Chapter IX: Part 9

“In deep the silver _Salmon_ loves to rove;
And marly swifts allure the _Barbel_ drove;
Sharp streams delight the _Trout_, still deep the _Bream_;
The fearful _Chub_, he loves the shaded stream.
In shady holes and hollow banks, the _Perch_ he dwells,
And, for his boldness, the finny race excels;
_Roach_ and _Dace_ the sandy bottom choose,
And _Carp_ the weeds, and _Tench_ the muddy ooze.
In streams with gravel bottom _Gudgeons_ do delight,
The wanton _Bleak_ will ever sport in sight;
The _Pike_, the tyrant of the finny brood,
Near weeds and ledge lies lurking for his food.”

Botany of the Parish.

We are indebted to the REV. THOMAS SALWEY, Vicar of Oswestry, for the subjoined interesting paper on the Botany of the Parish. It gives evidence of his ardent attachment to this pleasing branch of Natural History, and its publication may lead others to follow his example, in studying a science which delightfully leads the mind of its possessor to an increased admiration of the beauty and wisdom of the Creator’s marvellous works:—

“By cooling streams and softening showers
The vegetable race are fed;
And trees and plants, and herbs and flowers
Their Maker’s bounty smiling spread.

The flowing tribes all blooming rise
Above the faint attempts of art;
Their bright inimitable dyes
Speak sweet conviction to the heart.”

“The interest and variety of the Botanical productions of any district will always be found to depend upon its geological character; and in this respect there are perhaps few Parishes which comprise within their boundaries so many different geological formations as that of Oswestry. The lower part of the Parish, from the neighbourhood of the Town to the Queen’s Head, consists of the new red sandstone; or rather to that part of it which is called by modern Geologists the Permian formation, and which is so called because this formation is most amply developed in the District of Perm, in Russia. The Town itself is situated upon the coal-measures. With this is associated the usual sandstone grit and chert, breaking out in Sweeney Mountain and Mynydd-y-Myfyr. Immediately at the back of these hills the mountain, or carboniferous limestone, breaks out, running in a line through the parish from Cynynion, through Pentregaer, Trefonen, and Treflach, to Porth-y-waen. This is here and there broken through by detached masses of Trap Rock, as at the point on which the Tower of Pentregaer is built, and upon the western slope of the Moelydd; whilst on the slope of the hill from Cynynion, and under Coed-y-Coch, the Silurian system begins to shew itself. In such a district we may reasonably expect a corresponding variety of plants. In the following list, however, it is by no means intended to give anything like a complete enumeration of the plants to be found within the district, which would be inconsistent with such a publication as the present. Such plants only have been selected as will show the character of the Botany, and be a sufficient guide to any Botanist in conducting his researches.

“Great, however, as is the variety of Geological formation within the Parish, there is one feature, always of the greatest interest to the Botanist, which unfortunately it does not possess, namely, old woods, with their ancient oaks, the growth of centuries, and the deep mossy dells which are so favourable to the production of the scarcer cryptogamic plants. We have no scenery of this kind in our Parish, or even in the immediate neighbourhood, and hence our mosses are only those which are found everywhere. The beautiful little _Dicranum bryoides_ (the moss which so revived the spirit of the unfortunate Mungo Park when fainting in the deserts of Africa), may indeed be found in Broom Hall lane; and the _Hypnum commutation_ may be gathered at the foot of the Moelydd. The _Bryum palustre_ may also be found above Morda pool; and the _Bryum roseum_, and the large and handsome _Bryum ligulatum_, in some of the wet and shady lanes in the upper part of the Parish; but beyond these I am not aware that there are any mosses of peculiar interest to be found amongst us. We have, however, a greater variety of ferns than perhaps any other district of equal extent could produce; but here again only the more scarce ones are enumerated.

“The more minute cryptogamic plants, and especially those under the head of _Fungi_, will of course be the least interesting portion of the list; but any notice of the Botany of the district would be incomplete without the introduction of a proportionate number of these obscure, but, to a Botanist, highly-interesting plants.

“The following are some of the plants which will be found in the parish, or close to its immediate boundaries:—

Phœnogamæ.

_Circæa lutetiana_—Penylan and Llanforda lanes _Scirpus lacustris_—Llynclys pool. _Arundo phragmites_—Llynclys pool. {215} _Myosotis collina_—Hedge banks about Pentreshanel, _Anchusa sempervirens_—Croes-wylan, and Llanforda lane. _Menyanthes trifoliata_—Bog above Morda pool. _Campanula trachelium_—Hedges between Cynynion, and Pentregaer. _Viola hirta_—Limestone rocks, Trefonen. _Artropa Belladonna_—Porthywaen. _Gentiana amarella_—Moelydd. ,, _campestris_—Ditto. _Parnassia palustris_—Meadows between Sweeney and Morton; and in a field on the west side of the Brick-kilns, at the High Vawr. _Galanthus nivalis_—Upon the ledge of a low rock on the west side of Sweeney mountain. _Allium ursinum_—Lanes and moist places about the upper parts of the Parish; and in the Nant-Mawr. _Colchichum autumnale_—Meadows at Sweeney and elsewhere. _Paris quadrifolia_—Thickets about Treflach. _Adoxa moschatellina_—Broom Hall lane; Penylan lane; and other places. _Chrysosplenium alternifolium_—Near the mill at Llanforda; and in other similar wet places. ,, _oppositifolium_—Ditto. _Saxifraga tridactylites_—Walls about the Town; and rocks at Pentregaer and Craig-y-Rhu. _Cotyledon umbilicus_—In the lane below the Race-ground, on the east side. _Sedum anglicum_—Rocks below Coed-y-coch; and between Craig-y-Rhu and Cynynion. _Prunus padus_—Below Penylan mill. _Pyrus aria_—Craig-y-Rhu. _Rosa villosa_—Pentregaer. _Tilia parvifolia_—Croes-wylan lane. _Cistus helianthemum_—Rocks at Trefonen, above the Nant-Mawr. _Aquilegia vulgaris_—Thickets at Treflach, where it is also found with white flowers. _Ranunculus parviflorus_—Not uncommon on hedge banks; Maesbury road, near the Gallows-Tree Bank. _Trollius europæus_—Fields in the upper part of the Parish; and below the house at the Hayes. _Teucrium chamædrys_—This was found some years ago upon an old wall (since taken down) at the Hayes. It may be found now upon the wall of a garden in Brook-Street, lately belonging to the Vicar, having been transplanted there from the Hayes. It grows also sparingly upon the old walls of Whittington Castle. _Scrophularia vernalis_—Penylan and Llanforda lanes; brought there probably by the celebrated naturalist, Mr. Lloyd, who lived formerly at Llwynymaen. _Hutchinsia petræa_—Pentregaer and Trefonen; upon the slope of the hills facing Llansilin. _Arabis hirsuta_—Pentregaer. _Geranium colum binum_—Hedge banks, occasionally. _Fumaria claviculata_—Craigforda. _Ornithopus perpusillus_—Moelydd, and Pentregaer. _Anthyllis vulneraria_—Treflach, and Trefonen. _Tragopogon pratensis_—Llanforda (1st park). _Tussilago petasites_—Meadows near Llwynymaen. _Hieracium paludosum_—Maesbury. _Achillæa ptarmica_—Upper part of the Parish. _Listera ovata_—Road-side near Mount Sion. _Myriophyllum spicatum_—Pool at Llanforda. _Typha latifolia_—Morda, and Llynclys pool. _Carex paniculata_—Llynclys pool. ,, _hirta_—Llanforda

Cryptogimia.

