is distant from Hawarden about two miles, and stands a quarter of a mile
to the right from the turnpike-road leading thence to Northop. This
interesting and lonely ruin does not discover itself by lofty towers, but
will require some trouble to find it, as it is concealed on the east,
west, and south, by the adjoining grounds, and embosomed in trees to the
north, without any visible way of approach, save up the streamlet, which
passes at its foot, and discharges itself into the estuary of the Dee,
about two miles and a half below. Pennant designates this structure a
small fortress, but from its present appearance it seems better
calculated for the retirement or resort of a gang of desperate marauders,
than for any military purpose. The towers are now finely overgrown with
ivy, and command the view of three wooded glens, forming a gloomy
solitude. The time of its erection is involved in some obscurity.—In the
woods, near this place, called to this day,
Coed Ewloe,
part of the flower of the army detached by Henry the Second, in 1157,
from his camp on Saltney, was surprised and defeated by David and Conan,
the sons of Owen Gwynedd, sent by their father with a strong party from
his camp near Basingwerk. They suffered the enemy to march along the
straits of the country, till their forces were entangled in the depth of
the woods and the steeps of the narrow valleys. The attack was fierce,
sudden, and unexpected: the slaughter dreadful; and the pursuit carried
even to Henry’s encampment. This proved to the English but a prelude to
a second defeat. The king, with intent to repair the disgrace, marched
forward with his whole army; and at Coleshill, near Flint, suffered
himself to be entrapped into the same dilemma which his detachment had
before experienced. His forces were again defeated, and several of his
chiefs, with numbers of his men, slain. Henry de Essex, hereditary
standard-bearer, and a man of approved valour, was seized with a panic,
and throwing down the standard, cried out the king was killed. The route
would have been general, if the king had not valiantly rallied his
forces, and repulsed the Welsh; but in the end he thought it prudent to
withdraw his army, and encamp in a more secure situation. He afterwards
attempted to cut off the retreat of Owen Gwynedd by marching along the
shore, and placing himself between him and the mountains; but the
sagacious prince, penetrating his views, retired to a plain near St.
Asaph, still called Cil Owen (or Owen’s Retreat), and thence to a strong
post, called Brin-y-Pin, defended by great ramparts and ditches.
HOLT,
(_Denbighshire_.)
Chester 8
Wrexham 6
A small village, on the west bank of the Dee, was once a market town, and
a place of some consequence; yet, even in its decayed and delapidated
state, it has for its governor a mayor and two bailiffs.—The two villages
of Holt and Farndon are separated only by the river, and communicate by a
bridge of ten arches, built in 1345. The Dee at this place divides
England from Wales; Farndon being in Cheshire, and Holt in Denbighshire.
HOLYHEAD,
(_Anglesea_.)
Amlwch 20
Bangor 24
Beaumaris 27
Chester 86
Dublin 60
London, by Chester 266
This place, which is of very remote antiquity, derives its Welsh name,
Caer Gybi, implying the fortress or city of Cybi (pronounced Kubby), from
its situation on a small island at the western extremity of Anglesea,
called Ynys Cybi, for many years the residence of a British saint of that
name, who is said to have been the son of Solomon Duke of Cornwall. Its
population in 1841, was 3869 inhabitants.
Owing to the very extensive intercourse which now subsists between Great
Britain and Ireland, the town has, within the last few years, rapidly
increased in extent and improved in appearance. From its advantageous
situation, it has been selected as the principal station of the
post-office packets, for conveying the mails to Dublin; and among other
improvements, a new line of road has been constructed under the walls of
the town, along the margin of the traeth, or sandy estuary, which forms
the harbour, extending more than a mile along an artificial embankment,
from the entrance of the town to the commencement of the pier. This pier
extends from the small island, called Ynys Halen, or Salt Island, in an
east south-easterly direction into the sea, and is 360 yards in length.
