunt  et  ad  terminum  dimi- 
serunt  prefato  Germane  unum  tenementum  edificatum  situatum 
in  Listallapont  vulgariter  nuncupatum  Puppit  et  quatuor  de- 
cem  acras  terre  arrabilis  vocate  Roffistowe  quatuor  acras  prati 
in  Rothismore  et  unam  clausuram  jaccntem  in  Portmannis  more 
in  feodo  de  Kibor  que  tenementum  et  cetera  premissa  nuper 
fuerunt  in  manibus  Thome  ap  David  ap  M [organ].  Habendum 
et  tenendum  predictum  tenementum  quatuor  decem  acras  terre 
quatuor  acras  prati  cum  clausura  in  Portmannis  more  prefato 
Germane  heredibus  et  assignatis  suis  a  die  confectionis  presen- 
tium  usque  finem  termini  septuaginta  annorum  ex  tunc  proxi- 
mo sequencium  plenarie  complendorum.  Reddendo  inde  annu- 
atim  prefatis  Abbati  et  Conventui  et  eorum  successoribus  tri- 
ginta  tres  solidos  et  quatuor  denarios  solvendos  in  festum 
Sancti  Michaelis  Archangeli  tantum  sect*  curie  et  htUtabit  (?) 
fiuccessie  post  quemlibet  decessum  cum  acciderit.  In  cujus  rei 
testimonium  uni  parti  hujus  indenture  remanentis  cum  prefato 
Germano  sigillum  conventuale  dicti  monasterii  est  appensum. 


OF  MARGAM.  381 

Altero  vero  parti  remanenti  cum  prefatis  Abbati  et  Conventui 
sigillum  dicti  Germani  est  appeusum.  Datum  apud  Morgan  in 
domo  capitulari  ibidem  die  et  anno  supra  dicto.  [19  Julii  1516.] 

Llystalybont  is  a  manor  north  of  Cardiff,  in  the  hun- 
dred of  Kibwr.  The  other  names,  whether  of  places  or 
persons,  are  lost. 

LXl\, "{Harl.  Ch.  75  A.  49.) 

. . .  .curie  domini  Johannis  Abbatis  de  Margan  ibidem  tente 
xj  die  Octobris  anno  regni  Regis  Henrici  octavi  undecimo 
coram  Thoma  ap  David  ap  Ho  tunc  ibidem  senescallum. . . . 
predicte  curie  inquisicio  ex  officio  ibidem  capta  ad  inquirendum 
de  metis  et  boundis  terrarum  et  tenementorum  existentium  inde 
in  manibus  Thome  ap  Gruff,  ap  David  Echm  vocati  Pen  cuith 
Wanlod  vi  per  sacramentum  David  Dyo  Llewelyn  David  ap 
Jevan  ap  Rees  et  Llewelyn  ap  Gruff.  Goch  et  Richardi  Hop- 
kyns  d...  Grono  David  Dew  Thome  Hopkyn  Jevan  ap 
Gruff.  Fohit  GVli  Gruff.  Hyr  Thome  Morgan  Tlioine 
Dyo  ap  Yti  et  Jankyn  ap  Gruff.  Hyr  qui  jurati  et  onerati  dicunt 
per  eorum  sacramentum  quod  mete  et  bounde  terrarum  et  tene- 
mentorum predictorum  cum  pertinentiis  sunt  ab  angulo  clau- 
sure  Johannis  Thury  sic  ultra  lacum  usque  lether  teley  et  sicut 
ducente  ab  ilia  th'  lether  telley  usque  alteram  viara  et  ab  altera 
via. . .  .ducente  per  moram  ibidem  vocatam  Gorss' usque  ad 
locum  vocatum  Talken  et  Henglowth  et  ab  alta  via  vocata.  •  •  • 
usque  locum  vocatum  Gorss*. . .  .hoc  loco. . .  .per. . . . 

[9  Oct.  1519.] 

LXV.— [^ar/.  Ch.  75,  A.  48.] 

Hec  indentura  facta  apud  Morgan  quarto  decimo  die  Maii 
anno  rcgni  Regis  Henrici  octavi  decimo  septimo  inter  Johan- 
nem  Gd  (?)  Abbatem  in  ....  virginis  de  Morgan  et  ejusdem 
loci  conventus  ex  parte  una  et  David  ap  John  ap  Howel  ex 
parte  altera  testatur  quod  predictus  Abbas  et  Conventus  tradi- 
d[erunt]  et  ad  firmam  dimiserunt  prefato  David  ap  John  unam 
placeam  vacuam  ad  edificandum  molendinum  fuUonicum  ubi- 
cunque  sibi  placuerit  super  aquara. . .  .infra  precinctum  tenure 
sue  cum  cursubus  aquarum  eidem  molendino  pertinentibus  et 
aliis  necessitatibus  et  asiamentis  eidem  molendino  per...  con- 
cesserunt  prefato  David  unam  parcellam  terre  vaste  que  voca- 
tur  Blayn  maluke  v...  prout  jacet  et  ducet  a  dicto  loco  Blayn 
maluke  usque  viam  vocatam  Blayn  y  Come  et  ilia  vadit  usque 
lacunam  vocatam  Llyndowr  cum  decern  acris  prati  montanie 
mensure  Wallensie  situati  in  boreali  parte  dicte  Llyn  ddwr  et 


382  COKTItlBUTlON  TOWARDS  A  CARTULARY 

sic  usque  viam  ducentem  versus  monasterium  de  Morgan  usque 
Pant  yssa  subtus  Lie  te  y  caduo  et  sic  ducentem  ab  illo  loco 
usque  rivulum  vocatum  Malecko  una  cum  omnibus  boscis  ex- 
istentibus  apud  Blayn  cova  Kensigan  oriental!  parte  bosci  con- 
cessi  Morgano  ap  Thomas  Robert.  Habendum  et  tenendum 
predictam  placeam  et  ad  edificandum  molendinum  fullonicum 
cum  cursu  aquarum  et  aliis  asiamentis  eidem  in  • . . .  pertinen- 
tibus  una  cum  predicta  parcella  terre  vasti  et  bosci  sicut  pre- 
dictum  est  prefato  David  ap  John  ap  Ho[well]  heredibus  et 
assignatis  suis  a  die  confeccionis  presencium  usque  ad  finem 
termini  et  per  terminum  octoginta  annorum  ex  tunc  proximo 
sequentium  et  plenarie  complendorum  post  datum  presencium. 
Reddendo  inde  annuatim  prefatis  Abbati  et  Conventui  et  suc- 
cessoribus  suis  viginti  denarios  in  termino  Michaelis  et  herie- 
tum  cum  acciderit  videlicet  unum  arietem.  Et  ulterius  licet 
prefatis  Abbati  et  successoribus  suis  pro  defectu  solucionis  red- 
ditus  predicti  distringere  et  districciones  retinere  usque  dictum 
redditum  persolutum  fuerit  sicut  patet  in  regalem  indeniu- 
ram  (?)  Et  insuper  predicti  Abbas  et  Con  vent  us  et  successores 
sui  predictam  placeam  ad  edificandum  molendinum  predictum 
cum  cursibus  aquarum  et  suis  pertinentiis  una  cum  predicta 
parcella  terre  vasti  et  bosci  sicut  predictum  est  prefato  David 
ap  John  heredibus  et  assignatis  suis  contra  omnes  gentes  waran- 
tizabunt  durante  termino  predicto  in  modo  et  forma  predicta. 
In  cujus  rei  testimonium  hiis  indenturis  partes  predicti  tarn 
sigillum  commune  monasterii  predicti  quam  sigillum  dicti  David 
alternatim  sunt  appensa.  Data  in  domo  capitulari  monasterii 
antedicti  die  loco  et  anno  supradictis.     [14  Maii  1525.] 

[H.  a  75  A.  49.] 

This  is  a  copy  of  the  court  roll  of  John  abbot  of  Mar- 
gam,  recording  an  ez  officio  inquisition  upon  the  metes 
and  bounds  of  their  lands  in  the  hands  of  Thomas  Grif- 
fith ap  David  Ech'm  at  Peniarth  Wanlod.  (9th  Oct. 
1519.) 

[H.a  75^.48.] 

Lease  by  Abbot  John  and  the  convent  to  David  ap 
John  ap  Howell,  of  land  to  build  a  fulling  mill,  with 
water-rights,  etc.,  also  other  lands,     (14  May,  1526.) 

G.  T.  C. 


OF  MARGAM. 


383 


EPITAPH    IN    MARGAM    CHURCH, 

In  ^emoriam 
EVANI    RISE. 


Upon  a  brass  plate  placed  against  a  pier  in  the  south  ai»le  of 
Margam  Church  are  inscribed  the  following  Latin  lines,  reputed 
to  be  from  the  pen  of  Dr.  Freind  : 


"  Voe  qui  colitis  Hubertum 
Inter  divoe  jam  repertum 
CumacfQe  qaod  concedens  fatis 
Ktiliqmt  vobis,  insonatis 
Lato0  solvito  clamores 
In  aingultos  et  dolores 
Nam  quis  non  tristi  souet  ore 
Couclamato  venatore  ? 
Aut  ubi  dolor  Justus  nisi 
Ad  tumulnm  Evani  Risi 
Hie  per  abrupta  et  per  plana 
Nee  tardo  pede  nee  spe  vana 
Cauibus  et  telis  egit 
Omne  quod  iu  silvis  degit 
Hie  evolavit  mane  puro 
Et  ceryis  ocjor  et  Eui*o 
Venaticis  intentus  rebus 
Tunc  cum  medius  ardet  Phcebus 
Indefessus  adhuc  quando 
Idem  occidit  venando 


Vou  wbo  Hubert  do  revere. 

Who  witb  saints  hath  now  his  sphere, 

And  that  horn  delight  to  blow, 

Which  he,  dyuxg,  left  below, 

Give  to  vour  passion  full  relief, 

Your  sobs,  vour  sorrows,  and  your  s^ef. 

Wlio  would  not  sound  with  saddened 

breath, 
Hunter's  horn  at  huntsman's  death? 
Or  where  are  tears  so  justly  shed 
As  where  our  Evan  Rice  Uee  dead  ? 

Evan,  o'er  precipice  and  plain. 
With   foot  ne'er  slow,  and  cast  ne'er 

vain, 
With  dogs  and  weapons  knew  to  urge 
All  harbourers  in  the  woodland  verge  | 
Fleeter  than  hart  or  glancing  hind, 
His  early  step  outstripped  the  wind. 


Ye,  who  hold  as  patron  fitting, 
Hubert,  now  in  glory  sitting; 
And  delight  that  bom  in  blowing. 
Which  he  dropped  when  heavenward  go- 

Let  your  trumps  sad  music  borrow ; 

Change  cheerv  whoops  for  sobs  of  sorrow. 

What  hunte/s  notes  could  joy  be  show- 
ing. 

While  death  our  huntsman's  mort  is  blow- 
ing? 


At  vos  venatura  illo  duce 
Alia  non  surgetis  luce 
Nam  mors  mortalium  venater 
Qui  ferina  nunquam  satur 
Cursum  prsevertit  humanum 
Proh  dolor !  rapuit  Evannm 
Nee  meridies  nee  aurora 
Vobis  reddet  ejus  ora 
Rest4tt  illi  nobis  flenda 
Nox  perjHitua  dormienda 
Finivit  multa  laude  motuui 
In  ejus  vita  longe  notum 
Reliquit  equos  cornu  canes 
Tandem  quiescant  ejus  maiies. 

Evano  Rise 

Thomas  Mauael 

Servo  fidoli 

Dominus  benevolus. 

P.  ob.  1702." 


Still  was  he  found  on  sport  intent, 
When  midway  Phcabus  course  was  spent. 
And  still  unwearied  was  his  quest 
When  set  Sol's  splendour  in  the  west. 

O,  ne'er  again  shall  Evan's  horn 
Arouse  our  hunt  at  early  morn ! 
Death,  that  hunter  of  our  race, 
Never  satiate  vrith  his  chase. 
Spoiling  each  sport  of  mortal  birth, 
Has  run  our  huntsman  now  to  earth. 
No  light  of  day  shall  evermore 
Evan  to  our  eyes  restore  ; 
His  is  night  and  endless  sleep. 
Ours  the  loss  that  now  we  weep. 
Well,  'mid  plaudits  justly  won. 
His  long  course  of  life  is  run  ; 
Hounds,  horses,  horn,  behind  him  cast, 
May  he  rest  in  peace  at  last ! 

G.  T.  C. 


And  say,  whose  tomb  demands  more  sigh- 
ing 
Than  this  where  Evan  Rice  is  lying. 
Evan,  who  taught  our  hounds  to  follow 
O'er  mountain,  plain,  and  valley  hollow, 
With  swiftest  foot  and  surest  cunning, 
Every  beast  in  forest  running. 
He  at  the  hour  when  daybreak  freezes 
Started  swift  as  stags  or  breezes ; 
Still  intent  pursued  liis  hunting, 
Sol's  meridian  blaze  confronting ; 


384 


EPITAPH,   ETC. 


Still  urged  the  chase,  no  respite  needing, 
When  Phcebns  to  his  oonch  was  speeding. 
Never  again  shall  morning  breaking 
Find  him  onr  earlv  sport  partaking. 
Death,  alas !  that  hnnter  sony. 
Ever  keen  for  hnman  quarry, 
Spoiling  at  last  each  hmit'neath  Heaven, 
Has  run  to  earth  our  huntsman,  Evan. 
Daylight  beams,  how  bright  soever, 
Shall  bring  his  &ce  amongst  us  never. 


All  ye  who  kneel  at  Hubert's  shrine, 
Now  numbei-ed  with  the  saints  divine, 
Who  love  the  huntsman's  horn  to  wind, 
Which  to  you,  dying,  he  resigned. 
Lift  up  your  voice  with  mournful  cries, 
Spare  not  your  sobs  and  heartfelt  sighs. 
Who  lives,  that  would  not  hear  with  pain. 
The  huntsman's  summons  sound  in  vain  r 
Or  where  should  tears  more  justly  come 
Than  here,  by  Evan  Bice's  tomb  r 
His  was  the  joy,  o'er  dale  and  hill. 
With  rapid  pace  and  huntsman's  skill. 
To  follow  up  with  gun  and  hound 
All  game  on  woodland  to  be  found. 
His  was  the  foot,  than  winds  more  fleet 
The  early  breath  of  mom  to  g^reet  j 
Nor  could  the  sultry  noon  prevent 
His  ardour,  on  the  chase  intent; 


All  you,  whoever  yon  may  be, 
Who  to  St.  Hubert  bend  the  knee. 

As  many  've  done  before  us ; 
Who  love  the  horn  he  left  to  blow, 
To  the  wide  world  proclaim  your  woe. 

And  shout  your  grief  in  chorus. 

With  visage  sad  that  horn  you*  11  sound. 
For  Evan  Kicc  is  gone  to  ground. 

In  vain  you  whoop  and  hoUoa, 
No  more  he'  II  rise  the  mom  to  meet, 
Or  brave  the  fierce  meridian  heat 

Of  Phoebus  (caUed  Apollo). 

He  was  the  boy,  with  dog  or  gun. 
For  every  kind  of  sporting  fun ; 
Unmatched  his  speed  and  bottom ; 


His  is  night's  eternal  sleeping, 
Ours  the  loss  these  tear*  are  weepine. 
At  length,  witii  just  renown  attended. 
He  his  lifelong  course  has  ended; 
Horses,  hounds,  and  horn  resigning. 
Rest  be  his  without  repining ! 

To  Evan  Rice, 

Thomas  Mansel. 

To  a  ^ood  servant, 

A  kind  master. 

H.  S.  D. 


Still  eager  when  the  day  was  done, 
Untired  he  viewed  the  setting  sun. 
Alas !  for  you  his  hunting  's  o'er ; 
For  you  he*  11  lead  the  field  no  more ; 
For  Death,  grim  hunter  of  us  all, 
Greedy  of  game,  both  great  and  small. 
Who  every  mortal's  course  cuts  short, 
Has  put  a  stop  to  Evan's  sport 
Nor  shall  tomorrow's  coming  mom 
Restore  him  to  his  friends  forlorn. 
For  him  perpetual  darkness  reigns. 
For  us,  regret  alone  remains. 
Finished  his  life,  his  name  descends 
Praised  and  respected  bv  his  friends. 
Hom,  horses,  hoimds,  all  left  behind, 
God  grant  his  soul  repose  may  find ! 

C.  R.  M.  T. 


Mountain  or  flat  to  him  the  same. 

Till  sunset  he  pursued  his  game. 

And  never  fiuled  to  pot  'em. 

But  you  won't  hunt  with  him  again. 
For  Death,  the  hunter  of  all  men. 

Has  taken  Evan  from  us. 
Whose  greedy  maw  no  mortal  spares. 
But  cuts  'em  short,  and  nothing  cares 

For  Evan,  John,  or  Thomas. 

In  life  he  was  a  well-known  crack. 
Alas !  you'll  never  get  him  back. 

Tet  one  thing  very  plain  is. 
That  tho'  of  Evan  we  re  ber^ 
We'  ve  got  his  hounds  and  horses  left. 

So  peace  be  with  his  manes ! 

C.  R.  M.  T. 


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<6 


GROUP  OF  ANCIENT  HABITATIONS 


385 


ON    THE    REMAINS    OF    ANCIENT    CIRCULAR 
HABITATIONS    IN    HOLYHEAD    ISLAND, 

CALLED    CYTTIAU*R    GWYDDELOD,    AT   TY    MAWR, 
.  ON  THE  8.W.  81DB  OF  HOLYHEAD  MOUNTAIN. 

BY   THE   HON.   WILLIAM   OWEN   STANLEY,  M.P. 

In  many  parts  of  Anglesey,  but  particularly  near  Holy- 
*  head,  are  to  be  seen  in  rough  and  uncultivated  districts 

J  of  heathy  ground,  over  which  the  plough  has  never 

passed,  certain  low  mounds,  which  on  examination  are 
found  to  be  formed  of  a  circular  wall  of  stones,  but  are 
now  covered  with  turf  and  dwarf  gorse  or  fern.  These 
walls  generally  enclose  a  space  of  from  fifteen  to  twenty 
feet  in  diameter,  with  a  doorway  or  opening  always 
facing  the  south-east,  and  having  two  large  upright 
stones  about  four  or  five  feet  high  as  door-posts.  These 
sites  of  ancient  habitations  are  usually  in  clusters  of  five 
or  more^  but  at  Ty  Mawr  on  Holyhead  Mountain  they 
form  a  considerable  village  of  more  than  fifty  huts,  still 
to  be  distinctly  traced.  These  villages  are  usually 
\  placed  in  positions  sheltered  by  rising  ground  from  the 
^  north-west  winds,  and  are  generally  protected  from 
hostile  attack  by  rude  enclosure  walls  of  dry  masonry  or 
by  precipitous  rocks.  Such  remains  of  circular  habita- 
tions have,  time  out  of  mind,  been  called  "Cyttiau'r 
Gwyddelod,*'  or  Irishmen's  Huts;  but,  as  Rowlands  in 
his  Mona  Antigua  observes,  this  is  a  vulgar  error,  if  by 
Gwyddelod  be  meant  the  inhabitants  of  Ireland,  who 
never  inhabited  Anglesey  so  as  to  have  left  any  remains 
of  their  creals  and  cottages  behind  them,  seldom  staying 
long  in  it:  but,  "if  by  Gwyddelod  be  meant  the  abori- 
gines, the  first  inhabitants,  as  it  is  not  unlikely  it  may, 
for  the  two  words  that  make  up  that  name  are  purely 
British,  viz.  Gwydd  and  Hela,  i.e.  wood-rangers,  which 
was  perhaps  the  common  appellation  of  the  aborigines, 
lost  with  us,  and  retained  only  by  the  Irish,  then  the 
objection  falls  to  the  ground,  and  the  instance  confirms 


386  ANCIENT  CIRCULAR  HABITATIONS 

the  conjecture  that  they  are  the  remains  of  the  first 
planters'  habitations,  while  they  were  destroying  the 
woods  and  cultivating  the  country."^ 

In  connexion  with  the  supposed  tradition  that  would 
ascribe  these  sites  of  dwellings  to  Irish  occupants,  I  may 
refer  to  a  very  interesting  memoir  in  the  ArchcBological 
Journal^  on  the  "cloghauns,"  or  ancient  habitations  of  a 
similar  nature,  in  the  County  of  Kerry  in  Ireland,  by 
Mr.  George  V.  Du  Noyer,  who  states  that  the  Rev.  C. 
Graves,  D.D.,  now  Bishop  of  Limerick,  informed  hira, 
during  the  meeting  of  the  British  Association  at  Dublin 
in  1857,  "that  he  was  acquainted  with  a  Welsh  poem 
of  undoubted  antiquity  and  authenticity,  wherein  was 
given  a  description  of  the  earliest  stone  houses  erected 
in  Wales.  It  was  stated  that,  in  the  time  of  Caractacus, 
the  Welsh  cut  down  all  their  great  forests  in  order  to 
render  their  country  less  tenable  to  the  invading 
Romans  ;  and,  as  they  had  hitherto  constructed  their 
houses  of  wood,  when  this  timber  failed  them  they 
adopted  the  Irish  form  of  stone  houses,  that  of  the  bee- 
hive, constructed  of  dry  masonry,  a  mode  of  building 
hitherto  unknown  in  Wales.  This  interesting  record 
fixes  the  date  of  the  Welsh  cloghauns,  and  affords  us 
strong  evidence  of  the  antiquity  of  that  form  of  house 
in  Ireland."^ 

We  have  also  numerous  vestiges  of  such  ancient 
habitations  in  various  parts  of  England,  amongst  which 

»  Rowlands*  Mona  Antigua,  p.  27,  ed.  1 766.  The  Rev.  W.  Wynn 
Williaips  gives  an  account  and  map  of  a  remarkable  example  of  cyttiau 
at  a  fortified  village  near  Porthamel,  in  the  parish  of  Llanedwen, 
Anglesey.  {Arch.  Oamb.,  xiii,  third  series,  p.  2S1).  The  internal  dia- 
meter of  the  largest  of  these  circular  sites  is  30  feet. 

*  ArchtBol,  Journal,  vol.  xv,  p.  22.  A  writer  in  the  Archtsologia 
Cambrensis,  vol.  v,  third  series,  p.  307,  criticised  somewhat  severely 
the  suggestion  received  from  the  learned  prelate,  as  above  stated,  by 
Mr.  Du  Noyer,  whose  reply  is  given,  ibid.,  vol.  vi,  p.  148,  where  he 
cites  as  his  authority  the  curious  tale  published  in  the  lolo  MSS.  by 
the  Welsh  MS.  Society,  entitled  "The  Account  of  Caradoc."  The 
poem  is  doubtless,  as  Mr.  Du  Noyer  observes,  not  of  **  undoubted  an- 
tiquity;''  but  the  description  given  in  it  of  the  beehive  stone  hut  is  so 
perfectly  applicable  to  that  of  the  cloghaun,  that  it  well  merits  the  at- 
tention of  the  antiquary. 


IN    HOLYHEAD  ISLAND.  387 

may  be  cited  a  bee-hive  hut  to  be  seen  in  Cornwall,  at 
Bosphrennis  in  the  parish  of  Zennor,*  as  described  by 
the  Rev.  E.  L.  Barnwell ;  and  remains  in  the  same 
county,  by  Sir  Gardner  Wilkinson. 

The  circular  form  for  their  dwellings  seems  to  have 
been  almost  universally  adopted  by  the  earliest  races  of 
men  in  all  countries.  The  nomad  tribes  of  the  East, 
the  earliest  of  all,  formed  their  circular  tents  with  a  few 
poles,  probably  covered  with  skins  before  the  invention 
of  cloth  made  of  camel's  hair,  removing  their  tents  from 
time  to  time  as  they  required  fresh  pasture  for  their 
flocks  and  herds.  The  savage  tribes  also  of  Africa,  the 
wild  Indians  of  America,  the  Islanders  of  the  Pacific, 
the  inhabitants  of  New  Guinea,  who  construct  circular 
houses  on  platforms  over  the  water,  like  the  ancient 
lake-dwellers  on  the  Swiss  lakes,  the  Esquimaux,  with 
their  ice-formed  huts,  and  the  Lapps,  all  adopt  the  cir- 
cular form  to  this  day.  An  ancient  race  of  men  scooped 
out  circular  domed  holes  in  the  chalk  and  gravel  near 
Salisbury,  covering  the  top  with  wattle  and  baked  clay. 
When  man  in  his  rude  state  only  required  shelter  from 
the  heat  or  inclemency  of  the  weather,  the  circular  form 
was  the  easiest  of  construction,  and  also  that  best  suited 
to  resist  the  force  of  wind  and  rain,  or  even  the  attacks 
of  wild  beasts.  The  one  entrance  gave  sufficient  light, 
and  the  cooking  was  either  conducted  outside  in  pits,  or 
the  boiling  was  contrived  within  the  hut,  by  means  of 
stones,  heated  outside  the  dwelling  and  then  placed  in 
a  raw  skin  filled  with  water,  or,  as  civilisation  gained 
ground,  in  rude  earthen  vessels,  which,  in  early  times, 
may  not  have  been  sufficiently  hard  and  well  baked  to 
bear  exposure  to  the  open  fire. 

In  the  autumn  of  186'2,  Mr.  Albert  Way  being  with 
me  at  Penrhos,  I  directed  two  or  three  of  the  circular 
huts  at  Ty  Mawr  to  be  cleared  of  the  turf  and  stones 
from   the   fallen   roof  which  filled   the   interior.     On 

*  Arch,  Camb.,  vol.  ix,  third  series,  p.  120.  Blight's  Churches  of 
West  Cornwall^  p.  139.  British  Walls^  by  Sir  G.  Wilkinson,  Journ, 
Brit.  Arch,  Assoc,  1861,  p.  I. 


388  ANCIENT  CIRCULAR  HABITATIONS 

clearing  out  one  of  the  most  perfect  of  these  circular 
mounds,  which  stood  somewhat  apart  from  the  other 
clusters  of  huts  that  extend  along  the  flank  of  the 
mountain,  we  found  that  the  interior  had  been  divided 
across  the  centre  by  a  line  of  flat  stones  placed  upright 
in  the  ground  on  the  floor  of  the  hut.  They  were  about 
2  feet  high  and  2  inches  thick  ;  there  was  a  passage  left 
in  the  middle,  and,  to  the  right,  on  entering  the  space 
inside  this  division,  there  W8is  a  square  fire-place,  formed 
on  two  sides  by  flat  stones  or  jambs  placed  at  right 
angles  to  the  division  before-mentioned,  and  forming  the 
back  of  the  fire-place.  It  was  about  18  in.  wide,  and 
2  ft.  deep,  open  in  front.  When  first  discovered,  it  was 
half  filled  with  round  stones  and  flat  pebbles  about  the 
size  of  the  hand,  which  had  apparently  been  collected 
from  the  sea-shore ;  all  these  had  undoubted  marks  of 
having  been  heated  in  the  fire.  There  was  also  the  ap- 
pearance of  great  heat  having  been  applied  to  the  sides 
and  back-slab  of  the  fire-place,  but  we  noticed  no  re- 
mains of  charcoal  or  ashes  mixed  with  the  stones.  On 
the  right  of  the  fire-place,  in  a  niche  or  cavity  made  in 
the  outer  wall  of  the  hut,  we  found  some  handfuls  of 
limpet  and  periwinkle  shells,  no  doubt  relics  of  the  food 
of  the  ancient  inmates.  A  saddle-shaped  quern  of  coarse 
grit,  a  rubbing-stone  or  grinder  of  the  same  grit-stone, 
with  another  of  granite,  were  found  on  the  floor  of  the 
hut ;  also  a  small  perforated  circular  stone,  about  one 
inch  in  diameter,  of  the  kind  usually  supposed  to  have 
been  whorls  for  spinning.  A  core  of  hard  trap  (figured 
in  the  supplementary  notices)  had  the  appearance  of 
having  been  chipped  to  obtain  flakes  for  arrow-heads ; 
and  here  and  there  other  stones  had  indications  of  hav- 
ing been  used  as  hones  for  sharpening  celts  or  other 
instruments,  or  for  pounding  substances  used  as  food, 
or  breaking  bones  to  extract  the  marrow.  All  these 
relics,  of  which  representations  accompany  this  memoir, 
seem  to  indicate  a  stone  age  of  early  date.  No  frag- 
ments of  pottery  or  iron  were  found.  In  the  other  huts 
excavated  there  was  no  sign  of  any  division  in  the  centre 
or  of  any  fire-place. 


IN    HOLYHEAD  ISLAND.  389 

In  the  year  1830,  the  tenant  of  Ty  Mawr  farm,  Hugh 
Hughes,  on  removing  some  of  the  large  stones  near  the 
huts,  found  underneath  them  a  considerable  number  of 
bronze  spear-heads  of  different  forms  and  sizes ;  also 
well-formed  bronze  celts,  axe-shaped  and  socketed,  with 
rings  of  various  sizes,  armlets,  and  many  red  amber 
beads.  Representations  of  the  most  interesting  of  these 
relics  accompany  the  present  memoir.^ 

The  situation  of  the  village  is  on  the  south-west  slope 
of  Holyhead  Mountain,  above  Ty  Mawr  farm,  and  ex- 
tending from  the  road  and  gate  leading  to  the  South 
Stack  Lighthouse,  about  600  yards  towards  the  east.  It 
is  well  sheltered  from  the  north  by  a  steep  face  of  rock 
and  the  flank  of  the  mountain.  An  accurate  survey  has 
been  made  by  my  agent,  Mr.  T.  P.  Elliott :  about  fifty 
circular  huts  are  easily  traced,  as  marked  on  the  plan, 
but  there  are  indications  of  many  more  which  haf  e  been 
nearly  obliterated  by  the  cultivation  of  the  land  and  by 
removal  of  the  stones  for  building  walls  as  fences. 
These  dwellings  are  placed — some  singly — some  clus- 
tered together — without  any  regular  plan ;  some  have 
smaller  circular  rooms  attached,  without  a  separate  ex- 
ternal entrance,  similar  to  those  described  as  existing  in 
the  Kerry  cloghauns,  and  supposed  to  have  been  dog- 
kennels  :  very  probably  the  dogs  for  the  chase  were  kept 
in  them.  The  entrance  is  always  facing  the  south- 
west, and  some  of  the  large  upright  door-posts  are  still 
standing. 

The  village  is  placed  on  a  flat  terrace  of  ground,  about 
60  yards  wide  on  the  north-east,  but  double  that  width 
on  the  south-west.  An  almost  perpendicular  cliff,  about 
25  feet  high,  defends  it  on  the  mountain  side  to  the 
north.  The  ground  falls,  in  several  gradual  slopes,  to- 
wards the  south,  from  which  there  is  a  grand  view  over 

>  The  discovery  has  been  noticedi  Arch.  Joumal,  vol.  vi.  p.  236, 
and  ArchiBoloffia,  vol.  xxvi,  p.  483.  It  deserves  notice  that  a  stone 
mould  for  casting  spears  and  celts  of  similar  fashion  to  some  of  those 
disinterred  at  Ty  Mawr  has  occurred  in  Anglesey ;  it  was  found  be- 
tween Bodwrdin  and  Tre  Ddaffydd,  and  is  figured  Arch.  Journal,  vol. 
iii,  p,  267;  Arch.  Camb.,  vol.  ii,  third  series,  p.  126. 


390  ANCIENT  CIRCULAR  HABITATIONS 

Anglesey,  bounded  by  the  Carnarvonshire  range  of 
mountains,  from  Bardsey  to  Penraaen  Mawr,  Snowdon 
with  its  triple  head  towering  in  the  centre.  The  sea, 
with  the  Irish  coast  and  the  Wicklow  mountains  fre- 
quently visible,  bounds  the  west. 

Advantage  had  been  taken  to  defend  the  village 
against  hostile  attack  from  below.  Each  slope  has 
terminated  in  small  rocky  ridges,  which  have  been 
strengthened  by  a  double  wall  of  rough  stones,  as  is 
common  in  most  of  the  fortified  places  in  Anglesey  and 
Carnarvonshire;  flat  stones  being  fixed  in  the  ground 
in  two  rows,  and  smaller  stones  built  in  between.  On 
each  flank  of  the  village  there  is  a  rather  steep  conical 
rock,  also  with  the  appearance  of  having  been  strength- 
ened by  a  surrounding  wall  at  the  base ;  and  on  the 
larger  one  to  the  west  there  are  the  remains  of  circular 
dwellings.  These  two  mounds,  thus  fortified,  defend 
each  flank  of  the  village.  On  the  east  end,  where  the 
huts  cluster  thickest,  are  two  well-formed  natural 
bastions,  also  strengthened  by  a  wall,  and  between  them 
a  grassy  slope  leads  to  the  lower  terrace,  apparently 
enabling  the  inhabitants,  if  forced  from  the  lower  slopes, 
to  retreat  under  cover  of  these  defences  into  the  main 
stronghold. 

There  are  traces  moreover  of  a  line  of  defence  which 
I  have  noticed  at  Ynys  Penlas,  a  remarkable  detached 
rock  on  the  shore  to  the  south-west  of  the  huts,  by  Tyn 
y  Nant,  crossing  the  road  above  Ty  Mawr  farm-house, 
and  thence  by  the  east  end  of  the  village  of  cyttiau, 
along  the  mountain  ridge  to  Meini  Moelion  (bare  or 
bald  stones),  which  is  indicated  in  the  Ordnance  Map  as 
the  site  of  ancient  vestiges,  and  thus  to  the  precipitous 
parts  of  the  mountain  with  the  remarkable  stronghold 
on  its  summit.  These  traces  are  indicated  by  Mr. 
Elliott  in  the  survey  that  accompanies  this  memoir. 
Possibly  they  may  have  some  connection  with  the 
ancient  approach  from  the  shore,  which  is  mostly 
hemmed  in  by  cliffs  and  unapproachable  rocks  along 
the  western  side  of  Holyhead  Island.     The  most  con- 


IN    HOLYHEAD  ISLAND.  391 

venient  landing  place  on  this  part  of  the  coast  may  have 
been  at  Yr  H6n  Borth  (the  Old  Port)  immediately 
below  the  group  of  hut-circles ;  a  little  farther  to  the 
south  there  is  a  small  dangerous  bay,  shown  in  the 
Ordnance  Map,  and  called  Forth  y  Gwyddel.  The 
natural  landing-place  on  the  west  coast  of  the  island, 
however,  seems  to  have  been  at  Forth  Dafarch. 

No  one  can  examine  the  whole  position  without  being 
struck  with  the  skill  evinced  in  the  selection  of  this  site 
for  these  habitations,  and  the  way  in  which  it  is  pro- 
tected against  hostile  attack ;  particularly  if  we  take 
into  consideration  the  rude  weapons  of  offence  in  those 
early  times,  before  the  use  probably  even  of  bows  and 
arrows.  More  recent  examination  of  the  ground  leads 
to  the  belief  that  the  protecting  line  of  defence  extended 
from  the  steep  cliffs  above  the  sea,  on  the  west,  to  a 
precipice  of  the  mountain  on  the  east,  thus  placing  the 
village  in  connection  with  the  strong  fortified  camp  on 
the  summit  called  Mur  Caswallon. 

I  am  inclined,  with  Mr.  Rowlands,  to  give  a  very  early 
date  to  these  structures,  and  to  think  that  the  people 
■who  first  inhabited  these  huts  were  not  the  Irish  rovers, 
but  the  aboriginal  race  of  men  who  first  peopled  Angle- 
sey. It  is,  however,  probable  that  these  villages  were 
inhabited  until  much  later  times ;  and,  as  is  proved  in 
similar  habitations  near  the  Menai  examined  by  Mr. 
Wynn  Williams,  and  noticed  hereafter,  were  occupied 
by  the  Roman  invaders  in  the  first  century.^  The  Irish, 
we  know,  made  their  incursions  into  Anglesey  frequently 
during  the  third  and  fourth  centuries,  until  finally  driven 
out  by  Caswallon  ;  he  defeated  their  chief,  Serigi  or 
Serigl,  who  was  killed  at  Holyhead  a.d.  450.  Up  to  the 
year  900,  the  Irish  and  Danes  made  frequent  raids  into 
Anglesey,  but  it  does  not  seem  certain  that  they  ever 
formed  a  permanent  settlement  in  the  island. 

It  will  be  observed,  on  reference  to  the  description  of 
the  Irish  cloghauns  by  Mr.  G.  V.  Du  Noyer  in  the 
Archceological  Journal^  before  cited,  that  he  could  never 

1  Arch.  Camb.,  vol.  iii,  N.S.,  p.  209. 


392  ANCIENT  CIRCULAR  HABITATIONS 

find  any  trace  of  a  fire-place  or  a  window.  Dr.  Petrie, 
in  his  Inquiry  into  the  Bound  Towers  of  Ireland^^  attributes 
the  erection  of  the  circular  cloghauns  to  the  Firbolg  and 
Tuatha  de  Dannan  tribes  who  inhabited  the  country 
long  prior  to  the  introduction  of  Christianity. 

On  examining  the  present  state  of  the  Cyttiau'r 
Gwyddelod,  it  is  not  possible  to  decide  with  certainty 
whether  the  huts  were  built  in  bee-hive  form  with  a 
stone  roofing,  like  the  Irish  and  Cornish  huts,  or  covered 
by  means  of  timber  poles  and  sods  over  them ;  some 
persons  are  inclined  to  think,  from  the  quantity  of  stones 
that  have  fallen  into  the  huts,  that  they  may  have  had 
stone  roofs  formed  of  slabs  "stepped  over,"  according  to 
the  technical  term,  or  overlapping  each  other  and 
forming  a  rudely  fashioned  but  very  durable  dome- 

From  the  small  dimension  of  the  huts — 15  feet  to 
20  feet  in  diameter  inside — it  is  hardly  possible  to  sup- 
pose that  the  hut  opened  in  1862,  with  a  division  in  the 
centre,  could  have  been  used  as  a  dwelling-house ;  and, 
from  the  absence  of  any  appearance  of  a  division  or  of 
a  fire-place,  in  the  others,  I  am  inclined  to  think  that 
they  may  have  used  certain  huts  set  apart  for  cooking 
-r-as  do  at  the  present  time  the  negroes  in  Jamaica,  who 
always  have  huts  separate.*  It  has  been  lately  stated 
that  "the  negro  never  cooks  in  his  hut ;  his  fire-place  is 
in  the  open  air,  close  to  his  hut;  or  he  has  a  small 
kitchen  as  an  outbuilding  in  his  yard."^  The  gipsy 
also  has  his  fire  outside  the  tent. 

Tylor,  in  his  Early  History  of  Mankind,  p.  262,  in- 
forms us  that  the  Assinaboins,  or  stone-boilers,  dig  a 
hole  in  the  ground,  take  a  piece  of -raw  hide  and  press 
it  down  to  the  sides  of  the  hole,  and  fill  it  with  water : 
they  then  make  a  number  of  stones  red-hot  in  a  fire 
close  by,  the  meat  is  put  into  the  water,  and  hot  stones 

»  Ecclesiastical  Architecture  of  Ireland^  anterior  to  the  Norman 
Invasion,  pp.124,  126.  See  also  Dr.  Petrie's  Essay  on  the  Ancient 
Military  Architecture  o/  Ireland,  where  the  mode  of  construction  used 
by  the  earlier  colonists  is  described. 

«  The  Times,  April  12,  1866. 


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1113= 


OSOUND-PLAN   OF   A   HUT  CI&CLB  AT  TT  MAWR,  EXCAVATED   IN   OCTOBER    1862. 


A.  Door-post*  and  Eutrance,  width  3  ft  B.  Passage  into  the  hut,  width  6  ft.  C  C,  and  D  D. 
Partitions  of  upright  Slabs.  E.  Cooking  Chamber  and  Fireplace.  F.  Chamber,  at  the  corner  of 
which  lay  a  Grinding  Stone,  O,  near  a  ( ireplace,  as  supposed,  H ;  also  a  Spindle  whorl,  I.  J.  A 
second  Grinding  Stone.    K.  Supposed  Fireplace. 

(From  measurementK  by  Mr.  T.  P.  Elliott,  of  Penrhos.) 


Arch.  Camb.    Vot.  xiv. 


i:>l    HOLYHEAD   ISLAND.  393 

dropped  in  until  it  is  boiled.  In  Ossian's  Fingal  we 
read:— "It  was  on  Cromla's  shaggy  side  that  Douglas 
placed  the  deer,  the  early  fortune  of  the  chase.  Before 
the  heroes  left  the  hill,  a  hundred  youths  collect  the 
heath  ;  ten  heroes  blow  the  fire ;  three  hundred  chuse 
the  polished  stones."  This  passage  is  thus  explained  in 
a  note  by  M*Pherson: — "The  ancient  manner  of  pre- 
paring feasts  after  hunting  is  handed  down  by  tradition. 
A  pit  lined  with  smooth  stones  was  made ;  near  it  stood 
a  heap  of  flat  stones  of  the  flint  kind.  The  stones  as  well 
as  the  pit  were  properly  heated  with  heather ;  they  then 
laid  the  venison  at  the  bottom,  and  a  stratum  of  stones 
above  it,  and  this  they  did  alternately  until  the  pit  was 
full ;  the  whole  was  then  covered  with  heath  to  confine 
the  steam." ^ 

It  is  almost  useless  to  multiply  instances,  such  as  the 
mode  by  which  the  South  Sea  Islanders  and  other 
nations  cook  their  pigs  and  animal  food.^ 

The  peculiar  form  of  fire-place  discovered  in  the  hut 
at  Ty  Mawr,  the  round  and  flat  stones  half  filling  it, 
large  heaps  of  stones  outside  the  hut,  all  bearing  marks 
of  having  been  intensely  heated  in  fire — just  those  which 
^ould  be  used  for  stone-boiling  or  cooking  in  pits — 
would  point  out  that  such  had  been  the  custom  of 
cooking  their  food  practised  by  the  early  inhabitants  of 
these  huts.  If  we  consider  the  small  size  of  the  dwell- 
ings, and  if,  like  the  Irish  and  Cornish  huts,  they  had 
no  aperture  at  the  top,  it  would  have  been  almost  im- 
possible for  the  inmates,  without  suffocation,  to  have 
made  a  fire  inside  of  wood,  heath,  or  gorse.  We  may, 
therefore,  conclude  that  the  larger  animals  were  cooked 
in  pits  outside,  but  that  shell-fish,  or  small  portions, 
were  boiled  or  roasted  on  hot  stones,  and  that  such  grain 
as  they  possessed  was  roasted  and  ground  by  the  querns, 
inside  the  dwelling. 

