Cylchgronau Cymru

"OLD BRECKNOCK CHIPS." A Column of Antiquarian Chit-Chat relating to the County of Brecknock. NOTES, QUEBIES, AND REPLIES, on Subjects inter¬ esting to Breconshire, must be addressed to EDITOR, Brecon County Times, Brecon. Real names and addresses must be given in confidence, and MSS. must be written legibly, on one side of the paper only. FBIDAY, AUGUST 26th, 1887. EOTES. THE LAND MEASURES OF BRECKNOCK¬ SHIRE (Aug. 12th, 19th, 1887).—Dear Sir,— Thanks for your reply. I am, however, well ac¬ quainted with all that is said in the Welsh laws on land measures, as well as with the definitions given of such words as "erw," "cyfar," "ystanc,"and the like in the Welsh dictionaries. I had also already the definition of Mr Wm. Williams, of Cwmdu, of the Brecknockshire "cyfar," but could not reconcile it with another account of the same "cyfar" from the same source. However, the " cyfar " may differ in many parts of the county: if so, I should like to know the areas of the several " cyfars," and the places where they are used, as these differences indicate distinct areas of Govern¬ ment or race distribution, and it is at these points that I am really driving. Any particulars of the ancient land measures of Monmouthshire or Glam¬ organshire will also be welcome. A. N. Palmes. Chester Street, Wrexham, August 20th, 1887. THE FIRST PRINTING PRESS IN BRE¬ CONSHIRE (Aug. 12th, 19th, 1887).—There are some people who can only see the political stalking horse in every line an opponent writes, and I am told fault has been found with my fugitive notes on this interesting subject. When I wrote about the establishment of the Siltjbian newspaper at Brecon, I gave all the information I then possessed, but since then I have made further enquiries (and none of us ate too old to learn even up to the end of the chapter) with the result following. As stated by me in your issue of the 12th August, the SirtiKiAN was started by our respected late townsman, Mr John Williams (now of Newton, Bridgend), and I have by me a copy of the issue for April 20th, 1845, containing some interesting particulars of the exe¬ cution of Thomas Thomas, the Trecastle murderer. The imprint to that issue is as follows : " Printed by "John Williams, printer, at his place of abode, at " the Bulwark, in the chapelry of St. Mary, in the " parish of St. John the Evangelist, in the borough " of Brecon—Vol. IX, No. 449." The paper was established in 1836 on the reduction of the stamp duty (and not the advertisement duty, as I formerly stated) from 4d. per copy to Id. The paper was issued on Saturdays, the old Brecon market day, price 4d. I have also gleaned, from a reliable source, some interesting particulars about old Brecon printers and someof theworkstheyissued. In theearly part of the present century there were two printing offices in Brecon—one carried on by Mr George North (father of the late Dr. John North), who was at the same time a large proprietor of stage wagons and canal boats. Mr North printed Jones's " His- toey op Bbeoknoceshibe " (1805-9). The other office was situate in the Struet, and belonged to a Mr Henry Hughes, who, among other things, print¬ ed two or three volumes of sermons for the Rev. Richard Davies, Archdeacon and Vicar of Brecon; he also printed two or three volumes quarto for Sir William Ouseley, giving an account of his travels and residence in Persia as English Ambassador (Sir William then resided near Crickhowell). I have also been told that Mr Hughes likewise printed the " History of Hindostan," for the late Major David Price, of Watton House (see memorial to the gallant and learned major in the Priory Church, Brecon). Some of these books were formerly in the Library of Christ College, Brecon, and may be there now. Mrs Hughes, the widow, carried on the business for a few years, and afterwards sold the materials to Mr William Webb (father of our respected townsman, Mr Richard Webb, of Lion street, Brecon, and grandfather of Mr W. Webb, jeweller, High street), who had the Struet Mill at the time, and who soon gave up the printing business. About 1818, Parker, of Hereford, opened a branch printing office at Brecon, during the time of a long-contested county election, and this office was subsequently carried on for a short time by Mr J. Hiley Morgan, who afterwards removed to Abergavenny (and whose son ib now the senior partner in the firm of Morgan and Scott, publishers, London). Mr William Williams, father of Mr John Williams, the publisher of the SiltjeIan, opened his office in this town in the year 1820. He printed and published an edition of Warrington's Hibtoey of Wales in two volumes, 1823; also " Y Cyneirlyfr," a Welsh dictionary of derivations by Iolo Bardd Glas, of Cowbridge; Mr Williams also translated into Welsh and publish¬ ed "Calvin on the Psalms of David"; also he published for the Rev. J. Harries, Rector of Llan- thetty, a volume of Welsh sermons, besides various minor works in Welsh and English; and subse¬ quently from the same office followed the Silubias newspaper. The Editoe. LIST OF VOTERS FOR THE COUNTY OF BRECKNOCK IN 1787.—We have already given portions of this list. We now give Cbicehowell Htjndbed (omitting Tretower, already published):— Kilwych Pabcel.—Roger Thomas, Kilwych ; Wm. Bevan, Graigllwyd; Wm. Gunter, Llygadnu; John Powell, Bwlch: Wm. Parry, Tyle; Wm. Jones, Tregraig; Thomas Walter, Llwynyvedwen ; Wm. John, Lloyven ; Thomas Williams, Pantybailey; ThomaB Hopkins, Gare. Kenol Paecel.—Thomas Watkins, Kilvainor; Walter James, Blaenycwm; Thomas Watkins, Pen- twyn ; Thomas Christopher, Llinwene ; David Gwillims, Noyadd; Wm. Powell, Noyadd. Llanelly Paeish.—Walter Watkins, Esq., Evan Evans, gent., Wm. Williams, John Richards, Robert Williams, Thomas Cumin, John Powell, Isaac Jones, John Beavans, Lewis Morgan, Henry Davies, Henry Morgan, Francis PoweU, Thomas Watkins, Wm. Morgan, Edward Kendall, Esq., James Morgan, Esq. The number of Voters in 1887 for this parish is 1113. Llangenny Parish.—Wm. Thomas, gent., Walter Watkins, gent., Edward Lewis, Walter Parry, John Sanders, James Williams, George Wendum. The number of Voters in 1887 is 100. Patbisho Paeish.—ThomasPowell,Wm. Williams, Walter Meredith, Edward Williams, Esq. The number of Voters in 1887 is 19. Llanbede Paeish.—John Powell, Rumsey Wat¬ kins, Herbert Pitt, David Morgan, Charles Herbert, gent. The number of Voters in 1887 is 61. Ceicehowell Paeish.—John Newby, gent., John Herbert, gent., George Hinkly, Robert Rogers, Thomas Parry, Charles Vaughan, Esq., Henry William Purser. The number of Voters in 1887 is 224.