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report was confirmed by the testimony of several old persons. But to show that Evan, son of John Edward, gent., and Evan Jones of Llanlloddian, who died in 1716, and was ancestor of the late Thomas Jones, Esq., of Llandisilio, were the same person, Richard Morgan, who purchased the Pen-y-werny farm from the plaintiff some years ago, was called. He produced several deeds showing the descent of the plaintiff from John Edward, gent., and also a paper or letter, which he said he found among those deeds, after he purchased the estate in 1812, and which was as follows:

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"Dear Sir, I am directed by your brother, Mr. Evan Jones of Llanlloddian, to write to you to let you know he is at present very ill, and unable to write. He wishes to see you as soon as you can be with him on something particular, and does beg you will not fail coming as soon as this comes to hand.

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Mr. Campbell, who stated the plaintiff's case, said, as the plaintiff, by claiming his descent from Morgan, brother of Evan Jones, could not be heir-at-law if the defendant, Major Harrison, were really descended from Hester, daughter of the said Evan Jones of Llanlloddian, he was instructed that the defendant was not thus descended; for that instead of being descended from George Devereux, who married Hester Jones, Major Harrison was descended from a George Devereux, who married Mary Wynn. This George Devereux who married Mary Wynn, had a son named John Devereux, who was father of Major Harrison's mother and Mrs. Hickman. In confirmation of this, he would show that George Devereux and Hester Jones had a daughter Margaret, baptised at Manafon on 17th March, 1710; and that George Devereux, from whom the plaintiff claimed to be descended, was

baptised on 18th March, 1710, in the parish of Berriew, as "George, son of George Devereux, gent.", without mentioning the mother's name. And it was not likely that George Devereux of Cefngwernfa, who married Hester Jones, would have two children christened in two different parishes, on days immediately succeeding each other. Mr. Campbell, however, intimated that if the defendant's counsel could show Major Harrison to be clearly descended from Hester Jones, the plaintiff's case would be at an end.

Mr. Taunton, for the defendant, then said the case certainly would very soon have an end; for he would show that Major Harrison was clearly descended from Hester, daughter of Evan Jones; but he should also show that Evan Jones, instead of being the son of John Edward, was no way related to him, and was the son of a gentleman of a very different name, and this would also prove that the letter stated to have been found among the Pen-y-gwerny deeds, was, however it may have got there, a gross forgery, and from its being dated just prior to the will of Evan Jones, had been specially manufactured. It was then shown that Evan Jones of Llanlloddian, who died in 1716, was a Deputylieutenant of the county of Montgomery, and was the son of John Jones of Llanlloddian, gent., by Susan David, one of the daughters of Morgan David, gent., (as stated in pedigree, page 250); also that the said Evan Jones, married Elen, daughter of Evan Vaughan of Llanfyllin, gent.

The will of Evan Jones, dated the 30th of April, 1711, was produced, in which he left £40 to his daughter Hester, wife of George Devereux of Cefngwernfa, gent., and £115 each to his four younger sons, Morgan, David, Vaughan, and Evan. By a codicil, dated 1st August, 1714, the sum of £115 bequeathed to Morgan, was, in consideration of the expense incurred by educating Morgan at Cambridge University, reduced to £60. It was stated that the said Morgan Jones was afterwards vicar of Chirk, and when Thomas, son of his brother Thomas, was born, Morgan baptised him.

An indenture, dated 2nd January, 1704, being the marriage articles between George Devereux of Cefngwernfa, gent., and Hester, daughter of Evan Jones of Llanlloddian, gent., was produced. Also, an indenture, dated 18th May, 1744, to which the parties were George Devereux, the eldest son of George Devereux of Cefngwernfa, gent., by Hester, his wife; the said Hester Devereux (described as widow), Lord Hereford, John Evans, Brynyffynnon, and Robert Williams of Maesypandy, Denbighshire, Esquires. The register of the baptism of George Devereux, the younger, at Tregynon, March 11th, 1709, was likewise produced. Also another indenture, dated May, 1744, in which the parties were George Devereux, eldest son and heir of George Devereux of Cefngwernfa, deceased, by Hester, his wife; the said Hester (described as widow); Robt. Williams and John Nanney, Esquires.

The will of Elizabeth Nanney, spinister, was produced; she bequeaths to her sister, Mary Devereux (who is described as the wife of George Devereux, Esq., by Hester, his wife), £200. The will is dated in 1736. Evan Jones, mercer, Welshpool, youngest son of Evan Jones of Llanlloddian, Esq., died in 1753. His will was produced, by which he bequeathed a legacy to Blandina Devereux, his great-niece; also a legacy to Vaughan Jones, his nephew, and the residue to Edward Devereux, his great-nephew. The connection of the defendant, Major Harrison, with Hester, daughter of Evan Jones of Llanlloddian (as stated in the pedigree, page 250), being thus clearly shown,

The plaintiff was immediately non-suited.

The following extraordinary incident, having relation to the foregoing litigation, is recorded in the "Annual Register," as having taken place in the year 1822 :—

1822, Feb. 9th. On Friday night, the 6th of this month, or early on Saturday, the vault of the late Thomas Jones of Llan

1 Annual Register, vol. lxiv, pp. 52, 26, Chron.

disilio Hall, Denbighshire, was broken into by 7 or 8 men, with an attorney and surgeon from a neighbouring town, at their head. The coffin containing the body of the deceased was forced open, then taken outside, turned upside-down, and the corpse tumbled upon the ground. The body having been interred on the 12th of Dec., 1820, was, of course, in a state of great decay, as appeared by the stains and smell left upon the grass so late as Sunday evening, notwithstanding the heavy rain upon that day and the day before, when the place was viewed by the clergyman of the parish and the churchwardens.

The only motive assigned for this outrage is that a person supposing himself interested in a will had dreamt that one was deposited under the head of the deceased. Upon this vision of a disordered mind, strange as it may appear, an attorney was found weak enough, and wicked enough, to commit the above outrage. He came prepared with a plumber, masons, blacksmith, etc., and even two females are said to have been present. Legal measures are instituted against the parties.

HISTORIC SPOTS.

No. VI. THE BREIDDEN HILLS.

GROUNDS FOR CONSIDERING THEM THE SITE OF THE LAST BATTLE OF CARACTACUS WITH THE ROMANS UNDER OSTORIUS.

BY REV. GEORGE SANDFORD, M.A.

THE Breidden range of hills takes a distinguished place for its romantic beauty among the mountainous scenery of Montgomeryshire, and forms a conspicuous feature for the admiring gaze of the inhabitants of Shropshire and Radnorshire.

It consists of three summits, the Breidden, which attains an elevation of 999 ft. above the level of the sea, the Cefn y Castell, and the Moel y Golfa, which rises aloft in the shape of a vast rugged cone, and boasts of a height of 1,198 ft.

The bases of these hill are finely skirted with wood, but their sides are precipitous.

The Breidden is crowned by a lofty obelisk in commemoration of the naval victories of Lord Rodney, and has historic associations with our early British annals, as the memorable scene of the last conflict of the heroic Caractacus with the aggressive legions of Rome.

We

We will not presume to dogmatise on an event which occurred more than eighteen centuries ago. confess our inability to specify the exact spots, from which Julius Cæsar embarked from Gaul, or where he landed in Britain. We cannot assert with precision in what year the castle of Dolforwyn was erected, or that of Carreghova fell, and in the subject before us we only

VOL. VIII.

T

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