*  The  *'milk  stones,"  described  by  Sir  C.  Jervoise,  Bart.,  Arch, 
Journal,  vol.  xx,  p.  371,  may  be  vestiges  of  some  similar  practice 
amongst  the  ancient  inhabitants  of  Hampshire. 

2  See  Sir  J.  Lubbock's  Prehistoric  Times,  p.  380,  and  Tylor's  Early 
History  of  Mankind,  p.  266,  etc. 

3bd  sbr.,  vol.  XIV.  26 


394  ANCIENT  CIRCULAR  HABITATIONS 

The  remains  of  four  of  these  clusters  of  huts  are  or 
were  to  be  seen  near  Holyhead ;  namely,  the  one  here 
described  at  Ty  Mawr;  another,  at  Forth  Namarch 
(Ordnance  Map),  on  the  north-east  side  of  the  mountain, 
now  destroyed  by  the  extensive  quarries  for  the  Break- 
water ;  and  a  rather  large  colony  at  Ynys  Llyrad  (Island 
by  the  Ford),  on  the  Anglesey  side  of  the  Penrhos  river, 
halfway  between  the  Stanley  embankment  and  the  Four- 
mile  Bridge.  This  island  at  high  water  is  quite  sur- 
rounded by  the  sea,  and  two  hundred  years  ago  it  was 
the  only  approach  to  the  Island  of  Holyhead  at  low 
water,  by  crossing  the  ford  belaw  to  the  Mill  Island,  on 
the  Holyhead  side  of  the  stream.  There  is  a  small  steep 
conical  island  near  the  shore  below  Ty  Mawr,  called  Ynys 
Penlas  or  Benlas,  or  Ynys  Swyddog  (Soldiers'  Island), 
It  bears  the  appearance  of  having  been  used  as  a  fortified 
post,  and,  from  the  large  number  of  loose  stones  which 
have  been  collected  at  the  top,  may  afterwards  have  been 
a  cairn  or  burial-place,  or  perhaps  a  watch-post  for  fire- 
signals  to  warn  the  Ty  Mawr  village  of  hostile  attacks. 
There  is  also  the  appearance  of  a  small  cluster  of  huts 
at  Plas,  in  lower  ground,  about  half-a-mile  to  the  south 
of  that  place,  but  recent  cultivation  has  nearly  obliter- 
ated all  the  circles.  There  seem  here  to  have  been  huts 
both  of  square  and  circular  form ;  this  ancient  village 
has  been  strongly  protected  by  natural  ravines  and  by 
stone  walls.  Here  also  are  two  large  upright  stones,  or 
Meini-hirion,  about  11  feet  high.  Tradition  says  that 
"a  large  coffin'*  was  found  between  them,  composed  of 
several  flat  stones,  and  enclosing  remains  of  bones,  with 
spear-heads  and  arrow-heads,  but  I  am  unable  to  obtain 
accurate  evidence  of  the  facts. 

If  we  suppose  all  those  four  villages  to  have  been  in- 
habited at  the  same  time,  giving  five  persons  to  a  family 
or  hut,  and  that  there  were  200  huts,  we  should  have  a 
large  population  for  so  small  a  district ;  probably  at  that 
time  proximity  to  the  sea  gave  the  means  of  subsistence, 
and  the  interior  of  Anglesey  was  dense  forest,  bog,  and 
waste  land,  when  the  Romans  invaded  it. 


IN   HOLYHEAD  ISLAND. 


395 


That  the  bronze  weapons  found  in  the  huts  at  Ty 
Mawr,  being  objects  mostly  of  Irish  type,  should  be  re- 
garded as  a  convincing  proof  that  they  were  inhabited 
by  the  Irish  rovers,  may,  I  think,  admit  of  a  doubt. 
The  discovery  might  be  explained  (as  they  were  all 
found  in  a  heap  in  one  spot)  by  the  conjecture  that  they 
were  the  spoils  of  the  Irish  after  some  defeat — perhaps 
that  of  Serigi  or  Serigl,  the  Hibernian  chieftain  slain 
about  the  year  443,  at  Holyhead,  by  Caswallon  Law  Hir. 
Still  we  must  remember  that  moulds,  both  of  stone  and 
bronze,  have  been  found  in  Anglesey  for  casting  spear- 
heads and  celts  of  the  same  forms  as  these  found  at  Ty 
Mawr/  The  relics,  however,  there  brought  to  light 
seem  to  belong  unquestionably  to  a  much  earlier  period 
than  the  onslaught  on  Mona  by  Serigi. 


Oroop  of  Uut^irolds  at  Plas.—A.  Farmhoose  at  Plaa.    B.  Hut-droles  and  Earthworks. 
C.  Erect  Stones  or  Melni-hlrion ;  hoigtat,  11  ft.    D.  Road  to  Holyhead. 


'  See  Arch.  Journal^  vol.  iii,  p.  257 ;  vol.  vi,  p.  358. 
vol.  \\f  third  aeries,  p.  126. 


Arch.  Camb., 


2G« 


396  ANCIENT  CIRCULAR  HABITATIONS 

On  the  summit  of  Holyhead  Mountain  are  the  remains 
of  a  wall  of  defence,  composed  of  very  large  unhewn 
stones,  and  from  10  to  15  feet  high,  in  places  where  the 
natural  face  of  the  rock  is  not  sufficiently  precipitous. 
It  has  a  well-constructed  and  defended  entrance  facing 
the  south-east.  The  wall  is  now  called  Mur  Caswallon. 
It  enclosed  a  space  of  sixty  or  more  acres,  marked  in 
the  Ordnance  Map  as  Caer  Gybi,  and  probably  was 
the  place  of  refuge  against  invaders,  the  cattle  being 
driven  up  there  for  safety.  The  Romans  may  have  used 
it,  as  ten  or  twelve  gold  coins  of  Constantine  were  found 
on  the  east  side  of  the  fortress,  about  1820,  by  a  person 
digging  turf.  Several  other  vestiges  of  the  Romans  have 
been  found  from  time  to  time  near  Holyhead.  In  1843 
more  than  three  hundred  small  Roman  coins  were  found 
in  an  urn  under  a  large  stone  in  a  field  adjacent  to  the 
cromlech  at  Tref  Arthur,  about  two  miles  south-east  of 
Holyhead.  The  hoard  included  coins  of  Valerian,  Gal- 
lienus,  Claudius  Gothicus,  and  Posthumus  the  elder.*  At 
Penrhos,  in  1 852,  a  small  brass  coin  of  Constantine  was 
found  a  foot  below  the  surface  of  the  ground.  The  re- 
verse—two armed  soldiers  with  helmets  and  spears, 
each  with  a  trophy  before  him — trs.  and  gloria  exer- 
ciTus — denotes  that  the  coin  was  struck  at  Treves  in 
honour  of  the  victorious  army. 

Just  below  Ty  Mawr,  at  Pen  y  Bone,  a  necklace  was 
found  in  a  rock-grave.  It  is  more  fully  noticed  and 
figured  hereafter. 

The  Rev.  W.  Wynn  Williams  has  examined  and 
described  several  circular  habitations  and  fortified  places 
near  the  Menai.^  One,  at  Porthamel,  on  the  top  of  a 
limestone  rock,  is  defended  by  a  wall,  through  which 
there  is  a  well-defined  entrance ;  within  are  sixteen  or 
seventeen  circular  huts  or  foundations ;  another  group 
exists  near  Llangeinwen.^    All  these  habitations  and 

1  They  were  sent  for  examinatipn  to  the  Archaeological  Institute  by 
the  late  Lord  Stanley  of  Alderley,  June  23,  1845.  Arch,  Journal^ 
vol.  ii,  p.  270. 

2  Arch,  Oamb.,  vol.  iii,  N.S.,  p.  209. 
8  Ibid,,  vol.  ix,  third  series,  p.278. 


IN    HOLYHEAD  ISLAND.  397 

camps  have  certainly  been  used  by  the  Romans,  as  coins 
and  Samian  pottery  are  found  on  excavation.  It  is 
highly  probable  that  the  Romans  took  advantage  of 
these  fortified  villages  to  shelter  and  defend  themselves 
from  the  natives  after  their  battle  on  crossing  the  Menai 
Straits.  Probably  the  island  was  held  in  subjection  by 
small  detachments  on  the  Menai,  also  at  Holyhead  and 
its  neighbourhood  close  to  the  sea.  No  remains,  that  I 
have  heard  of,  are  found  of  any  villa  or  permanent  abode. 
A  Roman  road  crosses  Anglesey  from  Porthamel  to 
Holyhead,  by  Four-mile  Bridge,  near  to  which  is  Caer 
Helen,  a  Roman  camp.  It  is  believed  that  the  Romans 
worked  the  Amlwch  copper  mines.  Old  workings  have 
been  found,  and  stone  boulders  from  the  sea  shore,  now 
in  the  British  Museum,  for  breaking  the  rock.  It  is 
probable  that  the  miners  lighted  fires  of  brushwood ; 
when  the  rock  was  heated,  they  threw  water  upon  it, 
and  with  these  rude  stone  mauls  detached  the  ore. 
The  only  object  of  metal  known  to  me  as  having  been 
found  is  a  small  pointed  piece  of  bronze  obtained  in  old 
workings  at  Llandudno;  it  was  sent  to  me  by  Lady 
Erskine  of  PwUycrochan,  near  Conway,  and  was  exhi- 
bited by  her  permission  at  a  meeting  of  the  Archaeo- 
logical Institute  in  1850.^ 

The  Romans  brought  no  doubt  a  certain  amount  of  civi- 
lisation with  them ;  but  in  ancient  records  we  read  that 
after  the  Romans  left  the  country,  the  Druids  returned 
to  Mona,  and  exercised  their  Pagan  rites,  when  driven 
by  the  early  dawn  of  Christianity  from  other  parts  of 
Britain.  In  the  fourth, or,  as  some  believe,  at  the  close  of 
the  sixth  century,  St.Cybi  was  established  at  Holyhead,^ 

^  Possibly  the  end  or  tip  of  a  small  ingot.  See  notices  of  this  and 
other  relics  of  metallurgical  operations  in  North  Wales  (Arch,  Joum,, 
vol.  vii,  p.  68).  In  the  Museum  of  Practical  Geology,  Jermyn  Street, 
London,  there  is  a  stone  maul  from  the  Old  Mine,  Nant-yr-Arian, 
Aberystwith;  also  a  number  of  stones  with  shallow  basins,  and 
"buckering"  stones,  for  pounding  ore.  These  are  from  ancient 
workings  in  Cardiganshire ;  such  rude  mining  implements  are  noticed. 
Arch,  Camb,,  xiii,  third  series,  290. 

^  Professor  Rees  /^  Welsh  Saints,  p.  266),  and  Mr.  Wakeman  (notes 
on  the  life  of  St.  Cybi,  Camhro- British  Saints,  edit,  by  Mr.  Rees, 


398  ANCIENT  CIRCULAR  HABITATIONS 

with  certain  anchorites,  who  may  probably  have  founded 
the  numerous  chapelries  and  places  of  pilgrimage — 
Capel  y  Llochwyd  near  the  top  of  the  mountain,  towards 
the  precipitous  northern  side  of  the  island,^  Capel  y 
Gorlas,  near  the  celebrated  spring  known  as  Ffynnon  y 
Gorlas,  a  mile  west  of  Holyhead,  Llan  Saint  Ffraid  on 
the  tumulus  at  Towyn  y  Capel,  and  Capel  Gwyngena,  or 
Gwrgeneu.2 

Welsh  MS.  Soc.)  agree  in  giving  the  close  of  the  sixth  century  as  the 
time  when  St.  Cybi  lived.  This  subject  is  not  free  from  obscurity;  he 
is  supposed  by  others  to  have  flourished  about  369  (?).  See  Mr. 
Duffus  Hardy's  Materials  relatiny  to  the  History  of  Britain^  vol.  i, 
part  i,  part  1,  p.  87,  Vita  S.  Kebii,  Menevensis  Episcopi,  Tanner  and 
other  writers  assign  880  as  the  date  when  he  founded  a  monastery  at 
Holyhead  or  Caer  Guby.  See  Dugdale's  Mon.  Aug.,  edit.  Caley, 
vol.  vi,  p.  1475;  and  Mona  Mediava,  Arch,  Gamb.,  vol.  ix,  third 
series,  p.  1,  where  an  interesting  account  of  Holyhead  is  given  by 
Mr.  Longueville  Jones.  A  life  of  St  Cybi,  ^ho  was  of  Cornish 
origin,  has  been  compiled  by  the  Rev.  J.  Adams,  Journal  Roy.  Inst,^ 
Cornw,,  vol.  ii,  p.  314. 

1  The  site  of  Capel  y  Llochwyd  (Loch,  a  nook  or  narrow  place, 
gwydd,  wild  untilled  wilderness)  is  now  marked  by  a  heap  of  shape- 
less ruins.  Not  far  distant  there  is  a  remarkable  precipitous  gulley, 
or  crevice,  through  which  a  dangerous  path  descends  to  a  spring  of 
fresh  water  near  the  shore.  The  spot  is  indicated  in  Speed's  Map, 
1610 — ''Chap.  Yloughwid."  Amongst  many  wild  traditions  connected 
with  this  singular  place  may  be  mentioned  that  of  a  gold  image  of  a 
female,  with  one  arm,  concealed  amongst  the  ruins  of  the  chapel ;  to 
this  popular  fable  very  probably  the  total  overturning  of  the  remains 
of  the  little  building  may  have  been  due.  No  trace  of  wall  can  now 
be  recognised.  The  deep  crevice  in  the  cliflf  may  have  served  for 
escape  or  for  secret  access  from  the  sea  to  the  great  fortress  on  Holy* 
head  Mountain,  to  which  it  might  form  a  sort  of  covered  postern. 
Moreover,  the  remarkable  supply  of  fresh  water  to  be  thus  obtained 
could  not  fail,  in  times  of  extremity,  to  be  of  much  value  either  to  the 
anchorite  or  to  the  occupant  of  Mur  Caswallon.  Mr.  J.  Lloyd,  friend 
and  companion  of  Pennant,  describes  a  huge  heap  of  stones  called 
"Arffedoged  y  Gawres,"  seen  by  him  on  the  hill  near  Capel  y  Lloch- 
wyd.  Hist,  of  Mona,  by  Angharad  Llwyd,  p.  208. 

*  Professor  Rees  (Welsh  Saints,  p.  23)  mentions  as  children  of 
Pawl  H^n,  or  Paulinus,  Gwyngeneu,  to  whom,  as  he  states,  the  place 
of  that  name  near  Holyhead  was  dedicated,  and  Gwenfaen,  a 
daughter,  foundress  of  Rhoscolyn,  Anglesey.  In  an  old  document,  t, 
Edw.  IV,  we  find  **  Gwainfain,"  the  ancient  name  doubtless  of  Rhos- 
colyn. The  site  of  Capel  Gwyngena  is  supposed  to  be  in  the  northern 
part  of  Rhoscolyn  parish,  and  a  little  to  the  east  of  Porth  y  Capel. 


.  IN    HOLYHEAD  ISLAND.  399 

The  singular  burial  mound  at  Towyn  y  Capel,  on  the 
margin  of  a  little  bay  on  the  western  shore  of  Holyhead 
Island,  has  been  described  in  the  Archceological  Journal 
in  1846.^  The  large  number  of  skeletons  there  accumu- 
lated in  four  or  five  successive  tiers,  and  being,  it  is  be- 
lieved, those  of  adult  males,  suggested  the  inference 
that  they  were  the  remains  of  combatants  there  slain  in 
some  deadly  conflict.  There  were,  however,  the  remains 
of  children  in  the  upper  part  of  the  mound  in  the  sand, 
not  in  cists.  It  was  stated  that  the  corpses  had  been 
deposited  in  rude  stone  cists,  not  in  parallel  rows,  but 
converging  towards  the  centre  of  the  mound.  It  is  de- 
sirable to  correct  the  erroneous  impression  thus  formerly 
entertained  in  regard  to  the  interment.  The  mound, 
having  subsequently  become  breached  by  violence  of 
storms,  has  wholly  perished,  and  the  graves  have*frora 
time  to  time  been  seen  on  all  its  sides.  They  may  have 
been  about  four  hundred  in  number.  The  bodies  had 
all  been  placed  with  the  heads  towards  the  west. 

With  regard  to  these  early  habitations  of  man,  of 
which  I  have  endeavoured  to  describe  so  remarkable  an 
example  in  the  foregoing  observations,  nothing  is  more 
difficult  than  to  attempt  to  fix  a  date.  At  Ty  Mawr  we 
find  only  the  rudest  form  of  stone  implements  for  the 
purpose  of  crushing  grain  and  preparing  food,  and  the 
remains  of  shell-fish ;  also  bronze  weapons  with  orna- 
ments concealed  in  a  heap  under  a  stone,  which  is  by 
no  means  an  unusual  circumstance. 

The  only  guide  that  we  have  to  approximate  to  the 
age  when  these  early  habitations  may  have  been  occu- 

^  Arch,  Journ.y  vol.  iii,  p.  226.  In  the  map  engraved  by  Hondius, 
1610,  and  given  by  Speed,  this  remarkable  spot  is  shown  as  "Llan- 
sanfraid/'  namely,  church  of  St.  Bride,  to  whom  doubtless  the  small 
oratory  on  the  summit  of  the  sepulchral  mound  was  dedicated.  A 
ground  plan  of  the  tumulus  and  foundation  of  the  chapel,  now  wholly 
destroyed,  is  given  {Arch,  Joum,  ut  supra,  p.  228).  A  view  of  the 
west  side,  shewing  the  stone  cists,  may  there  be  found.  The  remark- 
able deposit  in  the  mound  called  Cidug  Lsis,  on  Malldraeth  Marsh, 
Anglesey,  excavated  in  1865  by  the  Rev.  H.  Pritchard,  appeared  to 
consist  of  six  or  eight  tiers  of  human  bodies,  but  not  enclosed  in  cists 
{Arch,  Gamb.f  xi,  third  ser.,  p.  196). 


400  ANCIENT  CIRCULAR  HABITATIONS,  ETC. 

pied,  will  be  the  nature  and  substance  of  the  articles 
found  on  excavation.  We  may  thus  divide  the  periods. 
First,  the  rudest  form  of  stone  impletnents  almost  en- 
tirely used  for  crushing  or  pounding  food,  with  a  total 
absence  of  any  sort  of  pottery  or  weapons  of  offence. 
Next  we  have  rude  remains  of  pottery,  bronze  and  stone 
weapons,  with  flint  arrow-heads,  by  their  form  adapted 
for  the  defence  of  man  against  hostile  attacks  of  man, 
and  also  for  the  destruction  of  savage  beasts  or  the 
larger  animals  for  food. 

At  a  later  period  we  find,  in  the  pit-dwellings  explored 
by  Mr.  Stevens  at  Fisherton,  near  Salisbury,  in  the  caves 
of  the  south  of  France,  and  in  the  Pfahlbauten  of  the 
Lakes  of  Switzerland,  a  somewhat  higher  state  of  civili- 
sation; pottery  with  some  attempt  at  ornament  and 
colouring,  rude  drawings  of  animals  on  bones,  nets,  also 
twine,  needles  for  sewing,  barbed  arrow  and  spear-heads, 
very  similar  to  those  still  used  by  the  Esquimaux,  or 
the  South  Sea  Islanders.  Yet,  in  the  vestiges  near 
Salisbury,  the  relics  of  the  Lake-dwellers  in  Switzerland, 
or  in  those  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  caves  in  France,  we 
do  not  recognise  weapons  of  war. 

In  many  of  these  early  habitations  in  England  and 
Wales,  Scotland  and  Ireland,  there  is  all  the  appearance 
of  successive  occupation,  more  particularly  exemplified 
in  the  recent  excavations  of  ancient  subterraneous 
structures  by  Mr.  S.  Laing  in  Caithness,  the  lowest 
portion  of  which  exhibits  the  features  of  the  Cyttiau  in 
Wales,  such  as  rude  stone  implements  and  remains  of 
shellfish. 

We  may,  I  think,  surely  place  the  probable  occupa- 
tion of  these  Holyhead  Island  habitations  in  the  earliest 
of  these  periods. 

With  these  few  remarks,  I  must  leave  this  interesting 
question  to  be  solved  by  others  more  experienced  and 
more  learned  than  myself. 


401 


NOTICES   OF    RELICS     FOUND    IN    AND    NEAR    ANCIENT    CIRCULAR 

HABITATIONS    EXPLORED  BY  THE  HON.  W.  O.  STANLEY,  M.P., 

IN    HOLYHEAD  ISLAND. 

The  vestiges  of  habitations  of  the  early  occupants  of 
the  British  Islands  present  possibly  a  greater  amount  of 
instructive  evidence  than  any  other  class  of  prehistoric 
remains,  with  the  exception  only  of  sepulchral  deposi- 
tories. They  have,  however,  been  little  appreciated ;  it 
is  only  in  very  recent  times  that  circular  hut  founda- 
tions, pit-dwellings,  the  subterranean  structures  also 
that  abound  in  many  districts  of  our  country,  where  such 
traces  of  its  ancient  inhabitants  have  not  been  effaced 
by  the  progress  of  agriculture  and  improvement,  have 
at  length  been  systematically  investigated. 

The  explorations  in  Somerset  by  the  Rev.  F.  Warre 
and  the  late  Mr.  Atkins,  those  also  carried  out  in  Corn- 
wall by  Mr.  Blight,  and  in  Ireland  by  Mr.  Du  Noyer, 
whose  account  of  cloghauns  in  Kerry  called  our  atten- 
tion first  to  that  remarkable  class  of  Irish  remains,  may 
be  cited  amongst  the  most  instructive  contributions  to 
the  history  of  the  early  races.  In  the  memoirs  by  Sir 
Gardner  Wilkinson  on  constructive  peculiarities  and 
other  questions  of  great  interest  regarding  such  early 
British  structures,  especially  in  the  western  counties, 
much  valuable  information  will  be  found  in  regard  to 
the  circular  dwellings  that  still  may  be  traced  in 
abundance  in  Wales.^  In  North  Britain  we  recall  with 
gratification  the  exertions  of  our  lamented  friend  Mr. 
Rhind,  of  Mr.  Stuart  also,  and  Mr.  G.  Petrie,  with  other 
diligent  fellow  labourers  in  North  Britain,  and  more 
especially  the  investigations  by  Capt.  Thomas,  R.N.,  of 
the  beehive  houses,*  or  hothan^  in  Harris,  Lewis,  and 

^  See  especially  a  memoir  on  Ancient  British  Walls,  by  Sir  Gardner 
Wilkinson,  Journ,  Brit  Arch,  Assoc. ,  1861,  p.  1.  Hut-circles  occur 
very  frequently  on  Dartmoor,  as  shewn  in  Mr.  Rowe's  perambulation 
of  that  district. 

2  Notices  of  beehive  houses  in  Harris  and  Lewis,  and  in  Uig(Pro- 
ceedings  Soc,  Ant.  Scot.,  vol.  iii,  p.  127,  plates  x  to  xvii.     The  bothan 


402  RELICS  FOUND  IN  AND  NEAR  ANCIENT 

Uig,  in  \i^hich  the  primitive  type  of  dwelling,  with  its 
domed  roof  formed  of  stones  "stepped  over,"  and  covered 
with  turf,  or  with  a  rudely  constructed  timber  roof, 
closed  over  likewise  with  sods,  has  been  retained  to  our 
own  times.  There,  indeed,  may  be  found,  still  used  as 
the  summer  abode  of  the  hardy  islander,  the  perfect 
counterpart  of  the  cyttiau  of  which  the  ruined  sites  are 
to  be  seen  abundantly  in  Anglesey  and  North  Wales, 
and  also  in  many  other  parts  of  Great  Britain. 

Having  been  so  fortunate  as  to  witness  the  examina- 
tion of  the  hut-circles  on  Holyhead  Mountain,  the 
lively  interest  with  which  I  have  followed  Mr.  Stanley's 
researches  enhances  the  gratification  that  I  feel  in 
oflFering  a  few  remarks  on  certain  ancient  relics  dis- 
covered at  Ty  Mawr,  as  related  in  the  foregoing  memoir. 
The  excavation  carried  out  in  the  autumn  of  1862  was 
comparatively  unproductive  as  regards  the  relics  brought 
to  light,  which  are  inferior  in  variety  and  interest  to 
those,  hereafter  noticed,  previously  obtained  in  the  im- 
mediate neighbourhood.  It  is  remarkable  that  no  trace 
of  metal,  no  weapon  dr  personal  ornament  was  noticed 
in  the  more  recent  explorations ;  they  were,  however, 
repaid  by  the  suggestive  evidence  that  we  obtained  re- 
garding the  internal  arrangements  of  such  primitive 
dwellings,  and  the  daily  life  of  their  occupants.  It  must 
be  remembered  that  the  mere  rudiments  only  of  the  hut 
circles  had  been  spared,  concealed  in  shapeless  hillocks 
that  had  long  served  as  stores  of  material  for  any  re- 
quired purpose,  in  preference  to  the  more  laborious  re- 
source of  quarrying  stone  on  the  adjacent  mountain.  I 
was  assured  by  the  old  tenant,  Hugh  Hughes,  that  he 
well  remembered  the  circular  walls  of  some  of  the 
cyttiau  standing  as  high  as  his  shoulder  ;  they  had  been 
heedlessly  demolished  to  form  the  adjacent  fences  on  the 
farm,  to  which  he  came  in  1814. 

measure  about  8  or  10  feet  internal  diameter;  the  construction  seems 
to  be  the  same  as  that  of  the  Cambrian  cyttiau.  They  occur  as  single 
huts,  and  also  in  groups  of  several  clustered  chambers,  as  likewise  in 
CO.  Kerry. 


CIRCULAR  HABITATIONS  IN  HOLYHEAD  ISLAND.       403 

It  is  to  be  regretted  that  many  cyttiau  have  been 
destroyed  in  the  course  of  modern  improvements,  with- 
out observation  of  their  contents  or  construction.  In  a 
History  of  Anglesey^  a  supplement  to  Rowlands'  Mona^ 
1775,  p.  20,  it  is  observed  of  earthen  hillocks  entrenched 
around  and  called  by  the  natives  "  Cwttia  Gwyddelod, 
i.tf.,  the  Irishman's  Cottages,"  that "  the  most  remarkable 
are  in  a  wood  near  Llygwy,  the  property  of  Lord  Bos- 
ton." In  a  notice  of  an  inscribed  slab  at  Penrhos  Llugwy 
{Arch,  Camb.^  x,  third  ser.,  p.  106)  Lord  Boston  mentions 
"a  British  temple  and  fortress  in  the  extreme  end  of 
Llugwy  Wood,  near  the  ruined  chapel,"  as  some  of  the 
most  interesting  remains  in  Anglesey,  and  not  noticed 
by  Rowlands.  He  describes  also,  as  having  existed 
there  within  his  recollection,  mounds  more  than  40  ft. 
in  circumference,  entirely  composed  of  stones  such  as  a 
man  could  carry,  at  the  bottom  of  Llugwy  Rock,  and 
called  in  Welsh,  "The  graves  of  the  Irishmen."  These 
mounds  were  destroyed  when  the  slope  of  the  hill  was 
taken  into  cultivation  about  1825 ;  no  relics  were 
noticed  as  having  been  found,  nor  was  any  interment 
brought  to  light.  Many  like  instances  might  doubtless 
be  recorded,  in  which  the  archaeologist  has  to  regret  the 
removal  of  such  vestiges,  without  scientific  observation, 
such  as  that  which  Mr.  Stanley  sought  to  carry  out  in 
the  excavations  on  Holyhead  Mountain. 

The  first  remarkable  relic  disinterred  in  Mr.  Stanley's 
explorations  at  Ty  Mawr  was  one  of  the  primitive  stone 
appliances  supposed  to  have  been  used  for  triturating 
grain  (fig.  1);  it  lay  in  the  part  of  the  dwelling  that 
appeared  to  have  been  a  cooking-place,  and  consisted  of 
a  slab  of  coarse-grained  stone,  possibly  the  mill-stone 
grit  obtained  near  Bodorgan  in  Anglesey ;  it  measures 
18|^  by  13^  in.,  the  greatest  thickness  being  about  Sin. 
Its  upper  surface  was  considerably  hollowed  away  in  the 
course  of  grinding;  an  oval  rubber,  measuring  12  by 
5  in.,  flat  on  one  face  and  convex  on  the  other,  lay  near 
it.  A  second  similar  "runner"  or  grinding-stone,  of 
granite,  measuring  9|  by  3J  in.  was  subsequently  found. 


404  RELICS    FOUND  IN   AND  NEAR  ANCIENT 

The  simplest  and  doubtless  most  ancient  mode  of  pre- 
paring any  grain  for  food  was  by  crushing  it,  probably 
after  being  parched,  between  two  stones ;  convenience 
must  soon  have  suggested  that  the  lower  stone  should 
be  formed  with  a  concave  surface,  so  that  the  grain 
might  not  escape,  and  that  the  muUer  should  be  so 
shaped  as  to  be  readily  held  and  passed  backwards  and 
forwards  by  the  hands.  It  is  obvious  that  the  surface 
of  the  under  stone  would  become  gradually  concave  in 
the  course  of  trituration. 


Fig.  1.    Grinding  Stone  and  MuUer  found  in  a  Hut  circle,  Ty  Mawr. 

It  has  been  truly  observed  by  Sir  W.  R.  Wilde,  in 
reference  to  such  a  primitive  appliance,  that, "  when  we 
consider  the  immense  length  of  time  that  all  nations, 
acquainted  with  the  use  of  corn,  have  known  how  to 
work  the  rotary  quern,  this  must  be  indeed  an  imple- 
ment of  extreme  antiquity."^  It  were  of  no  slight  in- 
terest if  we  could  ascertain  what  were  the  earliest  cereals 

1  CataL  Mus,  Roy.  Irish  Acad.y  Stone  Materials,  p.  104,  where  an 
example  of  a  similar  kind  of  grain -rubber  is  figured;  it  is  of  sand- 
stone, measuring  16^  by  11  inches,  and  has  a  singular  perforation  at 
the  side.  There  are  other  specimens  in  the  museum  at  Dublin.  I 
am  indebted  to  Mr.  Shirley  for  a  notice  of  such  **  saddle-shaped" 
grain- crushers  of  larger  dimensions,  found  in  Ireland,  measuring  in 
length  from  30  inches  to  about  3  feet.  They  occur  likewise  in  N. 
Britain.     See  Procedings  Soc,  Ant.  Scot.,  vol.  vi,  p,  395. 


CIRCULAR  HABITATIONS   IN  HOLYHEAD  ISLAND.       406 

cultivated  in  Anglesey,  and  ground  for  the  food  of  the 
occupants  of  the  cyttiau  under  consideration.^ 

Some  examples  of  *' grain- crushers"  resembling  that 
found  at  Ty  Mawr  have  occurred  in  Anglesey.  One,  of 
precisely  similar  fashion,  was  exhibited  at  the  Bangor 
meeting  of  the  Cambrian  Archseological  Association  by 
the  Rev.  W.  Wynn  Williams;  it  is  figured  in  the 
ArchcBologia  Cambrensis.^    The  two  portions  of  this  ob- 


Fig.  2.    Grain-cnisher  foand  at  Tre-ifan,  Angleaoy.    Leugth,  lower  Stone,  10  ins. ; 
Rubber,  16^  ins. 

ject  were  found  together  in  a  wall  on  the  land  of  Tre- 
ifan,  near  the  River  Braint  in  Anglesey  ^fig.  2) ;  this 

^  It  is  asserted  that  wheat,  and  probably  also  oats  and  rye,  were 
cultivated  in  Ireland  long  before  the  Christian  era.  See  Dr. 
O'Donovan's  Essay  on  the  Antiquity  of  Com  in  Ireland;  Dublin 
Penny  Journal,  vol.  i,  p.  108. 

*  Arch.  Camb.y  3rd  ser.,  vi,  p.  376 ;  vii,  p.  40, 157.  See  at  p.  245,  ib,, 
a  letter  relating  to  this  **  grain-crusher"  by  Professor  Babington,  who 
states  that  he  had  obtained,  at  Anglesey  Abbey  in  the  fens  of  Cam- 
bridgeshire, a  similar  pair  of  stones,  now  in  the  museum  of  the  Cam- 
bridge Antiquarian  Society;  they  are  very  rude,  and  show  no  attempt 
at  finish,  although  well-fitted  for  the  required  purpose.  He  believed 
that  Mr.  Wynn  Williams'  specimen  and  this  found  in  Cambridgeshire 
were  the  only  examples  of  this  type  that  had  been  noticed  in  Great 
Britain ;  but  he  refers  to  similar  crushers  in  the  museum  of  the  Royal 
Irish  Academy.  In  the  exploration  of  subterranean  chambers  at 
Treveneague,  in  the  parish  of  St.  Hilary,  Cornwall,  as  related  by  Mr. 
J.  T.  Blight,  amongst  pottery  and  various  relics  there  was  a  piece  of 
fine-grained  granite,  measuring  13|  in.  by  5|  in.,  rubbed  down  on 
one  of  its  faces  evidently  by  a  muller.  It  is  of  the  same  class  of 
grain- crushers  as  those  found  at  Ty  Mawr  and  Tre-ifan.  A  rounded 
stone  of  the  same  material,  diameter  4|  in.,  with  a  small  depression 


406  RELICS  FOUND  IN  AND  NEAR  ANCIENT 

wall  on  one  side  forms  the  boundary  of  a  village  or  group 
or  cyttiau.  Mr.  Williams  had  found  no  other  perfect 
specimen  ;  but  he  possesses  not  less  than  sixteen  portions 
of  the  lower  stones,  and  eleven  of  the  rubbers,  some  of 
them  adapted  for  grain -crushers  of  larger  size  than  that 
above-mentioned,  the  dimensions  of  which  are  as  fol- 
lows:— Lower  stone,  length  19  in.,  breadth  13  in., 
thickness  8  in. ;  upper  stone,  length  16^  in.,  greatest 
breadth  7^  in.,  thickness  3^  in.  This  last  is  carefully 
tapered,  both  ends  alike.  On  one  of  the  broken  lower 
stones  there  is  a  shallow  cavity,  width  5  in.,  which  may 
have  been  intended  to  receive  the  flour.  Mr.  Wynn 
Williams  observes  that  he  does  not  consider  these 
**  grain- crushers"  to  have  been  the  most  primitive  ap- 
pliances used  in  preparing  cereal  food ;  he  is  disposed 
to  consider  the  simple  mortars,  that  are  of  more  rude 
workmanship,  as  having  been  the  first  means  used  for 
pounding  grain.  Of  these  he  possesses  many  specimens, 
found  in  the  parish  of  Llangeinwen  and  other  parts  of 
Anglesey ;  they  measure  from  12  to  2  in.  in  diameter.^ 
These  relics  of  the  occupants  of  Mona  at  a  remote 

on  each  side,  w«s  also  found.  Similar  relics  have  occurred  in  other 
places  in  Cornwall,  and  they  are  supposed  to  have  been  used  in 
crushing  grain.  Trans,  Penzance  Nat,  Hist,  and  Antiq,  Soe.^  1S67, 
where  both  the  relics  above  noticed  are  figured.  Mr.  Blight  gives  a  very 
curious  grain-crusher  of  granite,  a  rude  shallow  basin,  found  in  a 
barrow,  Boscawen-iin  Circle.  (^Churches  of  West  Cornwall^  p.  128.) 
Compare  the  supposed  grain-crusher  found  on  Trewavas  Head,  Corn- 
wall. {Arch,  Camh,,  xiii,  third  series,  p.  341).  Mr.  Wynn  Williams 
describes  also  several  peculiar  querns,  one  of  which  is  much  orna- 
mented, found  at  Rhyddgaer,  and  in  the  parish  of  Llanidan,  Anglesey. 
{Arch,  Camb,,  vol.  vii,  third  ser.,  p.  38.) 

^  Letter  from  Rev.  Wynn  Williams,  Arch.  Camh.y  vol.  viii,  third 
series,  p.  157.  See  also  his  account  of  circular  foundations  at  Tan  ben 
y  Cevn,  Llanidan,  Anglesey,  ib,,  vol.  iii,  N.S.,  p.  209.  Roman  vestige* 
have  there  occurred  repeatedly.  A  "  saddle-quern"  resembling  that 
found  at  Ty  Mawr,  was  sent  to  the  museum  of  the  Archaeological  Insti- 
tute at  the  Hull  meeting,  1867.  It  was  found  in  the  East  Riding. 
Orinding-stones  of  similar  fashion  occur  on  the  sites  of  Pfahlbauten  in 
the  Swiss  Lakes.  See  Mr.  Lee's  translation  of  Dr.  Keller's  memoirs  on 
those  remarkable  vestiges,  p.  25.  Compare  examples  amongst  German 
antiquities;  a  granite  "Handmuhle"  found  in  Saxony,  Wagener, Hand- 
buck,  fig.  117;  Klemm,  taf.  1.    Lindenschmit,  Alterth.  ii,  Heft  8,  taf.  I. 


CIRCULAR  HABITATIONS   IN  HOLYHEAD  ISLAND.       407 

period  are  highly  curious.  It  is  almost  unnecessary  to 
remind  our  readers  that  similar  crushing-stones  have 
been  used,  and  are  still  employed  amongst  uncivilised 
tribes  in  various  parts  of  the  world.^  The  comparison 
of  these  appliances,  especially  such  as  have  been  ob- 
tained by  recent  explorers  in  Africa,  in  South  America 
also,  and  elsewhere,  appears  to  confirm  the  supposition 
that  oblong  slabs  and  mullers,  of  the  fashion  of  those 
found  at  Ty  Mawr  and  iii  Anglesey,  vnere  actually  corn- 
crushers.  I  cannot,  however,  close  this  notice  of  what 
may  be  familiarly  designated  "saddle  querns,"  without 
adverting  to  the  notion  that  they  may  have  been  em- 
ployed for  a  very  diflFerent  purpose,  namely,  in  dressing 
the  skins  of  animals.  In  default  of  evidence  regarding 
the  operations  in  this  and  other  mechanical  arts  in  early 
times,  the  suggestion,  for  which  I  am  indebted  to  one  of 

*  Objects  of  the  like  description  were  in  the  Egyptian  collection  at 
the  Universal  Exhibition  at  Paris,  namely,  examples  of  the  grinding- 
stones  and  mullers  used  by  the  Soudan  Negroes.  These  are  now  at 
the  British  Museum,  the  collection  having  been  presented  by  the 
Viceroy.  In  the  Christy  Museum  may  be  seen  a  specimen  from  Natal. 
Niebuhr  describes  a  similar  appliance  for  grinding  millet  used  by 
sailors  in  the  vessel  that  conveyed  him  from  Sidda ;  Descr,  de  PArab., 
p.  45.  Dr.  Livingstone  gives  a  description  of  the  mealing-stones  and 
corn-crushers  of  granite,  syenite,  etc.,  used  by  savage  tribes  in  Africa ; 
Expedition  to  the  Zambesi,  p.  543.  Sir  8.  Baker  also  thus  quaintly 
notices  the  apparatus :  "I  must  have  swallowed  a  good-sized  mill- 
stone since  I  have  been  in  Africa  in  the  shape  of  grit  rubbed  from  the 
moortraka,  or  grinding-stone.  The  moortraka,  when  new,  is  a  large 
flat  stone  weighing  about  40  lbs.  Upon  this  the  com  is  ground  by 
being  rubbed  with  a  cylindrical  stone  with  both  hands.  After  a  few 
months'  use  half  of  the  grinding-stone  disappears,  the  grit  being  mixed 
with  the  flour ;  thus  the  grinding-stone  is  actually  eaten.  No  wonder 
that  hearts  become  stony  in  this  country."  TTie  Albert  Nyanza,  vol.  i, 
p.  65.  The  Rev.  A.  Hume,  LL.D.,  Hon.  Sec.  Hist.  Soc.  of  Lanca- 
shire and  Cheshire,  informs  me  that,  in  a  recent  journey  to  South 
America,  he  found  the  triturating  stone  used  not  only  among  the 
Indians,  but  among  the  inhabitants  of  Spanish  origin.  It  was  in  full 
work  for  bruising  maize,  whether  raw  or  boiled,  at  Santiago.  In  the 
latter  case  a  paste  is  formed,  which  is  worked  into  thin  paste  like  the 
Scotch  oatcake.  Dr.  Hume  brought  home  a  grinding  slab  and  its 
rubber  from  Lota,  283  miles  south  of  Valparaiso.  Examples  from 
N.  America  may  be  seen  in  the  Blackmore  Museum  at  Salisbury, 
where  is  also  a  saddle-quern  from  the  pit-dwellings  near  that  city. 


408 


RKLICS  FOUND  IN  AND  NEAR  ANCIENT 


our  most  keen  and  well-informed  investigators  of  pre- 
historic archsBology,  is  deserving  of  consideration. 

In  the  course  of  Mr.  Stanley's  researches  in  1862, 
several  stone  querns  and  mortars  were  obtained  in  the 
neighbourhood  that  appear  to  deserve  notice,  although 
we  cannot  claim  for  them  so  high  an  antiquity  as  may 
be  ascribed  to  the  cyttiau.  Three  of  these  objects  are 
here  figured,    i.  A  portion  of  the  lower  stone  of  a  quern 


Fig.  3.    Frftgincnt  of  a  Quern  and  two  Mortars  found  in  Holyhead  Island. 

found  at  Glanrafon,  of  mill-stone  grit ;  diameter,  in  its 
perfect  state,  about  16  in.;  the  top  of  the  stone  is  con- 
vex ;  the  hole  is  seen  for  insertion  of  a  spindle  upon 
which  the  upper   stone,  or  "runner"  revolved.^     This 

1  See  notices  of  various  types  of  querns  by  Sir  W.  R.  Wilde,  Calal. 
Mu8,  R.I,  A.,  pp.  105 — 113,  where  several  Irish  examples  are  figured; 
also  Remarks  on  Uuerns,  by  the  Rev.  A.  Hume,  LL.D.,  Arch,  Camb., 
N.S.,  vol.  iv,  p.  89;  Memoirs  Hist.  Soc.  of  Lancashire,  vol.  i,  1848; 
Antiquities  found  on  the  Cheshire  Coast,  p.  317. 


