Sir Gilbert Scott considered that the earliest portion dates from 1220 to 1230. The limits of a preface do not afford room for more than mention of the salient features of the edifice, making use, for the purpose, of a few extracts from Mr. Freeman's able and exhaustive account of it.1

"The Priory church is the noblest of a class, of which a good many instances occur in Wales. The class I mean is one of massive cruciform churches with central towers, whose high roof and gables invariably present a picturesque external outline.

"The leading idea is that of simple bulk. Brecon Priory impresses us more strongly with the idea of general magnitude than many buildings of much greater positive dimensions. This is perhaps partly occasioned by its extreme simplicity of structure.

The ground plan consists of a nave with aisles; the southern one not quite reaching to the west end, and a north porch, a central tower or choir, with transepts and an eastern limb, forming a large presbytery, without regular aisles, but with a remarkable arrangement of chapels on each side.”

"The church was, doubtless, commenced not long after the foundation of the Priory, but probably the nave might not be completed till towards the middle of the twelfth century. The choir, transepts, and presbytery were rebuilt during the thirteenth; the fourteenth gradually transformed the Norman nave into a Decorated building. The presbytery consists of four bays; as it originally stood, the two easternmost bays were free, while chapels were attached to the western pair, but, on the north side, later alterations have somewhat interfered with this arrangement. The style is common Early English, extremely good, but not remarkable for richness; in the exterior, indeed, remarkably the reverse. A triplet occupies each bay, except the western one, and a quintuplet fills the east end. Externally, these windows are as plain as possible; within, they have detached banded shafts and moulded

1 Arch. Camb., vol. v, N. S., p. 150. 1854.

jambs. Those at the sides are singularly slender, and the centre light rises in an unusual degree above the side ones. The eastern quintuplet has broader lights and a more gradual rise, but the three central ones are larger and grouped more closely together than the external pair."

66

The nave is of four bays on the north side and three on the south, such being the number of arches; the southern aisle being a bay shorter than the rest. But to the east of the arcade, beyond its respond, is a blank wall almost equal to another bay. This was the space occupied by the rood-loft, the corbels for the support of which still remain, making it demonstratively certain that the choir was originally under the central tower."

.

It remains to give an account of the source from which the documents which form the Cartulary, are derived. Bishop Kennett, in his Case of Impropriations, 1704, gives the substance of the endowment, by William Revell, of the church of St. Mary, Hay, and quotes, as his authority, "Ex Cartulario Prioratus S. Johannis Evang. de Brechon, MS., f. 47," without reference to its possessor. In the short account of the Priory in Tanner's Notitia Monastica (1744), among the authorities referred to is, "Registrum antiquum Prioratus de Brechnoch, MS., penes Gulielmum Brewster, M.D., Herefordiæ". Dr. Brewster bequeathed all his MSS. to the Bodleian. Theophilus Jones, the able and painstaking historian of Brecknockshire, appears to have searched for this MS. at the Bodleian and elsewhere without success, but his search was rewarded by the discovery at the Bodleian, among the MS. collections of Thomas Čarte, of a volume, which contained a series of documents relative to the Priory and many other Welsh matters. In his history of the county, he gave an epitome of such of the documents as related to the Priory's possessions in Breconshire, with notes, which are valuable on account of his local knowledge.

At my request, the Rev. D. M. Macray kindly refer

red to the volume, and arranged that a copy should be made of the Cartulary, and of other documents relating to the Priory in a different handwriting, which he discovered in an earlier part of the same volume.

A careful perusal of the documents copied leads to the conclusion that they were first transcribed from the original charters and other documents, and arranged in their present order, after the suppression of the Priory, probably in the seventeenth century, by a writer who was but little versed in the character of the handwriting of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, and who had little knowledge of the succession of bishops, or the period during which the parties to the charters lived. As is not unusual in early deeds, the documents for the most part have no date, and so it was difficult to arrive at their sequence without some research, or a reference to works which were not within the reach of the original transcriber. It is probable that, after the suppression of the Priory, the charter and other deeds were consigned to a chest, or other place of deposit, and were at last rescued from oblivion by some one curious to arrive at their contents, without sufficient knowledge for the work; for there is no sequence in their arrangement. Many of the later thirteenth century charters occur before the earlier ones; some are twice copied, and there is a general confusion as regards the subject-matter and the period to which they relate. With a view to remedy this defect, it is proposed to arrange the several documents, as far as may be, in chronological order, in a table of the contents.

The transcript in the Carte collection, judging from the handwriting, was made about 1710, evidently from a previous copy, probably differing from that in Dr. Brewster's possession. The handwriting shows that the Carte transcript was written by two persons in turn,—one continuing where the other left off. Their occasional notes in the Welsh language show that they were copying a recent hand; the name, Hugh Gruff(ith),

1 See note at foot of preface.

W/

occurs at the end of one note, apparently referring to the earlier transcriber. Some of the documents are imperfect, and suggest that a page was torn or missing, or that the original deed was imperfect, or illegible; very few charters appear to be missing.

