The

the undersigned, tenants, and other friends have much pleasure in presenting you with the accompanying watch and chain on the occasion of your obtaining your majority, 28th October, 1890, and we beg to unite in most sincere wishes for your future health and happiness." Here followed the names of about 160 subscribers. address was engrossed on vellum, beautifully illuminated, and encased in a massive oak frame. Mr W. Herbert then presented the watch and chain, with a few suitable remarks. The watch is a gold keyless demihunter, with massive double English gold cases, jewelled, and having on the outer case Mr R. Salwey's crest and monogram and motto richly engraved. On the inner case was the following inscription :-" Presented to Roger Salwey, Esq., on his attaining his majority, 28th October, 1890, by tenants and other friends.' Mr Roger

Salwey, on rising to respond, said he was not like his father, accustomed to public speaking, but he rose on that occasion to thank all who had been the means of giving him such a handsome present. He assured them he would value it very much as a gift from friends whom he had known so long, and he thanked them most heartily for their kindness.

DEATH OF THE ARCHBISHOP OF YORK.

The Most Rev. William Thomson, D.D., Archbishop of York, died on Christmas Day at his residence, Bisohp3thorpe Palace, York, at seven o'clock in the morning, a the age of 71. His Grace was seriously ill some months ago, and although recovering at the time, was not strong enough to preside at the Church Congress at Hull, as he had been announced to do. Although he had recovered from that attack. the Archbishop remained in a feeble state, and a few days ago had a serious relapse. While staying at Keswick in September his Grace had a slight paralytic stroke, and had never been able to resume the active duties of the archiepiscopite. He recovered sufficiently, however, to allow of his taking walking and carriage exercise in the neighbourhood of the palace, and as late as Friday and Saturday last took part in an examination of candidates for ordination. On Saturday he was seized with faintness, and on the following day became comatose. His condition grew worse, until on Wednesday morning he became totally unconscious. Nearly all the members of the prelate's family were present at the time of death. It is understood that Dr Thomson had suffered from diabetes for 10 or 11 years. The arrangements for the funeral have not yet been decided. Reference was made. to the mournful event by Archdeacon Blunt at the Christmas morning service in York Minster, as well as from other pulpits in the city.

Men of the Time says:-The most Rev William Thomson, D.D., Archbishop of York, son of the late Mr John Thomson, of Kelswick House, was born at Whitehaven, Cumberland, February 11th, 1819, was educated at Shrewsbury School and at Queen's College, Oxford, of which he was successively Scholar, Fellow, Tutor, and Provost. He took the degree of B.A. in 1840, was ordained deacon in 1812, and priest in 1843. After four years' experience of parochial labour at Guildford and at Cuddesden, he became tutor of his college, and was appointed Select Preacher at Oxford in 1843. He was chosen to preach the Bampton Lectures in 1853, the subject being "The Atoning Work of Christ." He continued at Oxford until his marriage (1855) with Zoe. daughter of Mr James Heury Skene. He was appointed to the Crown living of All Souls', Marylebone, in 1855; and the provostship of the college becoming vacant by the death of Dr Fox, he was, notwithstanding the part he had taken in altering the close constitution of the

college, which had excited some opposition, elected to succeed him. In 1856 he was appointed one of the Select Preachers a second time; in 1858 he was chosen Prescher of Lincoln's Inn, which post he held till his elevation to the Episcopal Bench; and in 1859 he was appointed one of her Majesty's Chaplains-in-Ordinary. On the translation of Dr Baring to the bishopric of Durham, Dr Thomson was, on the recommendation of Lord Palmerston, appointed to the vacant see of Gloucester and Bristol (December, 1861). He did not remain long in that. diocese, for on the death of Archbishop Sumner, Dr Longley was translated to Canterbury, the archiepiscopal see of York became vacant, and after some delay the appointment was, contrary to all precedent, conferred (November, 1862) on Dr Thomson, who had not been a twelvemonth bishop. The enthronisation was celebrated in York Minster, February 24th, 1863. His Grace took an active part in promoting the Public Worship Regulation Act, and had charge of that measure in the House of Paers; and, at his instance, the Government, in February, 1878, consented to the appointment of a Royal Commission on Caurch Patronage. De Thomson, who is a fellow of the Royal and Geographical Societys, was for some time Examiner in Logic and Mental Science to the Society of Arts, and acted for several years as Examiner in Divinity in the Oxford Middle-class Examinations. He was the author of numerous theological treatises. He also edited " Aids to Faith" (1861), a series of theological essays, by several writers, in reply to the "Essays and Reviews"; and he was the projector of "The Speakers Commentary," to which he contributed the "Introduction to the Gospels." This and other essays have been republised under the title of "Word, Work, and Will." His Grace was Primate of England, a Govenor of the Charterhouse and of King's College, London, and patron of ninety-six livings. The see is of the annual value of £10.000.

