Welsh Journals

JULY, 1879. THE CAMBRIAN REMEMBRANCER. 109 heavily upon the civic purse, as the accompanying instances testify : "Eodemdie et anno (July 9th, 1672), Richd. Williams, sclater, son of Mr Probert, was admitted Burgess by paying xvs., which he did in hand, and accordingly was sworne, &c, and tooke the Oaths of Allegiance and Supemacye; out of wch. 15s, the Itce of the peace had Is., and the maishall 6d ; soe that the officers recevd. but 13s 6d; 4s, whereof vere spent that daye in the house, th'other 9s (id put in the chest." " Edward Edwards, cowper, sworne Aug. Hi, 1672, and payd. ten shillings lis (id whereof was spent in tlie chamber, and 4s (id payd. for mending the waynscot in ye hall, and the glasse windowes; th'other 2s put in the chest,"—for " corporation dinners ?" Denbigh is described in Charles' Charter as " a populous borough, stored with divers sorts of trade," there is no doubt that it suffered long and severely from the effects of the Rebellion, which tended in a great measure to the decline and decay of the place. Thirty-four years afterwards, we find it described as " the poore loyal towne," in " An answere (to the king) from ye Corporacon of Denbigh, who have allways most faithfully expressed their duty and Loyalty, &cT " May it pleace your Matie,— " Wee, your Maties. most Dutifull and Loyall Subjects, the Aldermen, Bayliffes, and Recorder, the chief Magistrates of your Maties Towne and Bur- rough of Denbigh, in obedience t > your Maties. Royall pleasure, signifyed by a Letter signed by the Lorde of your Maties. most honble privy Couucell, the lift Day of May, 1679, and reed, by vs the fourteenth day of May, Doe most humbly certify that the Act for well-gouerning and regulat ng of corporacons hath been duely put in execucon within this towne and Burrough, according to the purport and direc¬ tion of the said Act. And we likewise humbly certify that there is not any person, bearing office, or place of trust, within the sayd Town and Bur- rough, or of the Com'on Councell thereof, nor any Burgess of the said Corporacon resideing therein, but such as are and euer were faythfull and loyall to your Matie., and to your Royal father of Blessed memory, and conformably to the Rites and Liturgie of the Church of England; and we shall hereafter withall Duety and Loyalty continue ye strict execu- con of yt. Law, in every part of it,r; within your Maties. poore and Loyall Towne and Burrough aforsaid, praying for your Maties. Long and pros¬ perous Raigne. We humbly Remayne, 15 June, 1680. Edd.Chambe-8,"l E. Davie*-, J Hugh Lloyd, 1 B liffes Price Jones, J _ J Sr. Jon. Salusbury, Recorder." The " poore loyal towne" had suffered as much through its loyalty as any place in the kingdom, and the gallant William Salesbury, who had held and defended it for Charles the First, was all but ruined. J should like to know what Charles the Second did for Denbigh in return for all this ? History is silent thereon, and we may safely conclude that he did nothing. John Tudur. JULY 26th, 1879. NOTES. Chartered Denbigh.—According to the report of the Parliamentary Commissioners. Denbigh possessed the following charters:—" I. A charter, in the Norman French, granted by Henry de Lacy to the burgesses of Denbigh ; II. A charter of 25th April, 5th Edward VI., in which nine charters of antecedent sovereigns are inspected; III. A charter of 27th March, 1st Henry VII.; IV. One of 20th November, t22nd Henry VIII., being two of those inspected hi the foregoing charter of Edward VI.; V. The governing charter of the 24th May, 14th Carl. II,in which five antecedent charters granted to the borough of Denbigh are inspected, viz.:—1, 20th June, 39th Elizabeth; 2, 28th August, 18th Edward I.; 3, 27th October, 6th Edward III.; 4, 22nd February, 2nd Richard II.; 5,10th December, 2nd Richard III. The governing charter incorpor¬ ates the burgesses, "per nomen Aldermanorum, Bidlivorum, and Bargensium hurgi de Denbighe." Mr Williams, writing upon them says, in regard to one of these charters :— The following extracts exhibit a very fair sample of class legislation, and exclusive nationality:— "And that the said burgesses should not be convicted or excluded in any appeals, wrongs trespasses, crimes, calumnies, or demands laid against them, or for the future to be laid, or laid by themselves, or for the future laid within the Lord¬ ship aforesaid, either in the Welsh or English court, but only by th ir fellow-buryesses, &c. And if it bo for some matter done, or hereafter, to be committed without the Lordship, and within the Principality of Wales, or any lordship of the Marches, they shall not be convicted, or excluded, but by English burgesses of English Boroughs, &c. And that the said burgesses, or their goods and chattels, in what¬ soever place they were or might be found, within the territories of the said King Richard the Second, should not be arrested for any debt for which they were not either sureties, or principal debtors. " And that the said burgesses should not, for any trespass, or forfeiture of their servants, lose their goods and chattels, &c. " And, also, by his said Letters Patent, hath granted'unto the same Burgesses, their heirs and assigns, being Englishmen, common of pasture, for all manner of catdr, at all times in the yea?; in the common pasture of the Town, and Forest of Lle- weney. " And that the said burgesses, or their heirs, or successors, or assigns, being Englishmen, should not be imprisoned, or kept in hold in any prison within the Lordship aforesaid, but in the Town, die.