RADNOR-NEW, or MAESYVED, a borough and parish, in the union of KINGTON, having exclusive jurisdiction, and formerly of sufficient importance to have given its name to the county of RADNOR, SOUTH WALES, 8 miles (W. S. W.) from Presteign, and 157 (W. N. W.) from London; containing 478 inhabitants. Its Welsh name, signifying " the imbibing meadow," is supposed by some persons to have been derived from the circumstance of the little river Somergill sinking into the earth in its vicinity, and pursuing a subterraneous course for a considerable distance. Others, however, consider that the original appellation was Maes Hyvaidd, and that the district was so called from having belonged to Hyvaidd, son of Caradoc Vraichvras, the prince of the country. Though at present little more than an inconsiderable village, it was anciently a place of some importance, and most probably owed its origin to the erection of a castle here by the Mortimers, for the protection of the territories they had acquired in this part of the principality. This castle, which was of considerable strength, occupied an eminence northward above the town, commanding the passage from the mountains into the open country, and, from its situation on the border, the town was fortified with walls having four strong gates, and surrounded by a deep moat. In 1188, Baldwin, archbishop of Canterbury, accompanied by Giraldus Cambrensis, on his mission to preach the crusades throughout Wales, began his labours at this place, to .which he was attended by Ranulph de Glanville, justiciary of England, and where be was received by Rhs ab Grufydd, Prince of South Wales, and several other Welsh chieftains; and at this town commences Giraldus' Itinerary. In the following year, Rhys ab Grufydd, having made a formidable incursion into the English marches, assaulted and took possession of the castle, which he resolutely defended against Sir Roger Mortimer, who came to its relief with a considerable body of well-armed veteran forces. All the efforts of Sir Roger to retake the fortress proved unavailing; and the troops of Rhks, sallying from the castle, entered into close action with the English forces, whom they ultimately drove from the field after an obstinate and sanguinary conflict. In 1217, King John, in resentment of Llewelyn ab Iorwerth's abandonment of his interests, laid siege to the castle, which he demolished; but it was soon afterwards rebuilt by the English, from whom it was taken by Llewelyn in 1231. It was besieged, in 126.3, by the confederate forces of Llewelyn ab Grufydd, Prince of North Wales, and the two sons of the celebrated Simon de Montfort, and, being taken, was burnt to the ground; but, though no further account of it occurs in the mean time, it was probably rebuilt, for its final destruction, together with laying the town in ruins, is stated, in the charter granted by Queen Elizabeth, to have been effected by Owain Glyndwr, who, in 1401, having posted himself on Plinlimmon hill, thence despatched his forces on plundering excursions, during which they destroyed the abbey of Cwm Hir, in Radnorshire, and took the castle of Radnor, causing the whole garrison, to the number of sixty men, to be beheaded on the brink of the castle yard. By an act of the 27th of Henry VIII., New Radnor was constituted the shire town of the nod/ erected county of Radnor; and the assizes and quarter-sessions were appointed to be held alternately here and at Rhaiadr; but, by subsequent acts of.the 35th and 36th of the same reign, these courts were ordered to be held alternately here and at Presteign, to which latter town the assizes were subsequently wholly removed, and still invariably take place there. Leland, describing New Radnor in the time of Henry VIII., states that the ruins of the four gates were then remaining in the walls; that the castle was in ruins, with the exception of part of the gate, which had been repaired; that there was an old church near the castle, then used as a chapel; and that not far from it was a new parochial church, built by William Bachefield and Flory his wife. According to Speed's map, in 1610, the town appears to have had at that time three principal streets, extending parallel with each other, in a direction from east to west, and four smaller streets, intersecting them at right angles, exclusively of four short streets leading from the upper street to the church and castle. Since that period, however, it has dwindled into an insignificant village. "In times past," says Camden, " it was firmly fenced with a wall and castle, but after that Owen Glendwrdwy (that notable rebel) had burnt it, it began by little and little to decrease and grow to decay, tasting of the same fortune as the mother thereof did before (I mean Old Radnor), which in the reign of King John, Rhys ap Gryffyn did set on fire." Indeed, its sole importance depended upon its existence as a border fortress; when it ceased to be such, Kington and Presteign soon surpassed it as market-towns. The present TOWN is situated on the banks of the small river Somergill, near its descent from the mountains into the Vale of Radnor, and consists only of a few houses, built of a perishable slaty stone, and of very mean appearance: the names of some of its ancient streets are still preserved, though others no longer exist; vestiges of them, however, may still be traced among the gardens, but most have become merely footpaths. With the exception of a few maltsters and