WELSH POOL TO OSWESTRY. ICJ 



found ft worth their while to aid thefe iucurfions. 

 guch of the WeKh as had feignories or lordfhips 

 here, were invited by the king to acknowledge a 

 dependance on the crown under ample promifcs, and 

 full refervation of all their rights and privileges. 



Ail the lands rendered thus dependant on the 

 Englilh crown were denominated Baronies Marchers; 

 ?nd a kind of palatine jurlfdiftion was erefted in 

 them, with power to adminifter juflice in the refpec* 

 five territories, and the king being fupreme lord, 

 wherever their own jurifdiclion failc:d, redrefs was 

 fought in tiie Engli(li courts of law. 



This fcheme was continued with confiderable fuc- 

 cefs for feveral reigns, till at length a wide firip of 

 frontier country, extending all the way from Bridol 

 to Chefher, which formerly belonged to the WelHi, 

 became fubjeQ:, under a certain tenure, to the Engiifh 

 crown. This tenure was, that in cafe of war, the lords 

 fliould fend to the army a certain number of their vaf- 

 fals ; that they fliould garrifon their refpeclive caflles, 

 and keep the Weldi people in fubjeclion. In return for 

 thefe fervices, the lords feem to have had an arbitrary 

 and mod defpotic power in their own domains. They 

 had the power of life and death in their refpe£tive 

 courts, in all cafes except thofe of high treafon. 



In every frontier m.anor a gallows was erected, 

 and if any Welfaman pafled the boundary line that 

 v/as fixed between the two countries, he was imme- 

 diately feized and lianged : every town within the 

 marches hjid a horfeman armed wiih a fword and 



fp.ar, 



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