child, Elizabeth, wife of Henry Fermor of Tussmore, whose only child, Eleanor, married William Adams of Broseley, co. Salop. The tinctures of the arms of Cupper, mentioned in a note, page 440, are probably argent, on a bend inter two lions rampant sable, armed and langued gules, three plates.

We have lingered perhaps too long in speaking of and amplifying some of the interesting pieces of information contained in this volume. It not only bears the marks of being complementary to the preceding five volumes, but is more valuable, because there is less matter in it of a nature to which many would take objection, and which would interest few. The thanks of Welshmen and others are due to the writer for the amount of genealogical and historical matter which he has compressed within these six volumes, but it is much to be wished that some competent person would undertake a revision of the whole and reduce it to a uniform arrangement. It is evident that the author endeavoured to keep abreast of new matter which flowed in upon him during the publication of his work, and this praiseworthy effort has given it in many places a disjointed appearance. On the other hand, some corrections are still needed to make it reliable for students, and in several of the pedigrees the variations of different manuscripts are not sufficiently given. There is no attempt at a critical examination of the matter, dates, etc. ; indeed, to introduce that would have lengthened the whole to an inconvenient extent. We have good reason to be thankful for what we have, and when it is borne in mind how rare, comparatively speaking, works of any size upon Welsh history or genealogy are at the present day, we must view the History of Powys Fadog as an important contribution to our literature.

THE INDEX LIBRARY: A Series of Indexes and Calendars to British Records. Edited by W. P. W. PHILLIMORE, M.A., B.C.L., Queen's College, Oxford. London: Charles J. Clark. Price 28. monthly.

UNDER the title of the Index Library there has appeared monthly since January of this year, 1888, a serial publication containing

matter extremely useful to those who concern themselves with antiquarian researches, whose labours among the dusty files and folios of British records it will greatly facilitate, making it at the same time possible for them to carry on such labours to a certain extent at their own firesides. The title is comprehensive, covering a wide area, and as time proceeds the editor, Mr. W. P. W. Phillimore, will doubtless furnish his subscribers with aids to inquiries ranging over the whole period for which British archives exist. The scheme is far from being completed yet, but a beginning has been made with an index of names to “Chancery Proceedings", temp. Charles I, and with similar indexes respectively to the "Signet Bills" issued from 1584 to 1624, to the "Royalist Composition Papers", and to the "Northamptonshire and Rutland Wills" for a century and a half, commencing with the year 1510. The last named are deposited at Northampton, but the other three series lie in the safe-keeping of the walls of the Public Record Office in London; and, indeed, on the shelves of the search-rooms of this national institution have long rested the manuscript originals of the indexes which are now in course of appearance in print. Henceforth the searcher, as far as he can avail himself of Mr. Phillimore's handy pages, added to from month to month, will avoid the less convenient manuscript volumes to which until now he could alone have recourse. From the catalogue of the contents of the Index Library given above, it will be seen at once that the information to which it is a guide does not relate in any great degree to subjects or localities which specially engage the attention of the readers of Y Cymmrodor. Still, the Principality and its sons are occasionally in evidence, as a glance over the columns of names will show. "Ameredith", "Apreece", "Apprice", for instance, point unmistakably in one direction. There is little to be said, without travelling outside the proper scope of this notice, of the series of Records and State Papers to which guidance is thus provided by Mr. Phillimore. The "Wills" and "Chancery Proceedings" speak for themselves as far as their contents go. With regard to the other two series it will be sufficient to say that the "Signet Bills" are the instruments bearing the sovereign's signature which authorise the Lord Chancellor to pass letters patent under the Great Seal, and are chiefly concerned with high legal appointments; and that the

"Royalist Composition Papers" are documents of an extremely varied and interesting nature, containing information as to the estates, ages, and families of the Royalists who in the rigid times of Cromwell's rule found it necessary to make excuse for their existence, paying fines for their loyalty, and petitioning for the release of their property.

1888.

LLANELLY PARISH CHURCH: Its History and Records; with Notes relating to the Town. By ARTHUR MEE. Llanelly: Printed at the "South Wales Press" Offices. MR. MEE deserves the thanks of Welsh antiquaries for the care and pains with which he has placed this detailed account of Llanelly Church, its monuments and its records before them. His book is a handy volume of some 180 pages, illustrated by two excellent photographs, besides some rather rough woodcuts. Work of this kind is of solid value, and we should be glad to see more of it issuing from the press.

Our notices of Mr. Alfred Nutt's Studies on the Legend of the Holy Grail and of the second part of Mr. Silvan Evans' Dictionary are unavoidably postponed to the next number.

384

Notes and Queries.

ANGLESEY FOLK-LORE.1

Ar Llangeinwen, some seventy years ago, there lived a farmer and his daughter. He was tolerably well off himself, but the neighbours noticed that his daughter was spending money at a very extravagant rate. She used to go to Carnarvon and other towns, and buy all kinds of things. People naturally wondered where she obtained all this money, but when she was asked she always made the same reply, viz., "I won't tell you; if I do, I shall die." At last her father, being determined to find out the secret, followed her one night out of the house and watched her movements. She went down a quiet lane, but soon left the path and went to a rough piece of ground covered with gorse. Here she joined a company of fairies (tylwyth têg), some of whom were playing fiddles, while the rest were singing and dancing in the moonlight. Her father was much alarmed at the sight, and ran away immediately. Next day he asked her where she had been the night before. She replied, "I can't tell you; if I do, I shall die." He then took a stick and threatened to beat her if she would not tell him. By this means he extorted from her the confession that the fairies used to fetch her out and make her go to their meetings, whether she liked or not; that they always used to see her home safely, and that all her supplies of money came from them. As soon as she had finished telling him this, she was taken ill on the spot, and died the same day.

Atherstone, May 1886.

W. W. COBB, M.A.

1 See Y Cymmrodor, vol. vii, pp. 56 and 195-8.

1 10-3347