Ownership of Nantsyddion in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Century

Ownership of Nantsyddion in the sixteenth and seventeenth century Assignment for Dr. Susan Davies January 2004 Anna Zofia Skarzynska Background Nantsyddion is a remote hillfarm in the south-eastern part of the elongated parish of Llanbadarn Fawr in Cardiganshire. It lay in the grange of Cwmystwyth, which belonged to the great Cistercian abbey of Strata Florida. After the dissolution of the monasteries in 1536 it was successively owned by at least three prominent local families, before being sold by Stephen Parry to the Duke of Newcastle in the 1840s, and thus becoming a part of the famous Hafod Estate. It is now a bothy used by ramblers and looked after by the Mountain Bothy Association. The present work attempts to piece together a more detailed picture of the early fortunes of Nantsyddion, using original sources. The investigation was inspired by three documents contained in the Hafod collection in Ceredigion Record Office: a bond dated 1595, a receipt dated 1669 and an indenture of the same date. Other documents were consulted to fill in gaps it the story; these are listed below. The documents The earliest document in the whole of the Hafod collection is a parchment bond, dated 6 May 1595. The first part is in Latin and follows common form for such bonds. The main body of the text is in English. It originally accompanied ‘one deede of ffee simple [...] and one deede of release’. In it, David Lloyd Herbert (the vendor) promises to pay one hundred pounds to Morgan Philip Powell should he in any way interfere with the latter’s peaceful enjoyment of the property (i. e. Nantsyddion) being conveyed. David ap Hugh Dai is named as the current occupier. The second document is a paper receipt dated 1669 for fifty-five pounds received by Thomas Powell of Llechwedd Dyris from George David Parry of Golennydd as purchase money for ‘Nant i saithythion’, ‘Nant i Carie’ and ‘a site of cottage called lle Lliest Blaen Merin’. It is written by Thomas Powell himself, sealed with his seal, and witnessed by Richard Powell, David Richard, Morgan John, David Parry and Rees Jones. The third document, a parchment indenture also dated 1669, appears to be a more official version of the receipt above. It also appoints Rees Jones of ‘Nant i Benglogg’ (one of the witnesses to the above document) as Powell’s attorney in order to perform the livery of seisin. Elizabeth Thomas, a widow, is named as the current occupier of Nantsyddion. Witnesses are: Richard Powell, David Richard, Morgan Herbert, Morgan John and Elizabeth Thomas. Taking the story further The above three documents set the stage for further investigations, which must concentrate on the dramatis personae , in order of appearance. David Lloyd Herbert is almost certainly one of the Herberts of Hafod Uchtryd. I have not been able precisely to locate him within the Herberts’ family tree, but there is ample evidence of his existence. Numerous deeds documenting his transactions with David Philip Powell (brother of Morgan) survive; see for example the Cwrt Mawr collection nos. 737, 179, 928, 1304, 153, 735 and 256. Clearly, the Powells and the Herberts were well acquainted (note that one of the witnesses to the 1669 deed is Morgan Herbert). Printed sources agree that the Herberts came to Cardiganshire during the reign of Elizabeth I (Davies, TCAS I pt 1, 53). One, Sir Richard Herbert of Pengelly and Cwmystwyth was High Sherriff of Cardigan (Davies, OW 149) from 22 November 1542 (PRO Lists vol ix). An inspection of the 1540 rent roll for the granges of Mevenith, Cwmystwyth and Hafod-wen (‘newe leases’) reveals that W[illia]m Herbert and Morgan Herbert were tenants of several properties formerly belonging to the Abbey of Strata Florida, including significantly: Havodychdryd Doleygors Pantycrave Bwlch Gwalter parcell of Ty Loge [...] 4 parte of Pwll Piran 3 parte of Pregnant and Blaenmerin and Alltgron Hafod Uchtryd is the famous Hafod of Col. Thomas Johnes in its former incarnation, and the other properties listed also lie within what was to become the Hafod estate. The Herberts’ last heiress, Jane, married Thomas Johnes of Llanfair Clydogau. He in turn left the estate to his cousin, Thomas Johnes of Dolaucothi, a direct ancestor of Col. Thomas Johnes (Davies TCAS, 54). It should also be noted here that in later documents (several are referred to below) Nantsyddion was usually listed with both Blaen Merin (now Blaen Myherin) and Nant y Carie (which is almost certainly the same as Nant y Creiau/Cria, the form of the name which appears in some documents and on the OS map). The three properties are adjacent to each other, and all lie within the parish of Llanbadarn Fawr, the only Hafod