^w.V\.,' >»;vy - ••• i ■'>.. .l-i"." X: ^ k i,v/;« ,- Is^'- Jll^':. aV I AA V \jr^\^-~< r"-«\/VV^ THE CISTEECIAN ABBEY OF ITS HIS TOBY, AND AN ACCOUNT OF THE RECENT EXCAVATIONS MADE ON ITS SITE. STEPHEN W. WILLIAMS, F.R.LB.A. LONDON : WHITING & CO., 30 and 32, SARDINIA STREET, W.C. 1889. LONDON: WniTlNG AND CO., 30 AND 32, SARDINIA STREET, LINCOLN'S INN FIELDS ®i)is 33ool{ is trrtr(ratrl) to ^Uce, Countess of Lisburue, til grateful rrmnntranrc of fetnit assistance anlr suiistantial aii in rarvijing out tf)e toovlt of rxrabatioii at Strata Jlontfa ^bbep, in ■JSS7-S. PREFACE. Twenty-six years ago, in the earlier years of my professional career, I was engaged in making a survey of one of the many lines of railway which at that period were spreading their net- work over Wales ; some of them were ultimately made, others only reached the preliminary stage of the deposit of the plans and the Committee Eooms of the House of Commons. The one I was at work upon was among the slaughtered innocents ; it was a line from Rhayader to Aberystwith, and passed near the village of Pont-rhyd-fendigiad in Cardiganshire, in the im- mediate vicinity of the ancient Abbey of Strata Florida. I was much interested in what I then saw of the ruins remaining above ground, and formed a resolution that if ever the opportunity presented itself I would endeavour to learn what lay below the mounds of fallen stone and cUhris which covered the site occupied by the Abbey church, and conventual buildings. Years passed by, and amidst the many engagements of a busy professional life I occasionally found time to pay a visit to Strata Florida for the purpose of fishing in the Teifi Lakes, and again and again renewed my determination to clear up the hidden architectural history of this buried Abbey. I laid my views on this subject before my good friend, Mr. E. W. Banks of Eidgebourne, Kington, who brought the matter under the notice of the Cambrian Archieological Association at their meet- ing at Swansea in 1886, and through his influence the Society was induced to make a grant of £5, which he most liberally supplemented with a donation of a similar amount towards the expenses of a preliminary exploration of the ruins. VI PREFACE. In June 1887 I commenced the excavations with a small staff of men, and in the course of a fortnight's work was enabled to make out the general plan of the Abbey Church and some of the conventual buildings. On the 2ord August 1887, 1 read a paper at the Annual Meet- ing of the Cambrian Archseological Society, held at Denbigh, reporting the result of the preliminary excavations ; it was then decided, if a sufficient fund was subscribed, to continue the excavations, clear away the accumulated soil and rubbish from the site, store on the spot the mouldings and other details of the church that were hidden from sight, with a view to elucidate the style and period of the building, and preserve its remains under the care of a local committee for the inspec- tion of future visitors. The Committee of the Cambrian Archaeological Association determined to recommence the W'ork of excavating the Abbey Church in 1888 ; at that time a fund amounting to £90 had been raised, but during the progress of the work further sub- scriptions were received, increasing this amount to £165. On the 24th May 1888 the works were recommenced under my direction. A staff of twenty men, with Mr. Teller Smith (one of my assistants) as clerk of the M-orks, were employed, and I take this opportunity of bearing testimony to the very efficient way in which he performed his duties. The works were carried on continuously until the 4th August, when, the whole of the funds being exhausted, we were com- pelled to suspend the excavations, leaving still a large amount of work that may yet be done in uncovering some of the con- ventual buildings, of which the foundations remain. On the 15th August 1888 I read a report upon the " Further Excavations at Strata Florida Abbey" at the Annual Meeting of the Cambrian Archaeological Association, held at Cowbridge; on the 20th August following, a deputation of the Asso- ciation visited Strata Florida, and handed over the ruins to the local committee, in whom they will be vested for the future, and who, it is hoped, may hereafter complete the work inaugurated by the Cambrian Archaeological Association. A sum of upwards of £100 has also been raised by the local PREFACE. VII committee, and expended in further excavations, covering the chapels with galvanised iron roofs, erecting iron railings in front of them to prevent damage to tlie tile floors, in replacing the fallen shafts and some of the other masonry, and in such other works as were necessary to protect the ruins from damage during the winter months. In compiling the history of the Abbey and its founders, my thanks are due to Mr. R W. Banks of Eidgebourne, for much valuable information bearing on the early history of Strata Florida. I am also indebted to Mr. Laws' History of Little England beyond Wales, the Eev. the Hon. G. T. 0. Bridgeman's History of the Princes of South Wales, also to Mr. Richard Williams, the editor of Yorke's Roya.1 Tribes of Wales, for much valuable matter relating to the founder's family, and to Canon Bevan's Diocesan History of St. David's, for notes upon Monas- ticism in Wales. My thanks are also due to Mr. W. G. Smith for the admirable drawings of the carved work discovered among the ruins ; to Lady Lisburne for the sketches of some of the curiosities found among the ddbris ; and to Mr. St. John Hope, of the Society of Antiquaries, for valuable advice in carrying out the works of excavation. The Council of the Cambrian Archaeological Asso- ciation have kindly allowed the use of the wood-blocks and many of the plates illustrating this work. In the Appendix will be found copies of original charters and documents. I am deeply obliged to Mr. De Gray Birch, F.S.A., of the Manuscript Department of the British Museum ; Mr. Ed. Owen, of the India Ofiice ; and Mr. E. Eowley Morris, late of Homestay, Newtown, Montgomeryshire, author of several interesting papers in the Transactions of the Fowys-land Cluh> for much valuable assistance, in searching for, and supplying me with, copies of the documents which are published herewith. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. PAGE The Founders of Strata Florida - - - 1 CHAPTER II. The Founders of Strata Florida {continued) - - 24 CHAPTER III. The Founders op Strata Florida {continued) - - 40 CHAPTER IV. History of the Abbey and Description op its Possessions - 87 CHAPTER V. An Account of the Excavations and Architecture of the Abbey . . . . . 182 Appendix : — Extracts, Charters, and Documents connected with the History of the Abbey - - - i Documents relating to the Destruction of the monastery, fern]). Edward I - - - - xlviii Documents relating to the Rebellion of Owain Glendower Iv Documents temj). Henry VIII - - - Ixxvii Documents tern]). Edward VI and Elizabeth - - ci List of Abbots, etc. .... cxii Addenda et Corrigenda - . - - cxiii Index ..... cxiv List of Subscribers .... cxxvii LIST OF ILLUSTEATIONS. PAOB West Front _ . . . Frontispiece Armorial bearings of Prince Rhys ap Tewdwr - - 1 Portion of capital supposed to have come from the old monas- tery of Ystrad Flur - - - - 23 Armorial bearings of Prince Pthys ap Gruflfydd - - 40 " A Welsh Archer" and "A Welshman with his spear" - 71 Seal of the Abbot of Strata Florida - - - 87 Plan showing possessions of Abbey of Strata Florida {to face) 107 Plan of Strata Florida Abbey {folding plate to face) 182 Tombstone at Strata Florida now placed against east wall of Parish Church - - - - 184 Ornament on keystone of west doorway - - - 185 Ornaments terminating ends of bands on wall, face west doorway 186 The Strata Florida Cup, at Nanteos, Cardiganshire - - 188 The Abbey Church of Strata Florida, plan showing portion above ground in 1887 - - - 192 Architectural details, piers of central tower - {to face) 195 Do. presbytery, east window, etc. „ 196 "Buck's" view of the Abbey ruins in 1741 - „ 200 Architectural details, north door and south aisle door ,, 201 Sculpture, capital and hood moulds from north door, and frag- ment of dog-tooth moulding, respond nave arcade, and jamb of east window of presbytery - {to face) 202 Moulding from north door . - . . 203 Monks' graves, south-east angle of south transept - {to face) 204 Sculpture, chapter-house, and capitals of tower piers ,, 206 Architectural details, elevation and sections of arches of chapels' arcade ; sections a, b, c, of nave arcade ai'ches {to face) 209 Architectural details, sections of tower arches, jamb mouldings of west window, groin mouldings of chapels, base mouldings of nave piers, tombstone found in chapter-house, etc. {to face) 210 Sculpture, bosses, brackets, and capitals in chapels ,, 213 Do. fragments of effigies, canopied tombs, etc. ,, 215 Fragment of candlestick, pilgrim's bottle, and doorlatch, found in ruins - - - - - 216 Sculpture, monk's head and fragment of drapery - {to face) 216 Do. capitals, etc., from chapels - - „ 217 Masons' marks . . . - 218 and 219 Sculpture, capitals, from transepts - - {to face) 220 Do. restoration of capital nave arcade • ,, 222 Architectural details, restoration of nave arcade - „ 222 Tile paving in north chapel, south transept - ,, 224 Do. in centre chapel do. - - „ 225 Do. in south chapel do. - - „ 226 Pavement tiles and fragments of painted glass {folding plate to face) 227 CHAPTER I. THE FOUNDERS OF STEATA FLORIDA. Rhys ap Tewdwr. The early records of the Abbey of Strata Florida are so intimately associated with that of its founders, Rhys ap Tewdwr, and his grandson, Rhys ap Gruffydd, that it is requisite to preface the history of the Abbey by some account of the last of the titular Princes of South Wales and their descendants, who ruled over the country in right of being the successors of Cadell, son of Rhodri the Great, King of all Wales. Rhodri began to feign in 843 ; he inherited North Wales as the representative of his mother's house, and became possessed of Powys in right of his grand- mother ; he married Angharad, heiress of Meurig, King of South Wales, and thus brought the whole of Wales under the dominion of one sovereign ; in 876 he was slain fighting against the Saxons in Anglesey. Ac- cording to the Chronicles of the Princes,^ "Rhodri the 1 £7'ut y Tywysogion, translated by the late Aneurin Owen, Esq., p. 17. 2 THE FOUNDERS OF STRATA FLORIDA. Great instituted a new arrangement in the government of Wales, as far as his privilege extended. Cadell, his eldest son, had Ceredigion and his palace at Dinevwr. Gwynedd he conferred upon his son Anarawcl, and his palace was at AberfPraw in Mona. Powys he gave to his son Mervyn, and his palace was at Mathraval ; the eldest of them to pay tribute to the King of London, and to receive tribute from the other two ; and they were called the three diademed princes, on account of their first wearing diadems around their crowns like kings in other countries, before which the kings and princes of the Welsh wore only golden bands .^ And Rhodri gave the sujDremacy to the eldest of the three diademed princes, requesting and commanding them to defend the country and nation of the Welsh against the assaults of enemies and misrule." The princes of these three divisions of Wales were constantly fighting with each other, and the chronicles of the latter part of the ninth, and the whole of the tenth and eleventh centuries, record a succession of wars between the rulers of these petty states. The Reguli of Glamorgan and Gwentland appear to have claimed independent rule and jurisdiction in that part of Wales, and if they owed allegiance to the sovereign (Prince) of South Wales as their suzerain, it was very unwillingly given , and this was a fruitful cause of warfare between the rulers of South Wales and the Chiefs of Glamorgan. The princes of the line of Caclejl having been long excluded from their rights by the capricious succession of the thnes, Phys ap Tewdwr, in the year 1077, after the murder of Rhys ap Owain, one of the usurpers to the throne of South Wales, came over from Brittany, * " Wales being thus divided between tliese three princes, they were called Y Tri Tywysoc Taleathioc, or the three ci'owued princes, by reason that each of them did wear on his helmet a coronet of gold, being a broad head band indented upward, set and wrought with precious stones which in the British tongue is call Taleath. " Powell's History of Wales, ed. 1774, p. 34. RHYS AP TEWDWR. 3 where he had been in banishment, and laid claim to the Principality as the rightful representative of Rhodri's eldest son. In the Chronicles of the Princes it is stated that " Rhys, son of Tewclwr, came from Llydaw and put in a claim to the principality of South Wales as lawful heir ; and many of the best men of the country took part with him, for his reputation was great for wisdom and knowledge of government ; and being of mature age and judgment, he acquired the good will of the principal men of the country ; for no one loved lestyn, son of Gwrgan, and his family, because they pre- ferred war to peace, in which they differed from their progenitors of that lineage. So Rhys was secured in his government."^ Rhys ap Tewdwr's power seems to have extended only over the counties of Cardigan and Carmarthen ; for Pembroke, Glamorgan, Brecon, Mon- mouth, and Hereford still remained under the rule of their respective Reguli (according to Vaughan of Hengwrt), though these may have acknowledged the descendant of Rhodri as their suzerain. His patri- monial possessions, doubtless of vast extent, were pro- bably situated in the counties of Cardigan, Carmarthen, Brecon, and that part of Radnor lying between the rivers Wye and Elan, and it was out of these large estates that Rhys ap Tewdwr and his descendants, from time to time, so munificently endowed the Monastery of Ystrad Flur, and its successor, the great Abbey of Strata Florida. Trahaern ap Caradoc was at this time in possession of the throne of North Wales or Gwynedd, the right- ful heir and representative of Anarawd, second son of Rhodri the Great, being Gruffydd ap Cynan, who had been banished to Ireland. Gruffydd, assisted by a force of Irish that he had raised, succeeded in wresting Anglesey from his rival, but not being able to levy a sufficient army to oust Trahaern from Gwynedd, he was joined by Rhys ap Tewdwr; and the allies, marching ^ Brut y Tyvn/soqion, p. 65. B 2 4 THE FOUNDERS OF STRATA FLORIDA. from Pembrokeshire, met the army of Trahaern upon the mountains of Carno in Montgomeryshire, and a terrible and bloody battle ensued ; the victory was gained by Rli3?-s and Gruffydd, Trahaern being slain. Gruftydcl took possession of North Wales ; Rhys was confirmed in his possession of South Wales, and once more the rightful heirs of Rhodri the Great ruled over Gwynedd and Ceredigion.^ The battle of Carno took place in the year 1080,^ and in the same year William the Conqueror, King of England, having returned from Normandy, where he ^ "After a long march they came, towards the evening, near some hills called Mynydd y Garn, where the army of King Trahaiarri. and his men of Arwystli (cum suis etiam Arustlianis), his nephews, Caradog, Gruffydd, and Meilir, the sons of Rhiwallawn ab Cynfan ab Gwaethfoed, with the army of Powys and Caradawg ab Gruffudd, King of Gwent, were encamped. Although the evening was drawing on, and in consequence Rhys ab Tudor wished to put off the attack till the following morning, Gruffudd overruled him, and they imme- diately commenced the attack, and one of the most bloody battles in our annals Avas fought, in which the army of King Trahaiarn was totally defeated, and he himself was pierced through his body, so that he lay on his face dead on the ground, with his arms by him, and his teeth bit the grass, and Gwcharis, an Irishman, made bacon of him, like a hog. And on that same spot, there fell around him, of his own I'etiuue, five-and-twenty knights, while others of them were slain in front of the battle. Many thousands of them were killed, and the rest turned their backs on the men of Gwynedd, and betook themselves to flight. Amongst the slain were the king's nephews, Caradog (according to the Brut y Saeson), Gruffudd, and Meilir, the three sons of Rhiwallawn ab Cynfyn ab Gwaethfoed. Then Gruffudd, after his accustomed manner when victorious, pur- sued tlicm, he and his company, through the woods and glens, and swamps and mountains, all that night by the light of the moon, and all the following day, and scarcely one of them escaped from the combat to their own country. After devastating that country, and having taken great spoil, Gruffudd marched his forces to Arwystli, which he devastated by fire and sword, destroyed and massacT'ed the common people, and burnt their houses and carried away their wives and maidens into captivity, and thus he exacted retribution from Trahaiarn ab Caradog. From Arwystli he marched into Powys, which he devastated in like manner, and spared not the enclosures of the churches." — History of Poivys Fadog, by J. Y. W. Lloyd, Esq., vol. i, pp. 75, 76. ' According to the An7iales Camhrice, in 1079. RHYS AP TEWDWR. 5 had put down the rebelKon raised by his son Robert, entered Wales with a very lar^e force, and made a pilgrimage to St. David's, where he received the homage of the kings and princes of South Wales. Rhys ap Tewdwr M^as then at Dinevwr, and nominally lord paramount of Pembrokeshire, the actual ruler being Cadivor ap Colwyn. From subsequent events it may be supposed that Cadivor, like lestyn ap Gwrgan, Regulus of Glamorgan, was jealous of the claim of suzerainty raised by Rhys ; his brother Einon took service with the Normans, and a treaty, based upon the arrangement that existed between the Saxon kings and his predecessors, was entered into in 1085 between the Norman king and lestyn the Glamorgan prince, aimed no doubt at destroying the claim of Rhys to the sovereignty of all South Wales. Rhys and lestyn had been at war in the year of King William's pilgrimage to St. David ; Rhys de- molished the castles of Dinas Powys, Llaniltud, and Dyndryfan, and lestyn ravaged the Vale of Tovvy and Breconshire, and carried away great spoil. In the year 1087, William the Conqueror, King of England, died, and this same year the sons of Bleddyn ap Cynfan (one of the Princes of Powys), Macloc, Cadwgan, and Ririd, kinsmen of Trahaern ap Caracloc, raised a rebellion against Rhys ap Tewdwr, and endea- voured to eject him out of the Principality of South Wales. This appears to have been of such a formid- able character that PJiys was compelled to seek safety in flight, and took refuge with Sittric, King of Dublin,^ ^ " Sutric, Sittric or Sittricus, son of Awlaf, or Olavc, King of Dublin, assisted Donagh, first Bishop of Dublin, to build the Cathe- dral of Christcliurcb in that city, instituted for regular canons in the year 1038. The record of the foundation of the churcli gives the following account : " ' Sittricus, King of Dublin, son of Ablab or Amlawe, Earl of Dublin, gave to the Holy Trinity and to Donagb, first Bishop of Dublin, a place where the arches or vaults are founded to build tlie Church of the Holy Trinity, together with the lands of Bcal, Duleli, 6 THE FOUNDERS OF STRATA FLORIDA. who had married Nesta, one of Rhys's sisters, through whose friendshijD, and by the promise of Hberal rewards, he raised a strong force of Irish and Scots. Having landed in Pembrokeshu^e, his friends from all quarters joined his standard ; in a short time he found him- self in command of a numerous army, with which he marched through Cardiganshire into Breconshire, where his adversaries were then ravaoino- the territories of his brother-in-law, Bleddyn ap Maenarch. Bleddyn joined Bhys with all the men he could raise ; the two opposing armies met near Llechrhyd, on the banks of the river Wye, in the parish of Disserth, in Eadnorshire, where a very bloody conflict took place. Madoc and Ririd were killed, Cadwgan escaped, but was compelled to go into hiding ; Jones, in his History of Brecknockshire,^ says he became chief of a troop of banditti. But this can scarcely be correct, for we find that in 1107 he is a person of great power in Cardiganshire ; and Powell, in his History of Wales, speaks of him in 1092 as Buler of South Wales. ^ His son Owain was probably the man who became chief of the Mawddwy banditti. Bhys rewarded his Irish and Scotch friends, some of them with grants of land in Wales, where they became settlers. Of this number was Idio Wyllt, or the Wild Earl of Desmond, on whom he bestowed the lordship of Llywel in Brecknockshire. In 1088 died Cadifor, Lord of Dyfed, or Pembroke- shire. His brother Einion, the soldier of fortune who had taken service with the Normans, with his nephews, Llewelyn and Einion, sons of Cadifor, took up arms against Bhys ap Tewdwr, and the short period of peace which he had enjoyed since the defeat of the sons of Bleddyn ap Cynfan w^as again broken, and once more llecliere, Port Rahern, with their villains, cattle, and corn, and gave also silver and gold sufficient to build the church and the whole court.' " — Jones's History of Brccknoclcsliire, vol. i, p. 84. 1 Jones's History of Brecknockshire, vol. i, p. 85. ^ Powell's History of Wnles, ed. 1774, p. 117. RHYS AP TEWDWR. 7 he was called upon to fight for his crown and prmcipality against his rebellious nobles. They marched suddenly to Llandydoch, or St. Dogmaels, in North Pembroke- shire, expecting to find Khys unprepared ; but expe- rience had now taught him to guard against the open attacks, as well as the secret machinations, of his enemies, and after a hard-fought battle, in which both sides resolutely struggled for victory, Rhys was again victorious ; the two young Pembrokeshire nobles were slain, their uncle Einion fled to lestyn, Lord of Glamor- gan, Rhys ap Tewdwr's old enemy, who was then in active rebellion against him. Grifiith ap Meredith, a gentleman of great weight in Pembrokeshire, who had joined the rebellion, was taken prisoner, and imme- diately executed as a traitor ; or, as Caradoc of Llan- carvan has it in his Chronicle, " was made shorter by a head". lestyn ap Gwrgan, knowing that Einion had served in the army of the King of England in France and elsewhere, and that Einion had many friends among the Norman nobility, welcomed him warmly to his castle at Cardifi', where he then resided, and offered him his daughter in marriage, together with the lord- ship of Meisgyn (otherwise Miscin in Glamorganshire) as a dower with the lady, if he could procure assist- ance for him from England against Rhys ap Tewdwr. Einion went to London and agreed with Robert Fitzhamon, Lord of Corbeil in France (also Lord of the Honour of Gloucester), and cousin of King William Rufus, that for certain good consideration in the shape of so much sterling gold, to be paid to him and his knights upon the accomplishment of their task, he would aid and assist lestyn ap Gwrgan in destroying the old Lion of South Wales, who had hitherto held them all in subjection, and against whose authority they had vainly rebelled. Aided by the number, as well as the discipline of these soldiers of fortune, the confederates marched into the territories of Bleddyn ap Maenarch, Lord of Breck- S THE FOUNDERS OF STRATA FLORIDA. nock, who had married a sister of Rhys ap Tewdwr, and laid waste all before them with fire and sword. ^ Rhys advanced to Brecon, and joining Bleddyn, the two armies met on the confines of Brecknockshire, at a place called Hirwaen Wrgan. Rhys ap Tewdwr had no chance against these war-trained knights and their men-at-arms, clothed in chain-mail from head to foot. Among the undisciplined Welsh clansmen, he was reckoned a master in the art of w^ar, but the Normans utterly routed him. He was pursued and taken in Glyn Rhoddnai, or Glyn Rhondda, and beheaded at a place called from that day Penrhys. The pursuit was continued and great slaughter took place ; they also took Goronwy, a son of Rhys, and beheaded him. Another son (illegitimate), called Cynan, a stout and valiant man, fleeing tow^ards the Vale of Towy, was so hard pressed by the victorious pursuers, that he attempted to escape through a lake called Cremlyn, where he ^vas drowned with many of his men ; on which account the place has been called ever since the Pool of Cynan. ^ This is the account given in the Chronicle of the Princes, by Caradoc of Llancarvan ; but Jones, in his History of Brecknochshire, gives another version of the story, and I quote it in full, as it seems to me quite as probable that Rhys, after his defeat at Hir- "waen-Wrgan, would endeavour to make his escape up the Valley of the Usk in the direction of his own im- mediate territories in Cardiganshire and Carmarthen- shire, unless he was cut off" from his line of retreat, ^ "Fitzliamon crossed the Severn with his troops and lauded, it is said, at Porthkerry in or about 1093." — The Lcuid of Morgan, by G. T. Clark; Annales Camhricn, 1091. - Llyngynon is a large lake situate near the source of the river Towy, which rises in a smaller lake called Llyngorast, about half a mile south of Llyngynon. The w^aters of Llyngynon flow into the river Claerwen, the boundary between R:\dnorshire and Brecknock- shire. Cynan must have been endeavouring to make his escape into central Cardiganshire. — S. W. W. In Mr. G. T. Clark's Land of Morgan, it is stated that Goronwy was slain, and Cynan drowned in a large marsh between Neath and Swansea, thence called Pwll Cynan. RHYS AP TEWDWR. 9 which may have happened, and carried by his captors to Glyn Rhondda, and there beheaded. Jones states that — " The two armies encountered each other at a place called Hirwain-Wrgan, a large plain on the confines of Glamorganshire and Breconshire, on the &outh-western boundary of the latter county ; here the good genius of Eh3^s finally deserted him, and from this time little more than a titular sovereignty remained with a few of his descendants ; after a bloody battle (a.d. 1091) his troops were completely routed, and, according to the Chronicle last cpioted, he himself was compelled to fly to Glyn Ehodneu in Glamorganshire, where he was overtaken, and Ijeheaded at a place from thence called Pen Ehys, or Ehys's Head. This account, however, of his flight and death will appear extremely improbable, if not incredible, to those who are accpiainted with the topography of the country, independent of the contradictory statement given by historians of the time and manner of his death. Hirwain-Wrgan, as has been before observed, is on the soutli-western confines of Breconshire ; part of this field is situate in that county, Glyn-Ehondda is ten or twelve miles eastward of this plain, and nearer Cardiff; con- sequently every step which Ehys must have taken in the flight, as here set down, brought him nearer to the lion^s den. The Chronicle of Jeuan of Brechfa says he was slain in the field of battle. George Owen Harry, in his ' Well-springe of true nobi- litie', says ' lie was put to flight hj Eobert Fitzhammon and twelve knights, who came to the aid of Justin ap Gwrgan, Lord of Glamorgan, but after goeinge to aide Bleddin ap Maenarch, his brother-in-law, he was slaine.' The tradition of Brecknock- shire (to which Hugh Thomas gives credit) informs us that the engagement between Bleddin ap Maenarch and Ehys on the one side, and the Normans under Bernard Newmarch on the other, took place within two or three miles of the present town of Brecknock, where Thomas says the village and range of hills adjoining the action are still, in remembrance of this sad event, called Battle; a well within the hamlet, Pen Sir Ehys, or the Well of Sir Eliys's Head ; and the lane from Brecon to Battle, Heol-y-Cymry, or the Welshman's Lane. All this is perfectly correct as far as it relates to the well and the lane ; yet the chapel there was not so called from this or any other battle, but being dependent upon, and a hamlet of St. John the Evange- list in Brecon, which church and monastery was a cell to Battle in Surry,! this chapel received that name in compliment to the ! " Surry" iu original ; qy. Sussex. — S. W. W. 10 THE FOUNDERS OF STRATA FLORIDA. religious house to which the mother-church appertained. The fact then, probably, was that Ehys after his defeat fled to Caer- bannau,^ or, as it was soon after corruptly called, Caerwong, at that time his brother-in-law's residence and stronghold, and shut himself up with him. In the following year (1092), allured by the success of Eobert Fitzhammon and his accomplices, and perhaps invited by them to complete the conquest of the Princi- pality, another swarm of freebooters entered into Brecknock- shire, commanded by Bernard Newmarch, or Bernardus de novo Mercatu, and played the same game with equal success, though perhaps with less colour of right, as Fitzhammon did in Gla- morganshire. " All historians are agreed as to the consequences of this irrup- tion, but none of them have transmitted to us the occurrences which preceded the conquest, or attempted minutely to describe the field of battle where the fate of Bleddin was decided ; on conjecture, therefore, in a great measure, assisted here and there by a glimmering of information from the broken and uncon- nected records of our meiigre chronicles and MSS., must depend wdiatever knowledge can now be derived as to the incidents that happened at this period. In the copy of Cradoc, taken from the Llyfr Coch o Hergest (and which, as before observed, seems to be of higher antiquity and more correct than the Aber- pergwm MS.), it is said, ' Deng mylnedd a phedwar ugain a mil oed Crist pan las Rhys ap Tewdwr Brenhin Deheubarth gan y Ffrancod a oedd yn preswylio Brecheiniog' (in the year of Christ, 1090, Ehys ap Tewdwr Prince of South Wales, w^as slain by the Frenchmen who inhabited Brecknockshire).^ If this account, then, is to be depended upon, it may be true that the battle in which Ehys was slain was fought near the village of that name ; yet it w^as not between him on the one side, and Fitzhammon and Einion on the other, but between Bleddin ap Maenarch and Bernard Xewmarch. After a survey of the ground where this battle is supposed to have taken place, I may perhaps be allowed to indulge in an imaginary, though (as I conceive) probable description of the encounter. It has been just hinted that this expedition of Bernard was concerted ' Site of the ancient Roman station of Bannium, a very strong position overhanging the valley of the Usk. — S. W. W. 2 The same thing is asserted in the anonymous chronicle in Leland : " Res filius Tewder a Francis qui in Brechiuiauc liabitabant occiditur"; see also the Brut-y-Saeson in the Myjyrian Arcludology, V. 2, p. 527, which informs us that Rhys was killed by the French- men (meaning certainly Normans) who lived in Brecknockshire. RHYS AP TEWDWR. 11 between him and Fitzhaminon, or at least that the success of the latter led to the invasion of Brecknockshire ; in his route, therefore, from England, the conqueror of this county very naturally called upon his countrymen in Glamorganshire, who, if they did not join, at least so far assisted him as to point out the road taken by Ehys in his flight from Hirwain-Wrgan. Pursuing his steps, the invader came to Caerbannau, which being too strongly fortified by nature as well as art to promise success in an attack on the western side, it should seem that the Normans made a feint of filing off northward, along a ridge parallel with the river Escir, as if they intended proceeding towards the Epynt Hills and the Hundred of Builth. On the other, or eastern side of the river, where the British troops were posted, the lane called Heol y Cymri, as far as it bears that name, runs parallel with this supposed march of the Normans. Along this lane the Britons proceeded, watching the motions of the enemy, but concealed from them by higher ground on the left hand, so that, apprehending no opposition, Bernard and his forces attempted to cross the Escir through a wood, from this event called Cwm-gwern-y-gad, now corruptly Cwmgwingad, or the Wood of the Vale of the Battle, opposite the mansion-house of the late Colonel and the present Mrs. Chabbert ; here, how- ever, they were observed by some of the British scouts upon the opposite eminence, when the Welsh army pouring down the common, between Battle village and Mrs. Chabbert's, must certainly have attacked the enemy to great advantage ; but the discipline of the Normans prevailed, the assailants were driven back, and, in the retreat or flight, tradition informs us Ehys lost his head near a well on the common just mentioned, called Efynon Pen Ehys, or Ffynnon Sir Ehys. The fury of the battle ceased not till the residence of Bleddin was attacked on the eastern side, where it was most assailable and where he himself, as we learn from Hugh Thomas as well as some other MSS., was slain whilst gallantly defending his life, his liberty, and his country, against a horde of robbers, who had no pre- tence or motive for hostilities, except a savage and unjustifiable love of plunder, or any argument to support them but the sword." Jones adds a very important note to this description of the battles in which Khys ap Tev^dwr and his brother-in-law, Bleddin ap Maenarch, lost their lives ; it is as follows : — " Bleddin ap Maenarch was buried at Ystradflur, or Strata Elorida Abbey, in Cardiganshire, which was l)uilt by his brother- 12 THE FOUNDERS OF STRATA FLORIDA. in-iaw, Ehjs ap Tevvdwr, and endowed in 1164 by Hliys ap Griffith, who styles himself the founder, in his charter preserved in the Monasticoji. Leland, in his Collectanea, vol. i, p. 45, more correctly calls ' Eesus filius Theodori princeps Suth- WallicB primus fundatur' of this monastery." Jones gives no authority for the burial of Bleddyn ap Maenarch at Ystrad Flur, but I see no reason to doubt that he is correct, and that after the fatal fight it is very probable that the bodies of Rhys and Bleddyn were buried in the monastery the former had founded. In Yorke's Royal Tribes of Wales there is a note that — "In the year 1091, lestyn, Lord of Glamorgan, rebelling against Ehys ap Tewdwr, Prince of South ^Yales, invited many barons and knights out of England to his aid, when, joining his power to them, he led them to Brecknock. Then Bleddyn ap Maenyrch, Lord of Brecknock, whose wife was sister to Ehys, sent instantly to him for succour; when, making the best levy he could on the sudden, he came forthwith to Brecknock, and joined himself with Bleddyn and his men ; and being far less in number than their adversaries, they very unadvisedly fought a most dismal battle to all South Wales; for they both falling by the sword, left it a prey to strangers, and the welfare of their children at the mercy of their enemies. Then Bernard Newmarch, or Newmarket, a Norman, seized upon the Lordship of Brecknock, the possession of which remained in his blood until the time of Henry VIII, when by the attainder of the last Edward Stafford it came to the Crown." {Ponton Papers.) Mr, Richard Williams, the editor of Yorke's work, states that from the best authorities the time when the battle took place was 1089, and that Rhys ap Tewdwr was at that time upwards of ninety-two years of age, he having reigned twelve years. One cannot help thinking that his age is somewhat ex- aggerated; if not, he must have been a man of wonderful physique. I cannot find in Powell's History of Wales, or in the Chronicles of the Princes, any reference to his great age, except that in 1077, when he ascended the throne, he was described as of mature age. The Annales Camhrice give 1091 as the date of his death. RHYS AP TEWDWR. 13 By his wife, Gwladys, the daughter of Rhiwallon, the brother of Bleddyn ap Cynfan, Prince of Powis, he left two sons, Gruffydd and Grono, or Goronwy^; the latter was detained a prisoner by the King of England, tiiough the author of The Winyiing of the Lordship of Glamorgan asserts that he was slain with his father in the battle against the Normans. Gruffydd was, at the time of his father's death, a mere child; he was sent for security to Ireland, where he remained until he was twenty-five years of age. We first hear of him in Wales in 1112, as having come over about two years before, and residing privately among his relations, more particularly with Gerald de Windsor, Steward of Pembroke, his brother-in-law. Phys ap Tewdwr also left a daughter, Nesta, who became one of the most beautiful and accomplished women in Wales ; she was doubtless very young at her father's death, and was possibly brought up in Eng- land ; she became the mistress of Henry I, by whom she had a son. According to some authorities, that son was the celebrated Robert Earl of Gloucester^ ; she subsequently married Gerald de Windsor, Castellan of Pembroke. In 1107 she was living with her husband at Pem- broke ; and Cadwgan, son of Bleddyn ap Cynfan, Prince of Powis, who appears at that time to have ruled in part of South Wales, having usurped the authority upon the death of Rhys ap Tewdwr, made a great feast at his Castle of Cardigan at Christmas, and invited the chieftains and gentry of the country from every district 1 In tlie Chronicle of the Princes this son Grono, or Goronwy, under date 1113, is called Hywel, son of Rliys, son of Tewdwr; and in that year escapes from Montgomery Castle. Possibly he may have had thi^ee sons, Goronwy in that case was beheaded at the same time as his father, and Hywel, who must have been the younger, was taken prisoner. 2 Mr G. T. Clark, in his " Earls, Earldom, and Castle of Pem- broke", Archceologia Camhrensis, vol. v, 3rd Series, p. 8, states, " Nest had been mistress to Henry I, and by him was mother of Henry, and of Robert Earl of Gloucester." 14 THE FOUNDERS OF STRATA FLORIDA. in Wales ; he also at the same time held an Eisteddfod, at which all the bards and the best vocal and instru- mental minstrels in Wales contended, and according to ancient custom he gave them prizes and rewards. At this great gathering, Owain, the son of Cadw- gan, saw Nesta ; being much struck with her beauty and gentle bearing, he fell madly in love with her, Owain appears to have been a most turbulent, ruffianly young freebooter, who only two years before had slain two of his kinsmen, the sons of Trahearn ap Caradoc. Under pretence of the distant relationship between Nesta and himself, her mother beings a cousin of his father, he paid a visit to Pembroke, and the same night managed with a number of his companions whom he had taken with him, to obtain (probably by treachery) admission to the castle, laying siege to that portion of it occupied by Gerald and his wife, and set it on fire. Gerald, by the aid of his wife, escaped down a garde- robe, Owain having effected an entrance, after search- ing every private corner and not finding Gerald, took his wife and her two sons, also an illegitimate son and daughter of Gerald's, and carried them away to Powys, where Owain lived. Mr. Laws, in his His- tory of Little England beyond Wales, states : " It has generally been supjDOsed that this rascally deed was perpetrated in Pembroke Castle, but it seems strange that a band of Welshmen should have been able to gain admittance at dead of night into the principal English fortress of West Wales, Is it not more pro- bable that Gerald and his wife lay in the new Castle of Carew ? According to the Annales Camhrice, the castle was burnt in 1106," Upon this outrage coming to the knowdedge of King Henry, he held the father responsible for his son's crime ; and Caclwgwn endeavoured to persuade his son to restore to Gerald his wife, Owain sent back the children to Pembroke, but kept Nesta in durance vile at his castle in Powys. The king, finding that the only way to rescue RHYS AP TEWDWR. 15 Nesta was by taking very severe measures, ordered Richard, Bishop of London, who was then Warden of the Marches of Wales, to call upon some of the chieftains of Powys for aid, promising them very considerable rewards if they would bring Owain and his father Cadwgwn dead or alive, that he might avenge the heinous affront which had been done to the king's castellan. Cadwgwn and Owain being unable to withstand this confederacy, fled to Ireland, leaving Nesta to find her way home as best she could to her disconsolate lord and master. Except as the daughter of E-hys ap Tewdwr, and sister of Gruffydd ap Rhys, his son and successor, with whom we shall next have to deal, we need not go further into the history of this somewhat remarkable woman, except it be to tell how she outlived Gerald de Windsor, and then married Stephen, the Castellan of Cardigan. She was the mother of one or two sons by Henry I, King of England ; three sons and two daughters by Gerald- — one of the sons became Bishop of St. David's, from one of the daughters was descended Gerald de Barri, the celebrated Archdeacon of Breck- nock, better known as Giraldus Cambrensis. She appears to have had only one son by Stephen of Cardigan, but all her descendants were men of might and power in South Wales, and took an active part in the first Norman conquest of Ireland. After the defeat and death of Rhys ap Tewdwr, Robert Fitzhamon with his knights and their men assembled on the Towyn Colwyn (subsequently called the " Mill- tir-aur", or the Golden Mile), near Bridgend, where lestyn paid them their recompense in sterling gold, and they returned towards London, Then Einion asked him to ratify his promise of giving him his daughter in marriage, and the portion he had promised with her. Testyn refused, and laughed at Einion, and said he would do better with his daughter than bestow her upon a traitor to his country and lord. At this Einion was greatly enraged, and hurrying after his Norman 16 THE FOUNDERS OF STRATA FLORIDA. friends, related to them how he had been insulted ; and he also represented how much the principal men of Glamorgan hated lestyn, who appears to have had a very bad character even in those bad old times. He pointed out to the Normans the great fertility of the country, and how easy it would be to wrest it from the hands of the tyrant, who, on account of his treachery and deceit, would not meet with assistance from any of the other princes of Wales. They took his advice and returned ; and Einion having raised a confederacy amongst some of the discontented Welsh nobles, who had also been promised rewards for their assistance in defeating Rhys ap Tewdwr, but which lestyn had failed to pay, they joined the Norman ad- venturers, and in an action fought at Mynydd Bychan, near Cardiff, lestyn was defeated and put to flight. The Normans took possession of all the richest and best park of the Vale of Glamorgan, and allotted to Einion the Lordship of Miscyn and Senghenydd, the roughest and least fertile portion ; however, he appears to have had the young lady thrown into the bargain, and as she probably brought some portion ' of her father's personal property as a dowry, he was con- tented, for we do not hear much more of him. Mr. G. T. Clark, in his Land of Morgan, says that lestyn was slain at Mynydd Bychan, and that — " The proceedings of Fitz Hamon during and upon liis conquest have been woven into a legendary tale, very neat and round, very circumstantial, but as deficient in evidence as though it had proceeded from the pen of Geoffry himself. The story, which in South Wales is an article of faith, explains the jealousy between Rhys and Jestyn, resting, of course, upon a woman ; the cause of the special selection of Einion to bring in the Norman ; the battle of Hirwaun-Wrgan ; the death of Ehys and his sons ; the payment of the Normans in gold ; the refusal to Einion of his guerdon ; the retirement and return of the Nor- mans ; the death of Jestyn, and the occupation of his territory ; and, finally, its partition between the conqueror and his twelve principal followers, and four or five Welshmen. " By whom, or when this story was concocted, is not known. RHYS AP TEWDWR. * 17 It was certainly accepted without challenge in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, and could scarcely have been circulated before the extinction of the Le Despencers, early in the fifteenth century. Probably its author was some follower of the Stradlings of St. Donats, a family somewhat given to literature, whose fictitious pedigree it sets forth as true. What is certain is that, whatever may have been the cause alleged, the invasion was not really due to any local quarrel, but was part of a settled policy for completing the English conquest ; a policy which, if not under- taken by Fitz Haraon, would have been carved out by Eufus in person, or by some of the adventurers who, about the same time, were taking possession of Monmouth and Brecknock, and the whole of South- West Wales. Indeed, Eufus awaited the result of Fitz Hamon's expedition at Alveston, between Bristol and Gloucester, and is supposed to have been only prevented by illness from bearing a share in it." Mr. Freeman, in his History of the Norman Conquest of England, thus refers to the conquest of Wales by the Normans : — " It must be remembered that Gwent had been long before added to the English realm by Harold, that its possession had been further secured by the victories of William Fitz Osbern, that the central frontier had been secured by the foundation of the Castle of Cardiff. In this way South Wales had been either subdued or awed to a degree which had enabled the Conqueror to make a pilgrimage, either warlike or peaceful, to the shrine of St. David. The lands which now lay open to further conquest were those of Brecknock, Carmarthen, the Peninsula of Gower, the larger peninsula land of Dyfed, the modern Pembrokeshire, and the still more distant land of Cardigan. The first great campaign against this region took place in the sixth year of the reign of Eufus, the year famous in ecclesiastical history for the beginning of the primacy of Anselm. The South Welsh King, Ehys ap Tewdwr, was, as the chronicles of both nations tell us, killed by the French of Brecheiniog ; and after his time the Britons had no kings, but only princes. This marks the occupation of Brecknock by the famous Bernard of Newmarch. He secured his possession by a marriage with a wife chosen from among the conquered, but in whose veins ran some of the noblest blood of England. He married Nest, the daughter of the elder Nest, the daughter of Gruffydd and Ealdgyth, the grand-daughter of ^Ifgar, the step-daughter of King Harold. Of the occupation of Morganwg, the historian hardly ventures to speak. He finds C 18 TllE F0UXDER3 OF STRATA FLORIDA. a tale so neatly put together in all its parts, a tale which has so deeply impressed itself on local belief, and which has so thoroughly left its mark on the local associations of every corner of the district, that it is a bold step to show how slight is the historical evidence on which it rests. But all we can say with safety is that it must have been about this time that Eobert Fitzhamon, of the blood of the rebel of Val-es-dunes, received those possessions in the conquered land, which have made his name, and the name of his successors, the great centre of local history or legend. The rest of the warfare of this year is to be traced in the British Chronicles only, but its course clearly points to an earlier occupation of Morganwg, As usual, a Welsh prince is found giving help to the invaders. Ehys is hardly slain at Brecknock before one of his old enemies, Cadwgan ap Bleddyn, is heard of as harrying Dyfed ; and directly after we read how the French, for the first time, came into Dyfed and Ceredigion, how they kept tlie land ever after, how they built castles, and from that time held the whole land of the Britons. Among the castles one of the foremost was the great fortress of Pembroke, at first only a rude structure of wood, but which, in its later form, remains one of the noblest examples of the earlier military architecture of the thirteenth century. From this time we may date the Xorman or English Conquest of South Wales. The Britons were neither exterminated nor enslaved ; while the conquerors and their followers, a mixed multitude of French, English, and Flemings, occupied the towns and castles. Welsh princes still kept up a precarious reign in the less fertile parts of the country, living on such terms of friendship or enmity with the invaders as might suit the convenience of the moment. The local nomenclature of modern Glamorgan, with its strongly marked British, English, and French elements, is the best commentary on this state of things. From this time revolts were common, and very often for a while success- ful ; still they were revolts ; the yoke of the conqueror could never again he wholly thrown off. In South Wales, as every- where else, the Normans put the finishing stroke to the work which the West-Saxons had begun." (The History of the Norman Conquest of Eifigland, vol. v, pp. 109-111.) Thus the Normans established themselves first in South Wales, and at the same time Cadwgan, son of Bleddyn ap Cynfan, taking advantage of the death of Rhys ap Tewdwr, ravaged and took possession of part of Dyfed and Ceredigion. Gruffydd ap Cynan, Prince of RHYS AP TEWDWE. 19 North Wales, having marched to the assistance of Rhys ap Tewclwr, leaving his own dominions defenceless, Hugh Earl of Chester seized upon part of North Wales and Anglesey ; while the Earl of Shrewsbury, Roger de Montgomery, seized upon large portions of Powys, in- cluding the town and castle of Montgomery ; his son Arnulph seized upon Southern Pembrokeshire ; Hugh de Lacy upon the land of Ewyas ; Ralph Mortimer on Maelenydd ; and Martin Turribus, or De Tours, another Norman adventurer, established himself as a Lord Marcher in Northern Pembrokeshire. Bernard New- march had taken jDossession of Brecknock, and thus passed away the principality of Rhys ap Tewdwr ; at his death sunk the kingdom of South Wales and all its glories, his successor Gruffydd being styled lord only of that country. Having now traced the history of Rhys ap Tewdwr from his accession to the sovereignty of South Wales in 1077 until his death in 1089, or according to some authorities, in 1091 ; and having observed that during his short tenure of power he was constantly engaged in warfare, the question naturally occurs, during what part of his troublous reign did he establish the Monas- tery of Ystrad Flur, with which his name is associated as the founder ? Lewis Glyn Cothi, who wrote between 1430 to 1470, says : " Tewdwr a wnaeth tai wedy o flwr y vro wrth Flur vry." This may be translated " Tewdwr made (or founded) buildings (or houses) on the banks of the Flur" ; this, followed by Leland's statement — " Rhesus filius Theodori princeps Suthwallise primus fundator" — " Rhys ap Tewdwr, Prince of South Wales, was the original founder" — is all the documentary evidence we possess on the subject. Leland no doubt obtained his information from the monks at Strata Florida. In his time the records of the Abbey must have existed, and he would have access to them, and must have had some authority for c 2 20 THE FOUNDERS OF STRATA FLORIDA. making the statement that Rhys ap Tewdwr was the original founder. Subsequent writers have mixed up E,hys ap Tewdwr and his grandson, Khys ap Gruffydd, as the original founder, and have created difficulties by assuming that the monastery of Ystrad Flur, founded by the grand- father, was one and the same as the Abbey of Strata Florida, founded nearly 100 years afterwards by Rhys ap Gruffydd. The real facts of the case are very simple. Rhys ap Tewdwr founded a house for monks of some order at a place still called " Yr hen Fynachlog", or the old monastery, situated upon the banks of the sma.ll river called the Flur, two miles south-west of the Abbey of Strata Florida, the latter being situated on a tongue of land between the rivers Teifi and Glasffrwd. He probably established the monastery of Ystrad Flur in the earlier years of his reign, it may be in gratitude for the victories he had won over his enemies, which had placed him on the throne of South Wales, or it may have been in accordance with the spirit of the age, when it was the fashion as well as a matter of good policy with men of position and wealth to found monastic houses throughout Europe. We must remember that the monks w^ere the men who introduced an improved system of agriculture wherever they were settled ; and the monasteries were centres from whence civilisation radiated among the semi-barbarous Welsh tribesmen amidst whom they were placed. Rhys ap Tewdwr, after his long residence in Brittany, was probably a much more cultivated man than many of the rude chieftains over whom he ruled, and in those days one of the first steps that such a man would take would be to establish a monastery in what must have been at that time nothing but a waste of mountain, forest, and morass. The monks would teach his rude subjects the arts of peace, and he would largely increase the value of his Cardiganshire estates by placing in RHYS AP TEWDWR. 21 the midst of them the one civiUsing influence of that age of warfare and utter barharism. Moreover, an inspection of the site of " Yr hen Fynachlog" has satisfied me that a very considerable amount of the foundations yet remain of this ancient monastery. The tenant of the farm of " Yr hen Fynachlog" pointed out the extent of ground covered by the foundations of buildings, also the traditional site of the church, of which, within the memory of some old people still living, fragments of the walls remained above the surface ; and though the extent of ground occupied by the church and monastic buildings was not by any means so large as at Strata Florida, it is clear that " Yr hen Fynachlog" was by no means insignificant. The dimensions of the founda- tions of the church, as given by the tenant of the farm who only cleared them away a few years ago, being about 126 feet long by 42 feet wide; it stood on rising ground on the south side of the monastic buildings. The river Flur now cuts the site in two, but there is very clear evidence that the river has changed its course, and that in the olden time it flowed on the east and north sides of the monastery. In addition to the above, it must be taken into con- sideration that the fragments of some earlier building have been incorporated in the walls of the Abbey church of Strata Florida. These are pieces of moulded stone-work cut out of a rather friable coarse sandstone, apparently of the millstone grit formation, which have been found imbedded in tlie walls of the presbytery, the west end of the north aisle, and the relieving arch over the western arch of the tower. The mouldings of this arch are entirely different from any other in the church, being also cut out of a similar friable sand- stone, and in very small pieces, as if the builders had worked up fragments of freestone which, having been previously used, could not be cut out to the same scantling as if sawn from the block. It might ])e asserted that the fragments iml)edded in the walls 22 THE FOUNDERS OF STRATA FLORIDA. were pieces of waste from the masons' work, or por- tions of mouldings accidentally broken, thrown on one side, and then utilised as walling stone ; but the piece in the relieving arch on the western side of the tower has been painted in a pattern of red and yellow be- fore it was built into the arch, and this distinctly proves it came from some other building, and that could have been none other than Ystrad Flur. Tradition says that E-hys ap Tewdwr's monastery was burnt, sharinof the same fate as its successor at Strata Florida, and among the stones removed from the foundations at Hen Fynachlog are many that still show traces of fire. Rhys ap Gruffycld probably found his grandfather's monastery of Ystrad Flur in a ruinous condition, owing to the long-continued wars in which his country had oeen engaged since the death of Rhys ap Tewdwr, and up to the time when he founded Strata Florida. He then decided to found another and a larger build- ing on a more convenient site. It was a period when the Cistercians were the most popular and prosperous monastic order in Europe. At that time Welsh princes were founding Cistercian houses in Wales, as witness Strata Marcella, Abbey Cwmhir, and Valle Crucis ; and doubtless the Cluniac monastery of Rhys ap Tewdwr, as it was called by Camden, became merged in the new foundation for the Cistercian order founded by Rhys ap Gruffydd. There is no trace of any earlier building at Strata Florida before the foundation of the Abbey in 1164 ; it is perfectly clear, that with the exception of the frag- ments found imbedded in the walls as above described, the church was built between 1164 and 1203, as men- tioned in the Brut y Tywysogion, and it is most pro- bable that the monks would utilise any freestone they could obtain from the ruins of Ystrad Flur for their new building, as freestone had to be brought long dis- tances for use in Cardiganshire, and would be a very expensive material. RHYS AP TEWDWR. 23 Portion of Capital supposed to have come from the old Monastery of Ystrad Flur. There is one fragment of a capital found near the western tower-arch, which had apparently- been built in or uti- lised in some way, and which is of much earlier type of Norman work than any of the other carving discovered. I am indebted to Mr. Willis - Bund for the photograph from which the woodcut in the margin has been pro- duced. I think this is the key-note to the style of architec- ture at Ystrad Flur. The Abbey church probably resembled Jerpoint Abbey in Ireland, a plain, oblong building with side aisles, with semicircular-headed windows, a simple clerestory over the nave arcades, and a plain triplet at the east end of narrow external lights, deeply splayed internally, of which we have a good example in Llanbadarn Fawr Church in Kadnor- shire, erected about the same period. Rhys ap Tewdwr's building, which he f3unded, ac- cording to Lewis Glyn Cothi, on the banks of the Flur, was a much simpler one than the magnificent structure reared by Rhys ap Gruffydd on the banks of the Teifi. CHAPTER II. THE FOUNDERS OF STEATA FLOPJDA (continued). GkUFFYDD AP PtHYS. After the disastrous defeat and death of Hhys ap Tewdwr m 1091,his infant son, GrufFydd (subsequently known as Grufi'ydd ap Ehys), was sent for security to Ireland, where he remained until he was twenty-five years of age. In 1112 or 1113 Gruffydd came secretly to South Wales to visit his sister Nesta and her husband, Gerald de Windsor, with the intention of laying claim to the principality of South Whales, which was now held by the King of England. Powell, in his History of Wales, says that he came over about two years before, but that it was not until 1113 that the rumour reached King Henry's ears that a certain person had appeared in Wales who claimed to be the son of Rhys ap Tewdwr. The King sent down orders to Pembrokeshire to arrest the young prince, but Gruffydd ap Rhys, being warned in time, fled to the court of Gruffydd ap Cynan, Prince of North Wales, his father's old ally, who was his great-uncle, and also his father-in-law, for Gruffydd ap Rhys had married Gwenllian, a daughter of Gruffydd ap Cynan. He was received at the palace of Aber- ffraw with every semblance of honour, and most gracious promises of support were made to him. About the same time Howel, another son of Rhys ap Tewdwr, escaped from Montgomery Castle, where he had been imprisoned for some years by Arnulph de GRUFFYDD AP RHYS. 25 Montgomery, and joined his brother at the court of Gruffydd ap Cynan. King Henry, becoming alarmed at the alUance between the Prince of North Wales and Rhys ap Tewdwr s sons, invited Gruffydd ap Cynan to visit him in London, where he was received with every mark of honour and distinction. The King bestowed upon him valuable presents of gold, silver, and jewels, and having pointed out to his guest how inconvenient the restoration of the southern principality w^ould be, both to North Wales and England, and how perilous it would be to him to harbour Gruffydd ap Rhys, and having further promised Gruffydd ap Cynan his lands free of tribute, with other valuable privileges, he induced him to promise that he would send Gruffydd ap Rhys to the King dead or alive. Having thus pledged himself to this disgraceful bargain, he appears to have got very drunk upon Henry's strong wines, and while in this condition he boasted at table, in the presence of a relative of Gerald de Wind- sor, of what he was going to do, and what the King had promised him ; that gentleman at once sent off an express to Pembroke with the news, which being told to Nesta, she sent messengers in great haste to her brothers in North Wales to warn them of the fate which awaited them upon the return of Gruffydd ap Cynan. Gruffydd and Howel fled to Aberdaron, and took sanctuary in the church.^ When Gruffydd ap Cynan, on his return to his palace at Aberffraw, found the birds had flown, he sent a troop of horse to fetch them back, but the churchmen stood upon their rights and would not allow their sanctuary to be violated. 1 Some little distance northwards of Aberdaron are the remains of an ancient monastery or church called St. Mary's, and near there is a sheltered creek exactly opposite Bardsey Island, from whence the brothers, with a boat, could easily reach a ship lying under the shelter of Bardsey Mountain, which would be the place where a vessel would lie at anchor. It was probably at St. Mary's Monas- tery the fugitives took sanctuary. I am indebted to Mr. Ed. Roberts, a native of Perth Dinlloyn, for this information. 26 THE FOUNDERS OF STRATA FLORIDA. While the dispute was going on between the clergy and the prince's officers the brothers escaped by means of a ship from Pembroke, which lay in the harbour at Enlli (or Bardsey Island), and landed them safely in Cardiganshire ; having reached the wilds of Ystrad Towey, amongst their own kindred and friends, they bid defiance to GruflPydd ap Cynan and the King of England, and raised the standard of revolt in their father's territory of Cardigan and Carmarthen. Being joined by many of his kinsmen in the Yale of Towy, Gruffydd ap Bliys attacked the Normans in Cardigan- shire and North Pembrokeshire, destroyed Arberth Castle, and sweeping down through South Wales, be- sieged Swansea Castle, burnt the environs, but failed to take the castle; then, having ravaged all Gower, he returned to the Vale of Towy with very great spoil. He then attacked Llandovery Castle, belonging to Pichard de Poins, upon whom the King had bestowed Cantreff Bychan ; the castle, however, held out, and Gruffydd, after destroying the outworks and killing- some few of the besieged, was compelled to raise the siege, after suffering considerable loss. Carmarthen was next attacked, and with more success, for he utterly destroyed the town and castle, and killed Owen ap Caradoc, the Governor. He had by this time acquired considerable plunder, and no doubt had obtained what was to him most valuable, stores of the arms and armour of the defeated Normans ; with these he was enabled to equip the recruits that now flocked to his standard. The dates of these events vary in the different chronicles. The Brut y Tywysogion tells the story as all happening in the year 1113. The Anncdes Cam- hrice fixes 1115 as the date of the visit of Gruffydd ap Phys to North Wales, 1116 the siege and destruc- tion of Arberth Castle, the burning of Carmarthen, the siege of Blaen Perth Gwithan, Ystrad Peithyll, and Aberystwith Castles. In the year 1113 there was murrain and pestilence GRUFFYDD AP RHYS. 27 raging in England, and there was great mortality among men and beasts. King Henry finding it diffi- cult to raise a sufficient force among Lis English sub- jects for service against the Welsh, brought over a large number of Flemings, to whom he granted lands in Wales, more jDarticularly in Pembrokeshire, upon condition of their taking up arms against the Welsh whenever required to do so. These foreign mercenaries having been sent into Wales, were placed under the command of the King's castellans, and such of the Welsh chieftains who had remained faith- ful to him. The addition of this reinforcement does not seem to have crushed the rebellion, for in 1114 Gruffydd took Kidwelly Castle from William of London, one of the Norman conquerors of Glamorgan, and ravaged his territory, and after this raid again returned to the wilds of Ystrad Towy with much spoil and booty that he had taken from the hated Normans. The Cardiganshire men, seeing how successful Gruff- ydd ap Khys had been in his attempts to drive out the Norman conquerors, and to recover his father's prin- cipality, now joined him with a band of well- trained men. Amongst those who attached themselves to his fortunes were Cadifor, son of Goronwy, Hywell, son of Idnerth, and Trahearn, son of Ithel, powerful chieftains of his own kindred, who had been dispossessed of their lands by the De Clares^ and the Lord Marcher of Cemmaes, Martin de Turribus ; for King Henry had deprived the native chieftains of their estates, and granted them to his English and Norman favourites.^ * King Henry I, in 1107, gTanted all the territories in Cardigan- shire which Cadwgan ap Bleddyn had seized, upon the death of Rhys ap Tewdwr, to Gilbert de Clare, on the usual condition of obtaining possession by the sword; the latter invaded Cardiganshire with a strong armed force, and soon reduced the country, from the Teifi to the Ystwith, to subjection. In order to defend his usurpa- tion, he built a castle at Aberystwith, and another at the southern extremity of the district at Cardigan, and rebuilt Cilgcrran Castle. He probably built or strengthened the other castles mentioned above. 