Welsh Journals

Coughor Uithe Uerrier, 1559 1 erriers ARE records of the church's possessions in a parish, a true note of all the glebes, lands, houses, stocks, implements, tenements, and portions of tithes." A terrier describes first the church itself and the parsonage, then the amount of glebe land belonging to the benefice. After listing the landed property, the terrier usually goes on to describe its tithe revenue, including a note on the parish custom with regard to offerings and fees. Tithes are generally classified into great and small great tithes include those of corn, hay and wool, all others are small. More often than not in parishes where there was both rector and vicar (whether the rector was a cleric or a layman, an individual or a body corporate), the rector took the great tithes, the vicar the small ones. Local historians in England have made considerable use of terriers as source material, especially in their analysis of open-field glebe land, for terriers were compiled regularly in the 17th and 18th centuries. Several Gower terriers were printed by the Rev. J. D. Davies in his volumes, e.g., for Llangennith, Cheriton, Rhosilli, dating from about 1720. Of course, these could be simply copies of older terrier docu- ments, and we are now glad to be able to print in full just such a record for Loughor, in Welsh Gower. It is housed in our National Library at Aberystwyth, and is MS. 4276 D George 1st. Regis. January 6th, 1715. The Terrier of the Parish & Borough of Loughor as Taken from the Ancient Manuscript written in the Above year by the Reverend William Godwin Rector. 5. d. 1. Imprimis Easter Offerings for every Marriage. 3 2. Every child above Sixteen years of Age servant Male or Female is to pay each 1 3. Every Male Colt a Year old is to pay. 1 4. Every She Colt is to pay. 5. Every Yearling Steer or Heifer to pay. y 6. Publishing Banns Nothing 7. Item for Marriage If Both from the Parish. 1 8 8. But if the Man be of the Parish & woman of the Borough they are to pay. 1 2 9. Item for Christening in the house. 1 0 1 0. And if in the Church. 6 11. Burying Nothing 12. For Tythe Lambs a person having Seven Lambs is to pay a Lamb Duties provided he have no more that Year but the person paying a Lamb out of Seven is to have them Accounted out next year To Ten or take 2d. per Lamb of the Minister or to pay 2d. per Lamb to the Minister at ye Choice and Election of the said Minister.