CIRCULAR  HABITATIONS  IN  HOLYHEAD  ISLAND.       409 

upper  stone  existed  within  recent  memory,  but  has  been 
lost.  II.  A  small  very  rude  pentagonal  mortar,  of  whin- 
stone,  obtained  at  Ty  Mawr,  but  probably  of  times  com- 
paratively recent ;  the  basin  measures  about  3  inches  in 
diameter.  I  saw  two  others,  likewise  of  whin,  at  Pen- 
rhos;  the  cavity  in  one  of  these  is  irregularly  oval, 
measuring  9  in.  by  7  in.  in.  A  four-sided  mortar, 
dimensions  about  10  in.  in  each  direction,  with  a  cylin- 
drical grinder,  measuring  4^  in.  in  diameter ;  the  basin 
is  of  oval  form,  measuring  about  7  in.  longest  diameter. 
This  mortar  was  obtained  at  Pen  y  Bone,  where  the  cist 
enclosing  urns  and  a  jet  necklace,  described  hereafter 
in  this  memoir,  was  brought  to  light.  Stone  mortars 
are  not  uncommonly  found  near  ancient  habitations  in 
Anglesey;  several  were  brought  to  light  with  querns 
and  other  relics  by  the  Rev.  W.  Wynn  Williams  at 
Llangeinwen.^  They  may  probably  have  been  used  for 
pounding  grain  or  the  like  into  pulp. 

It  has  been  stated  that,  in  the  same  division  of  the 
hut,  near  the  spot  where  the  relic  figured  above  was 
found,  there  was  apparently  a  fire-place,  e  in  the  ground- 
plan  ;  it  measured  about  18  in.  by  2  ft. ;  it  may  deserve 
notice  that  its  almost  central  position  in  the  dwelling 
would  doubtless  facilitate  the  escape  of  smoke,  if,  as  I 
am  inclined  to  believe,  the  roof  was  of  conical  form  with 
an  opening,  probably,  at  its  summit.  Two  other  small 
fire-places,  however,  may  have  existed,  as  indicated  by 
some  marks  of  fire  and  traces  of  jambs  noticed  against 
the  main  circular  wall  of  the  building.  See  h  and  k  in 
Mr.  Elliott's  ground-plan.  Within  and  near  the  little 
fire-place  first  mentioned  there  lay  a  considerable  num- 
ber of  sea-shore  pebbles,  that  had  evidently  been  long 
subjected  to  the  action  of  fire,  and  on  careful  examina- 

»  Arch.  Cdrnb.i  third  series,  vol.  ix,  p.  280.  See  Ibid ,  vol.  iii, 
p.  356,  a  notice  by  Mr.  R.  Edmonds,  of  a  grinding  slab  of  granite, 
having  a  cavity  on  its  upper  face  apparently  for  bruising  grain  by  a 
globular  stone.  It  was  found  with  muUers  and  other  relics  in  a 
barrow  at  Boleit  in  Cornwall.  Compare  a  granite  basin  or  mortar 
from  Castallack  Round,  figured  by  Mr.  Blight,  Journal  Royal  Inst, 
Cornw,,  vol.  1,  Oct.,  1865,  p.  68. 

3bd  ser.,  vol.  XIV.  27 


410  RELICS  FOUND  IN  AND  NEAR  ANCIENT 

tion  we  could  not  hesitate  to  conclude  that  they  had 
been  employed  in  certain  culinary  operations.  I  am  not 
aware  that  in  the  recent  investigation  of  primitive 
dwellings,  especially  in  Cornwall  and  Somerset,  in  Caith- 
ness and  other  parts  of  North  Britain,  any  distinct  evi- 
dence of  the  practice  either  of  "stone-boiling,"  or  of 
baking  by  means  of  heated  stones,  has  hitherto  been  re- 
corded. Mr.  Tylor,  indeed,  has  remarked  in  his  in- 
teresting notices  of  such  a  practice  in  North  America, 
Kamtchatka,New  Zealand,  and  other  Polynesian  islands, 
that  "the  quantities  of  stones,  evidently  calcined,  found 
buried  in  our  own  country,  sometimes  in  the  sites  of 
ancient  dwellings,  give  great  probability  to  the  inference 
which  has  been  drawn  from  them,  that  they  were  used 
in  cooking.  It  is  true  that  their  use  may  have  been  for 
baking  in  underground  ovens,  a  practice  found  among 
races  who  are  stone-boilers,  and  others  who  are  not"^ 
By  such  a  rude  expedient  it  is  certain  that,  when  pottery 
or  other  vessels  which  would  bear  exposure  to  fire  were 
unknown,  water  might  be  heated  in  skins,^  in  vessels  of 
wood  or  the  like,  and  even  in  baskets  that  would  hold 
fluids,  by  means  of  stones  made  red  hot  in  a  fire  close 
by,  and  gradually  dropped  into  the  seething  liquid.  The 
natives  of  the  Hebrides,  moreover,  as  we  are  told  by 
Buchanan,  whose  history  was  written  about  1680,  were 
accustomed  to  boil  their  meat  in  the  paunch  or  hide  of 
the  animal.  Many  of  the  stones  found  in  caves  in  the 
Dordogne  explored  by  the  late  Mr.  Christy  and  M. 
Lartet,  appear,  as  Sir  John  Lubbock  remarks,  to  have 
been  used  in  this  manner  as  "heaters."^ 

^  See  Mr.  Tylor's  sketch  of  the  history  of  stone-boiling,  Earfy 
History  of  Mankind,  p.  261-268;  also  the  curious  tradition  related 
in  p.  302.  See  also  Sir  John  Lubbock's  Prehistoric  Times,  pp.  250, 
380. 

*  Capt.  Risk,  with  whom  I  had  the  opportunity  of  conversing  at 
Penrhos,  soon  after  the  investigation  of  the  hut-circles  at  Ty  Mawr, 
informed  us  that  he  had  witnessed  the  process  of  cooking  meat  in 
skins,  or  "paunch- kettles/'  in  the  Brazils,  at  fiuenos  Ayres  and  Rio 
de  la  Plata. 

*  The  Rev.  W.  Wynn  Williams,  in  his  account  of  the  walled  en- 
closure and  circular  buildings  at  Penrhos  Lligwy,  on  the  north-east 


CIRCULAR  HABITATIONS  IN  HOLYHEAD  ISLAND.        411 

I  have  recently  had  occasion,  through  the  kindness  of 
Mr.  Edward  T.  Stevens,  to  examine  the  relics  found  in 
pit-dwellings  near  Salisbury,  in  1866,  and  preserved  in 
the  Blackmore  Museum  in  that  city.  The  instructive 
collection  there  displayed,  chiefly  in  connection  with  the 
** Stone  Age,"  and  comprising  an  important  series  of 
ethnological  evidence  bearing  on  that  obscure  period, 
has  been  brought  together  through  the  generosity  of 
the  founder,  Mr.  W.  Blackmore,  with  the  co-operation  of 
Mr.  Stevens,  by  whose  intelligent  exertions  in  the  ar- 
rangement of  the  collection  archaeological  science  has 
been  essentially  promoted.  The  singular  domed  pit- 
habitations  at  Fisherton,  about  a  mile  west  of  Salisbury, 
consisted  of  groups  of  circular  chambers  excavated  in 
the  drift  gravel,  and  supposed  to  have  been  winter- 
dwellings  of  a  people  whose  summer- station  was  ex- 
plored by  Dr.  Blackmore  at  Petersfinger  and  Belmont 
in  the  same  neighbourhood.  The  first  indication  of 
such  troglodytic  habitations  was  supplied  by  the  occur- 
rence of  calcined  flints  in  large  quantities,  of  which 
specimens  were  shown  to  me  by  Mr.  Stevens ;  his  con- 
clusions seem  in  accordance  with  my  own,  that  these 
burned  stones,  mostly  of  a  size  to  be  conveniently 
grasped  by  the  hand,  may  confidently  be  regarded  as 
evidence  of  the  practice  of  "stone-boiling,"  or  of  some 
process  of  baking  food  by  means  of  heated  stones.  In 
corroboration  of  this  supposition,  it  must  be  noticed 
that  the  pottery,  of  which  abundant  fragments  were 
found,  seems  to  have  been  ill-suited  to  bear  exposure  to 
fire ;  and,  as  Mr.  Stevens  pointed  out,  the  inner  surface 
of  many  portions  is  coated  by  carbonaceous  matter, 
suggesting  the  conclusion  that  it  had  been  deposited  by 
the  charred  stones  thrown  into  the  vessels,  according  to 
the  primitive  culinary  process.    No  signs  either  of  fire  or 

coast  of  Anglesey,  mentions  the  occurrence  of  sea- shore  pebbles. 
These  may,  however,  have  been  missiles  for  defence.  No  appearance 
of  their  being  calcined  is  noticed.  In  ''kitchen-middings''  near  the 
shore  of  Nova  Scotia,  were  noticed,  throughout  the  refuse  deposit, 
with  pottery,  flint  weapons,  etc.,  many  sea-beach  pebbles  bearing  evi- 
dent  marks  of  the  action  of  fire.     Anthrop.  Rev.,  vol.  ii,  p  225. 

27 « 


412  RELICS  FOUND  IN   AND  NEAR  ANCIENT 

encrustation  from  smoke  upon  the  roof  of  the  chambers 
could  be  perceived ;  the  cooking  may,  however,  have 
been  carried  on  outside  the  dwelling,  according  to  a 
practice  to  which  Mr.  Stanley  has  adverted.^  It  is  hoped 
that  detailed  publication  of  these  very  curious  discoveries 
by  Dr.  Blackmore  and  Mr.  Stevens  will  not  be  long 
deferred.  The  calcined  flints,  locally  termed  "milk- 
stones"  in  the  eastern  parts  of  Hampshire,  and  brought 
under  notice  by  Sir  J.  Clarke  Jervoise,  Bart.,  are  pro- 
bably, as  previously  pointed  out,  traces  of  the  practice 
in  question  (Arch.  Jburn.^  vol.  xx,  p.  371)*  The  Rev. 
E.  Kell,  F.S.A.,  in  a  recent  memoir  on  Roman  remains 
near  Andover,  and  on  the  supposed  site  of  Vinduman^ 
observes  that  the  neighbourhood  teems  with  traces  of 
earlier  ttmes.  "The  vestiges  of  the  ancient  British 
population  are  numerous ;  charred  flints,  known  by  the 
name  of  *  pot-boilers,'  abound.  Flint  implements,  con- 
sisting of  celts,  lance  and  arrow-heads,  sling-stones,  etc., 
have  been  found  on  many  parts  of  the  surface  in  this 
neighbourhood."  {Joum.  Brit  Arch.  Ass.^  1867,  p.  280.) 
Similar  vestiges  are  doubtless  to  be  found  on  other  sites 
of  early  occupation. 

In  Ireland,  as  I  am  informed  by  the  Rev.  James 
Graves,  such  pebbles  constantly  occur  in  the  remarkable 
subterraneous  structures  known  as  "Raths,"  the  charac- 
ter of  which  has  lately  been  so  well  illustrated  in  the 
ArchcBohgical  Journal  by  Col.  Lane  Fox.^  When  they 
bear  no  signs  of  burning,  Mr.  Graves  has  been  accus- 
tomed to  regard  such  round  stones  as  missiles,  for  use 
by  sling  or  by  hand ;  the  Irish,  to  this  day,  as  he  ob- 
serves, throw  a  stone  with  extraordinary  force  and  truth 
of  aim.  But,  when  such  stones  bear  traces  of  fire,  Mr. 
Graves  considers  that  they  had  undoubtedly  been  used 
in  cooking.^    It  is  remarkable  that  even  in  our  own 

^  See  p.  392,  ante. 

2  Arch.  Journal,  vol.  xxiv,  pp.  123,  136. 

3  In  connection  with  this  very  curious  subject  may  be  here  men- 
tioned the  "Giants'  Cinders''  in  Ireland, — heaps  of  half-calcined  grit 
stones,  called  sometimes  "the  cooking  places  of  the  Fenians."  They 
mostly  occur,   according  to   Mr.   Graves,  near  water,  and   in  some 


CIRCULAR  HABITATIONS  IN   HOLYHEAD   ISLAND.       413 

days  "stone-boiling"  is  not  wholly  obsolete.  In  Carin- 
thia,  as  the  late  Swiss  Antiquary,  Morlot,  told  me,  they 
make  a  dark  brown  beer,  called  "Steinbier,"  by  throwing 
hot  stones  into  the  vat  or  cask  ;  a  fact  that  recalls  the 
account  given  by  Linnaeus  of  Finnish  beer  called 
"Lura,"  prepared  by  throwing  red-hot  stones  into  the 
liquor  instead  of  boiling  it.^ 

In  an  adjacent  part  of  the  hut-circle  f,  not  far  from 
the  fire-place,  was  found  at  i,  a  stone  whorl  (fig.  4). 


Fig.  4.    Wborl  of  red  Sandstoue.    Two^tUirds  orig.  size. 

This  little  object,  which  at  first  sight  suggested  the 
conjecture  that  we  had  found,  in  that  western  part 
of  the  dwelling,  the  gyncBcium  or  resort  of  the  mistress 
of  the  cyttiau,  is  of  a  class  of  relics  occurring  constantly 
on  all  ancient  sites :  it  is  of  dark  red  sandstone,  and 
measures  about  1^  in.  in  diameter,  |  in.  in  thickness. 
These  massive  little  discs  or  rudely-shaped  beads  are 
commonly  designated  spinning-whorls,  and  many  ex- 
amples seem  well-suited  to  be.  affixed  to  the  spindle.^ 
The  Rev.  D.  Davies  has  figured  a  specimen  ornamented 
with  radiating  lines  and  dots  in  the  intervals ;  it  was 
found  in  a  cave  with  flint  arrow-heads  and  other  relics 
near   Camo,  Montgomeryshire    {Arch.    Camb,^  vol.  iii, 

instances  consist  of  a  hundred  cartloads,  or  more,  of  stones ;  some  heaps 
are  of  small  extent.  He  informs  me  that,  as  he  believes,  these  were 
places  where  the  spoils  of  the  chase  were  cooked,  the  hot  stones  being 
heaped  round  the  carcases  and  forming  rude  ovens.  Trans.  Kilkenny 
Arch.  Soc,  vol.  iii,  pp.  59,  84 ;   Gent.  Mag.,  June,  1854,  p.  627. 

*  Tour  in  Lapland^  vol.  ii,  p.  231. 

'  See  Mr.  Couch's  notice  of  **Pisky  grinding-s tones"  found  in 
Cornwall,  Journal  Roy,  Inst.,  Cornw.,  vol.  ii,  p.  280,  A  relic  of  this 
description  found  in  a  cave,  Chapel-Uny,  is  figured  by  Mr.  Blight, 
Churches,  etc.,  of  W.  Cormcall,  p.  138.  In  N.  Britain  such  whorls 
are  called  ** pixy- wheels." 


414  RELICS  FOUiND  IN  AND  NEAR  ANCIENT 

third  series,  p.  305).  There  is  a  considerable  colIectioQ 
of  such  articles  in  the  Museum  at  Dublin ;  they  have 
been  called  by  popular  tradition  in  Ireland,  "fairy  mill- 
stones," and  sometimes,  by  the  older  antiquarians, 
**amulets."^  They  have  occurred  frequently  on  the  sites 
of  Crannoges,  as  likewise  around  the  Pfahlbauten  of  the 
Swiss  Lakes.  Some  of  these  discs  may  have  been  used 
with  the  distaff,  but  I  incline  to  believe,  with  Mr. 
Franks,  that  not  a  few  were  fastenings  of  the  dress.  He 
remarks,  in  noticing  a  specimen  found  at  Haverfordwest, 
and  given  in  1851  to  the  British  Museum  by  Mr.  Stokes: 
— *'  This  is  one  of  those  curious  objects  frequently  found 
in  England,  but  regarding  which  various  opinions  have 
been  expressed.  By  some  it  has  been  conjectured  to  be 
the  verticillus  of  a  spindle,  from  its  similarity  to  such 
objects  found  with  Roman  remains ;  by  others  a  bead 
or  button.  This  last  opinion  seems  not  unlikely,  as  very 
similar  objects  have  been  found  in  Mexico,  which  have 
certainly  been  used  as  buttons."  The  specimen  from 
South  Wales  has  evidently,  as  Mr.  Franks  notices,  had 
a  cord  passed  through  it,  the  edge  of  the  central  hole 
being  much  worn  by  friction.^  Two  specimens  from 
North  Wales  are  described  by  Mr.  Ffoulkes  {Arch. 
Journ,^  vol.  viii,  p.  426) ;  one  of  them  found  in  a  morass 
near  Dolgellau,  the  other,  in  Bodfari  Camp,  Flintshire. 
The  reader  who  may  care  to  investigate  more  fully  such 
relics  of  female  industry,  will  find  abundant  information 
in  Dr.  Hume's  treatise  on  spindle-whorls,  beads  and 
pendants,  in  his  account  of  Antiquities  found  on  the 
Sea-coast  of  Cheshire ;  and  also  in  Mr.  Syer  Cuming's 

^  There  are  70  specimens  in  the  collection  of  the  R.  I.  Academy. 
Wilde' 9  CataL,  p.  116.  The  industry  of  spinning  and  weaving  flax 
was  prevalent  amongst  the  old  occupants  of  the  piled  dwellings  in 
Switzerland.  The  form  of  whorl  is  somewhat  peculiar — one  side  is 
mostly  flat,  the  other  conical.  They  are  usually  of  clay.  See  Mr. 
Lee's  translation  of  the  Memoirs  by  Dr.  Keller  on  the  Lake  Dwellings ; 
London,  1S66. 

2  Arch,  Journ,,  vol.  ix,  p.  11.  See  also  Professor  Nilsson's  ob- 
servations on  ancient  Scandinavian  buttons  of  amber  and  stone. 
Primitive  Inhabiiants  of  Scandinavia,  translated  by  Sir  John  Lubbock^ 
pp.  85,  86. 


CIRCULA-R  HABITATIONS  IN  HOLYHEAD  ISLAND.       415 

Memoir  on  Ancient  Spindles,  communicated  to  the  British 
Archaeological  Association.^ 

I  might  mention  other  examples  of  the  stone  whorl 
found  in  North  Wales ;  they  present,  however,  no  re- 
markable variation  in  their  size  or  fashion.  One  similar 
to  that  above  figured  is  in  Mr.  Stanley's  possession  at 
Penrhos.  It  was  found  in  Anglesey,  in  the  parish  of 
Llanenghenedl,  and  not  far  from  Ynys  Llyrad,  where, 
as  before  mentioned,  a  cluster  of  cyttiau  may  still  be 
seen.^ 

A  few  other  relics  of  stone  were  brought  to  light  in 
immediate  proximity  to  the  hut-circle  at  Ty  Mawr. 
They  consist  of  an  irregularly  rounded  pebble,  that  may 
have  been  used  as  a  sharpening  stone  or  a  polisher; 
also  an  oblong  four-sided  rolled  pebble,  length  about 
3^  in.,  in  its  general  appearance  like  a  rudely-shaped 
celt,  the  smaller  end  being  rubbed  down,  as  if  for  some 
mechanical  use;  Mr.  Franks  informs  me  that  similar 
pebbles  occurred  in  "  kjokkenmoddings"  in  the  Isle  of 
Herm,  one  of  the  Channel  Islands.  Mr.  Stanley  found 
also  a  rolled  pebble  of  quartzite  approaching  to  green- 
stone (fig.  6).    It  may  have  been  a  hand-hammer,  or  used 


Fig.  5.    Ovoid  Pebble  from  the  CyUiauY  Gwyddelod,  Ty  Mawr 
One-third  orig.  size. 

^  Ancient  Meols,  by  the  Rev.  A.  Hume,  LL.D. ;  London,  1863,  p. 
161  ;  where  numerous  specimens  are  figured.  Journal  Brit.  Arch, 
Assoc,  1859,  p.  396. 

*  See  notices  of  some  other  specimens  found  in  Anglesey,  Arch, 
Camb.,  vol.  vi,  third  series,  p.  376. 


416  RELICS  FOOND  IN   AND  NEAR  ANCIENT 

for  pounding ;  each  extremity  shows  effects  of  percus- 
sion ;  there  are  also  fractures  where  flakes  appear  to 
have  been  struck  ofl^,  such  as  may  have  been  used  for 
rough  arrow-points  or  the  like.  It  is  here  figured  on  a 
reduced  scale.  The  dimensions  are  about  3f  in.  by  2|, 
greatest  width.  I  may  likewise  notice  a  ponderous 
cylindrical  muller  or  grinding-stone  of  trap  found  in  an 
adjacent  field  in  1866.  It  measures  8^  in.  in  length, 
the  girth  at  the  thickest  part  is  10^  in. ;  the  weight  is 
6  lbs.  2  oz.  One  end  was  broken  by  the  finder ;  the 
other  bears  indications  of  considerable  percussion  ;  one 
side  also  is  somewhat  flattened,  possibly  in  triturating 
grain  or  other  substances.  (See  fig.  6,  one-third  original 
size.)     No  stone  muller  of  precisely  similar  description 


Fig.  6.    Cylindrical  Grinding-stone  found  near  Ty  Mawr.    One-third  orig.  size. 

has  come  under  my  notice,  and  I  failed  to  find  any  in 
the  Christy  collection,  so  rich  in  the  various  types  of 
antiquities  of  stone.  The  late  Mr.  Bateman,  in  his  ex- 
cavations in  Derbyshire,  found,  on  the  site  of  a  so-called 
British  habitation,  a  cylindrical  object  of  stone  that  he 
supposed  to  have  been  used  for  bruising  grain,  and  he 
observes  that  it  resembles  one  found  in  an  Aztec  burial- 
mound  in  South  America  examined  by  Capt.  Nepeau  ^ 
Mr.  Anderson,  in  his  report  on  cairns  and  remains  in 
Caithness  explored  in  1865,  describes  an  "oblong  shore- 
pebble  wasted  at  the  ends  by  use  as  a  pestle."* 

1  may  here  notice  an  implement,  probably  used  like- 

^  Capt.'Nepean's  researches  are  noticed  in  the  Arch<poloffia,  vol.  xxx. 
Many  of  the  relics  discovered  were  presented  to  the  British  Museum. 

2  Other  similar  objects  are  likewise  mentioned,  found  in  a  "  Picts' 
House,"  at  Wick.     Mimoirs,  AnihropoL  Soc,  vol.  ii,  pp.  228,  231. 


CIRCULAR  HABITATIONS   IN  HOLYHEAD   ISLAND.       417 

wise  in  the  preparation  of  food,  that  was  found,  as  Mr. 
Stanley  informs  me,  a  few  years  since  in  Holyhead 
Island,  at  no  great  distance  from  the  vestiges  of  ancient 
habitations  that  he  has  brought  under  our  notice.  This 
object,  now  unfortunately  lost,  was  a  club-shaped  stone 
pestle  (fig.  7),  measuring  in  length  about  11  in.,  and  ap- 


Flg.  7.    Stone  Pounder  or  Muller  found  in  Holyhead  Island. 

parently  suited  for  crushing  grain  or  the  like,  by  a  pro- 
cess somewhat  diflFerent  to  that  for  which  the  rubbers 
and  cylindrical  stones  that  have  been  described  were 
suited.  A  few  other  examples  of  this  comparatively 
rare  type  of  implement  are  known  to  me.  In  the  Edin- 
burgh Museum  there  is  a  cylindrical-shaped  implement 
of  porphyritic  stone ;  the  ends  are  rounded  off  to  blunt 
points ;  it  measures  1 1  in.  in  length,  and  2^  in.  in 
diameter;  it  was  found  with  celts  of  serpentine  in  a 
cairn  at  Daviot,  Inverness-shire,  where,  according  to 
tradition,  one  of  FingaFs  battles  occurred.^  This  seems 
to  have  been  one  of  the  stone  pestles  under  considera- 
tion, that  may  have  served  for  grinding  grain,  or  pos- 
sibly as  mauls  or  rude  clubs  in  close  conflict,  There  is 
also  one  in  the  Museum  of  the  Chichester  Philosophical 
Society,  found  in  digging  gravel  on  Nutbourne  Common 
in  the  parish  of  Pulborough,  Sussex,  near  barrows  and 
sites  of  primitive  habitations.  It  lay  in  the  mould 
about  18  in.  deep,  above  and  distinct  from  the  gravel. 
Length  11^  in.,  diam.  2  in.*  Another,  of  greenstone, 
found  near  Carlisle,  length  16  in.,  was  in  possession  of 
the  late  Mr.  C.  Hodgson,  of  that  place.  A  specimen  of 
this  comparatively  uncommon  implement  is  also  in  the 
Museum  formed  at  Audley  End  by  the  late  Lord  Bray- 
It  is  said  that  these  implements  resemble  some  obtained  in  shell- 
mounds,  at  Keiss  Bay  in  Caithness. 

1  Proc.  Soc.  Ant,  Scot.,  vol.  vi,  p.  1 79. 

2  Catal.  of  the  Museum  formed  at  the  meeting  of  the  Archaeological 
Institute,  Chichester,  1863,  p.  63. 


418  RELICS   FOUND  IN  AND  NEAR  ANCIENT 

brooke.     I  lately  saw,  in  the  Museum  at  Zurich,  three 
similar  mullers  from  North  America. 

It  has  been  stated  by  Mr.  Stanley  that  a  considerable 
deposit,  chiefly  consisting  of  weapons  and  implements  of 
bronze,  was  brought  to  light  in  1830,  under  some  large 
stones  near  the  cyttiau  at  Ty  Mawr.  The  discovery  was 
brought  under  the  notice  of  the  Society  of  Antiquaries 
in  1836,  by  the  late  Lord  Stanley  of  Alderley.^  The 
spot  is  marked  in  the  Ordnance  Map.  A  portion  of  the 
south-west  flank  of  Holyhead  Mountain,  which  had  been 
left  in  waste,  was  brought  under  the  plough ;  in  re- 
moving one  of  the  hut-circles,  the  relics  here  figured 
were  exposed  to  view.  It  has  been  suggested  that  they 
appear  for  the  most  part  to  bear  resemblance  to  objects 
of  similar  description  found  in  Ireland ;  this  circum- 
stance has  been  regarded  with  interest,  in  connection 
with  the  name  and  the  traditions  that  would  ascribe  this 
fortified  village  of  ancient  dwellings  to  Irish  occupants. 
Whilst  recognising  certain  peculiarities  that  would  lead 
us  to  regard  some  of  these  relics  as  of  Irish  types,  it 
must  be  admitted  that  they  may  have  been  part  of  the 
spoils  of  Hibernian  rovers,  by  whom  doubtless  the  coasts 
of  Anglesey  and  North  Wales  were  constantly  infested; 
the  evidence  of  such  a  casual  deposit  will  scarcely  justify 
any  inference  that  might  bear  on  the  supposed  Irish 
origin  of  the  cyttiau  on  Holyhead  Mountain,  or  on  the 
probability  of  any  permanent  Irish  occupation  of  the 
strong  position  at  Ty  Mawr.  It  may  seem  more  rea- 
sonable to  suppose  that  the  group  of  dwellings  explored 
by  Mr.  Stanley  may  have  been  in  its  original  intention 
an  outpost  to  the  great  British  fortress  of  Caer  Gybi, 
that  crowns  the  summit  of  the  mountain,  and  have  pre- 
sented an  important  defence  of  the  approach  on  that 
side,  as  also  in  a  certain  degree  of  the  landing-place  and 
small  roadstead  below.  Here  many  a  deadly  conflict 
must  have  occurred  between  the  occupants  of  the  island 

^  Archaologia,  vol.  xxvi,  p.  483.  Arch,  Journ,,  vol.  vi,  p.  236.  The 
**  find"  18  there  said  to  have  occurred  about  1834.  In  the  Ordnance 
Map,  1830  is  given  as  the  date  of  the  discovery. 


CIRCULAR  HABITATIONS  IN  HOLYHEAD  ISLAND.       419 

and    the    rapacious    rover,   whether    Irish,   Dane,   or 
Norwegian.^ 

The  relics,  shown  in  the  accompanying  woodcuts,  are 
as  follows : — 

I.  A  bronze  spear-head,  of  the  leaf-shaped  type, 
beautifully  formed,  but  somewhat  decayed,  as  are  dlso 
the  other  bronze  objects,  by  oxidation.  Its  length  is 
nearly  9  inches,  the  socket  is  perforated  for  a  rivet ;  the 
blade  has  feather-edges  perfectly  worked  and  sym- 
metrical ;  the  rounded  central  rib  or  prolongation  of  the 
socket  is  hollow  almost  to  the  point,  as  shown  by  a  nar- 
row aperture  caused  by  decay  of  the  metal.  This 
weapon  closely  resembles  a  specimen  in  the  Museum  of 
the  Royal  Irish  Academy,  figured  in  Sir  W.  R.  Wilde's 
Catalogue ;  spears  of  the  same  type,  however,  rarely  so 
skilfully  fabricated,  have  repeatedly  occurred  iuEngland.^ 

II.  A  plain,  leaf-shaped  spear-head,  of  simpler  fashion, 
the  point  broken.  In  its  present  state,  its  length  is 
nearly  6  inches;  the  socket  is  perforated  for  a  rivet. 
It  may  deserve  notice,  that,  in  deposits  where  several 
bronze  weapons  have  occurred  together,  two  or  three 
spears  of  various  sizes  have  been  noticed,  as  if  forming 
together  the  customary  equipment.  On  the  moiety  of  a 
stone  mould  for  casting  weapons  of  bronze,  found  be- 
tween Bodwrdin  and  Tre  Ddafydd,  in  Anglesey,  two  of 
the  dimidiated  matrices  were  for  casting  spear-heads, 
dissimilar  however  in  fashion  to  those  found  at  Ty  Mawr, 
and  in  each  instance  furnished  with  two  side-loops.^ 

III.  A  looped  and  socketed  celt,  of  Irish  type,  and  of 

1  A  short  distance  to  the  east  of  Ty  Mawr,  on  or  near  the  boundary 
of  the  ancient  village  of  circular  huts,  a  large  stone  may  deserve  notice, 
being  known  as  **Maen  Bras,"  Great  Stone,  or  possibly  **Maen  fires," 
or  Pres, — Stone  of  the  Copper, — on  account  of  certain  deposits  of 
bronze  or  other  relics  having  been  there  brought  to  light  at  some 
former  period. 

«  Wilde,  Catal  Mus.  R,  /.  A.,  p.  496,  No.  6.  Compare  an 
example,  somewhat  differing  in  proportions,  the  socket  being  very 
short.  It  was  found  in  the  Thames.  Hor<B  Ferales,  pi.  vi,  fig.  29 ; 
see  also  a  spear-head  found  at  Nettleham,  near  Lincoln,  figured, 
ArchaoL  Journal,  vol.  xviii,  p.  160. 

*  This  mould  is  figured,  Arch.  Journ,,  vol.  iii,  p.  257.     A  similar 


420  RELICS  FOUND  IN  AND  NEAR  ANCIENT 

unusually  good  workmanship.  Length  4^  inches.  A 
specimen  in  the  Dublin  Museum,  resembling  this  celt 
in  its  general  fashion,  is  one  of  those  selected  by  Sir  W. 
R  Wilde,  out  of  a  series  of  201  socketed  celts,  as  types 
of  the  most  remarkable  varieties  of  form  that  the 
socketed  celt  assumes.  He  has  described  the  example 
in  question  as  "a  slender  socketed  celt,  4^  inches  in 
length,  of  an  irregular  hexagon  form  in  the  middle,  and 
circular  in  the  slightly  everted  and  decorated  socket."* 
In  the  example  found  at  Ty  Mawr,  the  termination  has 
a  more  strongly  defined  "hatchet  face;"  the  hexagonal 
form  is  continued  to  the  mouth;  the  opening  is  of 
irregularly  square  form.  Several  other  slightly  varied 
specimens  have  occurred  in  Ireland. 

IV.  A  small  socketed  dagger-blade,  feather-edged, 
length  somewhat  more  than  6^  inches,  in  its  present 
imperfect  state.  The  blade  is  leaf-shaped,  the  socket 
oval,  and  pierced  for  a  rivet  that  passed  from  front  to 
rear,  as  most  frequently  found  in  objects  of  this  descrip- 
tion. In  some  specimens  it  passed  from  side  to  side. 
This  type  is  distinctly,  although  not  exclusively,  Irish, 
and  Sir  W.  R.  Wilde  enumerates  33  examples  in  the 
Dublin  Museum.  He  supposes  that  the  pommel  was  of 
wood,  bone,  or  horn ;  the  length  of  the  metal  portion 
varying  from  3f  to  11^  inches.  The  socket  is  circular 
or  quadrangular,  and  occasionally  ornamented.^  A  good 
example  of  this  weapon,  comparatively  rare  in  England, 

object,  found  in  the  co.  Limerick,  and  presented  bj  Mr.  de  Salis  to  the 
British  Museum,  is  figured  Ibid.,  vol.  xxii.  Another  stone  mould  for 
spears  had  been  found  in  co.  Qalway.     Archceologia,  vol.  xv,  p.  394. 

1  Wilde,  Gatal.  Mus.  R.  L  A.,  p.  384,  No.  406.  Compare  the  celt 
found  at  Roscrea,  co.  Tipperary,  now  in  the  British  Museum.  Horm 
Ferales,  pi.  v,  fig.  11.  Mr.  Franks  describes  it  as  having  the  sides 
divided  into  three  facets,  the  socket  oval.  A  stone  mould  for  socketed 
celts  of  similar  form,  but  curiously  ornamented,  found  in  Ross-shire,  is 
figured  in  Dr.  Wilson's  Prehistoric  Annals  of  Scotland,  vol.  i,  p.  346, 
second  edit.,  and  a  casting  from  the  mould.  Ibid,,  p.  384. 

*  Wilde,  Catal.  Mus,  R.  I.  A  ,  pp.  465,  483.  Amongst  examples 
figured,  one.  No.  218,  found  in  the  Shannon,  is  similar  to  that  found 
at  Ty  Mawr.  Ilora  Ferales,  pi.  x,  p.  165.  Two  Irish  specimens  are 
in  the  Blackmorc  Museum,  Salisbury;  also  one  from  Burwell  Fen, 


CIRCULAR  HABITATIONS  IN  HOLYHEAD  ISLAND.       421 

is  preserved  in  the  Museum  of  the  Society  of  Anti- 
quaries. It  was  found  in  1802  with  celts,  broken 
swords,  etc.,  and  lumps  of  crude  metal,  at  Lanant, 
Cornwall,  and  is  figured  Archceologia^  vol.  xv,  p.  118. 
Length  about  8-^  in.  Some  small  gold  bars  were  en- 
closed in  one  of  the  celts.  Mr.  Franks  gives,  in  the 
Horce  Ferales^  a  specimen  with  a  short  oval  socket  and 
two  sets  of  rivet-holes;  it  was  found  at  Thorndon, 
Suffolk,  with  a  bronze  gouge  and  other  relics.  This 
specimen,  and  also  two  obtained  from  Ireland,  are  in  the 
British  Museum.  In  recent  excavations  of  pit-dwellings 
at  Highdown  Camp,  Sussex,  Colonel  Lane  Fox  found, 
at  a  depth  of  3  feet,  a  dagger  of  the  same  type,  8^  inches 
in  length,  the  point  upwards ;  the  socket  is  pierced  for 
two  rivets.  The  cavities  in  that  stronghold  are  cut  in 
the  chalk,  within  the  rampart,  steps  being  formed  around 
to  descend  into  the  pit. 

V.  An  implement,  unfortunately  in  imperfect  state ; 
length,  in  its  present  state,  3^  inches  ;  this  is,  doubtless, 
one  of  the  four  varieties  of  the  chisel,  namely,  that 
described  by  Sir  W.  R.  Wilde  as  having  a  broad  axe- 
shaped  blade,  a  long  slender  spike  or  tang,  and  raised 
collar,  against  which  the  straight  wooden  handle  abutted. 
There  are  thirteen  specimens  of  this  type  in  the  Dublin 
Museum,  ranging  from  2^  to  6J  inches  in  length.^  An 
example  of  this  Irish  type  was  in  the  collection  of  the 
late  Mr.  Crofton  Croker ;  it  is  figured  in  a  memoir  on  the 
classification  of  celts,  by  the  Rev.  T.  Hugo.  Length, 
44  inches.^  A  similar  object  was  also  found  with  bronze 
gouges,  celts,  and  implements,  chiefly  of  mechanical  use, 
at  Carlton  Rode,  Norfolk,  in  1844 ;  and  another,  with 
the  like  objects,  at  Westow,  Yorkshire,  as  related  by 
Mr.  Yates,  Arch.  Joum.y  vol.  vi,  p.  381.     Some  of  these, 

Cambridgeshire,  length  8  in.  It  is  part  of  a  valuable  collection  tem- 
porarily deposited  by  Mr.  H.  Prigg,  of  Bury  St.  Edmund's,  in  which 
also  occurs  a  bronze  chisel,  resembling  fig.  v  of  the  relics  above 
described.  See  also  a  similar  weapon,  found  with  others  in  Argyle- 
shire,  Wilson's  Trehist.  Annah,  vol.  i,  p.  390. 

1  Catal.  Muft.  R,  1.  A.,  p.  521,  No.  75  ;  length  6^  inches. 

*  Journ,  Brit,  Arch.  Ass.^  vol.  ix,  p.  66,  pi.  10. 


42*2  RELICS  FOUND  IN  AND  NEAR  ANCIENT 

now  in  the  York  Museum,  are  ^gnvedJoum.  Arch.  Assoc., 
vol.  iii,  p.  58.  A  specimen  from  Burwell  Fen,  near 
Reach,  Cambridgeshire,  part  of  a  very  interesting  collec- 
tion of  bronze  implements  and  relics,  in  possession  of 
Mr.  H.  Prigg,  of  Bury  St.  Edmunds,  was  shewn  to  me 
by  Mr.  Stevens  in  the  Blackmore  Museum,  Salisbury. 

VI.  A  slight,  plain  penannular  armlet,  diameter  2 
inches,  the  inner  side  flat,  the  outer  face  of  the  hoop 
rounded ;  one  extremity  obtusely  pointed,  the  other  is 
slightly  dilated,  a  feature  often  seen  in  the  gold  Irish 
armlets.  These  personal  ornaments  occur  in  great 
variety  in  Ireland ;  they  have  been  sometimes  classed 
amongst  objects  regarded  as  a  kind  of  currency  or 
"ring-money,"  but  no  reference  to  any  such  mode  of 
barter,  as  Sir  W.  R.  Wilde  remarks,  has  been  found  in 
ancient  records.  Some  of  these  rings,  it  is  believed, 
were  worn  as  bangles  on  the  ancles.  Usually  each  end 
is  dilated,  and  sometimes  slightly  cupped.^ 

VII.  Several  stout  rings,  diameter  about  1  inch,  pro- 
bably cast  in  moulds :  relics  of  this  class  occur  abun- 
dantly in  Ireland,  frequently  double,  and  varying  greatly 
in  dimensions.^  It  may  be  remembered,  that  bronze 
rings  occurred  in  the  deposit  of  relics,  mostly  of  Irish 
character,  found  at  Llangwyllog,  Anglesey,  as  described 
in  the  Arch.  Journal,  and  also  in  the  Arch.  Cambrensis.^ 

VII.  Amber  beads,  of  various  sizes,  and  more  than 
commonly  symmetrical  in  form ;  diameter  of  the  largest 
beads  somewhat  more  than  an  inch.  A  necklace  of 
amber  beads,  of  large  dimensions,  was  likewise  found 
with  the  antiquities  at  Llangwyllog.  A  number  of 
amber  beads  occurred  with  the  gold  corslet  found  at 
Mold,  and  now  in  the  British  Museum,  where  a  single 
specimen  of  the  beads  is  also  to  be  seen. 

1  Wilde,  Caial.  Mus.  R.  L  A.,  p.  570. 

*  Ihid.t  p.  677,  and  following  pages.  There  are  not  less  than  678 
hronze  rings  of  various  fashion  in  the  museum  of  the  R.  I.  Academy, 
exclusive  of  finger-rings  and  the  like. 

'  Arch.  Joum.f  vol.  xxii,  p.  74 ;  Arch,  Camh,,  vol.  xii,  third  series, 
p.  97,  where  notices  of  amber  beads  discovered  in  the  British  Islands 
may  also  be  found. 


CIRCULAR  HABITATIONS    IN  HOLYHEAD  ISLAND.       423 

It  is  with  gratification  that  I  would  here  record  the 
liberality  of  Mr.  Stanley,  by  whom  the  whole  of  the 
curious  relics  above  described  have  been  presented  to 
the  National  Depository. 

I  proceed  to  notice  a  relic  of  considerable  interest 
found  in  1828  at  Pen  y  Bone  (head  of  the  bank),  about 
a  quarter  of  a  mile  south  of  the  cyttiau  at  Ty  Mawr. 
It  is  a  necklace  formed  of  jet,  or  possibly  cannel  coal  of 
excellent  quality  and  highly  polished  ;  it  was  found,  as 
stated,  in  a  kind  of  rock  grave — a  sepulchral  cist  rudely 


Fig.  8.    Probable  arrangement  of  the  Jet  Necklace  found  at  Pen  y  Bone,  Holyhead  Island. 

hewn  out.  Two  urns  were  likewise  found  in  the  cavity, 
but  on  exposure  they  fell,  as  was  reported,  into  frag- 
ments that  were  not  preserved.  Unfortunately,  a  num- 
ber of  the  beads,  and  other  portions  of  which  this  orna- 
ment had  been  composed,  were  missing ;  they  had  pro- 
l)ably  been  dispersed  when  the  discovery  occurred,  a 
mischance  that  too  frequently  happens,  such  a  find  being 
casually  brought  to  light  without  any  supervision. 
When  I  made  the  sketches  from  which  the  woodcuts 
have  been  prepared  by  Mr.  Blight,  I  found  two  end- 
portions,  of  which  the  reverse  of  one  is  figured,  four 
oblong  four-sided  pieces,  of  which  the  obverse  is  shown 
in  one  woodcut,  and  the  reverse,  in  the  other,  so  as  to 
indicate  the  arrangement  by  which  the  intervening  rows 


424  RELICS   FOUND  IN  AND  NEAR  ANCIENT 

of  beads  were  adjusted,  strung  on  threads  that  passed 
through  perforations  contrived  with  considerable  in- 
genuity. There  were  also  many  beads  of  various  sizes ; 
a  triangular  object,  the  intention  of  which  has  not  been 
ascertained,  and  a  flat  conical  button  perforated  on  its 
under  side ;  these  last  may  have  formed  parts  of  the  fes- 
tening.  Of  all  these,  however,  the  woodcuts,  of  the  full 
size  of  the  originals,  will  supply  an  accurate  notion; 
they  are  accompanied  by  a  representation  of  a  necklace, 
such  as — after  careful  comparison  of  other  examples — I 
believe  that  the  ornament  in  its  perfect  state  may  have 
been.  This  valuable  relic  was  exhibited  at  a  meeting  of 
the  Society  of  Antiquaries,  in  March,  1844,  by  the  late 
Lord  Stanley  of  Alderley.  * 

According  to  the  account  of  this  discovery,  as  given 
by  Hugh  Hughes,  tenant  of  the  adjacent  farm,  the  rock 
grave,  in  the  comer  of  w^hich  the  jet  necklace  lay, 
measured  about  3  feet  in  each  direction  ;  it  was  covered 
by  a  slab  of  stone.  Besides  the  "  crockery,"  he  stated 
that  armlets  of  bronze  were  found  in  the  cist;  according 
to  another  report,  there  was  also  a  ''penny  piece,"  pro- 
bably a  coin.  He  remembers,  moreover,  to  have  seen 
three  or  four  foundations  of  houses  near  the  site  of  this 
deposit,  of  rectangular  form,  long  uninhabited;  they 
were  formed  of  large  stones,  and  known  as  "Ty  Adda" 
and  "Ty  Efa"  (Adam's  and  Eve's  Houses),  indicating  a 
tradition  of  the  unknown  antiquity  of  these  dwellings. 