handicraftsmen, the entire population is engaged in agriculture. The market, formerly held on Tuesday, after several ineffectual attempts to revive it, has altogether fallen into disuse: fairs take place on the Tuesday before Holy Thursday, the Tuesday after Trinity Sunday, August 14th, and October 28th and 29th, which last is very numerously attended. The town was a BOROUGH by prescription till the reign of Elizabeth, who, in her 4th year, granted the inhabitants a charter of incorporation, with many privileges, an extensive manor, and an exclusive jurisdiction over a district nearly thirty miles in circumference. Under this charter, confirmed and extended by one of George IL, in the 12th of his reign, which not only recites it, but likewise mentions others "by divers lords of the marches," the government is vested in a bailiff, two aldermen, and twenty-five capital burgesses, assisted by a recorder, coroner, town-clerk, two chamberlains, two serjeants-at-mace, and other officers; and the style of the corporation is "The Bailiff, Aldermen, and Burgesses of the borough of New Radnor." The bailiff and aldermen are annually elected from the capital burgesses by a majority of that body, on the Monday after the feast of the Holy Cross; the recorder, who holds his office for life, and all the other officers of the corporation, are also appointed by the capital burgesses. The capital burgesses must be chosen from among the burgesses living within the borough, and lose their privileges on becoming non-resident; no person who is non-resident can be made a burgess. The corporation formerly possessed considerable revenues. By the charter of Elizabeth extensive grants were made, as already noticed; and by that of George II., the borough of New Radnor and the manor of Radnor Foren, with certain tenements, rents, &c., were bestowed, subject to a fee-farm rent of £37. 8. 11., payable to the crown. But the corporation do not appear to have ever derived any benefit of much importance from this property; and as owners of the waste lands in the manor, the only emolument they receive is that arising from an allotment not exceeding ten acres, under an inclosure act of 1814, for the township of Llanvihangel-NantMelan, and another allotment of sixty acres, assigned agreeably with the provisions of an act for enclosing the common land in the parish of New Radnor. Several houses and tenements, also, independently of what is recited in the charter, were once held by the corporation; and fee-farm rents, which amounted, about half a century since, to not less than £40 per annum in the whole, were received: but no income is now obtained from either of these sources. Indeed, the only available revenue, that of the tolls, is absorbed in partially providing for the annual payment of the above-mentioned charge of £37. 8. If., which is now the property of a private party, having been alienated by the crown. In the time of George II., this rent-charge was in the possession of the Duke of Leeds, in whose family it continued till about the year 1812, when it was sold for £1000, to the Right Hon. Thomas Frankland Lewis, the present owner, who, consequently, and on account of large arrears, is entitled to the proceeds of the trifling property which the corporation still retain in their hands. New Radnor, in conjunction with Kevenlleece, Knighton, Cnwclas, and Rhaiadr (to which Presteign was added, by the act passed in 1832, to "Amend the Representation"), returns a member to parliament. The right of election, heretofore vested in the burgesses generally, is now, by the act, extended to every male person of full age occupying, either as owner or as tenant under the same landlord, a house or other premises of the annual value of not less than ten pounds, provided he be capable of registering as the act demands; and the present number of houses of this value, within the limits of the borough (which were not altered by the Boundary Act), is a hundred and seventy: the bailiff is the returning officer. The recorder, bailiff, and aldermen, and also the bailiff and aldermen for the pre-. ceding year, are justices of the peace for the borough, the jurisdiction of which extends exclusively over the whole of the parishes of New Radnor, Old Radnor, and Llanvingel-Nant-Melan, and parts of those of Cascob and Llandegley. The corporation hold quarterly courts of session for the borough, on the Monday after the quarter- sessions for the county; on every. Monday a court of petty-sessions,. in which the bailiff presides, assisted by the town- clerk; and a court for the recovery of debts and the determination of pleas under the amount of forty shillings. The sheriff's court, for the recovery of debts not exceeding forty shillings, is held every month, alternately here and at Presteign. The court for the election of the knight of the shire may be held here, though it has not been so for nearly half a century: this is, also, under the Boundary Act, one of the polling-places. The town-hall, in which the various courts are held, and the public business of the corporation transacted, is situated in the principal street; and opposite to it was a small prison for the borough, consisting of two rooms and an airing-yard, instead of which a more commodious one has been lately built behind it. The parish comprises from two thousand five hundred to three thousand acres: 1150 are rich loamy pasture land, and a fertile tract capable of producing good crops of corn, the whole inclosed; and about 990 are in allotments: the upper part comprehends a portion of the mountain range of the forest of Radnor, consisting of about 360 acres, which is hilly; but the lower part of the parish is partly fiat and partly undulated. The LIVING is a rectory, rated in the kings books at £13. 