The remains of the late Archbishop of York were interred on Dec. 30, in the prett, churchyard adjoining the archiepiscopal palace at Bishopthorpe, near York. The ceremony was preceded by a commemorative service in York Cathedral, where the occasion was marked by the draping of the archiepiscopal throne, and the presence of the Archbishop of Canterbury, and the Bishops of Ripon, Sodor and Man, Wakefield, Winchester, Newcastle, and Durham, and representatives of municipal bodies and philanthropic institutions in all parts of the diocese. Some members of his late Grace's family were also present. The service was attended by a vast assemblage; and the body was carried to the grave, which is in the open churchyard, by relays of Sheffield workmen, amongst whom his Grace had been an especial favourite. A portion of the service in the church was read by the Dean of York, and that at the graveside ny the Bishop of Beverley, Archdeacon Yeoman, and Archdeacon Blunt. The benediction was pronounced by the Archbishop of Canterbury. The remains were interred in a corner of the churchyard on the banks of the river, or within a stone's throw of the archiepiscopal palace.

LUDLOW CHURCH CLOCK AND BELLS. Ludlow church appears to have first possessed a clock in the fifteenth century, when the Churchwardens' Accounts gave frequent payments for "Mendying of Clokke." There is also a sum of three shillings (a considerable amount in those days) from the executors of John Hosier "to mend ye clokke and ye quer'dore." In the sixteenth century chymes are found to have been introduced, and the keeper of them received a yearly salary of 68. 8d. In 1602 the

chymes are described as occupying "the myddle Roame of the Steeple," and they must have been similar in construction to the ones familiar to us, consisting of a cable rope, a wheel, a barrel with iron p'ns, and hammers with wires and springs. The almost incessant bell-ringing of the two centuries above alluded to, caused a good deal of, wear and tear as is proved by continual charges for repairs. Early in the 17th century a noted bell-founder named Oldfield was called in to inspect the contents of the steeple, and as a result two bells were re-cast on the spot and the whole of the peal re-fitted. About 100 years later they were sent to the foundry of the Rudhalls of Gloucester, the most famous bell-founding family on record, who flourished there from the time of Henry VIII, till about 70 years ago, the whole of the peal being broken up and the present one produced (except the tenor which met with an accident in 1823 and was re-cast by Mears of London.) Again another century and the clock was exhibiting signs of decay, so it was replaced by a new one from the factory of Knight, of Birmingham in 1846, with a movement going eight days instead of 30 hours. It stood on the floor of the lantern until the restoration of the interior in 1860, when it was pushed higher up. and the fall of the weights consequently diminished, rendering it necessary to wind twice a week instead of once. As a piece of workmanship, the clock is of first-rate quality, the only defect being a want of power in the quarter and striking parts, the hammers weighing respectively only 11, 12, and 21lb. When the bells are re-hung and the clock is fixed, it will be found that this defect has been remedied, as it is being thoroughly overhauled and various improvements introduced at the expense of an old inhabitant of the parish. The work is being carried out by Messrs Leeson and Son, cathedral and church clock manufacturers, Coleshill, and comprises : · Improved quarter part with new mechanism to lift five sets of hammer work striking the Cambridge and Westminster quarters on the second, third, fourth, and seventh bells, with hammers weighing 24, 26, 29, and 45lb. Reconstruction and improvement of the striking part in order to gain more power for lifting a new hour hammer weighing 631b. The weight of these hammers will bring out the full tone of the bells, and the clock will be heard at a greater distance than formerly. In the going or watch part, the old pinwheel escapement has been discarded for a new Denison's double three legged gravity, with zinc and iron compensated pendulum 15ft. long, two seconds to the beat, with domical bob weighing 2cwt. This improvement will insure most accurate time keeping, as the compensation pendulum will be unaffected by variations of temperature. New steel wire