The  jet  {gagates)  of  Britain  was  highly  esteemed  by 
the  Romans,  and  many  highly  beautiful  ornaments  exist 
found  in  this  country  with  Roman  remains.  It  had 
been,  however,  employed  at  a  much  earlier  period,  as 
we  may  infer  from  numerous  relics  found  throughout 
the  British  Islands,  and  it  is  very  possible  that  certain 
physical  or  phylacteric  properties  had  been  attributed 
to  jet  in  times  long  antecedent  to  the  period  when  Pliny, 
Solinus,  and  other  writers,  described  its  inflammable 
quality,  its  power  of  attracting  small  objects,  when 
rubbed,  like  amber,  and  various   recondite  medicinal 

^  Proceedings  SocAnt.y  vol.  i,  p.  34. 


Beverse. 


Obveiae. 


PORTIONS   OF  A   NECKLACE   OF   JET   FOUND,   IN   1828,   IN  A   SEPULCHRAL   CIST 
AT   PEN   T   BONO,    IN    HOLYHEAD    ISLAND. 

(Grig,  size.) 


Abch.  Cams.    Vol.  xiy. 


ANTIQUITIES    OF    BBONZB,    WITH    BEADS   OF    AMBER,    POUND   IN    1830   AT   TT   MAWB 
ON    HOLYHEAD   MOUNTAIN. 


(Scale,  two-thirds  orig.  size.) 


Akch.  Camb.    Vol..  x.v. 


CIRCULAR  HABITATIONS  IN  HOLYHEAD  ISLAND.       425 

virtues,  to  which  it  were  needless  here  to  advert.^  The 
most  ancient  ornaments  of  jet  or  of  amber  that  have 
been  brought  to  light  in  Great  Britain  obviously  apper- 
tain to  a  period  of  comparatively  advancing  civilisation 
and  skill  in  mechanical  arts.  They  sometimes  accom- 
pany relics  of  a  race  conversant  with  the  use  of  metals, 
and  practised  in  their  manipulation. 

In  the  course  of  the  late  Mr.  Bateman's  explorations 
of  barrows  in  Derbyshire,  several  necklaces  were  disin- 
terred closely  resembling  that  found  on  Holyhead 
Mountain.  In  a  barrow  near  Buxton,  called  Cow  Low, 
several  interments  without  cremation  occurred,  two  of 
the  skeletons  being,  as  supposed,  of  females  ;  two  sets 
of  beads,  described  as  "  of  Kimmeridge  coal,"  were  there 
brought  to  light,  with  intermediate  oniaments  resem- 
bling those  above  described  and  bearing  slightly-marked 
diamond  patterns  ;  there  was  also  a  round-ended  imple- 
ment of  flint,  a  kind  of  scraper,  but  no  object  of  metal 
was  found.  The  two  necklaces,  consisting  of  not  less 
than  117  pieces,  are  figured  in  Mr.  Bateman's  works.* 
The  contents  of  this  remarkable  barrow  were  of  very 
mixed  character.  In  another  barrow  near  Hargate 
Wall,  encircled  by  a  ring  of  large  slabs,  a  central  cist 
was  brought  to  light,  enclosing  unburnt  human  and 
animal  remains,  deposited  apparently  at  various  periods, 
with  an  armlet  and  a  necklace  "of  Kimmeridge  coal" 

^  Pliny,  Nat,  Hist.  lib.  xxxvi,  c.  19;  Soliniis,  Folyhxstor.  c.  22. 
These  stateinents,  more  or  less  modified,  seem  to  have  originated  those 
given  by  subsequent  writers,  down  to  the  often-cited  observations  of 
Bede :  Hht,  lib.  i,  c.  1.  The  estimation  in  which  gagates  was  held 
by  the  Romans  is  a  circumstance  of  great  interest  in  connection  with 
the  extensive  Roman  manufactories  of  armlets  and  various  objects  of 
shale,  at  Kimmeridge  and  Worthbarrow,  Dorset,  the  refuse  waste 
pieces  of  which  were  so  long  a  mystery  to  antiquarians  under  the 
description  of  "coal  money."  A  certain  resemblance  to  jet  probably 
led  to  these  extensive  workings  in  shale  in  times  of  Roman  occupation 
of  Britain.  The  problem  of  "  coal  money"  was  solved  by  Mr.  Syden- 
ham at  the  Archaeological  Congress  in  Canterbury,  in  1846.  Arch, 
Journal,  vol.  i,  p.  347.  See  also  the  memoir  by  the  Rev.  J.  Austen 
in  the  Transactions  of  the  Pur  beck  Society. 

2  Bateman's  Vestiges,  p.  92.  Crania  Britannica,  See  also  Mr, 
Roach  Smith's  Collectanea,  vol.  v,  p.  147. 

3UD   SKU.,  VOL.  XIV.  28 


426  RELICS  FOUND  IN  AND  NEAR  ANCIENT 

combined  with  ivory,  a  remarkable  use  of  such  material, 
of  very  rare  occurrence.^  Of  the  former  substance  were 
oblong  beads  and  conical  studs,  similar  to  those  found 
at  Pen  y  Bone ;  with  these  were  intermediate  four-sided 
pieces,  and  two  triangular  terminal  ornaments,  all  of 
them,  as  stated,  of  ivory,  worked  with  chevrony  patterns. 
Two  other  necklaces  of  more  elaborate  character  are  pre- 
served in  Mr.  Bateman's  museum  at  Youlgrave :  one  of 
these  was  found  on  Middleton  Moor,  in  a  barrow  that 
Contained  a  cist,  in  which  lay  unbumt  remains  of  a 
young  female  and  a  child :  this  necklace  is  described  by 
Mr.  Bateman  as  "  the  most  elaborate  production  of  the 
pre-metallic  period"  that  he  had  seen :  it  is  composed  of 
not  less  than  420  pieces  of  jet  and  bone,  cylindrical 
beads,  perforated  plates,  conical  studs,  etc.  In  this  in- 
stance one  portion  was  obtained,  in  form  an  obtuse 
angled  triangle,  and  resembling  that  "found  at  Pen  y 
Bone.  Mr.  Bateman  seems  to  have  regarded  it  as  the 
link  by  which  a  very  elaborate  pendant  was  attached  to 
the  necklace.*  The  fourth  example  obtained  by  Mr. 
Bateman  lay  with  three  skeletons,  a  male  and  two 
females,  deposited  on  the  rock  under  a  barrow  at  Grind- 
low,  near  Over  Haddon.  The  interment  was  accom* 
panied  by  rude  implements  of  flint.  The  forms  of  the 
various  objects  of  jet,  72  in  number,  vary  slightly  from 
those  already  noticed;  there  is  much  stippled  orna- 
ment on  the  intermediate  plates,  and  one  of  these  is 

^  Vestiges,  p.  89.  These  beautiful  relics  are  also  figured  Joum. 
Brit.  Arch,  Assoc, y  vol.  ii,  p.  234.  Another  necklace,  formed  of  a 
material  of  inferior  quality,  designated  *'jet  wood,"  is  described  and 
figured  in  that  Journal,  vol.  vi,  p.  4.  It  was  found  in  a  barrow  near 
Egton,  N.  Riding  of  Yorkshire,  by  Mr.  Tissiman,  of  Scarborough,  and 
is  composed  chiefly  of  oblong  beads  and  conical  studs,  graduating  in 
size  ;  the  central  portion  is  of  jet  of  the  best  quality;  it  is  four-sided, 
stippled  in  a  lozengy  pattern.  This  interment  was  accompanied  by  a 
ring  of  "jet- wood,"  a  rudely-shaped  object  of  flint  described  as  a  spear, 
and  two  flint  arrow-heads. 

*  Ten  Years^  Diggings,  p.  25,  where  the  skeletons  in  the  cist  are 
figured.  The  skull  found  in  this  very  remarkable  interment  has  been 
selected  for  the  Crania  Britannica,  &»  the  type  of  the  British  female. 
See  pi.  36  (2). 


CIRCULAR  HABITATIONS   IN  HOLYHEAD  ISLAND.       427 

of  bone.  Of  the  beads  39  are  conical  studs,  pierced  at 
the  back  by  two  perforations  meeting  at  an  angle  in  the 
centre.^  The  skill  with  which  so  fragile  a  material, 
whether  shale  or  jet,  was  drilled  in  the  construction  of 
these  necklaces  is  remarkable  ;  it  is  difficult  to  compre- 
hend by  what  kind  of  implements,  in  an  age  possibly 
anterior  to  the  use  of  metals,  so  difficult  an  operation 
could  have  been  effected. 

In  the  exploration  of  a  remarkable  group  of  barrows 
on  the  Yorkshire  Wolds  at  Arras  and  Hessleskew,  by 
the  late  Rev.  E.  W.Stillingfleet,  portions  of  a  jet  necklace 
similar  to  that  found  in  Holyhead  Island  were  brought 
to  light,  with  numerous  relics  of  bronze  and  iron  of  very 
unusual  character.  Some  of  the  ornaments  of  jet  are 
figured  in  the  Transactions  of  the  Archaeological  Institute 
at  the  York  Meeting ;  Catalogue  of  Antiquities^  p.  27. 
An  object  of  the  same  description  from  the  station  of 
Cilumum  on  the  Roman  Wall  in  Northumberland  is  also 
noticed,  Ibid.^  p.  11. 

Several  other  examples  of  these  necklaces  of  jet  might 
doubtless  be  enumerated.^  The  relics  of  that  material 
found  in  the  primitive  cists  and  cairns  in  North  Britain, 
as  we  are  informed  by  Dr.  Wilson,  are  of  frequent  oc- 

^  Ten  Years^  Diggings,  p.  47.  Crania  Brit,  35  (3).  In  the  minute 
description  of  this  and  the  preceding  example  of  these  necklaces,  Mr. 
Bateman  mentions  jet  as  the  material.  A  very  good  example  of  the 
conical  stud,  similar  to  those  above  noticed,  but  of  rather  larger 
dimensions,  may  be  seen  in  the  museum  of  the  Antiquaries  of  Scot- 
land. It  is  figured  in  Dr.  Wilson's  Prehistoric  Annals,  vol.  i,  p.  442, 
second  edition.  See  also  beads  and  studs  found  in  barrows  on  Wyke- 
ham  Moor,  N.  Riding,  by  the  Rev.  W.  Green  well,  Arch,  Jouni,,  vol. 
xxii,  p.  247. 

^  A  jet  necklace  of  somewhat  remarkable  fashion  was  found  a  few 
years  since  on  the  estates  of  the  late  Marquis  of  Waterford,  at  Ford 
Castle,  Northumberland.  It  had  been  deposited  in  an  urn,  and  con- 
sisted of  beads  with  four-sided  plates  described  as  resembling  ** minia- 
ture hatchets."  In  a  cist  on  the  moor  near  Old  Bewick,  in  the  same 
county,  examined  in  1865  by  Mr.  Langlands  and  Canon  Green  well, 
seventy  beads  of  jet  were  brought  to  light.  The  depository  was  one 
bf  a  group  of  cists  in  a  cairn  surrounded  by  upright  stones.  This 
**Druidical  Circle"  may  have  been  the  burial  place  of  a  family.  In 
another  cist  lay  a  very  large  urn,  of  the  class  usually  found  with  un- 
burnt  remains.     Gent,  Mag.,  vol.  xix,  N.S.,  p.  716. 

282 


428  RELICS  FOUND  IN  AND  NEAR  ANCIENT 

cuiTence.  The  circunistances  under  which  they  occur, 
in  many  instances,  might  lead  us  to  conclude  that  they 
are  productions  of  native  ingenuity,  at  an  early  period, 
unaided,  as  some  antiquaries  have  been  disposed  to  be- 
lieve, by  any  civilising  influence  from  intercourse  with 
the  Romans.  On  the  other  hand,  certain  specimens 
unquestionably  present  evidence  of  experienced  skill 
and  of  ornamental  fashion,  that  would  associate  them 
with  objects  of  a  comparatively  late  period.^  In  the 
Museum  at  Edinburgh  a  remarkable  necklace  of  jet  may 
be  seen  ;  it  has  been  figured  by  Dr.  Wilson,  and  closely 
resembles  that  found  in  Holyhead  Island,  but  the 
chevrony,  lozengy  and  other  ornaments,  on  the  four- 
sided  portions  especially,  are  "  stippled  with  gold".  Tliis 
relic  was  found  at  Assynt,  Ross-shire,  within  an  urn  en- 
closed in  a  rude  stone  cist,  in  which  lay  some  bones,  the 
evidence  of  an  interment  without  cremation.  The  cist 
was  brought  to  light  in  removing  a  mound  of  earth,  the 
small  dimensions  of  which,  as  suggested  by  Dr.  Hibbert, 
by  whom  the  discovery  was  made  known  to  the  Anti- 
quaries of  Scotland,  may  have  indicated  the  grave  of  a 
female.*  Sir  Richard  Hoare,  however,  states  that  he  had 
rarely  found  an  urn  with  the  remains  of  a  female.  Dr. 
Wilson  has  noticed  other  ornaments  of  a  similar  descrip- 
tion found  in  North  Britain.  A  necklace  of  jet  and 
amber  beads  of  different  fashion,  and  probably  of  some- 
what later  date,  was  exhibited  in  the  Museum  formed 
at  the  meeting  of  the  Archaeological  Institute  at  Edin- 
burgh in  1856,  amongst  relics  contributed  from  the 
Arbuthnot  Museum  at  Peterhead  ;  it  was  found,  with  a 
celt  of  black  flint,  at  Cruden  on  the  coast  of  Aberdeen- 
shire ;  the  jet  beads  are  of  oblong  form  and  range  from 

^  Prehistoric  Annals  of  Scotland,  vol.  i,  p.  433,  second  edition. 

'  ArchcBologia  Scotica,  vol.  iii,  p.  49,  pi.  v,  where  the  various  objects 
of  jet  are  figured.  Dr.  Hibbert  assigned  their  interment  to  the  Scan- 
dinavian Vikingr.  The  fine  necklace  found  at  Assynt  is  minutely 
described  by  Dr.  Wilson,  and  well-figured,  Prehist.  Afinals,  vol.  i,  p. 
435.  It  was  exhibited  at  the  Edinburgh  meeting  of  the  Institute,  with 
another  of  like  fashion  found  near  Brechin. — Museum  Catal,,  p.  16. 
The  stippled  patterns  seem  filled  up  with  yellow  clay,  not  gold. 


CIRCULAR  HABITATIONS  IN  HOLYHEAD  ISLAND.       429 

1  to  5  in.  in  length.^  A  similar  bead  of  jet  of  the  same 
unusual  dimensions  exists  in  the  Museum  of  the  Royal 
Irish  Academy,  and  is  figured  in  the  catalogue  by  Sir 
W.  R.  Wilde,  by  whom  we  are  informed  that  jet  as  well 
as  amber  was  extensively  used  in  Ireland  ;  not  less  than 
sixty  specimens  of  studs,  buttons,  and  beads  being  pre- 
served in  that  collection.^  Large  rings  and  armlets  of 
the  same  material  have  likewise  been  found,  especially 
on  the  sites  of  stockaded  islands  or  crannoges. 

The  occasional  combination  of  portions  of  bone  in  the 
jet  necklaces  of  the  type  exemplified  by  the  specimen 
found  at  Pen  y  Bone  is  a  circumstance  of  considerable 
interest.  The  contrast  of  colours  was  doubtless  effective; 
the  use  of  such  luxurious  ornaments  suggests  the  con- 
clusion that  they  must  have  appertained  to  a  race  of  no 
very  barbarous  conditions.  Not  only  do  we  find,  how- 
ever, the  mixture  of  bone  or  of  ivory,  if  we  may  so  re- 
gard the  material  employed ;  in  one  memorable  instance 
recorded  by  Sir  Richard  C.  Hoare,  in  an  interment  in  a 
barrow  at  Kingston  Deverill,  Wilts,  beads  of  jet  and  of 
horn  were  found  amongst  burned  bones  in  a  cist  cut  in 
the  chalk ;  there  were  also  more  than  forty  beads  of 
amber,  and  six  oblong  plates  of  the  same  material,  per- 
forated so  as  to  be  strung  together  lengthways,  and, 
'when  thus  combined,  measuring  together  nearly  7  in. 

^  Figured,  Catalogue  of  the  Museum^  Edinburgh  meeting  of  the 
Archaeological  Institute,  p.  10.  In  the  centre  of  a  cairn  at  Rothie, 
Aberdeenshire,  examined  in  1864  by  Mr.  Stuart,  Sec.  Soc.  Ant.  Scot., 
was  found  a  cist  enclosing  bones,  supposed  to  have  been  burnt,  an  urn, 
and  a  necklace  of  jet,  composed  of  oblong  beads,  rectangular  and 
triangular  pieces;  also  two  beads  of  amber  and  a  small  object  of 
bronze.  Proc.  Soc.  Ant,  Scot.,  vol.  vi,  pp.  203,  217.  In  a  recent 
communication,  also,  to  the  Society  by  Capt.  Courtney,  R.E.,  mention 
is  made  of  the  discovery  of  a  jet  necklace  in  a  cairn  on  the  moor  near 
Kintore,  Aberdeenshire.  Another  found  in  1857  in  a  cist  near  Pit- 
kennedy,  Forfarshire,  consisted  of  104  beads,  with  triangular  end- 
pieces,  and  other  portions  resembling  those  at  Pen  y  Bone.  Ibid,, 
vol.  iii,  p.  78. 

»  CataL  Mus.  R.  /.  ^.,  by  Sir  W.  R.  Wilde,  Vegetable  Materials, 
p.  241.  Some  very  large  beads  of  jet,  from  Mr.  Chambers  Walker's 
collection,  found  in  co.  Sligo,  are  now  in  the  museum  at  Alnwick 
Castle. 


430  RELICS  FOUND  IN   AND  NEAR  ANCIENT 

in  length  by  2|  in.  greatest  width.^  There  can  be  little 
doubt,  however,  that  these  amber  tablets  were  not  in- 
tended to  be  strung  together,  as  figured  by  Sir  Richard 
Hoare ;  it  is  probable  that  the  oblong  and  other  beads 
found  with  them  had  originally  been  arranged  in  inter- 
vening spaces,  in  like  fashion  as  in  the  necklaces  of  jet 
aheady  described.  It  must  be  noticed  that  the  inter- 
ment at  Kingston  Deverill  was  accompanied  by  a  small 
ornamented  cup  and  a  brass  pin ;  the  conclusion  was 
obvious  that  the  cist  enclosed  the  ashes  of  some  dis- 
tinguished female.  Ornaments  of  jet,  and  more  fre- 
quently of  amber,  were  of  frequent  occurrence  in  the 
Wiltshire  barrows;  they  were  accompanied  in  many 
instances  by  objects  of  metal.^ 

The  flat,  slightly  conical  buttons  or  studs,  of  which 
specimens  occurred  at  Pen  y  Bone,  are,  perhaps,  the 
objects  of  jet  most  frequently  noticed.  In  a  memoir  by 
Mr.  Bateman  on  his  researches  on  the  Moors  of  Derby- 
shire in  1845,  he  describes  a  barrow  called  Net- Low,  in 
which  lay  a  skeleton  at  full  length  ;  close  to  the  elbow 
were  a  brass  dagger  and  a  pair  of  studs,  that  probably 
had  been  attached  to  the  dagger-belt.     Rude  imple- 

1  Ancient  Wilts,  vol.  i,  pi.  iii,  p.  45.  In  a  small  barrow  near  the 
same  spot  burned  bones  lay  piled  together  in  an  oval  cist,  with  beads 
of  amber,  jet,  and  glass,  and  a  "  pair  of  ivory  tweezers,"  figured  Ibid., 
p.  46. 

*  See  especially  the  large  ring,  Ancient  Wilts,  vol,  i,  p.  239,  pi. 
xxxiv,  found  with  barbed  arrow-heads  of  flint,  a  dagger  of  gilt 
bronze  and  other  relics,  around  a  skeleton  at  Woodyates;  also 
the  singular  objects,  Ibid,,  p.  202,  pi.  xxiv.  The  frequent 
mention  of  objects  of  "ivory,"  as  found  with  British  interments 
examined  by  Sir  R.  C.  Hoare,  and  also  by  Mr.  Bateman,  claims  careful 
consideration.  The  occurrence  of  oriental  or  of  African  ivory  would 
imply  intercourse  with  distant  lands  that  it  were  not  easy  to  compre- 
hend. Morse  ivory,  or  tusks  of  marine  animals,  might  possibly  be 
obtained  on  the  shores  of  some  parts  of  the  British  islands,  or  from 
Scandinavian  countries.  The  expression  '*bone  or  ivory,"  in  notices 
of  the  relics  in  question,  appears  to  show  some  uncertainty  in  regard 
to  the  material,  which  often  it  may  be  difficult  to  identify.  The 
*<  ivory"  armlet  found  with  a  female  skeleton  near  Woodyates  Inn, 
measuring  5  inchcH  in  diameter,  cannot  have  been  of  any  ordinary  bone 
obtained  in  Britain.     Ancient  Wilis,  vol.  i,  pi.  xxxii,  p.  235. 


CIRCULAR  HABITATIONS  IN  HOLYHEAD  ISLAND.       431 

ments  and  chippings  of  flint  lay  around.^  Here,  as  in 
other  interments,  relics  of  jet  or  shale  occurred  with 
objects  of  metal ;  they  have  likewise,  as  already  noticed, 
accompanied  Roman  relics  in  Britain,  but  in  these  in-, 
stances  their  fashion  has,  I  believe,  invariably  indicated 
their  Roman  origin.^ 

On  reviewing  the  facts  that  have  been  adduced,  espe- 
cially in  regard  to  the  female  ornaments,  of  which  Mr. 
Stanley  has  brought  a  remarkable  example  under  our 
notice,  I  am  inclined  to  agree  in  the  opinion  of  Mr, 
Bateman,  and  to  assign  such  necklaces,  with  some  other 
relics  of  jet  or  shale,  to  a  race  that  inhabited  our  island 
previously  to  the  use  of  metals — at  a  period  when  inter-^ 
ment  in  cists,  without  cremation,  prevailed.  This,  how- 
ever, is  not  in  accordance  with  the  opinion  of  another 
accomplished  archseologist,  Mr.  Roach  Smith,  for  whose 
discernment  in  such  questions  I  have  the  highest 
respect :  he  considers  the  tumuli  in  which  such  neck- 
laces have  been  found  to  be  probably  of  early  Romanor 
British  origin. 

In  regard,  however,  to  the  discovery  at  Pen  y  Bone 
and  the  remarkable  ornament  that  I  have  described, 
there  can,  I  apprehend,  be  no  hesitation,  although  the 
site  is  not  far  distant  from  the  Roman  stronghold  at 
Holyhead,  in  considering  the  deposit  as  distinct  from 
any  vestiges  of  Roman  -date.  Objects  of  jet  are  com- 
paratively rare  in  the  Principality  ;  a  few  relics  of  that 
material  found  at  Llangwyllog,  in  Anglesey,  have  been 
noticed  in  this  Journal  ;**  they  have  been  presented  by 

*  Barrows  opened  in  Derbyshire,  in  1845,  by  Thomas  Bateman, 
jun. ;  read  at  the  Winchester  meeting  of  the  Archaeological  Associa- 
tion; Winchester  volumCf  p.  209.  A  similar  stud  of  smaller  size  is 
figured,  Hoare's  Ancient  Wilts,  vol.  i,  pi.  xxiv.  See  in  Dr.  Wilson's 
Prehistoric  Annals  of  Scotland  a  remarkable  example  found  in 
Lanarkshire,  vol.  i,  p.  442. 

^  A  bulla  of  jet  found  at  Strood,  Kent,  is  figured  in  Mr.  Roach 
Smith's  Collectanea,  vol.  i,  pi.  xi,  p.  19,  where  mention  of  Roman 
relics  o^  g agates  may  be  found.  In  vol<  v,  p.  146,  pi.  xv,  a  sculpture 
at  Lincoln  is  figured,  representing  a  lady  wearing  a  necklace  of  a  type 
that  occurs  amongst  Roman  ornaments  of  jet  found  in  England. 

*  Arch.  Gamb.,  vol.  xii,  Third  Series,  p.  97. 


432  RELICS  FOUND  IN  AND  NEAR  ANCIENT 

the  Archdeacon  of  Bangor,  in  whose  parish  the  discovery 
occurred,  to  the  British  Museum.  The  spears  and  other 
relics  of  bronze,  and  amber  beads  described  in  this 
memoir,  and  also  the  objects  of  stone  found  in  Mr. 
Stanley's  excavations  at  Ty  Mawr,  may  now,  through  his 
liberality,  there  be  seen ;  it  were,  doubtless,  much  to  be 
desired  that  the  neck-ornaments  above-noticed,  and 
which  are  not  in  his  possession,  should  likewise  be  pre- 
served in  the  National  Depository,  where  no  relic  of  the 
same  description  is  to  be  found. 

In  conclusion,  I  would  express  the  hope  that  the  re- 
searches made  by  Mr.  Stanley  may  stimulate  Cambrian 
archaeologists  to  undertake  a  more  extensive  and  sys- 
tematic exploration  of  the  widely  scattered  vestiges  of 
early  habitations,  more  especially  in  Anglesey, — the 
"  Mother  of  Wales",  thus  designated  by  Giraldus, — in 
Caernarvonshire,  and  other  parts  of  Gwynedd.  Nearly 
three  centuries  have  elapsed  since  Camden  noticed  in 
Mona  the  'Humulos  fossa  circundatos  quos  Hibernicorum 
casulas  vocant".  Rowlands  and  subsequent  writers  in- 
vited attention  to  the  interest  of  the  cyttiau,  not 
merely  as  traditional  evidence  of  the  Hibernian  spoiler, 
whose  shelter  they  may  occasionally  have  been,  but  as 
actual  sites  of  British  habitation.  Sir  R.  Colt  Hoare 
relates  the  satisfaction  with  which,  during  his  tour  in 
Caernarvonshire  and  Anglesey  in  1810,  he  examined 
such  ancient  residences  of  the  Britons,  comparing  them 
with  the  circular  pit-dwellings  that  were  familiar  to 
him  in  Wiltshire.  {Ancient  Wilts,  vol.  i,  p.  107.)  The 
subject  has  repeatedly  been  brought  forward  in  the 
ArchcBohgia  Cambrensis ;  valuable  notices  of  certain 
groups  of  these  ancient  dwellings  have  also  been  given; 
amongst  such  notices  I  may  specially  cite  memoirs  by 
Mr.  Wynn  Williams  and  Mr.  Prichard;  the  valuable 
lists  of  British  remains  supplied  by  Mr.  Longueville 
Jones ;  the  survey  of  the  grand  "  Town  of  Fortresses", 
Tre'r  Ceiri,  on  the  Eifl  mountains,  by  Mr.  Jones  Parry 
{Arch.  Camb.y  third  series,  vol.  i,  p.  254) ;  and  those  of 
the  numerous  cyttiau  near  Llanllechyd,  Caernarvon- 


CIRCULAR  HABITATIONS  IN  HOLYHEAD  ISLAND.       433 

shire,  by  Mr.  E.  Owen  {Ihid.^  vol.  xii,  p.  215;  vol.  xiii, 
p.  102).  The  attention  of  the  Cambrian  Association 
was  invited  to  this  class  of  early  vestiges  by  their  Pre- 
sident at  the  Bangor  Meeting,  Mr.  Charles  Wynne; 
some  examples  of  hut-circles  in  Anglesey  were  exa- 
mined on  that  occasion.  Much,  however,  remains  to 
be  explored ;  the  spade  and  mattock  should  be  diligently 
plied  to  reveal  the  traces  of  the  ancient  population. 
The  extensive  remains  of  this  nature  on  Penmaen- 
mawr,  first  described  by  Pennant,  about  1780,  were 
specially  cited  by  Mr,  Wynne  as  claiming  careful 
attention,  and  I  am  assured  that  much  valuable  evi- 
dence is  there  to  be  obtained.  Would  that  the  well- 
skilled  and  zealous  antiquary  at  Menaifron,  to  whose 
researches  and  constant  courtesy  I  have  so  often  been 
indebted  in  regard  to  the  antiquities  of  Mona,  might 
be  persuaded  to  cross  the  Menai,  and  undertake  that 
detailed  exploration  of  the  great  strongholds  of  Caer- 
narvonshire which  no  one  is  so  well  qualified  to  achieve. 

Albert  Way. 


NOTES  ON   THE   TRANSCRIPTS   FROM  "LLYFR 

COCH." 

**Dd, — Imperfect  Fragments  of  things  done  in  Bishop  Llewelyn^ s  Time, 
or  rather  a  Transcript  of  some  Things  out  of  **  Liber  Coch/*  which 
in  1592  contained  l^B  folios  J*  Part  in  Bishop  Fleetwood's  hand' 
writing. 

TRANSCRIPTS   IN    DD. 

Page.        Diit«. 

61. — 1291.  A  dispute^  at  Denbigh  concerning  certain  customs 
and  privileges  relating  to  the  vills  of  Meriadog,Henllan, 
Llanyvidd,  Llangernaw,  Branan,  Bodnoc,  Treflech,Ked- 
gynwch,  Llansannan  cum  pertinent', within  the  lordship 
of  Denbigh,  between  Reginaldus,  Bp.  of  St.  A.  the  Dean 
and  Chapt.  on  the  one  part,  and  the  Lord  of  Denbigh 
on  the  other  part.     Decided  for  the  Bishop. 

63,  64,  65. — N.  d.  "  Annualia  qnaedam  beneficiorum  dioce- 
seos."  Gives  a  list  of  the  deaneries,  their  parishes,  and 
certain  payments. 

^  Anianus  II  was  bishop  in  1291,  not  Reginaldus.     R.  was  dean 
of  St.  Asaph  at  this  time. 


434  NOTES  ON  THE  TRANSCRIPTS 

P*M.       Date. 

66. — N.  d.  Nomina*  Tillaram  qaas  dedit  Rex  Malganus  S'cto 
Kentigerno  et  successoribus  suis  Ep'is  de  Llanelwy, 
cum  privilegiis. 

67.— 1277.  "  Literae  Patentes"  of  Edw.  I,  confirming  to  Bp, 
Anian  the  same  customs  and  privileges  which  the  see 
had  enjoyed,  "  retroactis  temporibus." 

67. — 1305.  Liberantur  panni  infrascripti.  (Distribution  of 
cloth  to  the  bishop's  household,  the  dean,  archd.,  etc.) 

68. — 1311.  Ditto.^  To  the  bishop,  dean,  and  canons,  and 
•*  pueri^'  (choristers). 

69. — Ditto.  Nomina  garcionum  in  vigilia  S'ta  Lucice.  (Sing- 
ing boys.) 

Hec  est  familia  Domini  Episcopi.' 

70. — Statutes  of  Bp.  Llewelyn^  and  his  council,  '*  tam  super 
regimine  suo  quam  suae  familise,  &c.,  officiales  curiie. 

(Very  interesting  as  shewing  the  composition  and  regu- 
lation of  the  episcopal  household  on  the  collegiate  system. 
Made  probably  soon  after  the  rebuilding  of  the  palace 
and  canons'  houses.) 

82. — 1305.  Bp,  Llewellyn  to  Edward  concerning  the  levy  of 
money  made  by  the  king  on  the  clergy,  states  his  ina- 
bility to  collect  it,  because  the  clergy  both  denied  their 
ability  and  liability,  and  appealed  to  the  Pope.  (  Vide^  in 
discharge,  No.  2,  p.  98,  fol.  10a.) 

83. — Edwardus — Llewelino.  Quia  clerici  diocesis  vestrae  sub- 
scripti  non  habent  laicam  feodam  unde  debita  quae  nobis 
dcbent,  levari  possunt,  ut  accepimus, — Vobis  mandamus 
sicut  pluries  vobis  mandavimus,  firmiter  injungentes 
quod  de  bonis  et  bencficiis  ecclesiasticis  eorundem  cleri- 
corum  in  diocesi  vestra  predicta  fieri  facialis  omnia  de- 
bita  subscripta.  (Here  follows  a  list  of  **  personce  & 
ecclesiae"  with  their  respective  **  debita". 

Quae  debita  suprascripta habeatis  apud  Westmon. 

V08  ipsi  in  propria  persona  ad  eundem  diem  cum  omni 
pecunia.     N  ulla  excusatio  vos  excusabit :  in  hac  parte 

1  Probably  compiled  in  Bishop  Anian'e  time,  in  connexion  with  the 
controversies  he  had  with  Llewelyn  relative  to  the  privileges  of  his 
see ;  and  useful  as  shewing  the  extent  of  the  church  lands  in  that  day. 

*  **N.B. — Duodecim  leprosarii,  octo  odorarii,  muiti  spaenoll",  are 
mentioned. 

^  Opposite  the  several  names  are  the  number  of  horses  each  has. 

*  Relating  to  the  bishop,  "  socii  sui,  senescallus  curiae,  janitor  sea 
marescailus  aulae.  Officiales  curiae, — pincerna,  panetarius,  marescal- 
lus,  coquus,  elemosynarius,  capellanus,  camerarius,  hostiariuSf  porta- 
rius,  nuncius.  Nunc  de  forensibus  quibusdam  ministris,  sell,  senes- 
callus, judex.*' 


435 

Page.       Dam 

quin  de  temporalitate  vestra  plene  et  integre  ad  dictum 
quindem  levari  facient  et  nihilominus  contra  vos  tan- 
quam  mandatorum  nostrorum  con  temp  torem  manifestum 
procedema8. 

85. — "  Returnum  istius  brevis",  stating  that  the  sequestration 
had  been  made,  and  the  goods  offered  for  sale ;  but  that, 
owing  to  the  short  notice  and  distance  of  the  places,  no 
buyers  could  be  found. 

86. — 1304.  "  Convencio  inter  Lewelinum  Ep'um  ex  un&  parte 
et  Cadwgan  ap  Ievan,capellanum,  ex  alter&  p'te,''  relat- 
ing to  the  manor  of  Cynlleth. 

86. — Ithel  ap  lorwerth  and  Cynwrig  Lloid,  canons  of  St.  A., 
on  behalf  of  the  clergy  of  Rhos  and  Rhyfoniog,  appeal 
to  the  bishop  for  an  extension  of  time  for  the  payment 
of  the  sums  of  money  levied  for  the  king.     Granted. 

87. — David  ap  Ithel  and  Howell  Seys,  ditto,  for  the  clergy  of 
Tegeingl.  Rector  de  Whithynton,  Vicarius  de  Pola,  et 
Vicarius  de  Myford,for  the  clergy  of  Marchia  and  Powys. 
David  Fryth  and  Madoc  ap  Eneas  for  the  clergy  of 
Mowthy,  Keveiliog,  Penllyn,  Edeirnion,  and  Dinmael. 
"  Mag.  Benedictus  et  DavisB,  frater  suus,  pro  clero  de 
Tegeinl,  et  obtinuerunt.  Mandate  from  the  king  to 
Bishop  Lleywelyn  to  sequestrate  the  goods  and  benefices 
of  the  dean  for  the  payment  of  a  certain  due  claimed, 
and  to  pay  it  at  Westm'r  by  a  specified  time. 

88. — Acknowledgment  of  the  receipt  of  the  above  mandate, 
and  the  bishop's  return,  alleging  that  the  sequestration 
both  of  the  dean's  and  other  ecclesiastical  benefices  had 
been  made,  and  the  goods  offered  for  sale;  but  that 
owing  to  the  season  of  the  year,  the  badness  of  the  roads, 
the  difficulty  of  transit,  the  sympathy  of  the  people,  and 
the  fear  of  incurring  spiritual  dangers,  there  were  no 
bidders,  and  the  said  goods  still  continued  under  seques- 
tration ;  but  that  some  few  altogether  resisted  the  claim, 
and  appealed  to  the  court  of  Rome. 

88-90. — 1310.  Inquiry  into  the  patronage  of  Northop,  held 
«        before  Robert  de  Holland,  justiciary  of  Chester. 

91. — c.  1305,  Mem.  quod  de  infra  script.  Receptor  Eccles, 
Assavens.  debet.  Noticeable  items :  I.  De  porcione  eccl. 
ejusdem  in  eccl'ia  de  Corvaen.  2,  De  finibus  tenentium 
de  Llanelwy,  incident'  p'  ann*  ab  opere  consueto  circa 
Rupem  Rubeam  pro  anno  D'ni  mccc  tertio.  3.  De  amer- 
ciamentis  provenientibus  pro  defectu  operis  in  Rupe 
Rubea.  4.  De  amerciamentis  ministrorum  eccVie  pro 
suis  defcctibus  ad  fabricam.     5.  De  denar'  provenienti- 


436  NOTES  ON  THE  TRANSCRIPTS 

Pago.       Dat*. 

bus  ex  terris  dictse  eccrise  legatis.  6.  De  redemptionibus 
penitentiarum  solemnibus  vel  aliaru'.  7.  De  exitibos 
sanctuarii  de  Llanrwt* 

91. — 1305.  "  Participationes  decimarum"  between  the  bishop 
as  rector  of  Llanarmon  yn  Jal  and  the  vicar. 
„  1304.  Ordinaciones*  •.Mem'  q'd  in  capella  nostra  de  Han- 
elwy  sit  tractatum  cum  quibusdam  canonicis  nostris, 
duximus  ordinandum.  (The  appointment  of  canons  illus- 
trating the  working  of  a  chapter^  and  the  building  of 
parsonage  houses, — residence  required.  After  the  deras- 
tation  of  the  wars.) 

92. — N.  d.  Convencio  inter  fratres  Domus  Hospitalis  de  Jeru- 
salem de  Dungundwal  ex  una  parte,  et  Ardiac  et  Wjn 
fil's  Wasamfreit  &c.  ex  alia  (relates  to  the  performance 
of  divine  offices  for  the  parishioners  of  Llanelwy  dwell- 
ing in  Hiraethog,  by  the  brethren  of  Yspytty  I  fan. 

93. — 1306.  Lewelinus  Reverendo  Mag'ro  de  Testa*  Archid* 
Arraven'  Romani  Ep^s  capellano  ac  administratori  spiri- 
tualium  Cant'  deputato.  (Excusing  himself  from  being 
present  at  the  consecration  of  William  Bishop  of  Bangor.) 
„  N.  d.  Lewelinus  to  Edward,  excusing  himself  "  pro  corpo- 
ris imbecillitate,"  from  attending  the  Parliament,  and 
appointing  —  Proctor  in  his  stead  for  that  purpose. 

94. — 1270.  General  sentence  of  excommunication  against  all 
who  in  any  way  oppose  or  diminish  ecclesiasrical  privi- 
leges. "  HflBC  sententia  publicata  apud  S'tum  Paulum, 
London*,  et  pronunciata  per  fratrem  nostrum  Ep'um  de 

S'to  Asaph  presentibus  tunc  novem  epis\  viz Et 

fuit  haec  sententia  lata  per  consensu m  D'ni  Willielmi 
Archiep'i  Eboracens*  qui  tunc  London  fuerat  in  Parlia- 
mento  D*ni  Henrici  Regis  Anglise. 

96. — Hi  sunt  articuli  de  quibus  Domini.  (These  relate  to  the 
alleged  privileges  of  the  see  in  the  matter  of  fines,  etc., 
and  probably  are  the  ones  brought  against  P.  Llewelyn, 
which  led  to  his  excommunication.) 

END   OF   FIRST   FART. 


No.  II. 

[^N.B, — Pag,  prim,  Coi,  ex  quo  haso  scripsimus  notabatur  Jig,  63.] 

E,  Cod,  MS.  mod,  in  Chart. penes  D*nu*  Watkin  Owen  S..,  de  Gwif' 
der.     Cock  Asaph,     In  custodia  Episcopi  Assaphens, 

1. — 1294.  Institution  by  Llewelyn,  Bp.  of  St.  A.,  of  Madoc, 
fiP  Huvae,  to  the  v.  of  Wrythestan.  M.  ap  H.  succeeds 
Kywric  Vychan.     V.'s  share  a  fourth  part  of  offerings 


FROM  **  LLYFR  COCH  ASAPH."  437 

Page.      Date. 

and  corn  tithes.     '*  Tibi  confirmavimus^ — investientes  te 
personaliter  annulo  rCtro. 
„  1277.     Edw.  confirms  to  Bp.  Anian  the  rights  and  privi- 
leges of  the  see. 

2-9. — N.  d.  ''Familia  D'ni  L.  ^V  includes ''  archidiaconus 
3  mag^r^  capellanus,  clerici,  armigeri,  officiales  in  curia." 
Then  follow  '*  Regulationes  et  Statuta  super  regimine 
suo  quara  suse  familite.  The  same  as  those  in  folio  70 
of  Ist  Part. 

9. — 1810.  Inquisition  into  the  Patronage  of  Northop  (•  q  88- 
90  supra). 

