south, and the walks under and about it are really charming. The view
along the beautiful vale of the Dee from the top, in the centre of the
towing-path, is delightful, and to look down tremendous; and the river,
“That on the unnumber’d pebbles idly chafes,
Cannot be heard so high.”
Indeed, it requires a steady head, and a stout heart, to walk over the
Aqueduct, especially when the wind is high.
On the twenty-sixth day of November, 1805, the canal was opened in the
following manner, as described by one of the acting Committee. He
says—{67}
“In going over the Aqueduct and returning, the sensations varied. As
the procession of boats advanced towards the noble structure now
first commencing its public utility, the complete sense of security
in which we floated one hundred and twenty-six feet above the river
Dee, and a just acknowledgment to Mr. Telford, to whom it was
deservedly a proud day, and who had most happily arranged the whole
of our accommodation, as well as constructed the wonderful edifice
that supported us, naturally united.
“On our arrival at the eastern bank, we entered the canal port. Lady
Bridgewater, the ladies of Colonel Kynaston Powell, and William Lloyd
Ashton, Esq. and some others, as connected with the Committee, now
attended Lady Eleanor Butler, Lady W. W. Wynn and her family, the
Hon. Miss Ponsonby, Miss Ormsby, and many other respectable visitors,
to a repast which had been provided; soon after which an Oration was
delivered.
“On a signal being given, the cannon, which had been advantageously
posted on the platform below the rocks, and nearly on a level with
the Aqueduct, fired a royal salute. The guns were manned by the
Artillery Company, and were some of those brought from the capture of
Seringapatam, now belonging to the Shropshire Volunteers, whose skill
and martial appearance added much to the brilliancy of the day: they
saluted the Committee on their passage and return with fifteen rounds
each. After the repast and Oration, the whole company prepared to
return.
“The procession of boats was as follows:—In the first and second
boats, the Committee; in the third, the band of the Shropshire
Volunteers, in full uniform; the fourth was occupied by the
engineers, the occupiers of mines and founderies, &c. with their
families. I was invited to take my passage with them, having been
engaged when the Committee set out, and could from this boat, as a
centre, better judge of the whole. The fifth and sixth boats closed
the procession, gaily ornamented with flags, and loaded with the
first commercial product of coal that had ever passed over the valley
on this noble bridge of union. The carriages, which conveyed the
rest of the company, formed a curved and continued line over the
bridge of the Dee (Pontcysyllte) and on both its banks.
“The evening was calm, and the favourite tunes of ‘_God save the
King_’ and ‘_Rule Britannia_’ floated in the air, amongst the echoes
of the vale. Many (probably more than eight thousand) people were
stationed all around us, from the tops of the mountains to the banks
of the Dee, and were cheering and exulting, with intervals of silent
astonishment. All within sight or hearing were expressing their
sense of the general happiness. The whole valley of Llangollen might
be said to laugh and sing.”
The following inscription is on the Aqueduct upon the side of the pier
next to the south side of the river:—
The Nobility and Gentry of
The adjacent Counties,
Having united their Efforts with
The great commercial Interests of this Country,
In creating an intercourse and union between
ENGLAND AND NORTH WALES,
By a navigable communication of the three Rivers,
Severn, Dee, and Mersey,
For the mutual benefit of Agriculture and Trade,
Caused the first Stone of this Aqueduct of
PONTCYSYLLTE
To be laid on the 25th day of July, 1795,
When Richard Myddelton, of Chirk, Esq. M.P.
One of the original patrons of the
ELLESMERE CANAL,
Was Lord of this Manor,
And in the reign of our Sovereign
GEORGE THE THIRD;
When the Equity of the Laws and
The security of Property
Promoted the general Welfare of the Nation;
While the Arts and Sciences flourished
By his Patronage, and
The Conduct of civil Life was improved
By his Example.
Returning from this stupendous work of human ingenuity and exertion,
towards the Castell Dinas Bran,
Trevor Hall,
A large brick mansion, presents itself. It is situated on a rising
ground, on the north side of the Wrexham road; and was once the residence
of John Trevor, Bishop of St. Asaph, who in the year 1346 caused a stone
bridge to be built over the Dee, at Llangollen, which is accounted one of
the wonders of Wales.
