felves, as well as damage to the Welsh.

The kings of England, feeing it difficult to make a conqueft of Wales by a great army, gave to the lords, and other great men of England, fuch countries in Wales as they could win from the Welshmen. Thefe are the words of divers of their grants.

By thefe means many were drawn to bring great armies of Englishmen and Normans into Wales; who conquered many great lordships; which they held to them and their heirs for ever, of the kings of England, as lands purchafed by conqueft.

The kings of England having built divers ftrong towns of garrifon on the frontiers of Wales, after the Conqueft; fuch as Briftow, Gloucefter, Worcester, Salop, and Chefter; as places ready to chaftife the Welfhmen upon all attempts, the great men began to invade the countries next to thofe towns; as namely, Peter Corbet for Caufe; Mortimer for Wigmore; Fitz-alan for Clun and Ofweftry; Walter Lacy for EwyasLacy; Dru de Baladan for Abergaveny; Monthault for Hawarden; Gilbert lord of Monmouth for Monmouth; Fulk Fitz-warren for Whittington; Roger le Strange for Elefmere: and fhortly after came Robert Fitz-hamon, with his twelve knights, into Glamorgan; Bernard Newmarch into Brecknock; Strongbow to Dyfed or Pembrokeshire; Martin to Kemes; Morris de Londres to Cydwely and Cornwallon; Lacy Earl of Lincoln to Rhôs and Rhyvoniog, now the lordship of Denbigh; Brewis to Gower, Buelt, Radnor, Melenith, and Elvel; and

to Roger Mortimer the country now called Chirk, then called Mochnant, and to Cynlleth and Nantheudwy; and others to other lordships.

That the lords might the better govern the people when fubdued, they were fuffered to take upon them fuch prerogative and authority, as were fit for the quiet government of the country.

The antient historiographer, Lampridius, faith, that the kings of England did then use the fame policy with lands on the borders of Scotland,

No record to be found in the Tower of London, or elsewhere, of any grant to be a lordship marcher in Wales. The king's writs, out of the courts at Weftminfter, did not run into Wales, except Pembrokeshire; which was counted part of England, and called Little England beyond Wales. Nor were there any fheriffs to execute fuch writs: but the lords did execute laws themfelves over the people which they fubdued; which the kings permitted for a time.

No charters of thefe liberties could conveniently be granted, for three reasons.

1. The kings of England did not know beforehand what lands a lord fhould conquer, or whether he fhould conquer any; and therefore could not grant any liberties within a certain precinct or territory.

2. The lords, after their conqueft of any country, were not over-hafty to purchase any charter; becaufe they were not sure but that thofe lands might be reftored, by compofition between the kings of England and the

princes

princes of Wales, as they fometimes were or they might be recovered by force, and the lords expelled. But,

3. The learned fay, that the lords marchers had no charters of fuch liberties, because the liberties were of fo high a nature, fo royal, and fo united to the crown, that, by the law, it was not in the king's power to grant them from the crown.

The government by lords marchers continued in Wales till the time of Henry VIII. who, perceiving the Welsh to live in quietnefs and fubjection, thought they might be governed by civil laws, as the English were. And therefore, anno 27, c. 24, he refumed moft of thofe jurifdictions into his own hands, and appointed juftices of peace, fheriffs, and other officers; and divided the country into fhires. He governed them by the laws of England; and left little or no authority to the lords marchers.

The lords, at their conqueft of the country, built caftles for themfelves, and towns for their followers, in the moft fertile part: and by this means the towns and caftles in Wales were built, as may be seen in the antient charters of those towns.

Pembroke, Tenby, and Haverfordwest, by Strongbow; William de Valence, and the Haftings, being his pofterity: Newport, by Martin Lord of Kemes: Cydwely, by Londres; and augmented afterwards by the Duke of Lancafter, to whom it came by marriage.

Swanfey, Oyftermouth, Loghor, Radnor, Buelt, Raiadr, and others, by the Brewifes; from VOL. XXVI.

whom they came to the Mortimers and Beauchamps, by a female iffue of Brewis: Brecknock, by Bernard Newmarch.

Blaen Llyfney, by Herbert: Caerdiff and Cowbridge, by Fitzhamon, and the Earls of Gloucefter: Neath, by Greenfield: Abergaveny, by Dru de Baladan, Miles Earl of Hereford, and others, his pofterity: Ruthin, by Lord Grey Denbigh, by Lacy Earl of Lincoln.

