Welsh Journals

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SECOND COUNTY GATHERING AT STRATA FLORIDA. HE second of a series of gatherings at Strata Florida Abbey under the auspices of the committee before referred to took place on Thursday afternoon, July 22nd., 1909. The weather was again rather unfavourable, but the attendance was almost as large as on the occasion of the first visit. Colonel Davies-Evans, Highmead (Lord Lieutenant of the county) presided, and there were also present Mr. R. J. R. Loxdale, Castle Hill; Professor Tyrrell Green, Lampeter; Rev. W. M. Morgan-Jones, M.A., and Mrs. Morgan-Jones, Washington; the Chief Constable of Cardiganshire, Mr. Edward Evans, J.P., R.ev. Evan Jones, and Mrs. Jones, Rev. J. F. Lloyd and Miss Lloyd, Mr. Geo. Eyre Evans, Rev. T. Williams, Abergwynfi; Rev. E. J. Davies, Capel Bangor; Rev. D. Caron Rees., Clydach, Swansea; Rev. T. Parry, Blyntawe; Rev. E. R. Davies, Dowlais; Rev. T. 0. Evans, Devil's Bridge; Rev. John Evans, Cadoxton, Neath; Mr. Godfrey Evans, Mr. J. W. Williams, Mr. Jones (Clareston), Mr. Griffith Parry, and Mr. Croft, Lampeter, and others. THE CHAIRMAN, in his opening remarks, disclaimed any preten- sion to archaeological knowledge, and said he was very sorry to say that he was a great deal too ignorant to have anything but a smattering of any of the ologies." But being a thoroughbred Welshman­(hear, hear)-he had a very vivid imagination, and when in a place like that or when prowling about in their old earthworks one could not help picturing the scenes which had taken place in them in bygone ages. No doubt through their ignorance they coloured the pictures very badly, and he took it that the object of meetings such as that was to hear addresses from gentlemen who had a knowledge of history, and who could give them the means of drawing true pictures of this and other historical places, and of taking a proper interest in them and in their past history. (Hear, hear). PROFESSOR TYRRELL GREEN, of St. David's College, Lampeter, again described by means of diagrams and actual examples, the chief characteristics of the architecture of the Abbey. THE REV. E. J. DAVIES, Capel Bangor, in an interesting Welsh address, said the Abbey was built through the generosity of the Welsh princes, some of whom were at rest in the churchyard. The monks had a strong regard for Welsh sentiment, for they espoused the cause of the 'Welshman against that of the Saxon and the Norman. The first abbot was a Welshman. At the abbey also lived in the 15th. century the famous bard and genealogist, Gutyn Owen, and it was averred by some that Hen Phillip Brydydd spent much of his life there, while tradition had it that Dafydd ap Gwilym was sleeping his last sleep there. The gathering that day had for its first object the creating in their breasts of a desire to know more of the history of the