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A Visitation of the Archdeaconry of Carmarthen, 1710

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G. Milwyn Griffiths, National Library of Wales journal. 1974, Summer Vol XVIII/3 and 1976, Summer XIX/3

Extracted onto the pages of GENUKI with the kind permission of the National Library of Wales

These are complete extracts of both sections of this article which contain references to separate parishes  - the second run of parishes follows the Notes of the first. (Gareth Hicks April 2003)


First Section

IN 1944 the Representative Body of the Church in Wales, in a decision subsequently ratified by the Governing Body, decided to deposit the episcopal, diocesan registry, capitular and other records of the Church in Wales in the National Library of Wales.  1  When the records were deposited in the Library a quantity of manuscript and documentary material appertaining to the diocese of St. David's was retained in the episcopal palace at Abergwili, co. Carmarthen. With the kind consent and cooperation of the Right Reverend Eric Matthias Roberts, M.A., bishop of St. David's, this material too was deposited in the National Library in 1972.   2

Amongst the items in this second deposit is a small manuscript volume (7" x 5 1/2") bound in ?calf with gilt and blind tooling on the outer upper and lower covers and ridged spine. Superimposed in the centre of the outer, upper cover is a rectangular red label inscribed in gilt capitals 'Uisitatio Archidiaconatus Maridunensis A.D. MDCCX'. The upper half of this cover also bears the inscription 'St. David's Diocesan MSS.' in gilt capitals. The volume contains one hundred and sixteen leaves numbered ff. i-viii (by the present writer), 1-81 (contemporary numbering), and 82-108 (by the present writer). The contents are as follows --- ff. i-v (blank); vi, two extracts from an unspecified edition of [William] Lyndwood [: Provinciale seu Constitutiones Angliae] 3  and from the English version of Canon LXXXVI of the Anglican canons of 1604   4  all relating to the duties of an archdeacon in connection with the visitation of churches; viir, the inscription 'Comperta in visitatione Archidiaconatus de Carmarthen Mensibus Julii et Augusti Anno Domini 1710' (as title-page); viii, a copy of a record of an act of 20 May 1710 whereby John Bettesworth, LL.D., vicar-general and official principal of the archbishop of Canterbury, appointed Edward Tenison, then archdeacon of Carmarthen, as his surrogate and deputy to undertake within the diocese of St. David's during the existing vacancy thereof all those duties which he himself was empowered to undertake in the said diocese by virtue of his patent of appointment; 1-81 (written on recto only), notes on sixty-two parishes within the archdeaconry of Carmarthen visited by the compiler of the notes; 82r, an alphabetical index to the parishes reported on in ff. 1-81 ; 82v-83r, a note relating to 'My Lord of Hereford ... the best Welshman living' [?Humphrey Humphreys, bishop of Hereford, 1701-12], to Welsh sermons by the said bishop, and to the writer's readiness to 'endeavour to get Subscriptions towards publishing of them', and extracts from various sources relating to the provision of bread and wine for communion purposes; and 83v-end (blank). From a comparison with the hand in letters written by him preserved amongst the archives of the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge it is almost certain that the extracts on f. vi were written by.........................

.......................... the aforementioned Archdeacon Edward Tenison. 5  The remainder of the volume, except the 'title-page' (f. viir), is in a smaller, neater, more compact hand of the same period.

According to the inscriptions on the outer cover and the 'title-page' (f. viir) the volume contains an account of the results of an [ecclesiastical] visitation of parishes in the archdeaconry of Carmarthen and this is what is found in ff. 1-81. The first of these inscriptions gives the date of the visitation as 1710 and the second more specifically the months of July and August in that year. Within the text of the report itself there is only one direct reference to the year of the visitation, i.e. when the visitor states that the minister of the parish of Llanddewi Felffre (Velfrey) claimed that certain glebe land in the parish had been in the possession of the vicar 'till this present year 1710'. 6  That the visitation took place in the summer of 1710 can probably be deduced from the transcript found on ff. 9-l0 off a letter dated 21 November 1710 from the secretary of the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge to the compiler of the report. This was in reply to a letter which the visitor had sent on 21 September to the S.P.C.K. concerning a school in the parish of St. Peter, Carmarthen, kept by [William] Evans, which features in his report on that parish. It is only reasonable to assume that the September letter was written not long after the actual visitation itself. The visitation is generally regarded as having been undertaken by Edward Tenison, the then archdeacon of Carmarthen, although his name does not actually appear in the volume except on f. viii as indicated above. There are, however, references in the report which definitely point to Tenison as the visitor. The aforementioned letter of 21 September is almost certainly the Edward Tenison letter of that date to the S.P.C.K. on the subject of the said school an abstract of which is to be found amongst the Society's archives as Abstract No. 2316. 7  On f. 17, when reporting on the parish of Meidrim, the visitor states 'The present Minister was inducted by me' and it is known that Lewis Davies, B.A., the then vicar of Meidrim, had been inducted by Tenison on 24 July 1710   8  Again, in the notes on the parish of Llanrhiain, the visitor on f. 79 describes the rectory of the parish as 'the Corps belonging to the Archdeaconry of Carmarthen' and on f. 81 refers to 'the Lease [of the said rectory] granted by my Predecessor', obviously his predecessor as archdeacon of Carmarthen. We may, therefore, in all probability safely accept the attribution of the visitation and the ensuing report thereon to the archdeacon.

Edward Tenison (1673-1735), a native of Norwich and a graduate of Cambridge University, had been ordained priest in 1697 by the bishop of Rochester. He had been made rector of Wittersham, co. Kent, in 1697 and rector of Sundridge in the same county in the following year. In 1705 he was made rector of Chiddingstone, co. Kent, and also a prebendary of the cathedral church of Lichfield. In February 1707/08 Thomas Staynoe, who had been archdeacon of Carmarthen since 1677, died, and at the time of his death the right of presenting to this dignity on the next vacancy thereof was in the hands of Thomas Tenison, archbishop of Canterbury. Thomas and Edward Tenison were first cousins and on 9 July 1708 Edward was..........................

................ admitted and instituted to the archdeaconry of Carmarthen on the archbishop's presentation. In March 1708/09 he was made a prebendary of the cathedral church at Canterbury. He resigned his prebend at Lichfield in 1708 but retained his rectory of Sundridge until 1722 and that of Chiddingstone until 1727. He remained archdeacon of Carmarthen until his resignation in 1727 when he was succeeded by his son Thomas. Subsequently he became bishop of Ossory, 1731-5.    9 During Tenison's tenure of office as archdeacon of Carmarthen Bishop George Bull, who had held the see of St. David's since 1705, died in February 1709/10, and the see was vacant until Philip Bisse was elected bishop 3 November 1710 and consecrated sixteen days later. During this vacancy of the see of St. David's John Bettesworth, LL.D., had been appointed vicar-general and official principal of the archbishop of Canterbury by letters patent dated 18 April 1710, 10  and, by his act dated 20 May 1710, Bettesworth appointed Edward Tenison as his surrogate and deputy to undertake within the said diocese of St. David's during the vacancy thereof all those duties which he, Bettesworth himself, had been empowered to undertake by virtue of the archbishop's patent of appointment. 11

Accepting that this visitation was held by the above Archdeacon Edward Tenison one interesting point arises in view of the position of archdeacons within the diocese of St. David's. When replying to questions put to him by Ecclesiastical Commissioners in 1830 concerning the role of archdeacons within the diocese G. W. Marriott, chancellor of the diocese, stated that 'the archdeacons have no active jurisdiction of any kind whatever ... the archdeacons are dignitaries only, not exercising jurisdiction ... They hold no visitations ...'. 12  The question of archdiaconal jurisdiction had been brought to the fore in 1664-5 in a dispute between the then bishop, William Lucy, and William Nicholson, bishop of Gloucester, who was also archdeacon of Brecon. Nicholson had been admitted to the archdeaconry of Brecon in 1643/4   13  and at the Restoration had been elevated to the see of Gloucester. He was allowed to retain his archdeaconry and in 1664 a dispute arose between him and Bishop Lucy, in the words of Thomas Yardley, 'about his right of visiting and exercising jurisdiction within his archdeaconry of Brecon which he knew his predecessors had formerly done; however it had of late grown into disuse'. 14  It would appear that Nicholson attempted to assert his judicial rights including his right of visitation and that when he was inhibited by the bishop he appealed to the Court of Arches. A suit was commenced in the said court but the matter was eventually referred to Humphrey Henchman, bishop of London, and George Griffith, bishop of St. Asaph, for arbitration. The two arbitrators, in their award signed 16 January 1664/5, rejected the archdeacon's claim stating that he had 'not Sufficient ground of Appeale But that the said Lord Bishopp of St. David's did iustly Inhibite the said Commendatary Archdeacon to exercise Iurisdiccion within the said Archdeaconry for that it appeared vnto vs that by lawefull proscripcion the Bishopps of St. David's have exercised all manner of Jurisdiccion within the said Archdeaconry, the Archdeacons enjoying and using noe other power but only the right of inductinge Clerckes into benefices vppon the mandate...............

........................ of the Bishopp of St. Davids And the right of requireinge and receivinge of Procuracions as they shall grow due'. 15  This was obviously the approximate state of affairs in the diocese as a whole when Chancellor Marriott gave his answers in 1830, and the status of the archdeacons for nearly two hundred years subsequent to the above-quoted arbitration was apparently that described by Marriott. The position has been summarised by my colleague Mr. W. T. Morgan in another context as follows - 'In fact the archdeacon's functions were largely ceremonial and he exercised no corrective jurisdiction whatsoever. As a result of the dispute between Bishop Lucy and Nicholson, archdeacon of Brecon, in 1665 even the right of holding visitations lapsed until this right was restored at a conference between the bishop and the four archdeacons at Abergwili, 5 April 1865'. 16 This lack of official power or status would, however, in all probability, not preclude an archdeacon from visiting the parishes within the geographical limits of his archdeaconry in a quasi-personal capacity if he wished to obtain information concerning the state of affairs in these parishes and to compile a report based upon his observations during his visitation. He would not, however, be able to proceed in an official capacity to take any judicial corrective measures consequent upon the information he obtained. With regard to the present visitation it may perhaps be argued that Tenison visited in a purely personal capacity. It is, however, interesting to note, and perhaps significant, that at the time of the visitation the see of St. David's was vacant, that Tenison had been appointed surrogate and deputy to John Bettesworth, vicar-general and official principal of the archbishop, within the diocese during this vacancy, and that prefaced to the actual report on the visitation is a copy of the record of Tenison's appointment as Bettesworth's deputy in the diocese. Technically Tenison may have been acting as Bettesworth's deputy rather than as archdeacon. Be that as it may the result is a visitation report which, although it deals largely with church buildings, also throws light on some aspects of parochial activities during the early eighteenth century. Below a transcript of the report is given.

G. MILWYN GRIFFITHS

Aberystwyth

 

LLAN AMDDYFRI    17

I began my Ecclesiatim Visitation for part of the Archdeaconry of Carmarthen at Llan Dingad alias Llan-amddyfri, where there were wanting in the Church a Book of Canons, Homilies, a Table of Degrees of Marriage, an English Common-Prayer Book, & a Registcr book for Christenings Marriages & Burials. I am told that the old Register Book was fill'd up with Names sometime before the last Vicar dy'd, & can't yet be got out of his Executor's hands. I advis'd Mr. Gwyn the Churchwarden 18 to demand it of them, & if he receiv'd it, to deliver it to the present Minister that such as may have occasion to make use of it may know where to have recourse to it. The Welsh Bible is in many places imperfect. Thc Fence is destroy'd on the South-East & most part of the North side of the Church-yard. 'Tis to be repair'd at the charge of the Parish. Mr. Gwyn has promis'd that it shal be made good. The Vicarage-House is begun to be repair'd. The kitchin is very uneven, & the outward wall very much decay'd. Mr Jones the present Incumbent 19   has bin in possession of it about a year & has repair'd the Parlour & Study at a considerable Expence, & made handsom Chambers over them: in all these rooms the windows are handsomly framed, & finish'd with lights of square glass. The Stable is down to the ground. The Barn wants great repairs. The Vicarage is worth between 50 & 60 £ per annum. 20  [f. 2] The Vicar resides here. He has another Cure at Llan Deilo & Llan Fihangel  21  under an Impropriator in Brecknock Shire, distant about five miles, which he generally serves by sending the Schoolmaster of Llan Dingad over on Sundays, except one Sunday in a month when he supplies it himself, & then the Schoolmaster officiates at Llan Dingad Church and Llan Vair y bryn. The Vicar by himself or his Curate preaches but once a fortnight at either of these Churches. He catechizes in Lent. Bread & wine at Easter found by the Clerk of the Parish. The wages of the Clerk but 2d a year of every Family. In thc Church & Chancel there are only Floors of earth which are insufferably uneven, occasion'd by the frequent burials of ordinary people in them.

The Tiling

 

repair

The inside walls

want

rendring & whiting.

The windows

 

glazing.

There are in the Steeple four Bells, which are all crack'd. None of them have Clappers. Elder growing out of the walls at the East end of the Chancel, & Ashes growing on the Walls of the north side of the Church should be destroy'd. Mr Prichard the Poet who was formerly Vicar 22  here is said to have given 20 £ per annum to this place, which was formerly paid but for above twenty years the payment of it hath been discontinued. In Ant. Wood's Account of Prichard if I mistakc not there is some notice taken of a Charity to this Place.   23   [f. 3] Number of Families & of Churchwardens see in pages 4, 5 under Llan Fair y bryn.