Mr. Pennant says {72} “Trevor Hall passed into the family of the Lloyds,
and has continued in that family to the present time.” The last
possessor was a lady of the name of Thomas, deceased in the last year,
and leaving a son to inherit, although at present he does not occupy the
premises. The house is roomy and substantial, and is pleasantly
situated; but has no pretensions to elegance or beauty. Near the house
is a church, or rather chapel, of ease, enjoying Queen Anne’s bounty, in
which English service is performed on the first Sunday in every month.
In a rocky cliff in the neighbourhood of the Hall, is a cavern of some
extent, in which I was informed there were to be found the petrified
bones of wolves, foxes, and other wild animals. Resolving to ascertain
the fact, I explored the place, but, whatever there may have been, I
could not discover the vestiges of any such relics. I brought away some
specimens of stalactites, of curious forms and various incrustations,
with which the roof of the cavern abounds, and which may by some have
been mistaken for petrified bony substances. This craggy ridge seems to
be the commencement of that wonderful range of limestone called the
Eglwyseg Rocks.
Near to the river is the ancient house of Plas yn Pentre, now inhabited
by Mr. Edward Jones; and between Trevor Hall and the Dee is one of the
most beautifully clear springs of cold water imaginable. It is called
Ffynnon Yryrog, and is in very great repute as a bath for the cure of
rheumatic affections; and if Saint Collen with a long name {74} had
thought proper to have bestowed his benediction, it might perhaps have
rivalled its prototype at Holywell. Its issue is very abundant, and its
coldness exceeds belief: persons bathing cannot continue in the water a
minute. Many wonderful accounts are told of its efficacy in chronic
disorders. In its passage to the Dee, it formerly turned a water mill,
now in ruins. The spring rises in a field belonging to Plas yn Pentre.
On the road side, between Trevor Hall and Bron Heulog, is a small farm
house, called Plas Eva or Evan. I notice it only as marking the spot
where formerly was a cemetery, retaining the appellation of Mynwent y
Quacer, or Quaker’s Burying Ground. It is on the south side of the
house; and in cutting the canal, the earth from the excavation was thrown
upon the old graves and the inscribed stones that lay upon the surface.
Opposite the north side of the same house, a few years ago, as some
labourers were working in the limestone rock, they discovered a pot,
filled with gold coin. The men, afraid of losing their booty, kept the
affair secret, and deputed one of their party to dispose of the treasure
at Chester, as old gold. A rumour of the circumstance having got afloat,
an inquiry was instituted; but the secret was so well kept on all hands,
that only one piece, which a labourer had kept as a curiosity, with a
part of the earthen vessel that contained them, were recovered, both of
which I am informed are now in the possession of Lady Clive. The name,
date, or nominal value of the coin, I cannot ascertain; but a person who
saw one of the pieces describes it as being about the size of a half
crown, and very thin, with an impression on each side.
About a mile nearer to the Castle, stands a recently erected mansion,
called Bron Heulog. It is only remarkable for the narrowness of its
windows and the nakedness of its appearance. Nearing the town on the
bank of the river,
The Vicarage,
A neat pretty edifice, claims notice. It was built a few years ago,
under the direction of the present vicar, the Rev. R. W. Eyton, who
resides here, and is in the commission of the peace. In both capacities
he does honour to the country in which he lives, as an able conscientious
minister, and an impartial and upright magistrate.
Having thus given an account of some of the most remarkable features of
the country within my limits on the north side of the river, and on the
east end of the town, I beg my readers to cross the river with me to
Pengwern Hall, situated on the south of the Dee, with which I shall
conclude my account of residences on the east of the town, as it is not
in my plan to notice the many pretty snug and pleasant looking retreats
with which the delightful landscape is studded, the beauty and comfort of
which the traveller of taste will not fail fully to appreciate. Nor have
I much to say of
Llys Pengwern;
For mouldering time hath swept away much of its grandeur and its form.
Llys, i.e. Palace or Prince’s Court, of Pengwern, is situated at the foot
of Pen y Coed, a tumulus-like hill on the east side of Llangollen, in a
well cultivated and fruitful valley, formed between, or rather of, the
bases of Pen y Coed, and the Berwyn. Little remains of the old house.
There are two vaulted rooms (the use of which I cannot conjecture)
standing at the end of the present house; and they are, I think, part of
the old palace. The roofs are formed with nine stone ribs, which support
a stone floor; for the rooms are one above the other, and the little
light admitted is through narrow loop-hole windows. There is no vault or
cellar beneath them. The site is extensive, and many old pointed gothic
windows appear about the dilapidated walls.
