CYMMER ABBEY.

(Additional Particulars.)

The following is a note taken from a record amongst the muniments of the late Audit Office for Wales :-" Lease from Lewis, Abbot of Kymmer, and his Convent, to Llewelyn ap David Powis, and Dyddyn, verch Llewelyn ap David, his wife, of a tenement in Redcrewe (in the parish of Llanegryn), called Pant Kynerth, dated 6th June 1521." This person was probably some relation to the John Powis in whose hands we afterwards find the abbey. In Turner's Henry VIII, a person of the latter name is stated to have been attached to King Henry the Eighth's household.

"The late Monastery of Kymmer granted to John Powes, gent., by King Edward the Sixth, upon the 19th of April, in the fourth year of his reign, to hold in farm, to him, the said John Powes and his assigns, from Michaelmas next following, for a term of fifty years; rendering therefor thirty pounds, six shillings, doubtless, per annum.'

From a roll of Ministers' Accounts for the County of Merioneth, for the year ending at Michaelmas, 2 Queen Elizabeth ; in the Branch Record Office, Carlton Ride-Rev. Joseph Hunter's department.

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King Edward the Sixth, by letters patent dated 6th of April, sixth of his reign, leases to his beloved sergeant (serviens) Lewis Owen, Esq., and Richard Nanney, gentleman, three [sic] tennements, known by the names of Brynbedwyn, Esgairgawr, Tythin Llittewyn, and Tythyn yr Allt dduey, in the parish of Dolgelly, parcel of the lands and possessions of the late dissolved Monastery of Kymmer; and one tenement in the ville of Nanney called Pant liuvoge, to the same Monastery belonging. To have and to hold the aforesaid lands to the said Lewis Owen, and Richard Nanney, for the term of twenty-one years, from the Feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin, last past, excepting only all woods and underwoods growing upon the same.

From an old paper endorsed "A Note of certain thinges in Mr. John Farnham's letters patent."

It would appear, from a bad print of Vanner (Kymmer) published by Buck in 1742, that there can be little doubt of there having been a south transept to the abbey church. Upon referring to the print, it may, with tolerable certainty, be inferred that the present wall, where this transept would have

stood, is not old; and the plan, as given in No. IV of the Archeologia Cambrensis, should be so far corrected. W. W. E. W.

The boundaries of the abbey estates, as mentioned in the charter of Llewelyn ap Iorwerth, are to be traced on the Ordnance Maps. J. J.

MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT FOR THE COUNTY OF MERIONETH.

BY THE LATE W. W. E. WYNNE OF PENIARTH, ESQ.

Parliament at Westminster, 16th January 1541-2 (33 Henry VIII), Edward Stanley of Harlech.

Parliament at Westminster, 8th November 1547 (1 Edward VI), Lewis Owen of Dolgelley, Esq.

Parliament at Westminster, 1st March 1552-3 (7 Edward VI), Lewis Owen of Dolgelley, Esq. He was murdered near DinasMowddwy, in October 1555, being then vice-chamberlain, and baron of the exchequer of North Wales.

Parliament at Westminster, 5th October 1553 (1 Mary), John Salesbury of Rûg, Esq.

Parliament at Westminster, 2nd April 15541 (1 Mary), Lewis Owen of Dolgelley, Esq.2

Parliament at Westminster, 21st October 1555 (2 and 3 Philip and Mary), Ellis Price, LL.D., of Plâs Iolyn in Denbighshire.

1 Browne Willis, in his Notitia Parliamentaria, says that the Parliament of April 1554 was summoned to meet at Oxford on the 2nd of that month, but adjourned to Westminster," where it sate from April 5th to May 5th, and was then dissolved". In the heading to the Acts of that Parliament, in the Statutes at Large, no notice occurs of its being summoned to meet at Oxford. It is there referred to as the Parliament begun and holden at Westminster the 2nd day of April, etc.

2 Willis incorrectly names David Jennings, gent., as representative for Merionethshire in this Parliament; I have been enabled to correct his misstatement by a record in the Crown Office; Jennings was probably M.P. for the borough of Montgomery, in which county was a family of that name. According to Willis, Lewis Owen represented Montgomeryshire in the Parliament of 2nd April 1554; but I am inclined to think that Edward Herbert was then member for it; certainly, Lewis Owen was not.

Parliament at Westminster, 20th January 1557-8 (4 and 5 Philip and Mary), Ellis Price of Plâs Iolyn, LL.D.

Parliament at Westminster, 25th January 1558-9 (1 Elizabeth), Ellis Price of Plâs Iolyn, LL.D.

Parliament at Westminster, 12th January 1562-3 (5 Elizabeth), Ellis Price of Plâs Iolyn, LL.D.

Parliament at Westminster, 2nd April 1571 (13 Elizabeth), Hugh Owen of Caerberllan, Esq.

Parliament at Westminster, 8th May 1572 (14 Elizabeth), John Lewis Owen of Dolgelley, Esq. (afterwards of Llwyn). Parliament at Westminster, 23rd November 1584 (27 Elizabeth), Cadwallader Price of Rhiwlas, Esq.

Parliament at Westminster, 29th October 1586 (29 Elizabeth), Griffith Nanney of Nanney (now Nannau), Esq.

Parliament at Westminster, 4th February 1588-9 (31 Elizabeth), Robert Salesbury of Rûg, Esq.

Parliament at Westminster, 19th February 1592-31 (35 Elizabeth), Robert Lloyd of Rhiwgoch.

Parliament at Westminster, 24th October 1597 (39 Elizabeth), Thomas Middleton, Esq.

Parliament at Westminster, 27th October 1601 (43 Elizabeth), Robert Lloyd of Rhiwgoch, Esq.

