uppermost tilestones of the Upper Ludlow series was originally a natural knoll. The Rev. Jonathan Williams, in his History of Radnorshire, page 285, considers that this was the residential palace of the British reguli or chieftains of this district long prior to the Norman invasion. Such it may have been, but only on the supposition that the reguli of those days were contented with a cave or a stockaded enclosure of a few feet only in area for a palatial residence. The elevated mound forms a commanding site for a place of observation, and no doubt has often been used for this object. To-day the view along the valley of the Upper Wye, the precipitous banks of the river Edw, the deep dingle, along whose base flows this garrulous river, with the finely wooded opposite side, the posterity of the primeval forest, formed objects of most pleasing beauty.

The parish Church is situated a distance of four hundred yards from this knoll. It is of the usual type so prevalent in Wales, consisting of a nave and chancel of the same width, a tower at the west end and a porch (in this instance of unusually large dimensions) upon the north side-measuring externally 18ft. by 16ft., and being proportionately high. The porch entrance is framed in heavy oak-timbered work, with open quatrefoil and trefoils above, and internally there is a double row of seats on each side, the lower in oak beams, the upper in stone. It would be interesting to know whether local traditions throw any light upon any use that may have been made in earlier days of so large a porch. Mr. Clarke informed us that it reminded him of what he had read in "The Crosses of the Vale of Clwydd," namely, that in the 13th century the Bishop petitioned to have the practice discontinued in that valley of using the Church porches on market days for the sale of commodities. Upon a large hard stone lying before the threshold of the porch appears the following inscription well engraved, and in excellent state of preservation-I. H. 1604. Engravings upon several stones in the walls of the Church on both north and south sides were remarkable for the fineness of their execution and for their well-preserved condition. A mural tablet of a softer structure, recording the demise of a Freemason, had been removed into the vestry. The quaint inscription upon it is given in full below, in the Rev. A. G. Adamson's description of the Church.+

Two venerable yew trees in the churchyard are undoubtedly the most ancient living remnants of antiquity here. Their riven hollow trunks, with gnarled excrescences, boughs, and branches, rendered the work of their measurement, at a height of 5ft. from the ground, in accordance with the rule of our Club, a matter of such difficulty, that their girth was taken at 3ft. from the ground, and was found to be respectively 23ft. 2in. and 18ft. 6in. From Transactions 1871, page 3, the inference would be drawn that there were four yew trees in the churchyard; but the parish clerk, David Williams, who has lived at Aberedw all his lifetime, bears evidence that within the memory of his nine and seventy years there have never been more than these two yew trees. The clerk's father, a carpenter, died in this parish at the ripe age of 91.

(A.G.A).

*Recently removed to the wall within the Porch, for its better safety and preservation.†This tablet is now fixed within the Porch.-(A.G.A.)

The rector, the Rev. A. G. Adamson, conducted the members of the Club over his Church, and began his explanation of its interesting details by informing them that it was dedicated to St. Cewydd, who, according to Canon W. L. Bevan (Diocesan Histories, St. David's, p. 5), was a northern chieftain from Strathclyde, who came to Wales in about the 5th century. Three Churches, viz., Aberedw, and Disserth in Radnorshire, and Llangewydd in Glamorganshire, are dedicated to him. A road in Aberedw is still called "Cil-gewydd." S. Cewydd is the Welsh S. Swithin the dates of their Feasts correspond. S. Swithin's Day is July 15th. Aberedw people say that "Aberedw Feast is on the second Sunday in July." One woman told the Rector "it is the Sunday after Becket's Feast." Becket's Feast was on July 7th.

In the churchyard is the tomb of John Davies. He was a brother of the antiquary, the Rev. Edward Davies, author of Celtic Researches and Mythology and Rites of the British Druids. His life appears in Leslie Stephen's Dictionary of National Biography. He died in 1831.

Exterior of Church.-South side, five windows, the two in the chancel are Jacobean, the two next in the nave are churchwardens' windows of wood, the south-west window is of the 14th century; this last and the two chancel windows are of Red Sandstone. The chancel door, though now walled up, is clearly visible. The original use of it by the Priest obtained until thirty years ago, when the men of the congregation alone entered by it. There are two mural tablets on the south-east wall with the following inscriptions :

I-Just opposite under C. D.: ther lyeth ye body of Catherine secd daughter to James Davies Cur: of this pish by Mary his wife who dyed ye 18th of 9br, 1709, aged 11 weeks.

How fading are ye joys we dote upon
Like apparitions seen and gone

But those wh soonest take their flight
Are ye most exquisite and strong
Like Angels' visits short and bright
Mortality's too weak to bear them long.

It is hard ye hour to pass.

