''J y Cpiîìmrodon THE MAGAZINE OP THE HONOURABLE SOCIETY OF CYMMRODOmON.T VOL. XLIV. LONDON : ISSUED BY THE SOCIETT, NEW STONE BÜILDINGS, 61, CHANCERY LANE. 1935. loo Devizes : Printüi) by George Simpson & Co., Devizes, Ltd. nj CONTENTS PAGE The Gold Chalice of Welshpool. By E. Alfred Jones, M.A., F.S.A., Freeman and Liveryman of the Worshipful . 1 Company of Goldsmiths . Two Histoiic Welsh Cups. By E. Alfred Jones, M.A., F.S.A., Freeman and Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths . 7 The Society or Garrison of Fort WiUiamsburg. The Ohl Glynllivon Yolunteers, c. 1761-73. By E. Alfred Jones, M.A., F.S.A. 80 Breiz Ha Kemri. By the Rev. G. Hartwbll Jones, D.D., D.Litt., F.S.A., Treasurer and Chairman of the Council 104 Goronwy Owen: Rector of St. Andrew's, Brunswick, County Yirginia, 1760-69. By B. B. Thomas, M.A. 113 EDITORIAL NOTE. " Since the issue of Volume XLIII of Y Cymm- ' ' rodor the Society has suffered a most grievous loss in the death of its devoted and distinguished Hono- rary Secretary and Editor. Sir Yincent Evans, by his long continued loyalt}^ and unremitting labours for the Society, had earned for himself the affection and gratitude of every member of the Council and the admiration and high esteem of all members of the Society. Tributes to his work and memory will be ' ' " paid in the volume of The Transactions to be " " issued in the coming Autumn. The Transactions are peculiarly a monument of his own architecture and most fìtting to bear his epitaph. His protracted ill- health and his reluctance to give up the work which had meant so much to him, account for some delay in the preparation and issue of this present Volume. Faithful contributors of the past have come to the help of the Editor and our members will welcome the completion of the story of Goronwy Owen by Mr. B. B. Thomas, M.A., Warden of Coleg Harlech, the interesting articles (with illustrations) by Mr. E. Alfred Jones, M.A., F.S.A., who has written for this magazine on several occasions since his contribution " on The Silver Plate of Jesus College, Oxford," in Volume XVII (1904), and the versatile genius of our Chairman of the Council, the Rev. G. Hartwell M.A., D.D., D.Litt., F.S.A., evidenced by his Jones, " Address entitled Brittany and Wales," delivered in Breton, French, English and Welsh at the Celtic Congress of 1933. The Council trust that other contributors will come forward with offerings of the fruits of their labour. On behalf of the Council, J. L. CECIL WILLIAMS, Hon. Secretary and Editor. To face />. /. Welshpool Gold Chalice, 1662. 1 Cnntntrnhor VoL. XLIV. " Cared doeth yb encilion." 1935 t^t <&otò eÇaftcê of Tí?ef6Çpoof. By E. ALFRED JONES, M.A.. F.S.A., Freeman and Livery>nan of the Worshipful Company of Goldämiths. The accompanying illustration is of a most precious gold chalice in the Parish Church of Welshpool which I have been privileged to examine and to illustrate for the íìrst time in its history (No. 1). It is beautifully inscribed on one side as follows : Thomas Dauies Anglorum in Africae plaga occidentaH Procurator generahs ob vitam multifariâ Dei misericordiâ ibidem conscruatam^ Cahcem hunc é purissimo auro Guiniano conílatum Dei honori et Ecclesiae de Welchpoole ministerio perpetuo sacrum voluit a quo vsu S=S si quis facinerosus eundem Calicem in posterum alienaret (quod auertat Deus) Dei vindicis Supremo tribunali paenas luat Cal-Apr. IX. M.D.C.L.X.II Engraved on the other side are the arms of the donor, enclosed within feather decoration characteristic of Eng- lish heraldry of the time of Charles II : . three íleurs-de-lis . a lion passant between According to the Coüections of the Powysland Club (Vol. V, pp. xxxiii-iv), these arms were borne by several ^ conseruatam. 2 The Gold Chalice oj Welshpool leading families in the County of Montgomery, including of Mathafarn of and others. Pugh, ; Pryce Gunley ; The arms, Argent a Hon passant sable between three fieurs-de- " Hs, were borne by Einion ap Sitsyllt, an ancient Lord of Merioneth ". But in the absence of tinctures the actual bearer of arms cannot be identiíìed in every case. As will be observed from the illustration, the chalice is " " plain, except for the application of the fiat cut-card work on the underside of the body, a variety of decoration probably derived from French goldsmiths and popular in England throughout the reign of Charles II and for some years afterwards. The general form of the vessel with its hexafoiI foot of modifìed pre-Reformation form is similar to that of two gold chalices in the Chapel Royal, St. James's Palace, engraved with the Royal Arms of William and Mary, but probably wrought by a Court goldsmith of the time of Charles II, which are illustrated on Plates iv and v in the present writer's