should have done so for a couple of years, that he would have built a house which must have stood for five centuries, and not have been satisfied with a shelter of post and wattle, which would have disappeared in far less than a century. Possibly some Christian hermit had at one time a dwelling on the spot, which, being abandoned for a long time, naturally gave rise to a tradition assigning the hermitage to Dewi, as the best known of the Welsh saints. Or there may have been some little abandoned chapel, originally dedicated to Dewi, and the tradition may have grown in that way.

I am going to try to tell you briefly the history of Llandewi Nant Honddu, and it may be well to explain that in doing so I am not quoting from unfriendly, nonCatholic, or exclusively Welsh sources. My authorities are Giraldus Cambrensis, archdeacon of Brecon, who wrote at the end of the twelfth century, and a chronicle written by a monk of Llanthony, probably about the same time or a few years later. Giraldus was a Pembrokeshire man, born at the castle of Manorbier, his father being William de Barri, whom I take to be a Norman, and his mother Angharad, a descendant of Rhys ab Tewdwr, prince of South Wales. I should say he was more of an ecclesiastic than a Welshman; whilst the monk of Llanthony was certainly no Welshman, nor afflicted with much liking for the Welsh.

At the end of the eleventh century there stood in the Vale of Ewyas a little chapel or hermitage. The monk of Llanthony thus describes it,

"It was a poor building, covered with moss and ivy, and surrounded by shrubs. It would scarce receive a man or a beast, but it is celebrated in fame, and we have sure tradition of old that St. David did here retire from the conversation of men, and lived here a solitary life for many years."

He describes the valley as a place of rocks and towering trees, of wild weather and frequent floods; but yet with very fruitful pastures amongst the mountains, and rich meadow land for feeding cattle, and he speaks of there being a great number of light footed beasts, meaning probably deer. The people, he says, "were savage, without any religion, vagabonds, who delighted in stealth; they had no

settled abode, but removed from place to place as often as mind and weather inclined them."

One of the Norman knights who came over with the Conqueror was Walter de Lacy. He had three sons,-Roger, Hugh, and Walter. When William gave a lot of his knights permission to invade Wales, Robert Fitzhamon conquered Glamorgan, Bernard Newmarch obtained the lordship of Brecon, and Hugh de Lacy gained the province of Ewyas.

A few years before 1108, Hugh de Lacy was hunting in Dyffryn Ewyas, and with him was one of his kinsmen, a knight named William, who appears to have had at the time much trouble of conscience. What his previous life had been the chronicler does not tell us. However, in the course of the chase he comes upon the deserted chapel or hermitage, and "being highly transported he cries out,-' Behold how blessed an opportunity presents itself. I see a house of prayer; why should I regard for any other thing? for God will not suffer the righteous soul to perish with hunger. Now that I have escaped the snares of the hunter, God forbid that I should any more through folly entangle myself in earthly affairs.'

So announcing his decision to his comrades, he "lays aside his belt and girds himself with a rope; instead of fine linen he covers himself with hair cloth, instead of his soldier's robe loads himself with weighty irons; and the suit of armour, which did before defend him from the darts of his enemies, he still continues for a guard against his old enemy the devil, that, by how much the more the outward man was afflicted, the inner man might be the more secured for the service of God; and that his zeal might not grow cold, and continue but for a short time, he therefore crucified himself in this manner, and continued his hard armour upon his body until it was worn out with rust and age.'

Having thus made himself comfortable, he in due time acquired not only the odour of uncleanness, but also a still stronger odour of sanctity, and his fame spread abroad throughout all the realm, until it even reached the court of King Henry I.

Whatever we may think of William's

methods, it seems to be quite clear that he did not covet the property of his Welsh neighbours, and he lived amongst them respected, beloved, and rather helped than molested by them.

As the crust of dirt thickened upon him, he of course became the recipient of supernatural favours. The utterly illiterate knight became endowed miraculously with a knowledge of letters. He was honoured with priest's orders, and in spite of his armour, or perhaps because it was wearing thin, the devil favoured him with continual assaults.

Ernesi, Ernicius, or Ervistus, who had been chaplain to queen Maud, and is described as a venerable person, hearing the fame of William, decided to go and see for himself, and was received with great civility by the hermit. who was doubtless glad of company. The visitor came to stay, and soon initiated a new policy. His first step was to build a small church, and there is reason to believe that the Welsh natives assisted him in this project.

When the church was built, William's kinsman, Hugh de Lacy, granted several farms for its maintenance, and the germs of the canker of property were thus sown. Then Ervistus suggested that they should found a monastery. William, who appears to have had a wholesome horror of wealth, stoutly objected, but gave way when the scheme was backed by Anselm, archbishop of Canterbury. Many rich barons paid. their fire insurance premiums towards the new monastery, and Henry the First and his queen Maud helped it liberally.

A curious little story is told by the monk of Llanthony about queen Maud. Hearing of William's contempt for riches, "she once desired that he would give her leave to place her hand in his bosom; he with great modesty submitted to her importunity; she by that means conveyed a large purse of gold between his coarse shirt

and iron boddice, and thus, by a pleasant, innocent subtlety, she thought to administer some comfortable relief to him. He did comply, but unwillingly,

that the queen might extend her liberality in adorning the church." in adorning the church." The moral of this little anecdote is that queen Maud was a brave woman, and not afraid of fleas.

Of course there had to be something miraculous about the building of this priory, and Giraldus tells us,

are

"It is a remarkable circumstance, or rather miracle, concerning Llanthony, that, although it is on every side surrounded by lofty mountains, not stony or rocky, but of a soft nature, and covered with grass, that parian stones frequently found there, and are called free stones, from the facility with which they admit of being cut and polished; and with these the church is beautifully built. It is also wonderful, that when, after a diligent search, all the stones have been removed from the mountains, and no more can be found, upon another search a few days afterwards, they re-appear in greater quantities to those who seek them."

