Editing Laugharne (section)

===Laugharne Corporation===

Laugharne [[Municipal corporation|Corporation]] is an almost unique institution and, together with the [[City of London Corporation]], the last surviving [[mediæval]] corporation in the United Kingdom. The Corporation was established in 1291 by Sir Guy de Brian (''{{lang|frm|Gui de Brienne}}''), a [[Marcher Lord]].<ref name=jisc>{{cite web|url=https://archiveshub.jisc.ac.uk/data/gb211-laugharne|title=Laugharne Corporation Records – Archives Hub|website=archiveshub.jisc.ac.uk|access-date=10 February 2019}}</ref> Laugharne Corporation holds extensive historical records.<ref>[https://archiveshub.jisc.ac.uk/data/gb211-laugharne Carmarthenshire Archives Service website]</ref>
The Corporation is presided over by the [[portreeve]], wearing his traditional chain of gold [[cockle (bivalve)|cockle]] shells (one added by each portreeve, with his name and date of tenure on the reverse), the aldermen, and the body of [[Burgess (title)|burgess]]es. The title of portreeve is conferred annually, with the portreeve being sworn in on the first Monday after Michaelmas at the Big Court. The Corporation holds a [[court leet]] half-yearly formerly dealing with criminal cases, and a [[court baron]] every fortnight, dealing with civil suits within the lordship, especially in matters related to land, where administration of the common fields was dealt with.<ref name=jisc/> The Laugharne [[open-field system]] is one of only two surviving and still in use today in Britain.

'In Elizabeth's reign, the lordship passed to [[John Perrot|Sir John Perrott]] of Haroldston, a fact for which the inhabitants of Laugharne have had cause to regret. As at [[Carew Castle|Carew]] Perrot modernised the castle, but he was the most unscrupulous "land-grabber" of his age, and in 1574 he induced the burgesses to part with three hundred acres of land in return for an annuity of £9 6s. 8d. The records say that "diverse burgesses of the said towne did not assent to same", and that it was "to the great decaying of many". It would be interesting to know by what methods of bribery or intimidation Sir John was able to accomplish his nefarious purposes.'<ref>[https://journals.library.wales/view/4718179/4740893/187#?xywh=-1377%2C-68%2C5688%2C4378  Archaeologia Cambrensis, Vol. 100, (1948–49)] Prof. David Williams: Introduction to Laugharne.</ref>

[[File:Geograph-5130338-by-welshbabe.jpg|thumb|Plan of [[open-field system]] in common land on The Hugdon, a hill to the west of Laugharne<ref>{{cite book|editor1-last=Baker|editor1-first=Alan R. H.|editor2-last=Butlin|editor2-first=Robin A.|title=Studies of Field Systems in the British Isles|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cDM7AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA512|year=1973|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-20121-6|pages=512–514}}</ref>]]
The most senior 76 burgesses get a strang of land on Hugden for life, to be used in a form of mediæval strip-farming.

The chief toast at the Portreeve's feast is "to the immortal memory of Sir Guido de Brian"; then the Recorder must sing the following song:
{{quote|<poem>When Sir Guy de Brien lived in Laugharne,
A jolly old man was he.
Some pasture land he owned, which he
Divided into three.
Says he "There's Hugdon and the Moor
They will the Commons please;
And all the gentlemen shall have
Their share down on the Lees."<ref>{{cite news|last=Welshman|first=The|date=4 November 1910|title=Llwynog's Notes|url=https://newspapers.library.wales/view/4360291/4360300/40/hugdon|access-date= 12 July 2020}}</ref></poem>}}