It is connected with the main land by a handsome iron bridge of one arch,
dividing the centre, and each part turning on a swivel to afford a
passage on either side. Beyond this bridge are the engineer’s house, the
custom house, the harbour-master’s offices, and the depôt for the
post-office stores: further on is a grand triumphal arch, built by
subscription of the gentry of the county of Anglesey, to commemorate the
circumstance of the royal squadron having anchored in Holyhead bay, on
the night of the 6th of August, 1821, and the landing of his majesty
George IV. on the following day. The grand terminus of the Chester and
Holyhead railway will be on the site of the present pier, and it has been
resolved by government to make a packet station and harbour of refuge,
equal to the wants of the whole Irish channel, and upon a most extensive
and magnificent scale, from designs made by the celebrated engineer, Mr.
Rendel. When the railway and harbour improvements are completed, the
transit between London and Dublin will be accomplished in thirteen hours.
The triumphal arch, which was opened in August, 1824, is a chaste and
elegant structure of Mona marble, brought from the Red-wharf Quarry, and
consists of a central carriage way, separated on each side by two
handsome pillars of the Doric order from a footway, enclosed by a wall
ornamented at the extremities with antæ of correspondent character, the
whole twenty feet high, and supporting a boldly projecting cornice,
surmounted by three diminishing tiers of masonry, forming a platform.
Over the carriage-way, on each side, is a large entablature, respectively
bearing inscriptions in Welsh and Latin, commemorative of the event.
The lighthouse is built entirely of hewn stone, and without any other
timber than what was necessary for the door cases and window frames. It
consists of three stories, the ceilings of which are groined, and the
gloves are of smooth stone: its base is six feet above high water mark,
and is protected from the sea by a stone glacis. The tower, which is
circular, is thirty-three feet in height to the gallery, and the lantern,
which is ten feet higher, is lighted with twenty brilliant lights of oil
gas, having reflectors plated with silver, and displaying a strong white
light, which, being at an elevation of fifty feet above the level of the
sea, affords a safe guide to vessels approaching the harbour. The whole
of these works were completed at an expense of about £130,000, and a
graving dock was constructed at an additional expense of £12,000.
The post-office establishment at this place consists of six steam packets
of 230 tons burden, which sail regularly from this port and Kingstown,
keeping up a constant intercourse between the two countries.
No manufactures are carried on at this place: several attempts have been
made at considerable expense to explore the mineral treasures with which
the parish was supposed to abound, but nothing of importance has yet been
discovered, except veins of Mona marble, called “verd antique,” which
have been worked to some extent. The trade consists chiefly in the
building of coasting vessels, the repairing of all the post office steam
packets belonging to the several ports of England and Wales, and the
making of ropes and cables. The market is on Saturday. The North and
South Wales bank has a branch here.
The church, dedicated to St. Cybi, is a spacious cruciform structure,
principally in the decorated style of English architecture.
The promontory called the Head, by which the harbour is sheltered from
the westerly winds, presents a singular aspect, its sides towards the sea
forming in some parts immense perpendicular precipices, while in others
they are worn, by the continued action of the waves, into caverns of
magnificent and romantic appearance. Of these, one called the
“parliament house,” is accessible only by boats at half ebb ride, and
consists of a series of receding arches, supported by massive and lofty
pillars of rock, displaying an interior of picturesque beauty and sublime
grandeur. Some of these caverns afford shelter for gulls, razor-bills,
herons, cormorants, and other birds; and the loftiest crags are
frequented by the peregrine falcon. The eggs of these birds are in great
request as a delicacy for the table; and some of the hardiest inhabitants
are employed in the hazardous task of procuring them for sale.
There are several ancient military forts in the neighbourhood, whose
appearance indicates them to be of Roman origin. At a small distance
westerly is a large hill, having several natural and artificial
curiosities. Within about 200 yards of the top are the remains of a
strong wall, which seem to have belonged, as well as the churchyard
walls, to a place of defence against the frequent incursions of the
Irish. To the W. S. W. of the top, and nearly under it, in a situation
awfully romantic, are the remains of a chapel. From the top of this
mountain there is a most extensive view, comprehending the Isle of Man,
the hill of Howth on the Irish coast, and parts of the Highlands of
Scotland.