FILICES.

_Polypodium phegopteris_—Craigforda. _Aspidium oreopteris_—Ditto. _Grammitis ceterach_—Crickheath Hill and Treflach Hill, above Porthywaen and Blodwel rocks _Cystea dentata_—On the loose heap of stones below the Tower at Pentregaer; also upon a high wall, at the back of the house, at Broom Hall. _Hymenophyllum Wilsoni_—Upon a rock in a wood at Treflach. _Osmunda regalis_—Maesbury. _Botrychium lunaria_—In the 1st park at Llanforda; and on the brow of the hill between the tower at Pentregaer and Craig-y-Rhu. _Ophioglossum vulgatum_—Fields about Llanforda and Llwynymaen. _Equisetum limosum_—Morda. ,, _fluviatile_—Maesbury.

MUSCI.

_Dicranum bryoides_—Broom Hall lane. _Bryum palustre_—Above Morda pool. ,, _roseum_—Wet and shady lanes in the upper part of the Parish. ,, _ligulatum_—Ditto.

LICHENES.

_Calicium furfuraceum_ (_Coniocybe Fries_)—Upon the hedge bank of the Vicar’s field on Cyrn-y-bwch. _Opegrapha chevallieri_—Craigforda. ,, _saxatilis_—Ditto. _Lecanactis lyncea_—Llanforda. _Sphærophoron coralloides_—Craigforda. ,, _b. cæspitosum_—Ditto. _Endocarpon miniatum_—Ditto. ,, _læte-virens_—Mynydd-y-myfyr. ,, _rufo-virescens_—Craigforda. _Verrucaria plumbea_—Pentregaer, and Craig-y-Rhu. ,, _gemmifera_—Craigforda. ,, _umbrosa_—Ditto. ,, _codonoidea_—Craig-y-Rhu. ,, _immersa_—Craigforda. ,, _epipolœa_—Treflach, Trefonen, and Craig-y-Rhu. _Pyrenothea leucocephala_—Park Sychant. _Variolaria conspurcata_—Limestone rocks, Craig-y-Rhu. ,, _globulifera_—Upon an old ash tree at Craig-y-Rhu. _Urceolaria calcarea_—Limestone rocks, Pentregaer. _Lecidea morio_—Upon the loose stones under the Tower at Pentregaer. ,, _lapicida_—Mynydd-y-myfyr. ,, _premnea_—Upon an old oak in Middleton lane. _Lecidea griffithsia_—Treflach, near Woodhill ,, _aromatica_—Wall in Llanforda lane, just under the house. ,, _enteroleuca_—The saxicolar form—same habitat as above. ,, _synothea_—Upon an old gate-post near Treflach Hall. ,, _immersa_—Limestone rocks, Pentregaer. ,, _pruinosa_—Wall in the lane below the house at Llanforda. ,, _speirea_—Limestone rocks, Pentregaer. ,, _incompta_—Elm-trees in the Church-yard at Oswestry; and upon a wych elm at the Hayes. ,, _canescens_—Occasionally found about Oswestry; but not common. ,, _quernea_—Pentreshanel and Llanforda. ,, _œruginosa_—Upon an old gate-post, Treflach Hall. ,, _quadricolor_—Mynydd-y-Myfyr. ,, _rupestris_—Limestone rocks, Moelydd, &c. ,, _pineti_—Llanforda (scarce). ,, _lutea_—Llanforda. ,, _polytropa_—Mynydd-y-myfyr. ,, _lucida_—Pentreshanel, and other places. ,, _erythrella_—Llanforda. ,, _cœruleo_—_nigricans_—Moelydd. _Lecanora rubra_—Craig-y-Rhu (very scarce). ,, _hæmatomma_—Craigforda. ,, _crassa_—Moelydd and Craig-y-Rhu. ,, _candicans_—Pentregaer. ,, _repanda_—Pentregaer. _Parmelia glomulifera_—Upon a single tree in Llanforda (2nd Park). ,, _Borreri_—Upon oak trees opposite to the house at Woodhill. ,, _conspersa_—Craigforda. ,, _pityrea_—Upon a decayed oak near Old Port; and upon trees opposite to the house at Trafalgar. ,, _aquila_—Mynydd-y-myfyr, upon a single isolated piece of rock on the south end of the hill. This is a very unusual habitat for this plant, which is usually a marine lichen. ,, _cæsia_—In fruit; but rarely at Pentregaer and other places. _Sticta pulmonaria_—Pentregaer. _Collema fragrans_—Llanforda and Pentregaer. ,, _ceranoides_—Llanforda and Pentregaer. ,, _multipartitum_—Moelydd. ,, _marginale_—Pentregaer. ,, _tunœforme_—Pentregaer. ,, _dermatinum_—Pentregaer. ,, _muscicola_—Pentreshanel. _Peltidea scutata_—In fruit upon ash trees at Pentregaer. _Peltidea aphthosa_—Craigforda; at the bottom of the wood a little above the brook (scarce). ,, _spuria_—Upon a hedge bank, near Aston. _Gyrophora polyphylla_—Mynydd-y-myfyr (scarce). _Borrera furfuracea_—Mynydd-y-myfyr. _Cenomyce cæspititia_—Craigforda. _Cornicularia aculeata_—Craigforda.

CHARACCÆ.

_Chara hispida_—Ditches above Morda Pool.

ALGÆ.

_Ulva calophylla_—Walls of Oswestry church; east end and lower part of the wall in the great walk; but not found every year. ,, _crispa_—Oswestry church-yard; and other places about the town. _Lemania fluviatilis_—In the Morda. _Zygnema nitidum_—In the lane by the cottage at Porkington. _Batrachospermum moniliforme_—In the well at Pen-y-lan; and in other places near the Morda. _Draparnaldia plumosa_—In the Morda, below Penylan bridge. _Meloseira varians_—In the Morda, below Craigforda, and below Penylan bridge. _Fragilaria hyemalis_—In the Morda, below Craigforda. _Diatoma vulgare_—In the Morda. ,, _flocculosum_—In the pool, in the wood, at Llanforda. _Meridion circulare_—In the well at Penylan; and in a ditch near the Morda, above Morda pool. _Cymbella minor_—Penylan mill.