LLAN FAIR Y BRYN     24

A Chapell to Llan Dingad. 'Tis situated on a little hill in the Parish of Llan Dingad,, & is at least a mile distant from the nearest part of Llan Fair y bryn Parish. There is neither a book of Canons, nor Homilies, nor a printed Table of Degrees. In the Summer the Minister officiates on Sunday mornings both here & at the Mother-Church, in the afternoon at the Mother-Church only. In the winter he reads prayers, first on Sunday mornings at the Mother-Church, & the same mornings & also in the afternoon at the Chapel because most of his hearers that have not horses cannot by reason of the River being swell'd in the winter time come to the Mother Church, & therefore Prayers, after Morning Service at the Mother-Church, are read both parts of the day at the Chapell. He preaches here but once a fortnight. Of 156 Families belonging to Llan-Fair-y-bryn, one half of them are suppos'd to be Presbyterians. Bread & wine at the Communion at Easter are found by the Clerk. His Wages no more yearly than 2d of every Family, except Cottagers who pay but 1d a Family. There are uneven Floors of earth in Church and [f. 4] Chancell, but they are not nigh so uneven as those at Llan Dingad. The windows in the Chancell should be repair'd. The Glass belonging to two of the Church windows is intirely broke away. The Steeple is cover'd on the West North & East with Ivy. At the west end a little above the ground the roots of the Ivy have rifted the Stones asunder. On the south side of the Chancell the Ivy from bottom to top & the Ash out of the wall by the Chancell, & the Ashes & Elders growing on the north side out of the walls want to be destroy'd to prevent further mischief. In a space about 25 foot in length between the Church porch & a side Chancell that is projected from the body of the Church into the Churchyard, as far from the body of the Church as the entrance in the Church porch is, Men's Sculls and Bones are pil'd up against the Church wall about 6 foot high & expos'd to the open air. There are four Hamlets belonging to Llan Fair y bryn

Rhandir ucha or highest hamlet

 

24     Families besides Cottagers.

Rhandir isa or lowest hamlet

       containing;

54           "

Rhandir ganol or midle hamlet

 

40           "

Rhandir Abad or Abbots hamlet

 

38           "

 

 

----------------

 

 

156         "

Each of these hamlets has a Churchwarden.
Llandingad alias Llanamddyfri contains  110 Families including Cottagers.

Telich

24      Families besides Cottagers.

Fforest

26          "

Ystrad 

28          "

Mother [f. 5] Church & Hamlets

188

Chapell & Hamlets

156

                                                                In all

344     Families.

 

 

Of all these there seldom communicate at Easter above 14 Persons. Sacrament how often. Qu? Llanamddyfri Town has two Churchwardens, each of the three remaining Hamlets hath one. So that the Mother Church Chapell & Hamlets have nine Churchwardens. In Llan Fair y bryn there is a Lordship & Chapell belonging to the Hamlet called Rhandir..............

..............Abad. The Inhabitants bury & receive the Sacrament at Llan Fair y bryn. There is sometimes a Reader, who is a Lay-man. He is paid a poor pittance as I hear by Mr Price my Lady Campbell's Steward. A third part of the Tyths is suppos'd to belong to a Minister who ought to officiate at the Chappel, but this is receiv'd by Mr. Price, & is judg'd to be worth 20 £ per annum. There are some Demesne (Lands, interlineated) which pretend to be exempt from paying Tyth to the Tenants of the Rectory & to thc Vicar of Llan Dingad, becausc they were Abbots Lands. Qu. the Order?

LLAN EGWOD

The Ash & Ivy at the East end of the Church over the Chancell, & the Ivy at the east end of both Chancells, & the Ash, Willows, & Elder growing on the Buttresses on the north side of the Chancel which belongs [f. 6] to the Parish, & the Ash & Ivy in other places of the north side of the Church, & Ivy & Elder at the west end of the Church should be destroy'd. The Floor is of earth & uneven, the graves being left so that ordinary people may see where their friends are buried. The window of the Minister's Chancel over the communion Table wants to be mended. Sculls & men's bones between one of the Chancell buttresses & an isle of the Church are pil'd against the wall about 8 foot high & expos'd to the open air. No house nor glebe belonging to the Minister. Mr. Meyrick the Minister   25  resides neither here nor in the other Parish he holds with this. There is a Curate residing here. There is a Charity of 3 £ a year for catechizing. Mr Meyrick besides this 3 £ gives the Curate 12 £ a year. Mr Meyrick is Minister of this Church & of Pen Boyr near Cardigan shire, & lives constantly at Carmarthen. The Churches are about 10 miles distant from one another. The Curate preaches every other Sunday, sometimes in English, sometimes in Welsh. He has promis'd to expound the Catechism on Sundays when there is no Sermon. Archdeacon Jones   26 (besides the 3 £ abovementioned for catechizing) left 8s a year for a Sermon to be preach'd yearly on Whitsunday 27  on condition that an Account of all Legacies left to the Parish be then publish'd to the people, & an account where the Lands lye, out of which they arise, & this is observ'd every year. [f. 7] Bread & Wine for the Communion are not provided at the charge of the Parish at Easter, but by the Minister & the Impropriators in proportion to their profits; & the Sacrament is administred on Easter-Eve, Easter-Sunday, & the Sunday after. On Whit-sunday, on the Sunday after All Saints, and at Christmas, the Clerk is at the expence of Bread and Wine. At last Easter the number of Communicants was computed to be between two & three hundred. There are nine Hamlets belonging to the Parish

Egwod

 

29

Heirnyn

 

45

Llan Deilo rwnws & Mynachty

 

22

 

) which besides cottagers containe

           )   Families.  (In All 203)

Llether gele

 

18

Llech fraith

 

25

Llech gron

 

30

Mairos

 

20

Ystrad

 

14

CARMARTHEN. ST. PETERS       28

The Floor of the Town-Chancel is uneven. The Roof of the Church is repairing. On some Sundays the Minister doth not preach. The Proclamation against Profaneness and the Act against swearing not read quarterly. Mr Prichard   29  the Minister is also Vicar of Llan Gammarch in Brecnock Shire about 29 Welsh miles distant, which is at least 38 measur'd miles, the way to it is through Llan amddyfri, [f. 8] and thus far from Carmarthen it was measur'd by Mr Adams. See his Book of Roads  30  from Prestein to Carmarthen. There was no Service at Church on Palm Sunday. Mr Meyrick told me that he sent an account in Archbishop Sancroft's time of 2300 persons then in Carmarthen that were capable of receiving the Sacrament. Families 600. Q? if not more. The day on which a Corps is to be buried, a hand bell is rung about the streets to give notice of the burial, & afterwards tis rung before the Corps to the Churchyard door. Archbishop Grindal's Injunctions forbid the using of hand bells at Burials. Mr Meyrick has built a house for a School   31  for 20 boys, gives 10 £ a year towards cloathing them, & 10 £ to the Schoolmaster for teaching them their Catechism & to read & write. Here is a little Meeting of Presbyterians in the Town not certified according to Law as I am told by Mr Nathaniel Morgan   32  the present Churchwarden. The people of the Town that go to it don't exceed 20, & They come sometimes to Church. The rest of the Congregation come from New-Church, Llan Gynnerch, & other Parishes. Evans of Carmarthen is Head of a Seminary, 33  where 5 or 6 persons are instructed under him for Preachers for the Dissenters. He dos sometimes come to Church & has declar'd if he cou'd be encourag'd, that he is ready to come over to [f. 9] the Church of England, but to keep him in this way 'tis reported that out of a Charity, for which ye ( deletion) are Trustees, lie is allow'd 30 £ a year. Qu. if Mr ( deletion) don't pay this? After my return from Wales I writ to the Society for promoting Christian Knowledge   34 to let them know that Evans's Schools had crept into their accounts as a charity School, & that it being in opposition to the Church of England, I did believe that if upon further enquiry the Society found it such a sort of School as it was represented to me they would not give it countenance by continuing it longer in their accounts. My Letter was answer'd by another from the Secretary in these words.

Bartlet's Buildings
Nov' 21. 1710.

Reverend Sr

I am to thank you for the kind caution in yours of the list of September, upon receipt of which I wrote by order of the Society to Mr Vaughan of Derllysg to be inform'd concerning the Schoole you mention'd at Carmarthen, & he has return'd the following account to me, viz.

There is one Evans a Dissenting Minister (which I have been inform'd) did in Carmarthen teach a few poor Children & is taken notice of in the Society's Account to teach the Number of twelve, but not by his name or character of a Dissenter. I am not sure he continues teaching them still, nor did I ever give any information [f. 10] to the Society of this matter, so that since there is exception taken, it may be left out of the future Accounts,..................

................ & Mr Edmund Meyrick's Charity-School erected in Carmarthen for Twenty Boys cloath' d inserted in the room thereof. I shal take care that the next account be corrected according to this Advice.

Sign'd

Henry Newman. 35

 

LLAN LLWCH

About a mile from Carmarthen is Llan llwch, a Chapell of ease to it. The roof is intirely destroy'd & the Chapel disus'd. The Church-yard Fence still remains. Q. if there is not a Quakers meeting at this Place?

LLAN NEWYDD

The floor is of earth, & graves make it uneven from one end to the other. The walls want rendring. Two windows want glazing. The Minister 36  has neither House nor Glebe. This is a Chapell; the Minister dos not reside. Mr. Thomas Maynwaring of Baily Vicar is Impropriator, & pays the Minister a Salary of 4 £ a year. Prayers once a Sunday. The Minister preaches always in Welsh. He formerly preach'd but once in three weeks, but at present preaches (f. 11] every other Sunday. The Act of Parliament against swearing is not read at all. The Proclamation against Vice & Profaneness is not read quarterly. There is a Legacy of Ten shillings a year given to the Poor. Qu. by whom, when, & out of what Lands? 37 No Communion but at Easter & Whitsuntide. The Clark is at the Charge of Bread & Wine. About twenty years ago the Clark says that there were above 100 Communicants. Now there are about 50. Fourty Families in the Parish.

ABER NANT

The walls of the Chancell should have the rendring mended, & the Tiling on the south side. The windows should be glaz'd. The floor is of earth & uneven. The Tiling of the Church Porch should be new ripp'd. The Book of Homilies, Canons, & Table of Degrees are wanting. The thatch of the Barns & outhouses belonging to the Minister want to be mended. The Glebe is about 200 Acres & was lately let at 8 £ a year. Tythe Cheese in value about 50s a year. One tythe Kid a year worth 6d. The Minister   38 resides in the Vicarage house which stands on a great deal of ground, but has no Chambers. [f. 12] He has no other Cure but Cynwyl Elfed, which is a Chapell to Aber nant. In that Parish the Minister has no Tyth except Kids & Hony. There seldom fall above a Kid in a year worth about 6d. The Minister preaches but once a month at the Mother-Church or the Chapell. Prayers every Sunday once. Catechizes every Sunday in Lent at both Churches. One Family of Presbyterians in the Parish. Bread & Wine at Easter found by the Clark. CXL Communicants at Easter. About 60 poor people at Abernant & Cynwyl can read Welsh. LXX Families in the Parish.

CYNWYL ELFED

An earthen floor uneven from one end of the Church to the other.

 

Tiling

 

mending

The

Windows

want

glazing

 

Walls

 

rendring

There is a Meeting house. About nine Families of Presbyterians in the Parish join those yt come to it from other Parishes. Prayers once every Sunday. Sermon once a month.

LLAN LLAWDDOG    39

The windows want glazing, the walls rendring & whiting. The Floor is of earth & uneven in many places. There wants a Book of Homilies, Canons & a Table of Degrees. [f. 13] No House nor Minister resident. His Salary 5 £ a year, & as much at Llan y pum Sainct from the Church of Windsor. Prayers once a Sunday. There is no preaching but in Welsh, which generally is twice a Month. About 6 Families of Dissenters. At Easter Bread & Wine are found by the Clark. About L Communicants at Easter. Fifteen Poor can read Welsh. Between 5o & 6o Families.

LLAN Y PUM SAINCT

A Chapell to Aber Gwili. The windows want glazing. The walls of the Church want rendring. The Church floor is of earth only & very uneven. There was a Book of Homilies which the Clark says Mr George Lewis had & never restor'd. Prayers once a Sunday. The Minister preaches every other Sunday. 'Tis a Welsh Cure. No house. No Minister resident. Salary for serving the Cure 5 £ a year, from the Impropriators the Church of Windsor. Thomas Llwyd of Bryn y cenau gave 40s to be divided amongst the Poor on Nov. 2d yearly. 40  The Sacrament is administred four times a year. The Clark at Easter finds Bread & Wine. There are at Easter about forty Communicants. [f. 14] Twelve poor People can read Welsh. Twenty-nine Families. Just by the Church on the North side are the ruins of a little Chapell, which in the memory of the Clark had a roof upon it: he never did know any use made of it except that on Sundays in wet weather the Country people resorted thither to dance. There are five wells or pools in the River, which tradition says were made use of by the five Saints, & that each particular Saint had his particular well. On S. Peter's day yearly between two & three hundred people get together, some to wash in, & some to see these wells. In the Summer time the people in the neighbourhood bath themselves in these wells to cure aches. This is a Chapell to Aber Gwili, & so is Llan Llawddog. Llan y pum Sainct signifies a Church dedicated to five Saints, or, The Church of the five Saints.

ABER GWILI   41

The Church Floor is uneven but little in comparison of other Churches, a great part of it being pav'd. The roof at the west end wants mending. Ivy at the west end over the porch & about the Church in other places should be destroy'd. A Chapel in that part .................

.................... of the Parish next Llan Egwod is decay'd. The present Minister Mr Havard 42  late Chaplain to Bishop Bull is a very good man, & is now using endeavours to raise contributions for its repair that publick Service may be performed in it to prevent the growth of [f. 15] Dissenters in that part of the Parish, they being there most numerous. This man would be of great use in Carmarthen. He preaches every Sunday in Welsh except the first Sunday in the month, & then there is an English Sermon. There is a Meeting house just by the decay'd Chapell built from the ground by Presbyterians in Bishop Watson's time as I am told. 'Tis less frequented than formerly. A Charity-Schoole House is erected by the bounty of Griffith Llwyd, Esqr, 43  & endow'd with 6 £ a year for ever for the poor Children of the Village & neighbourhood to learn to read English & to say their Catechism. Communicants at Easter about 200. The Church is kept more decently than in other villages by reason of the following Fees being required

 

lower

)

3:4

For burying a Corps 

second

) Arch

5:0

in  the Church in the

third

)

6:8

Space next the

fourth

)

10:0

 

 

Chancell

13:4

Tis a rule with the Church-wardens constantly to receive the Fees before they suffer the Ground to be broke up.

MERTHYR

The Chancell windows want mending. [f. 16] The floor there & in the Church is uneven. No Homilies, Canons, or Table of Degrees. A new house just built by the present Incumbent. A new Stable & Cowhouse are now a building. The Minister 44  do's not reside. He lives in Carmarthen. He has also Llan Deilo aber Cowyn, a Church three miles distant, worth about 20 £ a year. Qu. how often the Minister preaches? There is a Meeting house for Presbyterians, set up in a part of the Parish remote from the Church, but Mr Vaughan of Derllysg in this Parish assures me that not one of the Parishioners goes to the Meeting. The Charges of Bread & Wine at Easter are born by the Minister. About 60 Communicants at Easter. XXX poor people can read Welsh. About 30 Families, Cottagers included. The outhouse next the Stable wants thatching, and so do's the Barn. For a year after the Funeral of Persons of better fashion every saturday night the Graves are straw'd with herbs & a bier that is arch'd is set over the grave every Sunday morning, & cover'd with black, unless it be a Maid's grave & then 'tis cover'd with white. This custom is also in practice at Carmarthen.

