Welsh Journals

Am.., 1876. BYE-GONES. 43 The offence committed in the next case is very vaguely expressed :— Mar. 10, 1817. Ordered that James Price, alias Julas, be confiaed in the cell for two months, he having been guilty of serious misconduct. The next on my list seems to have been a sentence of the Oswestry Borough Bench, and carried partly into effect in Oswestry, and completed in the House of Industry :— Aug. 31,1818. Ordered,that in consequence of the misbe¬ haviour of Thomas Meares, taylor, one of the paupers of this House, that the Directors present do concur with the punishment inflicted, and proposed by Robert Cartwright, Esq., Deputy Mayor of Oswestry, the same was inflicted on the said Thomas Mears, by his receiving sixty lashes from a cat o' nine tails on his bare back in the eating hall, before all the paupers of the House, having previously received forty lashes privately in the Prison at Oswestry. The Directors signing this order are John Hilton, Knoc- kin ; William Penson, Oswestry ; Thomas Payne, Pentre- ucha ; Elward Williams, Llawrypant; Edward Edwards, Westfelton; and Robert Cartwright, who was a Director in virtue of his office as Deputy Mayor for the Rev. George Lloyd of Selattyn. The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals wa3 not established until 1824! Jabco. CURRENT NOTES. The number of women owning land, in proportion to men, is one sixth in Carnarvonshire, Anglesey, Flint, and Merioneth, one seventh in Denbigh, and one fifth in Mont¬ gomeryshire. EXORCISM IN WALES. (From Old Welsh Legends and Poetry in " Contemporary Review," by Lady Verney.) An old clergyman at the beginning of this century made a profession of exorcism. He was once asked how he could lend himself to such superstition among his flock, and replied that he could not alter their belief which made them miserable, and that a 1 he did was to give them comfort and assistance. He then gave an account of what had once happened to himself. A farmer's wife camo to tell him that they were half ruined, every thing about their place went wrong without any cause, their fences were broken, their beasts were lamed or destroyed, their poultry died, while within the house the china came to grief, the linen was burnt; she knew they were cursed, arid entreated him to come and undo the spell. He went up to the farmhouse, which was on a lonely mountain, and desired to be left alone in the kitchen. Suddenly the poor woman rushed in to say that while she was preparing tea three tea-cups had been mysteriously broken, and the servant-girl had appeared with a goose hanging to her apron. He sat considering with his head on bis hand, and then desired the girl might be sent in to him. He looked at her sternly, and said, " You know something about this." She denied it vehemently: " You want to break' my character." "You had better confess," he said, solemnly; whereupon she became still more violent. At last he drew out his pocket book and began to write, If you don't tell me the truth directly I will make a pair of horns to grow out of your head." She then fell on her knees, entreating for mercy, and confessed that a neighbour, anxious to get the farm, had bribed her to do ail the mischief possible in order to induce the owners to Deheve themselves bewitched and to leave the place. The Nergymaa made her promise that nothing of the kind should *ver happen again; if it did, he said, he would make the horns grow instantly. He then went out and told the farmer he had uncursed the place, and all went on rightly from that time; but he had never revealed the reason until that moment. In another case a clergyman, celebrated for exorcisms, was sent for to a house haunted by the devil close to the sea-shore. He went and spent three night3 there alone, after which he announced that he had done the deed, " but that the devil was the hardest he had ever had to deal with." He never would reveal what took place. It was probably some smuggling transaction. He died rich, as he was well paid for such operations. MONTGOMERYSHIRE COLLECTIONS. The paper of the greatest general interest in the last number of the Montgomeryshire Collections is the continua¬ tion of the Rev. Robert Jones's " Poets of Powysland and their patrons." The pott treated of is Thomas Williams (Eos Gwnfa), of Pontyscadarn, near Llanfihangel, Mont¬ gomeryshire. Mr Janes fondly recals his boyish days at Llwydiarth, and tells the following tale of the Rev. James Hamer, rector of the parish at that time :— An old farmer who frequented the village alehouse oftener than the parish church, came one day to pay his tythe. The opportunity was not to be lost; and when the business was transacted, the clergyman turned round, and with grave, solemn countenance, put the important question: " Do you sometimes think, David, of a future world?" " No, indeed, Mr Hamer," was the prompt reply; "I leave it all to you; you are the shepherd, and I hope you will bring your bheep safe home." What follows, relating to Mr Hamer, is pleasant to read:— The prejudices of the clergy of that day against Noncon¬ formists were great and openly expressed. Nor were the laity wanting either in utterancas or acts of an inimical character. A few years previous to the time of which we are writing, the latter proceeded to express their hatred of Dissent by open violence. Not more than three miles from Llanfihangel, a pious minister, the late Jenkin Lewis, of Llanfyllin, bad been dragged down from his pulpit and maltreated by a rude mob. We mention this circumstance for the purpose of contrasting it with the catholic spitit and demeanour of the subject of this episode. He had tj pass through Llanfyllin on a day when the Welsh Methodists wera holding their snnual meeting in the centre of the town. There were hundreds in attendance, blocking up the street. The servant, who was driving his master in a gig, descended and led the horse through the crowd, while the venerable old clergymau sat bareheaded, with his silver locks floating in the wind. His Master's services, no matter by whom conducted, were held by him in higher reverence than the claims of churches and creeds. Another extract must b? given. The hero of the ballad was a native of Llanfyllin, who had deserted from the army, and who, for a few weeks persuaded his neighbours (to whom he returned) that he was appointed local agent for Sir Watkin Williams Wynn. The following is the ballad :— Daeth hen ddeserter syn, Fu'n gwisgo lifrau 'r brenin, I er'dro cwympo ynn, Fel steward dan Syr Watkin ; I hwylio plannu coed, Cyfligi dynion dano, Yn steioard neisia 'rioed, Cadd lawer iawn o groeso. Os gwir yw'r stori sydd, Fe or'drodd wneuthur cinio Yn barod haner dydd, Lie cadd yn Uawn ei stwffio; A chinio un o'r gloch Mewn ty cymydog arall; Ni allai neh ond moch Arferyd ffasiwn fawrwalL