a diplomatist, for he not only defeated the Norman lords, but he also succeeded in reconciling himself to the king. Domestic treason and family strife now assailed him. Rhys was captured by his illegitimate son Maelgwyn, two sons were blinded by their brothers; Rhys Grug and Meredith, two other sons, rose against their father, but were captured by him. Then followed Rhys' raid along the borders. His capture of the Castles of Clun and Radnor, and the defeat of the English at Radnor, brought to an honourable close an eventful life. The words of the Welsh chroniclers concerning this prince are expressive of the sincere lamentations of a crushed and disunited people; of a people prone to magnify the importance of the deeds of their princes, when those princes were no more, rather than expressive of actual facts. And this can be easily accounted for, when we bear in mind that the Welsh are an impulsive and imaginative people; that they are as easily excited to a pitch of heavenly enthusiasm as they are depressed to the most awful depths of despair. As a matter of course, people of such a temperament are naturally hero worshippers. The scourging of the decomposed body of this prince is one of the many instances of the cruel vindictiveness of the Romish hierarchy.

Rhys was succeeded by his son Griffith who was delivered up to the English by Wenwynwyn ap Owen Cyveiliog, Prince of Upper Powis, in exchange for a castle. He was released. Maelgwyn, like Harold, refused to abide by his oath sworn over relics. He also sold his patrimony to King John, and was, in consequence, cursed by the clergy, and also by the people as a traitor. Upon the death of Griffith ap Rhys, his brothers, Rhys Grug and Maelgwyn seized his possessions, to the exclusion of his sons Rhys and Owen. This act was quite in accordance with the ways of the strongest, as recorded in Welsh history. Llewelyn of Gwynedd summoned a parliament of all the lords of Wales. This is significant as reviving the privileges of the Pendragon, in right of his descent from Anarawd, eldest son of Rhodri Mawr. This prince took advantage of Wenwynwyn's capture by the English at Shrewsbury to seize his lands. He also seized the lands of Maelgwyn, part of which he kept in his own possession, and the remainder he handed over to Rhys and Owen, sons of Griffith. It is interesting to observe that the bailiffs of Carmarthen were able to retaliate upon Rhys ap Griffith.

1 Mr. Bridgeman gives the following for Maelgwyn and Wenwynwyn,— Maelgun, Maelgon, Mailgon, Melygon, and Wenunwen.

2 For Crug, Mr. Bridgeman writes Crig, which is not a Welsh name. 3 Brut y Tywysogion thus laments the death of this Prince: "Alas! for the glory of battles, the shield of the knight, the defence of the country, the ornament of weapons, the arm of strength, the hand of the generous ones, the eye of discrimination, the illustrator of courtesy, the summit of magnanimity, the substance of energy. Like Achilles in the strength of his breast; Nestor in kindness, Tydeus in bravery, Sampson in strength, Hector in prudence, Hercules in gallantry, Paris in beauty, Ulysses in speech, Solomon in wisdom, Ajax in mind, and the foundation of all the excellencies."

In 1215 the Welsh princes were in harmony, and their united forces gained a victory over their mortal foes. This is an instance of their power and daring, when influenced by patriotic sentiments alone. Nothing figures forth more clearly the difficulties that an English army had to undergo in Wales than the letter quoted by Mr. Bridgeman from Matthew of Paris. The noble writer says: "We lie here watching, praying, fasting, and freezing. We watch in defence against the Welsh, who beat up our quarters every night; we pray for a safe passage home; we fast because we have no food left; and we freeze because we have no warm clothing, and only linen tents to keep out the cold."

The barons met in arms at Oxford (Mad Parliament) upon the excuse that they came in readiness to march against the Welsh. Again we perceive the influence the affairs of Wales had upon those of England at critical periods. Once more we have to record the treachery of Welsh princes towards their country, in the persons of Rhys ap Meredith ap Rhys Grug and Rhys Wendon. It is, however, refreshing to remember that these traitors were afterwards treated with the greatest indignity by Edward I. The complaints of the sons of Meredith ap Owen are soothing to one's offended sense of patriotism, inasmuch as they show forth in the clearest manner the rewards these renegade Celts received at the hands of the Saxons.

The footnote (2) p. 173, shows that the writer is a critical student of history. No victory could be more complete than that of Edward I over the Welsh. The treacherous death of Llewelyn, the outrageous murder of David, the capture of Griffith and Cynan, sons of Meredith ap Owen, of Griffith and Llewelyn, sons of Rhys Vychan, of Hywel ap Rhys Grug and of Rhys Vychan ap Rhys ap Maelgwyn, crushed the spirit of the Welsh. In a word, Wales was prostrated by the utter discomfiture and overthrow of its leaders, traitors, and good men alike.

Mr. Bridgeman rather taxes the reader's patience, as he previously must have wasted his own energy, by allotting, with the greatest nicety, every paltry acre of land now to this prince and then to that. Rhys ap Meredith ap Rhys Grug wiped out the memory of his treachery by his cruel death at York. He was drawn at the tails of horses to the place of execution, and then drawn and quartered. The same sad fate met Cynan ap Meredith at Hereford.

We now pass on to the doughty deeds of Owain Glyndwr ; and we would recommend the reader to study carefully the cruel laws passed against the Welsh by the English Parliament of 1401. These are given at length on p. 255. Some interesting facts concerning the heroic struggle of Glyndwr, and the ancestry of Henry VII, together with the readjustment of various lands, and several tables of pedigrees, bring the work to an end.

