Welsh Journals

Search over 450 titles and 1.2 million pages

May 1, 1889. BYE-GONES. 103 subsequently served with the Natal field force in the Transvaal campaign. Col. Browne's commissions bear date as follows :— Ensign, 97th Regiment, August 11,1854 ; lieutenant, December 8, 1854; captain, May 15, 1857; major, November, 1872; brevet lieutenant-colonel, Decem¬ ber 31, 1878; colonel, December 31, 1882. He suc¬ ceeded to the command of the 97th Regiment in September, 1879, and after five years in that position retired in 1884. He was appointed to the command of the 23rd Regimental District April 10, 1885. The remains of the deceased officer were on Satur¬ day consigned, with military honours, to their last resting place, in the family burial ground, Killeshin, Carlow. THE OLD CHARTER OF LLANFYLLIN. At the eleventh and concluding meeting of the session of the Lancashire and Cheshire Historic Society, held recently, at the Royal Institution, Liverpool, Dr. F. J. Bailey, vice-president, in the chair, the charter of the ancient borough of Llan¬ fyllin, dated 1673, was exhibited by Mr Grazebrook. This "governing charter," consolidating all the ancient privileges and regulating the future govern¬ ment of the borough, was lately found among ancient muniments in Shropshire and sent for translation to Mr Grazebrook, who obtained permission to exhibit it. Llanfyllin, which is a very ancient borough, was incorporated by Llewelyn-ap-Gruffydd, in the time of Edward II., the charter beingaf terwards confirmed by Edward de Charlton, Lord of Powis. The reasons for granting this charter are explained in the open¬ ing sentence—" Since our burg of Llanvylling in our County of Montgomery is an ancient and populous borough, and the bailiff and burgessesenjoy sundry liberties, privileges, franchises, immunities, and pre¬ eminences, as per the charters of several Princes of Wales and Lords of Powis, and from our prede¬ cessors conceded and granted to them for various reasons—by prescriptions, uses, and customs from a time before the memory of man ; and since certain doubts as to these charters and concessions have arisen which interfere with the public good and emoluments of the borough and the good order and ruling thereof, therefore the bailiff and burgesses have humbly _ applied, &c, for a confirmation, &c." The officers included a seneschal, high bailiff, and coroner, who were to continue in office during the pleasure of Lord Powis. Llanfyllin was one of the unreformed corporations unaffected by any of the Municipal Corporations Acts. The commission of inquiry on such boroughs in 1880 reported upon it, and a new charter was granted in 1885, under which it is at present governed. The old charter, there¬ fore, is only now an historical curiosity—very valu¬ able and interesting as a part of the borough archives, and Mr Grazebrook was glad to be able to say that Mr Mostyn Owen was about to present it to the Corporation of Llanfyllin. At the meeting of the Llanfyllin Town Council on luesday, April 23, the Mayor (Mr John Jones) presiding, a letter was read from Mr George grazebrook of Oakhill Park, Liverpool, dated h ?h ^',1889' as follows:-"Mr George Graze- brook, F.S.A., presents his compliments to his worship the Mayor of Llanfyllin. He has found among some other old muniments the charter granted by Charles II. in 1673 remoulding the ancient borough of Llanfyllin. Mr Grazebrook represented to the family among whose deeds this has been found that the borough authorities of Llan¬ fyllin are the proper custodians of so precious a record, and they are quite willing that it should be sent to your worship—or to the seneschal or recorder —whoever may be named as the appointed keeper of the borough archives. If his worship will kindly send this address, Mr Grazebrook will hope to get and forward the parchment in about a fortnight. To John Jones, Esq., Mayor of Llanfyllin."—The address was sent, and the following letter was received :— "30, John-street, Liverpool, April 4, 1889. Dear sir,—I am sending by London and North Western Railway to Mr Pughe's address, as directed, to-morrow morning, the Charter of 1673, presented by A. Mostyn Owen, Esq., Woodhouse, West Felton, Oswestry, to your Corporation. Please acknowledge to him in due form. It was found among the old muniments, and as they did not know what it could be, they sent it to me. I cannot at all understand how it ever got there. You will notice that these first appointed officials had to make their oath and declaration before ' Roger Mostyn,' Robert Griffiths, and Matthews ; at the first glance I supposed it might from some accident have remained with Roger Mostyn (I suppose Sir Roger Mostyn, -who was a prominent gentleman of that date). But I do not know, probably Mr Morris Charles Jones can say, if Sir Roger had large estates near Llanfyllin. The Bryngwyn Estates came to Mr Mostyn Owen's ancestors by the marriage of Wm. Mostyn with Mary, daughter and sole heiress of Hum¬ phrey Kynaston of Brongwyn. Her grandson Wm. Mostyn of Brongwyn, M.P. for County Mont¬ gomery, took the additional surname of Owen on inheriting the Woodhouse Estates, and died in 1795; he was grandfather of Mr Mostyn Owen, who now presents the Charter to your Corporation. They have no knowledge whatever at Woodhouse as to how it came there,but we may suppose that it came from Brongwyn about 1780, when the family moved into residence at Woodhouse. I am sorry that I can throw so very little light upon it. Mr Pughe writes that it has never been among your archives since the memory of man, and I sup¬ pose at the time of the Parliamentary Commission in 1880 a great search and inquiry would be made for the original. I am pleased to have been instru¬ mental in a humble way in restoring it.—I am, dear sir, yours faithfully, Geo. Grazebrook."—The Mayor said he thought they ought formally to thank Mr Grazebrook for being^ the means of the Charter being restored, and Mr Mostyn Owen for restoring it.—Mr William Jones seconded the motion, and it was carried unanimously. MAY 1, 1889. _____ „ LLANASA PAROCHIAL SCHOOL.—This School was erected in 1675, as is to be seen inscribed on a free stone embedded in the wall of the old building, which latterly has been superseded by a larger and better structure. The old school