FUNGI.

_Agaricus rubescens_—In the shrubbery at Porkington. ,, _cristatus_—Craigforda. ,, _phyllophilus_—Craigforda. ,, _laccatus_—_b. amethystinus_—Craigforda. ,, _clavus_—Blodwel woods. ,, _galericulatus_—Llanforda. ,, _stellatus_—Llanforda (rare). ,, _disseminatus_—Near the Lawnt. _Cantharellus cibarius_—By the lower pool, at Porkington. _Dædalea betulina_—In a timber yard at Oswestry. _Polyporus sulphureus_—On the yew trees in the church-yard, at Oswestry; but not found every year. ,, _salicinus_—On stumps of trees, near Penylan mill. _Polyporus abietinus_—On fir poles at Treflach. ,, _scoticus_—Llanforda, in the wood above the garden. ,, _incarnatus_—Upon broom by the pool in the wood, at Llanforda. _Fistulina hepatica_—Upon a Pollard oak, at Penylan. _Thelephora purpurea_—Llanforda. _Thelephora quercina_—Llanforda. ,, _lactescens_—Llanforda ,, _incrustans_—Upon an old felled trunk below Penylan Bridge. ,, _incarnata_—On laburnum in the wood, by the pool at Llanforda. _Clavaria rugosa_—Llanforda. _Peziza reticulata_—Penylan. ,, _aurantia_—Upon the stump of a tree near Trafalgar. ,, _humosa_—Upon an old mossy trunk at Llynclys pool. ,, _anomala_—Llanforda. ,, _cyathoidea_—On stems of herbaceous plants, Oswestry. ,, _cinerea_—On fallen branches, Oswestry. _Bulgaria sarcoides_—On an old stump at Llanforda. _Exidia glandulosa_—Llanforda. _Næmatelia encephala_—On larch and fir rails in Llanforda park (scarce). _Sclerotium scutellatum_—On oak leaves at Llanforda. _Phallus caninus_—On an old stump by the pool, in the wood, at Llanforda (scarce). _Sphæria concentrica_—Upon an old ash tree at Maesbury. ,, _multiformis_—On rails in Llanforda (first park), and at Craigforda. ,, _nummularia_—Upon an ash tree near Penylan bridge. ,, _lata_—On dry wood near Penylan mill. ,, _leiphæmia_—On dead oak branches, Oswestry. ,, _laburni_—On laburnum, Oswestry. ,, _cupularis_—On lime branches, Oswestry. ,, _elongata_—On broom, Llanforda. ,, _yuccæ_—On yucca glancescens, Oswestry. ,, _sanguinea_—On timber, at Llanforda. ,, _moriformis_—On an old tree under the Blodwel rocks. ,, _pulvis-pyrius_—Llanforda. ,, _eutypa_—On a dead tree near Llwynymaen. _Phacidium patella_—About Oswestry. _Scleroderma vulgare_—Woods at Llanforda and Porkington. _Lycogala epidendrum_—Llanforda. _Reticularia umbrina_—On a decayed larch pole, Oswestry. _Trichia fallax_—Llanforda. ,, _clavata_—Llanforda. ,, _turbinata_—Llanforda. _Trichoderma viride_—On fallen trees, Oswestry. _Tubercularia granulata_—On lime branches, Oswestry. _Torula antennata_—On fallen timber, Llanforda. _Puccinia saxifragarum_—On adoxa moschatellina; lanes about Oswestry. _Æcidium violæ_—Mynydd-y-myfyr. _Uredo scillarum_—Llanforda.

Geology, &c.

The town of Oswestry is situated upon and near the southern termination of the North Wales Coal Field, which extends a little farther south of the town, and, north-west, through Ruabon, Brymbo, Flint, Mostyn, and on to the sea, near the Great Ormshead. Running parallel, and lying at the back, or to the west of these coal-measures, is the great belt of mountain limestone, commencing at Llanymynech Hill, and extending also, north-westerly, to the Ormshead, and from thence dipping into the sea.

The metalliferous character of the district is distinguished for the production of lead, copper, and zinc. Trials have been made for minerals at Treflach Wood, and portions of carbonate and sulphuret of copper, of average qualities, have been found, but not in sufficient quantities to justify extended operations. At Llanymynech Hill both copper and lead, sulphurets and carbonates, with carbonate of zinc, or calamine, have been raised in large quantities by various companies, and occasionally the ores have reached a high per centage, ranging from five to twenty-five per cent. The ores are found in beds or flats, at from thirty to fifty yards from the surface, and lying between, and running parallel with, the strata of limestone that inclose them. It is an extraordinary fact, that the metalliferous belt of limestone abruptly terminates at the south end of the hill, and cannot be traced farther. Proceeding west, at the back of Oswestry, in Treflach Wood, there are some fine beds of Derbyshire marble or entrochal limestone, that have been worked for mantle-pieces and other ornamental purposes.

Trials have been made, and small quantities of lead and copper found in this limestone belt, extending to Minera, including the Eglwyseg range which bounds a portion of the Vale of Llangollen, near to Ruabon.

The Minera district is too well known for its rich mineral products, especially of lead and zinc, to require particular notice, and the same may be said of the Mold, Halkin, and Holywell mineral formation, passing on with continued fine mineral deposits, to Talargoch, near Prestatyn, in Flintshire.

The coal-measures in the district of Oswestry abound in fossils, _Lepidodendrons_, _Sigillaria_, _Stigmaria_, and _Calamites_, &c.; and the carboniferous limestone is much more prolific of that class of fossiliferous productions which usually accompany the old mountain limestone.

The application of capital and scientific labour to mining operations, during the last ten years, has given to the district an active and business-like character, and brought with it a large increase to the working population. At Llanymynech Hill, in addition to mining operations, there are annually raised about 60,000 tons of limestone, which is chiefly used for farming purposes in Montgomeryshire and Shropshire. At Porth-y-Waen rocks, in the same range, there is nearly the same quantity of limestone raised. The united quantities hewn and blasted from these vast limestone rocks produce about 70,000 tons of burnt lime, thus showing the extended use now made of limestone in the cultivation of farm lands in the immediate district.

The manufacture of iron is most extensively carried on in Ruabon parish, principally by the New British Iron Company, the quantity of good bar iron made amounting on the average to 350 tons per week. These works give employment to about 2,500 people, men and boys. The Company works its own collieries, and consumes nearly all the coal its numerous pits produce. In the same parish there are two extensive manufactories, for the conversion of the ores of calamine and black jack (carbonate and sulphuret of zinc) into zinc or spelter, and at each of these places from twenty to thirty tons of these metals are made.

The coals raised from the coal-fields in and around Oswestry, worked by Messrs. Croxon and others, amount to about 40,000 tons per annum; whilst nearly 250,000 tons are raised in the Ruabon district, and a much larger quantity at Brymbo.

