Welsh Journals

consequently vary in quality. The coloured plates are outstanding in quality, and particular mention must be made of the Basset-Mansel tomb at Llantrithyd, Ewenny priory church south transept, St. Donat's church interior and St. Andrew's Major chancel. The text has been meticulously prepared. The only misprint of consequence detected is in the name of the legendary King Lleurwg, whose name appears four times as Lleuwrg. A perusal of the extensive bibliography and the list of individuals consulted shows that the author has spared no trouble to secure the best and the latest information. Both he and his publishers are to be congratulated on a handsome volume which now becomes the standard work on the subject. DONALD MOORE Aberystwyth MEDIEVAL NEATH: MINIsTERS ACCOUNTS, 1262-1316. Transcribed, translated and edited by Anthony Hopkins. Glamorgan Press, 1988. Pp. ix, 102. £ 3.95. The publication of this collection of primary source material will be of interest to two groups: those interested in medieval economic and administrative history, and those interested particularly in the history of Neath. Mr. Hopkins has chosen his material from the holdings of the Public Record Office, extracting entries from six ministers' accounts which shed light on Neath and its environs during those occasions when the lordship of Glamorgan was in Crown hands owing to the death of its lord (with the exception of one account which was probably prepared for Gilbert de Clare, but passed to the Crown after his death). That Mr. Hopkins has chosen to publish records relating to this area is understandable, given his own connection with the town. What is significant is the choice of accounts from which he has culled his information. He has created a logical collection, drawing on a distinct group of documents which record a particular class of information for a specific locality during a given period. They form a concise and interesting corpus which, as the author points out, yields enough data to enable 'a pattern of administration to be traced and a picture of life in the region to be at least partially glimpsed' (p. 24). A work of this nature is generally of primary interest to the serious student, for whom this book will have two chief attractions. The first is the competent manner in which the documents have been transcribed from the originals. The second is the lay- out of the text, with its interlinear translation. Another important consideration is the price of the book, which is affordable and should not prove too excessive for the potential reader whose interest may be stimulated more by the locality than with any particular facet of medieval history. In addition, it contains a number of illustrations, some in colour, and the plates showing the actual documents are of particular interest and relevance.