Welsh Journals

the amount of real power wielded by the mayor and his jury, it is not surprising that their election in any borough was no ordinary affair. For example, at Cardigan in 1767 the election of a mayor continued over two days, on the 5th and 6th of October, and, according to an account preserved among the Gogerddan Family Papers, is reputed to have cost John Pughe Pryse £ 102 13s. 3d.2 The document, which is too lengthy to reproduce in toto, details the various amounts paid, and may be summarised as follows: £ s. d. 343 mens Eating @ 8d pr 11 8 8 83 mens Eating 5 meals @ 2/6 pr 10 7 6 407 Gallons of Ale @ 1 /4 pr 27 2 8 168 Quarts of Ale @ 4d pr 2 16 o 40 Quarts of Ale ordered by the Burgesses o 10 o 22 Horses grazing @ 6d pr o 11 o 35 Horses grazing two nights @ 6d pr 1 15 0 Oats for 14 horses for 2 nights 0 5 3 Tobacco 0 0 7 Mrs. Lane (no details given) 36 16 11 Mr. Jon Davies (Ditto) 2 19 3 Aberaeron (Ditto) 5 3 9 Neither in politics nor in other matters were the Pryses of Gogerddan worse than other members of their class. They strove, and often succeeded, to secure the election of their own nominees within the county boroughs, and arranged with other leading families the nomination of candidates for the shire elections either from among themselves or their friends. During the minority of John Pughe Pryse: Thomas Powell of Nanteos sought the support of the family interest, only to be confronted with the following proposition penned by the Reverend J. Lloyd and addressed to 'Thomas Lloyd Esqr, at Abertrinant, near Aberystwith, Cardiganshire': Rug. June 20th 1747 Sr Sr Watkin, my Wife & self, have receiv'd Letters from Mr Powell of Nanteos, & Mr. Lloyd of Peterwell requesting our Votes & Interest at the next Election, the first is Candidate for the Burrough of Cardican (sic), the other the County thereof. Upon which we have consulted togeather, and are come to the following Resolution. that if Mr. Powell for our future