The place is now in the occupation of a very respectable farmer. Sir
Thomas Mostyn, Bart. is the proprietor, in whose family it has been a
great many years. I find that “Tudor Trevor, {80} who in the British
genealogies is reckoned to be lineally descended from Vortigern, that
unfortunate King of the Britons, who first invited the Saxons over into
his country, married Gwladdis (some call her Angharad), daughter of
Howell Dda, King of all Wales, by whom he had issue three sons; from the
eldest of whom, Llwydocca, this family of Mostyn is descended in a direct
male line. Tudor Trevor lived about A.D. 924, and his usual residence
was at Llys Pengwern, in Chirkland, in Denbighshire; which site, and
lands about it (though the house has been long destroyed), is in the
possesion of the family to this day.”
There is a stone which seems to have belonged to the old Llys, wrought up
in the door-way, with an inscription which I cannot decipher. The design
seems a rude figure of a sword, with an obtuse point, and the letters cut
in relief on the blade. They are many of them unlike the characters I
have seen, although some of them bear a strong resemblance to the Roman,
and some few to the Saxon. The hilt of the sword, on which was the
beginning of the inscription, is wanting. This is the only inscribed
stone I could discover on the premises, although I was civilly assisted
in my researches by the occupier of the house. From the appearance of
many of the windows, &c. I should almost suppose it the remains of a
religious sanctuary.
Returning to the north side of the Dee, I must notice a small factory,
where cotton is spun and manufactured into cloth by machinery. It was
erected by a Mr. Turner. The main wheel is worked by a partial diversion
of the river. It has also a claim upon the Ellesmere Canal for a supply
of water, and affords employment for many of the inhabitants. The
builder and his partner unfortunately proving insolvent, the concern was
for a while stopped, and the factory stood unoccupied about five years.
It is now carried on by a very respectable firm from Manchester, and is a
great benefit to the town. The factory was destroyed by fire in 1814,
but being fully insured it was soon rebuilt. By means of an outlet from
the mill dam, a great quantity of fine trout and salmon are caught here
in the season.
I shall now proceed to give some account of Castell Dinas Bran, to which
I had before conducted my readers by the ancient road from the Berwyn
Mountains and Castell Crogen, or Chirk Castle.
Castell
DINAS BRAN.
“Desolate is the dwelling of Morna: silence is in the house of her
fathers. The voice of the people is heard no more. The stream of
Cultha is removed from its place by the fall of its walls. Raise the
song of mourning, O bards!”
THE Castell Dinas Bran, vulgarly called Crow Castle, is one of the
primitive Welch Castles. I shall not bewilder myself or my readers, by
seeking for the origin of its name, which so many learned men have sought
in vain; all their researches ending in conjecture: nor can I find any
account to be relied upon, when or by whom it was erected.
The Castle stands, as hath before been shown, immediately above and on
the north side of Llangollen, on a conical mountain, about six hundred
yards above the level of the river Dee; {85} and is built on the summit
of the hill, which probably was leveled to procure materials, as the
building occupies the whole flat. It seems to have been about one
hundred yards in length, by fifty yards wide. The present remains are
almost without form: they are built of the silicious stone of the
mountain, set in a coarse mortar or grout, which is grown as hard as the
stone itself. There are here and there scattered remains of hewn stone
for facings, &c. some vestiges of a small round tower and a vaulted
passage, and also a very limpid stream, now almost choked with ruins.
A room has been built within these few years, for the shelter and
convenience of visitors to the Castle; the key of which may be obtained
at a little white cottage half way up the hill, inhabited by a very civil
woman of the name of Parry, who conducts the visitants, and provides them
with tea if required.
The Castle is conjectured to have been built by the Britons before the
Roman invasion; and was probably the residence of Eliseg in the year 600.
{86} In the absence of all authentic accounts, I present my readers with
a free translation of what I conceive to be a legendary tale, hoping it
will at least amuse.
