John Jones to Thomas Pennant

14 August 1777

ID: 1477 [see the .xml file]
Identifier: WCRO CR 2017 /TP22, item 1
Previous letter: 1424
Next letter: 1429
Cite: 'John Jones to Thomas Pennant 14 August 1777' in Curious Travellers Digital Editions [editions.curioustravellers.ac.uk/doc/1477]

Sir

O[...]ford Aug: 14 1777

All Wm: Bedford's Plays in the MS. E. N. have the Names of the several CraftesMen who performed them added to them, as the Drapers Play, Tanner Painters, & & That of Noye and his Wiefe is intitled,
The Waterleaders and drawers in Dee.
3. pagente
The thirde Pagente of Noyes Flood. And first in some burgh Place or in the Clouds yf it may be God speaketh unto Noe standing without the Arke with all his Familye."1

I do not recollect to have seen or heard of any Welch Interlude upon this Subj[...]ct tho' most of them are taken from either the old or New Testament.2

On the Other side you will find a transcript of the whole of what is to be found in Mr Price's MS. respecting Flintshire. The Account of the rest of the Counties is exactly upon the same Plan. I will in my next send you the whole Account of Denbighshire, and if you will favour me with a Frank I will if you please transcribe the Waterleaders Play and send it along with it. I beg your Pardon for not mentioning to you in my last that Mr Warton had left Oxford some time before I was favoured with your Letter.andHe has not yet returned. Mr Sheffield desires his best Compliments to you. Mr Price left us last Week for a few Days. I am

Sir
your most obedient humble Servant

Jno Jones

Stamp: (postmark) [handwritten:] Post

To
Th Pennant Esqr
Downing near Northop
Flintshire

To
Th Pennant Esqr
Downing near Northop
Flintshire

Stamp: (postmark) [handwritten:] Post
Marginalia

The enclosure mentioned in the final paragraph of this letter contains material relating to Flintshire extracted from George Owen, The Number of the Hundreds, Castells, Parish Churches and ffayres ... in all the Shiers of Wales (1602), also known as the Description of Wales. See a copy in the Gentleman's Magazine, vol. 93, part 2 (1823), pp. 513–14; and further DWB s.n. George Owen. The material is not in John Jones's hand, but in the hand with which the letter is directed to Pennant.

Editorial notes

1. Pennant writes of the text undertaken by 'The Water leaders and drawers of the Dee', which he named as 'the History of the Deluge', quoting from a manuscript at the Bodleian Library some of the speeches of Noye (Noah) and other characters. See A tour in Wales 1770 [1773] (2nd edn. 1784), pp. 146–8.
2. Whereas Welsh interlude texts certainly include texts based on Biblical material, as well as material with an allegorical and moral cast, historical and narrative themes are also well-attested. See G. G. Evans, 'Yr Anterliwt Gymraeg', Llên Cymru. I, no. 2 (1950), 83–96.