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An early seventeenth century manuscript containing the first book of the 'Description of Penbrokeshire' by George Owen of Henllys. The date at the beginning of the text, following the list of contents, is 'Lune 13 Decembr' 1602' and at the end is the inscription 'finis 18 Maij 1603' followed by 'Opus iij Mensu[m] Magna per Intervalla'. There are a number of directions to the copyist and Harleian MS 6250, the text edited by Henry Owen in the Cymmrodorion Record Series, No. I (1892), is probably a fair-copy of the present manuscript. There are also marks indicating that George Owen checked the copy in late July-August 1603. Comparison with the text edited by Henry Owen shows that a few sections (underlined or crossed out, etc.) in the present manuscript have been omitted in Harleian MS 6250, viz. the passage in chapter 1 which is quoted by Henry Owen on p. 239 of his edition, n. 1, a paragraph on ff. 23 verso-24 recto (anc. 13 verso- 14 recto) of the present manuscript beginning 'Giraldus Cambrensis writinge of the nature of the people of this Countrye hath these wordes', a list of fish on ff. 65 verso-66 verso (anc. 56 verso-57 verso), and a section in chapter 21, ff. 95 verso- 96 verso (anc. 87 verso-88 verso), beginning '& gave them his said deputies his absolute power to execute all thinges in his absens . . . by the kinges maties [sic] that nowe is kinge James kinge of England Scotland Fraunce & Ireland &c' (cf. Henry Owen, op. cit., p. 167, n. 2). Loose inside is a description of the manuscript by 'H.G .' [? Henry Gough], 19 Dec. 1871.

An imperfect copy of David Powel, The historie of Cambria, now called Wales ... (London, 1584), containing many notes and comments on the text, including collation with other chronicles (Roger de Hoveden, Stow, Matthew Paris, Giraldus Cambrensis and Brut y Tywysogion, e.g. p. 333). Most of the notes are probably in the hand of George Owen Harry (c. 1553-c. 1614), rector of Whitechurch and Llanfihangel Penbedw, co. Pembroke (see signature on pp. 1 and 15 (first sequence) and notes on pp. xvi, 115, 193); included are a brief pedigree of Llywelyn ab Iorwerth (p. 63) and coats of arms, mostly in trick (pp. 28, 103, 115, 131-7, 193, 246, 392). An englyn on the death in 1569 of William Herbert, 1st earl of Pembroke, is written, probably by the same scribe, on p. viii. According to a note on p. 402, the scribe read the volume in 1584 and 1592. Several leaves are missing and the deficiency in the printed text is supplied on inserted leaves in a mid or late XVIII cent. hand.

Nineteen letters, 1804-1806, to Sir Richard Colt Hoare, mostly concerning antiquities in Brecknockshire and elsewhere in Wales, as well as Shropshire and Cheshire, and mostly relating to Hoare's research for his Itinerary of Archbishop Baldwin Through Wales, A.D. 1188, by Giraldus de Barri …, 2 vols (London, 1806) (ff. 1-34).
The correspondents include Walter Davies (Gwallter Mechain), 1 November 1804 (ff. 1-2), R[ichard] Fenton, 1805 (ff. 3-11), Theophilus Jones, [?1805] (ff. 16-17), William Owen [Pughe], 1805-1806 (ff. 18-23), and [the Rev.] Henry [Thomas] Payne, 1804-1805 (ff. 24-34). The letters also include a sketch map of possible Roman remains near Llanymynech, Montgomeryshire (f. 2); a transcript of a Latin document of 1295/6 relating to Shrawardine Castle (f. 15); and translations into English by William Owen [Pughe] of part of an ode and englynion by Cynddelw (f. 19 verso, 20-21). Also included are further notes by William Owen [Pughe] on Bardic lore and Cynddelw (ff. 35-47) and by Henry Thomas Payne on Giraldus Cambrensis (ff. 48-49).