II. Underneath lie the remains of Daniel James, the son of James James, of Pen-y-blaen in this Parish, Gent., who departed this life Nov. 5, 1786, aged 24 years. After many years' heavy affliction which he bore with Christian patience; he gave up his soul to the hands of a precious Saviour, hoping for the Resurrection of the just.

A friendly youth rests here below

A prisoner to a conquer'd foe:
But Jesus his discharge will sound,

Soon by an Angel, from the ground.

This Daniel James was a younger brother of James James, one of the first ministers of the Calvinistic Methodists in 1811, whose life has been written in Geiriadur Bywgraffyddol (Noted Men of Wales).

East wall: No east window, nor any trace of there ever having been one.
North side: Two windows, in chancel, Jacobean; in the nave one of 14th

century, both of Red Sandstone.

On the chancel wall, three tablets recording, in finely chiselled engraving upon very hard stone, that people were buried "under the green stone," dates 1703, 1707, 1716. The meaning of the " 'green stone" still remains an unsolved mystery.

In the angle between the porch and the tower is a large mound with a semicircular wall in front. It appears to have been a vast grave from the fact that, when a hole was dug three years ago for a scaffold pole, bones were at once disclosed.

Within the memory of people now living the Stocks stood at the churchyard gate. Ball-playing used to be common in the churchyard, Fives against the wall of the Tower, and a kind of Tennis along the roof on the south side. A small window in the Tower was filled up to prevent the fives-ball going in, and a hollow in the ground, filled up only two years ago, was made by the feet of the fives-players.

Interior. The font is new: the old one, circular, was removed about thirty years ago to Alltmawr Church, in Breconshire, on the opposite side of the Wye. The chancel-screeen is pre-Reformation from the floor to the lower beam of the loft the loft, however, has disappeared, if it ever existed. From the floor of the loft to a beam near the roof perpendicular railings were inserted, perhaps in the Jacobean period. Mr. Robert Clarke considered that the lower and upper parts were alterations of the 18th century, but the framing and middle portion is of the original perpendicular work, with the archway, and cusped tracery heads, seven in each side now remaining.

The screen appears to have been turned round, as its carved side faces the east. At the entrance of the chancel was formerly the inscription "Marry here," the work of some rubrical mind. The rector has restored the ancient custom. The roofs of chancel and nave are barrel-shaped, that of the chancel, ribbed in oak, and plastered between.

Tablets in chancel.-North side, Baskerville, a very old family in Aberedw, now represented by W. B. Mynors, Esq., Bosbury House, Ledbury; of Jones, Rhysgog, now a farm house with some internal remains of past greatness.

South side, James James, the father of the Calvinistic preacher before referred to. He owned, and lived at Pen-y-Blaen, in the upper part of the parish.

Vestry. Really a part of the Church, partitioned off, probably in the early part of this century, for a parish school. In the vestry is kept a mural tablet, removed, for the sake of preservation, from the exterior east wall; the inscription runs-Here lieth the body of Jeremiah Cartwright, son of William Cartwright, of Choulton in ye parish of Lidbury and County of Sallop, Freemason. He left issue Jeremiah, William, John, Humphrey, Sarah, Elizabeth, and Anna. He died 8br. 4, 1722, aged 73.

*The mound has since been removed, and the conjecture proved correct. (A.G.A.)
Now fixed inside the Porch.-(A.G.A.)

Now Cartwright he with all his skill
Can use no Pencill, Toole, nor quill;
As he on others oft did write
Now others do on him Indite;

But though he lie awhile in dust

We have assured hope, and trust

That man's Great Builder will him raise
And build him up unto His praise,

At the last Resurrection,

In Christ, the living corner stone.

Church plate. Nothing ancient but a large silver chalice, nine and threequarter inches high, inscribed: Aber-edw 1700. Respecting this chalice, the following information has been received from the Goldsmiths' Hall :-"The silver chalice was made in the year 1706 by one Benjamin Pyne whose shop was in St. Martins-le-Grand. His mark, as registered with us, was a crown over a star with the letters P.Y. under. The plate must have been a piece of what is called Britannia plate (Britannia with shield and trident and a lion's head erased). This plate was only marked as the sole standard between the years 1697---1720. 8 dwts. better than present standard, or very nearly pure silver. The last mark, which you say looks like the Hebrew letter Coph, is really the 'year letter' L in old English Courthand."

It is

Books, registers, various papers; a black letter Bible, authorised version. The title page of the Old Testament is missing, that of the New Testament bears the date 1639. On the margin of the first chapter of Genesis appear in manuscript the following directions to the binder. "June 22th, 1662, to bind buffe, et., and p'rfct this Aberedows Church Bible in 8 weeks tyme, and to rec. for doing it £1 2s. Od." Apparently this binding still contains the book. Over the £1 is written "George," and on the opposite page "Thomas George," in the same handwriting, probably that of the Rector or Churchwarden who gave the directions for binding.