holdings in that parish. Morgan Philip Powell was one of three brothers, sons of Philip ap Howell of Ysbyty Cynfyn; the others were Thomas and the already mentioned David. Philip died in 1589, leaving his wealth to his three sons, with the bulk of his lands going to the eldest son, Morgan (Morgan 2001, 16). When Thomas died in 1604 he too left property to his brother Morgan ( ibid ., 17). Morgan married Elizabeth Lloyd Pryse in 1579, but had no legitimate children (ibid ., 17). In August 1606 he apparently acquired ‘llyest nant y creye’ from his brother David (see Cwrt Mawr deed 612), who had recently bought it from David Lloyd ap Morgan of Llanddewi Brefi (see Cwrt Mawr deed 236, dated February 1605/6). His will of 1622 (the year of his death) lists and names his holdings, including ‘Nanty Saithyddion’ and ‘Tyddin Blain Merin’, though oddly not Nant y Creiau. David Philip Powell survived both his brothers and ultimately inherited their combined wealth (but see below). He married Elizabeth Jones of Nanteos and they had a son, John ( ibid ., 18). When in 1629 John married Jane Pryse of the Gogerddan family a settlement was made; the settlement deed (Cwrt Mawr 1323) refers to a number of properties, including Llechwedd Dyris and ‘Tythyn nant y seythyddion’. John and Jane had a son, Thomas Powell of Llechwedd Dyris ( ibid ., 18), who in 1669 conveyed the three holdings (Nantsyddion, Blaen Merin and Nant y Carie) to George David Parry of Golennydd (now Glennydd, near Llanilar). George David Parry left a will which was proved in 1681. In it, he leaves £100 to Thomas Powell and makes a number of other bequests, including the following: Item I doe give grante devise & bequeath these three severall respective Messuages tenements & site of Cottages called & known by the severall & respective names of Llyest Nant Sythion Llyest Nant y Corrie & Llyest Blaen Merin situate lyinge & beinge in Llanbadarn y Croythin in the parish of Llanbadarn vawre aforesaid in the said County of Cardigan unto my nephews Harry Morgan & Thomas Morgan to be equally & proportionally divided between them [...] However, it appears that when Thomas sold the properties to George David Parry, they were not entirely his to dispose of. A document (Cwrt Mawr deeds, no. 1066) is signed in 1672 by one ‘Elizabeth Powell of the Parish of Clunn, co. Salopp, widow’, clearly at behest of Thomas, who is the second party to the deed. Inscribed on the back of the parchment is ‘Mrs Powell’s deed fine & release of all her land’. In return for a payment of £25, Elizabeth doth hereby acquitt release and discharge the said Thomas Powell [...] by these presents and she undertakes to levy a fine on Nant y Saethython and Nant y Carie now or late in the possession of George David Parry (my italics) at the next Great Sessions to be held in the County of Cardigan. This is to be done to the only use and behooffe of [...] Thomas Powell his heirs and assignes for ever and to none other use intent or purpose whatsoever It seems that Thomas already had de facto control of the land by the time he took Parry’s money for it. The two men were clearly on good terms, otherwise Parry would not have left Powell £100 in his will; it doesn’t appear that Thomas is acting dishonestly or in order to deceive. The missing piece of the puzzle is the precise identity of Elizabeth Powell. Looking at the Powells’ family tree among the multitude of Elizabeths one finds two that may fit the bill: Thomas’s grandmother Elizabeth née Jones, and his great aunt, Elizabeth née Pryse, the widow of Morgan Powell. By 1672 if still alive they would both be very elderly, but not impossibly so. I am inclined to think that Morgan’s Elizabeth is the more likely candidate, because of the provisions Morgan made in his will to secure a dowry for his illegitimate daughter, another Elizabeth. Morgan’s heir-at-law was his brother David, but Morgan wanted his widow to retain control of his estate during her lifetime, and his will provides for that. Moreover, instead of the usual clause which would return the estate to David after Elizabeth’s death, Morgan bequeaths the reversion to his daughter, unless David makes a single payment of £700 to her (Morgan 2001, 17-18). Maybe Elizabeth the widow survived Elizabeth the illegitimate daughter. Under these circumstances the estate would have remained in her control, but David and his heirs could be certain that one day it would revert to them, and so they conducted their affairs based on that presumption until Thomas decided to settle matters by means of the deed referred to above and Nantsyddion passed forever out of the Powells’ hands. The Powells’ family tree (adapted from Morgan 2001, 19) Philip ap Howell, d.

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