magnificent tho' barbarous Monument on Salisbury Plain nor any that has such a table in the midst as the Kromlech here described whereas several of ours in Wales have it though it be usually much less and very often this Table or a Kist-vaen is found without any circle of stones and sometimes on the contrary circles of stones without any Kist-vaen or other stone in the midst But this we need not so much insist upon for tho' they should agree exactly yet are we not therefore oblig'd to acknowledge our Monuments were erected by the Danes For as one Nation since the planting of Christianity hath imitated another in their Churches Chapels Sepulchral Monuments c. so also in the time of Paganism the Rites and Customs in Religion must have been deriv'd from one Country to another And I think it probable should we make diligent enquiry that there may be Monuments of this kind still extant in the less frequented places of Germany France and Spain if not also in Italy But I fear I have too long detain'd the Reader with probabilities and shall therefore only add that whatever else hath been the use of these Monuments it s very evident they have been some of them at least us'd as burial places seeing Mr. Aubrey in that part of his Monumenta Britannica he entitles Templa Druidum gives us some instances of human Skeletons found on the outside of one or two of them in Wiltshire And Dr. Garden in his foremention'd Letters affirms that some persons yet living have dug ashes out of the bottom of a little circle set about with stones standing close together in the center of one of those Monuments near the Church of Keig in the shire of Aberdeen and adds farther that in the shire of Inverness and parish of Enner Allen there is one of these Monuments call'd the Chapel of Tilligorum alià s Capel Mac-mulach which is full of Graves and was within the memory of some living an ordinary place of burial at least for poor people and continues to be so at this day for strangers and children that dye without baptism We have not room here to take notice of the other Monuments of this kind which this County affords and shall therefore only observe that in Newport-parish there are five of these Tables or Altars that we may distinguish them by some name placed near each other which some conjecture to have been once encompass'd with a circle of Stone-pillars for that there are two stones yet standing near them But these are nothing comparable in bigness to the Gromlech here describ'd and not rais'd above three foot high nor are they supported with pillars but stones placed edgewise and so are rather of that kind of Monuments we call Kistieu-maen or Stone-chests than Krom-lecheu I had almost forgot to acquaint the Reader that there is also in Nevern-parish besides the Gromlech another Monument call'd commonly Lhech y Drybedh i.e. Tripodium and by some the Altar-stone It 's somewhat of an oval form and about twelve yards in circumference placed on four stones whereof one is useless as not touching it scarce two foot high At the south-South-end 't is about four foot and a half in thickness but sensibly thinner to the other end where it exceeds not four inches at which end there is cut such a Ductus or Conveyance as might serve to carry off any liquid that should run down but to what purpose it was design'd I shall not pretend to conjecture Y maen sigl Y maen Sigl or the Rocking-stone deserves also to be mention'd here altho' having never seen it my self I am not fully satisfied whether it be a Monument or as Mr. Owen seems to suppose purely accidental But by the account I hear of it I suspect it rather an effect of human industry than chance This shaking stone says he may be seen on a Sea-cliff within half a mile of St. David 's it 's so vast that I presume it may exceed the draught of an hundred Oxen and altogether rude and unpolished The occasion of the name is for that being mounted upon divers other stones about a yard in height it 's so equally poys'd that a man may shake it with one finger so that five or six men sitting on it shall perceive themselves mov'd thereby But I am inform'd that since this worthy Gentleman writ the History of this Country viz. in the late Civil wars some of the Rebel-souldiers looking upon it as a thing much noted and therefore superstitious did with some difficulty so alter its position as to render it almost immoveable There is also a Rocking-stone in Ireland in the County of Dunegall and Parish of Clunmany no less remarkable than this call'd by the vulgar Magarl Fhin mhic Cuill which is describ'd to be of a vast bigness and somewhat of a pyramidal form placed on a flat stone the small end downward but whether by accident or human industry I must leave to further enquiry In the Church-yard at Nevern Nevern on the North-side I observ'd a rude stone pitch'd on end about two yards in height of a triquetrous form with another smaller angle having on the South-side this Inscription which seems older than the foundation of the Church and was perhaps the Epitaph of a Roman Souldier for I guess it must be read Vitelliani Emeriti There is also an Inscription within this Church which to me is equally obscure and seems more like Greek than Roman Characters whereof the following Copy was sent me by Mr. William Gambold of Exeter-College Oxon who I presume hath transcrib'd it with due exactness The stone is pitch'd on end not two foot high and is round at top about which these Letters are cut like the Monument describ'd at Mynydh Gelhi Onnen in Glamorganshire I received also from the same hand the following Inscription copied from a Stone amongst the ruins of the Abbey of St. Dogmael which he describes to be seven foot in length two in breadth and six inches thick The latter of these words Cunotami I take to be a British name and the same with what we call Kynèdha or Kynèdhav but the former is a name I cannot parallel with any now us'd or extant in our Genealogical Manuscripts In this County there are divers ancient Tumuli or artificial Mounts for Urn-burial whereof the most notable I have seen are those four call'd Krìgeu Kèmaes or the Barrows of Kemaes One of which a Gentleman of the neighbourhood * Mr. Lloyd of Kwm Gloin out of curiosity and for the satisfaction of some fâ—iends caus'd lately to be dug and discover'd therein five Urns which contain'd a considerable quantity of burnt bones and ashes One of these together with the bones and ashes it contain'd was lately presented to the Ashmolean Repository at Oxford by the worshipful John Philips of Dôl Haidh Esquire I shall not pretend to determine what Nation these Barrows did belong to tho' from the rudeness of
as ever They add that it 's seen on stormy as well as calm nights and all weathers alike but that any great noise such as the sounding of Horns the discharging of Guns c. does repel or extinguish it by which means 't is supposed they have sav'd several Ricks of Hay and Corn for it scarce fires any thing else This Phaenomenon I presume is wholly new and unheard of no Historian or Philosopher describing any such Meteor for we never read that any of those fiery Exhalations distinguish'd by the several names of Ignis fatuus Ignis lambens Scintillae volantes c. have had such effects as thus to poyson the Air or Grass so as to render it infectious and mortal to all sorts of Cattle Moreover we have no examples of any fires of this kind that were of such consistence as to kindle Hay and Corn to consume Barns and Houses c. Nor are there any describ'd to move so regularly as this which several have observ'd to proceed constantly to and from the same places for the space of at least eight months Wherefore seeing the effects are altogether strange and unusual they that would account for it must search out some causes no less extraordinary But in regard that may not be done if at all without making observations for some time upon the place we must content our selves with a bare relation of the matter of fact I must confess that upon the first hearing of this murrain amongst all sorts of Cattle I suspected those Locusts that arriv'd in this Country about two months before might occasion it by an infection of the Air proceeding partly from the corruption of those that landed and did not long survive in this cold Country and partly of a far greater number which I supposed drown'd in their voyage and cast upon these Coasts For tho' I know not whether any have been so curious as to search the Sea-weeds for them in this County yet I am inform'd a Gentleman accidentally observ'd some quantity of them on the shoars of Caernarvonshire near Aber Dâran and that others have been seen on the Sands of the Severn-Sea Now that a considerable quantity of these Creatures being drown'd in the Sea and afterwards cast ashoar will cause a Pestilence we have many instances in Authors * â— Tho. â—â—feti â—entrum â—â—â—rum â— 3. and particularly one that happen'd in the year 1374. when there was a great mortality of Men and Cattle on the Coasts of France occasion'd by Locusts drown'd in our English Chanel and cast upon their shores Oâ—â—o Friâ—gâ—ns But whether such a contagious vapour meeting with a viscous exhalation in a moorish Bay will kindle and so perform in some measure such a devastation of Hay and Corn as the living Creatures would do where we may also note that â—â— 11. â—1 1. Pliny says of them multa contactu adurunt I must recommend to farther consideration I know there are many things might be objected and particularly the duration of this fire but men are naturally so fond of their own conjectures that sometimes they cannot conceal them tho' they are not themselves fully satisfied About two miles from Harlech there 's a remarkable Monument call'd Koeten Arthur It 's a large stone-Table somewhat of an oval form but rude and ill shap'd as are the rest of these heathen Monuments about ten foot long and above seven where 't is broadest two foot thick at one end but not above an inch at the other It 's placed on three rude Stone-pillars each about half a yard broad whereof two that support the thick end are betwixt seven and eight foot â—hèch y â—â—bedh in â—brookâ—â—e but the third at the other end about three foot high d This way which we call Sarn Helen was probably of a very considerable extent unless we should suppose the same Helen was Author of several other high ways in Wales For besides the place here mention'd it 's also visible at one end of Kraig Verwyn where 't is call'd Fordh gam Helen Luedhog i.e. The crooked Road of Helen the great or puissant And I observ'd a way call'd Fordh or Sarn Helen in the parish of Lhan Badarn Odyn in Cardiganshire as also that a great part of the Road from Brecknock to Neath in Glamorganshire is distinguish'd by the same name At this parish of Festiniog it 's call'd otherwise Sarn y Dhûal a name whereof I can give no account for the space of three miles viz. from RhÅ·d yr Hà len â—â—ether â—â—â—k 〈◊〉 oâ—â—◠〈◊〉 was â—â—e call'd 〈◊〉 or â—â—â—er eâ—â—e 〈◊〉 â—e â—yâ—ar 〈◊〉 c. 〈…〉 â—â—â—ad to Kastelh Dôl Wydhèlen and some presume that Pont Aber Glaslyn and y Gymŵynas in Caernarvonshire is a continuation of the same Road. On a Mountain call'd Mikneint near Rhyd ar Halen within a quarter of a mile of this Road there are some remarkable Stone-monuments call'd Bedheu Gwyr Ardudwy i.e. the Graves of the men of Ardudwy They are at least thirty in number and each Grave is describ'd to be about two yards long and to be distinguish'd by four Pillars one at each corner of a Grave which are somewhat of a square form about two or three foot high and nine inches broad The tradition is that these are Sepulchral Monuments of some persons of note slain here in a battel fought betwixt the men of Dyffryn Ardudwy and some of Denbighshire That they are indeed the Graves of men slain in battel seems scarcely questionable but when or by what persons c. is wholly uncertain One of the next neighbours informs me that about twelve years since he saw amonst other stones brought hence to mend the walls of Festiniog-Church-yard one with an Inscription but at present there remains no account of it By the description he gives of it I suppose it Roman For he says 't was a polish'd stone about two foot long half a yard broad and three or four inches thick whereas all the later Inscriptions I have seen in Wales are on large Pillars which are generally rude and unpolish'd I am told there are also a considerable number of Graves near this Caus-way on the Demeans of Rhiw goch in the parish of Trawsvynydh and in the year 1687. I copied this Inscription from a stone call'd Bêdh Porws or Porus's Grave near Lhêch Idris in the same Parish PORIVS HIC IN TVMVLO JACIT HOMO RIANVS FVIT I found afterwards 't was generally understood as if this had been the Grave of one of the first Christians in these parts and that they read it Porius hic in tumâ—â—o jacit Homo Christianus fuit Being at that time wholly unacquainted with any studies or observations in this kind perhaps I might not transcribe it with that accuracy I ought but if it be thus on the Stone which I must recommend to farther examination it can never bear that reading unless we suppose the Letters STI omitted by the Stone-cutter after RI
74 Parishes ADDITIONS to ANGLESEY a BEing wholly unacquainted in this Country my self I shall insert here an Extract of a Letter from my ingenious Friend the reverend Mr. John Davies Rector of Newburgh concerning the place where the Romans are thought to have pass'd the Frith of Meneu and some Monuments in this Island which seem particularly remarkable 'T IS suppos'd the Romans pass'd the Fretum of Menai betwixt a place call'd now Lhà n-Vair îs Gaer in Caernarvonshire and Lhan Idan in this County Opposite to this supposed passage there is a hill call'd Gwydryn a name corrupted perhaps from GwÅ·dh-Uryn i.e. Conspicuous Hill which having two Summits or Tops one of them shews the ruins of an ancient Fort and on the other I observ'd a round pit sunk in a Rock of about nine foot diameter fill'd up with pure Sand. What may be the depth of it I cannot at present inform you some that have sounded it for three yards having discover'd no bottom I have had some suspicion this might be the place where the Druids offer'd their cruel Sacrifices with the blood of Captives but having nothing out of History to confirm my conjecture I shall not much contend for it but leave it to you and others to consider what so odd a contrivance was design'd for About a mile from the place where we suspect the Romans landed we find Tre'r Druw which doubtless took its name from some Druid and may be interpreted Druids-Town seeing we find the adjoyning Township is call'd Tre'r Beirdh i.e. Bards Town And this puts me in mind of a place call'd Maen y Druw i.e. Druid-Stone within the Kwmmwd of Twrkèlyn in Lhan Elian parish where we need not much question but there was formerly a Sepulchral monument of a'Druid tho' now it be only the name of a house Upon the Confines of the Townships of Tre'r Druw and Tre'r Beirdh we meet with a square Fortification which may be supposed to be the first Camp the Romans had after their landing here and opposite to it westward about the distance of three furlongs there 's another strong hold of a round form and considerable height which probably was that of our Ancestors Farther westward under this Fort 's protection there are stones pitch'd on end about twelve in number whereof three are very considerable the largest of them being twelve foot high and eight in breadth where 't is broadest for 't is somewhat of an oblong oval form These have no other name than Kèrig y BrÅ·ngwyn * Bryngwâ— signifies Whâ—re 〈◊〉 or Whâ—â—ehill or Bryngwyn stones and are so call'd from the place where they are erected On what occasion they were rais'd I cannot conjecture unless this might be the burial place of some of the most eminent Druids In Bod-Owyr which lyes on the North-side of the same round Fort at a farther distance we find a remarkable Kromlech which several as well as my self suppose to be another kind of Sepulchral monument since the time of Heathenism These for we have several others in the Island are composed of three or four rude stones or more pitch'd on end as supporters or pillars and a vast stone of several tuns laid on them as a covering and are thought to have received the name of Cromlecheu for that the Table or covering Stone is on the upper side somewhat gibbous or convex the word Krwm signifying as you know crooked or bunch-back'd and Lhech any flat stone †Sâ—eâ—â—eâ—brâ—â—hâ—e Aâ—nâ—â—â— This Kromlech at Bod-Owyr is more elegant than any Monument I have seen of its kind for whereas in all others I have noted the top-stone as well as the supporters is altogether rude and unpolish'd in this it is neatly wrought considering the natural roughness of the stone and pointed into several angles but how many I cannot at present assure you We have a tradition that the largest Kromlech in this County is the Monument of Bronwen daughter to King Lhyr or Leirus who you know is said to begin his reign An. Mundi 3105. But of this and the rest of our Kromlecheu take here the words of an ingenious Antiquary whilst living Mr. John Griffith of Lhan Dhyvnan in a Letter to Mr. Vaughan of Hengwrt Bronwen Leiri filiam quod attinet Cellula lapidea curvata ubi sepultam tradunt non procul à fluvio Alaw cernitur ex parte occidentali Bâ—dh Peâ—ual a â—naed i â—roâ—en â—â—ch Lhyr â—an Aâ—wag yno â— adâ—yd hi. â—oynogi Sed an Rex ille perantiquus unquam in rerum natura fuerit dubitant Camdeniani quà m rectè ipsi viderint Ejusmodi Aediculae quae apud nos frequentes sunt Cromlechau nomine ut scis non inepto vocitantur Denique Insula haec quae Sylva erat iis temporibus ferè continua Druidum sedes quasi propria magnatum tumulis abundat Loci scilicet reverentia optimates quosque huc duxit sepeliendos c. I know there are some who suppose these Monuments and such like to have been federal testimonies but that I take to be a groundless conjecture and the opinion of their being places of Interment seems much confirm'd for that a Gentleman of my acquaintance remembers that an odd kind of Helmet â—em also â—form'd â—ere was a â—nd of â—eir or â—â—herd â—nd by â—gginâ—â—ar the â—ne place Maâ— sigâ—fies pâ—â—â—â—yoâ—â—ya â—ge open â—d out I 〈◊〉 told â—r in the â—mes of â—ces in 〈◊〉 Counâ—iâ—â— used 〈◊〉 bâ—rte that Kier â—es-mawr â—phes â—ne greaâ—â—ted was â—ght here farther â—nfirmatiâ— whereof also that â—ese Stones 〈◊〉 Sâ—pâ—lâ—â— Moâ—ents is â—t a smaâ—l â—ock on â—e Sâ—â—th 〈◊〉 them is â—'d Râ—yd 〈…〉 â— Gâ—aves-â—â— was discover'd by digging about a rude stone which together with some others is pitch'd on end at a place call'd Kae y maes mawr †in the parish of Lhan Rhwydrus Of these stones there are but three now standing and those in a manner triangularly One of them is eleven foot and a half high four foot broad and fourteen inches thick another about three yards high and four foot broad and the third ten foot high eight in breadth and but six inches thick As for inscrib'd Stones I have noted only two in this County one whereof was a kind of square pillar in the parish of Lhan Babo of about ten foot in height one in breadth and near the same thickness I never was so curious as to copy the Inscription and I am told it 's now too late it being broken in several pieces The other is in my neighbourhood but is so obscure that I scarce think it worth while to trouble you with a Copy of it I could read only Filius Ulrici erexit hunc Lapidem This Monument was perhaps erected by some Dane or Norwegian Ulricus seeming to be rather a Danish name than British I can give you no certain information of any Coyns found here except a large gold Medal of Julius Constantius ‖ Figured Num. 20. which was found on the plow'd