10. 10., and in the patronage of the Crown; net income, £304, with a glebe of three acres in the parish, and twelve of hilly ground allotted under an inolosure act. The church, dedicated to St. Mary, and situated on the declivity of a lofty hill to the north of the town, is an ancient structure, roofed with tiles, with a handsome square tower, strengthened by buttresses, and containing five bells; the body consists of a nave, chancel, and aisle, but is in rather a dilapidated condition; part appears to rest on the foundation of a more ancient building: the old church mentioned by Leland is no longer in existence. In 1788, Mr. John Green, of Hereford, bequeathed £300, for the purpose of raising a fund of £10 per annum as a salary for a schoolmaster, to teach fifteen boys of this pariah and five of that of GlAscomb, and £3 for buying bread for industrious housekeepers, to be distributed on the first Sunday in every month; the residue, if any, to be applied to purchasing cloths for the pulpit, desk, and altar, fine linen for the communion table, and a hearse and pail for those willing to use the same. After the testator's death the bequest was lent on mortgage, and in 1817 was called in and laid out in the purchase of £498. 19.2. three per cent. consols; and the interest accruing is £14. 19. 4., of which £10 are paid to a master for instructing 20 children, he being also allowed to take pay scholars, the whole of whom are taught on the ground-floor of the town-hall; are distributed in 15 fonrpenny loaves among 15 widows and men; and the residue, £1. 19. 4L, kat to accumulate in the banker's hands, until a sufficient fund be formed to buy the hearse and other articles specified in the will. There is a day school, which contains 35 children, of whom 20 are taught by aid of Mr. Green's endowment, five by aid of a subscription of £5, from R. Price, Esq., and the rest we paid for by their parents; and a Sunday school of about 65 males and females, conducted chiefiy by gratuitous teachers, is supported by contributions amounting to £6. 10. per annum, which are given to the mistress, who also superintends a small school held thrice a week to teach girls needlework, spelling, &c. An estate named Longney, in the county of Gloucester, was devised to the parish by Mr. Henry Smith, of London, in 1627, the proceeds of which are distributed among the poor: being subject to the inundations of the river Severn, it varies greatly in its value, which fluctuates from £7 to £15 per annum. A bequest of £50, by an unknown donor, was allowed to accumulate, with its interest, in consequence of a suit in the Court of Exchequer, until it amounted to £104.7. three per cent. consols, the interest of which, £3. 2. 6., after three or four years' addition, is expended in the purchase of fuel, which is distributed among the settled poor. Among the lost charities may be enumerated one of £40, by John Bedward, in 1668, and called the Vron charity, from a supposed rent-charge bought on that property with the amount; and another of £5, by Thomas Eccleston, in the same year, which is thought to have been distributed soon after the testator's death. Of the ancient castle, which occupied the summit of a lofty eminence to the north-east of the town, there are only some inconsiderable vestiges. The walls of the structure, which was of great strength, comprised a quadrilateral area, divided into an outer and an inner ward; and at the north-eastern and north-western angles were square massive towers; the entrance, which was on the south aide, was defended by a similar tower at the south-western angle; and to the east were two circular towers of smaller dimensions. Some workmen digging on the site, in 1778, discovered six or seven arches of good masonry, which appeared to have supported a range of the principal buildings; the outer intrenchments are still in good preservation. The course of the walls by which the town was surrounded may be easily traced by the remains of their foundations, and of able, tilt the deep moat on the outside. About a mile from the town, and near the western extremity of the parish, the vale of the small river Somergill is intersected by an intrenched dyke; and in a narrow defile, about two miles to the west of the town, and in the parish of Llanvihangel-Nant-Melan, is a curious and interesting cascade, called " Water break its neck." Immediately to the north of the town is the high mountainous tract forming the forest of Radnor, on which numerous flocks of sheep are bred, and from one of the summits of which, named Wimble, is a view of great extent over several of the adjoining counties, embracing some pleasing scenery in the neighbourhood of the town, with several gentlemen's seats, encircled by plantations and pleasure grounds, and forming ornamental features in the landscape. Downier: House, the property of the late Percival Lewis, Esq., and now the residence of Sir W. S. R. Cockburn, only son of the late General Sir William Cockburn, Bart., is en elegant mansion, situated in beautiful grounds and surrounded with interesting and varied scenery. Radnor -gives the title of earl to the family of Bouverie.