Archaeologia Cambrensis

Marseilles, and this indicates the course followed by their builders; but no remains are found within them, at least in this district, nor is this to be wondered at. For from the time of their denudation they have been exposed to the rifling hand of successive generations, and to many common uses. One that we have seen to-day at Ystumcegid was long employed by the tenant as a cowshed. Their original purpose is, however, now almost universally acknowledged to have been sepulchral. At Bryn Celli Ddu, in Anglesey, charcoal and bits of human bones were discovered. The cists, or cistfaens, were undoubtedly made for the same purpose; in some of them urns and charcoal have been found, bespeaking a period of cremation of the dead, whilst in the chambered tumulus at Cefn, near St. Asaph, complete skeletons had been deposited in a sitting posture against the sides, and the whole covered in with fine sand! The cyttiau, or hut circles, were the houses in which they dwelt when living, and the multitude of these along the coast of Merioneth testify to the large population which once inhabited those parts, and to the permanence of their occupation. The appellation by which they have been traditionally known as "Cyttiau y Gwyddelod," bespeaks the "Goidels " as once their occupants, if not also their builders, and of these we shall see a large number above Harlech. In this district of stone monuments we have the remarkable steps up "Bwlch y Tyddiad," above Cwm Bychan, which are generally described as Roman, and there can be little doubt that the Romans did use and probably improved them, for they were famous and skilful road-makers; but were they the original constructors? Is it not at least within the limits of reasonable inference that they were made first by the stone builders of the district?-and it is worthy of notice that similar steps, with similar side supports, are to be seen at "Caher Gel" (itself a significant name), on the west coast of Galway, where no Roman foot had trodden, but where the fort of Dun Aenghus, on the Isle of Arau, bespeaks a race of builders, whom Mr. C. H. Hartshorne aud Professor Babington have long ago claimed as akin to the builders of Tre'r Ceiri. And this grand fortress: what a story it could unfold if it could but speak, and with what eagerness we should listen, and, perhaps, have to hang our heads down in confusion at our ignorance! Like the other fortresses of similar construction on Penmaenmawr, Caer Drewin, the Breiddin, Abdon Burf and Carn Goch, it occupies the summit of a lofty hill, and is defended by a great wall of dry uncemented stones, with cleverly arranged curtain works to protect the entrance. But its great extent and the shortness of water make it difficult to understand how it could have been permanently occupied by any large body of military, or civil, dwellers; rather, it would seem to have been a place of refuge in case of extreme emergency, where the neighbours could find protection for themselves, their wives and children and their cattle, until the immediate danger was overpast. But who were they? And when did they live? One of our most skilled and distinguished

members, Mr. Baring Gould, with his friend, Mr. Burnard, another of our members, has within the last few weeks, under the auspices of the Association, been making some exploration with a view to settling these points. His report I must not anticipate, but I may state that the finds obtained so far indicate an iron-using people, and a Late Celtic age. But it does not follow that these were the builders, but rather that it has been occupied by later comers, as has been the case with every ancient building. We will, however, turn to another witness, and we will interrogate legends and myth; not as fancies of the imagination, but as traditional shrines of longforgotten facts. The "Fairy of Drwsycoed" is but another version of the legend of Llyn y Fan, and tells of the change effected by the introduction of iron, and the supercession of the earlier régime: a process which must have been familiar in Eifionydd and its neighbour commotes. The extremities to which the dispossessed inhabitants were reduced is dimly outlined in the story of the Fairies of Nant Colwyn, with their human and thievish propensities! And, lastly, in the stories that play around Dinas Emrys, we seem to have, in the Legend of the Son of Dallwaran Dallben, an echo of the tradition of the invading tribe, which introduced in its course the blessings of peaceful agriculture into the Principality, and settled in Snowdonia the cub of a wolf and an eaglet, which we may treat as personified in later times by "Y Blaidd Rhudd o'r Gest" (The Red Wolf of Gest), and adopted in the motto of the stout descendant of Gesail Gyfarch, "Eryr Eryrod Eryri." In this brief outline I have touched on some of the points which I should like to see discussed and elucidated during the week; of others, we have an assurance in the Papers to be read and in the addresses promised in locis.

The President having been heartily thanked for his interesting address, on the motion of Colonel Morgan, seconded by the Rev. Canon Morris,

Professor Anwyl rose to give his Paper on "The Early Settlers of Carnarvonshire."

In the discussion which followed, Mr. Burnard said he might state, for the sake of comparison, that he had been examining a large number of similar monuments in Devonshire, particularly on Dartmoor; and he might add, for the information of Professor Anwyl, that there the large circles of stones, which were there called "sacred stone circles," clearly appertained to the Bronze Age. They found on examination that there was a definite floor of hard clay in these circles, and that these floors were strewn with pieces of charcoal wood. There seemed to have been interments around these circles, but none inside. Concluding, Mr. Burnard asked whether Professor Anwyl could inform them of the result of the explorations which had been made of the numerous stone circles

which had been instanced in Carnarvonshire, Merionethshire and other counties.

Professor Anwyl said he had many notes with regard to the hut circles in Carnarvonshire, which he had been unable for want of time to include in that Paper; but so far as his recollection served him, traces of iron were found in them by the late Rev. Elias Owen.