necessity of contriving a pond to water their cattel and this rubbish was thrown out of that place The foremention'd river rising out of a hill hereabouts runs to Albury Albury which when but a mean structure was yet the delight of that excellent person Thomas Earl of Arundel a great lover of Antiquities who purchasing this place of the Randylls made it his darling Henry his grandson Duke of Norfolk had no less affection for it he began there a magnificent Pile cut a Canal planted spacious Gardens and Vineyards adorn'd with Fountains Grots c. But what is above all singular and remarkable is an Hypogaeum or Perforation made through a mighty hill and large enough at one end for a coach to pass being about a furlong or more in length and so leads o'er into an agreeable and pleasant valley It was at first intended for a way up to the house but a rock at the south-end hinder'd that design This noble seat is enclos'd with a park and much improv'd by the honourable Heneage Finch Esq late Sollicitor-General who having purchas'd it of the father of the present Duke of Norfolk is daily adding to its beauty Nor is this place less celebrated for that famous Mathematician William Oughtred who liv'd and dy'd Rector of this Parish At a little distance from hence is St. Martha's Chapel St. Martha's Chapel seated conspicuously on a copp'd mountain This seems to have been thrown up by some fiery Eruption or Vulcano as several other such Elevations towards the edge of Sussex confirm Beneath this hill is Chilworth the seat of Morgan Randyl Esq owner of the most considerable Powder-works brought first into England by George Evelyn Esq and best Hop gardens in England Not far off is Tower-hill the seat of Edward Bray Esq of a very ancient and honourable family e Returning to the Mole we see Beechworth Beechworth the feat as our Author observes of the Browns But now that name after a long series of Knights is at last extinguish'd in a daughter 'T is at the foot of the Castle here that the river Mole bending to the precipice of Box-hill is swallow'd up Between Beechworth and Darking stands Deepden Deepden the situation whereof is somewhat surprising by reason of the risings and uniform acclivities about it which naturally resemble a Roman Amphitheatre or rather indeed a Theatre it is open at the north-end and is of an oval form Now it is most ingeniously cast and improv'd into gardens vineyards and other plantations both on the Area below and sides of the environing hills with frequent grotts here and there beneath the terraces leading to the top from whence one has a fair prospect of that part of Surrey and of Sussex as far as the South-downs for near 30 miles out-right The honourable Charles Howard Uncle to the present Duke of Norfolk and Lord of half the mannour of Darking is solely entitl'd to this ingenious contrivance Going along Holmesdale which extends it self to the foot of that ledge of Mountains which stretch and link themselves from the utmost promontory of Kent to the Lands end we have on the right hand White-down White-down where is a vast Delf of chalk which in summer time they carry with great labour as far as the middle of Sussex as they bring of the same material from the opposite hills by the sea-coast of that County and these two being mingl'd together are burnt into lime for the enriching of their grounds Here are likewise dug up cockle-shells and other Lusus naturae with pyrites bedded an incredible depth within the bowels of the mountains upon which many Yew-trees grow spontaneously tho' of late they are much diminish'd and their places taken up with corn Not far from the bottom of this hill stands an ancient seat of the Evelyns of Wotton Wotton among several streams gliding thro' the meadows adorn'd with gentle risings and woods which as it were encompass it And these together with the gardens fountains and other hortulane ornaments have given it a place and name amongst the most agreeable seats It is at present with many fair Lordships about it the possession of that worthy and hospitable Gentleman George Evelyn Esq who having serv'd in many Parliaments from 1641. is perhaps the most ancient member thereof now living In opening the ground of the Church-yard of Wotton to enlarge a Vault belonging to Mr. Evelyn's family they met with a skeleton which was 9 foot and 3 inches long as the worthy Mr. John Evelyn had it attested by an ancient and understanding man then present and still living who accurately measur'd it and mark'd the length on a pole with other workmen who affirm the same They found it lying in full length between two boards of the coffin and so measur'd it before they had discompos'd the bones But trying to take it out it fell all to pieces for which reason they flung it amongst the rest of the rubbish after they had separately measur'd several of the more solid bones Hereabouts is a thing remarkable tho' but little taken notice of I mean that goodly prospect from the top of Lith-hill which from Wotton rises almost insensibly for 2 or 3 miles south but then has a declivity almost as far as Horsham in Sussex 8 miles distant From hence it is one may see in a clear day the goodly Vale and consequently the whole County of Sussex as far as the South-downs and even beyond them to the sea the entire County of Surrey part of Hamshire Barkshire Oxfordshire Buckinghamshire and Hartfordshire as also of Middlesex Kent and Essex and farther yet as is believ'd into Wiltshire c. could one well distinguish 'em without the aid of a Telescope The whole circumference cannot be less than 200 miles far exceeding that of the Keep at Windsor over which as also over the City of London 25 miles distant one sees as far as the eye unarm'd with the glass is able to distinguish land from sky The like I think is not to be found in any part of England or perhaps Europe besides and the reason why it is not more observ'd is partly its lying quite out of any road and partly its rising so gently and making so little show till one is got to the very top of it from the side thereof a great part of the brow is slidden down into the grounds below caus'd by a delf of stones dug out of the sides of the mountain and the bare places from whence the earth is parted being of a reddish colour plainly appear above 40 miles off But here we must not forget Darking Darking memorable for a very large Camp in that Parish near Homebury-hill and not far from the road between Darking and Arundel It is double trench'd and deep containing by estimation about 10 acres at least f Where the Mole comes from under ground Mole riâ—â— it spreads it self so very wide as to require a
Monument there is a place call'd Kevn Varehen which may seem to be denominated either from this Barcun or some other of the same name The third and fourth Inscription was copied by my above-mention'd friend Mr. Erasmus Saunders from a polish'd Free-stone at the West-end of the Church of Lhan Vihangel Gerwerth The fourth which seems less intelligible than the rest was also communicated by the same hand The stone whence he copied it is neatly carv'd about 6 foot high and 2 foot broad and has a cavity on the top which makes me suspect it to have been no other than the Pedestal of a Cross It may be seen at a place denominated from it Kae'r Maen not far from Aber Sannan but for the meaning of the Inscription if it be any other than the Stone-cutter's name tho' I confess I know no name like it I must leave it to the Reader 's conjecture In the Parish of Lhan Vair y Bryn we find manifest signs of a place possess'd by the Romans For not far from the East-end of the Church Labourers frequently dig up bricks and meet with some other marks of Roman Antiquitiy and there is a very notable Roman way of Gravel and small Pebles continued from that Church to Lhan Brân the seat of the worshipful Sackvil Gwyn Esq which as I am told may be also trac'd betwixt this Lhan Vair and Lhan Deilaw vawr and is visible in several other places This Country abounds with ancient Forts Camps and Tumuli or Barrows which we have not room here to take notice of I shall therefore mention only one Barrow call'd Krîg y Dyrn in the Parish of Tre'lech which seems particularly remarkable The circumference of it at bottom may be about 60 paces the height about 6 yards It rises with an easie ascent and is hollow on the top gently inclining from the circumference to the center This Barrow is not a mount of Earth as others generally are but seems to have been such a heap of stones as are call'd in Wales Karnedheu whereof the Reader may see some account in Radnorshire cover'd with Turf At the center of the cavity on the top we find a vast rude Lhech or flat stone somewhat of an oval form about three yards in length five foot over where broadest and about ten or twelve inches thick A * Mâ—â—â— an 〈◊〉 of Lâ—â—â—â— Dâ—â—â— Gentleman to satisfie my curiosity having employ'd some Labourers to search under it found it after removing much stone to be the covering of such a barbarous Monument as we call Kist-vaen or Stone-chest which was about four foot and a half in length and about three foot broad but somewhat narrower at the East than west-West-end 'T is made up of 7 stones viz. the covering-stone already mention'd two side-stones one at each end and one behind each of these for the better securing or bolstering of them all equally rude and about the same thickness the two last excepted which are considerably thicker They found as well within the Chest as without some rude pieces of brick or stones burnt like them and free-stone some of which were wrought They observ'd also some pieces of bones but such as they supposed only brought in by Foxes but not sinking to the bottom of the Chest we know not what else it may afford Krîg y Dyrn the name of this Tumulus is now scarce intelligible but if a conjecture may be allow'd I should be apt to interpret it King's Barrow I am sensible that even such as are well acquainted with the Welsh Tongue maâ— at first view think this a groundless opinion and wonder what I aim at but when they consider that the common word Teyrnas which signifies a Kingdom is only a derivative from the old word Teyrn which was originally the same with Tyrannus and signified a King or Prince they will perhaps acknowledge it not altogether improbable And considering the rudeness of the Monument describ'd and yet the labour and force required in erecting it I am apt to suspect it the Barrow of some British Prince who might live probably before the Roman Conquest For seeing it is much too barbarous to be supposed Roman and that we do not find in History that the Saxons were ever concern'd here or the Danes any farther than in plundering the Sea-coasts it seems necessary to conclude it British That it was a Royal Sepulchre I am apt to infer partly from the signification of the name which being not understood in these ages could not therefore be any novel invention of the vulgar and partly for that as I hinted already more labour and force was required here than we can suppose to be allow'd to persons of inferiour quality That 't is older than Christianity there 's no room to doubt but that it was before the Roman Conquest is only my conjecture supposing that after the Britains were reduced by the Romans they had none whom they could call Teyrn or King whose corps or ashes might be reposited here Gwâly Vilast or Bwrdh Arthur in Lhan Boudy parish is a monument in some respect like that we have described at this Barrow viz. a rude stone about ten yards in circumference and above three foot thick supported by four pillars which are about two foot and a half in length But Buarth Arthur or Meineu Gŵyr on a Mountain near Kîl y maen lhŵyd is one of that kind of circular Stone-monuments our English Historians ascribe to the Danes The Diameter of the Circle is about twenty yards The stones are as rude as may be and pitch'd on end at uncertain distances from each other some at three or four foot but others about two yards and are also of several heights some being about three or four foot high and others five or six There are now standing here fifteen of them but there seem to be seven or eight carried off The entry into it for about the space of three yards is guarded on each side with stones much lower and less than those of the circle pitch'd so close as to be contiguous And over against this avenue at the distance of about 200 paces there stand on end three other large rude stones which I therefore note particularly because there are also four or five stones erected at such a distance from that circular Monument they call King's-stones near Little Rolrich in Oxfordshire As for the name of Bruarth Arthur 't is only a nick name of the vulgar whose humour it is though not so much as some have imagin'd out of ignorance and credulity as a kind of Rustick diversion to dedicate many unaccountable Monuments to the memory of that Hero calling some stones of several tun weight his Coits others his Tables Chairs c. But Meineu gŵyr is so old a name that it seems scarce intelligible Meineu is indeed our common word for large stones but gŵyr in the present British signifies only crooked which is scarce applicable to these stones unless we
