Welsh Journals

Aug., 1882. BYE-GONES. 105 CAMBRIAN ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY. VISIT TO LLANRWST. The Cambrian Archaeological Society last week made holiday in this district,—a charmiDg one to more than antiquaries in fine weather; depressing in the extreme when wind and rain take the place of sunshine. As usual with the Association, the first day, Monday, was allowed members to settle down in their temporary quarters ; and hold their annual meeting before retiring to rest. Then Tuesday to Saturday were devoted to roaming the country iu the discovery of anything that is new out of matters old ! The annual meeting, which was held at 9 p.m. on Mon¬ day July 31st, at the Grammar School, was largely at¬ tended. The retiring president, Professor Babington, M.A., F.R.S., briefly opened the proceedings, and gave place to his successor, Mr. H. R Sandbach of Hafod- unos, the president-elect. Mr. Sandbach thanked the Society for electing him their president, and welcomed the members to Llanrwst, and was glad to see that their meeting was to be graced by the presence of so many ladies. He then gave a brief outline of the proposed pro¬ ceedings for the week. He was only a learner himself, and looked for much instruction from some of those he saw around him. He had walked over the hill at the back of Penmaenmawr and seen the circle of stones, whicn would 'be found highly interesting. He had a tumulus on his estate to be explored, and men ready to open it, who were only waiting for their visit to do so. He wished also to call their attention to traces of the old Roman road, be¬ lieved to be from Chester to Carnarvon : according to an old map he had seen it went through Denbigh in the direc¬ tion of the ferry at Tal-y-cafn. There was also what was known as Cromwell's Camp, where some cannon balls had been picked up, and were now in their temporary museum : these were to be sent to Woolwich, where their age would probably be determined. Llanrwst Church, too, which they would visit, was very interesting, and the Bridge buiit by Inigo Jones, Gwydir House, and other objects he believed would prove attractive. For himself he hoped to learn a good deal, and the local committee, with Mr. "Griffith, their secretary, he was sure, would give the party all the assistance in their power. Mr. Walker of Chester had invited them to Blaenau Festiniog for Wednesday, but he feared their other engagements would prevent their accepting the invitation. The Rev. E. L. Barnwell, M.A., the treasurer of the Association, in proposing a vote of thanks to the Presi¬ dent for his address, spoke of his long acquaintance with him, extending over forty years. In reference to what had "been said about stone circles he disagreed with the idea so often expressed of their being connected with the Druids, or for games. In his opinion, they were merely a defence for graves. Mr. Barnwell also alluded to the remarks about the Bridge at Llanrwst, and the stories told about the erection. Mr. Howel W. Lloyd, M.A.. remarked that he had been told that day that years ag3 there were those living who could so shake the bridge by bumping one of the piers as to make anyone leaning on the opposite pillar fall forward. (Laughter.) We may remark that a confirmation of this statement has reached us for our Bye-gones column, in a " Note " as follows:—"Visitors will not fail to notice the Bridge at Llanrwst, its peculiar build, and associations with Inigo Jones, &c. ; and attention may be called especially, that it can be made to shake by a well-directed blow on the centre stone. The late Mr. William Owen, skinner and glover, of Llanrwst, once shook it for me ; having placed myself in proper position, as told, with my back leaning | well on the centre Btone on the one side on the bridge, he ; went himself to the centre stone of the other side, remark - | ing in Welsh, ' Now, observe, I will knock you clear off : that stone,' and having placed himself also in position, he ! gave his stone a blow with his back that sent me with a jerk clear away off my stone, although I was leaning heavily and hard on. He further said, ' Manv a five shillings have I had in my younger days for doing" that;' adding that, * when he was a boy there was living in that house,' pointing to the cottage at the end of the bridge on | the Gwydir side, ' a blacksmith who when he observed ! strangers or travellers coming in the direction of Llanrwst, used to run out to meet them to ask should he shake the bridge for them ; and on the town side again, in a little house just at the end of the bridge, there was another person living, who made it his business to watch strangers going over the bridge from that direction to Carnarvonshire for the same purpose, and those two individuals had almost the monopoly of shaking the bridge for tourists and strangers ;' further remarking; he said that ' only a few j persons can do it.' " The Rev. Trevor Owen, M.A., the secretary for North ; Wales, then read the report, which congratulated the Society on being so fortunate as to visit, for the first time, the town on the border land of Denbighshire and Carnar¬ vonshire, and to have obtained as its president the ser¬ vices of one of the oldest and firmest members of the Asso¬ ciation. The Society continued to increase in numbers, the total number in 1882 being 319 ; and while it thus in¬ creased the number of those who forgot to remit the amount of their subscriptions increased also. It had been sug¬ gested that the names of defaulters should be printed in their journal, as was the custom of some societies, and the names struck off the roll of members; the question would form a subject of discussion. The report then went on to allude to the Churches of Wales still unrestored, and the care that ought to be taken that nothing should be intro¬ duced that was not in accordance with local style and arrangement. Instances were given where the work car¬ ried out had not been in accordance with this rule. Re¬ ference was next made to the loss by death during the year of members of the Association, including Sir Pyers Mostyn of Talacre, and Mr. Matthew Moggridge. Of the publi¬ cations in hand, in which members were interested, re¬ ference was made to the Cwtta Cyfarwydd; the supplement¬ ary volume to the valuable History of the Diocese of St. Asaph, by Canon Thomas ; a History of the Breton-Celts, by Professor Rhys ; and the Welsh Dictionary edited by the Rev. D. Silvan Evans. The Rev. Canon D. R. Thomas, M.A.f F.S.A., pro¬ posed the adoption of the report, and congratulated the Society on meeting at so interesting a centre. That such a selection was popular was proved by the fact that it had attracted some of the best working members of the Asso¬ ciation to the meeting. Amongst these was one to whom they were much indebted for copying the inscriptions in the churches of a neighbouring vale [the Rev. W. A. Leighton, F.L.S.], and others, who had led them in their researches, and often aided them in their work. They had also amongst them one who had done much to make their journies pleasant ; be re¬ ferred to Mr. Askew Roberts, who had given them his Gossiping Guide to Wales. He was sure that anyone who was laid up on a wet evening (and they knew what wet evenings were in Wales!) would appreciate that book. To the new edition just issued was attached a Pictorial Itinerary, by which you were saved the trouble of asking the names of mountains you saw, as they were all out¬ lined. It was a* capital idea, and it was well carried out; and before he dismissed the subject he might also refer to 14