Copies of the Queen's instructions to Henry, Earl of Pembroke, Lord President of the Council in Wales and the Marches, 1586; the commission of the lieutenancy of Wales and the Marches to Henry, Earl of Pembroke, March 22, 1600, with power to make deputations to persons named in the commission for the different counties within the lieutenancy; a petition by six members of the Privy Council to the Lord Keeper to renew the commission of lieutenancy for Merioneth and to leave out the names of John Lewys Owen and Cadwalader ap Ris, who had been arraigned before the Court of Star Chamber for misdemeanours, and to appoint Griffith Vaughan and Robert Lloyd to be deputies for the Earl of Pembroke for that county; a Privy Council letter to the same effect covering a renewed commission to the Earl of Pembroke, March 31, 1600, with a list of justices of the peace for Merioneth; and orders for the reformation of the Court of the Marches, 1577.
A volume of music for the harp, [c. 1764], including compositions by, and variations on the work of, Handel and John Parry Ddall of Rhiwabon. The manuscript is in two hands: possibly that of Robert Edwards, a pupil of John Parry (ff. 1-14, 24 verso-26, 36 verso-40), and possibly that of Thomas Roberts (ff. 14 verso-24, 26 verso-36, 40 verso-42a).
A volume containing transcripts, 1778-1781, by Thomas Evans, Cydweli, of pastoral poems (bugeilgerddi) by Edward Richard, Ystradmeurig, dated 1764-1776, together with a few other eighteenth-century poems in Welsh and some medical and veterinary recipes.
Evans, Thomas, of Cydweli, fl. second half 18 cent.
Minute-book, 1796-1909, of the trustees of the charity created by the will of Ellen Glynne of Elernion, parish of Llanaelhaearn, co. Caernarfon, spinster, respecting the almshouse at Llandwrog and property in the parishes of Llandwrog and Llanllyfni, co. Caernarfon, and in the parish of Llangoed, co. Anglesey. The minutes include details of admittances to the almshouse and details of tenants, rents and repair of trust property. Also included in the volume are copies of the will, 1727, with codicils, 1728 and 1732/3, of Ellen Glynne, proved at London, 1733 (tipped in between ff. i and ii; ff. 1-6v).
Manuscript notebook, [?1818], containing copies of prose and poetry by Ann of Swansea (Ann Julia Hatton) connected with her novel Chronicles of an Illustrious House (London, 1816) which caused controversy for satirising Swansea polite society as the fictional 'Gooselake'. Included are extracts from the novel, specifically sections relating to Gooselake, beginning at vol. 2, p. 74 (ff. 1-18 verso), dated 5 July 1818 (f. 18 verso); two poems responding to the furore surrounding the novel, the first addressed 'To the Great Dons of Swansea' (ff. 19-20), the second beginning 'Arms, Arms I sing! and many battles dire' (ff. 20 verso-26); 'Elegy on the Death of Mr Bamboo', dated January 1817 (ff. 26 verso-28 verso), and a single verse beginning 'Now lost in dust is Cambria's boast', dated 1816 (f. 29). A leaf identifying some characters from the novel with their real-life counterparts has been tipped in on f. i; this suggests that the unknown compiler of the volume had a close connection with Swansea.
Photostat copy, [20 cent., first ½], of declarations and oath taken by the Rev. John Jones of Taldrwst, Talysarn, Caernarvonshire, as a Dissenting Minister, 20 October 1824. The original document is NLW, CMA Bala College 1/788.
A volume containing a rental of the corporation of Caernarvon, 1832-1838, a rental of crown quit rents in the borough of Caernarvon, 1834-1846, an account of quarterly payments of gas tenants, 1833, and mortgage accounts, 1830-1835.
A draft essay entitled 'Observations on Parturition amongst the Poor In the Upper District of Cardiganshire' by [Dr. Richard Williams, Aberystwyth]. The paper is watermarked 1837.