Idris is probably one of the highest mountains in Britain and which is one certain argument of it's height it affords some variety of Alpine plants but for mountains so high and their tops notwithstanding so near that men may converse from them and yet scarce be able to meet in a whole day I presume there are none such in nature and am certain there are not any in Wales but men conversing from their tops may meet in half an hour b Dôl Gelhe or Dôl Gelhen is so call'd from it's situation in a woody vale for that 's the signification of the name the word Dôl being much the same with the English Dale so common in the North of England and Scotland and â—d est 〈◊〉 Kylh â—yleâ—um Kelhe in the southern dialect Kelhi signifying strictly a wood where much hazel grows and sometimes used for any other wood though at present there are not so many woods about this town as were formerly What antiquity this place is of or whether of any note in the time of the Romans is uncertain however some of their coyns have been of late years dug up near a well call'd Fynon Vair within a bow-shot of the town two whereof were sent me by the reverend Mr. Maurice Jones the present Rector which are fair silver pieces of Trajan and Hadrian viz. Imperaâ—i Trajaâ— Augusto â—amâ—co â—ciâ—â— â—â—â—ci 〈◊〉 â—iâ—â—â—citia â—estate â—fâ—li â—tri Paâ—a Senaâ— populusâ—â— Romaâ— optimo â—â—ipi â— Rob â—â—gh MS. 1. IMP. TRAIANO AVG. GER DAC P. M. TR. P. COS. V. P. P. S. P. Q. R. OPTIMO PRINC Trophaeum de Dacis 2. IMP. CAESAR TRAIAN HADRIANVS AVG. P. M. TR. P. COS. III. Mars Gradivus cum hasta spoliis c This place in all likelihood is denominated as our Author supposes from it's situation on a rock though it 's never call'd Arlech but Harlech ' It was once call'd Tŵr Bronwen and afterwards receiv'd the name of Kaer Kolhwyn from Kolhwyn ap Tagno who liv'd there in the time of Prince Anarawd about the year 877. and was Lord of Ardudwy and Evionydh and some part of LhÅ·n which countries are yet for the most part possess'd by his posterity His Arms were Sable a cheveron arg betwixt three flower-de-luces ' Notwithstanding that Harlech might receive this name of Kaer Kolhwyn from Kolhwyn ap Tagno yet it seems probable that this place or some other near it was call'd Kaer before his time For I am assured that in the memory of some persons yet living several Roman Coins have been found hereabouts and that the Britains prefix'd the word Kaer to most places fortified by the Romans is well known to all Antiquaries In the year 1692. an ancient golden Torques was dug up in a garden somewhere near this castle of Harlech It 's a wreath'd bar of gold or rather perhaps three or four rods joyntly twisted about four foot long flexil but bending naturally only one way in form of a hat-band hooked at both ends exactly that I may describe it intelligibly though in vulgar terms like a pair of pot-hooks but these hooks are not twisted as the rest of the rod nor are their ends sharp but plain and as it were cut even It 's of a round form about an inch in circumference weighs eight ounces and is all over so plain that it needs no farther description It seems very probable Roman Authors always intended an ornament of this kind by the word Torques seeing it 's deriv'd from Torqueo and not a chain compos'd of links or annulets as our Grammarians commonly interpret it and as Joannes Schefferus supposes who in his learned and curious dissertation de Torquibus tells us Torques erant mobiles ex annulis circuli solidi rotundi monilia paulo latiora c. Moreover the British word Torch which is doubtless of the same origin as well as signification with the Latin Torques is never used for a chain but generally for a wreath and sometimes though in a less strict sense for any collar or large ring our word for a chain being Kadwen which agrees also with the Latin Whether the Torques here describ'd was British or Roman seems a question not easily decided seeing we find that anciently most Nations we have any knowledge of use this kind of ornament And particularly that the Britains had golden Torques's we have the authority of Dio Cassius †Hist Rom. lib. 62. who in his description of Boadicea or Bunduica Queen of the Iceni in the time of Nero tells us she wore a large golden Torques 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that her garment was of divers colours c. If it be objected that though she wore such an ornament yet it might be in use amongst the Britains only since the Roman Conquest it may be answer'd that this seems not to have been the sense of the Author but that he thus describes her for the strangeness of her habit adding that her yellow hair hung loose and reach'd down to her hips c. A farther confirmation that the Britains used golden Torques's is that they were so common among their neighbour nation and probably their progenitors the Gauls For Livy ‖ Lib. 36. c. 40. tells us that Publius Cornelius when he triumph'd over the Boii produc'd amongst other spoils 1470 golden Torques's And Britomarus a commander amongst the Gauls whom Mr. Camden presumes to have been a Britain wore such an ornament as we find in * Lib. 4. Propertius Vasti parma relata ducis Virdomari Illi virgatis jaculantis ab agmine brachis Torquis ab incisa decidit unca gula If any shall urge farther notwithstanding this authority of Dio Cassius which wiâ—h me is sufficient that seeing there 's no British name for this ornament the common word Torch being deriv'd from the Latin Torquis it should follow the Britains knew no such thing I answer though we need not much insist on that objection that to me it seems very suspicious the word was Celtick before 't was Roman For though I acknowledge it deriv'd from Torqueo yet we have also the verb Torchi in the same sense and seeing that both the British words Torch and Torchi are in all appearance deriv'd from the common word Troi i.e. to turn and also that Grammarians know not well whence to derive Torqueo I know not but we may find the origin of it in the British Torch Nor ought any one to think it absurd that I thus endeavour to derive Latin words from the Welsh seeing there are hundreds of words in that Language that agree in sound and signification with the Latin which yet could not be borrowed from the Romans for that the Irish retain the same who must have been a Colony of the Britains long before the Roman Conquest and also that the Welsh or British is one Dialect of the old Celtic whence as the best Criticks allow Hib. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 loé Tir
Coynage and other legal duties are satisfy'd the Tinner is at liberty to sell his tinn as he thinks fit except the King or Duke has a mind to buy it for they have a right of Preemption In the 33d year of K. Edw. 1. the Tinners of Cornwall pray'd and obtain'd a Charter of their Liberties distinct from those of Devonshire according to the form of K. Henry's confirmation and the Merchants buying tinn in Cornwall obtain'd a grant of 2 Coynages yearly that is at the Feasts of S. John and S. Michael and from the date of K. Edward's Charter the Tinners of Cornwall became a separate body from those of Devonshire But the Officers of the Stannaries in both Counties under colour of their Liberties using divers oppressions upon a complaint made 50 Edw. 3. an Explanation of the Charters was made by Act of Parliament which was confirm'd and the jurisdiction of the Stannaries farther restrain'd by a Statute in the 17 Car. 1. Prince Arthur eldest son to K. Hen. 7. made certain Constitutions relating to the Stannaries which the Tinners refus'd to observe and taking a greater liberty than was justifiable by their Charters K. Hen. 7. who seldom let slip any opportunity of filling his coffers made that a pretence after K. Arthur's death to secure the Stannaries into his own hands But finding that it did not turn to so much account as he had propos'd he was prevail'd upon to accept of 1000 l. for all the pretended Forfeitures granting them his Charter of pardon By which Charter he farther granted that no Law relating to the Tinners should be made without the consent of 24 Stannators and those to be chosen by the Mayor and Council of a Borough in the 4 divisions 6 out of each d To come to the several parts of the County our Author observes that the Tamar is it 's entire bound from Devonshire And in most places it does divide them but not in all for Mount Edgcombe and a great part of the Parish of Maker though on the west-side of Tamar are yet in Devonshire only as to Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction they are within the Archdeaconry of Cornwall and over against Saltash on the east-side Tamar 't is within Cornwall and so about Northamerton The reason probably is this upon the division of the Shires some eminent persons living on one side the river and yet having part of their estates upon the other got the latter included within the same County as the former So the family of Valletorte or de Valle tortà having their mansion on the east-side of the river perhaps at or about Plimouth where is yet known the mannour of Vawtort or Valletort had on the west-side some piece of their estate and so got it to be part of Devonshire Thus all that tract of ground of which Mount-Edgcomb is a part being call'd by the name of Vawtort's home continues part of Devonshire Whether that small part of Kent near Woolwich lying on Essex-side as also a piece of Oxfordshire near Culham on Berkshire side and a slip of Staffordshire upon Derbyshire side may not have happen'd upon the like occasion those who have an opportunity of seeing the records of the respective places would do well to consider e The bound being thus settl'd let us return to the Lands-end where on a little Island so much distant from the land that a boat with Oars may pass between stood Caren an Peale commonly call'd the Armed Knight Caren signifies a rock and Pele a spire The 〈◊〉 Kâ—â—â— The spire was ten fathom above the ordinary flux of the sea very narrow at top In the year before King Charles 1. was beheaded it was prodigiously cut off by a storm where 't was 14 foot square and falling broke in three pieces f Mr. Camden mentions a Tradition that this Promontory stretch'd it self farther towards the West Liâ—â—â— to which these hints may perhaps contribute something of probability That about the middle way between Land's end and Scilly there are rocks call'd in Cornish Lethas by the English Seven-stones and the Cornish call that place within the stones Tregva i.e. a dwelling where it has been reported that windows and such other stuff have been taken up with hooks for that is the best place of fishing that from the Lands-end to Scilly is an equal depth of water that S. Michael's Mount is call'd in Cornish Careg cowse in clowse i.e. the hoary rock in the wood that 't is certain there have been large trees with roots and body driven in by the sea between S. Michael's Mount and Pensance of late years To these add the tradition that at the time of this inundation Trevilian swam from thence and in memory thereof bears Gules an horse argent issuing out of the sea proper g Near the utmost rocks stands St. Burians S. Bâ—â— an independant Deanery formerly belonging to the Pope and seiz'd into the King's hands by one of the Edwards It contains within it's jurisdiction the parishes of Burian Zennen and S. Leven and the Bishops of Exeter holding it in Commendam all spiritual jurisdiction is so entirely lodg'd in them that there lyes no Appeal from them but to the King directly Upon a tomb in the Church there is this Inscription which possibly may afford the curious some light into their ancient Letters and the fashions of tombs in those days We may observe that upon one side of it is written Bollait and within that parish there is a place of the same name to which the deceas'd party did belong 〈◊〉 â—â—e h Not far from this place is Biscaw-woune which our Author imagines to have been a trophy rais'd either by the Romans or K. Athelstan But it may be worth the Reader 's enquiry whether it is not more probably an ancient Sepulchral monument of the Britains especially since it plainly appears from the inscription of 〈◊〉 in â—ounty 〈◊〉 the Hurl-â— other Stones thus set up on end that they were such One particularly in Wales observ'd by Mr. Edw. Lhwyd encompass'd indeed with a ditch instead of stones has an Inscription to this sense Mayest thou awake â—â—ns i More to the East is Pensans which our Author interprets Caput sabuli or the head of the sands But the true construction of the word is the head of the saint and that this is the right name appears from the Arms of the town which are St. John Baptist's head in a charger If this did not put it beyond all dispute we might imagine the original name to have been Pensavas which signifies the head of the channel and agrees very well to the nature of the place In this parish is S. Maddren's Well the cures whereof have been very remarkable â—d 〈◊〉 Well â—tery 〈◊〉 Bishop Hall tells us that a Cripple who for 16 years together was forc'd to walk upon his hands by reason the sinews of his legs were contracted was induc'd by a dream to wash in this Well
bringing about that happy change The soil for some miles about Bathe especially to the westward as at Coston and thereabouts is so very stony that when 't is newly plough'd one would rather take the ridges for so many pitch'd Causeys to walk on than for a plough'd land to sow corn in so little of earth is to be seen among those bare stones the plough-share turns up Yet here they have as good wheat as any in England tho' perhaps not altogether so much on an acre as in deeper land The Country-men attribute these large crops mostly to the stones and if those were carry'd off the earth left upon the hard rock would be so little that it would not cover their corn and so light that the wind would blow it away t Between Bathe and Bristol a little river runs into the Avon â—â—nâ— â—r MS. upon which is Stanton-drew whereof the latter part might seem to point out some relation to the old Druids but that Drew is the name of an ancient family in the western parts and the monument there call'd the Wedding would strengthen such a conjecture The occasion of the name Wedding is a tradition which passes among the common people That a Bride going to be married she and the rest of the company were chang'd into these stones They are in a circular form 5 or 6 foot high and the whole monument is bigger than Stonehenge the Diameter here being 90 paces tho' no appearance of a ditch Returning to the river Avon we come to Cainsham rather Keynesham Keynesham call'd so from the Virgin Keina of whose family the Keynes of this County some whereof are still living affirm themselves desâ—ended But whereas Mr. Camden affirms he saw a stone like a serpent brought from hence with a head it is a mistake for all our Naturalists now agree that such stones are form'd in Nautili shells and that there are no heads belonging to them Indeed many of them have rough and broken pieces of stone issuing from them beyond the moulded wreath at the broad end which may have led some to imagine that those pieces were imperfect heads but really they are not so Such kind of snake-stones of all sizes from above a foot to an inch or two diameter are found frequently in their quarries w Between this place and Bristol upon the Avon is Bristleton Bristleton abounding in the same sort of cole that are brought from New-castle From Bristleton in several places of the adjacent Country as far as Stratton and Mendippe-hills as also Northward in Glocestershire are found veins of this cole which afford a strong and cheap firing to all those parts These veins of Cole are cover'd with a shell of a black hard stony substance call'd wark which will split like blue slat but is much more brittle and not by much so hard Upon dividing this Wark there is often sound upon one of the separated surfaces the perfect shape of a fern leaf as if it had by a skilful hand been engraven which as an exact mould or case receives the protuberant figure of the like leaf standing out on the other x Next the Avon runs to Bristol Bristol eminent for it's Goutes or subterraneous vaults by reason of which they draw all things on sledges for fear the shaking of cart-wheels should loosen these arches y About the Conqueror's time they paid thirty three marks and one mark of gold to Bishop G. Who this Bishop was is not express'd in Domesday nor any more than the bare initial either of his name or See If we durst say that G. were instead of an S. for those two letters are not unlike Sherborn or Salisbury under whose jurisdiction it seems to have formerly been would solve the difficulty but if that will not do I find none of the Bishop's names about that time beginning with G. If we preserve the reading Glevum or Glocester offers it self fairest which tho' annex'd at times to Lichfield and Worcester seems notwithstanding to have had the title of a Bishop's See z As for the place's being fortified by Robert Bishop of Constance it is a mistake for Geofry as appears from Bishop Godwyn in his Catalogue of Bishops under the title Exon. And Osborn in his Chronicon Juridiciale at the year 1072. tells us that Geofrey Bishop of Constance was the Chief Justiciary of England in that notable cause between Lanfranck Archbishop of Canterbury and Odo Bishop of Bayeux 'T is possible the name of Mowbrey Earl of Northumberland who was nephew to the Bishop and his name Robert might lead our Author into an error aa The castle which our Author tells us was built here by Robert Rufus Consul of Glocester is now quite demolish'd and built into a street aaa The honour of this place has been encreas'd by giving the title of Earl to John Lord Digby of Shirburn created 20 Jac. 1. to whom succeeded in the same honour George his son and John his grandson bb Mr. Camden makes the Diamonds of S. Vincent's rock admirable for thâ—ir six corners but if we may trust our Naturalists they assure us that 't is not worthy of admiration since very often Crystals and Berills and even sometimes your common Sparrs in many parts of England as well as elsewhere are of that figure cc And thus Avon passes into the Severn-sea tho' before we leave it it may not be improper to observe that it furnishes Bristol at the vernal equinox or then abouts with a dish perhaps not to be met with elsewhere which they call Elvers Elvers Some time in the spring the river about Cainsham is yearly cover'd over and colour'd black with millions of little eels scarce so big as a goose quill tho' some would have them a particular species These with small nets they skim up in great numbers and by a particular way of ordering them make them skower off their skins Being thus stripp'd and looking very white they make them up into little Cakes which they fry and so eat Continuation of the DUKES By the attainder of Edward Duke of Somerset that title lay vacant for a long time only Sir Robert Carr Knight of the Bath was by the favour of King James 1. created Earl of Somerset who falling under disgrace upon the account of Sir Thomas Overbury's death and having only a daughter that honour was at an end Upon the restoration of King Charles 2. William Seymour Marquess of Hertford was for his eminent services restor'd to the title of Duke of Somerset and was succeeded by William grandchild by Henry his third son William and Robert the two elder brothers dying unmarry'd William dy'd unmarry'd and had for his successor John Lord Seymour his Uncle who dy'd without issue Whereupon this title was devolv'd upon Sir Francis Seymour the third son to Edward Lord Beauchamp son and heir to Edward Earl of Hertford whose posterity now enjoys it More rare Plants growing wild in Somersetshire Aria
