Welsh Journals

Oct., 1877. BYE-GONES. 291 Philip. First Abbot. His name appears, and he is styled Abbot, in what Mr. Morris C. Jones has shown to be the Foundation Charter. Adam. (Vras.) He was the builder of the gable of the West Front. Madoc. David(9) Abbot. About 1450. Sion (John), ab Davydd (probably his successor). David ab Jorwerth. Afterwards Bishop of St. David's in 1500. Owen. Afterwards Bishop of St. Asaph. John Lloid. He is spoken of in the will of David ap Meredith, of Llanarmon, proved 21 April, 1548, (see Arch. Camb., of 1876, p. 227.) The date renders it very improbable that Sion ab Davydd and John Lloid were the same persons. John Derham. Given by Bishop Tanner, with the date 1536 : but the house was dissolved in 1535. John Hearne. Last Abbot. He retired with a pension of £23 per annum. There is a record in the book of visitors to the English College at Rome of the arrival of Richard Bromeley, a monk of Valle Crucis, as a pilgrim (given in Collect, top. et Genealog., 2 p. 255) in 1504. He was charged, doubtless, with some mission, since by the Cistercian Rule no monk could perform a journey to Rome without being accompanied by a bishop of his order. The right rendering of the arms of the Abbey has been given by Mr. T. W. King, York Herald, from MSS. in the Herald's office, of a date just prior to the Reformation, in the vol. of Arch. Camb. for 1849 (p. 24), and need not been repeated here, hut reference may be made to the fact that various renderings with certain changes exist. The same has been observed with respect to the arms of Llanthony Abbey. The old name Llan Egwistle points to the existence here of a church long prior to^the foundation of the Monastery, but for the sake of brevity I must omit all notice of the tradition with re¬ spect to it, and also of the Old Cross, Eliseg's Pillar. The fish pond remains almost perfect, due east of the church. A lovely view of the ruin is obtained from this position. The Cemetery is known to have been in its usual place, east of the conventual buildings. OCTOBER 3, 1877. NOTES. WEATHER SIGNS OF MONTGOMERYSHIRE (Sep. 12, 1877).—Last week, I pen this on the 27th of August, I had to pass from Llanuwchllyn, near Bala Lake, over the hill to Llanwddyn, and as rain appeared to be near I entered into conversation with an intelligent young man who accompanied me, a farmer's son in Llanwddyn, and he gave me, or rather corroborated, a few weather signs that I had previously heard. They are as follows :— 1. When the sheep go to the hill tops to graze it is a sign of fair weather. 2. When they come to the hollows it is a sign of a storm. aIu ^^withstanding the rigour of the Cistercian rule, this Abbot appears to have obeyed the dictates of his hospitable C' fjr?' *Vch- C;l>nhrensis. Vol. 1849 recites part of a poem by "I'tto r Glynn, commencing as follows, viz.:— " The Abbot of Valle Crucis will make Our land altogether an entire feast, At his own charge shall m,. Wine and meat be free," &c. iii1S must have been for guests, for Cistercian Monks (according An n east) Pai'fcook of neither, and only of meat at a later period. Another poem by the same hand (Arch.Cambr i., 28), speaks of the Much drinking and various victuals J" the Palace of Engwistle, several dishes. There is old liquor to make us merry, Pale and dark Metheglin, We shall have bragget, and sharp ale from the pipes, vvine and nuts. We shall have a thousand apples for desert, Hp mo iAn? grace, honour, and dignity " Thfl t* Editions to the buildings and to the Abbot's House. raceiT »i the transept window is probably his work. This is often seen in Montgomeryshire, on the hills about Plynlimmon, and in all* hilly districts, and I have seen sheep cowering under cliffs and stone walls before a storm. Other signs were the following :— 3. When the river continues discoloured it is a sign that the rainfall has not ceased, but that more rain will soon come. 4. If the river brightens it is a sign that the weather has changed for fair. The discolouring is caused by the peat bogs through which the water runs. It continues sometimes of a brownish colour for days, and as long as it is so, the weatherwise say it is not likely to be fine. This dis¬ colouring is easily accounted for, but to the mountaineer it indicates the jsrevalence of rain. Iago. OLD OSWESTRY MSS.— In Price's History of Osivestry, a MS. account of the town, written in 1635, is referred to, which is stated to be preserved in the " Harl. MSS., British Museum, 1981." If any old Oswestrian, or lover of Bye-gones, who has easy access to the British Museum, would only copy this for the benefit of your readers, what a boon he would confer on the large number of Salopians who must regret to see the growing belief that Oswald was not connected with Oswestry after all, but that his fatal battle was fought in Lancashire. If the MS. in question states that Oswestry was once called Maserfeld it would, at least, set at rest the assertion that there was no earlier recorder of this than Camden. P. QUERIES. LORD HEREFORD.—In the instalment of the interesting notice of Thomas Olivers given Aug. 8, 1877, Puritan describes the scene between Lord Hereford and the Methodist preacher. Who was Lord Hereford, where did he live, and how was he connected with the Tregynon district ? In one of the issues of Bye-gones for 1875 a Lord Hereford was mentioned as Recorder of Welshpool in 1747, and a correspondent said he died 1748 without an heir, and that " the title reverted to a distant relative." This could not have been the Lord Hereford who com¬ mitted Olivers to the stocks, I presume, for, although Puritan gives no date, I gather from the earlier portions of his narrative that the events referred to must have transpired a year or two subsequent to the death of the Recorder of Welshpool. H.B. AN OLD ELLESMERE DITTY.—The following song, which was popular in Ellesmere fifty years ago, but which is now forgotten, may interest some readers of Bye-gones. Can any of them say who the author was? Ges. SONG.— TOWN AND TRADE OF ELLESMERE. Dedicated without Permission to the Gentlemen named in the Chorus. O ! long life to the Myttons, the Hatchetts, The Mainwarings Dymocks my dear, While the Mountains re-echo the catches We sing to the praise of ELLESMERE There's never a town in famed Salop Can match it for Frolic and Fun, If throughout all Shropshire you gallop From rising till setting of sun. Then long life, &c. Than our Bowling Green nought can be grander When the Welkin is shining and clear Where the Eye may perpetually wander O'er Mountain o'er Meadow and Mere, Then our,Ladies Club nothing surpasses For Pleasantry Mirth and good Cheer, Where the Frolicsome Lads and the Lasses All Dance on the Green once a year. Then long life, &c.