Welsh Journals

Sep., 1877. BYE-GONES. 275 punishment of death was only inflicted if the Criminal could not pay the fine. The chapters on the worth of wild and tame animals contain much curious learning particularly in respect to cats, which are not the subject of English law. This animal had a special value put on them. Her teithi or qualities are defined to be : To see, to hear, to kill mice, to have her claws entire, to rear and not to devour her kittens ; and if she were bought and were deficient in any of these particulars one third of her value was to be returned. There were also curious regulations about dogs. There were no forest laws as in England, but merely hunting regulations.—[Here ended the reading on Friday evening. Much of the paper remained to be read, and on the suggestion of Mr. G. T. Wright, Mr. Compton was requested to continue the reading on the fol¬ lowing day.]—On Saturday, Mr. Compton resumed the reading of his paper by referring to the institution of the Lords Marchers since the Norman Conquest of England. These Lords Marchers held Palatinate jurisdiction, having their own courts, officers, and mints. From the time of William the Conqueror to Edward the First, these Lords Marchers increased their territories, so that in Edward's time all Wales, except that part between the River Teivi and the River Conway was subject to their jurisdiction. In the twelfth year of Edward the First was passed the Statute of Rhuddlan, which annexed Wales to England, but retained to the Welsh many of their old laws and customs. The variations made since that Statute until the passing of the two Statutes 27 Hen. VIII., c. 26, and 34 to 35 Hen., c. 26, were sketched, and the effect of these latter Statutes, which finally assimilated the juridical as well as the political system of England and Wales, was given, although Wales still retained separate courts of justice, known as the Courts of Grand Sessions. These were abolished in the first year of William the IV., and 'Wales was included in the English circuits, and the judi¬ cial system of both countries is now being wTorked under the Acts of 1873 and 1875. An extremely interesting paper on the " Welsh con¬ verts of St. Paul" was read by Mr. J. W. Grover, C.E. We intend to publish the paper at the earliest opportunity. The object of it was to show that Christianity was intro¬ duced into Wales in the times of the apostles, if not by the apostles themselves. SATURDAY. DENBIGH CASTLE. On Saturday, the party left Llangollen by the ordinary train at 9.40 for Denbigh, arriving there soon after eleven. The weather was most delightful, and the country all along the route looked charming in the bright sunshine that prevailed throughout the day. At the station the strangers were met by the Mayor (Mr. T. J. Williams), and Dr. Turner, the senior magistrate of the borough, who on behalf of the inhabitants welcomed the Association on this its first visit to the ancient borough of Denbigh, lhe Mayor supplemented his kind expressions of welcome by presenting Mr. Wright, the Congress secretary, with a neatly-bound volume, entitled "Ancient and Modern -Denbigh," published in 1856, which Mr. Wright gratefully accepted, and promised to deposit in the library of the Association. The party were then escorted by the Mayor and Dr. Turner through the town, to the Castle, entering ;ne latter by the way of the Burgess Tower, the architec¬ tural features of which were pointed out by several of the members. A few yards further on, the ancient nurch of St. Hilary was reached, a short history of which was given by Mr. Wright reading extracts from the ork already alluded to. Mr. Brock, after making some remarks about the antiquity of the building, expressed his regret _ at seeing it in such a state of neglect. He and his friends earnestly hoped that the inhabitants of Denbigh possessed sufficient public spirit to keep it from demolition. He hoped the Mayor would use his endeavours to preserve this ancient relic of the past. The Mayor thanked Mr. Brock for his suggestion, and promised to convey it to the proper quarter. The party then proceeded to the Royal Bowling Green, from which a magnificent view of the far-famed Vale of Clwyd, and the mountains that environ it, could be obtained. Here they were regaled at the expense of the Mayor with a profuse supply of light refreshments, served out pic-nic fashion in a number of silver tankards, which had at various times been won by members of the Green. In leaving this charming spot, a rude carved stone pillar, fixed on an eminence near the entrance to the Green, was pointed out as having some"1 connection with the celebra¬ tion of the repeal of the Corn Laws, it having been re¬ moved from the town cross to its present position at that eventful period. At the entrance to the Castle proper, the party were met by Mr. Robinson, Secretary to the Castle Committee, who, in drawing attention to the crumbling nature of the ruins at the entrance, observed that he was glad to be able to state that it was the intention of the Committee to ex¬ pend about £600 on the old Castle, to preserve it from further decay. The Government, however, while making large grants of money for the restoration of other castles, stubbornly refused to bestow similar favours upon Den¬ bigh. Mr. Robinson, in describing the alterations in¬ tended to be made, elicited from Mr. Brock, and other practical architects who accompanied the party, valuable suggestions upon the subject. Having assembled in that part of the ruins known as the Kitchen, Mr. Brock further dilated upon the early his¬ tory of the Castle, remarking that it had been erroneously believed that Denbigh Castle was the last which stood out for the Royalist cause. That credit wTas, however, due to Harlech. Denbigh Castle capitulated in the latter part of 1646, Holt Castle in January, 1647, and Harlech in March of the same year. In contemplating the stubborn re¬ sistance made by Col. Salisbury who defended it, one could not but feel a thrill of admiration at the daring bravery manifested on that occasion. In construction this Castle bears a strong resemblance to all those built in the reigns of Henry III. and Edward I. The site is a commanding one ; the plan is a polygon. Ancient chronicles refer to some towers wdiich no longer exist. In 1856 a tremendous | crash was heard one night, and the inhabitants woke next i morning to see about fifty yards of the wall on one side fallen down. He (Mr. Brock) had heard with great satis- 1 faction of the intention of the Committee to make efforts ! to prevent the further demolition of the existing ruins. i Strange to say, although this Castle had held out so i staunchly for the first Charles, in the reign of Charles II. ' we find that an order wTas made for the demolition of this '. and Carnarvon Castle, but in the case of the latter, from I some cause unknown to him, that order was nevercarried 1 out. They would observe by the jagged and peculiar con- ] dition of the present ruins, that it was destroyed by gun- I powder. Mr. Brock's remarks were supplemented by Mr. Tom I Burgess, who dwelt more particularly upon the Castle as I a means of defence against the enemy. That portion of j the Castle known as the chapel was then visited, where ! Mr. Brock exhibited and explained a couple of maps of ! Denbigh town and castle of ancient date, kindly lent him I by Miss Gee. Mr. Talbot ventured to conjecture from ! the fact of the building not being east and west, and for * other reasons named, that this was not the chapel of the gamson.