Many gold Roman coins of the time of later emperors were found a few
years ago in Holyhead mountain; and in 1835, in removing some old walls
at Ty Mawr (Great House), the property of Lord Stanley, of Alderley, were
found several spear heads, axes, and rings, of bronze, with red amber
blades, which from the form and the nature of the materials, appear to be
of Phœnician origin. At Trefigreeth, another farm belonging to the
Stanley family, situated within a quarter of a mile of the London and
Holyhead road, about one mile from the town, is a small but perfect
cromlech. A larger one, in great preservation, may be seen at
Presadwaedd, about four miles from Holyhead. And at Tywyn-y-Capel, about
two miles from Holyhead, on the old post road, and close to the sea, is a
very singular mound, on the top of which, a few years ago, were the
remains of a small chapel. The mound is artificial, being formed of sea
sand. It is filled with graves. The coffins are formed of rude flat
stones, and are placed in rows above each other. They contain the
remains of persons of both sexes. The sea every year makes encroachments
upon it, laying open the graves and strewing the shore with bones.
Tradition is silent as to the origin of this singular place of burial.
It is worth the investigation of the antiquary.
The South Stack Light-house is connected with the harbour, and materially
contributes to facilitate its access. It is erected on the summit of an
isolated rock, three or four miles westward from Holyhead, and separated
from the main land by a chasm 90 feet in width. This splendid structure
was raised in the year 1808. The elevation of the summit of the rock on
which it is erected, is 140 feet above the level of the sea at high water
mark; the height of the tower, from the base to the gallery, is 60 feet;
and the lantern is 12 feet high from the gallery; making the total
elevation of the light 212 feet above high water mark. The light is
produced by twenty-one brilliant lamps, with powerful reflectors placed
on a revolving triangular frame, displaying a full-faced light every two
minutes, which, in clear weather, is distinctly visible at a distance of
ten leagues. Latterly there has been an addition of three red lights
placed at the rock, which are more distinctly visible in foggy weather
than the light-house lights. The rough sea caused by the strong tides,
about the head, rendered the communication by boat very precarious. In
order to obviate the danger, a passage was contrived by means of two
ropes thrown across the gulph, along which the individual was drawn in a
box or cradle, by the assistance of pulleys affixed at each end. This
plan was superseded by a bridge of ropes, which was used some years
after, though always considered unsafe, on account of the constant wear
of the ropes. In 1827, a modern suspension chain bridge was thrown over
the sound, the span of which is 110 feet, the chains being firmly bolted
in the rock on each side, and carried over two massive stone pillars
erected for the purpose. The chain supports a platform of timber five
feet wide, and 70 feet above high water mark. The bridge is attained by
descending the Holyhead mountain in a zigzag direction, by a flight of
380 steps.
On the rocks south of the harbour of Holyhead, and commanding the town,
an obelisk has been erected by public subscription to the memory of the
late Captain Skinner, formerly master of one of the post-office packets
on this station, who lost his life by being washed overboard in 1833. He
was very generally respected, and had been a commander on this station
for many years.
To the N. E. is the Isle of Skerries, on which there is also a
light-house.
There are several good inns at Holyhead, the principal of which is the
Eagle and Child Hotel.
For romantic wildness and stern grandeur of aspect, no place can surpass
this portion of the iron-bound coast of Anglesea.
HOLYWELL,
(_Flintshire_.)
Chester 18
Denbigh 14
Flint 5
London 201
Mold 10
Northop 6
Rhuddlan 11
St. Asaph 10
Holywell, called by the Welsh Trêffynnon, (or the Town of the Well,) is
an improving and pleasantly-situated place, on the great road from
Chester to Holyhead; the town and parish containing a population of
10,834, with a crowded market on the Friday.
But before going into any topographical particulars, we must introduce
our readers to the legend of the miraculous well of the famous St.
