Welsh Journals

April, 1884. BYE-GONES. 49 APRIL 2, 1884. NOTES. GOING A GOODING.—Being lately in Llandysilio parish 1 met a per-on originally from the parish of Mei- vod. I asked him if he was in the habit of begging: he seemed indignant at the question, but added that he al¬ ways went about the farm houses asking for assistance on St. Thomas's day, and on that day only. This is the only instance that ever came to my knowledge. But the giving of doles in parish churches on that day is common. Gypt. QUERIES. CHAPMONEY.—In some parts of Shropshire it is usual to term the trifle returned by a seller "Chapmoney." The plan of giving hack" something for luck " is usual all over the county. Is this what is meant by Chapmoney ? Or does it, like the "Earnest" given when hiring a ser¬ vant, mean a ratifying of the bargain ? I am told that in Wales money returned is called " Rhodd." What is com¬ prehended in this? R.B. REPLIES. DR. BABINGTON OF LUDLOW (Jan. 30,1884.) You will find some fourteen pages about Shropshire plants contributed by Dr. Babington to Plymley's Agri¬ culture of Shropshire, published in 1803. I have been told that the present professor of Botany at Cambridge is the eon of the late Dr. Babington. Is he a Salopian ? Mr. Salisbury does not mention him in his Border Counties Worthies, Sceobbes Bybig. THE PENRHYNS OF RHYSNANT (March 5, 1884).—I think your correspondent" R.P.M." is correct in his identification of the William Penrhyn who figured in the extract from "Royalist Composition Papers," con¬ tributed by me. In addition to this bit of genealogy connected with a particular member of an old county family, I venture to think his communication is very in¬ teresting in other respects as it indicates what, by an in¬ spection of the parochial registers by a practised hand, might be done in regard to other old Montgomeryshire families, some of whom are extinct. Even in this particu¬ lar parish I have seen in a Harleian MS. (No. 1,936) pedigrees of two other families, namely, Roger Penrhyn and Griffith Owen. In Llandissilio, there were the Lloyds of Halchdyn (corrupted now into Haughton), Lloyd of Domgay, and others; whose pedigrees might be, by means of the registers, brought down much nearer to the present day than they were left by Lewys Dwn, and other genealogists. The Penrhyns of Rhysnant deduced their descent from Brochwel Ysgythrog "King of Powis," the reputed an¬ cestor of many other Montgomeryshire families; these may be recognized heraldically by the well-known coat, Sable three Nags' Heads erased, argent." It has been stated by a competent authority "that not one of these families has a known direct male descendant in possession of an acre of land in the county " of Montgomery at the present time. As many of the readers of Bye-gones have not access to the MSS. or printed works wherein these pedigrees are preserved, it may be of interest to them W to trace the descent of these Penrhyns to the "-rpTt Penrhyn referred to by your correspondent . ±t- V;.M-, Passing over many of the early generations immediately succeeding Brochwel Ysgythrog, it will be sumcient to say that one of his reputed descendants, Griffith ap Beli of the Garth, in the parish of Guilsfield, is stated to have had two sons, namely, Gwenwys and Gwyn ; and from the latter the Penrhyns of Rhysnant are descended. Aa may be seen from the following skeleton pedigree :— Griffith ap Beli (a) I Humphrey Penrhyn Gwyn | | Llewelyn William Penrhyn William Penrhyn, Sheriff of Montgomery¬ shire 1601 Griffith Penrhyn *William Penrhyn of Rhysnant Meyrick Owen Griffith Deuddwr of Rhysnant Griffith Vaughan (alias Penrhyn) (a) This * William, I take it, i3 the same person as heads the list in the communication of " R.P.M." Pearmain. [Our correspondent Gypt also sends us a more complete pedi¬ gree, from the Add. MSS. of the Brit. Mus., and remarks that the surname " Penrhyn " and "Penryn'are probably derived from " Penthryn," the township in which Rhysnant is situated. -Ed.] CURRENT NOTES. The Lord Lieutenancy of Anglesey, rendered vacant by the death of the Hon. W. O. Stanley, has been conferred upon Mr. Richard Davies, M.P. Welshpool.—Mr. T. B. Barrett has presented to the Reading Room more than 500 volumes; and several ancient artistic busts and casts, and a number of photo¬ graphs of the antique, to the School of Art and Museum. The Unreformed Corporations.—The new Charter of Incorporation granted by the Privy Council to the ancient Borough of Bishop's Castle having been received, its provisions were discussed at a public meeting held on Saturday, andarraugements were made for carrying out the first election. It was stated that Lord Powis had rendered his assistance in the matter. An Oswestry School Boy.—Mr. Longueville of Penylan has presented to the Town Library a book in two volumes, entitled "Storms and Sunshine of a Sol¬ dier's Life," by Lieu tenant-General Colin Mackenzie, C.B. Colin Mackenzie, whose father lived for a time at Llanforda, was a schoolfellow of Mr. Longueville's at the Grammar School, and a story is told of Dr. Donne, with whom young Mackenzie was a great favourite. One day- Colin expressed some opinion which, in the ears of the staunch old Tory, savoured of revolutionary principles, when the doctor sternly said—"Who was the first Whig, Mackenzie? Satan, sir, Satan was the first Whig." Anglesey or Anglesea.—(To the Editor of the Daily News).—Sir,—I have noticed in several issues of your paper recently that in reference to news relating to this part of Wales you have invariably spelt the word Anglesey, Anglesea. This is an eyesore to me, and doubtless to many others, and as you are generally accurate in these minor matters (and major matters also) I feel anxious that you should know that, as regards North Wales, the word is generally spelt Anglesey. Now, as the wrong spelling of a word tends to destroy its history and etymology, it seems a matter of importance—the Spelling Reform Society notwithstanding—that words should be spelt accurately. I find, on reference to old books that the word is spelt Anglesey, i.e., the island of the Angles, and it seema a