Welsh Journals

296 BYE-GONES. Mar. 7, 1894. Vestry, he walked on to one of the two outlying churches, where the services were in VVelsh, returning in time for singing practice at 5 30, followed by Welsh service in Llangoed church, and he never once missed these services, after each of which there was always a sermon. We understand that the occasional week day services, such as Advent and Lent, were remarkably well attended. Mrs Owen and her family established and conducted a very flourishing Sunday School, held in Llangoed church, and members of the family always acted as organists. Mr Owen was joint secretary with the Rev T. War¬ ren Trevor for the widows and orphans' charity in connection with the Bangor diocese ; he was also ruridecanal secretary. The rev. gentleman took great delight in the antiquities of his neigh¬ bourhood, and he wrote to various periodicals on this subject. With him perishes much curious information of bye-gone days. He had for years been collecting materials for the history of Beaumaris, and few were better able than he to take in hand such a work. The funeral took place on Saturday. MA.RCH 7, 1894. „__^ ___ _______ ST. MARK'S DAY.-" In North Wales no farmer dares to ' hold' his team on Sb. Mark's Day, as they believe one man's team was ' marked' that did work on that day by the lo3s of an oxen." So runs an old newspaper cutting I have. B. DOGS AS FISH DRIVERS.—Before the es¬ tablishment of ironworks upon the banks of many of the South Wales streams pub an end to the fish, an extraordinary mode of capture was observed. The fishermen commenced operations at bhe ebbing of the tide by stretching a seine net across the river a few hundred yards from the mouth. Whilst drawing the net towards the sea they incessantly disturbed the water by beating the surface and hurling stones. The affrighted fish naturally made for the sea, which, however, they could not reach except by passing over the intervening low river bar. Here they were pursued by trained dogs, and driven into the hands of the fishermen, who either clubbed, speared, or otherwise caught large quantities of fish. Devoniensis. THE GARDE DOLOUREUSE.—I am puzzled by Scott's remark as to the Garde Doloureuse, that some antiquaries have endeavoured to identify it with "the Castle of Colwyn on the river of that name." The Colwyn is a small stream, a few miles long, which joins the Glaslyn at Beddgelert, and I know nothing of any castle on its banks. Does not Scott mean Conway Castle on the Conway ? But then the Garde Doloureuse is " upon the Marches of Wales," which Conway certainly is nob ; nor is Harlech Castle, which in my edition of " The Betrothed " is pictured as the original of the Garde Doloureus6. In some respects Oswestry Castle mighb sband for this stronghold of "the old Norman warrior's," for Oswestry Castle was on the Marches, and I see this sug¬ gestion is made in Mr J. Parry-Jones's interesting paper on Oswestry Castle in bhe Shrop. Arch. Transactions. W.O. WELSH DIALECTS.—The following is bhe opinion of Iolo Morganwg on bhe different dialecbs of the Welsh language :— The country Welsh of the Hundreds of Kilgerran, Kemais, and Pebydiog, is equal in purity to that of any other part of Wales. That of Cardiganshire is not inferior to it. These come nearest to the modern literary dialect of all others. The Caer- marthenshire is the most corrupt of any excepting that of the Northwalian borderers on Cheshire, Shropshire, &c. The dialect of Monmouthshire and Easb Glamorgan comes nearest of any of the present vernacular dialects to the ancient literary dialect. The works of Taliesin and his cotemporaries are in this dialect, and so are those of all the bards and prose writers, even of North Wales.down to the 13th or 14th century : these are more readily under¬ stood in Monmouthshire than in any other part of Wales. The reason for it being so may be that during the British monarchy, after it became eman¬ cipated from the Roman Empire, the seat of govern¬ ment was at Caerleon in Monmouthshire. The dialect of that part of Wales was the Silurian, and this became, of course, the dialect of government, and consequently that of literature. Deikiol Dyfi. TITHE CUSTOMS, &c. -NEWMARKET TERRIER.—The following terrier was found in an old bureau at Valle Crucis Abbey. The bureau belonged originally to my grand-father, bhe Rev. Thomas Owen, who was Recbor of Newmarket in 1799, and was owner of a farm ab Llantysilio. My father,being curate of Llantysilio in 1831, had the bureau from his father, and it was sold to some one in the neighbourhood, and eventually found its way to bhe Abbey Cobbage by sale or obherwise. The berrier was in a drawer which no one had taken bhe brouble to open, and if bhey had bhey would probably have breabed ib as wasbe paper, as ib was nailed bo bhe drawer. Parbs of bhe berrier are hard bo decipher :— H. T. Owen. A true Terrier of all the Glebe Lands, Messuages, Tenements, Tythes, Portions of Tythes, and other rights belonging to the Rectory and Parish Church of Newmarket, in the county of Flint and Diocese of St Asaph now in the Use and Possession of the Right Revd, the Bishop Rector thereof and his Tenants: taken, made, and renewed, according to the oldest Evidences, and the knowledge of the ancient Inhabitants, at a Vestry holden this ninth day of July, 1791, pursuant to due and legal Notice given in Church on Sunday last for that purpose and exhibited in the primary Visitation of the Right Reverend Father in God, Lewis, Lord Bishop of St Asaph, holden at Holywell [blank in terrier] July 11th, 1791. There is no Parsonage House in the Parish—There is but one field belonbing to the Glebe (called Coetia