is situated on the summit of the Caled-Vryn, an isolated limestone rock,
rising abruptly to the height of two hundred and forty feet from the
western boundary of the Vale of Clwyd, and incloses an area of
considerable extent; the principal entrance is on the north, under a
lofty and magnificent arch, which is nearly entire, and flanked by two
large towers, now in ruins; above it is a niche, in which is a robed
figure of the founder, Henry Lacey, Earl of Lincoln, in a sitting
posture; the whole of the rooms and towers are in a state of the utmost
dilapidation. The citadel is surrounded with walls, a mile and a quarter
in circumference, which inclose the whole of the ancient town: the
principal entrance is on the north-west, and is defended by two majestic
towers, which are nearly entire; from these the walls extend round the
brow of the hill, on the most elevated and precipitous parts of which
numerous lofty towers have been erected, forming together one of the
strongest bulwarks in the kingdom. Within these walls are the ruins of
the church or chapel, founded by the Earl of Leicester; and the chapel of
St. Hilary, formerly appropriated to the use of the garrison, and now the
parochial church.
The walls inclose a considerable area, now covered with grass, in which
horses and cattle are depastured. Within the walls of the fortress are
numerous cottages, which materially diminish the interest commonly
excited by such extensive ruins; and on the south-west front of the
castle, and on the boundary wall on this side, are an extensive terrace
and bowling-green, commanding one of the richest and most delightful
views of the fertile Vale of Clwyd, embracing the whole of the eastern
portion of this beautiful and finely varied tract, terminated by the
ocean at Llandudno bay, and on the south by the whole range of Clwydian
mountains, with their numerous camps and tumuli. On this delightful spot
the congress of bards and minstrels, called the grand Eisteddfod, was
held on the 16th, 17th, 18th, and 19th days of September, 1828: it was
honoured by the presence of his royal highness the Duke of Sussex, and
most of the nobility and gentry of the surrounding country. The
bowling-green, in the midst of the ruins, is well worth a visit; it is
laid out with considerable taste.—Within two miles of Denbigh is
Gwaunynog,
which was visited by Dr. Johnson, during his residence with Mrs. Piozzi:
the estate was at that time in the possession of his friend, the Rev. Dr.
Myddelton. In the hall is still retained an easy chair, in which Dr.
Johnson was accustomed to sit. On the grounds, a short distance from the
house, in a very retired situation, overhung with trees, is a monument to
his memory, bearing the following inscription:—
SAMUEL JOHNSON, LL. D.
OBIT 13 DIE DECEMBRIS,
ANNO DOMINO 1784,
ÆTATIS 75.
And on the other side, on a marble tablet,—“This spot was often dignified
by the presence of Samuel Johnson, LL.D., whose moral writings, exactly
conformable to the precepts of Christianity, give ardour to virtue, and
confidence to truth.” Over a door of a cottage on the estate are the
following lines, the composition of the learned lexicographer:—
Around this peaceful cot, his humble shed,
If health, if confidence, if virtue tread,
Though no proud column grace the gaudy door,
Where sculptured elegance parades it o’er;
Nor pomp without, nor pageantry within,
Nor splendid shew, nor ornament is seen;
The swain shall look with pity on the great,
Nor barter quiet for a king’s estate.
1768.
Near to this place is the village of Henllan, about two miles from which
is Llanefydd, leading to the Aled and Elwy vales.
DINAS MOWDDWY,
(_Merionethshire_.)
Bala 18
Dolgelley 10
Llangollen 40
Machynlleth 13½
Mallwyd 1½
Dinas Mowddwy is an inconsiderable town, in the parish of Mallwyd,
pleasantly situated on the shelf of a rock called Craig-y-Ddinas, near
the margin of the small river Cerrist, at its conflux with the Dovey, and
on the road from Dolgelley to Mallwyd, at the junction of three vales,
each of which is inclosed by lofty mountains: it consists chiefly of one
street. The principal building is the “Plâs,” or mansion, being the
manor house of the lordship of Mowddwy, which from an early period
belonged to the Myttons of Halston, but was lately purchased by a Mr.
Bird, of Birmingham.
Slates, of an inferior quality, are dug from the adjacent rocks, for the
use of the neighbouring country.