Winefred, as put into an agreeable narrative by Miss Costello:—
We stopped at a remarkably good inn, and lost no time in going down
the steep hill at the bottom of which the pretty little chapel over
the fine well is situated. Nothing can be more secluded and pleasing
than its position by the side of the handsome church with its low
churchyard, all placed in a deep hollow, so removed from the upper
town, that the bells summoning to prayer cannot be heard above, and a
ringer is accustomed to go about the town with the large bell slung
round his shoulders, and a cushion on his knee, against which the
bell beats as he walks, and proclaims his holy errand. This old
custom, doubtless of considerable antiquity, is still kept up, and we
are glad that, being there on a Sunday, we were able to see the
perambulating belfry.
Margaret, the mother of Henry VII., erected the graceful chapel whose
fretted roof is the boast of Holywell, but one had existed long
before her time; for the miracle of St. Winefred happened, according
to the monks of the Basingwerk, to whom the world is indebted for the
legend, early in the seventh century, and is thus told:
Winefred, a beautiful and devout virgin, lived in the reign of an
imaginary king, and was of noble birth, and the niece of a man whose
sanctity had already made him conspicuous, and who was known as the
good Beuno. A prince of the country, whose name was Caradoc, saw the
fair damsel, and loved her; but his passion was not so pure as her
goodness ought to have inspired. Even then there was a chapel at the
foot of the hill, where, while Beuno was at the altar praying with
certain of the inhabitants of the neighbouring town, amongst whom
were the parents of Winefred, to the astonishment of all, a head
rolled and bounded into the sacred inclosure, and stopped at the
altar. Beuno stooped to raise up the head, and observed that where
it had rested, instead of the pool of blood which was there but an
instant before, a stream of crystal water had sprung up. His
amazement was increased when he found that the beautiful features and
golden hair of the head he gazed upon were those of his beloved
niece. He hastened from the spot, and mounting the hill, discovered
her mutilated body lying prostrate, and the cruel prince Caradoc
flying with a drawn sword in his hand. The truth became clear to him
at once. Winefred had fled from the importunities of the prince who,
pursuing, had wreaked his vengeance on her by cutting off her head.
The saint, for such Beuno afterwards became, immediately with devout
prayers joined the severed head to the body, when, to the awe and
delight of all beholders, the virgin arose, as if from sleep,
uninjured and lovely as ever, nor was there a trace left of the
accident but a slight white mark, like a thread, round her throat.
Beuno cursed the caitif prince, “who melted away as wax melts before
the fire.” Winefred lived fifteen years after this event; she
founded a monastery at Gwytherin in Denbighshire, of which she became
the abbess, and died there.
Before the event of her decapitation, it seems the valley was
particularly dry, so much so as to bear the name of _Sychnant_, {130}
from that circumstance; therefore it was most fortunate that the head
of the pursued damsel should have rolled where it did. Not only did
the spring attest the miracle, but the very moss and stones around
have properties that enforce the belief. The moss emits an
odoriferous smell in testimony of the saint’s purity, and the stones
at the bottom are stained with her blood, and keep their tint to this
day. It is true that some naturalists, who had not the same motive
for keeping the world in ignorance as the monks of Basingwerk had,
have proclaimed that the moss is only a sweet-scented plant called
_Jungermannia asplenoides_, and that the crimson stains on the stones
are produced by a vegetable named _Byssus jolithus_, by no means
uncommon, thus characterised by Linnæus: “the Byssus easily betrays
itself by giving the stones, to which it adheres, an appearance of
being smeared with blood. If rubbed, the plant yields a smell like
violets.”
Fortunately, all the botanical and other students of the days of St.
Winefred were monks, who knew well how to keep their own counsel, and
turn their knowledge to their own advantage.
Our fair tourist proceeds to narrate some of the “miracles and lying
wonders,” which are said to have occurred during the removal of the
devout virgin’s corpse from Gwytherin to Shrewsbury; and then comes a
conclusion, which we suppose the devotees of the saint of the Holy Well
will regard as nothing less than “flat blasphemy.” “After all this,”
observes Miss Costello, “it is mortifying to find that the blessed St.