28 THE FOUNDERS OF STRATA FLORIDA. GrufFydd, reinforced by his Cardiganshire friends, laid siege to a fortress that Earl Gilbert de Clare and the Flemings had built at Blaen Forth Gwithan, in Cardigan Iscoed, and having taken it with but trifling loss, he destroyed the castle and reduced the whole of that district to subjection. The situation of this castle of the De Clares, it is supposed, was at Blaen y Forth, near Cardigan (see Celtic Remains, by Lewis Morris, edited by Rev. D. Silvan Evans, page 38). Then taking the Castle of Stradpythyll (or Ystrad Feithyll) and putting all the garrison to the sword, he marched to Aberystwith, and encamping at Glasgrug, near Llanbadarn Fawr, intending to besiege Aberyst- with Castle, but was surprised and defeated with con- siderable loss. Fowell, in his History of Wales, gives a very graphic account of the attempt to take Aberystwith Castle, and as illustrating the mode of warfare at that period it is interesting to reproduce it in full. " Then Gruffydd besieged the Castle of Stradpvtliylh, which belonged to Ralph, Earl Gilbert's steward, and liaving made himself master of it, he put all the garrison to the sword. Eemoving from thence, he encamped at Glasgryg, a mile from Llanbadarn, purposing to besiege Aberystwith Castle next morning ; but, for want of provisions necessary for his army, he was forced to make bold with some cattle which grazed within the limits of the sanctuary. And here it may be observed that not only men enjoyed the privilege of these sanctuaries, but also cattle and horses, and whatever else lived within the liber- ties of them. But the day following, Gruffydd marched dis- orderly towards the castle, being apprehensive of no great opposition, by reason that he was ignorant of the number of the garrison, and so encamping upon an opposite hill, which was divided from the castle by a river, with a bridge over it, he called a council to determine with what engines they might ^^•ith best success play against it, and so make a general assault. The Normans observing their disorder very cunningly sent out some of their archers to skirmish with them, and so, by little and little, to entice them to the bridge, wliere some of the best armed horsemen were ready to issue out upon them. The Welsh, not thinking the garrison to be so strong, ai)proached GRUFFYDD AP RHYS. 29 near the bridge, still skirmishing with the Normans, who pre- tended to give ground, but when they came very near, out sallies one on horseback who would fain pass the bridge, but being received on the points of their spears, he began to flag, and as he endeavoured to return he fell off his horse, and so the Welsh pursued him over the bridge. The Englishmen seeing this fled towards the castle, and the Welsh with all speed fol- lowed them to the top of the hill ; but whilst they thought that the day was their own, up rises a party of horse which lay in ambuscade under the hill, and standing betwixt the Welsh and the bridge, prevented any succour to come to them. And the Welsh being thus hemmed in betwixt both parties, the former recoiling with greater strength, were so unmercifully cut off that scarce one man was left living. When the rest of the Welsh army, that stayed on the other side of the river, saw what number the garrison contained, and that they were strong beyond their expectation, presently decamped, and with all speed departed out of the country." (Powell's Hist, of Wales, ed. 1774, p. 147.) King Henry, finding that Gruffydd ap Rhys was rapidly recovering possession of his father's territories, and. that his own forces in South Wales were insuffi- cient, the Normans not daring to leave the protection of their castles, called to his aid Owain ap Cadwgan of Powys, the abductor of the fair Nesta. Owain ap Cadwgan, after his flight to Ireland, seems to have made his peace with Henry, and had accompanied, him to Normandy, where he behaved so gallantly that the King knighted him and restored the lands and estates which he had forfeited owing to his having abducted Nesta, and slain a certain Flemish bishop, one William de Brabant who was journeying through Wales. Owen had committed all kinds of depredations and enormities, not only in Wales, but in the Marches, and seems to have been a captain of a band of free- booters willing to sell his services to the highest bidder. The King also associated with him Lly warch ap Tra- haearn, and promised them a great reward if they would take or kill Gruftydd ap Pvhys ; and at the same time Robert Consul, Earl of Gloucester, Henry's bastard son, 30 THE FOUNDERS OF STRATA FLORIDA. was placed in command of a large army of Welsh and Normans combined, and these advancing up the Vale of Towy were to have met Gerald de Windsor, who, with a large force of Flemings, was on his march from Pembroke to join the King's forces. Up to this time Gerald de Windsor seems not to have taken any active part against his brother-in-law, but now, being called upon by the King to join his forces to those of the Earl of Gloucester, he scarcely dared to disobey. When Gerald de Windsor heard that his bitter enemy, Owain ap Cadwgan, was fighting for the King, and was actually then in the forest of Ystrad Towy, he appears to have suddenly determined to avenge himself for the insults his honour had received by the outrage Owain had committed on his wife. " He instantly entered the forest in pursuit of that chief, who being warned by his followers of the approaching danger, refused to fly, confident that his pursuers in- tended him no injury, they, like himself, being vassals of the King of England. As soon as Gerald and his forces drew near they discharged a volley of arrows. Owain, finding his mistake, with much spirit called on his men to support him, telling them that though their enemies were seven to one in number, they were only Flemings, who would be afirighted at the name of a Welshman, and distinguished by nothing but drinking deep at carousals. On the first onset Owain ap Cadwgan was slain, an arrow having pierced his heart. His death dispirited his followers, and gave them so great a distrust of the King's forces that they dispersed and returned into their own country" (Yorke's Royal Tribes of Wales, page 30). Thus died Owain ap Cadw- gan, one of the boldest and most profligate of the Welsh chieftains of that period ; he is held up in Welsh history as a traitor and a rufiian, and he well earned his evil name ; his followers, who dispersed after his death, became notorious as a band of banditti, who for a long period preyed upon their countrymen and GRUFFYDD AP EHYS. 31 had their home in the fastnesses of* the Mawcldwy forest. We do not hear any more of Gerald de AVindsor after this event. The Earl of Gloucester's army advanced into the Vale of Towy, where he was deserted by nearly all his Welsh troops, who joined the forces of their native prince, and Robert Consul returned home Mdthout effecting his purpose. King Henry at this time was in Normandy, fighting the French King, and with trouble in North Wales and Powys, as well as in the South, he must have had his hands pretty full without further attempting the apparently hopeless task of conquering Gruffydd ap Khys. In 1121 King Henry and Gruffydd came to terms, the King granting to him all " the Vale of Towy, the Cantrev of Penwedig in Ceredigion, the Cantrev of Caerwedros, and the little Cantrev, Carthinog, Caeo, Myvenydd, and other lands, his lawful right, were allowed him, to be held free ; but the King saw the boundaries of those lands were undefined, which fur- nished him with a pretext to complain of Gruffydd's proceedings, as was seen in the end" {Chronicle of the Princes, page 107). This extract from the Chronicle of the Princes indicates the extent of territory that was claimed by Gruffydd ap Rhys as his patrimony, and over which he ruled as chief lord ; the sovereignty of South Wales was among the things of the past, he wisely came to terms with the powerful Norman King, and ac- knowledged him as his suzerain. It would be interesting to trace the present bound- aries of the territory granted to Gruffydd ap Rhys under the treaty with Henry I, as it will be within this dis- trict that we shall find the lands granted by his suc- cessor, Rhys ap Gruffydd and his descendants, to the Abbey of Strata Florida. In addition to the Cantrefs mentioned in the Brat y Tyivysogion, I find in Yorke's Boyal Tribes of Wales that King Henry II gave to Rhys ap Gruffydd " Cardigan, Ustrad-Towi, Arustli, 32 THE FOUNDERS OF STRATA FLORIDA. and Elfel"; as he was already possessed of Cardigan and Ystrad To wy under the treaty of 1121, which his father made with Henry I, this must have been a confirmation grant of that portion of his lands, and in addition the King granted him Arustli and Elfel. This took place in 1172. In Y Cjjmmrodor, Vol. ix, Part ii, page 325, there is an extract from the Hengwrt MS. 34, edited by Mr. J. Gwenogvryn Evans, which tabulates the Can- trefs and Commots of Wales, and amongst them I find the following, which, by the treaty with Henry I, and by the gift of Henry II, were part, if not the whole of the great lordship ruled over by Gruffydd ap Rhys, and his son, lihys ap Gruffydd, under the settle- ments made in 1121 and 1172. AeOystli C. K. PiOng gOy a Hafren. Maelyenydd Eluael K. C. K. C. K. TuOch coet -I Is koet (^G wyrtlieryny on rKeri J SOydd viiddugre ) SOydd Paimllalldi (^SOydd Duiieitlion^ uOch mynydd Is mynydd llythyfnOg^ Dyffryn teueiddyat SOydd inogen Penvvellt BUELLT C. K. 'SOydd dinan 'j SOydd dieflys | Is Iruon ^ The vm in this word is a guess. John Jones has five perpendi- culai' str(jkes, showing he could not read the word. ^ % Dinieithon. John Jones reads Dineiton. ^ Lecdyfuog. GRUFF YDD AP RHYS. 33 [^ENWEDIC 1 C. K KaeedigyaOn ; folio 685 C. K. C. K C. K YSTKAT TY -\ K/ C. K/ K. C. K./ 'Geneurglynn KymOt peruedd Creuddyn^ j'Meuuenidd^ AnhunaOs [^Pennardd ' Mab wynyon Kaer wedzaOs Gwiuionydd Is koet THiruryn } KymOt peruedd (is kenuen raohyr^ < Ketweli (Karnwyllau TMallaen < KaeaO (MaenaOr DeilaO ( KethinaOc J MabeluyO ^ Mabudxyt ( Widigada For some time after the treaty of 1121 was en- tered into between the King and GrufFydd ap Rhys South Wales appears to have been fairly peaceable, very different from the state of things in North Wales and Powys, where the fiercest family feuds were raging, and every man's hand was against his brother ; the tearing out of each other's eyes, horrible mutilations, and murder of relatives and kindred being matters of every- day occurrence. ^ Y Kreiidyn. 2 Looks more like Meuneuidd. John Jones reads Meufenyd. ^ Guhy. The r in MS. 34 is in a different ink and irregular in form. D 34 THE FOUNDERS OF STRATA FLORIDA. This peaceful state of things, however, was not destined to last long, for in 1127 Gruffydd ap Rhys and his Norman neighbours began to quarrel, no doubt about the unsettled questions of boundary before referred to in the Chronicle, and a complaint was laid against Gruffydd to King Henry, who gave orders that he should be dispossessed of his territory and lands. Gruffydd appealed to the King, but could get no redress, so he assembled his forces, and being joined by Howel ap Meredith with a strong force from Brecknockshire, they proceeded against the Normans and English, who had seized upon Rhys's land, and put them to flight. Gruffydd appears to have dealt mercifully with his enemies, and, according to the Chronicle, " would have no one killed that he could a, void". ^ Daniel, Archdeacon of Powys, son of Sulien, Bishop of St. David's, intervened on Gruffydd's behalf with the King, and he appears to have succeeded in settling the dispute. Daniel was celebrated as a peacemaker among the turbulent chieftains of his day ; he died in 1127.' In 1135 died Henry I, and Stephen was no sooner settled on the throne than he summoned Gruffydd ap Bhys to answer the complaints made against him by his Norman neighbours. Instead of repairing to the English Court, Gruffydd, who appears by the Chronicle to have been " ignorant of any ground for complaint, assembled his men in array", and having applied to his father-in-law, Gruffydd ap Cynan, of North Wales, now a very old man, who had probably repented of his treacherous conduct some twenty-three years before, he sent his sons Cadwalader and Owain (subse- quently known as Owain Gwynedd) with a considerable force of North Wales men to the assistance of Gruffydd ap Bhys. They suddenly attacked the Normans in Car- diganshire, and drove all the retainers of the De Clares out of the country, taking Aberystwith Castle ; and ' Brut y Tywysogion, p. 109, dates this event 1130. ^ Jones and Freeman's History of St. David's Cathedral, p. 270. GRUFF YDD AP RHYS. 35 being joined by Howel ap Meredith of Brecknock, and Khys ap Madoc ap Idnerth, they took the castle of Richard de la Mare, and the castles of Dinerth and Caer- wedros, the combined forces (according to Lewis Morris, Celtic Remains, edited by Rev. D. Silvan Evans, p. 136) " amounting to 6,000 foot and 3,000 horse well armed, and near the river Teifi fought all the power of the Nor- mans, Flemings, and English ; killed 3,000 in the field, several were drowned in the flight, and several carried away captives." The English forces were under the command of Stephen, the Castellan of Cardigan (who had married Nesta, Gerald de Windsor's widow), with his step-sons, and Robert Fitz Martin, son of the con- queror of Cemmaes. This great battle was fought near Cardigan. The fugitive Normans, fleeing southwards, were encountered in the Vale of Neath by the Welsh- men of the hill country of Glamorganshire under the grandson of lestyn ap Gwrgan, who massacred 3,000 of them, the miserable remnant escaping into the Nor- man castles of the Yale of Glamorgan.^ Two romantic episodes, in which a lady in each case figures as the heroine, are related in Mr. Li?iws Histoi'y of Little England beyond Wales, in connection with this sanguinary conflict, when the Welsh succeeded in driving out of Cardiganshire the whole of the Norman intruders. Mr. Laws says that while Gruffydd ap Rhys was seeking assistance from his father-in-law, Gruffydd ap Cynan, " Gwenllian, the wife of the Southern prince, and daughter of the Northern one, raised a considerable force, and accompanied by her sons, Morgan and Maelgwyn, laid siege to Kidwelly Castle, the stronghold of Maurice of London. The Welshmen were defeated with great loss, Morgan was slain in the fight, Gwenllian and Maelgwyn were taken prisoners and beheaded in a field close to the castle, which is still known as Maes Gwenllian. Florence of Worcester states that "the dead upon both sides, 516 in number, were left on the field until the wolves col- lected and devoured them." ' Bi-ut y 'Vywymqion, p. 111. D 2 36 THE FOUNDERS OF STRATA FLORIDA. This action is not referred to in theBrut y Tywysogion, nor in Powell's History of Wales, ed, 1774 ; in the latter Gwenllian is charged with having poisoned her husband in 1137. Let us hope that the former story is true, and that she died with her two gallant sons fighting for the freedom of her country. In the terrible fight on the banks of the Teifi, before referred to, was killed Richard, eldest son of Gilbert de Clare, the conqueror of Cardigan ; in consequence of this event the Countess of Clare, a sister of the Earl of Chester, and widow of Richard, a lady singularly handsome, was left in the castle of Caerwedros, attended by many female attendants, distant fi'om every friend, and surrounded by the Welsh, who menaced her with every possible indignity. The poor Countess and her damsels had already felt each horror by anticipation, when they were unexpectedly relieved by the romantic gallantry of Milo Fitz waiter. Lord of Brecknock, who, encouraged by King Stephen and ac- companied by a few chosen warriors, rode night and day to the beleaguered fortress, and although he found it environed by numbers of Welsh, brought away the ladies inviolate. Jones, in his History of Breconshire, throws consider- able doubt upon this romantic story, but certainly, if such a rescue was effected, it would be in all proba- bility by the Lord of Brecknock, whose castle was the nearest Norman fortress to the scene of the action. Milo Fitzwalter afterwards took an active part on be- half of the Empress Maud against King Stephen, and she created him Earl of Hereford in 1141. The Norman power in South Wales was now for a time utterly broken, and the King, threatened with civil war in England, was obliged to leave the Welsh to their own devices. Gruffydd recovered all his lands from the Normans ; and, having taken Haverfordwest, the only important fortress that remained in their hands was the impregnable castle of Pembroke, which being held by his own nephews, he probably spared in memory of the shelter he had received there in his GRUFFYDD AP EHYS, 37 early days, when he was only an adventurer and a fugitive. GrufFydd, at the conclusion of this campaign, which had proved so successful, invited all the princes and chieftains of Wales, from Gwynedd, Powys, South Wales, Glamorgan, and Mercia, to attend a great feast in the Vale of Towy, in all probability at his Castle of Dinevwr, his father's royal palace ; and there, in the words of the Chronicle, he " provided every dainty of meat and drink, every disputation in wisdom, and every amusement of vocal and instrumental music, and welcomed the bards and minstrels, and maintained all games of phantasy and illusion,^ and all shows, and all manly games ; and Gruffydd, son of Cynan, and his sons came to that feast, and many chieftains from every district in Wales, and continued the feast above forty days, and then dismissed everybody to their homes, and gave honourable gifts to those bards, minstrels, scholars, and distinguished persons of every description that merited them."^ During the time these rejoicings were proceeding, Gruffydd ap Khys and Gruffydd ap Cynan convoked a council of the wise men and scholars who were assembled together from all parts of Wales and settled upon a new system of jurisdiction in their respective territories, and established a court of law in each cant rev, and a sub-court in every commot. The Normans and English who had settled in Wales, and, since the death of Khys ap Tewdwr, re- garded themselves as the lords of the soil, naturally looked upon these proceedings with abhorrence, and ^ Mr. Stephens, quoting tbe above {Literatiore of the Kymry, p. 79), says : " I have as yet seen no attempt to explain what is meant by these words ; but that others may not be compelled to stumble in the dark as I have done, an attempt will be here made to throw a light upon the subject. It seems to me, that these exhi- bitions were similar to the plays known as masks and mysteries, or the still earlier miracle-plays among other nations ; and this opinion is confirmed by the facts that in the writings of the bards we tind frequent mention of ' miragl' in connexions which forbid our sup- posing they refer to the miracles of Scripture." ^ Brut y Tyivysogion, p. 113. 38 THE FOUNDEES OF STRATA FLORIDA. appealed to King Stephen ; he was far too much occupied Avith his own affairs at that time to pay attention to the protests of the shattered remnants of the Norman party then left in West Wales, and did not even vouchsafe them a reply. The following year, 1136, " Gruffydd, son of Rhys, the bravest, wisest, most merciful, liberal, and just of all the princes, died greatly lamented ;"^ — such, in the words of the Clironicle, is the character of this gallant chieftain, who, in the flower of his age and in the height of his reputation, and after recovering much of the territories which his father possessed, was poisoned, (according to Florence of Worcester, vol. ii, page 88) by the treachery of his wife, which, if the story be true of the death of Gwenllian at the siege of Kidwelly Castle, must have been a second wife or a concubine. The character of Gruftydd ap Rhys is so well drawn by Mr. Laws in the History of Little England beyond ^Vales, that I cannot do better than quote his wiords as the conclusion to this chapter. " Gruffydd was succeeded by his surviving sons. The four brothers appear to have jointly ruled their father's kingdom, and, strange to say, agreed among themselves, moved thereto, perhaps, by the memory of the heroic Gruffydd, who stands out a grand example of a Welsh prince. Bound up in fatherland, and for- getful of self, he fought the foreigner and drove him out, but we hear of no jealousy or domestic treachery ; no tearing out of eyes or mutilation of relatives, horrors which in those days were too common in Wales. " Gruffydd excelled as a warrior and a politician, but he was above all a patriot. He attached his peojDle to him, and taught them that their duty was to stand shoulder to shoulder and drive out the foreigner ; while they in return believed and trusted implicitly in his bravery and wisdom. According to Giraldus, the very fowls of the air were loyal to Gruffydd. He relates a legend to this effect. Gruffydd ^ Brut y Tyivysogion. p. 113: Rolls edition, p. 161. GRUFFYDD AP RHYS. 39 ap Rhys, Milo of Hereford (he who rescued the Lady- Clare), and Payne Fitz John were ridmg together by the Lake of Breckemoc (Llangorse Lake), when Milo, by way of drawing Gruffydd, said jocularly : " ' It is an ancient saying in Wales that if the natural prince of this country, coming to this lake, shall order the birds to sing, they will immediately obey him. To which Gruffydd, richer in mind than gold, answered : Do you, therefore, who now hold the dominion of the land first give the command. Milo and Payne having in vain commanded, Gruffydd dis- mounted from his horse, and falling on his knees towards the east, as if he had been about to engage in battle, prostrate on the ground, with eyes and hands uplifted to heaven, poured forth devout prayers to the Lord. At length rising up and signing his face and forehead with the figure of the Cross, thus spake aloud : Almighty God and Lord Jesus Christ, who kuowest all things, declare here this day Thy power. If Thou hast caused me to descend lineally from the natural princes of Wales, I command these birds, in Thy name, to declare it. And imme- diately the birds, beating the water with their wings, began to cry aloud and proclaim him. The king, on hearing this singular occurrence, is said to have replied : By the death of Christ (an oath he was accustomed to use), it is not a matter of so much wonder ; for although by our great authority we commit acts of violence and wrong against these people, yet they are known to be the rightful inheritors of this land.' " Such were the tales told of Gruffydd by succeeding generations. The cause for which he fought so gal- lantly was a hopeless one, but what man could do for the independence of Wales was done by Ilhys's heroic son, perhaps the greatest and best of the Kymric race." We have no record of where Gruffydd ap Rhys was buried ; a Norman bishop then ruled the diocese of St. David's (Bernard, who was bishop from I1I5 to 1147). Under these circumstances it was scarcely probable that his body was interred in the Cathedral church, and it is far more likely that he was borne from the palace at Dinevwr, where it is supposed he died, to the Monastery of Ystrad Flur, and there they probably laid him alongside of his father, Rhys ap Tewdwr, and his uncle, Bleddyn ap Maenarch. CHAPTER Til. THE FOUNDEES OF STEATA FLOEIDA (contimied). Ehys ap Gruffydd. Rhys ap Gruffydd, the founder of the great Abbey of Strata Florida, succeeded his father Gruifydd ap Rhys in 1136 ; he had five brothers and two sisters, children of Gwenllian, daughter of Gruffydd ap Cynan, Prince of North AVales, Rhys survived all his brothers, and though during their lives he shared the family estates with them; in accordance with the Welsh law of gavelkind, there is no doubt that the title of " Lord of South Wales", w^hich his father had borne, descended to Rhys ; and he is called " The Lord Rhys" in Powell's History of Wales, and also in Yorke's Royal Tribes of Wales. The names of his brothers, according to these authori- ties, were Anarawd, Meredydd (lord of Cardigan), Cadell, w4io had a portion of Dyfed, Rhys Vychan, and Owen^ ; his sisters were Gwladys and Nest. Of 1 Mr. Laws, in his Hutory of Little England Beyond Wales, instead of Rhys Vychati, and Owen, mentions Morgan and JNIael- gwyn as the sous of Gwenllian ; these two were slain in the attack RHYS AP GRUFFYDD. 41 these brothers, Anarawd was murdered m North Wales in a family brawl, by his father-in-law, Cadwalader, one of the sons of Gruffydd ap Cynan^; Cadell and Mere- dydd appear to have ruled jointly with their brother Rhys, and to have agreed amongst themselves — a most uncommon occurrence in Welsh history at that period. Shortly after the death of Gruffydd ap Rhys, and in the same year, died, at the age of 82, Gruffydd ap Cynan, Prince of North Wales, after a long reign of fifty-seven years ; he was succeeded in the principality by his son Owen Gwynedd. In the following year, 1137,^ we find Owen Gwynedd invading South Wales. It would appear as if he did so in alliance with the sons of Gruffydd ap Rhys, for he attacked the Castle of Ystrad Meurig, belonging to the De Clares, and one at Pont Stephen or Lampeter, which had been erected by the King ; and also the town and castle of Carmarthen, he burnt and pillaged the town, carrying away immense spoil to Gwynedd. There is nothing to show that Rhys ap Gruffydd took part personally in this raid from North Wales upon the Normans in Car- diganshire and Carmarthenshire, but, from the intimate family connection that existed between himself and Owen Gwynedd, it seems a not unlikely theory that this invasion was with the sanction and connivance of Rhys and his brothers. In the year 1145, Rhys ap Gruffydd, who during the ti"oublous times of the latter part of King Stephen's reign had been quietly biding his time, determined to oust Earl Gilbert de Clare from his father's castles of Dinevwr and Carmarthen, of which the De Clares had become possessed after the on Kidwelly Castle, and as we do not hear afterwards of Rhys Vyclian and Owen, he is probably correct. '■ This quarrel is said, in the Chronicles of the Princes, to have arisen owing to Anarawd wishing to assist his brother Rhys against the inclination of Cadwalader. Angry words took place between them ; the result was, Cadwalader stabbed Anarawd in the ribs so that he died. (Brut y Tywysogion, a.d. 1142.) 2 Brut y Tywysogion, a.d, 1137, p. 113 ; Rolls edition, a.d. 113G, p. 163. 42 THE FOUNDERS OF STRATA FLORIDA. death of Gruffydd ap Pthys.^ Joined by his brother Cadell, who appears to have been a brave and gallant soldier, they succeeded in regaining possession of Dine- v^vr, where Khys afterwards resided, Carmarthen, and Llanstephan Castles, and defeated a large array of Normans, English, and Flemings, who attacked them.^ His brother Meredydd, who is described as a wise and courageous man, was placed in command of Llanste- phan Castle ; the Normans attempted to regain ^^os- ' " In ] 144, Hovvel and Cynan, two of Owen Gwynedd's warlike sons, alarmed at the return of the Normans and Flemings into Ceredigion, and fearing the loss of Aberteifi, which had rewarded the interference of their family in the aSairs of Deheubarth, led an army to relieve the beleaguered castle, encountered the invaders, and gave them a signal overthrow, garrisoned the town, and re- turned triumphantly to their home. Within the same year, young Gilbert, fourth Earl de Clare, having resolved to retrieve his Welsh inheritance, entered Dyfed in warlike strength. He rebuilt the Castles of Caerfyrddin and Uchtryd,and having then secured stand- ing room, proceeded quietly to regain many other fortresses, until the chief part of the territories, both in Ceredigion and Dyfed, of which his parents had been dispossessed, including Royal Dinefaur, fell under his power. Contenting himself with this success, he garri- soned all the strongholds, and left the country to the care of his feudatories. " The sons of Gruffydd ap Rhys then arose with renewed vigour to make fresh efforts for national emancipation. Cadell, the eldest, obtained possession of Dinefaur, and in conjunction with his brothers, Maredudd and Rhys, advanced boldly to besiege Carmar- then Castle, which was yielded up to them on condition that the lives of the garrison should be spared. In advancing towards the neighbouring castle of Llanstephan, the princes were encountered by a strong body of Norman and Flemish troops, whom they worsted in the field, and afterwards won the castle, of which Maredudd was left in charge, while Rhys and Cadell marched forward. William de la Hay and the sons of Gerald de Windsor then collected all their forces and suddenly attacked and invested the Castle of Llanstephan. Maredudd, though surprised, was not unprepared, being a man of great courage and sagacity. He suffered the assailants to fix and to ascend their scaling-ladders, then instantly giving the word of com- mand to his men, they applied levers and overturned the ladders with their living freight, and in the confusion and distress which ensued sallied forth, took many prisoners, and put the rest of the foes to flight." {History of Wales, by Miss Jane Williams, 18G9, pp. 238-40.) ^ Brut y Tyivysogion, a.d. 1145, p. 117. GRUFFYDD AP RHYS. 43 session of it, but were obliged to relinquish the siege with considerable loss. The next year (1146) the three brothers, Rhys, Cadell, and Meredydd, besieged the Castle of Gwys in Cantref Iscoed, but finding them- selves too weak to carry on the siege, they secured the assistance of Howel, son of Prince Owen Gwynedd, a celebrated soldier of that time ; he joined his forces to those of Rhys and his brothers, and having recon- noitred the fortifications, found it was impracticable to take so strong a place unless the walls could be destroyed ; he therefore ordered that certain battering- engines should be provided, and machines which would cast great stones into the castle, which shortly after surrendered.^ The result proved that Howel's genius as a military engineer of that period was of great value to the Welsh, for hereafter we find them using similar methods in the siege of the other Norman strongholds; and doubtless Khys ap Gruffydd, in his subsequent wars, benefited largely by the experience he had gained at the siege of the Castle of Gwys.^ Cadwalader, the son of Grufiydd ap Cynan, who had killed his son-in-law, Anarawd, Rhys ap GruflPydd's brother, appears to have obtained possession of some part of Cardiganshire, for he built a castle in 1148 at Llan- rhystyd, and gave it, together w^ith the territory sur- rounding it, to his son Cadwgan. This does not appear to have been satisfactory to the people of that district, Cadwgan acting unjustly and oppressively towards them, and they applied to Howel, son of Owen Gwyn- edd, the ally of Khys and his brothers at the siege of Gwys Castle, to head them, and having driven out Cadwgan, Howel took possession of Llanrhystyd Castle. Cadell having repaired his Castle of Carmarthen, and garrisoned it with a very strong force, attacked Kidwelly Castle, where his mother and brothers had 1 Powell's History of Wales, ed. 1774, p. 166. 2 The Annales Cambrice give 1 147 and 1148 as the dates of pre- ceding events. 44 THE FOUNDERS OF STRATA FLORIDA, been slain, and having raided all Maurice de Londres' country, returned home to Carmarthen with a great store of plunder that he had taken ; he then joined his brothers Rhys and Meredydd, and entering Cardigan- shire, they gained all the country below Aeron, and all the lands that Howel had taken possession of belong- ing to Cadwgan, but to which Rhys and his brothers were entitled as part of the property of their father, and no doubt looked upon their late ally, Howel, as an interloper. They then laid siege to Llanrhystyd Castle, but found it a far more difficult task than they had counted upon, and, in the words of Powell's History of Wales, " The young lords of South Wales lost a great part of their bravest soldiers before it, which so troubled and vexed them, that when they got possession of the castle, they put all the garrison to the sword. From thence they marched to Ystrad Meurig Castle, which, after they had won, manned, and refortified, they disbanded their forces and re- turned to the Vale of Towy with an extremely great spoil of corn, cattle, and other goods. "^ Thus, year by year, the three brothers were becoming more powerful, and were gradually recovering the castles and territories that had belonged to their father, and which had been ceded to him by the treaty with Henry I in 1121. There does not seem to be any record of how the sons of Gruffydd ap PJiys were dispossessed of these castles, which King Henry had granted to their father, and they had now recovered ; probably, after his death and during the time of the civil war between King Stephen and the Empress Maud, when the Welshmen ^ " But one point must be specially noticed : the Welsh chiefs had learned from their invaders the policy of building castles, as against the strangers and against one another. During these years, when so many castles were rising in England, several are recorded to have risen in Wales also at the bidding of Welsh princes." (The History of the Norman Conquest of England, by E. A. Freeman, vol. v, p. 273.) GRUFFYDD AP RHYS. 45 were taking part on both sides, the Normans took ad- vantage of these mtestine feuds, and while Gruffydd's sons were young and inexperienced seized upon their property; for in 1138 we find "Gilbert de Clare (son of the first earl and brother of Richard, who had been slain in the war with Gruffydd) rebuilding Car- marthen, and having been created an earl by King Stephen, was nominally Lord of Pembroke and Car- marthenshire" (Laws' Little England heyond Wales). Li 1150, Cadell, who was very fond of field sports, and resided near Tenby, was hunting in the great forest of Coedtraeth, which lay between Saundersfoot and Pendine, and was there set upon by some Flemings from the neighbourhood, who had placed themselves in ambush, and unexpectedly set upon the unarmed sportsmen. They wounded Cadell so grievously that he narrowly esca]3ed with his life ; he managed, however, to reach his home, where he lay for a long time danger- ously ill. Upon his recovery, he entrusted all his affairs to his brothers, Meredydd and Phys, and took a pilgrimage to the East; according to thQ Annales Camhrice, he visited Pome in 1157, and eventually became a monk in the Abbey of Strata Florida, which Phys ap Gruffydd founded, and died there in 1178. His brothers took signal vengeance upon the town of Tenby, where those who had attempted Cadell's life had taken refuge. In the Chronicles of the Princes we have the follow- ing account of this event, and the measures taken by Phys and Meredydd to avenge the murderous attack upon their brother. "A.D. 1150. — While Cadell, son of Gruffydd, was liunting iu Dyfed, some of the English of Gower set an ambush to kill him ; and having set upon him, and put his companions to flight, they assaulted him, but he being a brave and powerful man, maintained his post, and killed some of liis foes, and put the rest to flight ; but he received a severe wound, of which he languished a long time. And when his brothers, Meredudd and Ehys, saw that, they entered Gower with their forces and demanded the ambuscaders ; and on not obtaining them, tliey 46 THK FOUNDERS OF STRATA FLORIDA. attacked the countiy and devastated it, aud rendered the castle of Aber Llychwr a heap of ruins, burnt the Castle of Llan Ehidian, and took great spoil with them to the Castle of Dinevwr, and strengthened that castle, and put a faithful aud experienced garrison in it." Under the year 1151 it is added that : " They (]\leredudd and Pdiys ap Gruffydd) took the Castle of Tenby by surprise and slew the garrison ; for those who had laid in ambush to kill their brother Cadell, son of Gruffydd, had fled to the Castle."^ They then appointed as Governor of Tenby Castle William Fitzgerald, a son of Gerald de Windsor by Nesta, the daughter of Rhys ap Tewdwr.^ In Powell's History of Wales, ed. 1744, we find that in ]152 they (Meredydd and Rhys ap Gruffydd) at- tacked Penwedic Castle in Cardiganshire, which was still in the possession of Howel, son of Owen Gwynedd, and that after a long and toilsome siege, with con- siderable loss on both sides, they at length made them- selves masters of it, thus finally obtaining possession of all the territory which Howel had seized from his cousin Cadwgan, the son of that Cadwalader who had murdered their brother Anarawd. Phys ap Gruffydd and his brother Meredydd, after these series of successes, now felt themselves strong enough to attempt a still bolder stroke ; they endea- voured to induce Morgan, son of Caradoc, and grandson ^ " From thence they marched by night to Tenby, and unex- pectedly falling upon the castle, they scaled the walls before the garrison were aware of any danger, and so possessing themselves of the castle they fell foul upon the garrison in revenge of the mis- chief they had done and further designed to their brother Cadell. For Cadell at this time had gone upon a pilgrimage, and during his absence had committed his whole inheritance and all other concerns in Wales to the care of his brethren, Merydydd and Rhys." (Powell's History of Wales, ed. 1774, p. 171. " The Rolls edition of the Brut y T ywysogion, a.d. 1152, states that " the sons of Rhys attacked the castle of Tenby, and, by a night plot, after breaking the gate, they got possession of the castle, and delivered it into the custody of William, sou of Gerald" (p. 183). GRUFFYDD AP RHYS. 47 of lestyn ap Gwrgan, who had married their sister Gwladys, and Madoc, Prince of Powys, to join them in driving out the Normans and Enghsh from every dis- trict in Wales. The hearts of these chieftains failed them, or they were jealous of the success that had attended the efforts of the sons of Gruflfydd ap Rhys in freeing their country of the hated foreigners, and they declined to join the proposed confederacy. The brothers being unable to secure the assistance of Mor- gan and Madoc, determined to attack them ; and having divided their forces, Rhys went to Cy veiliog, and ravaged Western Montgomeryshire belonging to Madoc, and Meredydd laid siege to Morgan's Castle of Aberavan, and demolished it, Morgan and his men fleeing for protection to William, Earl of Gloucester, the Norman Lord of Glamorgan and son of the first Earl, the great Robert Consul, who had died in 1146.^ After this exploit they returned home with very considerable booty and treasure, which no doubt Rhys utilised hereafter as " the sinews of war" in his further attacks upon the Norman interlopers. Shortly after this, in 1153,^ Meredydd died, at the early age of 25, and Rhys ap Gruffydd, succeeding to his share of the family patrimony, ruled solely as Lord of South Wales, his brother Cadell, having gone away upon his pil- grimage, took no further part in the government of the country^ ; thus upon Rhys devolved the whole of the vast estates which he had now recovered from the Nor- mans, and which had belonged to his father, Gruffydd ap Rhys. King Stephen having died, and Henry II succeed- ^ The Annales Camhrke say he died in 1149. ^ 1156 according to Annales Camhrice. ^ " Cadell ap Gruffydd in 1176 died of the wounds he had re- ceived many years before, and was buried at Strata Florida. Though disabled from the use of arms ever since the unhappy day when he hunted near Dynbych y Pyscoed (Tenby), it would appear that the prince continued to serve his country as a statesman, and merited the regret which caused his death to be recorded among the great ones of his day." (Miss Jane Williams' History of Wales.) 48 THE FOUNDERS OF STRATA FLORIDA. ing to the throne, one of his first acts, after returning from Anjou and putting down his brother Geoffrey's rebelUon, was to invade North Wales, at first with but little success ; eventually, however, a peace was patched up between the King and Prince Owain Gwynedd and the other princes and lords of Wales, Rhys ap Gruffydd alone excepted, and in consequence a desultory war was carried on for some time between " The Lord Rhys", as the English called him, and Henry II. Rhys appears to have removed his cattle and efiects into the great forest of Ystrad Towy, and there to have assembled his forces. In these inaccessible fast- nesses he at first defied Henry's power, and refused to obey his summons to appear at Court to do homage for his lands, until he received a more positive com- mand and a threat that he would be attacked by the joint forces of England and Wales. Rhys had reason to believe that Owen Gwynedd in- tended to lay claim to the titular sovereignty of South Wales, for in 1155 he was apprehensive that a large army which Owen Gwynedd had then raised was intended for the conquest of South Wales, and Rhys had marched his army to Aberdovy to meet the invader. But nothing came of it, and whether the North Wales prince had any real intention of seizing upon the southern principality or not, Rhys threw up earthworks at Aberdovey, and eventually built a castle there to guard his frontiers on their northern boundary.^ He therefore had reason to dread such a combination, and, like the wise man and good states- man he was, and ever afterwards proved himself to be, he bent to the storm he dared not brave, obeyed the summons, made his peace with King Henry, ap- peared at Court, and delivered up two of his sons as hostages. Powell, Historij of Wales, ed. 1774, pp. 176-178, relates that : ^ Brut y Tyvn/sogion, Rolls edition, p. 185. RHYS AP GRUFFYDD. 49 " There it was agreed upon, that Khys, whose lands heretofore lay scattered about, and were intermixed with other persons' estates, should enjoy Cantref Mawr,^ and any other Cantref which the King should be pleased to bestow upon him. But, contrary to this article, the King assigned him several lordships and other lands far remote from each other, and particularly intermixed them with the estates of Englishmen, whom he was sure would be a watch and a curb to all the motions of Prince Ehys. This was indeed a very politick contrivance of King Henry to keep under the high and restless spirit of Ehys ; but the justice of the action does not so evidently appear in breaking one of the chiefest articles of the peace, and chopping and bestowing that which was not justly in his power to give. But it is manifestly apparent that the English of these times were mainly concerned, right or wrong, to oppress and keep under the Welch, of whose mortal hatred to subjection they had so frequently and so cruelly felt. Prince PJiys was not at all ignorant of these wrongful and deceitful dealings of King Henry, but knowing himself to be unable to redress these grievances, he thought it more advisable for a time to live quietly with a little, than rashly to hazard all. But in a short time he had opportunity either to demand redress from the King, or else to endeavour it himself by force of arms. For as soon as Pioger,'^ Earl of Clare, was informed of the distribution which the King of England had granted to Prince Ehys, he came to King Henry, requesting of his ^Majesty that he would grant him such lands in Wales as he could win by force of arms. The King readily complied with his request, being always very forward to grant anything which seemed to curb and discom- ^ Cantref Maur consists of " Cethineoc comet mab Elfy w, comot mab Uchdrjd and Wydigada. In this shire are the towns and castles Caermardhyn, Djnefawr, which was the prince's seat of the country, Newtown, Lhandeilo, Lhanymdhyfri, Emlyn, Swansey, now in Glamorganshire, called in Welch Abertawy-upon-the-Sea, the castles of Uchtryd, of Lhanstephan, and others. It hath upon the west Dyfed or Pembrokeshire, on the north Cardiganshire, upon the south-west the sea, and upon the south-east Glamorgan, and upon the east Brecknockshire. This is counted the strongest j^art of South Wales, as that which is full of hiofh moxmtains, great woods, and fair rivers, especially Tywy." ("The Description of Wales," Powell's History of Wales, edi. 1774, p. xviii.) ^ Roger de Clare, kinsman of Richard, Earl of Pembroke, who witnessed the treaty between Henry and Stephen, under which Henry's succession was secured in 1153. (Clark's Earls, Earldom, and Castle of Pemhrohe,) E 50 THE FOUNDERS OF STRATA FLORIDA. mode the Welch, and therefore the Earl of Clare marched with a great army into Cardigan, and having fortified the Castles of Ystrat Meyric, Humphrey, Dyfi, Dyuerth, and Lhanymdhyfri, he made several incursions into the country. In the same manner, Walter Clyfford, who was made Governor of Llianymdhyfri Castle, made inroads into the territories of Prince Ithys, and after he had slain several of the Welsh, and made great waste in the country, returned with considerable booty.^ " Prince Ehys, as he was unable to bear these outrages, so he was resolved either to have immediate redress, or else to pro- claim open war against the English, and tlierefore he sent an express to King Henry, complaining of the hostilities which his subjects the Earl of Clare and Walter Clyfibrd had committed in his country. But finding the King to put him still off with only smooth words and fair promises, and that he always winked at the faults of the English and Normans, without any further consultation about the matter, he laid siege to the Castle of Lhanymdhyfri," and in a short time made himself master of it. Also Eineon, the sou of Anarawd, Rhys's brother's son, and a person of great valour, being desirous to free his country from that miserable servitude they now groaned under, and judging withal that his uncle was now discharged from the oath he had lately sworn to the King of England, sat before the Castle of Humphrey,^ and having forcibly made his entrance into it, he put all the garrison to the sword, where he found a great num- ber of horses and armour,'* enough to arm a considerable body of men. And whilst Eineon was thus engaged at Humphrey's Castle, Prince Rhys perceiving that he could not enjoy any part of his inheritance but what he afterwards got by the sword, drew all his power together and entered Cardigan, where, like a most violent torrent, he over-run the country, that he left not one castle standing of those which his enemies had fortified, and so brought all tlie country to his suljjection. King Henry being sore offended at the progress which Prince Rhys so suddenly made against him, returned with a great army into South Wales, but finding it to no purpose to attempt anything against the Prince, he thought it more advisable to permit him to enjoy all he had gotten, and only to take hostages for his ^ A.D. 1159. (Annales Cambrice.) ^ Llandovery Castle. ^ Humphrey's Castle, afterwards called Castle Howel, near Llan- dyssil, Cardigaushire. ■* The Chronicle of the Princes adds to this : " and engines for throwing stones." A.D. 1157. {Brut y Tywysogioii, i^. 127.) RHYS AP GRUFFYDD. 51 observing of peace during his absence out of the kingdom, which Prince Ehys promising to do, he forthwith returned to England, and soon after went for Normandy, where he concluded a peace with the French King." In the year following (1158), Henry being in Nor- mandy, Rhys attempted to take possession of some of the castles in Pembrokeshire which the King had promised him in the treaty of the previous year ; the garrisons of these castles refused to surrender them to Rhys, and he again renewed the war, it is said, encouraged by the Welsh prophecies that the King would not return. Having destroyed all the castles to which he laid claim in Pembrokeshire, he then be- sieged Carmarthen. Reginald Earl of Cornwall, the King's illegitimate son, together with Roger Earl de Clare, having promised Owain Gwynedd, Prince of North Wales, the lordship of South Wales in reward for his assistance, he with his brother Cadwalader, and his two sons Howel and Conan, advanced to the relief of Carmarthen. Rhys ap Gruffydd did not await their coming, but retired to the mountains called Cefn Rester, and there entrenched himself in a strong posi- tion, which the confederate army did not dare to attack.^ The Welsh of the upper parts of Glamorgan- shire, under the celebrated Ivor Bach, who had taken Cardiff Castle, and in it the Earl of Gloucester and his Countess Hawisia, advanced to the aid of Rhys ; the allied forces therefore thouo'ht it better to retire before being taken in front and rear, and nothing further was attempted against Rhys until the return of King Henry to England. In 1162 Henry, with a large army, advanced into Wales to punish Rhys, who took the held with all the forces he could raise ; and the King, having marched into Brecknockshire, the men of Brecknock inter- posed between the King and Rhys, and terms were ' Brut y Ti/w^sogio7i, 'RoWs ec}., a.d. 1158, p. 195. According to History of the Princes of South Wales, by the Rev. tlic Hon. G. T. 0. Bridgeman, this took place in 1159. E 2 52 THE FOUNDERS OF STRATA FLORIDA. arranged between them. Rhys swore fealty to the EngUsh King and his son at Woodstock, deUvering up two of his nephews as hostages, one being the gallant Eineon, son of Anarawd, the other being Cadwgan, son of his brother Meredydd. The King pledged himself to grant Rhys the Great Cantref and Dinevwr. The hostages were entrusted by the King to the care of the Earl of Gloucester, who treacherously caused them both to be slain ; Eineon was murdered in his bed by his own servant, Walter ap Llywarch, at the instiga- tion, it is said, of Roger, Earl cle Clare, and Cadwgan, in the like manner, by one Walter ap Riccart.^ Rhys ap Gruffydd determined to be revenged for the death of his nephews, and raided the whole of Car- diganshire, taking Aber Rheidiol Castle^; and from thence marching to Cardigan and into Pembrokeshire, harried the country with fire and sword, and swept away nearly every Norman garrison in the district, bringing the whole of Cardiganshire under subjection (with the exception of Cardigan Castle), and carried away immense booty to his Castle of Dinevwr. Encouraged by his success, Owain Gwynedd, Prince of North AYales, and the Lords of Powys now joined Rhys, and in 1164 nearly all Wales had risen in rebellion. Henry the Second raised a very large army ; he levied forces from all parts of his dominions, and England, Normandy, Anjou, Gascony, Guienne, and Flanders sent their best soldiers to chastise the rebellious Welsh. Henry declared he would destroy without mercy every living being he met with, and determined to utterly crush the Welsh con- federacy. On the other side, after many years of internal strife and dissension, the Welsh princes at 1 Powell's History q/ Wales, ed. 1774, p. 188; Bruty Tyioysogion, p. 129. Walter de Clifford, son of Richard Fitz Pons, according to the History of Princes of South Wales. Giraldus, /^m., book ii, c. x; Annates Camhrice,\l(J4!\ Bruty Tyivysogion, 1162 ; Roger of Wendover, 11G3. ^ Aberjstwith. RHYS AP GRUFFYDD. 53 last joined all their forces together for a final attempt to secure the independence of their country. En- camped at Corwen in Merionethshire was Prince Owain and his brother Cadwalader, and all the strength of North Wales ; Prince Rhys ap Gruftydd, with those of South Wales ; Owain Cyveilioc and Madoc ap Meredith, with all the power of Powys, and the two sons of Madoc ap Idnerth, and all the warriors from the country lying between the rivers Severn and Wye. For once, North and South Wales, with Powys, were unanimous in camp and council; the strifes and jealousies of the various princes, lords, and chieftains of Wales were for the time laid aside. King Henry encamped his mighty host at Oswestry,^ and understanding that the Welsh were so near to him, he determined to bring on a general action if possible ; and, w^ith a view to that, he advanced up the Piver Ceiriog to near Chirk Castle, and caused all the woods to be cut down, so that his heavy-armed troops could move with advantage, and without fear of being cut off by ambush — a mode of warfare at which the Welsh were adepts. Some of the Welsh attacked his advanced guard, and he himself was in considerable danger, for one of the Welsh archers aimed directly at the King, and he would have been pierced by the arrow, had it not been that Hubert de Clare, Constable of Colchester, seeing the danger to his sovereign, stepped before him, and at the price of his own life preserved that of his friend and master. The King's army moved onwards to the Berwyn Mountains, and there both sides for some time confronted each other ; the Welsh would not venture out on to the open ground, knowing that their light troops were no match for Henry's well-armed foreign mercenaries and his English men-at-arms. The English, on the other hand, would not attempt to attack the Welsh in the ^ July 1165 according to Ey ton's Antiquities of Shropshire, vol. X, p. 323. 54 THE FOUNDERS OF STRATA FLORIDA. mountain passes andwoocls. The weather fought against the King : it rained continuously, his supphes were cut off, and he could not feed his large force among those wild and barren mountains. Henry was obliged to beat a retreat, and after very considerable losses in men and munitions of war returned to England. The King was so enraged at the ill-success of his expedition, that he put out the eyes of all the Welsh hostages,^ and amongst them were Howel and Meredydd, sons of Bhys ap Gruffydd.^ " King Henry, bent upon effecting the utter extermination of the Cymric race, had marched meanwhile into Shropshire, and assembled at Croes Oswalt a host which he believed to be invin- cible. jSr"evertheless, he opened secret communications with his former friends the Princes of Powys, and strenuously endea- voured to detach them from the native confederacy. Finding them to be inflexibly attached to the cause of liberty, he remained for some time awaiting the movements of liis foes, until weary at length of inaction, he commenced felling the thick woods, and moved his army onward. " The pioneers at their head, protected by a guard of pikemen, had entered upon a glade still known as Adwyr Beddau (the Pass of the Graves), when a chosen party of Cymric volunteers rushed fiercely to encounter them, attempting to preserve the wood. Many brave men fell on both sides, and the skirmish ended in the celebrated battle of Crogen, through which the invaders forced their way, with great loss, to the ridge of the ^ Some autliorities say the King blinded his "Welsh hostages, sons of Owain Gwynedd and Rhys ap Gruffydd, after the defeat on the Berwyn Mountain, with his own hands. 2 Brut y Tywymgion, Rolls ed., p. 203. Hei'eafter we hear of Howel, a blind son of Rhysap Gruffydd, who had long been a hostage in Henry's hands, and whom, in 1169, the King restored to his father; and again, in 1198, we hear of another son, named Howel, whose eyes were put out by his brother Anarawd ; it is, therefore, somewhat puzzling to remember which of the sons are intended when the Chronicles speak of a " blind son of Prince Rhys". Meredydd is described in the heraldic pedigrees as Meredydd Iddall (or the blind). The date of the campaign in North Wales, as given by the different authorities, is as follows : — Annales Camhrice, 1160 ; Brut y Tyivysogion, 1163; Rolls edition, 116'.1-; Poivell, 1164; also see Giraldus, Itin., book ii, c. x, xii. RHYS AP GRUFF YDD. 55 Berwyn mountains, where they formed an entrenched camp. As Henry crossed the Bridge of the Ceiriog, an arrow from a Cymric bow must inevitably have pierced him if Hubert de Clare had not discerned its course, and, instantly stepping forward, received it in his own breast, giving his own life to save his master's. " Owen Cyfeiliog's spirited poem, called the " Hirlas", has been supposed to commemorate the battle of Crogen. The con- federated Britons and their invaders were now encamped within sight of each other, and King Henry hourly experienced the unremitting vigilance and activity of his light-armed adversa- ries, who cut off his supplies of provision, lay in wait for his foraging parties, skirmished with his troops at every advan- tageous opportunity, and availed themselves of their local knowledge and mountaineering habits to the discouragement and gradual destruction of his host. Drenching rains rendered the turfy ground slippery and unsafe for unaccustomed feet ; men, horses, and military stores had dwindled frightfully before his eyes ; and, in the mood of a stricken tiger, he was compelled by the dread of utter discomfiture to effect an immediate and disastrous retreat, harassed beyond the English border by the deadly skirmishers of the Cymry. " In revenge for this disgraceful defeat, he caused the eyes of all the young Welsh princes, whom he held as hostages, to be torn out of their heads ; and Owen G-wynedd, with Rhys ap Tewdwr [Gruffydd], had each of them, in the midst of their triumphs, to bewail the life-long misery inflicted on two sons." (Miss Jane Williams, History of Wales, pp. 258-9.) The King, although baffled in his attempt to subdue the Welsh, determined upon another expedition into Wales, and in 1164-5 concentrated his forces at Chester and hired ships from Ireland for the purpose of invading Wales by sea, but, for some reason or other, he aban- doned this last expedition ; the Chronicle of the Princes says it was in consequence of Rhys ap Gruffydd and Owain Gwynedd embodying a powerful army against him to revenge his treatment of their sons. Henry at this time was preparing for the conquest of Ireland, and probably thought that he would not gain much even if he succeeded in conquering these obstinate Welshmen, and, very likely advised, that if left to themselves, they would soon be at their old practices of cutting each 56 THE FOUNDERS OF STRATA FLORIDA. other's throats, he dismissed his army to their homes. Khys ap Gruflydd, being now at Kberty to go his own way, marched back into Cardiganshire to complete the conquest of that district ; he attacked Cardigan Castle, razed it to the ground, then seized Kilgerran Castle, and took prisoner Robert Fitzstephen, his first-cousin, the son of his aunt Nesta, by Stephen, the Castellan of Cardigan. This important capture roused all the Normans in Pembrokeshire, and they, aided by their Flemish mercenaries, laid siege to Kilgerran Castle, which Rhys had strongly fortified ; but, after two attempts to storm the castle, they were beaten back, and forced to return again to Pembroke. Quarrels having broken out among the chieftains of Powys, Phys ap GrufPydd joined Owain Gwyneddin punishing Owain Cyveilioc, and taking from him his castles of Caereinion and Tavalwern,^ Phys received as his share the latter castle, as it lay near his territories ; and Caereinion was granted to Owain Vychan to hold it under Owain Gwynedd. Owain Cyveilioc having obtained the assistance of a numerous band of English and Normans, retook Caereinion, and burnt it to the ground ; at the same time Pvhys and Owain Gwynedd attacked the stroncr castle of Rhuddlan, in the Vale of Clwyd, and after a three months' siege took it ; they then took Prestatyn Castle, and having reduced the whole of TegeingP to subjection to Owain Gwynedd, Phys returned home to his own dominions. After this, Phys built a fortress at Abereinion, and made an inroad upon Brecknock, where he met with a repulse ; but returning thither with a stronger force destroyed Builth Castle, obliged the King's Justiciary 1 Brut y Tyioysogion, Rolls Ed., p. 205, a.d. 1166. The ca.stle of Tavalwern is situated in the parish of Llanbrynmair, in the county of Montgomery. - Cantref Tegeingl contains three Commots: Counsy lit, Prestatyn, and Rhuddlan. (Celtic Remains, by Lewis ^lorris.) RHYS AP GRUFFYDU. 57 to assume an appearance of peaceful complacency, and marched back as a conqueror to Dinevwr.^ We have now traced the history of Rhys ap Gruffydd, from the death of his father, up to the time when he was approaching the zenith of his power. After a period of about twenty-eight years, of almost continuous warfare, we find him in possession of all Cardiganshire and Carmarthenshire, with a consider- able portion of northern Pembrokeshire, and that part of Montgomeryshire which he had seized from Owain Cyveilioc (probably lying south of the river Dovey) ; in addition to this, he appears to have possessed a large tract of country, now part of the county of Brecon, adjoining to Carmarthenshire, and that part of Radnorshire lying between the rivers Wye, Elan, and Claervven. It was at this time, in the year 1164, according to Dugdale, who quotes the Chronicle of St. Werhurgh, that he founded the Abbey of Strata Florida ; but in the notices of Strata Florida Abbey in vol. ii, p. 432, of the Myfyrian Archaiologij, it is stated that in " 1166. — This year a company of monks, through the permission of God, and the incitement of the Holy Spirit, came to Strata Florida." The Brut y Tywysogion, Rolls ed., p. 203, gives the same date as the Chronicle of St. Werhurgh, 1164, and in describing this event states that — " In that year, by the permission of God and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, came a convent of monks first to Strata Florida." The date of Rhys ap Gruffydd's only charter of which we have any knowledge, is 1184 ; in that charter he mentions that he confirms previous donations to the monastery ; and it is not improbable that in 1164 he may have executed his first charter to the Cistercian monks but it was not until 1166 that they settled at Strata Florida, and actually commenced upon the work of building the abbey. We may, without any very great stretch of imagi- 1 Annates Cambrice, A.D. 1169. 58 THE FOUNDERS OF STRATA FLORIDA. nation, assume that Rhys mvited the Cistercians to settle in Cardiganshire in the year 1164, and having then made them a grant of a wide extent of land, far in excess of that given by his grandfather to the old monastery of Ystrad Flur, they would return to Citeaux, and there lay before the head of the order the offer they had received from the Welsh prince. There they would mature their plans for the erection of the abbey, and in 1166 they arrived at Strata Florida, and commenced upon the erection of the new church and conventual buildings. It is quite clear that the buildings were commenced upon a well-considered and definite plan ; the site was levelled throughout with accuracy, the buildings were laid out in no haphazard fashion ; the monastery was built upon the well-known lines of all the Cistercian houses of that period, and the church was no doubt commenced some time in 1166, and steadily progressed until its completion in 1201, when, " on the eve of Whitsunday, the Monks of Strata Florida came to the new church, whicli had been erected of splendid workmanship."^ In 1169, Dermot, King of Leinster, who had been driven out of Ireland for carrying off the wife of Tiernan O'Kuarc, Lord of Meath, applied to Henry II for assistance in regaining his kingdom. The King at that time not caring to interfere personally, allow^ed Kichard de Clare, Earl of Pembroke and Lord of Chepstow, to organise an expedition to aid the Irish King, which led, eventually, to the conquest of Ireland by the English. Rhys ap Gruffydd was under obliga- tions to the family of Dermot, for we have seen how it was by the aid of the Kings of Leinster that his father and grandfather had been restored to their patrimony, and that his father resided during the earlier years of his life, and had been educated, in Ireland. He there- fore released his cousin Robert Fitz Ste23hen so that he might join the expedition.^ 1 Brut y Tijwysofiion, Eolls ed., a.d. 1201, p. 257. ^ Miss Jane Williams, in hei- History of Wales, states that it was RHYS AP GRUFFYDD. 59 Rhys was now at peace with the Normans on his borders, and no doubt was glad to assist them in fitting out their expedition to Ireland, thus getting rid of his troublesome and warlike neighbours ; and, according to the Chronicle of the Princes, " they were joined by many of the disaffected Welsh, who were jealous of the success of Rhys, and the power which he had acquired in South Wales." The feud between Owain Cyveilioc and Rhys ap Grulfydd still continued. Owain again assembled his forces, and endeavoured to regain the territory which Rhys had wrested from him, but was unsuccessful. Rhys invaded Cyveilioc, defeated Owain, but did not ravage his lands, contenting himself with taking hostages from Owain for his future good behaviour.^ King Henry II having now determined on the con- quest of Ireland, collected a large force at Newnham, near Gloucester, and, marching through South Wales, assembled a great flotilla at Milford Haven, from whence he sailed to Ireland on the 17th October 1171, with 500 gentlemen-at-arms and their retainers, and a large body of horsemen and archers. While the King was at Cardiff, Rhys ap Gruffydd visited him, unattended by any retinue or following, trusting entirely to the King's honour, and there did homage for his lands, and offered to supply the King's forces with abundant stores of provisions. The King rewarded Rhys for the trust that he had placed in his good faith, confirmed him in all his possessions in Cardigan and Ystrad Towy, and also granted to him in addition the Cantrefs of Arywstli and Elfael. Rhys accompanied the King to Whitland, and there entertained Henry and his courtiers at a great feast, and, as we learn from the Chronicle of the Princes, in 1368 that Robert Ktzstephen was released, upon condition of resigning all his lands in Wales to Prince Rhys, and went to Ireland to succour Dermot, the son of Murchat. ^ Brut y Tyivysogion, Rolls ed., a.d. 1171, p. 211. 60 THE FOUNDERS OF STRATA FLORIDA. " he gave to the Kmg a supply for himself and forces of four hundred fat cattle, and as much corn, mead, and bragawd as could be procured in his territory." Powell, in his History of Wales, ed. 177 -i, p. 198, says that " Rhys promised to his Majesty three hundred horses and four thousand oxen towards the conquest of Ireland, for the sure payment of wdiich he delivered fourteen pledges." This was certainly a most princely contribution, and one that could only have been given by a man of the great power and in- fluence that Rhys ap GrufPydd possessed at that time. Ainong what a large number of Welsh tenants oc- cupying his vast estates must this great subsidy have been gathered, for no doubt pretty w^ell all payments were then made in kind, the Welsh princes having no coinage of their own, and English gold and silver being a scarce commodity in Wales at that period. A pestilence having broken out amongst Henry's forces in Ireland, he was compelled to return some- what speedily to England, and, landing at Pembroke, was again met by Rhys, who, renewing his allegiance to the King, with whom he had now become a favourite, a friendship sprang up between them, dating from this time, which lasted until Henry's death. ^ The King now released Rhys's son, Howel, whom he had held so long as a hostage, and had caused to be deprived of his sight. The poor blinded youth was allowed to return to his home, and eventually this son was the means of releasing his father from prison, after he had been incarcerated in his old age by two of his other rebellious and ungrateful sons. The King also created Rhys Chief Justice of all South Wales. ^ "Bhys was highly esteemed by Plenry II, insomuch tliat, when- ever he came to his Court, the King always in person, with his nobles, was wont to receive him. But, after the death of Henry, the Lord Rhys coming to England, Richard I did not honour him as his father was wont to do. Rhys was much displeased, and returned home without speaking to the King. This happened at Oxford." (Yorke's Royal Tribes of Wales, Note 2, p. 36.) RHYS AP GRUFFYDD. 61 The result of this politic move on the part of King Henry was soon apparent, for shortly after this Rhys brought all those lords and chieftains of South Wales who had been at enmity with the King to do him homage at Gloucester. Among these were some of his own kindred, namely, Cadwallon ap Madoc of Maelienydd, the founder of Abbey-Cwmhir ; his cousin, Eineon Clyd of Elfael, and Eineon ap Rhys of Gwarthrenion, his sons-in-law ; Morgan ap Caradoc ap lestyn of Glamorgan, the grandson of that lestyn ap Gwrgan who had slain old Rhys ap Tewdwr ; GrufFydd ap Ivor ap Meiric of Senghenydd, de- scendant of the traitor Eineon, who brought the Nor- mans into Glamorgan ; and Sitsyllt ap Dyfnwal of Higher Gwent. These last three had married sisters of Rhys ap GrufiPydd, and it is apparent that Rhys had consolidated his power in South Wales by a series of intermarriages with his most powerful neighbours. Rhys was now at the very summit of his power. All South Wales was at peace. He ruled over the entire country as the King's Chief Justice, and he claimed from the native chieftains their allegiance as the representative of the old royal line of South Wales ; and although by the English he was only styled " The Lord Rhys", among his own countrymen he was Prince Rhys ap GrufPydd, the rightful wearer of the golden diadem, one of " Y Tri Tywysoc Taleathioc", or the three crowned princes of Wales. Rhys, following the example of his father, now (1176) " Made a great feast at Christmas at his Castle of Cardigan, on finishing that fortress,^ which he caused to be proclaimed throughout all Britain a year and a day beforehand. Thither came many strangers, ^ "And in that summer (1171) the Lord Eliys built the castle of Aberteifi (Cardigan) with stone and mortar, which he had previously demolished when he took it from the Earl of Clare, and removed (captured) Robert, son of Stephen, by Nest, the daughter of Khys, son of Tewdwr." {Brut y Tyivysogion, Rolls edit., p. 213.) 