countrey, as their next neighbours, kept moft part of the countrey all waste and without inhabitants. In this eftate ftood the hundred of Nantconway, when Meredith removed his dwelling thither, being (as I gueffe) about the four and twentieth yeare of his age, and in the beginning of King Henry the VIIth his time. Being queftioned by his friends, why he meant to leave his ancient house and habitation, and to dwell in Nantconway*, fwarming with thieves and bondmen, whereof there are many in the kinge's lordship and townes in that hundred; he anfwered, "that he should find elbowe roome "in that vaft countrey among the "bondmen, and that he had rather "fight with outlawes and thieves, than with his owne bloode and "kindred; for if I live in mine houfe in Evioneth +, I muft either kill mine owne kinfmen, or be killed by them." Wherein he faid very truly, as the people were fuch in thofe dayes there; for John Owen ap John ap Meredith, in his father's time killed Howell ap Madoc Vaughan of Berkin, for noe other quarrell, but for the maflery of the countrey, and for the first good-morrow; in which tragedie Meredith had likely beene an actor, if he had lived there, for the reafons aforefaid. He and his cofen, the heire of Bron y foel, were both out of the countrey, Morys ap John ap Meredith and Owen ap John ap Meredith were alfo growne old men, foe as there

was none in the countrey, that durft ftrive with John Owen ap John ap Meredith, but Howell ap Madoc Vaughan of Berkin, which coft him his life.

Howell ap Madog Vaughan his grandmother, was Jevan ap Robert ap Meredith his fifter, foe he was cofen german's fonne to Meredith. John Owen that killed him was cofen german to my grandmother, being the daughter of Morris ap John ap Meredith. In refpect of the feude my grandfather could not abide any defcended of Owen ap John ap Meredith, neither could the abide any of his kindred of Berkin. I write it but to fhew the manifold divifions in those days among foe private friends.

Howell ap Madog Vaughan have. ing moft valiantly fought out with his people, received his deadly wound in the head. Being downe, his mother being prefent, clapped her hand on his head, meaning to warde the ftroke, and had halfe her hand and three of her fingers cut off at the blowe.

David Llwyd Gruffith Vychan, my uncle, told me, that his father dwelling at Cumftrallyn in Eveioneth, hearing of the affray, but not of his cofen's death, (for Howell ap Madog Vychan outlived the fray certaine dayes), feat him, being a child, to fee how his cofen, did; and he coming to Berkin found him layd in his bed, and his wounded men in great number lying in a cocherie I, above the degree near the high table, all in

breadth

from

breadth of his hall, all gored and wallowing in their owne blood. He likewife faw the gentleman's milch kine brought to the hall doore, and their milk carried hot from the kine, to the wounded men, by them to be druncke for the reftoring of their blood.

Howell Vaughan, upon his deathbed, did fay, that this quarrell fhould never be ended while his "mother lived; and looked upon her hand." Which was true indeed; for the perfecuted eagerly all her time, and John Owen was kept in prison seven years in Carnarvon castle, for foe long the furvived her fonne, and his life was faved with much ado. After her death the feude was compounded for*.

John Owen and his followers were exceedingly fore hurt in that bickering; foe that returning to his father's houfe from the fray, and his aged father fitting or walking before the doore of his houfe, and feeing his fonne and his company all hacked, wounded, and befmeared with their owne blood, he faid unto them, Drwg, yw'r drefn yma, a wnaethoch chwi eich gweth; which is as much as to fay', "You are in an ill-favoured pickle. Have you done nothing

You are to understand, that in Evioneth of old there were two fects or kindred, the one linealy defcended of Owen Gwynedd, Prince of Wales, confifting then and now of four houfes, viz. Kefelgyfarch, y Llys ynghefn y fann, now called Yttimkegid, Clenenny, and Brynkir, Glasfrin or Cwmftrallyn; the other tect defcended of Collwyn, whereof are five houfes or more, viz. Whelog, Bron y foel, Berkin, Gwynfryn, Talhenbont, and the houfe of Hugh Gwyn ap John Wynne ap Williams called Pennardd, all defcended of their common ancestor, Jevan ap Einion ap Gruffith. His brother was Howell ap Einion ap Gruffith, that worthy gentleman called Sir Howell y fwyall, who behaved himfelfe fo worthyly at the field of Poitiers ||, (where John the French King was taken by the Blacke Prince), that he received of the Prince in guift the constablethip of Criketh caftle, and other great things in North

I i. e. The axe.

captaine is a brafen wall of the army, and may be faid truely to winne the field.

