The

and hit on the stones forming the sides of grave D. This grave we carefully excavated. It differed in formation from the others. sides and ends were formed of upright stones. There were, however, no cover stones, but, on the other hand, the bottom was formed of rough stone slabs. The depth to the slab bottom averaged 2 ft. 3 ins. below the surface. The upright stones were about 10 ins. in height. The grave was 5 ft. 10 ins. in length. The breadth at the west end was 1 ft. 1 in., in the centre 1 ft. 3 ins., and at the east end 9 ins. The remains of a skull fitted closely into the northwest corner of the grave. Two teeth, a few arm and other fragments of bones were discovered. The arms apparently lay by the sides. All the bones were in a most fragile and fragmentary condition, and by far the greater portion seemed to have entirely disappeared.

The graves resemble others I have examined which I have reason to believe belong to the twelfth century, and this would agree with the date suggested by Mr. Evans: that is, 1170.

Grave c is about 14 ft. to the south of A, and 16 ft. to the north of D. They are not in line, c being slightly west of A, and D a few feet east of c. Grave B is about 20 ft. to the west, and 6 ft. to the south of D.

Mr. Evans informs me that spear-heads, etc., have been picked up in the neighbourhood.

Aelwyd, Bangor, October, 1903.

HAROLD HUGHES.

Archaeologia Cambrensis.

SIXTH SERIES.-VOL. IV, PART II.

APRIL, 1904.

A HISTORY OF THE OLD PARISH OF GRESFORD, IN THE COUNTIES OF DENBIGH AND FLINT.

BY ALFRED NEOBARD PALMER.

(Continued from 6th Ser., Vol. iii, p. 204.)

CHAPTER I.

BURTON.

BURTON is rather a large township, containing about 2,869 acres of land. Three hundred years ago it was sometimes called "Mortyn" by Welsh genealogists who did not know the district; but this was, I have no doubt, an unreal name, produced by a perfectly linguistic mistake, from "Burton." We have only to assume, as we are quite entitled to do (see later in this paragraph), that the local pronunciation was then more like "Boorton" or "Borton" than "Burton," as now pronounced, and the evolution of " Mortyn" would often become inevitable in the case of strangers. If to Borton" we prefix the word "Tref" or "Tre" (township), the name becomes at once "Treforton," according to the laws of linguistic change and Welsh usage. This was suggested to me by Mr. Egerton Phillimore, who pointed out how "Maldwyn" has been wrongly evolved out of "Trefaldwyn " (Baldwin's town, Mont

6TH SER., VOL. IV.

7

gomery), where the original name was "Baldwin Baldwin" not "Maldwyn." "In such names," as Mr. Phillimore says, "there would be nothing to show the average Welshman whether the letter mutated into ƒ was m or b, unless he knew the history of the name. In other words, to the Welshman ignorant of the locality, "Trefortyn" might just as well mean "Morton township" as "Borton township." Those living on the spot know well enough that "Burton" was the right rendering, although they probably pronounced the latter name Boorton," or even approximately "Borton.' But compilers of pedigrees, not acquainted with the district, and encountering the name "Trefortyn," may be excused for making a mistake as to the radical form. They would be the more likely to make this mistake, as the Bellotts of Burton, in the parish of Gresford, were at the same time Bellotts of Moreton, in the county of Chester. I have seen plenty of deeds, surveys, and other original documents relating to this township, going back to the times of Richard II, of Edward IV, and of Henry VIII; and in these when the name is not spelled "Burton," as it generally is, the form "Bourton," or "Borton," occurs, but never "Mortyn" or" Moreton." "Mortyn" is a name for this township which arose late and perished early, and occurs, so far as I know, only in the writings of sixteenth-century genealogists, and of their copyists.

a

The largest estate in Burton at the beginning of the seventeenth century appears to have belonged to the Santheys. Robert Santhey held there, in 1620, capital messuage, ten tenements, and 57 parcels containing 200 (customary, or 425 statute) acres of free land. Part of this holding was in the hamlet of Hunkley, or Honkley. Moreover, by right of his wife Anne, widow of Edward Puleston, the same Robert

1 It is right to say here that I have found among the names of the fields in Burton, belonging to Mr. Bellott, one given as "Moreton Meadow." I explain this by a reference to the estate of the same Mr. Bellott in Moreton, Cheshire.

Santhey held, for the term of her life, a free messuage and 190 statute acres of land in Allington. Also John Santhey had at the same time three tenements in Burton and 93 statute acres of free land. One of these tenements adjoined Heol Hwfa Green (see later in the chapter), and 17 acres of the land belonging thereto were in Hunkley, and had been purchased from Robert Santhey. The John Santhey above mentioned was probably second son of the aforesaid Robert Santhey, and the compiler of the very valuable annexed pedigree, which has been supplied to me by H. R. Hughes, Esq., of Kinmel Park. Samuel Santhey, Robert Santhey's eldest son, I find called "Captain Santhey;" he served, I believe, in the Parliamentary army.

I cannot identify "the capital messuage" of Mr. Robert Santhey. Perhaps it was the Town Ditch; but of this I cannot be certain. Clear it is that a considerable area of the estate was in Honkley, and that the major part of it lay in the north-west and central part of the township now being described. One of Mr. Santhey's meadows adjoined Llwydcoed (see afterwards in this chapter), which was to the north-west. But another of his fields was called "Quetkie1 wrth tv Edward velinedd" (The woodfield by the house of Edward the miller). The house here indicated must have been that of the miller of Marford Mill, which was in the east part of the township. This, however, only shows how extensive the estate was. It is said that part of the Santheys' property in Burton passed to the Balls. But assuming the truth of this statement,

1 The field above mentioned was alternatively named "Llwyn Crabas" (Crab-apple grove). It had, it is evident, been formerly a wood, and after having been cleared, was called "Quetkie," that is, "Coedgae," or Woodfield. Three other fields on Mr. Santhey's property bore the generic name "Quetkie," as "Quetkie kanol," "Quetkie wrth y tv," and Quetkie wrth y drws." Indeed, the field-name 66 Quetkie" was common throughout the parish of Gresford, lordship of Bromfield, and elsewhere.

66

PEDIGREE OF SANTHEY, OF BURTON.