11. — N.  d.  Conventio  between  The  Knights  Hospitallers  of 
St.  John  of  Dingonwal  and  Ardiac,  etc.^  and  others  ex 
parte  Archdiaconi  (t.  q,  p.  92  supra), 

1 1. — Fidemissores  pro  Kenwr  Gronow.  Ditto  Gronw  ap  Bled- 
dyn  Foyl. 

1 1. — 1306.  Bp.  Lewelyn  excuses  himself  "  arduis  eccicB  rCtrm 
negoiiis  prepeditus^^  from  attending  the  Consecration  of 
the  Bp.  of  Bangor  ft.  q.  93). 

11-12. — 1266.  The  Engagement  of  Maurice  Custos  Asavens 
to  the  Chapt.  and  Clergy  of  St.  A.  1.  To  maintain 
their  rights  and  privileges.  2.  Not  to  fill  up  any 
vacant  Living  (Prebenda)  without  the  advice  and  con- 
sent of  the  Archdeacon  and  Dean.  3.  Not  to  fill  up 
any  vacancy  among  the  Canons  without  the  concurrence 
of  the  whole  Chapter — absq.  totius  capituli  consilio.  4. 
To  concur  in  enforcing  proper  discipline.  5.  To  take 
care  to  require  the  payment  of  the  tithes  of  lands, 
whether  previously  conferred  upon  or  subsequently 
rented  by  the  Personae — prseterquam  de  Sanctuariis. 
6.  De  reclusis,  monialibus,  et  leprosis.  The  first  claim 
on  their  property  to  belong  to  the  churches  of  the 
parishes  in  which  they  lived  and  died.  The  remainder 
to  be  equally  divided  between  the  Custos  and  the  par. 
churches.  7.  If  any  rector  of  a  church  died  in  debitis 
obligatus,  his  debts  to  be  first  discharged;  then  the 
other  dues.  8.  Any  priest  or  rector  dying  possessed 
of  a  horse  to  hand  him  over  to  the  custos :  or  if  not 
possessing  a  horse,  but  other  goods,  to  pay  the  value  of 
a  horse. 

12. — Letters  of  protection  and  purveyance  from  Edw.  Rex  to 
Goron  ap  Eydr  for  his  ship  and  crew  on  the  King's 
business. 

12. — c.1267.  "  Ricardus  BangorensisEpiscopusOttobano  Apost. 
Sedes  Legati*%  appealing  for  permission  to  resign  the 


438  NOTES  ON  THE  TRANSCRIPTS 

Prtgo.      Data, 

charge  of  his  see.  Reasons  given — 1.  Increasing  in- 
firmities;  2.  Malitia  plebis. 

1 5.  The  Bond  of  certain  clergy  entered  into  for  the  liberation 

of  Kenwric  ap  Bleddyn,  Capellanus,  from  prison,  into 
which  he  had  been  committed  for  using  and  threaten- 
ing further  violence  to  Ivor  ap  Bledyn,  V.  of  Whitford, 
the  Bishop's  receiver.  The  amount  of  bail  was  £40, 
which,  if  forfeited,  was  to  be  equally  divided  between 
the  Prince  and  the  fabric  of  the  cathedral. 
14. — 1261.  Forma  Compromissi  facta  inter  D*n'm  Bangorem 
et  D'n'm  Principem  Dat  Rydyvarw. 

16.  "Articuli  de  quibus  D'n*ni  Seculare  presumit  Ecclesiam 

fatigare  <jontra  institutiones.*' 

17.  Written  in  a  different  and  much  older  hand — Gabriel 

Roberts,  p.  121.  At  the  end  of  the  articles  which  are 
contained  on  this  page  is  written  "  These  articles,  and 
three  more  which  were  blotted  in  Chch.  Asaphy  are  to 
be  found  in  Lihro  Viridi^  fol.  90,  as  I  find  in  the 
margin  of  C.  A." 

17. — N.  d.  Mag*ro  Roberto  Frothesham,  Archidiaconi  Cestr. 
Officiali.  A  Letter  of  Recommendation  on  behalf  of 
the  bearers  of  the  Evengulthen. 
„  1271.  Confirmation,  by  John  Fitz  Alan,  E.  of  Arundel,  of 
lands  at  St.  Martin's  to  the  Bp.  of  St.  A.  and  his  suc- 
cessors, on  the  annual  payment  of  a  pair  of  golden 
spurs  "in  signum  homagii".  Pf*ovided  that  none  of  it  be 
ever  alienated  without  the  earl's  special  license  therefor. 

18. — 1274.  Dispute  between  Prince  Llewelyn  and  Bp.  Anian 
concerning  the  rights  and  liberties  of  the  ch.  of  St. 
Asaph.  An  inquest  held  in  the  Ecclesia  Major  before 
clergy  and  laity.  Witnesses  examined  upon  oath. 
Note  at  the  end.  "  These  and  many  more  (which  for 
brevity  sake  I  pass  over,  because  1  shall  hereafter  have 
occasion  to  write  them  in  the  British  Tongue)  are  to  be 
found  in  Viridi  Libro,  fol.  91.*' 

21  .—1275.  **  Ven'  in  Xto  patri  d'no  R.  d.  gra.  Epo  Menevens 
Ofii'i  Cur.  Cant.  Sal.  et  dat.  Lond.  in  Kal.  Aug. 
MDCCLXX  quinto". 

1277.  Thudyr  fil.  Wronw  Ofiicialis  de  Keveiliog  Anno  D'ni 
1277.  Gruff,  ap  Howello  complices  sui  soliti  ausu 
temerario  quendam  Ednyfed  ap  Llywarch  fugitivum  ad 
Emunitatem  Ecc'se  de  Llanyowdoe  violenter  extraadt  et. 
Hoec  tempe  Edd.  R.  Angl. 

21.  "  Extract,  sive  Rentale  Maneriorum  Epi  in  Ros." 

22.  Gavels  enumerated   in  Branan,   Bod.,  Kynwch.y  Llan- 


FROM  **  LLYFR  COCH  ASAPH."  439 

Page.      Date. 

sanatiy  Villa  de  Bryngwyny  et  de  AUtmelyden  de  quibus 
Epis.  in  subsidio  respondet  Villa  de  Yr  Yynys  de  Vaen- 
awl,  V.  de  Pengwern,  Trefleth,  Llanhudud,  V.  de  Meir- 
iadawg,  V.  de  Vaenol. 
23.— 1272-78.  Bobertus,  Cant.  ArcMep,,  to  the  Clergy  and 
Laity  of  Coventry  and  Lichfield,  Hereford  and  the 
Welsh  Dioceses,  recommending  the  bearers  of  the  Even- 
gulthen. 

23.  RoVtus,  Cant.  Arch.y  to  the  Earl  of  Warwick,  and  other 

captains  of  the  K.*s  army  at  Chester,  to  restrain  the 
ravages  of  their  soldiers. 

24.  Inventory  of  Bp.  Anian*s  plate. 

24.  Convention  between  the  Prior  of  the  Knights  Hospitallers 

of  Jerusalem  and  the  Abbot  of  Haghmond  super  pos- 

sessione  domus  Hospitalis  Albi  Monasterii — t.^.Halston. 
24. — 1306.     Resignation  by   C.  Archdeacon  of  Merioneth  of 

his  office,  together  with  the  churches  of  Llanymawddwy 

and  Mallwyd. 
24.— 1307.     Meredud  fil'  Gruff.,  Procurator  EccrsB  de  Llan- 

silin  in  Kynlleith  a^  1301. 

Villa    de   Llys    Dynwallawn.     Dom*  Joh'es   de 

Hav'ing   locum    R's  Angl.   Edd.  in  Northwall  tenuit 

tempe  Aniani  Ep'i  Bangor*  (Asaph). 

25.  Ricardus  fil.  Joannes  fil.  Alani  Com.  Arundel,  concedes 

forty-four  acres  of  land,  &c.,  at  Martin  Church  to  the 
church  of  St.  Asaph,  and  to  the  Bishop  and  Chapter 
thereof.  One  of  the  witnesses  is  D'nus  Joh*es  de  Hav'- 
ing.   (These  are  in  Viridi  Libro,  fol.  56.) 

Confirmation  to  Bp.  Anian,  by  Edw.  I,  of  the  rights 
and  privileges  granted  by  his  father  Henry. 

25.     Nomina  Archiepor'  Cant*  et  quantum,  sederunt  sc.  anno- 
rum  mens'  et  dieru'.     From  Augustine  to  Boneface. 

27. — 1265.  "  Concordia  Adse  fil.  Meuric  inter  se  et  Priorem 
de  Abberbur'."  Shews  an  early  and  interesting  con- 
nexion between  Alberbury  and  Meifod. 
„  1274.  Transcriptum  literse  Abbatum  contra  Episcopum 
(Anian).  The  Cistercian  abbots  de  Alba  Domo,  de  Strata 
Florida,  de  Cymhir,  de  Stratmarchellch.,  de  Aberconwy, 
de  Kemes,  de  Valle  Crucis,  address  the  Pope  in  exone- 
ration of  Llewelyn,  Prince  of  Wales,  against  whom  let- 
ters of  excommunication  had  been  issued  at  the  instance 
of  the  Bishop  of  St.  Asaph.  They  not  only  deny  the 
truth  of  the  charges  of  violence,  etc.,  brought  against 
him,  but  assert  him  to  be  **  Tutor  strenuus  ac  praecipuus 
ordinis  nostri  singulorumq'  ordinum  et  ecclesiarum  in 


440  NOTES  ON  THE  TEANSCRIPT8 

Page.      Date. 

Wallia  personarum  tam  pacis  quam  guerrse  temporibus 
retroactis.     Dat'  apud  Strata  Florida," 
S8.     Submissio  Einion  ap  Cadwgan  du  Ep^o  L.  et  Howelo  ap 
Hova  clerico  pro  injuria  dicto  Howelo  illat&.     Fidemis- 
sores. 

„  1S34.  Philippus  de  Mortuomari,  Comes  de  Marchia  et 
D'nus  de  Denbygh,  recognoscit  advocationem  rectoria 
de  Denbygh,  et  jus  dicti  Lewelini  Ep'i  Assaven*  et  suc- 
cessor' et  illam  advocationem  eidem  Ep'o  et  saccess', 
remittit. 

„     1244.   Carta  libertatis  hominum  de  Llangernyw.   Granted 
by  Anian  and  the  Chapter.     Confirmation  of  privileges. 
29. — 1269.    Compositio  pacis  inter  Principem  et  David  fratrem 
ejus. 

„  1239.  Transcriptum  I'rarum  monialium  de  Llanllugan. 
Given  in  Willis,  Appendix  III. 

„  1279.  Bishop  Anian  acknowledges  the  receipt  of  a  man- 
date of  Prince  Llewelyn  "in  hac  verba.  Lewelinus 
Princeps  Walliae,  D^nus  Snowdon,  ball*  suis  de  Bervet- 
wlad."  Enjoins  them  to  observe  the  customs  and  privi- 
leges of  the  see,  and  in  case  of  further  dispute  agrees 
that  it  should  be  left  to  a  jury  of  twelve  men  of  the 
country  to  settle.  **  Dat^  apud  Mont* Altu*  mdcciaxix." 
This  is  ratified  by  the  bishop  at  the  same  time  and  place. 
80.— 1273.  P.  Llewelin  to  R.  Abp.  Cant.  (?),  vindicating  him- 
self against  the  charges  contained  and  implied  in  the 
archbishop's  letter.     "  Dat*  ap'd  Aberython,  1273." 

31.  Acknowledgment  by  P.  Llewelyn  of  the  rights  and  privi- 

leges of  the  Bishop  and  Chapter,  and  his  engagement  to 
abide  by  and  maintain  them  in  the  points  to  which  the 
'*  Articuli  subscripti'*  referred.     Date  not  given. 

32.  The  Bishop,  Dean,  and  Chapter's  appeal,  with  articles 

annexed. 
1274.     Memorandum.   The  bond  of  the  ''  Judex  secularis 
apud  Rhos,'*  and  his  bail. 
33.— 1274.     Bail  for  K.  fab.  Ithael,  "  Portionarius  eccles'  de 
Llanraiadr,**  to  Bp.  A.,  accused  of  adultery. 

33.  Anianus  R.  Ep*o  Menevensi',  calling  upon  him  to  restrain 

and  punish  the  Abbot  of  Talellecheu  for  having  pre- 
sumptuously exceeded  his  power  (''principis  fulcitus 
subsidio'*)  by  entering  into  the  jurisdiction  of  St.  A.,  and 
publishing  a  sentence  of  excommunication  against  him, 
the  bishop. 
„  c.  1278.  Fr.  Anian  Priori,  Pro vinciali  et  Capitulo  Praedi- 
catorum  Angliae.      Vide  B.  Wilh's,  Append.  XI,  p.  38. 


i> 


0^ 


FROM  '*  LLYFR  COCH  ASAPH."  441 

Ptfe.     Dftto. 

Mem.  Bond  of  Gronw  fab  Heilin  to  the  Bishop  of 
St  A. "  in  XXX.  lib.  bonse  monetae  pro  injuria  illata  emu- 
nitati  eccrse  de  Llanarmaun.     Nomina  obligantium. 

34. — 1274.     Nomina  fidemissorum. 

84. — 1198,  £pisc' in  synodo  suo  apud  Album  Monasterium 
concessit  monachis  de  Valle  Crucis 

'^Annis  mille  Dei  ducentis  subtrahe  binos. 
Tunc  fuit  ad  castrum  Wallia  Victa  Paen.'* 

34. — 1272.  LitercB  pact's  inter  D'num  Ep'um  Asavens*  et  Ab- 
battam  et  Conventum  de  Salopi&. 

The  Abbot  and  Convent  engage  to  withdraw  from  the 
prosecution  of  their  cause  against  the  Bishop,  relating 
to  the  church  Beati  Oswaldi  de  Albo  Mon',in  the  courts 
of  Canterbury  and  Rome^  and  to  support  the  Bishop 
against  Walter  de  Hangmere  (Hanmer)^  and  to  indem- 
nify him  in  case  of  lawsuit. 

35. — 1272.  "  Lucas  Abbas  Monast*  S.  Petri  Salopesbur'  et 
ejusdem  loci  Conventus,"  concedes  to  the  Bishop  of 
St.  A.  '^  totam  terram  quam  habemus  in  nostro  dominio 
spectante  ad  ecclesiam  no8tram,&c.,  &c.  (Brown  Willis, 
ix,  p.  31.)  Dat'  apud  Rustock."^  Same  place  and  date 
as  the  above.     Fest*  Annunciation  B.  V.  M. 

35. — 1272.  Bishop  Anian,  on  his  part,  denies  that  he  had 
ejected,  or  approved  in  any  way  of  the  ejection  of  the 
Abbot  and  Convent  of  St.  Peter's  from  the  chufch  of 
St.  Oswald  de  Albo  Mon',  and  inhibits  all  ordinaries  from 
granting  institution  to  any  who  might  claim  it  otherwise. 

35. — 1278.  Transcriptum  donacionis  terree  Bodideris  de. 
(Willis  Appendix  VIII,  28.) 

36. — 1311.  Dispute  between  the  Bishop  and  Chapter  v.  Earl 
of  Lancaster,  relating  to  certain  aids  (atixilium)  claimed 
from  the  commotes  of  Isaled,  Uwchaled,  and  Iddulas, 
and  granted  by  the  cantreds  of  Rhos  and  Rhufoniog ;  but 
refused  by  the  Bishop^  Dean,  and  Chapter,  because 
imposed  without  their  consent. 

37. — 1305.  Agreement  between  the  Bishop  and  the  free  ten- 
ants of  Nannerch. 

38. — 1314.  Bishop  David*s  pension  to  Nicholas  Heygate, clerk, 
whom  the  K.  had  named  for  it  "  ratione  nov€B  consecru' 
tionia  debitam.*' 
„  1318.  Edw.  inquires  "  quo  die  et  anno  Griffinus  fiP  et 
heres  Madoci  de  Glyndowerdi  se  maritavit  Elizabeth' 
fir  John  Le  Strange. 

^  Rustock  and  Ruestoe  were   ancient  names  for  Meliden :  Gallt 


Bud  sbr.,  tol.  xiv.  ZU 


442  NOTES  ON  THE  TRANSCRIPTS 

Page.       Date. 

89.     Reply,  ^'  apud  Ruthallt'  in  nostra  dioc*." 
„     1311.     Inspectio  literarum  P*ris  L.  Ep'i  Assavens'  facta 
ap'd  AUtmeliden  an'o  D'ni  1311.     In  Pixide  Signala 
per  A  continentur : 

A. — ly  Literse  confirmacionis,  &c.  S,  Duse  bullae  con- 
tra L.  P*pem  per  Eccl'iam  Assav'  perpetratse.  3,  Literae 
Archiep*i  super  relaxacione  Interdicti  general*  in  Wallia. 
C. — a,  Du8B  cart®  Griffini  fil'  GrufEth  de  terrft  in  lal. 
J,  Literse  lorwerth  Routh  super  terra  de  Lanelwey. 
c.  Carta  D'd  ap  Yrathro  sup*  terra'  de  AUtmel. 

D. — 1,  L'rsB  fr*t*  A.  quondam  Ep*i  Assavens*  de  pu- 

to  (?)   et  conster*  Attornator'.     2,  Item  carta  ejusdem 

Robt.  facta  Hugoni  de  Eccl*  subter  Maes  Gruffith. 

F.— Testamentum  D*ni  L.  Ep'i  Ass'lS®  Aprilis  1811. 

I. — L*ra  Regis  super  licencia  condendi  testam*  L.  Ep'o 

Assav*  concessa. 

0. — Divers©  acquietantiae  dec*  &  archid*  Assavens*, 
Hoir  ap  Ithell,  Magr'  Steph'i,  Koge'  de  Wenlock,  and 
Joh'is  de  Mokeston,  &c. 
89. — 1278.     Edward*8  Mandate  to  Gunselinus  de  Badysmore, 
Justiciary  of  Chester,  and  Howell  fil*  Griffith,  to  assign 
zx  libratas  terrse  for  the  convenience  and  advantage  of 
the  Bp.  D,  and  Ch. 
39-42. — 1276.     Inquisitio  capta  in  majori  eccles.  de  S.  Asaph. 
'  as  to  the  dispute  between  the  Bp.  Dn.  and  Chapt.  of 
St.  A.  ex  unft  parte  and  Prince  Llewelyn  ex  altera. 
Enumeration  of  the  grounds  of  quarrel. 
42-46.      Vita  Sancti  Assaph.     Note  in  43.  "Here  wanting 
two  great  leaves**.     Note  in  46.  "  The  rest  to  the  end 
is  lost'*. 
46. — c.  1284.     Bp.  Anian*s  Letter  to  the  Pope  M[artin]  to  re- 
move the  See  to  Rhuddlan.     B.  W.,  Append,  xx. 
47.— 1292.     Lease  by  Bp.  Anian  for  vi   years   of  lands  in 

Rhywlyfnwyd. 
47.     Note  in  Bp.  Fleetwood*8  handwriting.     "  The  following 
Welsh  is  a  translation  of  the  Latin,  page  19,  at  the 
mark  4-'*.     The  part  referred  to  is  an  account  of  the 
controversy  between  the  Bp.  and  P.  Llewelyn. 
51-119  alicts  1-83.     In  Bp.  Fleetwood's  handwriting. 

61.  Continuation  of  the  above  Welsh. 

62.  Rex  t>.  Episcop.  Lewelin :  Trial  before  a  jury  of  xii  men 

at  Flint  as  to  the  right  to  the  goods  and  chattels  of  in- 
testates in  the  cantred  of  Englefield.  Verdict  for  the 
Bishop.     Juratorum  nomina.* 

^  Vide  Lib.  Antiq.  Pergamen,  fol.  3,  et  Transcript,  ejusdem,  p.  3. 


WATEB-8TOUPS. 


Abch.  Camb.    Vol.  xiv. 


443 

PmffB,      Data. 

53. — 11^91.  Taxatio  Ecclesiasiicorum  pertinentium  reddituum 
et  obvenciouum  Ep'atus  Asavensis  ad  ind'  valorem 
modo  subscripto.  More  full  and  correct  than  that 
given  in  B.  Willises  Appendix,  1801. 

67. — 1310.  Prit  apud  Flint  in  Crastino  Purificacionis  b'tae 
Marise  coram  Pyntybotot  (Payn  Tybotot)  Justic.  Cestr. 
Ann^  R.  R's  Edwardi  iii°.  Inspeximus  of  previous 
charter  of  Edw.  I  (1275)  and  confirmation  of  the  privi- 
leges of  the  see  by  Edw.  II. 

67. — 1414.     Hen.  V  confirms  the  privileges  of  the  see. 

58. — 1351.     Inquisitio   super   statu   Villae   de  Vaynall  capta 

inter  D'num  Comitem  Cestr.  et  Episcopem  Asavens.  in 

sessione   tenta   apud   Flint   die   LunsB   proximo 

post  Festum  S*t8B  Trinitatis,  Anno  R.  Regis  Edvardi  3 

a  conquesto  vicess'o  quarto. 

60. — 1349.  Concession  to  Bishop  Llewelyn  ap  Madoc  to 
make  a  will.  CocTi.  Asaph.,  fol.  41  b.  This  is  extant 
in  Viridiy  folio  57. 

61.  The  MS.  marked  Dd.  is  reckoned  here  for  the  pages 
from  61-96,  but  evidently  incorrectly  so;  for  in  the 
Summa  Libri  Rubei,  p.  97,  the  contents  are  given  as 
intermixed,  not  consecutive. 


ON   SOME  WATER  STOUPS   FOUND   IN   WALES 
AND   CORNWALL. 

KG.    II. 

In  the  number  of  our  Journal  for  last  April,  p.  166, 
there  appeared  an  account  of  certain  water  stoups  of 
unusual  form  found  in  Wales  and  Cornwall,  with  illus- 
trations ;  and  it  was  also  stated  that  similar  stoups  were 
found  in  Picardy  and  the  Boulonnais.  Some  corre- 
spondents have  since  then  sent  in  accounts  of  similar 
objects ;  and  they  are  now  laid  before  our  readers. 

Mrs.  Stackhouse  Acton  has  contributed  two  sketches, 
Nos.  1  and  2  of  the  accompanying  plate,  of  a  stoup 
found  at  Minton  hamlet,  in  the  parish  of  Church 
Stretton,  Shropshire.  It  was  found  there  in  a  pigstye 
some  years  ago,  and  is  now  preserved  in  the  garden  at 
Acton  Scott.  Nothing  more  is  known  of  it;  but  in 
this  hamlet  there  was  formerly  a  chapel,  and  a  piece  of 

2f.« 


444  ON  SOME  WATER-STOUPS 

ground  there  still  bears  the  name  of  Chapel  Yard.  No 
record  of  the  demolition  of  this  building  has  been  pre- 
served; but  the  old  people  thereabouts  have  a  tradition 
that "  the  heathens  of  Minton  pulled  down  their  chapel, 
and  set  up  a  maypole",  as  our  correspondent  informs 
us.  In  Eyton's  Shropshire  is  a  list  of  chapels  formerly 
existing  in  Shropshire,  and  in  it  the  name  of  Minton 
occurs.  The  author  adds  that  the  site  of  Minton 
Chapel  is  known;  but  this  is  all  at  present  known 
about  it. 

The  stoup  in  question  is  very  similar  to  those  already 
engraved ;  but  the  outer  ribs  are  made  ornamental  by 
chamfering,  and  shaving  away  of  edges.  It  is  evidently 
one  of  the  same  class  of  objects  as  those  above  alluded  to. 

A  stoup  of  similar  nature,  No.  3  of  our  plate,  is  pre- 
served at  Ridgebourne,  near  Kington,  Herefordshire. 
Mr.  R.  W.  Banks  observes  upon  this  object : — '*  It 
affords  another  illustration  of  the  form  of  water  stoups 
in  Wales  and  the  Marches,  differing  from,  but  closely 
resembling,  those  which  were  noticed  in  a  recent  num- 
ber of  the  Arch,  Cambr,  Its  external  diameter  is  23 
in. ;  the  internal  diameter  of  the  bowl  is  15  in.,  and  its 
depth  8^  in. ;  the  height  of  it  externally  is  1  ft.  It  has 
apparently  been  cut  out  of  a  hard  sandstone,  and  has 
not  suffered  from  exposure  to  the  weather.  It  pro- 
bably belonged  to  the  parish  church  of  Huntington, 
Herefordshire,  and  is  supposed  to  have  been  brought 
to  Ridgebourne,  in  the  adjoining  parish  of  Kington, 
many  years  ago". 

We  learn  from  an  active  member  of  the  Royal  In- 
stitution of  Cornwall,  Mr.  Couch,  to  whom  the  Associ- 
ation was  much  indebted  during  their  visit  to  that 
county  in  1862,  that  stoups  of  this  kind  are  numerous 
about  Bodmin ;  and  that  a  gentleman  in  that  neigh- 
bourhood has  a  collection  of  eight  or  ten  of  them. 

Mr.  Albert  Way  has  communicated  to  us  his  suspi- 
cions that  these  stoups  once  served  for  domestic  pur- 
poses; and  Mr.  Couch  is  of  the  same  opinion.  The 
tradition  that  they  were  Roman  mortars  points  in  the 


FOUND  IN  WALES  AND  CORNWALL.  445 

same  direction ;  but  we  confess  that,  having  seen  the 
examples  in  Picardy  and  the  Boulonnais,  our  own 
opinion  is  still  in  favour  of  their  having  always  been 
stoups  for  holy  water,  though  we  do  not  profess  to  account 
for  their  anomalous  shapes. 

Some  of  the  simplest  forms  of  such  stoups  are  still  to 
be  found  in  Merionethshire,  Cardiganshire,  and  Pem- 
brokeshire, where  we  have  observed  rude  cubical  blocks 
of  stone  with  basins  hollowed  out,  but  with  no  ribs, 
nor  any  ornaments,  in  some  of  the  simpler  country 
churches.  A  notable  instance  exists  in  the  porch  of 
Llanilltyd  church,  near  Dolgellau,  by  the  bridge  over 
the  Mawddach.  On  the  side  of  this  certain  letters 
are  cut,  probably  the  initials  of  the  parochial  autho- 
rities. At  Llanllear,  near  Fishguard,  a  block  of  stone 
with  a  basin  lies  on  the  church  floor,  and  a  local  tradi- 
tion affirms  that  it  is  never  known  to  be  without 
water;  while  the  same  tradition  is  attached  to  a  similar 
block  and  basin  under  the  tower  of  Cynfil  Caio  church 
in  Cardiganshire. 

The  easy  formation  of  these  basins  readily  accounts 
for  their  existence ;  and  the  art  of  making  them,  though 
only  for  farming  purposes,  exists  in  many  parts  of 
Wales  at  the  present  day;  but  we  should  be  curious  to 
know  whether  any  such  stoups  are  to  be  met  with  in 
Cumberland  and  the  northern  parts  of  England,  and 
more  especially  in  Ireland,  or  among  the  ruins  of  dese- 
crated churches  in  Scotland.  H.  L.  J. 


446 


UNCERTAIN    STONE   IMPLEMENT. 

The  stone,  of  which  a  representation  is  here  subjoined, 
was  exhibited  at  the  meeting  of  the  Association  in 
Hereford  daring  the  month  of  August  1867,  and  has 
given  occasion  to  much  discussion,  not  yet  satisfactorily 
determined,  as  to  what  could  have  been  its  possible  use 
and  purpose. 


All  that  is  known  of  the  history  of  the  relic,  (which 
belongs  to  E.  Whitcombe,  Esq.,  of  Cleobury  Mortimer, 
Shropshire),  is,  that  it  was  found  in  1816,  in  ploughing 
a  small  entrenchment,  or  what  is  termed  by  my  in- 
formant "cooking  encampment",  upon  Holly  Waste, 
or  Holly  Fast,  near  Gireh.  The  locality  is  about  one 
mile  from  Cleobury  Mortimer,  near  an  old  road  leading 


UNCERTAIN    STONE    IMPLEMENT.  447 

from  thence  to  the  Clee  Hill  and  Ludlow,  and  about  four 
or  five  miles  from  Titterstone ;  but  Mr.  William  Hal- 
lam,  the  farmer  who  picked  it  up,  the  labourer  who 
held  the  plough,  and  the  boy  who  drove,  are  all  de- 
ceased ;  and  the  little  information  which  can  be  given 
(none  as  to  the  precise  spot  of  the  discovery)  is  derived 
from  a  short  memorandum  made  at  the  time  by  the 
proprietor's  father. 


In  attempting  a  description  of  this  and  two  other  ob- 
jects found  with  it,  it  is  to  be  observed  in  the  first  place, 
that  those  engraved  are  represented  rather  under  their 
real  size.  The  largest  one  is  made  of  coarse  sandstone, 
and  in  shape  like  an  escallop  joined  to  the  plain  side  of 
an  oyster  shell,  one  side  being  convex  and  the  other  flat. 
We  will  suppose,  for  the  sake  of  clearness,  that  the  im- 
plement (whatever  it  may  have  been)  is  laid  upon  the 
former,  and  the  general  appearance  presented  would  be 
that  of  the  flat  side  of  a  shell  fish,  and  this  thickest  at 
the  upper  extremity,  where  the  hinge  of  the  two  shells 
would  be,  and  decreasing,  like  an  oyster,  towards  the 
outer  rim.  It  measures — from  top  to  bottom,  3^  in. ; 
from  side  to  side,  at  widest  part,  about  3|  in. ;  thick- 
ness at  the  top,  which  is  the  thickest  part,  l|  in.;  from 
top  to  middle  of  largest  hole,  1^  in.  From  this,  circles 
of  2 J  in,  diameter  are  drawn  on. both  sides  with  lines 
radiating  to  the  circumference,  apparently  intended  to 
be  ornamental.  This  largest  hole  is  circular,  and  ^  in. 
diameter ;  it  passes  vertically  through  the  stone,  and  is 
met  by  another  and  similar,  but  rather  larger,  hole, 
passing  through  the  stone  in  an  horizontal  direction. 


418  UNC£UTA1N    STON£    IMPLEMENT. 

Nearly  halfway  between  the  circumferences  of  the 
circles  and  outer  edge  of  the  stone  are  seven  circular 
perforations,  like  the  large  hole,  but  less  in  diameter, 
apparently  intended  to  be  equidistant;  and  there  seems 
to  have  been  an  eighth  where  the  stone  is  broken,  pro- 
bably by  the  plough.  On  the  top  certain  lines  seem 
to  have  been  drawn,  apparently,  when  complete,  de- 
scribing a  parallelogram,  two  of  which  remain.  Above 
the  upper  angles  of  these  are  two  small  circular  de- 
pressions ;  a  similar  one  in  what  has  been  the  middle 
of  the  figure,  and  three  equidistant  below  and  outside 
of  it.     The  weight  rather  exceeds  9^  oz.  avoirdupois. 

Among  many  conjectures  as  to  the  use  of  this,  it  has 
been  supposed  to  be  a  hatchet  or  a  hammer;  but  it 
could  hardly  have  served  either  purpose,  considering 
the  fragile  nature  of  the  material  of  which  it  is  made, 
and  the  additional  weakness  naturally  arising  from  the 
many  perforations.  It  has  occurred  to  me  (a  conjec- 
ture which  I  oiFer  with  much  diflfidence)  that  it  may 
have  been  rather  an  article  of  ornament  than  of  use, 
and  employed  as  a  gorget  suspended  from  the  neck  by 
a  cord  or  thong  passed  through  the  larger  hole,  while 
objects  either  of  triumph  or  supposed  magnificence 
were  hung  in  proud  display  from  the  smaller  ones. 
And  this  idea  perhaps  derives  some  little  confirmation 
from  the  two  pieces  of  antiquity  found  in  the  same 
place,  and  together  with  the  first,  one  of  which  is  also 
engraved ;  for  these  appear  not  to  be  spindle  whorls,  in- 
deed they  are  neither  large  enough  nor  heavy  enough; 
^nd  the  circumstance  of  their  being  worn  smooth  equally 
on  both  sides  seems  to  imply  that  they  have  formed  part 
of  a  barbaric  necklace.     Judicenl  periti. 

J.  W. 


449 


CorresponHence. 


LLANBADARN    FAWR,  CARDIGANSHIRE. 

TO   THE   EDITOB   OF   THE   ABCH.    CAMS. 

Ste, — My  attention  has  been  called  by  the  vicar  of  Llanbadarn  Fawr 
to  the  old  church  there,  which  is  now  in  course  of  restoration ;  and  on 
Tuesday  last  I  went  there  to  examine  the  fresco  paintings  on  the 
walls,  which  I  think  are  worthy  of  note ;  and  as  these  historical  re- 
cords cannot  be  preserved,  some  account,  however  imperfect,  should 
be  drawn  out  of  them,  which  I  beg  now  to  submit  to  you. 

When  the  masons  were  taking  down  the  old  walls  of  the  western 
part  of  the  church,  which  had  given  way,  they  noticed  a  variety  of 
colours  under  the  whitewash :  this  induced  them  to  examine  them 
more  closely,  when  they  discovered  letters  as  inscriptions  and  full- 
length  figures  in  fresco,  one  being  sixteen  yards  square,  including 
the  border,  two  of  which  are  now  partially  visible,  the  others  had 
been  entirely  destroyed  by  the  workmen  before  any  discovery  was 
made.  The  principal  figure  evidently  represents  St.  Peter :  the  full 
face  is  partially  visible,  with  the  nimbus,  and  with  his  right  hand  ex- 
tended towards  a  lioness  sitting  on  her  haunches  near  her  den,  which 
is  castellated,  and  immediately  above  the  hand  is  a  young  ass.  There 
is  a  key  in  the  hand.  The  dress  was  originally  scarlet  and  purple, 
but  from  the  effects  of  the  lime -wash  the  scarlet  has  become  brown, 
and  the  purple  light- blue;  it  is  large  and  folded  like  the  Roman 
toga.  There  is  no  inscription  under  this  figure,  which  is  on  the  wall 
immediately  in  front  of  the  south  entrance  into  the  church.  The 
other  figure  represents  a  man  in  chain  armour,  with  a  large  shield ; 
the  profile  of  the  face  is  distinct,  and  to  all  appearance  with  a  coronet 
on  his  head,  with  a  Welsh  inscription  under  it. 

There  is  a  peculiarity  pertaining  to  these  which  is  worthy  of 
note,  inasmuch  as  they  represent  three  distinct  periods.  First,  the 
original  painting  in  scarlet  and  purple,  with  a  border  of  twisted 
columns.  This  was  covered  over  with  whitewash,  on  which  a  fresh 
painting  was  laid  in  yellow,  with  a  square  border  of  brown  and 
yellow,  and  inscriptions  with  large  capital  letters  in  black.  This, 
again,  was  whitewashed  and  repainted  brown,  with  inscriptions.  The 
letters  are  of  good  bold  character  of  the  fifteenth  century ;  but  time 
or  man  has  so  defaced  the  inscriptions  that,  beyond  the  words 
"  Pardon"  and  "  Dedd'*,  little  can  be  made  out. 

The  walls  and  the  inside  jambs  of  the  lancet  windows  evidently 
show  the  action  of  fire.  By  a  reference  to  the  early  history  of  this 
church,  I  find  it  was  burnt  down  five  times  in  the  early  wars,  viz.,  in 
720,  by  the  Saxons  in  the  reign  of  Roderick  Molwynog ;  988,  by  the 
Danes,  in  the  reign  of  Meredith  ap  Owen;  1038,  by  Llewelyn  ap 
Sitsyllt,  in  the  reign  of  lago  ap  Edwal;  1071,  by  the  Dunes,  in  the 


450  CORRESPONDENCE. 

rei^n  of  Bleddyn  ap  C3*nf7n ;  1106,  by  Ithel  and  Madoc,  in  the  reign 
of  Oriffydd  ap  Conan;  and  in  II 11  it  was  rebuilt,  or  rather  restored, 
by  Gilbert  Strongbow,  Earl  of  Strygil,  and  given  by  him  to  the 
monastery  of  St.  Peter's,  Gloucester. 

We  may  therefore  draw  this  conclusion,  that  the  fij^ure  fronting 
the  grand  entrance  to  the  church  was  originally  intended  to  represent 
St.  Peter,  in  compliment  to  the  monks  of  the  monastery  at  Gloucester, 
under  whose  protection  the  church  was  placed. 

The  other  figure  in  armour  may  represent  Gilbert  Strongbow,  Earl 
of  Strygil,  particularly  as  this  figure  is  represented  with  a  coronet, 
and  an  inscription  in  Welsh  as  a  compliment,  or  towards  a  reconcili- 
ation with  the  Welsh  people  of  the  district,  which  he  had  lately  con- 
quered; but,  unfortunately,  the  inscription  is  so  defaced,  it  is  im- 
possible to  make  out  a  sentence. 

The  style  and  colours  of  the  painting  of  St.  Peter  strongly  re- 
semble that  of  St.  Werburgh,  found  under  a  mass  of  whitewash,  and 
lately  restored  to  the  church  of  that  name  in  the  city  of  Chester. 

I  am,  etc.,  J.  Q.  Wiluams. 

Glo'ster  Hall,  Aberystwith,  June,  26,  1868. 


THE  LOVENTIUM  OF  PTOLEMY. 

TO   THB    EDITOB   OF   THE   ARCH.    CAMS. 

Sir, — I  beg  to  call  the  attention  of  the  Association  to  the  present 
state  of  the  remains  of  the  Roman  city  of  Loventium,  situated  at 
Llanio  Isaf,  in  the  parish  of  Llanddewy  brevi,  Cardiganshire,  with 
the  view  of  making  a  search  for  its  site  and  probable  extent.  I 
travelled  by  the  Manchester  and  Milford  Railway  from  Pencader 
through  Lampeter  to  Pont  Llanio  station,  having  passed  through  the 
supposed  site  of  Loventium  at  Llanio  Isaf,  we  returned  back  in  a 
carriage  by  road  to  Llanio  Isaf,  about  a  mile,  having  crossed  the 
Roman  road  called  Sam  Helen,  about  two  hundred  yards  below 
Llanio  Ucha  House,  then  proceeded  down  a  road  to  the  south  over  a 
railway  bridge  to  Llanio  Isaf  Farm  House,  where  we  got  out  of  the 
carriage  and  proceeded  to  examine  the  inscribed  stones,  so  accurately 
described  by  Camden,  p.  641.  One  of  the  largest  we  found  in- 
serted into  the  wall  in  the  left  jamb  of  the  cart-house,  about  a  foot 
from  the  ground,  and  covered  with  a  thick  coating  of  whitewash, 
which  was  with  some  difficulty  removed  with  soap  and  water ;  it  b 
accurately  described  by  Camden,  and  is  evidently  a  monumental 
tablet,  read  by  him  as  ''Caii  Artii  manibus  Ennius  Primus."  Another 
inscribed  stone  was  found  in  the  pine  end  wall  of  the  dwelling-house, 
seven  or  eight  feet  from  the  ground,  which  had  also  to  be  cleaned 
from  whitewash,  with  the  word  "overioni,"  also  accurately  described 
by  Camden.  Another  inscribed  stone  with  the  letters  '*  Legio  secunda 
Augusti,"  I  was  informed  by  the  occupier  of  the  farm,  had  been  taken 
away  by  a  gentleman  named  Davis  some  time  ago.  It  is  to  be  hoped, 
however,  that  he  will  cause  it  to  be  returned,  or  to  be  placed  iu  the 


CORBESPONDENCE.  451 

College  Museum  at  Lampeter.  After  having  made  every  search 
about  the  dwelling-house  and  farm  buildings,  we  proceeded,  armed 
with  a  pickaxe,  to  the  field  called  Cae  Cestyll  or  the  Field  of  Castles ; 
this  field  was,  unfortunately  for  us,  teeming  under  a  luxuriant  crop  of 
barley,  and  could  not  be  examined  with  the  pickaxe ;  we  were  how- 
ever informed  that  it  was  full  of  stones  and  old  mortar :  we  saw  that  it 
was  surrounded  by  a  very  high  hedge  containing  stones,  and  con- 
tained about  three  acres.  We  then  descended  into  a  field  to  the 
south,  about  two  and  a  half  acres  in  extent,  which  we  examined  for 
some  time.  There  is  a  well  in  the  upper  part  towards  the  north, 
from  which  flowed  a  plentiful  supply  of  water.  About  thirty  yards  below 
the  well  we  perceived  plainly  the  remains  of  walls,  forming  two  small  en- 
closures. J^etween  the  well  and  these  remains  of  walls  we  found 
several  pieces  of  bricks,  which  evidently  formed  the  watercourse  from 
the  well  towards  the  baths  or  dwellings.  We  turned  up  quantities 
of  bricks  and  mortar  from  several  other  foundations  of  buildings, 
like  broken  ridge  tiles,  broken  bricks,  and  a  quantity  of  very  hard 
mortar,  evidently  ''grouted"  in,  and  containing  large  lumps  of  gravel. 
This  enclosure  is  literally  covered  with  portions  of  Roman  brick 
and  mortar,  wherever  the  pickaxe  was  introduced  into  the  soil. 
Another  field  adjoining,  of  about  five  acres,  near  the  river  Tivy,  con- 
taining another  crop  of  barley,  was  said  by  the  occupier  to  be  full  of 
portions  of  broken  bricks;  for  the  plough,  he  said,  brought  up  nothing 
but  bricks  and  mortar  with  the  soil ;  hence  the  luxuriance  of  the 
barley  crop.  We  could  not  therefore  examine  this  field  with  the 
pickaxe.  This  Roman  town  of  Loventium  must  have  been  of  very 
considerable  extent,  for,  including  Cae  Cestyll,  it  must  have  covered 
nearly  twelve  acres  of  land.  A  large  flat  brick,  with  figures  upon  it, 
was  taken  by  the  miller  of  Llanio  Mill  and  inserted  in  the  floor  of 
the  oven.  This  we  did  not  see;  it  may  probably  be  an  encaustic 
tile.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that,  as  there  now  exists  railway  accommoda- 
tion between  Carmarthen,  Lampeter,  and  Aberystwith,  our  Associa- 
tion may  be  induced  next  year  to  meet  at  the  Welsh  university- 
there  is  a  museum  attached  to  the  library  at  Lampeter.  The  speci- 
mens of  Roman  bricks  which  were  picked  up  by  us  at  Llanio  were 
left  at  the  museum  at  Lampeter  College,  where  they  may  be  examined. 
Mcyrick,  in  his  History  of  Cardiganshire^  gives  but  a  meagre  de- 
scription of  the  Roman  remains  at  Llanio  Isaf.  Gibson's  Camden  is 
much  more  accurate,  and  the  figures  on  the  inscribed  stones  are 
belter  done.  The  occupier  says  that  he  has  no  objection  to  making 
excavations  or  searching  for  foundations  of  houses,  provided  there  is 
no  com  in  the  fields.  Before  we  came  to  the  railway  bridge  at  Llanio 
isaf,  and  just  before  crossing  ''  Sam  Helen,"  we  entered  a  field  to 
the  north  of  Llanio  isaf,  but  adjoining  Cae  Cestyll,  called  **Cae 
Gwrfil,"  or  the  Warrior's  Field;  it  is  nine  or  ten  acres  in  extent,  and 
is  part  of  Llanio  XJcha  Farm.  We  perceived  it  contained  no  traces 
of  walls  ;  we  were  informed  that  about  twenty  years  ago  the  occupier 
of  Llanio  Ucha  removed  a  mound  in  the  west  corner  of  this  field,  con- 
taining some  bones  for  manure.  This  **  Cae  Gwrfil"  was  probably 
the  exercising  ground  for  the  troops  to  the  north  of  the  citadel  or 


452  CORRESPON  DENCB. 

castle.  '*  Sam  Helen,"  a  paved  way,  can  be  traced  in  several  places 
in  the  neighbourhood;  this  was  the  "Via  Occidentalis"  from  **  Mari- 
dunum"  to  Machynnlleth,  supposed  to  have  been  made  by  Julius 
Agricola,  who  also  probably  built  Loventium,  and  took  possession  of 
North  and  South  Wales,  a.d.  78. 