ropes in the place of the present hemp ones. The clock will be raised 12ft higher in the tower, but the fall of the weights remains the same as formerly. From the foregoing description it will be seen that the clock is being fitted with improvements all round. The bells are in the key of D, the tenor weighing nearly 263wt., and the four selected for striking the quarters, sound the notes of C Sharp, B, A, and E, or precisely the same notes as would be obtained from a peal of 10 in the key of A. The treble or smallest bell has been recast by Messrs Taylor and Co., Loughborough, who had reported that it was not equal in quality to the rest of the peal, while the others have been tuned and quarter turned so that the clappers will not strike on the worn parts of the bells. New fittings throughout have been provided by Messrs Taylor, also a chiming apparatus by which one man can chime the whole of the peal for church services, instead of eight men as formerly, and a massive oak frame, supported by two heavy iron girders, has been erected by Mr Thompson to carry the bell cage. The clock work is nearly finished, and the bells have long been ready for re-hanging, so nothing is wanting but the permission of the contractor to restore to us the old familiar sounds we are so anxiously waiting to hear,

THE SEVERN FROZEN.

In consequence of the severe frost the Severn at Shrewsbury was on the 21st inst, covered with a coating of ice in portions of the river which have not been frozen for eleven years. All round the bend which borders the Quarry the ice was one compact sheet, and stretched from some little distance above the Priory down nearly to the Friar's Bridge, though it was not all this that would bear skaters. By Monday morning the

ice had considerably thickened, and throughout the day a large number of juveniles were to be seen disporting themselves on its surface, although there was a strong feeling that the ice was hardly safe. There was a sharp frost however during the morning and afternoon, and this had the effect of inducing a large number of skaters to venture on the ice during Monday evening, several enthusiasts remaining thereon. The weather was more severe than it has been since January, 1881, over twenty degrees of frost being recorded. A thick coating of snow covered the country for miles around. The Severn at Bridgnorth was also frozen over, and on Monday skating and sliding were largely indulged in. This was the severest frost experienced in this district since 1858. Owing to the severe weather, hundreds of people have been thrown out of employment. Оп Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, the frost was so severe that the Severn was frozen over a distance of half a mile between Ironbridge and Buildwas. It is a number of years since this occurred before, and then only after several weeks of continued frost.

UNVEILING MEMORIAL WINDOWS AT
BICTON CHURCH.

Two memorial windows, which have recently been erected in the church at this place, in memory of the Rev. G. Newton Lloyd (a former vicar), and the relatives of E. Martha Bowen, were unveiled the other day. The Lloyd memorial window was first unveiled by Colonel Wingfield, who said: I declare this window which I now unveil, to have been inserted "To the Glory of God and in affectionate remembrance of George Newton Lloyd, M.A., twelve years vicar of this parish. During his pastorate he earnestly promoted the building and com pletion of this church. This window was inserted by his widow, the parishioners, and friends." Then followed the dedication ceremony by the Vicar, the Rev. FS Edwards. The subject of the window is-in the centre compartment, our Lord as the Light of the world; and, on either side, S. Paul preaching at Athens and S. John the Baptist. In the quatrefoil is the "Agnus Dei" preaching in the Wilderness. The window is the upper hree-light one on the north side of the church and next to the pulpit. The surpliced choir then moved down to the bottom window of the north aisle (two lights), singing the first verse of the hymn "Through the night, etc." Then Colonel Win'gfield unveiled the Bowen memorial window, saying: "I declare this window, which I now unveil, to have been inserted to the Glory of God by E Martha Bowen in affectionate remembrance of her deceased relatives. Nov., 1890."-The window was subsequently dedicated by the Vicar.-At the close of the unveiling Colonel Wingfield said: The subject of the window is the Annunciation or the Arnouncement by the angel Gabriel to the Blessed Virgin that she should become the Mother of our Lord. In the quatrefoil is the dove as the emblem of the Holy Spirit. The windows were executed by Messrs. Burlison and Grills, London; and Mr John Paddock, of Bicton, assisted in their insertion.

