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greater part of the old undivided parish of Gresford. Assuming this to have happened, we understand, firstly, the predominantly Welsh character of the parish in the middle of the fourteenth century; and we understand, secondly, the fact of most of the free tenants belonging to one or other of three families, and bearing arms attributed to Ithel ap Eunydd, Sanddef Hardd, or Elidur ap Rhys Sais.

This is the best account I can give of the dark era of Gresford history, extending from the end of the eleventh to the middle of the fourteenth century.

I may as well copy here Edward Lhuyd's description of the bridges in the parish of Gresford over the Alyn ("Y Pynt ar Alyn"), as they were about the year 1699:

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"(1) Pont y Kynydhion [Huntsmen's Bridge] dhwy vilhdir vyclian odhiwrthy Ihan" [two short miles from the church or now know as village]. This must be that we Gwastad Bridge." (2) Pont vradley yn îs; that is, Bradley Bridge, lower. (3) Pont wersylht qwarter yn îs etto;" that is, Gwersyllt Bridge, a quarter [of a mile] lower still. This must be now represented by the foot-bridge at Gwersyllt Mill, or the stone bridge at the Wilderness Mill, (4) Pont y Capel heen, milhdir yn is; that is, Bridge of the old Chapel, a mile lower. (5) “Pont Resford agos i hanner milhdir yn is etto;" that is, Gresford Bridge, near half a mile lower still. (6) "Bont issa, led day goitie yn is" that is, "The Lower Bridge, the breadth of two fields lower." (7) "Pont yr Orsedh, vilhdir yn is na'r Bont issa" that is, The Orsedd [or Rosset] Bridge, a mile lower than Pont Issa. (8)" Pont Allington, vilhdir yn is;" that is, Allington, a mile lower. This is now called "Cock's Bridge." (9)" Pont Rhyd Ithel, hanner milhdir yn îs;" that is, Bridge of Ithel's Ford, a half mile lower. It is now simply called Pont Ithel," and is merely a foot bridge.

Edward Lhuyd also mentions " Pont Pulford," or Pulford Bridge, over the Pulford brook, and "Ware hooks Bridge" over the Dee. There is now no bridge over the Dee within the limits of the old parish of Gresford; but a piece of land called "the Wearehookes," containing about one hundred acres, "parcel

of the manor of Hem," is mentioned in 1649, so that the bridge must have been near Almer.

In Norden's Survey, another bridge is mentioned, as being in the manor of Burton, and therefore in the parish of Gresford-"the Receauo Bridge upon deuen." The Devon, I believe, was a mere brooklet running through Mersley Park, adjoining upon the liberties of Holt; and in Plâs Defon, just over the Holt border, we have a reminiscence of its name.

Samuel Lewis says, in his Topographical Dictionary of Wales, published in 1833:-"Fairs for cattle are held [at Gresford] on the second Monday in April, the last Monday in August, Easter Monday, June 24th, August 21st, and October 22nd"--six in the year. I noticed also the following entry in the parish register: "The Fairs began at Gresford 4th Decemb′, 1752.” The 4th of December, it will be observed, does not coincide with any of the dates in the year given by

Lewis.

Finally, Edward Lhuyd says: "Their Wakes the Sunday after All Saints.'

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I shall now proceed to treat of the several townships which make up the old parish, as above defined. I have reason to hope to hope that Mr. Chancellor Trevor Parkins will contribute a separate paper on the history of the parish church of Gresford.

APPENDIX TO INTRODUCTION.

27 Nov., 1448, Llay, Burton, and Hunkele, inspeximus and confirmation at the instance of John Donne, armiger, of the tenor and record of a plea which was before John de Holland, justice of Chester, in his session at Flint, on Monday the morrow of the Holy Trinity, 7 Ric. 2, between Richard, Earl of Arundel, and the said King, on which the towns of Llay, Burton, and Hunkele, and a moiety of the town of Trefalen were adjudged to the King, in which record it is set forth that the said towns were parcel of the lordship of Hopedale, which lordship extended longitudinally from the towns of Pulford, Dodleston, and Pulton, to a certain stream called Redalok [Rhyd Talog],