62 THE FOUNDERS OF STRATA FLORIDA. which were honourably received and worthily enter- tained, so that no man departed discontented. And among deeds of arms and other shows, Rhys caused all the poets of Wales, which are makers of songs and recorders of gentlemen's pedigrees and arms, to come thither ; and provided chairs for them to be set in his hall, where they should dispute together, to try their cunning and gift in their faculties ; where great re- wards and rich gifts were appointed for the over- comers. Among them they of North Wales won the prize of poetry ; and among the musicians, Rhys's own household-men, and in particular the son of Eytyn the Crythor, were accounted the best." — Guttijn Oivain, Herald, Bard, and Historian, lived at Strata Florida, and was buried there in 1480. While Rhys entertained his numerous visitors, the quarrels, strifes, and jealousies of the rival factions of Normans and Welsh in South Wales were for the time laid aside ; but no sooner was the period of feasting over than they again broke out, and a party of Normans and Flemings lay in wait on the hills of Cwmdauddwr for Rhys ap Gruffydd's two sons-in-law, Morgan ap Meredith and Eineon Clyd, Lord of Elfael (brother of Cadwallon ap Madoc, Lord of Maelienydd),^ who were returning from the great gathering at Car- digan to their homes in Radnorshire. It is supposed that the assassins lay in wait in the w^oods of Llawrdderw, near the town of Rhayader, and that the two chieftains were murdered at the place on the summit of the hill where now^ stands erect a huge stone, having upon it a rudely carved cross. ^ This base assassination, it is probable, was com- mitted at the instigation of Reginald de Mortimer, ^ Cadwallon ap Madoc and Eineon Clyd were the sons of Madoc ap Idnei'tli, who was a cousin of Rhys ap GruflFydd. Cadwallon founded the Cistercian Abbey of Cwmhir in Radnorshire, a.d. 1143. (Rees' History of Abbey Cwmhir, p. 67.) ■^ Myfyrian Arcliaiology,v6\. ii, p. 523; Wynne's History of Wales, p. 206. RHYS AP GRUFFYDD. 63 who at that time was at feud with the lords of Maehenydd and Elfael, and had ah^eady seized upon a considerable slice of their territory, the Mortimers eventually dispossessing their descendants entirely of their estates in Radnorshire. Rhys ap GrufFydd, immediately after the murder of his sons-in-law, invaded the territory of Mortimer and ravaged his lands in Maelienydd,^ and, with a view to protect his eastern frontier and to overawe the en- croaching Normans, set about building a castle at Rhayader, overhanging the banks of the River Wye, a little above the place where the bridge crosses the river. Of the superstructure not a vestige remains. The Rev. Jonathan Williams, in his History of Rad- norshire, written in the early part of the present century, says that "he remembered seeing many large stones, the foundations of its walls, upon the site, and that the original foundation of the castle could then be traced." At present all that remains is the deep fosse, cut in the solid rock, which must have been a work of great labour before the introduction of gunpowder for blasting. There is a curious story in connection with the Castle of Rhayader in Giraldus Cambrensis' Itinerary through Wales (Sir R. C. Hoare's edit., vol. i, f. 5) ; it states that " at Elevein,^ in the Church of Glascum^ (a small village in a mountainous and retired situation between Buallt in Brecknockshire and Kington in Herefordshire), is a portable bell, endowed with great virtues, called ' Bangu', and said to have belonged to St, David. A certain woman secretly conveyed this bell to her husband (who was confined in the Castle of Rhacdergwn,^ near to War- themon,^ which Rhys, son of GruflPydd, had lately built), for the purpose of his deliverance. The keepers ' Maelienydd belonged to the principality of Powys, and contained the Commots of Ceri, Swydd-y-Gro, Rhiwalahlt, and Glyn leithon. (Celtic Re^nains, by Lewis Montis.) 2 Elfael. ^ Glascwm. * Rhayadcrgwy. •^ G-warthrenion, one of the three Commots of Cantref Arvvystli. 64 THE FOUNDERS OF STRATA FLORIDA. of the castle not only refused to liberate him for this consideration, but seized and detained the bell ; and on the same night, by divine vengeance, the whole town, with the exception of the wall on which the bell hung, was consumed by fire." Sir Pv. C. Hoare (ih., p. 22) adds that "the bangu was a hand-bell, kept in all Welsh churches before the Reformation, which the clerk or sexton took to the houses of the deceased on the day of the funeral. When the procession began a psalm was sung. The bellman then sounded his bell in a solemn manner for some time, till another psalm was concluded ; and he again sounded it at intervals till the funeral arrived at the church. The bangu was at this period deemed sacred, which accounts for the superstitious attributes given it by Giraldus." In 1178 a war broke out between Khys ap Gruffydd and the sons of Cynan, a son of Owain Gwynedd. They laid siege to his new Castle of Rhayader, but failed to take it, and very shortly after Rhys encountered them in the field and put them to shameful flight.^ It is not unlikely that this dispute between Owain Gw^ynedd's grandsons and Rhys arose through the latter building Rhayader Castle just over the border in Arwystli and on the eastern bank of the River Wye. The Wye was the boundary at that point between South Wales and Powys. Cantref Arwystli was claimed by the Princes of Gwynecld, but it had been granted, together with Elfael, to Rhys by King Henry in 1171, and no doubt Rhys wished to secure his rights as chief lord by erecting a fortress that would command the approaches into ArAvystli and Elfael, and in the principal town of that district.^ ^ Brict y Ti/ivi/sngion, p 139. * Prince Khys reserved out of his donation to the Monastery of Strata Florida a considerable tract of land in the parish of Llan- saintffraid, Cwmdauddwr, and in the immediate vicinity of the Castle of Rhayader, for the purpose of provisioning the Castle, and being a well-wooded country, it would also supply timber for its repair. KHYS AP GRUFFYDD, 65 It was at Khayader, in 1184, that Rhys ap GrufFycld confirmed his previous grants to the Abbey of Strata Florida, and, in the words of his charter, " in the presence of many of our army in the Church of St. Bridget at Rhayader", he confirms his previous donations, and sets fortli in considerable detail the boundaries of the large estates he granted to the monastery which he had founded twenty years pre- viously. There are two churches at Rhayader ; one, the parish church of Llansaintffraid, Cwmdauddwr, dedicated to St. Bridget, is situated on the west bank of the River Wye ; the otlier, the parish church, standing on the east bank, dedicated to St. Clement, is within the boundary of what was probably some portion of the outworks of the Castle. It is a chapelry of the parish of Nantmel, and may have been originally the Castle chapel. It is therefore probable that it was in the Church of St. Bridget of Cwmdauddwr^ that Rhys ap Gruffydd confirmed his charter to the Abbey of Strata Florida. The church is situated in that portion of the parish which was not granted to the Abbey, but reserved as a demesne for the Castle of Rhayader, and therefore may well have been called " the Church of St. Bridget at Rhayader", it being in the immediate vicinity of the town and castle, the outworks of which were probably carried near the present church, where there is an artificial mound called " Domen Llansaint- ffraid", commanding the ford through the river just below the rapids, and which, before the construction of the bridge, was the original access to the town on that side. It was here that Rhys, with his three sons, ^ The Church of St. Bridget stands in an extensive graveyard, and tliere is ample space of level ground around the church for the assembly of a large number of people. This is not the case with the Church of St. Clement ; the space there is, and always must have been, very confined. F 66 thp: founders of strata Florida. Gruffydd, Rhys, and Meredydd, in the presence of his civil and military officers and of some of the chieftains of the district, and a numerous assemblao-e of his retainers, gave to the Abbey of Strata Florida a large portion of those extensive possessions which they and their successors enjoyed until the dissolution of the monasteries in the time of Henry YIII. Khys ap Gruffydd found his appointment of the King's Chief Justice in South Wales by no means a pleasant and agreeable sinecure. Norman barons broke the peace by murdering Welsh nobles and their families; and the Welshmen retaliated in kind ; so that he failed to keep order between the turbulent and grasping Normans, and the equally turbulent and vindictive Welshmen. In 1184^ Ranulph de la Poer, Lord of Abergavenny and Viscount of Gloucester, together with William de Breos of Hereford, who, a short time before, had most treacherously murdered several of the native nobles whom he had invited to partake of his hospitality, were occupied in building a castle at Llandingat in Gwent, when they were attacked by some of the relatives of the murdered chiefs and were driven into their entrenchments. Ranulph was slain, with nine other nobles of the Marches, and many other warriors ; De Breos was cap- tured, but was rescued by his retainers, and escaped the punishment he so well deserved.^ King Henry, infuriated by a deed which had in- sulted his authority in the person of his sheriff, levied an army to reduce South Wales to subserviency ; but Rhys ap Gruffydd, whom Powell, in his History of Wales, describes as " a subtile and a politick prince", obtained a safe conduct from Henry, met him at Wor- cester, renewed his oath of allegiance, promised to send hostao-es for the maintenance of order, and persuaded the King to abandon his hostile purpose. Tlie promise of sending fresh hostages was not, how- ' Brut y Tyivysocfion, Rolls ed., A.D. 1182. - Giraldus, Itin., Book i, c. 4. RHYS AP GRUFFYDD. 67 ever, fulfilled, for the son and nephews whom Rhys had destined for that peril obstinately refused to submit to the cruel hazard of being maimed and mur- dered like their predecessors. After this, and until the close of Henry the Second's reign, matters appear to have settled down in Wales, and the next two years were remarkable only for acts of violence perpetrated by the Welsh upon each other, Cadwalader, a son of Hhys ap Gruffydd, was privately assassinated in West Wales and buried at Whitland Abbey ; the North Wales princes murdering and putting out each other's eyes, in accordance with the prevalent practice of those times. In 1188 a memorable event happened in Wales — the preaching of the Crusade, by Baldwin, Archbishop of Canterbury and Papal legate ; attended by a great train of ecclesiastics, and accompanied by Giraldus Cambrensis, who was ordered by King Henry to act as guide to the mission, and who, in his Itineravi/, has left us a most interesting account of the country, its people, and their manners and customs at that period. The Archbishop set forth from Hereford,^ attended by R-anulph de Glanville, Chief Justiciary of England, Peter de Leia, Bishop of St. David's, and Alexander, Archdeacon of Bangor, the appointed interpreter. Phys ap Gruffydd met the Archbishop at the place now called New Padnor, the eastern boundary of his jurisdiction as the King's Chief Justice of South Wales, where Panulph de Glanville transferred the Archbishop to his safe-keeping, and returned to England. The Archbisho]3 delivered a Latin sermon, and the inter- preter communicated its purport to the audience. This having been done, Giraldus immediately fell down at the feet of the Archbishop, and received from his hands the English crusading sign of the White Cross. This example was followed by the Bishop of St. David's, and the next proselyte was young Eineon, Lord of ' Giraldus, Itinerary of Archhj). Baldivin ; Annales Camhricv, a.d, 1186 ; Brut y Tywysogion, A.D. 1188. F 2 68 THE FOUNDERS OF STRATA FLORIDA. Elfael, son of Eineon Clyd, who was murdered on his way from Cardigan to Rhayader by the Normans. Rhys himself was almost persuaded to take the Cross, but the wary old chieftain returned home to consider the matter ; and, after consulting his wife Gwenllian, he resisted all further importunities, much to the annoyance of Giraldus, who held Gwenllian in great contempt because she had married Rhys, her fourth cousin. A deputation of the canons of St. David's waited upon Rhys ap Gruffydcl, and earnestly besought him to stop the Archbishop's progress through Wales, and more especially to forbid his extending his pilgrimage to St. David's, fearing that it would bring them into subjection to the see of Canterbury. One of the chief objects which the Archbishop had in making this pil- grimage was to assert his authority over the Welsh Church, which up to this time had claimed to be inde- pendent of the Church of England. Rhys declined to interfere, and the Archbishop proceeded on his way, visiting all the principal towns and monasteries in South Wales, and enlisting all sorts and conditions of men. As an illustration of the unsettled state of the country and the feuds that raged between the Norman settlers and the Welshmen at that time, Giraldus tells a story of their finding on the road to Whitlancl Abbey, the corpse of a young native who, when hasten- ing to meet them, had been shot dead by twelve archers of the Castle of St. Clear's. The next day the Arch- bishop commanded that those archers should be marked with the sign of the White Cross as a punishment for their crime. When the Archbishop arrived at St. David's he and his companions were hospitably entertained by Bishop Peter de Leia, who was then rebuilding his beautiful cathedral. The Archbishop the next day dined with Rhys ap Gruffydd at St. Dogmael's Priory, and on the following day he gave him a regal welcome at his Castle of Cardigan, his sons Maelgwn and Gruffydd being present. KHYS AP GRUFFYDD. 69 From thence they joiinieyed through Kilgerran and Lampeter to Strata Florida Abbey, wliere Abbot Sisillus (Sitsyllt, or Cecil), who had succeeded David, the first Abbot, who died in 1185,^ entertained the Archbishop and Khys, with their numerous retinue. The Church of Strata Florida was not completed until 1201, but no doubt the presbytery, transepts, and monks' choir, and some parts of the nave, were then finished ; and we can easily imagine the pride with which the all-powerful South Wales prince would show the Archbishop over the still unfinished Abbey, and which he, quoting the words of his charter, " had built, loved, and cherished, and increased its estates and possessions," While journeying northwards the following morning, the Archbisho|) and his party were met by Cynrig, one of E/hys's sons, with a body of light-armed youths, and they stopped to confer with him. Giraldus has pre- served for us a description of Cynrig. He says he was tall and handsome, fair, with curly hair, dignified in manner, and of most royal aspect, though simply clothed, according to the custom of his country, with a thin cloak and inner garment ; his legs and feet, regardless of thorns and thistles, being bare. The Archbishop endeavoured to induce the young princes, Gruff'ydd, Cynrig, and Maelgwn, to take the cross, but they declined. Maelgwn agreed to accom- pany the Archbishop on his progress through North Wales, and to follow him to the King's court, and then, if Henry did not object, to join the crusade. He, however, did not become a crusader, and soon returned to brew mischief at home, and to be a source of trouble to his father. Rhys ap Gruffydd accompanied the Archbishop as far as the River Dovey, which was the boundary of his dominions and of the diocese of St. David's ; and here Peter de Leia and Rhys bade farewell to the Arch- ' Brut y Tyivysogion, Rolls ed., p. 233. Mi/fijrian Archaiology, vol. ii, p. 438, gives 1182 as the date of Abbot J)avid's death. 70 THE FOUNDERS OF STRATA FLORIDA. bishop, who proceeded on his journey through North Wales, under the care of the sons of Ovvain Gwynedd, The Archbishop, during his progress through Wales, collected about 3,000 men, well skilled in the use of arrows and lances. The Welshmen of all ranks at that time were trained to war, the men of North Wales being especially expert in the use of the lance. The men of Merionydd used that weapon of extraor- dinary length. The men of South Wales, who were deemed the most warlike and valiant of this warlike race, excelled in the use of the bow, made of the wood of t]ie native elm, not suited to carry an arrow to any great distance, but to answer well to the hand and inflict severe wounds. Giraldus tells the story of two archers of Gwent, who sent their shafts through an oaken poi^tal four inches thick ; and that a man-at-arms belonging to William de Breos was wounded by an arrow, which pierced his armour of double-plated iron mail, passed through his hip, and killed his horse ; that another had his armour, of the same sort, penetrated by an arrow, which nailed him through the hip to the saddle, and, on wheeling his horse round, was transfixed by another arrow through the other hip to the saddle. The nobles and gentlemen of Wales went forth to war well mounted on powerful war-horses,^ and clothed in mail, like their English and Norman neighbours ; but most of the people served as infantry, wearing high shoes of untanned leather, or walking barefoot. In A History of Caricature and Grotesque, by Mr. Thomas Wright, F.S.A., p. 179, there is an illustration of a Welsh archer, and of a Welshman with his spear, with what looks like a sword in his left hand, which has been copied from a caricature drawing of the time ' Rlijs ap Gruff jdcl sent 80 war-horses to King Henry II, as a gift for his Irish expedition, and the King selected 36 of them, saying " that it was not from want of them they were accepted, but to express his thanks to Rhys more than before". {Bnit y Tyiinjsoyso(j{on. When the reference is to the translation by the Rev. John Williams, the words " Rolls ed." are added. G 82 THE FOUNDERS OF STRATA FLORIDA. friendly respects to him ; and if he was well received, he had coriimission from his Prince to thank the Lord llhys ; if not, he had commission to act on the reverse. The Lord Illiys asked Gwgan in what could his honourable reception exist. Gwgan answered, In giving me a horse better than my own to carry me home ; in giving me five pounds in money, and a suit of clothes ; in giving my servant, who leads my horse by the bridle, a suit of clothes and one pound. Come in, said the Lord Ifhys, I will give thee the noblest steed in my stud, for the sake of thy ro}'al master ; and above thy demand, I will double the sums, and treble the suits of apparel. Which promise was performed, and Gwgan returned, to the mutual satisfaction of both princes." We have one further illustration, from Giraldus Cambrensis, of Gruffydd in more courtly company, where evidently he was perfectly at home, and the Welsh Prince appeared to have been in every way the equal of the English barons, who, soon after his day, wrested from King John Magna Charta. "It happened at this time (1188), while Rhys was attending the conference with the Archbishop and Eanulph de Glanville, at Hereford, that the Welsh Prince was one day sitting at dinner in the house of W^illiam de Vere, Bishop of Hereford, by the side of that prelate and Walter, son of Eobert de Clare, both of wliom were descended from the family of Clare. On this occasion, Giraldus de Barri, Archdeacon of Brecknock (who was nearly related to Pdiys), approached the table, and standing before them, thus facetiously addressed himself to Prince Phys : ' You may congratulate yourself, Phys, on being now seated between two of the Clare family, wdiose inheritance you possess.' For at that time he held all Cardiganshire, which he had recovered from Poger de Clare, Earl of Hertford. Phys, a man of excellent understanding and particularly ready at an answer, immediately replied : ' It is indeed true that for some time we were deprived of our inheritance by the Clares, but as it was our fate to be losers, we had at least the satisfaction of being dispossessed of it by noble and illustrious personages, not by the hands of an idle and obscure people.' The Bishop, desirous of returning the compliment to Prince Phys, replied : ' And we also, since it has been decreed that we should lose the possession of tliose territories, are well pleased that so noble and upright a I'rince as Ph}'S should be at this time lord over them.' " RHYS AP GRUFFYDD. 83 (Hoare's Giraldus, p. 22 ; History of the Princes of South Wales, by the Rev. the Hon. G. T. 0. Bridgeman, p. 60.) Besides the Abbey of Strata Florida, Rhys also founded the Abbey of Talley in Carmarthenshire,^ was a benefactor to the Commandery of the Kni^^hts Hospitallers, at Slebech,^ and to Whitland Abbey .^ According to Yorke's Royal Tribes of Wales, Rhys ap Gruffydd married Gwenllian, daughter of Madoc ap Meredydd, Lord of Bromfield, by whom he had four sons and two daughters. These were Gruffydd, who succeeded him as Lord of South Wales, Cadwgan, Rhys Gryg(or "the Hoarse"), and Meredydd. Grufiydd, Rhys, and Meredydd are mentioned in his charter to Strata Florida. One of the daughters was Gwenllian, the wife of Ednyfed Yychan, from whom was descended King Henry VII, previously mentioned ; the other daughter, either Anne or Agnes, was the ancestress of the Wynnes of Gwydir. In addition to his legitimate children by Gwenllian, he appears to have had a very large family by a per- fect harem of concubines ; among these were Mael- gwn, Morgan, Cynrig, Howel Sais, Lord of St. Clear ; Cadwalader, who was assassinated and buried at Whitland ; Meredydd, who was Archdeacon of Cardi- gan; Meredydd Iddall(or "the Blind"), whose eyes were put out by Henry II ; Owen Caerwedros, Anarawd, Madoc, and Howel ; the two latter were ^^I'obably the sons whose eyes were put out by their brother Ana- rawd. Among his numerous daughters, we find one mar- ried William de Breos ; another, Sir William Mar- tyn. Lord Marcher of Cemaes ; another, Eineon Clyd, Lord of Elfael, who was assassinated by the retainers of the Mortimers ; Eineon ap Rhys, Lord of Gwar- threnion, married another ; Bledri, Lord of Dyfed ; Cadifor ap Dyfnwal, Lord of Castle Howel, and ,_ ' Tanner's Notitia Monastica. 2 Feiitou's Pembroheshire. •■' Hot. Chart., ]). 200. 84 THE FOUNDERS OF STRATA FLORIDA. Gruffydd ap Ivor Bach of Glamorgan, were also his sons-in-law. The mothers of this numerous progeny were among the noblest of the land ; and, though the state of morals at the courts of the Welsh princes was very lax at this period, we must recollect that con- cubinage was equally as prevalent at the court of Henry II, and among the English nobility of that time. The illegitimate children in Wales were received on an equal footing, and inherited equally with those born in wedlock. The Welsh law of gavelkind, whereby sovereignties and principalities, as well as private estates, were divisible among all the male issue, whether legitimate or not, tended to pro- mote feuds, not only in families but among princes and rulers, by the incessant subdivision of property and power, and this was peculiarly exemplified in the family of Rhys ap Gruffydd. Though Gruffydd ap Rhys, his eldest legitimate son, succeeded to the dominion of the territories held by his father, yet his brother Maelgwn, assisted by Gwenwynwyn, Lord of Powys, attacked him by surprise in his castle of Aberystwith, and took him prisoner, and then pro- ceeding: ao'ainst other of his fortresses, made himself master of the wdiole county of Cardigan ; and though Gruffydd was soon released by the English lords into whose custody he had been delivered, and obtained possession of his territories, yet, through the restless- ness and ambition of his brother Maelgwn, he was embroiled in difficulties till the time of his death in 1201.^ By his M^ife Maud, daughter of William de Breos of Brecknock, he left two sons, Rhys and Owain, the former of whom succeeded him in his dominions. Young Rhys is stated to have taken the Castle of Llan- dovery in 1203, wdiich, on his father's death, had fallen into the hands of his uncle Maelo-wn. He afterwards took and fortified Llangadock Castle, and shortly after he gained possession of Dinevwr, the royal residence of his ancestors. 1 Brut y Tyuujsor/ion, Rolls eel., p. 257. EHYS AP GRUFFYDD. 85 Khys Grug, brother of Maelgwn, who had hitherto been on friendly terms with his nephews, now turned his arms against them, and took from them tlie Castle of Llangadock ; and such was the effect of these com- motions, that in a few years these young lords were deprived of nearly the wdiole of their estates by their uncles ; whereupon they appealed to King John of England, who ordered Fulk de Breaute, Viscount of Cardiff, Warden of the Marches, to assist them in regaining their estates/ An adjustment of these disputes was subsequently effected through the medi- ation of Llewelyn ap lorwerth ; who, owing to the abdication of his independence by the Lord Khys ap Gruffydd, and the internecine warfare carried on by his descendants, had become the recognised head of all Wales, to whom, as suzerain, the contending par- ties agreed to refer the matters in dispute, and that he should adjudicate on the division of the inheritance left' by Rhys ap Gruffydd, which had been the cause of so much bloodshed. Llewelyn ap lorwerth sum- moned "all the wise men of Gwynedd" and "the most part of the Welsh princes" to a great council at Aberdovey (according to the Brut y Tywysogion, but at Cardigan, according to Powell's History of Wales, where no doubt a Court was duly constituted in accordance with the laws of Howel Dda), and there he made his award, allotting, as described in the Brut y Tywysogion, Rolls ed., pp. 289-90, to Maelgwn three cantrevs of Pembrokeshire, that is to say, " Can- trev Gwarthev, the cantrev of Cemaes, and the can- trev of Emlyn, with Penllwynog and the Castle of Cilgerran ; and of the Vale of Tywi, the Castle of Llanymddyvri, with two comots, namely, Hirvryn and Mallaen, and the manor of Myddvai; and of Ceredigion, the two comots of Gwynionydd and Mabwynion. And to young Rhys, and his brother Owain, the sons of Gruffydd, son of Rhys, were allotted the Castle of ^ Arcluaohxjia (J((i)dj)-eiisis, vol. ix (185i), p. '29-1. 8G THE FOUNDERS OF STRATA FLORIDA. Aberteivi, and the Castle of Nant yr Ariant, with three cantrevs of Ceredigion. And to lihys the Hoarse were allotted, as his share, the whole of Can- trev Mawr, except Mallaen, and the Cantrev Bychan, except Hervryn and Myddvai ; and to him likewise came Cydweli and Carnwyllon." Rhys Gryg (or "the Hoarse") therefore, had the ancestral domain of Dinevwr, and Rhys ap Gruflfydd's grandsons received the Castle of Cardigan, which their grandfather had rebuilt, and where he sometimes resided. Having now brought clown the history of the family of the founders of the monasteries of Ystrad Flur and Strata Florida to the time when the last of the race of lihys ap Teclwr, of the royal line of Cadell, who held princely rank, died ; and having seen how, by the influence of the Welsh law of succession, his great estates and the extensive territories over which he ruled as chief lord became subdivided among his sons and grandsons, it would be taking us too far afield fi'om the subject of Strata Florida Abbey to enter further into the history of his successors separately from the Abbey itself; therefore, in the succeeding chajDters, it will only be in connection with the charters, the possessions, and the events more immedi- ately connected with the monastery, that we shall have to deal with the descendants of II by s ap Gruff"ydcl. CHAPTER IV. HISTOIIY OF THE ABBEY AND DESCRIPTION OF ITS POSSESSIONS. The first historical account of the monastery of Strata Florida is to be found in Leland's Itinerarij, vol. v, p. 77^', he de- scribed the church as large, " side ilid and crosse ilid". There is a marginal note which says, " The Fundation of the Body of the Chirch was made to have bene 60 Foote lengger than it is now." It is difficult to understand wliat Leland meant by this, unless the monks had preserved some tra- dition of an intention to build the church longer when first o founded, imitating the extreme- ly long nave of Abbey Cwmhir. speaks of a large cloister, a fratry, and infir- the two latter being in ruins when he visited Strata Florida. It would therefore seem that the Abbey never recovered the devastation committed in the wars of Owain Glendower. Leland appears to have ridden over the hills in the immediate vicinity of the Abbey, and taken notes of the lakes in the neighbour- hood, and of some of the possessions of the monastery in that pal't of Cardiganshire. The account given in his Itinerary is very meagre, and but little is to be gleaned ^ Scr Appendix. Seal of the Abbot of Strata Florida. He mary 88 HISTORY OF THE ABBEY AND from it that will throw any light upon what was the condition of the church and conventual buildino-s when Leland visited it. Duo-dale in his Monasticon, and Bishop Tanner in his Notitia, give us very little further information, except that the former supplies the text of the charters of Rhys ap Gruffydd and of Henry II, also an ex- tract from the Valor Ecclesiasticus, temp. Hen. YIII, and other documents of that period, giving a list of the possessions of the Abbey and their value at the time of the dissolution of the monasteries. Bishop Tanner, in his Notitia Monastica, gives further references to charters and public records, all of which will be found in the Appendix ; but does not, with the exception of mentioning the destruction of the Abbey by fire in the Welsh wars of Edward I, add anything more to what Leland and Dugdale had written. Various topographical authors have, from time to time, described the Abbey with more or less accuracy, basing their facts upon Leland and Dugclale's writings, and upon what Sir Samuel Rush Meyrick, in his History of Cardiganshire, published in 1808 upon this subject. That eminent antiquary endeavours to fill in the blanks of another of Leland's marginal notes, which seems to refer to the older foundation of Ystrad Flur, and he says : " The present structure was built, therefore, according to Dugdale, by the abbot, in the reign of Edward I, in the year 1294, and stands in a delightful situation ; but the structure raised by Ehys ap Grifyth stood about two miles from this, in a south-west direction, on a plain near the river Flur, whence it took its name ; and where still remains an old building, now used as a barn, called hen monacli log, or ' the old abbey'. Perhaps it might be a part of the original edifice which escaped the conflagration. This also seems to me to explain a mutilated marginal note, in folio 75 of Leland's Itinerary, which is, ' Stratefler of sum caullid, because . . . bytwixt it and Flere Brokes. of sum ... it stode in the . . . ', and which I think might thus be restored, ' Stratller of sum called, because {of DESCRIPTION OF ITS POSSESSIONS. 89 the 2jlain) bytwixt it and Flere Brokes, of sum (because for- merly) it stode in the {'plain near Flere Brokes).' Something of this kind most probably Leland had heard from the monk of Stratfler, whom he mentions he had interrogated respecting the antiquities of Cardigansliire ; and he might then have made it a note on the margin of his book." If Meyrick had said that the structure raised by "Rhys ap Tewdwr' stood about two miles from the abbey founded by Bhi/s ap Gruffydd, he would have sur- mounted the difficulty which has arisen as to who was the original founder of Strata Florida. Subsequent writers have been misled in the same way ; and Meyrick also is entirely in error in supposing, that after the destruction of the Abbey by fire in the reign of Edward I, the Abbot built the present structure on a new site. After the fire the Abbey was restored, not rebuilt entirely ; the conflagration destroyed the roofs and internal timber fittings of the choir, the screens of the transepts and chapels, and much of the carved work w^as damaged, but the walls, arches, piers, and ornamental stonework were left practically intact. The following is a continuation of Meyrick's account of the Abbey : " The present structure was once the chief depot of whatever was civilized. It had its hospitia and its cells established in various places. I have already mentioned that it divided with the abbey at Conway the pious and honourable charge of depositing and carrying on the records of the principalit3^ Several copies of the chronicles written by Caradoc of Llan- carvan were preserved here, and the successions of the princes recorded from the year 1156 till 1270, the moment of Llewelyn ap Grufyth's unhappy fall. At that period these reverend persons quitted that sequestered abode, and were the bearers of their Prince^s remonstrance to the English throne ; and inter- ceded with the Archbishops of Canterbury and York for their good offices in relieving him from the insults and oppressions of the Lords Marchers. Llewelyn ap Jorwerth, in the year 1287, invited all the lords and barons of Wales to Ystrad Fhlr, and required from them the oaths of fidelity and allegiance to his son David. Those who now visit the spot will scarcely credit, at first sight, that the whole country round could furnish accom- modation for such a company, or that this could be the tlniatre 90 HISTORY OF THE ABBEY AND of such ceremonies as are solemnized witli us under the awful roof of Westminster. But when they call to mind the influence of superstition, and the immense territorial possessions of the abbey, they will have no cause to wonder. Llewelyn ap Jorwerth was not buried here, but at Conway. During the period from the dissolution to the present time, this once proud edifice has been rapidly decaying ; all that now remains is the western entrance of the church, a very fine specimen of the Saxon arch, and a Gothic window of the south aisle. A lofty pile, which once formed the western angle of the north transept, seems as if it had not long to survive its kindred pile. Some of the outhouses still remain. About ten years ago a very fine silver seal was found in part of the land once occupied by the Abbey, by a boy who was ploughing. It was about the size of a crown piece, and circular. The boy sold it to an itinerant Jew for a few shillings. On it was engraved the arms of the Abbey. About three years ago another seal was found, belonging to an abbot of Ystradflur, and on it was the Virgin and Child. Its shape was the Gothic ellipse, and it was made of silver.^ " The celebrated bard of this county, Davydd ab Gwillym, was buried here, and an epitaph placed on his tomb, the pro- duction of some bard who deeply felt the loss of this great genius. It is as follows : '"Dafydd, gwiw awenydd gwrdd, Ai yma'th roed dan goed gwyrdd ? Dan lasbreu hoyw ywen hardd, Lle'i claddwyd, y cuddiwydd cerdd ! Glas dew yweu, glan Eos-Deifi Mac Dafydd yn Agos ! Yn y pridd mae'r gerdd ddiddos, Diddawn in' bob dydd a nos.' " King Edward I granted the sum of seventy-eight pounds sterling to the Convent of Stratflur, for the damages suffered in the late war and conflagration. (For the original grant of Khys, Prince of South Wales, sec Appendix.) " Owain ,Gwynedd, a bard of the 16th century, passing by the remains of this venerable edifice, could not help lamenting the loss 'of its former splendour. He says : " ' Mae dialedd ryfedd ann ryfig-bucbedd, Bechod gwyr eglwysig ; Mawr yvv cur y mur ceriig Am watwor Duw — matter dig.' ^ This seal is now in the Britiah ^Museum, and is illustrated on DESCRIPTION OF ITS POSSESSIONS. .91 " In the Gentleman's Magazine for the year 1752 are the engravings of two coins dug up at this Abbey, and then in the possession of James Philips, Esq., of Blaenpant. One was a Flemish coin, brought over, as supposed, in the time of Queen Elizabeth ; the other, a Venetian piece of Aloysius Mocenicus, who was Doge of that Eepublic a.d. 1560. " The architecture of the Abbey was the circular arch, as appears by the western door ; a jirint of tlie abbey, by Buck, shewing the window of the north transept before it fell, and from several freestones curved, frequently dug up in the ruins, once formed arches. This peculiar kind of architecture seems to sanction what Theophilus Jones has asserted in his history of Brecknock, viz., that ' lUeddin ap Maenarch, who died about the end of the 11th century, was buried at Ystrad Flur Abbey, which was built by his brother-in-law, llliys ap Tewdor, and endowed in 1164 by Rhys ap Griffith, who styles himself founder, in his charter preserved in the Monasticon.' Leland, in his CoUedanca, vol. i, p. 45, more correctly calls ' Eesus filius Theodori, princeps Suth-Walliie, primus fundator of this monas- tery.' It is probable all the freestones and ornaments were brouglit from the original edifice. " The walls had glazed tiles affixed to them in the style of the paintings we meet with in old missals, marked with quatrefoils; and these are frequently dug up, as are the tiles of the pave- ment, which consisted of intersecting circles, etc. Painted glass has also been found ; indeed, it seems that no expense was spared to render this a most magnificent building. Freestones are dug up which were ornamental, having circles touching each other carved on them. Guttain Owain, a herald, bard, and historian, resided chiefly at YstradHur monastery, and flourished about 1480. Philip Brydydd, who lived in the year 1250, was a Cardiganshire bard, but where he resided is not known. Sisillus was abbot of Ystradfliir in the time of Giraldus Cam- brensis, and Giraldus informs us that he deposited his library of books at this Abbey in the reign of King John, previous to his quitting the country for Rome, in order to establish his claim- to the bishopric of St. David's. This abbey was honoured as a place of interment for many of the Welsh princes. Among others were the following : — " In the year 1176 died Cadell, the son of Grufydd ap Rhys, and brother to Prince Rhys, alter a long illness, and w^as honourably buried at Ystradflur. " In the year 1184 died Howel ap Yevan, Lord of Arustly, and was buried at YstradHur. " In the year 1190 Owen ajt Rhys died, and was buried here. 92 HISTORY OF THE ABBEY AND "In the year 119G died Prince PJiys ab Grufydd, and was buried here. " In the year 1202, and on St. James's Day, died Grufydd, another son of Prince Phys, who followed his father's steps, and succeeded him in martial powers, as well as in government, and was buried here with great solenniity. "In 1204 Hywell ap Phys was buried by the side of his brother Grufydd, at Ystradfliir. This Hywel, being blind, was slain through the machinations of another brother. " In 1209 died Mallt, or Maude de Bruce, the wife of Grufydd ab Phys, and was interred by her husband in a monk's cowl. " In 1210 died Isabel, daughter of Pichard Clare, Earl of Hereford, and wife to William Gam, Lord of Gower, and was buried at this abbey. "In 1221 Young Phys, son of Grufydd ab Phys, died, and was buried at Ystradilur. "In 1230 Maelgwn, son of Prince Phys, died, and was buried at Ystradfliir. " In 1235 Owen, son of Grufydd ab Phys, died, and was buried by his brother Rhys at Stratfliir. " I cannot help inserting here an elegant address to the Almighty, written by the elder Llewelyn of Meurig : " ' Llewelyn Fjclian, ap Ll'n, Abad Ystradfflur. " ' Llywelyn gochap Meurig hea ai cant. '"O.L. E. D. " ' Credaf ytt Je.su fab y croy w dad Creawer liael llywiawdr haul a lleuad Credalun nef gun naf ac ynad Crair oddilys Fair ddeules fwriad Canwaith ragoriaitli pob rliyw gariad Caunorthwyaist figeli gwliad A'r awr lion etton Duw rewattad Rhedon o'r divvedd ith wledd atli wlad Y nerthaist fyfy megis neirthiad Am arglwydd-iywym a mur gwleddwlad Am wr cresdrefu a'm vawr Ystrad Pfhir ai pbennadus a'i niodir mad Llywelyn wiwbarch lluniaidd Abad Fycha ngwr difau garwy dyfiad Lliu llyw cynnefin Hew cynnifiad Llewelyn arall dewyddgall dad Heiliaist ddofydd gwynn bwyl bryn a brad Haint a'i anvyddion hyut da roddiad Anobaith fuam am iawn Abad A'tli uerth a'n diffyrth a'th wyrth wyiithiad DESCRIPTION OF ITS POSSESSIONS. 93 Clywed a wnaetliost dost destuaiad Fy lief hyd y nef ehud nofiad Ac estyn hoedl lieb gus dyniad Ym llayaidd obaith llaw-rodd Abad.' " The following is a translation of the same : — " ' Due to Thee is my confidence, Jesus, Son of the Father of Purity, the Creator, and bountiful Lord of the celestial luminaries, faithful Ruler of the universe, sacred relict of the kind-intentioned Virgin ; a hundred proofs hast Thou favoured me with of Thy inexhaustible love ; on a hundred occasions hast Thou hastened to my relief. Lord of the region of liberality; and now also, merciful Deity, have we fled to Thee for succour (may we finally be admitted to Thy blissful feasts and to Thy eternal regions), and now also hast Thou succoured me, as by a miraculous display of Thy power, when I fled to Thee for pro- tection in behalf of my Lord and guide, the bulwark of the land of hospitality, in behalf of the preserver of order, the morning star of Strata Florida, its chieftain, its modeller, its virtuous director, its mild abbot, the praiseworthy Llewelyn Vaughan ; superiorly happy in the gentleness of his temper and the vigour of his mind ; happy in the loftiness of his stature and his high descent; the noble offspring of another generous Llewelyn, the lion-like protector of an enraptured country. God of Purity, whose influence sheds the dew of health on every region, and affords protection against every malignity, Thou hast dispelled the gloom of contagion, and banished all its inauspicious symptoms ; Thou hast beamed the rays of goodness on us, and the splendours of health. At the apparent approach of the death of a righteous and virtuous abbot, we were overshadowed with the clouds of despair, but Thy merciful interposition, Thy miraculous power, effectually enlightened, consoled, and succoured us. On surges of air the cry of my distress had rapidly floated to the heavens, and reached Thy pitying ear; Thou heardest my heart-bom plaints, and without pains, and without sorrow, Thou hast benignantly revived our hopes, and lengthened the genial days of the peerless abbot, whose glory is the charitable exploits of tlie hand of Liberality.' " This was written by the elder Llewelyn, of Meurig, sur- nanied the Pied, to the abbot of Strata Florida (Llewelyn Vaughan), on his recovery from a dangerous fit of illness. " Llewelyngoch ab Meruig hen, of Nannau, in Merioneth- shire, flourished from 1330 to 1370. "The names of tliree abbots are lianded down to us. Sisillus (probably Sitsyllt, or Cecil) held that situation in the time of 94 HISTORY OF THE ABBEY AND Giraldus Cambrensis, viz., about the year 1188 ; Llewelyn Vychaii, or Vanghan, about the year 1340; and Eichard Tally, who was the last abbot, in the year 1553, enjoyed a pension of £40 a year. The present mansion was erected by John Stednian, Esq., son of John Stedman, of Staffordshire, Esq., from the ruins of the out-buildings belonging to the abbey. " The pedigree of this family is as follows : — " Galearbus, Duke of Arabia, was, through the tyranny of the king of tliat country, banished thence, and coming with his son Stednian, and his daughter Clarissa, toward the Holy Land, died ere he arrived tliere. But his son came to Jerusalem, and being a gallant person, was, by King Eichard I of England, very much esteemed. He was made Knight of the Sepulchre, and had for arms a cross fleury vert in a field or. He came over to England A.D. 1191, and had given him in marriage by the said King, Joan, daughter and heir to Sir John Tatsal^ or Tatshall, Knt., brother to Lord Eobert Tatshall. John stedman of Kent.=pAnne, daughter and heir to James Foster of I Berkshire, Esq. I John Stedman of Berk-=^..., daughter to James Giotwyn, or Chetwyn, shire. | Esq. William Stedman . . =f=Francis, daughter and heiress to John Marshall I of Yorkshire. Thomas Stedman, Esq.=pEleanor, daughter to Wm. Willie, Esq. John Stedman of Stafford-=pMargaret, daughter to Sir Wm. Stafford, Knt. shire. Esq. | Humphrey Stedman . ^Catherine, daughter and co-heir to Wm. Hill of I Hill, in Shropshire. John Stedman of Stafford-=f= Joan, daughter to John Lewis of Staffordshire, shire, Esq., 2nd son. | John Stedman of Ystrad-=pAnn, natural daughter to Wm. Philips of Pontre flur. I Park. John Stedman, Esq., eld-=f Margaret, daughter and co-heir to David Lloyd est son. I ab John. James Stedman, Esq. . ^Catherine, daughter to Sir Eichard Pryse of I Gogerthan, Knt. John Stedman, Esq. . =f Jane, daughter to Edward Vaughan of Traws- coed. DESCRIPTION OF ITS POSSESSIONS. 95 \a James Stedman, 1G93 . =pMargaret, daughter to Richard Owens of Rhiw- I saeson, Montgomery. Richard Stedman . =j=Joan, daughter to Rowland Gwynn of Glanbrane, I Esq., in co. Carmarthen. I Richard Stedman . . =Anne, second daughter to Wm. Powell of Nanteos. " This Pdchard Stedman left no issue, but bequeathed his estate to his wife's brother and her heirs, and it is now in the possession of Captain Powell of Nanteos." In the third volume of the Arcliceologia Camhrensis will be found a paper on " The History and Architec- ture of Strata Florida Abbey", by the Kev. G. Roberts, Vicar of Monmouth, which was read at the first annual meeting of the Cambrian Archaeological Association, in September 1847. This interesting account adds somewhat to the history of the Monastery as given by Meyrick, and narrates the result of the excavations made at that time under the auspices of the Associa- tion. In the same volume was published a translation of the Inspeximus Charter of King Henry VI, embody- ing the successive grants of the Welsh princes for the endowment of the Abbey. In vol. xi, Fourth Series, of the Arcliceologia Cam- hrensis, there is a very exhaustive account of " the Grange of Cwmtoyddwr", by Mr. Pt. W. Banks of Ridgebourne, Kington ; this was one of the many granges belonging to the Monastery, situated between the rivers Wye and Elan, forming part of Cantref Maelienydd in Radnorshire. In treating, hereafter, upon tlie possessions of the Abbey, I shall have occa- sion to refer to this account of the Grange of Cwm- toyddwr, and in the Appendix will be found original documents copied therefrom. The earliest records of Strata Florida Abbey are to be found in the Brut y Tyirysogion, or " Chronicle of the Princes of Wales". Of this chronicle two editions have been published ; one, edited by the Rev. Jolm Williams {ah Ithcl), Rector of Llanymowddwy, was 96 HISTORY OF THE ABBEY AND publislied under the auspices of the Record Commis- sion in 1860, and has been referred to in jDrevious chapters as the "Rolls edition"; the other was pub- lished by the Cambrian Archaeological Association in 1863, with a translation by the late Aneurin Owen, Esq., and is known as " The Gwentian Chronicle of Caradoc of Llancarvan" ; this chronicle ends a.d. 1196, witli an entry of the death of Rhys ap GruflPydd. The Rolls edition, which was transcribed from a MS. in Jesus College, Oxford, known as the Red Booh of Ilergest, is believed to have come from Strata Florida Abbey. The Red Booh of Hergest is a large folio, magnificently bound in morocco, of red colour ; the name refers to the place where it was originally found, in South Wales ; it is supposed to have been written at different times between the years 1-318 and 1454, and it contains a variety of subjects — chronicles, romances, popular tales, historic triads, treatises on grammar, versification, and physic, as well as poems from the sixth century to the fifteenth, all of them being in the Welsh language. This translation of the Brut y Tijivys^ogion has been collated with other manuscripts, two of which are at Hengwrt, the other, the Cottonian manuscript, Cleo- patra B. V, and also with the book of Basingwerk, belonging to Thos. T. Griffiths, Esq., of Wrexham. The last-named manuscript was written by the cele- brated bard, herald, and poet, Guttyn Owain, and is styled in some catalogues " The Book of Basing"', on account of it having been in the library of Basingwerk Abbey.^ In the Introduction to the edition of the " Gwentian Chronicle", published by the Cambrian Arch geological Association, the reasons o-iven for believino; this chro- iiicle to have emanated from the Abbey of Strata Florida, rather than from Conwy Abbey, are : the prominent manner in which the foundation of that Abbey is introduced to the reader: — "1164. By the ^ Brut y Ti/wi/sogion, Rolls ed., Preface, p. xlvi. DESCRIPTION OF ITS POSSESSIONS. 97 permission of God, and the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, a convent of monks first came to Strata Florida"; and the brief way in which we are informed that the establishment ojp Conwy emanated from Strata Flo- rida: — " 1186. A society from Strata Florida ivent to the Khedynawc Velen in Gwynedd." In the margin of the MS. this place is stated to be "Maenan", to which the monks of Aberconwy were removed by Edward I. The expressions came and went are here very striking. The number of local events narrated interesting to the residents, among which we may class the burials of twenty-two distinguished personages, including four abbots of the place ; the number of similar occurrences stated to have taken place at Conwy amount only to five. The mention of six abbots by name, one of whom, Grufiydd, made his peace with King Henry, and compounded for his dues. We find no mention of an abbot of Conwy but once, when the body of Prince Grufiydd was delivered to the Abbots of Strata Florida and Conwy, in London, and conveyed by them to Aberconwy for burial. We read : " 1201. The com- munity of Strata Florida went to their new church, a fabric of elegant workmanship, on Whitsun Eve." 1238, mention is made of the fealty sworn, by the chieftains of Wales, to David, son of Llywelyn, at Strata Florida. 1254, we have the price of the great bell at Strata Florida; 1284, the burning of the monastery. Many other entries might be adduced to exemplify the great interest taken in registering inci- dents which occurred at Strata Florida ; examples of which are rare in regard to Conwy. The late Aneurin Owen expressed an opinion that he concluded it to be the Chronicle kept by the monks of Strata Florida successively, as it does not appear to be the work of one individual. For instance, one South Wales prince is stigmatized in the most oppro- brious terms, and at considerable length ; and the succeeding writer, in the most abrupt manner, eulo- H 98 HISTORY OF THE ABBEY AND gises him, and concludes by commemorating his burial at Strata Florida. In addition to the Brut y Tyivysogion, we have the Annales Camhrke, which was also published by the Kecord Commission in 1860, edited by the Kev. John Williams {ah Ithel) ; this MS. the learned editor describes " as being, perhaps, the oldest chronicle of Welsh affairs we possess". He further remarks, in the Preface, p. xxvi, " The latter portion was probably composed at the monastery of Strata Florida, to which it frequently refers ; the very last entry, in- deed, being a notice of a conflagration which occurred there. "^ " From the evident partiality displayed by the writers for the Cambrian interest, there can be little doubt that they were Welshmen, probably ecclesiastics, inmates of some of the religious houses that had sprung up in different parts of the country, and more especially of Strata Florida." It is from these chronicles, aided by charters and other original documents in the MS. Department of the British Museum and the Record Office, that the history of the Abbey has been deduced. The materials are meagre in the extreme, but it is believed that further documentary evidence may eventually be forthcoming when the mass of MSS. yet existing in the Record Office, not yet examined, are classified and catalogued. There must also be in the Vatican Library at Rome a very large number of documents relating to Eng- lish and Welsh monasteries, which would throw much light upon the history of the abbeys of England and Wales ; but, according to what we can learn as to this vast collection, it is so little arranged that it is impossible, even if it were practicable, to utilise the stores of historic materials that are in that great library. ^ "a.d. 1286. Aniuis MCCLXXVi. Combustio clomorum apud Stratam Floridam." {Annales Camhrioi, p. 109.) DESCRIPTION or ITS POSSESSIONS. 99 It has been already mentioned that it was in 1164, according to the Brut y Tywysogion, that a " convent of monks" came first to Strata Florida ; but we have no record from whence they came, whether direct from the parent monastery at Citeaux, or from some Welsh Cistercian house ; we only know that they were Cis- tercians, and, with the exception of the doubtful statement of Camden as to Cluniacs having been the order which probably occupied the earlier monastery of Ystrad Flur, we know nothing of their predecessors at the older abbey founded by Rhys ap Tewdwr. The Rev. Canon Bevan, in his History of the Diocese of St. David's, thus speaks of Welsh monasticism (chap. V, p. 80) : " The monasticism introduced into Wales by the Normans was of a very different type from that of the old British Church. The latter was rude, laborious, self-supporting, uniform in its rule, and simple in its aims ; that of the Latin Church of the twelfth century was cultivated, wealthy, varied in its forms, and aml)itious of influence both in Church and State. Little wonder, then, that British monasticism at once gave place to its more vigorous and versatile rival. Even the Welsh people seem to have become early inoculated with its spirit, and vied with the Norman conquerors in zeal and liberality for its sup- port. Strata Florida, Cwmhir, and Talley were all founded by Welshmen, and at an early period in the movement. The effects of monasticism in Wales, as elsewhere, were of a mixed character. On the one hand, there can be no question that it was well adapted to the conditions, economical, social, and political, of the country at the period of its introduction. The monks were the pioneers of civilisation in the remoter parts of the country. The Cistercians, who were on the whole the most powerful order in South Wales, made it their rule to select the wildest regions for their operations, and they found full scope for their energies in such spots as Strada Florida and Cwmhir. They farmed largely and skilfully; in Pope Nicholas's Taxatio, made at a time when agriculture was severely depressed by the unsettled state of the country, Whitland is returned as possess- ing 1,100 sheep, 88 cows, and 15 mares ; and Cwmhir 128 cows, 300 sheep, and 26 mares. They marked out mountain-tracks, erected bridges over unfordable streams, and provided refuges for travellers in the inhospitable districts they selected. The ET 2 100 HISTORY OF THE ABBEY AND well-known Devil's Bridge, in the neighbourhood of Aberyst- with, was, in all probability, originally erected by the monks of Strata Florida. " Hospitality was a general duty of all monastic bodies, and it was exercised, not only at the monasteries themselves, but also at the subordinate establishments erected on outlying estates, and known by the various forms which the Latin words liospitium and hospitale have assumed — yspytty [Yspytty Ystwith, belonging to Strata Florida] ; spydcUd (as in Llanspyddid) ; spital, and sjnte (as in Tavern-spite). The exercise of this duty was frequently very burdensome to the monasteries ; the preceptor of Slebech complains (in a report sent in to his superiors in 1338) of the troops of Welshmen who visited the preceptory ; and perhaps this may account for the large amount of beer which was consumed on the premises, as stated in the report. In the absence of monasteries, travelling would have been well-nigh impossible in those days ; and another result of their existence was that news of passing events was diffused through the remoter parts of the country by the travellers (many of them pilgrims) who met in the guest-houses of the monasteries, as well as by the communications kept up among the houses of the same order. The monastery thus supplied, as far as the circumstances of the age permitted, the place of an inn, a club, and a newspaper. We may add that it was also a place for the safe custody of deeds and literary works ; it was on this ground that Giraldus deposited his writings at Strata Florida before he started for Rome. The libraries of the Welsh monasteries were, no doubt, fairly well-stored with standard works in divinity and history, and the multiplication of copies of such books formed a regular department of the monastic profession. To the monasteries, moreover, we owe, not only the preservation, but the construction, of annals and other historical documents bear- ing on local history. In this department the monks of Strata Florida appear to have been specially active." Whether the original colony of Cistercian monks that settled at Strata Florida were foreigners or Welshmen, they very soon became an entirely Welsh community, for in 1178^ we read in the records, of the death of Cadell, Ehys ap Gruffydd's brother, who some time before had become a monk at this abbey ; David, the first abbot, died seven years afterwards,^ ^ Brut y Tywysogion, p. 139. ^ " 1185. In that year David, Abbot of Strata Florida, died; and DESCRIPTION OF ITS POSSESSIONS. 101 and was succeeded by an abbot with a Welsh name — Sitsyllt ; and whether the first abbot was a Welshman or not, his name seems to point to a Cymric origin, and certainly all the succeeding abbots appear to have been Welshmen, so far as we can gather from the scanty records left of them. (See list of abbots in Appendix.) The monks who witness the charters of Rhys ap Gruffydd's sons and grandsons have nearly all Welsh names, and we may therefore reasonably conclude that Strata Florida was essentially a monas- tery of Welsh Cistercians. The Cistercian order arose in the west of France at the close of the eleventh century, and was instituted by three Benedictine monks of the Abbey of Molesme in Burgundy, who grieving over the general laxity and want of discipline that prevailed in the monas- teries of their order, and more especially in the one to which they were attached, quitted their convent and founded, under the protection of Otho Duke of Bur- gundy, in the year 1098, the Convent of Citeaux or Cistercium, where they established the new order under a much stricter rule of discipline, but founded upon the basis of the original statutes of the Order of St. Benedict. The rules of the new order were intended to bring it back to the strict letter of the old regulations of St. Benedict ; simplicity of life and religion was its aim, and it has well been called the Puritan reform of the eleventh century. Mr. Edmund Sharpe, in his work upon The Archi- tecture of the Cistercians, states that " the most authentic records which remain to us of the acts of the Cistercians, and of the early history of the order, are contained in two chronicles, the first and earliest of which is known as the ' Magnum Exordium Cister- ciense', the date of the compilation of which seems uncertain, and the ' Parvum Exordium', which was Howel, son of leuav, son of Owain Lox'd of Arvvystli, died, and was honourably buried at Strata Florida." {Brut y Tyivysogion, Rolls ed., p. 233.) 102 HISTORY OF THE ABBEY AND written a.d. 1120, by one of the elders of the Abbey of Clervaux. Accordmg to these histories, the first statutes of the order were composed by Alberic, the second abbot of Citeanx, and piibHshed by him in 1101, the year after the new order had been confirmed by Pope Paschal. These related principally to the diurnal duties of the monks, their dress, diet, and mode of life. They were subsequently enlarged by Stephen, the third abbot, who added particular instructions in regard to the utensils and furniture of the church. The most important, however, of all the statutes of the order was the famous ' Charta Caritatis', the bond of brotherhood which united the whole of the existing and future abbeys of the order under a code of laws well designed to insure unanimity and conformity throughout the whole of the Cistercian community. This ' Charta Caritatis' was composed and edited by Abbot Stephen, at the request of his brother abbots, and was confirmed and published a.d. 1 1 1 9, at a general chapter of the order, which was attended by the abbots of all the then existing Cistercian monasteries. " In a paper on " Poche Abbey and the Cistercian Order", read before the Yorkshire Architectural Society by Dr. F. P. Fairbank, F.S.A., published in the Reports and Papers of the Associated Architectural Societies of Lincoln, York, etc., vol. xviii, part i, pp. 36-38, the author thus refers to the rules of the Cistercian order : " In dress, all habits not mentioned in the 55th chapter of the rule were to be discarded. The dress might vary according to cHmate, but S. Benedict had considered a cowl, tunic, and scapular, with shoes, socks, and stockings, suflicient, and these only in future were to be the dress. Garments of furs, or with ample folds, were not to be worn ; nor were shirts, or hoods separated from the rest of the habit. The colour of the greater part of the dress, which with the Benedictines had been dark, was in the new order to be white, in honour of the blessed Virgin, in whose honour the new order was founded. " The ordinary dress M^as to consist of a white tunic with a black scapular ; and in the church and the house was to be - DESCRIPTION OF ITS POSSESSIONS. 103 worn a white cowl, or cloak with a hood, which covered nearly the whole person. For out of doors they had also a black cloak. " The diet was also brought back to primitive simplicity, " In the matter of possessions, they had all things in common. They might hold what was necessary, such as lands, monasteries, offices, farm buildings, workshops, and live stock ; but neither church lands nor tithes, nor large domains, except such as they could cultivate with their own hands. The Benedictines had spent their time in * the work of God', as prayer and the study of religious writings was called, and also in teaching the young, and in manual labour. But with the Cistercians, labour — out- door labour — was to be a distinctive feature. They were to cultivate their lands themselves, and gain their food by the sweat of their brow, hence they acquired the name of farmer- like Cistercians. The monks proper — the professed monks — were helped in this by a subordinate class called Conversi, or lay- brethren. There had been lay-brethren among the Benedict- ines, but with the Cistercians they acquired a better recognised position. " The lay-brethren or Conversi were quite distinct and sepa- rate from the professed monks, and were precluded from admis- sion into their body. They were to pass through a year's noviciate, and such only were received as Conversi who could give the equivalent of a hired labourer's work. They were not allowed to possess a book, nor to acquire any learning save the ' Pater Noster' and other prayers, which were taught vivd voce. This had also been so with the Conversi of the Benedictines ; for we find in the obituary of Durham — a Benedictine House — many entries of the services to be sung for departed brethren of the order, such as the following : — ' Seven full offices shall be sung in the convent ; each priest shall sing for him one mass, and the other brothers shall sing for him one psalm ; but the laity, who do not know the psalter, shall each sing 150 Pater Nosters.' " They were to make profession after their year's noviciate in a prescribed form. The ceremony took place in tlie monks' chapter, and consisted in their kneeling before the abbot, placing their hands within his, and promising obedience to him till their death. When once they had made profession as con- verts, they were for ever inadmissible to the order as monks ; nor if they left the monastery and became monks in any other order could they ever be received again into that of the Cistercians. They occupied a portion of the monastery set apart for them, and had also a place allotted for them in the 104 HISTORY OF THE ABBEY AND church. They were superintended by a special master — the Magister Conversoruni — who was a professed monk. Their duties consisted in field labour, to whicli they went at sunrise in summer, and after nocturns in the winter, the same as the pro- fessed monks. Their dress was similar to that of the monks, but brown instead of white. Another prominent characteristic of the new order was the filial dependence of the various houses on those from which they had sprung. With the Bene- dictines there had been no dependence. Each house had a separate existence, and was not responsible to any common head, but to the bishop of the diocese. Eeferring to this organisation in the new order, Cardinal Newman, in his Life of Stephen Harding, written when he was a clergyman of the Church of England, says : — ' Stephen Harding might, as Abbot of Citeaux, have constituted himself the head of this increasing congregation, but his object was not to lord it over God's heri- tage, but to establish between the Cistercian abbeys a lasting bond of love. And, therefore, he determined on instituting a system of reciprocal visitation. He presented to his brethren in the general chapter of 1119 a body of statutes which he called " Carta Caritatis". In its provisions the whole order is looked upon as one family, united by ties of blood. Citeaux is the com- mon ancestor. The Abbot of Citeaux was called " Pater univer- salis ordinis" ; he visited any monastery he pleased, and whenever he went the abbot gave up his place to him. And on the other band, the abbots of the first four abbeys sprung from it visited Citeaux, Besides which, each abbot went every year to inspect the abbeys which had sprung from his own house. Every year also a general chapter was held at Citeaux, which all the abbots of the order, except some whose houses were in very distant countries, were obliged to attend under very heavy penalties.' " The order was under the immediate protection of the Pope, and was free from episcopal supervision. It was, however, necessary for the bishop to give his benediction to the abbot upon his election, and ordination was received also from the bishop. But novices were received by the abbot, and not the bishop. The professed monks were not necessarily in Holy Orders, but in later times all abbots were raised to priest's orders if tliey had not previously been admitted. The ordained monks, though not subject to the ordinary, had power to cele- brate in the churches belonging to the order. They had power to take cognizance of cases of adultery, and were able to prove the wills of their tenants and baptise their children. The order was free from Papal subsidies, and also from payment of tithes." DESCRIPTION OF ITS POSSESSIONS. 