END OF VOL. IX.

7 January, 1891.

REMARKABLE OCCURRENCES, GIFTS, &c., EXTRACTED FROM SHROPSHIRE PARISH REGISTERS, &c.

(15 October 1890.)

are

OSWESTRY. 1599. Mem in 1590, 102 persons supposed to have died of ye plague from July 11 to August 31; and from September 1 to September 21, 91; and from October 8 to November 30, 1599, 146; and from December 2, 1599, till January 16, bur. 91 of ye plague.

1597. In ys year and ye 2 that went before, Corne was at a great price, and especially last somer, for in July last past, 1597, Uswestree Bushel of Wheate was 233, Rie at 198 and above, Barley at 16s., and Otes at 108.; and had yt not bin for Dausk Rie and Beanes ye Realme ys year had byn like to endure skarcitie of victualls.

HANWOOD. 1701. The new erected church finished this

year.

SHREWSBURY, ST. MARY.

1604. June 2. Here ye

sickness or plague began. 1617. 14 prisoners convicted at ye Assizes, and buried here.

1645. July 3. Mr Edwards, a divine, buried, who was

slain by a chamber peece breaking in our Castle ye 29 July, at ye Rejoycinge for a great victory obtayned in Wem by ye Parliament.

1645. September 26. Bur........Leeftenant to Capt. Davenport, also ...... Corporall to Col. Hunt, who were slain at Bridgnorth.

1616. March 27, bur. Capt. Cowper, of Longnor, who was shott at Arkall when ye siege was there. SHREWSBURY, ST. CHAD. 1647. Dec. 23.

A woman

burned in ye Quarell for poysning her husband. 1650. The Plague began in Frankwell in John Corne's house-252 persons died-it ended January 16.

1656. March 21. Mr Paul Isaiah, a converted Jew, buried.

1657. June 30. Mrs Jenkes, widow, of ye Bent Stone, buried.

ACTON ROund. 1782. Whitmore Acton, of Acton Round, Esq., obtained leave to pull down and rebuild the Chancell of the psh church, and to make a burying vault under the same, and to remove ye pulpit to a more convenient place in ye said ehurch, and to alter and make more uniform and regular ye seats or pews in ye said church, &c. LEE-BOTWOOD. The Register from 1631 to 1658 inclusive, kept in parson Withington's house, burnt -some were however regd. by their friends from their own books.

BRACE-MEOLE. 1669. The Castle house at Meole burnt down.

1689. Collected for ye Irish Protestants £1 17s. 2d. 1690, do. 178. 3d.

1719 4 Dutch Elms were planted on ye W side of ye Vicarage.

1723. September 23. Wm. Hurred, a souldier of Brigad. Stanwix's regt. encamped in Kingsland within this parish, married. This Regt. Was encamped from ye latter end of June till ye last day of September. W.G.D.FLETCHER.

THE SHUTS OF SHREWSBURY.

(6 August, 1890).

we

The correspondence in this column a short time since elicited by my query as to which was Dun's Shut, while settling it satisfactorily to be the present Phillips's Passage, left unsettled the question, equally interesting, as to which was the King's Heat Shut. Phillips, and the author of Some Account of Shrewsbury, agree in considering it to be another name for the Sextry Passage, or what we now call the Golden Cross Shut; but Owen and Blakeway distinctly say that it was identical with the Peacock Shut. One rarely detects these eminent authors in an error, but I think this is one. I will quote the passage in question "They (the Independents of 1691) assembled at the King's Head,' or rather, as suppose, in the King's Head Shut, for one cannot believe that a religious assembly was holden in a public house. The King's Head Shut, now generally called Peacock Shut, is that which runs from the bottom of College Hill into High Street.' (Vol ii. p. 482.) In the first place I would remark on this that there would be nothing surprising in the Independents worshiping in a room attached to a public house. They held in light esteem the ceremony of consecration, and if a room could be hired, their act of worship would have been a sufficient consecration, though it were attached to a public house. Have we not seen the Lion Room in our own time used for religious worship? Fidelity to their convictions imposed on them many make-shifts.

