Welsh Journals

BOUGHROOD TREWERN E. J. L. COLE It's a far cry from the Bach Howey to the Seine and one may be forgiven for wondering what, if anything, they have in common, save water. But seven centuries ago there was a man from the department of Eure in Normandy who held in capite' what we now know as Boughrood and the high ground between Llanstephan and the Bach Howey, i.e. Trewem Hill. The man was Godfrey de Gamages and the part of his barony which is known to history as Boughrood-Trewern was for a few years a subject of dispute. Ralph de Thoeny, lord of the Honour of Painscastle, and of much else, died at sea in 1239, leaving Roger his son under age. In 1251 Henry III appointed Humphrey de Bohun, earl of Hereford and Essex, to be keeper of the land of Painscastle, to hold it during the minority of the heir, and to render £ 50 yearly at the Exchequer. At the same time Ralph's widow Pernell was ordered to deliver the castle to Humphrey to keep to the use of the heir. For some obscure reason it appears that Humphrey also took into his hands the lands of Bowered et Trewern' which Godfrey de Gamages held in chief and which adjoin the lands of the said castle,' and, because it was not the king's intention to commit to Humphrey any lands other than those pertaining to Painscastle, he ordered Humphrey to restore Godfrey's lands to him without delay. It is assumed that the lands were restored to Godfrey, but as regards the land of Trewern he was subsequently disseised by one Richard de Tunderley against whom he brought, by the king's order, an 'assize of novel disseisin' and recovered possession of Trewem. Godfrey died a little later, leaving three daughters Lucy, Eufemia, and Elizabeth, the latter the wife of Henry de Pembridge, but prior to the time at which they come on the scene Richard de Tunderley 'suggested that the said land was of the honour of Painscastle and no assizes of land belonging to the said honour ought to be taken outside the honour,' and the king ordered Henry de Bradeley, the then Sheriff of Hereford, to enquire whether Trewem was of the honour of Painscastle or of the honour of Boghred Should it appear by the inquisition that it belonged to the former, then he should restore seisin to Richard, but if it belonged to Boughrood then he should permit Godfrey to enjoy the seisin he had recovered. The sheriff made no inquisition, ejected Godfrey, and restored seisin to Richard. In 1254 the king appointed Walerand le Tieis and John le Bretun 'to enquire by a jury of 24 knights and other men of the county of Hereford, neighbours of the land of Elfael' to which honour Trewem really belonged, to send their inquisition to the king's council in England, and the sheriff was ordered to provide the jury of 24.