We have endeavoured, by drawing the reader's attention to a few of the leading subjects of this book, to show that it is well worth a careful perusal. It is, in fact, a laborious compilation. Mr. Bridge

man has shown what one man can do in the way of record and research. He has set us an example of unwearied patience and industry. He has also exhibited considerable skill in the arrangement of the Princes of South Wales, and strict impartiality in his conclusions; and as the possessor of such sterling good qualities as these, he fully deserves our unqualified commendation. His genealogical tables are no less gratifying to those gentlemen now alive, whose names appear therein, than they are evidences of a taste on the part of the compiler for recording in detail the minutia that collectively make up a history; and we only regret that the labours of the diligent student have not been moulded and modelled by the skill and discrimination of the historian.

The Gossiping Guide to Wales, by Askew Roberts, has just appeared in a new and enlarged edition, containing "descriptive routes and geological and botanical chapters, and illustrated with twelve maps and Snowdon panorama". With the limitation of the title to "North" Wales, and of the "Guide" to those places which lie on the lines of railway, or within easy access of them, we can commend this little book as an amusing and instructive companion to the tourist, who will derive from it a large amount of useful information as well as of entertaining gossip. The botanist will delight to vary his enjoyment of Barmouth with a search for the flora, of which Mr. Walsham How has indicated the existence in that neighbourhood; and his stay at Llanberis with discovering the rare plants which Mr. T. Butler points out on Snowdon and the Glyders; whilst Mr. Croft's brief summary of the geological features of the Principality will be welcome to the student of geology. The lithograph maps will be especially acceptable to the pedestrian, who can seldom procure the Ordnance Maps of the district where, perhaps, he most of all needs them. With the Gossiping Guide we would recommend the tourist to take with him Murray's Handbook, which abounds in solid information upon every part of North Wales; and then it will be his own fault if he does not thoroughly enjoy even the rainy days he will be sure to meet with.

N.B. With the October number of the Journal we hope to issue a biographical Preface to the Celtic Remains, which will then be brought to a close. It is to be from the pen of the compiler's grandson, the distinguished author of The Songs of Two Worlds, etc.

Archaeologia Cambrensis.

FOURTH SERIES.No. XXXII.

OCTOBER, 1877.

THE MANORIAL PARTICULARS OF THE COUNTY OF GLAMORGAN.

THE County of Glamorgan was constituted by an Act of 27 Henry VIII, and, by that Act, was composed of the lordship of Glamorgan, which lay between the Rhymny and the Crumlyn brook; and the lordships of Čilvae and Gower, which extended it westward to the Llwchwr river. The words of the statute recognise the old distinction between the shire fee, sometimes called "the County", or the "Body of the County", and the Members, and enact "That the lordships, townes, parishes, commotes, hundredes, and cantredes of Gower, Kilvey, Bishopstowne, Landaffe, Sighnith Supra, Singnith Subtus, Miskin, Ogmore, Glesnothney, Tallagam, Ruchien, Tallavan, Lanblethian, Lantwide, Tieriall, Avan, Neth, Landway, and the Cleyes, in the said country of Wales, etc., etc., shall stand and be guildable for ever, etc., united, annexed, and joyned to and with the countie of Glamorgan, as a member, part, or parcel of the same". (27 Henry VIII, cap. 26.) Here the county to which the enumerated lordships are to be annexed is the old shire fee or body, and the lordships, etc., are the members. Of these, Senghenydd, Miscin, Glyn Rhondda, Ruthyn, Talavan, Llanblethian, Tir y Iarll, Avan, and Neath, were member-lordships. Ogmore, as held by the powerful lords of Cidwelly, and latterly by the Dukes

4TH SER., VOL. VIII.

18

of Lancaster and the crown, occupied a peculiar position from the rank of its tenants. Llandaff, as held by the Bishop, was excluded from the old shire. Llantwit was named either as the seat of an ancient religious community, or because Boverton, a part of it, was the lord's demesne. Why Talygarn, a private manor or submanor, is mentioned, is not known. The others, Bishopston, Llandewy, and the Clays, belonged to Cilvae and Gower.

Although the Normans created many manors, and, it may be, a certain number of parishes, yet as they preserved, under one name or another, most of the Welsh boundaries and subdivisions, it will be proper to commence by stating what these were according to Caradoc of Llancarvan or his editors.

1. Cantred GRONETH, which included the commots of-(a) Rung Nedd, that is between or about Neath, and Avan. (b) Tir y Hundred, probably Tir y Iarll in Glyn Corrwg. (c) Maenor Glyn Ogwr. Maenor or Maenawr is the Norman "manor". At present Groneth is the name of the western of the deaneries into which the Glamorgan part of the see of Llandaff is divided.

II. Cantred PENNYTHEN included the commots of— (a) Miscin. (b) Glyn Rhondda. (c) Maenor Talavan. (d) Maenor Ruthyn.

III. Cantred BRENHINOL. The kingly or royal cantred, which included the commots of (a) Cibwr. (b) Senghenydd Uchaiach, or above or north of the Caiach. (c) Senghenydd Iscaiach, or below that stream. So far all is plain; but the above three cantreds only include the northern parts or members, and leave the southern part or body of the shire unnoticed. This is intended to be included in what follows, but is mixed up with Monmouthshire.

IV. Cantred GWENTLHWG or Gwentloog, said to contain the commots of Y Rheordh Ganol and Eithafdylgion, and to include Llandaff and Cardiff, Cowbridge, Llantwit, and Caerphilly; and to be traversed by the rivers Ley (Ely), Taff, Tawy, Neth, Avan, and Lhychur.