At Minera a powerful Company is actively engaged in working the old mines that produced so much ore during the former operations upon them. These mines were closed from the influx of water, and the inadequacy of the machinery then employed to carry it off. The present Company have, with an enterprising spirit, adopted the highest class of machinery, and employed the best mining talent that could be procured. By these means, which have called forth the application of at least £50,000 to this gigantic undertaking, the Company has fortunately succeeded in discovering rich veins of lead-ore, which produce from 100 to 150 tons per month. Other mining companies are also largely engaged in the district, some of which are producing large quantities of lead-ore.

Biography.

OSWESTRY, although not the birth-place of many distinguished men, has amongst its present population some “choice spirits,” men born not, perhaps, to wield “the fierce democracy,” or to attract the nation’s glare by the display of brilliant talents, yet who possess the happy art of imparting sterling benefits to their fellow-men, and scattering blessings all around them. We could point to gentlemen, still honourably connected with the borough, whose good names must be well-deserved, because they have been earned among their fellow-citizens. The borough has nevertheless extended education to several eminent characters, and been the chosen residence of many others. The names of Kenyon, Charles W. W. Wynn, West, Parker, Longueville, Lloyd, Donne, and Dovaston, are still cherished with grateful recollections, their talents and labours having been ably exercised for the social benefit and intellectual advancement of the town.

We subjoin a few sketches of worthies that did the “State some service,” and whose connection with Oswestry claims for them a notice in these pages:—

DR. THOMAS BRAY, an eminently pious and learned divine of the 17th century, was educated in Oswestry. He was afterwards entered of Hart Hall, Oxford, took his degree of Master of Arts there, was chosen by Dr. Compton, Bishop of London, to model the infant church at Maryland, and afterwards took the degree of Doctor in Divinity. He returned from Maryland, after a long and useful residence there, and rendered immense service to the cause of foreign missions, by his numerous publications and remarkable personal exertions. He closed a useful life in 1730, having reached the age of seventy-three years. He was born at Marton, in Salop.

JOHN FREEMAN MILWARD DOVASTON, M.A.—The death of this sweet poet, accomplished musician, and profound naturalist, occurred in August, 1854. Mr. Dovaston was not a native of Oswestry, but his birth-place (Westfelton) being so near to the borough, and his social connexion with it so constant and intimate during the whole of his life, that he may fairly be ranked among the celebrities of the town. He was the only son of John Dovaston, Esq., of “The Nursery,” at Westfelton, a man also of great natural talents, and who was distinguished for his science, learning and ingenuity. The subject of our present notice was educated for the Bar, but having a dislike for the profession, and possessing an ample property left by his father, he preferred a life of literary leisure, amid the charming scenery in his neighbourhood, to the wordy war and the feverish excitement of forensic ambition. In his sylvan retreat he sought amusement and instruction from the glories of nature so profusely scattered around him, and with the pure taste of the poet and philosopher, found

“Sermons in stones,
Tongues in trees, books in running brooks,
And good in every thing.”

In early life he published a volume entitled “Fitz-Gwarine and other poems,” to which he made considerable additions in later years. He also published an able discourse on Natural History, and contributed two lectures on Music and National Melody. He was the author of a most interesting sketch of Bewick, the clever wood-engraver, whom Mr. Dovaston styled “the celebrated xyographer and illustrator of nature;” wrote several prologues and epilogues to histrionic performances for charitable purposes; and employed his graceful pen so long as Providence gave him mental and bodily strength. For several years, however, he was confined to his bed, and died at the age of 72 years. His education was commenced at Oswestry Free Grammar School, to which Institution he reverts, in the pride of his manhood and the fervent inspiration of the poet; and subsequently he was removed to Shrewsbury School, where he remained for some years, under the able tuition of Dr. Butler, afterwards Bishop of Lichfield. Mr. Dovaston’s poetic genius led him almost entirely into the realms of nature. His ardent fancy revelled amid flowers and trees, murmuring rivulets and mountain torrents, or roamed among “boxen bowers” and greenwood shades, where no sounds are heard but the drowsy hum of bees, the joyous notes of the mavis or the lark, or the plaintive warblings of his “bonny robin.” His metrical romance of “Fitz-Gwarine” gives evidence of high descriptive power; and his Ballad, entitled “Bala Water,” will bear comparison with the best stanzas of Scott. His works will live in the district in which they were written, comprising as they do so many local allusions; but had his muse soared to loftier themes, he would, in all probability, have transmitted to posterity a name which the lovers of song throughout the land would have delighted to honour. Never having been married, he left a considerable property, which is now in the possession of his relation, John Dovaston, Esq.

GUTO (Y GLYN,) or _Griffith_, of _Glyn_, having been elected a burgess of Oswestry, is entitled from that distinction, as well as from his genius as a poet, to a brief notice. We have already quoted from his quaint description of Oswestry, but we shall now give it entire, as it was this production of his muse that procured for him the honour of enrolment as a burgess of the town. He was a native of Llangollen, and domestic bard to the Abbot of Llanegwestl, or Valle Crucis, near that town, to whom several of his poems are addressed. He is represented as witty and social, and was an acceptable guest at the halls of the Welsh nobility and gentry in his triennial visitations through the Principality. His gentle muse must have been more than ordinarily gracious when he poured forth such mellifluous strains as the following, in honour of Oswestry:—

“Oswestry is the liberal, the best endowed of cities;
The beloved of heaven that draws me to it.
_Oswestry_ the strong fort of conquerors; the _London_ of Powys;
Where the houses are well stored with wine, and the land is rich.
Its school is celebrated, and its city for preachers and men of
science.
GOD is present in its beautiful temple—
A church adorned with rich chalices,
And with bells and a rich-toned organ.
No better choir is there from it to Canterbury:
None in which there is correcter singing,
Or the habilments more suitable.
To _White Minster_ I know no convent superior.
The handsomest and best-dressed women are those of Oswestry.
It resembles Cheapside in merchandize,
And its people are honest and unanimous.
GOD’S grace be with the city, and those that dwell therein;
May GOD be its guardian and kind preserver.”

HUMPHREY HUMPHREYS, D.D., an eminent prelate, born November 24th, 1648, was for some years placed at the Free School of Oswestry, under the care of his uncle, Humphrey Wynn, A.M., who was master of the school and vicar of the parish. Bishop Humphreys was an able Welsh antiquary, and wrote some memoirs of eminent Welshmen, in addition to those contained in Wood’s _Athenæ Oxonienses_, printed in the last edition of that work, and in the first volume of the _Cambrian Register_. “He was a person of excellent virtues during the whole course of his life, and in his latter years of a piety so extraordinary, as has but few examples.”