MEIDRIM VIC

The Church windows want glazing, & the Floor to be made plain & even. [f.17] No Book of Homilies Canons, nor Table of Degrees. There is an incroachment made upon the Church yard by Thomas Rhys the Clark who last Summer built a House there. He says that he had leave from the Parishioners to build it, but the right of ye Church yard being in the Vicar, the Parishioners leave avails nothing. The present Minister   45 was inducted by me, & is desirous to reside, but the day on which the last Minister was buried, Mrs Powel of Carmarthen, who has a Lease of the great Tyths, took possession of the house, & claims it as belonging to her, notwithstanding that most part of it was built from the ground by the last Incumbent. The reputed Value of this (the value of the Chapell annex'd to it being included) is 46 £ a year. 46  Here are Sermons two Sundays in a Month, & on the other two Sundays at the Chapell. Tis a Welsh Cure. Bread & Wine at Easter are provided at the Charges of the Impropriator [.] About 100 Communicants at Easter. XX poor people can read Welsh. A Charity School kept in the Church endow'd with 8 £ a year for four poor children of this Parish & four of Llan Fihangel Aber Cowyn.   47 The Hazle, Elder, Ivy & Ash growing out of the Church-walls & in other places near the foundation of the Walls to be destroy'd, & the walls new-pointed.

[f. 18]  CRINO

The walls of the Chancell & the Church from one end to the other want rendring & whiting. A very great part of the Tiling of the roof of the Church is dropt down. The windows of the Chancell are without Glass. The floor of Church & Chancell are uneven. Stones & rubbish lie scatter'd over the Church floor in many places. The Fence of the Church yard is down. Minister Mr Thomas Morgan, who lives at Llan Ddewi welffri. Reputed value about 10 £ a year. He is Vicar of Llan Ddewi welffri & Llan Fallteg. 48 The first is about a mile distant, the last about two miles. He reads prayers once every Sunday. He preaches once a fortnight, one time in Welsh & another in English. No Catechizing. Bread & wine at Easter provided at the charge of the Minister. Sacrament administred only at Easter & Whitsuntide. Four poor people can read Welsh. About ten Families in the Parish. The east End of the Chancel roof wants ripping, & so doth most of the Church roof. Elders on the northside of the Church near the wall to be destroy'd.

LLAN PETHER  49

Ivy on the wall of the cross Ile & at the east end of the body of the Church over the Chancell [f. 19] Roof, & at the east end of both the Chancells, together with the Elder under the north wall of the Church & in other places to be destroy'd, & the walls to be new pointed. The Chancell windows to be glaz'd. The floor there & in the Church to be made even. The Fence of the Churchyard to be repair'd. 'Tis said that the Minister had mony about two years since to repair the Parsonage house, which is yet unrepair'd.

The Thatch in some parts of the outhouses is quite worn away, & the Timbers expos'd to the weather. The Minister Mr Harris   50  is not resident. He was or is Chaplain to the Regiment that was my Ld. Charlemonts. This gives him a colourable excuse for non-residence & in stead of being with his Regiment, I hear he is at London in hopes of getting a Lecture there. His Curate is Mr David Lewis. Three Sundays in the month the Sermons are preach'd in English, the fourth in Welsh. Mr Powel preaches the Welsh Sermon in Mr Lewis's stead. No Dissenters. The Sacrament is administred at Christmas, Easter & Whitsuntide. Bread & Wine found by the Clark except at Easter, & then the Minister is at the charge of it. At Easter there are about forty Communicants. Twenty three poor people can read Welsh. Above 100 Families in the Parish.

[f. 20] LLAN DDEWI WELFFRI

The Church & Chancell want rendring, the windows glazing, & the floor to be made plain. There are wanting an English Bible, a book of Canons, Homilies & Table of Degrees. The Fence of the Church-yard to be repair'd. The Minister   51  says that half an Acre of the Glebe has been lately taken from him against all right & without any previous proceedings at Law by Mr John Lewis, & that this was in the possession of the Vicar of Llan Ddewi Welffri till this present year 1710. Five pounds was left to the Poor of the Parish by Dr Hensent the late Rector, but the mony was never paid. The Minister says that 'tis reported that twas once in the hands of Mr Meyrick of Carmarthen. The Minister is resident. The Vicarage is in value about 20 £ besides the Glebe. The Rectory is worth about 20 £.   52  With the Vicarage he holds Llan Fallteg & Crino, this last is held by sequestration. In this Church there are every month two Sermons, one in Welsh the other in English. There are in the Parish two Families of Dissenters, one of Quakers, another of Anabaptists. The Sacrament is administred there three times a year. At Easter the Minister is at the charge of bread & wine. At Easter there are about 30 Communicants . About 60 Families in the Parish. [f. 21] There were neither Minister nor Clark nor Churchwardens to be found when I visited Crino & Llan y Bydder.

EGREMOND

A great part of the Chancel lies expos'd to all weathers, the roof is so decay'd that probably it would drop down were it not supported by props in the inside of the Chancell, by which a great part of the Chancell is render'd altogether useless. Neither Church nor Chancell hath any Glass in the windows. Every part of the floor is uneven. There is no Book kept for registring Christenings, Marriages & Burials. The Book of Homilies, Canons, & Table of Degrees are wanting. The Church-yard is very indecently over-run with bushes. No Minister resident. Mr Rice is Minister here 53  & of Llan Dyssylio, which is above a mile distant. Mr Rawleigh Mansel is Impropriator & allows 3 £ a year for serving the Cure. Prayers are read once every Sunday in the Summer time, & every other Sunday in the winter. Sermons always in Welsh, there are none preachd except once or .................

.................. twice a year. The Act against Cursing & Swearing was never read. There is one Family of Independents. For above Seven years there hath been no Sacrament administred in this Church. [f. 22] About six poor people can read Welsh. There are about 20 Families in the Parish. I had this account from the Minister.

LLAN DYSSYLIO

The rendring of the walls of the Church & Chancell should be repair'd. The roof of the north side of the Chancell lies open to the wind & weather. For these last 10 or 12 years there has been no Register Book kept, no Canons, no Homilies, no Table of Degrees. No man that I could meet with remembers yt there ever was a Vicarage house here. Mr Theophilus Rice the Minister is resident   54  He suffers in his reputation for being addicted to drinking & swearing. The reputed value is in Tyths 10 £, Glebe 03 £.  55  Prayers read every Sunday. In three years last past there have not been six Sermons. Not a Child hath been catechiz'd in seven years time. The Act against Cursing & Swearing has been never read. There is a Meeting house for Anabaptists in the Parish. Mr Rice says that there are but four intire Families of Anabaptists living here, but besides these he tells me that some out of other Families go often to the Meeting. Maurice Jones gave 40s yearly to the Poor of the Parish to be distributed in wheaten Breads. 56 [f. 23] on the 16th of December. The Clark finds bread & wine at Easter. Communicants at Easter 40,  Whitsuntide 20, Christmas 20.  About 30 poor can read Welsh. Families in the Parish about 120. The account (except that part of it respecting the person of the Minister) from Mr Rice.

LLAN FALLTEG

An Ash growing out of the east wall of the Chancell to be destroy'd. The Church & Chancell walls want rendring. The floor is a little uneven, & none of the windows are glaz'd. The Minister has neither house nor Glebe. Mr Thomas Morgan is Ministers 57 of this place, Llan Ddewi Welffri & Crino. He lives at Llan Ddewi welffri distant about 2 miles, he reads Prayers every Sunday & preaches but two Sermons in a month which are alltogether Welsh. No children are catechiz'd here. There is here one Family of Presbyterians. The Sacrament is administred 4 times a year. At Easter the Minister provides Bread & Wine at his own charges. At Easter there are about 30 Communicants, & about 12 at other times. In the Parish there are about 36 Families. This from the Minister.

[f. 24] CASTELL DURAN

A Chapel to Kil y maen llwyd. There was neither Minister, Churchwarden, nor Clark to give an account. The Church Floor is a little uneven. There is no Glass in the Church windows. No Church bible, Canons, Homilies, nor Table of Degrees. No Minister resident. The Minister is Mr Samuel Morris Vicar of Llan Gan, 58  who serves this Place & Kil y maen Ilwyd about 2 miles from it, as he is Curate to Mr Collins Rector of Kil y maen llwyd & Vicar of Llan Geler which is distant from Kil y maen llwyd about ten ..............

.............. miles. The value of Castell Duran is reputed to be about 14 £ a year. There are prayers here once a month, sometimes oftener. Mr Morris preaches here 4 or 5 times a year. The children are never catechiz'd. The Sacrament is administred only at Easter, then Bread & Wine is found by the Minister Mr Collins. The Communicants are about Ten, & the Families of the Parish about Twenty two. One or two go now & then to the Meeting.

LLAN GAN

In the Church-yard are the ruins of a Church or Chapell. The walls of the Church & Chancell should be new render'd. The windows glaz'd & ye Floor made even. [f. 25] There are no Homilies, Canons, nor Table of Degrees, no House nor Glebe for the Minister. Mr Samuel Morris the Minister 59  resides here and serves this Church, Castell Duran, Kil y maen llwyd, & Eglwys Fair llan Taf. The value of Llan Gan is about 20 £ a year. 60  Kil y maen llwyd is about 2 Miles distant, Castell Duran a mile & a half, & Eglwys Fair llan Taf one mile. He reads Prayers once every Sunday at Llan Gan & preaches twice a month. In this manner is Kil y maen llwyd serv'd. Castell Duran see before. At Eglwys Fair Llan Taf there are Prayers once every Sunday, & a Sermon twice a month. To serve these Churches Mr Morris begins Prayers about 6 in the morning at Eglwys Fair llan Taf, at Llan Gan about 8, & at Kil y maen llwyd about 11, on those Sundays on which there is Service at Castell Duran where Service begins about 4 in the afternoon. & this is occasion'd by the Nonresidence of Mr Collins who for the sake of having his Cure serv'd at a low rate will keep no Curate resident, notwithstanding there are 55 Families at Kil y maen llwyd & about 20 at Castell Duran, by which neglect the people are drawn away from the Church to the Conventicle, those that come to Church go sometimes to the Meeting. At Kil y maen llwyd there are four profess'd Anabaptists & ten Presbyterians. At Llan Gan the Children are catechiz'd a little before Easter, but at none of the other Churches. [f. 26] The Sacrament is administred here but once a year & that at Easter. The Bread & Wine is found by the Impropriator. Communicants about 80. Families about 64. There are some Presbyterian Families here. Most of the Parishioners go sometimes to Church and sometimes to the Meeting. This from Mr Morris.

HENLLAN AMGOED

The walls of the Chancell should be render'd, the floors be made even & the windows glaz'd both there & in the Church. The Elder on the south side of the Church shou'd be destroy'd.  No house, nor Glebe, nor Minister resident. Mr Howel Minister of Llan boydy, of this place,   61  & of the Chapell belonging to it Eglwys Fair a Chyrig resides at Llan boydy, about 2 miles distant. This Church is serv'd by a Curate that lives at Llan boydy. Prayers are always read in Welsh once every Sunday. There is but one Sermon in a month & that in Welsh. The Children are catechiz'd in Lent. The Act against cursing &  swearing is not read. The Presbyterians have a Meeting house here to whom the Independents join themselves. Most of the Parishioners that come to Church go sometimes to the Meeting: but were the Minister's Duty perform'd as it ought to be, 'tis to be hop'd..................

................... yt the numbers of Dissenters might decrease. [f. 27] The Meeting consists sometimes as Mr Howel says of 2 or 3 hundred hearers. Communicants at Easter about 20, at other times about 5. Families about 30. This account from Mr Howel.

KIL Y MAEN LLWYD

The walls of the Church want rendring, the Tiling of the Roof between the Bells & the north door wants to be new ripped. The windows to be glaz'd. The floor to be made even. The Welsh Common Prayer Book is torn & imperfect. No Canons, nor printed Table of Degrees. The fence of the Churchyard to be repaired. No house, no Glebe, no Minister resident. Reputed value about 50 £ per annum. 62 Mr Collins Minister here 63  & of Llan Geler about 10 or 12 miles distant. His Curate Mr Morris of Llan Gan. Salary about 10 £ a year. Prayers every Sunday once, generally in Welsh, but sometimes half in English half in Welsh. See more under Llan Gan p. 24, where is also an account of the Dissenters. The Act against Swearing & cursing not read. Sacrament administred 4 times a year. Bread & wine at Easter found by Mr Collins the Rector. Communicants then about 60. Families 5o. See Llan Gan. From Mr Morris.

[f. 28] LLAN GLYDWYN

The walls of the Church & Chancell to be render'd, the windows glaz'd, the floor made even, the fence of the Churchyard repair'd. No house nor Glebe belonging to the Minister. Mr Tho. Philips the Curate is non-resident. he lives at Llan Boydy, & besides this Cure serves at Henllan amgoed, & Eglwys Fair a Chyrig. The Rector is Mr Lewis Beddo  64 who is also Minister of Carrew in Pembrokeshire about 15 miles distant. He comes but once a year to this Living; he is an Englishman & cannot read Welsh, & therefore uncapable of this Cure, the Parish being altogether Welsh, the Curate reads Prayers in Welsh once every Sunday, preaches only in Welsh & that but once a month. His Salary is 6 £ a year. The whole Tyths are let for 15 £ a year. The children are catechiz'd in Lent. In the Parish are 9 or 10 Dissenters. one belongs to the Anabaptists Congregation & 8 or 9 to the Presbyterians. Communicants at Easter about 20 at other times 5 or 6. Families including Cottagers 16. The Minister Mr Beddo given to drink, & when he is in drink to fight. This from the Tenant of the Tyths who seems to be disoblig'd.

