' 38 



responsb to the .signal by the liorn, the party congregated upon the Grand 

 Terrace. 



The President had brought some hundred flowers of the green rose, Rosa 

 viridijim-a, which he had gatliered from a tree in his own garden, and which tlie 

 gentlemen of the party distributed amongst the ladies. He then read an interesting 

 paper upon this lusus naiura, but the interest, it must be confessed, was confined to 

 the curiosity rather than to the beauty of this variety of rose ; and no one was 

 detected in search of a bud for inoculation. We have been promised an ex- 

 haustive paper upon this subject, which, we hope, will in due course appear in 

 the Transactions. Mr. C. G. Martin exhibited some specimens of the fragrant 

 Orchis (Oymnadenia conopsca) gathered the day before in the neighbourhood of 

 Aconbury wood, which excited much more admiration on the part of the ladies, 

 and was eagerly accepted. Mr. Henry Southall then read a carefully compiled 

 meteorological report, concluding with a history of the remarkable floods of May 

 last, and their local distribution. This paper cannot be condensed, but will add 

 to the meteorological history, which for a period of many years Mr, Southall has 

 faithfully contributed to the Woolhope Naturalists' Field Club. Mr. Incledon 

 Webber followed with a genealogical history of previous owners of Raglan Castle ; 

 and Mr. Lloyd read a short pamphlet of the 17th century, illustrated by a sketch 

 of the period, on the preparations for garrisoning and defending the fortress. 



The party listened with attention to the papers, and now began the work of 

 inspecting the noble pile of ruins. It was fortunate to have the courteous warden, 

 Mr. Raglan Somerset, as our guide, who not only was well acquainted with the 

 history of this possession of his ancestors, but took an interest in imparting his in- 

 formation to others. We are not going to give a lengthy description of this massive 

 stronghold, which would be concisely given by adding Waugh's sixpenny " Guide 

 to Raglan Castle " as an appendix to this brief memoir, but some observations 

 upon its history made by the Rev. Thomas Williams on the occasion of the visit 

 of the Cambrian Archaeological Association at their thirty-first Annual Meeting 

 at Abergavenny in August, 1876, having come into our possession, we cannot 

 resist the temptation of giving a copy of this condensed history. 



" It ap]5ears that, historically speaking, the earliest account which there is 

 of Raglan is that the family of Clare possessed a castle there in the 12th century : 

 and in the family history it is said that Sir John Morley, a military knight who 

 lived in the time of Richard II. resided there as the Lord of Raglan Castle. 

 Other authorities are said to trace the name of the founder to Sir William ap 

 Thomas son of Gwillim ap Thomas ap Jenkin by his wife Maud, daughter and 

 heiress of Sir John Morley, Knight, Lord of Raglan Castle. Grose places Raglan 

 Castle amongst the strongholds erected in the time of Henry VII. in the time of 

 Henry VIII., as Leland informs, Raglan "yn Middle Venceland, was a fair and 

 pleasant castel, with to goodlye parkes adjacent"; and "the laste Lord Herberte," 

 as Morgan told him, "builded all the best coffes of the castle of Raglan." Camden, 

 in his account of the Silures, or Monmouthshire, notices it very briefly as a "fair 

 house of the Earl of Worcester, built castel-like." Dugdale, in his Baromtage, and 

 Smythe, in his MS. Lives of the Htrkeleys, say :—" Richard Strongbow, Earl of 



