Welsh Journals

The Castle and Borough of Llanidloes. By B. H. St. J. O'NEIL. As a result of patient research in the past considerable infor- mation is available regarding the early history of Llanidloes. It is readily accessible in Montgomeryshire Collections, (VIII., 224)-"The Parochial Account of Llanidloes" by Edward Hamer and in a more recent "A Municipal History of Llanidloes by E. R. Horsfall Turner,1 which gives additional items. It will, therefore, only be necessary here to summarise briefly the conclusions of those writers.2 The first mention of Llanidloes as a town is in 1280, when the King granted to Owain de la Pole (or Owain of Arwystli, as he was known), great giandson of Owain Cyfeiliog, the right to hold a weekly market (on Saturday) and two fairs every year apud villain suam de Thlanydleys. This grant was confirmed to Owain in 1286 when the dates of the fairs were changed.3 Owain still held the villa in 1293 at his death and it passed to his son, Gruffydd, who was then two years old. Gruffydd died in 1309 and Llanidloes figures in the Inquisitio post mortem, where it is stated ilEt sunt apud Lanygelays LXVI burgenses." Moreover after 1293 the Censaria and Rents of Assize are no longer mentioned in these Inquisitions, the former being "taxes levied by the lord on the inhabitants of a Borough, who did not enjoy the full privileges of a Burgess." Since no traces can be found of a Charter of incorporation nor any record of the granting of one, definite evidence is lacking as to 1. The writer is extremely grateful to Mr. Turner for the willing assistance, which he has given him at all times, not only by accompanying him during investigation, but also by placing at his disposal the large amount of local information and local historical knowledge, which is incorporated in the following pages. Many topo- graphical details, now lost, could not have been learned without his help. 2. A complete bibliography has been published by Professor William Rees in the Bulletin of Celtic Studies, 2 (1925. 374, 3. These charters are in the Public Record Office. Photographs are reproduced in "Municipal History." p. 37,