ANECDOTES OF SOCIETY IN MERIONETHSHIRE.

245

Ieuan ap Einion Vaghan, Griffith Gothyn Map Eynion, Eynion ap Aron, David ap Cadugan ap Ithel, Eynion ap Griffith, Iorwerth ap Ieuan, Kenric ap Eynion, Ieuan ap Ada, Howel ap Ririt, Gwyn Thloit Gwynagh, et Comunitas Comitatus de Merioneth, singillatim ffecerunt fidelitatem et attendenciam dicto domino Principi coram prefato Ricardo, et sociis suis &c.

Sacramenta Wodewardorum.-Johannes de Hosom, Wodewardus de Ardudo, Petrus de Ouerton, Wodewardus de Estimaner, et Petrus de Ouerton, Wodewardus de Talypont, fecerunt sacramenta de officio &c.

Rogerus de Heyton, Wodewardus de Penthlyn, et Gween ap Madoc, Coronator de Penthlyn, nondum venientes,

ideo &c.

Auxilium petitur.-Et quesitum est, per prefatum Ricardum, et socios suos, hic, ad hunc diem, de Baronibus et hominibus totius istius Comitatus, id, quod prefato domino Principi, in auxilium, ad castra ac villas sua, in predictis partibus, reparanda et perficienda, in initio noui dominii sui, voluerint exhibere qui quidem Barones, et homines predicti, sic responderunt; quod tres, vel quatuor, de probioribus hominibus Comitatus predicti, mittere voluerint, coram prefato domino Principi, et consilio suo, in tres septimanas sancti Michaelis, proxime futuras, ubicumque fuerint, &c., et de premissis &c., tunc ibidem respondere.1

W. W. E. W.

ANECDOTES

CHARACTERISTIC OF THE LAWLESS STATE OF SOCIETY IN
MERIONETHSHIRE, IN THE REIGNS OF EDWARD IV.
AND HENRY VIII.

From an original manuscript, written in 1654, in the autograph of Robert Vaughan, of Hengwrt, Esq., the Merionethshire antiquary.

2

HOWEL ap Jenkin, of Ynys-y-maengwyn, seeing his father's meanes [estate] after his death was to be divided between him and his brethren, whereby he was to have but y° 3 parte, whereas ye whole seemed little inough for him in his conceit, plodded how to procure his father to passe the

1 It would appear from this, that the Princes of Wales had no power of taxing their subjects, without the consent of the latter.

2 By the law of Gavelkind, then prevalent in Wales.

246

ANECDOTES OF SOCIETY IN MERIONETHSHIRE.

whole upon him; which when by faer meanes he could not obtaine, he, confiding in the y greatnes of his allies, tooke the old man his father, and imprisoned him in Harlegh castell, where he [his] father in lawe1 was Constable; from whence he was not released untill he passed all his lands upon Howell and Mary his wife, & theire issue, by his deede, wch beareth date ye 19th of Edw. 4.

Humffrey ap Howell ap Jenkin [eldest son of the person above-mentioned] gott a deputacion of that office, [the office of sheriff] for ye county of Merioneth, aboute the yeare of Henry 8:2 and falling out wth his cosin Howell Vaughan, of Llwydiarth, in Powys, who at that tyme dwelled at Caergai in Merionshire, what though he were out of his owne county, yet found enough in this countrey; for besids his two sonnes, John and Humffrey, being lustie yong men, & Morgan ap John of Cynllwyd, Howell's brother in law, a man of great power in Penllyn, he had out of Talybont, Tudur Vaughan ap Griffith ap Howell, out of y° prime men of that countrey, & William ap Jenkin, & Morgan his brother, yo sonnes of Jenkin ap Iorwerth afores, who being disinherited by meanes of their brother Howell, as is before declared, sided wth Howell Vaughan against Humffrey, their brother's sonne. Nevertheless Humfrey ap Howell ap Jenkin, by virtue of his office, raysed a great number of men out of Estmanner, [Estimaner,] & came to Caergai, where he seised upon all the cattel of Howell Vaughan that he found, & did drive them to Talybont. Howell with his friends followed hard after but could not overtake them, vntil Tudur Vaughan, having notice of the matter, came wth a companie of 50 archers and met the shieriff & his men driving ye cattell and began to skirmishe, whereupon Howell Vaughan came in sight: then the shireff, seing himself to be overmached, left y° cattell, & gave ground. Tudur Vaughan pursued hard after them; then Howell Vaughan recovered his cattell, and wth his men returned thinke[ing] all had