Walteb  D.  Jon£s,  M.D. 
[We  would  refer  our  correspondent  to  the  account  of  a  visit  to 
lilanio  Llanddewy  Brevi  in  a  late  volume  of  our  JoumaL — Ed.  Arch. 
Camb.'] 


LIBER    LANDAVENSIS. 

TO   THB   EDITOB   OF   THE   AKCH.    CAMB. 

Sir, — The  account  given  by  Mr.  Haddan,  in  your  number  just  pub- 
lished, of  the  original  MS.  of  Liber  Landavensis,  does  not  appear  to 
agree  with  the  Act  Book  of  the  Chapter  of  the  Cathedral  of  Llandaff, 
from  which  I  beg  to  send  you  the  following  extracts  : 

"  2ndo  Julij  1687. 
"  Received  then  the  18  loose  folios  belonging  to  Lib,  Landaven.,  and  pro- 
mise to  return  the  same  to  this  Chapter  at  Peters  tyde  next,  upon  the 
penalty  of  forfeiting  xx^. — Gfio.  Bull." 

*'  The  loose  leaves  above  mentioned  were  returned  to  the  Chapter  by  the 
archdeacon." 

"30mo  Junij,  1688. 
*^  Memorandum  that  the  Revd.  Mr.  Archdeacon  Bull  has  this  day  brought 
to  the  Registry  of  this  Chapter  the  eighteen  loose  folios,  and  delivered  the 
same  into  the  hands  of  the  Revd.  Mr.  Franklyn ;  whereupon  the  caution 
given  for  the  return  of  them  was  declared  null  and  void. 

'*  Ita  testatur  Thomas  Roberts,  Notarius  Publicus.*^ 

{Act  Book,  p.  329.)  The  position  of  the  sentences  shews  how  they 
are  written  in  the  book. 

In  the  same  volume,  at  the  back  of  a  page  numbered  341,  under 
date  3rd  July,  1693,  there  is  an  entry  stating  that  "the  Bishop,  Arch- 
deacon, and  Chapter,  upon  the  motion  of  Dr.  Edwards,  the  Treasurer, 
ordered  that  Tylos  Book,  with  the  18  loose  folios,  should  be  delivered 
to  him  upon  his  giving  a  caution  of  the  penalty  of  xx/.  for  the  rede- 
livery thereof  to  this  Chapter  at  next  Peterstyde."  And  on  a  subse- 
quent page,  viz.  349,  I  find  *' Tylos  books  brought  in",  written  in  the 
margin,  under  date  June  30,  1697;  and  by  the  side  of  these  words 
are  the  following:  '* At  which  day  Mr.  Griffith  Thomas  brought  in 
Ti/los  Book  with  the  18  loose  folios,  and  left  it  in  the  Registry ;  where- 
upon the  said  Chapter  discharged  Dr.  Edwards  of  what  obligation  he 
entered  into  for  the  retume  thereof." 

I  regret  to  say  that  I  have  not  found  in  the  Act  Book  any  later  in- 
formation respecting  this  interesting  MS. ;  but  it  is  clear  from  these 
extracts  that  Bishop  Field  (a.d.  1619-1627)  is  not  responsible  for  its 
first  departure  from  its  lawful  owners,  and  that  it  was  in  their  safe 
keeping  so  late  as  1697,  the  year  after  Mr.  Davies  is  stated  by  Mr, 


MISCELLANEOUS    NOTICES.  453 

Haddan  to  have  placed  the  Latin  inscription  on  its  cover.  The  ex- 
tracts also  afford  proof  that  the  Chapter  appreciated  their  treasure, 
and  took  precautions  against  the  loss  of  it,  which  makes  its  disappear- 
ance the  more  unaccountable. 

I  remain,  Sir,  your  faithful  servant, 
Bishop's  Court,  Llanduff,  July  18,  1868.  A.  Llandaff. 


iWliscellanroug  Notices. 

Rkstoeation  of  Abbrdaron  Church,  Cabrnartokshire. — 
It  will  be  in  the  recollection  of  some  of  our  readers  that  an  illustrated 
account  of  this  ancient  church  was  given  in  one  of  the  earlier  volumes 
of  the  Arch,  Camb,  Its  neglected  and  desecrated  condition  was  com- 
mented upon,  and  the  state  of  the  new  church  was  also  alluded  to. 
The  subject,  indeed,  led  to  some  discussion  at  the  Caernarvon  Meet- 
ing of  the  Association ;  but  assuredly  it  was  hardly  supposed  probable 
that  a  restoration  of  the  ancient  edifice  would  be  witnessed  by  any 
one  then  present.  We  refer  our  readers  to  the  accounts  mentioned 
above  for  particulars  of  the  notable  instance  of  Vandalism  which  the 
case — by  no  means  a  solitary  one — implied.  It  is,  therefore,  with 
equal  surprise  and  satisfaction  that  we  have  recently  learnt  from  the 
Rev.  Hugh  Roberts,  Rector  of  Aberdaron,  that  the  work  of  restora- 
tion is  actually  in  progress,  and  that  a  sum  of  about  £400  has  been 
already  expended  upon  it.  A  new  timber  roof  has  been  put  up,  the 
windows  repaired,  and  other  works  effected;  but  the  funds  at  the 
Rector's  disposal  are  now  falling  low,  and  pecuniary  assistance  is  much 
needed  to  complete  the  good  work.  In  describing  the  actual  condi- 
tion of  this  ancient  building,  the  Rector  observes  :  **  It  is  astonishing 
in  what  excellent  condition  the  walls  are,  after  having  been  exposed 
to  the  wear  and  tear  of  the  elements  for  so  long  a  time ;  and  the  old 
church  will  yet  outlast  the  unsightly  building  by  which  it  has,  with 
Vandalistic  taste,  been  replaced."  We  trust  that  this  appeal  to  Welsh 
archaeologists  will  be  liberally  responded  to.  Meanwhile  it  is  consol- 
ing to  find  our  own  statements  and  predictions  verified.  It  is  probably 
too  much  to  expect  aid  from  any  church  building  or  repairing  society, 
but  we  hope  that  there  is  still  good  taste  and  good  feeling  enough 
among  the  nobility  and  gentry  of  Wales  to  induce  them  to  aid  in  pre- 
serving this  valuable  edifice.  The  examples  of  Llandudno,  at  the 
other  end  of  the  county,  restored  by  the  munificence  of  a  member  of 
our  Association  ;  of  Llanaber,  in  Merioneth,  so  well  restored ;  of  Llan- 
danwg,  in  the  same  county,  now  falling  rapidly  into  ruin;  of  churches 
in  Cardiganshire  and  Pembrokeshire,  neglected  or  destroyed,  passim ; 
and  still  nearer  home,  of  some  bad  cases  in  Montgomeryshire  and 
Anglesey;  should  supply  a  stimulus  to  aid  in  such  a  good  cause. 
Subscriptions  should  be  addressed  to  the  Rev.  the  Rector,  Aberdaron, 
Pwllheli. 


A  History  of  the  Dtocese  of  St.  Asaph  is  announced  as  in 
progress  of  compilation  by  the  Rev.  D.  R.  Thomas,  Rector  of  Cefn, 


464  MISCELLANEOUS    NOTICES. 

near  St.  Asaph^  the  beautifiil  church  lately  erected  by  Sir  Watkin 
^Vi]Iiams  Wynn  and  other  members  of  his  family.  It  is  to  be  pub- 
lished in  Parts,  at  6s,  each,  and  will  be  arranged  as  follows :  the  first 
I'art  will  contain — 1.  A  history  of  the  diocese  from  the  earliest  times 
to  the  present;  and  as  the  yarious  questions  that  have  affected  the 
AVelMh  Church  will  be  touched  upon  in  their  bearings  on  this  diocese, 
it  is  hoped  that  this  Part  will  form  an  useful  contribution  towards  a 
complete  history  of  the  Church  in  Wales.  2.  Short  biographical 
notices  of  the  bishops.  3.  An  account  of  the  Cathedral.  4.  A  Ibt  of 
the  dignitaries,  with  brief  notes  on  the  more  eminent  of  them.  The 
remaining  Parts  will  contain — 1.  The  parochial  histories,  giving  an 
account  of  the  livings,  churches,  and  charities,  with  a  list  of  the  in- 
cumbents from  1534  downwards.  2.  An  account  of  the  grammar 
schools  of  Ruthin,  Oswestry,  and  Llanrwst.  3.  A  short  account  of 
the  dissolved  religious  foundations  at  Bangor,  Basingwerk,  Ualston, 
Llanllugan,  Maenan,  Rhuddlan,  Ruthin,  Strata  Marcella,  and  Valle 
Crucis.  Several  of  the  clergy  have  already  sent  in  an  account  of  their 
respective  parishes ;  and  the  architects  of  many  of  the  new  and  restored 
churches  have  promised  descriptions  of  them.  The  work  will  be  illus- 
trated by  woodcuts  of  a  few  of  the  churches;  but  any  subscriber,  by 
taking  four  copies  or  procuring  the  sale  of  five,  will  be  entitled  to 
have  an  illustration  of  any  church  he  may  choose. 

DaA.wiN08  BY  Moses  Griffith. — We  have  just  received  the  fol- 
lowing intelligence  from  the  Rev.  D.  R.  Thomas : — "I  was  rather  for- 
tunate the  other  day  in  picking  up  at  a  sale  two  old  portfolios  full  of 
water  colours  and  pencil  sketches,  which  proved  to  be  the  work  of 
Moses  Griffith,  the  artist  who  illustrated  Pennant's  works.  There  is  a 
series  of  forty,  illustrating  the  scenery  of  North  Wales,  especially 
Carnarvonshire  and  Merionethshire ;  and  there  are  some  thirty  others 
of  other  places.  Besides  which  there  were  two  dilapidated  sketch- 
books containing  pencil  views  of  some  of  the  gentlemen's  seats  in 
Flintshire,  e.g.,  Rhual,  Gwysaney,  Vron,  Soughton,  and  Betdsfield. 
There  are  two  good  drawings  of  (1)  the  tomb  of  E.  John's  daughter  at 
Baron  Hill,  and  (2)  one  of  the  brasses  in  Llanrwst  Church.  Some  of 
the  sketches  are  quite  rough,  and  two  or  three  only  just  outlined,  but 
they  are  interesting  from  their  connection  with  Pennant."  Our  cor- 
respondent may  well  congratulate  himself  on  this  unexpected  ''find." 
The  drawings  of  Moses  Griffith  are  of  very  great  value  to  the  Welsh 
antiquary ;  for  he  was  not  only  far  in  advance  of  his  day  in  archeeo- 
logical  acumen,  but  he  also  sketched  with  admirable  accuracy,  and 
recorded  architectural  details  with  a  spirit  and  accuracy  quite  unex- 
ampled at  his  time.  We  hope  our  correspondent  will  allow  us  to 
inspect  his  acquisition,  and  to  publish  copies  of  some  of  them  in  the 
ArchtBologia  Cambrensis, 

Cornish  Cromlechs. — A  book  on  the  cromlechs  of  Cornwall  is 
announced  by  our  correspondent,  Mr.  Blight.  This  is  good  news ;  for 
it  is  sure  to  be  well  written,  and  skilfully  illustrated.  We  shall  look 
forward  to  its  publication  with  interest. 


REVIEWS.  455 


3&ebtet00« 

Collectanea  Antiqua.     Parts  1,  2,  3,  4.     Vol.  VI. 
By  C.  Roach  Smith. 

The  present  four  numbers  of  this  valuable  collection,  forming  the 
sixth  volume,  contain  several  papers  of  interest  to  Cambrian  anti- 
quaries. In  Part  I  a  paper  on  Chester  and  its  Roman  remains  is  full 
of  curious  details ;  and,  from  the  locality  described  lying  so  much  in 
the  route  of  Welsh  visitors,  deserves  careful  perusal.  Mr.  R.  Smith 
in  it  adverts  to  the  large  stones  used  in  facing  its  Roman  walls,  and 
dwells  on  the  probability  of  Deva  having  been  built  on  the  site  of  an 
earlier  British  town.  A  valuable  paper  on  the  archeeology  of  horti- 
culture, in  this  and  the  succeeding  Part,  is  worthy  of  careful  study  by 
all  country  dwellers.  One  of  the  chief  points  developed  in  it,  as  also 
in  a  separate  pamphlet  lately  published  by  Mr.  R.  Smith,  is  the  pos- 
sibility of  cultivating  vines  in  the  open  field  in  certain  parts  of  Eng- 
land, the  same  as  in  France,  and  on  its  importance  to  the  welfare  of 
the  working  population.  The  second  Part  is  rich  in  illustrated  de- 
scriptions of  Saxon  antiquities  found  in  Kent.  In  the  third  Part  there 
is  a  very  interesting  account  of  Roman  ^c^t7ta  found  at  Colchester  and 
other  places ;  on  early  pottery ;  and  on  metallic  remains ;  and  it  con- 
cludes with  biographical  notices  of  antiquaries  lately  deceased. 

The  second  Part  has  a  curious  account  of  the  Egyptian  Babylon, 
now  called  Old  Cairo  or  Fostat,  close  to  the  modem  Cairo.  It  is 
written  and  well  illustrated  by  the  late  Mr.  Fairholt.  I'his  city  is 
described  as  still  populous,  and  as  having  received  very  little  damage 
at  the  hands  of  its  Arab  conquerors.  All  the  great  Roman  walls  are 
standing  ;  and  it  presents  an  admirable  specimen  of  complete  Roman 
fortification,  dating  even  from  the  time  of  Augustus.  In  this  part, 
too,  are  a  couple  of  plates  of  the  coins  of  Carausius,  from  the  cabinet 
of  C.  Wame,  Esq.,  F.S.A.,  of  very  great  interest.  The  only  draw- 
back to  the  satisfaction  of  looking  over  these  parts  is  the  notice  that 
they  are  printed  for  subscribers  only,  and  are  not  published.  Hence 
it  is  of  no  use  recommending  our  readers  to  purchase  them ;  because 
they  cannot  do  it.  We  only  know  that  the  Collectanea  forms  one  of 
the  most  important  antiquarian  works  of  the  day,  and  book  collectors 
will  do  well  to  secure  a  complete  copy  of  it  whenever  opportunity 
serves. 


[We  are  again  compelled,  with  regret,  to  postpone  the  Reviews  of 
some  important  books  mentioned  in  our  last  number,  on  account  of 
the  extra  space  required  for  the  Report  of  our  Annual  Meeting  at 
Portmadoc ;  but  we  shall  endeavour  to  make  up  for  our  shortcomings 
as  quickly  as  circumstances  will  permit. — Ed.  Arch,  Camb/} 


Cambrian  9rt|)aeological  Sds^ociation. 


THE  TWENTY-SECOND  ANNUAL   MEETING 

OOHMINOBD  AT 

PORTMADOC 

OX 

TUESDAY   THE  26th   AUGUST,    1868, 

AND   TEBMINATED   ON   THB   FOLLOWING   SATUBDilT. 

E.    P.    COULSON,    Esg. 
H.    REVELEY,   Esq. 


Preliminabt  arrangements,  as  usual,  had  been  made  by  the  most 
active  of  the  Local  Committee,  which  consisted  of  the  following  Gen- 
tlemen : 

H.   J.  ELLIS   NANNEY,  Esg.,  Chairman. 


The  High  Sheriff;  B.  Sorton  Parry, 

Esq. 
Charles  Ansell,  E3q.,F.K.S.,  Llanbedr 
John  Casson,  Esq.,  Blaenyddol 
William  Oasson,  Esq.,  Plas  Penrhyn 
Hugh  Ker  Colville,  Esq.,  Corsygedol 
P.  Parry  Davies,  Esq.,  Barmouth 
Bev.  J.  Williams  Ellis,  Glasfryn 
Yen.  Archdeacon  Evans,  Llanllechyd 
Arthur  Parre,    Esq.,   M.D.,   P.E.S., 

Hertford  Street,  Mayfair 
J.  W.  Greaves,  Esq.,  Plasvennydd 
Samuel  Griffith,  Esq.,  Portmadoc 
Samuel  HoUand,  Esq.,  GlanwiUiam 
B.  W.  Howell,  Esq.,  M.A.,  Llaiifair 
J.  Humphreys  Jones,  Esq.,  Penrallt 


Henry  Kennedy,  Esq.,  Bangor 

Morgan  Lloyd,  Esq.,  Coedcaedn 

Capt.  Matthew,  Wem 

G.  H.  Owen,  Esq.,  Ymwlch 

B.  Lloyd  Parry,  Esq.,  Aberdinant 

J.  Love  D.  Jones  Parry,  Esq.,  Madryn 

J.  E.  Parry,  Esq.,  Glyn 

P.  Percival,  Esq.,  Bodawen 

Bev.  H.  Biohards,  Llanystymdwy 

Bobt.  Boberts,  Esq.,  Portmadoc 

Lewis  Thomas,  Esq.,  Caerfynnon 

Thomas  Tamer,  Esq.,  Carnarvon 

Herman  Wajrne,  Esq.,  Caenest 

Ignatius  Williams,  Esq.,  Hendregad- 

redd 
W.  B.  M.  Wynne,  Esq.,  M.P. 


,      ,  o       .     .        f  Bev.  B.  Williams  Mason,  M.A.,  Llanfair 
Local  Secretaries- i^  ^^  ^^^^^  Griffith,  Talfcreuddyn. 

Treasurer — B.  E.  Ellis,  Esq.,  Portmadoc. 


8bd  seu.,  vol.  XIV. 


30 


TUESDAY,   AUGUST   25. 

In  the  absence  of  the  out-going  President,  the  Venerable  Lord 
Saye  and  Sele,  Mr.  Wynne  of  Peniarth,  one  of  the  Vice-Presidenta 
of  the  Association,  moved  that  the  President-elect,  £.  F.  Coulson, 
Esq.,  of  Corsygedol,  should  take  the  chair. 

Mr.  C0UL6UN  then  assumed  the  chair,  and  delivered  the  following 
address : — 

"  It  is  my  duty  to  welcome  you  to  this  twenty-second  meeting  of 
the  Cambrian  Archaeological  Association,  held  this  year  in  a  district 
alike  remarkable  for  grand  and  beautiful  scenery,  and  for  numerous 
objects  of  interest  to  the  antiquary. 

I  will  refer  now  particularly  to  remains  of  very  early  date ;  for,  al- 
though we  have  interesting  examples  of  Roman  works,  and  of  works 
from  later  times,  some  of  which  will  be  shown  to  you;  still  our  earlier, 
or  prehistoric  remains  are  far  the  most  numerous.  We  have  much 
which  the  plough  has  yet  spared,  but  which  it  behoves  the  antiquary 
to  examine,  and  note  carefully,  ere  it  be  lost  through  the  advancing 
tide  of  cultivation.  Much,  however,  being  locked  in  the  embrace  of 
our  rugged  mountains,  may  still  endure  for  long  ages,  and  may  be 
viewed  by  succeeding  generations,  when  ideas,  now  only  imperfectly 
elaborated,  and  still  doubtful,  shall  be  fully  worked  out  and  made 
clear. 

Perhaps  the  time  of  the  antiquary  would  not  be  wasted  if  he  were 
to  collect  the  traditions  of  the  people  of  this  county,  for  here  they 
retain  more  of  the  old  Welsh  manner  of  thought  than  in  almost  any 
other  part  of  Wales ;  and  the  researches  of  our  greatest  antiquaries 
show  us  that  the  legends  and  traditions  of  the  people  contain  a  kernel 
of  truth,  though  ofttimes  it  is  covered  by  a  shell  difficult  to  penetrate. 

I  believe  there  are  not  many  now,  and  perhaps  none  here,  who  re- 
fuse to  prehistoric  archaeology  its  right  to  recognition  as  a  branch  of 
science. 

The  methods  of  archaeological  investigation  may  be  as  trustworthy 
as  those  of  any  natural  science,  and — if  pursued  with  a  spirit  of  truth- 
fulness, not  adopting  suddenly  some  favourite  crotchet  of  the  minute, 
but  accumulating  facts  over  the  widest  field,  advancing  step  by  step, 
testing  all  things — true  results  will  ultimately  be  worked  out,  and  you 
will  be  rewarded,  as  the  students  of  astronomy  and  geology  have 
been  rewarded. 

And  surely  the  studies  of  the  archaeologist  must  interest  all  men. 


FORTMADOC  MEETINO. REPORT.  459 

when  he  seeks  to  discover  whence  we  came,  and  what  have  been  our 
antecedents ;  when  he  seeks  to  resuscitate  prehistoric  ages  by  means 
of  their  buried  arts ;  when  he  seeks  to  trace  their  advances  in  civi- 
lisation from  those  simple  germs  of  art,  which  may  have  such  re- 
semblance to  present  civilisation  as  has  the  grub  to  the  most  beauti- 
ful of  the  many  coloured  butterflies. 

The  numerous  archaeological  associations  in  Great  Britain,  and  in 
other  countries  of  Europe,  and  the  number  of  books  yearly  published 
on  the  subject,  prove  that  archaeology  has  grown  into  universal  in- 
terest. Meetings  are  now  being  held  in  many  counties  ,*  that  great 
meeting,  recently  held  at  Norwich,  has  prevented,  as  I  know,  some 
distinguished  men  from  being  here  this  evening. 

I  will  only  mention  two  of  the  books  which  have  lately  come  under 
my  observation — Archaic  Scidptuirings  of  Oups  and  Circles,  by  Pro- 
fessor 8ir  James  Simpson,  in  which  he  mentions  the  marks  on  a 
stone  near  Llanbedr,  which  will  be  shown  to  you  on  Thursday.  It 
appears  that,  as  yet,  only  another  example  of  such  marking  has  been 
found  in  Wales,  but  it  is  thought  that  many  more  exist ;  and  it  will 
be  well  that  those  who  have  opportunity  should  seek  to  find  them, 
and  report  them  to  the  local  secretaries  of  this  Association.  Sir 
James  Simpson  was  in  this  neighbourhood  two  years  ago,  and  ex- 
pressed much  interest  in  the  prehistoric  remains  near  Corsygedol. 

The  other  book  is  by  M.  ChristoU  Terrien  and  Dr.  Charles  Waring 
Saxton — The  CaihoUc  Epistles  and  Oospelsfor  the  Day  up  to  Ascension^ 
translated  into  Kymric,  Brehonec,  Breizounec,  and  Gaelic,  as  now 
spoken.  The  notes  of  Dr.  Saxton  are  in  Latin,  and  are  purely  ety- 
mological ;  those  by  M.  Terrien  are  in  French,  in  a  style  remarkably 
terse,  rapid,  and  brilliant.  He  traces  the  affinities  of  the  Celtic 
tongues,  customs,  and  superstitions  in  the  plains  of  Asia,  in  France, 
in  England,  and  in  Wales. 

Every  step  which  we  gain  in  knowledge  ennobles  the  mind,  and, 
clearing  it  from  narrow  prejudice,  makes  us  more  desirous  for  general 
good.  He  who  reflects  much  finds  that  nature  continually  repeats 
herself;  and  that,  when  we  now  look  on  savage  life,  as  we  find  it  at 
present,  we  see  ofttimes  the  childhood  of  our  own  race.  If,  then,  we 
were  once  savage  and  uncivilised  as  they  are — once  what  we  esteem 
brutal,  as  they  are ;  and  when  we  see  that  what  we  were  has  risen 
through  varying  phase,  till  a  Newton,  a  Herschel,  a  Napier  of  Mur- 
chiston,  a  Hutton,  a  Brewster,  and  a  Shakespeare,  a  Milton,  or  a  Byron, 
have  been  produced;  when  we  see  that  the  once  savage-haunted 
wastes  of  the  British  Isles  have  been  transformed  into  well-kept  fields, 
teeming  with  rich  harvests ;  when  we  see  our  glorious  cathedrals,  our 
giant  public  buildings,  our  commodious  and  luxurious  dwellings; 
when  we  see  the  vast  works  which  contribute  to  our  comfort  and 
well-being,  our  ships  which  bring  to  us  the  produce  of  every  region  of 
the  earth — then  let  us  not  despair  that  races  now  savage  may  rise  into 
civilisation,  and  become  as  we  are.  Let  us  hold  forth  a  helping  hand, 
to  quicken  the  process  which  for  us  was  long  and  painful." 

On  the  conclusion  of  his  address,  the  President  called  on  Mr.  Bam- 
well  to  read  the  Report  of  the  Society  for  the  past  year. 

80« 


460  CAMBRIAN  ARCHiEOLOGICAL  ASSOCIATION. 


"Repobt,  1867-8. 

"  Your  Committee  have  again  the  satisfaction  of  announcing  to  the 
members  the  continued  prosperity  of  the  Association  during  the  past 
year.  Whatever  diminution  of  members  may  have  taken  place  by 
death  or  withdrawals,  has  been  more  than  made  up  by  an  accession 
of  new  members.  It  is,  however,  still  more  satisfaciory  to  report 
that,  in  addition  to  this  numerical  increase,  more  interest  seems  to 
have  been  felt  and  greater  activity  exhibited  by  many  members  than 
usual.  Hence  the  great  increase  of  valuable  communications  made  to 
the  Editorial  Committee,  but  which  are  necessarily  postponed  for  pub- 
lication as  long  as  the  Journal  of  the  Association  is  confined  to  its  pre- 
sent limits. 

"Among  the  more  valuable  communications  published  within  the 
last  year  may  be  mentioned  Mr.  Albert  Way's  *  Notice  of  Ancient 
British  or  Keltic  Fictile  Ware*,  and  Mr.  Owen  Stanley's  'Account  of 
Remains  of  Primaeval  Habitations  in  Anglesea'.  This  latter  article 
will  be  considered  of  unusual  interest  in  a  district  which  contains  so 
numerous  and  fine  examples  of  such  early  dwellings,  which  are  usually 
assigned  by  Welsh  tradition  to  the  ancestors  of  the  present  Irish,  but 
which  may  be  the  work  of  some  preceding  and  unknown  race.  It  is 
to  be  hoped  that  the  attention  thus  drawn  to  these  curious  remains 
may  induce  the  respective  proprietors  of  the  land  on  which  they  exist 
to  take  the  most  effectual  steps  for  their  protection  ^om  wall-builders 
and  road-makers. 

**The  municipal  authorities  of  Tenby  having,  in  1866,  resolved  to 
destroy  the  curious  five-arched  gateway  in  the  west  wall,  the  Associa- 
tion protested  against  such  an  act.  Sir  Gardner  Wilkinson,  one  of 
our  members,  at  the  same  time,  in  conjunction  with  Mr.  Hills  of  the 
British  Archaeological  Association,  and  the  Society  of  Antiquaries,  also 
took  up  the  matter.  The  Commissioners  of  Woods  and  Forests  were 
also  induced  to  interfere,  and  not  only  condemned  the  contemplated 
proceedings,  but  intimated  strong  doubts  as  to  whether  the  walls  be- 
longed to  the  Crown  or  the  Corporation,  In  consequence  of  these 
steps,  a  further  meeting  was  called  on  February  7th,  1867,  by  Dr. 
Dyster,  the  mayor,  who,  had  always  strongly  opposed  the  proceeding, 
backed  by  a  large  and  influential  number  of  the  inhabitants ;  the  result 
of  which  was  that  the  municipal  body  rescinded  the  obnoxious  resolu- 
tion, and  the  gateway  was  saved,  and  most  probably  the  whole  western 
wall  also ;  although  it  was  stated  that  the  whole  proceeding  was  only 
the  result  of  some  building  speculations,  the  value  of  which  might  be 
enhanced  by  the  destniction  of  these  picturesque  remains  of  ancient 
Tenby.  The  danger,  however,  might  have  been  only  postponed  and 
not  removed  for  good,  but  for  the  intimation  that  the  Crown  might 
claim  to  be  the  owner — a  claim  not  likely  to  be  opposed  by  the  muni- 
cipal authorities  of  a  town  like  Tenby. 

**  The  members  are  aware  that  communications  have  passed  with 
the  Board  of  Woods  and  Forests  respecting  the  leasing  of  certain 
castles  to  the  Association,  with  a  view  to  their  greater  security  from 
neglect  or  destruction.     Mr.  Thomas  Jones  uf  Llanercherugog  HaU, 


PORTMADOC  MEETING. — REPORT.  461 

in  Denbighshire,  kindly  carried  on  the  correspondence  on  behalf  of 
the  Association  with  the  department,  the  result  of  which  was  the  fol- 
lowing letter,  which  was  not  received  until  after  the  report  of  1866*t 
had  been  made  :^> 

"'Office  of  Woods,  etc.,  S.W.,  2nd  August,  1867. 

" '  Sir, — I  have  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your  letter  of  the 
22nd  ultimo,  inclosing  a  communication  from  the  Honorary  Secretary 
of  the  Cambrian  Archaeological  Association  relative  to  certain  Welsh 
castles,  and,  in  reply,  I  have  to  inform  you  that,  so  far  as  the  infor- 
mation at  present  in  my  possession  enables  me  to  judge,  the  Castle  of 
Conway  is  not  the  property  of  the  Crown,  although  the  Crown  appears 
to  have  the  power  of  appointing  a  constable.  The  office  of  constable 
of  Carnarvon  Castle  is  held  during  pleasure  under  patent  from  the 
Crown,  and  the  constable  is  in  possession  of  the  ruins.  Harlech  Castle 
is  held  under  a  lease  from  this  department,  which  will  expire  on  the 
10th  of  October,  1873,  and  the  ruins  of  Denbigh  Castle  are  held  also 
from  this  department  on  an  annual  tenancy. 

"  *  I  have  reason  to  suppose  that  the  tenants  of  Denbigh  Castle 
ruins,  who  hold  only  for  the  benefit  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  town  of 
•  Denbigh,  would  be  willing  at  once  to  relinquish  their  tenancy ;  but  if 
not,  their  tenancy  can  be  determined  on  giving  the  usual  notice. 

"  *I  shall,  therefore,  be  willing  to  grant  to  two  or  three  of  the  gentle- 
men named  in  Mr.  Bam  well's  letter  a  lease  of  the  ruins  of  Denbigh 
Castle  for  twenty-one  years,  from  the  10th  of  October  next,  subject  to 
an  annual  rent  of  £5.  The  lease  will  be  subject  to  the  existing 
tenancy  and  will  contain  clauses  requiring  the  lessees  to  preserve  the 
ruins  from  falling  to  further  decay,  and  to  admit  the  public  to  view 
them  at  all  reasonable  hours  on  payment  of  a  sum  not  exceeding 
threepence  each  person,  the  admission  of  the  public  being  subject  to 
such  rules  and  regulations  as  the  lessees  may  think  proper  to  adopt 
with  a  view  to  the  protection  of  the  ruins.  I  shall  also  be  willing  to 
grant  to  the  same  persons  a  reversionary  lease  of  the  ruins  of  Harlech 
Castle,  from  the  1 0th  of  October,  1873,  for  a  term  of  fifteen  years 
from  that  date,  at  a  similar  rent,  and  subject  to  similar  conditions. 

*'  *  The  expense  of  the  lease,  £6  :  6  in  each  case,  will  have  to  be 
paid  by  the  lessees. 

"  *  I  am,  sir,  your  obedient  servant, 

"  'Thomas  Jones,  Esq.  *'*  James  K.  Howard/ 

"As  regards  the  lease  of  Denbigh  Castle  offered  to  the  Association 
on  the  terms  specified,  your  Committee  feel  that  the  carrying  out  this 
offer  would  be  most  vigorously  opposed  by  the  inhabitants  of  Den- 
bigh, who  have  at  present  the  sole  charge  and  management  of  the 

_  ruins.  Even  if  the  difficulties  offered  by  them  were  overcome,  there 
would  still  arise  an  amount  of  ill-feeling  and  unpleasantness  which 

,  your  Committee  would  much  regret.  They  would  therefore  recommend 
the  members  to  decline  the  offer,  especially  as  there  is  no  reason  to 
believe  that  the  ruins  are  in  any  way  neglected  or  ill-treated,  although 
the  turning  them  into  a  place  of  public  amusement  by  providing 
swings,  gymnastic  apparatus,  bowls,  quoits,  etc.,  for  the  amusement, 


462  CAMBRIAN  ARCHJE0L001CAL  ASSOCIATION. 

not  8o  much  of  the  town  as  for  large  bodies  of  excursionists  from  the 
manufacturing  districts  might  be  thought  questionable.  No  mischief 
indeed  appears  to  have  been  done  by  such  crowds  to  the  ruins,  which, 
however,  are  of  no  particular  interest  or  importance  except  the  great 
gateway,  the  precarious  condition  of  which  has  been  more  than  once 
alluded  to  in  the  Journal  of  the  Association. 

''  With  regard  to  the  Castle  of  Harlech,  as  the  present  lease  does 
not  terminate  for  some  time,  no  immediate  action  seems  necessary. 
No  final  answer  has  therefore  been  sent  to  the  department  of  the 
Woods  and  Forests,  and  the  whole  subject  will  be  considered  by  the 
members  during  the  present  meeting. 

'<  It  will  be  remembered  that  at  the  Swansea  meeting  it  was  found 
necessary  to  devote  the  sum  of  forty  pounds  a  year  to  editorial  ex- 
penses. To  meet  this  extra  charge  on  the  resources  of  the  Society, 
an  additional  and  voluntary  contribution  of  ten  shillings  was  suggested, 
.  and  it  was  thought  that  out  of  three  hundred  members,  about  fifty  or 
sixty  at  least  would  contribute,  in  order  that  the  illustration  of  the 
Journal  should  not  be  diminished.  A  few  did  readily  respond,  and 
have  from  that  time  continued  their  donations ;  but,  as  no  further 
accession,  for  some  time  past,  has  taken  place,  it  appears  to  your  Com- 
mittee that  it  is  hardly  fair  or  liberal  towards  these  gentlemen,  to  let 
them  thus  contribute,  year  after  year,  as  if  they  had  some  peculiar  or 
private  interest  in  the  Journal,  difierent  from  that  of  the  members  in 
general. 

'*  Under  these  circumstances  it  is  suggested  that  those  gentlemen 
should  for  the  present  at  least  withhold  their  usual  contributions,  until 
it  can  be  ascertained  whether  the  fund  will  be  more  generally  sup- 
ported for  the  future.  The  names  of  the  members  who  have  contri- 
bute will  be  found  at  the  end  of  the  Report. 

"Although  the  actual  place  of  meeting  is  in  the  county  of  Caernar- 
von, yet  the  meeting  itself  is  principally  intended  for  the  county  of 
Merioneth,  or  rather  that  portion  of  it  which  was  not  examined  by  the 
Association  nearly  twenty  years  ago  when  it  met  at  Dolgelly,  and 
which,  as  already  stated,  is  so  rich  in  primeeval  remains,  many  of 
which  appear  to  have  been  unknown  even  to  those  engaged  in  the 
ordnance  survey,  as  they  are  not  given  in  the  maps.  With  the  excep- 
tion, perhaps,  of  a  part  of  Pembrokeshire,  no  portion  of  the  princi- 
pality is  so  rich  in  cromlechs,  while  it  far  surpasses  that  county  in  the 
number  and  importance  of  stone  works,  and  remains  of  dwellings.  It 
is  with  much  satisfaction,  therefore,  that  the  Society  meets  in  this  dis- 
trict, and  under  the  presidency  of  a  gentleman,  who  not  only  has  on 
his  lands  several  of  these  early  monuments,  but  in  whose  possession 
they  are  safe  from  wilful  destruction. 

**  Another  source  of  gratification  is  the  very  large  increase  of  mem- 
bers connected  with  this  same  district.  For  many  years  the  whole 
county  was  represented  in  the  Association  by  only  two  or  three  mem- 
bers. At  present  this  part  of  it  contributes  more  members  than  some 
of  the  other  counties  in  the  principality,  and  if  the  population  and 
nature  of  the  country  is  taken  into  account,  the  county  of  Merioneth  is 
by  far  the  best  represented  county  in  Wales.     This  change  has  been 


PORTMADOC  MEETING. REPORT.  463 

effected  by  the  zeal  and  industry  of  the  local  secretaries  of  the  county, 
or  perhaps  of  one  of  them  in  particular,  and  to  whom  the  thanks  of  the 
Association  are  due. 

**  The  following  members  have  regularly  contributed  to  the  editorial 
fund: — The  Earl  of  Cawdor;  the  Rev.  James  Allen,  Castlemartin ;. 
Charles  Allen,  £sq.,  Tenby;  Professor  Babington,  Cambridge;  R. 
W.  Banks,  Esq.,  Kington ;  Rev.  E.  L.  Barnwell,  Melksham ;  Talbot 
Bury,  Esq.,  F.8.A.,  London ;  B.  L.  Chapman,  Esq.,  ditto ;  G.  T.  Clark, 
Esq.,  Dowlais ;  Joseph  Edwards,  Esq.,  London ;  F.  Lloyd  Phillips, 
Esq.,  Hafodneddyn ;  Rev.  Hugh  Prichard,  Anglesey;  Edward  William- 
son, Esq.,  Cheshire.  Rev.  Dr.  Wilson,  late  President  of  Trinity  Col- 
lege, Oxford,  Edwin  Norris,  Esq.,  and  E.  A.  Freeman,  Esq.,  have  also 
contributed. 

**  The  retiring  members  of  the  Committee  are  Joseph  Meyer,  Esq. ; 
B.  L.  Chapman,  Esq. ;  and  Thomas  Wright,  Esq.  And  your  Com- 
mittee recommend  that  Joseph  Meyer,  Esq. ;  Dr.  Griffith  Griffiths  ; 
and  the  Rev.  Hugh  Prichard,  of  Anglesey,  be  placed  on  the  list. 

''The  following  names  have  been  added  to  the  list  of  members 
since  the  issue  of  the  last  Report,  and  now  await  the  usual  confirma- 
tion:— 

NORTH   WALES. 

Charles  Ansell,  Esq.,  F.R.S.,  F.S.A.,  Barmouth 

Hugh  Kerr  Colville,  Esq.,  Corsygedol 

Edward  Foster  Coulson,  Esq.,  Corsygedol 

Charles  Edwards,  Esq.,  M.P.,  Dol-serau,  Dolgelly 

Rev.  Walter  Emshaw,  Portmadoc 

Rev.  D.  Silvan  Evans,  Llanymawddwy 

Mrs.  Hampton  Lewis,  Henllys,  Beaumaris 

Rev.  D.  Lewis  Lloyd,  Dolgelly 

James  Lloyd  Tamberlane,  Esq.,  Bryn-dinas  Mawddwy 

Robert  Roberts,  Esq.,  Bangor 

Rev.  E.  Osborne  Williams,  Pwllheli 

Rev.  William  Williams,  Cefn  Maesydd,  Criccieth 

SOUTH   WALES. 

Rev.  T.  Matthews,  Lampeter 

John  Perrot,  Esq.,  Hengoed  Hall,  Caerphilly 

William  Williams,  Esq.,  Ty-isaf,  Bridgend 

OTHER   MEMBBBS. 

Mr.  Dunkin,  Dartford 

Mrs.  Haughton,  Hy^res,  France 

Rev.  Canon  Jenkins,  Jesus  College,  Oxford 

Morgan  Lloyd,  Esq.,  The  Temple 

jEneas  Maclntyre,  Esq.,  The  Temple 

Berkeley  Smith,  Esq.,  Bertie  Villas,  Leamington 

R.  H.  Wood,  Esq.,  Crumpsal,  near  Manchester'' 

M.  Tesbien,  at  the  request  of  the  President,  entered  into  an  ex- 
amination of  the  affinities  between  the  Welsh  and  Breton  languages ; 
but,  the  examination  being  limited  to  mere  vocables,  and  not  as  to  the 
Teal  structure  of  the  language,  no  particular  information  was  elicited 


464  CAMBRIAN  ARCHJEOLOGICAL  ASSOCIATION. 

which  requires  any  notice.  M.Terrien,  however,  contended  that  the 
Bame  Keltic  language  extended  much  further  than  was  generally 
thought ;  and  that  he  himself,  when  in  Persia,  had  been  able,  by  his 
knowledge  of  Breton,  to  communicate  his  wants  and  wbhes  in  the 
markets.  Hence,  he  thought  that  Zoroaster  himself  was  not  unac- 
quainted with  it ;  and  that  it  was  remarkable  that  a  language  should 
have  continued  with  so  few  variations  for  thousands  of  years,  while 
other  languages  were  so  completely  modified  in  the  lapse  of  five  hao« 
dred  years  as  to  become,  in  fact,  different  languages  altogether. 

