Cymmrodor. The publications issued to the Members in the course of the last twelve months were : THE TRANSACTIONS OF THE HONOURABLE SOCIETY OF CYMMRODORION for the Session of 1892-93, and THE COURT ROLLS OF THE LORDSHIP OF RUTHIN, being the second number of the Cymmrodorion Record Series. Edited by Mr. Richard Arthur Roberts. The Transactions were supplemented by the interesting historical Address delivered by the President of the Cymmrodorion, at the Rhyl Eisteddfod, published separately. With regard to the future, the Council hope to place the question of publication on a different footing. The following publications are now in the press or in course of preparation, viz. :— The Transactions of the Society for the last Session, containing Papers by Mr. Justice Vaughan-Williams, Mr. J. W. WillisBund, and Professor Hugh Williams, which will be ready for issue shortly. Part II of Owen's Pembrokeshire, being the first number of the Record Series. Edited by Mr. Henry Owen, F.S.A. The Black Book of St. David's. Edited by Mr. J. W. Willis-Bund, F.S.A. A Catalogue of the Welsh MSS. at the British Museum. Compiled by Mr. Edward Owen, and a New Edition of Nennius, under the Editorship of Mr. Alfred Nutt. With respect to some of these publications the Editors have prepared special Statements, which are appended to this Report. The following books, etc., have been presented to the Society and duly acknowledged, viz. :— A further volume of the Charters and Muniments of Glamorganshire. The Calendars of the University College of North Wales and the Labour Commission (Wales). Mr. D. Lleufer Thomas. Minutes of Evidence and Report by The Wrexham Advertiser, the Carnarvon and Denbigh Herald, the Welshman, the North Wales Observer, and the Cambrian (Utica), presented by their respective publishers. The Council is pleased to announce that the Annual Dinner will be held on the 24th of January next, and that the following arrangements have been made for the ensuing Lecture Session, viz. : February.-Professor Rhys, M.A., for a Joint Meeting of the Cymmrodorion and Folk-Lore Societies, a Paper on the "Story of Twrch Trwyth. March. Miss E. P. Hughes, The Training College, Cambridge, a Paper on "The Future of Welsh Education", and a Paper by Watcyn Wyn on the "Welsh Poetical Metres." April. Mr. Stephen Williams, F.S.A., on "The Cistercian Abbey of Cwm-Hir in Radnorshire." May. The Rev. John Fisher, B.D., Ruthin, on "The Welsh Calendar." June. Professor Kuno Meyer, of University College, Liverpool, on "Early Relations between Brython and Gael." The Session will wind up with the usual Conversazione. Under the Society's Rules the terms of Office of the following Officers expire, viz. : THE PRESIDENT, THE VICE-PRESIDENT, THE AUDITORS, and ten Members of the Council retire, viz. :— Two of these gentlemen, General R. Owen Jones, who has resigned owing to his temporary absence from England, and Mr. Milo Griffith, who has settled in the United States, do not again come forward for re-election; the remaining eight are eligible for nomination. A Financial Statement for the past year is appended to this Report. REPORT ON "OWEN'S PEMBROKESHIRE": BY HENRY OWEN, F.S.A. AT the request of the Secretary I have much pleasure in reporting to the Society the progress which has been made in the second volume of the first number of the Record Series. So far as relates to the portion already completed, the progress has been slow, owing to the large number of Records which have been consulted in order to obtain the fullest information as to the various records, persons, and places mentioned by the author. The book begins with George Owen's "Collections for Pembrokeshire", which (with a trifling exception) have not before been published. The first three numbers are ecclesiastical. They include a complete list of the Pembrokeshire parishes arranged under the hundreds, and of the impropriations within the county arranged under deaneries, and particulars of the patronage of every church (also arranged under deaneries), stating whether it was a rectory, vicarage, or curacy,—who the patron was, and whence he derived his title. Then follow a valuable historical paper on the "Tallage for the redemption of the Great Sessions"; an account of the knights' fees of Sir John Carew (lord deputy of Ireland, who died in 1362), who also held lands in Devon; instances of the tenants in chief of the Lords Marcher; a list of the lands in Wales given to the Preceptory of Slebech; two papers on the Pembrokeshire ploughland and North Pembrokeshire land measures, and two on the old county Palatine of Pembroke. George Owen's account of his searches among the Records in London will be read with interest. Even his perseverance was tried, for he found some things "strange and hard for any man to rede", and it was costly withal, for "the serche is vis. viiid. whether you finde or not". The only other item to be noticed is a List of the lordships and places which made up the shires of Pembroke and Carmarthen, which the unique knowledge on the subject of Mr. Phillimore (whose valuable assistance I have again to acknowledge) has made of especial value to the future historian of Wales. Other works mentioned in my preface are already in type. To them I propose to make some additions, (among others) the Treatise on Marl and a Dialogue on the Government of Wales in 1594, between a Doctor of the Civil Law and a Pembrokeshire man. This latter is in MS. at the British Museum, and gives full descriptions of the Court of the Marches, the Courts of Westminster, the Great Sessions, and the county hundred and baronial Courts, and contains much valuable incidental information about the manners and customs of the people. This dialogue seems to have been written after the treatise on the "Government of Wales" published in Clive's History of Ludlow, and summarized in Pennant's Tour in Wales. That treatise was also published in an early (1828) number of the Transactions of this Society and in Lloyd's History of Powys Fadog, but none of the editors seem to have been aware that it was due to the indefatigable diligence of the old Pembrokeshire historian. Having regard to the labour which is involved in making an index to a work of this class, I shall probably issue a third volume before the completion of the whole book. I have spared no outlay of time or money in endeavouring to make it worthy of this Society, of George Owen, and of the County of Pembroke. "THE BLACK BOOK OF ST. DAVID'S :" REPORT BY J. W. WILLIS-BUND, F.S.A. The Black Book of St. David's is an extent or detailed survey of the possessions of the Bishop of St. David in 1326. Its title is: "An extent of the Lands and Rents of the Lord Bishop of St. David's made by Master David Fraunceys, Chancellor of St. David's in the time of the Venerable Father, the Lord David Martyn, by the Grace of God, Bishop of the See in the year of our Lord 1326." The extent was taken in the regular Norman way; in each place a jury was sworn, who stated on their oaths what were the possessions of the Bishop, who were the tenants, what was the yearly value of each holding, and also what services the tenants had to render to the Lord. So that the record gives the following important information. 1. The place-names of the 14th century. 2. Some idea of the size and population of the different places. 3. The names of the different tenants, thus showing how far the Norman had supplanted the Welsh inhabitants. 4. The tenure on which the properties were held, thus showing how far Norman tenures had supplanted the old Welsh. 5. The services which give some traces of the old Welsh tenures and tribal customs. 6. In addition to this the number of place and personal names is important to Welsh students. The most interesting part are the services, as they show (1) how far the Norman Bishops had succeeded in introducing Norman ideas among the tenants; (2) how far the Welsh customs remained; (3) and a number of customs that may be Norman or Welsh. For instance, (1) in certain places a relief was payable to b |