Winefred never existed at all, nor was more than an Undine, a thought, a
name, a fairy of a fountain! for Gwenvrewy, as she is called in Welsh,
signifies _the white hill water_, or the _white gushing stream_, meaning
the overflowing well which Nature formed without a miracle.”
As our province is rather to describe the well itself, than to bandy
arguments about the lady whose name it bears, we may briefly state that
it is one of the most remarkable springs of water in the kingdom.
The well is an oblong square, about twelve feet by seven. The water
passes into a small square court through an arch, under which the Roman
Catholics used to swim as an act of penance. The quantity of water
thrown up is not less than eighty-four hogsheads every minute. This
water has never been known to freeze, and scarcely ever varies in
quantity, either in drought, or after the greatest rains. Though this
stream has little more than a mile to run before it arrives at the sea, a
great number of mills, forges, and other works are kept in motion by it,
three of which are placed abreast.
The sacred well is the object of many pilgrimages, even in this day, and
several modern miracles are related of the influence of its waters. Pope
Martin the fifth especially enjoined such pilgrimages, and the monks of
Basingwerk were furnished with pardons and indulgences to sell to the
devotees. James the Second visited the well in 1686; and Leopold, king
of the Belgians, in 1819.
Apart from all superstitious notions, its waters doubtless possess many
sanative properties.
The authoress of the new romance of “Llywelyn’s Heir,” says with
reference to this charmed place: “We would recommend any strangers to the
spot to visit it, should an opportunity offer, and judge with their own
eyes of the lightness and beauty of the tall pointed arches and the
flying buttresses that adorn the exterior; and to decide whether the
interior is not even more worthy of notice. The well, into which the
miraculous stream pours forth its astounding body of water, is polygonal;
the columns that rise above it are singularly beautiful, and after many
serpentine wanderings, meet and form a canopy worthy of the water-king,
who doubtless frequently holds there his court. The legend of the saint,
and beautiful carvings in stone are scattered around; but they appear to
have been placed there to do honour to the house of Stanley, and not to
the saint—by no means an astonishing circumstance, for the saint had been
long dead, and was probably tired of working miracles; and the Stanleys
were living, and willing to bestow munificent gifts, of which this
building and the chapel above it remain memorials to this day.”
The church, dedicated to St. Winefred, and rebuilt in 1769, is a rather
spacious structure of Grecian architecture, 68 feet long by 56 wide;
consisting of a nave with north and south aisles, with a chancel, in
which is a window embellished with modern stained glass. It has also two
large galleries over the aisles, and the whole is calculated to contain
about 3,000 persons. Remains of the ancient edifice are still seen in
the remarkably plain pillars on each side of the nave. It contains
several monuments and tablets, and amongst them one by Westmacott,
erected to the memory of Paul Panton, Esq.
Under the chancel are the vaults of the Mostyns of Talacre, the Pennants
of Downing, and the Pantons of Bagillt; in the chancel is a neat
cenotaph, in memory of Mary, mother of the late Edward Pennant, Esq. On
the wall, at the end of the same aisle, is a flat stone with twelve
quarterings, copied from those over the chimney-piece in the dining-room
at Mostyn.
In rebuilding the church, the headless figure of a priest was found in
his sacerdotal habit, and with a chalice in his hand. He is supposed to
have been Thomas, second son of Thomas ap David, abbot of Basingwerk.
This headless trunk is often exhibited to the wondering as the image of
the blessed St. Winefred! The service is alternately English and Welsh,
and at night there are English lectures. Holywell contains several
meeting-houses for the various denominations of dissenters. A new Roman
Catholic chapel has lately been erected.
