Cylchgronau Cymru

H-fr 'OLD BRECKNOCK CHIPS." A 'Jolumn of Antiquarian Chit-Chat relating to the Oonnty of Brecknock. NOTES, QUERIES, AND REPLIES, on Subjects inter¬ esting to Breconshire, must be addressed 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. FEBRUARY 18th, 1887. NOTES. MRS. BLANCHE PARRY. We have recently had pointed out in this "home " column how highly favoured that learned Breconian, Dr. William Awbrey, was by her Majesty Queen Elizabeth. May I also be allowed to add a short sketch of another "Breconshire worthy" belonging to the gentler sex, who was a considerable somebody in her day at the Court of our great maiden queen ? No doubt the facile and well-informed writer " G. E. F. M." could do infinitely more justice to the subject than myself. But we must all do our little best, Mr Editor, to keep your excellent " Chips " column in esse as well as in posse. You have "struck ile " in many directions since you have been in our midst, and you have never struck more interesting " ile " than by starting this column of bye- gone - d.iy remembrances relating to our county. Mrs Blanche Parry owned con¬ siderable property in Brecknockshire, and was descended from Idio Wylt, Lord of Llywel. She was one of the " maids of honour and keeper of the queen's jewels " to Queen Elizabeth, and her godson was Blainch Parry, Esq., high sheriff of Brecknockshire in 1G19. This Blainch Parry, godson to the celebrated Mrs Blanche Parry, came of a family that for many centuries was possessed of the whole property in the parish of Llandefailog Tre'rgraig, a chapel of ease to Llanvillo, near Brecon. The Rev. Gregory Parry, A.M., who re-built the chapel in 1710, married Elizabeth, daughter of Rhys Penry, Esq. The Parrys also had a good deal of property in the neighbour¬ hood, and the last male descendant was the Rev. Prebendary Gregory Parry, of Worcester (died 3rd of August, 1785). For one hundred years the family has locally ceased to exist. Blainch Parry, the high sheriff, died on the 9th December, 1630, and having said thus much we will leave the family pedigree. It is pleasing to our native feelings to know that among the Welsh nobility who formed a part of her Majesty's household, were Sir Richard Bulkeley, Bart., and Mrs Blanche Parry, both of whom seem to have been brought up in the Court from their infancy, and consequently were held in great esteem with her Majesty. Dr. Powell, in his Historie of W ales, thus bears testimony to the efforts of Mrs Blanche Parry in forwarding the public weal: " The Historie of the Winning of Glamorgan, being delivered unto me by the Right Worshippful Mistress Blanche Parry, one of the gentlewomen of the Queen's Majesty Privie Chamber, a singular well-wisher and furtherer of the weale publicke of that country, I thought good to insert here as followeth " : (Powell's Wales, p. 121). Queen Elizabeth was attended from her birth by our heroine, who was a daughter of Harry Parry, and grand¬ daughter of Milo ap Harry, by his wife Jane Stradling. Milo Parry died in the year 1488, at Bacton, Herefordshire, where a splendid window of stained glass was erected to his memory, and another to the memory of Mrs Blanche Parry, his grand-daughter. These windows were removed by Mrs Burton to Atcham Church, near Shrewsbury, in order to be better protected and preserved. Milo Parry was nearly related to some of the first noblemen of the age, as the Earl of Northumberland, Earl of Pembroke, Lord Greystock, Lord Lisle, Earl of Powis, Earl of Kent, and others ; and doubtless it was such connections that led the way to the employment of Mrs Blanche Parry about the person of the infant Princess Elizabeth. In her epitaph at Bacton Church she is made to say that she was brought up in Princes' Courts. Mrs Blanche Parry attended the queen in all her varieties of fortune and all her progresses. There is an account remaining in Lord Burleigh's own hand¬ writing, of his preparations to receive the queen at his country house, amongst which were especial provisions for the accommoda¬ tion of Mrs Blanche Parry, who was at the time Chief of the Privy Chamber to the queen. In manuscripts preserved in the British Museum are the following accounts of presents received and given between the queen and Mrs Blanche Parry :— 1561-2.—By Mrs Blanche Apparrey, one square piece of unshorne vellat, edged with silver lace. 1561-2 —To Mrs Blanche Apparry, oone guilt etoupe, with a cover, per oz. 16 dim. \ oz. 1571-2.—Item, a fayre flower of gold, being a rose enammelled white and redde in the toppe, and other flowers, also all sett with three diamonds, three rubies, and one little perle in the middle, half an ounce and a farthing gold weight, given by Mrs Blanche Apparry. 1577-8.—To the Queen. By Mrs Blanche Aparry, a littill box of gold to put cumphetta in, and a little spone of gold, weying all 3 oz. 1 qr. 1577-8.—By the Queen. To Mrs Blanche Parry, in guilte plate keele, per oz., 18 oz. di. The queen's new year gifts were delivered to Mrs Blanche Parry, who, as we have already seen, had the custody of her