Back to Jones family Maesybidia

                      Copy of letter sent by William Rofser (Rosser) of ' Penpicillion Farm ' Nr. Llansteffan, Carmarthenshire

                                 to Colonel Ravenscroft (Royal Carmarthen Militia d.13.06.1800 - lived Laugharne Castle)

                      the original letter is part of the George Eyre Evans collection of manuscripts kept at the National Library

                                                                  of Wales Aberystwyth copy of original letter below transcript

Show this to Col. Ravenscroft 17th March, 1790.

The account I have now this Rees Jones came here with my daughter Jennet the first Saturday night, and came into the house by the fire with me. I told him plain, that we cannot give her more than £100. and that was all we can do, for we have three daughters besides her and that I am desire of him to begin civil and if they depart to depart civil and not to injure one another and he answered ‘ we shall not ‘, and in about four or six weeks afterhis Uncle, that is his Fathers brother called Evan Jones, came to our home and began to talk and told his business, that he came for his nephew to ask for him leave to come to court our daughter and told his Father and Mother have two tenements of land of their own and a s good a tenement on their estate and on such bragins he was going on all the evening and I told him the same as I told Rees his nephew in this words I told Rees he may, and begin civil and if they part to depart as civil as they came on to another at first and to tell you that £100 I can give to her for we have three daughters more to take care of them as wool as shoes; and he said, that he would talk about that now and I told him that I do let them know by times so much then.

Then on that day when you Sir and Mr. Hugh Evans been to walk between the two Lordships that was the day the young man desired me to come up to see their estate, that his Uncle Evan would come down to pilot me and my son up to his Fathers house to try to settle and be married. Then I asked Jenny was she willing to do that, she answered ‘ me is ‘. There we went to dinner and very soon and after dinner we went to look over the tenement

called ‘Maesybidie’ of their own or Fathers land and a tenement joined Maesybidie held by lease of Mr. Morgan Lewis called ‘Bedw Bach’ for £11 a year, they said it is worth more it was very large for the money and very bad and poor, but of good convenience to their farm (and there was a good meadow about two acres and a half by the side of the River Cothi were is plenty of trout’s, they took in a hallowed up of a pool 36 dozen trout’s at once), and the next morning after breakfast we went to Mothers estate to see the good ground over a great mountain to the tenement called ‘Lettyllwynwhith’ they showed to me where it reach, I though it was about 3 or 11 miles in length, but, they said it was about 2miles from River Cothi it runs from South and by East to North and by West and could not agree then, for they was for £200 for her, but, then I offer them £100, they could not agree, but, they promise to come down a fortnight hence and to have the Marriage Settlement to be read and so they did, and David Davies got the deed and bring it to our house and read it over so fast I could not make much sense of it, but I promise then a £115 with her and I must have Mr. Davies to come with the deeds I said to Col. Ravenscroft to be read and if it was not to have it in the same manner as they have it I am willing; also, I was not but we went to Llanstephan, Mr. William Moars to read it and he told Davies and me that no lawyer can make a good now settlement until the life of his Father and Mother expired and he desired to know who will be the heir at their deceased, then the finer nor recovery breaks his settlement it is a stanch one and the answer I gave them that I give some money upon the account of the procent deed and about this I suppose he put her up.

And about 9 O’Clock at night Rees Jones came here Friday on the 19th March, 1790 and said that his Father and Mother was to give and settle the fourth part of Lettyllwynwhith that is Mothers land if I William Rofser was to my daughter Jennet of my deceased the sum of eighty pounds which January 10th.