1 Sir Roger Kynaston, Knt., see Archaeologia Cambrensis, vol. i. p. 265. 2 By a roll of Ministers' Accounts for the county of Merioneth, for the year ending at Michaelmas, 13 Hen. VIII., (1521,) in the Branch Record Office, Carlton Ride, the Rev. Joseph Hunter's department, it appears that at that time Humphrey ap Howel ap Jenkin was deputy to John Scudamor, sheriff for Merionethshire.

3 Ancestor to the Vaughans, formerly of Caerynwch, near Dolgelley.

been ended. The shieriffe perceiving that none followed but Tudur Vaughan & his men, whoe for the most parte were a foot, comanded his men still to give ground, till they came to the Bwlch (being a narrow passage beetweene two great mountaines) where he wished them to make a stand,1 & if Tudur Vaughan did com thither that then they should fale [fall] upon him suddenly and take him; which was done accordingly; for Tudur Vaughan being on horsback came before his men, who were a foot, & soe was taken & his men beaten back. Then he was sent to Aberystwyth castle in Cardiganshire to be imprisoned, from whence, not long after, he was set at libertie, & returned to his countrey. This was about 15. H.[enry] 8.

1847.

W. W. E. W.

RELICS OF SIR RHYS AP THOMAS, K.G.

RY

Seal of Sir Rhys ap Thomas, K. G.

AMONGST the most celebrated of Welshmen may be ranked that eminent knight, Sir Rhys ap Thomas; and as “straws thrown up" are said to "shew how the wind blows," so items trifling in themselves illustrate, or become interesting by their connexion with, persons of note. The first is the seal of Sir Thomas, attached to a letter of quittance to the tenants of his son, Edward Stradling, Esq., dated 1494. Sir Rhys had married the widow of Thomas Stradling, Esq., who was a daughter of Sir William Thomas, of Ragland Castle, knt.

The deed to which this seal is attached was formerly in my collection of Glamorganshire MSS., but finding that Lord Dynevor, the representative of Sir Rhys, had no seal or document of his illustrious ancestor, I presented it to his lordship, through his son, the Hon. Col. Rice Trevor, to be placed amongst the family muniments.

1 Probably near the small pool called Llyn Tri Graienyn, better known as Llyn Bach, in the wild and romantic pass between Dolgelley and Tal-y-llyn.

The other illustration is a drawing of one of two chairs which belonged to Sir Rhys, and by tradition said to have been used by the valiant knight. They are in very tolerable preservation at Dynevor Castle, near Llandilo, and are good examples of the substantial furniture of the Tudor period.

It will be perceived that the crows or ravens between a chevron are surrounded by the garter, and on the seal the raven is surmounted by the initial of the family name, an R. The words on the ribbon are the usual motto of the order of the garter. Swansea.

G. G. F.

MONMOUTHSHIRE.

In the churchyard of Llanvetherine, usually called Llanverin, in the county of Monmouth, five miles north-east from Abergavenny, on the side of the turnpike road leading towards Ross, in Herefordshire, is a large monumental stone, having on it a carved figure, of which a representation is here given. The stone is six feet eight inches long, two feet eight inches wide at the eastern end, where are the feet of the

figure, and two feet six and a half inches at the other end; and is in thickness about five inches.

The figure carved on it is in relief, raised about two inches from the rest of the stone, and in the dress of a clergyman in priest's orders, as worn at the time the person

It

represented lived, viz., having about him an alb, stole, and chausible, with a maniple hanging on his left arm. represents a person standing, holding with his left hand a book close to his body, and having his right hand, with fingers broken off, elevated in the attitude of pronouncing a benediction.

On the middle of the figure, and partly on the book, as represented in the accompanying drawing, is inscribed S. VETTERINVS, and near the head and right hand IACOB PSONA, which inscription is thought to have been originally considerably longer, and to intimate that a parson of the parish, of the name of James, caused the monument to be executed. The church is considered to have derived its name

ARCHEOL. CAMB. VOL. II.

K K