The environs, which are studded with numerous handsome residences and
gentlemen’s seats, abound with richly diversified scenery; and from the
higher grounds are obtained extensive and varied prospects over the
surrounding country, which is rich in picturesque beauty. The air is
salubrious, and the opportunities of cold and sea-bathing, render it not
only a pleasant place of permanent residence, but also of occasional
resort for invalids, for whose comfort every accommodation is provided,
with the benefit of good medical advice, and the advantage of numerous
pleasant rides and walks in the immediate neighbourhood.—There are
several good inns in the town, the principal of which are, the White
Horse, King’s Arms, King’s Head, and the Red Lion.
For many ages, the copious stream of St. Winefred served only to turn a
corn-mill belonging to Basingwerk abbey, and it was not till the year
1777 that Holywell began to emerge from obscurity, when Mr. Smalley
introduced the cotton manufacture, and erected a mill on a principle
similar to that of one built at Cromford, by Sir Richard Arkwright. Soon
after this, Mr. Smalley was joined by an opulent company from Lancashire,
and erected, in 1783, a larger mill, now called the upper mill, which
worked 12,218 spindles; the same company, in 1787, built the lower mill,
adapted to the working 7492 spindles, and in 1791, the crescent mill, in
which 8286 spindles were kept in motion. These mills were applied to the
spinning of cotton thread, of which 26,098lb was produced on an avenge
weekly, furnishing employment to nearly one thousand persons. A great
part of that trade has now left Holywell, and the buildings are applied
to other branches of manufacture.
There are, upon the same stream, several extensive copper mills, for
rolling sheet copper, the manufacture of every description of copper
vessels, copper bolts used in ship-building, and copper cylinders: there
is also a mill for drawing copper wire, &c. Besides these, there are a
large iron foundry, a paper mill, and zinc works.
The district immediately around Holywell, is pre-eminently distinguished
for the richness of its mineral treasures, and particularly for its mines
of lead and calamine, which appear to have been worked from the earliest
period, and continue still to form an almost inexhaustible source of
wealth.
Basingwerk Abbey,
(Or Maes-glâs), called also Greenfield Monastery, is beautifully situated
in a meadow, about a mile east of Holywell among rich meadows, commanding
a fine view of the Cheshire shore, with a profusion of spreading
sycamores, and groves of ancient trees on all sides. Its time-worn and
crumbling ruins are, from some points of view, highly picturesque.
The little at present left of the abbey is scarcely sufficient to
indicate its former extent. The church, which stood on the east side, is
totally destroyed.
Near to the abbey, a castle formerly reared its towers, but of this
scarcely a vestige remains visible. Close to this spot also runs the
celebrated Watt’s Dyke, which terminates at the Dee below. It is clearly
traced hence through Northop, Hope, Wrexham, and the grounds of Wynnstay,
to Maesbury, near Oswestry, where it ends.—About three miles north-west
of Holywell, is
Downing,
The seat of Viscount Fielding, who married, in June 1846, Miss Pennant,
the heiress to the estate. The present house was built, probably on the
site of an older mansion, in 1627, but has lately undergone great
improvements. This hall was the birth-place and residence of the
celebrated author, Mr. Thomas Pennant, whose antiquarian and
topographical researches form an important contribution to the historical
records of the country. The walks are agreeable and diversified,
particularly in the immediate vicinity of the mansion, which is
approached by a rural path, winding through a beautiful and well-wooded
dingle. Much taste is displayed in the landscape gardening and
horticultural arrangements of this little paradise.—About a mile and a
half north-west of Downing, on the summit of a lofty hill, stands
Mynydd-y-Garreg,
An ancient circular building of great height, in form not much unlike a
windmill. It is a _pharos_, or Roman light-house, erected by that people
to conduct navigators to and from the Deva. It is tolerably entire, and
built of lime-stone, bedded in hard mortar. The antiquary will not
begrudge a walk to examine this ancient relique bequeathed to us by the
conquerors of the world.—Two miles north-west of Downing, lies the
ancient structure of
Mostyn Hall,
The property and residence of the Hon. Edward Mostyn Lloyd Mostyn, M.P.,
nephew of the late Sir Thomas Mostyn, and heir apparent of Lord Mostyn,
of Pengwern. The house is approached by a magnificent gateway, called
Porth Mawr, erected at the termination of a venerable avenue of forest
trees, leading to one vestibule of the mansion, which stands in a small
but beautiful and well-wooded park, about half a mile from the estuary of
the Dee. The mansion is worth the attention of the tourist and
antiquary. It is of the Elizabethan age, though built upon the site of a
former house erected in the reign of Henry the Sixth. In the spacious
hall are several specimens of armour and implements of warfare previous
to the introduction of fire-arms. The rooms are literally crowded with
family portraits, by the old masters, the principal of which are Sir
Roger and Lady Mostyn. There are several fine portraits of Charles the
First, including an original by Vandyke. In the dining-room, the
sideboard is formed of one piece of plank, quite a curiosity; it is
nearly six feet wide, and twelve feet long; and is hewn, not sawed. The
tapestry parlour is beautiful. The mansion is noted for the maintenance
of English hospitality after the manner of “the olden time.”