105 Scanty and meagre as are the records of the Abbey of Strata Florida, we shall find, as we trace its history down to the period of the dissolution of the monasteries, many little facts that crop up here and there illustrating the foregoing extracts. So far as the excavations have been carried out, we find ample evidence that Strata Florida was built in strict accordance with the usual Cistercian plan ; for the Cistercians appear to have adopted very much the same design for all their monasteries ; variations occur due to local or other causes, but they are mostly of slight importance, and are, in fact, of the nature of those exceptions which tend rather to prove the general rule than to invalidate it. From 1164 until 1175, when Cad ell, Khys ap GruflPydd's brother, died at Strata Florida, the writer of the Chronicle has given us no information of any events that took place at the monastery ; these, however, were no doubt busy years ; the work of erecting the church and conventual buildings must have made rapid pro- gress during this period. In the Brut y Tywysogion we get records of the burials of important personages at the abbey, and of some events of importance in connection w^ith the monastery ; but we get no information as to the daily life of the inmates, nor in what way they set about erecting the abbey church and the extensive range of conventual buildings, of which only partial remains of the foundations now exist. How or where they ob- tained the materials, of which they required such enormous quantities, we can only judge by examina- tion of what little is left ; of the amount of labour and actual money that must have been expended in rearing the large and extensive structures which they founded on what is even now a remote, and until of late years a singularly inaccessible spot, it is impossible to form an estimate ; but if measured by the cost of such work in the present day it would be very large. The stone for the walls was quarried in the hill a little to the east- 106 HISTORY OF THE ABBEY AND ward of the site ; some of it appears to have been large boulders collected off the surface of the ground, and was no doubt the result of laborious eifort in clearing the land to the westward of the monastery for agricul- tural purposes. Of timber they had abundance and to spare, for the country was in those days much of it dense forest ; and one of the conditions upon which Edward I granted them his charter and gave them compensation (a.d. 1284) for the damage done to the abbey during the Welsh wars in his reign, was that they should cut down the woods which had harboured the rebels ; and even now the old forest-line can still be traced along the sides of the hills by the remains of the growth of stunted oak underwood. Leland, in his Itinerary,^ refers to this, and says : " Many hilles therabout hath beene well woddid, as evidently by old rotes apperith, but (now in them is almost no woode). The causses be these ; first the wood cut down was never copisid, and this hath beene a great cause of destruction of wood thorough Wales. Secondly, after cutting down of woddys, the gottys hath so bytten the young spring that it never grew but lyke shrubbes. Thirddely, men for the nonys destroied the great woddis that thei shuld not harborow theves." Traditions of the abbey, handed down from one generation to another, are still remembered by some of the older inhabitants of the district ; and though we may be sometimes inclined to doubt traditional lore, we must bear in mind that in this remote neighbour- hood where, until within the last twenty or thirty years, nothing but Welsh was ever spoken, and where the people have even now retained some of the manners and customs related by Giraldus Cambrensis, tradition is more likely to be correct than in places where the schoolmaster has been abroad, and the spread of educa- tion has swept away the traditionary recollections of the past. Among the residents at Strata Florida from whom I ^ See Appendix. DESCRIPTION OF ITS POSSESSIONS. 107 have received kindly help and assistance in investi- gating the traditional history of the abhey, I must mention Mr. John Jones, builder, of Pontrhydfen- digiad, a hale and hearty old man of seventy-four, who, from the days of his youth, has taken an active interest in the subject, and remembers all the tradi- tions which his grandmother had told him when a child. One of these traditions related to the place where the monks had a port on the sea-coast, at Llandewi Aberarth, and there are even now some traces of the old landing-place, where fragments of the freestone used at the abbey may still be picked up. This was no doubt the place where the ships the monks employed discharged their cargoes of freestone from Somerset- shire or Gloucestershire and from other places, wdiich they used for the dressed stonework in the abbey- church ; Mr. Jones described the road along which the stone was hauled by means of oxen to Strata Florida, crossing the great bog of Tregaron at its narrowest place ; and here, so says tradition, the blocks of stone were carried on hand-barrows by labourers, the morass being too deep and treacherous for the oxen to cross. Even the rate of wages paid by the monks to their labourers and masons has been handed down by tradi- tion ; and it is said that the former were paid one penny a clay, and the latter fourpence. In 1184, as mentioned previously in chapter iii, page 65, Rhys ap Gruffycld granted to the monks by his charter^ a very extensive tract of land, including therein the property given to the old Abbey of Ystrad Flur by his grandfather, Rhys ap Tewdwr. The boundary of this, as shown on the map, has been laid down from information supplied by Mr. Jones. As the boundaries of sheep-walks in Wales, it is well known, are handed down from one generation to another by oral tradition, I see no reason to doubt that what has been described to me as the traditional boundary of ^ See translation of Rhys ap Gruftydd's charter in Appendix. 108 HISTORY OF THE ABBEY AND the estate of " yr hen Fynachlog", given by Rhys ap Tewdwr to the monks of Ystrad Flur, is approximately correct on its northern boundary ; and the description of the southern boundary exactly corresponds with the boundary described in Khys ap Gruffydd's charter. It will be seen, upon reference to the charter and map, how very extensive was the tract of land given by Ilhys ap Gruffydd. He gave the monastery the whole of this large property in fee, describing the names of the principal places, or holdings of his tenants. Some of the names of the tenements still exist, and in the Appendix I have endeavoured to tabulate the place-names mentioned in the charters in such a manner as to show the designation by which they are now known. ^ It will be observed also that Rhys ap Gruffydd refers to the gift of the sons of Cadwgan, and of his wife Gwenllian : this donation was a tract of country lying westwards of his own especial grant, and which gave the monks access to the coast at Aberarth ; he confirms this grant as chief lord, and it will be noticed that he s|)eaks of it as " of our dominions". The monks, no doubt well advised, were not satisfied with the charter of Rhys ap Gruffydd only, they took care to get it confirmed at an early subsequent date by King Henry II ; and we can pretty well fix the approximate time of this as between 1184 and the period of the King's death, which took place in 1189 ; and in all probability it was granted shortly after the date of Rhys's charter. He had long before done hom- age to the King, abdicating any sovereign rights he may have claimed or possessed, and the confirmation of his charter by Henry II is a proof how entirely he had surrendered his claim to the principality of South Wales. Their successors from time to time were also careful to obtain confirmation grants from the Kings of England of the charters of Rhys ap Gruffydd's ' I am indebted to the Rev. Evan Jones, Vicar of Strata Florida, fur valuable assistance in tracing these names. DESCRIPTION OF ITS POSSESSIONS. 109 descendants ; and though the monks of Strata Florida were Welshmen, and appear to have sympathised with the revolts which from time to time occurred against the authority of the EngUsh monarchs, they were far too astute to rest their title to their lands and pos- sessions solely upon the grants of the Welsh prince and his immediate successors. In the year following the grant of the charter of Khys ap Grufiydd, it is recorded that David, Abbot of Strata Florida, died (a.d. 1185). There is a tombstone in the northern angle of the monks' cemetery which has upon it a cross ; it has had a headstone, which has been broken away ; at the foot stands, still intact, the footstone ; the next tombstone has upon it wdmt looks like the outline of a chasuble, carved in low relief, of which only traces now remain, the surface having perished. Upon both these tombstones there are the diagonal axe-marks indicative of mason's-work of the twelfth century, and it is just possible that under one or other of these stones Abbot David was buried. It will be noticed, upon reference to the engraving, that six of the tombstones have at the head, in addition to the headstones, a row of slabs on edge, sunk into the ground ; the purpose of these is evidently to protect the graves during the construction of the south tran- sept. When the interments took place the south tran- sept had not been commenced, and as the subsoil is loose gravel, the builders put in a row of slabs when they cut the foundations of the east wall of the south transept, so that the bodies of those buried in the first six graves might not be disturbed by the soil slipping away during the cutting of the foundations. No other explanation of these slabs seems feasible ; and when examined on the ground, it appears quite the most natural thing that the builders would do to prevent the desecration of the graves of those who had been buried during the progress of the works. The first recorded death is that of Cadell, Ehys ap GrufPydd's brother, in 1175. We know he took a 110 HISTORY OF THE ABBEY AND pilgrimage to the East : may not the cross upon the first tombstone indicate his grave, and the faint out- Hne of the chasuble indicate the grave of Abbot David? In the same year died " Howel, son of leuav, son of Owain, Lord of Arwystli, and was honourably buried at Strata Florida."^ He was descended from Trahaern ap Caradoc, who was slain at the battle of Carno in 1080, and resided at Talgarth, Trefeglwys. He ob- tained Arwystli as a marriage portion with his wife, Merinedd, daughter of Gruffydd ap Cynan.^ In the year 1 161,Howel ap leuav, through treachery, got possession of the Castle of Tafalwern, in Cyfeilioc, from Owain Gwynedd,hisbrother-in-law. Owain entered Arwystli w^ith a considerable force, retook Tafalwern, and advanced as far as Llandinam ; here Howel, with about three hundred of the men of Arwystli, attacked Owain's forces near the banks of the Severn, and attempted to recover some of the spoil which they were cariying away to Gwynedd, but was defeated ; Howel and his men took to flight, but scarcely a third of them escaped. Owain Cyfeilioc claimed Arwystli as part of his territory as chief lord, but he was dis- possessed by PJiys ap Gruffydd m 1166, to whom it was confirmed by Henry II in 1171, and it was subsequently reconquered by Gwenwynwyn, the son of Owain Cyfeilioc, in 1197, after the death of Rh^^s ap Gruffydd. Part of the possessions of the Abbey of Strata Florida was the rectory of Llangurig, in Arwystli. In the Valor Ecclesiasticus, temp. 26 Hen. VIII, it is valued at 24 marks per annum ; in the Compof Minis- trorum, 32 Hen. YIII, it is valued at £10 per annum. In the History of the Parish of Llangurig, by Messrs. Hamer and Lloyd, 1875, they say : " As Llangurig was the only part of Arwystli which belonged to the Abbey of Strata Florida, the following entry in the ' Brut y Tywysogion, Rolls ed., p. 233. •^ Yorke's Royal Tribes, p. 12G. DESCRIPTION OF ITS POSSESSIONS. Ill Taxation of 1291, under the head, 'In Dccanat. Arostli', refers to the value of the rectory of that date : — " Beneficia Abb'is de Strata Florida . £16 "From the Valor Eccleslasticus of Henry VIII, we learn that the vicarage was then rated at £9 9s. lOrf., the sources of revenue, etc., being as follows : — Tithes of corn and hay, per ann. ,, wool and lambs Oblations (four in the year) Value of glebe land, per ann. £1 6 8 4 4 13 4 2 " Thence in reprisals : — Yearly procuration to the Bishop . 10 ,, „ at visitation . 2 2 10 2 12 2 Clear yearly value ... £0 9 10 Thence a tenth ... 19 0" It is not improbable that Howel ap leiiav w^as the benefactor who conferred the tithes and rectory of Llangurig upon the Abbey of Strata Florida ; there is no reference to Llangurig in any of the charters of Khys ap GrufFydd or his descendants, and Howel is the only lord of Arwystli who is mentioned as having been buried at Strata Florida. Llangurig was at that time the mother-church of a wide and extensive district, and comprised the existing parish, as well as the parishes of Llanidloes, Trefeglwys, and Llan- dinam.^ " Shortly after the dissolution of the monastery, we find the rectorial tithes were in possession of Lady Dorothy Devereux, daughter (by Anne, his wife, daughter of Henry Stafford, Duke of Buckingham) of George Hastings, Earl of Huntingdon, and relict of Sir Richard Devereux, Knt., eldest son of Walter, Lord Viscount Hereford, K.G., who died in 1558. ^ I am indebted to Mr. E. R. Morris, late of Homestay, Newtown, for this fact. 112 HISTORY OF THE ABBEY AND Sir Richard died in the lifetime of his father, leaving issue a son and heir, Walter, Lord Viscount Hereford, who was created Earl of Essex and Ewe, Subse- quently the great tithes passed into the family of Stedman (who had likewise possession of the Abbey of Strata Florida), and thence to the Powells of Nanteos, who held them as late as the year 1722. But before the year 1762 they were sold by the late Dr. Powell, of Nanteos, to Sir W. W. Wynn, Bart., and are now held by the Baronet of AVynnstay." (History of the Parish of Llangurig, by Hamer and Lloyd, p. 33.) According to the Brut y Tywysogion (Piolls ed., p. 233), in 1186, " about the month of July, the convent of Strata Florida removed to Pthedynog Velen in Gwynedd." In the margin of the Book of Basing - iverk there is a note opposite this entry, in which it is stated that this place is " Maenan", Avhere the monks of Aberconway were removed by Edward I. We have here the record of the foundation of the Cistercian Abbey of Conway by a colony of monks from Strata Florida. In the British Museum, among the Harley Charters, is a document, No. 7Q, D. ii (see Appendix), which is a confirmation of a final sentence of the general chapter at Citeaux upon some dispute between the Abbeys of Margam and Caerleon ; it is remitted to the Abbots of Tintern and Dore, who are requested to see to its execution, and it recites that Caerleon is a daughter of Strata Florida. We may therefore assume that Caerleon was also founded by a colony from that abbey. In 1192, the Clironicle records the death of Gruffydd, son of Cadwgan. We have no clue as to who this person was, but it may be that the entry refers to one of "the sons of Cadwgan", whose donation appears in Phys ap Gruffydd's charter ; and who, being a benefactor to the abbey, his death was noted and recorded in the Brut y Tywysogion. During the troublous years subsequent to the death of Phys ap Grufiydd, while his sons were fighting among them- DESCRIPTION OF ITS POSSESSIONS. 113 selves for his inheritance, the monks of Strata Florida appear to have gone on steadily building their monas- tery ; to secure their possessions and complete the title thereto, they obtained confirmatory charters in 1198 from Rhys and Maelgwn, the two sons of Khys ap Gruffydd, who at this time were in possession of their father's territory and estates ; Gruffydd, the eldest son, being now a prisoner at Corfe Castle. Maelgwn's charter is dated 11th February 1198 ; and Rhys, son of his elder brother Gruffydd, is the first witness who is made to join in the grant, " qui banc donacionem nostram sua donacione roboravit." The young Rhys must have been a mere child at this time. Rhys's charter is dated 19th January 1198, and he refers therein to certain lands which are de- scribed in the charters of Maelgwn, his brother, " who first gave them", and then goes on to say that " I, Rese, gave these lands to the aforesaid monks for ever". This is somewhat confusing ; but I think we may pretty safely assume that both Maelgwn and Rhys (Rhys Gryg) were benefactors to Strata Florida, and that their charters increased the possessions of the monas- tery as well as confirmed former gifts.^ Immediately upon King John's accession to the throne of England, the monks of Strata Florida applied for, and obtained a confirmation charter from the Kino- dated at Worcester, on the 11th of April 1200, the first year of his reign ; in this document all the charters of previous donors are confirmed, except as to the Comot of Cardigan, which Maelgwn had sold to the King. The Brut y Tywysogion thus refers to this transaction between King John and Maelgwn : "In that year (1200) Maelgwn, son of Rhys, sold Aberteivi, the key of all Wales, for a trifling value, to the English, for fear of and out of hatred to his brother Gruffydd." In the following year we have the record of the com- pletion of the Abbey Church of Strata Florida ; this important event is described in few words, but they con- ^ See Charters in Appendix. I 114 HISTORY OF THE ABBEY AND vey much when read in the light of the recent excava- tions. The Chronicle says it " had been erected of splendid workmanship"; and no doubt it was at that time the finest ecclesiastical buildino- in AVales, exceed- ing in size the cathedral church, which Bishop Peter de Leia M^as then rebuilding at St. David's. We know now with what care and at what great expense the monks of Strata Florida had, during a period of about thirty -five years, gone on steadily erecting their church and conventual buildings, and we can see from what is left of the ruins its gradual growth from 1166 to 1201. The earliest portion built was in all probability the presbytery ; this was succeeded by the north transept, tower, and south transept ; then the nave would follow, probably not the entire length at once ; the variations in the mouldino-s of the arches of the arcades in the nave seem to point to their being built at different times, and probably under the charge of different master- masons. In this year died, at Strata Florida, Gruffydd, the eldest son and successor of Rhys ap Gruffydd, " after having taken upon him the religious habit ; and there he was buried."^ Powell, in his Hist or )j of Wales (ed. 1774, p. 220), thus refers to the custom of burying in the robes of a monk, which at this time prevailed: " a.d. 1200, Gruff^ycld ap Conan ap Owen Gwynedd died ; and was buried in a monk's cawl in the abbey of Conway, which way of burying was very much practised (especially by the better sort) in those days ; for the monks and friars had deluded the people into a strong conceit of the merits of it, and had firmly persuaded them it was highly conducive to their future happiness to be thus interred. But this superstition, together with the propagators of it, they had lately received from Eng- land : for the first abbey or monastery we read of in Wales since the destruction of that famous house of Bangor, which favoured of Romish dregs, was the ^ B)-i/t y Tijirymgion, Rolls ed., p. 257. DESCRIPTION OF ITS POSSESSIONS. 115 Ty-Gwyn,^ built in the year 1146, after which they mightily increased and spread over all the country." GrufFydd ap Rhys's tenure of power as lord of South Wales in succession to his father was very short. After the death of Pthys ap Gruffydd on the 24th April 1197, he proceeded to the King's Court, and having been acknowledged as the lawful heir, he did homao-e to the Kino- for his dominions, and returned home to take possession. His brother Maelgwn had formed an alliance with Gwenwynwyn, son of Owain Cyveilioc of Powys, and with his aid he gained the Castle of Aberystwith, captured his brother Gruffydd, and delivered him into the custody of Gwenwynwyn. The following year the lord of Powys delivered over Prince Gruffydd ap Pthys to the English in exchange for the Castle of Carreghova, near Oswestry, which he had besieged and taken, and Gruffydd was im- prisoned in Corfe Castle. Gwenwynwyn then recovered Arwystli, which had been taken from his father by Rhys ap Gruffydd in 1167, and it remained in the possession of his family, with slight interruptions, until it passed into English hands by the marriage of the last of the line, a daughter, who married Sir John Charleton, first Baron of Powys. Shortly after this, Gwenwynwyn, who had conceived the design of liberating his country and extending it to its ancient limits, raised a large army and besieged William de Breos in his Castle of Payn in Radnor. He lay three weeks without effect before it, whilst de Breos had time to collect assistance, and was re- inforced by the Justiciary of England, Geoffery Fitz- peter,^ who released Gruffydd ap Rhys (de Breos's son-in-law), and put him at the head of his country- 1 Whitlfincl Abbey. 2 Fitzpeter was an eminent character. He was dreaded by Jolm, who 3'et dared not to remove him from his great office. Wlien John heard of his death, he exultingly cried, " And is lie gone, then ? Well, let him go to hell, and join Archbishop Hubert, By God's foot I am now for the first time King of England." {Matthew Paris.) I 2 116 HISTORY OF THE ABBEY AND men, who ioined liim in great numbers.^ Gwenwynwyn was defeated in tlie open plain near the castle. After this Gruftydd appears to have obtained possession from Maelgwn of all Cardiganshire, except Cardigan and Ystrad Meurig Castles, As to the former, " Maelgwn swore upon several relics, in the presence of monks, after taking hostages for peace from Gruffydd'V that he would deliver up the castle on a certain day. He disregarded his oath, giving up neither the castle nor the hostages, but, as we have seen, treacherously sold it to King John. This perfidious betrayal of his country's cause brought upon Maelgwn the malediction of the clergy and people of all Wales {Annales Camhrke). For this surrender of Cardigan Castle and the adja- cent commot of Iscoed Bisberwern, or Isherwen, the King-, bv his charter, bearing^ date at Poictiers on the 3rd of December 1199, "concedes to his beloved and faithful Maelgwn, son of Rhys, for his homage and faithful service, the four cantreds which are called Caerdigan, together with Cilgerran and Emlyn, as well those of them which he has already acquired as those which are yet to be acquired from the King's enemies, so that ]\Iaelgwn should serve him faithfully, and remain faithful to him ao-ainst all men. And Mae]c<:wn, for himself and his heirs, gives up and 'quit claims' to the Kino' and his heirs for ever the Castle of Caerdio-an, with a certain commot adjacent to the said Castle."^ "A few months later Maelg-wn obtained a confirma- tion of the King's grant, whereby the latter concedes to him the four cantreds of Cardigan, excepting the Castle of Cardigan and the commot called Bisberwern, adjacent to the said castle, which the aforesaid Mael- gwn has given up to the King." This charter, which is dated from Worcester on the 11th of April in the 1st of King John (1200), is witnessed by Geoffry Fitz- ^ Yorke's Royal Tribes of Wales, pp. G2-C3. " Brut y Tyivysogion, Rolls eel., p. 255. •' Rot. t'Jiart., a'o 1 Job., memb. 2. DESCRIPTION OF ITS TOSSESSIONS. 117 peter, Earl of Essex, William Mareschal, Earl of Pem- broke, William Earl of Surrey, and others/ It will be observed that the date of this second charter to Maelgwn corresponds with that to the monks of Strata Florida before referred to, and that the witnesses thereto are identical. This w^ould seem to prove that it was through Maelgwn 's influence that this charter was obtained, confirming the grants of himself and his brother E-hys Gryg, and that at this time Gruffydd ap Rhys was not in favour at the English Court. In the October following Gruffydd receives a sum- mons and a safe conduct to come to the King's Court, bearing date from Chelewerth (Chelsworth), on the 22nd October 1200 ; and the King issues his letters patent to the Sheriff" of Pembroke, apprising them of the issue of the above safe conduct, and charging them, in the meanwhile, to levy no forfeit on him or his lands. ^ The Eev. the Hon. G. T. 0. Bridgeman, in his History of the Princes of South Wales, p. 7Q, thus refers to this matter : — " Whether this summons was obeyed or not I do not find. I 1 Bot. Chart., a'o 1 Joh., memb. 15. Some doubt seems to have existed as to which of these charters was first issued. King Richard died on Tuesday, April 6th, 1199: and at first sight it might be thought that this charter, which is dated at Worcester on April 11th, in the first year of his reign, had been issued immediately after the news of Eichard's death had been received in England. It would seem to have been so understood by Maelgwn, the son of this Mael- gwn, from the order in which he produced the two chai'ters in a trial at Westminster in 25 Hen. III.* But I have followed the editor of the Record edition of the Charter Rolls, and also Sir Harry Nicholas, who shows in his Chronology of History that the first regnal year of King John commenced on May 27th, 1199. Moreover, the Prince was apparently in Normand}^ at the time of his brother's death. Mr. Eyton supports this reading, and says that April 11th, anno regni liegis Johannis ])ri7no, is certainly April 11th, 1200. {History of the Princes of South Wales, by the Rev. the Hon. G. T. O. Bridgeman, M.A., pp, 75-76.) ^ Rot. Chart., a'o 9 Joh., memb. 28 in dorse. * See Appendix. 118 HISTORY OF THE ABBEY AND imagine that Criffitli was at this time in possession of the whole of Cardigan, except the Castle of Cardigan with its adjacent commot of Bisberwern (which would have included but a small portion of the commot of Iscoed). And perhaps we may also except the Castles of Dynerth and Ystrad Meiiric, which may possibly have remained in the hands of Maelgon with their adjacent lordships. " It would seem, from the King's letter having been addressed to the Sheriff of Pembroke, and the barons, knights and others of Eos and Pembroke, that Griffith also held lands in those parts. These lands will have involved the Castle of Cilgerran and the adjoining lordship of Emlyn, which Grifhth had recently taken from Maelgon. It is possible that he may have also held the commot or lordship of Trefgarn in the cantrev of Rhos, which was subsequently held by his descendants under the Earls of Pembroke ; but with res]3ect to this records are deficient. " We have no mention, at this period, of Ystrad Tywy, and I am unable to discover whether Grifiith retained any portion of his father's dominions in those parts. We shall see that he subsequently took possession of the Castle of Llandovery and the cantrev Bychan upon the death of his younger brother Meredith,^ which had probably been recovered from the Normans, in 1198, at the same time with the Castle of Dynevor and the cantrev Mawr ; and I assume that the latter had fallen to the share of his other brother. Res Grig. The remainder of Carmarthen was probably in the hands of the English at this time ; as also by far the greater portion of Pembroke or West Wales. " Meredith ap Res, the younger brother of Griffith, was slain by the Englishmen of Kidwelly at Carnwyllaon, and Griffith took possession of his castle at Llandovery and the cantrev Bychan (or little cantrev), in which it was situated. And ^ " 1201. A little while afterwards, about the feast of St. Peter and St. Paul, Maredndd, son of Rhys, an extremely courteous young man, the terror of his enemies, the love of his fi'iends, being lilce a lightning of fire between armed hosts, the hope of the Soutli Wales men, the dread of England, the honour of the cities, and the orna- ment of the world, was slain at Carnvvyllon; and Gruffudd, his brother, took possession of his castle at Llanymddyvri. And the cantrev, in which it was situated, was taken possession of by Gruffudd, his brother. And immediately afterwards, on the feast of St. James the Apostle, Gruffudd, sou of Rhys, died at Strata Florida, after having taken upon him the religious habit ; and there he was buried." (Brut y Tywysogion, Rolls ed., p. 257.) DESCRIPTION OF ITS POSSESSIONS. 119 within a month of tliis time, namely, ' on the feast of St. James the Apostle (July 25th, 1201), Griffith ap lies (himself also) (lied at Strata Florida, after having taken upon him the religious habit ; and tliere he was buried with great solemnity'.^ ' This Gruffyth', says Powell, ' was a wise and discreet gentleman, and one that was likely to bring all South Wales to good order and obedience, who in all things followed his father's steppes, whom as he succeeded in government, so he did in all martiall prowes and nobilitie of mind ; but cruell fortune, which frowned upon that countrie, suffered him not long to enjoy his land.' He married Maud or Mallt, daughter of William de Braose, lord of Brecknock, by whom he had two sons, Ees and Owen, who ought to have succeeded to their father's dominions. But Ees Grig, the brother of Griffith, appropriated to himself the cantrev Bychan with the town of Llandovery ; and Maelgon took pos- session of the Castle of Cilgerran. I presume also that Maelgon also re-entered upon the land of Cardigan and withheld it from his brother's children. " About this time Llewelyn ap Jerwerth ap Owen Gwyneth Avas upon the throne of North Wales, an able and active prince who assumed the sovereignty of all Wales, and claimed the allegiance of all its princes and nobles, as a right accorded to his family by the ordinance of Eoderic and the law^s of Howel T)ha, ' notwithstanding that of late years, by the negligence of his predecessors, they had not used their accustomed duties ; but some held of the King of England, others ruled as supreme powers within their owne countries. Therefore, he called a Parliament of all the lords in Wales, which for the most part appeared before him, and swore to be his liegemen."-^ " Wenwynwyn, Prince of Powis, at first a dissentient, was subsequently won over to the Prince, and Llewelyn appears to have succeeded at this juncture in uniting the interests of the whole principality against the English." Immediately after the deatli of Gruffydd ap E>hys we find that his son Rhys gives a charter to the Abbey of Strata Florida, which confirms all the donations of his father and grandfather, and all that his uncles had given. This charter sets forth the boundaries of the estates granted by the diiferent donors to the Abbey, and we now for the first time come across the Brecon- shire property, Aberdihonw, which is situated a short ' Powell's History of Wales. 2 Ihid. 120 HISTORY OF THE ABBEY AND distance below the to^vn of Biiilth on the banks of the River Wye, We have, moreover, a grant of "all the pasture of Cantrev Mawr and Cantrev Bychan, and of the four cantreds of Cardigan, and especially of Pen- wedic"; also of the whole of the land which is betw^een the rivers Tywy and Yrvon, in the county of Brecon. Jones, in his Hidory of Brechiochshire (vol. ii, p. 216), thus refers to the possessions of the Abbey of Strata Florida in that county : "From the names of places, with some difficulty reducible into Welsli, we find that the possessions of the Monastery of Strata Florida comprehended Cwmytoiddwr in Radnorshire, and all the lands between Towy and Elan to the borders of North Wales, Llanwrthwl, part of Llanafanfawr, the whole of Llan- vihangel Abergwessin, Llandewi Abergwessin and Llanwrtyd, part of Llangamarch, crossing the Irvon at the fall of the Cani- ddwr, the whole of the present parish of Tyr yr Abad and part of Llandilo'r fan in Breconshire, but much of this territory was lost, either in consequence of intestine commotions or by exchange, so that only a comparatively small number of acres remained on the soutli of the Irvon and on the borders of Car- martlienshire : these not being worth the attention of Sir John Pryce, continued with the Crown from the time of the dissolu- tion of religious houses, until Edward the Sixth, in the sixth year of his reign, granted nearly the whole of this tract (demised to John Lewis of Harpton, Esq.), by the description of the " Grange of Halerdoneth [Aberdihonw], to William Earl of Pembroke, and William Clerk, in fee, to hold as tenants in capite. Though this conveyance seems intended for the benefit of the grantees, it does not appear that they took possession under it, or at least part of it was reserved ; for by a deed dated in 1588, Queen Elizabeth demised to Edward Wymark and his heirs for ever, lands called Tyr Glandillas, Kaer Iverdill (perhaps Caer Cenfydd), parcel of the Grange of Aberdconyth, abutting certain lands called Pell Borro^ and Llidiade reollydd (Llydiad yr heolydd) on the north, and certain lands called Iveven yeoly (Cefn loli) on the west, to lands called Pantybroynssion and the river Nant y chure on the south, and to Blan hijrgoome (Blanhirgwm), on the east, to be holden as of the manor of East Greenwich ^ Pwll lerw, the watei'-cress pool ; Aberberwbwll is a name of ft farm in this parish (Tyr yr abad, or the Abbot's land), not far from the confines of Carmarthenshire. DESCRIPTION OF ITS POSSESSIONS. 121 in socage, and not by knight's service, rendering a small annual rent. Wymark, by deed, conveyed his interest to John Lewis of Okl Eadnor : one of the descendants of this Lewis of Harpton, his great-grand-daughter Margaret, married John Gwyn of Llanelwedd, and their son, David Gwyu, married another of the same family ; by these marriages the estates came to the Gwyns of Tymawr, and now of Glanbran. Sackville Gwynne of the latter place, at present, possesses the whole parish [Tyr yr abad], as three or four of his ancestors have done before him." With reference to the grant in the charter of " all the Pasture of Cantrev Mawr and Cantrev Bychan and of the four Cantreds of Cardigan, and especially of Penwedic", we have an illustration of the fact, " that the owner of a Cantrev or Lordship was sole owner of the uninclosed land within it, and exercised the right to grant rights of pasturage over all or any part of it ; a right which the law recognised as common in gross, exercisable only by an ecclesiastical or lay cor- poration, but not to the prejudice of the lord's rights, nor to the exclusion of the commoners who by grant or usage were entitled to depasture on the common lands the estimated number of cattle which could be maintained during the winter on their ancient tene- ment."^ It is probable that in the early part of the thirteenth century the monks may have had almost the sole enjoyment of these mountain pastures, and that they became the pioneers of cultivation in these wild and thinly-populated tracts of country. In the ecclesiastical taxation of Pope Nicholas (a.d. 1291), under the head of '' Fructus", or " Exitus Ani- malium", we obtain an account of the live stock which each monastic house was supposed to possess in the archdeaconries of Cardigan and Carmarthen. The sheep and cattle are stated to be " salva custodia", which leads to the inference that they were under the care of a shepherd, and not in the hands of a tenant. 1 See paper in the Archceologia Cambrensis for July 1888, entitled "Notes to the Account of Cwmhir Abbey, Radnorsliii-e", by R. W. Banks, Esq. 122 HISTORY OF THE ABBEY AND That at this time the principal wealth of Strata Florida Abbey was derived from its flocks and herds we see by a license given by King John, on the 29th of May 1212, to the abbot and monks to sell and export their wool/ And it seems pretty clear from the terms of the license that they had to declare at the port at which it was shipped that it was their own produce, and that at that time wool could not be exported without payment of duty. King John, at the same time that he confirmed the charters of Strata Florida at Worcester, on the 11th of April 1200, made a further grant of freedom from toll, passage, and pontage, and of all customs which apper- tained to the crown, for themselves and all their goods which their men were able to affirm belonged to their demesne. This charter, though granted on the same day as the confirmation charter before referred to, is given by the hand of the Archdeacon of Wells and the Archdeacon of Gloucester, and is witnessed, among others, by William Briwerro, who also witnesses the license to export wool in 1212. The confirmation charter is given by the hand of Hubert, Archbishop of Canterbury, and is witnessed by three of the most powerful nobles in the kingdom at that time, William Mareschal, Earl of Pembroke, Geof- frey Fitzpeter, Earl of Essex, and AVilliam de Longe- spee. Earl of Salisbury. In the Brut y Tyivysogion, under the date 1204, we have recorded another of those treacherous assassina- tions which were so common in Wales at that time ; and it is one more of the many crimes which were laid to the charge of Maelgwn ap E-hys. The Cliron icle states that " Howel the Saxon, son of the Lord Pthys, was stabbed at Cemaes, through treachery, by the men of Maelgwn, his brother, of which stab he died, and was buried at Strata Florida in the same manner as his brother Gruffydd, after having taken upon him the habit of religion." The Rev. the Hon. G. T. O. ^ See Appendix. DESCRIPTION OF ITS POSSESSIONS- 123 Bridgeman, in a note (p. 52, History of the Princes of South Wales) upon the death of Howel the Saxon, states that " Howel, who was called Sals or the Englishman (probably on account of his long i^esidence in England as a hostage in the King's custody), was a natural son of Res by Ysteder, the daughter of Cara- doc ap Llowrodd [Her. Vis. Wal., vol. ii, p. 99). Though he escaped mutilation at the hands of the English, a fate but too common with hostages in those days, he is said to have afterwards been cruelly bhnded by his brother Anarawd, another of Res's illegitimate sons, about the year 1194. Notwithstanding this calamity, he continued for some years to take his part in the petty warfare of his time. According to the An- nales Camhrice, he died in 1199, on his return towards Wales from the court of King John, at Striguil, where, as some say, he was seized with a sickness which carried him off, or, as others say, he was slain by the Normans. But, according to the Brut, he was treacher- ously assassinated at Cemaes in the year 1204-5 by his brother Maelgon's men, and was buried near his brother Griffith at Strata Florida." In reading the records of the deaths and burials at Strata Florida, one cannot but be struck with the fact that in so many instances it is recorded that the mdi- vidual mentioned died at Strata Florida ; and it would appear as if in those days it was not uncommon for a person stricken with sickness to repair to the abbey. The monks were the only people who possessed any medical skill or knowledge at that time, and I think we can see by the records that one of the most im- portant buildings belonging to a Cistercian monastery, the infirmary, was doubtless much patronised by all conditions of men, and when any person of rank and importance died there, the conventual scribe duly entered the fact in the monastic chronicle.^ ^ Mr. St. John Hope, in a note to me on this subject, says that " the pubhc were certainly not admitted to the monk's ' farmery'." Tt is possible some other part (jf the building was appropriated to this purpose. 124 HISTORY OF THE ABBEY AND On the 29tli of December 1210, Maud or Mahalt de Breos, the wife of Gruffydd ap Rhys, died at Llanba- darn Fawr, and ^^'as laid by the side of her husband in the abbey church of Strata Florida. In what part of the church Maud and her husband were buried it is of course impossible to say, but during the course of the excavations it was discovered that there had been two burials in the northern chapel of the north ti'ansept, one on each side of the altar, marked by crosses of dark coloured tiles in the pavement ; in the southern chapel of the south transept there were discovered remains of two altar-tombs and fragments of tracery and sculp- ture of early fourteenth century work ; in the vestry was found the vault in which had been buried the persons to whose memory the altar-tombs had been erected, the vault being constructed partially under the floor of the chapel in which the efligies had been placed. Of the efiigies the merest fragments remained, but, oddly enough, portions of two pairs of hands joined in the attitude of prayer were found, the one delicate in form, shaped like that of a woman ; the other, coarser-looking, and evidently intended for a man's hands. Three other ladies were buried at Strata Florida : Gwenllian, daughter of Maelgwn the younger, who died at Llanfihangel Gelynrod,and was buried in the chapter- house in 1253 ; a sister, Margaret, wife of wain ap Me- redydd, Lord of Cydewain; Isabel, daughter of Richard Clare, Earl of Hereford, and wife to William Gam, Lord of Gower, who was buried in the abbey, a.d. 1210. The number of burials recorded in the chapter-house is ten^, commencing with Rhys, son of Gruffydd ap Rhys and his wife, Maud de Breos, 1222, and ending with Owain, a grandson of Gruffydd and Maud, in 1275. The chapter-house was built at a later period than the abbey-church ; the architecture is of Early Eng- lish type, and its completion in all probability was not very long anterior to the date of the first recorded interment therein. Among the discoveries made ^ See Appendix for list of burials in the abbey. DESCRIPTION OF ITS POSSESSIONS. 125 during the recent excavations was the tombstone which was found in the chapter-house, illustrated in the plate opposite, and referred to in a note in chap- ter V. There is something very j^eculiar in the dis- covery of these human remains in the chapter-house, all so carefully reburied under this stone. At the time of the dissolution, and when the church and chapter- house were desecrated and turned to secular uses, did some of the dispossessed monks reverentially take up the bodies of those who were buried in this portion of the abbey, and lay them in this one shallow grave ? Whoever did it, they were careful to place the skulls all at the head of the grave, and the other bones appeared to have been laid in some kind of order. Subsequent to the reburial a fire took place, which destroyed the roof and other timber-work of the chap- ter-house, and the tombstone,, which is of Bath oolite, has been much calcined by the intense heat, and broken to pieces. No other trace of a grave or tombstone was found in the cha,pter-house ; from the fragments of floor-tiles found in the debris, it apparently had an encaustic and incised tile floor, and in all probability the graves were covered with inscribed slabs. These were no doubt of freestone, and being of a convenient size and useful as building material, may have been carried away at an early period after the dissolution. The people who rifled the graves, possibly, had suflicient respect for the mighty dead who were laid there, to collect and re- bury their scattered bones ; let us hope it was so, and that the simple stone that now covers them protects all that is left of the mortal remains of many of the princes and lords of South Wales, the descendants of the once great and powerful Prince Rhys ap Gruflydd. In 1212, the Abbey of Strata Florida narrowly escaped destruction. In the Record Office [_Ex. Rot. Lit. Clems., vol. i, f. 122] is an order of King John, addressed to Falkes de Breaute, seneschal of Cardiff', 126 HISTORY OF THE ABBEY AND commanding him to destroy the monastery which had harboured his enemies. Pope Innocent had, in 1212, absolved from all fealty and allegiance to the King of England, the princes and nobles, and all other persons high and low, and threatened with excommunication all who associated or held converse with him. Llew- elyn ap lorwerth, encouraged by this interdict, summoned Gwenwynwyn, Prince of Powys Uchaf; Gruffydd Maelor, Prince of Powys Isaf ; and Meredydd ap Rotpert, ruler of Cydewain ; and having mustered the entire military forces of Gwynedd and Powys, Llewelyn speedily w^on every Norman castle in North Wales, except Phuddlan and Conway, and then march- ing into Powys Uchaf, laid siege to Mathrafal Castle, which Robert Vipont had lately fortified. Kinfy John, enrao'ed at the news of this formidable insurrection, levied an army wath the avowed intention of exterminating the Welsh nation ; and, on arriving at Nottingham,^ before he ate or drank, he ordered the twenty-eight royal Welsh children, Avhom he held as hostages, to be hung on gibbets, in revenge for their fathers' breach of faith towards him. Letters from his daughter, the Avife of Llewelyn ap lorwerth, and from the King of Scotland, reached him on the same day, warning him that there was a conspiracy among his own nobles to either slay him, or deliver him into the hands of his enemies. Dismayed at this information, he shut himself up for a fortnight in Nottingham Castle, and then recovering from his terror, marched onward with his army to Chester, where, alarmed by renewed warnings, he disbanded his forces.^ The sympathies of the monks of Strata Florida were no doubt with their countrymen in this revolt against the English King, more especially as John had been excommunicated by the Pope. Falkes de Breaute was either unable or unwilling to carry out the King's * Roger of Wendover, a.d. 1212; Florence of Worcester, second continuation. ^ History of Wales, hj Miss Jane Williams, pp. 309-10. DESCRIPTION OF ITS POSSESSIONS. 127 command, and the Abbey on this occasion escaped the devastation which befell it at two later periods owing to the wars in the time of King Edward I, and the re- belhon of Owain Glendower in the reign of Henry IV. In 1216 took place the partition of the estates of Prince Rhys ap Gruffydd between his sons, Maelgwn and Khys Gryg, and his grandsons. Rhys and Owain, the sons of Gruffydd, Prince Rhys' eldest son ; Prince Llewelyn ap lorwerth was tiie President of the Court on this occasion. Llewelyn had, during the latter part of the reign of King John, become all powerful in North and South Wales, and was the last of the Welsh princes who really exercised regal rights throughout the principality. Having married King John's daughter he became the most powerful ruler in Wales. The subdivision of the principalities of South Wales and Powys had greatly reduced the power of their hereditary princes, and the supremacy of Llewelyn seems to have been now generally ac- knowledged by them whenever the Welsh were in a position to repudiate the King's authority.^ When, therefore, Rhys, son of Gruffydd, son of the Lord Rhys, died, in August 1222, "after a long and lingering disorder", and was buried at Strata Florida, " after taking penance and communion and confession, and the habit of religion",^ we find King Henry III issuing his writ to Leidinus prlnceps Nortvallice, com- manding him to take into the King's hand all the land which Resus Jiliiis Griffini, deceased, held of the King in capite, and keep it in safe custody until the King should otherwise order concernine: it. This writ was issued at Oxford on August 11 of that year, in the presence of Hubert de Burgh and others^ ; and accord- ing to the Brut y Tyivysogion (Rolls ed., p. 311), Owain, his "only brother, obtained part of his terri- ■^ Bridgeman's Hist.§ '5^ Aisles. a^ t-. d O 1^ ?,f, l^oH g^ So -H-^ WH '-' m Strata Florida Abbey 213' 0" 132' G" 61' 0" 117' ;i" 28' 0" 28' 0" 52' 6" 28' 0" St. David's Cathedral^ 208 10 127 4 51 3 116 27 3 27 53 6 30 3 St. Asaph CathedraP . — 86 68 108 — . 2!J 6 — — Bangor Cathedral' 116 GO 96 — — — — Llandaff Cathedral* . 107 70 — — — — — Abbey Cwmhir^ . — 242 69 10 135 8 32 — — — Brecon Priory Church 170 107 34 114 — 29 34 29 Neath Abbey — 110 — 110 — — — ^ As built by Bishop Peter de Leia. Other dimensions not known. 3 Ditto. " Ditto. No transepts. Never completed. 192 AN ACCOUNT OF THE EXCAVATIONS AND The: Abbey Church or Strata Florida Liiiiin Ground Plan r r r r ^ r yj JM rSST ■ /88/ regtO A^ STATI0N€H9 i ARCHITECTURE OF THE ABBEY. 193 The plan accompanying this report shows in black the portions of the walls which were above ground at the time when the excavations were commenced, and the part which is etched shows the general outline of the foundations so far as they have been determined up to the present time. Careful measurements were made as the work proceeded, and from these measure- ments, the plan accompanying this report has been deduced, and, in addition, accurate drawings have been made of all mouldings and carved stone-work that have been found. The principal portion of the ruins visible above ground before the commencement of the excavations was a fragment of the west wall of the abbey church, comprising the great west doorway and the west window of the south aisle. The former is in a very good state of preservation, and in design is probably unique, I am not aware of any example in England or Wales at all like it ; it consists of a deeply-recessed semicircular arch with five nook shafts set in square jamb moulds carried completely round the arch without any break, and with bold moulded bands, six on each side, and one in the line of the centre of the keystone, terminating on the wall-face with a richly-sculptured ornament resembling a pastoral staff, the carving being very good, and the ornament well designed, the keystone ornament being double and reversed. On the right of the doorway is the space occupied by the western buttress of the south arcade, which it was found corresponded with the line of piers, and south of that is the west window of the south aisle of the nave, a plain and very early Pointed Transitional or semi-Norman window, which apparently was not glazed originally, there being no grooves for the glass ; but it was recessed for a shutter, and the holes are still in existence, showing how the window was probably glazed at a later period. The rear arch of this window has been destroyed ; it had a plain splayed opening internally. The rear arch of the western doorway is o 194 AX ACCOUNT OF THE EXCAVATIONS AND modern, having been inserted by the late Col. Powell of Nanteos some years ago, with a view to protect it from further dilapidation. At the north-west angle of the north transept still stands a fragment of the wall, about forty feet above the ground-level ; internally a small portion of the moulded stringcourse remains, and there are traces of an angle-shaft with its carved capital ; externally, at about the same level, is a fragment of a stringcourse, w^hich in all probability was the base of a great three- light window, which lighted the northern transept. During the last winter a considerable portion of this fragment fell, and the remainder will soon follow unless some steps are taken to preserve it. With the exception of the fragments mentioned above, nothing whatever remained above ground, and the entire site of the abbey church was a mass of shapeless mounds and debris ; the site of the monastic buildings being partially covered by the modern farmhouse, and of these very few traces remain. I found that the threshold of the western doorway was buried beneath about three feet of accumulated earth, and the first step was to clear this away, and thus ascertain the level of the floor. From the centre of the doorway a line was set out through the building, and, by means of a trench cut through the eastern wall of the choir, the total length of the church w^as ascertained to be 213 feet within the walls. The line of the western wall of the north transept was then followed until we came upon the north-eastern angle of the north wall of the nave, where I found the respond of the arch between the north aisle and transept ; continuing the excavation in the same direction, we were fortunate in finding the north-western pier of the great central tower, and at the level of the floor was discovered the first piece of tiling in situ in the floor of the north transept, just hiside the archway from the north aisle. Having thus ascertained the situation of these important points, I was enabled to set out and sink O . X^ . ^''&^^\rcx 1 I o vve.t' 1 n ovve^t' her*'?). •ni. ,1... ^n.,.^/ ciKoir TM > MM ^ AIICHITKCTUKK OF THE ABBEY. 195 down to the south wall and the north-western angle of the nave, giving a total width of nave and aisles of sixty-one feet. The general direction of the piers of the nave was ascertained, and sufficiently excavated to show that there were seven arches in the nave arcade. Fragments found in the immediate vicinity of the piers which have been uncovered lead me to believe that the nave arcade was of pointed arches richly moulded ; on the outside of each pier was a respond, apparently intended to carry an arch, and with the intention eventually of vaulting the aisles ; but we have not yet been able to discover a corres- ponding respond on the north and south walls of the aisles. I do not think the nave or aisles were ever vaulted. The whole of the piers of the great central tower have been partially uncovered, and it will be noticed, upon reference to the plan, that they do not correspond, the western piers corresponding with the line of the nave arcade, and the eastern piers with the line of arcades which opened into the eastern chapels of the north and south transept, the effect of which, when perfect, must have been ver}^ grand. Enough of the ruins has not yet been uncovered to speak with any degree of certainty as to the arches which formed the lantern of the great central tower, but I am inclined to believe they were pointed, and, from some fragments that have been found, they were evidently richly moulded. The shaft supporting the inner members of the lantern arches were semicircular, and attached to the square piers, the outer members being carried on three-quarter nook shafts. The bases are of late Norman or Transitional type. In continuing the excavation along the line of the north transept- wall, we came upon the respond of the arcade of the north-eastern chapel of the north tran- sept, and immediately beyond found a circular turret staircase, which evidently was the approach to the upper stages of the central tower ; continuing on this line we came upon the nortli-eastern angle of the o 2 19G AN ACCOUNT OF THE EXCAVATIONS AND chapel, and by following it in a southern direction, we were enabled to trace the three eastern chapels of the north transept, and further excavations revealed a corresponding series of chapels in the south transept. These chapels were evidently groined, as fragments of the groining-ribs were found, and there was a string- course, about eight feet above the floor-level, running round each chapel ; and in each angle a three-quarter shaft, springing from an elegantly carved bracket, carried the groin-ribs. We found in the south-eastern chapel of the south transept one of these brackets quite perfect, and in the adjoining chapel a fragment of another w situ. In this chapel was also found a fragment of beautiful dog-tooth moulding, and in situ a most perfect specimen of the exquisite glazed incised tiles, which have been used throughout the building ; these were alternate squares of heraldic griffins and dragons. Unfortunately, some visitors from Aberyst- with were stupid and ignorant enough to break up this fine piece of work for the sake of carrying away some half-dozen or so of the tiles, a proof that it will be necessary, when once the excavations are completed, to place the ruins under the care of a local committee, who will doubtless appoint a proper custodian to see that no damage is done. At the extreme eastern end of the presbytery we found that the original level of the floor liad been raised 1 ft. 6. in. at some later date, and an inferior class of tiles used, and in so raising the floor the base of the angle-shafts in the north and south-east angles of the presbytery were buried ; the further excavation of the presbytery will probably throw some light upon this alteration. During the progress of the works, considerable quantities of moulded stonew^ork were turned up, por- tions of arches, shafts, bases, and caps of piers, and fragments of carved work ; among the latter a very artistic head of a monk, carved in a fine-grained stone, either Caen or Bere stone ; the whole of the carved work found is of the highest artistic cliaracter. 'h^MYch \\o^\Aa Abbe^'^ „^> thj •A ■V'l i f n r ■" ,£j-^' .KLwJ 1?. ^ "fftslsjrtr^ JAMBS OF EAST WINDOW ,. - ; ,^ i.U..,i,.„r t:^^::^^:^ 1oa'5r> 'WcP. 'naciTsu f.-i.i-,d iTN viatb^Kw^ cil-A. (VvK.Vt ^hSv ARCHITECrUHE OF THE ABBEY. 197 We found traces in every direction of tlie action of fire upon the building ; fragments of charred wood and melted lead turned up amongst the dehris. The walls had been plastered, and also painted at an early date — I should say before the fire in 1284^ — as in one of the chapels we found the traces of two coats of plaster, the earlier one of which had been coloured in a kind of diaper pattern. The stonework of the chapels and presbytery had also been painted, as fragments of small mouldings were found which had evidently been covered with vermilion. After the restoration, in 1300 or thereabouts, the monks had apparently whitewashed their church, to hide the action of fire upon the stonework, and the custom appears to have continued, as we have found fragments of mouldings with several coats of whitewash thereon. Four kinds of stone were used for the piers, shafts, mouldings, bases, and capitals, and other dressed stone- work throughout the building, viz : 1, a coarse kind of hard sandstone, which appears to come from the mill-stone grit formation ; 2, a very fine-grained yellow sandstone, from the new red sandstone series, much like Grinshill stone, but which I think must have come from somewhere on the South Wales coast, where that class of stone is found ; 3, a fine purple sandstone of a rather slaty texture, which it is be- lieved came from the same quarries, at Caerfai, near St. David's, as that used for St. David's Cathedral ; 4, a considerable quantity of the work is executed in oolite, 1 The Chronicle of St. Werhurgh states as follows : — " 1284. lu the same year, within twelve days of Christmas, a great misfortune happened to tlie Abhey of Stiata Florida in Wales. The tire and lightning struck the belfry, and burntd the whole of it, with the bells, without the flames being seen; and then [the fiie] devoured the whole church, which was completely coveied with lead, as far as the walls, except the presbytery, which was seen to be miracu- lously preserved, inasmuch as the body of our Lord was kept there on the great altar, under lock (as elsewhere is the case, according to universal custom). Whatever was there, except the walls of the church, was burned in that fire, including the choral books and bells- I'his happened in the night." 1.98 AN ACCOUNT OF THE EXCAVATIONS AND or Batli stone, probably brought from Gloucestershire or Somersetshire, and varying in texture. The work appears to have been done in alternate bands of coloured stone, as at St. David's Cathedral ; and throughout the building there seems a wonderful resemblance, in point of plan and general design, to that portion of the cathedral built by Bishop Peter de Leia, wdio was consecrated in 1176. The fragments of tile-pavements which have come to light during the excavations are very beautiful, and display great harmony of colouring ; they consist of a variety of patterns, which will be illustrated fully in a more detailed paper which I hope to prepare when the excavations are completed. In closing this report, I venture to hope that the good work commenced of clearing away the accumula- tions of rubbish and chshris, which covers what is left of this magnificent building will ere long be com- pleted, and would suggest that no time should be lost in doing so. When the building has been cleared and properly fenced, a local committee will be willing to take over the care of it, and place a proper custodian in charge, and I feel certain that when the entire surface is uncovered, very many most interesting remains will be discovered, illustrating the architecture and art of the period when this abbey was founded. At the Denbigh meeting it was decided, if a suffi- cient fund was subscribed, to continue the excavations which were commenced in June 1887, to clear away the accumulated soil and rubbish from the site, and store on the spot the mouldings and other details of the church that were hidden from view underneath the masses of fallen debris and rubbish which had accumu- lated during three centuries of neglect and decay. The Committee of the Cambrian Archaeological Asso- ciation determined to recommence the work of exca- vating the site of the Abbey Church in ]\Iay 1888. At AROHITECL'URE OK THE ABBEYS 199 that time the funds subscribed for the purpose only amounted to £90 ; but during the progress of the works subscriptions were received and promised raising the amount available for clearing the site of the church, sacristy, chapter-house, and part of the cloister, to £165. On the 24th of May 1888 the works were recom- menced, and a staff of men under an efficient clerk of the works were employed continuously up to the 4th of August following, when the whole of the funds be- ing exhausted, it was considered desirable to suspend operations until further subscriptions became available. On the '20th August, a deputation of the Association visited Strata Florida for the purpose of inspecting the state of the work, and met tlie Local Committee which had been formed in the district, and whom it is hoped will continue the work inaugurated by the Cambrian ArchaBological Association, and take measures to pre- serve the ruins from further damage or decay. ^ The whole of the site over which we had permission to excavate is within the churchyard of the parish of Strata Florida, a very extensive burial-ground; but for- tunately no modern burials had taken place in that portion of it occupied by the ruins or immediately sur- roundino; them. Having obtained permission from the Bishop of St. David's, Mr. Powell (the patron of the living), the Vicar, and churchwardens, and also Mr. Peacock, who has an interest in the site of the conventual buildings, to pro- ceed with the works, one of the first things to be done was to build retainino^ walls of the rous^h rubble stone • • • taken out of the ruins to fence in the site, and also to ^ The Lociil Committee have succeeded in obtaining furtlier sab- scriptions, amoanting to upwards of £100. This sum has been expended in coveting in the chapels with galvanised iron roofs ; erecting iron railings in front of them, to prevent damage to the tile-floors ; in replacing the fallen shafts and some of the other masonry, and in such other works as have been deemed advisable to protect the ruins from damage during the winter months. 200 AN ACCOUNT OF THK EXCAVATIONS AND form a revetment-wiiU for the deposit of the enormous mass of soil and debris, amounting to about 3,500 cubic yards, which had to be excav^ated, but which could not be removed outside the limits of the churcli- yard. The next step was to protect the walls both above and below the ground, as they were uncovered, and to prevent further damage to what was left of the ruins. A portion of the west wall, which was in danger of falhng, has been refaced ; and the respond of the south arcade, a most important fragment, fortunately still in situ, has been carefully reset in cement. Unfortunately, for want of such preservative measures having been taken, a fragment of the north wall, which stood 40 ft. high above the surface of the surrounding heaps of debris, fell during the last winter, and now only about 10 to 12 ft. of it remains above the floor-level. This is the angle of the north transept, which appears to have been tolerably perfect when the view was taken of the Abbey by Buck in 1741, and it shows a portion of the great north window then standing. It was probably a triplet ; and the banded shafts which appear in Buck's view were, no doubt, the external portions of each side-hght ; and I think there can also be traced in the view a portion of the projecting but- tress forming the external wall of the newel-staircase on the north-eastern angle of the north transept, which was discovered in 1887, and has now been uncovered internally and externally. Externally the north wall of the north transept has been cleared, also the east and south walls of the pres- bytery, the east wall of the chapels in the south tran- sept, and of the sacristy and chapter-house, disclosing the freestone plinths and magnificent buttresses, and proving that all the external angles of the church had finely dressed ashlar freestone quoins throughout, of a very fine-grained and compact yellowish-white sand- stone, the joints being very close, and the workman- ship of the highest possible character. S C *. >*^ ,.'! >5 «.< ' ?>friila tloticici Atebey Oai'diLjciaahire ilxternai hlevahon i.'ie»alion of £aef Jamb of T)oot; ^hata Hot'ida Ak>t>«) *^ardl.jan&Ki>e '\^etai\f> of Not-rn 'lifcine\se- . ChaP-TER HOVSE-, w/n'li5iiiiHiiiiiiuiiiiiii:iiiiiiwiiiiiiiniiinm)iroi I wog;rMiMqTo»A Q. SMrrw oeu - S.Fu,-.fMt>>k taB« . ARCHITECTURE OF THE ABBEY. 