running between Yale and Hopedale, and going round by the metes and bounds then known between Yale and Hopedale, to Hanothelyk [Hafod Helyg ?], and thence following the stream called Nantory voyle [Nant y forwal?], to the stream called Kegydok [Cegidog], and thence following the Kegydok to the stream called Alyn, and thence following the Alyn to the Dee, on the north part, and from the Redalok, following on the south the bounds and metes of the lordships of Mohald and Hawardyn. to the aforesaid town of Pulford; that the said lordship came into the hands of Edward, King of England, conqueror of Wales, by the forfeiture of David ap Gruff', brother of Llewellyn ap Gruff', late Prince of Wales; that the said King gave the said lordship to Eleanor his Queen for life, who demised the same to John, then Earl of Warenne, for a term of years; that the said Earl illegally annexed a certain portion of the said lordship, to wit, the towns of Llaye, Burton, and Hunkele, and a moiety of the town of Trefhalen, to his lordship of Bromfeld and Yale; that the same towns descended consecutively as parts of the said lordship, to John his son, John his son, Richard, Earl of Arundel, and Richard his son. Also inspeximus and confirmation of the tenor of the record and process of an assize of novel disseisin, which John Earl of Huntingdon arraigned in the court of Katharine, Queen of England, at Flint, on the feast of St. Hilary, 1435, against John, Duke of Norfolk; Roland Lentale, Kt.; Edward Nevile, and Elizabeth his wife, touching his freehold in Llaye, Burton, Hunkele, and Trefaleyn, whereon the said Earl recovered against the said defendants 200 messuages, 100 tofts, two mills, two thousand acres of land, 100 acres of meadow, 200 acres of pasture, a hundred acres of wood, and a hundred acres of turbary. The jury on the assize say that the towns of Llay, Burton, Hunkeley, and Trefalen were from time. immemorial parcel of the lordship of Hope and Hopedale, which lordship was wholly within the county of Flint, and within the bounds of which lordship the lands set forth in the plaint were, being portions of the said towns; that the said lordship extended longitudinally from the towns of Pulford, Dodleston, and Pulton, in the county of Chester, to a stream called Redealok, running between Yale and Hopedale, and going round by the bounds and metes of Yale and Hopedale to Hanothelik, thence following the stream Nantorevongull to the stream Kekidok, thence following that stream to the stream Alyn, thence following that stream to the Dee, running between. the county and [so!] Chester and Hopedale on the north, and from the lower part of the Redealok to the valley between Le Roslwre and Kilirwa, and following the valley of

the Kekidog, thence following that stream to the stream Anondwy [Afon ddu], in Ughmynyth [Uwch y mynydd], and so by the old bounds to Redemore [Redmoor], crossing from thence to the stream Merebrok, viz., to the spot where of old it was accustomed to run, and so following it to the Alyn on the south and following the Alyn to a place where of old the stream Anonduy in Hopewen [Hope Owen] used to run to the water Alyn, and following the Anonduy to Pontebenehull, and thence to a ditch called Clauth myssh, thence to Le Maynwy nion [Meini Gwynion], thence by the old bounds Nantererard, thence to Perthyvellin, thence to Kynarton Bridge on the south, so following the old bounds to Fomonforwell [Ffynnon Forwel] bridge, thence to Pulford bridge, thence by the known metes to the Dee on the east. [27 and 28 Hen. 5, m. 2 (12).]

Oct. 20, 1448. John, Duke of Exeter. An inquisition taken at Northope on Thursday, the Feast of St. Thomas the Apostle last past, finding that the said Duke died seized in his demesne, as of fee tail, of the towns of Llay, Burton, and Hunkelay, a moiety of the town of Trefalyn, together with the free chapel of St. Leonard, and two mills, parcel of the lordship and manor of Hope and Hopedale; that the same descended on the death of the said Duke to Henry his son; that the said Duke died on the fifth day of August 1447; and that the said Henry was seventeen years of age on the said fifth day of August: the sheriff is commanded to take the said lands etc., into the King's hands. [27 and 28 Hen. 6, m. 4 (1).]

From Thirty-Seventh Annual Report of the Deputy-Keeper of the Public Records, pp. 271 and 469.

(To be continued.)

FORGOTTEN SANCTUARIES:

BEING SOME THOUGHTS ON THE VANISHED CROSSES AND CHAPELS IN ST. JOHN'S PARISH, BRECON.

BY GWENLLIAN E. F. MORGAN.

66

'How is the gold become dim! how is the most fine gold changed! the stones of the sanctuary are poured out in the top of every street." Lamentations, iv, 1.

WHEN the Cambrian Archæological Association visited Brecon for the first time, nearly fifty years ago, the occasion was made for ever memorable to the town by the Paper read by Mr. Freeman on "The Churches of Brecon," in the course of which he made use of the following sentence: "I know of no English town of the same size which presents greater attractions to the architectural enquirer, than this of Brecon." He, of course, referred to the splendid churches at the Priory and Christ College, and to the then interesting Chapel of St. Mary, which remain to us of the extensive ecclesiastical buildings erected in Brecon during mediæval times, and which, by their grandeur, suggest what we may have lost in the monasteries, chapels and crosses, which have disappeared so completely, that their very existence is forgotten even by the oldest inhabitants.

It is not, however, unreasonable to suppose that those, who built the noble churches we still possess, must have erected crosses and chapels not unworthy of the sense of beauty and reverent devotion with which their minds were inspired.

There are consecrated pieces of ground in this parish, on which buildings once stood, where our forefathers worshipped in the days of old, and in which the Divine Service was celebrated, that are now

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