of the river Avon whence it takes its name to Neath a river infamous for its Quick-sands upon which stands an ancient town of the same name in Antonine's Itinerary call'd Nidum â—â—dum Which when Fitz-Haimon subdued this Country fell in the division to Richard Granvil who having built there a Monastery under the Town and consecrated his dividend to God and the Monks return'd to a very plentiful estate he had in England All the Country from Neath to the river Lochor â—â—chor riâ—â—r which is the Western limit of this Country Brit. Lhychwr is call'd by us Gower Gower by the Britains Gŵyr and by Ninnius Guhir where as he tells us the sons of Keian a Scot seated themselves until they were driven out by Kynèdhav a British Prince In the reign of King Henry the first Tho. Wallingham Henry Earl of Warwick subdued this Country of Gower which afterwards by compact betwixt Thomas Earl of Warwick and King Henry the second devolv'd to the Crown But King John bestow'd it on William de Breos Lib. Monast Neth 5 Reg Joan. to be held by service of one Knight for all service And his heirs successively held it till the time of Edward the second For at that time William de Breos having sold it to several persons that he might ingratiate himself with the King deluded all others and put Hugh Spenser in possession of it And that amongst several others was the cause why the Nobles became so exasperated against the Spensers and so unadvisedly quitted their Allegiance to the King It is now divided into East and West Gowerland In East-Gowerland the most noted town is Sweinsey Swansey so called by the English from Porpoises or Sea-hogs and by the Britains Aber-Tawi from the river Tawi which runs by it fortified by Henry Earl of Warwick But a more ancient place than this is that at the river Loghor Loghor which Antoninus calls Leucarum Leucarum and is at this day retaining its ancient name call'd Loghor in British Kas-Lychwr Where about the death of King Henry the first Howel ap Mredydh with a band of Mountaneers surprized and slew several Englishmen of quality Beneath this lyes West-Gower which the Sea making Creeks on each side it is become a Peninsula a place more noted for the corn it affords than towns And celebrated heretofore for St. Kynedhav who led here a solitary life of whom such as desire a farther account maâ— consult our Capgrave who has sufficiently extoâ—l'd his Miracles From the very first conquest of this Country Lords of Glamorgan the Clares and Spensers Earls of Glocester who were lineally descended from Fitz Haimon were Lords of it Afterwards the Beauchamps and one or two of the Nevils and by a daughter of Nevil descended also from the Spensers it came to Richard the third King of England who being slain it devolv'd to King Henry the seventh who granted it to his uncle Gasper Duke of Bedford He dying without issue the King resum'd it into his own hands and left it to his son Henry the eighth whose son Edward the sixth sold most part of it to William Herbert whom he had created Earl of Pembroke and Baron of Caerdiffe Of the Off-spring of the twelve Knights before-mention'd there remain now only in this County the Stradlings a family very eminent for their many noble Ancestors with the Turbervils and some of the Flemmings whereof the chiefest dwells at Flemmingstone call'd now corruptly from them Flemston But in England there remain my Lord St. John of Bletso the Granvils in Devonshire and the Siwards as I am inform'd in Somersetshire The Issue-male of all the rest is long since extinct and their Lands by daughters pass'd over to other families Parishes in this County 118. ADDITIONS to GLAMORGANSHIRE a IN our entrance upon this County we are presented with Kaer phyli-castle â—â—er-Phyli-â—â—stle probably the noblest ruins or ancient Architecture now remaining in Britain For in the judgment of some curious persons who have seen and compared it with the most noted Castles of England it exceeds all in bigness except that of Windsor That place which Mr. Sanford call'd a Chapel was probably the same with that which the neighbouring Inhabitants call the Hall It is a stately room about 70 foot in length 34 in breadth and 17 in height On the South-side we ascend to it by a direct Stair-case about eight foot wide the roof whereof is vaulted and supported with twenty arches which are still gradually higher as you ascend The entry out of this Stair-case is not into the middle but somewhat nearer to the west-West-end of the room and opposite to it on the North-side there is a chimney about ten foot wide On the same side there are four stately windows if so we may suppose them two on each side the chimney of the fashion of Church-windows but that they are continued down to the very floor and reach up higher than the height of this room is supposed to have been so that the room above this Chapel or Hall had some part of the benefit of them The sides of these windows are adorn'd with certain three-leav'd knobs or husks having a fruit or small round ball in the midst On the walls on each side the room are seven triangular pillars like the shafts of Candlesticks placed at equal distance From the floor to the bottom of these pillars may be about twelve foot and a half and their height or length seem'd above four foot Each of these pillars is supported with three Busts or heads and breasts which vary alternately For whereas the first ex gr is supported with the head and breast of an ancient bearded man and two young faces on each side all with dishevel'd hair the next shews the face and breasts of a woman with two lesser faces also on each side the middlemost or biggest having a cloth close tied under the chin and about the forehead the lesser two having also forehead-cloths but none under the chin all with braided locks The use of these pillars seems to have been for supporting the beams but there are also on the south-side six Grooves or chanels in the wall at equal distance which are about nine inches wide and eight or nine foot high four whereof are continued from the tops of the pillars but the two middlemost are about the middle space between the pillars and come down lower than the rest having neat stones jutting out at the bottom as if intended to support something placed in the hollow Grooves On the north-side near the east-end there 's a door about eight foot high which leads into a spacious Green about seventy yards long and forty broad At the east-east-end there are two low-arch'd doors within a yard of each other and there was a third near the south-side but much larger and another opposite to that on the west-end The reason why I have been thus particular is
Inscription An Inscâ—â—ption shewing that one Samson set it up pro anima ejus and another on the opposite side signifying also that Samson erected it to St. Iltutus or Ilhtud but that one Samuel was the Carver These Inscriptions I thought worth the publishing that the curious might have some light into the form of our Letters in the middle ages I â—aen â—â—thyroâ—â— Myâ—ydh Marâ—â—m d The Inscription mention'd by our Author was in the former editions erroneous as may be seen by such as will take the trouble of comparing it with the Original still remaining in the same place and well known in this part of the country by the name of Y maen ChythÅ·rog I have therefore given a new specimen of it from the monument it self as also of all others two or three excepted which our Author has observ'd in Wales In old Inscriptions we often find the Letter V. where we use O. as here Pronepvs for Pronepos * Vide Reiâ—â—â— Synâ—â—â—â—a Inâ—â—p pag. â—3â— so that there was no necessity of inventing this character θ made use of in the former editions which I presume is such as was never found in any Inscription whatever In Reinesius Syntag. Inscriptionum p. 700. we find the Epitaph of one Boduacus dug up at Nimes in France Whereupon he tells us that the Roman name Betulius was changed by the Gauls into Boduacus But it may seem equally probable if not more likely since we also find Bodvoc here that it was a Gaulish or British name and the name of the famous Queen of the Iceni Boadicea seems also to share in the same original Sepulchres are in old Inscriptions often call'd Domus aeternae but aeternalis seems a barbarous word Rein. pag. 716. Docta Lyrâ grata gestu formosa puella Hic jacet aeternâ Sabis humata domo e The other Inscription mention'd by him is also at this day in the same place and is called by the common people Bêdh Morgan Morgà nwg Bêdh Morgan Morgà nwg viz. The Sepulchre of Prince Morgan which whatever gave occasion to it is doubtless an erroneous tradition it being no other than the tomb-stone of one Pompeius Carantopius as plainly appears by this Copy of it I lately transcrib'd from the stone As for the word Pumpeius for Pompeius we have already observ'd that in old Inscriptions the Letter V. is frequently us'd for O. ¶ There is also another monument which seem'd to me more remarkable than either of these Mândoc lygad â—Å·ch at a place call'd Panwen Byrdhin in the Parish of Kadokston or Lhan Gadok about six miles above Neath It is well known in that part of the County by the name of Maen dau Lygadyr Å·ch and is so call'd from two small circular entrenchments like cock-pits one of which had lately in the midst of it a rude stone pillar about three foot in height with this Inscription to be read downwards On a Mountain call'd Mynydh Gelhi Onnen A Monument on Mynyah Gelhi Onnen in the Parish of Lhan Gyvelach I observ'd a Monument which stood lately in the midst of a small Karn or heap of stones but is now thrown down and broken in three or four pieces differing from all I have seen elsewhere 'T was a flat stone about three inches thick two foot broad at bottom and about five in height The top of it is form'd as round as a wheel and thence to the basis it becomes gradually broader On one side it is carv'd with some art but much more labour The round head is adorn'd with a kind of flourishing cross like a Garden-knot below that there is a man's face and hands on each side and thence almost to the bottom neat Fretwork beneath which there are two feet but as rude and ill-proportion'd as are also the face and hands as some Egyptian Hieroglyphick Not far from hence within the same Parish is Karn Lhechart Karn Lhechart a Monument that gives denomination to the Mountain on which it is erected 'T is a circle of rude stones which are somewhat of a flat form such as we call Lhecheu disorderly pitch'd in the ground of about 17 or 18 yards diameter the highest of which now standing is not above a yard in height It has but one entry into it which is about four foot wide and in the center of the Area it has such a Cell or Hut as is seen in several places of Wales and call'd Kist vaen one of which is describ'd in Brecknockshire by the name of St. Iltut's Cell This at Karn Lhèchart is about six foot in length and four wide and has no top-stone now for a cover but a very large one lyes by which seems to have slipt off Y Gîst vaen on a Mountain call'd Mynydhy Drymmeu by Neath seems to have been also a Monument of this kind but much less and to differ from it in that the Circle about it was Mason-work as I was inform'd by a Gentleman who had often seen it whilst it stood for at present there 's nothing of it remaining But these kind of Monuments which some ascribe to the Danes and others suppose to have been erected by the Britains before the Roman Conquest we shall have occasion to speak of more fully hereafter Another Monument there is on a Mountain call'd Kevn bryn in Gower Arthur's stone in Gower which may challenge a place also among such unaccountable Antiquities as are beyond the reach of History whereof the same worthy person that sent me his conjecture of the subterraneous noise in Barry-Island gives the following account As to the stones you mention they are to be seen upon a jutting at the Northwest of Kevn bryn the most noted Hill in Gower They are put together by labour enough but no great art into a pile and their fashion and positure is this There is a vast unwrought stone probably about twenty tun weight supported by six or seven others that are not above four foot high and these are set in a Circle some on end and some edge-wise or sidelong to bear the great one up They are all of them of the Lapis molaris kind which is the natural stone of the Mountain The great one is much diminish'd of what it has been in bulk as having five tuns or more by report broke off it to make Mill-stones so that I guess the stone originally to have been between 25 and 30 tuns in weight The carriage rearing and placing of this massy rock is plainly an effect of human industry and art but the Pulleys and Levers the force and skill by which 't was done are not so easily imagin'd The common people call it Arthur 's stone by a lift of vulgar imagination attributing to that Hero an extravagant size and strength Under it is a Well which as the neighbourhood tell me has a flux and reflux with the Sea of the truth whereof I cannot as yet satisfie you c. There are divers
Land Moreover I have been told by the neighbours of Coed Traeth near Tenby that the like hath been seen also upon those Sands c. To this an ingenious and inquisitive Gentleman of this Country adds that the same hath been observ'd of late years near Capel Stinan or St. Justinian's where were seen not only the roots or stocks of Trees but also divers pieces of squar'd timber As for roots or stumps I have often observ'd them my self at a low ebb in the Sands betwixt Borth and Aber Divy in Cardiganshire but remember nothing of any impression of the Axe on them but on the contrary that many of them if not all were very smooth and that they appear'd as to substance more like the cole-black Peat or Fuel-turf than Timber ¶ There are in this County several such circular stone Monuments as that describ'd in Caer-Mardhin-shire by the name of Meineu gŵyr and Karn Lhechart in Glamorgan But the most remarkable is that call'd y Gromlech Y Gâ—â—mlech near Pentre Evan in Nevern-parish where there are several rude stones pitch'd on end in a circular order and in the midst of the circle a vast rude stone placed on several pillars The diameter of the Area is about fifty foot The stone supported in the midst of this circle is 18 foot long and 9 in breadth and at the one end it 's about three foot thick but thinner at the other There lies also by it a piece broken off about ten foot long and five in breadth which seems more than twenty Oxen can draw It 's supported by three large rude Pillars about eight foot high but there are also five others which are of no use at present as not being high enough or duly placed to bear any weight of the top-stone Under this stone the ground is neatly flag'd considering the rudeness of Monuments of this kind I can say nothing of the number and height of the stones in the circle not having seen this Monument my self but given this account of it out of Mr. George Owen's Manuscript History above-mention'd which was communicated to me by the worshipful John Lewis of Manour Nowen Esq And I have also receiv'd a description of it from a person who at my request lately view'd it not differing materially from that we find in the Manuscript The name of this Monument seems much of the same signification with Meineu gŵyr for Krwm in the Feminine gender Krom signifies as well as gŵyr crooked or bending and Lhêch a stone of a flat form more or less whether natural or artificial And as we have observ'd another Monument in Caernarvonshire call'd Lhech or Maen gŵyr so we meet with several in Anglesey and some in other parts of Wales call'd Kromlecheu Now that these Monuments have acquired this name from bowing as having been places of worship in the time of Idolatry I have no warrant to affirm However in order to farther enquiry we may take notice that the Irish Historians call one of their chiefest Idols Cromcruach O Flaâ—eâ—ty's Ogygia p. 1â— c. which remain'd till St. Patrick's time in the plain of Moy-sleuct in Brefin This Idol is describ'd to have been auro argento caelatum and said to be attended with twelve other Idols much less all of brass plac'd round about him Cromcruach at the approach of St. Patrick fell to the ground and the lesser Idols sunk into the Earth up to their necks the heads whereof says one of the Authors of the life of St. Patrick cited by Colganus are in perpetual memory of this miracle still prominent out of the ground and to be seen at this day Now although we should question the authority of this Writer as to these miracles yet if we may be allow'd to make any use at all of such Histories we may from hence infer that this circle of stones which are here mention'd by the name of Idol's