In the next place I would point out that there was formerly a King's Head Inn in the house now occupied by Mr. Anderton, the jeweller, at the High Street corner of the Peacock Shut. This is on the authority of the late Mr. George Morris, one of our most trusty antiquaries, in a paper on the "Public Houses and Shuts in Shrewsbury." (Trans. Shrop. Arch. Soc. V. p. 100.) Speaking of the public houses in High Street, he says, King's Head, Cotton (i.e. the person who kept it.) House on this side passage leading to Kiln Lane."

Lastly, the existence of this public house explains a statement quoted by the Rev. Mr. Myers from the deed of the High Street Chapel in which its situation is defined as "lying between a place called Dunn's Shutt and Mr. Timothy Seymour's buildings on the one side, and by the King's Head Inn on the other side." Had there been no such a public house, other than the King's Head Shut, the extent of the chapel premises would have included the present Peacock Shut, and all the houses east of it up to the Golden Cross Shut-a thing incredible.

W. P.

*I am bound to say that he gives amongst the shute "King's Head shut, High Street, and Peacock Shut." But he may have been misled by Owen and Blakeway's authority.

THE PRESERVATION OF ANCIENT MONUMENTS. (31 December 1890.)

In view of the recent discussion as to the threatened removal of the old stone Pulpit at Shrewsbury it is of interest to note that not only has the Honourable Society of Cymmrodorian taken active steps to preserve in its own districts any interesting memorials of the past, but at Birmingham-" a new city peopled by new men active steps to the same end kave been undertaken by the Birmingham and Midland Institute.

The Archæological Section of the Institute in their annual report state that :-"The committee find there is need for its constant vigilence and occasional energetic action to prevent the destruction or disappearance of interesting relics of the past. In the summer there was rumour that the picturesque medieval stone bridge over the River Blythe at Hampton-in Arden was to be taken down. Represen. tations were made to the county authorities, and it is hoped that this structure, interesting as telling of the time when most of the traffic of the country was carried on by means of pack-horses, and endeared to us by its being the subject of many a sketch by David Cox and Henshaw, has been saved from destruction. At Perry Barr it was proposed to spoil the old bridge on the Aldridge Road by either re-building it or making alterations which would have quite changed its original appearance, and obliterated its structural characteristics. Letters protesting against the alterations were addressed to the County Council by the section, and by these means, and by the help of other local archæologists, the bridge has been saved. In another case the sale and dispersal of a parish library were prevented by the action of a member of the Archæological Section. The committee feel that in thus helping to preserve the rare memorials of the past they are fulfilling a function which belongs to no other body in the neighbourhood, and in the discharge of which they are performing a duty useful to the community."

Efforts such as these will surely serve as an incentive to Shropshire archaeologists to make their views heard on matters of the ind.

NN.

(except the British County Court District)

1'41

Llandaff

Carmarthen

1590

1600

County of Glamorgan (except Deaneries of East and West Gower) and Co. of Monmouth Cos. of Cardigan, Carmarthen, and Pembroke, and Deaneries of East and West Gower in the Co. of Glamorgan. Anyone desiring to read a will in these District Registers must pay a fee of one shilling, but can copy no part except the names and addresses of the executors, and the date and private number of the will. If he wishes to have a copy he can order one to be made, for which he will pay, according to the length of the will, at the rate of sixpence a folio (ninety words) for an ordinary copy, and ninepence a folio for a certified copy. W.P.

THE DIALECT OF SHROPSHIRE.
(17 December 1890.)

"ONE PAILE and one GAUNE."

