Cylchgronau Cymru

It "OLD BRECKNOCK CHIPS." A Column of Antiquarian Chit-Chat relating to the County of Brecknock. NOTES, QUERIES, 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. OCTOBER 15th, 1886. NOTES. A DISTINGUISHED BRECONSHIRE CLERGYMAN.—I have been told that the Rev. Thomas Price (" Carnhuanawc "), for many years vicar of Cwmdu, in this county, was a most capable draughtsman. Nearly all the engraved representations of archaso- logical remains which illustrate the second volume of Jones' Breconshire, were taken from original drawings made by " Carn¬ huanawc," and the plates of arms in the same volume were drawn by the Rev. Thos. Price, and many copies of those plates were coloured by his own indefatigable hand. Breconiensis. THE TOWN CHURCH.—It is inter¬ esting to know that as long back as 370 years ago there was a trained choir of children singers for the services at " Saint Mary's Chappell." The duties of Sir John ap Howell (or Powell), one of the chapellans of the town, temp Henry VIII, were thus de¬ fined in the deed of 1515 appointing him :— " First, He shall kepe stall secundary in the quire sonedays and holidays all matens masse and even¬ song within the Chappell of Our Lady within the daid Towne of Bregknok, and also keep our Lady mass dayly, haveing sufficient company, wh: pricked song, else to be excused. Also kepe the organs and teche ye children limited by the Bailie their perked song and playne song upon his own cost and chardg during the said tyme, and also sing masse at the Chappell of Saint Kathrine when he ys Disposed." For the performance of which duties he was to receive " viij markes" (£5 6s. 8d.) annually for life, and the grant of the chaplaincy of " St. Kathrine without the suburbes of the Town," viz., the " Spittle" in the Watton, of which, I believe, Alder¬ man Prothero's timber yard covers the site. As he could do as he liked about singing mass at the Spittle chapel, and was no doubt frequently " excused " from perform¬ ing at Saint Mary's by not having " suf¬ ficient company," this stipend was not by any means an illiberal one, considering the value of money in those days. It is some¬ times asserted of the town church that nothing in its interior has any pretence to antiquity, and that there is no monumental figure or inscription within its walls. There is, however, one eolumn on the north side of the nave, the second from the tower, the capital of which is to my mind certainly Norman, and the column and capital are probably relics of the original church. There is some sort of sepulchral stone in the eastern wall of the south porch, apparently worthy of notice. M. A FAMOUS " PARLEY " AT TRE- CASTLE. — During the hatching of the Buckingham conspiracy at Brecknock Castle, it appeared that the Duke of Buckingham and Sir Rice ap Thomas, then the most powerful Welsh knight, were at variance one with the other, and with the view of gaining over the influence of such a powerful enemy on the side of the Duke of Richmond, the Dowager Countess of Richmond sent Dr. Lewis, a trusted Welsh physician, to make peace between the Duke of Bucking¬ ham and Sir Rice. In fact at that very moment Sir Rice was preparing an expedi¬ tion to go from Abermarlais to Brecknock, and he had previously sent a challenge to the Duke of Buckingham to meet him in deadly combat, stating that if he would not meet him at Carmarthen he might expect to see him at his castle at Brecknock. How¬ ever, just as Sir Rice was putting on his armour, and making ready to carry his threat into execution, Dr. Lewis, who appears to have been a tutor to Sir Rice, waited upon him and prevailed with him, after much persuasion, to accept the Duke's friendship. Dr. Lewis then hastened to Brecknock, and there also he was successful in gaining over the Duke to be on friendly terms with Sir Rice, so that they both in a short time afterwards met by appointment at Trecastle, where they buried their animosities in oblivion. The Editor. THE NORMAN CONQUEST.—In Free¬ man's Norman Conquest, vol. v., p. 109, we read: "The South Welsh King, Rhys ap Tewdwr, was, as the Chronicles of both nations tell us, killed by the French of Brecheiniog; and after his time (Easter, 1093) the Britons had no kings, but only princes." Brynych. SIR REGINALD BRAY died in 1503. He was the son of Sir Richard Bray, and is mentioned here because he played the con¬ spicuous part of " go between " at the time when the Duke of Buckingham and Morton, Bishop of Ely (the Duke's prisoner at Breck¬ nock) were concocting treason against Richard III. It was necessary to make some important communications to the Countess of Richmond, and Bishop Morton suggested Bray for this delicate service, "as a man, sober, secret, and well-witted, whose prudent policy he had known to compass matters of great importance." Bray was summoned to Brecknock Castle with all speed, and was