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LOCAL GOSSIP.I

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LOCAL GOSSIP. I A warm controversy has been raging in one of the Cardiff papers around the history of Coity Oaetle. Alderman Cochfarf, who has hrrfi criticised by a contributor, returns to the charge with this note: —" I have no time to beach your correspondent history, and, if I had, I am afraid he is a very inapt pupil. I Had he read Glamorganshire history, he would have known there are two Coitys Coity Anglia and Coity Walia. Coity Or^Its is in Coity Walia. and vvs never c • iquered by the Normans. It w.-is acr .ired by the TurberviHs by marriar- ,vith the Welsh owner's daughter.. < Berkrolles never ownod Ooity Ca*4 'i iey were of Orchard Oastle, St. Alhan. C >ity Walia, with its oaatte, LdS fully justify i ite name, and even Hv rnrbeirvills became more Welsh than the Welsh. Coity Anerlia was Norman." To this the original contributor replies: Coch- farf is evidently turning in a circle with a view to escape capture. It does not matter how many Coitys there were. The Coity mentioned in Iolo MSS., p. 400, came to Sir Laurence Berkrolles by marriage—not by conquest, and it was that Coity that was mentioned in the par." Rev. F. Picton- Wartow appears on the scene. He writes: Alderman Cochfarf is reported as saying that Coity Castle 'was then (i.e., in the time of Giyndwr), and is now, the property of the Turbervills.' In this he is mistaken. I do not know to whom Coity belonged in Glyn- dwr's time, but is is certainly not the pro- perty of the Turberviiis at the present time. I believe it now belongs to the Earl of Dun- raven, but am not certain on that point." Alderman Cochfarf is allowed the last word in the controversy. He writes: "I admit turning in a circle, but not to avoid capture. [ had to follow my quarry, who, certainly, has made a complete circle, and there I shall leave him, after emphasising my contention that the Berkrolles, even on his showing, could not have entertained Owain Glyndwr at Coity Castle. I welcome the appearance of the Rev. F. Picton-Warluw's name in this discussion, and am exceedingly glad he has signalised his advent in Cardiff by an evi- dence of his interest in the history of Bro Morganwg.' Last autmun the members of the Cymry Caerdydd were privileged to view Ewenny Park, with the Rev. F. Picton-War- low as their guide, and it was a pleasant sur- prise for the visitors to be addressed by him in pure Cymraeg. Mr. Warlow is the son of Colonel Turbervill, the present holder of the estate. Aiy answer to the rev. gentle- man is that when a visit was paid to Coity Oastle a few years ago by the late Dr. Joseph Parry, Mr. Bennett (of the Daily Tele- graph '), Mr. Staniforth, and myself and ethers, we were referred to the Turbervill agent for the necessary permission to view. This was when we were seeking suitable ob- jects to form the scenery of Dr. Parry's •pera, The Maid of Cefn Ydfa,' and a sketch ef Ooity Castle as then drawn by Mr. J. M. Staniforth formed the drop scene at the Xing's Theatre, Cardiff, when the opera was subsequently performed there." A correspondent, in reminiscent vein, has an interesting account of a run with the Llanwonno Hounds over the historic ground of old" Llantrisant. The meet was at the Merlin Inn, Pwllgwaun, Pontypridd, and we were soon on the track of an old fox on the top of Cwmgelly. As we went at a rattling pace past Castella many reminiscences of old days crowded upon us, of the days when Dr. Lloyd, of Castella, used to follow the hounds, accompanied by his step-daughter, Mrs. Wil- liams, of Miskin Manor. It was while follow- ing the hounds of Mr. Alexander, of Cross- gaed, that the late Judge, then a rising young barrister, met Miss Williams, acknow- ledged to be the best lady follower of the hunt in the district, and determined to make fcer his wife. We then went at a good pace, scent being keen, passed the summer house oi Mr. Rickards, of Llantrisant, who in his day was revered in the district as the Lord mi Llantrisant." He was worshipped in the village and the surrounding district, and many were the stories told of him. At one time his servant Tom Muxy, fought D. O. Israel, some distance away, and while the squire did not care to openly countenance the fight, so keen was his interest in it that he sent a man on horseback to watch it from an emiaence, and to ride home with the news, which greatly pleased him, Muxy having vol. Having left Cwm Castella, we passed on to Llantrisant Common, where a noted race was run 60 years ago between Maxfield, a well-known English pedestrian and the two fleetest runners in Wales, John Davies (Ciw Goff) and Robbin, of Llantrisant. We fol- lowed Reynard on to Caerau, and saw the •Id town bull ring, removed from the town •f Llantrisant. The old ring, where many bull baiting matches took place—the last contest was between two dogs owned by Mr. William Treharne, of Llantrisant, whose son waa with us, and those of Shams y Crydd. Mr. Treharne's dogs were known as Welling- ton and Bulcher, for Mr. Treharne was one .f the crowd who marched down the Dover- road to give Wellington an ovation on his way to London after the battle of Waterloo. His dogs proved victors, Wellington bringing down the bull. At Cae'r Bedday Reynard found his way down a drain on the New Park Farm." In an interesting note on litigious ladies, "P.T.O." makes an inevitable reference to the late Miss Jenner. It need not be regarded as a reflection upon them in any degree, but it is almost invariably the case that the confirmed litigant bears some mark of distinctive individuality, generally associ- ated with eccentricity either of dress, or de- portment, or manner. Although she dressed somewhat eccentrically, and always carried a crook-handled stick and a large bundle of papers, Miss Jenner ever displayed good breeding and perfect decorum. She was a niece of the late Sir Henry Jenner, first a judge in the old Doctors' Commons, and forty years ago set out upon the hopeless task of establishing a claim to the Wenvoe JDastle Estates. Newton Nottage Court is a little gem of a gabled Tudor manor-house, oak panelled prithin. It was here Mr. Blackmore used to stay, and here also he planned and partly prote his Maid of Sker." Three very eurious old tapestries, dating from 1509, hang within. One is of Antony giving king- doms to Cleopatra's children, another of Noah's sacrifice, and a third depicting Miriam lirith a timbrel. In the last designs are sup- posed portraits of the Duke of Clarence and Lady Anne Neville. Beaupre, the ancient home of the Bassetts, near Oowbridge, was at one time a great meeting-place of bards and of eisteddfodau, jrhict were held in the spacious hall or in the quadrangle of the mansion. One of the Bassetts has carved the bardic tripod on the Bide of the great doorway leading from the guadrangle into the hall, with a view, pre- sumably, of indicating that the place was the heme of bardism and the seat of the muses. The house is now occupied by Colonel Wynd- ham-Quin, D.S.O. Miss Talbot, of Margam, has presented the Welib Library of the University College, Baicof, through the Dean of Bangor, with Biret's "History of Margam Abbey, 1897, and a descriptive catalogue of the Penrice and Margam Abbey Manuscripts.

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