ment in Tenby Church that he left the sum of £250 to the poor. An indented mark on the monument, near the head of the effigy, is stated to have been caused by a shot wantonly fired at it by one of Cromwell's soldiers. Risam died in 1633.

ENGLAND'S DEBT TO WALES.

BY AN ENGLISHMAN.

THE readers of the Cambrian Journal must have been amused and instructed by the spirited controversy contained in the last Number between " A Dull Fellow" and Anglo-Cambrian." Throughout, in the attack and reply, the rejoinder and rebutter, the ball is kept up with a spirit that never flags. "Dull Fellow," who had evidently waked up, and become "A Dull Fellow" (Brightened) by the wit as well as by the arguments of his antagonist, has been compelled to show; and, (in telling us "what he did know," and thereby how much he did not know), has enabled most of us to add to our limited stock of knowledge.

This controversy is essentially a battle between national predilections and prejudices, on subjects of the highest importance, and therefore deeply interesting to us all, whether we write ourselves Britons, Saxons, or AngloBritons; and we have all learnt something as to the first planting of our Ancient British Church, and the origin of our so-called Anglo-Saxon laws.

Among the "prejudices of education," which cling to us in after life, are those dogmas which are so forced upon our minds at school and college," that everything which we hold most valuable as Englishmen-our language, our laws and institutions, our personal libertyare all directly derived from our Anglo-Saxon ancestors." Hence, when left to our own guidance, we are long in discovering the truth, which increase of our knowledge

CAMB. JOUR., 1860.

2 Q

will daily confirm, that the blessings which we enjoy have been derived from many sources, and have been the growth of time. We Englishmen are exactly in the position of the celebrated German, Goethe, who claimed for himself in his writings the merit of appropriation. He said," I have taken the gold of one, the silver of another, the copper of a third, and the iron of a fourth, and I have worked all these into a new metal of my own.' We have done the same with our language and laws; and, having so freely appropriated the best things belonging to others, as we love fair play for ourselves, we are bound at least to acknowledge our debt when the rightful owners can show their just claim.

The period of our history which is most dear to the Englishman is the reign of our Saxon King Alfred, who, for his many human virtues, has been claimed as the common property of all mankind. Alfred began by acquiring from a Briton the knowledge which he desired to impart to his subjects; he had to learn before he could teach. He found among the Saxon institutions the germs of good laws; he gave form and shape to these rude elements, and framed his code on the ancient and more perfect laws of the Welsh. We rightly value our Trial by Jury" as the chief protection and safeguard of our personal liberty; and we received from Alfred this institution, which he had borrowed from the ancient custom of the Welsh, who had so perfected their system that they may fairly claim trial by jury, in its full development, as a law peculiarly their own.

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Alfred has received the praise for political sagacity in providing for the peace and security of his dominions by his division of the kingdom into counties, hundreds, and tithings; but this division had long existed among the Welsh.

Among the social customs of the Anglo-Saxons, and that which, down to the Norman conquest, they had most cherished, was "the law of gavelkind," that is, the equal distribution of land among all the sons of a family. This ancient custom was British, being found also among

the Gael and the Irish, the word having another and opposite meaning in the Saxon. How greatly the Saxons valued this custom, borrowed from the Britons, until they were deprived of it by the Norman conquest, we may judge from themselves.

ETYMON OF GAVELKIND.

SAXON,-gapel, "tribute," and cind, nature; an equal division of the father's lands at his death among all his sons, or of a brother dying without issue among all his brethren.-(Bailey, Etymological Dictionary.) Gabel, (Gabelle, Fr., zapel, Sax.,) an excise in France upon salt. In our old records it signifies rent, custom, or duty, yielded to the king our lord.-Bailey. WELSH,-Gafael, a hold, a grasp; cen, in possession of. GAELIC-Gabhail-cine, gavelkind, an old statute by which the land belonging to any house was distributed among its members. Gabair, a father. Gabh, v. a., take, receive.-(Armstrong's Gaelic Dictionary.

IRISH,-Gabhal, a prop, a descendant; Gabhail, the act of receiving, a tenure.-Ibid.

THE LAW OF GAVELKIND.

(The Legend of Kent.)

"The winding vale of Holm's Dale

Was never won,-and never shall!"

"All the world knows how William the Norman won the battle of Hastings, where, after a day of unsuccessful valour, the Saxon power was broken by Norman skill and discipline; but all the world does not know how Duke William, fearing the dangers of a march through the dense forest of Sussex, moved his army along the open sea-coast to Dover, from whence, after strengthening the castle, and leaving a strong garrison to protect his fleet, and secure his retreat in case of need, the Conqueror directed his march towards London. On reaching that part of the road. which runs through the vale of Holmsdale-having advanced carelessly in front of his army-William found himself on a sudden surrounded by a body of the Kentish men, who had assembled to bar his further progress.

"In the parley which followed, the Conqueror was compelled to grant their demand—namely, the continuance of their ancient laws and customs; which, being guaranteed by William, they permitted him to proceed.

"From this achievement the men of this part of Kent are to this day distinguished as 'The Men of Kent; and their standard, in memory of the fact, bears the White Horse of the Saxons, with the motto, 'INVICTA,' UNCONQUERED."

Thus the men of Kent secured by their courage the law of gavelkind, which is still enjoyed by their descendants; and this custom, now peculiar to Kent, has been a chief source of the solid comfort and prosperity so general among the people of this favoured county.