I find in the fragment of an old Welch book (from which the title-page is
lost), obligingly lent to me by Mr. Edward Morris, of Rhiscog, to whom I
am indebted for much valuable information, the following account of the
building of Castell Dinas Bran:—
“The Duke of Difnal, or Cornwall, having conquered all his enemies,
was crowned King, and reigned in peace forty years, leaving at his
death his kingdom to his two sons, who were twins; Beli was the
firstborn, Bran was the youngest. They began to reign Anno Mundi
3600, but contentions soon arising between them, they appealed to
arms, and called their friends and adherents to the field; and,
notwithstanding the persuasions and remonstrances of the chiefs and
great men of the country, a day was appointed for the decision of
their claims by arms.
“In the meanwhile, their mother, the old Queen Corwena, obtained an
interview with her sons in her own apartments; when, placing herself
between them, she fell on her knees, her grey hair disheveled, and
her bosom bare, and thus addressed them:—‘O! my dear sons, look on
your mother, and for her sake forbear to shed the blood of your
friends; remember, it is the Queen who solicits you to peace and
unity; and remember also that the blood of those brave men who fall
in this quarrel will cry for vengeance, and a life for a life, and a
tooth for a tooth, will be required. Consider, you once lived
together in peace upon this bosom, and now this great kingdom is too
small for you. For God’s sake, and as you value my blessing, cast
away this fierce wrath; be not more cruel than the wolves of your
forests, and the bears of your woods. See how my tears fall upon
those breasts where you were wont to be cherished together. Do not
let me go to my dark house in sorrow. Throw down your arms, and
embrace each other as brothers, that God may bless the end of your
days with peace and prosperity, and crown your wives and your
children with comfort and joy. Amen.’
“The two brothers were so affected by this address from their mother,
that they both assisted to raise her from her knees, and intreated
her blessing. They then embraced, and drinking to their mother and
to each other, dismissed their armies. Beli went to New Troy, {90a}
and Bran took up his residence at a strong fortress, which he had
built near Llan-collen, {90b} and called Dinas Bran, after his own
name.
“The Queen, returning to the portion of land which had been given to
her as a jointure, there built a small town, which she named after
herself, Corwen.”
The following seems to be another version of the same story; and as the
Brut from which it is taken is by the learned translator supposed to be
the real Book of Gildas, {90c} I hope the antiquity and rarity of the
account will be a sufficient excuse to my general readers:—
“Beli and Bran were the sons of Dyfnwal, and began to reign 667 years
before Christ. {91} A violent struggle arose for the sovereignty of
the kingdom, which ended in it being divided between them: however,
in process of time, ambition again prompted the two brothers to
collect their respective forces, in order to obtain supremacy; but
when the two armies were about to engage, their mother, the old Queen
Torwen, or Tarevin, rushed between the lines, and hastening to her
son Bran, who had long been absent from her, she tenderly embraced
him, and with many sighs and tears intreated him to be reconciled to
his brother Beli. Her intreaties so wrought upon Bran that he turned
all his thoughts to peace, and laying aside his helmet, he went
unarmed to meet his brother. A reconciliation then took place, the
forces on each side throwing down their arms, and approving the
peace; and both parties went together to London, at that time called
Troia Newdd.” {92}
As Eliseg’s Pillar has given a name to a fertile valley, to a township,
and to the wonderful and stupendous Egwlseg Rocks, and which they all
retain to this day, I presume to ask, is it not as reasonable to suppose,
since we find it recorded that there was a British King of the name of
Bran, that the name of the Castle I am describing should have been
derived from him, rather than from a paltry stream bearing the name of
Bran, or from an insignificant bird; for Bran in the Welch language
signifies Crow. Might not, also, the streamlet of the Bran take its name
from the city of Bran? for I find in Richards’s Welch Dictionary,
“_Dinas_,” English “_City_;” therefore, “_Castell Dinas Bran_,” i.e.
“_The Castle of the City of Bran_;” “_Din_,” “_a fortified city or
mount_,” as Dinbrin, which adjoins the Castle Hill. Should these hints,
which with all deference I venture to suggest, invite others to a deeper
and more successful research, I shall be happy; and I sincerely wish some
one may prosecute further inquiry, furnished with more ample materials,
and endowed with a superior degree of antiquarian knowledge.
