(f. 40 a.) (9 April, 1609.) V. A tpp mcher is a Seagniorye in Wales holden of the Wales was ab initio Regnu p se nec parcell of the kingdome of England and therefore cold then be noe parte thereof holden of the Crowne of England. But the Kinge of England and divse of their subiecte conquered yt and such pcelle as any of the kinge of Englande subiecte did Conquere were more Juris gentiu ipo facto holden of the Kinge in Capite. Lps mchers in Wales becom holden of the King of England in capite three maner of waies. ffirst by Conquest as when any of the Kinge subiecte did Conquere any lpp in Wales Psently by the verye conquering thereof yt becam to be holden of the King of England in Capite. In this sort cam to be holden of the Kinge the tpps of (f. 40. b.) Secondly by submission and yealding of the lordes of Divse tpps who seing the King of England & Divse of the Englishe subiecte wynn many lpps in Wales & disposesse the ancyent owners thereof fearing their owne estate becam suyters to the King of England to accept of their submyssion & allegeance and that the Kinge wold suffer them to enioye their owne Countryes & they wold become his leidgmen & subiecte & wold hold the Seignoryes of him in such sort as his Englishe subiecte did such lpps as they conquered from the Welshmen, the King of England accepted of the offer and by these meanes these lpps becam first to be holden of the Crowne of England. So many Ipps as tooke their Comencemt in theise (ii forms)1 sorte assumed to themselves absolute power without any graunt or tres patente of the Kinge. (f. 41. a.) The third meanes that lpps in wales becam to be holden of the Crowne of England was by graunt of the Kinge, for the King of England having had longe warrs withe the Princes of Wales did wynn divse Countryes from them & in some treatyes of Peace the Kinge had some Countries Delived and yealded unto him wch being in the Kinge possession the Kinge gave and graunted divse of these Countryes and topps to divse of his subiecte & noblemen to hold of him in Capite as for example i Johis. Cardigan. Kilgarran. Maelgoyn ap Rees.2 12 H. 3. Grysmond. Skynfreth. Llamtiloch.3 7 Ed. I. Kedewen. Johanni de Bruos. 1 The words in brackets are written over-line, 2 Son of the Lord Rhys. 3 Llantilio Crossenny by Monmouth. Castel Gwin (p. 279, above) was in the lordship. 4 Son of William de Braose. 5 Dolvorwyn, near Newtown, in Montgomeryshire. 6 Roger de Mortimer, of Wigmore, married Maud, daughter of William de Braose, and died in 1282. His elder son, Edmund, was the father of Roger, Earl of March, who died in 1330; his younger son, Roger de Mortimer, was granted Chirk in 1307, and died in 1336. Lips in Wales holden of the Crowne in Capite by iij maner of means. Scrib in frag. Wal.3 1 Henry de Lacy, Earl of Lincoln (see p. 281, above), created in 1282 Lord of "Denbigh Roos and Roweynok.' 2 See note 6 on the last page. 3 Scribe in "Fragmentes of Wales." Scriptum est (in fos. 16 and 17). This valuable MS. book, written by George Owen, and not yet published, has come into the writer's possession from the Carew Library at Crowcombe. 285 DISCOVERY OF CINERARY URN AT STAYLITTLE, NEAR LLANBRYNMAIR, MONTGOMERYSHIRE. BY E. K. JONES, BRYMBO, AND E. R. VAUGHAN, B.Sc., STAYLITTLE. STAYLITTLE stands midway between Llanbrynmair and Llanidloes. The hills of the district form, roughly, a kind of amphitheatre that would measure about a mile across. The centre consists of a low mound-shaped hill, the surface of which is mostly grazing land. For some years our attention has been drawn to the tumuli, some of which are very conspicuous along the sides and on the crown of this hill. Consulting the last issue of the Ordnance Map we found five tumuli indicated; but, having visited each one, we searched for others, and feel confident that there are at least ten in the immediate neighbourhood. We were also informed that there is another on a mountain about two miles. away. From inquiries of the oldest inhabitants of the district, nothing definite could be obtained as to the nature of these mounds. Some thought they were the remains of old defences, used in times of war; others that they were old watch-towers; while others thought they were the burial-places of those that had fallen in wars of long ago. One piece of tradition that both young and old were well aware of was, that if any attempt were made to open one of these mounds, thunder and lightning would be the immediate consequence. Close by is the site of "Helen's Castle," which was swallowed up in a night, the place where it stood being covered by a small lake; a story quite in keeping with many others, such as those concerning Llynclys, Llyn Safaddan, and other lakes. "Llyn Helen" was drained dry some few years ago. Helen must have been a vigorous and masterful 6TH SER., VOL. IV. 20 character. She had a road all the way from her castle, over Plynlimmon, to Aberystwyth. Her daughter, according to the testimony of an old couplet, was married at the age of thirteen. The couplet runs thus: "Dyna'r rhyfeddod fwya' fu 'rioed Oedd priodi merch Helen yn dair-ar-ddeg oed." Helen was beheaded "during the wars," and was supposed recently to visit the scene of her former activity at dusk. The children of the neighbourhood Plan of Tumulus near Staylittle, Llanbrynmair. Opened July 29th and 30th, 1903. (E. K. Jones, Brymbo.) A. Cutting made July 29th and 30th, 1903. B. Place where Cinerary Urn was found. c. Mark of digging done by someone in recent years. D. Oblong dent or unfilled space in mound. E. Bend into mound which seems to have been made by the river F. Spot where farmer buried a cow's carcass about five years ago. were always careful not to cross her path on these occasions. Another tradition relates that a tavern stood on the site aforesaid, and that one night, when drinking and revelry were carried on to an unusual extent, the whole house and riotous company disappeared together. It is not easy to separate these stories distinctly, as they are |