Welsh Journals

Mae., 1872. BYE-GONES. 37 known that the town takes its name. I hope, therefore, that we shall hear no more of the new name of " St. Mary's," either as regards the church or the parish. With respect to the church in Salop-road, I have also a word to say with a view to " calling things by their right names." When it was first opened for divine service, it was bap¬ tized, if I may use the expression, by the name of "Trinity Chapel," and it may, probably without impropriety, be called " Trinity Church," but by what authority the pre¬ fix of "Holy" has now lately been given to it, I am at a loss to understand.—Scrutator. Oswestry Advertizer, Mar. 6, 1872. NOTES. MONGOMERYSHIRE TOKENS. — In Byne's Tokens of the Seventeenth Century the following Mont¬ gomeryshire Tokens are d: scribed. Llanidloes: Obverse JENRTN THOMAS, of : Mercers Arms. Reverse, Llanidloes 1069 ; His Half-penv. Llanfyllin: Ob., WALTER GRIFFITHES; A goat. Re., Llunvillinge : his J peny : W. M. G. Welshpool: Ob., THOMAS PARMER, A griffin passant in chief, three lions erase I. Re., In Welch Poole : His Half Peny. (Octagonal), The foregoing are engraved in page 38 of the work. Welshpool: Ob., RICHARD DAVIES, Feltmaker: A lion rampant. Re., In Welch Poole 1667: His H*If peny. Ditto: Ob., HUMPHRY DRAPER: Arms of the Draper family; b< ndy of eight, over all three fleurs-de-lys. Re , Of Welch Poole . His Half penv. Ditto : Ob., SAMVEL WOLLASTON : His Half penny. Re., In We ch Poole : 1667 : S. W. There is in the Powys-land Museum a specimen of the Llanfyllin Token; also specimens of the following more modern Tokens :— Welshpool: Richard Griffiths, Corner Shop: Welshpool, Shilling token. Llanidloes: Penny Token : Glanclewedog Factory ; 1813. Three 17th century Tokens of Charles Humphrys: Town illegible . fonnd in Welshpo \ Church during its restoration It is believed other Montgomeryshire Tokens are in exist¬ ence. If any of your readers have specimens will they kindly send descriptions of them to the Bye-Gones column ?—Z. HARDY SALOPIANS.—Amongst the remarkable occurrences mentioned in Phillips's History of Shreivsbury it is stated that in 1614 one Coles rode from London to Shrewsbury in one day—he started at three in the morn¬ ing and arrived at five in the evening—the distance being 156 miles. When we consider the state of the roads in the seventeenth century this was a wonderful feat, if it was really performed in the time, which I doubt. I can vouch for the following. When I was a boy, I remember Mr Brazoner, a saddler, who lived in The Cross, Oswestry, walking from Oswestry to Birmingham one day and back the next. The distance would be 128 miles. An amusing story used to be told of that journey. When Mr Brazoner reached Felton (five mile? from Oswestry), on his outward journey, he found Mr Jenkins, and his ' Accommod ttion ' coach, at the door of the inn. Jenkins, very courteously, offered Mr B. a ride, but, replied Mr B., " No, thank you, Jenkins, I am rather in a hurry to-day !" and it was said he got to Shrewsbury first.—Jarco. HOLY 'WELLS.—In A History of the Diocese of St. Asaph, in course of publication by the Kev. D. R. Thomas, M.A., Rector of St. Mary's, Cefn, mention is made of a Well in the Parish of Bodfari. " About three hundred yards from the church is Diar's or Deifer's Well, to which they go in procession on Ascension Day, and read the Litany, Ten Commandments, Epistle and Gospel." (Bishop Maddox's MS. Book.) " Here, too, the poorest person in the parish used to offer a chicken, after going nine times round the Well—a cockerel for a boy, and a pullet for a girl," and here also " children were dipped to the neck at three of its corners, to prevent their crying in the night." Maddox was b shop 1736 to 1743. Th* above is a foot note at p. 281, part II. The Rev. Mr Thomas says the well long continued famous for the annual proces¬ sional service, and the custom above referred to. Perhaps some of your readers may be able to say whether the custom was continued recently, or whether anything of the kind now goes on. In the parish of Caerwys near the church is " Erw Mihangel," St. Michael's acre, and not far off his well, " Ffynnon Mihangel," at which it used to be the custom to offer pins for the cure of warts and sore eyes. Thomas's Hist, of S. Asaph, part II., p. 284, note.— Pearmain. QUERIES. ELORFEIRCH.—There is one of these by the Church of Llangower, near Bala, but not used now. Is the custom of using Elorfeirch quite extinct ?—R. W. THE LOST ARTS OF WALES.—The Welsh people hive a tradition among them, that their ancestors possessed several very useful arts, which, owing to the custom of their Druids and of their Bards and *' learned men" in later times, of keeping their secrets to themselves, have become altogether lost. For instance, it is said that the Ancient Britons had swords made of steel, tempered in such nn excellent manner that the like cannot now be produced. They had also another secret, which it would be well if it could be found out—that of making the kind of mortar called by the Welsh " mortar poeth "—hot mor¬ tar. The remains of several fortifications built with this compound we still have in our "Hen Gymru;" and the mortar seems to be as hard, if not harder, than the stones which it binds together. They had also some curious mills, which were neither driven by water, wind, nor fire, but turned freely by the force of some secret power known only to the "Cymry Gynt." The remains of one of these mills are said to have been found at a place called Bryn-y-Castell, in Edermion, and it seemed to have been made partly of wood and partly of iron. Can Edeirnion, or any of your other readers, give us any further particulars of this or any of the above-mentioned mys¬ teries. —Berwyit. JEREMIAH JONES.—Can any reader of Bye- gones tell me anythinp about Jeremiah Jones, who pub¬ lished A Vindication of the Former Part of St- Matthew's Gospel, from Mr Winston's Charge of Dislocations 1 Mr vVhiston is, now-a-days, scarcely known save as the trans¬ lator of Josephus, but early in the last century he was a well- known and particularly unluckv divine. Jei emiah Jones's book bears the following imprint:—" London : Printed for J. Osbom and W. Taylor. And for John Bogers, Bookseller in Salop, 1719," by which I infer that the work had some connection with this district. It is dedicated to " Mr Samuel Jones," who is described as a very learned man, and the head of some kind of academy where languages were taught. The book is a crown 8vo, of 240 pages.—Jarco. A BISHOP BURIED IN SHREWSBURY.— Have you or any readers of Bye-gones an\ knowledge of one Robert of Shrewsbury, who became Bishop of Bangor in 1197, died in 1213, and was buried at his own desire in the middle of the market-place at Shrewsbury? (See Isaacson's Chronology, p. 449; London, 1633.)—CHATTER- TON.