Dr. Hans Gadow next gave a short but interesting address on "Dolmen Builders; after which

The President, referring to two of the places the members were about to visit during the week, said Cwm Bychan was until within a comparatively few years ago in the possession of the family of Lloyd from the year 1100. Pennant gave an interesting account of his visit to the Lloyds. In his peregrinations he was accompanied by a friend who was somewhat connected with the family. This friend took Pennant to see the Lloyds, and he advised the members to read the account Pennant gave of his visit. Referring to the "Roman" steps, the President remarked that they were composed of slabs, in some parts about 4 ft. wide, with other slabs to keep them in situ. Believing them to be of national value, he had endeavoured to persuade the Government to take charge of the Pass, for he thought it was one of those things which should come into the national possession. The President concluded with a brief reference to Tre'r Ceiri, and afterwards the meeting ended.

GENERAL ANNUAL BUSINESS MEETING OF THE ASSOCIATION. The meeting was held in the Board School-room in Snowdon Street, at 8.30 p.m. The chair was taken by the Ven. Archdeacon Thomas, and after the minutes of the previous meeting had been read and approved, the General Secretary for North Wales read

THE ANNUAL REPORT OF THE ASSOCIATION.

The Journal. The following Papers have been published in the Archaologia Cambrensis, between July, 1902, and July, 1903 :-

Prehistoric Period.

"Exploration of a Prehistoric Camp in Glamorganshire." By H. W.

Williams.

Exploration of Clegyr Voya." By S. Baring Gould.

"The Early Settlers of Brecon." By E. Anwyl.

"Note on a Perforated Stone Axe-hammer found in Pembrokeshire." By J.

R. Allen.

"Ancient British Camps, etc., in Lleyn, co. Carnarvon." By E. Owen.

Romano-British Period.

"Roman Forts in South Wales." By F. Haverfield.

Early Christian Period.

"The Removal of the Cross of Illtyd at Llantwit Major, Glamorganshire.” By G. E. Halliday.

"Pre-Norman Cross-base at Llangefelach, Glamorganshire." By J. R. Allen.

Mediaval Period.

"The Wogans of Boulston." By F. Green.

“Architectural History of the Cathedral Church of St. Deiniol, Bangor." By Harold Hughes.

"Adventures of a Denbighshire Gentlemen of the Seventeenth Century in the East Indies." By A. N. Palmer.

"A Survey of the Lordship of Haverford in 1577." By H. Owen.

'Montgomeryshire Screens and Rood-Lofts." By D. R. Thomas.

The Hermitage of Theodoric, and the Site of Pendar." By T. Gray.

"The Golden Grove Book of Pedigrees." By E. Owen.

A History of the Old Parish of Gresford in the Counties of Denbigh and
Flint.' By A. N. Palmer.

"Forgotten Sanctuaries." Bv G. E. F. Morgan.

"Llangurig Church, Montgomeryshire." By D. R. Thomas.

The following books have been received for review.

"Old Pembroke Families." By H. Owen.

"The Antiquities of Radnorshire." By Mrs. Dawson. (Llandrindod Wells, "Standard" Office.)

"Cardiff Records," vol. iv. By J. H. Matthews.

History of the Iron, Steel, and Tin-plate Trades." By C. Wilkins.

History of the Country Townships of the Old Parish of Wrexham." By
A. N. Palmer.

"The Roman Fort of Gellygaer." By J. Ward. (London, Bemrose and Sons.) "The Life and Work of Bishop Davies and William Salesbury." By Archdeacon Thomas.

The thanks of the Association are due to Dr. G. Norman, Mr. T. M. Franklen, and Mr. G. E. Halliday, for the use of photographs published in the Journal; to Mr. Harold Hughes, for drawings supplied gratuitously; and to the Rev. Canon Rupert Morris, for compiling the Index to the volume of the Journal for 1902.

Obituary. It is with feelings of profound regret your Committee have to record the demise of two of our old and most-valued members and contributors, in the persons of His Honour Judge Wynne Ffoulkes, a Vice-President of our Association, and the Rev. Chancellor D. Silvan Evans, also a Vice-President, editor of Archeologia Cambrensis, 1871-1875, and a member of the editorial sub-committee.

Election of Officers and New Members.-The Committee propose that Sir John Williams, Bart., and W. R. M. Wynne, Esq., of Peniarth, be made Vice-Presidents.

The retiring members of Committee are:

Illtyd Nichol, Esq., F.S.A.

H. Harold Hughes, Esq., A.R.I.B. A.
J. Romilly Allen, Esq., F.S.A.,

and your Committee recommend their re-election. They also propose for election as members of Committee :

Professor Lloyd, Bangor.
Professor Anwyl, Aberystwith.
Professor Powel, Cardiff,

and as local secretaries :

T. E. Morris, Esq., for Carnarvonshire.
Professor Morris Jones, for Anglesey.
J. H. Davies, Esq., for Cardiganshire.

Your Committee propose that the following gentlemen be elected as auditors :

A. Foulkes Roberts, Esq.

The Rev. J. Fisher.

The following is the list of members who have joined the Association since the issue of the last Report, and now await the formal confirmation of their election :

ENGLAND AND NORTH WALES.

Proposed by

J. H. Lloyd, Esq., 2, Cooper Street, Manchester. T. E. Morris, Esq.
His Honour Judge Parry, Manchester.