Welsh Journals

218 BYE-GONES. Nov. 20, 1895. Mr Charles Gardiner Humphreys married Eliza¬ beth, daughter of the Rev W. Smith, of the same family as the well-known author, Professor Goldwin Smith, and had by her two sons, Charles Gardiner, a lieutenant in the 7th Light Dragoons, with which re¬ giment he served through the Peninsular War, receiving a medal with seven clasps, Richard Smith, and a daughter, Martha, who married Christopher Richardson. Mr Richard Smith Humphreys, the second son, went as a merchant to Lima, and, being a man of great energy.shrewd- ness, and integrity of character, had a prosperous business career. He returned to England in 1851, and added considerably to the old family pro¬ perty, to which he succeeded on the death of his elder brother, who was never married. Mrs Fairies-Humphreys was the only child and heiress of Mr R. S. Humphreys. In 1877 she married Mr N. W. Fairies, who, on his marriage with her, took, by her father's special request, the name of Humphreys. Mr Fairies-Humphreys belongs to an old Raman Catholic family in the county of Durham. He was brought up to the medical profession, but retired after his marriage, and has actively devoted him¬ self to the local and political duties of a country gentleman. He was High Sheriff in 1882-3, and has been three times Mayor of Montgomery. He is a magistrate for the county, an Alderman of the County Council, and a member of the County Governing Body under the Welsh Intermediate Education Act. The funeral took place on Thursday, the remains being interred in a grave situated on the south¬ east side of the parish churchyard, Montgomery, in the burial place of the Humphreys family. NOVMEBER 20, 1895. NOTES. SHROPSHIRE BOOKS.—As a book con¬ nected with Shropshire.it is perhaps worth while to record the publication (1895) of " Memoirs of Six Sisters, daughters of the Rev W. Gilpin, M.A., sometime Rector of Pulverbach, Salop." It consists almost entirely of religious reflec¬ tions. W.O. LLANFAIR TALHAIARN. — DOGS IN CHURCH.—In the Churchwardens' Accounts for Llanfair Talhaiarn I came across the following entry :— February 14th, 1747. At a vestry then held at Llanfair Talhaiarn It is ordered that whosover brings a Dog to Church in the time of Divine Service within a month after the Date hereof shall forfeit tothePoorof the said parish of Llanfair Talhaiarn one shilling for every such offence in default of such payment the Dog of every such owner to be immediately seized and executed by the Church Wardens for the time being. As witness our hands, etc. Then under the year 1849 Rob. Bassit is paid ashilling " for Driving the Dogs out of the Church and keeping the Church clear of 'em." A sum of money is also paid in the same year to John Roberts the carpenter, and, inter alia, " for a stool to be sett at the Church door for the officer that clears the Church from Dogs." C.A. THE SIN-EATER IN WALES.—I do nob know whether the following will throw any light on the question of " The Sin-Eater in Wales," which has again come up for dis¬ cussion :—A few months ago, six or so, I was present at the funeral of a member of one of the old-inhabitant families of Bettws-Cedewain. After the corpse was placed outside the door, and before the performance of the religious service, a small piece of cake was given, first to the bearers (but"whether across the corpse or neb I cannot now recollect),and afterwards to each of the guests. Next a glass of wine was handed to each one in the same order. I believe the custom was general in this district twenty or thirty years ago, but I have seen only one other instance of its observance within the last five years. I have never heard any ritual used. T H T SOME WELSH NOTABILITIES OF THE 16th CENTURY. (I.) DR. DAVID POWELL, VICAR OF RUABON, 1570-1598.—It is pro¬ posed to insert some " finds " out of old Welsh MSS.—previously unpublished—with notes, and translations, respecting Welshmen of distinction, known and unknown to fame, who lived in that interesting period of our history called the "Tudor times." Dr David Powell is a well-known name. The late Canon Williams, in his Dictionary of Eminent Welshmen, says of him that he was a "learned divine." He was, unquestionably, a learned scholar, but the only evidence that we have, I think, of his learning in Divinity is the reference made by Dr. William Morgan, the Translator of the Bible into Welsh, then Vicar of Llanrhaiadr-yn-Mochnant, who, after naming the very special services rendered him by the Bishops of St. Asaph and Bangor, and Dean Goodman of Westminster—adds, " In like man¬ ner I had no insignificant aid from David Powell, D.D. . . Edmund Price, Archdeacon of Mer¬ ioneth, and Richard Vaughan. . . ." Bub of Dr. Powell, we fear, it must be said, as far as the evidence yet has reached, that he spent his learned scholarship upon delving into the ancient histories and traditions of the Welsh, and trans¬ lating Humphrey Llwyd's History for the plea¬ sure of his patron, Sir Philip Sidney, President of the_ Welsh Marches, and such studies. The following Welsh lines are taken from two copies of the Add. MSS.in the British Museum. They are awful words—written by two Welsh poets, his own neighbours and parishioners, I presume, giving a very unfavourable view of him as their parish priest, and they hit him with hard words (tuchanj. The translation which follows falls very short of the Welsh in expression and sug- gestiveness, &c.:—