During the last century a singular custom was observed at _Capel
Lochwyd_, on the celebration of the annual wakes at Holyhead. This
joyous festival then continued a fortnight and a day,—commencing the
Sunday before the 25th of July, and ending the second Sunday after. On
each of the three Sundays of the wakes, all the inhabitants of the town
and neighbourhood, old and young, repaired to the chapel, which is
situated on a very high part of the mountain, on the west side, close to
a cleft, or ravine, that leads down, or rather led down, to the sea
shore, (as the pass is now partly obstructed by loose stones); the old to
be spectators, and the young, of both sexes that were or thought that
they were marriageable, to be actors. On the shore, just above high
water-mark, there is a well of most delicious water, called Ffynon (well)
of Lochwyd,—having fine gravel at the bottom; and the custom was, for the
lasses and lads to take a mouthful of the water, and fill both their
hands with the gravel from the bottom of the well, and then endeavour to
ascend the ravine (which must at all times have been very difficult,) to
the chapel. Whoever succeeded, without spilling a drop of the water or
dropping a single pebble, in arriving at the chapel, and casting the
water and gravel on the altar, was esteemed certain of being married
before the moon had attained its greatest age. The distance between the
well and the chapel is about a quarter of a mile; and those who had been
unfortunate in either spilling the water or dropping the gravel, were
obliged to return; and, to defeat the endeavour of others to ascend, they
used all their wit, resorting to grimace and buffoonery to excite
laughter in those they met; by which means, very few ever reached the
desired goal with the freight they started with from the well. And even,
some of those who were successful, I opine, would have another difficulty
to grapple with, perhaps greater than that of carrying water and pebbles
from the well to the chapel, viz., that of obtaining a suitable
“help-mate” in so short a time. As this ceremony took place only on the
Sundays of the wakes, it was called “Suliau y Creiriau,” (Sabbaths of the
Relics.) The altar disappeared many years ago, and there is scarcely a
vestige of the chapel left.