| Description | As interesting as ever, up to the last. Professor E.G. Bowen's new angle on the Age of the Saints (6); Professor Brambell's letter about the Talfourd Jones collection of Natural History literature at Llanfairfechan (in response to Sir John's) which eventually led to its acquisition by the College (7, and cp. 73-74); information wanted about the Ceastell y Rhodwydd of the Denbighshire Inventory, no.265, (letter 11), more about the Madoc myth (15). 35 contains a very original appeal - from the Secretary of Cymanfa Ddirwestol Gwynedd - that Sir John should furnish examples from Welsh history as illustrations of the virtues of temperance and the evils of intemperance, to be developed by another hand into a booklet; Sir John's considered answer must have been full of a mellow humour, for the summary itself is suggestively rich - "Catraeth story gone, Seithennin a legend, Giraldus not complimentary, bards hopeless, Laws better (three officials not to get drunk, also the hebogydd), tair gormes doeth (one of the Triads)". Dr Greenly, besides being in sincere mourning after another of his cats, submits the MS. of his Historical Studies (37), to be told by Sir John it was readable and really “good journalism”, but too diffuse for a book. An Oxford minister sends a batch of queries about Dr Thomas Phillips of Neuaddlwyd (39); protracted discussion of the genealogies of the princely lines of Wales (40-44); once again, he declares (on being consulted about the "arms" of Wales) that there was no case for the daffodil against the leek (45). In correspondence with E.D. Jones of the National Library he maintains that there was no proof that the Book of Sr. Chad was ever at Llandaff and enters into the difficult question of the beginnings of the Llandaff episcopate (56-8). In 59-62 he frowns on the idea that Llewelyn the Last had any legitimate descendants except the Gwenllian who died a nun of Sempringham; in 63 he declares himself "of no use in heraldic matters". 64 is in another world; it contains a life-history of his sometime pastor Ignatius Jones as described in the Bristol Congregational Monthly of July, 1946; 65-68 are letters from I.J. 79 introduces the complicated question of "detached Flint” or Maelor Saesneg, bought up by Flintshire enthusiasm for preserving ancient boundaries (letters 168-9). Reginald Peacock (82-3); E.W. Lovegrove on Llanthony Abbey (93-94); Basil Megaw, a learned and exact correspondent from the R.A.F., brings up somewhat recondite evidence on connections between Anglesey and the Isle of Man (98-100). Judge Morris (102). In 103 the date of Eliseg's Pillar is subjected to new tests, by Dr Nash Williams from the epigraphic point of view, by T.D. Kendrick from the historical: Sir John heavily discountenances Kendrick's theory of an 11th century date. In 126-8 Sir Maurice Powicke welcomes Sir John's help (and a map) in clarifying certain details of his great study of the reign of Henry III. Information to an old student interested in the Benastre family (129-131); marshalling, for the last time, the evidence against equating Maglona with Machynlleth (135); Sir Frank Stenton gives his views on the various forms of the word Buttington (148). Sir Ifor Williams upturns the rarest words from the Celtic underworld (172-177). |