Welsh Journals

CARDIGANSHIRE ELECTION SONGS AMONG the manuscripts preserved in my Record Office are two Cardiganshire election songs, typical of the compositions produced by homely versewrights, inspired perhaps more by warm partisanship than by the muse of Parnassus. Such poems, sometimes sung to well- known tunes, even hymn-tunes, were popular forms of electioneering in the nineteenth century, and rang from hamfisted scurrility to would-be lofty sentiments of a patriotic or moral character. They contain veiled, and often open, allusions to local personalities and events, and being ephemeral in their nature, it is nowadays difficult to find the key to their full meaning. Written mainly in unpretentious language and declaimed before people with a long poetic tradition they were easily and quickly remembered and reached a far wider audience than any other electioneering means of those days. The two songs with which we are now concerned were composed by supporters of the Pryses of Gogerddan. The Pryse family had taken a leading part in the political life of Cardiganshire since the Tudors had given parliamentary representation to Wales. From 1553 to 1768, Pryses had represented the County in some twenty-one parliaments, and the Borough in sixteen between 1705 and 1868. Several of them entertained advanced ideas, so that in 1769 John Pugh Pryse voted for Wilkes, and Pryse Pryse was a supporter of the first Reform Bill and, according to one of the songs, he Graceiousley granted for nothing his ground To build the Schoolhouses and Chapels all round.' The songs refer to the efforts of the Tories to capture the represent- ation of Cardigan Borough. Pryse Pryse of Gogerddan, born in 1773, had been elected member for the Borough in 1818 without opposition, and re-elected in 1820, 1826, 1830, 1831, 1832, 1835, and 1837. He had enjoyed a fair wind, but in 1841 a contestant arrived. This was the Tory John Scandrett Harford of Blaize Castle near Bristol, and of Falcondale, Cardiganshire. Born in 1786, he had married Louisa, daughter of Richard Hart Davies, m.p. for Bristol, who owned property in West Wales. Harford was no insignificant figure, being a Doctor of Civil Law in the University of Oxford (1822), a Fellow of the Royal Society, High Sheriff of Cardiganshire (1824), and a Justice of the Peace for Cardiganshire and Gloucestershire. The election was briskly contested in July 1841, and at its conclusion a double return was made, due to the loss of a poll book to which reference is made in one of the songs. Pryse petitioned, and was