The Diary Of
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The Diary WALTER POWE Llantilio Crossenny in th C t of nm th t e oun M u Gen ema . y o o , l n 1 03 1 4 6 65 . ans bed nd N otes add ed b Tr cri , a y O SEPH L FR E D RA DN EY . A P . S . A J B , in th e ss ess n o From th e origin al M SS . po io f 5 m H E N RY M AT H ER CKSO art JA N, B d d d r ee and P t a of t to which is ad e a P e ig or r it h e Diarist . 1 907 B IS T R O L : J OHN WR IGHT co . O H N W IG H T A N D co. j R , P IN E S B IS OL . R T R , R T INTR OD UCTION . E R O E Of Of WALT P W LL , the author this diary , was the son Of . Thomas Powell Penrhos His family claimed , as do many Of Welsh families , to be Norman origin , descending in the B r ed war d en paternal line from Sir Walter de , who was seated B red war d en at in Herefordshire soon after the Conquest . Cr ickh owel Settling at the family became Welsh , and ’ Of a s a after a succession p Thomas Powell , or Thomas p R Of Howel David awling , is found resident in the parish Penrhos in the sixteenth century . Here his son Walter Of 2 th Of Powell , author the Diary , was born on the 5 March , 1 5 8 1 . The diary commences with extracts from the parish register Of Tr e aer Of book g , long since lost , relating to the family his fi Of l a h E rst wife Margaret , daughter Wil iam p J o n vans of — - - Llwyn y gaer and Cefn garw , both ancient seats in that parish . 1 60 2 2 Of On his marriage in 4 , when only years age , he settled in a house Of his own in the parish Of Llanarth — which n place this was there is nothing to show , but it may have bee - Cefn coch , a farm belonging to the Powells for many 1 61 1 years afterwards . In he moved from Llanarth and V came to live at the icarage at Llantilio . His reason for so doing may have been that his uncle Hugh Powell was vicar . 1 61 th e n ew h ous e L In J anuary % he took at lantilio , which O f m ans mn Of L stood on the site the present lantilio Court , 1 1 61 1 Of having had a grant , dated 3 May , , the farm from 61 i Sterr ell . 1 2 1 Will am By indentures dated May , 9, he had a iv INTR OD UCTION Sterrell Of further lease from the premises , and also of another a messuage wherein Thomas p Howel David dwelt , and also Of L ant roth 2 1 y in the parish of Penrhos , for years at the rent Of £2 5 . St err ell How William came to own land here is not clear , but it was probably granted him , in return for services , by E E . dward , arl of Worcester , whose secretary he was He is an interesting personage , concerned as he was in the plots and counterplots Of the latter years Of the reign Of % ueen E lizabeth . y Of scholarl education and culture , he was a fellow of Magdalen E College , Oxford , and was employed by the arl of Worcester 1 0 and the Government to spy on the Catholics who , from 5 9 1 6 to 5 9 , were plotting against the % ueen . Among the State Papers Domestic are letters and papers concerning him which show that he was at last suspected by his employers O f duplicity . Th e last note Of rent paid by Walter Powell to St er rell is in 1 6 in 1 6 May , 43 , and 45 he removed to Penrhos , where he i continued t ll his death . There is nothing to show where in Penrhos he lived , but it is probable it was the Grange . By 1 6 L this time , 45 , he must have purchased the estate at lantilio t err ll 6 e th e r ea t h ous e a t S e 1 L . from , as in 49 he demised ( let) g L la ntili o to J ohn Webb . Besides being deputy-steward and receiver of rents to the E Of O arl Worcester , to whom and whose family he ften refers , he seems to have managed several smaller estates , notes occurring Of the various manor courts he attended . As a ’ local man Of business he made and proved his neighbours Of wills . He also had a lease the mill at Llantilio from Lord l Worcester , his accounts for which are sti l extant , extending ’ Of 1 over the whole period his 2 years lease , and all in the D same handwriting as that Of the iary . It might be wished that he had said more about the Civil W th Of Of R . 2 ars , and , in particular , the siege aglan On the 5 1 6 6 May , 4 , a few days before the siege began , he was committed to prison in R aglan Castle for an Offence he does not name . INTR OD UCTION v r d n 8th Of The siege began on the 3 of Ju e , and on the J une , on al account of his age , he was lowed by Lord Worcester to O depart , the besiegers also permitting him to g home . The following letter is a copy in his own hand Of one addressed to Of the commander the besieging army , Colonel Thomas Of Morgan Llangattock Lingoed , to whom he must have been well known ’ In i f r h i f d e t ed o t e Com ander in ch e . It h a s pleas ed m y lord in regard O f m y a ge i n fir m iti es o f ’ ’ b ody to giv e m e (that now a m a p ri s on r ) lea ue vp on m y p a r ll o e e t o m wi ef hi m e i n P enr os to g hom y c ldren to y hous , and therefor I hu m b ly d esire you that you will b e pleas ed t o graunt ’ ’ m e a p a s s e t o goe freely t h r o ugh e yo r a r m ye w t h o ut lett or ’ m oles t ac on I s r em a ne , and hall y Y r hum b le s ervant 6 uni 6 J j 1 64 W . P . This is endorsed A coppie O f m y r eq u est for a p as se fro m t h e castl e Of R aglan as ’ r i s o n r o h r u h t h a p to g e t o g e e guardes Of the l eagu er . During his absence his house in Penrhos had been plundered by the Parliamentary forces . Safe at home again he settled down to business as though no disturbances were taking place in the kingdom , his diary containing the usual notes as to lending money , collecting rents , and attending sessions . The only difference was that he had to pay rent for his estate to i one Will am Loup , the receiver for sequestered estates . n 1 6 R Havi g had in 43 a quarrel with Owen ogers , the vicar , over the church key , he from this date attends Llanarth h church , noting the dates on w ich he received the sacrament . A r It is worthy of note that his daughter nne , who was bo n V 2 1 61 1 at the icarage 3 May , , married her husband J ohn 1 1 1 62 1 f Watkins June , , she being there ore only slightly over I O f O . z 2 1 60 years age Her husband was bapti ed June , 9, so fl 1 2 Old both oun e that he was but a tri e over years , y g as the D O 1 iarist bserves . In 62 7 he put J ohn Watkins to school at r 1 6 0 Monmouth to lea n to write , and in 3 J ohn Watkins ran f ’ away rom the Diarist s house . vi INTR OD UCTION Of Of the sons Walter Powell only two left children . The Of T descendants homas have disappeared , but are probably to be found among those Of the name in the humbler walks O f f A . li e in bergavenny Matthew , the youngest son , who had ’ under his father s will the small estate at Llantilio , continued Of the representation the family there . His grandson ff 1 2 — Matthew Powell was sheri in 7 4 , whose half sister and f L -ff . O or tun heir married John Lewis , esq , lwyn in Carmarthen A Of f shire . round this lady is woven a story romance or O Of tragedy , according to the views of the reader a certain T scandalous book . his work , which went through at least three editions , is entitled T H E TR U E A N TI - PAM E L A OR M E M O IR S M r a m es a r r .