THOMAS JONES, son of John Williams, was born in Oswestry, and distinguished himself as an able defender of the Protestant faith. Having received his early education in his native town, he was entered at Jesus College, Oxford, at the commencement of the rebellion, but he left the University soon after, and returned when Oxford was surrendered to the Parliament, in 1646. He became Fellow of University College, by authority, of the parliamentary visitors, in 1648, and was remarkably zealous in the republican cause. He took the degree of M.A. in the year following, and in 1655 became rector of Castell Caerinion, in Montgomeryshire, where he acquired a knowledge of the Welsh language, to serve those parts where the orthodox clergy were rejected. His subsequent life was marked by strong zeal against papacy, and in an action for slander brought against him by Dr. Morley, Bishop of Winchester, whom he charged as a promoter of popery, he was fined £300, and the rectory of Llandyrnog, to which he had been appointed, was sequestered for the payment of it. He continued this severe course of polemic warfare, and published several other works, amongst which, in 1682, “Elymas the Sorcerer; or a memorial towards the discovery of the bottom of this Popish Plot.” This effusion exposed him to much persecution, and would have subjected him to further punishment, had he not escaped by his decease, which occurred at Totteridge, Herts, in the same year.

HUMPHREY KYNASTON, surnamed _The Wild_.—This remarkable man, whose exploits would furnish skilful romance-writers with materials for at least three entertaining volumes, was not a native of Oswestry, but as there is a tradition that his first wife was Elizabeth, daughter of Meredydd ab Hywel ab Morris, of Oswestry, and another that she was Margaret, daughter of William Griffith, of Oswestry, called Coch-William, or the _Red_, we have deemed his history worthy of brief narration in this volume. Kynaston was son of Sir Roger Kynaston, of Hordley, by Elizabeth, daughter of Henry Grey, Earl of Tankerville, by Antigony, daughter of Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester. The enormous debts he contracted by his imprudent life and conduct caused him to be outlawed, upon which he fled from Middle Castle, his usual place of residence, but which he had so neglected that it was falling into ruins, and sheltered himself in a cave in the western point of Nesscliff Rock, called to this day _Kynaston’s Cave_. The cave is large, and divided into two rooms by a pillar of the rock, upon which is carved “H. K. 1564.” Yorke says of him, that “he was a gentleman of many strange pranks, still the talk of the neighbouring peasantry. The cave in the rock, at Nesscliff, called Kynaston’s Cave, was the retreat of himself and mad companions. He was outlawed the sixth of Henry VII., pardoned the next year, and died in 1531.” Kynaston’s career was brief, but his exploits and vagaries within the short period of twelve months filled the country round with enthusiastic reports of his courage and semi-madness. His horse, somewhat resembling the notorious Turpin’s “Black Bess,” seemed to have an instinctive knowledge of his master’s love of daring adventure. Tradition states that this animal was stalled in the cave, the ascent to which was by a flight of steps, and that when he was grazing in any of the fields below, on hearing his master’s whistle, he would immediately attend to the summons, ascend the steps of the cave, and kneel at Humphrey’s bidding. Kynaston is represented as no common outlaw, and that in all his depredatory warfare he ever regarded a sort of justice, giving freely to the poor, by whom he was idolized, a portion of the “black mail” he had levied from the rich. On the road, if he saw a cart with one horse, and another with three, he made them equal, by taking the fore-horse from the latter and hooking it to the former. Most of the adventures ascribed to him seem to have been more dictated by whim than a desire of plunder. He had a plentiful supply of necessaries from the people around, the rich paying him tribute through fear, and the poor from gratitude. _Kynaston’s Horse-leap_, a place thus named on Dovaston Common, received its name from the following circumstance: Kynaston having been observed to go over Montford Bridge to Shrewsbury, the Sheriff, intending to take him, caused one of the divisions of the bridge (then formed of planks laid upon stone pillars,) to be taken up, and placed a number of men in ambush. When Kynaston had advanced on the bridge, the men came up and blocked up his retreat, upon which he put spurs to his horse, which bore him safely over the wide breach, and carried him to his cave at Nesscliff; some say the horse leaped into the Severn, and carried him across! The length of this leap was afterwards measured on Dovaston Common, with an H cut at one end and a K at the other. The letters were an ell long, a spade’s graffe wide, and a spade deep, and were generally cleansed annually by order of Mr. Kynaston, of Kington, as Gough, the historian of Middle, informs us. Camden merely mentions Nesscliff and its cave, but says not a word about Kynaston. Wild Humphrey’s adventures were probably much exaggerated by the vulgar people of the district, some of whom have not scrupled to declare that his leap was forty yards! Kynaston, being a desperate man, would not hesitate much at daring feats, but a forty yards’ leap is fit only for record in the pages of Major Longbow.

EDWARD LLWYD, or LLOYD, the celebrated antiquary, although not a native of Oswestry, was closely connected with it, as he was the natural son of Edward Lloyd, of Llanforda, a man of dissolute character, and who, after dissipating his estate, died without legitimate issue. Edward Llwyd was born in 1660, and at the age of seventeen was entered in Jesus College, Oxford. He studied fossils, and became under-keeper of the _Ashmolean Museum_, and in 1680 succeeded to the head-keeper’s place, vacant by the resignation of his friend and patron, Dr. Plot. In 1704 he took the degree of M.A. His researches into the languages, histories, and customs of the original inhabitants of Great Britain obtained for him a distinguished name; but the chief fruit of his studies and travels was his “_Archæologiæ Britannica_,” of which Baxter, in a letter to Sir Hans Sloane, said, “That it was the work of an age, rather than of a few years; that it gave great light to the history and antiquities of Britain, and was an honour to his ancient country.” He was elected Fellow of the Royal Society, and in the following year the University gave “proof of the high esteem in which it held his extensive learning, by electing him Esquire Beadle in Divinity;” but he did not long enjoy the appointment, as he died after a few days’ illness, in June 1709. His manuscript collections, relating to Welsh and Irish antiquities, consisted of above forty volumes in folio, ten in quarto, and upwards of one hundred of smaller sizes. They were ultimately sold to Sir Thomas Seabright, of Beachwood, Herts, and were afterwards purchased from Sir John Seabright, part by the late Thomas Johnes, Esq., of Hafod, and the other part by the late Sir W. W. Wynn, Bart., of Wynnstay. Some years afterwards, Mr. Johnes’ portion of these literary-treasures were consumed in a destructive fire that broke out at his elegant mansion, and a similar fate befel the more valuable of the Wynnstay portion, they having been consumed in a fire which occurred on the premises of a bookbinder in Covent-garden, London, where they had been sent for the purpose of being bound.