Some of these were towns be

fore the Conqueft; but, being deftroyed in the winning of them, they were rebuilt by the lords.

The lords held their lordships of the kings of England in chief, as of the crown immediate, by ferving the king in his wars with certain numbers of men; and they were bound to keep their caftles with fufficient men and munition, for the keeping of the king's enemies in fubjection.

They executed the English laws, for the most part, within their lordships; and brought them to be of English tenure; and to pafs the fame according to the laws of England, by fine, recovery, feoffment, and livery of seifin. But fuch parts as they left to the antient inhabitants to poffefs, were by fome lords fuffered to be held after the old Welsh cuftom, the laws of Howel Dda; which was, to pass the fame by furrender in court (which they called Côf Lys, and Yftyn Wialen, whereof the word Yftynnol was derived); and where that cuftom was permitted, there is no deed to be found of any lands before the 27th Henry VIII. when Wales was made fhireground; but, for fuch lands as I

were

were turned to English tenures, you may find deeds of two, three, or four hundred years paft, written in Latin, or French, as was ufed in England in thofe days.

The laws of England were brought in by the lords marchers, because the laws of the land were unknown to the English: but they fuffered the antient tenants to retain fome part of the old Welsh laws; fuch as the use of gaveikind, for parting lands between the brothers, and the paffing of lands by furrender in court. And for this, in many lordships, there is a Welsh court for the Welshmen, called Welchrie; and another for the English, called Englifhrie. In fome lord fhips the lands were divided by gavelkind, but paffed by feoffments; from whence comes Englifh tenure, and Welfh dole: in Welsh, Cyfraith Saefnig, a RhanCymraig. And the lords had the wardship of all the brethren, as if they had been fifters.

The lords marchers increafed in number, till Llewellin ap Griffith, the laft prince of Wales, was flain, anno 11 Ed. I. who then took the principality of Wales into his hands, and gave it to Edward II. his fon, and made him prince of Wales. Since which time no more lordships marchers could be erected; for the Welsh in general fubmitted themselves to the kings of England.

Since the principality came to the kings of England, no lord marcher could claim any liberty or prerogative, more than they had before, without a grant.

Edward I. immediately held a parliament at Ruthlan caille; and

there ordained laws and officers, to govern Wales after the English manner.

The lordship of Powys had not its original from conqueft, as the lordships marchers had; but in this manner:

Griffith, fon of Meredith ap Blethyn, lord of Powys, feeing the king of England, and Englifh lords, preparing themselves to conquer Wales, did, in difcretion and policy, fubmit himself to Henry I. and yielded to hold his lordship of the king of England in chief, as the lords marchers did, and to do the king the like fervice; and thereupon was fuffered to hold the fame to him and his heirs; and was created lord Powys by the faid Henry I. and made baron of the parliament of England.

His defcendant, Hawys Gadarn, fell to be the king of England's ward, by reafon of the alteration of the tenure in capite; who gave her in marriage to a valiant gentleman of his, named John Charlton. And fo the lordfhip of Powys came to the poffeffion of the English lords. (Mowthwy, and others, did the fame). Thefe (with the lords marchers) held their lordships of the kings in chief, and not of the princes of Wales.

The lord of Powys thus fubmitting himself to the king of England, the comots in that lordfhip continue whole and entire to this day; and there is a court baron in every one of them.. But the lords marchers, to reward thofe that affifted them in their conquefts, gave them divers manors; and fo divided the comots into feveral parts, and erected a

court

court-baron in each. The comots were fix; Carcinion, Mechan uwch-Coed, Mechan isCoed, Mochnant, Llannerch-hûdol, and Yftrad-marchell.

The like may be found in the counties of Anglefey, Caernarvon, Merioneth, Flint, Carmarthen, and Cardigan; where the antient comots remain entire, without alteration; and retain their antient names and bounds, and keep the fame courts. The reafon is, because they were not conquered by the lords marchers, but continued in the hands of the princes of Wales, till Llewellin, the last prince, was flain by Ed ward I.