EGLWYS FAIR A CHYRIG

A Chapell to Henllan amgoed. The Church floor [f. 29] uneven, the windows to be glaz'd, the fence of the Churchyard to be repair'd. No Ministers house nor glebe. Mr Howel   65  the Minister lives at Llan boydy, and serves this by a Curate Mr Philips who lives also at Llan boydy. Prayers are read here once every Sunday, & once a month there is a Sermon. Children are catechiz'd in Lent. Twice a month there is a Meeting of Presbyterians in the Parish. Here are 3 Families of Presbyterians. There are 31 other Families. Communicants at Easter are about 60. at the 3 other times about 25. The Minister at Easter finds bread & wine

LLAN BOYDY

The Church Floor is uneven. There is a house & land belonging to it, but only a third part of these is said to belong to the vicar, the other two parts are claim'd by the Impropriators. The part in which the Vicar is to dwell is not to be distinguish'd. The whole is let, & the Vicar recives 1£ : 6s : 8d: for his share of the Rent, & the Impropriator has 2£ 13 : 4d for his two parts. Mr Howel the present Minister 66 says that one of his Predecessors sued for the house, but he could not recover the shares the Impropriator layd claim to. Mr Howel resides in a house of his own. He says that the [f. 30] Value of this Living is but 27 £ a year,  67 And that Henllan amgoed is of the same value, but I was told that that Living was worth 50 £ a year. 68  That is about 2 miles distant from this. Prayers every Sunday twice, & a Sermon once a month. They are both in Welsh. Children are catechiz'd in Lent. The Meeting in this Parish consists of about thirty Presbyterians as I am told by Mr Howel. Bread & wine found at Easter by the Minister Mr Howel, & so at Henllan amgoed & Eglwys Fair a Chyrig. At Easter about 300 Communicants. At the 3 other Communions about 40 at each. Families here about 240. Thus far from Mr Howel. Nine Children upon Charity taught to read & to say their Catechism, for which 3 £ a year is paid. 69  Mr Vaughan of Derllysg has a Subscription Roll & will endeavour to get more Subscribers that the number of Children may be enlarg'd. The Minister has not yet contributed, tho' he is rich & has a considerable Temporal Estate.

LLAN YNIO

The Tiling of the Church & Chancell to be mended. The east end of the Chancell is in danger of dropping down, 'tis at present supported by a shore. The Chancel window is stopt up, which makes [f. 31] the Church too dark. The Church windows to be glaz'd, the floor to be made even. There are no Book of Canons, Homilies, nor Table of Degrees. The Fence of the Churchyard is laid open. There is neither house nor glebe belonging to the Minister. Mr David Lewis serves this Cure; he is non resident, & lives at Tre' lech about 3 miles distant. For serving this Cure he receives of Mr Rich the Impropriator 5 £ a year. Some say that the Tyths are worth to Mr Rich 60 & some 70 £ a year. For 3 Sundays in the month Prayers are read once a day. There is one Sermon in a Month. The Parish is altogether Welsh. The Act against swearing & cursing is never read. There are 4 Presbyterian Families in the Parish. Bread & wine found at Easter by the Impropriator. At Easter above 130 Communicants. at other times about 20. There are about 50 Families. Twelve poor people can read Welsh.

LLAN GYNING

There has been no Register book kept for this Parish since the Restoration. The Chancell Floor & the floor in other parts off the Church are a little uneven. The walls of the Chancell & of the Body & north Ile of the Church should be new render'd. Ridge Tiles over the south side of the Church are wanting. Ivy on the south & north sides of the Chancel & at the east end of the Body of the Church over the Chancel roof & Ivy on the north side...................

........................ of the Church, & of the [f. 32] Steeple, in which last place 'tis grown about 30 foot high & 20 foot broad, should be quickly rooted up, & the walls new pointed. There is no Minister resident, nor house nor glebe for him. The Minister's Salary   70  is 3 £ a year paid by Mr Philips of Llwyn crwn the Impropriator. Prayers are read every Sunday once. There is once a month a Sermon. The children arc never catechiz'd. There is a meeting of Independents, some few of the Parish go sometimes to hear them, and they sometimes come to Church. At Easter there are about 80 Communicants. at other times about  10 or 12. The Impropriator at Easter at his own charges provides bread & wine. Here are about 80 Families. About 15 poor people can read Welsh. The Church is very well pew'd.

ST. CLERE'S

The Chancell Walls to be new rend'red. The Church Walls to be whited. The Windows to be glaz'd & the floor to be made even. Ivy on the south side of the Church & at the east end of it, & on the north side & east end of the Chancell, & on the north side of the Church, & on the Steeple (which on the north & south sides is almost cover'd with Ivy) should be quickly destroy'd, & the walls made good with new pointing. No Canons, no Homilies, nor Table of degrees. [f. 33] The reputed annual value of the Tyths to the Minister 25 £   71  There are three parcels of Glebe one let at 0 £ : 19s: 0d another at 1 £ : 19s : 6d. The third the Minister keeps in his hands. this is worth about 0£: 15s : 0d. The yearly rent of the Glebe 3 £ : 13s : 6d. The Minister is Mr Henry Lewis, 72  who lives here in a house of his own. There is none belonging to the Church. With this Church he serves Llan Gynin a Chapel of ease belonging to it. Prayers are read here twice on Sundays, that he may do this he begins Prayers at Llan Gynin about 7 or 8 in the morning. Here are 3 Sermons in a month. these are sometimes preach'd in English & sometimes in Welsh. The Minister takes imprudent liberties in drinking. Bread & wine at Easter are provided at the Charges of the Impropriator & the Vicar. At Easter Communicants about 60. at each of the 3 other times about 6 or 8. Six poor people can read Welsh. Here are about 60 Families. A charity School was set up here, but 'tis discontinued at present. 73  Qu. the reasons?

EGLWYS FAIR LLAN TAF

I am told that this Chapell did heretofore belong to Llan boydy. [f. 34] The Body of the Church at the west end is shorten'd about 30 foot. The rubbish next the foundation is not yet remov'd. The floor of the Church is a very little uneven. The Church walls should be new render'd & the windows glaz'd. The Ash growing on & about the Buttress at the east end & near the Buttress at the west end, & in several other places out of the wall on the south side of the Church should be destroy'd & the wall & Buttresses new pointed. Mr Morris of Llan Gan officiates here,   74  the manner how see under Llan Gan. His Salary is 4 £ a year paid by the Impropriator, Mr Bloodworth of Surrey. The Sacrament is administred but once a year & that at Easter. Bread & wine are then found by the Impropriator. Communicants about 15. Families about 40. Several of the Parish go sometimes to hear the Dissenters. The Children are never catechiz'd.

KYFFIG, A CHAPELL OF EASE TO LACHARN

The walls of the Chancell & Church should be new rendred. The Glass-windows mended & the floor made even. No Canons, Homilies, nor Table of Degrees. No house nor glebe for the Minister. [f. 35] Mr James Morgan Curate to Mr Philips, who lives at Llacharn the Mother Church & is diligent in his duty there, is resident here . 75  Mr Morgan has the small Tyths to his own use, & besides 20 £ a year out of the augmentation made to Lacharn paid at four quarterly payments. Prayers are read here once every Sunday, & every other Sunday here is a Sermon in Welsh or English. The Children are catechiz'd every Sunday. There are in the Parish two dissenting Families. There was a Meeting house here about 3 years since, but upon proceedings against the Preacher at the Quarter-Sessions at the charge of Mr Philips for serving more Congregations than one, this Meeting was & continues to be deserted. Bread & wine at Easter found by the Impropriator. Communicants at Easter about 60. at other times from 10 to 20. Families in the Parish about 60. An Ash growing out of the wall & Ivy on the (Church, deleted) wall at the west end of the Church, & Ashes growing in several places out of the wall on the South side & at the east end of it should be destroy'd & the wall new pointed.

MARROS. ANOTHER CHAPELL OF EASE TO LACHARN

The little Ashes growing out of the wall near the top of the Steeple, the grass & other plants [f. 36] that grow thick in many places in the steeple wall, where the mortar is decay'd should be rooted up, and the walls in those places be new pointed. The walls of the Church & Chancell to be new render'd & the floor made even. Neither Canons, Homilies, nor Table of Degrees. The Fence about the Church yard is very much decay'd. No house nor glebe for the Minister. Mr Morgan the Curate here lives at Kyffig & serves that & this & Crunwer about a mile distant in Pembrokeshire. His Salary for serving Kyffig & Marros see under Kyffig. Prayers are read once every Sunday, one Sunday in the morning & another in the afternoon. When they are read in the morning they begin between 8 & 9, when in the afternoon they begin at 3. Every other Sunday here is a Sermon which is always preach'd in English. At Easter bread & wine are found by the Impropriator. Communicants about 19. Families about 30. Here is a small Charity School.

PENDEIN. A CHAPEL TO LLAN DAWC

The Elders & Ashes on the southside of the Chancell & near the east end should be destroy'd, & the walls that are injur'd by them should be new pointed. [f. 37] The Tiles and laths belonging to the Church Porch are all dropt down, & the Timbers of the roof of the porch expos'd to rot by rain & bad weather. The Steeple is ruinous, & part of it is fallen into the Church. The Church yard wall is very much out of repair in most parts of it, & in some parts dropt down to the ground. The walls of the Church & Chancell should be new render'd, the glass windows mended, & the floor be made even. A Bible, a Common Prayer Book, & a Parchment Book for registring of Christenings &c are wanting. There ...............

.........................has not been for many years any Register kept here. No Canons, Homilies, nor Table of Degrees. No house nor Glebe belonging to the Minister. The Tyths are rented at 16 £ a year. Mr John Evans Rector of Bridell in Pembrokeshire, distant about 20 Welsh miles, is Minister here, 76  but never resides, and this at Llan dawk the Mother Church will appear to be very injurious to his Successors. His Curate here & at Llan dawc is Mr George Thomas, who is likewise Curate of Llan ddowror where he resides. The Parishioners complain that he dos not come to prayers at a constant hour. Prayers are read generally once a Sunday; but sometimes they are without Prayers, which is occasion'd by the Curate's having many [f. 38] Cures & living in another Parish, where Sr John Philips is Patron & insists upon having the Parish serv'd carefully. For the most there is a Sermon every other Sunday, unless very rainy weather or some other accident prevents the Minister's coming from Llan ddowror. The Curate's Salary for serving Llan dawc & Pendein is 8  a year. The Proclamation against vice & profaneness & the Act against cursing & swearing are not read. At Easter about 20 Communicants. At other times about 4 or 5. Twenty four poor people can read Welsh. Families about 20.

EGLWYS CYMMING

The walls of the Church & Church-Porch shd be new rendred, the seats in the Porch mended, the Church Floor made even. The wall on the outside of the steeple under the window is out of repair. No Homilies. Mr William Thomas Rector. 77  The reputed value is about 60 £ per annum. 78  The Glebe is worth 1£-10s a year. The Minister dos not live in the Parsonage house, which stands very conveniently near the Church, but at a Farm house which he hires with a farm in the Parish about half a mile distant from the Church. [f. 39] Prayers are read twice every Sunday. There is a Sermon every Sunday, which is preach'd alternately in Welsh & English. The Children are catechiz'd in Lent. Communicants at Easter about 30. at other times 4 or 5. Families about 50.

LLACHARN

The Young Ashes & grass growing on the Buttresses & Sicomores by the foundation of the Vicarage-house should be destroy'd, & the buttresses be pointed. The rest of the house is put into good repair & several rooms & other parts of it fmished neatly by the present Minister at a considerable expence. There are no outhouses belonging to the Vicar. The house that formerly did belong to the Vicarage was destroy'd about the time of the King's Martyrdom. The present vicarage house was given by Bp. Thomas when he was vicar here. The walls of the north side of the Church should be new rendred. There are wanting a Welsh Bible, a Welsh Common-Prayer Book & the Homilies. The Glebe Land lies undistinguish'd amongst the Lands of Mr Samuel Hughes of Lacharn. There is no distinct account to be got of the Land which belongs to the Vicarage, [f. 40] in lieu of it the Vicar receives 6s 8d a year. The Minister Mr Philips resides here. 79  Prayers are read twice every Sunday, & once on wednesdays & frydays. A Sermon every Sunday & on State-days. These are in English, but besides these, thrice a month in the afternoons there are two Sermons preached in Welsh. The Catechism is expounded.......

..................& the Children are catechiz'd every Sunday. The Proclamation against vice & profaneness, & the Act against swearing are read about 6 times a year, because neither of them are read to the Parishioners of Llan Sadurnen the Parish annex'd to this in their own Church. In the Parish are two Meetings one of Quakers & another of Presbyterians. They are both of a long standing. The Quakers have continued ever since the reign of K. Charles II, & the Presbyterians were here in K. James's reign, the reason the Presbyterians give for going to Meetings when the present Minister came first to the Parish was because they had no Sermons at Church in a language they understood, this within a quarter of a year after his Induction induc'd him to take an Assistant to preach in Welsh, which has had a very good effect upon the Dissenters by reducing the number of Presbyterian Families from 16 to 4.  80 There Quakers are two [f. 41] families, & there are besides two other Dissenters that call themselves Antinomians. A Charity of 50s a year was left by Matthew Warren of Bristol to buy bread for the poor, which is distributed every Sunday. 81 Four Pound a year was left to the poor by Zachary Thomas of this place, but the Officers never receiv'd more than one year's rent they are now suing for this Gift. 82  At Easter the Impropriator pays for bread & wine. Communicants at Easter about 115 at monthly Sacraments about 40. Families about 160. Here is a Charity-School supported for about 3 years last past by a contribution of 8 £ a year, in it 20 poor children are tanght. 83 The roof of the north Porch is dropt down. Ashes, & other plants growing on the west side of the Chancell, & over the tiling of the cross Ile, & Ivy & Ashes & other plants on the northside of the Church, Ashes on the southside of the Church together with the Ivy should be destroy'd, & the walls new pointed. The Vestry Roof is down & the walls of it very much cover'd with Ivy, & is now made use of instead of a Charnel house. The Impropriation is worth 250 £ a year. [f. 42] An Augmentation is granted to the Vicar of 65 £ a year out of which the Impropriator has oblig'd the Vicar to pay 20 £ a year to a Curate for serving Kyffig & Marros. This Augmentation is not registred. The Vicar has the Tyth Hay of the whole Parish, & the Tyth Corn of a small part of it called Castle Toch. The value of all his Tyth-corn & Hay in this Parish is about 25 £. The rest of his revenue may be seen under Llan Sadurnen the Parish annext.

( to be continued)

NOTES

All manuscripts referred to are located in the National Library of Wales except where otherwise stated. Comments on the numerous references to Nonconformity in various parishes can be found in the relevant sections of Chapter III of J. E. Lloyd (ed.): A History af Carmarthenshire, vol. II, Cardiff 1939.

