who might be assigned for this purpose, &c. They also assert, by petition, that the Prince's officers exact from them annually 38s. for maintenance from their manor of Nywgyll, according to the King's Extent, whence they hold that manor for an absolute and perpetual eleemosynary gift, &c. Answer was made that inquiry should be made by the justiciary, and their demand attended to. Upon the representation of the abbot and convent that they had been summoned before the justiciary for removing and burying the body of one of their monks accidentally drowned, without the inspection and license of the coroner; answer was made that by the statute of Rhuddlan, in all things touching the crown in North Wales, whatever was the practice in England should also be the practice there, and therefore the justiciary should do what might seem to him right and reasonable. They also complain that the sheriff of Caernarvon summoned them to perform suit in the county and hundred courts, for the same manor of Nywgyll, &c.; and the reply is, that they must produce their charters, &c. In the same way they complain of the king's wood-wards entering upon their woods in violation of their charters. They are instructed to produce their charters by which they claim immunity, &c. But they agree that the king shall take what he requires and claims as his right of wood for his own castles and manors, &c. The documents above quoted contain nearly all that is known of the history of Cymmer. It is stated, however, that in 1402 the Abbot of this house endeavoured to reconcile Owain Glyndwr with his relative Hywel Sele, and that he got them to meet in Nannau Park; but that Owain shot Hywel with an arrow, being perhaps provoked to the deed by the latter, and that he hid his body in the immense oak afterwards called Ceubren y Ellyll. may PROPERTY OF THE ABBEY.-The property of the abbey be made out from the accounts preserved in the Taxation of Pope Nicholas recited in the Record of Caernarvon, and also at a much later period (temp. Hen. VIII.) from the Valor Ecclesiasticus, as well as from the Computus Ministrorum.1 1 The spelling of the Welsh names in all of these documents, as we find them printed, is exceedingly erroneous. THE FOLLOWING IS THE ACCOUNT TAKEN FROM THE Possessions of the Abbat of Kymmer, in the Diocese of Bangor. The Abbat has the Grange of Nywgyll, four caru- Also he has the Grange of Rhydwarug, and the ... 458 Od 4s 6d 25s Od 2$ 6d 19s Od 23d ..... 27s Od Also he has at Cwmcadian, Cwmcelli, Wermes 2$ 84d 18d ... 27s 8d 2$ 91d ..... 108 Od 12d Also he has at Cae Ynys Elwy, Caer Allt, Hirfod, with the sale of pasture... Produce of the Animals of the said Abbey. The Abbot has sixty cows; produce Also he has twenty-five sheep: produce........... The Sum of the Possessions of the Abbey of Sum of Tithes.. 11li 14s 11d In the Taxatio the value of the Returns and Obventions of the Abbot of Kymmer to the See of Bangor is set down at 30 marcs, with the tithes thence to be deducted, 33s. 4d. We now give the translation of the return in the VALOR ECCLESIASTICUS, Hen. VIII. p. 426. Monastery of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Kymmer, in the county of Merioneth, and Deaneries of Arduddwy, Estymanner, and Talybont, in the Diocese of Bangor. 1 We here partly adopt the orthography of the document, as quoted by Browne Willis. Bangor. It requires further correction. VALUE IN TEMPORALITIES. County of Merioneth. Township of Kymmer. £. 8. d. £. s. d. Returns of Lordship lands in the hands of the said abbot per ann Returns of a mill in the hands of the same abbot per ann 15 0 Township of Llanelltyd. Returns and Rents in the hands of divers tenants at the same place per ann. by the scrutiny and examination of the commissioners.. Township of Cumcadian. Returns and rents in the hands of divers tenants in that place per ann. Township of Rhydcrew. 12 3 4 55 4 Returns and rents in the hands of divers tenants in that place per ann. Township of Llanfacraeth. Returns and rents in the hands of divers tenants in that place per ann. by the scrutiny and examination of the commissioners... Township of Trawsfynydd. Returns and rents in the hands of divers tenants in that place per ann. by the scrutiny and examination of the commissioners... Township of Dolgelleu. Returns and rents in the hands of divers tenants there per ann........ County of Caernarvon. Township of Nywgyll. Returns and rents there per ann. Returns of 24 kyrnocks 9li 123 and 2 hopis 16d of wheat at the price each kyrnock of 8, out of the returns of the tenants of the aforesaid township &c. VALUE IN SPIRITUALITIES. 60 0 60 0 4 13 3 47 4 13 4 10 6 8 County of Merioneth, and Deaneries of Arduddwy, Estymanner, and Talybont. Rectory of Llanelltyd. Value in gross by the scrutiny and examination Rectory of Llanegryn. Tithes of corn there per ann. 40 02 6 13 4 per ann. Rectory of Llanfacraeth. Tithes of corn there County of Caernarvon in the Deanery Fee of John Ludwyn, bailiff of the lands in per ann Fee of Jevan ap John, bailiff of the lands in 13 4 13 4 400 26 S Fee of John ap Thomas, bailiff of Cwmcadian, Annual procurations paid to the Bishop from the aforesaid Rectory of Llanelltyd 2s., Llanegryn 10s., and Llanfacraeth, 10s.... Annual procurations paid to the Archdeacon for the aforesaid rectories of Llanegryn 3s. 4d., and Llanfacraeth 3s. 4d. Procurations paid every third year at the visitation of the aforesaid Bishop 22s., according to a rate........ Annual pension paid to the vicar of the church of Llanegryn 26 Hen. VIII. Act of Parl. Return made 27 H. VIII. In Dugdale's Monast. v. 74-5, we find the following1: COMPUT MINISTRORUM DOMINI REGIS. TEMP. HEN. VIII. (ABSTRACT OF ROLL 29 HEN. VIII. AUGMENTATION OFFICE.) Kymmer nuper Monasterium infra Episcopat. Bangor. Merioneth. Kymmer-Returns of Lordship lands (terr' Dominical')... County of Speed values the property of the Abbey at £58 15s, 4d. per annum at the Dissolution. We may here observe that two spots not many miles from the monastery appear by their names to have been connected with it. One is near Bedd Porus, to the right of the road from Dolgelleu to Trawsfynydd, where two farms are called, one Dol mynach uchaf, the other Dol mynach isaf. And the other lies up the wild Cwm Camlan, where we find a small pool called Llyn Cwm mynach, and a farm by the name of Cum mynach uchaf DESCENT OF THE PROPERTY SINCE THE DISSOLUTION.- For the following notes concerning the descent of the Abbatial property, after the hand of the spoiler had fallen upon it, we are indebted to W. W. E. Wynne, Esq. "The earliest name which I find in connection with the abbey, after the dissolution, is that of John Powes, who was, in the time of Edward VI, either steward under the crown, farmer of the abbey lands, or grantee of the monastery, perhaps all in succession. About the end of the reign of Elizabeth, John Roberts, a branch of the family of Anwyl, of Park, is described as of Vanner; but whether he was owner or tenant is unknown. The following notes are from an old paper at Hengwrt. 1 The spelling of the names in this document is so erroneous that we do not attempt to correct them. |