They who impugn Miss Jackson's accuracy show much temerity. A.J.M. will have to state a stronger case before he proves that "for once she is wrong." A gaun proper is a gallon pail. The size of a gaun is invariably the gamo. It is a brewing utensil (not "implement") aud serves various purposes in the process-pouring, measuring, &c. When used for pouring drink into barrels through a tundish it is often spoken of as a lade gaun. "A.J.M" has heard, somewhere in Shropshire (he does not state where) a milk pail called a gaun, but the term so applied is a misnomer. A milk pail is not a gaun proper, that is a gallon pail, for it holds more than a gaun. We all know how such terms drift from their primary signification, and are applied to other uses. To ilustrate this, I can instance the transfer of a name from a vessel itself to its contents. A joram originally meant a large dish, but, because that which it held was a large quantity, a secondary meaning gradually attached itself to the word. I knew an old Werthen woman who habitually spoke of "a good joram " of broth, tea, &c., quite regardless whether it was made in a joram or any other utensil. R. E. D.

AN ACT FOR PUNISHMENT OF WELSHMEN 1534.

I send a notice of an Act of Parliament passed in the 26th year of the reign of Henry VIII., A.D. 1534.

"An Act for Punishment of Welshmen attempting any assaults or Affrays upon any of the inhabitants of Hereford, Gloucester, and Shropshire.

"Whosoever dweiling in Wales, or the Marches thereof, shall assault, beat, or hurt any person in the county of Gloucester, Salop, or Hereford, and shall be indicted and convict thereof, shall be one year imprisoned." [To endure to the next Parliament: continued till the next succeeding Parliament, 33, H. 8, c. 17.] What in particular bad taken place to render such an enactment necessary Gloucestershire N. & Q. BENJ. WINSTONE.

"VERCH " IN GENEALOGY.

(31 December 1890.)

Whether the letter "h" as written in the 16th and 17th centuries most resembled a "z" or a "y" of modern writing is a mere matter of opinion; the prevailing opinion, however, being that it most resembles "y,' is evidenced by the semi-modern use of "ye" for "the." But in those old days, as now, different writers often indulged in slight variations in the forms of letters.

as

The contraction in question, as described by Mr Furnival, "v z," with an over-curl from the z's tail, is singularly like a "the" in old writing. The "t" was usually represented by a very short down stroke, which the initial upstroke of the "h" commonly traversed along the whole or chief part of its length, so as often to make it look like a mere accidental thickening of the commencement of the upstroke; but if the upstroke of the "h" separated from the "t" at the bottom of that letter and thence passed upwards clear of it-this would give a form like the letter "v;" and the "overcurl from the z's tail" is an apt description of the mode in which the "e" at the end of "the" was written in those days.

The contexts in the examples cited by Prof. Rhys show elearly that the letters in question cannot be "the." They also show with equal clearness that in those instances they cannot denote an abbreviation of "videlicet," for "Catherynge namely William and "Jane namely Edward" would be simply nonsense,

or as

whereas "Catherynge daughter of William " and " Jandaughter of Edward are perfectly intelligible exprese Bions, and thoroughly explain the rest of the context. This contraction or abbreviation seems evidently intended to consist of the letters "vh" or "vhe' according as the "over-curl" be taken as an a mere terminal flourish. In either case it may well denote" verch," for the superfluous "e" would only be n accordance with the common practice of old English copyists. I never met the word before, and am thankful to Mr. Farnival for calling attention to it, to Prof. Rhys for explaining it, and to yourself for re-producing it in these columns.

I fully endorse what "SILURIAN says of the ignorance of those who first wrote "ye" for "the." WM. ACTON.

COUNTIES AND SHIRES.

(17-24 December 1890.) "VERCH "" IN GENEALOGY. (31 December 1890.)

I notice a communication over the signature of Miss C. S. Burne, in which she quoting from her valuable work Shropshire Folk-lore says: "The county as a whole is English, though there can be doubt that it has received a considerable infusion of Welsh population since war with Wales gave place to trade with Wales;" and she modifies that expression by adding that her meaning would have been better expressed if she had said "We only find traces of a continuous Welsh settlement," &c. Some few years ago I and a friend spent some time at Hereford Diocesan Registry, examining the wills of persons who lived in the parishes which I append. period covered was from 1540 to 1660. Our principal object was to copy the wills of persons who lived in parishes in Montgomeryshire which were in Hereford Diocese, but for genealogical purposes we availed ourselves of the opportunity of making extracts from the wills of all persons proved there who had resided in the Shropshire parishes appended. We examined 875 wills. The table below

what our examination disclosed

will

The

show

"Ap" and Per centage of✩ ✩ · ether

Welsh⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Total of other

lish surnames.