It appears by antient record, that the lordship of Bromefield and Yale, antiently called Dinas Brân, being the chief caftle of the lordship, came to the poffeffion of English lords, as follows:

Emma, daughter to Lord Audley, and widow to Griffith ap Madog, Lord of Bromefield and Yale, Chirk, Nantheudwy, Maelor, and other lands, parcel of antient Powys, having four fons, between whom their father's inheritance was divided; ftrife grew between her and her husband's kindred about the cuftody of her fons : they fearing, that if the fons fhould be brought up by the mother in England, they would become English; and rather incline to the king of England, than to the princes of Wales. But the mother getting into her poffeffion the two eldeft, Madog and Llewellin; the first having to his part Bromefield and Yale, and the other, Chirk and Nantheudwy; and not being able to keep them to herself, nor to remain in

quiet upon her jointure, the delivered her fons to Edward I. fhewing that by right they were his wards, because their ancestors had formerly made their fubmiffion to the kings of England. The king took them to his ward; and committed Madog, the eldest, to the care of John Earl Warren ; and Llewellin to Roger Mortimer, third fon to Ralph Lord Mortimer, of Wigmore. The two guardians having the fons and their lands in their cuftody, Earl Warren built the caftle of Holt in Bromefield, and Roger Mortimer the caftle of Chirk, and placed garrifons of English in each, to defend the country from the Welsh. And the wards dying shortly after, without iffue, the faid guardians ftill kept the lands, and obtained grants of the king to hold the fame, 10th of Edward I. only the castle of Hope, and lands thereto belonging, were reserved to the king in Earl Warren's grant. The antient rent of Bromefield and Yale was 730l. a year.

Emma being molefted in her jointure, because she had delivered her fons to the king, and fo procured the coming of those lords to build the caftles of Bromefield and Chirk, she defired the king to take Maelor, her jointure, and to give her lands in England for it; which the king did, and fo got into poffeffion of Maelor Saefnaeg, and held the fame ever after; not fuffering any of the heirs to have it, pretending that they were rebels against him.

No lord marcher without a caftle, and a fufficient garrison to fupprefs fuch of the Welsh as fhould annoy the king's fubjects; and therefore all cattle: had towns

close to them, inhabited by the English. And, by 4 Henry IV. c. 32, it is enacted, that caftles and walled towns in Wales fhould be poffeffed by valiant Englishmen, ftrangers to the feigniories.

The charters of thofe towns give great liberty to the English; but no Welshmen might be a burgefs, or purchase any land therein; fee 2 Henry IV. c. 12. and 20. It was alfo enacted, that no Welshman should have any caftle or fortrefs, faving fuch as was in the time of Edward I. except bishops and temporal lords.

The more to encourage the English to conquer Wales, the kings of England created them peers of the realm, by the name of lords baron of the places they conquered. Their number once was twenty-one; but now are reduced to one, viz. Abergaveny, who is the first lord baron of England. The reft loft their name and place, by coming either to the crown, or to lords who had other places and titles in parliament. The caftles in Wales were about 143.

The Welsh fubmitted to Henry VII. because he was paternally defcended from their princes: and his fon, Henry VIII. made feveral ftatutes for the future government of them, anno 27.

Lords marchers feized on the goods of their tenants, who died inteftate.

All the lordships marchers have loft their antient jurifdictions and authorities, which were the common figns whereby they were known; fo that it is now a doubt which were fuch lordships. But they may ftill be known by feveral tokens.

1. There can be no lordship marcher but fuch as was fubdued before the death of Prince Llewellin.

2. Such lordship must be held of the king in chief, and not of the principality of Wales.

3. It must have been in antient time the inheritance of fome English lord.

4. If any fait arose about the title, it was to be pleaded at common law, in Westminster-Hall; and there were fines levied of those lordships, and none other in Wales.

5. The efcheator of the marches of Wales did in antient time inquire of the tenure, and find office poft mortem of the lord; and that by writ out of the chancery of England. And as thofe lordfhips were not in any fhire in England, and the king had no efcheators to enquire of the tenure of them, the fame was laid on the escheator of the next Englifh fhire. And fuch efcheators had the charge, care, and survey of all lordships marches that were holden of the king. And fuch efcheator was to go into any lordfhip marcher in Wales, and swear an inqueft, and find an office after the death of the lord, and inquire of the tenure and value of the lordship.- -N. B. All offices of other manors, that were holden of the king, as of his principality, were found, by virtue of writs out of the king's exchequer, of Caernarvon, or Chester, for North Wales; and Carmarthen, or Cardigan, for South Wales; and out of Pembroke, for lands in that earldom.

6. Thefe lords, by ftat. 24 Henry VIII. c. 9, have the pe

nalty