Dr Sir

I am very glad to find that you are so happily situated at Harrowgate¹ with your Family, [...]friends &c and hope that may be an Inducement for you to stay there a little longer; I heard some Rumour that you intend coming home towards the latter end of next week, which I is not true; The reason of this extraordinary wish is that I am rather Backward in my Task; I am rather Idle & indolent by nature, and what little time for activity these qualities would afford me, was thrown away upon Farming schemes, besides what employment fell to my Lot by the absence of two or three of my neighbouring Clergy men. – However I made a shift to pay a visit to Corwen & its Vicinity last week, but met with nothing material relative to Owen Glyn dwr; - Mr Vaghan [sic] Pughe was not at home, where he seldom is. – The Curate of was like wise absent, and I was Informed that his church the sunday before, was unserved in the morning, owing to a love visit he had made the preceding week to a lovely maid, viz, miss Small of Holywell. whether it was the cruelty of the Fair maid, or the Influence of the pleasant Draughts administered by the Flintshire corps, were the occasion of it, must be left to time to discover. I visited Owen Glyndwr’s Prison, part of it is intire & consists of very strong heart of Oak wooden Building, & carries the signs of being coæval with Owen; from what is remaining the whole may be restored by the Pencil of Moses. and I think a drawing of it would not be improper to follow his life. – I think besides that there is a paragraph or two that ought to be alter’d, from a cursory view I made of “vita Ricardi 2di at Mostyn.² – Next week I intend to dedicate to your Library at Downing &c, provided I am not interrupted by Election Business, which I had no reason to expect, till I found S^r Walden Hanmer’s son in the heart of our City, this morning, Busily canvassing for Votes; He did not get one here, and by the Dismal appearance of his visage, I guess he met with a Similar success at Rhuddlan from whence he came here. – I wrote Immediately to aquaint [sic] S^r Roger Mostyn with his appearance, & sent off a messenger upon the same occasion to M^r Williams at Salop, and I have Just now receiv,^d a note from S^r Roger acquainting ^me that M^r Hanmer was with him yesterday upon the same fruitless Errand. – I hope these Discouraging Circumstances will make him drop his pretensions, and Leave the honest Burghers live in quiet. Contested ^Elections are not to be coveted, unless their very object be, to get Rid of some Capital Rogue. – I won’t trouble you with any account of the good family at Mostyn as I know my Lady wrote to M^rs Pennant by last post, & I dare say some of you will here [sic] from thence by this. – I have all along entertain’d hopes that M^rs Wynne³ will get the better of her Disorder, but our hopes are often vainly guided by our wishes, and that I should wish her to live is no strange matter, since I have always found her a Solid Sincere Friend, you are Philosopher ^enough to know, that the world does not produce a great many such. – Pray my Best Respects to M^rs Pennant, M^r & Miss Francis Mostyn, Mx^r & Miss Pennant, & believe me to be

your most obedient Humble Servt

John Lloyd

caerwys June: 13:1777

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Editorial notes

1. For Pennant's visit to Harrowgate in May 1777 see 1305 (Treadway Russell Nash to Thomas Pennant, 25 July 1777).
2. Pennant acknowledges 'Vita Ricardi II. 178' as a source for his account of the capture of Lord Grey by Owain Glyndŵr in 1402, and 'Vita Ricardi, 178' as his source for ascribing the barbaric treatment of the bodies of English soldiers following Glyndwr's victory at Bryn Glas in the same year to a single follower rather than to a mob of Welshwomen as stated by Holinshed. See A tour in Wales 1770 [1773] (1778), I, pp. 322, 328–9; and Johnston, 'Shaping a heroic life: Thomas Pennant on Owen Glyndwr', in Mary-Ann Constantine and Nigel Leask (eds.), Enlightenment travel and British identities, pp. 105–121, esp. 171, n. 58.
3. Roger Mostyn's mother in law was Catherine (née Vaughan), wife of Hugh Wynn of Bodysgallen. It is possible that she may be the Mrs Wynne mentioned here.