I should not like to contradict an archdeacon, and especially one who has been dead so long, and can't reply. When the Priory was built Giraldus was not born, and he came into the world nearly 700 years before I did. All I will venture to state is that the ruins now remaining are built of carefully selected old red sandstone, and that there is plenty of the same stuff to be got by quarrying without having to haul it far.

William and Ervistus chose the Order of Canons regular, an inferior sort of Augustine monks, also called black canons. These monks wore their beards, and over their black cassock a white rochet. For outdoor dress they wore a black cloak with a hood of the same colour.

From London and Colchester forty canons were drafted to the new priory, and Ervistus became the first prior of Llanthony.

AN

N important industry has been established and is being gradually developed along the eastern confines of Denbighshire, an industry that promises to become one of the most important in this country.

Between the districts of Oswestry on the south and Gresford on the north there is a tract of country occupied by the Permian formation, which over-lies the coalfield to the east of the district I am going to describe. The term "Permian" was adopted by the late Sir Roderick Murchison from the government of Perm, in European Russia, where the same beds are typically developed. In this formation there are important layers or beds known as "marls," some red, others grey, but generally denoted "red marls;" and it is upon these that the red marl or terra cotta industry is situated.

It should be noted that this is the only part of Wales where the red marl is found, and the full extent and capacity of the

deposits in this part are not yet known, excepting so far as the clay holes at the various works already established have exposed the beds. At some of the works they are only partially developed, and at others more so. It is, however, certain that the supply is sufficient for much greater development; and there is ample store here for generations of red marl workers yet to

come.

Proceeding from south to north, the first works are those of Penybont, on the river Dee, in the Vale of Llangollen, and near the boundary of Wynnstay Park. From this point the deposit undoubtedly extends across the Park, passing the small but interesting village of Ruabon. Half a mile north of this village are three works quite contiguous, known as "Tatham's Brick and Terra Cotta Works," the proprietor being Mr. Bowers; "Terra Cotta Brick and Tile Works," proprietors, Messrs. Monk and Newell; and the "Gardden Lodge Brick and Terra Cotta Works," managed by Mr.

Jenks. Further northwards, at Hafod y Bwch, are works recently established by Messrs. Henry Dennis and Co.; and at King's Mills, a mile east of Wrexham are two other works, the "Abenbury," belonging to Messrs. Davies Brothers, Wrexham ; and the adjoining works known as "King's Mills," belonging to Messrs. Phillips and Whitehouse, also of Wrexham. From this point, for some three miles northwards, the same formation ranges, and at the Wilderness, in the Alun Valley near Gresford, are the works of Messrs. Clark and Rea, which are the last along the tract I have described.

It will be interesting to note that the Permian beds are suddenly cut off in the Alun Valley, immediately above the last named works, by the largest known fault in Great Britain, known as the "Bala fault," which extends from the sea at Barmouth, passes through the middle of Bala Lake, through part of the Vale of Yâl, through Nantyffrith, Cefn y Bedd near Caergwrle, and, crossing the Alun Valley, as above stated, finally disappears in the plains of Cheshire.

It should be stated that the marl in this tract of country is not all of the same

quality, there is indeed a considerable difference; the formation may be divided into "upper" and "lower" Permian, the lower predominating to the south, and the upper

to the north.

The Penybont works are situated in the horse-shoe bend of the river Dee at Newbridge, about half a mile north-east of the fine and massive viaduct carrying the Great Western Railway main line across the Vale of Llangollen. The proprietor and indeed the founder of this industry in North Wales is Mr. J. C. Edwards of Trevor Hall, who is assisted in the active management by his son, Mr. E. Lloyd Edwards. The local manager is Mr. J. W. Bishop, and to him I am much indebted for full and ready information concerning the terra cotta industry.

The Penybont works were first established upon a small scale in 1865, and during the last thirty years they have gradually developed and become the busy hive of industry they are at present.

The "clay hole," where the various beds of marl are exposed and worked, is of considerable extent, being about 200 yards from south to north, and in depth from 70

It

to 90 feet. It is a bank lying high above the river, and is therefore easily drained; and the thickness of the marl,-not yet proved, is certain to be very great. The quality of the clay is such that it suffers the least possible contraction by firing. It is very hard and exact in form when burnt, its bricks especially having a remarkably smooth surface, very close texture, and a hard metallic ring. It will resist great pressure, and is of a singularly bright clear colour.

A sample has been analyzed by the borough analyst at Oswestry with the following result,

iron, which is a natural constituent and not chemically combined, and this colour becomes brighter after the clay is burnt. All the ware made from this material can be burnt without losing its natural colour. Roofing tiles made from this bed of clay can be pressed into such a close dense substance that they will not absorb moisture or vegetate. The clay is therefore particularly adapted from a sanitary point of view for the manufacture of various goods for hospitals, infirmaries, and such like buildings. "In dealing with terra cotta," says Mr. Edwards, "it is well to call to mind that we are not experimenting with a new and untried material, but are reviving the oldest architectural composition to which we have historical references. It has been discovered amongst the ruins of Assyria and Illyria, and portions have been found in remains of Roman walls after the walls themselves have crumbled away."

The clay hole or quarry is covered with a network of tramways at varying heights or floors, from the lowest point yet reached up to the surface of the ground. These miniature railways are all connected in one way or other, and all are worked by steam power from the engines that work the clay mills and other machinery in connection. The daily output of clay from the quarry