After Meredith had lived certaine yeares at Dolwyddelan castle, he builded the houfe in Penanmen, being the principal beft ground in Dolwyddelan, and alfoe within certaine yeares after, he removed the church of Dolwyddelan from a place called Bryn y bedd*, to the place where now it is, being parte of the poffeffions of the priory of Bethkelert. He also there newbuilt the fame as it is now, one croffe chapell excepted, which my uncle Robert Wynne built. It fhould feeme, by the glaffe window there, that it was built in anno 1512; but whether it was in that yeare glazed, (which might be done long after the building of the church), I am uncertaine. The

church, which is very strongly built, the castle, and his houfe of Penanmen ftand three fquare, like a trivett, either a mile diftant from each other. Queftioning with my uncle, what should move him to demolish the old church, which flood in a thickett, and build it in a plaine, ftronger and greater than it was before: his answer was, he had reafon for the fame, because the countrey was wild, and he might be oppreffed by his enemies on the fuddaine, in that woodie countrey; it therefore ftood him in a policie to have diverfe places of retreat. Certaine it was, that he durft not go to church on a Sunday from his houfe of Penanmen, but he must leave the fame guarded with men, and have the doores fure barred and bolted, and

a watchman to ftand at the Garreg big, during divine fervice; being a rock whence he might fee both the church and the house, and raife the crie, if the house was aífaulted. He durft not, although he were guarded with twenty tall archers, make known when he went to church or elsewhere, or goe or come the fame way through the woodes and narrow places, left he fhould be layed for this was in the beginning of his time. To ftrengthen himselfe in the countrey, he provided out of all parts adjacent, the tallest and most able men he could hear of. Of these he placed colonies in the countrey, filling every empty tenement with a tenant or two, whereof most was on the kinge's lands. Many of the pofteritie of thefe tenants remaine untill this day. One William ap Robert of Ifcorum, being one of his followers, he placed in a tenement of the townshippe of Gwedir, called Pencraig Inko, now worth 30 li. per annum, who paid for the fame onely a reliefe to the king or lord, which was 10s. 4 d.

Such were the lawes in those dayes, and are ftill, that if the king's tenant holding in freehold, or freeholder holding under any other lord, did ceafe for two years to doe his fervice to the king or lord, the faid may re-enter. The writte is called Ceffavit per biennium; the exactions were, in those dayes, foe manifold, that not onely the bond

men

ran away and forfooke the kinge's land, but alfoe freeholders their owne land..

[We

[We fhall add to the foregoing another curious paffage, though the tranfaction which it relates was in order of time fome years earlier.]

Enmitie did continue betweene Howell ap Rys ap Howell Vaughan, and the fonnes of John ap Meredith. After the death of Evan ap Robert, Gruffith ap John apGronw, (cozen german to John ap Meredith's fonnes of Gwynfryn, who had long ferved in France and had charge there), comeing home to live in the countrey, it happened that a fervant of his comeing to fish in Stymllyn, his fifh was taken away, and the fellow beaten by Howell ap Rye his fervants, and by his commandment. Gruffith ap John ap Gronw tooke the matter in fuch dudgeon, that he challenged Howell ap Rys to the field; which he refufing, affembling his cofens John ap Meredith's fonnes and his friends together, affaulted Howell in his own houfe, after the manner he had feene in the French warres, and confumed with fire his barnes and his out-houses. Whilft he was afterwards affaulting the hall, which Howell ap Rys and many other people kept, being a very strong houfe, he was fhot out of a crevile of the house, through the fight of his beaver, into the head, and flayne out-right, being otherwife armed at all points. Notwithstanding his death, the affault of the house was continued with great vehemence, the doors fired with great burthens of ftraw, besides this, the fmoake of the out-houses and barnes not farre diftant, annoyed greatly the

defendants, foe that most of them lay under boordes and benches upon the floore in the hall, the better to avoyd the fmoake. During this fcene of confufion, onely the old man Howell ap Rys never ftooped, but ftood valiantly in the middeft of the floor, armed with a gleve' in his hand, and called unto them and bid them "arife like men, "for fhame, for he had knowne "there as greate a smoke in that "hall upon a Christmas even." In the end, feeing the house could noe longer defend them, being overlayed with a multitude, upon parley between them, Howell ap Rys was content to yeald himfelfe prifoner to Morris ap John ap Meredith, John ap Meredith's eldest fonne, foe as he would fweare unto him to bring him fafe to Carnarvon caftle, to abide the triall of the law, for the death of Gruff' ap John ap Gronw, who was cofen german, removed to the said Howell ap Rys and of the very fame house he was of. Which Morris ap John ap Meredith undertakeing, did put a guard about the faid Howell of his truftieft friends and fervants, who kept and defended him from the rage of the kindred, and efpecially of Owen ap John ap Meredith his brother, who was very eager against him. They paffed by leifure thence, like a campet, to Carnarvon; the whole countrie being affembled, Howell his friends pofted a horse backe from one place or other by the way, who brought word that he was come thither fafe, for they were in great fear left he fhould be murthered, and that