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III.—Charter of Appropriation of the Church of Oystermouth to the Hospital at Swansea by Adam Houghton, Bishop of St. David's, A.D. 1379. (Harl. MS. 1249, fol. 161.)

"Adam, by divine permission Bishop of St. David's, and the Chapter of the same place, to all the faithful servants of Christ salvation and perpetual remembrance of the subject matter. Whereas the Lord Henry de Gower (of happy memory with posterity), formerly Bishop of St. David's, with sincere and highly laudable devotion hath honourably founded a certain Hospital in the town of Sweynesey, in the said diocese of St. David's, and other spiritual and temporal revenues for the support of a certain warden, chaplains, and poor and infirm persons dwelling therein, hath legally and happily added, the which (since the first foundation of the said Hospital) are, by the changes of the times, much diminished, and evidently insufficient for the wants of those now dwelling therein;-We, duly considering the very numerous benefits and works of piety conferred on the said Church of St. David, the Bishops, his successors, and the other ministers thereof, [both] whilst the Spouse survived and dwelt among men, and also after the decease of the said Father, which out of his estate he lastingly conferred (we well considering the whole matter), do appropriate the parish Church of Oystermouth in the said diocese, of which the Warden of the said Hospital is now patron, to the support of the said Warden, chaplains, poor and infirm persons dwelling therein; and that both the number of the faithful, and that divine worship may be therein extended (because of the evident utility and the urgent necessity of the case), We do, with the consent of the Chapter, hereby annex and unite the same, with all its rights and purtenances, to be possessed for ever.

"Giving and granting to the said Warden free and full power of entering and taking possession of the Church of Oystermouth now vacant, of our authority, or obtained (of others).

"And for the indemnity of our Church of St. David and of the Archdeacon of Kermerdyn, in whose archdeaconry the said Church of Oystermouth is situated, we direct that the fabric of our Church of St. David shall receive annually two shillings on the feast of St. James; and that the said Archdeacon, for the time being, shall have each year, on the same festival, ten pence from the Warden of the said Hospital, both as an indemnity to our Church and himself as aforesaid,

"Given at the Chapter House of our Church of St. David the

eleventh day of March in the thirteen hundred and seventyninth year of our Lord, and of our consecration the eighteenth. In witness of which things we, Adam, Bishop, and the Chapter aforesaid, have caused our seals to be affixed to these presents."

PARISH RECORDS.

BY THE REV. ELIAS OWEN, M.A.
(Read at Denbigh, August 1887.)

In the old oak chests preserved in our parish churches are deposited Registers, churchwardens' accounts, vestry minutes, brief receipts, terriers, and other documents. of a miscellaneous kind, all of which are well worthy of careful perusal, as they throw considerable light on social and other matters connected with the parishes.

The oldest documents in these chests are the registers of marriages, baptisms, and funerals. These are often written on vellum; and the writing is usually legible, and easily deciphered. The entries in these Registers, in the sixteenth century and the early part of the seventeenth are in Latin, but after this date English is used; but there is no rule for language strictly adhered to, as even in the sixteenth century English is sometimes used, whilst occasionally Latin is met with even in the latter part of the seventeenth century.

The entries in these Registers are mixed-marriages, deaths, and baptisms following each other in the order they occurred; and the entries are short, and hardly sufficient, in all instances, to identify the parties referred to. But when they were made, this would not be the case. Thus it would require special aptitude for tracing genealogies ere such entries as the following could be made available, particularly when it is borne in mind that like names were common in the parish:

"1598. Item. Moris ap Rob't was buried the 6th day of March the year above written."

This entry is an extract from Cerrig y drudion Register.

It is not my intention to dwell at any length on parish Registers; but I may say that I have noticed. that during the Commonwealth there is often a break in these Registers, and they are not then, for some cause or other, kept. This remark, however, is not of universal application, for in some parishes the Registers were carefully kept during the period referred to. An instance of interruption or cessation, during the days of Cromwell, occurs in Llanycil Register. Thus there are only two entries from 1649 to 1660 in that Register, and these are marriages. They are as follows:

"Thomas Lloyd of the pish of Llanvihangel and Catharine Edwards of this pish were married the last day of August 1655 before John Vaughan Esquier one of the iustices of the peace for the countie of Merionith."