heads was before the planting of Christianity in this Country a place of Idolatrous worship And if that be granted we shall have little reason to doubt but that our Kromlech as well as all other such circular Stone-monuments in Britain and Ireland whereof I presume there are not less than 100 yet remaining were also erected for the same use But to proceed farther this relation of idolatrous worship at Crumcruach seems much confirm'd by the general Tradition concerning such Monuments in Scotland For upon perusal of some Letters on this subject from the learned and judicious Dr. James Garden Professor of Divinity at Aberdeen to an ingenious Gentleman of the Royal Society * 〈◊〉 Aâ—â—â—â—f Eaâ—â—â— Pierce â—ileâ—â— Eâ—q who for what I can learn was the first that suspected these Circles for Temples of the Druids I find that in several parts of that Kingdom they are call'd Chapels and Temples with this farther Tradition that they were places of worship in the time of Heathenism and did belong to the Drounich Which word some interpret the Picts but the Dr. suspects it might denote originally the Druids in confirmation whereof I add that a village in Anglesey is calld'd Tre'r Driw and interpreted the Town of the Druid Now the diminutive of Driw must be Driwin whence perhaps Kaer Drewin in Merionydhshire and ch is well known to be an usual Irish termination in such Nouns As for such as contend that all Monuments of this kind were erected by the Danes as Trophies Seats of Judicature places for electing their Kings c. they 'l want History to prove that ever the Danes had any Dominion or indeed the least Settlement in Wales or the High-lands of Scotland where yet such Monuments are as frequent if not more common than in other places of Britain For although we find it registred that they have several times committed depredations on our Sea-coasts destroying some Maritime places in the Counties of Glamorgan Pembroke Cardigan and Anglesey and sometimes also making excursions into the Country yet we read they made no longer stay than whilst they plunder'd the Religious Houses and extorted money and provisions from the people Now if it be demanded why they might not in that short stay erect these Monuments I have nothing to answer but that such vast perennial memorials seem rather to be the work of a people settled in their Country than of such roving Pirats who for their own security must be continually on their guard and consequently have but small leisure or reason for erecting such lasting Monuments And that we find also these Monuments in the Mountains of Caernarvonshire and divers other places where no History does inform us nor conjecture suggest that ever the Danes have been To which may be added that if we compare strictly the descriptions of the Danish and Swedish Monuments in Saxo Grammaticus Wormius and Rudbeckius with ours in Britain we shall find considerable difference in the order or structure of them For if we may place that here I find none of them comparable to that
at this place And that being granted it will also appear highly probable that what we now call Lhannio was the very same with that which Ptolemy places in the Country of the Dimetae by the name of Lovantinum or as Mr. Camden reads it Lovantium If any shall urge that to suppose it only a Castle and not a City or Town of note is to grant it not to have been the old Lovantium I answer that perhaps we do but commit a vulgar Error when we take all the Stations in the Itinerary and Burroughs of Ptolemy for considerable Towns or Cities it being not improbable but that many of them might have been only Forts or Castles with the addition of a few Houses as occasion requir'd c As to the Beavers tho' we may not rely on the authority of Giraldus in many things he relates as one who writ in an age less cautious and accurate and when nothing pleas'd so much as what excited the admiration of the Reader yet in this case I see but littâ—e reason to question his veracity Moreover that there were formerly Beavers in this Kingdom seems much confirm'd in that there are two or three Ponds or Lakes in Wales well known at this day by the name of Lhyn yr Avangk i.e. Beaver-pool The vulgar people of our age scarce know what creature that Avangk was and therefore some have been perswaded that 't was a Phantom or Apparition which heretofore haunted Lakes and Rivers As for the name I take it for granted that 't is deriv'd from the word Avon which signifies a River and suppose it only an abbreviation of the word Avonog i.e. Fluviatilis as Lhwynog a Fox signifies Sylvaticus from Lhwyn Sylva And for the signification 't is not to be controverted some old Poets so describing it that I doubt not but that they meant a Beaver Besides the Beaver we have had formerly some oher Beasts in Wales which have been long since totally destroy'd As first Wolves concerning which we read in this Author in Meirionydh-shire as also in Derbyshire and Yorkshire Secondly Roe-Bucks call'd in Welsh Iyrchod which have given names to several places as Bryn yr Iwrch Phynon yr Iwrch Lhwyn Iwrch c. Thirdly The Wild-Boar whereof mention is made by Dr. Davies at the end of his Dictionary And lastly I have offer'd some arguments to prove also that Bears were heretofore natives of this Island which may be seen in Mr. Ray's Synopsis Methodica Animalium quadrupedum c. p. 213. d There have been since our Author writ this History several other Lead-Mines discover'd in this part of the County but the most considerable that has been found out in our time either here or in any other part of the Kingdom is that of Bwlch yr Eskir hîr discover'd Anno 1690. which was lately the possession of the right worshipful Sir Carbury Pryse of Gogerdhan Baronet who dying without issue and the title being extinct was succeeded in this estate of Gogerdhan by the worshipful Edward Pryse the son of Thomas Pryse of Lhan Vrêd Esq who is the present Proprietor of these Mines The Ore was here so nigh the surface of the Earth that as I have been credibly inform'd the moss and grass did in some places but just cover it which seems to add credit to that place of Pliny Nat. Hist lib. 34. c. 17. Nigro plumbo ad fistulas laminásque utimur laboriosiùs in Hispania eruto sed in Britanniâ summo terrae corio adeo largè ut lex ultro dicatur ne plus certo modo fiat But because there is a Map of these Lead-mines published by the Steward Mr. William Waller together with a far better account of them than may be expected here it seems needless to add any more on this subject ¶ There are also in this Countrey several such ancient Stone-monuments as we have observ'd in the preceding Counties whereof I shall briefly mention such as I have seen because they may differ in some respect from those already describ'd Lhêch yr Ast in the parish of Lhan Goedmor is a vast rude stone of about eight or nine yards in circumference and at least half a yard thick It is plac'd inclining the one side of it on the ground the other supported by a pillar of about three foot high I have seen a Monument somewhat like this near Lhan Edern in Glamorganshire call'd also by a name of the same signification Glâl y Vilast which affords no information to the curious signifying only the Bitch-Kennel because it might serve for such use That Gwâl y Vilast is such a rude stone as this but much longer and somewhat of an oval form about four yards long and two in breadth supported at one end by a stone about two foot high somewhat of the same form tho' much more rude as those we find at the head and feet of graves in Country Churches There is also by this Lhêch yr âst such another monument but much less and lower and five beds such as we call Kistieu Maen but not cover'd scarce two yards long of rude stones pitch'd in the ground as likewise a circular area of the same kind of stones the diameter whereof is about four yards but most of the stones of this circle are now fallen and about six yards from it there lies a stone on the ground and another beyond that at the same distance which doubtless belong to it Meineu hirion near Neuodh the seat of the worshipful David Parry Esq the present High-Sheriff of Penbrokeshire are perhaps some remaining pillars of such a circular stone-monument though much larger as that describ'd in Caer-Mardhin-shire by the name of Meneu gŵyr Meineu Kyvrîvol or the numerary stones near the same place seem to be also the remains of some such barbarous monument They are 19 stones lying on the ground confusedly and are therefore call'd Meineu Kyvrîvol by the vulgar who cannot easily number them whereof two only seem'd to have been pitch'd on end Lhêch y Gowres * Id est Saxum foeminae giganteae a monument well known also in this neighbourhood seems much more worth our observation being an exceeding vast stone placed on four other very large pillars or supporters about the height of five or six foot Besides which four there are two others pitch'd on end under the top-stone but much lower so that they bear no part of the weight There are also three stones two large ones and behind those a lesser lying on the ground at each end of this monument and at some distance another rude stone which has probably some reference to it This Lhêch y Gowres stands on such a small bank or rising in a plain open field as the five stones near the circular monument call'd Rolrich stones in Oxfordshire Hir-vaen gŵydhog * Id est Colossus conspicuus is a remarkable pillar about 16 foot high 3 foot broad and 2 thick It 's erected on the top of a mountain in
the confines of the parishes of Kelhan and Lhan y Krŵys and is at present whatever it was put up for the mere-stone or boundary betwixt this County and Caer-Mardhin-shire Not far from it is Maen y prenvol which I have not seen but suppose from the name to be a monument of that kind we call Kistvaen for Prenvol in this country in North-Wales Prennol signifies a small coffer or chest Gwely Taliesin in the parish of Lhan-Vihangel geneu'r glyn by its name and the tradition of the neighbours concerning it ought to be the grave of the celebrated Poet Taliesin ben beirdh †Id est Taliesinus protovates who flourish'd about the year 540. This grave or bed for that 's the signification of the word Gwely seems also to be a sort of Kist-vaen 4 foot long and 3 in breadth composed of 4 stones 1 at each end and 2 side-stones whereof the highest is about a foot above ground I take this and all others of this kind for old heathen monuments and am far from believing that ever Taliesin was interr'd here But to proceed from these barbarous monuments which yet I take to be no more rude than those of our neighbour nations before they were conquer'd by the Romans to something later and more civilized I shall here add an Inscription I lately copied from a large rude stone in Penbryn parish not far from the Church It stood not long since as I was inform'd in a small heap of stones close by the place where it lies now on the ground The stone is as hard as marble and the letters large and very fair and deeper inscrib'd than ordinary but what they signifie I fear must be left to the Reader 's conjecture I must confess that at first view I thought I might venture to read it Cor Balencii jacit Ordous and to interpret it The heart of Valentius of North-Wales lies here supposing that such a person might have been slain there in battel In old Inscriptions we often find the letter B. used for V. as Balerius for Valerius Bixsit for Vixsit Militabit for Militavit c. and the word Ordous I thought not very remote from Ordovices But I am not satisfied with this notion of it my self much less do I expect that others should acquiesce therein In this same parish of Penbryn was found some years since a British gold coyn weighing I suppose above a Guinea which is now in the possession of the worshipful John Williams Esquire of Aber Nant bychan who was pleas'd to send me the figure of it inserted now amongst some other Antiquities at the end of these Counties of Wales From this and many others found in several places of this Kingdom it 's manifest the Britains had gold and silver coyns of their own before the Roman Conquest unless such as contend for the contrary can make it appear that these coyns were brought in by the Phoenicians or some other trading Nation which I think no man has yet attempted For seeing such of these coyns as want Inscriptions are always a little hollow on the one side and have also impressions or characters if I may so call them different from those of Roman and all other coyns it 's very plain the art of coyning them was never learn'd of the Romans for if so we had never met with these unintelligible characters on them but Roman letters such as by some coyns of ‖ Bâ—â— waâ—â— aâ—a 〈◊〉 veâ—â— Cassivelaunus and Cunobelin we find they made use of after their conquest Since Mr. Camden's time Thomas Brudenel Baron Brudenel of Stoughton was created Earl of Cardigan Earâ—â— Carâ—â—â—â—â— by K. Charles 2. Apr. 20. 1661. upon whose death Robert his son succeeded in his estate and titles NORTH WALES By Rob t Morden ORDEVICES THose Countries of the Silures and Dimetae we have last survey'd were in after-times when Wales became divided into three Principalities call'd by the Natives Deheubarth or the Right-hand part and in English as we have already observ'd South-Wales The other two Principalities which they call Gwynedh and Powys we North-Wales and Powisland were inhabited by the Ordovices call'd also Ordevices and Ordovicae and in some Authors tho' corruptly Ordolucae A couragious and puissant Nation these were as being inhabitants of a mountainous country and receiving vigour from their native soil and who continued the longest of any unconquer'd by either Romans or English For they were not subdu'd by the Romans till the time of the Emperour Domitian when Julius Agricola reduced almost the whole nation nor were they subjected by the English before the reign of Edward the first For a long time they enjoy'd their liberty confiding as well in their own strength and courage as the roughness and difficult situation of their country which may seem in a manner as if nature had design'd it for Ambuscades and prolonging of war To determine the limits of these Ordevices is no hard task but to render a true account of the name seems very difficult However I have entertain'd a conjecture that seeing they are seated on the two rivers of Devi which springing not far asunder take their course different ways and that * Read Ar-dhyvi Oar-devi in the British language signifies Upon the rivers of Devi they have been thence call'd Ordevices So the Arverni receiv'd their name from their situation on the river Garumna the Armorici from inhabiting a maritim country and the Horesci from their bordering on the river Esk. Nor is the name of the Ordevices so entirely extinct in this country but that there remain some footsteps of it For a considerable part of it which lies on the sea is at this day call'd by the inhabitants Ardudwy out of which the Romans by a softer pronunciation may seem to have coyn'd their Ordovices and Ordevices But now this whole tract one small County excepted is call'd in Latin Gwynedhia and Venedotia and in British Gwynedh from the Veneti in Armorica as some suspect who as Caesar writes were us'd often to sail into Britain And if it were allowable to change but one letter I might suppose this name also not unknown to the Greeks and to Pausanias who in his Arcadia informs us that Antoninus Pius had sufficiently chastised our Brigantes for making inroads into Genounia a Roman Province in Britain Now if we may be allow'd to read Genouthia Genounia for Genounia that word comes so near Guinethia and this Guinethia or Gwynedh borders so much on the country of the Brigantes that unless Pausanias understood this region let Sibylla her self discover what country he meant To the Ordovices belong'd those Countries which are now call'd in English by new names Mont-Gomery-shire Meirionydh-shire Caernarvon-shire Denbigh-shire and Flint-shire MONTGOMERYSHIRE MOntgomeryshire in British Sîr Dre ' Valdwyn from it's chief town is bounded on the south with Cardigan and Radnor Shires on the east with Shropshire on the north with Denbigh and on the west with
