Page:The statutes of Wales (1908).djvu/63

Rh used in England, some rude and ignorant people have made distinction and diversity between the King's subjects of this Realm, and his subjects of the said Dominion and Principality of, whereby great discord, division and sedition had grown between his said subjects." In order to extirp all the "sinister usages and customs" and to bring the subjects of his Realm and of his said Dominion of to an amicable concord and unity, it was ordained that  should be incorporated with England, and that "all persons born, or to be born" in  should have all the liberties, rights, privileges, and laws which were enjoyed in England. It is in this preamble that the first instance is to be found where the Sovereign of England is unequivocally styled "King" of.

By section 2, the laws of inheritance appertaining to the descent of manors, lands, and other hereditaments were abolished, and the laws of inheritance and other laws of England were to be used and executed in  in lieu thereof, but it was also provided by the 35th section of this Act that "lands, tenements, and hereditaments lying in ," which have "been used time out of mind by the laudable customs of the said country should be departible among issues and heirs male as if this Act had never been had nor made." These two sections seem inconsistent. The intention evidently was that persons who relied upon any right under the ancient system of tenure were called upon to prove that it existed before the time of legal memory. The apparent variance was, however, remedied by the complete abolition of customs and rules of descent in 1542 (34-35  8, c. 26, s. 91); although the  system of gavelkind still prevails in respect of customary lands in some manors of the Vale of Glamorgan, the manor of Talley in Caermarthenshire, Bishopston in Gower, and Liswerry and Pencarn in Monmouthshire.