It is proposed to add to the Cartulary the answers of a Prior of Brecon during the fourteenth century to articles exhibited against him, the appointment of a prior in 1435, and an account of the possessions of the Priory shortly after its suppression.

In concluding, I desire to express my thanks to the Rev. D. M Macray for his aid and suggestions, to Professor John Rhys for translating the Welsh notes, and to Mr. Geo. Parker of the Bodleian for the great pains which he has taken in making out very difficult handwriting, for his searches, and for his zeal and readiness in answering all inquiries which arose on a perusal of his transcript. R. W. BANKS.

(Browne Willis, MS. 37, fol. 184, Bodl. Lib.)

Norwich, Apr. 13, 1719. "Dear Sir, I was obliged to go home by Bury .....I had begun a letter to you [at Ely], but desisted because I could not, without book, give you, for my Lord of St. David's, an account of the Cartulary of St. John's Priory in Brecknock, which I had lent me in the year 1697, and abstracted part of it. It consisted of about 110 leaves in parchment, in octavo. Was procured me by Dr. John Davies, then of Jesus Coll., from Dr. Brewster of Hereford, who, as I was inform'd, was then the owner of it. I formerly sent you all the Dignitaries of the Church of St. David's that I could find mention of in my collections out of it. Since upon comparing your History of St. David's with them, I find, fo. 86, Conventio facta per Thomam Episcopum Menevensem inter Reginaldum Priorem et Conventum Brechinensem et m'rm Benedictum Vicarium Matricis Eccles. Brechon. de ordinatione istius Vicaria A.D. 1248. I have not the month, but the year may seem to fix what you are (p. 104) in doubt about, ye consecration of the said Bp. Thomas.. ....for thus runs a Teste in this Cartulary, f. 56, Testibus Galfredo Episcopo Menevense, Magistro G. de Barri, G. Archid. Brecon. nepote suo R. Decano, Osberto Capellano Episcopi, &c.; for after the dispute about the Election to the Bishopric was given against him, Geraldus is said to have resigned his Archdeaconry to William his nephew...... abt. 1203.

"To Brown Willis, Esq."

"Your aff. servt. Thomas Tanner."

See also Tanner MS. (Bodl. Lib.), No. 342, f. 170.

CARTE PAPERS.

(Bodleian Library, vol. 108, fol. 254, Article 19.)

Proceedings of the Chapter of St. David's relative to tithes withheld from the Prior by the rector of the parish of St. Michael, Ystradwy, Wednesday after 14 Sept. 1234:

"Acta in capella sancti Johannis de Straddewy1 feria quarta post exaltationem Sancte Crucis anno M'o ducentesimo tricesimo quarto coram H(ugone)2 archidiacono et officiale Menevensi et coram L. A. officialibus et G. Decano Brechonie, scilicet quod cum Prior et Conventus Brechonie monerent Hugoni Whethelen rectori ecclesie Sancti Michaelis de Straddewy5 super decimis quibusdam quas dicti Monachi dicebant ab antiquis monasterio Sancti Johannis Brechonie datas esse et concessas postquam tractatum fuerat super hoc negocio coram R(ogero) Pichard, tunc temporis domino ejusdem loci, Et dictus R. Willelmum Muthun constabularium suum cum quibusdam aliis transmisit ad Capitulum ut interessent et viderent quid in Capitulo super hoc negocio ageretur Tandem dictus rector comparuit et publice recognovit et concessit dictis Monachis duas partes omnium decimarum de tota terra de Kylvaynor, duas etiam partes omnium decimarum de tota terra Bernardi Boghan, scilicet a lapide stante juxta furcas tam subtus viam magnam quam supra viam magnam usque ad locum ubi erecta fuit crux Keinthlen secundum quod rivulus descendit a fonte subtus Boghlek versus villam de Straddewy usque ad locum qui supra ripam dicti rivuli opponitur dicto lapidi stanti: duas etiam partes omnium decimarum de tota terra quae dicitur Wlythfays,8

1 Theoph. Jones considers this occupied the place of the present Chapel of Tretower.

2 Hugh de Cluna.

3 A person appointed by a bishop to exercise, in his stead, ecclesiastical jurisdiction in contentious matters.

4 Dean of the monastic body there.

5 Now Llanvihangel Cwmdu. Where the county or diocese is not stated in the notes, the place is situate in Breconshire.

6 Probably a fork-like junction of two roads.

7 See Jones' History of Brecknockshire, vol. ii, p. 501, and Plate xiii. He says that the cross stood at Penheol y Crwys (or the head of the lane), a short distance north of Gaer. " Boghlek", he suggests, may be Bwlch.

8

Gwlythfaes; corruptly pronounced "Glyffaes". (Ibid.)