207 were of oLlong plan, but have been altered at some later period, probably after the fire. At the west end are still standing, in the two western bays of the arcades, the division-walls between the nave and north and south aisles, as at Tin tern Abbey; but this longitudinal wall is not bonded into the square bases of the piers, but has been built at some subse- quent date. It can be traced up to the pulpitum, as the foundations of it are still to be seen ; and there is a set-off in the plinth of the sixth pier from the west, in the north and south arcade, which seems to indicate that it was part of the original intention of the builders to build such a wall. Whether it was removed before the dissolution of the Monastery, or at some later period, it is now impossible to tell; but it opens a field for inquiry upon this subject, and it would be interest- ing to learn what was the Cistercian rule with regard to this division of the body of the church into three portions, and whether in the earlier Cistercian churches it was part of the original design or not. The arcade-arches of the nave differed, those on the north side being alternately of two different sections for four openings from the west, and then the I'emain- ing three openings corresponding with the fourth. On the south side this arrangement was also followed, but there was a third section introduced, so that in the nave there were three distinct sets of arch-mouldings of very early transitional type ; in fact, of late Norman character. These are illustrated in the drawings, and the letters on the plan refer to the sections of the arches. At the west end a quantity of fragments of moulded jambs were found with the keel-moulding, which indi- cates later work ; and these probably are fragments of the great west window, which may hav^e been a triplet of similar character to the west window of Llandaff Cathe- dral Church, with the external arches springing from banded shafts ; and internally, no doubt, also somewhat resembling Llandaff, for upon making a comparison of 208 AN ACCOUNT OF THK EXCAVATIONS AND the fragments of mouldings found in tins part of tlie church with the drawing's of Llandaff ^Yhich Messrs. Seddon and Carter kindly lent me, I am satisfied that the west end of Strata Florida must in many particu- lars have resembled the west end of Llandaff; and, indeed, the entire church seems to come in as an inter- mediate desiofn between that Cathedral Church and St. David's, partaking in some respects of characteris- tics of both churches. In Buck's view, before referred to, the external shafts are seen in the fraofment of the window in the north transept ; and I think there is very little doubt that the east window was externally of similar charac- ter, as near thereto we have found fragments of jamb- moulds with the keel-moulding, and a quantity of the band-moulds of very plain and early type. At Strata Florida, as at Llandaff, we have pointed windows in conjunction with the round arch of the western door ; and in the choir and south transept of St. David's Cathedral Church we hav^e plain, pointed windows exactly corresponding in design with those found at Strata Florida. The west window of the south aisle, which is perfect except the rear arch, had plain freestone quoins inside, and a stringcourse at the base of the inside sill, which was stopped by the respond of the arcade, and not car- ried into the nave. This window is of plain and very early transitional type. It had no grooves for the glass, but provision has been made for fixing the glaz- ing by means of iron bars in an external rebate. Before the glazing was done it appears to have been closed with a shutter. Fragments of window-jambs, sills, and heads, wdiich turned up during the excavations are of similar charac- ter to the windows described, and it is probable that the aisle and clerestory windows were of the same type as the one now to be seen in situ. There was a similar window in all respects at the west end of the north aisle ; a portion of one jamb still ' e-nh'ti Aixi K ■b'J^'[rjr.*i£prL;yKa-Y><^lfe A5ecl'ioT> of Atic-KetiKo Hal?e> ll'. V' iV.,.,-..,.i o o i«t*i tS.06 ..■.Onoi-'t ARCHITECTURE OF THE ABBEY. 211 broken, but certainly they would not be painted ; and therefore this fragment conckisively proves that the monks of Strata Florida used up some of the materials from the abandoned Monastery of Ystrad Flur founded by Rhys ap Tewdwr. The north and south arches were of different sec- tion, of alternate bands of white oolite and the purple stone from Caerfai, near St. David's. They correspond with the chapel-arcades in the character of their mould- ings, and are distinctly Transitional in type. The eastern arch was also of oolite, but of earlier form, the sub-arch being a bold, semicircular roU- moulding- of Norman character. These facts indicate that the choir was in all probability first built, and then the transepts followed. Passing from the choir to the north transept, it was found, upon clearing away the soil and debris, that the walls of the three eastern chapels of this transept were in a fairly perfect condition for a height of something like 4 to 5 feet above the floor-level ; the line of piers of the chapel-arcade being also sufHciently perfect to enable us to judge of what must have been the very fine appearance of the line of chapel-arcades looking from north to south through the arches of the great central tower. In the south transept is the base of the staircase to the dormitory or cloister of the monks ; luiderneath was discovered what appeared like a grave, but was probably used as a locker or repository of some kind ; in it were found fragments of the canopied tombs, and a pair of blacksmith's tongs. Near this is a doorway opening into the vestry, which v/as vaulted originally ; the vestry extended the entire length of the south transept, but at some later period the cross-wall was built, cutting off the small building called the library. This cross-wall was not bonded into the side-walls. In the chapels were found the bases of the altars, in each case fairly perfect, and tile-pavements of very beautiful design, of incised and encaustic tiles. In p 2 212 AN ACCOUNT OF THE EXCAVATIONS AND addition to the tile-pavements found in these chapels it was discovered that the whole of the transepts, north and south, as well as the remaining chapels in the south transept, and the whole of the choir and pres- bytery, had been similarly paved. Some of the tiles have armorial bearings — the dragon of Wales, the griffin, the arms of Despenser, and one plain shield with a chevronel. The tile-pavements are singularly beautiftd in design, and of very rich glazing and colouring ; some of the patterns are unique ; and at Strata Florida I believe we have discov^ered probably the finest series of tile-pave- ments to be seen in any ruined abbey in England or Wales. As a rule, they are found in a most fragmental state — broken up sometimes, to be replaced by sepul- chral slabs, sometimes from causes not explainable ; therefore we are exceptionally fortunate in discovering so many beautiftd examples of these early tiles. One of the patterns exhibits the figure of a civilian in the costume of the fourteenth century, clad in a close-fitting tunic, or "cote hardi", reaching to the thighs, with the hood worn over the head and over the shoulders ; close-fitting pantaloons or hose envelope the thighs and legs, and long liripipes fall from his close-fitting sleeves. In his left hand is held a roundel of some description (it may be intended for a hunting- horn), whilst a dog sitting on his haunches, and trees, figure as accessories. The costume depicted on this tile is of the period of Edward II, and therefore seems to fix the date of the manufacture and laying of these pavements at Strata Florida in the fourteenth cen- tury ; and it is curious that the pavements have been broken and repaired in an irregular way, which pro- bably indicates the damage done during the occupation of the abbey by Henry IV's troops in 1402. The original pavement of the church was formed of rough, local slate slabs, and they still remain in the aisles and western portion of the nave to some extent. When the tile-pavements were laid, the level of the S"rR,A-rA Florjd/^ />sBBE-r ^s 2i>\ . CHAPELS S.CKAPEUS viJCrS.MnM -S TuRir^. Igt ARCHITECTURE OF THE ABBKY. 213 floor was raised ; and the fragments of charred material found underneath the tiles, and lying at the original floor-level, prove without a doubt that this work was done after the fire in 1284. The tiling of the nave west of the monks' choir, for a certain distance westward of the pulpitum, is formed of large red tiles with a greenish glaze, laid diagonally, but with the pattern of a large cross inserted, formed by a double row of tiles laid square to the lines of the church. I am inclined to think this portion of tile- paving marks the choir of the conversi, or lay brethren, and also the line of the rood-screen. In front of the pulpitum are the bases of two altars, in front of which burials have taken place ; but no trace of inscription or memorial-slab has been found to indicate whose bodies lie beneath the pavement. The bodies were laid to rest in their monks' robes, without any cofiin, and simply deposited in the earth at a depth of not more than 2 feet below the floor. In accordance with Cistercian rule, these bodies would probably be those of the abbots or of some of the nobles, descendants of the founder, Prince Khys ap Gruffydd. The chapels in both transepts had clustered piers corresponding with those of the central tower, and pointed arches of Early Transitional type, the mouldings of the arches in the northern chapels being different from those in the south transept. Round the arches was a hood-mould which was car- ried round the whole of the transepts as a stringcourse, a fragment of which is still in situ at the north-western angle of the north transept ; and there were traces of an angle-shaft at that point, showing an intention of eventually groining the transepts, but which was never carried out. The chapels were groined, and the handsomely carved central boss has been found in each case, with portions of the iron rings from which lamps were suspended in front of the altars. The groin-ribs of the three northern chapels are in section exactly similar to those 214 AN ACCOUNT OF THE EXCAVATIONS AND in the Trinity Chapel and the circular adjunct called " Becket's Crown" in the eastern part of Canterbury Cathedral Church, the date of which was 1174, which w^ould exactly correspond with the period when pro- bably this portion of the church was built. There are traces of wall-painting in these chapels, which had been subsequently plastered over and whitewashed. The whole of the chapels and presbytery M'ere painted, and there is adhering to the stone-work and mouldings some of the vermilion paint, wdiich still re- tains its brilliant colour. After the great fire in 1284 the whole was covered with whitewash. The wars of Edward I had impoverished the Abbey of Strata Florida, the great nobles and princes of Wales had been deprived of their estates, and the King's grant of £78 was but little enough to repair the damage which had been caused by his forces; and though from time to time generous benefactors, no doubt, had given the monks donations, enabling them to partially restore and beautify their magnificent church, the glory of Strata Florida departed when the independence of Wales was lost, on the death of Prince Llewelyn at Cefn y Bedd. In the southern chapels the walls were found perfect to the line of the stringcourse, which ran round each chapel at the level of the windows ; but not a trace of the windows remains, except fragments of the jambs, which had fallen outside. The altars in these chapels are detached from the walls, and behind these were found quantities of fragments of stained glass which had dropped out of the windows into the narrow space between the altars and the w^all. It has all very much perished, but traces can still be seen, on some of the fragments, of beautiful, foliated work of the most deli- cate description ; and there is no doubt that, in addition to the wall-painting, the windows in the chapels were filled with stained glass. Fragments of the leading have also been discovered in which the stained glass was fixed. STKATA FLORIDA ABB&V ICvJof.Tmt^HWtJ g^MiTK . SFcoMPA -Ktl*' ARCHITECTURE OF THE ABBEY. 215 The groin-mouldings in one of these chapels were most elaborately decorated with dog-tooth ornament ; and the southern chapels appear to have been much richer in ornamentation than those in the north transept. Three piscinae have been found in the chapels — two fairly perfect, one rather fragmentary. The spaces for the sedilia and piscina were also found in the pres- bytery ; and the piscina which was discovered in the excavations made in 1846 was also found amongst the debris. The groining of the chapels sprang from angle- shafts resting on brackets similar to those at St. David's Cathedral. The angle-shafts had capitals ; one fine specimen was found. In the south chapel next the sacristy were found the remains of two magnificent recessed and canopied altar-tombs, of Decorated work of exceeding beauty, executed in a fine oolitic stone, probably Caen stone. The carving of these tombs was of the greatest delicacy and finish, and of the highest artistic character. Frag- ments of sculpture found show that each contained an efiigy. There were also found two pairs of hands (one evidently a male, the other a female) clasped in the attitude of prayer, and a fragment of the wreath on a helmet, and portions of drapery of a lady's robe. It is, therefore, probable that these were the tombs of a knight and his lady, erected during the latter part of the fourteenth or early in the fifteenth century. The base of each monument was formed of alabaster panels protected by an iron grille, as the holes still remain in the base-stone where the bars were fixed, and fragments of the alabaster still remain in situ. The iron grille would be erected to guard them from injury. The bars have been violently wrenched away. From fragments of alabaster that have been found in the other chapels there is little doubt that the altars had carved alabaster reredoses of very beautiful design. There was also found a carved monk's head in white stone, probably a portion of a figure of St. Bernard, 216 AN ACCOUNT OF THE EXCAVATIONS AND that may have stood upon a bracket, or it may have formed part of one of the tombs. In clearuig the sacristy, or vestry, a set of gyves or manacles were found, with a lock upon them of Candlestick. Pilgrim's Bottle. very ancient pattern. These may have been used for punishing any refractory inmate of the monastery ; or they may be a relic of the occupation by Henry IV's troops, who might have used them to secure their prisoners, but did not think them worth carrying back to England when the occupation of the monastery as a military post ceased. Amongst the debris have been found a good many fragments of mediaeval pottery ; three spurs, two evi- dently of the early part of the fifteenth century, the Door-latch. other one of later date ; and a quantity of fragments of glass bottles of the seventeenth century, relics of the occupation of the abbey by the Stedman family. These will be placed in the mAiseum which it is hoped will be constructed out of the sacristy, and where the finer specimens of carving will be deposited. As to the ritual arrangements of the abbey church. STRATA FLOfMOA ASBE.'Y . STRATA, rLOR,IDA ABBEY. CHA.PE-U A.H.C1/KDE- 9. tSl.CHAPEl. 8 OHAPEU Wot^TH'NCiTOhA <:;-Snt^H .s.rLo^.tc*vN t&&s . ARCHITECTURE OF THE ABBEY. 217 the monks' choir extended (as shown on the phm) from the pulpitum eastward to the eastern arch of the cen- tral tower, the transepts were shut off with walls, and there were doors leading from the transepts into the monks' choir, the rebates for which were cut in the piers of the tower. There are traces of screens in front of all the chapels, and separating the north and south aisles from the transepts. Many of these ritual arrangements were of subse- quent date to the original foundation. Originall}'- the church throughout was of one level, with only one, or at most two, steps to the presbytery. At a later date the floor of the presbytery has been raised, concealing the angle-shafts at the east end, the bases of which were discovered in 1887. It is not impossible that some very late alteration took place in the presbytery, for at the east end, in rear of the high altar, and for some distance westward thereof, connnon 9-inch square red and black tile paving of inferior quality has been laid, covering up the original pavement ; and the people vi^ho laid this floor actually took up and covered some of the encaustic tiles in doingf so. There is a tradition that the abbey church was used up to the time of the civil war between Charles I and the Parliament as the parish cliurch, and this pavement and the footpace may be of post-Reformation date. During the civil wars the final destruction took place, Strata Florida Abbey then became a ruin, and gradu- ally crumbled to pieces until nothing remained but shapeless mounds of rubbish encumbered with trees, the growth of years of neglect and decay. Among the debris were found, in considerable quan- tities, fragments of capitals, bosses, and brackets for angle-shafts, all of the Transitional and Early English period, and displaying certain features which point to a Celtic element, more especially in the peculiar inter- lacing of the foliage, as if the carver had been accus- tomed to cutting the interlaced ropework that is so peculiar to Irish and Celtic art, and could not help intro- 218 AN ACCOUNT OF THE EXCAVATIONS AND ducing the same feeling in his fohage. I think this opens a wide field of inquiry as to who were the work- men that were employed at Strata Florida. They could scarcely be English. Could there have been a school of native carvers in Wales at that time ? or did they em- ploy French, Flemish, or Irish masons ? No doubt there was at all times a considerable exchange of merchan- dise between Wales, the Continent, and Ireland. In C H <^ ^> Masons' Marks. the twelfth and thirteenth centuries England must have been most inaccessible ; and the seaports of Cardi- ganshire in those early days were probably trading- centres where Welshmen exchano;ed their wool and other commodities with the merchants from the Conti- nent and traders from Ireland ; and it would be very interesting to compare the work at Strata Florida with some example of similar work in Ireland of that period. The masons' marks which are found upon the dressed stones throughout the ruins are exceedingly interest- ARCHITECTURE OF THE ABBEY. 219 ing, and more especially the curious interlaced lines traced upon the beds of some of the moulded stonework. Upon all the mouldings of the arcade-arches are to be seen the lines which were cut upon them to enable the workmen to set their work accurately. The joints of the ashlar masonry are close, and the workmanship is very good. The dimensions are in all cases correct, and so far as I could ascertain, after taking a series of Masons' Marks. careful measurements, every dimension was a multiple of some fractional part of the standard foot. Externally the abbey church of Strata Florida must have been of that simple and stern character which is the characteristic of the humbler ecclesiastical struc- tures of South Wales as compared with those of many other parts of the kingdom. As in the cathedral church of St. David's, while the exterior retains the 220 AN ACCOUNT OF THE EXCAVATIONS AND sternness of effect wlilcli pervades the smaller churches, the interior contains some of the very finest specimens of the transition from Romanesque to early pointed which can anywhere he found. Again, in the cathedral church of Llandaff, the internal architecture ranks among the very finest of the early pointed period. The same is the case at Neath, Margam, Haverford- west, and in many other instances, and so in a marked degree, so far as we can judge of the fragments that remain, must have been the external appearances of Strata Florida. Internally it was as rich in its details and its sculpture (for the period at which it was built) as any of the examples quoted, and more particularly in the quality and design of its carved work it excels most, if not all, the examples quoted. The introduction of bands of various-coloured stone in the shafts and arches of the interior, and the painting of the plastered walls, to- gether with the stained glass windows, must have pro- duced a rich and most harmonious effect. The details of the carving show the influence of a distinctly Celtic train of thought ; every pattern has more or less a tendency to interlaced work of a somewhat elaborate character ; the foliage twists in and out in the most wonderful way, and the spirit and freedom of the work are particularly marked. The men Avho carved the capitals at Strata Florida must have been trained in that Celtic school to whom we owe the magnificent tenth century wayside crosses, which still stand at Nevern and Carew in Pembroke- shire, at Golden Grove in Carmarthenshire, and in the churchyard of Llantwit Major in Glamorganshire. At Strata Florida we also notice the same peculiarity of interlaced work in the head-stones in the monks' cemetery, discovered at the south-east angle of the church ; the dressing of these stones and their general character show that they are probably all of the latter part of the twelfth century, but the interlaced work is evidently a survival of an older style of ornament, such STRATA FLORIDA ABBE.V TRANStPT .-nil ».A,WSE.PX W«3«.tm'*C-£m«tm. c>tt .S Tuomc-s, ■ ■■£Sf^>Th L.-'H.JoQow^S-' ARCHITECTURE OF THE ABBEY. 221 as we see in its perfection in the celebrated Book of Kells, and in the Irish stone crosses of the period of that book. This resemblance to Irish carving and to Irish archi- tecture at Strata Florida is very marked in a variety of ways, more especially in the western doorway, where the mouldings of the jambs run right round the arch without any capitals, but with bands set at intervals round both the jambs and the arch ; this is a very distinctive detail in Irish doorways of a similar period. If not Irish, it is Welsh in the strictest sense, as something of a similar character may be observed in the grand doorways of Llanaber and Llanbadarn Fawr, also in one in Llangollen Church. Strata Florida was founded by Welshmen, and its style is quite different in many respects both from the ordinary English style and from that which the Anglo-Norman lords of Gla- morgan and Pembroke imported from Somersetshire into South Wales. It resembles this last in a fondness for square and octagonal abaci, but it has not the same general feeling, nor does it present the same sort of capitals ; and only to a certain extent in the mouldings of the great west window, and some external mouldings found near the east window, do we find the charac- teristic ogee keel moulding. Instead of this, the tend- ency of the Welsh style is to numerous round bowtels, sometimes filleted. Strata Florida and Llanbadarn Fawr in Cardigan- shire, Llanaber and Cymmer in Merionethshire, Valle Crucis and Llangollen in Denbighshire, are buildings which exhibit portions of this style ; and in some of the border churches of Shropshire and Herefordshire there are Norman doorways where there is a manifest tendency to continue the shaft in the arch. The fragments of wall that are still standing tell us clearly the method of building adopted by the monks ; there are, at the height of about 4 feet between each tier, a regular series of what builders call " putlog 222 AN ACCOUNT OF THE EXCAVATIONS AND holes" going right through the walls, and it is very evident that the system adopted was to have square logs of timber passed through these "putlog holes" upon which planks were placed as a scaffold, and when the masons built the wall as far as they could con- veniently reach they then inserted another lot of "put- log holes", and then drawing out the bearers, they pro- ceeded to raise the wall another stage, thus avoiding the use of scaffold-poles. The " putlog holes" were not closed, but left open, and thus the monks could at any time repair any portion of their walls without going to the expense of erecting a costly scaffolding. The very rough manner in which the rubble work of the walls was built — and which, with the " putlog holes", is shown very clearly in the admirable drawing by Mr. W. G. Smith of the west doorway (Frontis- piece) — leads us to suppose that the building originally was covered externally with rough cast or plaster ; the stonework of the walls is set in mortar of the worst possible description, lime being evidently scarce and very costly ; internally it was undoubtedly well and carefully plastered, the plasterer's work before the date of the fire in 1284 being of very good quality, that of a subsequent date, which obliterated the deco- rated and painted walls in the chapels, being of much coarser workmanship. The place where the lime was burnt can still be seen ; it lies in a small plantation on the side of the road leading to Pantyfedwen, a short distance from the abbey, where there is a deep, conical depression in the grouuvd, the bottom of it containing fragments of lime and charcoal. One of the most striking features at Strata Florida was the nave-arcades, and an attempt has been made to reproduce the appearance these must have pre- sented when perfect, the data for the drawing being the western respond of the south arcade — which, most fortunately, remains intact for a height of several feet above the base — and the masses of fallen arches, shafts. ARCHITECTURE OF THE ABBEY. 223 and capitals which, though in a very fragmentary condition, were found lying amid the debris just as they had fallen outwards when they crumbled into ruin. The excavations at Strata Florida have shown pretty clearly the course of gradual destruction which over- took this once beautiful building at the dissolution, or, at any rate, soon after. The first symptoms of decay would commence by the stripping of the roof, the tiles falling on to the fl.oor ; then the timber would go, some would be carried away, the remainder decaying ; then the walls, being deprived of their covering, year after year they tumbled into heaps, until but little was left in the course of 250 or 300 years but grass-grown, shape- less mounds of debris, burying almost the entire building. This course of destruction was doubtless greatly aided by the carrying away of the freestone quoins, which the neighbouring landowners greedily coveted, there being a complete absence of any freestone in Cardiganshire ; and it has been suggested that much of the sandstone was carried away to grind up by the farmers' wives for cleaning their wooden platters, as was certainly done in the case of ruined buildings in other parts of Wales. There still remains much to be done by way of excavating and clearing the ruins of Strata Florida Abbey, and it would therefore be premature to discuss the position of the various conventual buildings which such an establishment possessed in its best days. So far as it has been possible to make out some of the surroundings, it would appear that the abbey mill was situated in the south-eastern angle of the field at the back of the present farm-house, and that there was a water-wheel, a mill-pond, and a leet from the small river GlasfPrwd, the course of which can still be traced. The drainage of the abbey was carried to the river Teifi by a sewer 2 ft. wide by 3 ft. high, constructed in stone, and it was flushed by passing through it the water from the mill-race. The water-supply was carried 224 AN ACCOUNT OF THE EXCAVATIONS AND from an excellent spring of water, called " Dyifryn Tawel", rising out of the rock near the lime-kiln, by means of a lead-pipe, portions of which, from time to time, have been taken up. The pipe was 4 inches in diameter, and from three-eighths to half an inch thick. There can be no doubt that the monks worked the lead-mines in the immediate vicinity of the abbey, as there was found in the present roadway near the river Teifi the bottom of a furnace where lead had been smelted ; and in the fields surrounding the abbey are traces of other smelting places, and pieces of scoriae are found scattered about in all directions. They also understood the art of extracting the silver which is found (sometimes in very paying quantities) in the Cardiganshire lead ore. I have had an assay made of some of the lead found in the ruins, and it contains the merest trace of silver, not more than would be found in a sample of lead of the present day. Where the present stack-yard and farm buildings now stand were the pleasure-ground, orchard, and garden of the abbey referred to in the valuation and leases. Many years ago there were some very ancient box-trees growing on this part of the site ; on the high ground to the eastward there are traces of ancient cultivation, and in the field to the southward was situated the farm buildings of the abbey. The traces of fire in every part of this field indicate the conflagra- tions of the time of Edward I, and possibly the burning of the outbuildings in the time of the rebellion of Owain Glendower ; the soldiers of Henry IV would "scarcely have stabled their horses in the church, if the outbuildings of the monastery had not been destroyed. They were very extensive, for a large space of ground has been covered with buildings, many of the founda- tions having been cleared away by the present tenant, Mr. Arch, from whom T have obtained much interesting information in connection with this matter, and who has taken a most intelligent interest in the excavations. There are some remains of the conventual buildings Strata Florida Abbey Tile Paving Centre Chapel. South Transept ARCHITECTURE OF THE ABBEY. 225 still standing adjoining to the west wall of the church and on the south side of the cloister-garth ; it is a portion of the cellarium, and there is still in existence the remains of a beam indicating the level of the floor of the dorter of the conversi, and a cross-wall, in the upper portion of which was an aumbry. There are some fragments of walls in the south-western angle of the south aisle which seem to indicate that here was the staircase which led from the dorter of the con- versi direct into the church. I am informed by Dr. Fairbank, F.S.A., that there is a staircase of this kind at Roche Abbey, in York- shire ; and, from a photograph which he has sent me of the staircase at Roche, I am inclined to believe that a very similar arrangement existed at Strata Florida. The encaustic and incised tile pavements in the abbey church of Strata Florida are one of the most important discoveries made during the course of the excavations, for, though single tiles are common enough, undisturbed ancient pavements are rare. Since writing the earlier portion of this chapter, T have submitted the drawings of the pavements and tiles to the Lord Bishop of Ely and the Rev. A. S. Porter, F.S.A., both of whom are authorities on the subject of ancient tiles, and I am indebted to them for the following remarks. The Bishop of Ely is of opinion that the tiles numbered 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 14, 15, and 17 should be classed together; and that Nos. 6, 11, 12, 13, and 16 form another class, in which he would include No. 9. He considers that Nos. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, and 16 are of one date and of one manufacture, as they are portions of the pavements of the three chapels in the south transept which are un- disturbed, and that No. 3 ought to fix the period of the manufacture of these tiles. There can be little doubt that the costume of the flgure upon the tile No. 3 prevailed about the middle of the fourteenth century. The Bishop identifies No. 6 with a tile from Q 226 AN ACCOUNT OF THE EXCAVATIONS AND Acton Scott Church, m Shropshire, and at Barrow, near Broseley ; and he also states that "No. 16 occurs at Barrow, and a tile of substantially the same design, but not identical, at Tong Church, Salop." In the Cathedral of St. Asaph and at Barrow occurs what he supposes to be No. 13 ; but in those ex- amples four small rings appear round the central por- tion. He also mentions a tile from Chester in the British Museum rather like No. 11, but with a small rose in the centre instead of the quatrefoil, and recog- nises Nos. 3 and 9 as not uncommon patterns. " Nos. 1 and 4 are of a design common to all dates, and No. 2 is also an ordinary subject, but seldom with a mere bar uj) the middle. There is nothing remarkable in the armorial tile 5 ; the frame of the cockatrice in 7 is common enough ; 8 is unusual, but not remark- able ; 10 is a curious variation of a form of 2 ; 12 a common enough type"; but the Bishop has not seen this particular example. " 14 is the corner of a square of sixteen tiles ; 15 possibly the centre of same square ; 17 a border-tile of Decorated date, or perhaps Per- pendicular." The Rev. A. S. Porter, F.S.A., says : " It is difficult to form an exact opinion about the Strata Florida tiles without actually seeing one ; but so far as I can judge they were not made at either Great Malvern or Uroitwich, which were the two places where our Worcestershire tiles were made. So far as I can judge from the drawings, they belong (especially those which have apparently incised lines upon them) to the Shropshire type, of which examples may be seen at Holy Cross, Shrewsbury, Cound, Chester (Cathedral and Museum), and also at the Museum at Warwick. I do not know where they vv-ere made. I believe there is at Cound, in Shropshire, a tile exactly like the one you figure bearing the Despenser coat, quar- terly or and gules, in the second and third quarters a fret or, over all a bend sahle. Some grifiins like those in your illustrations (No. 9) are also to be seen at Strata Florida Abbey Tile Paving South Chapel. South Transept ^■■^■^■■'^'' I' MEAftuRtD Ans Drawn Bv TtLrtn Smit> ARCHITEC'IURE OF THE ABBEY. 227 Cound and also at Holy Cross. I should think that the date of the pavements cannot be earlier than about the middle of the fourteenth century. The Despenser coat must, I think, be referred either to - — (1) Hugh le Despenser, eldest son of Hugh Earl of Gloucester, who was summoned to Parliament as Lord of Glamorgan, and died without issue February 8th, 134§; (2) or his nephew, Edward le Despenser, born 1336, made a Knight of the Garter in 1603, and died at CardiftXastle Nov. 11, 1375." Mr. Porter also refers to the drawings of the frag- ments of stained glass found behind the bases of the altars in the chapels in the south transept, illustrated upon the same plate as the pavement tiles. He re- marks : " The drawings of the fragments of glass are very interesting. I have gone somewdiat carefully into the subject of early English glass, being led thereto by our finding some fragments of the same date in our church here (Claines), and I believe that the pieces you figure were in the windows when the church Avas burnt by Edward I, and that the glass was made about 1255." There can be little doubt that Mr. Porter is correct as to this ; the glass was nearly all found in the spaces which exist at the rear of the altars in the chapels in the south transept, some portions of it bearing evident marks of the action of fire ; fragments of the leading were also discovered with small pieces of coloured glass still attached. The action of time and its burial in damp soil for so long a period has entirely broken up the texture of this glass, and much of it crumbles to powTler upon being exposed to the air, so that it is almost impossible to make out more than the merest fragments of the design with which it had been painted. Having now completed what I fear is but an imper- fect history of the Abbey of Strata Florida, and of the excavations made upon its site, I will conclude with an extract from the paper by the Pev. George 228 AN ACCOUNT OF THE EXCAVATIONS AND Roberts, published in the A rchceologia Ccnnhrensis, vol iii, 1848. " The history of the Abbey of Strata Florida is not remarkable for stirring incidents ; its walls for many years preserved the chronicles of events as they took place, and guarded the remains of that illustrious family by which it had been founded and endowed. It saw the native princes of Wales assemble within its precincts to assert their liberties and to maintain an independent government ; its abbots were summoned to take their share in their country's struggles against the invader, sometimes in suffering, in devastation, and burning, sometimes as messengers of peace and reconciliation, as intercessors and mediators between the steeled corselet and mailed hand of the Norman King, and the bare bosom of the British prince. But with the dying freedom of Wales perished also the glory of Strata Florida ; the pen of her monks refused to chronicle the successes and triumphs of the Con- queror ; her altars were no longer frequented by the descendants of those who had raised them ; the rude magnificence of an almost barbaric regal line was no longer displayed at solemn seasons in her holy fane ; she had enough to do to save a remnant of her vast possessions out of the ' lion's mouth', until, year after year, broad manors and extensive tracts of country were forcibly Avrenched out of her grasp ; her influence drooped as her lands and wealth dwindled away ; the reverence of her sanctuary faded from the eyes of a people who pondered sullenly upon their captive and humiliating position, and at last the Reformation found her with seven or eight of her sons feebly and ineffec- tually watching over the ashes of the mighty princes entrusted to their charge, singing requiems over the graves of those wdio, dead to fame, dead to memory, and dead to their country's fate, had once lived to earn reputation by their virtues and heroic deeds ; had once defied the Normans to lay hands upon the Welsh crown, and had themselves sunk to rest before their ARCHITECTURE OF THE ABBEY. 229 country's sun had set in clouds, blood-red with oppres- sion and treachery. " Then followed the dismal night of ecclesiastical spoliation ; the seven poor old tottering religious men were ejected from their sanctuary ; the mass was left unsung ; the lamp before the altar was extinguished ; the sound of living creatures passed away from the choir and the aisles ; the mountain gust, while it sighed over the mausoleum of British princes, showered down upon their graves a storm of fragments torn from roof, and wall, and buttress ; and thus in centuries of never ceasing decay, the ecclesiastical pile, with all its rich- ness of ornament and elaborate carving, with its shrines and chapels, its paintings and storied windows, its rich furniture, its vessels of silver and gold, its columns, its arches, its fair proportions, its carved stone- work and wood-work, has literally vanished from the surface of that ' blooming plain' over which it pre- sided as a stately queen. It is as though the genius of Wales had sealed beneath the weight of the abbey's ruins the sepulchres of her native princes ; as though there should be left no trace either of civil or ecclesias- tical grandeur for the future archaeologist to meditate upon, and to frame his vision of the past from the skeleton remains of the present ; one solitary arch points out the site of the abbey, but no visible memorial leads the pilgrim's footsteps to the spot where Rhys ap Gruffydd and his descendants repose in the sanctuary of the dead." R APPENDIX. EXTRACTS, CHARTERS, AND DOCUMENTS CONNECTED WITH THE HISTORY OF STRATA FLORIDA ABBEY. Notices of Strata Florida Abbey in Vol. II of the " Myfyrian Archaiology". " 1166. This year a company of monks, through the permis- sion of God, and the incitement of the Holy Spirit, came to Strata Florida, p. 432. "1178. Then died Cadell ap Griffith through the affliction of illness, and was buried at Strata Florida, having assumed the religious habit, p. 437. "1182. This year died David, abbot of Strata Florida; and also Howel ap Jevac, lord of Arwystli, who was buried honour- ably at Strata Florida, p. 438. " 1183. This year, the monks of Strata Florida came to Redy- iiauc Velen in North Wales, p. 438. " 1203. This year, on the eve of Whitsunday, the monks of Strata Florida went to the new church, M'hich was handsomely built, p. 442. " 1203. In the same year, on the eve of the feast of St. James the apostle, died Griffith ab Rhys at Strata Florida, having assumed the religious habit, and was there buried, p. 442. " 1208. Howel Seis, son of Lord Rhys, was deceitfully stabbed by the men of his brother Maelgon, and from that stabbing died ; and was buried at Strata Florida, in the same manner as his brother Griffith, having assumed the religious habit, p. 443. " 1209. Died Mallt Bruce, mother of the sons of Griffith ap Rhys, at Llanbadarn-fawr, and having partaken of the holy com- munion, and done confession and penance, was buried with her husband at Strata Florida, p. 444. " 1223. Died Rhys Jeuanc, and was buried at Strata Florida, having performed penance, partaken of the holy communion, and done confession, and assumed the religious habit, p. 454. "1228. Died Kidivor, abbot of Strata Florida, p. 455. a 11 HISTORY OF STRATA FLORIDA. " 1233. Died Maelgon ap Rhys, at Llanerch Aeron, and was buried in the'chapter-liouse at Strata Florida, p. 455. " 1234. Died Owen ap Griffith, at Strata Florida, on the Wed- nesday after the eighth day of the Epiphany, and was buried with his brother Ehys in the chapter-house of the monks, p. 457. " 1239. On the third day of the feast of St. Luke the evan- gelist, all the princes of Wales swore fealty to David ap Llew- elyn ap Jorwerth, at Strata Florida, p. 457. " 1243. Died Meredith ab Rotbert, chief counsellor of Wales, having assumed the religious habit at Strata Florida, p. 458. " 1247. In the month of July, Griffith, abbot of Strata Florida, made peace with the king, with respect to the debt which the ]\Ionastery had for a long time owed, the abbot and monks being forgiven on three hundred and fifty marks being paid, and their paying as much more at specified times, for tlie Monastery was found able to do it, p, 459. " 1249. The abbots of Strata Florida and of Aberconway obtained, through pressing solicitation, the body of Griffith ap Llewelyn, and brought it with them from London to Abercon- way, where it lies, p. 459. " 1250. At the end of the year, died Morgan, son of Lord Rhys, havin2[ assumed the religious habit at Strata Florida, p. 460. " 1253. Immediately after the feast of St. John, died Rhys, the only son of Maelgon Jeuanc, having taken the religious habit at Strata Florida, p. 460. " 1253. Died Gwenllian, daughter of Maelgon Jeuanc, at Llanvihangel Gelynnot, and was buried at Strata Florida, p. 460. " 1254. Was bought the great bell at Strata Florida for one hundred and nine marks, and was raised to its place, and was consecrated by the bishop of Bangor, p. 460. " 1255. Died Maelgon Jeuanc, and was buried at Strata Florida, p. 461. " 1267. Died in the month of March, Meredith ab Owen, at Llanbadarn-fawr, and was buried at Strata Florida, p. 463. " 1269. Died Joab, abbot of Strata Florida, p. 463. " 1270. Died Meredith ap Griffith, lord of Hirvryn, in the castle of Llandovery, on the third day of the feast of St. Lucy the virgin, and was buried at Strata Florida, near his father, p. 464. " 1281. Died Phillip Goch, the thirteenth abbot of Strata Florida, and was succeeded by Eineon Seys ; and at that time the Monastery was burnt. Afterwards, on the eve of Candlemas- day, the Bishop of St. David's sang mass at Strata Florida ; and that was the first mass which was sung in tlie diocese, p. 466." APPENDIX. Ill EXTKACTS FROM LeLAND's " ITINERARY". LdaiuVs "Itinerary" , vol. v, p. 77. " By renuith a Broke cauUid .... So passing under a hy Hille side, I saw hard by on the lift Honde a great Fenny More, owt of the wich the Inhabitantes therabout digge Turfes for Fier, and by the same Fenne is a fair TT,-„,.;fi,^ c^ . t LLin cawllid LLinride ii. Miles from Strate- LLmnthe btrate- „ ftui of snm . no iiiri T 1TOO Q " Strateflure is &e,t xoviwdi ohovii w\\h Mon- Cm/UIIICI U\ CclliSG J J f» 1 • i J 1 J 1 TXT I 1 1 • .^ •- tanes not lar distant, except on the VVest and Mere Brokes ^^^'*®' ^^^^^^ Difrin Tyue is. Many Hilles f -x. tJierabout hath bene well woddid, as evi- , I i,//i-,a dently by old Eotes apperith, but^ (now in them is almost no Woode). "The causses be these-^ ; First the Wood cut down was never copisid, and this hath beene a great cause of Destruction of Wood thorough Wales. Secondly after cutting doun of Woddys the Gottys hath so bytten the young Spring that it never grew but lyke Shrubbes. Thirddely Men for the nonys destroied the great Woddis T] F If ^^^^^ ^^^^^ shuld not harborow Theves. The p , 1 -n 1 r Chirche of Strateliere is lar^, side ilid and of the Body ot ... . -c ■ i ^^^ ^ ^^ ii ni,- 14 crosse ilid. By is a large Cloyster, the the Chirch* was -r^, it£v--u -n- 1 , 1 J^ratry and Innrmiton be now mere Kumes. u ac\ 1? ^. The Coemiteri wherein the Cunteri about bene bv. i'oote ^ ^^ ^ • ■ • i ^ ^ ^^■ ^ 1 ,, •, • cloth bun is veri large, and meanely waullid lengger then it is ■^.^ o. t -^ i i. tt ^^ with btoone. In it be xxxix. great Hue trees. The base Court or Camp afore the Abbay is veri fair and large. "Thens I went a good half Mile by Tiue Vale, and a Mile and a half up the craggi and stoni Montaines to LLin Tiue,^ passing over Ciarduy and ii. Miles beyound^ hit to Cregnaidin. If I had goone from thens a Mile of to a hy Hille I might have sene Fenlinmon, then distant a .v. Miles. The Hilles betwyxt LLinne,^ Tyue, and Cragnaugllin were not in sight so stony as the Hilles bytwyxf^ Stratfler and LLin Tyue. * Voces supra lin. desunt, in St. and B. ' These broken words in the marg. are wanting in ^S'^. and B. ^ " (Now in them is) almoste no Wood," 3 a gg thes." ^ "Chrich.'*' « "LlinTyne." ^ " Llinne Tyue an Cragnaugllin." ' Bjtwix." a 2 IV HISTORY OF STRATA FLORIDA. " I standing on OraggenauoHin saw in no Place within sight no Wood but al Hilly Pastures. From Stratejiere I roode by- rank, hylli and valley Pastures a ii Wahchc INIiles, and so passing over Mahiant a wild Brooke renning on Rokkes, and a nother whose Name I remember not, cam to the thirde caullid Nantlluys, and thirby on the right Hond I saw an Hille caullid Crcuj John, and so over Melewen Eiver that therby in sight went ynto Ushvith Eiver. " Or I cam to Melewen I had riden be^ the space of a iii. ]\Iiles in Comendwith. " From Meleiren I enterid to the Valley of Ustmth, so nar- rowly with Ptokky Montaincs enclosid, that in Wynter the streame occupieth al the Botom of the Valley. " First entering this Botom I saw on the right Hond an Hille caullid Menithcny r Toward CregnauUin. " The first Piiver be side Ti/ue that I passid over was Clardue, that is to sixj Blak Clare, no great Streame but cumraing thoroug Cragges. In the farther side of hit I saw ii. veri poore Cotagis for Somer Dayres for Catel. and hard by were ii. Hillettes, thorough the wich Glarclay passith, wher they fable that a Gigant striding was wont towasch his Hondes, and that Arhtre killid hym. The Dwellers say also that the Gigant was buried therby, and shew the Place. " Clarcluy ( White Glar) risith about half a mile from that Place in a Mares,* and rennying ii. Walsch Milys in al goith into Clarwen. Glarioen risith in a Valley not far from LLinynigin Velen, that is a good j\Iile from Cargnaullinh. After tliat Clarwen hath receivid Clarcluy he rennith a iii. IMiles or he cum into Alcn Piver, far bigger Eiver then other of ther'' of the Clars. " Alen Eiver risith in the blaiu or upper Part of Coineust- with in Cairdiganshire, and renning iiii. Walsch Miles cummith into Owy, caullid in Englisch Wy, a litle beneth Hathergoun/, a IVIarket Toun yn Comemytnther. It is caullid Piathcr Owy by- cause it stondith on Wy Eiver. But or ever I cam to Clarduy, that is about a iii Mile from Ystradfler, I passid per Monies praeruptos, per paludes & invia Saxa, and cam to LLin Tyue, the wich is in Cumpace a iii Quarters of a Mile, being ii. Miles be East from Strateflere. " It is fedde fro hyer Places with a litle Broket, and issuetl * Marishe, St. ^ Tlieni for her in St, Of ther a?*e ivanthig in Burton. 1 "Bi the." 2 " Meuithduy, ,S7." APPENDIX. V out againe by a smaulle Gut. Ther is in it veri good Trouttes and Elys, and noe other Fisch. " From Glarduij to Cragnaullin is a good mile by Est, and standing by a Stone on the Top of this Hille I saw v. Poolis liy South^ West, whereof the biggest is LLiii? Heligna, shorter* Liynante, having no other Fisch but Trouttes and Elys. One side of the Poole,^ that is the South Side, hath Trouttes as redde as Salmon. The West Side liath white, as likewise hath LLin Tyue. This Pole is seene to be fedde with no Brooke, and hath a Brooke issuing out of hym of his oune Name, and cummith into Tyue in the West Side of Tyitc half a mile above Strad- ficr. " LLinnher, i. longus lams, for it is iii. Quarters of a Mile in lenght, having no great Bredthe, nor Issue of Brok. owt of hit, but plentiful of Trouttes and Elys. LLinn Gorlan hath no Issue, but berith Elys and Trouttes. " LLingronn hath an Issue, and semid to me hard yoinid to LLin Gorlan. " LLin Tyue the fifte apperid also from Gragnaulin, but dis- tant about a mile from the other iiii. Nere about the Gragnaidin Stone apperid other iii Pollis. " LLiji Veryddon Vaur havyng Trouttes and Elis but no Broke cumming into hit or going owt. " LLinn^ Veryddon Vehan having Trouttes and Elys, but no Brok cumming into hit or going owt. " Binduy^ i.e., laeus niger, even under the Botom of the Hille Side, having Trouttes and Elys, but no Broke cumming into hit or going oute. " LLinyvigin Velin that is a Mile from the Stone by South West. Ynigin is to say a quaking jNIore. Vehn is yelow of the Color of the Mosse and corrupt Gresse about hit. " Of al these Pooles none stondith in so rokky and stony Soile as Tyue doth, that hath also withyn hym many Stonis. " The Ground al about Tyue, and a great Mile of toward Stratjler is horrible with the sighte of bare Stones, as Cregeryri Montaines be. ..... . " LLinnc. ...... " LLinnllanaheder^ {Laeus Fdrinus) within half a mile of LLanbeder, having Trouttes and Elys. » Short, St. and B. 1 "South Weste." 2 " Llinn Helignant, >S7." « " Pooles." * " Linn." 5 Dindmj] L. Lhvhnj. 6 " Llinllcnabcder." VI HISTORY OF STRATA FLORIDA. th "ZLinmjri/dde^ having Trouttes and Elys [stondinge by a great Few^ on tliemia wos, it \vy]. . . • . " These iiii. Poles be in the Lordship of Pennarth longging to the principal of the Hoghans. The chefe Toun of this Lordship ch being in Caircligaashirc is Tregaron. But the Abbate of Strate- flere hath much Landes in the same Lordship, and thes iii. Pooles longe to the Abbat of Stratflcre. " LLin Yridde, ii. Miles from Strcitcfierry owt of whom goith a little Issue or Broket. I writ of this afore. " LLinycrcgnant, a bigge Poole veri ful of Trouttes and Elys. It is from Stratcjlur a iii. by West toward LLanandenny. " LLinncduy, i. lacus niger, very deape and ful of Trouttes and Elys. It is iii. Miles by South from Stratcfiur toward Buelth Lordshippe. " LLinnygorres^ not ii. Miles from LLinduy. Gorsse in Walsehc, a Mijer in Englisclie. It hath Trouttes and Elys. " Al thes that be by fore save LLinn LLanaheder, and al these that folow long to the Abbat of Stratejlcre. " LLinngynon apon a by Montaine iiii. Miles from Stratcfiure by South West, having Trouttes and Elys, and a little Issue owt of hit, and goith into the Broket that cummith owt of LTAn Hdignant. th " LLinn Creg lloydon, v. Myles or vi. from Stratfler toward Poysland. It hath an Issue that goith into Elan or Alan Water, that goith into Wy. "LLin Winge is almost yoinid to LLinncreglloydon, but it hath no Issue. " The Piiver of Alan in the next part of hit is viii Miles from Stratefiere, and ther parteth Cairdiganshire from the Lord- ship of Bather or Comemytotlicr. Bather is the chefe Toun yn Comytother. " Al the Montaine ground bytwixt Alcn and Strateflure long- getli to StratcfliiTc, and is almoste for wilde Pastures and Breding * I have put points under these uwds, lohich I took from Stowe, because they are corrupted. In B. they are read thus: "in the middle way betwixt ......." ^ " Linnyrydde — standing by a great Fcav yn . . . . bitwix." 2 " Fenn," St. •' " Linnygorres." APPENDIX. vii Grounde, in so much that everi Man there about puttith in^ Bestes as many as they wylle without paiyng of Mony. " From Strateficr toward Lanandeucri is xviii. Miles, of the wich xii. Miles of Montain Grounde, partely Pasture Soyle partely longgitli* to Stratcjicre, and ther about partith Cair- diganshire from Cairmardineshire. For therby hath Stratefier a Graunge caullid Nantbay in Cairmardineshire. Strateflur is XX. Walscli Miles from Mahendif, and al the Soile bytwyxt is Montanius ful of Pasture for a xvi. Miles, but within a iiii. Myles of Maherr Wooddy. "From Stratcjier to LLangyric (fanum Cyriaci) xii. Miles. LLangyrik is in Arusfeley Lordship in Poisland. Wy renning therby devidith Cairdigayishire from Poioislande. Of these xii. Miles viii be Alontainous Ground longging to Stratcjier, al for pasture. " Betwixt Stratefier and Bueth^ Toun xvi. of thes be vi. in Gairdiganshire, the wich° the wiche Toice Eiver devidith from Cairdiganshirc. Al this vi. Miles is Montayne ground for Pasture, and longgith to Stratcfiure Abbay, but the Pastures of thes Hilles be fre to the Inhabitantes, as well as al other mon- taine Pasture longging to Stratcflere. " The Pastures of the Montaynes of Gairdigayishirc be so great that the hunderith part of hit rottith on the ground, and maketh Sogges and Quikke More by long Continuance for lak of Eting of hit." EXTEACTS FROM TaXNER's " NoTITIA MoNASTICA" AND Dugdale's " Monasticon". " Notitia Monastica. (Tanner.) Cardiganshire. " VII. Strata Florida, Stratflur, Stratflour, or Istradfleet.** " CiSTERTiAN Abbey. Ehesus, son of Griffith,® prince of South Wales, built and endowed an abbey here, a.d. 1164^ for Cister- ■^ "^^■c." '' " Buelth Lordship and Toune 16. miles. Of these 6 be iii Gair- diganshire, etc." " liedundant. ^ Speed's map. " " So expressly in the confirmation of this foundation, in Mon. Augl., vol. i, p. 893. But Leland, Collect., vol. i, p. 45, saith 'Rhesus fiUus Theodori princeps Suth VValliffi primus fundator'." ' " So Mon. Angl., vol. i, p. 893, but in pat. 3 Hen. G it is said to have been founded a.d. 1180." 1" On Bestes." =^ " Mabencliff'e, 7>'. Maliendi, j. i n • 1 ■ T^., dum predicto Meilgon et heredibus suis ishirwerne, Kil- , r- ^ ,• t n i. • i , T^ T etc., proiert etiam aliam Lartam eiusdem ^ Eegis que simniter testatur quod idem Eex concessit et confirmavit predicto Meilgon' filio Kesi predictas iiii°'' cantredas et tarn ista jura sua quam alia adquisita vel adquirenda super inimicis ipsius Eegis tenendum de eodem Eege et heredibus suis Et quod idem Meilgon' reddidit eidem Eegi et quietum clamavit pre- dictum Castellum de Cardigan et comotum imperpetuum vnde iste Mailgon' dicit quod predictus jNIeilgon' filius Eesi pater ejus feoffatus fuit per predictum Eegem Johannem de omnibus pre- dictis terris excepto castro de Cardigan et Comoto de Hisliirwen et ipse post mortem predicti Meilgon' patris ejus fuit in seisina de predictis terris quousque predictus Comes per vim eas occu- passet super eum et vnde dicit quod per illam occupacionem deterrioratus est ad valentiam x™*^^'* marcarum. " Et comes defendit vim et injuriam dampna et totum etc., sicut ad solam vocem ipsius jNIeilgon'. Et iusuper dicit quod de illo quod predictus Meilgon dicit quod comes debet eum im- prisonassa apud Kilgaren et coegisse ad faciendum ei homagium et predictam consideracionem scilicet in Crastinum natalis domini sicut predictus Comes apud Haverford in Wallia Et bene dicit quod predictus Meilgon fecit ei homagium et pre- dictam consideracionem gratis et non coactis scilicet sua bona voluntate et inde producit sectam. " Dicit et Comes quod Dominus Eex qui nunc est dedit ei pre- dictum Castrum de Cardigan et Comotum cum omnibus perti- nentiis suis per cartam suam que hoc testatur jam pluribus Annis elapsis et ipse preterea posuit se in seisinam de predictis terris sic de illis que fuerunt pertinentes ad predictum Castrum et Comotum et quos Ballivi Domini Eegis semper soliti fuerunt tenere sic pertinentes ad predictum castrum nisi quando pre- dictus Meilgon et antecessores sui illas occupaverunt super ipsum Dominum Eegem sic multotiens facerunt et Dominus Eex eodem modo super eos. "Preterea dicit quod Carte Eegis Johannis quas praedictus Meylgon' profert vacue sunt eo quod dictus Meylgon' vel ante- cessores sui nunquam post carte ille facte fuerunt habuerunt seisinam de predictis terris unde ipse Comes cepit homagium predicti Me3'lgon' nisi hoc esset per violentam occupacionem super dominum Eegem et tempore guerre vnde videtur ei quod carte ille non debe[n]t ei nocere. "Et ]\Ieylgon' dicit quod nescit placitare secundum consuetu- APPENDIX. XXlll diuem Anglie nee habet cousilium sicut opus liaberet et ideo dies datus ei ad deliberandum usque in Crastinum. Et idem dies datus et Comiti vt in Crastinum dicat aliud si velit. " In crastino venit Comes et quesitum fuit ab eo si aliud vellet dicere ; et ij)se nicliil aliud dixit, set recitat omnia que prius dixerat. Et Meylgon dicit sicut prius dixit quod nescit placitare nee habet consilium, set breviter dicit quod ante- eessores sui tenuerunt prpedictas terras excejjto castro de Cardigan et Comoto de Domino Eege in capite. Et ipse similiter debet eas tenere Et dicit quod ipse est in seisina de pn^dictis terris et inde fecit homagium Domino Regi Et petit quod possit eas tenere in pace et quod Dominus Eex manuteneat euni in seisina sua. " Postea venit Dominus Eex et dicit quod quando ipse dedit predicto Comiti predictum castrum de Cardigan et Comotum cum pertinentiis fuit ipse Dominus Eex in seisina de homagio predicti Maylgonis de illis terris vnde antea feoffatus fuit per Eegem Jobannem patrem ejus Et petit judicium, sicut Conies cognovit quod cepit homagium predicti Maylgon' de eisdem terris. " Preterea dicit Dominus Eex per violentam occujDacionem quam preedictus Comes fecit super predictum Maylgnnem de eisdem terris dampnificatus est ipse Dominus Eex ita quod nollet habuisse dampnum nee dedecus xx""'''® marcarum et similiter petit inde judicium. " Et Comes defendit vim et injuriam et homagium captum con- tra lidem Domini Eegis dampna et totum quicquid est contra pacem et fidem Domini Eegis versus dominum Eegem sicut ver- sus Dominum suum Et dicit quod non videtur ei quod modo debeat inde respondere, sicut ipse prius respondit tam Domino Eegi quam predicto Maylgoni de omnibus rebus de quibus versus eum loqui voluerunt et pro quibus summonitus fuit, et nichil remansit vdterius nisi solumodo judicium. "Postea presentibus W. Eboracensi Archi- Coram quibus episcopo, P. Herefordensi et W. Carliolensi tractabatur de isto Episcopis, Humfrido Comite Herefordie, negotio. Baldewino Comite de Insula, Petro Sabaud', Johanne de Monemuto, ffulcone filio Herb't f petr'. Warini, Herberto filio Petri, Stephano de Segraue, Eoberto de Lexinton, Johanne filio Galfridi, Willelmo de Cantelup, Bertramo de Criol', Johanne de Estrang, Eoberto de la hay, Eadulpho de Suthleg', Waltero de Clifford, Willelmo de Bello campo, et Johanne de Plessett et aliis Domini Eegis fidelibus tractatum fuit de isto negotio. Et videtur eis quod si ille terre vnde predictus Comes cepit liomagium predicti Maylgon' fuerunt pertinens ad predic- XXIV HISTORY OF STRATA FLORIDA. tuin Castrumde Cardigan et comotum quod Comes deliquit versus Doniinnm Regem eo quod sine licentia ipsius Domini Regis cepit homagium ejus et eo quod dominus Rex non dedit pre- dicto Comiti predictum castrum cum pertinentiis nisi ad ter- minum qui poterit evenire scilicet quousque redderet predicto Comiti vel heredibus suis terras suas quas habere deberent in Normannia quia per talem donacionem vel concessionem non potuit ipse Comes capere perpetuum homagium predicti Maylgon' de predicta terre. Preterea si predicte terre non sunt pertinentes ad predictum castrum et comotum adhue deliquit Comes versus ipsnm Dominum Regem capiendo homagium predicti Maylgon' barouis sui de terris quas ipse debet tenere de domino Rege in capite, Et ideo consideratum est quod Dominus Rex recuperet homagium predicti Maylgon' baronis sui, et Comes per transgressionem in misericordia. " Preterea quia ad instantiam et querelam predicti Maylgon* fuit Comes summonitus coram domino Rege apud Wodestock Et Comes secundum legem et consuetudines Anglie sufficienter defendit contra predictum IVtaylgon' consideratum est quod Comes recedat inde sine die et predictus Maylgon' in miseri- cordia. Et habeat b'le recuperare versus Comitum quale habere debeat. " Preterea de eo quod dictus Rex acculpavit predictum Comitem quod per occupacionem quam idem Comes fecit super pre- dictum Maylgon' damnificatus fuit ipse Dominus Rex ad valen- cium x™'"^ marcarum nee nominavit in quo vel in quibus rebus Et Comes sufficienter defendit contra Dominum suum con- sideratum est quod Comes sit inde quietus juxta illud Namdes fremdcs. " Preterea sciendum est quod ipse Comes ac etiam predictus Maylgon renunciaveruut predicte consideracioni inter eos pre- locute et concesserunt quod si aliqua instrumenta ex alterutra parte in posterum proferantur de predicta consideracione quod omnino pro nuUis habeantur." [Translation.] "M., 25 Hen. Ill, before the King. "Pleas in the King's Bench on the Morrow of Michaelmas, in the twenty-fifth year of Henry III. G. Mareschal : " G. Mareschal, Earl of Pembroke, was wherefore he took sunnnoned before the lord king within a homage of Maelgoen fortnight of the morrow, to reply to the ap Maelgoen, for same lord king, and to Mailgwn, son of lands between Ayron Mailgon : wherefore he took homage of and Tywy. tlic same Mailgon, the latter being un- willing, for all his lands between the APPENDIX, XXV waters of Ayrun and of Tywye, which the same Mailgon ought to hold of the lord king in chief, and all his ancestors held of the ancestors of the lord king, being kings of England, and whereof the same Mailgon formerly made homage to the same lord king. "And the Earl came and admitted that he and Mailgon are agreed, and he puts in a certain deed wherein is contained a certain confederation made between him the Earl and the aforesaid Mailgon, to wit, that Eesus, son of Mailgon, under- took to espouse Isabella, daughter of the said Earl, and that as well the said Mailgon as the aforesaid Eesus and their heirs shall hold all the aforesaid lands except the castle of Cardigan and comote of Hishirwen, which the same Earl holds of gift of the lord king for ever, and whereof he took his homage. "Being demanded by what warrant he did this, he says that it was by the gift which the lord king made to him of^ the Castle of Cardigan and the comote with appurtenances, and he says that when the lord king gave to him the aforesaid castle the same lord king was not thereof in seisin, nor the said Earl ; but after Llewellyn was dead, and the aforesaid Mailgon was not in fealty to the lord king, he the Earl, by reason of the aforesaid gift, sent Walter, his brother, with his army against the said Mailgon, who had occupied all the aforesaid lands against him. And he well says that the lord king and his ancestors were always accustomed to hold the aforesaid lands in the same manner as he now holds them, and also in time of peace. He says also that when he rendered up to the lord king the honour of Eagle, the same lord king granted to him all his castles, lands, and tenements, and all his tenures with the appurtenances which the same Earl held on the same day, to wit, the vigil of St. Botulph, both in England and in Wales. And the Chancery Eoll, wherein the charter of the lord king which the Earl thereof holds, witnesses that same thing. And he well says that on the aforesaid day, to wit, the vigil of St. Botulph, he held the aforesaid Castle of Cardigan, the comote, and all the aforesaid lands, and prays that this may be allowed him. And if this ought not to prevail, he will declare another reason. "And Mailgon comes and says that in verity he performed homage to the aforesaid Earl for the aforesaid lands, and that it was thus prearranged between them for the aforesaid considera- tion, as is aforesaid, to wit, he says that By threats he per- he did this by force and compulsion of formed homage. this same Earl ; and he says that what- soever he did by force and compulsion XXvi HISTORY OF STEATA FLOKIDA. he ought to hold all the aforesaid lands, except the Castle of Cardigan and the comote, of the lord king in chief; and he puts in the charter of King John, father of the lord king who now is, which witnesses that the same King John granted, and by his charter confirmed, to Meilgon, Four cantreds of sou of Eesus, four cautreds, which are Cardigan in chief. called Cardigan, except the Castle of Cardigan and the comote which is called Hishirwen, which the aforesaid Alailgon remitted to the afore- said King John for two hundred marks, which he gave to him ; and that he granted to the same ]\Iailgon and confirmed the Castle of Kilgareu and Emelin : To have Cardigan Castle and to hold to the aforesaid Meilgon and with Isherwerne, his heirs, etc. He puts in also another Kilgarran, and charter of the same king, which likewise Emlin. witnesses that the same king granted and confirmed to the aforesaid Meilgon, sou of Kesus, the aforesaid four cantreds, and as well these his rights as others acquired or to be acquired from the enemies of the same king, to be held of the same king and his heirs ; and that the same Meilgon rendered up to the same king and quit- claimed the aforesaid Castle of Cardigan and comote for ever ; wherefore this Mailgon says that the aforesaid Meilgon, son of Eesus, his father, was enfeoffed by the aforesaid King John of all the aforesaid lands, except the Castle of Cardigan and the comote of Hishirwen, and he himself, after the death of the afore- said Meilgon, his father, was in seisin of the aforesaid lands until the aforesaid Earl by force entered upon them against him, and therefore he says that by that occupation he has been injured to the value of ten thousand marks. " And the Earl defends the force and injury, the loss and all, etc., inasmuch as it rests on the sole testimony of the same Meilgon. And furthermore, he says that as for that which the aforesaid Meilgon says, the Earl ought to have imprisoned him at Kilgareu and compelled him to perform homage to him and the aforesaid consideration, to wit, on the morrow of Christmas, as the aforesaid Earl at Haverford in Wales. And he well says that the aforesaid Meilgon performed homage to him and the aforesaid consideration w^ithout conditions and not by com- pulsion, that is, of his own good will, and thereof he produces suit. " And the Earl says that the lord king who now is gave him the aforesaid Castle of Cardigan and comote with all their appurtenances by his charter, which witnesses this, already many years since, and moreover put him in seisin of the afore- APPENDIX. XXVll said lands as of those appertaining to the aforesaid castle and comote, and which the bailiffs of the lord king were always accustomed to hold as appertaining to the aforesaid castle, except when the aforesaid Meilgon and his ancestors occupied them against the same lord king, as they oftentimes did, and the lord king in like manner against them. " Furthermore, he says that the charters of King John, which the aforesaid Meylgon puts in, are void, in so much as the said Meylgon or his ancestors never, after those charters had been made, had seisin of the aforesaid lands whereof the same Earl took homage of the aforesaid Meylgon, unless it were by the violent occupation against the lord king and in the time of war, and therefore it appears to him that those charters ought not to affect him. " And Meylgon says that he knows not how to plead according to the custom of England, nor hath he counsel as he should needs have ; and, therefore, a day is appointed to him to consider until the morrow. And the like day is appointed to the Earl that on the morrow he may make another reply if he will. " On the morrow comes the Earl, and it was demanded of him if he would make another reply, but he recites all that he had formerly alleged. And Meylgon says, as he had said before, that he knows not how to plead, nor hath he counsel ; but, in brief, he says that his ancestors held the aforesaid lands, except the castle of Cardigan and the Comote, of the lord king in chief. And he in like manner ought to hold them. And he says that he is in seisin of the aforesaid lands, and thereof made homage to the lord king. And prays that he may hold them in peace, and that tlie lord king may maintain him in his seisin. " Afterwards comes the lord king, and says that when he gave to the aforesaid Earl the aforesaid castle of Cardigan, and the comote with the appurtenances, the said lord king was in seisin of the homage of the aforesaid Maylgon for those lands