The registers are modern. Baptisms and burials from 1740. Marriages from 1754. In the former are recorded the census of 1811 and 1821. In the former year the population was 395, in the latter year 311. In 1891 it was 193. In this register also occur the lines :

In the marriage register the woman signs herself first by her maiden name, and then adds "alias so and so," giving the married name. One hundred years ago the spelling seems to have been phonetic. "Dotter" for "Daughter"; "bired" for "buried"; "Vawn" for "Vaughan" occur.

The overseers' accounts from 1823 are preserved. Much ale seems to have been drunk at vestries. Such entries as "Ale at a vestry, £1 6s. 6d." are

common.

Loose papers preserved in the Church coffer.-Wills from 1803-1827; leases from 1795-1810; marriage settlements, one 1770; indentures of apprenticeship, one 1777. From these a number of curious and interesting particulars may be gleaned.

So soon as Mr. Adamson had completed the above detailed description of his Church, he conducted the members higher up the Edw stream, to Mr. W. B. Mynors' fishing cottage upon its banks. Here took place an important part of the day's programme, to wit, luncheon, Mr. Mynors having very kindly placed his cottage at the disposal of the members for the day. Afterwards followed a very interesting paper read upon the lawn, upon the banks of the pure mountain stream, here skirting the base of the steep rocks surmounted by the Church, with the graceful woods on the opposite side of the dingle in the background. This paper, by the Rev. Augustin Ley, was called "Notes on the Botany of Aberedw," and was really a good contribution towards the flora of the district, rendered to-day more valuable by the addition of 98 new species. At the close of the day Mr. Ley gave the following summary: of flowering plants 340, of ferns &c., 18, of mosses 120, or a total of 478 species.

Continuing under the guidance of Mr. Adamson, passing the spout or well "Danderw," locally pronounced Dandrew, and signifying “under the oaks," the river Edw was crossed by a plank, and the wooded steeps of the opposite hill were scaled, from which a walk over two or three fields brought the members to Prince Llewellyn's cave, a natural excavation in the rock, about seven feet square and as many in height. The Rev. Jonathan Williams, in his history of Radnorshire, says (page 285) :-" Artificial excavations of this description are frequently to be met with in several parts of Wales, and undoubtedly were used as places of refuge and secure retreat in periods of trouble and danger. Perhaps also the disciples of Druidism resorted thither, in order to contemplate with greater freedom and abstraction, and treasure up in their memories the mysterious arcana of their order." If Aberedw was, as it is said to have been, Prince Llewellyn's favourite hunting seat, it is very possible and probable that this cave was known to him; and if he ever made it a temporary residence, he would at least be spared the luxury of a four-poster during his tenancy, or the necessity of providing a caretaker during his absence. History does not, so far as we have read, record the fact of Prince Llewellyn at this critical period in his struggles abandoning his own followers to secrete himself in a cave. On the contrary, he maintained his activity until his disastrous death by the hands of Adam de Francton. In 1282 the forces of Edward I. entered North Wales at several points; Llewellyn Ab Gruffudd, leaving a strong force behind him in Cardiganshire, which county he had subdued, advanced towards his castle at Aberedw; learning that a large force under Sir Edmund Mortimer and John Gifford, reinforced by the men of Herefordshire, was occupying the Breconshire side of the river Wye at Cafan Twm Bach-or Little Tom's boat *. -at Erwood, he (Llewellyn) posted an advanced detachment near a

* CAFAN TWM BACH.-With reference to the proper meaning of the ferry called "Cafan Twm Bach," the Rev. W. Gordon Williams, Vicar of Gwenddwr, has sent the following interpretation :-"It signifies Little Tom's Boat,' but I have never been able to discover who 'Twm Bach,' or 'Little Tom,' was; he may have been contemporary with another Tom who had charge of the ferry boat at Boughrood. The word 'Cafan' is still used on the Wye-side upper waters for a boat, although the usual Welsh term for boat is 'bâd' or cwch.' 'Cafan really means hollowed or dug out. Compare Latin 'cavus' and its many derivatives, concave, excavate, and possibly the very word we use when we speak of Llewellyn's cave at Aberedw. I think that originally the cafan was a hollowed or burnt out trunk of a tree formed into a boat. The bâd or cwch would more or less be composed of planks and cross beams. Chambers's Etymological Dictionary connects boat with bâd. Cafan, besides meaning an old tree trunk boat, is used for a pig-trough, cafan moch, and eaves-trough, cafan tô, literally roof-trough."