WILLIAM MAURICE, of CEFN-Y-BRAICH, and HUGH MORUS, the BARD OF CEIRIOG.—These two able men, although not Oswestrians, were so closely connected with the town, as natives of the neighbouring parish of Llansilin, that a few words on their biography will not be misplaced. Mr. _Maurice_ was an eminent antiquary, and the industrious collector of the library of manuscripts now in the Wynnstay library. He was descended from Lowri, sister of Owen Glyndwr, and what is singularly coincident, he married Letitia, a descendant of Glyndwr’s successful opponent, Henry Bolingbroke. She was a Kynaston, of Morton, descended from the Greys of Powys, and the Greys from Antigony, daughter of Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, fourth son of Henry IV. William Maurice was so devoted to Welsh literature, that he erected close to his house, at Cefn-y-Braich, a building three stories in height, for his library. It was called “The Study,” but has long since been in ruins. Mr. Walter Davies says of it, “From what I recollect of it, and of a print in an old Oxford almanack of ‘Friar Bacon’s Study,’ in that university, I judge the one to have been a _fac simile_ of the other.” This assiduous antiquary died from about 1680 to 1690.

_Hugh Morus_, the Poet, as he is emphatically called, because he excelled all others in the smooth and flowing _awen_, or song-writing, was born at Pont-y-Meibion, in the Vale of Ceiriog, in the year 1622. He died in 1709, at the advanced age of 87 years, as appears from his tomb-stone in Llansilin church-yard having lived in six reigns, exclusive of the commonwealth. His songs, carols, &c., hundreds in number show his fertile genius, and many of his productions are marked by wit, irony, fun, satire, and high poetic beauty. He was a frequent visitor at Porkington and Chirk Castle, and always a welcome guest.

Mr. JOHN REYNOLDS.—This gentleman, a native of Oswestry, was a nephew of Mr. John Davies, of Rhiwlas, Denbighshire, author of a small work entitled “_Heraldry Displayed_.” After his uncle’s death he published a _Book of Pedigrees_, from Mr. Davies’s manuscript, in the quarto form.

The REV. PETER ROBERTS, A.M., an able writer on Welsh history, resided in Oswestry for some time. He was born at Rhuabon, Denbighshire, in 1760, and in 1810 was presented to the living of Llanarmon Dyffryn Ceiriog. He was prevented by the delicate state of his health from residing on his living for more than a few of the summer months, his regular home being in the town of Oswestry, where he was generally respected for his literary talents and private worth. In 1814 the freedom of the borough was presented in full assembly to Mr. Roberts, as “Author of numerous and extensive publications,” “for his deep and laborious researches of ancient records,” and “in consideration of his profound learning.” Astronomy and the Oriental languages were his favourite studies in the early part of his life, and he had aspired to the Astronomical Chair in Trinity College, Dublin, as successor to the celebrated Archbishop Usher, whose friendship and regard he had long possessed. The illustration of his native language, and of the ancient history of the Cymry, afterwards deeply engaged his attention, and to the discussion of these subjects he brought such powers of mind, united with such multifarious learning, that he reminded his contemporaries of the gigantic power of the renowned Edward Llwyd, and justly entitled himself to the high eulogium of Bishop Horsley, who declared “there was only _one_ Peter Roberts in the world.” He closed his earthly career at Halkin, Flintshire, in 1821, whilst administering relief to a poor parishioner; he was seized with apoplexy, and died in a few hours afterwards. His published works were numerous and able. In the list we find “Christianity vindicated, in a series of letters to Mr. Volney;” “Harmony of the Epistles;” “an essay on the Origin of the Constellations;” “Art of Universal Correspondence;” “A Sketch of the Early History of the Cymry or Ancient Britons;” “Review of the Policy and Peculiar Doctrines of the Church of Rome;” “Manual of Prophecy,” “Collectanea Cambrica;” “Letter to Dr. Milner, on the supposed miracle at St. Winifred’s Well;” “Cambrian Popular Antiquities,” &c.

“DICK SPOT.”—A man figuring under this patronymic, but whose real name was Edward Morris, flourished at Oswestry some years ago. He was celebrated as a conjuror or professor of legerdemain, and pursued his tricks with such marvellous success that the name of “_Dick Spot_” was popular among the humbler classes throughout the district. He professed to tell a love-sick damsel who was to be her husband; to detect thieves by turning a key upon the Bible; and by other “craft and subtlety” inspired his credulous visitors with hopes of coming grandeur and overflowing fortunes, &c. At length death arrested Morris in his deceptive career, and his remains were consigned to the earth in Oswestry Church-yard. Hulbert, in a notice of Oswestry, in his “History of the County,” refers to Dick Spot’s career, and says, “On requesting an eccentric but ingenious inhabitant, now one of the Churchwardens, to furnish me with some particulars of a pamphlet said to be the Life of _Dick Spot_, he thus replied,—‘I know not who has got his life, but this I know, that I am in possession of his mortal remains in Oswestry Church-yard, having purchased the spot of earth which contained them, from his grand-daughter. His skull, which I had in my hand the other day, was treated with very little respect by the Hamlet-like grave digger.’ If poor Morris had been blessed with the gift of foresight, he certainly would have directed that his mortal remains should be deposited in a more secure place of sepulture.” Who the eccentric Churchwarden was the historian does not inform us. We are half inclined to believe that his _grave_ discovery was a hoax, a species of pleasantry, somewhat resembling what is called “Bolton Trotting,” and which two or three well-known wags were wont to indulge in, many years ago, occasionally with thoughtless imprudence and merciless severity.

Mr. ROBERT SALTER.—This gentleman’s family had for centuries been connected with Oswestry, the name of “Salter” being recorded in civic documents of very ancient date. He was author of a piscatorial work, entitled “_The Modern Angler_,” a _brochure_, written in a series of letters to a disciple of Isaac Walton, and evidencing a thoroughly-practical acquaintance with the art of angling. It was published in 1811. Like that celebrated lover of the finny tribes, he looks upon his favourite recreation with the warmest enthusiasm of his craft, and quotes Walton’s refreshing picture of some of the angler’s joys on closing a long day’s sport. Safely landed at some “friendly cottage, where the landlady is good, and the daughter innocent and beautiful: where the room is cleanly, with lavender in the sheets, and twenty ballads stuck about the wall; there he can enjoy the company of a talkative brother sportsman, have his trouts dressed for his supper, tell tales, sing old tunes, or make a catch. There he can talk of the wonders of nature, with learned admiration, or find some harmless sport to content him, and pass away a little time, without offence to GOD, or injury to man.” Mr. Salter’s Letters are worthy of re-publication.

Notabilia.

The use of coaches was introduced into England by Fitz-Alan, Earl of Arundel, in the year 1580. At first they were drawn only by two horses, but about the year 1619 six horses were used by the notorious Duke of Buckingham.

The Duke of Powis visited Oswestry in the Mayoralty of Robert Barkley, Esq. (1737), in whose accounts are the following items:—“Aug. 8th—Paid Mrs. Sarah Evans’ bill for wine, for his grace the Duke of Powis, at the Town Hall, 13s. 3d.; paid John James, for drink to a bonfire when his grace the Duke of Powis was at the Town Hall, 2s. 6d!”