cover the passes of rivers or friths ‖ Taâ—â— An◠〈◊〉 xâ—◠〈◊〉 magâ—â—ne prakâ—â—teâ— c. agit pâ—â—amneâ— Eupâ—â—tem pâ—â— catâ—n iâ— prâ—â—â— Bartâ—â— in quâ—â—â— xa c. long 〈◊〉 meaâ—â—â— quaâ—s contâ—â—â— sagitâ—â—â— jacta aâ— aequâ—â—atur as that into Anglesey out of this County 't is evident they were not used here on that occasion for if so the British army had not been posted on the opposite shore to receive the Romans as Tacitus Annal. 14. expresly tells us they were but had been compell'd to a farther distance It seems very probable that the brass Axes found at St. Michael's Mount in Cornwal were of this kind because there were found with them certain Arms of the same metal like short swords or daggers such as we find also in these parts and have mention'd in the last County Of those Mr. Camden's opinion was that they were British and indeed it 's not to be doubted but that they were so if the brass Arms he mentions were really swords as he supposes for no man will imagine that the Romans used swords of that metal and that being granted 't will be scarce questionable but the Axes and Spear-heads he mentions to be lodg'd with them belong'd to the same Nation For my own part I must confess that for a long time I suspected these instruments Roman supposing them too artificial to have been made by the Britains before the Romans civiliz'd them and that they were not swords c. but intended for some other uses But seeing they had gold and silver coyns before that time as all Antiquaries allow and that 't is scarce questionable but the golden Torquis described in the last County was theirs and also that Pliny tells us the Druids cut down their Misseltoe with golden sickles I know not but they might have more arts than we commonly allow them and therefore must suspend my judgment ¶ There are in this County as also in the other Provinces of North-Wales several remarkable old forts and such stone-monuments as we have noted in the Counties of Caer-Mardhin Penbroke and Cardigan whereof because I have taken no description my self I shall here insert for the satisfaction of the curious some short notes on this subject out of a MS. written by a person of Quality in the reign of King Charles 1. and communicated to me by my worthy friend Mr. Griffith Jones School-master of Lhan Rŵst On the top of Pènmaen stands a lofty and impregnable Hill call d Braich y Dhinas where we find the ruinous walls of an exceeding strong fortification encompass'd with a treble wall and within each wall the foundation of at least a hundred towers all round and of equal bigness and about six yards diameter within the walls The walls of this Dinas were in most places two yards thick and in some about three This castle seems when it stood impregnable there being no way to offer any assault to it the hill being so very high steep and rocky and the walls of such strength The way or entrance into it ascends with many turnings so that a hundred men might defend themselves against a whole Legion and yet it should seem that there were Lodgings within these walls for 20000 men At the summit of this rock within the innermost wall there 's a Well which affords plenty of water even in the dryest summers By the tradition we receive from our Ancestors this was the strongest and safest refuge or place of defence the ancient Britains had in all Snowdon to secure them from the incursions of their enemies Moreover the greatness of the work shews it was a princely fortification strengthen'd by nature and workmanship seated on the top of one of the highest mountaiâ—â—f that part of Snowdon which lies towards the Sea About a mile from this fortification stands the most remarkable monument in all Snowdon call d Y Meineu hirion upon the plain mountain within the parish of Dwy Gyvylcheu above Gŵdhw glâs It 's a circular entrenchment about 26 yards diameter on the out-side whereof there are certain rude stone-pillars pitch'd on end of which about 12 are now standing some 2 yards others 5 foot high and these are again encompass'd with a stone wall It stands upon the plain mountain as soon as we come to the height having much even ground about it and not far from it there are three other large stones pitch'd on end in a triangular form About three furlongs from this monument there are several such vast heaps of small stones as we call Karnedheu concerning which the tradition is that a memorable battel was fought near this place betwixt the Romans and Britains wherein after much slaughter on both sides the latter remaining conquerours buried their dead in heaps casting these stones on them partly to prevent the wild boars which in those times were common in these parts from digging up their bodies and partly as a memorial to posterity that the bodies of men lay there interr'd There are also about these heaps or Karnedheu several graves which have stones pitch'd on end about them and are cover'd with one or two large ones These are presumed to be the monuments of the Commanders or greatest persons then flain in battel but having nothing to inform us herein we must rely on tradition and conjecture c. At present this County gives the title of Earl Earl to the right honourable Charles Dormer ANGLESEY WE have already observ'd that the County of Caernarvon we last survey'd deriv'd it's name from the chief Town therein and that the Town borrow'd that name also from the Island Mona which lies opposite to it It remains now whereas we formerly not so properly plac'd it among the Islands that we restore that tract to its right place and describe it in order seeing it enjoys also and not undeservedly the title of a County This Island was call'd by the Romans Mona in British Môn and Tir Môn i.e. the Land of Mon and Ynys dowylh or the shady Island by the old Saxons Moneg and in latter times when reduced by the English Engles ea and Anglesey i.e. the English Island 'T is divided from the Continent of Britain by the narrow frith of Meneu David's â—â—â—nâ—eshire and on all other sides wash'd by that raging Irish sea It is of an irregular form and extended in length from east to west 20 miles 〈…〉 is 〈…〉 â—1 and where broadest about 17. This Land saith Giraldus although as to outward appearance it may seem a dry rocky and unpleasant country not unlike that of Pebidiog near St. David's is yet as to the quality of the soil much otherwise for 't is incomparably the most fruitful country for wheat in all Wales insomuch that in the Welsh language it 's proverbially said of it Môn mam Gymry i.e. Môn the Nursery of Wales because when other Countries fail'd this alone by the richness of the soil and the plentiful harvests it produced was wont
land at a place call'd Tre ' Varthin about the year 1680. and was afterwards added by the late Sir Thomas Mostyn to his curious Collection of Antiquities c. Thus far Mr. Davies since the date of whose Letter I receiv'd a Copy of the Inscription he mentions at Lhan Babo from the Reverend Mr. Robert Humphreys Rector of Lhan Vechelh For tho' the Stone be as he mentions broken in two pieces and remov'd from the place where it stood the Inscription whatever it may import is yet preserv'd which tho' I understand not my self I shall however insert here because I know not but it may be intelligible to several Readers and so give some light towards the explaining of other Inscriptions This Monument is call'd Maen Lhanol corruptly I suppose for Maen Lhineol i.e. Lapis insculptus sive lineolis exaratus for there 's such another known by that name at Penbryn parish in Cardiganshire It seems scarce questionable but this stone as well as those others above-mention'd was a Sepulchral Monument and that the words Hic jacet end the Inscription b These words Yn Hericy Gwidil I suppose to have been erroneously printed for Kerig y Gwydhel i.e. Irish stones for we find a place so call'd in the parish of Lhan Gristiolis But I think we may not safely conclude from that name either that the Irish had any settlement in these parts or that there was any memorable action here betwixt that Nation and the Britains seeing it relates only to one man who perhaps might be buried at that place and a heap of stones cast on his grave as has been usual in other places I also make some doubt whether those Monuments our Author mentions by the name of Hibernicorum Casulae or Irish Huts be any proof that ever the Irish dwelt there for they are only some vast rude stones laid together in a circular order enclosing an Area of about five yards diameter and are so ill shaped that we cannot suppose them the foundations of any higher building and as they are they afford no shelter or other conveniency for Inhabitants Those I meant are to be seen in a Wood near Lhygwy the Seat of the worshipful Pierce Lloyd Esq and are commonly call'd Killieu'r Gwydhêlod i.e. Irish Cotts whence I infer they must be the same which Mr. Camden calls Hibernicorum Casulas A Monument of this kind tho' much less may be seen at Lhech yr Ast in the parish of Lhan Goedmor near Cardigan which was doubtless erected in the time of Heathenism and Barbarity but to what end I dare not pretend to conjecture The same may be said of these Killieu'r Gwydhèlod which I presume to have been so call'd by the vulgar only because they have a tradition that before Christianity the Irish were possess'd of this Island and therefore are apt to ascribe to that Nation such Monuments as seem to them unaccountable as the Scotish Highlanders refer their circular Stone pillars to the Picts * Dr. Garden 's Letters to Mr. Aubrey For we must not suppose such barbarous Monuments can be so late as the end of the sixth Century about which time ths Irish Commander Sirigi is said to have been slain by Kaswalhawn law hîr i.e. Cassivelaunus Longimanus and his people forc'd to quit the Island †See the Description of Wales before Dr. Powel's History We have many places in Wales besides these denominated from the Irish as Pentre'r Gwydhel in the parish of Rhos Golin in this County Pont y Gwydhel in Lhan Vair and Pentre'r Gwydhel in Lhysvaen parish Denbighshire Kerig y Gwydhel near Festineog in Meirionydhshire and in Cardiganshire we find Kwm y Gwydhyl in Penbryn parish and Karn Philip Wydhil in Lhan Wennog but having no History to back these names nothing can be inferr'd from them c About the year 945 Mr. Robert Vaughan's Manuscript there was a battel fought for the Isle of Anglesey betwixt Howel Dha King of Wales and Kynan ap Edwal Voel wherein Kynan fell Afterwards Grufydh his son renewing the war was likewise overcome and Kyngar a potent man being driven out of the Isle Howel kept quiet possession thereof d The Welsh name of Newburg is so variously written that it 's doubtful which is the right In the description of Wales inserted before Dr. Powel's History it 's call'd Rhossyr and in another impression of the same which was never publish'd because not compleated it 's written Rhôs îr which either alters the signification or makes it more distinct In a MS. Copy of the same it 's call'd Rhosfir which we are to read Rhosvir but Mr. Davies above-mention'd now Rector of the place informs me it ought to be Rhos-Vair in confirmation whereof he adds this Englin Mae lhÅ·s yn Rhos-Vair mae lhyn Mae eur-gluch mae Arglwydh Lhewelyn A Gwyr tà l yn ei ganlyn Mâ—l myrdh mewn gwyrdh a gwyn e In Mr. Aubrey's Monumenta Britannica * Mr. Aubr MS. I observ'd a note of some remarkable Monument near Holy-head in these words There is in Anglesey about a mile from Holy-head on a hill near the way that leads to Beaumaris a Monument of huge stones They are about twenty in number and between four and five foot high at the Northern end of it there are two stones about six foot high They stand upon a hillock in a Farm call'd Trevigneth and have no other name than Lhecheu †Id est Flat-stones whence the field where they are rais'd is call'd Kae'r Lhecheu The first who took the title of Earl from this Island was Christopher Villers Eâ—â—◠〈…〉 brother of George Duke of Buckingham created Sept. 24. 1623. who was succeeded by Charles his son and heir But he dying in the year 1659. without issue male it was conferr'd on Arthur Annesley created Lord Annesley of Newport-Pagnel in the County of Bucks and Earl of Anglesey Apr. 20. 1661. At present it is enjoy'd by the right honourable James Annesley DENBIGHSHIRE ON this side the river Conwy Denbighshire call'd in British Sîr Dhinbech retires in from the sea and is extended eastward as far as the river Dee It is encompass'd on the north for some space by the sea and afterwards by the small County of Flint on the west by Meirionydh and Mongomery and on the east by Cheshire and Shropshire The western part of it is somewhat barren the middle where it falls into a vale exceeding fruitful the eastern part next the vale not so fertil but towards Dee much better Towards the west but that it is somewhat more fruitful by the sea-side 't is but thinly inhabited and swells pretty much with bare and craggy hills but the diligence and industry of the husbandmen hath long since begun to conquer the barrenness of the land on the sides of these mountains as well as other places of Wales For having pared off the surface of the earth with a broad iron instrument for that purpose into thin clods and turfs they
extended to the river d ee a pleasant small country â—d and well stored with lead especially near Mwyn-glodh a small village denominated from the lead-mines In this part lies Wrexham â—exham call'd in Saxon Writtlesham remarkable for a very neat tower and the Organ there and near this place is Leonis Castrum so call'd perhaps from the Legio vicesima Victrix which kept garrison a little higher on the other side Dee 'T is now call'd Holt â—t and is supposed to have been more lately repair'd by William Stanley and formerly by John Earl of Warren D. Powel who being guardian in trust to one Madok a British Prince seis'd for his own use this Province together with that of Iâl From the Earls of Warren it descended afterwards to the Fitz-Alans Earls of Arundel and from them to 8 Sir William William Beauchamp Baron of Aber Gavenny and afterward to 9 To Sir William Stanley Chamberlain to K. Henry 7. who contesting with his Sovereign about his good services when he was honourably recompens'd lost his head forgetting that Sovereigns must not be beholding to Subjâ—cts howsoever Subjects fancy their own good services William Stanley who being beheaded this as well as the rest of his estate was forfeited to the Crown Southward of Bromfield lies Chirk Chirk call'd in Welsh Gwayn a country also pretty mountainous but honour'd with two castles viz. Chirk whence it receiv'd its name which was built by Roger Mortimer and Kastelh Dinas Brân Castle Dinas seated on the highest top of a sharp hill whereof there remain at present only some ruinous walls The common people affirm that this was built and so call'd by Brennus Brennus General of the Gauls and some interpret the name the King's palace for Bren in British signifies a King from whence possibly that powerful Prince of the Gauls and Britains was call'd by way of eminency Brennus but others will have it derive its name from the situation on a hill which the Britains call Bryn and this in my opinion is the seat of Grufydh ap Madok who when he sided with the English against the Welsh was wont to secure himself here But upon his decease Roger Mortimer who was appointed guardian to his son Lhewelyn seis'd this Chirk into his own hands as John Earl of Warâ—en mention'd before had usurp'd Bromfield When the dominion of the Welsh by factions among themselves and invasions of the English fell to decay and could now subsist no longer the Earls of Chester and Warren the Mortimers Lacy and the Greys whom I have mention'd were the first of the Normans that reduced by degrees this small Province and left it to be possess'd by their posterity Nor was it made a County before the time of King Henry 8. when Radnor Brecknock and Montgomery were likewise made Counties by Authority of Parliament It contains 57 Parishes ADDITIONS to DENBIGHSHIRE a THat Kerrig y Drùdion was so denominated from Druids seems highly probable tho' not altogether unquestionable for that the word Drùdion signifies Druids is for what I can learn only presumed from its affinity with the Latin Druidae and because we know not any other signification of it In the British Lexicon we find no other word than DerwÅ·dhon â—ied by â—yâ—â—â—b â—arâ—c 〈…〉 c. â—o wit 1240. â— â—yrâ—â— Bryâ—â—â—awr 〈…〉 Nat. 〈◊〉 c. 44. for Druids which may be fitly render'd in Latin Quercetani Dèrw signifying in Welsh Oak-trees which agreeing in sound with the Greek might occasion †Pliny's conjecture who was better acquainted with that language than the Celtic or British that Druides was originally a Greek name The singular of Derwydhon is Derwydh which the Romans could not write more truly than Deruida whereof Druida seems only an easier variation The word Drudion might likewise only vary in dialect from Derwydhon and so the name of this place be rightly interpreted by our Countrymen and Mr. Camden Druid-stones but what stones they were that have been thus call'd is a question I could not be thoroughly satisfied in tho' I have made some enquiry The most remarkable stone-monuments now remaining in this parish are two of that kind we call Kistieu maen or Stone-chests whereof some have been mention'd in other Counties and several omitted as not differing materially from those I had describ'd These I have not seen my self but find the following account of them in a Letter from an ingenious Gentleman of this neighbourhood As for ancient Inscriptions either of the Druids or others I believe it 's in vain to glean for them in these parts after Mr. Camden Nor can those he mentions at Voelas in our neighbourhood as we may collect from their characters boast of any great antiquity for that they are so obscure and intricate I impute to the unskilfulness of the stone-cutter supposing they were not plainly legible in those times that first saw them Yet that grave and learned Antiquary as is commonly incident to strangers in their perambulation hath either forgotten or not observ'd the most remarkable pieces of Antiquity in this parish of Kerig y Drudion I mean those two solitary prisons which are generally supposed to have been used in the time of the Druids They are placed about a furlong from each other and are such huts that each prison can well contain but a single person One of them is distinguish'd by the name of Karchar Kynrik Rŵth or Kenric Rŵth's Prison but who he was is altogether uncertain The other is known by no particular title but that of Kist-vâen or Stone-chest which is common to both and seems to be a name lately given them because they are somewhat of the form of large chests from which they chiefly differ in their opening or entrance They stand north and south and are each of them composed of seven stones Of these four being above six foot long and about a yard in breadth are so placed as to resemble the square tunnel of a Chimney a fifth which is not so long but of the same breadth is pitch'd at the South end thereof firmly to secure that passage At the north-North-end is the entrance where the sixth stone is the lid and especial guard of this close confinement But in regard 't was necessary to remove it when any person was imprison'd or releas'd it 's not of that weight as to be alone a sufficient guard of the prisoner and therefore on the top-stone or uppermost of the four first mention'd lyes the seventh which is a vast stone that with much force was remov'd towards the North-end that with its weight it might fasten and as it were clasp the door-stone These and the name of our parish are all the memorials we have of the residence of those ancient Philosophers the Druids at leastwise all that tradition ascribes to them c. Thus far the Letter which makes it very probable that these are some of the Stones if not all whence this parish receiv'd