whereof he was formerly enfeoffed by King John his father. And prays judgment, inasmuch as the Earl admitted that he took homage of the aforesaid Maylgon for the same lands. " Furthermore, the lord king says that by the violent occupa- tion which the aforesaid Earl made over the aforesaid Mayl- gon, of the same lands, the same lord king has been damaged as he would not have had damage nor injury, of twenty thousand marks, and likewise prays for judgment thereof. " And the Earl defends the force and injury and homage taken against the faith of the lord king, and whatever is against the peace and faith of the lord king, against the lord king as against XXYlli HISTOIiY OF STEATA FLORIDA. his lord. And he says that it does not ajDpear to him that he ought now to reply thereto, as he formerly replied both to the lord king and to the aforesaid Maylgon concerning all the matters whereof they alleged against him, and wherefore he was summoned, and nothing remained further except only the judgment. " Afterwards this matter was deliberated in the presence of W. Archbishop of York, P. Bishop of Hereford, and W. Bishop of Carlisle, Humphrey Earl of Herefoi'd, Before whom this Baldewine Earl de L'Isle, Peter of Savoy, matter was John of Monmouth, Fulke Fitz-Warine, deliberated. Herbert Fitz-Peter, Stephen de Segrave, Eobert de LexintoUj John Fitz-Geoffrey, William de Cautilage, Bertram de Criol, John de Estrange, Robert de la Hay, Ealph de Suthleg', "Walter de Clifford, William de Beauchamp, and John de Plessets, and other faithful ones of the lord king. And it appeared to them that if those lands M'hereof the aforesaid Earl took homage of the aforesaid Maylgon were appertaining to the aforesaid Castle of Cardigan and Comote, that the Earl failed in duty tow^ards the lord king, because without the permission of the same lord king he took his homage, and because the lord kinfj did not "ive to the afore- said Earl the aforesaid Castle with tlie appurtenances, except for a term which could come to pass, to wit, until he should render up to the aforesaid Earl or his heirs his lands which they ought to have in Normandy, because by such grant or concession the same Earl could not take the perpetual homage of the aforesaid Maylgon of the aforesaid lands. Furthermore, if the aforesaid lands are not appertaining to the aforesaid Castle and Comote, yet the Earl failed in duty towards the same lord king, by taking the homage of the aforesaid Maylgon, his baron, for lands which he ought to hold of the lord king in chief. And, therefore, it was determined that the lord king should recover the homage of the aforesaid Maylgon his baron, and the Earl is found guilty of trespass. " Moreover, because the Earl had been summoned before the lord king at Woodstock, at the instance and complaint of the aforesaid Maylgon And the Earl sufficiently defended the charge made by the aforesaid Maylgon, according to the law and customs of England, it was determined that the Earl should be acquitted sine die, and the aforesaid JMaylgon be nonsuited, and let him have permission (?) to recover against the Earl what he ought to have. " Aloreover, in so far as the said king accused the aforesaid Earl that, by the occupation which the same Earl made APPENDIX. XXIX over the aforesaid Maylgon, the same lord king was damaged to the amount of ten thousand marks, he did not specify in what way or in what things. And the Earl's defence sufficed against his lord ; it was determined that the Earl should he quit thereof, in accordance with the maxim ' Namcles fremcles' . "Moreover, it is to be known that the same Earl, and also the aforesaid Maylgon, have renounced the aforesaid consideration agreed upon beforehand between them, and have undertaken that if any deeds from either party be produced hereafter con- cerning the aforesaid consideration, they shall be held com- pletely of none account." Inquisition at Montgomery (1252). Chancery Inquisition post mortem, 36 Henry III. No. 65. " H. D'i gr'a Eex Angl' D'n's HiVn' Dux Norm' Aquit' et Com's And' dil'co et fideli suo Guidoni de Eupe forti Ball'o suo de Mungum^ sal'm. Mandamus vobis q^d p^ sacr' p'bor' et leg' hominu' diligent' inquiratis qualit' Abbas [de] Strata Florida usus est in Ball'a v'ra libertatibus contentis in cartis suis et quibus articl'is ip'e usus est et quibus non. Et inquisic'om inde f cam sub sigillo v'ro et sigillis eor' p' quos f'ca fu'it nobis sine dil'one mittatis et hoc br'e. " T. Me ip'o ap'd Wind' .x. die Febr' a r' n' xxxvj. " Inquisit'o f'ca apud Mungomi' p' p'ceptu' d'ni Eeg' die Martis p'x'a post festu' s'c'i Joh'nis ante portam Latina' ann' xxxvj'*' sup' articulis et lib'tatib' contentis in cartis d'ni abbatis de Strataflorida p' sac^mentu' subscriptor'. " Baldwini de Mu'gom'i. Ph'i f Alexandri. WilPi Le Gras. Steph'ni filii Will'i. Phi' fil' Aluredi. WilPi Sage. Eic' Lance. Eob'ti f Walt'i. Eegin' f Brun. Will'i f Brun. Joh'nis filii Aluredi. Qui dicunt quod abbas de Stratailorida et ho'i'es sui temp'e d'ni Eob'ti de Budlers et temp'e Baldwini de Budlers et temp'e Will'i de Curteney nsi fu'unt om'ib' Lib'tatib' et artic'lis in cartis suis contetis (sic) Set postq^m d'n's Eex con- struxit castru' suu' de Mungom'i no' sunt usi Lib'tatib' suis et artic'lis in cartis suis c'tentis. "In cuius Eei testimoniu' p'senti scripto sigilla sua aposu'u't." [Translation.] [The writ.] "H[enry III], by the grace of God King of England, Lord of Ireland, Duke of Normandy, Aquitaine, and Earl of Anjou, to his very dear and faithful Guy Eochfort (de Eupe forti), his XXX HISTORY OF STRATA FLORIDA. Bailiff of Montgomery, greeting. We command you tliat, by the oath of true and lawful men, you diligently enquire how the abbot of Strata Florida used the liberties contained in his charters, and which articles he used, and which he did not, in your bailiwick ; and the Inquisition made thereupon, under your seal and the seals of those by whom it shall be made, you send to us without delay, and this writ. " Witness Ourself at Windsor, the lOtli day of February, in the 36th year of our reign [a.d. 1252]." [The Inquisition.] " Inquisition made at Montgomery, by the command of the Lord the King, on the Tuesday next after the Feast of St. John before the Latin Gate, in the 36tli year [7 May, a.d. 1252], concerning the articles and liberties contained in the charters of the Lord abbot of Strata Florida, by the oath of the under- written [men]. " Baldwin de Mungomeri ; Philip, son of Alexander ; W^illiam Le Gras ; Stephen, son of William ; Philip, son of Alured ; Wil- liam Sage; Eichard Lance; Eobert, son of Walter; Reginald, son of Brun ; William, son of Brun ; John, son of Alured. Who say that the abbot of Strata Florida and his men in the time of the Lord Eobert de Budlers, and in the time of Baldwin de Budlers, and in the time of William de Curteney, have used all the liberties and articles contained in their charters. But, after that the Lord the King constructed his castle of Montgomery, they did not use their liberties and articles contained in their charters. " In witness of which thing they have put their seals to this present writing." Letters Patent from General Chapter at Citeaux (1253), British Museum, Harley Charter 75. D. 11. " Yniversis Christi fidelibus . presens scriptum visuris . vel audituris . ffratres . J. de Thintern . St. De Dora dicti Abbates salutem in domino . Noverit dilectio vestra . nos quasdam litteras . a Capitulo Generali Dompno Abbati de Strata florida . In presentia nostra transmissas i inspexisse . Anno Domini . M°. cc°. L° tertio . In Alba Domo . sub hac forma . " ' In crastino vndecim milium virginum . ffrater E. dictus Abbas Cisterciensis totusque Conventus Abbatum Capituli Generalis . Dilecto in Christo Coabbati suo de Strata florida salutem . et scinceram In domino . caritatem . Cum sententia diffinitiva . Inter Domum de Marfan . et Kerlion filiam ves- APPENDIX. XXXI tram . per venerabilis . de Baldwas . de Braeria et de kinges wde Abbates . rite ac juditialiter lata . a capitulo general! approbata sit et confirmata . Dilectioneni vestram benigne rogamus . vobis tenore presentium mandantes Quatinus dictam sententiam . a filiis vestris dictae Domus personis . auctoritate nostra . inviolabiliter faciatis observari . Ne quod absit de ipsis aliqiiid rebellionis sen tergiversationis contra dictam sententiam factum ; Nobis de cetero . querulosa insinuatione debeat pre- sentari . Tantum super premissis fatientes . ut diligens execucio vestra In hac parte merito debeat commendari . Valete . Datum . Apud Cistercium . Anno Domini . M° cc°. L" . Tertio . tempore Capituli Generalis .' " In cujus rei testimonium liuic scripto patenti sigilla nostra apposuimus . Valete." [Translation.] " To all the faithful ones of Christ about to see or to hear the present writing, the Brethren J. termed Abbot of Tintern and St. termed Abbot of Dore, greeting in the Lord. Know ye, beloved ones, that we have inspected certain letters sent from the general chapter to the Lord Abbot of Strataflorida in our presence, in the year of the Lord mccliii. In Alba Domus, after this manner : " ' On the morrow of the eleven thousand virgins, Brother E., termed Abbot of Citeaux, and the whole convent of abbots of the general chapter, to the beloved in Christ, their fellow Abbot of Strataflorida, greeting, and sincere charity in the Lord. Whereas the final sentence between the House of Margan and Kaerlion your daugliter, which has been rightly and lawfully declared by the venerable Abbots of Buildwas and of Brueria and of Kingswood, has been approved and con- firmed by the general chapter. We benignly request you, beloved ones, commanding you by the tenour of these presents, that you cause the said sentence by our authority to be inviol- ably preserved by your sons, the inmates of the said house. Lest (which God forbid) aught of rebellion or backsliding done against the said sentence should be presented before us con- cerning them, in form of a complaint alleged, you only per- forming such things in regard to the foregoing, that your diligent execution in this behalf should rightly be commended. Farewell. Given at Citeaux, in the year of our Lord mccliii, at the time of the general chapter.' " In witness whereof we have appended our seals to this patent writing. Farewell." xxxll history of strata florida. Abbot of Strata Florida and Edmund de Mortimer (1293). British Museum, Addit. MS. 4525, f. 92. " Wallia. Abbas de Strata florida questus fuit Domino Eegi in paiiiamento suo post Pascham, anno regni suo vicesimo prinio, de Edmuudo de Mortuo Mari, de lioc quod predictus Edmuudus ipsum Abbatem distrinxit et distringere fecit veniendi ad Curiam suam de Kedewyn, in prffijudicium et exbaeredatio- nem Domini Eegis, et dampnum ip sius Abbatis non modicum et gravamen, cum idem Abbas non sit de jurisdictione prsedicti Edmundi etc. Et Dominus Eex assignavit Eobertum de Tybe- tot et Gilbertum de Thornton, ad audiendum et terminandum prtedictam querelam. Et nnde Dominus Eex per Eicardum de Bretvill qui sequitur pro eo et pniedictus abbas queruntur quod cum prffidictus abbas nee pr^edecessores sui placitare vel inplaci- tari consueverunt de terris tenementis possessionibus sive placitis aliis hucusqne nisi in Curia Principis Walliae per brevia ipsius Principis vel sine brevi cujus statum Dominus Eex modo habet prsedictus Edmundus distrinxit prtedictum Abbatem ad respondendum in Curia sua pnedicta de diversis placitis in prte- judicium et exliaeredationem Domini Eegis viginti mille librarum et dampnum ipsius Abbatis. Et hoc offerunt verificare etc. "Et prfedictus Edmundus per Nicholaum de Eedingges attorna- tum suum venit Et defendit vim et injuriam quando, etc. Et dicit quod ad querelam istam non debet hie sine brevi Domini Eegis respondere Quia dicit quod pra^dictus Abbas et prjiede- cessores sui de Strata florida in Curia Eogeri de Mortuo Mari Patris sui cujus h?eres ipse est de hujusmodi placitis hucusque placitare et inplacitari consueverunt Unde petit quod non ponatur inde ad respondendum sine brevi Domini Eegis Et quod praedictus Eogerus pater suus obiit seisitus de hujusmodi jurisdictione et dominio ponit se super patriam. Et Eicardus de Bretvill pro Domino Eege et prsedictus Abbas pro seipso dicunt quod ipse Abbas nee pradecessores sui uncquam placi- tare sine inplacitari consueverunt in Curia prredicti Eogeri patris prffidicti Edmundi de aliquibus placitis nee idem Eogerus de hujusmodi jurisdictione obiit seisitus sicut prsedictus Edmundus dicit set idem Edmundus fuit primus qui distrinxit de injuria sua propria et purprestura super Dominum Eegem prsedictum Abbatem veniendi ad Curiam ipsius Edmundi prsedictam Et hoc petunt inquiri per patriam etc., Et pnedictus Edmundus similiter Ideo mandatum est Eoberto Tybetot Justiciario West- wallise quod venire faciat coram Eege a die Sancti Michaelis in XV dies ubicumque, etc., xii etc., et etiam Eoberto de Staundon APPENDIX. XXXIU Justiciario Nortwalline quod de balliva sua venire faceret xii etc., ad pi\Tefatnui terminura etc. Et Oweno de la Pole quod venire faceret xii etc., de terra sua de Aresteleye Et similiter praiceptum est Vicecomiti Salopiensi quod venire faceret xii etc., per quos, etc. Et qui rec, etc., ad recognoscendum etc. Et quia Dominus Eex qui nunc est dedit Cantredum de Kedenwen per Cartam suam pr?edicto Eogero patri prtedicti Edmundi in quo pr?edictus Abbas habet terras ut dicitur per quani Cartam jus Domini Eegis in hac parte forte poterit declarari dictum est attornato prtedicti Edmundi quod habeat cartam pradictam coram Domino Rege ad prasfatum terrainum etc., sub poena qua decet etc. Et quod prtedictus Abbas pendente placito prsedicto non distringatur nee molestetur in aliquo ea occasione etc. Et prsedictus Abbas ponit loco suo fratrem Johannem Kayov in placito prajdicto etc. " Postea a die Pascha3 in quinque septimanas anno xxii venit prffidictus Edmundus et similiter pnedictus abbas et per licentiam concordati sunt Et Abbas dat viginti solidos pro licentia con- cordandi Et est concordia talis quod preedictus Edmundus cognovit et concessit pro se et liperedibus suis inperpetuum quod praedictus Abbas nee successores sui per ipsum Edmundum et hperedes suos sive alios quoscunque implacitetur sive implaci- tentur de terris et tenementis suis quibuscunque infra Dominum de Kedewyn nunc existentibus nisi per breve Domini Eegis et ha^redum suorum in curia ipsius Eegis et hseredum suorum Salvo tamen ipsi Edmundo et h?eredibus suis quod ipsi secundum consuetudinem patrife illius prius usitatam liabeant cognitionem omnimodorum placitorum aliorum terras et tenementa non tan- gencium de prasdicto Abbate et successoribus suis sicut prius habere consuevit Et hoc idem in Curia hie concessit priedictus abbas pro se et successoribus suis imperpetuum Et ista Concordia adraittitur si Dominus Eex hoc acceptaverit etc. Postea Domi- nus Eex mandavit nunciante pr?edicto Domino Eoberto de Tybetot quod Dominus Eex pnedictam concordiam acceptavit Ideo prffidictus Edmundus ad pra^sens sine die Salvo jure Domini Eegis et hceredum suorum cum inde loqui voluerit. " Trin. Plac. coram Eege, 21 Edw. I, Eot. 21&." [Translation.] " Wales : The abbot of Stratallorida was complainant to the lord king in his Parliament after Easter, in the twenty-first year of his reign, against Edmund de Mortimer, upon this charge : that the aforesaid Edmund distrained and caused to distrain the same abbot, to compel him to come to his court at Keddenweyn, to the prejudice and disherison of tlie lord king and to the no small loss and hurt of the same abbot, seeing XXxiv HISTORY OF STRATA FLORIDA. that the same abbot is not within the jurisdiction of the afore- said Edmund. And the lord king appointed Robert de Tybetot and Gilbert de Thornton to hear and determine the aforesaid complaint. And thereupon the lord king, by Richard de Bretvill, who sues for him, and the aforesaid abbot complain that whereas the aforesaid abbot and his predecessors have neither been accustomed to plead nor to be impleaded concerning lands, tenements, possessions, or other pleas before this time, except in the Court of the Prince of Wales, by writs of the same prince or without writ, whose estate the lord king now hath, the aforesaid Edmund has distrained the aforesaid abbot to answer in his court aforesaid concerning divers pleas to the prejudice and disherison of the lord king to the amount of twenty thousand marks, and to the damage of the same abbot. And this they offer to prove, etc. " And the aforesaid Edmund, by Nicholas de Eedingges, his attorney, comes and defends the force and injury when, etc. And he says that he ought not to answer this complaint with- out the writ of the lord king, because he says that the afore- said abbot and his predecessors of Strataflorida have been hitherto accustomed to plead and to be impleaded in the Court of Roger de Mortimer, his father, whose heir he is, con- cerning this manner of pleas. Therefore he prays that he be not put to answer thereof without writ of the lord king. And in that the aforesaid Roger, his father, died seised of this manner of jurisdiction and demesne, he puts himself on his country. And Richard de Bretvill for the lord king, and the aforesaid abbot for himself, say that neither the same abbot nor his predecessors have ever been accustomed to plead or be impleaded in the Court of the aforesaid Roger, father of the aforesaid Edmund, concerning any manner of pleas, nor did the same Roger die seised of this manner of jurisdiction as the aforesaid Edmund says, but the same Edmund was the first who distrained, of his own proper injury and purpresture, against the lord king, the aforesaid abbot to come to the afore- said Court of the same Edmund, and this they pray may be inquired into by their country, etc. And the aforesaid Edmund likewise. Therefore command is given to Robert Tybetot, Justiciary of West Wales, that he cause to come before the King, within a fortnight of Michaelmas, wheresoever, etc., twelve, etc. ; and also to Robert de Staundon, Justiciary of North Wales, that he should cause to come from his bailiwick twelve, etc., at the aforesaid term, etc. And to Owen de la Pole that he should cause to come twelve, etc., from his land of Arestelege. And in like manner a pnecipe is sent to the Sheriff APPENDIX. XXXV of Salop that he should cause to come twelve, etc., by whom, etc., and who should receive, etc., to recognisance, etc. And because the lord king who now is gave the cantred of Keden- weu by his charter to the aforesaid Roger, father of the afore- said Edmund, wherein the aforesaid abbot has lands, as is alleged, by which charter the right of the lord king on this behalf perhaps could be declared, it is ordered to the attorney of the aforesaid Edmund that he have the aforesaid charter before the lord king at the aforesaid term, etc., on penalty such as is befitting, etc. ; and that the aforesaid abbot, while the aforesaid plea is pending, be not distrained nor molested in any- thing on that account, etc. And the aforesaid abbot puts in his place brother John Kayov in the aforesaid plea, etc. "Afterwards, within five weeks of Easter, in the twenty- second year, the aforesaid Edmund comes, and in like manner the aforesaid abbot, and they are agreed by license, and the abbot gives twenty shillings for the license of agreement. And the agreement is such that the aforesaid Edmund recognised and granted for himself and his heirs for ever, that neither the aforesaid abbot nor his successors may be impleaded by the same Edmund and his heirs or any others whomsoever concern- ing their lands and tenements wliatsoever within the demesne of Kedenweyn now lying, unless by writ of the lord king and his heirs in the court of the same king and his heirs. Saving, however, to the same Edmund and his heirs that they, according to the custom of that country formerly in use, should have recog- nisance of all manner of other pleas not touching lands and tenements concerning the aforesaid abbot and his successors as formerly he used to have. And the aforesaid abbot granted this same thing in the court here for himself and his succes- sors for ever. And this agreement is admitted if the lord king will accept it, etc. Afterwards the lord king ordered, by announcement of the aforesaid Lord Robert de Tybetot, that the lord king accepted the aforesaid agreement. Therefore the aforesaid Edmund [is] at present si7ie die, saving the right of the lord king and his heirs when he will speak thereof. " Trinity, King's Bench Pleas. 21 Edw. I, Roll 216." Parliamentary Petitions from Abbots of Strata Florida. (A.) No. 7388, P. R. 0. " A son' seign'r et fondour Roi Danglet' prie son Chapelayn Le Abbe de Stretflour' en Galees q'il voille i^ur Dieu confei-mer ces Chartres les queux son' pier del alme deqy Dieux eit mercy iadis Roi Danglet' ad conferme." c 2 XXXVl IlISTOKY OF STRATA FLOKIDA. [Translation.] "To his lord and founder the King of England, his chaplain the abbot of Strata Florida in Wales, prays that he will for the love of God confirm those charters wdiich his father, formerly King of England, for his soul, for which God have mercy, confirmed." (B.) No. 7391, P. E. 0. " Prie a son seign'r et fundur Eey Denglet'e son Chapeleyn le Abbee de Strattefluyr en Galees qy il veoyle p' charite confer- mer ceos Chartres les queux furent doneez p' diu'ces princes de Gales et confermez p' le bon Eey Edward le pere le Eey que ore est et ceo prie il pur lalme son peer." [Translation.] "To his lord and founder the King of England, his chaplain, the abbot of Strata Florida in Wales, prays that he will l)y charity confirm those charters which were given by divers princes of Wales, and confirmed by the good King Edw\ard, the father of the King who now is ; and this he prays for the soul of his father." (C.) No. 7395, P. E. 0. " A son fou'dour et seygn'r Eoy Denglet're Moustr' son chape- leyn Labbe de Strattfluyr en Gales issint com il tynt aschiin t'res et ten'z en les p'ties de South Gales en pure et p'petael agmoyn' de q'l agmoyn' nuyl suyte ne deyt estr' fet neporqj^nt Le Constable de Cardigan lauantdist Abbe pur suyt fere au Cou'te de Cardigan greuouseme't destreynt et en g^nt da'mage de lauantdist Abbe et encou'tr' la forme de son feffem't. Pur q'i lauantdist Abbe p'e a son seign'r et fou'dour Eoy Den- glet'e auau'tnome q' ceos ch'res seynt regardes de les auau'tdistes t'res et q' son' seygn'r et fou'dour Eoy Denglet'e p' sa ch're \y voyle remedie fer' solonq' le purporte de ces Munume's." [Translation.] " To his founder and lord the King of England, show'eth his chaplain, the abbot of Strata Florida, in Wales, thus. Wliereas he holds certain lands and tenements in the parts of South Wales, in pure and perpetual alms, for which alms no suit or debt is to be made, nevertheless the constable of Cardigan grievously distrains the aforesaid abbot to do suit at the County Court of Cardigan, both to the great damage of the aforesaid APPENDIX. XXXVU abbot, and against the form of bis feoffment. For which the aforesaid abbot prays his lord and founder, the King of England aforenamed, that those charters of the aforesaid lands may be regarded, and that his lord and founder the King of England by his charter, will cause him a remedy according to the purport of those muniments." (D.) No. 7282, P. K. 0. " A n're seign'r le Eoi et a son Counseil mustre le soen Chapeleyn Labbe de Stretflur en Gales q' come le dit Abbe et ses p'decesseurs et leurs tenaunz de touz maners pies et quereles eux touchant deyuent pleder et auer droit en la Court le Roi a Lampader et qu' n're dit seign'r le Eoi fyns am'ciamens et touz altres p'fitz de mesme les plees s^'daunz ad eu de tot temps passe puys le conqueste tancq' cea come coe q' est app^'tinaunt [a rjeal iurisdiccion et deuant le conqueste les Princes de Gales foundours de la dite meson furent seises de mesmes les plees et p'fitz et nul altre. La vynt un Rob't Clement p' colour de une Chartre q'il ad de n're dit seign'r le Ptoi q' mort est q' Dieu lassoille du Co'mot de Pennarth' od les app^'tinauntz et clemant dutdit Abbe et ses tenaunz conisaunces des touz plees et plusours extorsions et meschiefs fait s'r les ditz tenauntz en countre lestat n're dit seign'r le Eoi et de sa Coroune et a g^'nt damage du dit Abbe et de sa meson s'r quele chose Labbe p'rchasa brief n're dit seign'r le Eoi a mous' Gilb't Talbot Justic' de Gales q' lui freit droit eaunt regard' a lestat le Eoi. P' v'tue de queu brif le Justic' fist venir deuant lui les p'tyes a c'teyn Jour a queu Jour Labbe vynt et dist p'r le Eoi qu' lui et ses p'decessours et lo'r tenaunz de tot temps passe des tons man'es des plees et quereles eux tocliaunz soleyent et deiuent estre reponauns en la Court le Eoi a Lampader et des issues et am'ciamens des ditz plees n're dit seign'r le Eoi adeste s'uy come sus est dit. Et le dit Eob't Vynt et dist q'il est seign'r de la Co'mot de Pennarth' p' don et chartre le Eoi et q' touz q' sount residons deinz sa dite Co'mote deyuent venir a sa Court' de Pennarth' et p' cele en cheson il demand' du dit Abbe et ses tenaunz conisaunses des totes man'es plees, et le dit Abbe dit p'r le Eoi q' p' v'tue de ceste chartre n're dit seign'r le Eoi ne s'ra forbarre des conisaunces de tieux plees et q' la meson de Stretflur fust fouude de temps dount ynyad memorie et de coe temps les p'nces de Gales furent seises des touz' man'es des plees tocliaunz le dit Abbe et ses tenaunz auantditz tancq' q' le aeel n're seign'r le Roi conq'st la t're de Gales et puys la con- queste tancq' cea n're dit seign'r et ses auncestres ouut eu XXXVlll HISTORY OF STRATA FLORIDA. conisaiinces des touz plees soutzdits de fyns et am'ciamens come coe q'est app'rtinaunt a real iurisdiction et s'r coe la enqueste est iunte entre les p'ties deuant le Justic' p' q'i le dit Eob't de nouel ad 23'"chace co'fermement s'r sa Chartre od la clause, Licet ijjse etc., p' quels clause il eiitent forbarrer n're dit seign'r de son droit et delayer lenq'ste en desh'iteson n'tre dit seign'r et en pouricement de la dite meson. Prie le dit Abbe a n're dit seign'r le Roi et a son counseil q' lui pleise niander an dit Justic' de Gales q^ nyent contreteant la dite Chartre de conferm' q'il aile anant a Lenq'este p'ndre sauant lestat le Roi et de sa meson en touz poyntz nyent contreteant nulle brief de p'iue seal ne de g^nt seal solonc le statut nadgiers fait a North' on ordyner altre remedie p'r le Eoi et sa meson." [Translation.] " To our lord the King and to his council, his chaplain, the abbot of Strata Florida, sheweth. That whereas the said abbot and his predecessors and their tenants ought to plead all man- ner of pleas and writs touching them, and to have right in the Court of the King at Lampader, and that our said lord the King has had the fines, amercements, and all other profits arising from the same pleas for all the time passed since the conquest until this time, as that which is pertaining to regal jurisdiction, and before the conquest the princes of Wales, founders of the said house, were seised of the same pleas and profits, and no other. There came one Robert Clement, by colour of a charter which he had from our said lord the King, who is dead, on whom God have mercy, of the commote of Pennarth, with the appurtenances, and demanded of the said abbot and his tenants cognisances of all pleas, and made many extortions and mischiefs upon the said tenants against the estate of our said lord the King and of his crown, and to the great damage of the said abbot and of his house. Upon which the abbot acquired a writ of our said lord the King to Master Gilbert Talbot, Justiciary of Wales, that he should do right to him, having regard to the estate of the King. By virtue of which writ the Justiciary caused the parties to come before him at a certain day. " At which day the abbot came, and said for the king that he and his predecessors and their tenants for all time past used and ought to answer all manner of pleas and suits touching them in the King's Court at Lampader ; and our said lord the King has been paid the issues and amercements of the said pleas as is aforesaid. " And the said Robert came and said that he is lord of the APPENDIX. XXxix commote of Pennaith by the gift and charter of the King, and that all who are resident within his said Commote onght to come to his Court of Pennarth ; and by this being called in question, he demanded of the said abbot and his tenants cognisances of all manner of pleas. " And the said abbot said for the King, that by virtue of this charter our said lord the King shall not be excluded from the cognisances of all pleas, and that the house of Strata Florida was founded at a time of which there is not memory ; and from that time the princes of Wales were seized of all manner of pleas touching the said abbey, and their tenants aforesaid, until the grandfather of our lord the King conquered the land of Wales ; and since the conquest until this time our said lord and his ancestors have had cognisances of all the pleas aforesaid for fines and amercements, as that which is pertaining to regal juris- diction. " And upon that the inquiry is joined between the parties before the Justiciary, because the said Eobert has acquired anew a confirmation under his charter, with the clause Licet ijjse, etc. By wdiich clause he intended to exclude our said lord of his right, and to delay the inquiry to the disinherison of our said lord, and to the impoverishment of the said house. " The said abbot prays our said lord the King and his council that it may please him to command the said Justiciary of Wales that notwithstanding the said charter of confirmation, that he go before to take the inquiry, saving the estate of the King and of his house on all points, notwithstanding any w^rit of privy seal nor of great seal, according to the statute formerly made at Northampton, or to ordain another remedy for the King and his house." (E.) No. 7498, P. R " A n're tresredoute et t'sg'aciouse s'r le Eoy et son tressage conseil en ceste p'sent p'liament suppliont humblement Johan Labbe de Stratflureen Southgales et son' Couent .... meason est de la fundacion' les progenitoss n're dit s'r le Eoi et de son' p'ronage q' come lohan ap Piees Abbe de Coneway en North- gales ouesqe autres de son .... one gf^nd route de gentz armez et Archiers vynt a la d'ce Abbeye de Stratflure en le my quarisme Ian du regne n're dit s'r le Eoi sisme et mesme labb .... a forte et en man'e de guerre p' quarantions et ne soeffri point les ditz suppliantz entre deinz mesme labbey ])'r diuines s'uices faire et auxi emprison .... plus'os de dit Couent illeoq's et les en prisone longement detient et les estores xl HISTORY OF STRATA FLORIDA. et touz man'es de vitailles illeoq's trouez degasterent. Et ap's les X . . . . le dit Abbe de Coneway et les ant's mesfes'os p' son' asse[nt] pristerent et einporterent de mesme labbey de Stratflure touz les liuers vestimentz oru .... argent et lo'r co'e seal et touz les autres moebles illeoq's trouez et auxiut chacerent dilleoq's lo'r chiuals Jumentes boefs vaclies motons berbetz et touz man'es de bestails illeoq's trouez a la value et pris de deux Myll' marcz et auxint de dit Abbe de Coneway ad faite faire plus'os obligacions de Granges et fermes et de g'andes so'mes dargent as diu'ses p'sones desouz le d'ce seal p' queles obligacions les ditz suppliantz ount estes et sont greuousement empledez a g^nd' anyentisement et destruccion' de la d'ce meason' et les ditz suppliantz. Please a n're dit s'r le Eoy et son dit conseil ent ordeign' remede p'r Dieux et en oeure de charite Cousiderantz q' les ditz suppliantz ne poont my auoir nul recou^er p' la co'e ley Denglet^re ne p' les leyes usages ne custumes de Gales en nul man'e a cause q^ le dit Abbe de Coneway nadriens en South- gales do'nt estre iustefiee p'r les g^ndes et horribles trespas susditz." [Translation.] " To our most dread and gracious lord the King and his most wise council in this present Parliament, humbly supplicating, John, abbot of Strata Florida, and his convent . . . house is of the foundation of the progenitors of our said lord the King, and of his patronage. That whereas John ap Pees, the abbot of Conway, in North Wales, with others of his . . . with a great band of armed men and archers, came to the said abbey of Strata Florida, in Mid Lent of the 6th year of the reign of our said lord the King, and , . . the same abbot by force and in the manner of war for forty days, and did not suffer the said suppliants to enter within the same abbey to perform divine services, and also imprisoned many of the said convent, and detained them in prison for a long time, and wasted the stores and all manner of victuals there found. And after the . . . the said abbot of Conway, and the other criminals, took and carried away from the said abbey of Strata Florida all the vestments, clothes (ornaments), money, and their common seal, and all the other movables there found ; and they also drove away from the same place their horses, mares, oxen, cows, sheep, ewes, and all manner of beasts there found, to the value and price of two thousand marks. And also the said abbot of Conway has caused many obligations to be made of the granges and farms, ami of great sums of money, to APPENDIX, di divers persons under the said seal ; by the wliich obligations the said suppliants have been and are grievously impleaded, to the great impoverisliment and destruction of the said house, and of the said suppliants. "May it please our said lord the King and his said Council to ordain a remedy therein, for the love of God, and in a work of charity, considering that the same suppliants can have no recovery in the meantime by the common law of England, nor by the laws, usages, or customs of Wales, in any manner, because the said abbot of Conway has nothing in South Wales from whence to be justified for the great and horrible trespass aforesaid." (F.) Harley Charter 75, A. 11. " Henricus dei gracia Eex Anglie et Francie et Dominus Hibernie. Predilecto et fideli nostro Jacobo Domino de Audeley ac dilectis et fidelibus nostris Johanni Stanley Armigero Philippo ap Ees Decretorum Doctor! Mereduth ap Oweyn Jevan ap Jankyn Armigeris Johanni ap Ees ap Thomas . Willelmo Burghuir et Ees ap Mereduth ap Oweyn et eorum cuilibet salutem. Scire vos volumus quod literas sub magno sigillo nostro fieri fecimus sub hac forma. Henricus dei gracia Eex Anglie et Francie et Dominus Hibernie Omnibus ad quos presentes litere peruenerint salutem. Ex parte Willelmi Morys dicentis se Abbatem Abbacie de Strata fflorida de ordine Cisterciensi in Menevensi diocesi nobis est graviter conquerendo monstratum quod cum abbacia ilia de fundacione nobilium progenitorum nostrorum quondam principum Wallie et nostro patronatu existat et licet idem Willelmus vacante nuper Abbacia ilia per mortem cujusdam Ees nuper Abbatis ejusdem ac pastoris solacio destituta Eequisitis solempnitatibus in ea parte requirendis per Priorem et Conuentum dicti Loci in Abbatem et Pastorem ejusdem canonice electus et creatus et per quosdam David Abbatem de Whitlond patrem Abbatem dicte Abbacie de Strata fflorida et quendam Johannem ap Ees tunc Abbatem de Kymer ordine Cisterciensi observato ibidem installatus eleccionemque creacionem et installacionem hujusmodi per quosdam eciam Johannem Abbatem de Bildwos et Thomam Abbatem de Morgan dicte ordinis Cisterciensis visitatores ut asseritur realiter contirmatus extitisset necnon possessionem ejusdem Abbacie cum suis juribus et pertinenciis universis per biennium et ultra absque ulla interrupcione adeptus fuisset pacifice et quiete . prefatus tamen Joliannes ap Ees machinans dictum Willelmum Morys a possessione sua Abbacie sue prcdicte sub- xlii HISTORY OF STRATA FLORIDA. dole expellere et amovere quandam suggestionem ut dicitur minus veram nobis protulit sub hac forma quod licet idem Johannes per deposicionem prefati Willelmi Morys uuper Abbatis de Strata fflorida in Abbatem Loci illius rite et canonice extitit electus creatus et installatus et in realem possessionem ejusdem inductus dictum tamen Willelmum Morys post hujus- modi deposicionem pretensam Abbaciam illam injuste occupasse ac nonnulla dampna et detrimeuta eidem Abbacie asseruit per- petrasse in ipsius Abbacie dispendium non modicum et grava- men. Super qua quidem suggestione dicti Johannis ap Ees supposita fore vera, Nos in favorem suggestionis hujusmodi et specialiter in subvencionem Abbacie predicte literas nostras patentes certis personis in eisdem specificatis direximus tintorias, Abbaciamque illam sub proteccione tuicione et defensione nostris eisdem personis ad tempus commisimus conservauda quarum quidem literarum nostrarum vigore predictus Johannes ap Ees aggregatis sibi quampluribus malefactoribus et pacis nostre perturbatoribus Abbaciam de Strata fflorida predictam . cum non modica potencia non adm[issus] est violeuter iutravit contra pacem nostram ipsamque Abbaciam de bonis rebus et jocalibus suis adtuuc ibidem spoliavit ac prefatum "Willelmum Morys necnon quosdam commonachos suos ab eadem neduni expulit et ejecit, verumeciam ad Castrum de Abrustuth ibidem imprisonandos duci fecit et ibidem diris carceribus mancipatos maliciose custodiri procuravit quousque justicia suadente per quondam Willelmum Thomas extiterant liberati idemque Johannes ap Ees Abbaciam predictam extunc manuforti de- tinet in presenti in divini cultus deterioracionem prefatique Willelmi Morys injuriam dampnum et depauperacionem necnon prefate Abbacie adnichilacionem et desolacionem inanifesta ut accepimus unde idem Willelmus nobis humiliter supplicavit sibi et Abbacie predicte de remedio congruo in hac parte providere. Nos supplicacioni sue hujusmodi in quantum cum justicia poterimus equanimiter inclinati volentes indempnitati et relevacioni dicti Abbacie nostre de Strata^ fflorida ne divinus cidtus inibi depereat aut alia incommoda propter conteuciones predictas eveniant ad eandem ipsam Abliaciam ac religiosos ejusdem ibidem Deo famulantes et famulaturis necnon omnia et singula terras tenementa redditus res bona catalla et possessiones que- cunque ad eandem Abbaciam pertinencia sive spectancia pen- dentibus lite et controversia inter predictos Willelmum et Johannem Abbates se pretendentes indiscussis in proteccionem ^ Stratni, MS. APPENDIX. xliii tuicionem et defensionem nostras suscepimiis speciales omnibus et singulis inliibentes ne quis Abbacie predicte aut religiosis ibidem Deo servientibus et servituris terris tenementis redditibus rebus bonis catallis aut aliquibus possessionibus ad eandem spectantibus sive pertinentibus injuriam niolestiam dampnurn aliqualiter inferat seu gravamen nee quicquam aliud ibidem quod in pacis nostre lesionem cedere valeat faciat vel attemptet quovis modo sub pena indignacionis nostre. Et pro majori securitate ejusdem Abbacie pertinenciarumque suarum necnon religiosorum ejusdem ibidem Deo serviencium et serviturorum. Ut ipsi eo securius valeant ibidem morari et omnipotenti Deo quiecius famulari commisimus dilectis nobis in Christo Thome Abbati de Morgan reformatori dicti ordiuis Cisterciensis in partibus Wallensibus et David Abbati de Whitelond antedictis custodiam regimen et gubernacionem dicte Abbacie nostre de Strata fflorida ac omnium terrarum tenementorum reddituum rerum bonorum catallorum et possessionum quorumcumque pertinencium sive spectancium ad eandem. Habenda sibi quam- diu Abbacia ilia sub proteccione tuicione et defensione nostris propter contencionem predictam indiscussam contigerit rema- nere. Proviso semper quod dicti Abbates de Morgan et White- londe bona et revenciones dicte Abbacie nostre de Strata tiorida in quantum possibile est eisdem absque vasto seu dissi- pacione eorundem pro indempnitate dicte Domus fideliter con- servent et faciant conservari. Sic in speciali quod neutri dic- torum Willelmi et Johannis pro jure illius Abbacie nostre sic coutendencium de bonis et revencionibus ejusdem Abbacie quic- quam ministretur nee per eosdem contendentes aut eorum alterum aut alicujus alterius ipsorum nomine aliquid de eisdem bonis et revencionibus capi expendi aut ministrari qu[ ] permittatur. Sed quod dicti Abbates de Morgan et Whitelonde cum bonis et revencionibus hujusmodi Abbaciam nostram predictam ac religio- sos ibidem Deo servientes et servituros necnon divinum cultum in eadem regant guberuent rnanuteneant et sustentent quodque ipsi omnium bonorum mobilium dicte Abbacie nostre fidele inventarium inter se et Conventum ejusdem inclentatum quam- citius commode facere possunt faciant et bona ilia ad usum pre- fate Abbacie nostre tantum prout nobis inde respondere volue- rint j&deliter custodiant et conservent ac quicquid boni eidem Abbacie nostre facere vel procurare valeant dum sic custodiam regimen et gubernacionem ilia habuerint juxta posse suuni faciant et procurent. Damns autem universis et singulis Jus- ticiariis Vicecomitibus Escaetoribus Ballivis et ministris nostris Comitatus de Cardigan in Suthwallia et aliis quibuscumque quorum interest tenore presencium firmiter in niandatis quod xliv HISTORY OF STRATA FLORIDA. prefatis Abbatibns de Morgan et Whitelond Commissariis nostris in hac parte in execucione premissorum intendentes consu- lentes favorabiles sint et auxiliantes prout decet et necessitas rei expostulat et requirit. In cujus rei testimonium has literas nostras fieri fecimus patentes. Teste me ipso apud Westmonas- terium xviii die Februarii Anno regni nostri vicesimo primo. Vobis igitur mandamus quod nichil in coutrarium hujus ordi- nacionis nostre attemptetis nee attemptari sen procurari faciatis nee aliquis vestrum attemptet sen procuret quovis modo sed dictos Abbates de Morgan et de Whitelond custodiam regimen et gubernacionem dicte Abbacie nostre de Strata fflorida ac omnium terrarum tenementorum reddituum rerum bonorum catallorum et possessionum quorumcumque pertinencium sive spectancium ad eandem nostram Abbaciam libere et quiete regere et gubernare permittatis juxta vim formani et effectum literarum nostrarum patencium predictarum. Datum sub pri- vato sigillo nostro apud Manerium nostrum de Shene tercio die Marcii Anno regni nostri vicesimo primo." [Translation.] " Henry, by the grace of God King of England and France and Lord of Ireland. To our well-beloved and faithful James, Lord of Audeley, and to our beloved and faithful John Stanley, Esquire, Philip ap lies, Doctor of Decrees, Mereduth ap Oweyn, Jevan ap Jankyn, Esquires, John ap lies ap Thomas, William Burghulle, and lies ap Mereduth ap Oweyn, and to any soever of them, greeting. " We will you should know that we have caused to be made letters under our great seal after this form : — " Henry, by the grace of God King of England and France and Lord of Ireland, To all unto whom the present letters shall have come, greeting. On behalf of William ]\Iorys, calling himself Abbot of the Abbey of Strata Florida, of the Cistercian Order in the Diocese of St. David's, by heavily complaining it has been shown to us that whereas that abbey exists by the foundation of our noble progenitors, formerly princes of Wales and our patronage ; and although the same William (that abbey being lately vacant by the death of a certain lies, late abbot thereof, and deprived of the solace of a pastor), the solemnities which are required on that behalf having been performed, was canonically elected and created by the prior and convent of the said place to be abbot and pastor thereof, and by a certain David, Abbot of Whitland, father Abbot of the said Abbey of Strata APPENDIX. xlv Florida, and a certain John ap Res, then Abbot of Kymer,^ with observance of the Cistercian Order, therein installed, had been, as is asserted, really confirmed as to election, creation, and installation after this manner by certain, to wit, John, Abbot of Buildwas, and Thomas, Abbot of Margam, visitors of the said Cistercian order ; moreover, he had acquired possession of the same abbey, with its universal rights and appurtenances, for two years and upwards without any interruption, peacefully and quietly. Nevertheless, the aforesaid John ap Res, plotting craftily to expel and amove the said William Morys from his pos- session of his Abbey aforesaid, put before us a certain allegation without truth, as is declared, after this form, that although the same John, by the deposition of the aforesaid William Morys, late Abbot of Strata Florida, was rightfully and canonically elected, created, and installed as Abbot of that place, and inducted into the real possession thereof, yet the said William Morys, after this manner of pretended deposition, had occupied that abbey unjustly, and he asserts that he perpetrated sundry damages and detriments upon the same abbey, to the no small expense and harm of that abbey. In support, indeed, of which allegation of the said John ap Res, supposed to be true, we, in favour of this manner of allegation, and especially to the assist- ance of the Abbey aforesaid, directed our illuminated letters patent to certain persons therein specified, and committed that abbey under our protection, guidance and defence, for a time to the same persons ; by virtue indeed of which our letters the aforesaid John ap Res (many malefactors and perturbers of our peace having banded themselves together with him), not having admission, violently entered with no small power the aforesaid Abbey of Strata Florida, against our peace, and despoiled that abbey of its goods, possessions, and jewels at that time therein, and not only expelled and ejected the aforesaid Wilham Morys and as well certain of his fellow monks from the same, but also caused them to be taken to the Castle of Aberystwith, therein to be imprisoned, and maliciously procured that they should be kept in custody therein, being committed to dismal prisons, until, by the persuasion of justice they were set free by a certain William Thomas ; and the same John ap Res from that time forward held possession of the aforesaid Abbey by main force, and thus holds it at the present time, to the deterioration of divine worship, and to the injury, loss, and depauperisation of the aforesaid William Morys, as well as the annihilation and mani- fest desolation of the aforesaid Abbey, as we understand ; where- ' Conway in the Petition. xlvi HISTORY OF STRATA FLORIDA. upon the same William has humbly supplicated us to provide for himself and the Abbey aforesaid a suitable remedy on this behalf. We justly inclined to his supplication in this manner as far as we can with justice, wishing for the indemnity and relief of our said Abbey of Strata Florida, lest divine worship therein perish, or other troubles ensue, on account of the contentions aforesaid, to that same Abbey and the religious thereof serv- ing and about to serve God therein, also have taken all and singular the lands, tenements, rents, property, goods, chattels, and possessions whatsoever, appertaining to the same abbey, or belonging (while the strife and controversy between the aforesaid William and John, claiming that they are abbots, are pending undetermined) under our especial protection, guidance, and defence, inhibiting all and singular that no one in any manner bring upon the abbey aforesaid, or the religious serving and about to serve God therein, in the lands, tenements, rents, property, goods, chattels, or any manner of possessions, belong- ing or appertaining to the same, injury, molestation, loss, nor hardship, nor any other thing therein do or attempt to do which may turn to the breaking of our peace in any manner, under penalty of our indignation. And for the greater security of the same abbey and of its appurtenances, as well as of the religious thereof serving and about to serve God therein, that they may be able thereby to dwell the more securely therein and to serve Almighty God the more quietly, we have committed to our beloved in Christ, the above-mentioned Thomas, Abbot of Mar- gam, reformer of the said Cistercian Order in the parts of Wales, and to David, Abbot of Whitelond, the rule and govern- ment of the said Abbey of Strata Florida, and of all the lands, tenements, rents, property, goods, chattels, and possessions whatsoever appertaining or belonging to the same ; to hold to themselves as long as that abbey shall have happened to remain under our protection, guidance, and defence, on account of the aforesaid undetermined contention. Provided always that the said Abbots of Margam and Whitelond faithfully preserve, and cause to be preserved, the goods and revenues of our said Abbey of Strata Florida, as far as is possible, to the same, for the indemnity of the said house ; and in such manner especially that neither of the said William and John, thus contending for the right of that our abbey, may administer aught of the goods and revenues thereof, nor by the same contenders, or either of them, or in the name of either of them whosoever, aught of the same goods and possessions be allowed [in any wise] to be taken, expended, or administered. " But that the said Abbots of Margam and Whitelond rule, APPENDIX. xlvii govern, maintain, and sustain, ont of the goods and revenues of this kind, our aforesaid abbey and the religious therein serving and about to serve God, and also divine worship in the same : and that they make as quickly as they are conveniently able so to do, a faithful inventory indented between themselves and the convent thereof, of all the movable goods of our said abbey, and faithfully keep and preserve those goods to the use of our aforesaid abbey just in such manner as they would answer to us therefor ; and do and procure to the best of their power whatever good they are able to do or procure to the same our abbey, while thus they have had the custody, rule, and govern- ment thereof. Moreover, we do give to all and singular our justices, sheriffs, escheators, bailiffs, and ministers of the county of Cardigan in South Wales, and to others whosoever it con- cerns, by the tenor of these presents, strict command that to the aforesaid Abbots of Margam and Whitelond, our commissaries on this behalf, they be helping, advising, and favourable in the performance of the premisses, and aiding as far as is seemly, and as the necessity of the matter demands and requires. In witness whereof we have caused these our letters to be made patent. Witness myself at Westminster, on the eighteenth day of February, in the twenty-first year of our reign. To you, therefore, we command that ye attempt nothing to the contrary of this our ordinance, nor cause aught to be attempted or procured, nor any of you attempt or procure in any wise whatsoever, but suffer the said Abbots of Margam and Whitelond freely and quietly to rule and govern the custody, rule, and government of our said Abbey of Strata Florida, and of all the lands, tenements, rents, property, goods, chattels, and possessions whatsoever appertaining or belonging to the same our abbey, in accordance with the force, form, and effect of our letters patent aforesaid. Given under our privy seal at our Manor of Shene, on the third day of March, in the twenty-first year of our reign. "^ 1 21st Hemy VI, a.d. 1443. xlviii HISTORY of strata Florida. DOCUMENTS RELATING TO DESTRUCTION OF MONASTERY, TEMP. EDWARD I. Translation of Charter of Edicard I. " TheKingtoall those to whom these presents shall come, Greet- ing. Know ye, that we have given permission to our beloved in Christ, the Abbot and Convent of Strata Florida, that on the spot on which their abbey of Strata Florida was lately burnt in the Welsh war, in the twenty-third year of our reign, contrary to our wishes, they may construct afresh, and re-build their house, and dwell there for the continual service of Almighty God. Provided that the thickets be cut down, and the roads be mended, in the neighbourhood of the place aforesaid, under the direction of our Justiciary of West Wales, for the purpose of avoiding the dangers which may hereafter happen by means of those woods, and the hazards of those roads. In testimony whereof, &c. Given by the King at Westminster, the 30th day of March. "Proclaimed by order of the King himself by Otho de Grandi- son." Extracts from PtVMER's "Foedeka". Tom. 2, page 292. "A.D. 1284. An. 12. E. I. L. A., f. 362a. Penes Camerar. "Pro damnis tempore Guerrae domui de Strata Florida illatis. " Omnibus, ad quos prresentes litterte pervenerint, Fratres G. and J. Procuratores Domini Abbatis & Conventus de Strata Florida, salutem in Domino. " Quum Magnificus Princeps Dominus noster Edwardus, Dei gratia, illustris Eex Anglise pro dampnis & opprcssionibus, nostra? Domui tempore Guerra? preteritte illatis, sua largiflua bonitate, septuaginta octo Libr. Sterlingorum nobis de elemosina sua contulit per manus inquisitorum, scilicet, Prioris Radolam, & Gardiani de Laniaes, & Domini E. de Brochton. "Prpedictum autem Dominum Eegem super pnedictis septua- ginta octo Libris pro omnibus dampnis nobis & Domui nostree illatis cpiietum clamamus imperpetuum per pnvsentes. " Et, quia Sigillum proprii Abbatis tunc temporis non habui- mus, Sigilla Venerabilium de Est. Marschell, & de Lyn Egwestel Abbatum, in testimonium, prsesentibus procuravimus apponi. APPENDIX. xlix " Dat. in Abbatliia Cestrite in crastino Aniniarum, anno Eegni Regis Edwardi 12." "A.D. 1284 An. 12. E. 1. L. A., f. 359a. Penes Caraerar. " De Pecunia Abbati de Strata Florida, soluta pro damnis tempore Gnerme praetiritae illatis. " Omnibus, ad quos prtesentes litterte pervenerint, Frater A. dictus Abbas de Strata Florida, & ejusdem loci conventus, salutem in Domino. " Quura Magnificus Princeps, noster, Dominns Edwardns, Dei gratia, illustris Rex Anglite, pro dampnis & oppressionibus, nostras Doniui, tempore Guerra3, praeterit^e illatis, sua largiflua bonitate, septuaginta & octo Libras Sterlingorum nobis de elemosina sua contulit, per manus inquisitorum, scilicet. " Prioris Rodel, & Gardiani de Lan Maes, & Domini R. de Brochton. " Praedictum autem Dominum Regem, super praedictas sep- tuaginta & octo Libris, pro omnibus dampnis nobis illatis, quietura clamamus in perpetuum per praesentes. " In cujus rei testimonium huic scripto patenti Sigillum nostrum a]qD0Suimus. "Datum anno Domini 128-4." [Translation.] "A.D. 1284 An. 12. E. I. L. A. f. 362a. In the possession of the Chamberlain. " For damages inflicted in the time of the war upon the Hou.se of Strata Florida. " To all to whom these present letters shall come, the Brothers G. and J., Proctors of the lord abbot and the convent of Strata Florida, greeting in the Lord. Whereas the mighty prince, our Lord Edward, by the grace of God, the illustrious King of England, conferred upon us, of his alms. Seventy-eight pounds stg. by his bountiful goodness, by the hands of the in- quisitors, to wit, the prior of Rhuddlam, and the warden of Lamaes, and the Lord R. de Brochton, for the damages and oppressions inflicted upon our House in the time of the past war. " And we acquit the aforesaid Lord the King concerning the aforesaid seventy-eight pounds for all the damages inflicted upon us and our House for ever by these presents. " And because we had not the seal of the then proper abbot of the time, we have procured to be put, in witness to the.se presents, the seals of the venerable abbots of Est. jVIarschell and of Lyn Egwestel. Dated in the abbey of Chester on the d 1 HISTORY OF STRATA FLORIDA. morrow of All Souls, in the 12th year of the reign of King Edward. [3 Xovember, a.d. 1284.J" "A.D. 1284. An. 12. E. I. L. A., f. 359a. In the possession of the Chamberlain. " Concerning the money paid to the abbot of Strata Florida for damages inflicted in the time of the past war. " To all to whom these present letters shall come, Brother A., the said abbot of Strata Florida, and the convent of the same place, greeting in the Lord. " Whereas our mighty prince the Lord Edward, by the grace of God, the illustrious King of England, conferred upon us, of his alms, Seventy-eight pounds stg. by his bountiful goodness, by the hands of the inquisitors, to wit, the prior of Eodel, and the warden of Lan Maes, and the Lord li. de Brochton, for the damages and oppressions inflicted upon our House in the time of the past war. "And we acquit the aforesaid Lord the King concerning the aforesaid Seventy-eight pounds for all the damages inflicted upon us, for ever by these presents. " In witness of which thing we have put our seal to this writing patent. " Dated iu the year of our Lord 1284." Agreement as to Tithes (1339). British Musmm, Ilarley MS. 1249, f. 76&. " In Dei Nomine Amen. Anno ab Incarnatione ejusdem Mille- simo ccc™° tricesimo Nono vicesimo primo die Mensis Martii ad perpetuam rei memoriam inter venerandum in Christo patrem Dominum Henricum Dei gratia ]\Ienevensem Episcopum et ejus capitulum Meneveuse Necnon et Capitulum de Abergwylylen' et de Landewybrevy et praebendarios eorundem Necnon et prae- bendarios de Lanondevery Langamarth Readr Carom Lanrustad Larapadarnodyn Lannorth Trefgloys Estrat ac Ecclesiarum de Bettous Bletherous et Sullen Eectores et quoscumque alios prae- bendarios Eectores et Yicarios ad jus patronatus Episcopi Mene- vensis spectantes vel quorum Eectoria vel Vicaria spectaverit vel eorum altera ex parte una, et Abbatem et Conventum Mon- asterii de Strataflorida Cisterciensis ordinis Menevensis Diocesis ex altera . Ad sedandam discordiam inter eosdem motam pro se et Successoribus suis est unanimiter in hunc modum concor- datum videlicet. " Quod Prtebendarii Eectores et Yicarii praebendarum Ec- clesiarum praedictarum et eorum Successores et ceteri qui- APPENDIX. ll cunque ad collationem Episcopi spectantes vel cujus Eectoria vel Vicaria spectaverit in eorundem singulis parochiis perci- pient de omnibus et singulis tenentibus pr?esentibus et futuris dicti Abbatis et Conventus tarn colonis partiariis^ quam cen- sualibus duas partes decimarum garbaruni, foeni, agnorum, vitulorura, pullanorum, porcellorum, Lanee, lini, casei, et de- cimarum privatarium vulgariter Pi'iuethegom nuncupatarum ceteras quoque decimas minutas superius non expressas in- tegrtiliter percipient praidicti prtebendarii Eectores et Vicarii et prfedicti Abbas et Conventus de Strataflorida quia manifestse paupertatis onere premuntur tertiam partem percipiant decima- rum pra^dictarum specificatarum tenentium suorum prjedictorum pro se et successoribus suis, Omnes vero oblationes ad pra^dictas Ecclesias et praebendas provenientes prrebendarii Eectores et Vicarii eorundem integraliter percipiant prout Juri Communi consonum esse dinoscitur. " Si vero aliqui ad Monasterium dictae Abbatiae sen capellas ejusdem videlicet Sancti Paulini et Sancti Madoci causa devo- tionis accesserint ibidem oblationes aliquas faciendo, dicti Abbas et Conventus et eorum successores integraliter easdem perci- piant et prffidicti Coloni et Tenentes omnibus diebus anni quibus alii in praibendis et Ecclesiis praedictis offerre consueverint et debuerint oblationes debitas sicut parocliiani dictorum locorum offerre in eisdeni teneantur prsedicti vero prsebendarii Eectores et Vicarii praefatis Colonis teneantur Sacramenta et Sacramentalia ministrare et de servientibus Monasterii infra Curtam commo- rantibus Eectores vel Vicarii quicunque Decimas exigere non prsesumant ratione terrarum seu rerum quas infra eandem curtam optinent. "Et si contingat dictos Abbatem et Conventum vel eorum successores dictos Episcopum Capitula Eectores et Vicarios vel aliquem eorundem in perceptione prtedictarum decimarum prout superius specificatum est molestare perturbare vel in aliquo liuic paginse per se vel per alios contravenire iideni Abbas et Conventus obligant se et successores suos ac Monasterium suum praedictum in decem libris legalis monetas fabrice Ecclesiae beati (sic) Marise de Arcubus London nomine puri debiti solvendis una cum dampnis et expensis quge et quas sustinuerint Episcopus Capitula pra^bendarii Eectores et Vicarii supradicti seu ali- quis eorundem ratione injustae detentionis seu spoliationis et obventionum pnedictarum quotiens in aliquo contravenirent pra;missis vel alicui prajmissorum. Principali pacto in suo robore nichilominus permanente quacunque exceptions personis suis vel ^ Porciariis, margin. d 2 lii IIISTOKY OF STRATA FLORIDA. ordini eorundem concessa non obstante. Cujus exemptionis pri- vile^nis ([uibuscunque eisdem religiosis et eorum ordini nt pre- mittitur concessis .... quoad praemissa omnia duntaxat firmiter observanda dicti Abbas et Conventus pro se et successoribiis suis expresse renuntiant per presentes. " Et prfedicti Epscopus Capitiila Eectores et Yicarii pro se et successoribus suis omnibus et singulis Accionibus et demandis quas ante confectionem presentium habuerint vel habere potu- erint sen poterit aliquis eorum occasione pnemissoruni contra dictos religiosos renuntiant et renuntiat qurelibet eorum per praesentes. " Et si contingat dictos Episcopum Capitula Eectores et Vicarios seu aliquem eorundem aut eorum Successores dictam concordiam infringere violare aut contravenire quoquomodo volunt et concedunt et se obligant specialiter quod infringens vel contraveniens in praemissis vel aliquo premissorum teneatur et obligetur in decern Libris legalis monetae fabricae Ecclesiae beatae Mariae de Arcubus nomine puri debiti solvendis una cum dampuis et expensis quae et quas sustinuerint praedicti Abbas et Conventus seu eorum successores ratione violationis seu non observationis concordije praedictae principali pacto nichilominus in suo robore duraturo. In quorum omnium testimonium Sigil- lum dicti venerandi patris Domini Henrici Episcopi jMenevensis una cum Sigillo Communi Capituli Menevensis ex Parte una et Sigillum commune dictorum Abbatis et conventus ex parte altera huic presenti Indenturte sunt appositfe Datum apud Stratam ffloridam vicesimo primo die mensis ]\Iartii Anno Domini Millesimo ccc™° tricesimo Xono." [Translation.] " In the name of God, Amen. In the year of the Incarnation of the same, one thousand three hundred and thirty-nine, on the twenty-tirst day of the month of ]\Iarch, for the perpetual memory of the matter between the venerable father in Christ, Lord Henry, by the grace of God, Bishop of St. David's, and his Chapter of St. David's, and also the Chapter of Aber- gwyly and of Landewybrevy and the prebendaries thereof, and also the prebendaries of Lanondevery, Langamarth, Eeadr, Carom, Lanrustad, Lampadarnodyn, Lannorth, Trefeglwys, Estrat, and the rectors of the churches of Bettous, Blethe- rous, and Sullen, and certain other prebendaries, rectors, and vicars, belonging to the right of patronage of the Bishop of St. David's, or whose rectory or vicarage belongs, or either of them, on the one part; and the abbot and convent of the APPENDIX. liii Monastery of Stratatlorida, of the Cistercian order and of the diocese of St. David's, on the other part : For the settlement of the disagreement which has arisen between the same for them- selves and their successors it is unanimously agreed after the manner, namely : — " That the prebendaries, rectors, and vicars of the prebends of the aforesaid churches, and their successors, and tlie others whosoever are belonging to the collation of the bishop, or whose rectory or vicarage belongs, shall receive in the parishes of each of the same, from all and singular the tenants, present and future, of the said abbott and convent, as well husbandmen portioners as assessed, two parts (out of three) of the tithes of sheaves, of hay, of lambs, of calves, of colts, of piglings, of wool, of flax, of cheese, and of the private tithes com- monly called ' Privethegom' ; and also the aforesaid pre- bendaries, rectors, and vicars, shall receive wholly the rest of the small tithes not expressed above ; and the aforesaid abbot and convent of Stratatlorida, because they are manifestly oppressed with the burden of poverty, shall receive (or may receive) the third part of the aforesaid specified tithes of their aforesaid tenants for themselves and their successors. But all oblations belonging to the aforesaid churches and prebends, the pre- bendaries, rectors, and vicars, thereof may receive, just as is known to be in accordance with the conniion law. " But if any persons, for the object of devotion, approach the monastery of the said Abbey, or the chapels thereof, namely, of St. Paulinius and St. Madoc, making therein any oblations, the said abbot and convent and their successors may wholly receive the same, and the aforesaid husbandmen and tenants on all days of the year in which others have been accustomed and ought to make offerings in the prebends and churches aforesaid, may be held to make therein the due oblations just as the parishioners of the said places. But the aforesaid prebendaries, rectors, and vicars may be held to administer to the aforesaid husbandmen the sacraments and things appertaining to sacraments ; no rectors or vicars whatsoever may presume to demand from those who serve the monastery, dwelling within the precinct of the same, by reason of the lands or property which they possess within the same precincts. " And if it happen that the said abbot and convent, or their successors, molest, [or] disturb, the said bishop, chapter, rectors, and vicars, or any thereof, in the receiving of the aforesaid tithes just as has been specified above, or in anywise, by them- selves or others, contravene this writing, the same abbot and convent laid themselves and their successors, and their afore- liv HISTORY OF STRATA FLORIDA, said Monastery, in the sum of ten pounds of lawful money, to be paid to the faliric of the Church of Blessed Mary de Arcubus [i.e., Bow Church], London, in the name of a pure debt, together with the losses and expenses oi tlie bishop, chapters, pre- bendaries, rectors, and vicars aforesaid, or any one thereof, may have sustained by reason of the unjust detention or spolia- tion and of the aforesaid oblations, as often as they shall have contravened in any wise the premis^^es or any one of tlie premisses, the principal compact nevertheless sub- sisting in its own force, notwithstanding any exception granted to their persons or to the order of the same ; any privileges of which exemption, granted, as is aforesaid, to the same religious and their orders (to the end only that all the premisses be firmly observed), the said abbot and convent, for themselves and their successors, expressly renounce by these presents. "And the aforesaid bishop, chapters, rectors, and vicars, for themselves and their successors, renounces and renounce, for each of them, by these presents, all and singular, the actions and demands which, before the making of these presents, they may have had, or can have had, or any one of them can have had, by reason of the premisses against the said religious. " And if it happen that the said bishop, chapters, rectors, and vicars, or any thereof, or their successors, in any wise infringe, violate, or contraA'ene the said agreement, they will and grant, and especially bind themselves, that the one who infringes or contravenes the premisses, or any of the premisses, be held and bound in the sum of ten pounds of lawful money, to be paid to the fabric of the Church of Blessed Mary de Arcubus, in the name of a pure debt, together with the losses and expenses which the aforesaid abbot and convent, or their successors, may have sustained by reason of the violation or non-observance oJ the aforesaid agreement, the principal com- pact nevertheless enduring in its own force. In witness of all of which, the seal of the aforesaid venerable father Lord Henry, Bishop of St. David's, together with the common seal of the Chapter of St. David's, on the one part, and tlie common seal of the said abbot and convent on the other part, have been appended to this present indenture. Given at Strataflorida, on the tw^enty-first day of the month of March, in tlie year of our Lord one thousand three hundred and thirty-nine." APPENDIX. ' Iv DOCUMENTS RELATING TO THE PERIOD OF REBELLION OF OWAIN GLENDOWER. I am indebted to Mr. li. W. Banks for the following tran- scripts of the Patent Polls, 3rd Henry IV, temp. 1402. They are an important addition to the scanty list of original docu- ments relating to Strata Florida Ahbey : — Patent Roll, 3 H. /r(p. 1, m. 2). " Whereas the Abbey of Strata Florida by the frequent aggres- sions of Welsh rebels, and also by raids of the King's lieges for the castigation of the same rebels, is greatly impoverished, and its lands devastated, so that the dispersion of the Abbot and monks is to be feared, the King has taken the Abbey and its appurtenances, with all annuities, pensions, leases, etc., granted by its Abbots, into his hand, and has committed the custody of the Abbey and its lands, etc., to Thomas de Percy, Earl of Wor- cester, and John Belyng, Clerk, to dispose thereof to the Abbey's best advantage, and for its relief ; all issues to be devoted to the support of the Abbot and monks, for the succour and relief of the said place ; and until this is effected, all annuities, pensions, etc., are to cease ; none of its corn, cattle, etc., to be taken by purveyors for the household of the King or of the Prince of Wales. "Dated Westminster, 1 April a.d. 1402. By the Council." Fat. Roll, 3 H. IV (p. 2, m. 1). "Appointment of Eichard Lord de Grey, the King's kinsman, as the King's Lieutenant in the parts and lordships of Breken, Aberustwyth, Cardygan, Kermerdyn, Buelt, and Hay, for the safe government of the marches of South Wales and parts adja- cent, and for resisting the malice of the King's Welsh rebels. He is also appointed to the safe custody of the castles of the places above named. He is to pursue and overcome the rebels, with power to receive into the King's favour those who surren- der their arms and find surety to give up the captains and leaders of all who procured them to rebel, etc. "Dated at Westminster, 26 September 1402.