| Title | Exemplification relating to controversy about seats in Llandegai church before the Court of the Council of the Marches of Wales between Sir Rees Griffith, plaintiff, and William Griffith ap Llywelyn ap Grono with his son John ap William, defendants, the latter being particularly accused of entering the Penrhyn seat, spitting, scoffing at the gentlewomen, and throwing their gloves spitefully after them |
| Description | The Council appointed a special commission to sit in Llandegai church, consisting of Rowland Meredith [of Bodowyr, Anglesey] and Morus Kyffin (3 January 1575-76). Evidence for the plaintiff was heard from old parishioners of Llandegai, and old servants of Penrhyn then living at Clynnog, Penmachno and Dwygyfylchi. All agreed that teh family seat was the bench on the south side of the chancel, that Sir William Griffith has a private chapel with chaplains at Penrhyn, and only attended at Llandegai on the principal feasts (his son Edward, brother of Sir Rees, came much oftener). Some witnesses had some very interesting things to say; one that J ap 's. grandmother, Sabell had nursed Sir Rees Griffith, another that some old servants of Penrhyn were buried in the chancel; one remembered great assemblies of knights and cavaliers in the church, while yet another remembered seeing the abbot o Aberconwy sitting on the bench with Sir William; one (William ap Ievan ap Meredith) even recounted his father going to speak to Sir W. in the chancel about a stag he had to provide for him "against the Sessions", and the throng being so great he had to wedge in between the knight "and the tomb there". Quite as arresting as any was the witness who said he had heard even older people say the old church of Llandegai was built of Cae Meusyn Glassoc about two bowshots from the new church. One stated the land around Llandegai was once owned by Grono Vychan ap Tudur ao Grono, which gives new interest to some of the very early Penrhyn marriages. The whole evidence was referred to the Council at the meeting at Shrewsbury (30 March 1575-6) when a decree was made and ordered that the Penrhyn claim to the bench on the south side of the chancel was incontrovertible. |