| Disgrifiad | On 2 there are informing notes by Sir John on the Armitage family, close relatives of Professor Gibson. 12-15 are letters and docts. relating to Elfed's grant from the Civil List: claims and deserts, financial needs, precedent cases of other Welshmen. A lady inquirer wants the background of Julius Ibbetson's painting of some Rhandirmwyn miners setting out to encounter the Fishguard French of 1797 (17-18). The National Librarian writes 41-48: he refers to the Cambridge Corpus Christi MSS. then deposited at Aberystwyth, refers especially to 114 and 199, and confesses (with Sir John) to the general failure to find the exact sources of the Holinshed blocks in Powel's Historie (see W.W. Greg's letters on the subject, 81-82). In 51-56 Dr J. Goronwy Edwards handsomely acknowledges Sir John's assistance in correcting certain points in Littere Wallie (see esp. 52); one cannot help seeing in both Lloyd and Edwards great masters of thc craft of research, as witness 53. In 59-63 we see T.I. Ellis conferring with Sir John over certain aspects of the career of the elder Tom Ellis. 75 contains rather surprising details about Sir Edward German's early life - his Welsh parentage and his Welsh music-master. Kyrle Fletcher's ideas about the Puritan Wroth (74). What were the fortunes of Ffriwlwyd under the monks of Aberconway and their charter - were Colin Gresham's queries (89-90). Dr E.K. Jones curious about Rhuddallt (120). 122-132 are pleasent gossipy letters from Ignatius Jones, Sir John's sometime pastor at the English Congregational Church. 139 is written by Thomas Jones of the U.C.W., refers to Dr Robin Flower's serious illness and the unlikelihood of his ever editing the Exeter MS.; in answer, Sir John gives cogent reasons why a new edition of the Annales Cembriae should be published. In 155-9 Professor Henry Lewis discusses certain points arising from the Dingestow Brut which he has edited. The most interesting letters under M are those from an old student of U.C.N.W., now a Presbyterian chaplain, in search for a suitable crest and motto for the St Athan Air Force Station (165-6), and from another distinguished old student, Sir Frederick Menzies, retired at Criccieth, curious to know when the cloddiau terfyn (the stone walls) so prominent in the Eifionydd uplands were put up, why, and by whom (168-9). F.I. North perseveres with Llys Helig (175-8), and S.O. Dwyer (of the Roman roads) is badly hit by a review of one of his pamphlets (179). Robert Owen, the Welshpool antiquary, keeps up his ancient friendship, writes the same neat antique script, and supplies an interesting list of teirtrefi in lower Montgomeryshire (182-185). Dr I. Peate as a prime supporter of W.J. Gruffydd in the election for the University seat in 1943 (194). Dr Albert Peel, then editor of the Cong. Quarterly, writes 195-201, mainly relating to his edition of the Penry prison note-book published by the Royal Historical Society in 1944. Sir John corrected the notes of L.F. Powell for his edition of Johnson's Diary of the Tour in Wales (202-204). John Arthur Price becomes Chancellor of the diocese of Bangor in 1941 and proposes publishing a book on the Disestablishment issue (206-210), but death cut hin short in the early summer of 1942 (see his nephew's letter, 64). A. lvor Pryce had died in 1940, and his last letter to J.H.L., from a Llandudno Nursing home, is inexpressibly sad (211). In 221-8 we have Robert Richards, M.P., historian and antiquary, esseying a new work on early Christianity and monasticism, but not receiving much encouragement from Sir John in the form proposed by R.R. (221-8). 240-2 prove that Frederic Spencer is dead, but that J.E.L. is bent upon securing a photo of his old colleague for the Staff Common Room, in which he was successful (240-2). Doris Stenton gives a poser about a certain Howel ap Adam of Salop that, for once, even Sir John was not able to cope with (243-4). 256 is from Gunner R.J. Thomas, now just elected acting editor of the projected Welsh Dictionary J.B. Williams of Kerry writes 269—271, with fearful script, but clear in exposition; Professor David Williams proposes to write a memoir of Sir Lleufer Thomas, and gets the loan of letters from J.E.L. (272-3); D.J. Williams of Bethesda, secretary of the Bala-Bangor College, supplies several cofiannau of Independent ministers, and (with the aid of Sir John) shows that W. Rhys Roberts, for severel years Professor of Greek at U.C.N.W. and an outstanding authority on the Greek orators, was the son of an Independent minister (275-9). Griffith John Williams of the U.C.S.W. (now Professor) is still tackling the Iolo problems and making new discoveries (280-2), Sir Ifor Williams was a great friend and was always ready to reinforce Sir John's historical arguments on the linguistic side (283-6) |