the Head of the Marsh, is a wood-clad village, romantically situated in a
nook, between some high rocks at the end of a tract of meadows, on the
western bank of Traeth Mawr.
The church contains a monument to the memory of Sir John Owen, a valiant
commander in the army, and a staunch supporter of Charles I. Being tried
with the Earl of Holland, Lords Loughborough, Goring, and other noble
supporters of the royal cause, after the death of the king, he exhibited
a spirit coinciding with his former noble daring; and, on being condemned
to lose his head, he bowed to the court, thanking them for the honour
they intended him. On being asked by a member what he meant, in his
usual blunt manner he replied, “I think it a great honour for a poor
gentleman of Wales to lose his head with such noble lords:—by G—, I was
afraid you would have hanged me.”
Great intercession being made for the other noble personages, and no one
applying or interesting themselves on behalf of Sir John, Cromwell, as
related by some authorities, and Hutchinson and Ireton, as stated by
others, interfered for the worthy knight, whose life was spared: after a
few months confinement, he was allowed to retire to Clenenney, where he
died.
Mr. Williams, rector of Llauberis, from whose work, recently published,
on the history, antiquities, &c., of Caernarvonshire, I before quoted,
says, in speaking of the situation of Penmorva, and the meadows lying
between it and Traeth Mawr, “they were formerly subject to the
overflowing of the higher tides, till an embankment was made by W. A.
Madox, Esq.; a gentleman to whom this part of the country is greatly
indebted for numerous and great improvements, particularly for the
erection of an embankment, about a mile in length, in order to reclaim
some thousand acres of land; and which now forms a safe and convenient
road between the counties of Caernarvon and Merioneth, across the Estuary
of Traeth Mawr; whereas, formerly, many lives were lost in going over
those dangerous sands. Tremadoc, a new town, which bears the name of its
founder, is about a mile distant from Penmorva, and contains from eighty
to a hundred houses. Here is a handsome new church, a market-place, a
comfortable inn, and a great number of good shops: near the town are
several good houses, built by the same gentleman, particularly
Tan-yr-Allt, Morva Lodge, &c.: all of which, as well as every thing in or
about this little town, evidently prove the individual who planned and
conducted the whole, to be a person of cultivated mind, improved taste,
and superior judgment and ability. A market has been established here;
and the fairs, which used to be at Penmorva on the following days, March
6, May 14, August 20, September 25, and Nov. 12, have mostly deserted
that place, and are held at Tremadoc.—Here is an excellent salmon
fishery, a good shore for bathing, and a safe harbour for vessels under
120 tons burthen. It is greatly to be lamented, that the beneficial
improvements by the before-mentioned public-spirited gentleman, W. A.
Madox, Esq. and carried by him to such a state of forwardness, should not
be completed. In the year 1625, Sir John Wynne, of Gwydir, conceived the
great design of gaining this immense track (Traeth Mawr,) as well as the
lesser one (Traeth Bach,) from the sea, by means of an embankment; and
for that purpose he implored the assistance of his illustrious
countryman, Sir Hugh Middleton, in a letter which has been preserved,
and, together with that gentleman’s reply, printed in Mr. Pennant’s tour.
A bridge over Traeth Bach, and a new line of road along the sea coast to
Barmouth, and a stage coach or some other more regular mode of conveyance
between North and South Wales, particularly during the summer months, are
still left among the desiderata of this portion of the principality.”
From Tremadoc, an excellent road of about five miles brought us to the
far-famed Pont Aber-Glaslyn, or the bridge of the harbour of the Blue
Lake; and not uncommonly styled the Devil’s Bridge. This last
appellation has very frequently misled strangers, who, confounding it
with the well-known bridge at Havod, have been much disappointed, their
expectations being raised very high, from the general description of that
place. Of this, indeed, we found an instance on the very spot. This
bridge connects the two counties of Merionethshire and Caernarvonshire;
being, from the parapet to the water, forty feet. From the description
of former tourists, it did not answer our expectations; but the
salmon-leap is an interesting object from the bridge: the height is about
fifteen feet; and, though we observed very many attempt this surprising
feat of agility, not one succeeded. Some fishermen below soon excited
our curiosity, and salmon was here offered for sale at three-pence per
pound.
An intelligent man here offered himself as our guide to the rich
copper-mines, in the vicinity of Pont Aber-Glaslyn. This miner, having
worked both here and at the Paris Mountain, confidently asserted, that
one pound of this ore was now esteemed equivalent to twice the quantity
produced in Anglesea. Yet for a considerable time little advantage was
derived from the concern, till a company obtained a lease of the mountain
from Mr. Lloyd, the proprietor: and having placed an intelligent agent in
a house near the mines, entered on the concern with that spirit which
merited success. Stupendous cliffs, by the road side, literally rise
eight hundred and sixty feet perpendicularly, and hang in the most
capricious forms over the torrent; which, straggling amongst the recesses
of stone, is hastening forward to disembogue itself into the estuary of
Traeth Mawr. The pass is not more than seventy feet; after much rain it
is entirely inundated by the overflowings of the Glaslyn, which reflect,
as in a mirror, the blackness of the impending cliffs. On the
Caernarvonshire side are several lead mines; but they have not proved
sufficiently rich to reward the labour of working.