Parliament at Westminster, 19th March 1603-4 (1 James I), Sir Edward Herbert, Knt., afterwards the celebrated Lord Herbert of Cherbury.

Parliament at Westminster, 5th April 1614 (12 James I), Robert Lloyd of Rhiwgoch, Esq.

Parliament at Westminster, 30th January 1620-1 (18 James I), William Salesbury of Rûg, Esq.

Parliament at Westminster, 19th February 1623-4 (James I), Henry Wynn of Rhiwgoch, Esq.

Parliament at Westminster, 18th June 1625 (1 Charles I), Henry Wynn of Rhiwgoch, Esq.

Parliament at Westminster, 6th February 1625-6 (1 Charles I), Edward Vaughan, Esq.

Parliament at Westminster, 17th March 1627-8 (3 Charles I), Richard Vaughan of Cors y Gedol, Esq.

Parliament at Westminster, 10th April 1640 (15 Charles I), Henry Wynn of Rhiwgoch, Esq.

Parliament at Westminster, 3rd November 1640 (16 Charles

1 An incorrect date is given to the commencement of this Parliament in Willis.

1

I), the “Long Parliament", William Price of Rhiwlas, Esq. Disabled, 5th February 1643, for deserting the service of the House; being in the king's quarters, and adhering to that party. Writ issued 8th December 1646; Roger Pope, Esq., elected. He died. Writ issued 26th August 1647; John Jones of Maes y Garnedd, Esq. (afterwards one of the regicides), elected.

Parliament at Westminster, 5th July 1653, called "the Little" or "Barebones Parliament". Browne Willis says of this Parliament, that "no burgessess or representatives for any cities or boroughs were summoned to it, except for London; and only some few returned out of each county in general." The following persons are named as members for Wales, but the Welsh counties for which they severally were elected are not mentioned; and the majority of the names are certainly not those of families of North Wales; probably Merionethshire had no member in this Parliament :-Bussey Mansell, James Philips, John Williams, Hugh Courtenay, Richard Price, John Brown.

Parliament at Westminster, 3rd September 1654, John Vaughan of Cefn-bodig, Esq.2

Parliament at Westminster, 17th September 1656, Col. John Jones, "the regicide". He appears to have been chosen also to represent Denbighshire in this Parliament.

Parliament at Westminster, 27th January 1658-9,3 Lewis Owen of Peniarth, Esq.

1 This parliament continued sitting till April 20th, 1653, when it was dissolved; but notwithstanding this dissolution, and the summoning no less than four Parliaments by the usurping powers, this Parliament seems still to have been looked upon as such; for in the Commons' Journal, vol. xii, p. 880, is this entry:-" Mar. 16, 1659. A Bill of the Dissolution of the Parliament begun at Westminster, Nov. 2, 1640; and for calling another Parliament, April 25, 1660" (Willis). See also note upon Parliament of 27th January 1658-9.

2 At the election for this Parliament, the representation of the county was contested by the above-mentioned John Vaughan, Esq., and Rice Vaughan of Gelligvch in the county of Montgomery, Esq., a branch of the family of Vaughan of Cors y Gedol. The election was held at Bala, and this is believed to be the only instance in which the county member was chosen at any other place than Harlech.

3 This Parliament was dissolved on the 22nd April 1659. On the 7th of May, the Long Parliament reassembled, and continued sitting till October 13th, on which day their meeting was forcibly prevented by General Lambert. They assembled again upon December 26th, and sat till March 16th, 1659-60, when they passed an Act for dis

Convention Parliament, 25th April 1660. Edmund Meyrick of Ucheldre, Esq.

Parliament at Westminster, 8th May 1661 (13 Charles II), Edmund or Henry Meyrick, Esq., it is almost certain the former, but there is no list of this Parliament in the Crown Office. Edmund Meyrick, Esq., was at this time the representative of his family, in the pedigree of which the Christian name of Henry does not occur, and it will be seen that he sat for the county in the preceding Parliament.

Parliament at Westminster, 6th March 1678-9 (30 Charles II), Sir John Wynn of Rhiwgoch in Merionethshire, and Watstay, now Wynnstay, in Denbighshire, Knight, afterwards Baronet, if he had not before this time succeeded to the baronetage of his family.

Parliament at Westminster, 21st October 1680 (32 Charles II), Sir John Wynn, Baronet.

Parliament at Oxford, 21st March. 1680-1 (33 Charles II), Sir Robert Owen of Glynn in Merionethshire, Porkington in Shropshire, and Clenenney in the county of Carnarvon, Knight. Parliament at Westminster, 19th May 1685 (1 James II), Sir John Wynne, Baronet.

Convention at Westminster, 22nd January 1688-9, Sir John Wynne, Baronet.

Parliament at Westminster, 20th March 1689-90 (1 William and Mary), Sir John Wynne, Baronet.

Parliament at Westminster, 22nd November 1695 (7 William III), Sir John Wynne, Baronet.

Parliament at Westminster, 6th December, 1698 (10 William III), Hugh Nanney of Nanney (now Nannau), Esq., Colonel of the Merioneth Militia.

Parliament at Westminster, 6th February 1700-1 (13) William III), Hugh Nanney of Nanney, Esq.1 He died, and Richard Vaughan of Cors y Gedol, Esq., was elected in his stead.

Parliament at Westminster, 30th December 1701 (14 William III), Richard Vaughan of Cors y Gedol, Esq. He continued to represent the county in every succeeding Parliament until his death, upon 28th March 1734.

solving themselves and calling a new Parliament to meet upon the 25th of April 1660. Willis's account of these transactions is some

what obscure.

1 A record in the Crown Office. In a printed list of the members of this Parliament he is incorrectly called Hugh Vaughan.