Rhodes when the great Mahomet was worsted It is now in the hands of Mr. Ralph Thoresby of Leeds East from Knaresbrough stands Ribston-hall â—â—â—ston-â—all the pleasant Seat of the Right Honourable Sir Henry Goodrick Baronet Ambassadour from King Charles the second to the King of Spain now Privy-Councellor and Lieutenant of the Ordnance of the Tower of London hh Another river call'd Ure must be our next direction carrying us to Rippon â—â—ppon where in the Minster-yard is this modest Inscription for a two thousand pound Benefactor Hic jacet Zacharias Jepson cujus aetas fuit 49. perpaucos tantum annos vixit ii It brings us next to Burrowbridge â—â—rrwâ—dge where the Pyramids call'd by the common people the Devil's Arrows are most remarkable That they are artificial we have the opinion of Mr. Camden and the Devil's Coits in Oxofrdshire confirm it which Dr. 〈◊〉 of â—f â—â—th 〈◊〉 Plot affirms to be made of a small kind of stones cemented together whereof there are great numbers in the fields thereabout But whether our Author's conjecture of their being set up as Trophies by the Romans may be allow'd is not so certain A â—ct Sâ—aff 〈◊〉 later Antiquary seems inclin'd to conclude them to be a British work supposing that they might be erected in memory of some battel fought there but is rather of opinion that they were British Deities agreeing with the Learned Dr. Stillingfleet and grounding upon the custom of the Phoenicians and Greeks Nations undoubtedly acquainted with Britain before the arrival of the Romans who set up unpolish'd stones instead of images to the honour of their Gods kk Hard by this is Aldburrow confirm'd to be the Is-urium Is urium of the Ancients from several Roman Coyns and chequer'd Pavements digg'd up there some of which are now in the Musaeum of the ingenious Mr. Thoresby But to be a little more particular upon the remains of Antiquity they meet with take the following account which is the substance of a Letter from Mr. Morris Minister of the place Here are some fragments of Aquiducts cut in great stones and cover'd with Roman tyle In the late Civil wars as they were digging a Cellar they met with a sort of Vault leading as 't is said to the river if of Roman work for it has not yet met with any one curious enough to search it it might probably be a Repository for the Dead The Coyns generally of brass but some few of silver are mostly of Constantine and Carausius tho' there are two of Maximian Dioclesian Valerian Severus Pertinax Aurelius and of other Emperours as also of Faustina and Julia. They meet with little Roman heads of brass and have formerly also found coyn'd pieces of gold with chains of the same metal but none of late About two years ago were found four signet polisht stones three whereof were Cornelians The first had a horse upon it and a stamp of Laurel shooting out five branches the second a Roman sitting with a sacrificing dish in one hand and resting his other on a spear the third a Roman if not Pallas with a spear in one hand wearing a helmet with a shield on the back or on the other arm and under that something like a quiver hanging to the knee the fourth of a purple colour has a Roman head like Severus or Antonine Several Pavements have been found about a foot under-ground and compass'd about with stones of about an inch square but within are little stones of a quarter that bigness wrought into knots and flowers after the Mosaick-fashion No Altars are met with but pieces of Urns and old Glass are common In the Vestry-wall of the Church is plac'd a figure of Pan or Silvanus in one rough stone nyched ll From hence the Ure or Ouse runs to York York in the Antiquities whereof our Author has been so particular that we have little to add This ancient and noble City might have had an agreeable light if Sir Thomas Widdrington a person accomplisht in all Arts as well as his own profession of the Laws after he had wrote an entire History of it had not upon some disgust prohibited the publication The original Manuscript is now in the possession of Thomas Fairfax of Menston Esq Near the Castle stands the shell of Clifford's Tower which was blown up the 24th of April 1684. In the year 1638. in a house near Bishop-hill was found this Altar which is now at the Duke of Buckingham's house in York I. O. M. DIS DEABVSQVE HOSPITALIBVS PE NATIBVSQ OB. CON SERVATAM SALVTEM SVAM SVORVMQ P. AEL MARCIAN VS PRAEF COH ARAM. SAC f. NCD mm Dr. Tobias Matthews was Archbishop of this place * Inscript of the Church of York whose wife Frances a prudent Matron daughter of Bishop Barlow a Confessor in Queen Mary's time was a great Benefactress to the Church bestowing upon it the Library of her husband which consisted of above 3000 Books She is memorable likewise for having a Bishop to her father an Archbishop Matthew Parker of Canterbury to her father-in-law four Bishops to her brethren and an Archbishop to her husband nn The Cathedral Church after it had been burnt down in K. Stephen's time by little and little reviv'd The Thoresby mention'd by our Author was a great benefactor to it and the 29th of July 1631. laid the first stone of the new Quire to which at 16 payments he gave so many hundred pounds besides many other less sums for particular uses towards câ—â—â—ing on that work As he was Archbishop of 〈◊〉 so also was he Lord Chancellour of England and Cardinal Spelm. Gâ— in Cancellarius which I the rather take notice of here because he is omitted by Onuphrius as the Inscription of his seal testifies S. Johis Sci P. ad vincula presbyteri Cardinalis The dimensions of this Cathedral were exactly taken by an ingenious Architect and are as follows  Feet Length beside the buttresses 524 ½ breadth of the east-east-end 105 breadth of the west-end 109 breadth of the Cross from north to south 222 breadth of the Chapter-house 058 ½ heâ—â—ht of the Chapter-house to the Canopy 086 ½ height of the body of the Minster 099 height of the Lanthorn to the Vault 188 height to the top-leads 213 oo Southward from York is Nun-Apleton Nun-Apleton so call'd from a Nunnery founded there by the Ancestors of the Earls of Northumberland afterwards the seat of Thomas Lord Fairfax General of the Parliament-army who merits a memorial here upon account of the peculiar respect he had for Antiquities As an instance whereof he allow'd a considerable pension to that industrious Antiquary Mr. Dodsworth to collect those of this County which else had irrecoverably perish'd in the late wars For he had but just finish'd the transcript of the Charters and other Manuscripts then lying in St. Mary's tower in York before the same was blown up and all those sacred remains
and Aldermen having sometimes been deceiv'd in their choice admit none into their Alms-houses but such as will give Bond to leave their effects to the poor when they dye a good example to other places The principal trade of the town is making Malt Oat-meal and Tann'd-leather but the poor people mostly support themselves by working of Bone-lace which of late has met with particular encouragement the children being maintain'd at school to learn to read and to work this sort of lace The Cloath-trade was formerly follow'd in this town but †â—in MS Leland tells us that even in his time it was very much decay'd They have several Fairs but one more especially remarkable beginning about nine days before Ascension-day and kept in a street leading to the Minster-garth call'd Londoner-street For then the Londoners bring down their Wares and furnish the Country-Tradesmen by whole-sale About a mile from Beverley to the east in a pasture belonging to the town is a kind of Spaw tho' they say it cannot be judg'd by the taste whether or no it comes from any Mineral Yet taken inwardly it is a great dryer and wash d in dries scoâ—butick scurf and all sorts of scabs and also very much helps the King 's Evil. h At the mouth of the river Hull is Kingston Kingâ—â—â— upon Hâ—â—â— call'd in all writings of Concernment Kingston super Hull The walls and town-ditch were made by leave from King Edward 2. but Richard 2. gave them the present haven which now it 's fear'd will shortly be warp'd up at the mouth if speedy care be not taken about it 'T is a town very considerable for merchandise being the scale of trade to York Leeds Nottingham Gainsborough and several other places as also for importing goods from beyond sea And for the better convenience of managing their trade they have an Exchange for Merchants built in 1621. and much beautify'd in 1673. Above that is the Custom-house and near these the Wool-house made use of formerly without all doubt for the selling and weighing of wool as well as lead but now only for the latter when 't is to be sold or ship'd here On the east-side of the river is built a strong Citadel begun in the year 1681. and including the Castle and south-blockhouse It hath convenient apartments for lodging a good many souldiers with distinct houses for the Officers has also an engine for making salt-water fresh and is well-furnish'd with Ordnance But yet the strength of the town does not consist so much in it's walls or fortifications as it 's situation for all the Country being a perfect level by cutting the sea-banks they can let in the â—â—ood and lay it for five miles round under water Which the Governour of the place at the late Revolution had designed to do if the then Prince of Orange had landed there as was once thought For he had caus'd several Flood-gates to be made and pitch'd upon certain places about the town and on the bank of Humber for cutting The town hath two Churches one call'd the High-Church a very spacious and beautiful building on the south-side of the Quire whereof is a place now alter'd into a neat Library consisting mostly of modern books The other is the Low-Church the steeple whereof Henry 8. is said to have order'd to be pull'd down to the ground because it spoil'd the prospect of his house over against it wherein he had his residence for some months An. 1538. Near the High Church is the Free-school first founded by John Aâ—â—â—ck Bishop of Worcester and then of Ely and in the year 1583. built by Mr. William Gee with the Merchants Hall over it North-west of the said Church is the Trinity-house begun at first by a joint contribution of well-disposed persons for the relief of distressed Sea-men and their wives But afterward they got a Patent from the Crown with several privileges by the advantage of which they maintain mâ—ny distressed Sea-men with their widows both aâ— Hull and other places members of the Port of Hull The Government is by twelve elder brethren with six Assistants out of the twelve by the major vote of them and of the 6 Assistants and the younger brethren are annually chose two Wardens and two Stewards out of the younger brethren These Governours have a power to determine matters in sea-affairs not contrary to Law chiefly between Masters and Sea-men and also in Tryals at law in sea-affairs their judgments are much regarded But here take the accurate description of this place as I had it from the curious and ingenious Mr. Ray who actually view'd it The Trinity-house belongs to a Society of Merchants and is endow'd with good revenues There are maintained 30 poor Women called Sisters each of whom hath a little chamber or cell to live in The building consists of a chapel two rows of chambers beneath stairs for the sisters and two rooms above stairs one in which the brethren of the Society have their meetings and another large one wherein they make sails with which the town drives a good trade In the midst of this room hangs the effigies of a native of Groenland with a loose skin-coat upon him sitting in a small boat or Canoe cover'd with skins and having his lower part under deck For the boat is deck'd or cover'd above with the same whereof it is made having only a round hole fitted to his body through which he puts down his legs and lower parts into the boat He had in his right-hand as I then thought a pair of wooden oars whereby he rowed and managed his boat and in his left a dart with which he strikes fishes But it appearing by the Supplement to the North-East Voyages lately publish'd that they have but one oar about six foot long with a paddle six inches broad at either end I am inclin'd to think that the boat hanging so high I might be mistaken The same book has given us an account of their make to which I refer you This on his forehead had a bonnet like a trencher to fence his eyes from sun or water Behind him lay a bladder or bag of skins in which I supposed he bestowed the fish he caught Some told us it was a bladder full of oyl wherewith he allured the fish to him This is the same individual Canoe that was taken in the year 1613. by Andrew Barkar with all its furniture and boat man The Groenlander that was taken refused to eat and died within three days after I have since seen several of these boats in publick Town-houses and Cabinets of the Virtuosi Here I cannot but reflect upon and admire the hardiness and audaciousness of these petty water-men who dare venture out to sea single in such pitiful vessels as are not sufficient to support much more than the weight of one man in the water and which if they happen to be over-turned the rower must needs be lost And a wonder it is to me that
receiv'd from our Ancestors by tradition to be almost full of Roman Coins mostly copper but some of silver Great quantities have been given away by the Predecessors of Sir John Lawson and he himself gave a good number to be preserv'd among other Rarities in King Charles's Closet The pot was redeem'd at the price of 8 l. from the Sequestrators of Sir John Lawson's estate in the late Civil War the metal being an unusual sort of composition It was fixt in a Furnace to brew in and contains some 24 gallons of water Now from all this why should not we conclude that Thornburrow belonging to Burgh hall was the Vicus juxta Catarractam since Catarick-bridge and the grounds adjoyning belong not to Catarick but to Brough Upon the South-end of the bridge stands a little Chapel of stone where tradition says that formerly Mass was said every day at eleven a clock for the Benefit of Travellers that would stay and hear it n The Oath of Allegiance taken by the Nobility of Northumberland to Eldred is by our Author referr'd to Topcliffe or Tadencliffe upon the authority of Marianus But H◠〈…〉 Ingulfus who had better opportunities than Marianus to know that matter says the business was dispatch'd by Chancellor Turketyl at York Continuation of the DUKES of RICHMOND Next after Henry-Fitz-Roy Lodowick Duke of Leonox was created Earl of Richmond 11 Jac. 1. Oct. 6. and afterwards in 1623. Duke of Richmond After him James Stewart Duke of Lennox and Earl of March was created Duke of Richmond by Charles the first Aug. 8. and was succeeded by his son Esme who dying young in the year 1660. was succeeded by Charles Earl of Lichfield his Cousin-german Which said Charles dying without issue Charles Lenos natural son to King Charles the second was created Aug. 9. 