Total of Eng

surnames.

Welsh

names.

clature in each

"Ap" nomen-.

parish.

in each

Total Wills

parish.'

Bettwys-y-Crwyn

31

8

12

Lydham

7

8

1

Hyssington

26

9

7

Churchstoke

139

89

...

Chirbury

Mainstone

Totals.... 875 321

14

11

9

21 9

60.

The result of the examination of these Hereford Wills is printed in Montgomeryshire Collections, volume XIX. The conclusion we came to was that between 1540 and 1660 the names of persons were in a state of transition from the Welsh to the English mode, the more particularly as from 1620-1660 the "ap" had almost disappeared; but we thought the people were just as Welsh in blood as ever.

In the paper referred to the writer made the following remarks:-"The list of names connected

with the Wills will indicate the transition from the Welsh form, such as John ap Je'un to John Evan, and it was noticed that the Welsh form lingered to a later period among the hills and remote spots than in the valleys. Toe wives seemed to have retained their fathers' patronymic, as they are universally described in these Wills as Jane verch John ap Davydd, etc. The Welsh vocable verch, whether the Wills were indicted in Latin or English, was always used to describe daughter from which, added to the fact that parcels of land, where described, are usually so described by Welsh names, it might be inferred that the common language of these districts, at that period, was Welsh.

An examination of the summary of these Wills printed n the above-mentioned volume would show that the great majority of the witnesses' names were Welsh. Although the percentage of Welsh names which evolves from the proportions in the above tables is over 60 per cent. of the total, it by no means represents the actual percentage if the witnesses' names were totalled. It is quite true that, although the parishes above dealt with represent a good slice of South-west Shropshire, it by no means follows that the whole county of Salop, even at the period dealt with, would show anything like a similar percentage.

If a person were to take up a section of the Ordnance Survey which would cover the district from Westbury to Churchstoke in one direction, and from the Severn at Shrawardine to Norbury near the Longmynd, he would, by following the course of the Rea valley up to Church. stoke, notice that the names of villages and places all up the valley were, in most instances, Saxon; turnip at Churchstoke almost due north, and following that line to the river Severn, midway between Forden and Montgomery, he would still see Saxon place names. This line, have always thought, indicates the course of Saxon settlement in that part of Shropshire and Montgomeryshire, for the reasen that most of the place names even now on the upper slopes of the Long Mountain and over to the Severn at Buttington are Welsh, and the same, to an extent, applies to the district still nearer the Severn in the Breiddn and Moely golf Hills. Looking now on the imaginary map on the left, taking the Stiperstone Range and the Churchstoke hill. in, he would find, particularly in the secluded out-of-the-way places, Welsh place

names.

I may be wrong, but the inference I have drawn (thirty years ago) from these facts was that the Saxons did not dispossess the Welsh altogether of their lands, but pushed them into the back ground, themselves occupying the fertile lands in the valleys. It may be objected that all this district is in Montgomeryshire, but from the time Baldwyn laid the foundation of his castle at Montgomery down to 1536 Montgomery was in the Marshes; it only became Welsh by Act of Parliament. In 1221 Henry III. by charter made the town of Montgomery a free borough for ever, granted the burgesses permissson to enclose their town with a wall, granted them a Merchant Guild, with a house and other customs and liberties to a Guild belonging, so that no one who should not be of that Guild should trade in the town without the consent of the burgesses; and various other privileges, The only creating in all respects an English town. exception appears to have been that they were not excused from the payments levied on strangers, and did not enjoy the liberty of our City of London. The Charters granted by his son, Edward I., to Welshpool, Newtrwn, Llanidloes, &c., were granted not to the people, but to the lords, who held as tenants in chief under him. They had the power and priviledge of taxing the people. The Burgesses of Montgomery alone in the district had the power of taxing themselves.

I have made this digression to meet any objection that may be raised to the fairness of including the parishes of Montgomery, Forden, and Buttington, in arriving at the