^^ Ivi * HISTOKY OF STKATA FLORIDA. "Appointment of John IMerbury and John ap Henry to mus- ter 120 men and 600 archers, who are to serve in the company of Eichard Lord de Grey for the custody of the castles above mentioned." Same date. Issue Boll (Bolls), 9 H. IV, Michachnas, 16 Novemher {U07). " To Henry Prince of Wales. " In monies by him received by the hands of John Strauuge, his Treasurer, for the war, of the aforesaid Treasurer at Glouces- ter, for the pay of 120 men-at-arms, each to take per day I'M., and 360 archers at 6rf. per day each, for a quarter of a year, to stay in the Abbey of Strata Florida, and guard and defend it from the malice of the rebels, those who have submitted to the Kjng, and to ride after and make war with the rebels, as well in South "Wales as in iSTorth Wales, during the aforesaid time. "By writ of the Privy Seal. Dated of this term. £666 13s. Act., for which he will account." Miinttes oj the Council held at the Friars Preachers in Loudon Feb. 2 H. V, 1415. (From Brit. Mus. Cott., Cleo}:). F. iii.) " Pur la garde de parties de Gales. " Item j)ur la sauve garde des parties de Gales durant le susdit viage sil plest au Pioy. Soient illocques ordenez c hommes darmes et cc archers dont serront en Northgales Ix hommes darmes et cxx archers. Et en Sutbgales xl hommes darmes et iiii^^ archers lesqueux xl hommes darmes et nii^^ archers serront a Stratfleure." [Translation.] " For the ward of the parts of Wales. " Item for the safe ward of the parts of Wales during the afore- said expedition if it pleases the king. That 100 men at arms and 200 archers may be placed there, of which there shall be in Xorth Wales 60 men at arms and 120 archers. And in South AVales 40 men at arms and 80 archers, the which 40 men at aims and 80 archers shall be at Strata Florida." APPENDIX. Ivii Charter Henry VI. " Grant and Confirmation to the Monastery of Strata Florida CO. Cardigan. 8th of July, ^rd of Henry VI, A.D. 1426. [Translation.] " The King. " To all to whom, &c., greeting. We have seen the letters patent of the Lord Richard, late King of England, after the Conquest the second, of the twentieth day of October, in the fourth year of his reign, of confirmation, made in these words, Eichard, by the grace of God, King of England and France, and Lord of Ireland, to all to whom the present letters shall come, greeting ; We have seen the letters patent of our most dear Lord and Father, the Lord Edward, late Prince of Aquitain and Wales, in these words, Edward, eldest son of the illustrious King of England and France, Prince of Aquitain and Wales, Duke of Cornwall and Earl of Chester, to all to whom the present letters shall come, greeting ; We have seen the charter of confirmation of our said Lord the King and Father, in these words, Edward, by the grace of God, King of England, Lord of Ireland and Duke of Aquitain, to the Archbishojjs, Bishops, Abbots, Priors, Earls, Barons, Justices, Sheriffs, Peeves, Ministers, and all his Bailiffs and faithful Men, greeting ; We have seen the charter of confirmation of the Lord Edward, of famous memory, late King of England, our father, in these words, Edward, by the grace of God, King of England, Lord of Ireland and Duke of Aquitain, to all to whom the present letters shall come, greeting ; We have seen the letters patent, which the Lord Edward, of famous me- mory, formerly King of England, our father, made to the Abbot and Convent of Strat Fleur, in Wales, in these words, Edward, by the grace of God, King of England, Lord of Ireland, and Duke of Aquitain, to all to whom the present letters shall come, greeting; We have seen the charter of Eese, formerly Prince of Wales, and of Griffin Rese, and Meredud, made to the Abbot and Convent of Strat Fleur, in these words, To all the sons of Holy Mother Church, present and to come, Rese, Prince of Wales, greeting and peace : Let it be known to you all, that I, Rese, Proprietary- Prince of South Wales, began to build the venerable monastery called Strat Fleur, and have loved and cherished it when built, increased its property and possessions as much as I have been able (the Lord approving), bestowed on it am})le land in plain and tillage, and hill for the pasture of animals, with a devout mind, for the remedy of the souls of myself, my predecessors, and successors, Iviii HISTORY of strata Florida. as much as was fitting ; and all which donations that I have before given to the same monastery, in the year, from the incarnation of our Lord one thousand one hundred and eighty-four, by the memory of the present writing, I have again confirmed : Also, my three sons, (to wit) Griffin, Eese, and Meredud, the same donation at the same time and place, gave into the hands of the Abbot of Strat Fleur, firmly resolving, before many of the army, in the churchof St.Bridgetat Ehayader,withme,that whatsoever posses- sions and whatsoever goods the same monastery, by virtue of these presents, possesses and keeps, or which, by the grants of Pontiff's, the bounty of Princes, the oblation of faithful men, or other just methods, it shall, by the favour of God, obtain, they shall remain firm, free, and untouched, to the same Monks and their successors, from all secular and ecclesiastical custom and dues, wherein we have caused these things to be expressed in proper words — Nannerth, in its bounds ; that is, Xant hi Wleidast ha Harwy, Gwy hit yn Hedernaul, Herdernaul ; from thence hit Blain ; from thence across unto blain Ystinth, Ystinth in hit unto Tanalogen, Gwaylant Tanalogen hit hi blayn ; from thence directly across unto Marchnant, Marchnant iinto Meuric unto Tey wy, Teywy hit Camdur Yeghan, Camdur Yeghan in hit hit blain ; from thence as it leads Pant Gwenn hit hi Camdur Yawr; afterwards by Camdur across hi ar Hirweyn Cadathen unto Airon, as it leads unto the ditch which is between Tref Coll and Brumrit ditch hit hi blain, vlain hi ditch directly hi bemrnant hi Gelly hir ; from thence directly hit ar huiant between Yuarth Carann and Dinas Dricwyr; from thence as the same river leads unto the Grange, which is called Castel hi Flemys ; from the Grange afterwards on the other side of the river, across the hill, as it leads Xant Guenn hit hi nant between Mais Glas and Trebrith hi nant hit ar Deyvy, Tewy hit hy Mais tref linn, Mais tref linn directly hit in blain- buden, hubuden hit hi Llinn nant Llinn directly across unto Llanerth hi Gnuith wa, Llannerth hi Gnuith wa, directly across the mountain hi ar Gelly Hagharat ; the same mountain is after- wards the bound ; directly across unto Blain Camdur, Camdur as it leads unto Tiwy ; Tiwy, from thence upwards on both sides, hit hi blayn directly afterwards o vlain Tewy hit hi blain Arban, Arban in hit unto Claerwen unto Glan Elan ; from thence unto Groen Gwynnion hi groen directly upwards hi Talluchuit hi ceweir hir Esceir, ar hit unto blain Ptiscant, o vlain liiscant across the mountain unto Llam hir Huber, where the bounds of the before- named land, which is called Nannerth, are intermixed likewise with these bounds which we have taken ; but also whatsoever is contained within the bounds before written by the circuit, in field and wood, in waters and meadows, in feedings, in cultivated and uncultivated, I Piese, and my before-named sons, and all my pos- APPENDIX. lix terity, to the aforesaid Monks of Strat Fleur, and their successors, in perpetual right, do warrant. And these are the names of the more excellent places in the same bounds — Moill gedian, Nann Sylmer, Nann Eyrin, Nann Morant, Writhn Abcoill, Abmethn Stratonmurn, Kelly Camcoid^ Priskenn Emnann, Stratfiur, Eit Vendigait, Dol vawr, Llinngot, Tref hi Gwydel, Einnaun oyer Kellus Brinev deny Escen pireth, Castel Fleniys, Mais Glas. And of the donation of the sons of Cadugan, and of their heirs, and of our Lordship Cewyn hi ryt Esceir Seison, and a half part of Bran- wennion, except Esceir hi tu ar Arth, where the sons of Seilsanc have founded their buildings, Tref boith, with their appendages. And these are the bounds of the same, described by Eese, with his nobility, and also Griffin his son — Abermeilor upwards ar hit arth unto the ditch which flows from the fountain Bleydud, or Eaunaun hu pant in hit unto the ditch Byleyneyt, hi ditcli ar hit unto Pannt Guenn, between Marchdi, and Brinn Llendu hi pant ar hit unto the ditch, which is the bound between Marchdi and the town which is called Aidiscuikyweth, wliich Gwenlleant gave to the aforesaid Monks in perpetual alms, with the advice of us and of our sons. And the ditches aforesaid in the bound is unto the sea, and the sea unto the mouth of the Arth, Arth hit in Aber- meilor, and on the shore and in the sea, from the mouth of the Arth unto the mouth Airon Coreden ; and all the fishing to the aforesaid monastery we give for ever, and also of my own fishery one day and one night in every week. And of all this donation, these are witnesses, the two sons Llandent, Gruffry, and Rees Jorueth son of Edeyrnweyn, Ediorwerth son of Kedynor, two sons of Llewelyn, Gingennen and Cadogan Mereduth son of Rederuth, and Gugan Stacta Gruffuth son of Bledunt, Vabu- dred, and Mereduth son of Enniann, son of Bledunt Werth- ynnyann. Also we have seen a charter of Henry, formerly King of England, made to the aforesaid Abbot and Monks of Strat- fiur, in these words, Henry, by the grace of God, King of Eng- land and Duke of Normandy and Aquitain, and Earl of Anjou, to the Archbishops, Bishops, Abbots, Earls, Barons, Justices, Sheriffs,and all his Ministers and faithful Men of all England and Wales, greeting : Know ye that I have granted, and by this my present charter confirmed, to the Abbot of Stratfiur, and the Monks there serving God, the reasonable donation, which Rese son of Griffin made to them, of the lands underwritten, (to wit) — from the field which is between Hendrev Kynandu and the stream of Buar Thegre, and from thence unto Teywi, and Hir- garth unto Flur and unto Toyvir, and from Llanereth unto Hen- dogen, with their bounds, and from the rivulet which is called Pistrith, from Kelly Agarat unto Toyvy, and from Lispcnnard, and from Strat Fleur witli their Imiinds, and from Kcimen Ix HISTORY OF STRATA FLORIDA. Castle with their bounds, and from Kellyen Anan and from ]\Iais Glas, with their bounds, and from Pennal unto Aironda and uuto Camdor, and from Kevenperveth, with their bounds, and from Kyllyen Vrindenoy and from j\Iaies-bre, with their bounds, and from Fennaunn oyer by Ky thuelyn upwards unto Maies-bre, and from Dresboith and Eywarth unto the sea : wherefore I will and firmly command that the aforesaid j\Ionks shall have and hold all the things underwritten well and in peace, freely and quietly, fully, entirely, and honourably, in wood and plain, in meadows and pastures, in waters and mills, in ways and paths, and in all other places and things, and with all their liberties and free customs, as the charter of the aforesaid Eese witnesseth. Witness, Kichard Bishop of W^inchester, Geoffry Bishop of Ely, and Sefrey Bishop of Chichester, and Peter Bishop of St. David's, Geoffrey Chancellor, my son. Master Walter de Const Archdeacon of Exeter, Ealph de Caumville, Hugh de Morweth, William de Briossa the younger, at Winchester. Also, know ye that I have likewise seen the confirmation which John, formerly King of England, made to the aforesaid Abbot and convent of Strat Eleur, in these words, John, by the grace of God, King of Eng- land, Lord of Ireland, Duke of Normandy and Aquitain, Earl of Anjou, to the Archbishops, Bishops, Abbots, Earls, Barons, Justices, Sheriffs, Ministers, and all his Bailiffs and faithful Men, greeting ; Know ye that we have granted, and by our present charter confirmed, to God and the blessed Virgin Mary, and to the Abbot of Strat Fleur, and to the Cistertian Monks there serving God, all the reasonable gifts which have been given to them as well in ecclesiastical as secular possessions, as the charters of the donors which they have, thereof reasonably witness, moreover, in the commote of Cardigan, that which Mailgon son of Eese demised to us : wherefore we will and firmly command that the aforesaid Abbot and ]\Ionks have and hold all their reasonable gifts well and in peace, as is above written. These being witnesses, William Mareschal Earl of Pembroke, Geoffrey Fitz-Peter Earl of Essex, William Earl of Salisbury, William Briwer, Hugh Bard. Given by the hand of Henryi Archbishop of Canterbury, our Chancellor, at Worcester, the eleventh day of April, in the first year of our reign. And we, the donations and grants aforesaid holding firm and valid the same for us and our heirs, as much as in us lies, do grant and ^ " No Archbishop of Canterbury of the name of Henry occiipied the See of Canterbury before Henry Cliicliele, a.d. 1414-1443. Tlie MS. must have intended to denote Hubert Walter Archbishop of Canterbury, a.d. 119^-1205." APPENDIX. , Ixi confirm, as tlie charters aforesaid reasonably witness ; in testi- mony whereof, we have caused these our letters to be made patent. Witness, ourself at Westminster, the twenty-seventh day of May, in the thirteenth year of our reign. Also, we have seen a charter which Mailgon, the son of Rese formerly Prince of South Wales, made to God and the blessed Mary, and the Monks of Strat Fleur there serving God, in these words, To all the sons of Holy Mother Church, present and to come, who shall see this charter, Mailgon, son of Rese Prince of South Wales, greeting ; Be it known to you all, that we, for the safety of our soul and the souls of our father and mother, and ancestors and successors, and of all our friends and predecessors, for the prosperity of the present life, and likewise in remuneration of future reward, have granted, and by this our present charter confirmed, to God and the blessed Mary, and the Monks of Strat riur, as well present as to come, serving God there for ever, all the donations which the good Prince Rese my father of pious memory, the noble founder of the same monastery, gave to the aforesaid place and the Monks abovesaid, in lands and meadows, in pastures, in waters and moors, in wood and plain, in sea and rivers, in fisheries and fishings, as well of the sea as of rivers, in all liberties and custom^s, goods, possessions, as well moveable as immoveable, far and near, in ports and streets, in towns and castles, above and under the land, and in all other thimfs which they now have and possess, or which they may hereafter have, by the favour of God, hy the bounty of Princes, or the donations of any faithful men, or by any other just methods, that they may have and possess the same well and in peace, freely and quietly, peaceably and lionourably, without any service and secular exaction, entirely without any diminution, in pure and perpetual alms, as well those things liad as those to be had from henceforth, by just methods and titles, at what time soever acquired, wherein we make known these in proper words — Nannerth, with its bounds ; that is, Nant hi Bleidast hit ar wy, Gwy liit en Herdernawl hit hi blain ; from thence across unto Blayn Estoyth, Estoytlien hit unto Tanalogen Gwalant Tana- logen hit hi blayn ; from thence directly across unto Marchnant, Marchnant unto Meuric, Meuric unto Teyvy, Teyvy hit Camdur Baglian, Camdur Baghan in hi hit y blain ; from thence as it leads Pant Guin en hi hit en Camdur Vaur ; afterwards by Camdur, across hit ar Plirwen Cadaithny unto Airon, Ayron as it leads unto the ditch which is between Tref Collh ancl Brynbis ditch hit hi blayn ; hi blain hit ditch directly hit en phennant he gelly hir ; from thence directly hit ar nant between Buarth Carann and Dynass Dricwyr ; from thence as the same river leads Ixii HISTORY OF STRATA FLORIDA. unto the Grange which is called Castel Flemys ; from the Grange afterwards on the other side of the river across the hill, as it leads Pant Guin, Hirthe nant between Mays Glas and Trefbrith hy denant an hit hit ar Teyvy, Teyvy yn hi hit hit mais Treftiinn, mais Trefflinn directly hut hyn Lyn Bathen, Lyn Lyn Bathen hut en nant, Lin nanhillin directly across unto Llannarth Cumdena; O Llannarth Cumdena across the mountain hit ar gelly Agarat; the same mountain afterwards is the bound directly across unto blain Camdor, Camdor as it leads unto Tewy ; Tewy, from tlience upwards on both sides hit hi blayn ; directly afterwards vlain Tewy hit en blayn Arban, Arban en hi hit unto Clarwen, Clarwen unto Elan, Elan from thence unto Groen Gwynnion y groev, directly upwards hi Tal Luchwit ; Tal Luchwit hit Kenyn yr Escair ; ar Esceir ar hi hit unto blayn Eiscant; blayn Eiscant across the mountain unto lain er Vabon, where the bounds of the beforenamed land, which is called Nannarth, are intermixed like- wise with these bounds which we have taken. But whatsoever is contained within the bounds before w^ritten, by the circuit in field and wood, in waters and meadows, and feedings in cultivated and uncultivated, I Mailgon, do confirm and grant to the aforesaid Monks to have for ever. And these are the names of the more excellent places in the same bounds — Moill Gedian, Nant Elmer, Nant Eyrin, Nant Moraut, Britheu, Abcoil, Abmethn, S" Gem- niurn, Gelly Cam Choit, Prishen Eynann, Stratflur,Eit Vendigait, ])ol Vaur, Lloyn y got, Tref Egwydel Eennann, Kellen Brim Deyvy, Esceir p'ueth, Chastel Flemmys, Maes glas ; and of the gift of the soils of Cadugan and their heirs, and of our Lordship, Chenen hi ret Esceir Saisson, and the half part of Branwennen, except Esceir Id tu ayt Arth, where the sons of Seissant have founded their buildings, Tref boith, with their appendages ; and these are the bounds of the same, which Eese my father de- scribed, with his nobles — Abermeiller upwards ar hi hit arth unto the ditch which flows from the mountain Bleidud, Eennann hir pant, pant em hit unto the ditch Bilemed ef ditch ar hi hit unto pant Gwenn, between Marchdi and Brin Houlde he pant ar hi hit unto the ditch which is the bound be- tween j\Iarchdi and the town which is called Ardescinkyweth, which my father Rese of pious memory gave to the aforesaid Monks, by the advice of hib wife and sons, my brothers ; and the ditch aforesaid is the bound unto the sea, and the sea unto the mouth of Arth, Arth hit en Abermeiller, and in the shore, and in the sea, from the mouth of Arth unto the mouth of Airon, the tisheries and all fishings, to the aforesaid Monastery we give for ever ; and also of my own fishery and fishing, one day and one niglit in every week. Also, I confirm to the aforesaid Monks of APPENDIX. Ixiii Stratflur the fisheries of Penwedic, as my father and my brother Griffin gave to them, that no otlier Monks may think they have right there. These being witnesses, Eese the son of Griffin, who hath also strengthened this confirmation by his donation, and Eese the son of Gervase, Eese the son Byderch, Gruffry and Griffin sons of Cadugan, Kenkenerith, Gruffin ap Llanden, Jor- M'erth son of Kedmor, Adam Pammo, Urien son of Kedmor, Eese son of LLanden ; of the religious, Philip Abbot of Strata Marcella, David Abbot of Llhalet, Tait Scissil, Tait Ithell, Aman Sub- prior, Philip the Monk, Godfrey de Morgan. Given the eleventh kalends of February, at the house of Strat Fleur, in the year one thousand one hundred and ninety-eight from the incarnation of the Lord. Also, we have seen a charter which Eese son of Eese made to God and the blessed Mary, and the Monks aforesaid, in these words, To all the sons of Holy Mother Church who shall see the present charter, Eese son of Eese, greeting. We make it known to you all that we have given and granted, and by this my present charter confirmed, for the safety of the soul of my- self, and my father and mother, and my ancestors and successors, to God and the blessed Mary, and the Monks of Stratfleur, in pure and perpetual alms, free and quit from all service and exaction, as well secular as ecclesiastical, these lands, with their bounds and appurtenances, as are more fully bounded and de- scribed in the charters of Mailgon my brother, who first gave them (to wit) — Marchdi Maur and Marchdi Bichan by their bounds, Penevet Eossan, and Escheir Mamtenill ar hi hit and rywannon, with their limits and bounds, and Blayn pistell with their bounds, and Kellygwenyn with their bounds and appur- tenances. I Eese gave these lands to the aforesaid Monks for ever, in wood and plain, in meadows and pastures, in waters and moors, in fisheries and fishings, on or beneath the land, in all liberties and customs, by all things and in all things, as the charter of Mailgon my brother witnesses and describes ; and moreover, I have given to the holy monastery of Stratfieur my body at last, to be buried wheresoever and by whatsoever death it shall happen to fall. And also all the donations which my father of pious memory gave to the same monastery, I have altogether granted, as amongst other things my charter more fully contains. I have made this donation to the monastery and Monks of Strat Fleur, in the year from the incarnation of the Lord, one thousand one hundred and ninety-eight, the nine- teenth kalends of January, in the chapter house before the convent. Witnesses, Aman Sub-prior, Ithell and Elider, Monks, and of the secular witnesses Owyn Barath, son of Howell EUder son of Ovvin Gwyan Seys, and Maeredud his brotlier, Cadugan Ixiv HISTORY OF STRATA FLORIDA. son of Owiii Vat, Gref Jer'n Wyneii, and many others. We have inspected a charter of Kese son of Gruffin, son of Rese the Great, which he made to God and the blessed ^lary, and to the aforesaid Monks in these words. To all the sons of Holy Mother Church, who shall see this charter, Eese sou of Gritiin, son of Eese the Great, greeting. I make it known to you'all that I have given and granted to the Monks of Strattleur serving God and the blessed ]\Iary there, for the remedy of my soul and of tlie souls of my parents, in pure and perpetual alms, all the donations which ray father Griffin of pious memory, and my grandfather Eese and all his sons gave, as their charters witness ; and the names of the principal places are these— Eid Vendiget in all its bounds and appurtenances, Finann ojr in all its bounds and appurtenances, Castel Flemys in all its bounds and appur- tenances, Eywaunon, Finan Mebwyn, in all its bounds and appurtenances, as in the charters of Mailgon is contained, Coyt Maur in the bounds which the charter of Eese the younger, son of Eese the Great, bounds, Morva and Dien jMarchdi, and from jNIarchdi unto Caledan and Ardisthyn Kenet, Kenen Gwar- thanarth Gorthwynt Branweuen; these places in all the appur- tenances and bounds which the charters that the same Monks have, witness — ^Nlorva Bichan in the bounds which the charter of Mailgon bounds ; Treffmaes in all its bounds, Sanau Sky in the bounds which Gruffin, son of Cadugan, gave in perpetual alms to the aforesaid Monks, Y Tywarthen, Lan Vessil, Argoyt y Gwenneb Bancharum ; these places in all their bounds and appurtenances, Taffloget pull peirant bottoll in all the bounds which the charters of the aforesaid jNIonks of the same places sliew, Treff Bryn in the bounds which the charter of Mailgon bounds, Stratfyn, Y groen guenynoun in all the bounds which the charter of Gruffin, my father, shews, Kenenely in all its bounds and appurtenances, Aberdehonwy in all its bounds and appurtenances, Abcoel Lanmadauc in all its bounds and appur- tenances, Nant IMorant, and Xanheirth Cuingoybedauc in all its bounds. Moreover all the pasture of Cantrefmaur, and Cantref- baghan, and of the four Cantreds of Cardigan, and especially of Penwedic, in the same manner and the same bounds which the charter of Mailiron bounds, given to the aforesaid Monks of the pasture Penwedoc ; also the whole land which is between Tywy and Yrvon o blain Tywy hit y Ditorna in yar blain pull ywarth unto Blayn Trosnant, in Trosnant unto Tywy, from thence as Tywy leads unto Canidor, from Camdor hit y Blayn ; also the whole land which is called Elennyth, as the charters of the aforesaid Monks of the same land witness ; the pasture also of Comot Deudor, as in the charters of the same Monks is more APPENDIX. Ixv fully contained. All the lands, and all the pastures beforenamed, or also whatsoever other lands or pastures whatsoever, in and upon the laud, in rivers, in the sea, and wheresoever the afore- said Monks by the grant of Pontiffs, the bounty of Princes, the oblation of faithful men, or by whatsoever other just methods, by the favour of God, have obtained, I give and grant to the same Monks in all liberties and good customs. And this dona- tion, with the first seal which I had, I have confirmed, and before this charter I have given uone other to any man, nor had I any seal before this with which I have confirmed this charter. And this donation is made in tlie year from the incarnation of our Lord, 1202. These being witnesses, Maud my mother, Eese son of Reder, Henr. Bican, Adam my clerk, Abraham the Monk, Brother Bledyn, Brother lorn. Brother William, Brother Dristan, Brother Ivor Perenbas. We have also seen the charter which Mailgon the younger, son of Mailgon, son of Eese, Prince of South Wales, made to God and the blessed Mary and the afore- said Monks, in these words. To all the sons of Holy Church, as well present as to come, who shall inspect this charter, Mail- gon the younger, son of Mailgon, son of Eese, Prince of South Wales, greeting in the Lord ; I will that it come to the know- ledge of you all, that for the safety of my soul and of the souls of my father and mother, and of my wife, and my ancestors and successors, I have given and granted, and by my present charter confirmed, to God and the blessed Mary, and the Monks of Stratflur, for me and my heirs, in pure and perpetual alms, all the donations, grants, and liberties, which my father of venerable memory, Mailgon, the son of Eese, gave to the same Monks, in lands and pastures and meadows, in waters and moors, in wood and plain, in the sea and rivers, in fisheries aud fishings as well of the sea and seaports as of rivers, in all liberties and customs, goods and possessions, as well moveable as immoveable, upon land and under land, and in all other things and possessions which the same Monks now hold and possess, by the bounty of Princes or the donation of any of the faithful, or by any other just means whatsoever, free from all service and exaction as well ecclesiastical as secular, quit from all molestation or grievance for ever, as the charters of the Lord Mailgon, my father, and other donors, in more ample and extensive terms declare ; the principal places of which are these (to wit) Stratflur, in which place the monastery is situate, wuth its bounds and appurtenances, Eyt Vendigitt, Henwanathlot,^ Bryn hop, Keven Ghastell, Luen y goc, and Dol vaur, Tref y Gwydel, as the river which is called ^ Hen Monachlog. See Arch. Camb., vol. iii, p. 112. e Ixvi HISTORY OF STRATA FLORIDA. Marchnaut flows into another river called Meurer, diiy Taflogen, with their bounds and appurtenances, Palpeirant with its bounds and appurtenances, yr Esceir perneth, Esceir y Pernygnant hot coll Herngt Lywarth between Eytnant and Meryn Kilniedur, Kef Piyn, Fynnann oyr, Bryn cherlyth, Kellyev Yycheyn, Kelhev Bryu Doyvy, Castell Flemmys, Maes glas Treflyn, dynas Drihwyr unto Ayron, tref y Coll with their bounds and appur- tenances, Bryn y rith, Escheir Saissan, Buarth Carann, riw an hym, Kelliiev Eumbyn, Escheir Mayntenyll, Pencoed Rossan, Kelly ar Gweynyn, Kelhiev Egarat, Buarth Elharth, according to the bounds which are contained in the charters of the Monks, Fynnann Mebwyu with the bounds which the Monks have in their charters, Yr Havot wen, Talpout gloyned. Hen Vorgon, Tref y beny, Mendyn Castell Dynanvel, Tref y Gendu, Y Morva, Y Drefboyth, Y Pander o nant y fyn unto the well Bleydud, Airdifkyn, Kenet Bryn, Llauden, IMarchdi Vighan, Keuen Gwarthanarth, Cair treu hir, Marchdi maur, Morva mauhelheth, blayn sait Tranwenhen, Kyman-wynet, Gurthwynt with their bounds and appurtenances, Dyneird and Dref Ladhen with their bounds and appurtenances, Y Morva Vichan, Tref mais sanyn yky, Ty warthen Penwedic, Kan earn dhan Vessill Argoid y Gum weyn, Talpont cucull, Castell Gughan, Castellan, as the charters of the j\Ionks contain ; Yr hen Chan nant Girint with Gwybe- dauc Nannerd Ewy ab Edarvaull hit y blain, and treamlquyn, and the whole land of Elenyth, as the charters of all the donors declare, Y Briden' Eyn avanawl ab corll, Y groen gwy- nnion, Llanvadauc with their bounds and appurtenances, Ystratfyn with its bounds and appurtenances, Nantbey, groen gwynnyon, and the whole pasture of Cardigan, except the por- tions which belong to the Monks of "Whitehouse, and of Cuni- hyr, as in the cyrographs [?] are contained. Therefore all the before named lands and pastures, with all their bounds and appurtenances, in fields and woods, in meadows and waters, in moors and feedings, in cultivated and uncultivated, and all other the donations, grants, and Kberties before named ; moreover the liberty of buying and selling, and of exercising all their busi- nesses, in all my lands and demesne, and liberty and acquitt- ance of all toll, and passage, and pontage, and of all other customs and exactions to me belonging, either upon land or in the sea, or seaports, and in towns and castles, or in all other places of my lordship, to the same Monks I do give, grant, and by my present charter confirm, all contradiction and appeal being removed for ever. And because I will that this my dona- tion and confirmation may remain firm and unshaken for ever, I have strengthened the present writing with the impression of APPENDIX. Ixvii my seal. These being witnesses, the Lord Mailgon son of Eese, Morgan son of Eese, M. Archdeacon of Cardigan, David then Prior of Stratflur, Ithell Monk of Diermuth, the convent of the same place, and many others. And we the donations, grants, and confirmations aforesaid holding firm and valid, the same for us and our heirs, as much as in us lies, to our beloved in Christ the Abbot and convent of the said place of Stratflur and their successors, grant, and confirm as the letters and charters above- said reasonably testify, and as the same Abbot and convent of Sti-atflur and their predecessors, the lands and tenements afore- said, with the appurtenances, have hitherto held, and the liber- ties and acquittances aforesaid, have reasonably used and enjoyed. In testimony whereof we have caused these our letters to be made patent. Witness ourself at "Westminster the 10th day of November, in the fourteenth year of our reign.^ And we the donations, grants, and confirmations aforesaid holding firm and valid, the same for us and our heirs, as much as in us lies, to our beloved in Christ, Meredith, the now Abbot, and the convent of the said place and their successors for ever, do grant and confirm, as the charters and letters aforesaid reasonably testify. Moreover willing to do further grace in this behalf to the afore- said Abbot and convent, we have granted for us and our heirs, and by this charter confirmed to the same Abbot and convent, that although they or their predecessors the liberties, acquitt- ances, in the aforesaid charters and letters contained, or in either of them, in any case arising, have not hitherto used, nevertheless the same Abbot and convent, and their successors, all the liber- ties and acquittances aforesaid, and every of them, may hereafter fully enjoy and use without the hindrance or impediment of us or our heirs, or of the Justices, Escheators, Sheriffs, or other Bailiffs or Ministers whomsoever, for ever. Moreover, whereas the same Abbot and convent, and their men and tenants in the county of Cardigan, who, in pleas and other plaints against them moved of those things which arise in the same county,, ought to answer at Lampadarn in the same county, are now forced to answer at Carmarthen and divers other places out of the county aforesaid, by our Justice of South Wales and other our Ministers there, in such pleas and plaints within the same county so arising, and on that occasion are unduly vexed with expenses and divers labours, whereby many alms and the celebration of masses, which for us and our progenitors and heirs ought there to be made, are frequently (as we are informed) subtracted ; they have therefore besought us that we would be careful to ' A.i>. 1229. Ixviii HISTOEY OF STRATA FLORIDA. provide for their indemnity in this behalf. We willing graci- ously to provide for their security and quiet, and that the said Monks may, with greater tranquility, be able to attend such divine services, and more wholesomely sustain the said alms in this behalf, have granted for us and our heirs, and by this our charter confirmed, to the aforesaid Abbot and convent, that they and their successors, and their men and tenants at Lampadarn, within the said county of Cardigan, where the sessions of our Justice of South Wales and of our court for those things which there arise, are held in such pleas and plaints and other causes against them moved, and within the said county of Cardigan, arising before the aforesaid Justice for the time being, and other our Ministers there, and not elsewhere, may answer according to the laws and customs of those parts ; and that the same Abbot and convent, or their successors, or their men and tenants afore- said, of those things which within the said county shall so arise, shall not be forced, nor in any wise compelled, nor in any manner howsoever bound to answer out of the said county of Cardigan, except of such pleas and plaints as touch us or our heirs, or in any case in which any of ^such pleas and plaints before the Justice of South Wales, or other the Ministers of us or our heirs, may not be pleaded and determined according to the laws and customs abovesaid ; saving always to us and our heirs the fines, ransoms, and amerciaments, and other profits of the afore- said Abbot and convent and their successors, and of their tenants, which to us and our heirs, by reason of such pleas and plaints, of right pertain, and ought to pertain ; these being wit- nesses, the venerable Fathers, J. Archbishop of Canterbury, Primate of all England, our Chancellor, H. Bishop of Lincoln, our Treasurer, E. Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield, Eichard, Earl of Arundel, Ealph Basset of Drayton, Henry de Ferrars, Eobert de Uffow, Steward of our Household, and others. Given by our hand at Leycester, the second day of October, in the tenth year of our reign.^ We have also seen the charter of Kavan, son of Meredith, son of Owen, made to God and the blessed Mary and the Monks abovesaid, in these words. To all the sons of Holy Church, present and to come, Cavan, the son of Meredith, son of Owen, greeting and peace. I make known to you all that I have given and granted, and by this my present charter confirmed, for me and my heirs and successors whom- soever, to God and the blessed Mary and the Monks of Stratflur, for the relief of my soul and the souls of my ancestors and successors, in pure, free, and perpetual alms, all the lands and ' A.D. 1336. APPENDIX. " Ixix tenements, donations, legacies, sales, grants, feedings, pastures, and liberties, which my ancestor of pious memory, the Lord Eese the Great, Prince of South Wales, and all his sons and grandsons, and which the Lord Mered. of good memory, the son of Owen, my father, and all other my ancestors, also Owen and Griffin, my brothers, and other the faithful, either by gift or purchase, or by any other just means, have given and conferred in, upon, or under the land, in pastures and meadows, in waters and moors, in wood and plain, in land cultivated and unculti- vated, in fisheries and fishings as well of the sea and seaports as of rivers, in all liberties and good customs, and possessions as well moveable as immoveable, hitherto had or now to be had, entirely, freely, and quietly, from all service and exaction, eccle- siastical and secular, and from any suit whatsoever, as they have been, and more fully heretofore possessed, in more ample and more extensive terms and bounds, or hereafter shall i)ossess, certain places and bounds whereof we do point out and name by their proper names, (that is to say,) Stratflur, in which place the monastery is situate, with all its bounds and appurtenances, Eedvendygheyt, Henvynatloc, with its appurtenances, Bryn hop, Keven Castell, Lloen y goc, Dol vaur, Tref y goydhell, Kilned- brive, Tref unwc, Strat Meurer, except the acres of the Lepers, of which they have special charters, Dwc tafflogeb, Pwll Perran, Bot Coll, in all their bounds and appurtenances, Tref vaes yelafdy, Fennaun oyer in all their bounds, Kellyev Esgeyr Per- nerth, Ynys Vorgan, Castell Flemys, Mays glas, Dynas Dricwyr unto Ayron, Treilyn tref Ecott, Trefigoidhel, blain Airon, Esgeir Saisson, in all their bounds and appurtenances, Riwc Anhiri, Kelly Arionvrive bryn Perueth Eskeir vayn tenyll Pencoet, Rossan Kelliev, gwonyn Kelliev Y garad Buerth Elath, except the part of the Nunns of Eennann Vebwynn, Havotwen, Castell, Dy navel, Tref wywedu, Tref y bemyth hen, Voror Mendyn v^dth all their appurtenances, Morva niaur, dev Marchdi, and from thence unto Kaledan Ardifkyn, Kyveth Keven guarth avarth, blain Satth, bryn Llanden, with all their bounds and appurtenances, the half part of Browennen, Keman Vynnyd, Gurthwynt with all their appurtenances, Dynerth and Treff- lathen with all their bounds and appurtenances, Morva Bichan with all its bounds, Alwen in its bounds, Guergland hallt, dro Ecappell with its appurtenances. Pant Kendelo with all its bounds and appurtenances in the land^ and in the sea and sea shores, Treffnaes with all its appurtenances, Sauen Eky in all the bounds which Griffin, the son of Cadugan, gave to the same Monks, Tywarthen Penwedhit Bancarv Llanvessih, Argoit Eg- venyn, Talpont Cucull, Castell Gughan, Castellan, with all their Ixx HISTORY OF STRATA FLORIDA. bounds and appurtenances, as the charters of the Monks con- tain ; at Abelaragh four acres and a meadow, also eight acres and a meadow in the land which is called Llethwedllvyden, with all the other acres which the same monks have at Keven ywanurrech Driffryn Elan with all their bounds, Nant Morant, Naut Elmer, Nant Eyryn, Cumgoybedanc, Dyffryn Edervawl Treavil gwyn goletyr, Maen Nannerth goy, with all their bounds and appurtenances, Abercoill, Brithen bz we, Avanaul Llanva- dauc. Cully n, Talluchynt, with all their bounds and appurte- nances, Ab' de Hony with all its appurtenances and tenements, Kevenoly with all its bounds and appurtenances, as in the charters of the Monks is more fully contained ; also all the land and pasture of Elenyth, in all its bounds and appurte- nances; also all the land of Xantvey and Trefflath Pullburwe with all their 'bounds and appurtenances ; and that all scruple or ambiguity in every part of the said donations and liberties, which to the said religious men I have given and granted, may hereafter be altogether taken away and removed, especi- ally all and singular the goods which by shipwreck or tem- pest of the sea, the destruction of any ship or vessel %vhat- soever, or by wreck or in any other manner or case whatso- ever, to any lands whatsoever of the said Monks shall come, or by any misfortune fall, and chiefly in all the maritime lands of the same Monks of Morva Maur (to wit) from Aber Caledan unto Aber Arth, and in all the lands of Morva Bichan, which are held and extended near the sea ; also in the lands of Allwen Ewyr glandhallt in their bounds and appurtenances on both sides Ystoyth, and in the acre called Erowe Ecapell, and in their maritime bounds; likewise in the land of the Monks called Pont Kendelo in all its bounds and appurtenances ; also all and whatsoever things and goods in the cases above ex- pressed, which upon the lands of the said Monks, or the shores or banks of the same, on in the sea opposite the lands and bounds of the same Monks, in, near, or afar off, shall be thrown, and found or taken, I have, for me and my heirs and succes- sors wbomsoever, given and granted (all contradiction removed) quietly, peaceably, and w^holly to the aforesaid Monks of Strat- tlur for ever ; and especially whatsoever shall be thrown or found in all the lands and bounds of the Monks, as well in the sea and sea-shore as out of the sea (to wit) — in ships, skiffs, and tuns, and other vessels whatsoever ; in wine, honey, and beer, and other liquor whatsoever ; likewise in wheat and in all kinds of corn ; in fish, flesh, and all other victuals what- soever; in money, of gold or silver, or other money whatso- ever ; in precious stones, rings, and jewels whatsoever ; in APPENDIX. Ixxi garments and cloths of whatsoever colour ; in skins, hides, and cattle ; in salt and iron, and other metal whatsoever ; and more- over in all other things, goods, and commodities whatsoever ; any secular custom and demand, exaction, or contradiction of the lordship of us, or of our heirs or successors whomsoever, notwithstanding, to the aforesaid religious men, I have wholly- conferred, given and granted, and by this my present charter confirmed. Moreover, all the lands and pastures of the said religious men, I have likewise given and granted to them free and quit, that no other person, secular or ecclesiastic, at any time of the year, shall have any commoning in any of the lands, pastures, and woods of the same Monks ; nor at any time shall any one, as of custom, dare or presume to challenge or demand to himself any common or vicinage in the said lands and pas- tures and woods to the prejudice of the said religious men; but the said religious men shall keep and hold all their lands, pastures, and woods to their own use, and without any chal- lenge and demand shall peaceably possess the same. Also, I have given to the said Monks free liberty and license to make and construct a weir in the river Ystoth, where the said religi- ous men have lands on both sides of the river, whensoever and as often as they shall please and to them it shall seem expedient. Also, I have given and granted to the said Monks liberty at all times to buy and sell and to exercise all their businesses, in all my lands and all my lordship, and liberty ; and acquittance of all toll, passage, or pontage, and of all other customs, exactions, and demands to me, and to my heirs and successors whomsoever belonging or appertaining, either on land or sea, or in sea-ports or on the sea-shore, in towns, castles, or also in all other places of my lordship. And whatsoever the aforesaid Monks of Strat- flur, in all my lands which I have, or which by the favour of God I*hereaf ter shall have, of lands and pastures, or other goods and things whatsoever, either by purchase or by oblation of the living, or by the testament and last will of the dead, or by any just means may obtain, it shall, for me and my heirs and suc- cessors for ever, be firm and unshaken to them. Therefore all the lands and pastures and woods aforesaid, with all their bounds and appu'rts, and moreover all the donations, grants and confir- matioQS, and the liberties above expressed and named, in fields and woods, in wood and plain, in land arable and not arable, in meadows, feedings and pastures, in ground cultivated and un- cultivated, in land, upon land and under land, in the sea and in the ports and shores of the sea, to the abovenamed Monks of Stratflur, for me and all my heirs and successors whomsoever, I am bound wholly to keep, defend, and maintain, and also to Ixxii HISTORY OF STRATA FLORIDA. warrant against all men and women, and to keep quiet and peaceable in all things, and this in all the places and lands which I now have and possess, and which hereafter I shall pos- sess, and insomuch as by God's disposal my donation shall ex- tend all the aforesaid donations, grants, confirmations and liberties, to the aforesaid religious men, I have, for me and all my heirs and successors whomsoever, given, conferred, and granted, and also confirmed, for ever. Therefore, whosoever of my heirs and successors, these my donations, grants, confirma- tions and liberties, shall hold firm and unshaken, and the same shall increase and confirm with his seal, shall be filled with every heavenly benediction and grace, and shall be blessed with the dew of heaven above and the fatness of the earth below : but he who shall attempt to infringe or weaken the same, may God weaken him and take him quickly from the face of the earth, and let not his name be written amongst the just in the Book of Life ; but may he in the end incur the indignation and curse of God Almighty and His glorious Mother, and all the saints and elect of God, and my own. Therefore that all the faithful these my donations, grants, liberties, and confirmations may hold, and keep valid, firm, and acceptable for ever, and that no man may ever infringe the same, I have strengthened them with the impression of my seal. These being witnesses, the Lord Aman then Abbot of Stratflur, Gervase Prior, Adam Sub- prior, John son of the master, Cadugan Orach and Llewelyn Bach, Monks of the said House of Converts, Brother Madoc the son of Gowigeneb, Aman Voil, masters of the sheep and cows. Brother Griffin, and Brother Meiler the son of Llewelyn of the seculars ; Owen son of Griffin, then Archdeacon of Cardi- gan, Llewelyn son of Remoric, then Dean of Upper Ayron, Cadugan son of Griffin Glassour, and INIaster Traharn Cogh, Griffin son of Meredith, my brother, Owen son of Morgan, son of Eyvann, Owen son of Morgan ap Eees, Hoel son of William Coch, Tharn son of Philip, Gwillim ap Philip, Griffin son of Gourgenev Vichan, and others. And we, the donations, grants, and confirmations aforesaid, liolding firm and valid the same for us and our heirs, as much as in us lies, to our beloved in Clirist Llewelyn the new Abbot, and the convent of the said place, and to their successors for ever, do grant and confirm, as the charters and letters aforesaid reasonably testify. Moreover, willing to do the aforesaid Abbot and convent more abundant grace in this behalf, we have granted for us and our heirs, and by this our charter confirmed, to the same Abbot and convent, that although they, or any of their predecessors, the liberties and acquittances in the aforesaid letters and charters contained, or APPENDIX. Ixxiii either of them in any case arising, have not hitherto used, nevertheless the same Abbot and convent and their successors, all the liberties and acquittances aforesaid, and every of them, may hereafter fully enjoy and use, without the hindrance or impediment of us or our heirs, or of our Justices, Escheators, Sheriffs, or other of our Bailiffs, or Ministers whomsoever, for ever. Moreover, of our special grace we have granted to the aforesaid Llewelyn now Abbot of Stratflur, and the convent of the same place, that they and their successors for ever may have free warren in all their demesne lands in the counties of Cardigan and Carmarthen ; so nevertheless that the same lands be not within the metes of our forest, so that no one may enter the same lands to chase in the same, or to take anything which to warren belongs, without the license and will of the said Abbot and convent or their successors, upon forfeiture to us of £10. Wherefore we will and firmly command, for us and our heirs, that the aforesaid Abbot and convent and their successors for ever, have free warren in all their aforesaid demesne lauds ; so nevertheless that the same lands be not within the metes of our forest, so that no one may enter the same to chase therein, or to take anything which to warren belongs, without the license and will of the said Abbot and convent or their successors, upon forfeiture to us of £10, as is aforesaid. These being witnesses, A.^ Bishop of St. David's, and K. Bishop of Landaff, the Prior of Carmarthen, Gry de Briene, William Banastre of Haden Hall, our Justice of South Wales, and others. Given at Carmarthen the twenty-eighth day of October in the year of the reign of our most dear father and lord the King of EuQiand the 43rd, and of his reign of France the 30th, and of our Princedom of Wales the 27th.^ And we, the donations, orants, and confirmations afore- said, holding firm and valid the same for us and our heirs, as much as in us lies, do accept, approve, ratify, and the same to our beloved in Christ, Llewelyn now Abbot of the place afore- said, and the convent of the same place, and their successors, by the tenor of these presents, do grant and confirm for ever, as the charters and letters aforesaid reasonably testify ; and as the same Abbot and convent and their predecessors, the lands and possessions aforesaid have reasonably had and held, and as they do now at present have and hold, and as they have hitherto reasonably used and enjoyed the liberties and customs afore- said. In testimony whereof we have caused these our letters to be made patent. Witness, ourself at Westminster, the 1 Adam Houghton, 1361-1380. 2 A.D. 1369. Ixxiv IIISTORV OF STRATA FLORIDA. twentieth day of October, in the fourth year of our reign.^ And we, the charters and letters aforesaid of such liberties, privileges, and acquittances not revoked, we do by the advice and assent of the Lords spiritual and temporal being in our parliament, holden at Westminster in the first year of our reign, approve, ratify, and confirm, as the charters and letters afore- said reasonably testify, and as the same Abbot and convent, the same liberties, privileges, and acquittances, and every of them, from the time of the making of the charter and letters aforesaid, have been accustomed hitherto reasonably to use and enjoy. In testimony whereof, witness the King, at Westminster, the eighth day of July.^ "By Writ of Privy Seal. "Translated from an examined office copy of the original copy. " Jon** Hewlett. " [Transcribed from a copy in the possession of James Davies, Esq., Moorcourt, county of Hereford, by the Eev. W. J. Eees, Eector of Cascob, county of Eadnor, July 13, 1833.]" Calendar of Patent Bolls, Henry VII. Vol. 12. 23 Henry VII, p. 2, 1507-08. (9) 23. " 4 March. " Inspeximus and confirmation to the abbot and convent of Strata florida or Stratfleur, in Wales, of patent, 8 July, 3 Henry VI [p. 2, m. 5], inspecting and confirming patent, 20 Oct., 4 Eichard II [p. 1, m. 13], inspecting and confirming a patent of Edward prince of Wales, dated 28 Oct., 43 Edward III, and 27th year of his princedom, inspecting and confirming with an additional grant of free warren, the following grants, viz.: — " I. Charter, 2 Oct. 10 Edw. Ill [No. 9] inspecting and con- firming, with additional grant, "charter" [patent], 10 Nov., 14 Edw. II [p. 1, m. 6] inspecting and confirming with additional privileges. " A. Patent, 27 May, 13 Edw. I [Welsh Eoll, 13 Edw. I, m. 2] inspecting and confirming. " 1. A charter of Eesus prince of Wales and his three sons Griffin, Eesus, and Meredith, founding and granting possession to the said monastery of Stratfleur. " 2. A charter of Henry II, dated at Winchester, confirming a grant of Eesus, son of Griffin. 1 A.D. 1380. '^ A.D. 1423. APPENDIX. IXXV " 3. Charter, 6^ April, 1 John [p. 2, m. 15] confirming all the donations made to the monastery. " B. A charter of Maylgun, son of Eesus, prince of South Wales, dated 22 Jan. a.d. 1198. " c. A charter of Eesus, son of Eesus, dated 14 Dec. a.d. 1198. "D. A charter of Eesus, son of Griffin, son of Eesus the Great, dated a.d. 1202. " E. A charter of Mailgon, junior, son of Mailgon, son of Eesus, prince of South Wales. " II. A charter of Cananus, son of Meredith, son of Oweyn, to the same monastery." Patent Roll, 23 Henry VII, imrt 2, m-. (9) 23. " D' confirmac'one p' Abb'e de Strata Florida. " E' Om'ib' ad quos et c' sal'm Inspexim' I'ras patentes .... Nos autem donac'o'es coucessiones et confirmac'o'es p'd'c'as ratas h'entes et gHas eas p' nob' et heredib' n'ris quantu' in nob' est acceptam^ approbam' ratificam' et eas dil'c'is nob' in X'p'o Llonuuc Abb'i loci p'd'c'i et eiusdem loci Conuentui et eor' successorib^ tenore p'senciu' imp'p'm concedim^ et confirmam' sicut carte et I're p'd'c'e r'onabilit' testant' et p'ut iidem Abbas et conuentus et eor' p'decessores t'ras et possessiones p'd'c'as r'onabilit' h'uerunt et tenuerunt et iam in p'senti li'ent et tenent et lib'tatib' et consuetudinib' p'd'c'is hucusq' r^onabilit' usi sunt et gauisi. " In cuius rei testimoniu' has I'ras n'ras fieri fecim' patentes. " T' me ip'o apud Westm' vicesimo die Octobr' anno regni n'ri quarto. " Nos autem carta (sic) et I'ras p'd'c'as de huiusmodi lib'tatib' priuilegiis et quietanciis minime reuocatis de auisiamento et assensu d'nor' sp'ualiu' et temporaliu' in parliamento n'ro apud Westui' anno regui n'ri primo tento existenciu' approbam' ratifi- cam' et confirmam' p'nt carte et I're p'd'c'e testant' et p'nt iidem abbas et conuentus lib'tatib' priuilegiis et quietanciis p'd'c'is uti debent . Ip'iqu' et eor' p'decessores Abb'is et Conuentus loci p'd'c'i lib'tatib' priuilegiis et quietanciis illisetear' qual't a tem- pore confecc'o'is cartar' et I'rar' p'd'c'ar' hactenus r'onabilit' uti et gaudere consueuerunt. In cuius rei testimoniu' has I'ras n'ras fieri fecim' patentes. 1 " Sexto'' : — but it is the 11th April in the charter roll of John and in the inspeximuses thereof to Henry VI inclusive. Ixxvi HISTORY OF STKATA FLORIDA. " T' me ip'o apud Westm' octauo die Julii anno regni n'ri t'cio. " Nos autem I'ras cartas concessiones et confirmac'o'es p'd'c'as ac om'ia et singula in eisdem contenta rata h'entes et g*ta eap' nob' et lieredib' n'ris quantu' in nob' est acceptam' et approbam' ac dil'c'is nob' Abb'i et Conuentni loci p'd'c'i et successorib' suis ratificam' et confirmani' p'nt I're et carte p'd'c'e r'onabilit' testant'. "In cuius et c'. " T' Ee apud Westm' quarto die Marcis." [Translation.] " Concerning the confirmation for the abbot of Strata Florida. "The King, to all to whom, etc., greeting. We have in- spected the Letters patent .... And we, holding the gifts, grants, and confirmations aforesaid firm and valid, for us and our heirs, as much as in us lies do accept, approve, ratify them, and do grant and confirm them to our very dear in Christ Llonuuc/ abbot of the place aforesaid, and to the convent of the same place, and to their successors for ever by the tenor of these presents, as the charters and letters /iforesaid reasonably witness, and as the same abbot and convent and their predecessors reasonably had and held, and now in the present time have and hold, the lands and possessions aforesaid, and hitherto reasonably used and enjoyed the liberties and customs aforesaid. In witness whereof we have caused these our Letters patent to be made. y " Witness ourself at Westminster, on tlie 20th day of October, in the fourth year of our reign.'^ " And we clo approve, ratify, and confirm the charters and Letters patent of such liberties, privileges, and acquittances, by no means revoked by the advice or assent of the lords spiritual and temporal being in our parliament held at Westminster, in the first year of our reign, as the charters and letters aforesaid witness, and as the same abbot and convent ought to use the liberties, privileges, and ac(|uittances aforesaid, and the same and their predecessors, abbots and convents of the place afore- said, hitherto reasonably were accustomed to use and enjoy those liberties, pri\dleges, and acquittances, and every of them, from the time of the making of the charters and letters aforesaid. In witness whereof we have caused these our Letters patent to be made. 1 Llewelyn. 2 ^.D. L380. APPENDIX, Ixxvii " Witness ourself at Westminster, on the 8th day of July, in the third year of our reign.