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acre and a half. It was also secured by an exterior entrenchment of considerable 

 depth and extent, chiefly the remnant of the British fortification before men- 

 tioned, and now almost entirely obliterated. It has been a matter of conjecture 

 how these trenches and moat were supplied with water, as it will be seen they 

 apparently stand above the level of the lands around. A larsce quantity of water 

 may, however, have been collected from the range of hills to the north, and the 

 tradition is that the water was supplied by pipes communicating with the three 

 springs now known as "Ireland Well," and which gave rise to the little river 

 " Bachhowey " (Little Wye), which runs through the valley. Painscastle was 

 situate within the boundary called " Fferllys," and in the lordship of Elfael, dis- 

 tinguished to this day as Upper and Lower Elfael. Elfael subsequently formed 

 two distinct hundreds, namely, Painscastle and Colwyn— so named after the two 

 castles, for at the latter place, about six miles distant from Painscastle, stood 

 " Colwyn," or " Maud's " Castle, built in the reign of King John, by "William de 

 Braos " (to whom this district and the Castle of Payne had passed), in honour, as 

 it is said, of his wife, the redoubtable "Maud de Haia," or " Moll Walbee," who, 

 tradition says, restored Hay Castle in a single night, carrying the stones in her 

 apron ; and who threw the little pebble (of some feet in diameter), that had got 

 into her shoe, and after a time caused her some trifling annoyance, into the neigh- 

 bouring churchyard of Llowes, where it still remains, incontestible evidence of 

 the truth of the legend. 



In the reign of Eichard I., we are told in the " Brut-y-Tywysogion " (or 

 " Chronicles of the Princes "), that Roger Mortimer came with an army into 

 "Maelynydd" (Radnorshire), and having expelled the sons of Cadwollon, built 

 the castle of "Cwmaron." In the following year, however. Prince Rhys collected 

 an army and burned it. From thence he marched to Colwyn, compelled it to 

 surrender, and burned it. From thence "he speedily marched with his army to 

 Maes-Hy-fedd (New Radnor), which he burned, and, after burning it, on the 

 same day Roger Mortimer and Hugh de Lacy marshalled their armed forces of 

 cavalry, equipped with helmets and shields, unawares, against the Welsh in an 

 adjoining field, and when the ' magnanimous ' Rhys observed this, he accoutred 

 himself like a lion of a furious heart with a mighty hand, and attacked his ene- 

 mies and turned them to flight, and pursued them, and dealt with them as of no 

 account, though in a manly way, so that the Marchers regretted extremely the 

 excessive slaughter of their men. And then he immediately attacked Pain's 

 Castle in Elvael with missiles and engines, and compelled it to surrender. After 

 obtaining it there was an agi-eement between him and De Braos, in consequence 

 of which he relinquished that castle in peace."—" Brut-y-Tywysogion." 



Tradition, however, appends a much more romantic story to this latter 

 event. A beautiful girl (daughter of one of the descendants of the old native 

 reguli), residing at Ys-cryrn (now Skreen), in the neighbouring parish of Llandilo- 

 Graban, was disporting herself with her female attendants on the lake at Bwch- 

 Uyn, some two miles from Painscastle. They were observed by de Braos and his 

 followers returning from hunting. Enamoured of her beauty, he caused the 