1. See T he National Library of Wales Journal, vol. IV, 1945-6, pp. 1-34, and the Library's Annual Report, 1943-4

2. See the Library's Annual Report, 1971-2, pp. 83-4.

3. The two ( LATIN) extracts from Lyndwood read as follows --- NOT EXTRACTED

4. See J. V. Bullard (ed.) : Constitutions and Canons Ecclesiastical 1604, Latin and English, London, 1934, pp. 90-91.

5. I am indebted to Miss M. E. Lister of the S.P.C.K. Archive Department, Holy Trinity Church, Marylehone Road, N.W. 1, for her help in this context.

6. See f.20.

7. See Mary Clement: Correspondence and Minutes of the S.P.C.K. relating to Wales, 1699-1740, Cardiff, 1952, p. 33.

8. SD / VC /7, p.60.

9. See Dictionary of National Biography; J. and J. A. Venn: Alumni Cantabrigienses, Part 1, vol. iv, Cambridge, 1927; Francis Green (ed.): Menevia Sacra by Edward Yardley ..., London, 1927, pp. 216-18; SD/BR/4, p. 13.

10. See Archbishop Tenison's Register 11, ff. 281r-282v in Lambeth Palace Library. I am deeply indebted to Mr. E. G. W. Bill, M.A., Librarian of Lambeth palace Library, for his kindness in checking this reference for me and also that in note 11.

11. See Archbishop Tenison's Register 11, f.340r in Lambeth Palace Library and also f. viii of the manuscript which is the subject of the present article.

12. Appendix to the Special and General Reports made to His Majesty by the Commissioners appointed to inquire into the Practice and Jurisdiction of the Ecclesiastical Courts in England and Wales, 1832, p. 251.

13. See the record of his subscription on admission in Menevia Sacra, p. 362.

14. Menevia Sacra, p. 201.

15. Their award was entered in the bishop's register, 9 November 1665 (SD/BR/3, pp. 77-8). See also Menevia Sacra, p. 414.

16. W. T. Morgan: 'The Consistory Courts in the Diocese of St. David's, 1660-1858', Journal of the Historical Society of the Church in Wales, vol. vii, no. 12, pp. 5-24, the present quote being from p. 6. See also W. L. Bevan: St. David's, London, 1888, pp. 196-7.

17. See Transactions of the Carmarthenshire Antiquarian Society and Field Club, vol. iv, p. 40.

18. George Gwynn, esq., or Thomas Gwyn, gent., both of whom are listed as wardens in 1710 (SD/VW/14).

19. John Jones, M.A., ordained deacon February 1706/07 and priest September 1707, and collated and inducted to Llandingad May 1709 (SD/BR/4, pp. 6, 10, 21; SD/VC/7, p. 48). See also Mary Clement: 'Hanes yr S.P.C.K. yn sir Gaerfyrddin o 1700 hyd 1750 gyda chyfeiriad arbennig at John Vaughan, Cwrt Derllys, a'i waith', University of Wales M.A. thesis, 1940, p. 280.

20. As opposed to the valuation of  £7 given in John Ecton: Liber Valorum et Decimarum being an Account of the Valuations and Yearly Tenths of all ... Ecclesiastical Benefices, London, 1711, p. 380.

21. Llandeilo'r Fan and Llanfihangel Nant Bran of which he is shown as curate in 1714 (SD/VC/7, pp. 97-8).

22. Rhys Prichard ('Yr Hen Ficer'; 1579?-1644), cleric and poet and author of Canwyll y Cymry, collated to this parish in 1602 (see D. Gwenallt Jones: Y Ficer Prichard a 'Canwyll y Cymry' and the Dictionary of Welsh Biography down to 1940).

23. Anthony A. Wood: Athenae Oxonienses (ed. P. Bliss), vol. iii, 1817, columns 116-17 mentions lands worth £20 a year given by Prichard during his lifetime towards the settling of a free school at Llandovery together with a house in which to keep the school. Prichard in his will, for a copy of which see N.L.W. MS. 1253, bequeathed several parcels of land situated near the church of Llandingad for the use of a free school in the town of Llandovery.

24. See Trans. Carms. Soc., vol. iv, p. 42.

25. Edmund Meyrick (1636-1713), cleric and patron of Welsh education, for whom see Dictionary of Welsh Biography down to 1940. He was possibly vicar of Llanegwad 1677-1712 (see Menevia Sacra, pp. 168-70).

26. William Jones, M.A., archdeacon of Carmarthen from the Restoration to 1677 (see Menevia Sacra, p. 216).

27. For the bequests relating to catechising and the Whitsun sermon see Endowed Charities (County of Carmarthen), London, 1901, pp. 168-9, 174.

28. See Trans. Carms. Soc., vol. i, pp. 5, 7.

29. Richard Prichard, ordained deacon September 1687 and priest September 1688, was appointed vicar of Carmarthen October 1699 and remained there possibly until 1728/9 when a successor was collated to the living (SD/VC/1, p. 147; SD/VC/7, pp. 52, 61; SD/BR/4, p. 184; Menevia Sacra, p. 297; M. Clement, aforementioned thesis, pp. 302-03).

30. ? Frank Adams: Writing Tables with a Kalendar for xxiii Yeres with other Necessary Notes ..., London, 1581 and subsequent editions.

31. See Trans. Carms. Soc., vol. ii, pp. 122-3; Mary Clement: The S.P.C.K. and Wales, 1699-1740, London, 1954, PP. 3, 105.

32. Nathaniel Morgan, mayor of Carmartheu, 1711, deputy-registrar of the bishop's court, 1701-15, secretary to the chapter of St. David's, 1701-23 (see M. Clement: Corr. and Minutes, p. 43, n. 133).

33. For William Evans(?-1718), Independent preacher and teacher, and his academy at Carmarthen see Dictionary of Welsh Biography down to 1940; M. Clement: S.P.C.K. and Wales, pp. 19-20, 105, and Corr. and Minutes, p. 23, n. 86, p. 33, n. 110, pp. 34-5; G. D. Owen: Ysgolion a Cholegau yr Annibynwyr, 1939, p. 15 et seq.

34. For an abstract of Tenison's letter see M. Clement: Corr. and Minutes, p. 33.

35. Henry Newman (1670-1743), born in Massachusetts, U.S.A., graduate of Harvard, came to England in 1703 and became secretary of the S.P.C.K. in 1708 (see Dictionary of American Biography, vol. xiii).

36. Lewis Davies, vicar of Abernant, is listed as curate of Newchurch in 1714 (SD/VC/7, p. 61).

37. See Endowed Charities (County of Carmarthen), p. 306.

38. Lewis Davies admitted to the vicarage of Abernant with the chapel of Conwil annexed January 1709/ 10 (SD/BR/4, P. 25).

39. A chapel to Abergwili.

40. See Endowed Charities (County of Carmarthen), pp. 262-3.

41. See Trans. Carms. Sec., vol. i, pp. 63-4.

42. David Havard, B.A., ordained deacon September 1699 and priest February 1699/1700, was collated to Abergwili September 1709 and remained vicar until 1756 (SD/VC/7, p. 53; SD/BR/4, pp. 22, 381). For his work with the S.P.C.K. and his part in proceedings against Griffith Jones, Llanddowror, see M. Clement: Corr. and Minutes, p. 34, n. 113.

43. See M. Clement: S.P.C.K. and Wales, p. 102, Corr. and Minutes, p. 15, n. 56, and aforementioned thesis, pp. 136, 284-5; Endowed Charities (County of Carmarthen), p. 1.

44. Thomas Thomas, ordained deacon May 1676 and priest September 1677, was instituted to Merthyr July 1681 (SD/VC/7, p. 61). For his cooperation with John Vaughan of Derllys in S.P.C.K. work in Carmarthenshire see M. Clement: Corr. and Minutes, p. 8, n. 33, and aforementioned thesis, pp. 311-12.

45. Lewis Davies, B.A., ordained deacon June 1707 and priest September 1708, was inducted to Meidrim July 1710 (SD/VC/7, p. 60).

46. Given as £43 in Ecton: op. cit, p. 379.

47. See M. Clement: S.P.C. K. and Wales, p. 145; Endowed Charities (County of Carmarthen), pp. 298-9.

48. See note 51 below.

49. Llanbedr Felffre.

50. John Harris, B.A., instituted rector July 1708, and a successor admitted rector November 1729 (SD/BR/4, pp. 14, 188-9). In the Dictionary of Welsh Biography he is identified with John Harris, bishop of Llandaff, 1729-38.

51. Thomas Morgan, ordained deacon May 1687 and priest June 1688, was inducted to Llanddewi September 1707 (SD/VC/7, p. 59; SD/BR/4, p. 9).

52. Ecton: op. cit., pp. 378-9, gives values as '£8 ... R. Portio' and '£38 ... secunda Portio alias V'.

53. In 1714 Theophilus Rice, for whom see note 54 below, is listed as curate (SD/VC/7, p. 56).

54. Theophilus Rice, ordained deacon June 1671, was inducted to Llandysilio July 1691 (SD/VC/7, p. 56).

55. Ecton: op. cit., gives yearly value as £17.

56. See Endowed Charities (County of Carmarthen), pp. 157, 159.

57. The same as Thomas Morgan, vicar of Llanddewi Fellfre (see note 51). He was collated and inducted to Llanfallteg in February 1707/08 (SD/VC/7, p. 57).

58. See note 59 below.

59. Samuel Morris, ordained deacon September 1697 and priest September 1698, was instituted to Llangan in 1702 (SD/VC/7, P. 59).

60. £7 in Ecton: op. cit., p. 378.

61. Rees Howells, M.A., ordained deacon September 1685 and priest May 1686, was instituted to Henllan 1693/4(SD/VC/7, p. 58).

62. £35 in Ecton: op. cit., p. 379.

63. John Collins, B.A., instituted 1681 (SD / VC / 1, p. 142; SD / SB / 1, p. 95).

64. Lewis Beddow, ordained deacon September 1666 and priest September 1667, was instituted rector of Llanglydwen September 1667 (SD / VC / 7, pp. 24, 56).

65. See note 61.

66. The same as the rector of Henllan Amgoed (note 61). Inducted to Llanboidy April 1694 (SD / VC / 7, p. 58).

67. £31 in Ecton: op. cit., p. 379.

68. £31 in Ecton: op. cit., p. 378.

69. See M. Clement: S.P.C.K. and Wales, p. 112, and Corr. and Minutes, p. 33, n. 111.

70. Henry Lewis, vicar of St. Clears (note 72), was curate (SD / VC / 7, p. 60).

71. £20 in Ecton: op. cit., p. 378.

72. Henry Lewis, ordained deacon September 1677 and priest September 1680, was inducted to St. Clear's February 1690/91 (SD / VC / 7, p. 60).

73. See M. Clement: Corr. and Minutes, pp. 15-16, S.P.C.K. and Wales, p. 129, and aforementioned thesis, pp. 109-10.

74. Samuel Morris (see note 59).

75. James Morgan, ordained deacon September 1701 and priest May 1703, is listed as curate in 1714 and 1717 (SD / VC / 7, pp. 58, 119).

76. John Evans, ordained deacon May 1686 and priest September 1686, was inducted rector of Llan-dawg with Pendine and also of Bridell August 1687 (SD / VC / 7, pp. 5, 56).

77. William Thomas, ordained deacon December 1664 and priest September 1665, was inducted rector November 1690 (SD / VC / 7, p. 57).

78. £8 in Ecton: op. cit., p. 378.

79. Thomas Phillips (1682-1748) instituted and inducted to Laugharne July 1707 (SD / VC / 7, p. 57). See also M. Clement: Corr. and Minutes, p. 24, n. 87 with references, and aforementioned thesis, pp. 298-301.

80. See J. E. Lloyd (ed.): A History of Carmarthenshire, vol. ii, pp. no, 119--20. The assistant referred to was Griffith Jones, later of Llanddowror.

81. See Endowed Charities (County of Carmarthen), pp. l00-01, 105.

82. See Endowed Charities (County of Carmarthen), pp. 101, 105; M. Clement: Corr. and Minutes, p. 25, n. 88, and p. 47.

83. See M. Clement: S.P.C.K. and Wales, pp. 10, 111, and Corr. and Minutes, pp. 15, 16, 25.

Second Section

LLAN DDOWROR

THE Pigeon holes over the Chancell window to be stopt up. The Ivy at the East end of the Chancell, the Elder & Ivy on the north side of the Chancell & Church, the Tree on the top of the Steeple, & the Elder at the foot of the Steeple on the north side, & the Ivy & other Plants growing in many places where the mortar of the Steeple is decay'd, & on the south side of the Church near the porch, & over the porch, & Ivy which stretches in length about 20 foot on the south side of the Church, & the Ivy also at the east end of the body of the Church just over the Chancell roof should be rooted up, & the walls new pointed round the Church. [f. 43] The windows of the Chancell & Church should be glaz'd, the floors of both made even, & the tiling on both sides of the Church mended. The Stairs & the Laths & Tiling of the Steeple to be repaired. Neither Canons, Homilies, nor Table of Degrees are here. The Minister Mr John Jones   84  is nonresident, & lives now at Oxford. His Curate is Mr George Thomas, 85  who is also Curate of Pendein & Llan Dawc. The Curate resides in the Parsonage house. The windows in the Parlour in the Parsonage house want glazing, & so do's the window in the Kitchin, instead of having the light taken away by the board that is placed there in the room of the glass that is broken to keep out the weather. The floor of the Kitchin to be made even, the Glass in the Kitchin-chamber window to be repair'd. The thatch is so much decay'd that it rains into the rooms. The east end of the house appears to be in danger of falling down. The value of the Living is reputed to be 40 £ a year. The Curate's Salary about  9£-7s-0d a year, which arises in the manner following.

  • The Glebe is about 16 acres with the house & outhouses was rented lately at                           7  :  0 : 0
  • He has something better than two thirds of the tyth Hay, which is about 6 loads at 5s a load     1  :10 : 0
  • Hemp & Flax about nine sheavs of both                                                                                     0  :  1 : 0
  • Pigs about 6. 3 shillings. Geese about 6. 3 shillings                                                                   0  :  6 : 0
  • Easter Offerings about                                                                                                                0  :10 : 0

                                                                                                                                                            ----------

                                                                                                                                                             9 :  7: 0

[f 44] Prayers are read once a day on Sundays & Holydays. Here is a Sermon every Sunday. The Children are catechiz'd every Sunday during the Summer time. No Dissenters. Communicants at Easter about 60. at the three other times between 20 & 30. Thirty six poor people can read Welsh. Families 65 (15 Landholders,  Cottagers about 50.)