In  reply  to  Mr.  Terrien,  Mr.  Williams  Mason  denied  that  the 
Welsh  and  Breton  were  mutually  intelligible.  Mr.  Mason  owned  that 
a  scholar,  accustomed  to  the  analysis  of  language,  and  who  had  taken 
the  trouble  of  getting  up  the  articulation  of  the  Breton,  would  certainly 
be  assisted  greatly  in  the  acquisition  of  Breton  by  a  knowledge  of 
Welsh.  After  getting  up  the  conjugations,  articles,  pronouns,  and  ad- 
Terbs  in  Breton,  that  is,  in  fact,  the  organisation  of  the  language,  Mr. 
Mason  said  he  could  read  Breton  himself  tolerably  well,  being  assbted 
thereto  by  the  identity  of  the  roots  of  the  words  in  both  languages. 
He  was  able  to  translate  a  few  short  sentences  which  Mr.  Terrien  had 
put  to  him,  but  that  was  from  a  slight  knowledge  of  Breton.  He  was 
glad  to  have  the  opportunity  of  giving  a  direct  contradiction  to  the 
myth  that  uneducated  Bretons  and  Welsh  could  understand  each  other. 
He  had  heard  a  learned  and  accomplished  person  lately  assert  that  the 
Gael  of  Scotland  and  the  Welsh  were  mutually  intelligible,  which  was 
still  vastly  more  impossible.  While  the  Kymry  and  Breton  parted 
company  more  than  two  thousand  years  ago  and  did  not  come  again 
into  contact  for  some  centuries,  the  Gaelic  and  British  races  had 
separated  nearer  four  thousand  years  ago,  and  never  had  amicable  in- 
tercourse with  one  another :  nay,  rather,  they  were  always  in  hostility. 
The  Scottish  Gael  at  present  (so  far  from  understanding  Welsh)  could 
not  understand  the  Irish  Gael,  though  they  could,  to  some  extent, 
understand  the  Manx  Gaelic.  Mr.  Mason  had  studied  Manx  slightly, 
and,  from  having  listened  most  attentively  to  Manx  men  and  Irishmen 
speaking  and  reading,  he  could  assert  positively  from  his  own  experi- 
ence that  a  knowledge  of  Welsh  did  not  assist  in  the  slightest  degree 
towards  making  Gaelic  or  (what,  in  Mr.  Mason's  opinion  is  an  iden- 
tical term)  Keltic  intelligible  to  a  Welshman  or  a  Breton.  He  hoped 
these  popular  myths  would  be  exploded  with  the  advance  of  the  science 
of  language. 

Mr.  TiTE,  M.P.,  expressed  his  total  disbelief  as  to  the  suggestions 
and  inferences  of  Mr.  Terrien  and  his  views  of  Zoroaster's  acquaintance 
with  the  Celtic  language ;  but  he  could  speak  from  his  own  experience 
as  to  the  British  and  Welsh  question ;  for  when  engaged  some  years 
ago  in  making  railways  in  France,  he  had  in  his  employment  large 
numbers  of  Welsh  and  Breton  labourers,  who  could  not  communicate 
with  one  another;  yet,  as  regards  the  names  of  certain  things,  Uiey 
could  so  far  understand  each  other,  if  a  common  term  expressed  the 
same  object.  He  agreed  with  M.  Terrien  in  thinking  that  no  language 
existed  in  the  same  state  beyond  five  hundred  years;  and  that,  ^- 
thongh  there  was  no  question  of  the  original  identity  of  the  two  Ian- 


PORTMADOC  MEETING. — REPORT.  465 

guages  they  were  talking  about,  he  considered  the  Breton  to  be  much 
more  altered  and  corrupted  from  its  original  purity. 

It  was  then  suggested  that  advantage  should  be  taken  of  M.Terrien's 
presence  to  ascertain  if  a  well-educated  Breton  could  converse  with  a 
well-educated  Welshman.  The  Rev.  Williams  Mason  represented  his 
country ;  and  the  two  gentlemen  then  mutually  addressed  each  other 
in  short  sentences,  but  they  were  more  or  less  mutually  unintelligible, 
although  Mr.  Mason  had  some  acquaintance  with  the  Breton  lan- 
guage. Any  attempt  at  a  regular  conversation  between  the  two  was 
therefore  considered  hopeless. 

Mr.  Williams  Mason  repeated  what  he  had  already  affirmed, 
that  the  Breton  and  Kymry  were  not  mutually  intelligible,  as  they 
had  just,  in  fact,  witnessed.  The  island  was  called  Britain  some 
centuries  before  the  Christian  era ;  no  doubt  because  British  tribes 
such  as  the  Belgse,  Veneti,  and  others  had  occupied  the  seaboard, 
while  the  Gael  retained  possession  of  the  interior.  The  Kymry  did 
not  enter  Britain,  with  the  other  British  tribes,  from  the  south,  but 
came  over  to  North  Britain,  across  sea,  from  Jutland  {Ctmbrorum 
promontorium).  In  Jutland  and  the  south  of  Sweden  they  had  been 
settled  at  least  350  or  400  years  B.C.  After  being  established  in 
Strath  Clyde  for  several  centuries,  they  were  driven  thence  by  the 
Pictish  and  Scottish  Gael,  t.^.  the  ancient  Gael  of  Caledonia  and  their 
Gaelic  allies  from  Ireland,  called  respectively  in  Welsh  annals  Gwyddyl 
ffichti  and  Gwyddyl  coch.  Under  the  names  of  the  sons  of  Cunedda 
they  came  down  through  Cumberland  and  the  Isle  of  Man,  and  drove 
the  Gael  out  of  North  Wales.  Then  pushing  south  they  met  in  Gwent 
the  Arthurian  Britons,  who  were  pushing  north.  These  being  allied 
in  religion  and  language,  fraternised  closely,  and  defended  as  well  as 
they  could  their  common  religion  against  the  Pagan,  Saxon,  and  Dane. 

Mr.  Baknwell,  at  the  summons  of  the  President,  made  some  ob- 
servations on  two  points  connected  with  the  cromlech  question.  One 
of  these  was  the  universal  covering  up  of  such  structures  by  mounds 
of  earth  or  stone  ;  and  the  other  a  question  lately  started  by  Mr.  Du 
Noyer,  as  to  the  existence  of  what  he  calls  primary  cromlechs,  and 
which  he  considers  an  earlier  type  than  the  ordinary  chambers.  As 
to  the  first  of  these  questions,  namely,  the  universal  covering  up  of 
such  chambers,  there  were  still  some  who  disputed  the  fact,  although 
the  majority  of  opinions  and  proofs  was  against  them.  The  only 
arguments  brought  forward  by  such  are  that  it  is  impossible  that  all 
covering  materials  should  have  disappeared  so  completely  without 
leaving  a  trace,  or  that  the  monuments  are  found  on  such  bare  and 
rocky  ground  that  the  necessary  soil  or  stone  must  have  been  brought 
from  an  immense  distance,  and  at  an  immense  cost,  and  then  again 
removed.  These  seem  to  be  the  principal  stock  arguments  j  but  to 
them  Mr.  Barnwell  replied  that,  considering  the  very  great  antiquity 
to  which  probably  these  monuments  are  to  be  assigned,  it  was  impos- 
sible to  lay  down  what  natural  causes,  as  rain  and  atmospheric  action, 
could  effect  in  such  a  lapse  of  time ;  that,  although  many  of  these  re- 
mains are  in  solitary  uninhabited  districts,  yet  many  such  districts 
give  undoubted  proofs  of  having  been  inhabited  at  some  time,  so  that 


466  CAMBRIAN  ARCHJEX)LOGlCAL  ASSOCIATION. 

human  agency  may  have  assisted  also  in  the  removal  of  the  stone  or 
earthy  which  last  would  be  of  especial  value  to  their  land.  As  to  the 
other  argument  that  this  covering  material  most  have  been  brought 
from  a  great  distance,  even  allowing  the  fact,  it  proves  nothing,  for  in 
many  cases  the  large  monoliths  themselves  of  the  chambers  have  been 
brought  from  distant  localities.  But,  independent  of  such  considera- 
tions, he  considered  the  very  nature  of  the  structures  proved  in  an  in- 
contestable manner  that  they  were,  at  least,  intended  to  be  covered ; 
for,  unless  so  covered,  nothing  could  be  conceived  less  adapted  for 
the  safe  keeping  of  the  remains  committed  to  them  than  a  stone 
chamber  of  unhewn  irregular  slabs,  which  could  not  fit  close  to  each 
other.  The  crevices  or  vacant  spaces  so  caused  from  the  irregularity 
of  the  stones  were,  indeed,  filled  up  with  small  uncemented  rubble, 
but  even  this  rubble,  unless  protected  by  some  covering,  would  last 
but  a  very  short  time,  even  if  not  destroyed  by  hand.  The  falling  out 
of  one  or  two  small  stones  would  dislodge  the  whole ;  and  the  interior 
of  the  chamber  thus  be  opened  to  the  view  of  man,  and  the  intrusion 
of  small  animals.  But,  on  the  supposition  that  all  these  chambers 
were  covered  up,  all  difficulties  vanished,  and,  instead  of  the  most  in- 
secure and  inconvenient  of  graves,  we  have  the  most  permanent  and 
secure.  It  was,  moreover,  the  fact  of  the  chambers  being  covered 
that  made  it  necessary  to  use  such  massive  slabs,  as  nothing  less  sub- 
stantial would  support  such  a  superincumbent  weight. 

As  to  the  ''primary"  cromlechs  of  Mr.  Du  Noyer,  not  having  seen 
the  examples  he  mentions,  all  of  which  are  in  Ireland,  he  could  form 
no  opinion  of  the  grounds  of  such  a  theory ;  but,  as  that  gentleman's 
authority  was  not  to  be  lightly  disputed,  it  would  be  safer  to  offer  no 
conjecture  until  an  opportunity  had  occurred  of  examining  the  monu- 
ments themselves  on  which  the  theory  is  founded.  The  French  anti- 
quaries used  to  talk  of  demi-dolmens,  and  consider  them  as  forming 
a  separate  class,  whereas  these  are  now  generally  considered  nothing 
but  imperfect  chambers  which  have  lost  the  supporting  stones  at  one 
extremity,  so  that  the  capstone  rests  partly  on  the  earth  and  partly  on 
the  supporters  at  the  other  end.  Such  as  Mr.  Barnwell  had  seen  in 
Wales  of  this  class  were,  in  his  opinion,  undoubtedly  reduced  to  their 
present  state  by  force  or  accident.  It  is  right,  however,  to  add  that 
it  is  not  merely  this  inclined  position  of  the  capstone  on  which  M.  Da 
Noyer  supports  his  theory  but,  but  from  some  other  circumstances. 
He  had  been  informed  that  one  answering  the  conditions  of  the  theory 
had  been  lately  remarked  in  Cornwall ;  but,  however,  the  whole  ques- 
tion was  one  of  great  interest  and  well  worth  a  careful  consideration. 

Mr.  W.  W.  E.  Wynne  agreed  with  Mr.  Barnwell  in  his  views  about 
the  univeraal  covering  up  of  cromlechs  as  described  by  him.  He  could 
mention  several  instances,  more  particularly  the  chambered  tumulus 
at  Plas  Newydd,  in  which  he  had  made  excavations,  and  found,  at 
least,  more  than  one  such  chamber.  There  was  another  remarkable 
instance  in  the  same  county  on  the  estate  of  Hen  Bias,  where  the 
chamber  has  only  been  partially  denuded.  Mr.  Wynne  then  alluded 
to  certain  markings  on  one  of  the  upright  stones  of  the  chamber  below 
Cors-y-gedol  House.     Similar  ones  had  been  found  by  Mr.  Lukis  in 


PORTMADOC  MEETING.— EEPORT.  467 

Guernsey — still,  however,  there  was  some  doubt  as  to  their  being 
natural  or  artificial  in  the  present  instance ;  some  of  those  whom  he 
had  consulted,  among  them  Mr.  Wynne  Ffoulkes,  considered  them 
natural.  He  mentioned  the  circumstance,  as  they  would  have  an  oppor- 
tunity of  seeing  the  stone  itself  on  the  following  day. 

Mr.  TiTB  objected  strongly  to  Mr.  Barnwell's  view,  arguing  that  the 
persons  who  were  said  to  have  erected  large  cromlechs  would  never 
have  taken  the  trouble  to  cover  them  also.  He  could  see  no  motive 
for  uncovering  them,  and  believed  they  had  never  been  covered.  He 
wanted  to  know  the  use  of  their  being  covered  at  all. 

Mr.  PuQHB  thought  that^  owing  to  the  want  of  mechanical  appli- 
ances in  those  early  days,  the  large  covering  slabs  could  have  only  been 
raised  to  such  a  height  by  means  of  inclined  planes  of  earth  heaped 
up  against  and  to  the  top  of  the  walls  of  the  chamber.  Thus  the 
tumulus  had  been  already  half-made  to  enable  the  covering  stones  to 
be  rolled  up  to  their  position.  To  finish  the  work  by  covering  up  the 
whole  was  natural  and  comparatively  easy. 

Mr.  Williams  Mason  coincided  also  with  the  preceding  speaker, 
and  thought  Mr.  Titers  question  fully  answered  by  the  consideration 
of  the  sanctity  in  which  human  remains  were  always  held.  Without 
some  protection  such  as  that  furnbhed  by  coverings  of  earth  or  stone, 
the  graves  could  be  entered  by  birds  or  beasts  of  prey,  at  least,  of  a 
small  size.  Hence,  perhaps,  the  ancient  custom  of  those  who  passed 
by  a  grave  to  add  one  or  more  stones  to  the  heap  as  a  religious  duty, 
every  stone  thus  added  giving  fresh  security  to  the  grave ;  and  then 
as  to  the  subsequent  removal  of  these  huge  mounds,  old  Herodotus 
remarked  that  there  was  nothing  which  could  not  be  changed  by  lapse 
of  time,  during  which  a  continual  decay  was  going  on  from  natural 
causes  which  were  too  often  assisted  in  their  work  of  destruction  by 
the  hands  of  men  who  could  find  many  uses  for  the  stone  and  earth 
which  formed  the  tumulus. 

Sir  James  Albxahdeb  gave  an  account  of  his  opening  a  tumulus 
about  three  months  ago  near  the  Bridge  of  Allan.  The  height  of  the 
tumulus  was  about  seven  yards,  its  circumference  at  the  base  being 
eighty.  Sinking  downwards  from  the  summit,  he  reached  at  the  depth 
of  two  feet  a  bed  of  clay,  beyond  which  was  a  cist,  in  which  were  the 
remains  of  a  young  female.  At  a  further  depth  of  two  feet  he  found 
a  heap  of  large  stones,  beneath  which  was  a  cist  about  three  feet 
square;  near  it  were  some  more  stones,  on  removing  which  burnt 
bones  were  found.  This  tumulus,  as  is  frequently  the  case,  contained, 
therefore,  more  than  one  interment,  and  of  various  dates. 

Mr.  Barnwell,  in  answer  to  Mr.  Titers  objections,  stated  that  they 
had  been  already  fully  answered  by  those  who  had  just  spoken  on  the 
subject.  That,  as  to  the  cost  of  labour  in  adding  large  mounds  over 
stone  chambers,  even  had  they  not  been,  as  he  had  shown,  indispens« 
able  to  the  very  character  of  the  chambers,  the  love  of  grand  funerals 
and  funereal  monuments  was  by  no  means  confined  to  those  primitive 
times.  If  Mr.  Tite  would  pay  a  visit  to  the  cromlech  at  Henblas,  in 
Anglesea,  to  which  Mr.  Wynne  had  alluded,  he  thought  he  would 
speedily  become  a  convert  to  the  opinion  now  generally  entertained  on 
the  subject. 


468  CAMBRIAN  ARCH-EOLOGICAL  ASSOCIATION. 

The  announcement  of  the  intended  proceedings  of  the  next  day's 
excursion  completed  the  business  of  the  meeting,  and  the  President 
dissolved  the  meeting. 

WEDNESDAY,  AUGUST  26. 

Although  the  sky  was  not  promising,  a  considerable  number  of  ex- 
cursionists started  by  cars  for  this  day's  work.  Others,  who  did  not 
intend  to  go  up  to  the  summit  of  Camedd  Hengwm,  went  later  by  the 
train  to  Cors-y-gedol.  While  changing  horses  at  Llanbedr,  the  two 
pillar  stones  near  the  road  were  inspected.  According  to  the  account  of 
the  parish  in  Lewis'  Topoffraphical  Dictionary  {lS3S)f  it  is  stated  there 
were  "  four  or  five  broad  stones  eight  feet  high,  standing  upright,  about 
forty  yards  to  the  right  of  the  road ;  and  also  that  a  tradition  existed 
that  it  was  on  this  spot  the  original  church  was  intended  to  be  built, 
but  the  work  executed  by  day  was  removed  by  night.  This  is  the 
usual  form  of  the  tradition,  which  is  of  little  importance,  but  that 
only  two  should  be  left,  and  no  account  exist  of  the  position  of  the 
group,  is  to  be  regretted.  As  they  were  all  standing  at  least  forty 
years  ago,  there  are  probably  some  of  the  parishioners  still  living  who 
may  furnish  some  information  on  the  point.  At  present  it  is  impos- 
sible to  say  whether  the  two  remaining  ones  are  the  last  relics  of  a 
circle  of  considerable  diameter,  or  of  a  long  line  of  stones,  as  the  one 
near  Fishguard,  described  in  the  Journal  of  April  last.  Between  the 
two,  and  lying  on  the  ground,  is  the  curious  incbed  stone  which  is 
one  of  the  two  ascertained  marked  stones  in  Wales,  and  represented  in 
the  Journal.  This  was  brought  down  some  time  since,  by  the  care  of 
Dr.  Griffith  Griffiths,  from  some  cyttiau  on  the  hills  above.  When  the 
church  is  put  into  a  decent  condition  it  may  be  possible  to  find  some 
place  in  it  where  it  would  be  saved  from  dei*truction.  The  church, 
with  the  exception  of  the  chancel,  which  by  private  subscriptions  has 
been  lately  put  into  a  decent  and  satisfactory  condition,  is  in  a  lament- 
able state..  Like  most  of  the  churches  of  the  district,  it  is,  with  the 
remarkable  exception  of  Llanaber,  totally  devoid  of  architectural  in- 
terest. There  are,  however,  two  small  houses  on  each  side  of  the 
entrance  gate  worth  notice,  especially  the  one  on  the  right  hand,  which, 
from  the  character  and  size  of  the  beams  and  other  woodwork,  show 
that  it  was  never  intended  for  a  mere  cottage,  but  for  a  building  of 
greater  importance.  From  its  being  close  to  the  church,  it  may  have 
been  the  Parsonage,  and  a  superior  one,  too,  for  the  period  when  very 
humble  residences  indeed  were  occupied  by  the  clergy.  No  conjecture 
can,  however,  be  ofi'ered  as  to  the  age  of  such  a  building.  The  walls 
are  immensely  thick,  and  of  dry  masonry. 

The  next  halt  made  was  at  the  two  cromlechs,  in  Dyffryn,  near  the 
road-side.  One  or  both  of  these  cromlechs  is  associated,  as  usual, 
with  the  name  of  Arthur.  The  lower  one  of  these  two  is  remarkable 
as  being  perfect  as  regards  its  chamber,  for  there  does  not  appear  to 
have  been  more  than  one.  It  consisted  of  four  slabs,  which  enclosed 
so  small  a  chamber  that  if  inhumation  had  taken  place  the  body  must 
have  been  doubled  up.     This  is  the  cromlech  which  has  been  some- 


POBTMADOC  MEETING. REPORT.  469 

times  mentioned  as  a  cromlech  containing  a  kistvaen,  which  may  lead 
some  to  suppose  that  this  expression  meant  a  kistvaen  within  the  cham- 
ber. In  the  present  instance  the  chamber  is  so  small  as  to  give  an 
idea  of  a  kistvaen,  and  hence  the  confusion  that  has  arisen.  Besides 
its  perfect  condition,  there  is  another  circumstance  connected  with  it, 
namely  certain  parallel  grooves  on  one  of  the  supporting  stones,  which 
have  a  very  artificial  appearance.  Opinions  are  not  unanimous,  on 
this  matter;  but  if  the  concentric  grooves  (marked  on  a  huge  rock 
lying  on  the  right  hand  as  one  climbs  the  stepped  road  from  Cwm 
Bychan  across  the  mountain)  are  natural,  as  they  appear  to  be,  there 
can  be  no  doubt  as  to  the  character  of  the  lines  on  the  cromlech. 
Another  example  of  straight  parallel  grooves,  exactly  similar,  was 
noticed  during  the  course  of  this  Meeting  lying  among  the  loose  stones 
at  Treceiri,  and  which  also  was  decidedly  the  result  of  natural  causes. 
The  upper  and  larger  cromlech  has  suffered  more  than  the  smaller 
one.  There  is  nothing  remarkable  about  it.  As  these  two  monuments 
are  so  near  one  another,  these  were  probably  once  covered  by  the  same 
cairn,  numerous  remains  of  which  still  remain  on  the  spot 

The  whole  of  this  side  of  the  hill,  sloping  down  to  the  coast  line,  is 
said  to  contaia  an  immense  number  of  remains  of  graves.  In  the  ad- 
joining field  are  numerous  cairns,  most  of  them  in  tolerable  condition, 
although  none  of  them  appear  to  have  been  undisturbed. 

A  third  cromlech,  above  the  house,  was  examined,  one  end  of  which 
was  resting  on  ground,  evidently  from  some  subsequent  dislocation, 
so  that  it  cannot  be  placed  among  the  so-called  primary  cromlechs* 
The  remains  of  its  cam  are  still  on  the  spot. 

Stretching  upwards  from  this  cromlech,  and  continuing  southward 
along  the  face  of  the  hill,  are  innumerable  circles  of  various  sizes, 
some  of  them  of  very  considerable  extent.  Intermingled  with  these 
are  cairns  in  various  states  of  preservation.  To  the  left  hand  as  one 
mounts  the  hill  is  a  fourth  cromlech  now  connected  with  some  walls, 
but  time  did  not  admit  of  its  being  examined.  Further  on  is  Craig- 
y-dinas,  which  had  been  previously  surveyed  and  laid  down  for  the 
Association  by  H.  K.  Colvile,  Esq.  This  very  interesting  fort  is 
of  moderate  dimensions  as  to  extent,  although  exceedingly  strong 
by  nature  as  well  as  art.  On  the  east  side,  where  it  is  most  accessible, 
double  ditches  and  walls  cut  off  the  narrow  neck  of  land  by  which  the 
main  work  is  reached.  The  most  remarkable  feature,  however,  is  the 
great  circular  defence  at  the  base  of  the  hill,  which  communicates  with 
the  upper  part  by  a  winding  passage,  protected  on  each  side  by  a  wall 
of  stone.  Within,  and  connected  with  this  lower  work,  some  smaller 
circles  exist,  which  may  have  served  as  guard  chambers.  Within  the 
upper  work  will  be  found  good  specimens  of  dry  walling  three  or  four 
feet  high.  This  fort  commanded  one  of  the  great  passes  into  Ardudwy, 
and  must  have  been  an  important  post. 

Pen-Dinas,  which  was  scaled  under  the  disadvantage  of  a  violent 
storm,  was  found  to  be  an  ordinary  hill-castle  or  rather  fortified  town. 
Near  it  is  Carncdd  Hengwm,  which  was  probably  the  burial-ground 
attached  to  the  town.  This  spot  was  visited  by  members  of  the  Asso- 
ciation, during  the  Dolgelly  meeting  in  1850.     The  two  large  cams 


470  CAMBRIAN  ARCHiBOLOGICAL  ASSOCIATION. 

whicli  give  the  name  are  thus  described : — "The  smaller  cam  contains 
six  kistvaens  of  considerable  size;  and  one  stone  chamber  resembling 
a  cromlech,  with  this  exception,  that  the  large  horizontal  stone  was 
supported  by  dry  walling,  forming  four  sides  of  the  chamber,  instead 
of  by  upright  stones.  The  larger  and  southernmost  earn  contained 
two  of  these  chambers  and  a  gigantic  cromlech,  the  covering  stone  of 
which  had  fallen  from  its  supporters,  which  were  upwards  of  six  feet 
in  height.  Much  of  the  larger  cam  remained  yet  unopened,  while  the 
smaller  had  been  thoroughly  ransacked." 

On  arriving  at  Oors-y-gedol  the  excursionists  found  a  large  number 
of  visitors,  including  several  members  who  had  not  joined  in  the  ex- 
cursion. Several  others  also  who  had  started  for  the  same  destination 
were  prevented  by  the  heavy  rain  from  reaching  it.  Some  sixty  or 
seventy  were  simultaneously  entertained  with  the  most  cordial  and 
ample  hospitality  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Coulson. 

On  the  conclusion  of  the  repast,  Mr.  Wtnkb,  of  Peniarth,  returned, 
on  behalf  of  the  Association,  thanks  to  the  President  and  Mrs.  Coulson, 
and  proposed  their  healths.  Mr.  Coulsok,  having  acknowledged  the 
toast  and  expressed  his  gratification  at  receiving  the  members  and 
other  visitors  at  his  house,  proposed  **  Success  to  the  Association,'* 
which  toast  Mr.  Babnwell  was  called  on  to  acknowledge,  which  he 
did  in  the  briefest  manner. 

Mr.  Wynne  then  gave  the  history  of  the  House  of  Cors-y-gedol 
from  its  earliest  times,  adding  several  very  amusing  anecdotes  of  some 
of  the  Vaughan  family,  who  held  it  for  so  many  generations,  until  it 
came  by  marriage,  at  the  latter  part  of  the  last  century,  into  the  Mos- 
tyn  family  of  Mostyn.  It  subsequently  passed  by  purchase  to  the  pre- 
decessor of  the  present  owner. 

Mr.  Wynne's  health  was  then  proposed  by  Mrs.  Coulson,  with 
thanks  for  his  able  and  amusing  lecture,  which  toast  having  been  duly 
honoured,  the  company  dispersed  through  the  suite  of  rooms  to  inspect 
the  extensive  and  magnificent  collection  of  paintings,  china,  articles 
of  vertu,  etc.,  which  fill  the  house.  The  only  curiosity  that  strictly 
could  come  within  the  class  of  antiquities  was  the  small  cornelian  in- 
taglio of  fair  Roman  work,  which  had  been  found  at  Tomen-y-mur  just 
before  the  Meeting,  and  which  was  presented  by  Mr.  Williams  Mason 
to  Mrs.  Coulson.  Mr.  Wynne  stated  that  it  was  the  only  example 
of  the  kind,  as  far  as  he  knew,  that  had  been  found  in  North  Wales. 

Cors-y-gedol  House  has  undergone  so  many  alterations  and  additions 
that,  as  to  the  age  of  the  original  structure,  or  of  any  remaining  por« 
tions  of  it,  no  conjecture  can  be  formed.  Nor  are  there  any  archi- 
tectural details  which  could  furnish  the  least  information.  Large  al- 
terations and,  perhaps,  additions  also  were  made  at  the  end  of  the 
sixteenth  century  by  Griffith  Vanghan,  who  has  been  good  enough  to 
leave  the  dates  of  his  work  on  the  walls.  The  oldest  of  these  dates  is 
on  the  outside  of  the  front  wall  of  the  house,  and  is  1576,  the  same 
date  being  repeated  over  the  fire-place  in  the  great  hall  (the  finest 
room  in  the  house)  with  the  motto,  "Sequere  justitiam  et  invenies 
vitam."  The  ceiling,  however,  which  is  similar  to  one  at  Qwydir,  is 
thought  to  be  not  later  than  the  time  of  Henry  VIII.     On  the  out^ 


PORTMADOC  MEETING. — REPORT.  471 

side  wall  of  the  old  drawing-room  is  the  date  1592,  and  over  the 
entrance  that  of  1593,  when  Griffith  Vanghan  and  his  wife  Catherine 
appear  to  ha^e  completed  their  operations.  This  branch  of  the 
Yaughans,  as  is  well-known,  is  descended  from  Osbom  Fitzgerald,  or, 
as  called  in  Wales,  Osber  Wyddel,  who  acquired  the  estate*  by  mar- 
riage, and  has  left  his  name  in  Berllys,  a  little  below  the  present  man- 
sion. Here  was  his  seat  or  castle,  traces  of  which  still  exist;  but 
when  he  or  his  successors  removed  to  Cors-y-gedol  is  unknown. 
That  Cors-y-gedol  was,  however,  inhabited  at  a  very  early  period  seems 
proved  by  the  enormous  thickness  of  one  of  its  present  walls  (ten  feet). 
It  was  originally  an  exterior  wall,  and  would  hardly  have  been  built 
so  enormously  strong  but  for  defensive  purposes ;  unless,  as  has  been 
conjectured,  it  was  thus  built  to  admit  of  secret  chambers  or  passages 
in  the  interior.  But  granting  that  the  thickness  of  the  walls  is  thus 
accounted  for,  still  there  remains  the  anomaly  that  a  house  in  the 
time  of  Henry  VHI  should  have  had  such  a  range  of  apartments. 
Hence  it  appears  more  probable  that  the  present  library,  bounded  on 
one  side  by  this  massive  wall,  and  by  others  a  little  more  than  three 
feet  thick,  was  part  of  the  original  house ;  and  that  the  great  hall 
and  its  contiguous  apartments  were  added  either  by  Griffith  Vaughan, 
or  if  the  work  was  commenced  a  little  before  his  time,  at  least  com- 
pleted by  him.  There  is  not  much  difficulty  in  the  ceiling  of  the  great 
hall  being  of  the  time  of  Henry  VIH,  as  fashion  travelled  slowly  at 
that  period  into  this  remote  part  of  Wales.  In  the  house  still  remains 
some  furniture  of  the  time  of  Griffith  Vaughan,  and  a  remarkable  bed- 
stead, which  was  taken  from  a  vessel  wrecked  on  the  coast,  and  which 
is  said  to  have  formed  a  part  of  the  great  Armada. 

The  Gate  House,  a  very  picturesque  building,  bears  the  date  of 
1 630,  and  is  said  to  be  after  a  design  of  Inigo  Jones,  who  is  also  stated 
to  have  furnished  the  designs  for  the  Cors-y-gedol  chapel  in  the  parish 
church.  It  seems  to  be  intended  more  for  ornament  than  use,  unless 
a  court-yard  has  enclosed  the  front  of  the  house,  so  that  the  only  access 
to  it  was  under  the  gateway,  which  has  accommodation  for  two  porters, 
having  apartments  on  each  side.  A  similar  gateway  is  to  be  seen  at 
Glyn,  near  Harlech.  To  this  one  lateral  additions  have  been  made, 
intended  for  stables. 

A  return  by  the  railway  instead  of  the  turnpike-road  being  con- 
sidered preferable,  the  carriages  deposited  the  excursionists  at  the 
station,  where,  however,  they  were  unfortunately  delayed  more  than 
two  hours  by  an  accident  on  the  line.  The  consequence  of  this  delay 
was  that  the  evening  meeting  was  not  held,  as  the  train  did  not  arrive 
at  Portmadoc  before  half-past  nine. 


THURSDAY,  AUGUST  27. 

The  first  halt,  after  the  procuring  of  fresh  horses  at  Llanbedr,  was 
made  at  Pemallt,  a  small  eminence  behind  the  farm  of  Gwynfryn. 
On  the  rising  ground  is  a  very  perfect  small  fort,  not  set  down  in  the 
Ordnance  Map.   In  fact,  there  are  several  similar  works  in  this  district 


472  CAMBRIAN   ARCHJEOLOOICAL  ASSOCIATION. 

which  seem  to  have  escaped  the  attention  of  the  surveyors.  Such  is 
the  case  with  a  small  fort  in  a  wood  on  the  other  side  of  the  Artro, 
and  facing  Penrallt.  These  two  forts  may  have  heen  intended  to 
watch  each  other,  or  to  have  acted  as  joint  guardians  of  the  pass  along 
the  hed  of  the  river.  The  hill  is  very  precipitous  except  on  one  side, 
and  along  this  side  an  additional  outer  defence  had  heen  carried. 
There  appear  also  to  have  been  some  other  defences  between  this 
outer  and  the  inner  work,  which  may  have  served  as  preventing  access 
between  the  two  lines  of  defence.  The  inner  circle  is  very  small. 
Portions  of  the  masonry  are  seen  from  the  exterior,  and  give  an  excel* 
lent  example  of  this  early  work.  On  resuming  their  carriages  the  ex- 
cursionists drove  for  some  way  along  a  most  picturesque  road  by  the 
side  of  the  Artro,  until  they  were  compelled  to  descend.  After  skirt- 
ing the  beautiful  little  lake  of  Cwmbychan,  they  reached  the  house  of 
that  name— externally  presenting  the  appearance  of  an  ordinary  Welsh 
cottage,  but  being,  in  fact,  the  original  mansion  of  the  Lloyds  of  Cwm- 
bychan, who,  according  to  Pennant,  have  possessed  the  estate  since 
the  commencement  of  the  twelfth  century.  The  present  owner,  Mr. 
John  Lloyd,  does  not  reside  in  his  hereditary  mansion,  although  Pen- 
nant was  hospitably  entertained  there  by  Evan  Lloyd,  who  was  first 
cousin  once  removed  to  the  late  Angharad  Lloyd. 

The  house  appears  to  have  been  much  the  same  as  it  is  at  present, 
and  was  divided  into  two  parts  by  stout  boards,  one  of  which  still  has 
a  small  ogee-like  ornament.  On  the  left  hand  side  was  the  hall,  or 
rather  the  great  common  room  of  the  family.  There  was  certainly 
not  much  accommodation  for  a  large  family ;  and,  therefore,  servants 
and  retainers  may  have  been  provided  for  in  exterior  offices,  since 
destroyed. 

The  road  up  the  pass  was  then  followed  and  traced  to  the  summit, 
where  it  crosses  over  into  the  vale  below.  The  greater  part  of  this 
road  is  curiously  formed  into  steps,  not  by  cutting  them  in  the  solid 
rock,  but  by  an  artificial  kind  of  stairs  resting  on  blocks  placed  under 
them.  A  kind  of  low  parapet  exists  on  one  or  both  sides  of  the  stairs 
according  to  the  configuration  of  the  ground.  It  is  easy  to  see  where 
these  steps  have  been  repaired  in  later  days  by  the  inferiority  of  the 
work.  Similar  steps,  but  not  so  numerous,  exist 'also  in  the  adjoining 
pass  of  Drws  Ardudwy.  These  are  the  only  examples  known  of  such 
stairs.  Pennant,  curiously  enough,  does  not  notice  these,  although  he 
cursorily  alludes  to  the  steps  in  the  Drws  Ardudwy  pass,  but  without 
noticing  their  peculiarity.  As  to  their  real  age  and  builders,  there 
appears  to  be  some  little  doubt,  but  the  most  general,  and  apparently 
the  most  approved,  opinion  is  that  they  are  what  is  called  "Ancient 
British." 

On  the  way  home  a  turn  was  made  to  the  right  to  explore  the  re- 
mains at  Penarth  and  the  Muriau  Qwyddelod  above  Harlech.  On 
the  summit  of  Penarth  are  the  tolerably  perfect  defences  of  a  large 
camp,  or  rather  a  town  commanding  a  very  extensive  view,  and  from 
its  situation,  of  much  importance  in  commanding  the  country.  On 
the  slope  of  the  hill  is  an  enormous  number  of  fine  cairns,  many  of 
them  apparently  undisturbed,  so  that  there  can  be  no  difficulty  in  as- 


PORTMADOC  MEETING. — REPORT.  473 

signing  this  as  the  common  hurial  ground  belonging  to  the  inhabitants 
of  the  city.  At  the  foot  of  the  hill  is  another  of  these  ancient  Welsh 
mansions  which  seem  to  have  escaped  the  notice  of  the  learned  author 
of  the  Domestic  Architecture  of  the  Middle  Ages.  This  is  a  more  im- 
portant building^  than  the  house  at  Cwmbychan,  and  has  probably  had 
an  addition  made  to  the  original  structure.  The  woodwork,  especially 
in  the  upper  story,  is  very  substantial,  and  shows  that  it  was  used  as  the 
residence  of  a  gentleman  of  some  importance.  The  lower  part  of  the 
house  is  divided  by  solid  planks  of  wood  as  at  Cwmbychan.  There  is 
a  kind  of  cart-road  leading  to  the  house,  but  the  former  occupants 
could  only  have  found  their  way  there  on  horseback.  A  little  further  on 
near  Havod-y-Coed  is  a  small  camp,  or  rather  castle,  also  not  noticed 
in  the  Ordnance  Map.  One  part  of  it  is  protected  by  a  perpendicular 
face  of  rock,  and  the  other  by  a  stone  wall  stretched  across  the  neck 
of  land.  There  are  traces  of  dwellings  to  be  made  out.  From  thence 
a  visit  was  made  to  the  Muriau  Gwyddelod,  a  very  remarkable  group 
of  dwellings  encircled  by  one  or  more  large  enclosures.  The  chambers 
are  principally  circular.  The  walls  of  several  of  them  are  six  feet 
high,  and  give  some  of  the  best  examples  remaining  of  the  domiciles 
of  the  earliest  inhabitants.  The  settlement  here  must  have  been  ex- 
tensive, if  one  may  judge  from  the  number  of  dwellings  clustered 
together,  and  the  remaioi,  more  or  less  perfect,  of  burial-places, 
including  a  large  and  low  tumulus,  apparently  unexplored.  All  these 
houses  are  inclosed  in  large  outer  circular  stone  defences,  which  still 
show  traces  of  their  former  strength ;  so  that  the  occupants,  whoever 
they  were,  did  not  consider  themselves  secure  from  enemies.  Like 
other  instances  of  such  very  early  remains,  these  are  assigned  by  the 
Welsh  to  Irish  builders :  thus  acknowledging  that  the  latter  preceded 
them  in  the  occupation  of  this  country.  There  does  not,  however^ 
appear  to  be  any  positive  tradition  on  this  point ;  so  that  it  is  more 
probable  that  the  Welsh,  not  knowing  whom  to  refer  them  to,  and 
disclaiming  them  as  the  work  of  their  own  ancestors,  assign  them  to 
the  only  other  ancient  race  they  know  of.  One  of  the  most  remarkable 
of  these  assignations  occurs  near  Penmaendovey,  where  an  early  stone 
circle  is  termed  "  The  Irishman's  Church". 

The  situation  of  this  early  settlement  immediately  over  Harlech  is 
remarkable,  as  if  the  settlers  had  selected  this  spot  from  its  proximity 
to  the  strong  position  on  which  the  castle  stands,  and  which,  although 
improved  by  art,  must  always  have  been  a  naturally  strong  position, 
although  not  large  enough  to  contain  a  great  many  persons.  This 
rock  may,  therefore,  have  served  as  a  place  of  occasional  refuge,  or 
outpost,  to  the  settlement  on  the  hill  above.  When  the  present  castle 
was  erected,  the  retainers  not  living  within  the  walls  would  fix  their 
abodes  as  near  as  possible  under  the  very  building ;  and  hence  arose  a 
New  Harlech,  if  the  town  on  the  hill  above  may  thus  be  called  an  Old 
Harlech. 

^  Taltreuddyn  House,  although  much  improved,  was  originally  another, 
example  of  a  Welsh  gentleman's  house,  at  least  of  the  sixteenth  century,  if 
not  earlier. 

3lll>  SER.,  VOL.  XIV.  31 


474  CAMBRIAN  ARCH^OLOGICAL  ASSOCIATION. 

In  the  earlier  part  of  the  day,  a  large  number  of  members  and  visi- 
tors under  the  guidance  of  the  President  and  Mr.  W.  W.  E.  Wynne, 
had  assembled  within  the  walls  of  the  Castle,  the  principal  parts  of 
which  were  pointed  out  by  Mr.  Wynne.  Few  important  details,  how- 
ever, of  the  interior  arrangements  remain ;  nor  can  the  castle  boast  of 
the  dignity  and  importance  of  others  in  the  Principality,  although  for 
beauty  of  situation,  and  picturesque  outline  from  almost  every  point 
of  view,  it  stands  unrivalled.  The  covered  way  at  the  base  of  the 
castle  is  deserving  of  notice,  there  being  but  few  examples  of  such 
ways  still  remaining.  Some  discussion  arose  as  to  what  portions  of 
the  buildings  are  much  later  than  others.  Sir  James  Alexander  thought 
that  the  side  in  which  is  the  main  entrance  was  older  than  the  rest, — 
a  suggestion,  however,  which  was  not  generally  acceded  to.  Of  the 
history  of  the  castle  there  is  much  less  doubt;  and  Mr.  Wynne  gave  a 
long  and  detailed  account  of  the  principal  events  connected  with  it. 
Several  valuable  communications  from  the  same  gentlemen  will  be 
found  in  the  early  volumes  of  the  Archisologta  Cambrensis, 

There  was  also  a  brief  discussion  as  to  whether,  in  the  time  of 
Edward  I,  the  sea  came  up  to  the  castle  rock,  or  even  much  nearer  than 
it  does  at  present.  Mr.  Wynne  thought  that  no  great  alteration  had 
taken  place  since  that  period,  as  Edward  made  a  grant  of  two  hundred 
acres  of  land  on  Harlech  Marsh.  Mr.  Wil^ams  Mason,  on  the  other 
hand,  stated  that  the  late  Mr.  Ellis  Owen  had  documents  proving  that 
the  sea  did  come  upward  nearer  the  castle,  and  that  ships  are  men* 
tioned  as  putting  in  at  the  port  of  Harlech. 


FRIDAY,  AUGUST  28. 

