Cylchgronau Cymru

"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, mast be addressed to EDITOR, Brecon County Times, Brecon. Real names and addresses must be given in confidence, and MSS. most be written legibly, on one side of the paper only. MARCH 4th, 1887. NOTES. GWILYM HIRAETHOG.—It may not be generally known that this great Welsh literateur gained his first eisteddfod prize at the Brecon Eisteddfod of 1826, when he was awarded the prize for the best cywydd on " The Battle of Trafalgar and the Death of Nelson." The Editor. MRS. SIDDONS.—Every incident in the life of an important personage has attached to it a certain amount of interest for the purposes of history or biography, and there¬ fore the following notice affecting our great Tragedienne may be appreciated locally, as shewing the estimation in which she was held by her illustrious contemporary, Dr. Samuel Johnson. Boswell, in his Life of Johnson, vol. iv., page 166, says : " He this autumn [1783] received a visit from the celebrated Mrs. Siddons." He gives this account of it in one of his letters to Mrs. Thrale, October 27th :— Mrs. Siddons, in her visit to me, behaved with great modesty and propriety, and left nothing behind her to be censured or despised. Neither praise nor money, the two powerful corrupters of mankind, seemed to have depraved her. I shall be glad to see her again. Her brother, Kemble, calls on me and pleases me very well. Mrs. Siddons and I talked of plays, and she told me her intention of exhibiting this winter the characters of Constance, Catherine, and IsabeUa, in Shakespeare. Mr Kemble has favoured me with the following minute of what passed at this visit:—When Mrs Siddons came into the room there happened to be no chair ready for her, which he observing, said with a smile : " Madam, you who so often occasion a want of seats to other people, will the more easily excuse the want of one yourself." T. ap W. Cardiff. BRECONSHIRE MAGISTRATES IN 1620.—It appears that in the year 1620— 267 years ago—there were only 22 justices of the peace for the county of Brecknock. I append the list:— Franciscus, Viscount St. Albanes Henricus, Viscount Mandeville Edwardus Corns. Wigornicua Lodovicus Llux Lenox Willms. Comes. Northampton, Proesai Waliae Richardus Episcopus Meneven Jacobus WhitweU Miles, Just. Custo. Walterus Pye, miles \ T„ =«,.«<, Andreas Powell J Justices- Walter Pye and Andrew Powell were the Justices of Great Sessions for the Counties of Brecon, Glamorgan, and Radnor. It was a life ap¬ pointment unless the justices received promotion. Walter Pye represented the borough of Brecon in several Parliaments, and was knighted by Charles I. on June 20th, 1640 He was Attorney-General to the Court of Wards, temp. Charles I. He was the son of William Pye, Esq., of the Mynde, Herefordshire. One of his sisters married Harry Vaughan, of Porthamal. Henricus Williams, miles Cardus Vaughan, miles Edwardus Games, armiger • Johannes Games do Aberbran Henricus Vaughan Thomas Price Was the son of Gregory Price, who was the eldest son of Sir John Price, of the Priory, Brecon, (the Great Antiquary, the baronet who " ar¬ ranged " with the monks for Henry VIII.) Willelmus Aubrey (Dr. Aubrey) Carolles Wallcotte Charles Wallcott the younger, of Llanfair, in Builth. He was H.S. in the year 1598, and m. for his second wife, Eliza, a daughter of Sir John Games, of Newton. The Wallcotts were a Shropshire family. Carolus Vaughan Howell Gwynne Of Trecastle. H.S. in 1603. Johannes Williams This John Williams was of Parc-ar-Irvon, and was high sheriff of the county in 1620. Lleoinus Gwillime Edmundus Williams Verax. BERNARD NEWMARCH'S WILL.— The following is a copy of the last will and testament of Bernard Newmarch, conqueror of Brecknock, and who built the Castle here. It is taken from Dugdale's Monmticon, page 820 :— Know all men present and future that I, Ber- nardus de Novo Mercato, by the grant of my lord King Henry and with the witness of his Barons, have given to the Church of St Martin de Bello a certain church of mine near my castle which is situate "in Wales in Brechinio," which I have made to be dedicated in honor of St. John the Evangelist, for the health and soul of the same my Lord Henry, and for the soul of King William his father, and mother, and for the health of my soul and wife's and of sons and daughters, and of all our parents living or dead. I have given therefore to the same church one mill on the river which is called Uscha 1 Usk], and two parts of another mill on the river Hodem [Honddia], and five burgages in my castle and land to one- carucate by my castle (and other lands). Besides these I have given " quandam vastam civitatem quoe-vocatur carnogs," and round it one carucate of land, and the tithe denariorum theolonii, and of my mills and the tithe of my bread. All these which I have named are " in Wales." He then gives certain churches " in Ajiglis." Agnes also, his wife, he consenting, gives a manor called Beritona also "in Gwalis." I have given to the church of St. John my church at Talgarth and my church of Llangor and my chapel, But these are which men have given to me.