Oswestry Association, for the prosecution of felons, formed Dec. 14th, 1771, by John Lloyd, Esq., Solicitor. First Treasurer, Mr. Edward Browne. Mr. Lloyd was the original institutor of societies for the prosecution of felons.

Races re-commenced September 1802, under the patronage of Sir W. W. Wynn, Bart., after being discontinued 17 years.

The foundation of Castle Buildings was laid February 1803.

The first Sheriff’s Court held at Oswestry, on Friday, June 20th, 1804.

Stage-coach first established from Shrewsbury, through Oswestry to Holyhead, by Mr. Robert Lawrence, of Shrewsbury.

The Holyhead and London mail-coach first ran through Oswestry, instead of Chester, 6th September, 1808, when great rejoicings took place; a saving of 22 miles was effected in the journey by this change.

Act of Parliament passed in 1809, for paving, cleansing, lighting, watching, and otherwise improving the streets, and other public passages and places within the borough.

In 1809 Charles Williams Wynn, Esq., Recorder of Oswestry, received the thanks of the Corporation and inhabitants of the borough, for voting independently in the case of the late Duke of York, and for his strict attention to his parliamentary duties. A piece of plate, of the value of £60, was presented to him at the same time.

From 1811 to 1814 about three hundred French prisoners of war (military and naval) on parol in Oswestry. They were in the service of Napoleon Bonaparte, and consisted of French, Germans, Spaniards, Dutchmen, Poles, &c. Among them were the Prince D’Aremberg, General Phillipon (who broke his parol), and other officers of distinction.

In 1812 a Grand Musical Festival was held in the Parish Church, on occasion of the opening of the New Organ. The _Messiah_ was performed with great _eclât_ in the church, and a Miscellaneous Concert was given in the Theatre.

In 1814 the freedom of the borough was presented in full corporative assembly to _John Freeman Milward Dovaston_, Esq., A.M., of West Felton, author of _Fitz-Gwarine_, and other beautiful poems, “as a mark of their respect and admiration of his very pleasing poetic talents, and taste for elegant literature.”

The New Gaol finished in 1816.

Monday, January 6th, 1817, The Archduke Nicholas, of Russia (the late Emperor), passed through Oswestry from Wynnstay, on his way to Powis Castle.

William Ormsby Gore, Esq., High Sheriff of the County in 1817.

The New Burial Ground (formerly Vicar’s Croft), consecrated by the Bishop of St. Asaph (Dr. Luxmoore), October, 1817.

_Oswestry Herald_ Newspaper first published by the author of this book, March 21st, 1820, and discontinued Tuesday, Dec. 31st, 1822. In those days the newspaper stamp-duty was 4d., and advertisement-duty 3s. 6d. on each advertisement. The newspaper was swamped by excessive taxation.

February 14th, 1820, the Mayor and Corporation of the borough proclaimed the accession of George IV. to the throne.

The celebrated Mile Oak Tree felled Monday, May 20th, 1824. The girth of the lower part of the tree, 16½ feet; the largest branch, 5 feet 10 inches in circumference; length of the tree, 57 feet.

Evening Lectures commenced June 20th, 1824, in Oswestry Church, by the Rev. Thomas Salwey, Vicar of the Parish.

The Church and Burial-ground at Trefonen consecrated by the Bishop of St. Asaph, on Wednesday, January 17th, 1825, and service commenced on Sunday morning, January 24th, by the Rev. John Hughes.

The Chancel and new entrance-door to the Parish Church, from Church-street, finished in 1831.

Our present Gracious Sovereign, when Princess Victoria, on her way from Powis Castle, visited Oswestry, with her illustrious mother, the Duchess of Kent, in September, 1832. The royal visitors were received at Croes-wylan gate by the High Steward (the Hon. Thos. Kenyon), the Deputy-Mayor, the Coroner, and other members of the Corporation, in their robes, and a large number of the gentry and tradesmen of the town bearing white wands. The Princess and her mother did not alight from their carriage, but merely changed horses at the Wynnstay Arms. During this short stay Mr. Kenyon congratulated the royal visitors in the name of the Corporation, and was commanded by the Duchess of Kent to inform the “good people of Oswestry” of the “very great satisfaction she felt at the manner in which she was received by the inhabitants of the town and neighbourhood, and that she felt obliged by their loyal and affectionate feeling manifested towards herself and the Princess Victoria.” The Corporation and gentlemen conducted the cavalcade to the Beatrice Gate, and the Oswestry squadron of North Shropshire Cavalry, under the command of Captain Croxon, escorted the royal party to Chirk Bridge. Here they were met by Sir W. W. Wynn, Bart., and a detachment of the Denbighshire Cavalry. Captain Croxon having been introduced to the Princess and Duchess, and received their thanks, the royal party proceeded onward to Wynnstay.

A new Church Clock put up, by subscription, April, 1836.

The first Writ of Enquiry from the Court of Queen’s Bench, _Pierce_ v. _Foulkes_, was tried at Oswestry, December 5th, 1837.

A Vestry held 15th July, 1842, to assess a church-rate. Objections raised against the Organist’s salary, which, upon vote, was rejected by a majority of _five_. The following Sunday the organ was not played, nor was there any singing!

November 2nd, 1842, Prince Ferdinand of Austria passed through Oswestry.

In 1846 the Corporation of Oswestry, assisted by the inhabitants of the borough, and the gentry of the neighbourhood, entered into a subscription to present to the Recorder (J. R. Kenyon, Esq.,) a piece of plate, on his marriage, as a testimonial of their regard and esteem. The plate consisted of a salver of chaste and elegant workmanship, weighing upwards of 164 oz., and measuring across twenty-four inches. The inscription in the centre was as follows:—(Surmounted by the Arms of Oswestry). “To John Robert Kenyon, D.C.L., on his marriage, from the Corporation and inhabitants of the town of Oswestry, in testimony of the deep respect in which he is held as Recorder of the borough, and the grateful feelings entertained for his liberal support of the different charitable institutions connected with the town.”—(The Family Arms below.)

Oswestry is 450 feet above the level of the sea, and 254 feet higher than the Shrewsbury meadows. Shrewsbury is 196 feet above the level of the sea.

The following heights of places above the sea, either near or in sight of the Great Western Railway (Birmingham, Shrewsbury, and Chester Sections,) taken by the Rev. T. E. Evans, of Trinity College, Cambridge, are “facts worth knowing:”—Hawkstone, 834 feet; Grinshill, 696; Nesscliff, 630; Llanymynech church, 246; Breiddin, 1,236; Wrekin, 1,494.; Cyrn Moelfre, 1,746; Cader Ferwyn, 2,826; Cern-y-Bwch, 1,206. By Mr. Murchison:—Oswestry, 460; plan of Shrewsbury, 97; surface of the Ellesmere canal under Heathhouse bridge, 260 feet. The canal at Chirk is the height of two locks more than the canal near Whittington. Allowing 24 feet for the rise, it would make the surface of the canal at Chirk, 334 feet.

