Cylchgronau Cymru

THE BRIDGEND ILLUSTRATED JJAGAZIN& No 6. JUNE, 1883. Two Pence. POETRY. H A E M O N Y. To the "Delight of the Men of Harlech," Written "by Dovaston,- translated into Welsh by CAERFALJjWCH. Harmony, from Heaven descended Soaring first when chaos ended And thro1 time and space extended Heaven's first decree; Pleasure's exultation, Sorrow's consolation, Thou'rt the glow That poets know, From rich imagination; The very soul itself refining All that's groat and good combining, God and man and angels joining, Hail thee, Harmony. Music breathes the lover's story, Wakes in war the soldier's glory, Leads in peace the dance before ye Merry maiden gay; Social friends endearing, Lonely hermits cheering, Winter's gloom And summer's bloom, With richest rapture peering— 0 ! Spirit thou to man befriending Past the pow'r of thought extending, Countless words in order blending, Heavenly Harmony. GLEANINGS ABOUT BRIDGEND. In again resorting to the M.S.S. of Eobert-de-Gwalia, extracts from which appeared in the March number of this Magazine, and being very desirous to select matter from it that would be interesting to Bridgend readers, I find in it, as near as I can understand, the following information. Bridgend, according to our friend, is an ancient overt market and royal town of the Duchy of Lancaster, and is at least as old as Llantrisant. It dates back (so he asserts) to the early part of the fifth (fifteenth ?) century, so it must have been founded at that rate before the .Romans left Britain, and was then known as North-dre, Morganwg, a singular mixture of Welsh and English for so early a period. Eeference is then made to some island near, called Tir rhwng dwr being flooded, but the meaning or connection is not very clear, until I find farther on that it is a corruption of Tir yr hwndrwd (the land of the hundred). There are then references made to certain places having " Tre " for prefix, and " Town " for affix, such as " Trefychain " and " Cantelutes' town " (CandJe- ston), but their connection with Bridgend is not apparent. North Town, and South Town, and Nal Town are dwelt upon, but without any special intention. I should like to call our friend's attention to Sutton (South- town), Landow, and Norton (Northtown), Saint Brides, as evidently antithetical to each other; and also to the fact that neither " Tref " in Welsh, or " Town " in English, bore originally the meaning they now bear, but had quite a contracted sense, a mere dwelling or a settlement, being in Welsh a home Car- Tref. In Gower to this day a farm-house is called a " Town." I have heard a Gower lass say " I've been all roun the toon," when she meant she had been round the house. An interesting fact is stated by Eobert de Gwalia, that as late as 1830, Candleston Castle and grounds, then habitable, but now completely covered by sand, were advertised in the Cambrian newspaper as being to let. But the word Cantelupestown (Tregunllt) after much play upon it turns out itself to have nothing to do with candles, but is a corruption of " Tre'r Can Lluw," the residence of the Lord or President of the hundred. Near to it there was an annual festival held, with the sport of " Tynu'r Afanc o'r dwr," an otter hunt, a sport that was removed to Caerphili Castle, and from there eventually to Finsbury, outside the City of London, in 1354. King Edward granting the lordship of Finsbury to the City, on condition of its making a lake, and founding the sport after the Caerphili manner. E. de Gwalia then goes on to say, th?t until a recent date (how recent ?) there was a great annuel fair held at Aberogwr, which lasted a fortnight, but which was peremptorily removed to Saint Mary Hill; but he does not add who was the peremptory person who ordered it thither. I much wish I had our friend near to put a few questions to him, far I find it, with the most honest desire, to be impossible to distinguish whether a town he calls Northtown (Bridgend) or Cantelupestown is really the one he maintains to be the "only Eoyal Town of Her Majesty in the South of the Principality of Whales, one who though it has no charter for a corporate council of burgesses, is infinitely above all the cities and boroughs of the Marches of Wales." This will be news to Bridg¬ end folk whether it refers to their town or to Candleston. It would seem that so important was the town in question, that it quite imitated London (or London imi¬ tated it, it is not quite clear which) in its usages and practices. Thus on the west it had its Westminster, where the civil law was adminstered at Laleston, which ought properly to be called Lawstown, in Welsh "Tre'r gyfraith." It still retains a reference in the neighbour¬ hood to its ancient name in a road leading thither called to this day " Heol-ffordd-y gyfraith." If this be correct, all we have been.told about Lales the supposed architect of Neath Abbey having given his name to it must be dismissed as mythical. Perhaps it may turn out as regards the architect, that like Dickens's Mrs Harris, "there never was no such person.". Like London again, Bridgend had the criminal law administered on the east side of it, at Coity; at Bieston, adjacent to the Castle, the gallows acre (Erwr groig- bren) being still recognisable there. Our friend then goes off to the subjugation of England by Harry Tudor, at Bosworth Field, but I will not follow him thither, the*, story being trite and not specially applicable to Bridgend ; but the following fact would be, were it true. I wash my hands of it as regards reponsi- bility, and will give it in Pobert de Gwalia's own words : " Probably there are yet living some that can remem¬ ber the Queen's visit to her Oginore and Morganwg Lordship and Town, just before Her Majesty was crowned, whose carriage in going or*coming to Coity Castle, went against the coal truck of one Thomas Pees, Bryneoch, whereby his wife Mary, had her kg fractured. Upon enquiry who she was, the coarse old girl replied that she was Lady Mary Coal, which reply from a simple coal carrier was so ridiculous, because it happened to be the name of the mother (Lady Mary Cole) of our venerable C. E. M. Talbot, Esq, M.P., which made the whole affair to appear ridiculous. However, the nom de plume went on old Mary Eees for the remainder of her days. The Duchess of Lancaster aDd Lady of Morganwg, alias Glynoccwr, now Her Majesty, paid all the expenses of the accident till the Lady Coal returned to her calling restored." J» H.