Welsh Journals

MiY, 1877. BYE-GONES. 207 " 17, Gloucester-place, June 21,1838. " My Lord,—I beg to acknowledge with gratitude your Lord¬ ship's very flattering communication. In accepting the dignity of a Baronet, which you propose to confer upon me, I can only say that it will be felt not only by myself but by your lordship's numerous supporters in the county of Montgomery.—I have the honour to be, your lordship's most obedient humble servant, J. Edwards." Our space will not allow us to notice the other papers, which are "Extracts relating to Powysland Families" (continued), "Reliquiae Monasticae (continued), "List of Elegies, &c, in Welsh, in Hengwrt MS. 362a, at Peniarth," "A Mortimer Charter dated 1416," "Monumental Effigy in LlanfairCaereinion Church," "Ancient Lords of Arwystli and Cydewain," "History of the Parish of Meifod" (concluded), " Bronze Celt from St. Harmon," "Another Bronze Celt found at St. Harmon," and " Archaic Words, Phrases, &c." (continued). A Valuable Gift to the Powysland Museum.—We ought to have mentioned some time ago that a very valu¬ able collection of rare shells, about 3,000 in number, had been presented to the Powysland Museum by Mr. Nathaniel Caine, of Broom Hill, Broughton-in-Furness. Mr. Caine's handsome gift includes five cabinets and numerous cases, and the collection, we believe, is one of the best in the provinces. It is to be called the Caine col¬ lection. At some future time we may give a detailed ac¬ count of it. MAY 2, 1877. NOTES. THE PACE IN HUNTING.—A writer in Egan's Booh of Sports, 1832, speaking of Mr. Meynell and his exertions to make Leicester a hunting county, says:— It was in his day that the hard riding, or we should rather say, quick riding to hounds, which has ever since been practised, was first brought into vogue. The late Mr. Childe, of Kinlet Hall, Shropshire—a sportsman of the highest order, and a great per¬ sonal friend of Mr. Meynell—is said to have first set the example, and it was quickly followed by the leading characters of the Quorn hunt. Amongst these the writer mentions the names of the late Lord Forester, Mr. Cecil Forester, Lord Wenlock, Hon. Robert Grosvenor, Mr. Thomas Asheton Smith, &c. " R.E.D.," quoting other authorities, Jan. 28,1874, attri¬ butes to Mr. Cecil Weld Forester, of Rossall, the merit of being one of the first who practised hard riding to hounds. R.K.T. . JOHN WESLEY AT WREXHAM. — There is in the Vestry of the English Wesleyan Chapel at Wrex¬ ham, an oak arm-chair which was occupied by Mr. Wes¬ ley on the occasion of his visit to Wrexham ; the exact date of which is not known. Mr. Wesley stayed at the house of Maurice Jones, currier, and the chair came into the possession of Mrs. Mary Francis, one of the earliest Methodists of Wrexham. She bequeathed it to her grandson, who gave it to Mr. Meredith Jones, of Charles street, who presented it to the trustees of the Chapel. Lhere is a tradition that Wesley was induced to visit Wrexham by some one who wrote to him stating that he wanted information as to the best way of disposing of some property for Wesleyan purposes" When Wesley £aine> ho such person could be found, and he had to con¬ tent himself with preaching to such as were disposed to near him. Subsequently the perpetrator of the fraud expressed his penitence by presenting a large Bible for use j ™ tne pulpit of the chapel. A Bible is shewn in the pre¬ sent day, which many believe to be the identical book. J.P.J.W. QUERIES. LLYWELYN VOELGRWM, Lord of Main, in Myfod, lived at Main in the 14th century. He bore argent lion passant sable within border of indented gules. I should be obliged by any information relative to the above, and what families are descended from him ? Verniew. THE FIRST PRINCE OF WALES.—Edward of Caernarvon, the son of Edward I., is generally believed to have been the first Prince of Wales (English title), but Mr. Bridgeman in his latest work, The Princes of South Wales (p. 121), states that Henry III. as early as 1244 "gave to his eldest son Edward the title of Prince of Wales." Is there any earlier instance on record? GOGLEDD. PATRIOTISM IN 179S.—I have just met with an official document as follows :— The Committee of Merchants, Bankers, Traders and other Inhabitants of the Metropolis, enclose you a receipt of the Bank of England; and they beg Leave, on behalf of the Public, to offer you their warmest Acknowledgments, for your truly Patriotic Contributions for the Defence of the Country :—They doubt not, that you will use your utmost Exertions among your Friends, to induce them to follow so laudable an Example, in order to defend and preserve every thing dear to Britons, and to accelerate the Return of Peace. By Order of the Committee, Saml. Ford, Secretary. Mansion-House, 26th April, 1798. The Inhabitants of Oswestry. This is a printed form, all but the name of Secretary, date, &c, and outside it is addressed " The Minister of Oswestry, Salop," so I presume a town subscription had been sent up by the Vicar. Referring to our local histories Ifindthat "Thomas Lovetf'was mayor 1797-8, and the Rev. Turner Edwards was vicar. Can any of your readers state the amount of the subscription, or throw any light on the matter? S.P. REPLIES. PLEBEIAN TRIBES OF WALES (Mar. 28,1877). —"Tair beriach Gwynedd, Kantelli Wyddel, Mabon glochydd, ac Osbern Wyddel." (Hengwrt MS. 295, folio 42.) Is it the above to which Newo refers ? I know not who Kantelli Wyddel, or Mabon glochydd were, but as to Osborn Wyddel, does it not show the prejudice of the Welsh of former days against those who were not of their own country, that he shoidd be styled one of the "beriach"; whereas he was a scion of that house which is stated to be one of " the three noblest names in Europe"—the Gerald- ines of Ireland? (See Quarterly Review for April,_ 1860, p. 335.) It is amusing to observe how, in the Merioneth tax roll of 1293-4, Osborn's name seems to have puzzled the assessors. The natives are entered on the roll as Griffith ap Adda, &c, &c, but if the Assessors knew the nameof Osborn's father, they could not give to the son, as a native of Ireland, the distinctive Welsh ap. His name therefore appears as " Osborn " only, without anything to denote his parentage. They would hardly have been up to desig¬ nating him as "Osborn Fitz John Fitz Thomas Fitz Maurice Fitz Gerald !!" W. CHARLES II. IN THE OAK (June 16, 1875).— At this date I recorded a visit I had just paid to Boscobel, and quoted various authorities to show how improbable it was that the existing oak shewn to visitors could be the one Charles II. climbed. In the Gardeners' Chronicle, some time in Sep. 1876, a writer said :— It is a tree about 11 feet in circumference, 18 feet to the crown, and perhaps 20 feet more to the top. The statement that this tree is a se idling of the Royal Oak is absurd; it is at least twice as old as any such seedling, and must therefore be the