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the money was being appropriated by her for personal needs. Un- doubtedly her motto was Make hay while the sun shines'. Thus early in January 1790 she arranged for the principal rooms at Land- shipping to be closed and the furniture covered with dust sheets, while a caretaker was employed to keep an eye on the place. The cook, house- keeper and other domestics were dismissed along with the gardeners and farm hands. Only Catherine Davies remained who, for £ 6 a year and 3/6 weekly for her board, acted as custodian of Landshipping. The arrangement suited her very well, as she was also allowed to keep a cow in the court and paddocks around the mansion house. Lady Owen realised that these grounds could not be let out to any tenant, and Catherine Davies had an additional perquisite of selling any milk, butter and cheese beyond her requirements. 12 Simultaneously, too, William Humphreys, the Orielton steward, was dismissed. As we have seen, he had changed sides and was becoming too much of a busy body in Lady Owen's opinion. His undoing came about when he supported Dr. Jones against Lady Owen and her brother. But there were other allegations too. He had advanced £ 1,750-8-2 to certain colliers before they had completed their work. Their rates of pay were 45/- per hundred for all coal under level, 40/- for all coal above level and 12/- for culm, to be calculated according to the fathom.13 Mr. Humphreys was paid £ 100, a year's wages, but Lady Owen declared 'he lives like a man of property and estate, keeps a Hop shop and sells corn at extravagant rates to the collieries and beyond market prices'. He had neglected to look after the sale of coal and the organisation of the collieries excusing himself by saying 'That's a matter don't concern me' or 'That's not my look out'. He had also misapplied large sums both in selling timber and coal. Lady Owen submitted that the total revenue from the Owen collieries in Pembrokeshire from 31 December 1784 to 15 January 1786 was £ 1,378-2-9 while disbursements had reached £ 1,333-1-10. This only left a profit of £ 45-0-11. Indeed she was demanding Humphreys to give an account of his stewardship and would not allow 'frauds so gross and iniquities so abominable to pass unnoticed'. Even Dr. Jones joined the other vultures in the spoliation of the estate. Although he was always pleading the infant's cause, he was not averse to submitting claims for travelling expenses and any other allowance coming his way. On 11 January 1790 Morgan Thomas informed Jones that the Master had allowed his claim of £ 7-7-6 for travelling and £ 2-12-6 for general expenses. These sums were modest in relation to the amounts claimed by Lady Owen. Her schedules of costs were a veritable muddle, and the Chancellor complained that she had confused real and personal estate and had exaggerated the claim in respect of her son's schooling