A charity School since Nov. 1708 supported chiefly by the contribution of Sr John Philips who pays yearly 4 £ & the Incumbent pays 1 £. 86  All the poor children of the Parish are intitul'd to come to this School to learn their Catechism, to read, write, & cast accounts. There are at present but 9 children at School. The Curate is School Mr.

LLAN  DAWC

The Steeple is very ruinous, the Top is fallen down, the stones at the bottom are so much fallen away as to endanger the falling of the part of the Steeple that is yet standing, which is in a great measure cover 'd with Ivy, which if it be not timely destroy'd will quite ruin the Steeple, the roots are grown so very large that they have thrown down a great part of it already. The Ivy on the south side of the Church, & the Ash growing over the Chancel at the East end of the Church, the Elder & Ivy at the east End of the Chancell, the black thorn on the north side of the Chancell, & the great Ash growing [f. 45] out of the wall near the roof, & the Ivy & other Plants which cover most part of the north wall ought out of hand to be remov'd, & the walls & steeple to be repair'd. The windows of the Chancell & Church want to be glaz'd, & the walls to be new render'd. The floor is uneven. No Register in this Parish, nor has been for many years. No Canons, Homilies, nor Table of Degrees. Mr John Evans 87 the Minister is nonresident. He lives at Bridell his other Cure within 3 miles of Cardigan. The reputed annual value is between 30 & 40 £. 88  The allowance to the Curate for serving Llan Dawc & Pendein is 8 £. Prayers generally are read once a Sunday half in English half in Welsh. Once a month there is a Sermon which is alternately in English & Welsh. In Lent the Children are catechiz'd. Communicants at Easter about 8. at other times 4. Families 8. Qu. whether Cottagers are included? About 12 poor people can read Welsh. The Parsonage house is in a very ruinous condition, most of the west end is tumbled down, the roof is very much rotted, & the rooms open to the weather, there is not a glass window in the house. The whole is so decay'd that if it be longer neglected tis to be fear'd that in a little time there will be no [f. 46] house for future Incumbents. I could not get into every part of the house, & therefore cannot give a particular account of the rooms, but I hear that 'tis as bad within as can be imagin'd, & would have dropt down had it not been kept thatch'd at the Charges of Mr Lacharn, a Gentleman yt lives next it. In abeout 20 years the Incumbent has not laid out one penny upon it.

LLAN SADYRNEN, R.

is annex'd to Lacharn & lies about half a mile distant from it. The Parsonage house is new built at the joint expence of Mr Philips & his Tenant, for which Mr Philips made an allowance in his Rent. The Glass in two of the windows should be mended. The floor of the Church & Chancell is a little uneven. A Porch of about 15 foot long at the west end of the Church is dropt down. There is a new Gate wanting for the Churchyard. The fence of the Church yard should be repair'd. No Homilies. The parsonage house & about 26 acres of land arc let at 4 £ a year. Mr Philips 89  the Minister resides at Lacharn. The Value is about 54 £ a year 90  Prayers are read here every Sunday. Twice a month.............

............... there is a Sermon, always in English. The Inhabitants generally come to Lacharn Church. [f. 47] There are no children to be catechiz'd. The Proclamation against Vice & the Act against swearing not read here, because the Parishioners of this place are generally at Lacharn Church where they are read about 6 times a year. No Dissenters. Bread & wine at Easter found by Mr Philips. At Easter about 20 Communicants, & about the same number at the three other times. Families 16.

LLAN FIHANGEL ABERCOWYN

A chapell of ease to Meidrim. The roof of the Church is just now new fram'd, & made ready for tiling. The glass of the Church & Chancell windows should be mended, & the floor made even. The stone work of the Steeple should be repair'd. The Ivy on the south side & Elder on the north side of the Steeple should be destroy'd, & the Steeple in those parts where the mortar is decay'd by reason of these plants, should be new pointed. The Elder on the north side of the Church & Chancell should be rooted up. No Accounts of Books. When I was there neither Minister, Clark, nor Churchwarden could be found. Neither house nor glebe for the Minister. He resides at Meidrim the Mother church. 91 Prayers are every Sunday read once a day. Here are Sermons twice a month, sometimes in English sometimes in Welsh. [f. 48] The children are not catechiz'd. No Dissenters. At Easter the Impropriator finds bread and wine. Communicants at Easter between 30 & 40. At the two other times about 20. Families Qu? Poor people that read Welsh qu?

LLAN DEILO ABER COWYN

The little Ashes & Elders growing out of the sides of the south wall, the Elders on the north side to be grubb'd up, & the rubbish on that side to be remov'd. The Ashes & rubbish on both sides of the south door to be remov'd. The Stone work round the Church to be made good, & the places where the mortar is decay'd to be new pointed. The floor to be made even, the walls new render'd, & the tiling repair'd. No house, no glebe, no Minister resident. Minister Mr Thomas Thomas Rector of Merthyr. 92  Salary 20 £ a year. Prayers are read once every Sunday, & here are two Sermons in a month. Bread & wine at Easter found at the charge of the Impropriator. Communicants at Easter 3 or 4. Families 12.

[f 49] LLAN GYNNOG

An Arch of the Chancell is in danger of tumbling down, the walls there & in the Church should be new render'd, & the windows glaz'd. No Homilies, no Canons, no Table of Degrees. Neither house nor glebe for the Minister. The Impropriator is Mr Champion of the Inner Temple, who allows Mr Michael Jones a scandalous Minister 93  (as will appear by the account of him under Llan 'Stephan) about 10 £ a year for serving this Church & Llan 'Stephan. Prayers are read here once a Sunday. & once a month there is a Sermon. Many of the Parish go to the Presbyterian Meeting, but when there is a Sermon, most of them come to Church. The Sacrament is administred at Easter & Whitsuntide only. The Impropriator is at the charge of bread & wine at Easter. Communicants at Easter..................

................... about 20. Families about 80. XXX Poor can read Welsh. A Charity School for 8 children, endow'd with a house for the School & about 2 acres of Land, besides 3 little gardens & the Priviledge of turning cattle upon the Common. 94  The Master in consideration of these advantages teaches the poor children.

[f. 50] LLAN Y BRE

This is a Chapel belonging to Llan 'Stephan. The present Impropriator is Mr Champion of the Inner Temple, since the Civil Warre 40s a year was paid by the Impropriator as I am inform'd to a Minister for reading Prayers here, upon the Impropriator's withdrawing the Salary Prayers were neglected to be read here, & the Chapel was suffer'd to decay. after it was decay'd William Evans who has the Care of the Seminary of Dissenters at Carmarthen   95  is said to have taken a Lease of the Chapel of the Impropriator at the rent of 10s a year or under, upon which by contribution from the Presbyterians it was repair'd & by them for the space of about  10 years has been kept in repair & made use of for a Conventicle. There is an old Fellow, no Clark of Llan Gynnog, who told me that since King Charles's Restoration he heard Sr Griffith (so formerly were the Ministers in Wales distinguish'd) read the Common Prayer at Llan y bre. This Sr Griffith at that time was Minister of Llan Gynnog, Llan 'Stephan, & Llan y bre. Most of the Parishioners go to the Meeting in the Chapell, but when there are Sermons at Llan 'Stephan some of them go to Church. The Fence of the Church yard is laid open.

[f. 51] LLAN 'STEPHAN

The rendring of the Chancell & Church to be mended. The floor to be made even. A side chancell belonging to Mr Francis Llwyd of Llan Stephan is decay'd in the roof & lies open to all weathers, to the prejudice of the Congregation in winter time & in stormy weather. The Floor of this Chancell is also uneven. No Canons, Homilies nor Table of Degrees. The fence of the Church yard to be repair'd. There is neither house nor glebe for the Minister. The Impropriator receives abont 300 £ a year & pays but about 10 £ to the Minister for serving this Cure & that of Llan Gynnog. The Minister is Mr Michael Jones, who is non resident. 96  He lives at Llan Gain, which Cure he also serves. he reads Prayers here once every Sunday, half in Welsh half in English, & preaches two Sundays in a month, always in English. He was formerly Curate of Kyffig & Marros, but about seven years since he was dismiss'd from those Cures upon it's appearing by an Affidavit made before a justice of the Peace that he had got a Bastard. He has been notorious for clandestine Marriages. I am told that there have been Proceedings against him in the Ecclesiastical Court. [f. 52] The Ivy at the east end of the cross Ile & the body of the Church, & the Hony Suckle growing on the wall on the west side of the cross Ile, & the tree growing out of the wall on the north side at the top of the Steeple, & the other plants growing round the Steeple walls in many places where the mortar is decay'd, & the Ivy & Plants on the north side of the Church, & Ivy on the west side of the north cross Ile, & north end of that Ile, & Ivy on the east side of the north Ile, & the Ash that grows out of the wall just over the roof should be destroy'd. Mr Llwyd's Chancel is in .................

.................... danger of falling down if the repairs be not taken care of out of hand. The tree on the top of the Impropriator's Chancell at the east end, and the other plants there should be remov'd. At Easter Communicants 12. Families about l00 or 120. Above half of them are Dissenters.

LLAN GAIN

The fence of the Church yard to be repair'd. The Ivy on the South & north sides of the Church, & the Ashes & other plants growing out of the north walls & the great Ash growing over the west door to be destroy'd. The tiling on the northside of the Chancell to be mended. The floor is a little un [f. 53] even. The walls want rendring in several places, the windows glazing. No Glebe. No house. Mr Michael Jones Curate here. 97  Mr Bloodworth of Surrey the Impropriator allows him 5 or 6 £ a year. The Tyths are reputed to be worth 80 £ a year. The Minister reads Prayers once every Sunday, preaches once a month, altogether in Welsh. No Dissenters. Bread & Wine at Easter found by the Impropriator. Communicants at Easter about 30. at other times 10 or 12. Families about 60. Ten poor people can read Welsh.

TRE LECH

The Minister's House should be thatcht out of hand, windows to be glaz'd. The Stable to be thatcht. a little Hovel at the end of the Cow house dropping down. The Cowhouse to be thatch'd. The stone work of the south side of the Porch at the west end of the Church to be repair'd, & the stone work of the north side of the Church to be new pointed, the mortar being decay'd in many places. The roof of the Chancell is dropping down, the Stonework at the east end is faulty & on [f. 54] the south, part of it is fallen to the ground, & & (sic) the rest should be repair'd. The Stone work at the east end of the Chur[c]h joining to the Chancell to be repair'd. The Chancell being uncover'd & expos'd to all weathers make it unfit for the Communion Table to stand there. The floors of that & the Church are uneven. All the walls want rend'ring & whiting. No Canons, no Homilies, no Table of degrees. Minister Mr David Lewis 98 who is Minister also of Llan ynio. He is frequently drunk & so shameless as to appear at Fairs & Markets in that Condition, he was once in danger of being put in the Stocks for drunkenness, but in regard to his function the Magistrate Mr Griffith Llwyd spared him. 'Tis said that Complaints have been made of him before the Magistrate for attempting to ravish a woman. The value of this Living & the Chapell of Bettws which is annex'd to it (& is distant about 2 miles from it) is reputed to be 15 £ a year. The great Tyths are said to be worth about l00 £ a year. Prayers are read at Tre'lech every Sunday but once, except that between this 1st day of August & last Christmas there may have been Prayers about 6 or 7 times both in the fore noon & afternoon. [f. 55] Once a month there is a Sermon. This Cure is intirely Welsh. Catechize sometimes in Lent. Many of the Parish when there is no Sermon go to hear the Presbyterian Preacher at Bettws, when there is a Sermon at Church there is a full Congregation. Bread & wine at Easter found by the Impropriator. Communicants at Easter about 150. at the two other times about 30. Families about 64. About 30 poor people can read Welsh. There are about nine acres of Glebe belonging to the Minister. This account from the Minister except what relates to his own person.

BETTWS. A CHAPELL OF EASE TO TRE'LECH

A Welsh Bible & Common-Prayer-book are wanted. No Canons, No Homilies, no Table of degrees. The fence of the Church-yard to be repair'd. No House. No Glebe. About 30s a year is paid from this place to the Minister, over & above the 15 £ he makes of the Tyths of Trelech. Prayers for 3 Sundays in the month are read once a day. The Minister never preaches here. [f 56] The Act of parliament against Swearing is not read here. About seven years since a Meeting house was built here for Presbyterians. Some part of every Family in the Parish goes to the Meeting, but most of them go to Church when there is a Sermon at Trelech, & a vigilant good man would keep them there. Before the Meeting house was built there were but 4 dissenting Families in (the Parish, deleted, Trelech, interlineated) but now by far the greatest nnmber of the Inhabitants frequent the Meeting- house, & yet many of them go to Church when there is a Sermon at Trelech. The Clark of Trelech is Clark of Bettws. At Easter Bread & wine is found by the Impropriator. Communicants at Easter about 70. at New-years-tide about 15. The Sacrament is administred here at no other times than these. Families about 150. The Church Floor is a little uneven, the walls want rendring, & the Tiling of the Church & Chancell to be mended, & the windows to be glaz'd. The Stonework of the Steeple is decay'd from top to bottom, a great part of the top is fallen to the ground, the stonework round the Church want to be pointed, & at the Buttress on the northside between the Chancell & the Church to be made up new [f 57] and the Ashes on the northside to be grubbed up. The Fence of the Churchyard is most of it broke down.

PENCADER. A CHAPELL. TO LLAN FlHANGEL IORWERTH    99

The Chapell is ruined & most of the stone taken away. there is a Meeting house erected just by the Church yard, & a great part of the stones belonging to the Chapell being removed, it was suggested to me while I was there that they were employ'd about the Meeting-house, which by an Inscription carv'd at the west end of it appears to be built in July 1705. In this Meeting house there is a School & in it the children are taught both the Church & Assemblies Catechism. The Master is one that Evans   100 of Carmarthen is training up for a Presbyterian Preacher. He has no License. Evans  preaches here 3 Sundays in a month, & has a monthly Sacrament. There are about 50 of this Parish come to hear him, & as many from Llan Fihangel Iorwerth. There are sometimes from these & other Parishes between 2 & 3 hundred hearers. The room being often so full below & above stairs, that some of the hearers place themselvs at the windows. Families in Pencader are 10 Landholders 19 Cottagers. [f. 58] The Meeting house is seated, the Pulpit made neat, the floor even, & the Gallery decent. In these particulars it reproaches the Churches in Wales which lie generally in a very nasty condition. From the advantage the Dissenters have gain'd in this place is seen the necessity of the Chancellors being put in mind of admonishing Mr Cobner 101  to residence, with what conscience can he answer undertaking the care of other mens Flocks while he suffers his own to be thus prey'd upon ? The Church-yard Fence of Pencader do's still appear, but 'tis most part of it lay'd open.