And the next entry is :

"John Jones Llanyckill min' of the Gospell and Elizabeth Davies of Llanvair Diffrin Clwyd were married the 28th day of July 1659."

The first extract is interesting as indicating how marriages were performed in the time of the Commonwealth. In those days banns of marriage were published on three successive market days in the Market Place, and the ceremony was performed in the presence of a justice of the peace.

Curious entries are occasionally met with, written by the parson, in the pages of Parish Registers. These have reference to various matters. In Nantglyn Register are entries referring to the severity of the weather. Thus :

"Memdum That on ye 29th of May 1759 there was a Deep Snow upon Moel Gwthas opposite to Nantglyn.

"Will. Samuel Vicr

And again:

of Nantglyn."

"Memdum That on the Sunday morning May 27th 1821 the

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In Cerrig y drudion the appearance of a comet is chronicled in the Register, and many are the disasters which were supposed to follow in its wake, and these are enumerated. The entry is in parts illegible, but the following is readable:

"1652. Stella Candata. A comett appeared the 7 of December & continued every night to be seen till about the last of the same month being retrograd in the first part of Gemini and last of taurus ...... moving from south to north with a very quick motion presaging great calamities to Husbandmen detriment of cattell putrifaction of corn...... variety of laws ...... death of great commanders etc."

The latter part of this entry is particularly curious and interesting.

On the first page of Clocaenog Register the following entry is made, but it is neither dated nor signed. The entry, though, is of importance, as it tells us that the stained glass window in that church dated from 1533. The entry is as follows:

"Upon the East window of Clocaenoc Church this inscription is left, though somewhat defaced:

'Jesu Christ is most

Have marce on then (m)

That made this cost A° Domi MCCCCCXXXIII'."

At present there is no stained glass in the window, excepting a few fragments; but there is in the parish a tradition that it was removed to make room for common, transparent glass, as the church was dark. This was done rather than going to the trouble and expense of making a window in the north wall. It need hardly be said that at present there is not a vestige of the inscription given above.

In several Registers I find reference to excommunication and penance. Thus, on the inside cover of the

Parish Register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, are to be seen the following entries:

"Memorand. August ye 11th 1771. The following Persons denounced Excommunicated.

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Mary Jones Mary Davies Edwd Lloyd Mary Ingram and Mary Evans all for Fornication and Bastardy

It is added that

"by Isaac Davies curate".

......

"Two of the abovementioned viz. Mary Ingram & Mary Evans were absolved at Pool by Thos. Hughes. on Friday ye 29 Day of May 1772 and did penance in Newtown Church on Sunday ye 31 before the whole congregation."

Penance in those parts of Montgomeryshire reached our own days. I was personally acquainted with an old farmer who in his younger days did penance, robed in a white sheet, in Llanwnog Church. I received this information from the present parish clerk of that church, who is between eighty and ninety years old. In other parts of Wales the aged have told me of sons who publicly did penance in church for evil doings. Entries similar to the foregoing are also in Llanfair Dyffryn Clwyd Register. They are as follows:

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"Memorand. That Robt. Thomas Jones and Katherine his wife excommunicated persons for having been married without license were reconciled to the church and Absolved by Mr. Pierce Lewis on June 26, 1693."

Immediately underneath this entry it is stated that "Peter Edwards & Katherine his wife excommunicated for the like offense were absolved by Mr. Pierce Lewis, June 27, 1693."

Next follow other entries which show that people were excommunicated for profaning the Lord's Day and for clandestine marriage. They are as follows:

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'Henry Richard for prophaning the Lord's Day and John David and Alice vch Thomas for clandestine marriage were all three pronounced excommunicated July 1694.

"Alice ych Thomas the wife of John David being penitent

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