book on old English gold plate. The Welshpool chalice bears no London date-letter, while the maker's mark is illegible. But there can be no doubt that it was made in London from the purest gold of Guinea,^ as recorded in the most interesting inscrip- tion praying that if any wicked man should alienate the chalice from its sacred use he might pay the penalty of God the avenger at the Last Judgment—a curse which " recalls the inscription, Oui alienarit anathema sit," on the famous Anathema cup of the year 1481-2, presented to Pembroke CoIIege, Cambridge, by Thomas Langton, Bishop successively of St. David's, Salisbury, and Win- ^ The gold used for some Scottish coins of Charles I was suppUod by the Royal African or Guinea Company from bulhon obtained on the " " coast of New Guinea. Similarly, it was used for the Guinea coins in England, introduced early in the reign of Charles II. The Company had a house in Leadenhall Street, called Africa House, and was granted " arms, with a Latin motto, which Pepys thought too tedious ". The Gold CJialice of Welshpool 3 chester, and the similar inscription on the rare Uttle silver chaHce of 1614-15, given to the Church of Llangeinwen in Anglesey in 1615, by the Rector, The Rev. Robert White, D.D., which is iHustrated in the present writer's book, The Chiirch Plaíe of the Diocese of Bangor, 1906, Plate xxxi. Although all the great cathedrals and monasteries were exceedingly rich in vessels of gold before the Reformation, there are now probably only four English gold chalices in existence (exclusive of the Welshpool chalice) anterior in date to the year 1800. Sacramental vessels of gold were also sacrificed during the Civil War. The gold chalices now preserved are the one dated 1507-8, given with a gold paten and a silver crosier to Corpus Christi College, Oxford, by its founder, Richard Foxe, Bishop of Win- chester and the massive vessel at Clare ; plain College, Cambridge, bought with a legacy of £260 in 1617 from Dr. William Butler, physician and alumnus of the College, " that a very substantial and fair Communion Cup, of the most purest and fine gold that can be found ". The other two chalices are those of the Chapel Royal, already mentioned. A search has been made in the Public Record Oífice for any documents concerning the oíficial career of Thomas Davies in West Africa but without success, nor can his name be traced in connection with the Company of Royal Adventurers of England trading to Africa, which was granted a charter by Charles II in 1662. But his long and interesting will has been found at Somerset House (44 Hene), signed and sealed August 18th, 1664. He describes himself as of the Island of Barbadoes and without issue and desires his executors to erect a cenotaph " in the Parish Church of Welshpool as near as possible to where my mother Mrs. Margarett Davies is buried, with an inscription thereon giving an account of my life B 2 4 Tìie Gold Chalice of Welshpool and travels". Unfortunately, this cenotaph was either not erected or taken dovm in the restoration of the church in 1771. The many benefìciaries inchide his brother, Edward Davies, resident in Surranam [? Surinam], and the said Edward's three children, Richard, Edward and Ehzabeth ; his Damaris Sandford and his nieces, Mary Raymont ; his Mrs. nephew, John Ra^^mont ; sister, Margarett Cuny and her David his and son, Lloyd ; brother, Esay Davies, his two Thomas and and his (Esay's) sons, Jolm ; sister, Mrs. Sarah Davies. To his three sons-in-law, WiUiam, John, and James Pead, he left ;^100 each, provided they did not molest his " executors or cause them to be arrested for anything relating to tlie last wih of their late father Willm Pead Esq. decd otherwise this bequest to be void ". This legacy was revoked by a codicil of May 13th, 1665. Other bequests were for smah sums for mourning for his friends, Captain Richard Noke, Peter Watson, Mathias Goodfehow and his wife, and Richard Davies, of the Temple,^ gent., and his wiíe. To his nephew, Francis PoweU, he left ah his books, jewels, plate, and wearing apparel. This legacy was revoked by the above codicil in favour of his wife, Mary Davies, who was also left the residue of his estate. His son-in-law, Thomas Pead, was left £100 in this codicil, and his cousin, Thomas Davies, of BiUingsgate, was left a mourning ring, as was the said Thomas's wife, Ratherine. In a later codicil, dated July 12th, 1666, Thomas Davies " adds that since it has pleased God to caU me upon a " pubhc employment where I may end my days and ^ The only maii of this name in the records of the Inner or Middle Temple was Richard, son of John Davies, of London, deceased, Bencher of the Inner Temiíle, who was admitted to that Inn on M&y 20th 1647, and was called to the Bar in 1654.