A  visit  to  the  great  Roman  station  of  Mons  Heriri  or  Tomen-y- 
Mur  formed  the  excursion  of  the  day.  It  had  been  visited  by  a  few 
members  from  Dolgelley,  in  1850,  during  the  meeting  of  the  Associa- 
tion at  that  place,  when  some  excavations  were  made  in  the  building 
to  the  south-east  of  the  camp,  which  led  only  to  the  discovery  of  ani- 
mal bones,  bricks,  tiles,  a  part  of  a  vessel,  and  a  large  quantity  of 
charcoal.  Two  or  three  days  before  the  visit  of  this  day,  Mr.  Hol- 
land of  Maentwrog  took  some  of  the  members  up,  who  commenced 
excavating;  the  result  of  which  was  the  laying  bare  one  side  of 
the  eastern  entrance,  which  is  as  near  as  possible  in  the  middle  of 
that  side  of  the  camp.  On  removing  the  turf  and  soil,  the  Roman  wall 
was  laid  bare  to  the  foundations.  The  excavation  was  then  continued 
in  the  return  face  of  the  entrance  for  some  distance,  but  the  modem 
wall  above  prevented  the  work  being  carried  right  through  into  the 
interior  of  the  camp.  The  masonry  on  this  side  is  the  same  as  that  in 
the  front  of  the  wall  resting  on  a  small  plinth.  The  stones  employed 
have  been  very  carefully  squared,  and  are  somewhat  larger  than  usually 
found  in  Roman  work.  No  mortar  or  bonding  courses  of  tiles  were 
employed  in  the  portions  exposed.  The  stones  are  beautifully  fitted 
together,  any  little  inequality  being  corrected  by  pieces  of  thin  slate 
inserted.     It  was  stated  that  no  stone  of  a  similar  character  is  to  be 


PORTMADOC  MEETING. — REPORT.  475 

found  in  that  district,  and  that  it  has  not  yet  been  ascertained 
whence  it  was  procured.  There  was  a  narrow  ledge  in  the  return  wall, 
against  which  the  gate  or  door  may  have  rested,  or  it  may  have  been 
intended  to  give  a  little  wider  space  in  the  entrance.  On  a  level 
with  the  foundation  of  the  return  wall  and  close  to  it  was  an  open 
well  flagged  drain,  the  object  of  which  was  no  doubt  to  carry  off  all 
superfluous  moisture,  so  as  to  prevent  it  soaking  into  the  foundation. 
The  right  hand  side  of  the  entrance  had  been  completely  destroyed  in 
cutting  a  modern  road,  so  that  the  breadth  of  the  entrance  could  not 
be  ascertained.  Among  the  debris  thrown  up  was  a  large  quantity  of 
broken  bricks  and  tiles,  some  of  the  latter  of  which  were  of  great 
thickness  and  extraordinary  hardness.  How  high  the  original  wall 
was,  it  is  impossible  even  to  conjecture ;  for  it  has  been  a  most  pro- 
lific quarry  to  the  builders  of  the  numerous  modern  walls  around, 
which  in  some  places  are  built  almost  entirely  of  these  well-squared 
stones.  On  the  south  side  is  another  entrance,  which  has  been  de- 
stroyed ;  but  according  to  the  account  of  the  intelligent  tenant,  there 
was  a  square  projecting  chamber,  as  he  termed  it,  in  front  of  the 
entrance,  the  masonry  of  which  was  the  same  as  that  of  the  eastern 
gate.  The  form  of  the  camp  is  oblong,  with  the  corners  rounded  off. 
The  ground  on  which  it  stands  is  a  little  inclined  to  the  south-east. 
Only  a  small  portion  of  the  outer  line  is  entirely  removed,  and  not  so 
as  to  cause  any  doubt  as  to  the  direction  it  took. 

The  most  curious  feature,  however,  of  the  station  is  the  enormous 
mound  which  gives  the  name  of  Tomen-y-Mur,  and  which  stands  at 
the  upper  end  of  the  camp.  Whether  it  is  Roman  or  British,  later  or 
earlier  than  the  camp  itself;  whether  defensive  or  sepulchral,  are 
questions  that  have  hitherto  been  unanswered.  It  is  certain  that  the 
position  commanding  so  many  passes  was  of  great  importance,  and 
after  the  withdrawal  of  the  Romans,  and  perhaps  partial  destruction 
of  the  defences,  the  natives  may  have  occupied  it,  and  raised  the 
mound  as  a  substitute  for  their  better  known  hill- fortress.  In  later 
times,  it  was  usual  to  take  advantage  of  Roman  works  of  the  kind, 
and  to  erect  in  one  comer  of  them  a  mediaeval  castle,  as  in  the  well- 
known  instances  of  Porchester  and  Fevensey.  The  ground  is  too 
elevated  of  itself  to  suggest  that  it  has  been  raised  by  the  Romans  as 
a  look-out  station^  as  little  additional  advantage  would  thus  be  gained. 
Outside  the  camp,  to  the  south-east,  are  the  remains  of  a  dwelling 
which  the  late  Mr.  Lloyd  excavated  some  years  ago,  and  with  such 
success  as  to  find  various  articles  which  are  said  to  be  now  dis- 
persed, or,  if  any  do  remain  in  the  district,  they  are  not  very  access- 
ible. It  does  not  appear,  moreover,  that  any  satisfactory  account  of 
the  number  and  nature  of  articles  found,  is  in  existence.  There  are, 
however,  some  Roman  millstones  and  fragments  of  querns  and  some 
curious  incised  slabs,  in  the  garden  of  a  house  at  Maentwrog,  and 
which  were  kindly  removed  by  Mr.  Holland  to  his  grounds  for  more 
convenient  inspection.  Diggings  were  carried  on  near  the  scene  of  the 
former  diggings,  and  an  outside  wall  and  what  appears  to  be  a  drain 
were  brought  to  light,  with  several  fragments  of  brick,  ornamented 
with  lozenge-shaped  patterns  ;  a  considerable  quantity  of  other  kinds 


476  CAMBRIAN  ABCHJEOLOOICAL  ASSOCIATION. 

of  bricky  some  of  unusual  thickness ;  fragments  of  pottery  of  a  coarse, 
dark  character,  with  the  exception  of  one  of  a  bright  red  colour, 
which  was  not,  however,  of  the  kind  known  as  Samian  ware,  as  well 
as  large  portions  of  plaster,  which  still  retained  the  mark  of  the 
trowel.  At  another  spot,  and  at  a  short  distance,  the  foundations  of 
another  building  were  laid  bar^,  during  which  operation  a  stone  ham- 
mer, of  a  type  often  found  in  Ireland,  was  discovered  and  appropriated 
by  the  Rev.  R.  Williams  Mason.  A  slight  groove  has  been  worked  in 
the  side,  which  was  intended  for  the  securer  purchase  of  the  flexible  rod 
which  formed  the  handle,  just  as  at  the  present  time  blacksmiths 
secure  their  iron  punches.  This  kind  of  stone  implement  is  called  by 
Sir  W.  R.  Wilde  by  several  names,  one  of  which  is  hammer-punch, 
although  some  of  them  are  so  rude  and  massive  as  to  have  more  of  the 
hammer  than  the  punch  proper.  The  more  rude  and  heavy  ones 
are,  however,  of  the  same  outline  and  form  as  those  which  are  true 
punches.  These  heavier  and  ruder  ones  are  also  found  in  ancient 
mines,  and  are  sometimes  called  ''mining  hammers."  Figures  of  them 
are  given  in  Sir  W.  R.  Wilde's  Catalogue  of  the  stone  objects  in  the 
Museum  of  the  Royal  Irish  Academy,  p.  85,  figure  67. 

By  the  cottage  near  the  wall  of  the  camp  are  fragments  of  querns 
and  Roman  mill-stones  which  have  been  found  at  various  times.  The 
wife  of  the  tenant  a  few  days  before  the  meeting  of  the  Association 
found  near  her  house  a  small  cornelian  intaglio  of  very  fair  work,  re- 
presenting a  Mercury.  This  Mr.  Mason  purchased,  and,  as  previously 
stated,  presented  to  Mrs.  Coulson. 

A  short  distance  off  is  a  curious  circular  work,  said  to  have  been  the 
amphitheatre.  It  is  an  oval  enclosure  about  thirty-six  yards  long  and 
twenty-seven  wide  at  its  broadest  part.  Pennant  mentions  there 
were  two  entrances  one  opposite  the  other ;  but,  as  a  road  at  some 
time  has  been  carried  across  it,  these  entrances  may  be  only  cotem- 
poraneous  with  the  road. . . .  He  speaks  also  of  a  part  of  it  as  appearing 
to  have  been  cut  off  by  a  wall,  the  foundations  of  which  still  remained. 
These,  however,  were  not  noticed  during  this  visit  A  drawing,  made 
of  it  by  Mr.  Blight,  will  be  shortly  given  in  the  Journal.  All  vestiges 
of  the  seats  of  the  spectators  have  vanished ;  but,  unless  the  bank  was 
much  loftier  than  it  is  at  present,  it  could  not  have  held  a  great  many. 
It  may  be,  after  all,  not  an  amphitheatre.  If  so,  it  is  very  difficult  to 
conjecture  what  it  could  have  been.  It  is  not  noticed  in  the  account 
of  the  visit  paid  in  1850. 

The  numerous  company,  on  leaving  the  hill,  reassembled  at  the 
mansion  of  Mr.  Holland,  where  they  were  received  with  the  most  hearty 
and  sumptuous  hospitality. 

The  Pbesideni  returned  the  thanks  of  the  Association  for  their 
kind  and  agreeable  reception  of  the  members,  concluding  his  observa- 
tions with  proposing  the  healths  of  their  host  and  hostess. 

Mr.  Holland,  in  acknowledging  the  toast,  observed  that,  although, 
for  his  own  part,  he  had  seen  more  of  the  Roman  station  at  Tomen-y- 
mur  since  the  visit  of  the  Association  than  he  had  ever  seen  before ; 
yet  he  thought  it  would  be  very  desirable  if  further  excavations  could 
be  made  under  proper  superintendence ;  and  he  hoped,  therefore,  he 


PORTMADOC  MEETING. — REPORT.  477 

might  have  another  opportunity  of  welcoming  the  members  of  the 
Association  to  this  part  of  the  country. 

The  numerous  visitors  then  dispersed  themselves  through  the  de- 
lightful grounds,  commanding  one  of  the  most  picturesque  views  in 
Wales,  while  others  examined  the  incised  stones  which  Mr.  Holland 
had  ordered  to  be  brought  to  his  garden  for  inspection.  Four  of  these 
stones  have  only  the  words  in  febpetvi,  and  underneath  are  the 
numerals  xx,  xxi,  xxii,  xx.  They  have  also  the  ivy- leaf  figure  so 
commonly  found  on  Roman  sepulchral  monuments,  especially  in  the 
south  of  France.  The  presence  of  this  figure  makes  it  probable  that 
these  are  also  of  the  same  nature,  but  the  meaning  of  the  inscription 
and  the  numerals  has  yet  to  be  explained.  On  another  fragment  the 
letters  fr  are  magnificently  cut.  Beside  these  were  no  less  than  thir- 
teen mill-stones  and  querns — some  Roman,  others  not  All  these 
objects  were  obtained  from  Tomen-ymur  by  the  late  Mr.  Lloyd. 

The  proceedings  of  the  evening  meeting  were  opened  by  Professor 
Babington,  who  occupied  the  chair  in  the  unavoidable  absence  of 
the  President.  He  then,  at  considerable  length,  gave  a  detailed  ac- 
count of  the  various  interesting  objects  they  had  examined  during  the 
excursions  of  Thursday  and  Friday.  During  the  course  of  his  ob- 
servations, in  remarking  on  the  curious  group  of  houses,  assigned  to 
Irish  builders,  standing  above  Harlech  Castle,  he  was  understood  by 
Mr.  Mason  to  refer  their  construction  to  the  time  of  the  Gaelic  in- 
vasions. 

To  this  Mr.  Mason  demurred,  stating  that  there  was  not  the 
slightest  doubt  that  the  Gaels  were  the  occupants  of  the  whole  of 
Wales  for  a  vast  period  of  time  anterior  to  the  arrival  of  the  Kymry. 
He  wished  time  and  weather  would  have  allowed  extensive  excava- 
tions among  the  buildings  so  commonly  assigned  by  the  Welsh  to  the 
Irish  or  the  Gael,  for  '*  in  that  case,  it  was  possible  some  relic  might 
be  found  like  the  stone  with  the  spiral  circle  at  Llanbedr ;  for,  ac- 
cording to  Sir  James  Simpson  in  his  admirable  work  on  archaic 
sculpturings,  it  was  the  only  known  instance  of  that  peculiar  type  of 
sculpturing  found  in  Wales,  while  it  was  common  in  Ireland.  Now 
this  stone  had  been  removed  to  its  present  position  with  a  view  to  its 
greater  security  by  Dr.  Griffith  Griffiths,  who  found  it  among  some  of 
those  structures  called  Cyttiau  Gwyddelod.  But  the  philological  ar- 
gument also  confirms  the  testimony  derived  from  tradition,  as  well  as 
from  Gaelic  relics,  that  the  Gael  occupied  Wales,  if  not  the  whole  of 
the  interior  of  England  for  a  period  up  to  the  time  of  the  Roman  inva- 
sion. Maglona  (not  to  speak  of  Leucarum  and  Conovium)  was  merely 
the  Latinised  form  of  Maghlonadh  (marshy  plain),  a  name  highly 
descriptive  of  the  ground  about  Machynlleth.  The  nomenclature  of 
the  whole  coast  of  the  Bay  of  Cardigan  from  Bardsey  to  St.  David's 
Head  was  highly  curious  and  instructive.  There  was  first  a  continu- 
ation of  that  outer  fringe  of  Norse  or  Danish  names  of  promontories 
and  islands  extending  along  the  whole  line  of  coast.  Next  came  the 
Gaelic  names  which  extended  from  the  coast  into  the  interior,  mixed 
up  with  Kymric  proper.  This  type  of  nomenclature  was  most  especi- 
ally to  be  observed  in  the  counties  of  Cardigan  and  Merioneth,  to 
which  districts  the  Gael  seems  to  have  clung  the  longest. 


478  CAMBRIAN  ARCH^OLOGICAL  ASSOCIATION. 

Tbe  Chairman  explained  that  Mr.  Mason  bad  partly  misanderatood 
what  be  bad  stated  concerning  the  Gaelic  invasion.  He  was  of  the 
%  same  opinion  as  Mr.  Mason  and  others,  that  the  Gael  were  the  per- 
decessors  in  this  country  of  the  Kymry,  but  the  invasions  be  alluded 
to  were  those  of  a  much  later  period.  He  now  called  on  Mr.  T.  O. 
Morgan  to  read  a  paper  on  Montgomeryshire,  when  and  how  it  became 
shire  ground. 

The  Chairman  having  thanked  Mr.  Morgan  for  his  ably  drawn 
paper, 

Mr.  Barnwell,  in  alluding  to  the  remarks  of  Mr.  Wynne  on  the 

S receding  Tuesday  as  to  the  nature  of  certain  lines  on  one  of  the 
^yffryn  cromlechs,  said  they  had,  on  their  visit  to  Cwm  Bychan,  found 
a  large  rock,  which  appears  to  have  been  detached  from  the  height 
above,  the  face  of  which  was  scored  in  the  same  manner,  except  that, 
instead  of  the  lines  being  straight  ones,  those  on  the  rock  were  seg- 
ments of  concentric  circles,  which,  from  their  exact  regularity,  had 
also  the  look  of  artificial  work,  but  which  were  no  doubt  the  efiibct  of 
natural  causes ;  and,  if  so,  there  could  be  still  less  doubt  about  the 
lines  on  the  cromlech. 

Dr.  Griffith  Griffiths  said  that,  as  there  had  been  several  al- 
lusions made  to  cromlechs,  he  thought  it  might  interest  the  meeting 
to  hear  the  result  of  his  own  observations  of  these  monuments,  which 
he  had  examined,  not  only  in  Wales,  but  England,  France,  and  North 
Africa,  showing  that  the  race  who  erected  these  chambers  must  have 
occupied  those  countries  at  some  remote  period.  He  had  seen  no  less 
than  thirty  cromlechs  at  no  great  distance  from  Algiers,  of  nine  of  which 
he  laid  before  the  meeting  very  faithful  representations,  together  with 
fragments  of  rude  unomamented  pottery,  burnt  human  bones,  flint 
flakes,  etc.  All  the  cromlechs  that  he  had  seen  in  this  part  of  Africa 
were  certainly  smaller  in  all  respects  than  those  of  Wales,  the  largest 
capstone  not  exceeding  nine  feet  by  eight.  In  every  case,  moreover, 
the  remains  of  the  original  camedd  which  once  covered  them  up  were 
still  to  be  seen,  thus  confirming  his  own  opinion  that  all  cromlechs 
were  originally  covered  with  earth  or  stone,  and  had  nothing  whatever 
to  do  with  Druidic  altars  or  sacrifices.  Mr.  Barnwell  had  stated  that 
all  cromlechs  in  their  perfect  state  were  mere  chambers,  the  walls  con- 
sisting of  four  or  more  large  slabs,  covered  by  one  or  more  capstones. 
He  excepted  to  this  statement,  as  he  had  seen  near  Algiers  a  cromlech 
one  side  of  which  never  had  been  composed  of  a  slab,  but  of  small  dry 
masonry.  At  the  present  time  on  Camedd  Hengwm  a  perfect  crom- 
lech remained  with  its  covering  of  stones.  Dr.  Griffiths  also  gave  a 
description  of  a  very  remarkable  monument  of  this  kind  at  Dragnignon 
in  the  south  of  France,  the  cap-stone  of  which  was  eighteen  feet  long, 
and  the  supporters,  six  in  number,  from  eight  to  ten  feet  high.  From 
the  drawing  of  it,  which  was  handed  round,  the  chamber  appeared  to 
be  of  a  less  regular  quadrangular  shape  than  usual.  During  the 
present  meeting  they  had  seen  the  stone  at  Llanbedr  with  the  spiral 
ornament  cut  upon  it.  He  now  produced  a  drawing  of  a  menhir,  with 
some  very  curious  figurings,  which  might  be  taken  for  the  cup  or  circle 
figures,  but  which  some  might  think  were  rude  attempts  at  delineation 


PORTMADOC  MEETING.— REPORT.  479 

of  the  bunian  features.  He  himself,  however,  did  not  think  so.  Be- 
fore he  finished,  he  begged  to  draw  the  attention  of  the  members  to 
the  fragments  of  a  sepulchral  urn  lately  discovered  under  a  cave  at 
Tyddyn  Gronw.  The  urn  had  been  covered  with  a  lozenge  or  diamond 
pattern,  imprinted  by  a  twisted  thong.  Mr.  Wynne,  of  Peniarth,  had 
stated  that  he  was  unacquainted  with  the  fact  of  any  urns  having  been 
found  in  the  county.  Many  fragments  of  urns,  however,  have  been 
found  at  Tomen-y-mur,  and  the  late  Mr.  Lloyd  was  said  to  have  ob- 
tained a  perfect  one,  but  this  was  probably  Roman,  not  British. 

Mr.  DuNKiN  remarked  that  the  ornaments  on  the  fragments 
exhibited  by  Dr.  Griffiths  were  identical  in  character  with  that  on  the 
Roman  brick  they  had  seen  that  day. 

Mr.  R.  I.  Jones  gave  an  account  of  a  great  variety  of  objects  which 
might  be  visited  to-morrow,  if  time  permitted  of  such  an  extended  ex- 
cursion. On  Ynys  hir,  one  of  the  islands  between  Portmadoc  and 
Tremadoc,  were  the  remains  of  a  watch-tower,  Twr  Gwilio.  On  the 
other  island,  known  from  time  immemorial  as  Ynys  Fadog,  coins  of 
William  the  Conqueror  have  been  found.  At  Llidiart  Yspytty  (gate 
of  the  hospital)  large  quantities  of  Roman  brick,  bones,  etc.,  have  been 
discovered  just  below  the  surface;  and  about  1810,  when  the  modern 
town  of  Tremadog  was  being  erected,  an  immense  quantity  of  bones 
had  been  removed  from  this  spot  to  Penmorfa  church-yard.  On  the 
bill-side,  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  post  road  of  Penmorfa, 
numerous  foundations  of  houses  could  be  traced  a  short  time  ago.  On 
Bwlch  Craig-wen  a  circle,  consisting  of  thirty-eight  stones  in  Pen- 
nant's time,  has  since  vanished ;  the  remains,  scanty  however,  of 
another  circle,  or  rather  oval,  still  exist  at  Cefn  Coch. 

The  evening  being  too  far  advanced  to  admit  of  the  reading  of  Mr. 
T.  O.  Morgan's  "History  of  the  Parish  of  Darowen,"  the  usual  votes  of 
thanks  were  then  proposed  and  unanimously  passed. 

Mr.  Llotd  Phillips,  seconded  by  Mr.  J.  Pughe,  moved  that  the 
thanks  of  the  Association  be  given  to  Mr.  Coulson  and  Mr.  Holland 
for  the  hospitality  with  which  they  had  received  the  members  of  the 
Association  during  the  meeting,  and  also  to  Mr.  David  Williams  for 
his  kindness  in  inviting  them  to  Castle  Deudraith,  an  invitation  which| 
from  the  arrangements  of  the  week,  it  was  impossible  to  accept. 

Mr.  Babnwell,  seconded  by  Mr.  James  Davis,  of  Hereford,  pro- 
posed a  similar  vote  of  thanks  to  the  Local  Committee,  and  Treasurer, 
Mr.  £.  H.  Ellis,  for  their  effective  services ;  and  to  Mr.  Thomas  for  plac- 
ing the  school-room  during  the  week  at  the  service  of  the  Association. 
.  Mr.  Mason,  on  behalf  of  himself  and  his  colleagues,  acknowledged 
the  vote.  He  alluded  to  the  support  which  the  county  of  Merioneth, 
or  rather  his  portion  of  it,  gave  the  Association,  and  thought  that  if 
the  Local  Secretaries  in  the  other  counties  showed  a  little  more  activity 
the  same  result  would  follow. 

The  Chaibman,  in  breaking  up  the  meeting,  hoped  that  the  visit 
of  the  Association  to  that  neighbourhood  would  be  the  means  of  draw- 
ing attention  to  its  antiquarian  remains,  and  encouraging  the  study  of 
such  matters,  which  was,  in  fact,  one  of  the  principal  objects  of  the 
Association.     They  had  come  not  to  teach  others  what  the  antiquities 


480  CAMBRIAN  ARCHJ50L0GIGAL  ASSOCIATION. 

of  the  district  were,  but  to  be  taught ;  and  if,  from  their  longer  ac* 
quaintance  with  such  subjects,  they  were  enabled  to  furnish  any  in- 
formation, or  throw  any  light  on  the  difficulties  of  local  details,  they 
had  great  pleasure  in  being  of  any  such  use  as  far  as  they  could.  On 
behalf  of  the  Association,  he  begged  to  thank  all  who  had  assisted  so 
kindly  on  the  present  occasion. 

An  unanimous  and  cordial  vote  of  thanks  to  the  Chairman  concluded 
the  public  meeting. 

After  all  strangers  had  retired,  a  meeting  of  members  only  was  held. 
Professor  Babington  again  taking  the  chair. 

The  two  matters  of  business  discussed  were  the  communication  from 
the  Woods  and  Forests  respecting  the  lease  of  Denbigh  Castle  and  the 
reversion  of  that  of  Harlech,  and  the  place  of  meeting  next  year.  This 
latter  point  was  left  to  the  Chairman  of  Committee  and  the  two  Secre- 
taries, with  full  power  to  arrange.  As  regards  the  other,  it  was 
unanimously  resolved  that  Denbigh  Castle,  being  already  leased  to 
certain  gentlemen  for  the  benefit  of  the  town  of  Denbigh  and  neigh- 
bourhood, it  was  advisable  not  to  accept  the  offer  of  the  Board  of  the 
Woods  and  Forests.  That,  as  regards  the  reversion  of  the  lease  of 
Harlech  Castle  (which  would  fall  in  in  1873)  it  was  desirable,  under 
the  circumstances  of  the  Association,  not  to  enter  into  any  arrangement 
so  long  before  the  time  of  action* 

SATURDAY,  AUGUST  29. 

The  final  excursion  consisted  of  two  sections,  one  returning  to  Port- 
madoc  from  Criccieth,  the  other  proceeding  onwards  to  Treceiri.  The 
first  halt  was  made  at  Llidiart  Yspytty,  where  Mr.  R.  J.  Jones  had 
directed  excavations  to  be  made.  These,  however,  led  to  no  decisive 
result  A  vast  quantity  of  Roman  tile,  some  good  masonry  of  very 
early  character,  but  not  apparently  Roman,  bones,  and  other  d4bris, 
were  exposed.  The  place,  however,  seems  to  have  been  previously 
disturbed ;  and,  as  Mr.  Pughe  had  justly  remarked  at  the  meeting  of 
the  previous  evening,  it  would  be  unsafe  to  draw  any  definite  conclu- 
sions from  this  assemblage  of  rubbish.  The  name  of  HospOium  might 
seem  to  indicate  some  establishment  of  the  Templars  or  Hospitallers ; 
but  no  record  of  any  such  establishment  exists.  The  existence  of 
Roman  brick,  some  of  it  ornamental,  is,  however,  a  fact  that  does  not 
admit  of  any  dispute.  A  complete  examination  of  the  whole  groand 
might  throw  some  light  on  the  question. 

Pen  Morfa  Church  was  next  inspected.  It  is  a  plain  Welsh  church, 
built  1698,  and  of  a  very  ordinary  character.  The  only  relic  of  the  pre- 
ceding building  was  a  fragment  of  painted  glass  with  portion  of  a 
figure,  and  which  may  be  as  old  as  the  fourteenth  century,  but  more 
probably  of  the  fifteenth. 

A  short  drive  brought  the  excursionists  to  a  fine  artificial  mound  with 
what  had  been  a  deep  ditch  surrounding  it.  Pennant  says  that  Row- 
land conjectures  it  to  have  been  a  watch-tower ;  but  it  is  simply  the 
ordinary  mound  or  motte  on  which  castles  were  originally  built,  and 
which,  especially  in  the  case  of  smaller  castles,  was  continued  down 


PORTMADOC  MEETING. REPORT.  481 

to  the  Edwardian  period.  These  mounds  were  surmounted  with  works 
in  stone  or  wood,  and  must  have  served  rather  as  places  of  occasional 
retreat  in  case  of  attack,  than  a  permanent  residence.  At  no  great 
distance  is  the  last  remaining  one  of  three  cromlechs  which  were 
standing  in  Pennant's  time ;  and  even  this  surviving  one  has  within 
the  last  few  years  suffered  the  loss  of  one  of  the  supporters,  so  that 
the  cap-stone  is  now  partially  resting  on  the  ground.  This  stone  is 
of  large  size  for  a  Welsh  cromlech,  measuring  fburteen  feet  hy  twelve. 
Its  thickness  is,  however,  inconsiderahle,  heing  only  fourteen  inches. 
No  traces  of  cups  or  circles  could  be  found  upon  it.  Still  further  on 
is  another  of  these  sepulchral  monuments,  not  very  large,  but  toler- 
ably perfect,  with  the  exception  of  one  or  two  of  the  supporting  slabs. 
The  other  supporters  are  of  such  equal  dimensions  that  the  cap-stone 
lies  perfectly  horizontal. 

Criccieth  Castle  is  more  remarkable  for  its  fine  position  than  for 
size  or  interest.  The  principal  apartments  were  in  the  round  towers 
flanking  the  main  entrance,  the  space  enclosed  by  the  walls  of  the 
building  being  an  irregular  trapezium.  Beyond  it  is  another  court,  the 
works  continuing  to  the  edge  of  the  cliff.  Pennant  does  not  doubt 
that  this  was  the  work  of  some  Welsh  prince,  and  that  Edward  I 
merely  cased  the  towers  at  the  entrance,  giving  them  their  present 
round  form,  the  interior  being  square.  There  can,  however,  be  as 
little  doubt  that  the  whole  of  the  present  Castle  is  of  Edward's  work, 
although  it  is  by  no  means  improbable  that  some  native  prince  may 
have  had  his  castle  there ;  which  could,  however,  form  no  part  of  the 
present  building,  being  evidently  by  the  same  hand  as  the  portion 
assigned  to  Edward  by  Pennant  himself.  The  church  at  Criccieth 
has  nothing  remarkable  about  it.  It  is  of  late  Perpendicular,  and 
good  of  its  kind. 

Time  not  allowing  a  contemplated  visit  to  Penturc,  the  excursion- 
ists proceeded  to  Llanelhaiarn,  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain  on  which 
Treceiri  stands.  The  fine  incised  stone  found  a  few  years  ago  near 
the  churchyard,  and  now  in  the  schoolroom,  has  been  noticed  by  Pro- 
fessor Westwood  (Arch.  Camb.,  1867,  p.  342). 

Pennant  has  given  a  long  account  of  Treceiri,  and  illustrated  it  with 
a  rude  map.  Mr.  Parry,  of  Madryn,  has  also  noticed  the  work  and 
given  a  map  of  it  on  a  smaller  scale.  The  object  of  the  present  visit 
was  to  secure  some  accurate  representation  of  some  portions  of  the 
work  before  the  work  of  destruction,  now  going  on  with  activity,  has 
swept  them  away.  An  account  of  this  visit  will  appear  shortly  in 
the  Journal.  The  last  object  visited  was  a  cromlech  close  to  the  vil- 
lage of  Four  Crosses,  and  which  is  in  tolerable  preservation.  It  pre- 
sents a  peculiarity  as  to  the  size  and  position  of  the  supporting  stones, 
and  which  appear  to  have  been  intentional  on  the  part  of  the  original 
builders.  But  a  more  remarkable  circumstance  connected  with  it  is 
the  fact  that  the  monument  has  given  the  name  of  Cromlech  to  the 
farm  on  which  it  stands,  and  that  such  has  been  the  name  of  the  farm 
from  time  immemorial.  Rowland,  the  author  of  Mona  Antigua,  is 
sometimes  thought  to  have  been  the  first  to  have  called  such  chambers 
by  this  name,  and  he  died  a  short  time  before  1723.     Whether  any 

81» 


482 


CAMBRIAN  AECHJSOLOOICAL  ASSOCIATION. 


deeds  are  in  exiBtence  anterior  to  1700  cannot  be  ascertained.  The 
farm  was  once  a  portion  of  the  Cors-y-gedol  estate,  but  was  sold 
some  years  ago  by  the  then  owner.  But  whatever  may  be  the  age  of 
the  name,  it  is  curious  that  this  particular  monument  should  have 
given  its  name  to  the  land,  and  that,  too,  in  a  district  where  among 
the  peasants  such  monuments  are  hardly  ever  known  by  the  name  of 
cromlech. 

Thus  satisfactorily  concluded  the  twenty-second  meeting  of  the 
Cambrian  Archaeological  Association. 

On  account  of  local  difficulties,  no  temporary  museum  was  esta* 
blished. 


STATEMENT   OF   ACCOUNTS   OF  LOCAL  COMMITTEE. 

OCTOBER,  1868. 

£    «.  d. 

£    t. 

d. 

By  Tickets  sold     -         -      3    3    0 

Prmting 

. 

-     2    8 

0 

By  Donations        -         -    30    0    0 

Labour  in  excavating 

-     1     0 

0 

Gas,  attendance,  cleaning     0  12 

9 

V 

^33    3    0 

Guides,  churches,  etc 

-     0  13 

0 

0.  C.  Babington,  Chairman  of 

£4  13 

9 

Commitiee. 

Balance 

- 

-    28    9 

3 

E.  H.  Ellis,  Treasurer, 
R.  W.  MkMJS,  Secretary, 

theLoc 

all 

^33    3 
P'und  up 

0 

The  following  gentlemen  have  cc 

mtributed  to 

to 

this  date,  Ootober  20,  1868 : 

£ 

s. 

d. 

E.  P.  Coulson,  Esq.      - 

- 

-    6 

0 

0 

H.  J.  Ellis  Nanney,  Esq. 

- 

-    3 

0 

0 

Hugh  Reveley,  Esq.    - 

- 

-     2 

2 

0 

Thomas  Casson,  Esq.    - 

- 

11 

0 

John  Casson,  Esq. 
P.  Parry  Davies,  Esq. 
Rev.  J.  WiUiams  Elfls 

- 

0 

. 

0 

- 

0 

Archdeacon  Evans 

. 

0 

Arthur  Farre,  Esq.,  M.D. 

• 

0 

J.  W.  Greaves,  Esq.     - 
Samuel  Griffiths,  Esq. 

. 

0 

- 

0 

Samuel  Holland,  Esq. 
R.  W.  Howell,  Esq.      - 

- 

0 

- 

0 

J.  Humphreys  Jones,  Esq. 
Major  Matthews 

- 

0 
0 

R.  Lloyd  Jones  Parry,  Esq. 

- 

0 

Oapt.  G.  H.  Owen 

- 

0 

William  Parry,  Esq.     - 

- 

l> 

F.  S.  Percival,  Esq.      - 

- 

0 

H.  L.  Thomas,  Esq.     - 

- 

0 

T.  Ignatius  Williams,  Esq. 
T.  H.  Oliver,  Esq. 

- 

0 

' 

.    0  10 

0 

^20 

0 

0 

483 


ALPHABETICAL  INDEX  OF  CONTENTS. 

VOL.    XIV.     THIRD   SERIES. 


Aberdaron  Church, Caernarvon- 
shire, restoration  of,  453 

Alignments  in  Wales,  169 

Alliances,  matrimonial,  of  the 
royal  family  of  England  with  the 
princes  and  magnates  of  Wales, 
147 

Anglo-Saxon  and  Irish  MSS., 
miniatures  and  ornaments  uf, 
by  Professor  Westwood ;  notice 
of,  210 

Ancient  interments,  etc.,  in  An- 
glesey and  North  Wales,  217 

Archa&ology  of  the  Peak  of  Der- 
by shire,  by  H.  Vale;  reviewof,96 

Architecture,  domestic,  of  South 
Pembrokeshire,  70 

Arwystli,  ancient,  camps,  etc.,  1 

Asaph,  St.,  history  of  diocese,  by 
Rev.  J.  R.  Thomas,  453 


Beaumaris,   free   school   of,    and 
David  Hughes,  M.A.,  95 

Bcrw  and  the  Hollands,  Anglesey, 
97 

Bcuno's,    St.,  chest   at   Clynnog 
Vawr,  197 

Brieuc,   St.,  Normandy,  interna- 
tional congress  at,  213 

Builder,  notice  of  a  villa  by  H. 
Vale  at  Eastbourne,  213 
Skd  sec,  vol.  xiv. 


Burghill,    Herefordshire,   incised 
stone  at,  1 79 


Cambrian  Archaeological  Associa* 
tion,  preliminary  notice  of  meet- 
ing, 204 

meeting    at   Portmadoc, 

25th  August,  188;  account  of, 
report,  etc.,  457 

statement  of  expenditure 


and  receipts  for  1867,  205 
Cartulary  of  Margam,  contribution 

towards,  24,  182,  345 
Catholicon   de  Jehan  Lagadeuc, 

review  of,  213 
Celtic  Tumuli  of  Dorset, by  Warne; 

notice  of,  94 
Circular  habitations,  ancient  re- 
mains of,  in  Holyhead  Island, 

385 

relics  found  near,  401 

Clynnog  Vawr,  St.  Beuno's  chest 

at,  197 
Collectanea  Antiqua,  by  C.  Roach 

Smith,  vol.  vi ;  review  of,  455 
Conway,  old  college  at,  344 
Cornish  cromlechs,  by  Blight,  454 
Cromlech  at  Pant  y  Saer,  Mona 

Antiqua,  89 
Cromwell  alias  Williams  family, 

pedigree  of,  342,  343 

32 


484 


ALPHABETICAL  INDEX  OF  CONTENTS. 


Derbyshire,    archaeology   of    the 

Peak,  by  H.  Vale ;  review  of,  95 
Dervel,  St.,  figure  of,  209 
Devonshire,  bells   in  old  parish 

churches,  by  Ellacombe,  212 
Dillwyn,Herefordshire,antiquities 

of,  130 
Dinas  Mawddwy,  relics  of,  201 
Dorset,  Warne's  Celtic  tumuli  of, 

notice,  94 


Ewyas  Harold,  account  of,  60 


Grant  of  fees  to  Lord  President  of 
Wales,  from  Harl.  MSS.  No. 
368,  140 

Griffith  (Moses),  drawings  by,  re- 
cent discovery  of,  454 


Harleian  MS.  No.  868,  grant  of 
fees  to  the  Lord  President  of 
Wales,  140 

Haverfordwest  temp,  Henry  III, 
209 

Hereford,  ancient  customs  of,  by 
R.  Johnson;  review  of,  216 

Hereford  Meeting,  correction  of 
Report  of,  by  E.  A.  Freeman, 
92 

Herefordshire,  uncertain  stone  im- 
plements, 446 

Holland  arms  at  Conway,  344 

Hollands  of  Berw,  Anglesey,  his- 
tory of,  97 

Holyhead  Island,  remains  of  an- 
cient circular  habitations,  385 

relics  found  near,  401 

Holywell,  Flintshire,  repairs  of 
well,  etc.,  343 

Hughes  (David),  M.A.,  and  the 
free  school  of  JBeaumaris,  95 

Humecillus,  meaning  of,query,210 


Implements,  stone,  uncertain,  446 
Incised  stone  at  Burghill,  Here- 
fordshire, 179 


Inscribed  stones,  early,  proper 
names  on,  341 

Interments,  ancient,  etc.,  in  An- 
glesey and  North  Wales,  217 


Lancashire,  Wavertree,  prehistoric 

remains  at,  206 
La  Tourelle,  Brittany,  subterra- 
nean chambers  at,  293 
Liber  Landavensis,  original  MS. 

of,  311 
letter  from  the  Bishop  of 

Llandaff,  452 
Llanbadam  Fawr,  Cardiganshire, 

mural  paintings  in  church  of, 

449 
Llanddewi  Brefi,  Matgom-jrr-ych 

Canawg,  85 
Loventium  of  Ptolemy,  450 
Ludlow  Castle,  survey,  a,d.  1771, 

142 
Llyfr  Coch  Asaph,  index  to,  151, 

329 
transcripts  from,  433 


Margim,  contribution  towards  a 
cartulary  of,  24,  182,  345 

Matgorn-yr-ych  Canawg,  Llan- 
ddewi Brefi,  85 

Matrimonial  alliances  of  the  royal 
iamily  of  England  with  the 
princes  and  magnates  of  Wales, 
147 

Mona  Antiqua,  cromlech  at  Pant- 
y  Saer,  89 


Pant-y-Saer,  Anglesey,  cromlech 

at,  89 
Pembrokeshire,  South,  domestic 

architecture  of,  70 
Pen  Caer  Helen,  Caernarvonshire, 

208 
Powysland  Club  publications,  91 
Proper  names  on  early  inscribed 

stones,  341 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


485 


Subterranean  chambers  atLaTou- 
relle,  Brittany,  293 


Urns,  sepulchral,  etc.,  in  Anglesey 
and  North  Wales,  217 


Water-stoups  in  Wales  and  Corn- 
wall, 166,  443 

Welsh  language,  notice  of  diction- 
ary of,  by  D.  S.  Evans,  21 1, 343 

Williams  alias  Cromwell,  family 
pedigree,  342,  343 


LIST   OF   ILLUSTRATIONS. 

Earthwork  at  the  Moat  Farm,  Arwystli 

Camp  at  Pen  Clun  Hill 

Earthwork  on  Rhyd-yr-Owen  Farm,  Arwystli 

Monckton,  Pembroke  . 

Ditto 

Old  Rectory,  Nangle,  Pembroke 

Interior  of  same 

Nangle 

Ditto 

Eastington  . 

BonTille  Court 

Ditto 

Cromlech,  Pant-y-saer 

Berw,  Anglesey 

Water-Stoups  found  in  Wales     . 

Ditto  found  in  Wales  and  Cornwall 

Parc-y-Marw,  Pembrokeshire 

Ditto  .  .  . 

Sculptured  Slab,  Burghill,  Herefordshire 

Seal  of  Morgan  Qam  . 

St.  Beuno's  Chest,  Clynnog  Vawr 

Iron  Fetters  and  Mace,  Dinas  Mawddwy 

Urns  found  at  Wavertree,  Lancashire 

Porth  Dafarch,  Holyhead  Island 

Fragment  of  the  large  Urn  found  at  Porth  Dafarch 

Urn  enclosed  within  the  larger  Vessel 

The  larger  Urn  restored,  etc. 

Small  cinerary  Urn 

Urn,  as  supposed,  of  Bronwen,  daughter  of  Llyr 

Drinking  Cup,  fragments  found  with  ditto 

Urn  found  near  Tomen  y  Mur     . 

Bronze  Blade  and  relic  of  Flint  found  in  Urn  near  ditto 

Wooden  Bodkin  found  in  Urn  near  ditto    . 

Urn  found  near  the  Menai  Bridge 

Figs.  13  and  14.     Plate 

Flint  Knife  found  in  an  Urn  near  Llangollen 

Three  Urns  found  on  Mynydd  Cam  Goch,  near  Swansea 

Cist  enclosing  Urns  found  on  ditto 


3 

10 

19 

71 

72 

75 

75 

77 

78 

79 

82 

83 

89 

97 

166 

166 

177 

178 

180 

183 

197 

202 

206 

217 

223 

225 

225 

226 

236 

238 

240 

241 

242 

244 

246 

248 

253 

254 


486  LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 

Figs.  18  and  19.     Plate               .                 .  .256 

Figs.  20  and  21.     Plate                                .                 .  ,257 

Small  Urn  found  at  Llandyssilio                  .  .257 

Incense  Cup  found  at  Bryn  Criig                                  .  .     260 

Figs.  25  and  26.     Plate               .                 .                 .  .261 

Ornament  on  an  Incense  Cup  found  at  Bulford,  Wilts  262 

Food- Vessels  found  near  Tenby                   .                 .  ,     266 

Urn  found  near  Glan-yr-afon       .                 .                 .  .268 

Fig.  31.     Plate            .                 .                 .                 .  .271 

Drinking  Cup  found  at  Plas  Heaton           .                 .  .     27^ 
Sections  of  subterranean  Chambers  at  La  Tourelle,  Brittany      .     295 

Iron  Piercer  found  in  ditto           .                 .  .297 

Necklace  of  Bone  found  in  ditto                  .  .     298 
Bone  Ring  found  at  ditto             ....     298 


A  small  Vase  ditto 
Various  Implements  ditto 
A  flint  Knife  ditto 
Spindle- Whorls  ditto 


.     299 
302-5 
.     306 
.     307 
Fragments  of  Gaulish  Pottery  found  in  or  near  ditto  .     308 

Fragments  of  Terra-Colta  Statue  found  near  ditto      .  .     808 

Gh-oup  of  ancient  Habitations  on  south-east  flank  of  Holyhead 

Mountain  .....     385 

Ground-Plan  of  Hut  Circle  at  Ty  Mawr     .  .     392 

Hut  Circle,  one  of  the  Cyttiau'r  Qwyddelod,  at  Ty  Mawr  ,     392 

Group  of  Hut  Circles  at  Plas      ....     395 
Various  Illustrations  of  Relics  found  in  Holyhead  Island  404-23 

Antiquities  of  Bronze,  with  Beads  of  Amber,  found  at  Ty  Mawr     419 
Portions  of  a  jet  Necklace  found  in  a  Cist  at  Pen-y-Bonc  .     424 

Water-Stoups  found  in  Wales  and  Cornwall  .  443 

Uncertain  Stone  Implements       .  .  .  446-47 


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