1675. Baron of Setrington Earl of March and Duke of Richmond More rare Plants growing wild in Yorkshire Allium montanum bicorne purpureum proliserum Purple-flower'd mountain Garlick On the scars of the Mountains near Settle See the description of it in Synopsis method stirpium Britannicarum Alsine pusilla pulchro flore folio tenuissimo nostras Small fine Mountain-chickweed with a milk-white flower In the Mountains about Settle plentifully Bifolium minimum J. B. Ophris minima C.B. The least Twayblade On the Heaths and Moors among the Furze in many places As on Blakay-moor in the way to Gisburgh near Scaling-damm and in the Moor near Almondbury Calceolus Mariae Ger. Damasonii species quibusdam seu Calceolus D. Mariae J. B. Elleborine major seu Calceolus Mariae Park Ladies slipper At the end of Helks-wood near Ingleborough Campanula cymbalaria foliis Ger. Park Tender Ivy-leav d Bell-flower I have observed it in watery places about Sheffield Cannabis spuria flore luteo amplo labio purpureo Fair-flower'd Nettle-hemp In the mountainous parts of this Country among the Corn plentifully Carum seu Careum Ger. Carum vulgare Park Caraways In the pastures about Hull plentifully so that they gather the Seed there for the use of the shops Caryophyllata montana purpurea Ger. emac. montana seu palustris purpurea Park aquatica nutante flore C. B. aquatica flore rubro striato J. B. Purple-Avens In the Mountains near the Rivulets and Water-courses about Settle Ingleborough and other places in the West and North-ridings of this County Mr. Lawson hath observed this with three or four rows of leaves in the flower Caryophyllus marinus minimus Ger. montanus minor C. B. Thrift or Sea-Gillyflower Mr. Lawson found this in Bleaberry-gill at the head of Stockdale-fields not far from Settle so that it may not improperly be call'd mountainous as well as maritime Cerasus avium nigra racemosa Ger. racemosa fructu non eduli C. B. avium racemosa Park racemosa quibusdam aliis Padus J. B. The Wild-cluster-cherry or Birds-cherry In the mountainous parts of the West-riding of this County Christophoriana Ger. vulgaris Park Aconitum racemosum Actaea quibusdam J. B. racemosum an Actaea Plinii l. 27 c. 7. C. B. Herb-Christopher or Bane-berries In Haselwood-woods near Sir Walter Vavasor's Park pale also among the Shrubs by Malham-Cave Cirsium Britannicum repens Clusii J.B. aliud Anglicum Park singulari capitulo squamato vel incanum alterum C.B. The great English soft or gentle Thistle or Melancholy Thistle In the Mountains about Ingleborough and elsewhere in the West-riding of Yorkshire Cochlearia rotundifolia Ger. folio subrotundo C.B. Common round leav'd Scurvy-grass This tho' it usually be accounted a Sea-plant yet we found it growing plentifully upon Stanemore near the Spittle and upon Penigent and Ingleborough-hills in which places by reason of the coldness of the air it is so little that it hath been taken for a distinct Species and call'd Cochlearia minor rotundisolia but its Seed being taken and sown in a warm Garden it soon confesses its Species growing to the dimensions of the common Garden Scurvy-grass Conyza Helenitis foliis laciniatis Jagged-leav'd Fleabane-mullet About a stones-cast from the East-end of Shirley-Pool near Rushy moor P. B. This hath been already mention'd in several Counties Erica baccifera procumbens nigra C. B. Black-berried heath Crow-berries or Crake-berrìes On the boggy mountains or moors plentifully Fucus sive Alga tinctoria P. B. Diers wrack It is often cast on the shore near Bridlington Fungus piperatus albus lacteo succo turgens C. B. Pepper-Mushrome with a milky juyce Found by Dr. Lister in Marton woods under Pinno-moor in Craven plentifully Geranium batrachioides montanum nostras An batrachiodes minus seu alterum Clus hist. batrachoides minus Park batrachiodes folio Aconiti C. B. batrach aliud folio Aconiti nitente Clusii J. B. Mountain Crowfoot-Cranesbill In the mountainous meadows and bushets in the West-Riding G. Geranium moschatum Ger. Park Musked Cranes-bill commonly called Musk or Muscovy It is to be found growing common in Craven Dr. Lister is my Author C. Gnaphalium montanum album sive Pes cati Mountain-Cudweed or cats-Cats-foot Upon Ingleborough and other hills in the West-Riding also in Scosby-leas near Doncaster Helleborine foliis longis augustis acutis Bastard Hellebore with long narrow sharp pointed leaves Under Bracken-brow near Ingleton At the end of a wood near Ingleborough where the Calceolus Mariae grows Helleborine altera atro-rubente flore C. B. Elleborine flore atro-rubente Park Bastard Hellebore with a blackish flower In the sides of the mountains near Malham four miles from Settle plentifully especially at a place called Cordil or the Whern Hieracium montanum Cichorei folio nostras An Hieracium Britannicum Clus Succory-leaved mountain Hawkweed In moist and boggy places in some woods about Burnley Hordeum polystichon J. B. polystichon hybernum C. B. polystichon vel hybernum Park Winter or square Barley or Bear-barley called in the North country Big This endures the winter and is not so tender as the common Barley and is therefore sown instead of it in the mountainous part of this country
eyes of the Romans For Polyd. Virgil lib. 3. Anglicae historiae speaking of the division of the Empire among the sons of Constantine the Great reckons Orkney among the famous Kingdoms that fell to the share of his son Constantine saying Huic sorte evenit Britannia cum Gallia Hispania Orchadibus This Country it 's like continued thus under the Government of their own Princes till the fatal ruine and subversion of the Pictish Kingdom in Scotland in the year of our Lord 839. At which time Kenneth the second that martial King of Scots having in many battel 's overthrown the Pights at last expelled them out of all Scotland and seizing on Fife and Louthian and the other large territories that they had therein pursued them to Orkney vanquishing these Isles and adding them to his other Dominions Orkney being thus annexed to the Crown of Scotland continued many years under the Government of the Scottish Kings and their Lieutenants till about the year 1099. At which time Donald Bain Lord of the Isles having usurped the Crown and caused himself to be proclaimed King of Scotland and being thereupon put hardly to it by the injured Heir and discontented Nobility that he might not loose what he had unjustly usurped he invited Magnus King of Norway to come to his assistance with an offer of the Isles for his pains Who coming with his Navy invaded Orkney and the Western Isles putting Garisons in all convenient places By this means the Norwegian got possession of this Country and held it for the space of 164 years when they came to loose all again upon this occasion Anno 1263 Alexander the third being then King of Scotland Acho by some called Hagin King of Norway hoping from the divisions that were then in the Kingdom and the famine that then pressed the land to make some further conquest in Scotland comes with a great Navy and Army of Danes and Norvegians to the West Isles and conquers Arran and Bute which were the only Isles at that time under the Dominion of the Scots and from this success hoping for greater matters he lands on the continent and takes in the Town and Castle of Air. But King Alexander having assembled a great Army assaults him in battel at Largis kills his Nephew a man of high renown and after a great slaughter of his soldiers to the number of twenty four thousand puts the remainder to flight Immediately upon this defeat King Acho hears of another sad loss namely that his Fleet containing the number of an hundred and fifty ships were by the force of an outragious tempest all cast away and broken against the rocks except four in which he presently embarked and fled to Orkney Being come thither he sent to Norway and Denmark for a new army and Fleet with an intention again to invade Scotland the next summer but he died in the beginning of the following year January 22 anno 1264. and was buried in that place where the Cathedral now stands under a marble stone which is seen to this day After his death King Alexander invaded the Isle of Man and the Western Isles which after some opposition he recovered and intending to make the like attempt for the recovery of Orkney and Zetland there came Ambassadors to him from Magnus King of Norway and Denmark who succeeded his father Acho in these Kingdoms a man well enclined and one that feared God After several treaties it was at last agreed upon that King Alexander should pay to the King of Norway the sum of 4000 marks Sterling with the sum of an hundred marks by year And that for this Magnus King of Norway should quit all right that he might pretend to in the Isles of Orkney and Zetland and the other Isles of Scotland which accordingly he did by letters under his great seal renouncing and giving over all right or claim that he had or might have both for him and his successors to these and all the other Isles of Scotland And for the better confirmation hereof a marriage was agreed upon betwixt the Lady Margaret daughter to Alexander and Hangonanus or Hannigo or Aquine as others call him son to King Magnus both children to be compleated when they came to a marriageable estate This Magnus King of Norway was a man of great piety and devotion for which he was reputed a Saint commonly called Saint Magnus He much advanced the Christian Religion in this Country whose patron he is held to be and is thought to have founded that stately edifice in Kirkwall which is now the Cathedral called from him St. Magnus's Kirk The opinion of his sanctity and miracles made him so famous that the day wherein King Robert Bruce gave that great and memorable defeat to the English at Bannockburn there was seen riding through Aberdeen a horse-man in shining armor who told them of the victory and afterwards was seen riding on his horse over Pightland firth Whereupon it was concluded saith Boethius who tells this story that it was St. Magnus And upon that account the King after the victory ordered that for ever after five pound Sterling should be paid to St. Magnus's Kirk in Kirkwall out of the Customs payable by the Town of Aberdeen Orkney being in this manner recovered from the hands of the Danes and Norvegians continued ever after annexed to the Crown of Scotland Their Antiquities word for word from the same Author There is in Hoy lying betwixt two hills a stone called the Dwarfie Stone 36 foot long 18 foot broad nine foot thick hollowed within by the hand of some mason for the prints of the mason's irons are to be seen on it to this very hour with a square hole of about two foot high for the entry and a stone proportionable standing before it for the door Within at one end is a bed excellently hewen out of the stone with a Pillow wherein two men may conveniently lye at their full length at the other end is a couch and in the middle a hearth for a fire with a round hole cut out above for the chimney It 's thought to be the residence of some melancholy Hermit but the vulgar Legend says there was once a famous giant residing in that Island who with his wife lived in that same stone as their Castle At the west end of that stone stands an exceeding high Mountain of a steep ascent called The Wart-hill of Hoy near the top of which in the months of May June and July about mid-day is seen something that shines and sparkles admirably and which may be discerned a great way off It hath formerly shined more brightly than it does now but what that is though many have climbed up the hill and attempted to search for it none could ever find The vulgar talk of it as some enchanted Carbuncle but I rather take it to be some water sliding down the face of a smooth rock and when the sun at such a time shines upon it
the reflection causeth that admirable splendour At Stennis where the Loch is narrowest in the middle having a Causey of stones over it for a bridge there is at the South end of the bridge a Round set about with high smooth stones or flags without any engraving about 20 foot high above ground six foot broad and a foot or two thick Betwixt that Round and the bridge are two stones standing of the same largeness with the rest whereof one hath a round hole in the midst of it And at the other end of the bridge about half a mile removed from it is a larger Round about an hundred and ten paces diameter set about with such stones as the former save that some of them are fallen down and both East and West of this bigger round are two artificial as is thought green mounts Both these rounds are ditched about Some conceive that these rounds have been places wherein two opposite Armies encamped but others more probably think that they were the High-places in the Pagan times whereon Sacrifices were offered and that these two mounts were the places where the Ashes of the Sacrifices were flung And this is the more probable because Boethius in the life of Mainus King of Scots makes mention of that kind of high stones calling them the Temples of the Gods His words are these In memory of what King Mainus ordained anent the worship of the Gods there remains yet in our days many huge stones drawn together inform of a Circle named by the people The antient Temples of the Gods and it is no small admiration to consider by what art or strength so huge stones have been brought together You will find besides in many other places of this country Obelisks or huge high stones set in the ground like the former and standing apart and indeed they are so large that none sees them but wonders by what engines they have been erected which are thought to be set up either as a memorial of some famous battle or as a monument of some remarkable person that has been buried there that way of honouring deserving and valiant men being the invention of King Reutha as Boethius says There is in Rousay betwixt high mountains a place called The Camps of Jupiter Fring the name is strange and should import some notable accident but what it was I could not learn At the West end of the Main-land near Skeall on the top of high rocks above a quarter of a mile in length there is something like a street all set in red clay with a sort of reddish stones of several figures and magnitudes having the images and representations of several things as it were engraven upon them And which is very strange most of these stones when they are raised up have that same image engraven under which they had above That they are so figured by art is not probable nor can the reason of nature's way in their engraving be readily given In the Links of Skeall where sand is blown away with the wind are sound several places built quadrangularly about a foot square with stones about well-cemented together and a stone lying in the mouth having some black earth in them The like of which are found in the Links of Rousum in Stronsa where also is found a remarkable monument It is a whole round stone like a barrel hollow within sharp edged at the top having the bottom joyned like the bottom of a barrel On the mouth was a round stone answerable to the mouth of the monument and above that a large stone for the preservation of the whole within was nothing but red clay and burnt bones which I sent to Sir Robert Sibbald to whom also I thought to have sent the whole monument had it not broken in pieces as they were taking it from its seat It 's like that this as also the other four-square monuments have been some of those antient Urns wherein the Romans when they were in this country laid up the ashes of their dead Likewise in the Links of Tranabie in Westra have been found graves in the sand after the sand hath been blown away by the wind in one of which was seen a man lying with his sword on the one hand and a Danish ax on the other and others that have had dogs and combs and knives buried with them Which seems to be an instance of the way how the Danes when they were in this country buried their dead as the former was of the Romans Beside in many places of the country are found little hillocks which may be supposed to be the Sepulchers of the antient Peights For Tacitus tells us that it was the way of the antient Romans and Verstegan that it was the way of the antient Germans and Saxons to lay dead bodies on the ground and cover them over with turfs and clods of earth in the fashion of a little hillock Hence it seems that the many houses and villages in this country which are called by the name of Brogh and which all of them are built upon or beside some such hillock have been cemeteries for the burying of the dead in the time of the Pights and Saxons for the word Brogh in the Tentonick language signifies a burying place In one of these Hillocks near the circle of high stones at the North end of the bridge of Stennis there were found nine Fibulae of silver of the shape of a Horse-shoe but round Moreover in many places of this country are to be seen the ruines and vestiges of great but antique buildings most of them now covered over with earth and called Pight-houses some of which it 's like have been the sorts and residences of the Pights or Danes when they possessed this country Among the rest there is one in the Isle of Wyre called The Castle of Cubberow or rather Coppirow which in the Teutonick language signifies a tower of security from outward violence It is trenched about of this nothing now remains but the first story it is a perfect square the wall being eight foot thick strongly built and cemented with lime the breadth or length within the walls not being above ten foot having a large door and a small slit for the window Of this Cubbirow the common people report many idle fables not fit to be inserted here In the Parish of Evie near the sea are some small hillocks which frequently in the night time appear all in a fire Likewise the Kirk of Evie called St. Nicholas is seen full of lights as if torches or candles were burning in it all night This amazes the people greatly but possibly it is nothing else but some thick glutinous meteor that receives that light in the Night-time At the Noup-head in Westra is a rock surrounded with the sea called Less which the inhabitants of that Isle say has this strange property that if a man go upon it having any Iron upon him if it were an Iron nail in his shoe