During the time that Henry, Earl of Richmond, was secretly conspiring the
overthrow of the house of York, he passed concealed from place to place,
in order to form an interest among the Welsh, who favoured his cause on
account of their respect to his grandfather, Owen Tudor, their
countryman. While he was at Mostyn, a party attached to Richard the
Third arrived there to apprehend him. He was then about to dine, but had
just time to leap out of a back window, and make his escape through a
hole, which to this day is called the King’s Window. Richard ap Howel,
then Lord of Mostyn, joined Henry at the battle of Bosworth: and after
the victory, received from the King, in token of gratitude for his
preservation, the belt and sword he wore on that day.
There are many curious objects of antiquity at Mostyn, including a golden
torque found at Harlech; a silver harp, in the possession of the family
since 1568; the Mostyn pedigree; and the largest private collection of
Welsh manuscripts in the Principality. The Gloddaeth library and
manuscripts, as well as similar literary stores from other mansions of
this family, have been brought here; for the reception of which, the hon.
proprietor has erected a library worthy of the collection.
To the treasures of Mostyn has also been added a splendid candelabrum
valued at one thousand guineas, presented by the political friends of the
Hon. Mr. Mostyn, who, on the day of the presentation, October 31, 1843,
entertained the subscribers, amounting to several hundreds, in a manner
worthy of the best days of the ancient, princely, loyal, and hospitable
house of Mostyn.
LLANASA,
(_Flintshire_.)
Holywell 6½
Rhuddlan 6
St. Asaph 10
The village of Llanasa is situated in a pleasant valley at the northern
extremity of the county, on the south-western shore of the estuary of the
Dee. The church has two east windows, in the more ancient of which is
some fine stained glass, brought from Basingwerk abbey. The church-yard
contains some curious tomb-stones.—In the neighbourhood are several
genteel residences, and about two miles from the village is
Talacre,
the seat of Sir Pyers Mostyn, a branch of the family of the Mostyns of
Mostyn. The old house was built in the time of James the First; but when
the late baronet came into possession of the estate, it was razed to the
ground for the purpose of building another mansion on its site. The
first stone of the new house was laid by Sir Edward Mostyn, on the 31st
day of July, 1824. When the shell was completed, part of it was burnt
down by an accidental fire on the night of the 11th of September, 1827;
but it was soon rebuilt, and finished in a magnificent style. The house
is an old English mansion, of truly handsome appearance, erected after a
design and under the superintendence of Mr. T. Jones, architect, of
Chester.—Within a short distance of Llanasa, and situated on an eminence
near the confluence of the Dee with the Irish Sea, is
Gyrn,
built by the late John Douglas, Esq. It is a building in the castellated
style of English architecture, having several lofty and elegant towers,
from the summit of which the view is very extensive, commanding the
surrounding hills, and those of Yorkshire, Derbyshire, and Staffordshire;
the Isle of Man, Beeston Castle, Chester, and Liverpool, are also
discernible; and, in the opposite direction, a small part of the
Snowdonian chain may be observed.—About a mile from Llanasa, is
Golden Grove,
the admired residence of Edward Morgan, Esq., erected in 1578; but it has
been considerably improved and enlarged within the last forty years. The
house occupies a sheltered situation among the hills, whence the prospect
is extensive and pleasing.