LLAN FIHANGEL IORWERTH    102

The Fence of the Church-yard to be made good, especially on the northside. The stonework on the north side of the Chancell to be pointed & the scaffold holes at the east end of the body of the Church over the Chancell & also at the east end of the Chancell to be stopt up, the stonework there to be mended, the wall under the spout to be repair'd from bottom to top, & the Scaffold holes on ye south side & west end of the Church to be stopt. The roof of the Porch decay'd & expos'd to all weathers. The roof of the Church is uncover'd. The floor is very uneven. The walls want rend'ring & the windows glazing. [f. 59] The Bible is torn and imperfect. No Homilies, no Canons, no Table of Degrees. The thatch of the Vicarage house is rotted and much worn away, the floors are uneven. One end of the barn is in danger of falling down & the other should be repair'd. Mr Cobner 103  the Minister lives at Carmarthen about 16 miles distant. He is seldom seen at his Living above two or 3 Sundays in a year. This year from Michaelmas to August he has been but once there, by reason whereof visiting of the Sick & other duties are much neglected. He is Curate of Llan Gynnwr & Capel newydd. The Vicar of Llan Gynnwr is Curate in another place. And the Curate that officiates on Sundays for Mr Cobner resides on a Living of his own in Cardiganshire about 2 or 3 miles distant. The Curates Salary is 6 £ 10s a year. Prayers are read every Sunday morning. There is but one Sermon a month at the Church notwithstanding the Dissenters are so diligent as to have 3 Sermons in a Month at Pencader, where till of late there was a Chapel standing which did belong to this Parish. This is a Welsh Cure. The Inhabitants report that there is allow'd by the Impropriator 6 £ a year for a monthly Sermon. The reputed value of the Living including the 6 £ abovemention'd is 23 £  a year in a very cheap part of Carmarthenshire. 104  [f. 60] Bread & wine at Easter found by the Vicar. Communicants at Easter about 60. at other times about 20. Families about 220. Poor that can read Welsh about 50.

LLAN LLWNI

The Church-yard fence decay'd in many places. The Chancell to be new til'd. The Church wall on the north side to be new pointed, & stone work for under pinning the roof to be made good. The walls to be render'd, the floor made even, and the windows glaz'd. No Canons, no Homilies, no Table of degrees. Glebe about 6 £ a year. Mr Christmas Llwyd 105  the Minister do's not reside in the Parish, but lives near Pencader about a mile & a half from the Church. The reputed value including the glebe & the Profits of Llan Fihangel Rhos y corn a Chapel belonging to it about 5 miles distant from it, is 23 £  a year. Prayers are read once every Sunday. Here are two Sermons in a month. 'Tis a Welsh Cure. The Children are catechiz'd about Lent. Here is an Anabaptist Meeting consisting of about 40 persons. At Easter bread & wine found by the Impropriator. Communicants at Easter above 30. at other times about 15. [f. 61] Families about 60. Poor that read Welsh about 20.

LLAN FIHANGEL RHOS Y CORN

A chapel to Llan llwni, distant from it about 5 miles. This account I had from the Minister. The Church being remote I deferr'd visiting it till another time. No Canons, no Homilies, no Table of Degrees. The Church yard fence to be repair'd. The Minister resides, as was said under Llan llwni, near Pencader. There are Prayers read once every Sunday. There are two Sermons in a month. The children are catechiz'd in Lent. No Dissenters. Bread and wine found at Easter by the Impropriator. Communicants at Easter about 30. at other times from 12 to I5. Families about 60. Forty shillings a year given by Mr Thomas Jones for 4 Sermons to be preach'd quarterly on days mention'd in his Will 106  Six shillings a year to be given in bread to the Poor that shal be at Church to hear the Sermons. These particulars to be added when I visit this Church.

[f. 62] LLAN Y BYDDER

The Battlements on the top of the Steeple to be repair'd. On the east side of the Steeple just over the roof there is a space bigger than a large Church-door where the stones are taken away, & a crack from it to the top of the Steeple. on the north side the roof of the Church is decay'd, the walls between the steeple & the east end of the Chancell want pointing. The Chancell roof on the north side is very much decay'd. The Buttress against the north wall should be repair'd. The trees growing on it, & ye elder on the south side near the Chancel door shou'd be destroy' d. The south wall of the Church to be new pointed. The fence of the Church yard to be repaired. The Chancell to be new rendred. The floor there & in the Church to be made even, & the wall rendred. The tiling of the Chancell & Church on ye north side to be repair'd. The windows to be glaz'd. No Homilies, no Canons, no Table of degrees. Glebe 30 or 40s a year. Mr Methusalem Davies   107  Minister lives in the Vicarage house. He is reported to be a great frequenter of Alehouses, & when he is in drink tis said he gives great offence. The reputed value including the glebe is 7 £ a year. Impropriator Edward Jones. [f. 63] The great Tyth is reputed to be worth about 60 £.   108  The Act against Swearing is not read. There is a meeting house of Presbyterians & Independents. these joining together with those that come from the neighbourhood, are at a full meeting above 100. The Minister at Easter is at the charge of Bread & Wine, formerly they were paid for by the Clark. Communicants at Easter about 60. at other times from 6 to 12. Families about 100. The thatch of the Vicarage house is decay'd, & the walls want repairing. I could not see the inside. The thatch of the outhouse is out of repair. I am told that Mr Davies holds this Church by Sequestration. Qu. of Mr Morgan of Carmarthen. When I return'd to Carmarthen Mr Morgan was at Hereford Assizes.

PENCARREG

The south wall of the Chancell to be repair'd & new pointed, the stonework to be mended at the east end, the upper part of the Chancell wall on the northside swells out so much as to appear in great danger of falling. No Homilies, no Canons, no Table of Degrees. No House, no Glebe for the Minister. He lives at Llanybydder which he holds with this Church by Sequestration. 109  [f. 64] The Parishes are contiguous. Prayers are.................

.................. read every Sunday once. Here is a Sermon certainly once a month, & now & then twice a month. The children are sometimes catechiz'd in Lent. About 50 of the Parishioners frequent the Meeting house here without including those that come from Llan y bydder. There are several Preachers in their turns at this Meeting, but Evans of Carmarthen 110 is suppos'd to be the licens'd Preacher. Impropriator pays for bread & wine at Easter. Families about 1oo. Poor that can read Welsh about 30.

LLAN Y CRWYS

The Scaffold holes at the west end of the Church to be stopt. The trees growing on the north Buttress by the roof of the Church to be rooted up. The scaffold holes at the end of the Chancell & on the south side of the Church to be stopt up. The Ashen Trees on the south side to be destroy'd. The tiling both of Church & Chancell to be mended. In the inside of the Church, the walls to be rendred, the windows glaz'd, & the floor made even. The Church yard Fence very much out of repair. The Minister Mr Jones is non resident. He [f. 65] lives at Taliarus about 10  miles distant. He is allow'd by the Impropriator between 4 & 5 £ a year. The Impropriator let the Tyths at 26 £ a year Tax free. Here were no Prayers on Easter day last till 4 in the afternoon & then there was no Sacrament. A Sermon here once a month. The children are never catechiz'd. About 6 months since in the absence of the Minister the Clark of the Parish read the Service at the burial of a child of Thomas Morgan David's that was about 2 years old. The Sexton's wife laid in the grave 3 days before any Minister could be had to read the Service & might have laid longer, had not Mr Price Minister of Cynwyl Gaio been accidentally met with in the Parish & prevail'd with by the Parishioners to read the Service. The act against Swearing is not read. About six months since a Presbyterian Meeting house was set up here. when there is no Sermon at Church, most of the people go to the Meeting, & when there is a Sermon from 40 to 50 frequent the Meeting house. Bread & wine at Easter is found by the Sexton. [f. 66] Communicants at Easter from 12 to 20. Families above 40. Ten poor people can read Welsh. The last Minister was remov'd for marrying clandestinely. He for many years kept an alehouse in a house that stands upon the Churchyard, & has been known to break off service to attend upon Customers that came to his house on a Sunday. I am told that he did so to wait up on Mr Cornwallis of Aber Marlais. The Impropriator is Mr Marmaduke Llwyd of Cynwyl Gaio.

CYNWYL GAIO

The Plants growing out of the wall at the west end of the Church & Steeple, & the trees growing on the top of the Steeple & the Elder at the east end to be rooted up & the wall new pointed & repair'd, in these places. The Church yard Fence to be made good. The tiling of the Chancell & the Church in many places to be repair'd, the windows to be glaz'd & the floor made even. No Canons, no Homilies, no Table of Degrees. The Minister dos not live in the Vicarage house but in one that is hired. Glebe worth about 3 £ - 10s a year. Mr William Price is Minister. 111 This with the Chapell of Llan Sawel has been reputed worth about 100 £ a year, 112  they are now let at 60 £. [f. 67] The ..............

.............. Incumbent is a man of parts, but is reduc'd by disorderly living & drinking, & therefore is oblig'd to let his Tyths under foot that he may be supplied with ready mony. Prayers are read every Sunday once. & once a month here is a Sermon. Children are catechiz'd in Lent. Act against Swearing not read. 'Tis said that the Act was not dispers'd in this & the Parishes next it. The Presbyterians have a meeting in this Parish once a month, tis computed that above 50 Families of this place frequent the Meeting house, but when there is a Sermon several of them come to Church. At Easter the Parish Clerk is at the charge of bread & wine. Communicants at Easter about 60. at other times about 15. Families about 400. About 20 poor people can read Welsh. Four Hamlets belong to the Parish. Four Churchwardens. Mr Morgan Price gave 20 shillings a year to the Poor of this Parish & charg'd it upon a Tenement here called Bwlch y gylfin. 113  About 35 years since the number of dead buried in the Church were so many as to make it offensive to the living almost every space [f. 68] of the Church being imploy'd, there was little or no room for fresh graves, to remedy which the floor of the Church from one end to the other was rais'd 4 or 5 foot higher than it ought to be by earth brought out of the Church yard, & by this method room is made for a new succession of graves both in the Church & Chancel, & the old partition between them being still standing, there is by reason of the immoderate raising of the floor no going from the one to the other without stooping considerably. This humour among the common people of burying in Churches makes the floors every where very nasty & uneven, but this in these faults exceeds all I have seen. The method us'd at Aber gwili of paying certain fees to the Churchwardens before the ground is suffer'd to be broken up, would probably cure this humour, & make the common people be content to see their Relations buried in Churchyards. Mr Price the present Minister has built two little rooms upon the Glebe. when he came to this Living there were no footsteps of any house, but there is a Tradition that formerly there had been a house for the Minister, & that as far as can be collected [f. 69] from what old men say concerning it, it fell into decay about l00 years since.

LLAN SAWEL

A Chapel to Cynwyl Gaio. The Churchyard wall to be repair'd. The tiling of the Chancell to be mended. The Ashes & plants growing on the Buttress on the north side of the Chancell to be destroy'd. The windows to be glaz'd. The floors to be made even. The floor is rais'd in some places about 2 foot higher than it was at first, as appears by the Chancell floor laying so much lower. The Clerk says that earth has been brought out of the Churchyard to raise the floor of the Church for the sake of new graves. The Bible imperfect. No Canons, no Homilies, no Table of Degrees. The Minister's House that was on the Glebe here is dropt down. He promises that it shal be built up next Summer, & that a Certificate of it's being built up shal be put into Mr Havard's hand to lay before My Ld Bishop, at or before Midsummer next. Prayers read once a Sunday. [f. 70] Sermon once a month. Catechize in Lent. Act against swearing not read. Here are about 40 Presbyterians. Bread & Wine at Easter found by the Clerk. Communicants at Easter about 40. Families about 100. Poor that can readabt (sic) 20. Four Hamlets belong to it & 2 Churchwardens. This Account from the Minister.

TAL Y LLYCHAU    114

The Church 150 foot in length, & in breadth & height proportionable. The floor uneven, the walls want rendring, & the windows glazing, & the standards of all the windows to be either replac'd, or new ones put in their room. No Table of degrees. Mr William Davies Minister. 115  Mrs Cornwallis's Salary is but 8 £ a year notwithstanding the Tyths to her are worth about 100 £ a year. The Act against Swearing is not read. Some of the Parishioners when they hear of a strange Preacher go to the Presbyterian Meeting, but for the most part they come to Church, & none of them do constantly frequent the Meeting. Here are two reputed Papists, John Weston & his wife. [f. 71] The Impropriator finds bread & wine at Easter & at all other times for the Communion. Communicants at Easter about 50. at other times 10 or 12. Families about 140. Poor that can read about 20. The Clark cannot read. he is old & therefore continued. The Ivy at the west end of the Church, the Elder & other Trees growing on the top of the south wall between the west end & the cross Ile, the Ivy & trees growing on the top & on other parts of the wall, the Ivy & other Trees that cover the greatest part of the south wall from the Cross Ile (the walls whereof are fallen down) to the east end, the Ivy & large Ashes growing on the north wall & battlements between the east end & the north cross Ile, & the Ivy on the west side of that Ile, & the trees & Ivy that cover a great part of the north side of the Steeple, & the Ivy, Elder, Yew, & other plants of great stature growing out of the north wall from near the bottom so as in a manner to cover it from the cross Ile to the west end, & the Ivy & trees growing over the windows & extending themselvs to the top of the Church should be wholly rooted up & the walls repair'd & new pointed. The fence of the Churchyard should be repair'd. [f. 72] The Sculls & bones lying above ground in great heaps in the Church should be buried in the Churchyard. Prayers every Sunday. Sermons qu?

LLAN DEILO FAWR

Between Mr Rice's Seat & the east window the gutter is decay'd to such a degree that great quantities of water flow into the Chancell in rainy weather, & the arch under the Gutter will probably drop if it be not quickly mended. All the Ivy in the inside of the Chancell to be destroy'd. on both sides of the Chancell there are great decays. The Ivy growing in the inside of the south Ile to be taken away. The tiling on both sides of the Church is very faulty in several places. The west windows want glazing, & the floors of the Church & Chancell to be made even. Plants growing out of the wall of the north Ile of the Church, & the Ivy & Ashes over the walls at the east end of it to be destroy'd. The scaffold holes at the east end to be stopt up. one of the Ashes there got root by a lodgement of seed in one of the decay'd scaffold holes. [f. 73] The Ashes & Ivy on the north side of the Chancell, the Elders under the Chancell window, the Ivy that covers most part of the Chancel window, the Ashes Elder & Ivy that cover the east end of the cross Ile & a great part of the tiling: the Ivy and other plants covering the west side of the cross Ile, & the Ivy & Ashes & other plants growing out of the walls & buttresses between the cross Ile & the steeple, & the Ivy & other plants growing on the walls of ...............

