Welsh Journals

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246 BYJg-GOMES. Feb. 3, 1892. REPLIES. LARGE OAKS (Jan. 13, 1892.)-The mean girth of the oak in Powis Castle Park is 23 feet, height of trunk 17 feet; total height of tree, 80 feet. There are over 2,000 cubic feet in the whole tree, which includes all branches 6 inches in girth. R. AUNT SUSAN AND THE BEGINNING OF CALVINISTIC METHODISM IN OSWES¬ TRY. A PREACHER'S CERTIFICATE (Dec. 23, 1891). — The original licence produced by the preacher John Ellis of Barmouth, when brought before the Mayor of Oswes¬ try for preaching in Susan's house, is still extant; and I had the privilege recently of peru¬ sing it. It is written on parchment, and bears date July 17, 1795. The following copy is taken from " Hanes Methodistiaeth Gorllewin Meirion- ydd :"— " Thomas a Beckett Sessions. Merioneth } This is to certify that John Ellis of to wit. ) Barmouth, in the County of Merioneth, hath this seventeenth day of July, One thousand seven hundred and ninety-five, in open Court at the General Quarter Sessions of the Peace held at Bala in and for the said County, before Rice Anwyl and Thomas Da vies, Clerks, being Justices assigned to keep the peace in and for the said County, taken the usual oath and subscribed the Declaration to qualify himself as a Protestant Dissenting Preacher and Teacher according to the Act of Parliament in that case made and provided— Edward Anwyl, Dpt. Clk. of the Peace." As John Ellis died in the year 1810, his visit to Oswestry must have taken place about the com¬ mencement of the present century, if not during the closing years of the last. T.H.J. CURRENT NOTES. The Rev W. Jones of Cardigan has died in his 76th year. The death is announced of Mr Henry Charles Carter of Connah's Quay, a member of the Flint¬ shire County Council. He was a devoted Church¬ man and an ardent Liberal. The remains of Mr Francis Burgh Leighton, eldest son of the Rev F. Leighton, for many years rector of Cardiston, were buried in the general Cemetery at Shrewsbury,on Wednesday afternoon. The death took place at Queen's Park, Chester, on Friday, of Alderman Charles Dutton, a well- known member of the Chester Corporation. Mr Dutton.who was 73, was elected on the City Council in 1852, served the office of sheriff in 1866, was elected alderman in 1871, in which year he was Mayor of the city, and in 1876 was added to the Commission of the Peace for the city. Alder¬ man Dutton was a prominent Freemason, and for many years was Quartermaster of the Chester Artillery Volunteers. At the Chester Police Court, the Mayor,Alderman C. Brown, referred in feeling terms to the death of Mr Dutton. FEBRUARY 3, 1392. NOTES. HEREFORD, THE MOTHER TOWN OF NEWTOWN.—In Bye-Gones for November 25, 1891, a correspondent signing himself Pearmain contributed some interesting remarks about Welsh towns, and the places whence they obtained copies of the privileges, bye-laws, &c. In reading an old volume of the " Collections of the Powysland Club " I saw the following—vol. xii., p. 101 :— Edward Thomas, of Bishops castle, gentleman, deposed, among other things, that one Watkin Cadwaladr, son of one*Caddr ap David, an ancient Burgesse of Newtown, shewed and delivered to de¬ ponent a copy of a Charter, which he affirmed to be a true copy of the Charter granted to the men of Llanfair (Newtown) in Kedewen by Richard Duke of York, and with the same copy bo purported and loith (which ?) copy declared that the said Duke by the said Charter had granted to the said men of Llanfair aforesaid certain liberties, to have to them and theirs in such manner as the city of Hereford held. An Antiquary. ARTHUR PRYCE, ESQ.—In Newtown Regis¬ ter the following entry occurs :—" 1721. Arthur Pryce, Esq. (of Newtown Hall) was married to Mrs Jane Powell, third daughter of Sir John Powell, of Broadway in Carmarthen¬ shire, the 12th day of June—and he buried her the 25th day of the same." Arthur Pryce, above- named, was second son of Sir Vaughan Pryce of Newtown Hall. Arthur was born on the 20th and baptized on the 21st November, 1701. He died at Craven-street in London in 1742. He left to his nephew, John Powell Pryce, all his lands in the parish of Mochdre, and to his niece, Diana (1) £500. She was the mother of the late Rev G. A. Evors of Newtown Hall. Her two daughters married—1. Mr Lade. 2. MrMorley. Mrs Lade's daughter married the late Mr Brisco's father. The late A. T. Morley was son of the Rev G. A. Evors' second sister : hence probably the reason why he left him a term of years before the estate went to the Brisco family. Pearmain. QUERIES. BETTISFIELD.—Can anyone throw any light on the origin of the name Bettisfield ? G.A. LE GAUNTER OF HEREFORD (Nov. 25,1891). In Pearmain's interesting account of the Customs of Hereford, the date when John Le Gaunter was chief magistrate is not given. Can any one supply it ? W.O. (1) She was baptised at Newtown 28th April, 1731.