Journal of John Matthews of Birmingham, describing a tour which he made through France, Germany, Switzerland and Austria from May to October 1842 with his wife, Hannah Maria Matthews (1799?-1890) (ff. 1-86), and their tour in Wales, May to September 1844 (ff. 88-127), the latter section being illustrated with engravings, 1841-1842.
Journal of a tour through Wales and part of Ireland in August 1848 by Charles Lucey of Clapham and later of Henley, shipwright, with a map showing his itinerary and further notes added by him, 1856-1891.
Property tax assessment book, 1852, for the town of Aberystwyth, Cardiganshire, listing the names of occupiers and owners of properties, arranged according to street name. A contemporary inscription on the wrapper identifies the collectors as Edward Ellis and Lewis Hopkins.
A volume containing attendance registers, accounts, committee minutes and memoranda, 1854-1856, of the charity school at Llansadwrn, co. Carmarthen, in the hand of the schoolmaster, John L. Butler. Also included are accounts, memoranda and correspondence in Butler's hand, 1858-1861, relating to his activities as a tea dealer and grocer in Dowlais, together with a signed temperance pledge witnessed by Butler (f. 37 verso), temperance verses in Welsh (ff. 39 verso-40), and a letter from J. J. Thomas, Carmarthen, 1930 (f. 24).
Snowdon Visitors' Books, 1863-1889, containing the autographs, addresses and comments of visitors to the summit of Snowdon. They contain entries for the periods 11 July 1863-1 July 1866 (NLW MS 16083C), 20 June 1883-25 September 1885 (NLW MS 16084C) and 9 January-20 October 1886, 30 May-25 December 1887, 29 June-11 October 1889 (NLW MS 16085C).
An autograph album, 1879-1918, thought to belong to 'Ap Ieuan', possibly Samuel Evans, a member of Tabernacl Welsh Congregational church, Shrewsbury, containing entries in Welsh, English, Chinese and other eastern and African languages, mainly by Congregationalist ministers and missionaries, including Ben Davies, Pant-teg, T. Eynon Davies, David Picton Jones, J. R. Kilsby Jones and H. Elvet Lewis ('Elfed'); together with pasted-in photographs. Papers found loose inside have been tipped in at the end of the volume (ff. 27-32).
Adysgrif, [?1890au], gan John Williams (Wyr yr Eos), o'r traethawd 'Llawlyfr Cyfarwyddiadau i ganu Penillion ac Awdlau gyda'r Tannau' a ysgrifennwyd yn y 1870au gan ei daid John Williams (Eos Môn). = A transcript, [?1890s], by John Williams (Wyr yr Eos), of an essay on penillion singing, 'Llawlyfr Cyfarwyddiadau i ganu Penillion ac Awdlau gyda'r Tannau', written in the 1870s by his grandfather John Williams (Eos Môn). Cynhwysir hefyd lythyr, 22 Medi 1955, gan y rhoddwr, yn disgrifio hanes y llawysgrif (f. i). = Also included is a covering letter, 22 September 1955, from the donor, describing the history of the manuscript (f. i).
Over nine hundred portraits, mostly studio, predominantly of First World War era British Soldiers. Most are individual portraits, some are in small groups with family or friends, also large group photographs. Many depicting a Territorial Force summer camp may well be from a 1913 camp held between Bridge and Lovelock farms, Ffairfach in the summer of 1913. The vast majority are anonymous but some can be given approximate dates by the presence of overseas service chevrons, good conduct stripes etc. Many of those dated 1914, especially the Pembroke Yeomanry, may well date from the years preceding the outbreak of WW1. Other portraits are of members of associated services and include veterans of earlier conflicts and servicemen & women from World War Two. The latter category including American troops from the 28th Division who were camped in South Wales from October 1943 until July 1944 as well as Free French and Belgian soldiers. Both US Corps of Engineers and infantry corps are represented. The engineers are believed to be men of the 103rd Engineer Battalion who served with the 28th Division. Their headquarters from October 1943 to April 1944 was the Hotel Belgrave, Tenby. There are also a considerable number of US Quartermaster Corps GI's including African-American soldiers.