.............. the steeple. These to be entirely destroy'd, the walls to be new pointed & the stonework where wanting to be made good. No Homilies. The wall of the Churchyard is decay'd in several places. Four Fairs are yearly kept in the Churchyard. On the fair-days Horses, sheep, & lambs, & casks of Ale are brought into the Churchyard & sold there. No house no Glebe for the Minister. Mr William Floyer 116  (q.d. Llwywr, i.e. a Spoon-maker) is vicar, he lives just out of the bounds of the Parish with Mr Rice a Gentleman that comes constantly to Llan Deilo Church. The Impropriator's Tyths are 100 £ a year and the reputed value of the Minister's Tyths is as much. 117  He has an Assistant Mr Benjamin Llwyd residing in the town. Prayers are read every Sunday morning & evening [f. 74] Here is a Sermon every Sunday alternately Welsh & English. The English Sermons are preach'd by the Minister, & the Welsh by his Assistant, whose Salary is 12 £ a year besides perquisites which may come to about  10s. The children are generally catechiz'd every Sunday. Proclamation against vice & immorality not read because not to be bought in the Country, nor is it to be had at Hereford whither the Minister Mr Lloyer sent to buy it. Here is a Meeting of Quakers consisting of about 6 Families of this Parish. Bp Nicholson   118  who was formerly Minister here has left 5 £ a year for placing out yearly two poor children Apprentices. 119  'Tis paid duly at May & Michaelmas out of Mr Brigstocts Estate at Lechdunney. Mrs Dorothy Rice late of Newton left 40s a year towards cloathing of poor people. Communicants at Easter about 200. Poor that can read, 76. Families by Mr Stedman's account 581. I believe Cottagers are not included, his acct being taken as I am told from a Tax Roll. Qu. how many Land holders how many Cottagers. 15 Hamlets belong to the Parish, & 3 Churchwardens. [f. 75] Mr Stedman   120  who has two Parishes of his own to take care of is resident at neither, but lives here in a hired house.

LLANDEFOYSAINT

The Church consists of two lles, the roof of the north Ile has no tiles upon it, the Timber which has been very good, & still might be of use, is expos'd to rot in the weather. The other Ile is very much decay'd in the tiling. In fair weather the Minister that assists at Llan Deilo reads prayers here once every Sunday, but in wet weather he is forc'd to omitt them there being no convenient place in the Church for keeping him or the people dry. No Bible, Common-Prayer Book, Homilies, Canons, Table of Degrees, nor Register Book. My Ld Carbery who holds the Tyths as Tenant to the Bishop of Chester allows 40s a year to the Minister. Qu. whether any preaching? I believe not.

LLAN SADWRN

No Homilies, no Table of Degrees. The Church & Chancell windows to be glaz'd. The floor to be made even, the underpinning of the Roof of the south side of the Church [f. 76] to be made good. The tiling on the east side of the Church Porch to be repair'd, several large ashen Trees on the buttresses on the north side to be rooted up, & the stonework decay'd by their roots to be mended. In several places the wall of the Churchyard is dropt down. The value of the Vicarage is 43 £  per annum. Mr Richard Lewis   121 is ..................

............... Vicar of this place & of Llan dybie about 8 miles distant, where he resides. His Curate Mr Morgan Williams, 122  resides here. His Salary is 12 £ a year. He reads Prayers once every Sunday in the winter and twice in the Summer. Here are Sermons twice a month in Welsh. The children are catechiz'd about Lent. Six pounds a year was given by Mrs Ann Meyriden to put out Apprentices. This is duly paid by Mrs Cornwallis. William Thomas Howel gave 10s a year to be distributed to four of the poorest people in the Parish. 123  Families 120. At Easter the Clark is at the charge of bread & wine. Communicants at Easter about 50. at other times about 15. Thirty poor people can read Welsh. In this Parish are two Quakers. The thatch of the Vicarage house is decay'd at this time besides grass a small tree is grow[f. 77]ing upon the thatch. The glass of the windows is intirely destroy'd, & the floors of the house are uneven.

LLAN WRDA

This is a Chapel to Llan Sadwrn. No Homilies, no Table of Degrees. No Minister residing here. Mr Morgan Wiliams 124  Curate of Llan Sadwrn the mother Church serves this & that, & his Salary for both is but 12 £ a year. The reputed value of this & the mother Church is consider'd under Llan Sadwrn. Prayers are read every Sunday in the winter once, & in the Summer twice. Two Sermons in a month. This is a Welsh Cure. The Act against swearing is not read. The Curate came hither about 18 years since, and then there was a Meeting house here, & another at Llan Sadwrn, but now they are disus'd, & have been so for about 12 years. At Easter the Clark is at the charge of Bread & wine for the Communion. Communicants at Easter from 24 to 30. at other times 8 or 10. Families about 60. The Clark here & in many other places c[?a]nt read. The Scaffold holes round the Church to be [f. 78] stopt, the coping of the wall, the tiling & windows to be mended. The floor to be made even. Walls of the Church yard to be repair'd.

LLAN GADOG

Chapells belonging to it are Llanthoisant distant about 3 miles, & Gwynfa being equally 3 miles distant from Llan Gadog & Llanthoisant. These Chapells I had not time to see. Ivy in the inside of the Chancell to be destroy'd, & the tiling of that & the Church to be mended. The floors to be made even, & the windows repair'd. The tiling of the Church porch to be mended, the Ivy on the west side of the south cross Ile, the Elders joining to the south side of the Chancel wall, & the tree growing out of the Buttress of the north Chancell wall & the Ivy that covers it, & an ash of considerable bigness growing on the East wall of the north cross Ile, the Ivy covering the north end of this Ile, & the elder & ivy about the west side of it, & the Ivy that covers above half the north wall, & the Ivy & Ashes growing out of the building projected a little into the Church yard as I conceive for stairs, formerly leading from the Church yard to the rood loft. All these to be destroy'd & the wall new pointed. The wall of the Church yard is decay'd. Mr Powel 125  is Minister. This he takes care [f. 79] of very well himself, & supplies the Chapels by a Curate to whom he allows 10 £ a year. Prayers are read here twice every Sunday, & Holiday. Here is a Sermon every Sunday, English & Welsh by turns. The Children ...................

..................... are catechiz'd at Lent. There is a Meeting at Gwynfa a Chapel belonging to Llan Gadog, but none at Llan Gadog. Mr Morgan Davies of Cae Jenkyn gave 3 £ a year for ever amongst the poor of this Parish. At Easter the Impropriator is at the charge of Bread & Wine. Communicants at Easter about 200. at Whitsuntide & Christmas about 60. Families including those of Gwynfa about 200. of those of Llanthoisant I cou'd get no account. In the 3 parishes about 50 poor people can read Welsh. Here was a Charity School rais'd by Subscription, but 'tis sunk at present. 126

LLAN RHIAIN   127

The Rectory is the Corps belonging to the Archdeaconry of Carmarthen. Mr Peter Lewis   128  the Vicar lives at St Davids, & very Seldom comes to the Parish notwithstanding 'tis but 3 or 4 miles distant from St Davids. I am told that they have not [f. 80] a Sermon oft'ner than once a quarter, every Sunday Prayers are read once, but the time of their beginning is very irregular, it being often 12 o clock before they begin. the reason of their beginning at this late hour is because one of the Vicars Choral of St Davids officiates here, which is attended with another inconvenience with respect to St Davids which is a Parish Church, the inconvenience is that since Llanrhiain has been serv'd in this manner Prayers begin too soon at St Davids viz. about 8 in the morning, whereas formerly when the Canons did reside the usual hour of beginning Service at St Davids was nine. Some of the Parishioners of St Davids live 3 Welsh Miles from the Church, so that in the winter time they must be up before day, or lose the benefit of morning Service. Prayers at Llan Rhiain are oftenest read in English by Mr Fern an Englishman which is not understood in that Parish, the people being disappointed of hearing Prayers at their own Church read in a language they are acquainted with, go to hear an Anabaptist Preacher at Llan Gloffen about 3 miles distant. A Curate that understands Welsh is much wanted to reside in this Parish. [f. 81] Sixty poor People can read Welsh. The Tenant by the Lease granted by my Predecessor is oblig'd to keep the Chancell in good repair, but the Keys of the Church being refus'd me I cannot give an account of either Church or Chancel. I wanted an opportunity of being satisfy'd in many questions that were ask'd, & more wou'd have been ask'd if I had found a disposition in the person I met with at Llan Rhiain to answer them.

G. MILWYN GRIFFITHS

Aberystwyth

 

Notes;

84 John Jones, B.A., of Jesus College, Oxford, ordained deacon 25 September 1709 and priest 17 January 1709/ 10, was admitted and instituted to the rectory of Llanddowror, 17 January 1709/10 on the presentation of Sir John Phillips, Bart. (SD/BR/4, pp. 22, 24; SD/VC/7, p. 59). On 27 July 1716 Griffith Jones was admitted to Llanddowror which was vacant because John Jones had refused accipere sacramenta per actum parliamenti in eo casu, limitata et appunctuata (SD/BR/4, p. 50; SD/VC/7, p. 120).

85 George Thomas ordained priest 18 September 1708 with a title to the curacy of Llanddowror (SD/BR/4, p. 16).

86 See M. Clement: S. P. C. K. and Wales, p. 113, and aforementioned thesis, pp. 140-41; M. Jones: The Charity School Movement (Cambridge, 1938), p. 291.

87 See note 76.

88 £7-10-0 in Ecton: op. cit., p. 378.

89 Instituted to Llansadyrnen at the same time as Laugharne. See note 79 and references there.

90 £6 in Ecton: op. cit., p. 378.

91 See note 45.

92 See note 44.

93 Given as curate of Llanstephan, Llangynog, and Llangain in 1714 (SD/VC/7, p. 61).

94 See Endowed Charities (County of Carmarthen), pp. 243-4; M. Clement: S.P.C.K. and Wales, pp. 3-4, 117-18, Corr. and Minutes, p. 254, and aforementioned thesis, p. 143.

95 See note 33.

96 See note 93.

97 See under Llanstephan.

98 David Lewis, ordained deacon 10 June 1688 and priest 23 September 1688, was collated and inducted November and December 1690 (SD/VC/3 and SD/VC/4).

99 Marginal note ' ?q Orath'.

100 See note 33.

101 John Copner, ordained deacon 30 May 1697 and priest 19 June 1698, was instituted on the presentation of William Angell, 3 July 1707, and inducted, 8 July 1707, to Llanfihangel Orath with the chapel of Pencader (SD/VC/7, p. 53; SD/BR/4, p. 8).

102 Marginal note 'Orath'.

103 See note 101.

104 £26 in Ecton: op. cit., p. 381.

105 He was collated 15 November 1708 (SD/BR/4, p. 18), and the living was vacant through his death in September 1713 (SD/BR/4, p. 36).

106 For the 40/- and the 6/- bequeathed by Thomas Jones in his will in 1694 see Endowed Charities (County of Carmarthen), pp. 210-11.

107 In the 1714 visitation exhibition book (SD/VC/7, p. 52) Methusalem Davies is shown as vicar of Pencarreg and curate of Llanybydder which he held by sequestration. He had been ordained priest 21 May 1676, instituted 11 July 1696 on the presentation of John Lewis, and inducted 30 July 1696.

108 The vicarage is valued at £7 in Ecton: op. cit., p. 381.

109 See note 107.

110 See note 33.

111 Ordained deacon 21 September 1684 and priest 15 March 1684/5, he was instituted in July 1685 on a presentation under the Great Seal (SD/VC/7, p. 49).

112 The vicarage is valued at £5 in Ecton: op. cit., p. 380.

113 See Endowed Charities (County of Carmarthen), pp. 86-7.

114 Marginal note 'Tally Abby'.

115 In the 1714 visitation exhibition book (SD/VC/7, p. 49) William Davies is shown as curate. He had been ordained deacon 25 May 1684 and priest 10 June 1688 and licensed 9 June 1688 (see also SD/VC/4).

116 William Floyer, M.A., was collated to the vicarage 6 May 1707 (SD/BR/4, p. 7). See M. Clement: Corr. and Minutes, p. 34, n. 114, and aforementioned thesis, pp. 265-6.

117 The value of the vicarage is given in Ecton: op. cit., p. 380, as £16.

118 William Nicholson, rector of Llandeilo Fawr, 1626, archdeacon of Brecon, 1644, bishop of Gloucester, 1661-72 (see Foster: Alumni Oxonienses, p. 1072). This is the Nicholson mentioned in the introduction as having been in dispute with Bishop William Lucy of St. David's.

119 See Endowed Charities (County of Carmarthen), p. 125.

120 Possibly Francis Stedman, B.A., vicar of Llangathen and Llanarthney, who had been ordained deacon, 6 June 1680, and priest, 29 May 1681, and had been inducted to Llangathen, 1685, and Llanarthney, 1694, (SD/VC/7, pp. 50-51). See also SD/VC/4 for 1694 visitation where he is described as M.A. with 1693 as the date of induction to Llanarthney.

121 Richard Lewis, B.A., ordained priest 29 May 1681, was inducted to Llansadwrn 16 July 1686 and to Llandybie January 1693/4 (SD/VC/7, pp. 48, 51; see also SD/VC/4 where date of priest's orders is given as 29 June 1681).

122 Morgan Williams ordained deacon 25 September 1692 and priest 24 September 1693 (SD/VC/7, pp. 48, 63).

123 See Endowed Charities (County of Carmarthen), pp. 269, 273.

124 See note 122.

125 Henry Powell, M.A., ordained deacon 15 September 1686 and priest 25 September 1687, was collated to Llangadog 4 June 1694 and inducted 27 October 1694 (SD/VC/7, p. 48).

126 See M. Clement: S.P.C.K. and Wales, p. 116, Corr. and Minutes, p. 38, n. 123, and p. 290, and aforementioned thesis, p. 142.

127 The parish was in the deanery of Pebidiawg in the archdeaconry of St. David's but, as stated, was impropriated to the archdeaconry of Carmarthen.

128 Peter Lewis collated and inducted September 1688 (SD/VC/7, p. 32).