"May Kentish men be ever found united to uphold,

The righteous law the men of Kent, their fathers, won of old!"

THE MORRIS MANUSCRIPTS.

A CATALOGUE of the late Mr. Joseph Morris's (of Shrewsbury) valuable and extensive collection of genealogical manuscripts, connected with the Principality of Wales and county of Salop.

WALES.-The Salusbury Pedigrees, in 2 vols. 4to., being the collections made respectively by Owen Salusbury, of Rug, and John Salusbury, of Erbistock, Esqrs., between the years 1630 and 1677, or thereabouts, with some additions by other hands. Transcribed by the late Mr. Joseph Morris from the original MS., late in the possession of Sir Watkin Williams Wynn, Bart., but destroyed in the lamentable fire at Wynnstay, 6th March, 1858, and consequently this transcript is now presumed to be the only copy in existence of the Salusbury Pedigrees. To which additions have been made from some family pedigrees, and from MSS. belonging to David Pennant, of Downing, Esq., Richard Lloyd, of Chester, Esq., the Cae Cyrriog MS., and from municipal and parochial records.

The Cedwyn Manuscript, in 1 vol. 4to.-The Manafon Manuscript of Pedigrees, written partly in English, and partly in Welsh, belonging to Rev. Walter Davies, A.M., rector of Manafon, in the county of Montgomery, carefully transcribed by J. J. Kerry, Esq., 1828-9. This is denominated by Mr. Davies, for the sake of distinction, "The Cedwyn Manuscript." Copied from Mr. Jenkins's manuscript by the late Mr. Joseph Morris, 1829.

The Taicroesion Manuscript, in 1 vol. 4to.-A collection of pedigrees, made by Mr. John Ellis, of Taicroesion, about A.D. 1723. Transcribed from the MSS. in the possession of W. Williams, Esq., Beaumaris, with many additions and corrections, by the late Mr. Joseph Morris.

Pedigrees of Radnorshire, Flintshire, and Denbighshire Families, 1 vol. 4to., being selections from the original Visitation of those counties by Lewis Dwnn, with some additions, more particularly to the Flintshire pedigrees, by another hand about the year 1620. The

whole copied from a MS. belonging to John Madocks, of Fron Yw and Glan-y-Wern, Esq., by the late Mr. Joseph Morris, in 1831.

Visitation of Caermarthenshire, Pembrokeshire, and Cardiganshire, in 2 vols. 4to., by Lewis Dwnn, Deputy Herald.-Copied from the original, belonging to John Madocks, of Fron Yw and Glan-yWern, Esq., by the late Mr. Joseph Morris, 1831.

Transcript of Welsh Pedigrees, in 1 vol. 4to.-Transcribed from the certified copy, in the possession of Edward Evans, Esq., of Eyton Hall, near Leominster, in the county of Hereford, and which formerly belonged to that gentleman's ancestor, the Right Rev. Humphrey Humphreys, D.D., Bishop of Hereford, &c., by the late Mr. Joseph Morris, 1829.

Transcript from a MS., (in the handwriting of William Lewes, of Llysnewydd, in the county of Caermarthen,) the property of Edward Protheroe, Esq., M.P. for Evesham, 1 vol. 4to.-Transcribed, with several miscellaneous pedigrees added, by the late Mr. Joseph Morris, Shrewsbury, 1830.

Transcript from the original MS., (in the handwriting of Robert Vaughan, of Hengwrt, Esq.,) in the possession of W. W. E. Wynne, Esq., of Peniarth.-Transcribed, in 1 vol. 4to., by the late Mr. Joseph Morris, 1830.

Pedigrees, copied from a MS. belonging to D. Jones Lewis, Esq., of Gilfach, Caermarthenshire, 1 vol. 4to.

Llyfr Silin.-Yn cynnwys Achau amryw deuluoedd; Yn Ngwynedd; Powys, &c.; in 1 vol. 4to.-Furnishing valuable information of many ancient families in North Wales, Powys, &c., and transcribed by the late Mr. Joseph Morris, 1829.

Trials of Estates, 1 vol. 4to.-The Hendor Estates, &c., Merionethshire-Lloyd versus Passingham, Salop Summer Assizes, 1826 -Arms. The Llandisilio and Llanfloddian Estates, in the counties of Denbigh and Montgomery, with descent of Major Harrison and others, Summer Assizes, 1823-Arms. The Woodhall, &c., Estates, Salop, late the property of Thomas Woolley, Esq., Salop Assizes, 1825-Arms. Collected and arranged by the late Mr. Joseph Morris.

A Collection of Pedigrees, by Thomas ap Evan, of Trebryn, in the parish of Coychurch, in the county of Glamorgan, compiled by him in 1683, with many additions and corrections by the late Mr. Joseph Morris, in 1 vol. folio.

From the MS. at Ynysymaengwgn Gwydir, followed by a collection of miscellaneous pedigrees from a MS. belonging to W. W. E. Wynne, Esq., supposed to be in the handwriting of Randle Holmes, with some additions from Mr. Pennant's and Mr. Lloyd's MSS.; also pedigrees of Eddowes and other families, by the late Mr. Joseph Morris, 1 vol. folio.

Fifteen Tribes of North Wales; also Brochwel Ysgythrog; Ririd Flaidd; Cadrod Hardd; Rhiwallon ab Cynfyn, and divers others, 1 vol. folio.

SALOP.-In 10 large folio volumes, comprising the Herald's Visita