Welsh Journals

t2 "OLD BRECKNOCK CHIPS."' A Column of Antiquarian Chit-Chat relating to the County of Brecknock. NOTES, QUERIES, AND REPLIES, on Subjects inter¬ esting to Breconshire, must be addressed to EDITOR, Brecon County Times, Brecon. Real names and addresses must be given in confidence, and MSS. must be written legibly, on one side of the paper only. FRIDAY, JUNE 24th, 1887. THE CHIEF EVENTS IN BRECONSHIKE DURING THE REIGN. So much has been written generally upon the gTeat facts, discoveries, and achievements of the Queen's Fifty Years Reign, that we shall content ourselves with beginning at once to note, in chronological order, the chief events that have occurred in our own county during the Reign. We may say that the commencement of the Reign found us without Railway Communication, without the Penny Post, almost without Newspapers, defective and dear Telegraphic Communication, and many other anomalies ; and this Jubilee Year leaves us with a cheap Penny Post, also the useful Parcels' Post, with a grand system of Sixpenny Telegrams, a cheap Newspaper Press, and we have now in our county more Railways than we want. And the only sorrowful note we have to put in is the fact that during the last 20 years our population has been decreasing. The following is our County Record of the years '1837 -1887. 1837 Lord-lieutenant for Brecknockshire, Penry Williams, Esq., Penpont. M.P. for the County of Brecknock, Col. Thomas Wood, Gwernyfed. M.P. for the Borough, Charles M. Robinson Morgan, Esq., of Ruperra, Glamorgan. High Sheriff, Crawshay Bailey, Esq., of Beaufort. Mayor of Brecon, John Parry Wilkins. Town Clerk, Walter Churchey. Vicar of Brecknock, Rev. Richard Davies (Archdeacon Davies). Vicar of St. David's, Rev. John Jones. Judge on this circuit, Justice Coleridge. Richard Douglas Gouerh, Esq., of Ynyscedwyn House, qualified as J.P. for the County of Brecknock; June 27th. Appointment of Mr John Lazenby as Governor of Brecon County Prison. June 27th. 1838 Scheme for building the Brecon Market House first broached at a Town Council meeting held on January 4th. St. Peter's Church, Glasbury, re-built by the present Dean of Westminster's father. Howel Gwyn, Esq., Duffryn, Neath, qualified as J.P. for the County. April 3rd. Mayor of Brecknock, John Lloyd, Esq., of Dinas. 1839 Brecon Market House erected in 1839-40-41. Rev. Richard Lister Venables, of Llysdinam Hall, qualified as J.P. for the County of Brecknock. July 2nd. Sir Thomas Phillips, Q.C., a native of Llanelly, Breconshire, quelled the Chartist Riot at Newport with the aid of a company of soldiers despatched from Rrecon Barracks. Sir Thomas was afterwards the guest of Her Majesty at Windsor Castle, ani was knighted. The same year troops were also sent from Brecon to Llanidloes to quell a Chartist dis¬ turbance there. 1840 The Brecon Market House opened by the Mayor (Mr Henry Lucas) attended by the Corporation in state. April 4th. Death of the Right Hon. John Jeffreys Pratt, Marquis Camden, K.G., on October 8th, aged 81. Sir Joseph Russell Bailey, Bart, M.P., of Glanusk, Lord-lieutenant of the County, was born in this year. Garthbrengy Church restored. The Brecon Corporation sold their " rights and privileges" and property. All this trouble came about through the building of the Brecon Market House, which cost altogether about £9000 ! 1841 Population of the County of Brecon in this year, 55,603 souls. The Welsh Independent Chapel, Lion street, Brecon, built on the site of the old " Plough Inn." 1842 The Brecon Shire Hall was completed in 1842 at a cost of £12000, from designs by the late Mr Thomas Henry Wyatt, of London. Prior to this the Assizes, Quarter Sessions, County Courts, etc., were held at the Town Hall. Borough Police Station built. Up to this time the Corporation had a gaol adjoining the Struet Gate. The building of the Infantry and Cavalry Barracks at Brecon commenced. Brick Barracks built in 1805, up to which time the garret of the Town Hall served as a powder magazine. Opening of Trevecca Calvinistic Methodist College, near Talgarth, in this county. First principal, the late Dr. Charles. Prof. Howells, the present principal, was appointed on September 12th 1865. Craig-y-nos Castle was built by Rhys Davies Powell, Esq., of Glynllech. (Now the seat of Madame Adelina Patti). 1843 The present Lord Hereford bom. Turnpike Toll Riots in several parts of South Wales. Commissioners were appointed to visit the six southern counties, including Breconshire. The result was the formation of the County Roads' Board, which took over a debt amounting to £41000 on the Breconshire Roads, that was finally paid off in the year 1877, at the rate of £2191 per annum. This particular South Wales Act is still continued by special enactment, and that is how we still have the ancient toll system among us. '' Carnhuanawc," the Breconshire bard, received the Royal command to attend at Buckingham Palace to explain to the Queen and the Prince