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BYE-GONES FOR 1880. UNITES, QUERIES, and REPLIES, on subjects interesting to Wales and the Borders, must be addressed to "Askew Roberts, Croeswylan, Oswestry." Real names and addresses must be given, in confidence, and MSS. must be written legibly, on one side of the paper only. OSWESTRY ADVERTIZER, JANUARY 7, 1880. NOTES. RICHARD EDWARDES OF TREVONNEN, p : Oswestry, gent.—Will 1647-8 (28 Essex) wife Elinor house in Soughton (wh. came to me from my mother) for life. House etc. in Sweeney to Nephew Peirce Edwardes and Susanna Edwardes, my sisters children. Nephew John E. eldest brother of said Peirce and Susanna. . . . Chief mansion house in Trevonnen to Elinor my wife for life—remainder to John Edwardes sonne of my Nephew,Samuell E. . . . House called the plassey in Soughton and lands " to the use of the poore of the parishes of Oswestrye and Llansillin and for two Sermons heareafter in and by these presents expressed equally to bee devided betweene them for ever." . . . . "Cozine" Thomas Williams sonne of my Aunt Owen- howar. . . . '"Item I give and bequeath the somme of sixe shillinges and eight pence to the viccar of the parish of Llansillin...Denbigh to be payd yearely to the viccar of Llansillin aforesaid for ever for a lecture Sermon to be preached in the parish Church of Llansillin uppon the ffive and Twentyeth day of December yearely for ever "—bequest in same terms to Vicar of Oswestry. . . Son in law Robert Muttrom daughter in law Ruth, wife of the said Samuell Edwards. . . . Son in law William Muttrome. . . . Nephews John Jones and Samuell Jones. . . . Cousins Roger Evans of Sweeney, gent and Ric. Davyes of Kewhinva, Montgo¬ mery, gent. Sentence "Johannem Edwards, Davidem Jones, nepotes exfratre." J.C.C.S. A LADY'S IMPRESSIONS OF WALES A CENTURY AGO. Sometime between the years 1765 and 1771, probably during the latter year, a Shropshire lady made an ex¬ cursion into Merionethshire, and stayed for a month at Peniarth. Seven letters, giving an account of this journey, are preserved at Hatton Grange by Mrs. Kenyon-Slaney; and there are copies at Peniarth, from which, by the kindness of Mr. W. W. E. Wynne, we are able to give readers of Bye-gones the benefit of them. The writer was Elizabeth, wife of Thomas Presland, Esq., of Walford Hall, near Baschurch, and daughter of Robert Aglionby Slaney. Esq., of Hatton Grange, near Sbiffnal, (who was born in 1693) by Frances Theresa his wife, daughter of William Plowden of Plowden, Esq., also of Shropshire. The letters are curious, as describing parts of Merioneth¬ shire and Montgomeryshire, and the habits of society there, amongst the upper class of the gentry, in the latter half of the eighteenth century. As was usual in the writings of ladies of that day* the letters are badly spelt. Ed. Dear Sister,—After we had bid edieu to Walford we proceeded to Elsemere, drank tea at Mr. Moretons, see the green, from whence their is a very fine view. We then set out for Orton [Overton], on the road see many pleasing prospects, but why the shoud call the Church yard one of the seven wonders, I cant tell, for exapt the Old Yew trees, I see nothing to be admired, so on we whent to Wrexham, where the out side of the Church, and one monument is noble, but the Town we see little of, for it raind so violent for three days we coud not stir, and did Little Else, but eat drink, and pick our fingers, at neither hearing nor seeing Miss Williamsis, without whom we ventured an others days journey, and was highly pleasd with seeing the Vale of Cluen, [Clwyd] and many other things worth notice, we stopd at a little Inn upon the road to refresh our horses, but exapt Mr. P. and I coud have eat some hangd veal and drank some ginn there was no food for us, so on we rode to Ballow [Bala] where the told us there had bin a dreadful fever, and what shoud I see on a Bench at the Ale house door, with a pipe in his mouth, but their Doctor as fat as a pig, his face as red as the hung veal, the woman offerd mo, his nose purple, his cloths if well sold, not worth half a crown, and this was the man, who attended near three hundred of a putrid fever, most of which I need not tell you dy'd, the account sunk my spirits, but upon hearing Miss Williams was within an hours ride the rise, but a monstar of a Dog had likd to have fetchd them down, for he catchd hold of my jacket, and the woman desired I woud lett him conduct me to her pantry, where she gave me some oat bread, desired I w^u'd present it to the Dog, who woud then become my friend, and loose me, and so he did and I never bestow'd any thing with greater pleasure. I then askd what meat was in the house, she said some fissh, and a leg of mutton, I bid her roast it, yess good Bless you I will take it outof the pot, and put it down directly, for it has not boild an hour, I said no more and roasted it came to table, but I eat none but got a good * " Dr. Johnson was talking to her (Mrs. Thrale) and Sir Philip Jennings, of the amazing progress made of late years in literature by the women. He said he was astonished at it, and told them that he well remembered when a woman who could spell a common letter was all accomplished; but now they vied with the men in everything."—Diary of Madame D'Arblay Vol. L, p. 227. The remark was made by Dr. Johnson in 177&.