Welsh Journals

BYE-GONES EOR 1897-98. NEW SERIES. VOL. V. NOTES, QUERIES, and REPLIES, on sub¬ jects interesting to Wales and the Borders, should be addressed to Editor, "Bye-Gones,"Caxton Press, Oswestry. Real names and addresses must be given in confidence, and MSS. must be written legibly, on one side of the paper only. JANUARY 6, 1897. NOTES. BISHOP LLOYD, 1627—1717.—It may inter¬ est Oswestrians to know that there is a fine portrait of Bishop Lloyd " drawn and engraved for the life by David Loggan," in the new National Portrait Gallery. It will be recollected that) he conducted a conference with James Owen, the second minister of the Old Chapel, and chaplain to Mrs Baker of Sweeney. There is also another portrait of Bishop Lloyd in the group of the seven Bishops tried in the reign of James II. J.P.-J. THE SUGAR LOAF HAT.—It is well to place on record the survival of the Welsh woman's hat in these last years of the cen¬ tury. The Western Mail says :—" In country places in the south it is still to be seen, and very many middle-aged women of to-day would never have thought of wearing any other sort) of hat to chapel when they were young. A dear old Welsh soul in a regular Welsh hat and Welsh costume may be seen every Thursday at one of the butter tables in the Llanelly market." Ed. A TRAVELLER'S ACCOUNT OF OSWESTRY IN 1767. I have just received from an English resident in France several numbers of the St. James's Chronicle, or the British Evening Post, published last century. One of them, for " Saturday, June 6, to Tuesday, June 9, 1767," contains the following letter from a traveller stopping at Oswestry, a town, he says, " which seems par¬ ticularly worthy of attention." It will be ob¬ served that he praises the inhabitants as well as the place (finding fault only with the pews of the church), and Oswestrians may feel some legitimate pride in the good words which VOL.V. New Series [being Vol. 14th from the beginning] travellers appear to have been in the habit of bestowing upon the town. It will be observed thatj the writer calls Old Oswestry a Roman encampment ; by modern antiquaries it is con¬ sidered British. The following is the letter :— W.O. To the Printer of the S. J. CHRONICLE. SIR, IN a Journey I took from Holy-Head to London, I was exceedingly pleased with the Situation and ■fine Appearance of the whole Country on the Borders of North-Wales; but Oswestry, where I now am, seems particularly deserving of Atten¬ tion. It is a very ancient, headthy, and pleasant Corporation and Market Town, 175 Males from London, situated on a Plain, at the Foot of the Mountains: The Inhabitants, as far as I am able to judge from the casual Conversation I have had with them, appear much more courtly and well bred, than from the Situation of the Place, could | have been reasonably expected; but this may, in some Measure, be accounted for, not only from the Number of very genteel neighbouring Fami¬ lies, but from the many Clergymen, who make this1 Town their Residence: I have been informed that there are about a Dozen of them who live here, although there is but one Parish Church in the Town. Besides these there is an Assembly here, every Fortnight; two Bowling-Greens; a Company of Comedians very often; Visitings. with the greatest Friendship, Freedom and good Humour, where there is the most decent and sen¬ sible Establishment of chearful and innocent Be¬ haviour between the Ladies and Gentlemen, free from that Pride and Prudery, which is too often the Disgrace of the Fair-Sex: There are several Packs of Hounds in and about the Town; a fine Country for sporting, riding, or walking; you cannot stir from any one Part of it, without en¬ tering upon the most delightful Paths. A great Part of the Town makes a very pretty and clean Appearance: The Church is very large, but rather lively than solemn, with the worst Pews that ever disgraced so sightly an Edifice: The Inhabitants, seeming to have calculated every thing to induce a Stranger to wish rather to be on the Outside than within it: There are eight very musical Bells which are particularly delight¬ ful when heard from a conciguous rising Field: The Church Yard is very spacious, with fine Walks, decorated with large shady Trees; i* h