The late Rev. Walter Davies, rector of Manafon, in his Historical notice of Llansilin, published in the first volume of the _Cambro-Briton_, says, “In 1699 there was a well in the parish of Oswestry, called _Ffynnon Maen Tysilio_, where the inhabitants resorted to celebrate their annual Wake.”

_Oswestry Show_, long since discontinued, was generally held on the first Thursday after Trinity Sunday. As a pageant it bore no comparison with Shrewsbury Show. The incorporated companies of the town walked in procession, preceded with flags, bands of music, &c.

“There was formerly,” says the _Oswestry Herald_, “a castle at Maesbury, in that township, as we find from Domesday Book. Rainald the Sheriff (all whose estates devolved on the Fitz-Alans,) held Maesburie under Roger et ibi fecit Rainaldus Castellum Lvvre.” No mention of this castle is made by Pennant, Bingley, or any subsequent historian or tourist.

Poor Rate Return. OSWESTRY TOWN AND PARISH (1855.)

Town and Parish. Acreage Gross Rental Rateable value
assessed to the
Relief of poor.
A. R. P. £ S. D. £ S. D.
Oswestry Town & Liberties. 1753 2 24 16604 18 6 14933 13 0
Ditto Parish 13911 1 31 22280 0 0 20052 10 3

Sketches OF The Environs of Oswestry.

SUFFICIENT has been said in these pages to justify much more extended notices than we can give to the ancient castles, fine old mansions, and modern residences of wealthy proprietors in this neighbourhood, imparting as they do so much additional beauty and interest to the bold and picturesque natural scenery in the midst of which they are so tastefully situated. Oswestry, as we have already described, is not only a pretty town, but historically curious; and the charms of nature and art surrounding it render it still more worthy of admiration. We append brief descriptions of neighbouring places, all fixed near the Border Lands of England and Wales, whose history teems with glowing narratives of embattled hosts, of fierce chieftains in bright array, and of minstrels famed

“In Cambria’s noon of story,
Ere bright she set in glory!”

Almost every nook and corner has its historic tale, its love or war-song, or its tradition. These remains of ancient times and deeds of bravery, with natural beauties superadded,—mountains, valleys, and rivers, of surpassing loveliness, have invested the Environs of Oswestry with an enduring interest with which few, if any other towns in the kingdom, can vie. Our DISTRICT SKETCHES, being arranged alphabetically, will commence with

ASTON HALL,

The seat of Mrs. Lloyd, widow of the late William Lloyd, Esq. It is situated on the right of the turnpike-road from Oswestry to Shrewsbury, about two miles distant from the former. The highly-respected family who have for so many years occupied this beautiful estate are of great antiquity, having descended from Einion, Prince of part of Powys, who distinguished himself in the wars against Henry I. Yorke, in his “_Royal Tribes of Wales_,” writing in 1799, has furnished a copious notice of the house of Aston.

“The Lloyds,” he says, “are descended from Einion. The heiress of
the house, Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas Lloyd, married Foulke Lloyd,
of Fox Hall, or the hall of Foulke, and was great grandmother to the
Rev. John Robert Lloyd, Rector of Whittington and Selattyn, both in
his advowson, the present possessor of Aston. The name of the Fox
Hall family was Rosindale, when they came first from the north. To a
younger branch, settled at Denbigh, we owe our learned countryman,
Humphrey Llwyd. He was of Brazen-nose, Oxford, studied physic, and
lived as family physician in the house of the last Earl of Arundel,
of the name of Fitz-Alan, the Chancellor of the University. He sat
in Parliament for his native town of Denbigh, and died there in the
forty-first year of his age, and was buried in the Parish Church with
a coarse monument, a dry epitaph, and a psalm-tune under it. He
collected many curious books for Lord Lumley (whose sister he
married), which form at this time a valuable part of the Library in
the British Museum. One of his sons was settled at Cheam, in Surrey,
whose great grandson, Robert Lloyd, was Rector of St. Paul’s, Covent
Garden, and contended, but without effect, for the Barony of Lumley.”

Aston Chapel was built in 1594, at the expense of Richard Lloyd, Esq., of Aston, and then called Christ’s Chapel. It was endowed by its founder with £15 per annum, and Anne, his wife, left by will £5 per annum in land to the Chapel, and 40s. for four Welsh sermons to be preached in the year, with 15s. to be distributed to the poor of Oswestry parish at each sermon. The chapel was consecrated by Bishop Parry.

BRYNKINALT,

The seat of the Right Hon. Viscount Dungannon, is situated about a mile from Chirk, and one of the most picturesque mansions in the Principality. The house was built during the reign of James I., from a design by Inigo Jones, and is situated on the brow of a hill, at the foot of which flows the Ceiriog. The park is fine, and is divided by the river. On the site of this house formerly stood the residence of Tudor Trevor, a British nobleman who lived A.D. 924, the head of the tribe of March or Maelor, and who bore the title of Earl of Hereford in right of his mother, the daughter and heiress of Lluddocca, ab Caradog Vreichvras, Earl of Hereford. Trevor had large possessions between the Wye and Severn, and was Lord of both Maelors, Chirk, Whittington, Oswestry, &c. His chief residence was Whittington Castle; he was contemporary of Hywel Dda, the Welsh law-giver; and Angharad, daughter of Hywel, became the chieftain’s wife, and had by him three sons and one daughter. The arms of this distinguished man, which are still borne by the Trevor family, are—“Parted per bend sinister ermine and ermines, over all a lion rampant, or.” Debrett informs us that “Arthur Hill, first Viscount, was only brother of Trevor, Viscount Hillsborough, ancestor of the Marquess of Downshire, and grandson of William Hill, who married secondly Mary, eldest daughter of Sir Marcus Trevor, Viscount Dungannon; so created, 1662, for his signal gallantry in wounding Oliver Cromwell at the Battle of Marston moor. Arthur, succeeding, 1762, to the estates of his maternal grandfather, Sir John Trevor, of Brynkinalt, Speaker of the House of Commons in England, and first Lord Commissioner of the Great Seal, assumed the name and arms of Trevor, and was created, April 27th, 1765, Viscount Dungannon.” An interesting fact connected with this noble family is, that the mother of the Duke of Wellington, the “Hero of a hundred fights,” was Anne, Countess of Mornington, daughter of Arthur Hill, the first Viscount Dungannon. This illustrious lady was closely allied with two greatly-distinguished men: her husband, the Earl of Mornington, ranked high as a musical composer, and “the Duke,” her son, placed himself high on the roll of fame with conquerors of ancient and modern renown.

[Picture: Brynkinalt]