Leaving apocryphal accounts, I find that Madog Ap Gryffydd Maelor, who
founded the Abbey Crucis A.D. 1200, and who was by his mother’s side the
grandson of Gwen Gwynedd, Prince of North Wales, resided at Castell Dinas
Bran. {94a} He inherited Powis Madoc, and was Lord of the second
Bromfeild and Mochnant Is Rhauader. {94b}
In the year 1209, Madog, forgetting his duty to his country and to his
prince, led his vassals and adherents to join the English army under King
John, then lying at Oswestry {94c} (Wynne says at Chester {94d}); where
he had assembled a great force, and with his usual violence and passion
had resolved to execute the severest vengeance on the inhabitants of
North Wales, and not to suffer a person to remain alive in the country.
But such resolves are sooner made than executed; and Llewellyn, Prince of
Wales, no sooner heard of these mighty preparations, and of the
disaffection of some of his own countrymen, particularly of the Lord of
Dinas Bran, than he issued his orders to his subjects in the counties of
Denbigh and Flint, to remove all their cattle and moveable substance for
a season, to the mountains of Snowdon; by which means, and by getting
into the rear of the King’s army, now advanced as far as the Castle of
Teganwy, he so straitened and harassed the English forces, that, after
eating their horses, and being reduced to the greatest extremity, they
were obliged to retrace their steps at that time in disgrace, and
breathing revenge, which the King in some measure executed the next year.
{96} But as I mean to confine myself to the history of the Lords of
Dinas Bran, I will not deviate from my plan, by noticing matter which may
be deemed extraneous.
When John by his maladministration had quarrelled with his great Barons,
and thrown England into confusion, the vaccillating Madog, Lord of Dinas
Bran, again swore fealty to his lawful Prince, Llewellyn, who politically
overlooked his disaffection, and accepted his submission. This and some
other accession of force enabled the Welch Prince successfully to assail
the English, from whom he took all the castles the King had garrisoned,
and most cruelly and unjustly put to death all their defenders in cold
blood. This happened A.D. 1213. {97a} The remainder of the time of this
factious man, Madog, was occupied in rapine, war, and slaughter; and he
closed his turbulent life in Castell Dinas Bran, and was buried at his
Abbey of Llan Egwest, or Valle Crucis, A.D. 1236, {97b} leaving his son
Lord of Powis Fadog, Lord of Dinas Bran, and all his other signiorities.
Gryffydd Ap Madog, like his father, partook of the character of the
times, and was fickle and turbulent. His father, Madog Ap Gryffydd
Maelor, had generally resided at Wattstay, now Wynnstay; but Gryffydd Ap
Madog made the Castell Dinas Bran his chief residence, and it is probable
that his confidence in this almost inaccessible retreat might strengthen
and encourage him in his waywardness.
I find him joining Prince Edward, the son of Henry III. then King of
England, with all his forces, in the year 1257; and his disaffection is
thus stigmatized by the old writers: {98a}—“But Gryffydd Ap Madog Maelor,
Lord of Dinas Bran, a person of notorious reputation for injustice and
oppression, basely forsook the Welch, his countrymen, and with all his
forces went over to the Earl of Chester.” {98b}
The following year, Llewellyn the Prince, returning from an expedition
into South Wales, met the Earl, and forced him to retreat with great
precipitation, leaving the possessions of his unnatural allies at the
mercy of the conqueror, who now resolved to be revenged on that
ungrateful fugitive, the Lord of Dinas Bran. He therefore passed through
Bromfeild, and miserably laid waste the whole country, and obliged
Gryffydd to keep close in his Castle of Dinas Bran, which, being situated
on the summit of a very steep hill, seemed impregnable to all the daring
efforts that could be used against it. {99}
King Henry, being now much incensed against the Welch Prince Llewellyn,
on account of the obstinate resistance he experienced, and having drawn
together the whole strength of England, even from St. Michael’s Mount, in
Cornwall, to the river Tweed, marched with his son Edward in great rage
to North Wales, and without any opposition advanced as far as Teganwy;
but Llewellyn having taken precaution, as was the practice of the Welch
in cases of invasion, to have all manner of provision and forage carried
over the river, and having secured the strait and narrow passages whereby
the English might advance into the country, the King’s troops were in a
short time so mortally harassed and fatigued, that they were obliged to
return to England in haste, and with great loss.
Gryffydd Ap Madog, finding King Henry unable to protect his estate,
submitted to his rightful Prince; and Llewellyn then passed to Powis, and
banished Gryffydd Ap Gwenwynwyn, who had also joined the English, and
took all the lands in the country of Powis into his own hands.