DOWNING.

Published as the Act directs, Jan 21.1796, by B. and J. White.

I

NATURALLY begin this little hiftory with the account of

Tre Eden Owain, the place where I first made my entrance

into this bufy world. The principal house in this township,

Downing, was built in the year 1627. It certainly had no DowNING, pretenfions to the English name of Downing, which doubtlessly was a corruption from Eden Owain, the Tre or township in which it ftands. The founder was John Pennant, son of Nicholas Pennant, a younger fon of Hugh Pennant, of Bychton. He married the heirefs of the place, and built a house, which was much too large for the eftate. The ftones were brought from Nant-y-bi, a dingle oppofite to the house. There is a tradition, that the stones were rolled along a platform from the top of the quarry, raised on an inclined

B

MY BIRTH PLACE.

ANTIENT MODE

OF NURSING.

inclined plane till they reached the building, and there were elevated as the work increased in height, till the whole was finished. The house is in form of a Roman H, a mode of architecture very common in Wales at that period. On the front is the pious motto frequent on the Welsh houses, Heb Dduw heb ddim, a duw a digon, which fignifies, Without God there is nothing, with 'God enough.' There were only four generations of this branch; Thomas, the laft, died in 1724, and was buried in Whiteford church, on June 6th of the fame year. He bequeathed his estate to my father, who made the houfe his refidence; his own father being living, and the house much better than our paternal.

Το prevent all difputes about the place and time of my birth, be it known that I was born on June 14th, 1726, old ftyle, in the room now called the Yellow Room; that the celebrated Mrs. Clayton, of Shrewsbury, ufhered me into the world, and delivered me to Mifs Jenny Parry, of Merton, in this parish; who to her dying day never failed telling me, Ah, you rogue! I remember

❝ you when you had not a fhirt to your back."

I WAS, according to antient custom, put out to nurse at a neigh boring farm-houfe, called Pentre, covered with thatch, and which at prefent would be deemed a cottage. My nurfe's maiden name was Pennant; and from the time of this great event she refumed it, notwithstanding fhe had long ufed that of her husband, Jobn Pierce, a freeholder of above a hundred a year. He and fhe were fond of this charge, which was ever efteemed a peculiar favor and honor. The affection and connection is ftill retained in many parts of Ireland; but what is unfortunate in more civilized Wales, both feem at present almost extinguished.

OF

terms.

Or the affection between the fofter-father, fofter-mother, and fofter-brother, the inftances were frequent. The fidelity of Robin ap Inko, fofter-brother to Jevan ap Vychan, of the houfe of Gwedir, in the reign of Edward IV. was a most noted one. In a fatal feud between Jevan and his brother-in-law Rys ap Howel, the latter, expecting a fray, provided a butcher to murder Jevan in the confufion of the battle, and to him he gave orders in these The butcher not being acquainted with Jevan, Ap Rys faid, Thou fhalt foone difcerne him from the reft by his ftature, and he will make way before him. There is a fofter-brother • of his, one Robin ap Inko, a little fellow, that useth to match him behind: take heed of him, for be the encountre never foe hot, his eye is ever on his fofter-brother;'-and fo it happened. Robin fufpected the treachery, and feeing the butcher watching his opportunity, came behind him and knocked him on the head in the moment in which he had come behind Jevan, and had aimed one at that of his beloved fofter-brother. The patrimony of his faithful follower was in the parish of Llanderfel; and to this day retains the name of Tyddin Inko.

AFFECTION OF FOSTER-FATHERS,

&c.

In those days there was great competition for the honor of HORRID MURDER. foftering the children of great men. The parfon of Llanvrothen near Traeth-mawr, had taken a child of Jevan ap Robert to nurse. This fo grieved the wife of Rys (her husband having more land in the parish than Jevan had) that the determined to have the poor parfon put to death. A woman was fent to his houfe, who was kindly taken in. At midnight he fet up hideous cries, pretending that the parfon had attempted to ravish her. This only was a pretence for revenge: the woman had, as the hiftorian fays,