^ " And we, holding the charters, grants, and confirmations aforesaid, and all and singular the things in the same contained firm and valid, for us and our heirs, as much as in us lies do accept and approve of those things, and do ratify and confirm them to our very dear the ahbot and convent of the same place and to their successors, as the letters and charters aforesaid reasonably witness. " In (witness) whereof, etc. " Witness the King at Westminster, on the 4th day of March" [A.D. 1508]. Coining in Wales. Letters and Papers, Foreign and Domestic, Henry VIII. Vol. vii, p. 477. "Examinations before the King's Commissioners in the Marches of Wales, at Shrewsbury, 1 October, 26 Hen. VIII. [1534.] " No. 1225, 2 Oct., E. 0. " Ivan ap Ho'll, of th'age of xl yeres, weuer, of the lordship of Talgarth, saith that the Saturdaye bifor mydsomer day last past he wente from the house of Thomas ap Guill'm in Strate- flere into the chamber of Dan^ Eichard Smyth into the abbay ther, and by reason that he promysed fortnight bifor to brynge to the saied Dan Eichard certain moulds to coyne grots, the said Dan Eichard u]3on the said Setterday in the mornyng came barelegged to the lodgyng of this deponent, requyrying hym to com to hire masse, saying that he had fyer and all other thynges redye to make the said coyne. Whereupon this deponent cam Immediately to the chamber of the said Dan Eichard, fyndyng ther in the said chamber fyer redye made and a Iron pan to melte metall in, and after the said Dan Eichard fette the hed of a tyn spone from a wall plate ther, and toke it to this deponent, which put the same in the Iron pan' and melted it, and w't (with) the same coyned two grots in two moulds, the said Dan Eichard standynge bye and lokyng upon hym, and the dore faste shutte upon theym ; and when this deponent and the said Dan Eic^ p'rceyued that the prynts of the said grots being in the said molds were not so p'rfecte as the prynt of a grote, they caste oute the said 1 A.D. 1425. ^ A title commonly given to monks. Ixxviii HISTORY OF STRATA FLORIDA. molds w't (with) the ij grots iu theym owte of the wyn- dowe, and an oth'r nioncke of the same house, walkyng bye the same wyndow, p'ceyvying the said molds caste owte, toke theym uppe and broiighte theym to his abbot ; whereupon the said Abbot came to the Dore of the said Dan Eic', knocking thereat, whom this deponent let in, the said abbot asking what savor was in the chamber, and what they did caste owte at the wyndowe, and what the Iron pot did ther ; whereunto this deponent saied that they did nothyng therew'th. Whereuppon the sayd abbot arrested this deponent and the said Dan Eichard, and layed theym fast in Irons. " ffurther he saitli, that he found the said moulds in the house of oon (one) Hopkins ap David ap Eichard, which was there lefte by Eichard Vaugh'n, who remayneth in Ward in the castell of Wygmore, as Cecyle ap Jankyn reaported unto this deponent ; and he saith that this was the firste and the laste that eii'r he made. " All which moulds and other instruments therunto belong- ing were sende to master Secretary to London by my lord fferrers." " At Shrewsbury, the 2 Oct., 26 Hen. VIII. " Md. That the second daye of this instant monyth of October Dan Eichard Smith, moncke p'fessed, in the monastery of Strata ffleere, of th'aige of xl yeres or theraboute, do confesse that oon leu'n ap Eichard did come unto me the setterday before myd- somer daye last past w'thin the precincte of the said mon' wher that I was in company w't oon ll'n ap Ho'll ap Jenkyn, and there the said leu'n sate downe w't us in the house of oon John ap Dyo, being w't'in the precincte of the same mon', unto the tyme that we had ther dronken a pot of ale or two, and then and ther the said leu'n began to proffer money for the said ale, whiche we ther drancke ; and I saied he shoulde paye none, and there I in- contynently drewe to my purse and paied for o'r (our) drynckes which we had droncke, and dep'ted from the said house of John ap Dyo, and went streight unto the church, the said leu'n fol- lowing me into the church, and saied : Sir, if it be youre pleasure, I pray you that I may have a woorde or two w't yowe, for I here saye that yo be an honest man, and if yo will:)e ruled by me, I truste to make yo rycher by xl shillings. Then saied I : Howe may that be ? And the said leu'n answered : I will not showe you onles that I have a secrete place to com'on w't you in. Then saied I : I praye you to go w't me to my chamber, and there we shall com'on at large ; and w't that we wente togeder to my chamber. And when the said leu'n was ther he began and saied thus : Syr, this is the matier ; you be a preest, and I APPENDIX. Ixxix thyncke I may be bold to shovve unto you my mind, for I can make a grote as well as any man ; nay, qy [query] I, that I can- not bel[eeve]. Well, then, said the said leu'n, it shall cost you no more but a potte of ale to se it doon. And then I saied : Lette me se when ye begyn. N"ay, said leu'n, no man shall se me doyng it, but go youe forth a certen season and ye shall se my coyn'g anon. And w't that I wente forth, stode at the chamber dore a litle while, and at last I demaunded of hym, haste thowe not doon yet ? Yes, hardeley. Come in, saied the said leu'n ; and when I cam in he showed me two newe grots, and his molds withall, which, when I sawe and handeled w't my handes — Well, s'r, then saied I, yo'r pot of ale ye shall have for youre labo'r which I proniysed ; and with that I wente forthe of my chamber, levyng hym alone ther, and called oon of my brethren named Dan Thomas Dyrham, and desired him to go fetche my master, th'abbot of our said house, to my chamber, who incoutynently came into my said chamber, and asked me what was the cause that I sent for hym. Then said I : S'r, here is a man, I knowe not Avhat he is, but here may ye se hys workman- ship what he hath done ; and in the meantime this said leu'n wold conveid the saide moulds w't the two grots in theym, and have casten theym under my bed, being in the said chamber, which I wolde not suffer him to do ; and then and ther the said abbot tok the said moulds w't the two grots and put them in his sleeve, and incoutynently went to my lorde fferrers and showed him all the hole mattier ; and in the mean space the said Abbot com'aunded the said leu'n to be sette in Irons w't'in his said Abbaye, and sette me and two of my Brethrene, the oon named Dan Morgan ap John, and th'other Dan Cuth- bert, to kepe sure the said leu'n. And upon the declaration of the said matier to my lord fferrers, the said lord fferrers sente his Constable and other his s'vants to bryng unto him the said leu'n and me, which were brought unto hym according to his com'aundm't, and sette both me and the said leu'n in Irons, and so we cam befor hym and told hym as is affor rehersed ; and then he com'aunded my Irons to be taken of, and to go home to my monastery agayn. And then the said leu'n, seeing that I was lewsed and goyng homward, sayd : My lord fferrers, do ye let the monk go ? I woll cause hym to be sende fore agayne as fer as ever I go, and I woll geve no aunswer to no tliyng untill I come befor the Kings counsaill ; and with that my lord fferrers toke me agayne and layed Irons upon me, and so have I contynued in pryson in Carmarthen by the space of xi weeks. A month I co'tinued in the Castell of Aberustw't in pryson, with Sir Willia' Thomas, Knight, and there have con- tynued eu'r sythens until this tyme." IXXX HISTORY OF STRATA FLORIDA. State Papers Domestic, 26 Henry VIII. Vol. vii, No. 1264. Rowland Lee, Bp. of Coventry and Lichfield, to Gromioell, Secretary. " After most liartly Recom'eudac'ons you shalbe adii^tisseyd that acordiag to you' letter directed to me in favor of the Abbot of Strata florida I haue put the sayd Abbot yn q^ett possession and sworne hys adu'sary the monk of the howse thayre to hys obedience. And senys that tyme I resauyed your other Letter in fauor of Mr. Darbe['s] father, where in alsoe I haue wrytten my letter to my officer at Licli' [Lichfield] trysting liee sliall haue good successe. If thayre be any other thyng I ca' or may doe I shalbe Eighte glad to acco'plisse the same, besecheying you to haue in Eemembrans my letter' latly send to you by Mr. Howlte and seying it is you' mynd. I shalbe at a ende wt that p'son hee wholde soe c'passe [compasse] the mater, as I doute not but hee may, that I when at q'etuesse therew'h, for it is not unknowing the besyness that I haue here, and say it is a good sporte to see on^ theffe brying in a nother as it is most com'only dayly thus. I pray almighty God long to p'serue you and send you' harts desyre. From Salop thys xvjth day of October [1534]. " I haue made Eepa'cione for thys wynter of the Castell of ludlow, trustyng of you' goodnesse in myne allowance, and I pray you continue good master to this berer, who I trust wyll be an honestte man. " Your most bounden, " EoLAND Co: et LiCH." Endorsed : " To his moste entierly Beloved frende. Master Secretary [Cromwell]/' Patent Roll, 28 Eenry VIII, part 4, m. 23. " P' Abb'ia de Strata Florida de contirmac\ " Eex om'ib' ad quos et c' sal't'm cum p' quendam actum in parliamento n'ro apud London' t'co die Nouembr' anno regni n'ri vicesimo primo inchoat' et deinde usq' Westm' adiornat' et p' diu'sas p'rogac'o'es usq' ad in quartum diem Februarii ultimu' p't'it' continuat' et tunc ibidem tent' int' alia inactitat' existit q'd nos h'erem' et gauderem' nob' et hered' n'ris imp'p'm oni'ia et singula Monast'ia prioratus ac alias domos religiosas monachor' canonicor' et monialiu' quibuscumq' gen'ib' sine diu'sitatib' h'it' regular' sine ordinu' vocarent' sine no'iarent' APPENDIX. Ixxxi que lion h'ebaiit t'ras ten' redditus decinias porc'o'es et alia Iiereditamenta ultra clarum annu' valorem ducentar' librar' diet' clar' valores d'cor' Monast^ior' ac priorat' capiend' ac con- struend' s'c'd'm clarum valorem in Sc^cio n'ro c'tificat'. Et simili mode q'd h'erem' et gauderein' nob' et hered' n'ris om'es et om'imod' scit' et circuit' ear'dem religiosar' domor' ac om'ia et singula INIan'ia grangias mesuagia t'ras ten' reu'siones redditus s'uicia decimas pensiones porc'o'es aduocac'o'es p'ronatus eccl'iar' capellar' annuitates iura condic'o'es et alia Iiereditamenta que- cumq' eisdem Monast'iis prioratib' sine domib' religiosis non li'entib' ut p'dicit' t'ras ten' vel Iiereditamenta ultra p'd'c'm annuu' valorem ducentar' librar' p'tinen' sine spectan' adeo plene et integre p'ut Abb'es priores Abb'isse et alie gulj'natores liuiusmodi Monast'ior' prioratuii' et aliar' religiosar' domor' siiar' H'end' et tenend' om'ia et singula p'missa cum om'ib' suis iurib' p'ficuis iurisdico'o'ib' et co'moditatiV nob' h'ered' et successorib' n'ris imp'p'm ad inde facieud' et uteiid' n'ras p'prias voluntates. Cumq' tamen in actu p'd'c'o p'uideat' q'd nos aliquo et quocumq' tempore post confecc'o'em actus illius valeam' et potuissem' ad benepritum n'r'iii ordinare constituere et declarare p' I'ras n'ras patentes sub magno sigillo n'ro con- ficiend' q'd ille et tales liuiusmodi p'd'c'ar' domar' religiosar' quas supp'mend'et dissoluend' esse noluissem' essent p'seuerarent starent continuarent et p'manerent in eisdem suis corporib' corporat' ac in eisdem suis essencialib' statu qualitate condic'o'e robore et eft^'c'u tarn in possessionib' q^m p'ut essent et fuissent ante confecc'o'em actus p'd'c'i absq' supp'ssione siue dissoluc'o'e ear'dem aut alicuius partis inde p'textu et auctoritate eiusdem actus. Et q'd quel't talis huiusmodi et declaracio p' nos sic fiend' et ordinand' esset bona secura et eff'c'ualis capitalib' gub'natorib' huiusmodi religiosar' domor' quas supp'mend' et dissoluend' esse noluissem' et successorib' suis iuxta et s'c'd'm tenores et eff'c'us t'rar' patenciu' inde conficiend' aliqua re siue aliquib' reb' in actu p'd'c'o incont*^riu' inde fact' non obstante p'ut in actu p'd'c'o int' alia plenius continet'. Pretextu cuius- quidem actus Monast'ium siue Abb'ia B'e Marie de Strata Florida in Southwall' Meneu' dioc' in Com' n'ro Cardigan' p' eo q'd non h'et t'ras ten' redditus decimas porc'o'es aut heredita- menta ultra d'c'm clarum annuu' valorem ducentar' librar' p'ut c'tificat' in d'c'o Sc'^'cio n'ro et ibidem plane liquet in manib' et disposic'o'e n'ris iam existit utrum dissolu'et' s'c'd'm formam et eff'c'm actus p'd'c'i an p'maneret et continuaret in suo pristine et essenciali statu condic'o'e et qualitate p'ut ante confecc'o'em actus p'd'c'i fiiit. Nos volentes d'c'm Monast'ium siue Abb'iam B'e Marie de Strata Florida p'd'c'a p' diu'sis / Ixxxii HISTORY OF STRATA FLORIDA. caiisis et considerac'o'ib' nos ad p'sens sp'alit' raouentib' in suo pristino essenciali statu corpore coudic'o'e et qnalitate p'manere et continuare p'ut ante confecc'o'eni actus p'd'c'i fuit ac p'ut esset si actus ille fact' not' fuisset. Sciatis igit' q'd nos ob fauorem quern erga Monast'ium siue Abb'iam de Strata Florida p'dict' quod non extendit' in t'ris ten' et aliis hereditamentis suis ad annuu' valorem ducentar' librar' in com' p'd'c'o ordinis Cistercien' Meneu' dioc' gerim' et li'em'. Et ut Abbas et religiose p'sone eiusdem Monast'ii diuino cultu ibidem cele- brand' deuocius intendant liospitalitatem ac alia pietatis op'a ibidem ub'ius exerceant de gr'a n'ra sp'ali ac ex c'ta sciencia et mero motu n'ris ordinauim' constituim' et declarauim' ac p' p'sentes quantum in nob' est constituim' ordinam' erigim' et renouam' q'd p'd'c'm Monast'ium siue Abb'ia B'e Marie de Strata Florida p'd'c'a imp'p'm continuabit stabit et p'manebit in eodem suo corpore corpora t' ac in eodem suo essenciali statu gradu qualitate et condic'o'e tam in possessionib' q^m in om'ib' aliis reb' tam sp'ualib' q'^m temporalib' et mixtis p'ut fuit tempore confecc'o'is actus p'd'c'i aut aliquo tempore ante con- fecc'o'em actus p'd'c'i absq' supp'ssione siue dissoluc'o'e aliquali eiusdem Monast'ii siue Abb'ie B'e Marie de Strata Florida p'dict' aut alicuius partis vel parcelle inde vigore et auctoritate actus p'd'c'i. Et ult'ius de ub'iori gr'a n'ra sp'ali concessini' ac p' p'sentes concedim' q'd Ric'us Talley p'fessus ordinis Cis- tercien' sit deinceps Abbas d'c'i Monast'ii siue Abb'ie B'e Marie de Strada Florida p'd'c'a ac p' abb'e et capitale gub'natore eiusdem Monast'ii siue Abb'ie B'e Marie de Strata Florida p'd'c'a deinceps h'eat' reputet' et acceptet' eisdem modo forma qualitate gradu condic'o'e dignitate statu et robore p\it idem Eic'us quarto die Februarii ultimo p't'ito aut antea fuit. Et q'd om'es alie religiose p'sone eiusdem Monast'ii siue Abb'ie B'e Marie de Strata Florida p'dict' modo existen' aut que quarto die Februarii ultimo p't'ito ibidem fuerunt et iam a d'c'o Conuentu non separant' sint de cet'o et deinceps Conuent' eius- dem Monast'ii siue Abb'ie b'e Marie de Strata Florida p'dict' ac p' Conuentu ejusdem Monast'ii siue Abb'ie B'e Marie de Strata Florida p'd'c'a h'eant' reputent' et acceptent' eisdem modo et forma qualitate condic'o'e et statu p'ut d'c'o quarto die Februarii ultimo p't'ito aut antea fuerunt. Et q'd p'd'c'us Eic'us et religiose p'sone p'd'c'e et om'es successores sui h'eant et h'ebunt huiusmodi et eandem successionem in om'ib' et p' om'ia p'ut ante d'c'm quartum diem Februarii ultiinu' p't'itum h'uerunt et li'ere debuerunt ac p'ut li'uissent et h'ere debuissent valuissent et potuissent si actus p'd'c'us fact' non fuisset. Et q'd p'd'c'us Eic'us p' nomen Abb'is d'c'i Monast'ii siue Abb'ie B'e Marie de APPENDIX. Ixxxiii Strata Florida p'd'c'a et successores sui Abb'is d'c'i Moiiast'ii sine Abb'ie B'e Marie de Strata Florida p'd'c'a sint deinceps p'sone h'iles impl'itare et irapl'itari in om'ib' pl'itis sectis querelis acc'o'nib' peticoib' lam realib' q'^m p'sonalib' et mixtis et aliis quibuscumq' in quibuscumq' Cur' et locis ac coram quibuscumq' Judicib' sine Justic' tarn sp'ualib' q^m temporalib' licet tangat nos et hered* n'ros et ad faciend' ex'cend' et exequend' om'ia et singula alia quecnraq' nt Abb'es d'c'i Monast'ii siue Abb'ie B'e Marie de Strata Florida p'd'c'a p'ut fecissent et fac'e potnis- sent ante confecc'o'em actus p'd'c'i ac p'ut fecissent et fac'e potuissent si idem actus niinime fact' et edit' fuisset. Et q'd p'd'c'us Eic'us et religiose p'sone p'd'c'e ut Abbas et Conuentus Monast'ii siue Abb'ie B'e Marie de Strata Florida p'd'c'a et succ' sui Abb'es et Conuentus Monast'ii siue Abb'ie illius h'eant gau- deant et teneant ac h'ere possint et valeant imp'p'm totum p'd'c'm Monast'ium siue Abb'iam B'e Marie de Strata Florida p'd'c'a necnon eccl'iam campanit' scitum cimiteriu' funduni am- bitum p'cinctum et circuitum eccl'ie eiusdem et Grang' de Mevennyth Pennarth' Co'moscowtli' Blaynearon' Annyuyok' Trevais Morbabiclian' Diwarchyn' Havoodwen' Nauntvaye Hab'de Honowc Co'moddithur Haberraewitt' Morwayr'aker et Beallte ac om'ia et singula alia IMan'ia grangias mesuagia t'ras ten' redditus reu'siones s'uicia possessiones p'petuitates et liere- ditamenta n'ra quecuniq' necnon co'moditatis ornamenta iocalia bona et catalla ac alias res quecumq' tam sp'ulia q^m temporalia eidem Monast'io siue Abb'ie quonismodo spectan' siue p'tinen' eisdem modo forma p'ut h'erent gauderent et tenerent aut li'erc gaudere et tenere potuissent et valerent si actus p'd'c'us fact' et edit' non fuisset. Et p' maiore securitate de et in yj'missi sp'fatis Abb'i et Conuentui Monast'ii siue Abb'ie de Strata Florida p'd'c'a et successorib' suis adhibend'. Sciatis insup* q'd nos de ub'iori gr'a n'ra sp'iali dedim' et concessim' ac p' p'sentes dam' et con- cedim' p'fatis aljb'i et Conuentui Monast'ii siue Abb'ie B'e Maiie de Strata Florida p'd'c'a totum d'c'm Monast'ium siue Abb'iam de Strata Florida p'd'c'a necnon totum scitum fundum ambitum p'cinctum circuitum eccl'iam campanil' et cimiteriu' eiusdem Monast'ii siue Abb'ie B'e Marie de Strata Florida p'd'c'a ac om'ia et singula d'nia Man'ia mesuagia t'ras ten' grangias p'dict' boscos subboscos reditus reu's' s'uicia feod' milit' ward' maritag' releuia escaet' parcas warrenna stagna viuaria piscarias co'i'as rectorias de Llangarik' Bangorien' dioc' et Benkarrek' Meneu' dioc' vica- rias aduocac'o'es et p'ronatus eccl'iar' capellar' et cantariar' t'ras glebas penc'o'es porc'o'es decimus oblac'o'es cur' let' vis' Franci- pleg' lib'tates iurisdicc'o'es franchesias et alia iura possessiones et hereditamenta quecumq' ac om'ia bona et catalla campanas /2 Ixxxiv HISTORY OF STRATA FLOPJDA. iocalia ornameiita et alia quecumq' eidem Monast'io sine Abb'ie spectan' sine p'tineu' et que p'd'c'i Abbas et Couuent' quarto die Februarii ultimo p't'ito aut antea vel postea in iure Monast'ii siue Abb'ie illius h'uerunt tenueruntvel gauisi fuerunt etque ad manus n'rasr'oueet p'textu actus p'd'c'i deuenerunt et deuenire debuerunt adeopleneet integreaciutamamplismodoet forma p^itd'c'i Abbas et Conueiitus d'c'o quarto die Februarii ultimo p't^ito et ante facc'o'em actus p^d'c'i in iure monast'ii siue Abb'ie pallet' ilia li'uerunt tenuerunt vel gauisi fuerunt et adeo plene et Integra ac in tam amplis moda et forma p'ut ilia r'one p'textu vigore et auctoritate actus p^d'c'i ad manus n'ras deuenerunt aut in manib' n'ris lam existunt vel exist'e deberent. H'end' tenend' p'd'c'm Monast'ium siue Al^b'iam B'e Marie de Strata Florida p'd'c'a ac om'ia et singula cet'a p'missa cum suis iurib' p'tin^ et co'nioditatib' uniu'sis p'fato Kic'o Abb'i d'c'i Monast'ii siue Abb'ie illius et Conuentui eiusdem loci et successorib' suis in purani et p'petuam elemosinam irap'p'm de nob' liered' et suc- cessorib' n'ris ut de fundac'o'e n'ra et non alit'. Soluend' et faciend' capitalib' d'nis t'rar' et ten' p'd'cor' et cet'or' p'missor' redditus et s'uicia inde eis et eor' cuil't debita et de iure consueta. Prouiso q'd p'fati Abbas et Conuentus unanimi concensu p' se et successorib' suis concedunt nob' et liered' n'ris q'd p'd'c'i Abbas et Conuentus et successores sui imp'p'm soluant aut solui faci- ent nob' hered' n'ris om'es decimas et primes fructus quociens- cumq' euenire contig'int eodem modo et forma ac si d'c'm Monast'ium siue Abb'ia nunq^m supp'ss' dissolut' siue dat' nob' p' actum p'd'c'm non fuisset ac s'c'd'm vim formam et eff' c'ni cuiusdam actus parliament! p' decimis et primis fructib' edit' et p'uis'. Et d'c'i Abbas et Conuentus concedunt p' p'sentes q'd ip'i et successores sui irap'p'm bene et fidelit' custodiant et obseruabunt om'es et om'imod' regulas ordinac'o'es constituc^o'es et statuta p' uos ut sup'mu' caput Anglicane eccl'ie siue minis- tros n'ros et successores n'ros unu' regimen d'c'i Monast'ii et religiosor' viror' eiusdem Monast'ii conc'nen' siue tangen' im- post'um p'uidend' assignand' et appunctuand' eo q'd expressa mencio et c'. " In cuius et c'. " T' E' apud Westm' xxx die Januarii. " P' ip'm Eegem et c'." [Translation.] " For the Abbey of Strata Florida, concerning confirmation. " The King to all to whom, etc., greeting. Whereas by a certain Act in our Parliament commenced at London on the tliird day of November, in the twenty-first year of our reign, AprEXDTX. Ixxxv and afterwards adjourned to Westminster, and continued by divers prorogations until the fourth day of February last past, and then and there held, amongst other things it was enacted that we should have and enjoy to us and our heirs for ever, all and singular the monasteries, priories, and other religious houses of the monks, canons, and nuns, by whatsoever kinds or differ- ences of rules or orders had they should be called or named, which had not lands, tenements, rents, tithes, portions, and other hereditaments beyond the clear annual value of two hundred pounds, the said clear values of the said monasteries and priories to be taken and construed according to the clear value certified in our Exchequer ; and in like manner, what we should have and enjoy to us and to our heirs, all and all manner of sites and circuits of the same religious houses, and all and singular the manors, granges, messuages, lands, tenements, reversions, rents, services, tithes, pensions, portions, advowsons, patronage of churches, chapels, annuities, rights, conditions, and other heredi- taments whatsoever to the same monasteries, priories, or religious houses, not having, as it is aforesaid, lands, tenements, or hereditaments beyond the aforesaid annual value of two hundred pounds pertaining or belonging, as fully and wholly as the abbots, priors, abbesses, and other rulers of such Icind of monasteries, priories, and other their religious houses. To have and to hold all and singular the premises, with all their rights, profits, jurisdictions, and commodities to us, our heirs and suc- cessors for ever, to do therewith and to use at our own will. And whereas, nevertheless, in the Act aforesaid it is provided that we, at any and wdiatsoever time after the making of that Act, may and could at our pleasure ordain, constitute, and declare by our Letters Patent to be made under our great seal, that those and such of the like aforesaid religious houses, which we should not wish to be suppressed and dissolved, should strictly abide, stand, continue, and remain in the same their bodies corporate and in the same their essential estate, quality, condition, strength, and effect, as well in possessions as they might be and might have been before the making of the Act aforesaid, without suppression or dissolution of the same, or of any part thereof; by pretext and authority of the same Act. And that every such and such kind of declaration by us so to be made and ordained should be good, secure, and effectual to the chief governors of such kind of religious houses which we might not wish to be suppressed and dissolved, and to their successors according to, and in accordance with, the tenors and effects of the Letters Patent to be made thereupon, any thing or any things in the Act aforesaid made therein Ixxxvi HISTORY OF STRATA FLORIDA. to the contrary iiotwithstandiiif;-, as in the Act aforesaiil amongst other things more fnlly is contained. P>y pretext of the which Act the monastery or abbey of the Blessed Mary of Strata Florida in South Wales, of the diocese of St. David's in our county of Cardigan, because it has not lands, tenements, rents, tithes, portions, or hereditaments beyond the said clear annual value of two hundred pounds, as is certified in our said Exchequer and there plainly appears, is now in our hands and disposal whetlier it shall be dissolved according to the form and effect of the Act aforesaid, or shall remain and continue in its former and essential state, condition, and quality as it was before the making of the Act aforesaid. We, willing that the said monastery or abbey of the Blessed jNIary of Strata Florida aforesaid, for divers causes and considerations us at present especially moving, shall remain and continue in its former essential state, body, condition, and qiiality as it was before the making of the Act aforesaid, and as it would be if that Act had not been made. Know ye, therefore, that we, on account of the favour which we bear and have towards the monastery or abbey of Strata Florida aforesaid, which is not extended in its lands, tenements, and other hereditaments to the annual value of two hundred pounds, in the county afore- said, of the Cistercian order, of the diocese of St. David's, and that the abbot and religious persons of the same monastery, by divine care to celebrate there, may more devoutly extend hos- pitality, and more abundantly exercise other works of piety there, of our special grace, and of our certain knowledge and mere motion, have ordained, constituted, and declared, and by these presents we do constitute, ordain, erect, and renew as much as in us lies that the aforesaid monastery or abbey of the Blessed Mary of Strata Florida aforesaid shall for ever con- tinue, stand, and remain in the same its body corporate, and in the same its essential state, grade, quality, and condition as well in possessions as in all other things, as well spiritual as temporal, and mixed, as it was at the time of the making of the Act aforesaid, or at any time before the making of the Act aforesaid, without the suppression or any kind of dissolution of the same monastery or abbey of the Blessed Mary of Strata Florida aforesaid, or of any part or parcel thereof, by force and authority of the Act aforesaid. And moreover of our more abundant special grace we have granted, and by these presents do grant, that Pdchard Talley, professed of the Cistercian order, may be the next following abbot of the said monastery or abbey of the Blessed Mary of Strata Florida aforesaid, and may be held, reputed, and accepted for abbot and chief governor of APPENDIX. Ixxxvii the same monastery or abbey of tlie Blessed Mary of Strata Florida aforesaid from this time in the same manner, form, quality, grade, condition, dignity, state, and strength as the same Eichard was on the fourth day of February last past, or before, and that all others now being religious persons of the same monastery or abbey of the Blessed Mary of Strata Florida afore- said, or who on the fourth day of February last past were there, and now are not separated from the said convent, may be from henceforth and from this time the convent of the same monas- tery or abbey of the Blessed Mary of Strata Florida aforesaid, and may be held, reputed, and accepted for the convent of the same monastery or abbey of the Blessed Mary of Strata Florida aforesaid, in the same manner and form, quality, condition, and state as they were on the said fourth day of February last past, or before. And that the aforesaid Ptichard, and the religious persons aforesaid, and all their successors, may have and sliall have such kind of and the same succession in all things and throughout all times as they had and ought to have before the said fourth day of February last past, and as they should have had and ought to, would, and could have if the Act aforesaid had not been made. And that the aforesaid Eichard, by the name of abbot of the said monastery or abbey of the Blessed Mary of Strata Florida aforesaid, and his successors, abbots of the said monastery or abbey of the Blessed Mary of Strata Florida aforesaid, may be from this time forth the proper persons to implead and to be impleaded in all pleas, suits, quarrels, actions, petitions, as well real as personal, and mixed, and other things whatsoever, in whatsoever courts and places, and before whatsoever judges or justices, as well spiritual as temporal, when it may touch us and our heirs, and to do, exercise, and execute all and singular other things whatsoever as the abbots of the said monastery or abbey of the Blessed Mary of Strata Florida aforesaid should have done and could have been able to do before the making of the Act aforesaid, and as they should have done and could have been able to do if the same Act had not been made and declared at all. And that the aforesaid Eichard and the religious persons aforesaid, as the abbot and convent of the monastery or abbey of the Blessed Mary of Strata Florida aforesaid, and their successors, abbots and convents of that monastery or abbey may have, enjoy, and hold, and can and may have for ever, all the aforesaid monastery or abbey of the Blessed Mary of Strata Florida aforesaid, also the church, chime of bells, site, cemetery, soil, ambit, precinct, and circuit of the church of the same, and the granges of Mevennyth, Bennarth, Ixxxviii HIST(JKY Of STRATA FLUKIDA. Commoscowtb, Blaynearon, Ani]3'nyok, Trevais, Morvabichaii, Diwarcliyn, Havodwen, Naniitvaye, Haberclelionowe, Coni- nioddithur, Haberinewill, Morvayraker, and Beallte, and all and singular our other manors, granges, messuages, lands, tene- ments, rents, reversions, services, possessions, perpetuities, and hereditaments whatsoever ; also the commodities, ornaments, jewels, goods and chattels, and other things whatsoever, as well spiritual as temporal, to the same monastery or abbey in whatsover manner belonging or pertaining, in the same manner and form as tliey would have, enjoy and hold, or could and might have, enjoy and hold if the Act aforesaid had not been made and declared. And for giving greater security of and in the premises as the aforesaid abbot and convent of the monas- tery or abbey of Strata Florida aforesaid and to their successors, know ye moreover that we of our more abundant specified grace have given and granted, and by these presents do give and grant to the aforesaid abbot and convent of the monastery or abbey of the Blessed Mary of Strata Florida aforesaid, all the said monastery or abbey of Strata Floiida aforesaid ; also the whole site, soil, anibit, precinct, circuit, church, chime of bells, and cemetery of the same monastery or abbey of the Blessed Mary of Strata Florida aforesaid, and all and singular the lord- ships, manors, messuages, lands, tenements, granges aforesaid, woods, underwoods, rents, reversions, services, knights^ fees, w^ards, marriages, reliefs, escheats, parks, w^arrens, pools, fish ponds, fisheries, commons, the rectories of Llangerik of the diocese of Bangor, and Penkarrek of the diocese of S. David's, the vicarages, advowsons, and patronages of the churches, chapels, and chantries, lands, glebes, pensions, por- tions, tithes, oblations, courts leet, views of frankpledge, liberties, jurisdictions, franchises, and other rights, possessions, and hereditaments whatsoever ; and all goods and chattels, bells, jewels, ornaments, and other things whatsoever to the same monastery or abbey belonging or pertaining, and which the aforesaid abbot and convent had, held, or enjoyed on the 4th day of February last past, or before or after, in right of that monas- tery or abbey, and which came, and ought to come to our hands bv reason and pretext of the Act aforesaid, as fully and wholly and in as ample manner and form as the said abbot and convent had, held, or enjoyed those things on the said 4th day of February last past, and before the making of the Act aforesaid, in right of the monastery or abbey aforesaid, and as fully and wholly, and in as ample manner and form as they, by reason, l)retext, strength, and authority of the Act aforesaid, came to our hands, and now are or ought to be in our hands. To have and APPENDIX. Ixxxix to hold the aforesaid monastery or abbey of the Blessed Alary of Strata Florida aforesaid, and all and singular other the premises, with all their rights, appurtenances, and commodities to the aforesaid Eichard, abbot of the said monastery or abbey, and to the convent of the same place, and to their successors in pure and perpetual alms of us and our successors for ever, as of our foundation, and not otherwise, paying and doing to the chief lords of the lands and tenements aforesaid, and of other the premises, the rents and services thereof due to them and to each of them, and of right accustomed, provided that the aforesaid abbot and convent by unanimous consent, for them and their successors do grant to us and our heirs that the aforesaid abbot and convent and their successors for ever shall pay, and shall cause to be paid to us [and] to our heirs, all tithes and first-fruits as often soever as they shall happen to come forth, in the same manner and form as if the said monastery or abbey had never been suppressed, dissolved, or given to us by the Act aforesaid, and according to the force, form, and effects of a certain Act of Parliament made and provided for tithes and first-fruits. And the said abbot and convent concede by these presents that they and their successors shall for ever well and faithfully keep and observe all and every kind of rules, ordinances, constitu- tions, and statutes by us, as supreme head of the Anglican Church, or our ministers and our successors hereafter to be provided, assigned, and appointed, concerning or touching our rule of the said monastery or religious men of the same monastery, because express mention, etc. " In (testimony) whereof, etc. " Witness the King at Westminster on the 30th day of January [a.d. 1537]. " By the King himself, etc." XC HISTORY OF STRATA I'LORIUA. Possessions of the Abbey tanp. Henry VIIT. " Valor Ecclcsiasticus temp. Hen. VIII. [Transcript of Ketiirn, 26 Hen. VIII, First Fruits Office.] " Abbathie exempt^ de Streta Florida in dictis Decanatu et Arch'natu in com' Cardigan'. " Strata Florida Monasterium Exempt' Ric'iis abbas ibidem nionachus religious S. Bened'ci ordinis Cistern' et conventus ejusdem loci tenent etpossident monasterium p'd'c'u'cum omnibus lib'tatib' suis et jurisdicc'onib' maneriis hamelett^ et locis s'bscripit' videl't grangiam de Meneveth cum suis pertinen' ad valenciam per annu' 20/. Pennarth juxta pred'c'm monasterium per annu'. 18/. 6s. 8f/. Cumustorth cum Comortha ib'm et in Pennarth pred'c'a per annu' 10/. 16s. 8f/. Blenairon cum Comortha ibidem 6/. 10s. Evynyoke per annu' 6/. Tref-vaes et Morvabichan per annu' 5/. Diwarchen per annu' 5/. 6s. M. Havodwen, 6/. 6s. 8f/. Nantbay, 8/. per annum. Ab'dehenowe, 5/. per annum. Cu'motdoytho' 4/. et Ab'mywel per annu' 5/. Qui quidem grangia terr' redd' et ten'ta d'ci abbas et conventus et eorum predecessores tempore Eesi ap Tewdo' Maure principis Wallie usq' niodo tenuerunt possederunt et pacifice occupaverunt d'c'm monasteriu' grang' et ten'ta ]3red'c'a cum pertinen' ex fundac'one d'c'i principis in puram et perpetuam elemosyna' absq' interupc'one una cum r'ctoria et gleba de Pencarrok annul valoris 6/. ult^ partem vicarij ibidem communib' annis sic d'co mon' appropriat' imperpetuum. Et ultra eccl'iam parochialem de Llangeryk in Powizia Bangor dioc' valor 24 marc' per annum que non oneratur hie eo q' d'ca r'coria non consistit infra dioc' Meneven'. Sum'a valoris d'corum ten'torum cum r'c'oria de Pencarrock " 122/. 6s. M." " D' quibus Sinodal' Proc' et al' Pesoluc' In denariis sol' aunuatim in visitac'one arch'ni pro sinodal' et {)rocurac'o'ib' 5s. 9d. Et in den'ijs annuatim sol' d'no Eegi Henrico Octavo supremo capiti eccl'ie Anglicane et Wallican' qui Eomano pontifici consueverunt 7s. " 0/. 12s. del." " Feod' Sen'"- Item idem abbas petit allocac'o'em p' feodo annuati' sol' de ten'tis pred'c's d'no de Ferrers senescallo maneriorum et ten'to- rum ut de feodo ib'm consuet' - - 3/. 6s. 8d. Sum'a deduct - - -31. 19s. 5^^. Et sic reman' clare - - - 118/. 7s. od. Decima inde _ . _ H/. Igg. Sd. ol)' i[ APPENDIX. XCl " Gompot' Ministrorum Domini Regis temp. Hen. VIII. [Abstract of Eoll, 32 Hen. YIII, Augmentation Office.] " Nuper Monasteriiim de Strata Florida, com' Cardigan'. Dowerthen — Firma graiigia3 Strata Florida — Reddit' scitus nuper monaster' Hawodweii — Reddit' in grangia Hawodwen — Consuetudo vocat' Comortlia ISTantbaj — Firma grangia Blanarryan — Reddit' assis' in grangia Blanarryan — Comortha ibidem Haberdoneth — Firma grangise Pennartli — Reddit' assis' in grangia Penuarth — Comortha ibidem Mevenytli, Cobscoyth, Penuarth, Blanayron Guhy- noge — Reddit' lanarum vocat' custome wolle Trayen y menythe — Firma decim' " Com' Caerm'. Penkarok — Firma Rector' - - 8 13 4 " Com' Card'. Conniscoith — Reddit' assis' in grangia Conniscoith — Comortha ibidem Langeryk — Firma Rector' Meveneth — -Firma grangise Meveneth — (,'omortha ibidem - Hehynok — Firma grangiee Hehynok — Comortha ibidem - Comotherer — Firma grangite - Trevaes Morga Vagan — Reddit' gi'angife Abermoyle — Reddit' grangiaj - £ s. d. 7 6 14 14 1 7 11 8 7 10 13 4 6 8 4 5 23 19 1 5 1 3 4 11 17 6 2 6 8 10 34 3 2 10 14 8 15 16 6 6 13 4 6 6 6 0" [From the Transcript of a Eoll in the Exchequer, containing the Particulars of the Taxation of the Spiritual and Temporal Possessions of the Clergy of the Diocese of Bangor. (Tax. Pap. Nic. V.) See Record of Caernarvon.'] " In decanatu de Arostly. " B'n'ficia Abb'is de Strata Florida x'"'' Cicestr' Ordinis, Tax. xxiiij m'^rc' x"' xxxij^ Bona Abbath' de Strata Florida. Meneven' Dioc'. Abb's h'et quandam t'ram in Archid' de Meryonnyth ponif ad tirmam — Tax. vj^ viij'^ — x'"** viij,j. Sm* bono' Abb'is de Strata Florida vj" viij'^. Sur"^ xm*^ viij''." XCn HISTOKY OF STRATA FLOKIDA. Taxat. p. Nich. IV, 1291. " Spiritual. Beneficium in Dioc. Bangor, £16. Temporal. Dioc, Menaven. in Archid. Brecon, £7 15s. In Archid. Kardigan et Kaermerdyn, £22 15s. 4rf. Dioc. Assaven, £2 9s. Dioc. Bangor, &s. %d. " K.B. — The Benet College MS. saith 7 monks at Stratflour ; but the Prior and 7 religious had pensions. A.D. 1553.' {Tanner.) £ s. d. 40 3 3 3 Strathflere. Augmentation Office. Miscellaneous Book, No. 245, f. 170. Promises of Pensions. Signed T. Cruimwell. To Ptichard Talley, Abbot . Eichard Smyth Lewis Llansadder^ Morgan ap Johns David Morgan als. Talley Also in Augmentation Office. Miscellaneous Book, 232, f. 220. Grants in the 31st year [Hen. VIII], 1539-40. Same as the above, and To John Tork'^ ..... 230 Thomas Durham .... 400 Also in Augmentation Office. Miscellaneous Book, 235. Grants, May, in the 33rd year [Hen. VIII], 1541-42. To Eichard Mayott .... 234 Clerical Subsidy, No. 7, ^2^-^, *S'^. David's Diocese. The names of all and singular the Pensioners who paid the subsidy in the Diocese of St. David's, due at the Feast of St. Michael the Archangel, 1558. Qy. Llangadomc. '~ Qy. York. APPENDIX. XClll Imprimis. *Eichai-d Talley p' ann' Grvfytli Wylliams ... Thomas Sayes *Lewys Llausadome ... *John York * Thomas Durham *Morgan Jones Morgan Jenkyns John Wyllyams Henry Wellynton David ap Howell John Bathon ... John Dudley Morgan Nycholas ... James Nicholas John Cantor P'er me Henr. Morgan, Pension, xlli. ... xxvili. xiijs. iiijd. ... iijft. __ iijli. vjs. viijd. ... iijJi. xixs. viijd. xli. iij/i. _ iijli. vjs. viijd. ... iijJi. xiiijs. viijd. iiijfi. xs. viijd. iiijii. .. xvjli. p' iij. annis. iiijJi. xlijs. vjd, i\jli. iijJi. Sum'a subsid. xvjZi. nup' Meneven'. Subsidy. iiijii. liijs. iiijd. vjs. vjs. yiijd. vjs. xjd. ob. xxs. vjs. viijd. vijs. vd. ob. ixs. ob. q. viijs. .. viijs. iiijs. iijd. vjs. vjs. xjs. iiijd. ob. q. No. 5. Tg 8065 Second part of the subsidy. July 1557 N.B. — The names marked thus * are evidently Pensioners of Strata Florida Abbey.— S. VV. W. Q. B. Suppression Papers, ^^, Fuhlic Record Office. " Strataflorida nup' Monaster' in Com' Cardigan'. " Valor diu's' p'cell' possessionu' d'ci nup' Monast' in Sowth- wallia D' Anno Eegni Henr' viii"*. Dei' gra' Anglie Francie et Hib'nie Eegis fidei defensor' et in t'r' Anglican' et Hib'nice Eccl'ie sup'mi [capitis] xxxv^^^ut inferius. Videl't : — SciTUs nup' Monast' p'd cum Terk' d'nical'. Valet in — Eedd'u cum uno Gardino uno pomar' et una p'ceir Terr' vocat' the Cowart Grene p' Annu' ... .. v. II, 32, 47, 48, 52, 58, 59, 60, 70, 72, 83, 88, 108, 110 ; close of the reign of, 67 Henry III, 128, 133, 141, 143; and Llewelyn ap Gruffydd, war between, 142 ; minority of, 135 Henry IV, 127, 159, 162, 224 ; troops of, 212, 216 Henry V, 164 Henry VI, 128, 147, 152, 167, 168; char- ter of, 168 Henry VII, 66, 83, 168 Henry VIII, 12, 88, HI, 137, 171, 173, 175, 179 "Henry VIII and the English Monas- teries," by the Rev. F. A. Gasquet, 171 Henynog, Grange of, 179 Heol-y-Cymry, 9, 11 Herbert, Sir Piercy, 138 Hereford, 3, 67, 82 ; Conan ap Meredydd, executed at, 147, 151 ; Dean of, 183, 187 ; Earl of, 36 Herefordshire, border churches of, 221 Hirvyrn, 85, 86 Hirwaen Wrgan, 8, 9, 11, 16 Hoare, Sir H. C, 64, 186 Holy Cross, 226 Holy Laud, 94 Hope, Mr. W. H. St. John, 206 Home, William, 180 Howel, 25, 44, 51, 60, 74, 83 Howel ap leuav. Lord of Arwystli, 91, 111, 146 Howel ap Meredith of Brecknock, 34, 35 Howel Castle, 50 Howel Dda, laws of, 85, 119 Howel, Sais, 75, 76, 83, 122, 123 Howe), son of leuav, 101, 110 Howel, son of Prince Owen Gwynedd, 42, 43,46 Howel, son of Rhys ap Grnffydd, 54 Howel, son of Rhys ap Tewdwr, 24, 122, 123 Hubert, Archbishop of Canterbury, 115, 122, 127 Hugh, Earl of Chester, 19 Hughes, John, 183 Humfihrey's Castle, 50 Hywell ap Rhys, 92 Hywell, son of Idnerth, 27 Hywel, son of Rhys, son of Tewdwr, 13 Idio, Wyllt, 6 lestyn ap G wrgan, Regulus of Glamor- gan, 3, 5,7, 9, 12,35,47, 61 Inspeximus Charter of King Henry VI, 95 lorwerth, Bishop of Menevia, 129 Ireland, 3, 13, 15, 24, 29, 55, 58, 59, 60, 72, 218 Irish architecture, 221 ; carving, 221 ; King, 58 Irvon River, 120 Isabel, daughter of Richard Clare, 92, 124 Iscoed, 118 Iscoed, Bisberwern, or Isherwei'n, 116 "Itinerary", Lelarirt's, 87, 106, 155, 165 Itinerary of Archbishop Baldwin, 67 Ivor Bach, 51 James Giotwyn, or Chetwyn, 94 Jane, daughter to Edward Vaughan, 94 Jerpoint Abbey, in Ireland, 23 Jerusalem, 94 Jeuan of Brechfa, 9 Joan, daughter and heir to Sir John Tat- sall, 94 Joan, daughter of King John, 132 Joan, daughter to John Lewis, 94 Joan, daughter to Rowland Gwynn, 95 John, Abbot of Strata Florida, 166, 167 John ap Dyo, 169 John an Rees, Abbot of Conway, 165, 166, 167 ' John ap Res, Abbot of Kymer, 166 John, Earl of Somerset, 160 .lohn Gwynn of Llanelwedd, 121 John, King, 82, 85, 91, 113, 116, 122, 123, 126, 127, 144 John, Prince Earl of Mortaigne, 72, 73 John Pryce, Sir, 120, 183 Jones, Rev. E., Vicar of Strata Florida, 178 Jones, Rev. H. Longueville, 182, 183 Kaer KerdiU, 210 Kedewing, in Wales, 136 Kennedy, H., 183 Kerry, 136 Keven yeoly, 120 Kidwelly, 118 ; attacked and burnt, 146 ; Castle, 27, 35, 38, 41, 43, 73 cxx INDEX. Kilgerran, 69 ; Castle, 56 King, English, 77 King's Steward of the Crown Manors, 179 Kington, in Herefordshire, 63, 75 Kinnerley Castle, 135 Ki'uiric race. 39 Lacy, Hugh de, 19 Lampeter, 41, 69, 187, 190 Lamphey, 73 Latin Church. 99 Lee, Eowland, Bishop of Lichfield and Coventry, 170 Leia, Peter de, Bishop of St. David's, 67, 68, 69, 76, 191, 198, 209 Leinster. Kings of, 58 Leland, 176; his " Collectanea'". 12 Lenlinus princeps NorwalliEe, 127 Lewis Glyn Cothi. 19 Lewis. John, of Harpton, 120-121 ; of Old Radnor, 121 Lewys Dwnn, 135 Lhandeilo, 49 Lhanstephan Castle, 49 Lhanymydhyfri. 49 ; Castle. 50 Lisburne, Earl of, 179 " Little England beyond Wales. History of", by Mr. Laws, 14, 35, 38,45, 73, 77 Llanafanfawr. 120 Llanavan, parish of, 178 Llanbadarn, 28. 124, 128, 146,188,209, 221 Llanbadarn Fawr Church in Radnor- shire, 23 Llanbadarn Trefeglwys, parish of, 179 Llanaber, in Merionethshire, 221 Llanbrynmair. parish of, 56 Llandaff, 188. 207, 208 ; cathedral church of, 186, 191, 220 Llandinam, 110 T landewi Aberarth, pai'ish of, 107, 179 Llandewi Abergwessin, 120 Llandilo'r fan, in Breconshire, 120 Llandinam, parish of. Ill Llandingat, in Gwent, 66 Llandovery, 26, 50, 75, 84, 118, 119 Llandydoch, 7 Llandyssil, 50 Llanerchaeron, 128 Llanfair, fair and market at, 136 Llanfihangel Gelynrod, 124 ; Gwenllian died at, 145 Llangadock, 85 ; Castle, 8i Llangammarch, 120 Llangollen Church, 221 Llangorse Lake, 39 " Llangurig, Histoiy of the Parish of", 110, 112, 140; tithes and rectory of, 110, 111, 146 ; vicarage of, 146 Llanidloes, parish of, 111 Llaniltud, 5 Llan Rhidian Castle, 46 Llanrhystyd Castle, 43, 44 Llansaintffraid Cwmdauddwr, in Rad- norshire, 65, 158 Llansaintffraid, in Elfael, 75 Llansantffraid. parish of, 179 Llanstephan Castle, 42 Llanthony Abbey, 186 Llantwit Major, churchyard of, in Gla- morganshire, 220 Llanvihangel Abergwessin, 120 Llanwnnws, parish of, 178 Llanwrthwl, 120 Llanwrtyd, 120 Llanymddyvri, 118 ; Castle, 85 Llawhaden Castle, 73 Llawrdderw, woods of, 62 Llechrhyd. 6 Llegodig, 136 Llewelyn. 6, 119 Llewelyn, Abbot of Strata Florida, 148 Llewelyn ap Gruffydd, 89, 145, 146, 149, 158, 159 ; death of, 149 Llewelyn ap Howel, 169 Llewelyn ap lorwerth, 73. 85. 89, 90, 119, 126, 127, 128, 131, 132, 133, 135 Llewelyn ap Owain, woods of, 156 Llewelyn ap Rhys, 145 ; death of, 214 Llewelyngoch ab Meruig-hen, of Nannan, 93 Llewelyn, Prince, 130 Llewelyn of Menrig, 92, 93 Llewelyn, son of Rhys ap Maelgwn, 149 Llewelyn Vaughan, 93, 94 Llydaw, 3 Llydiad yr heolydd, 120 •' Llyfr Coch o Hergest", 10 Llyngorast, 8 Llyngynon, 8 Llyn Tarw. a lake on the Llanwnog Hills, 139 Llywarch ap Trahaeam. 29 Llywel. in Brecknockshii-e, 6 London, City of, 7. 15,25. 180; King of, 2; King's prison in, 134 ; Tower of, 134. 135, 147, 150 Long Meadows, 138 Lords Marchers, 89, 133 Mabwvnion, 85 Madoc, 5, 6, 83 Madoc ap Idnerth, 53 Madoc ap Meredith, 53 Madoc ap Meredydd, lord of Bromfield, 83 Madoc, Prince of Powys, 47 Madog, 74 Madog ap Samuel, 135 Maelenydd, 19 Maolgon, 118, 119, 123 Maelgon ap Maelgon, 130 Maelgwn, 35, 40, 68, 69, 73, 74, 75, 83, 84, 85, 92, 113, 115, 116, 117, 127, 128 Maelgwn, son of Rhys ap Gruffydd, 72, 122, 128, 129 Maelgwn the younger, 141 INDEX. CXXl Maelgwn Vychan, insurrection of, 151, 153, 154 Maelienydd, in Radnorshire, 32, 63, 75, 95 ; lords of, 63 Maenan, 97, 112 Maes Gwenllian, 35 * Magister Conversorum, 104 Magna Charta, 82 Magnum Exordium Cisterciense, 101 Mahalt, 73 MahtS the Rev. Mr., 183 Mallaen, 85, 86 Mallt, 92 Malvern, Great, 226 Manorbier, 73 Maredudd, 42 Maredudd, son of Rhys, 118 Mare, Richard de la, 35 Margam, abbey of, 112 ; abbot of, 166 Margaret, 121 Margaret, daughter and coheir to David Lloyd ap John, 94 Margaret, daughter of Maelgwn, death of, 145 Margaret, daughter to Richard Owens, 95 Margaret, daughter to Sir Wm. Stafford, 94 Margaret, wife of Owain ap Meredydd, 124 Martyn, Sir William, 83 Mathrafal Castle, 126 Mathraval, 2 Matthew of Paris, 131 Maud, 76 Maud, daughter of William de Breos, 84, 119 Maud, Empress, 36, 44 Maurice de Londres, 44 Mawddwy, 6, 130 Mawr, cantrev of, 49, 86, 118, 120, 121 Mayott, Richard, 173 Meilir, 4 Meisgyn, lordship of, in Glamorgan- shire, 7 Menevia, bishop of, 157 Mercia, 37 Meredith, 118 Meredith ap Owen, 130, 146, 166 Meredith ap Res, 118, 145, 146 Meredudd, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 66, 75, 83 Meredydd ap Rhys, grandson of Rhys ap Gruffydd, 145 Meredydd ap Rotpert. lord of Cydewain, 126, 135, 136, 137 Meredydd, son of Rhys ap Gruffydd, 54 Mereweather, the Very Rev. John, 183 Merinedd, daughter of Gruffydd ap Cynau, 110 Merionydd, men of, 70 Mervyn, 2 Meveneth Comuscoith, grange of, 178, 179, 180 ; commot of, 130 Meyrick, Sir Samuel Rush, 131, 183, 187 Michaelmas, feast of, 130 Milford Haven, 59 Milltir-aur, 15 Milo of Hereford, 39 " Miscellanea Historica", 137 Miscyn and Senghenydd, lordship of, 16 Mochnant, 130 Molesme, abbey of, 101 Monastery of Rhys ap Tewdwr, 22 " Monasticon", Dugdale's, 88, 136, 168 Monmouth, 3, 17 Monnington, Roger, 165 Montgomei'y, Arnulph de, 24 Montgomery, bailiff of, 135 ; castle of, 13, 24 ; rebuilt by King Henry, 141 ; county of, 161, 175 ; town and castle of, 19 Montgomery, Roger de, 19 Montgomeryshire, 57 Montgomeryshire, estate of the Newtown Hall family, 136 Montgomeryshire possessions of Strata Florida Abbey, 140, 142 Montgomeryshire, ■western, 47 Morfa Maure, grange of, 179 Morgan, 35, 40, 47, 83 Morgan ap Caradoc ap lestyn of Gla- morgan, 61 Morgan ap John, 170 Morgan ap Meredith, 62 " Morgan, Land of", by Mr. G. T. Clark, 8, 16 Morgan's Castle of Aberavan, 47 Morgan, son of Caradoc, 46 Morganw^, 17, 18 Morris, Mr. E- R., late of Homestay, 136, 139, 168 Mortimer, Edmund de, 141, 142, 149 Mortmier, Ralph, 19 Mortimer, Roger, 141, 142 ; charter granted to, 136 Mortimers, 63, 83 Morys, William, 167 Morys, William, Abbot of Strata Florida. 165, 166 ^ Myddvai, 86 ; manor of, 85 " Myfyrian Archaiology", 62, 69, 144, 185 Mynydd Bychan, 16 Mynydd Hyddgant, 161 Mynydd y Garn, 4 Myvenydd, 31 Nantbay, 179 Nanteos, 188, 189 Nantmel, parish of, 65 Nant-vaye or Nant-baye, Grange of, 179 Nant y chure, river, 120 Nant yr Ariant Castle, 86 Neath, 8 ; abbey, 191 ; vale of, 35 Nest, 17, 40 Nesta, 6, 13, 14, 15, 24, 25, 29, 56 Nesta, daughter of Rhys ap Tewdwr, 46, 61 Nesta, Gerald de Windsor's widow, 35 Nevern Castle, 74 CXXll INDEX. Nevern, in Pembrokeshire, 220 Newman. Cardinal, 104 Newmarch, Bernard, 9, 10, 12, 17, 19 Newnham, near Gloucester, 59 Newtown, 49 " Norman Conquest of England, History of", by E. A. Freeman, 18, 44 Norman Conquest of Ireland, 15 Normandy, 4, 29, 31, 51, 52, 117 Norman foes, 73 Norman King, 5, 31, 228 Normans, the, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11, 13, 16, 17, 18, 26, 27, 29, 30. 35, 36, 37, 41, 42, 47, 50, 56, 59, 61, 62, 63, 66, 68, 99, 123 Northampton, 166 " Notitia Monastica", Tanner's, 83, 88, 168 Nottingham, 126 ; castle, 126 Olave, 5 Oswestry. 53, 115 ; lordship of, 135 Otho, Duke of Burgundy, 101 Ottley, Sir E., of Pitchford, 138 Owain, 6, 15, 73, 84 Owain ap Cadwgan, 29, 30 Owain ap Grnffydd, 146; death of, 129 Owain ap Meredydd, 135 Owain Cvfeilioc. 53, 56. 57, 59, 110 Owain Glendower, 87, 127, 160, 161, 162 ; death of, 165 ; rebellion of, 158, 159, 163, 224 Owain, grandson of GrufEydd and Maud, 124 Owain Gwynedd, 34. 41, 48, 51, 52, 55. 56, 70, 90. 110 ; a son of, 64 ; his grand- son, 64 Owain, Prince, 53 Owain, Lord of Arwystli, 101, 110 Owain, son of Cadwgan, 14 Owain, son of Gruffydd, 132, 134 Owain, son of Llewelyn, 135 Owain Vychan, 56 Owen, 40, 41. 119 Owen, Anenrin, 1, 81, 96, S7 Owen ap Caradoc, 26 Owen ap Rhys, 91 Owen Caerwedros, 83 OwenCjfeiliog, 55 Owen Gwynedd, 41, 48, 55 Owen, Mr. Edward, of the India Office, 168 Owen, son of Goronwy, 166 Owen, son of Gruffydd ap Rhys, 92 Owen Tudor, 78 Oweyn de Glvndourdy, 164 Oxford, 60, 72, 127 Pain's Castle in Elfael, 76 Panton Papers, 12 Pantybroynssion, 120 Pantyfedwen, 222 Parliament, the English, 160 PiiiTy, Jones, 183 Parvum Exordium, 101 Pass of the Graves, 54 Payn, Castle of, in Radnor, 115 Payne, Fitz John, 39 Peacock, Mr., 199 Peckham, John, Archbishop of Canter- bury* 152 Pell Borro, 120 Pembroke, 3, 13, 14, 18, 25, 26, 30, 73, 118 Pembi'okeshire and Carmarthenshire, lord of, 45 Pembroke Castle, 14, 36 ''Pembroke, Earl?, Earldom, and Castle of", by Mr. G. T. Clark, 13, 49 Pembroke, Earls of. 118 ; lords of, 221 ; sheriff of, 117, 118 Pembrokeshire, 6, 6, 7, 17, 24. 27, 49, 51, 52, 56, 72, 85 ; Fenton's History of, 83 ; Lord Marcher in Northern, 19 ; Lord of, 5 ; North, 26, 57 ; Southern, 19 Pendine, 45 Penkarok, Rectory of, 175 Penllwynog, 85 Pennardd, comot, 178 Pennarth, commot of, 30 ; Grange of, 178 ; lordship of, 151 Penneth, Grange of, 180 Penrhys, 8. 9 Pen, Sir Rhys, 9 Penson, R. Kyrke, 183 Penwedic, 33, 120, 121 ; cantrev of, 178, 179 ; castle, 46 Penwedig, Cantrev of, in Ceredigion, 31 Percy, Thomas de. Earl of Worcester, 162 Philips. James, of Blaenpant, 91 Philip the Red, death of, 157 Plynlimmon, 161 Poer, Ralph de la, Lord of Abergavenny, 66 Poictiers, 116 Poins, Richard de, 26 Pontrhydfendigiad, 132, 187 Pont Stephen, Castle, 41 Pool, town of, 162 Pope, the, 104, 126 Pope Innocent, 126 Pope Nicholas, 99 ; ecclesiastical taxa- tion of, 121 Pope Paschal, 102 Porchester Castle, 165 Porter, Rev. A. S., F.S.A., 225, 226,227 Porthkerry, 8 Port Rahern, 6 Powell, Col., of Nanteos, 95, 112, 182, 194, 201 Powell, Mr., 199 Powells, 188 Powells of Nanteo.s, 112 Powell, William, 189 Powys, 1, 2, 4, 14, 15, 19, 31, 33, 37, 53, 64, 126, 127, 164 Powys, chieftains of, 56 ; lords of, 52 ; princes of, 5, 54, 133 " Powis Fadog, History of", 4 INDEX. CXXlll Powys Uchaf, 126 Prestatyn Castle, 56 Price, Edward, the award of, 138 "Princes, Chronicles of the", 1, 3, 12, 13, 31, 45, 50, 55 Provision for securing the Abbey from damage, 163 Pryce family, the, 136 Pryce, Richard, of Aberbpchan, 138 Pryces of Newtown Hall, 135 Pwll Cynan. 8 Pwll Lerw, 120 Radnor, 3 ; county of, 175 ; New, 67, 76 Radnorshire, 8, 57, 62, 63, 75 Ralph, Earl Gilbert's steward, 28 Rannlph de Glanville, 82 Receiver- General, ISO Rechere, 6 Record Office, 71, 98, 125, 168 " Red Book of Hergest", 96 Rees, Rev. J. W., of Cascob, 168 Rees, W., 183 Reginald, Earl of Cornwall, 51 Res, 119, 123 Res ap Griffith, 79, 80 Res ap Tudor, 78, 79, 80 Res Grig, 79, 118, 119 Res, lord, 80 Resus filius Griffini, 127 Racdergwn Castle, 63 Rhayader, 62, 63, 65, 68 ; castle, Gi Rhayadergwy, 63 Rhayader Gwy Castle, 74, 75 Rhedynawc Velen, in Gwynedd, 97, 112 Rhiwallawn ab Cynfan ab Gwaethfoed, 4 Rhiwallon, 13 Rhodri, 2, 3 Rhodri, eldest son of, 3 Rhodri the Great, 4 Rhos, 80 Rhos Haminiog, 179 Rhuddlan Castle, 56, 126 ; King Edward at, 150 Rhys ab Grnfydd, 92 Rhys ab Tudor, 4 Rhys ab Tewdwi- Mawr, 81 Rhys ap Gruffydd, 1, 12, 20, 22, 23, 32, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49,50, 51, 52, 53, 55, 56, 57, 58, .59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 88, 89, 91, 96, 100, 105, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 125, 127, 128, 136, 147, 150, 151, 158, 1.59, 168, 179, 181, 201, 213, 229 ; death of a son of, 144 ; ori- ginal charter of, 148 ; his sons, 101 Rhys ap Madoc ap Idnerth, 35 Rhys ap Meredydd, 156 ; woods of, 156 Rhys ap Meredydd ap Rhys Grug, rebel- lion of, 151 Rhys ap Owain, 2 Rhys ap Tewdwr, 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 22, 23, 2)-, 25, 27, 37, 39, 55, 61,86,89, 91, 99, 107, 108, 211 Rhys Gryg, 78, 83, 85, 113, 117, 127 Rhys, only son of Maelgwn the younger, 145 Rhys, son of Gruffydd ap Rhys, 124 Rhys, son of Tewdwr, 3 Rhys's Head, 9 Rhys the Hoarse, 86 Rhys Vychan, 40, 41 ; son of Rhys ap Maelgwn, 149 Riccart, Walter ap, 52 Richard, 42 Richard, Abbot of the Monastery of the Blessed Mary, 137 Richard, Bi.shop of London, 14 Richard's Castle, 76 Richard, King, 117 Richard Cceur de Lion, 73 Richard, Sir, 112 Robert, son of Geoffrey Clement, 151 Richard, son of Gilbert de Clare, 36 Richard I, 60, 72, 94 Richard II, 159 Ririd, 5, 6 Robert, Earl of Gloucester, 13 Roberts, Mr. Ed., 25 Robert, son of Stephen, 61 Roberts, Rev. George, Vicar of Mon- mouth, 95, 152, 185, 227 Roche Abbey and the Cistercian Order, paper on the, 102 Roche Abbey, in Yorkshire, 225 Rochfort, Guy, Bailiff of Montgomery, 110 Roderic, 119 Roger de Clare, Earl of Hereford, 82 Roger, Earl de Clare, 49, 51, 52 Roger of Wendover, 52 Rogers, Edward, 183 Rome, 45, 91, 100 Ros, 118 Rowlands of Llangeitho, 175 Rowley-Morris, paper by, 135 Royal Dinefaur, 42 Rufus, William, King, 7, 17 Ruthin in Denbighshire, 160 Rathyn, Reginald de, 163 Saghern, mansion called, 161 Saundersfoot, 45 Saxon arch, 90 ; Kings, 5 Saxons, the, 1 Say, Hugh de, 76 Scotland, expedition against, 159 ; King of, 126 Scott, Sir Gilbert. 202 Scriven, Ri., of Froddesley, 138 Seddon, Mr., 206, 208 Senena, wife of Grnffydd, 134 Severn, River, 8, 53, 110, 136 ; vale of the, 143 Shrewsbury, 226 ; Earl of, 19 ; exami- nation at, 169 ; High Court of Parlia- ment assembled at, 150; Prince of Wales at, 163 Shropshire, 54; antiquities of, 53; border churches of, 221 CXXIV INDEX. SLsillus, Abbot of Ystradflur, 69, 91 ; probably Sitsyllt, or Cecil, 93 Sitsyllt, 101 SitsyJlt ap Dyfynwal of Higher Gwent, 61 Sittric, King of Dublin, 5 Slebech, 83 Smith, Dan Ricbavd, a monk, 169 Smith, Mr. W. G., '222 Smith, Richard, 170 Snowden, 162 Somersetshire, 107, 198, 221 Stafford, Edward, 12 Stanley, John, 166 St. Asaph, 188; cathedral, 191, 226; diocese of, 140 St. Benedict, 101 St. Bridget at Rhayader, Church of, 65 St. Clears Castle, 68, 75 St. Clement, Church of, 65 St. David, 17, 63 St. David's, 5, 68, 69, 73, 79, 80, 114, 188 ; Bishop of, 15, 73. 199 ; bishopric of, 91 ; cathedral, 77, 78, 79. 129, 191, 198, 202, 208, 209, 215, 219 ; stone used for, 197 ; "Jones and Freeman's His- tory of", 34, 129 ; diocese of, liO, 173 ; history and antiquities of, 79; •■ History of the Diocese of", by the Rev. Canon Bevan, 99, 157, 158 ; Lord Bishop of, 187 St. Dogmael's Priory, 7, 68 Stedman, family. 112, 179, 216 ; James, 95 ; John, 94, 180, 181 ; John of Kent, 91; John of Stafford, 24; Richard. 95; Thoma=.94; William. 94 Stedmans, 183 ; of Strata Florida, 178 Stephen, 34 ; Abbot, 102 ; King, 36, 38, 41, 44, 45, 47 Stephens, Mr., quotation by, 37 Stephen, the Castellan of Cardigan, 15, 35, 56 St. James the Apostle, feast of, 118, 119 St. John the Evangelist, hamlet of, 9 St. Luke the Evangelist, feast of, 130 St. Madoc, chapel of, 158 St. Mary, church of, 25, 129 St. Mary's monastery, 25 St. Paulinus, chapel of, 158 St. Peter and St. Paul, feast of, 118 Stradlings of St. Donats, 17 Stradpythll, Castle of, 28 Strange, John, bailiff of Castle Baldwin, 143 Strata Florida, Abbey of, 1, 3, 14, 19, 20, 21, 22, 31, 40, 45.57, 58, 65, 66, 69, 73, 76, 77, 78, 79, 83, 86, 87, 89. 93, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 101, 105, 106, 107, 109, 110, 111, 112,113, 114, 117. 119, 120, 122, 123, 124, 125, 127, 135, 140, 143, 144, 145, 146, 152, 157, 158, 162, 169, 171, 173, 175, 177, 178, 181, 182, 183, 187, 18S, 190, 199, 206, 208, 209, 210, 212, 217, 218, 220, 222, 223, 225, 226, 227 , fire .at, 153 ; garrison at, 165 ; history and architecture of, 185, 228 ; large possessions of, 131 ; one of the most important events at, 131 ; pro- perty belonging to, 120, 136, 147, 175, 179 ; ruins of, 223 ; abbots and monks of, 136, 152, 168, 169 ; abbot of, 93, 97, 134, 137, 141, 154, 156, 157,168,179,190; chapter house of, 129 ; charter granted to by Henry III, 129 ; death of Griffith ap R"S at, 119 ; death of Gruffudd, son of Rhys at, 118 ; demesne of, 178 ; dispute as to the Abbacy of, 167 ; ejected monks of. 174 : great bell of, 144, 155 ; illustration of the Abbey church of, 192 ; last entry in the " Brut y Ty wysogion" referring to, 192; Maelgwn the younger buried at, 145 ; monks of, 100, 113, 114, 126, 13i', 170, 211 ; paper on, by the Rev. G. Roberts, 132 ; parish of, 178 ; petition from the Abbot of, 151 ; property granted to, 176 ; Prince Rhys ap Gruffydd buried at, 128 ; second fire at, 154 ; succes- sion to the Abbacy of, 165 Strata Marcella, 22 Strata Meuric, land at, 130 Stratclere, 180 Stratflur, 89, 92 ; convent of, 90 Striguil, 123 St. Werburgh. Chronicle of. 57 Sulien, Bishop of St. David's, 34 Surry, 9 Swansea, 8, 49, 71 ; Castle, 26 Sybel, daughtf-r of Ivanhir, 73 Sycharth in North Wales, 1.59 Syer, Morris, 138 ; Thomas, 138 ; Wil- liam, 138 Tafalwern Castle, in Cyfeilioc 110 Talbots, 80 Talbot, Sir Gilbert, 165 Talgarth, Trefeglwys. 110 Talley, Abbot of, in Carmarthenshire, 83, 99 ; Abbot of, 156 Talley, Richard, last Abbot of Strata Florida, 94. 139, 170 Tanad, 143 Tavalwern Castle, 56 Taxatio of Pope Nicholas IV, 99, 139 Tegeingl. Cantref of, 56 Teifi, River, 20, 23, 27, 35, 36, 223, 224 Tenby, 45, 72 ; Castle of, 46 ; Castle, Governor of, 46 Tiernan. O'Ruarc, Lord of Meath, 58 Tintern Abbey, 207 ; Abbot of, 112 Tomworth, John, 180 Tong Church, Salop, 226 Tours, de, 19 Towy and Breconshire, vale of, 5 Towyn Colwyn, 15 Towy, 120 ; river, 8, 179 ; vale of, 8, 26, 30, 31, 37, 44 Tracy, Lord, 137 Trahaern, 3, 4 Trabaern ap Caradoe, 3, 5, 14, 110 Trahearn, son of Ithel, 27 INDEX. CXXV Treasury of the Exchequer, 71 Trefeglwys, parish of, 111 Tregaron, bog of, 107 ; town of, 171 Tregunnon, Freeth of, 138 Tregynon, parish of, 139, 140 Trevaes et Morva biehan, 179 Trevor, John, Bishop of St. Asaph, 160 Trinity Chapel, 214 Turribus, Martin de, 19, 27 Ty-Gwyn, 115 Tir Glandillas, 120 Tyryrabad, 120, 121 Ty wy, 49 ; vale of, 85 ; river, 120 Uchtryd Castle, 42, 49 Usk, valley of, 8 Ustrad-Towi, 31 Vipont, Eobert, 125 Val-es-dnnes, 18 Valle Crucis, 22 " Valor Ecclesiasticus", 110, 111, 179 Vatican Library, 98 Vaughan of Hengwrt, 3 Vere, William de, Bishop of Hereford. 82 View of the Abbey, Buck's, 176 Waddingham, Mr., 148, 178 Wakeman. T., 183 Wales, 2, 5, 6, 13, 14, 16, 17, 24, 27, 29, 37. 39, 44, 47, 48, 49, 51, 52, 55, 62, 67, 68, 70, 72, 73, 89, 97, 99, 107, 113, 114, 116, 119, 122, 212, 223; Buck's " Views oi", 186; Cantrefs and Commots of , 32 ; carvers in, 218; decay of woods in, 155 ; dying freedom of, 228 ; finest ecclesiastical building in, 114, 191 ; " History of," by Miss Jane Williams, 42, 47, 55, 58, 126, 133, 134, 150, 160, 161, 163 ; independence of, lost, 214 ; insurrection in, 148 ; King of, 1 ; Lords in, 119 ; most powerful ruler in, 127 ; North, 1, 3, 4, 19, 2.5, 26, 31, 33, 41, 48, 53, 54, 62, 67, 69, 70, 81, 119, 120, 126, 127, 177 ; Principality of, 134 ; Prince of, 25, 40, 41 ; Powell's " History of", 2, 6, 12, 24, 28, 29, 36, 40, 43, 46, 48, 49, 52, 60, 66, 114, 119, 1.30 ; Princes and Barons of, 131 ; Princes and Chief- tains of, 37 ; Princes and Lords of, 48 ; " Royal Tribes of", by Yorke, 12, 30, 31, 40, 60, 72, 81, 83, 116 ; South, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 12, 13, 15, 18, 24, 26, 29, 31, 33, 36, 37, 48, 49, 50, 53, 59, 61,62, 64, m, 69, 70, 73, 74, 76, 78, 80, 81, 96, 97,99,108,115,118,119,125,127, 177, 219, 221 ; South, burial place of the Princes of, 190; Chamberlain of, 166; Chief Justice of, 67 ; coast of, 197 ; Conquest of, 18 ; " History of tlia Princes of", 51, 52. 74, 76, 78, 83, 117, 123, 127, 130, 134, 135 ; invaded by Owen Gwynedd, 41 ; Kingdom of, 19 ; Kings and Princes of, 5 ; King of, 1 ; King's Justice of, 152 ; Loi-d of, 83 ; Lord- ship of, 51 ; Lords of, 145 ; Princi- pality of, 5 ; Prince of, 2, 10, 12, 19, 72, 90; Princes of, 1, 133; South- West, 17 ; Warden of the Marches of, 15 ; West, 14, 38, 67, 73 ; Justiciary of, 154 ; King's Justiciary of, 156 ; Wynne's "History of", 62 Walter ap Llywarch, 52 Walter, Lord Viscount Hereford, 111, 112 Waiter, son of Eobert de Clare, 82 Warthemon, 63 Warwick, museum at, 226 Wastel, Brisco, 136 Well of Sir Ehys's Head, 9 Wells, Archdeacon of, 122 Welsh and English, wars between, 145 Welsh Barons, 135 Welsh cathedrals and abbeys, 191 Welsh Cistercian house, 99, 101 Welsh church, 68 Welsh Insurrection, the, 163 Welshmen, 98, 101, 109 ; oppi-essive ordinances passed against, 160 Welsh monasteries, 98, 100 Welsh princes, 18. 44, 82 Welsh, the, 27. 30, 50. 51, 52, 53, 55, 62, 67, 72, 73, 120, 127 ; rising of the, 151 Welsh wars, 88, 106 Wenlock Priory, 186 Wenwynwyn, Prince of Powys, 119 Westminster, 90, 117, 128, 131 Westminster Abbey of Wales, 132 West-S ixons, 18 White Cross, sign of the, 68 Whilehouse, monks of, 129 Whitland Abbey, 59, 67, 68, 83, 99, 115, 129, 173 ; a daughter of, 167 Wigmore Abbey, 76, 143 William Briwerro, 122 William David ap William, 180 William David ap If^van, 181 William, Earl of Gloucester, 47 William Gam, Lord of Gower, 124 William, King, 5 William of London, 27 William Mareschal, Earl of Pembroke, 117, 120 William, Earl of Surry, 117 William, son of Gerald, 46 Williams, Rev- John, Rector of Llany- mowddvvy, 95 William the Conqueror, 4, 5 Windsor, G^-rald de, 13, 15, 24, 25, 30, 31, 42, 46 Wiston, 73 Wood of the Vale of the Battle, 11 Woodstock, 52 Worcester, 66, 113, 116, 117, 122 Worcestershire, 226 Wye, River, 3, 6. 53, 57, 63, 6t, 65, 95, 120 ; valley of the, 149 Wymark, 121 Wymark, Edward, 120 CXXVl INDEX. Wynnes of Gwydir, 83 Wynne, W. W- E., 183 Wynn, Sir W. W., 112 Wynnstay, Baronet of, 112 " T Cymmrodor", 32 York, Archbishop of- 89 Yorke, John, bailiff, 179 Yorkshire Architectural Society, 102 Yr hen Fynachlog, 20, 21, lt'8 Yrvon, Eiver, 120 Yspytty Cynvan, parish of, 178 Yspytty Ystwith, parish of, 178 Ysteder, daughter of Caradoc ap Llow- rodd, 123 Ystradflur, 3, 11, 12, 19, 20, 22, 23, 39, 58, 79, 86, 88, 89, 91, 99, 107, 210 ; abbot of, 90 ; abandoned monastery of, 211 ; lords and barons of Wales summoned to, 131 ; monks of, 108 Ystrad Meurig, 75 ; castle of, 41, 44, 74, 116, 118 ; parish of, 178 Ystrad Peithyll, castle of, 26, 28 Ystrad Towey, 26, 27, 30, 32, 59 ; forest of, 48 ; territory of, 145 Ystrad Tywy, 118 Ystrad Meyric Castle, 50 Ystrat Ty, 33 Ystwith, Eiver, 27, 148, 178 ; valley of, 178 Y Tri Tywysoc Taleathioc, 2 LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS. Allen, J. Romilly, F.S. A.Scot., 20, Bloomsbury Square, London, W.C. Anderson, Mrs., Elm Cottage, Rhydyfelin, Aberystwith. Appleton, H. D., P.A.A., F.R.I.B.A., 157, Wool Exchange, Coleman Street, London, E.C. Arch, Thos., The Abbey, Strata Florida, Ystradmeurig, R.S.O. Bute, The Most Hon. the Marquis of, c.o. J. G. Godwin, 83, Eccleston Square, London, S.W. (Two copies.) Beardwood, Right Rev. J. C, Abbot Ord. Cist., Mount St. Joseph, Roscrea, Ireland. Bridgenian, Hon. and Rev. Cauou, The Hall, Wigan, Lancashire. Banks, R. W., Ridgebourne, Kington, Hereford. (Six copies.) Barnes, Lieut.-Col. J. R., Brookside, Chirk, North Wales. Bartholomew, H., 132, Abbey Road, London, N.W. Bevan, Rev. C!auon, Hay, R.S.O. Birch, W. de Gray, F.S. A., British Museum, Loudon, W.C. Blades, R. H., 23, Abchurch Lane, E.C. Bohm, C. F., Architect, Rhayader, Radnorshire. (Two copies.) Bonsall, J. W., Fronfraith, Aberystwith. Broad, J., Ashford, Kent. Bund, J. Willis, F.S. A., 3, Stone Buildings, Lincoln's Inn, London, W.C. (Two copies.) Butler, Cecil, Nantgwilt, Rhayader. Chester, The Right Rev. the Lord Bishop of (Dr. Jayne), The Palace, Chester. Cardiff Free Library (J. Ballinger, Librarian), Cardiff. Cardigan, Ven. Archdeacon of, Treforgan, Cardigan. Clark, G. T., F.S.A.,c.o. Messrs. H. Sotheran and Co., 36, Piccadilly, W. Clark, J. Willis, Scroope House, Cambridge. Clarke, R., i, Portland Street, Hereford. Coates, E., Coombe House, Presteign. Cobb, J. R,, Brecou. Coles, S. H. Cowper, Rhayader, Radnorshire. Cooke, W. H,, M.A., Q.C., F.S.A., 42, VVimpole Street, W. Coplestone, Rev. W. Chester, Willand Vicarage, Cullompton, Devon. Cornall, J., North Street, Rhayader, Radnorshire. Cree, Rev. T. G., Cosheston Rectory, Pembroke. CXXVlll LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS. Dryden, Sir H., Bart., Canon's Ashby, Byfield, Northamptonshire. Duckett, Sir George, Bart., F.S.A., etc., Newiugton House, Wall- ingford. Davey, Rev. Prebendary, St. David's College, Lampeter. Davies, Rev. D. W., M.A., Mostyn, near Holywell, North Wales, Davies, Rev. E. Stedman, M.A., Cliff Cottage, Pembrey, South Wales. Davies, E. & S., Builders and Timber Merchants, Newtown, North Wales. Davies, Rev. John, St. David's Vicarage, Blaenau Festiuiog. Davies, Rev. J. E., M.A., Llangelynin, Llwyngwril, ]\rerioneth. Davies, J. Pryce, Brongoleu, Caersws, Montgomeryshire. Davies, Miss, Pant-y-Vedwen, Strata Florida, R.S.O., Cardiganshire. Davies, The Misses, Gwardole, Rhayader. Davies, Morris, Ffoesrhydgaled, Aberystwith. Davies, Morris, North and South Wales Bank, Limited, Llanidloes. Davis, H. W. B., R.A., Glaslyn, Rhayader, Radnorshire. Debenhani, H. K., Presteigne, Radnorshire. Dew, Major F. N., Hereford. De Winton, Ven. Archdeacon, Llandrindod, (Two copies.) Dore, G., Rhayader, Radnorshire. Doyle, J. A., Pendarren, Crickhowell. Drinkwater, Rev. C. H., M.A., St. George's Vicarage, Shrewsbury. Ely, The Right Rev tlie Lord Bishop of, The Palace, Ely. Edmondes, Ven. Archdeacon C. G., Principal of St. David's College, Lampeter. Edwards, T. C, M.A., Principal, University College ot Wales, Aberystwith. Edwards, Rev. T., B.D., Cwmdauddwr, Rhayader. Ellis, Thomas, Terrace Road, Aberystwith. Elliot, Mrs., Alexandra Terrace, Montgomery. Evans, Christmas, Merthyr Tydfil. Evans, Rev. David, The Vicarage, Abergele, North Wales. Evans, Rev. D. D., B.D., Pencarreg Vicarage, Lampeter. Evans, Rev. D. Pugh, Lampeter Velfrey Rectory, Narberth. Evans, Rev. D. Silvan, B.D., Llauwrin, Machynlleth. Evans, E. Vincent, Sec. Cymmrodorion Soc, Lonsdale Chambers, Chancery Lane, W.C. Evans, Rev. H., B.D., Pembrey, Carmarthenshire. Evans, Capt. H. J., Liverpool Regt., 29, Mulgrave Street, Liverpool. Evans, Rev. J. P., Llanddoget Rectory, Llanrwst. Evans, Rev. T. Howel, Maidford Rectory, Towcester. Fairbank, F. R., M.A., F.S.A., 46, Hall Gate, Doncaster. Farren, Geo., J.P., etc., Trefenai, Carnarvon. Ffoulkes, His Honour Judge W. Wynne, Old Northgate House, Chester. Ffytche, Lewis, F.S.A., Freshwater Bay, Lsle of Wight. Fishei-, E., F.S.A. Scot., etc., Abbotsbury, Newton Abbot, South Devon. 1' LIST OF SUBSCEIBEES. CXXIX Gasquet, Rev. F. A., 14, Colville Square, Netting Hill, W. Harding, T. W., Rhayader, Radnorshire. Holford, J. Gwynne, Buckland, Bwlch, R.S.O., Brecknockshire. Hope, W. H. St. John, Society of Antiquaries, Burlington House, Piccadilly, W. Hughes, E., Registrar of Births, etc., Corner House, Rhayader, Rad- norshire. Hughes, Rev. John, The Vicarage, Llanidloes, North Wales. Humphreys, T. Powell, Bank, Rhayader, Radnorshire. Humphreys, William, 101, Mulgrave Street, Liverpool. Jones-Parry, Sir T. Love D., Bart., M.A., F.S.A., Madryn Park, Carnarvonshire. James, Miss C. J., Hinton House, Clifton Road, Worthing. James, C. Herbert, Brynteg, Mei'thyr Tydfil. (Two copies.) Jarraan, Geo. M., Clerk to the Guardians, Rhayader, Radnorshire. Jee, Geo. John, Civil and Mining Engineer, Pontypool, Monmouthshire. Jones, Mrs., Tycerrig, North Street, Rhayader, Radnorshire. Jones, Mrs., Red Lion Hotel, Pontrhydfendigaid, Ystrad Meurig, Cardiganshire. Jones, Miss, Cwmithig, Rhayader, Radnorshire. Jones, Miss E. Lloyd, Penrallt, Penmaenmawr, North Wales. Jones, Rev. Canon, Llanengan Rectory, Pwllheli, North Wales. Jones, B., J. P., etc.. Goring Place, Llanelly. Jones, David, No. 1, Castle Road, Rhayader. Jones, Rev. Evan, Strata Florida, Aberystwith. Jones, Edward, Cwmithig, Rhayader, Radnorshire. Jones, John (Grocer), Bout, Strata Florida, Ystrad Meurig, R.S.O. Jones, J. (Builder, etc.), Pontrhydfendigaid, Ystrad Meurig, Cardigan- shire. Jones, J. Thomas, 226, Bute Road, Cardiff. Jones, Rev. Michael D., Principal, Independent College, Bala, North Wales. (Two copies.) Jones, R. W., Rhayader, Radnorshire. Jones, T., B.A., Tawelfan, St. David's Road, Aberystwith. Jones, T. R., 22, Old Bailey, E.G. Jones, W. R., Tegid House, Rhayader, Radnorshire. Jordan, Mrs., Cambridge House, Tenby. Joseph, J., F.S.A., Brecon. Kempson, F. R., F.R.I.B.A., Architect, Hereford. Keni'ick, R., Aberystwith. Kitto, John, Vaenor Park, Llanidloes. Knill, Alderman Stuart, 1, Adelaide Buildings, London Bridge, E.G. Lisburne, The Right Hon. the Earl of, Crosswood, Aberystwith. Lisburne, Alice, Countess of, Birchgrove, Aberystwith. (Four copies.) Langdon, A. G., 17, Craven Street, Strand, W.C. i CXXX LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS. Laugharne, Rev. T. R. J., The Vicarage, Rhayader, Radnorshire. Laws, E., Brighton Place, Tenby. Lee, Sydney AV., 8, Adelphi Terrace, W.C. Leeds Libraiy (H. Morse Stephens, Librarian), Commercial Street, Leeds. liCwis, Rev. Canon D., St. David's, R.S.O. Lewis, Hugh, M.A., Mount Severn, Llanidloes, Montgomeryshire. Lewis, Rev. J. Pollard, Glasbury, R.S.O., South Wales. Lewis, Miss M. J., Dolgoed, Strata Florida, Ystradmeurig, R.S.O. Lewis, Miss S. M., Teivy Villa, Strata Florida, Ystradmeurig, R.S.O. Lewis, Sir W. Thomas, The Mardj', Aberdare. Lindner, G. M., Rhayader, Radnorshire. Llewellyn, Wm., Court Colmau, Bridgend, Glamorgan. Lloyd, H. R., National Provincial Bank, Limited, Dolgelly, North Wales. Lloyd, Rev. lorwerth Grey, M.A., F.S.A., Bosherston Rectory, Pem- broke. Lloyd, J. W., Kington, Herefordshire. Lloyd, Morgan, Plas Maesincla, Carnarvon. Longcroft, C. E., Llanina, New Quay, Cardiganshire. Lucas, Miss Katheleen, Westbourne Park, Scarborough. Lucas, Seymour, A.R.A., F.S.A., New Place, Woodchurch Road, West Hampstead, N.W. Morgan, Sir Walter, The Close, Odiham, Hants, Maitland, T. F., Garth House, Breconshire. (Two copies.) Martin, E. P., Dowlais, Glamorganshire. (Two copies.) Martineau, E. H., 30, Weymouth Street, Portland Place, W. Matthews, Rev. J. H. D., Grammar School, Leeds. Meehan, Rev. C. P., SS. Michael and John, Dublin. Miller, Samuel, The Court, Abermule, R.S.O. Mitchell, F. J., Llanfrechfa Grange, Caerleon, Newport, Mon. Morgan, Miss Maiy, Springfield, Shifnal, Salop. Morgan, David, 84, Upper Canning Street, Liverpool. Morris, Miss, Warren House, Carletou Road, Tufnell Park, N.W. Morris, E. Rowley, Warren House, Carletou Road, Tufnell Park, N.W. Morris, T. E., B.A., Portmadoc, North Wales. Nichol, G. W., Ham, Cowbridge, South Wales. Nichols, Rev. W. L., M.A., F.S.A., F.R. Hist. Soc, Woodlands, near Holfurd, Somerset. O'Donoghue, Rev. Denis, P.P., St. Brendan's, Ardfert, Ireland. Otway, Mrs. Cecil, Newcastle Court, Walton, Radnorshire. Owen, A. C. Humphreys, Glan Severn, Garthmyl, Montgomeryshire. Owen, Edward, India Office, Whitehall, S.W. Owen, E. H., F.S.A., Ty Coch, near Carnarvon. Owen, Dr. Isambard, M.A., 5, Hei'tford Street, Mayfair, W. Owen, Rev. R. Trevor, M.A., F.S.A., Llangedwyn Vicarage, Oswestry. LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS. CXXXl Powis, The Right Hon. the Earl of, Powis Castle, Welshpool. (Two copies.) Pryce-Jones, Sir Pryce, Dolerw, Montgomeryshii*e. (Two copies.) Palmer, Ptev. C. S., Eardisley Rectory, R.S.O., Hereford, Parry, Miss, 32, Marine Terrace, Aberystwith. Payne, W., National Provincial Bank of England, Portsmouth. Peacock, J. T., Sudbury House, Hammersmith, S.W. (Four copies.) Periug, Captain J. H., Peterstone Court, Brecon. Philipps, F. L. Lloyd, Penty Park, Clarbeston Road, Pembrokeshire. Pilley, Edward, 2, High Town, Hereford. Pilley, Walter, Eign Street, Hereford. Plowes, J. H., 39, York Terrace, Regent's Park, N.AV. Pouting, C, F.S.A., Lockeridge, Marlborough. Powell, Mrs., Nant Eos, Aberystwith. Powell, Rev. A. W., Glanhowey, Llandrindod, R.S 0., Radnor. Powell, Evan, Broomcliffe, Llanidloes. Powell, Rev. F. G. M., The Parsonage, Dalkeith. Powell, R. Haines, Greenfields, Rhayader, Radnorshire. Price, W. Powell, Glamorgan Street, Brecon. Pywell, J. A., 8, Sylvan Grove, Old Kent Road, S.E. Rafarel, F. W., Glencoed Cwm Bran, near Newport, Mon, Rees, Eben, North and South Wales Bank, Liverpool. Rees, Rev. John, Llanafan Fawr Vicarage, Garth, R.S.O., Breconshire. Richardson, J. C, Glanbrydaii Park, Carmarthenshire. (Two copies.) Ridgway, Col. A., J.P., Caerleon, 63, Carlton Hill, N.W. Rigby, W., A. LB., Banker, Rhayader. Roberts, D. C, 2Q, Bridge Street, Aberystwith. Roberts, John, Chemist, Rhayader, Radnorshire. Roberts, T. D., M.List.C.E., Penrallt, Newport, Mon. Rogers, J. E., Abei-meirig, Talsarn, R.S.O. Ryan, C, Cambria Place, Newport, Mon. St. David's, The Right Rev. the Lord Bishop of, Abergwili Palace, Carmarthen. (Four copies.) Seddon, J. P., F.R.I.B.A., 123, Grosvenor Road, Westminster, S.W. Seward, Edwin, "R.C.A., Queen's Chambers, Cardiff. Siddorn, Miss, 14, Stanley Street, Holyhead. Silley, A., 17, Craven Street, Strand, W.C. Sladen, J. R., Major-Gen., Rhydoldog, Rhayader, Radnorshire. (Two copies.) Smith, Telfer, Woodlands, Rhayader, Radnorshire. (Two copies.) Smith, Worthington G., West Street, Dunstable. Spiller, W. H., Fairlight, Hampstead Hill Gardens, N.W. Stevens, J., F.R.LB.A., 88, Mosley Street, Manchester, and Maccles- field. Tanqueray, A. C, Reid's Brewery, Clerkenwell, E.G. Thirlwall, Rev. T. J., M..V., Nantmel Vicarage, Rhayader Thomas T. Henry, R.C.A., i.^, '1 lie Walk, Cardiff. CXXXU LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS. Thomas, W. W., M.S.A., 25, Lord Street, Liverpool. Turbervill, Lieut. -Col. T. Picton, Eweuny Priory, Bridgend, Gla- morgan. (Two copies.) University College of Wales (E. P. Jones, Librarian), Aberystwith. Vaughan, H. V., The Castle, Bailth. Vaughan, J. Williams, The Skreen, Erwood, R.S.O., Radnorshire. (Two copies.) Venables, Rev. R. L., Llysdiuam, Newbridge-on-Wye. (Two copies.) Wake, Barnard, Abbeyfield, Sheffield. Waller, J. G., F.S.A., 68, Bolsover Street, W. Williams, C. M., Mayor of Aberystwith. Williams, David, Abbey Board School, Strata Florida, Williams, Rev. Canon E., Llangefni Rectory, Anglesey. Williams, E. W. Colt, B.A., The Gate House, Hereford. Williams, J. P., Lion Hotel, Rhayader. Williams, Mrs., Penralley, Rhayader, Radnorshire. (Two copies.) Williams, Morgan S., Aberpergwm^ Neath. Williams, R. B., Lower Mellington, Churchstoke, Salop. Williams, Thos., Accountant, 2, Derwen Villas, Mold. Williams, W., M.A., H. M. Inspector of Schools, Aberystwith. Williams, W. Richard, Upper Bangor. Williams, Richard, F.R. Hist. S., Celynog, Newtown, Montgomery- shire. Williams, Mrs., Kerry Street, Montgomery. AViustone, B., 53, Russell Square, W.C. AVood, R. H., F.S.A., Pautglas, Trawsfynydd. Woodings, D. Lewis, Beulah, Garth, R.S.O., Breconshire. PBINTED BT WHITING AND CO., 30 AND 32, SAKDINIA STHEEI, W.C. ^