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MONTGOMERYSHIRE EXTRACTS FROM THE REGISTER OF ADMISSIONS TO GRAYS INN 1521-1889 The register of Admissions to Grays Inn together with the Register of Marriages in Grays Inn Chapel 1695-1754 was published in 1889 by the Hansard Pub- lishing Union and was privately printed; the number of copies printed being 160. The Register was transcribed by Joseph Foster who in his preface makes the following comment on the difficulties of transcription — "It was the practice of the Inn that each Treasurer, Bencher or Reader introducing a student or honorary member should enter the admission himself in the Register. The result of this plan was unfortunately the introduction of an endless variety of handwriting which however interesting to a lover of autographs is enough to puzzle a transcriber to distraction. The difficulty of deciphering these scrawling entries of three or even two centuries ago is at times almost insuperable." Actually Foster based his transcript on one previously made by G. E. Cockayne later Norroy King of Arms but collated this with the original records himself. The Registers proper begin in 1521 but up till 1581 consist merely of a list of names with little or no information to identify them with any locality. From 158 1 onwards fuller details are given. The first admission for Montgomeryshire was that of Roger Griffiths of Poole Co. Montgomery, late of Barnard's Inn admitted June 12, 1581. However there must be some Montgomeryshire names before this date. During the Tudor period Grays Inn was stated by Foster to be by far the most important and most numerously frequented of the Inns. The Herberts were closely connected with the affairs of Court at the time and we find the following Herbert admissions before 1581 1534 Matthew Herbert 1536 Thomas Herbert 1563 Edward Herbert 1579 Richard Herbert of Barnard's Inn The Register has an index of names but not a topographical one and con- sequently it is necessary to look through the whole register in order to extract names connected with Montgomeryshire. J. W. DAVIES, AYLESBURY