The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-02-08

Cymry or not, will learn this morning
with sincere sorrow the sad news that
the venerable Lady Llanofer ts no
longer In the land of the living on this
side of the grave. Lady Llanofer. In
the heydey OF her beauty and mental
vigor and great social influence, became
fascinated by the annals of Wales and
its people and their language. and
through the rest OF her long life she did
all In her power. both by example and
precept, to maintain and foster Things
Welsh. Her ladyship seemed to view
with something like horror the possibil-
ity of the extinction OF the ancieht
British national characteristic on the
west side Of the Severn. Like the
Shunamite woman of old, her heart was
among her own people, and had II been
declared that Monmounthshire was not
within the border of Wales 1t Is almost
certain she would have removed from
Llanofer and fixed her new abode With
In the recognized boundary of the King
dom of the Cymry. 1t will be recollect-
ed that some years ago, on somebody,
with more assurance than understand
ing. presuming to allege that Mon
mouthshire was, in a legal sense. an
English county. she was most indignant
and she proceeded to show 1t was
simply included in the oxford Circuit
for the convenience Of the Bar OF Eng
land and was never alienated from
Wales. The county Of old was called
Gwent. or the Course of the Wye, and
went in legal nomenclature with Nor
ganwg, as Gwent and Morganwg. II
Is still embraced with MOrganwg by the
Diocese OF Llandafr. Lady Llanofer, in
addition to that name. was known In
Welsh literature bv the bardic one of
"Gwenynen Gwent." or the Bee OF
Gwent. believe she bore that non de
plume in Cymric literary circles since
the great eisteddfod which was held g.
years ago within the historical precincts
of Cardiff Castle. In the report of that
Eisteddfod she is mentioned as Lady
Hall. and, with Lady Guest, translator
Of the "Mabinogiop." she seems to have
been one Of the earliest In modern times
to give the sanction Of high social sta
tiOn to that remarkable institution
which is exclusively Welsh. After the
Cardiff Eisteddfod alluded to. which
was graced by the presence Of the ILL
ustrious father OF the present Lord
Butte. we have Lady Hall. the promoter
of the celebrated series OF great els
teddfodau at Abergavenny 1t was AT
one Of them young chemist OF Merthyr
Tydfil. named Thomas Stenhens, at
trected the attention of Europe to
Welsh literature by his nasterly essay
the kymry."
Gweuvncn Gweut.
But ''Gwenynen Gwent" was much
more than mere sentimentalist In ref
erence to matters relating exclusively 10
Wales. She spent thousands Of pounds
in fostering Welsh literature. and
am told that within recent years her
ladyship spent $500 in defraying the
cost of producing the vast store Of
learning Of the most interesting char
acter. viz: the Rev. Canon Silvan
Evans's Welsh and English lexicon. in
several volumes, the fruit Of the labor
OF thirty years. She did this. and many
things beside I'm the same direction with
out witnessing many tokens of Welsh
appreciation.
The present moment Wales will re-
member with deepest gratitude the
mighty service to the people Of Wales
which Lady I.lanofer has rendered by
her influential connection with the Welsh
MSS. Society. to which society we are
indebted for the publication Of the Iii
Der Landavensis." the "lolo" MSS,
"Meddygon Myddfai." and other works
of the same class. After the death of
"Ab Iolo." at Merthvr. in 1S47. and when
the fruits Of the lifetime labors of his
father. the immortal "Iolo Morganwg.' u
were in peril of being lost for ever. the
patriotic Lady Llanofer secured them.
Some of what she secured are in the
profoundly interesting volume Of 7Os
large pages. entitled "Iolo' MSS" II
is well known that the hive of the Bee Of
Gwent at Llanofer contains still many
unpublished manuscripts from the
copious pen of 'Iolo Morganwg" There
cannot be any doubt that her daueh-
ter. the Hon. Mrs. Herbert Ulanarth)
and her son Colonel Ivor Herbert), who
IL the departed ladys principal heir.
Will deal with these MSS. as priceless
treasures, as. unquestionably they are
In the eyes Of all cultured people.
Visits tn Lianofcr Hall.
On Saturday I visited Hanover Hall.
with view to CLEAN particulars re-
specting the departure from among the
living of the venerable Lady Hanover.
1t was evident everywhere in the neigh
borhood that great personality had
passed away forever from the place.
Lady Hanover died within a few hum
dred yards of the habitation in which
she first saw the light. on March 2l.
1902. The name of the place in which
she was born bears the title of "Ty
uchaf.' or the Upper House." The
same rural scene. therefore. which met
her In FAINT gaze met also her aged eves
Near the bank of the Usk river with its
transparent waters, where in child
hoods days she gathered gleefully the
wild flowers Of Gwent. she passed from
decade to decade-and she saw up
wards of ninety. years-days Of feeble
footsteps. and when "ffon" (walking-
stick) became necessary to aid her in
her walks about the old. familiar. WE'LL
kept grounds around her prncely pal
ace. AS one passed through her extern
sive park 1t seemed as If one We're In
the midst Of scenes hallowed for ever
to Welsh nationality 1t Is certain that
in ages past the long lines Of the Roman
legiOns sought to march this way from
the Wye to the Taft. They were glad
to return whence they came. and today
Lady Llanover's coracle rides here on
the waters of the lake among the ever
green trees. as II symbolizing Cambria
and the sentiment, "Oes Y byd ir iaith
Gymraeg!" CMay the Welsh language
Ocs v Byd Tr Iaith Grmraeg.
endure as long as the world). 1t seemed
to me that now she Is gone to where
He giveth to His beloved sleep" Lady
Llanover's wishes will have greater
force than even when those wishes were
backed by her living authority. How
well people recollect the last express
of Colonel Ivor Herbert whether the fu-
neral service on Thursday would be
conducted in the Welsh language he re-
piled like one somewhat awed by the
bare supposition of the possibility OF its
being performed in any other tongue.
Yes" was his grave answer; lit was
her expressed wish" In her childhood
Wales won her heart. and faithful unto
death and beyond 1t, she stipulated that
no other tongue than the musical ac-
cents of Cymraeg should be heard ut
tered over her remains as the portals
of the grave closed over her beloved