LLANBERIS,
(_Caernarvonshire_.)
Beddgelert 12
Caernarvon 10
Capel Curig 10
Dolbadarn 2
This village, situated on the road between Caernarvon and Capel Curig,
derives its name from the dedication of its church to St. Peris, a
British, or, as some affirm, a Roman saint, who had been a cardinal of
Rome, and is said to have resided in this celebrated spot with Padarn, an
anchorite about the sixth century, who had a cell or small chapel, in a
meadow between Dolbadarn castle, and old Dolbadarn inn, now called the
“Snowdonia.”
The church, situated in a deeply sequestered glen about half a mile above
the upper lake, is a small, low structure, of the most primitive
character.
Near the church is the well of St. Peris, formerly famed for its
miraculous efficacy in the cure of diseases, and therefore a place of
resort with pilgrims and devotees.
The parish of Llanberis is very large in extent, and is divided into two
districts or townships, viz. Nant-ucha’, alias Nant-Peris, and Nant-isa’,
alias Nant-Padarn, and comprises several of the loftiest mountains in the
Principality, besides numerous natural objects worthy the research of the
curious.
The village of Llanberis is romantic in the extreme. It lies in a narrow
grassy glen, surrounded by immense rocks, whose cloud-capped summits are
seldom visible to the inhabitants below. All the parts immediately
surrounding the village were formerly covered with wood; but, except some
saplings from the old roots, there are at present very few trees left.
In the memory of persons lately living, there were great woods of oak in
several parts of these mountains. In the tenth century the whole country
must have been nearly covered with wood, for one of the laws of Howel Dda
(Howel the Good) directs that “whoever cleared away timber from any land,
even without the consent of the owner, he should, for five years, have a
right to the land so cleared; and after that time it should again revert
to the owner.”
The Pass of Llanberis presents a scene of wild grandeur and fearful
sublimity, of the most impressive and majestic character.
Amidst the vast ranges of these British Alps, are two beautiful lakes.
The upper one at Llanberis, called also Llyn Peris, is about a mile in
length, and nearly half of one in breadth; the depth is said, in places,
to be one hundred and forty yards. The other, called Llyn Padarn, is
about a mile and a half long, but so narrow as to assume rather the
appearance of a river than a lake. Between these, a communication is
formed by a stream, and out of the lower issues the river Seiont, which,
after flowing in an irregular diffused manner, discharges itself into the
Menai at Caernarvon. At the foot of the lower lake is a rural and
picturesque stone bridge, leading to a most perfect Roman station, called
Dinas Dinorwic, partly natural and partly artificial. It is in fine
preservation.
Dolbadarn,
(Or Padarn’s Meadow), so called from Padarn, a British saint of obscure
note. Since the opening of the new line of road from Caernarvon to Capel
Curig, Llanberis has become the principal resort of parties visiting
Snowdon. In addition to the spacious and comfortable inn at Dolbadarn, a
new and more commodious house, the Royal Victoria Hotel, has been erected
at the expense of T. A. Smith, Esq., near Dolbadarn castle, for the
accommodation of the increased number of visitors whom this truly
interesting district draws together in the summer months. The hotel is
in a most eligible situation, at the junction of the two lakes, and
within a few hundred yards of Dolbadarn castle, about two miles from the
village of Llanberis, on the road from Caernarvon. Every facility for
ascending Snowdon is here provided.
The castle, standing near the junction of the two lakes of Llanberis, is
the only one that remains in the narrow passes of North Wales. As it was
impossible for an enemy to climb the chain of mountains, which are a
guard to Caernarvonshire and Anglesea, and as there were five narrow
passes, the British secured each with a castle: this was the central one.
Owen Gôch was here confined upwards of twenty years, for having joined in
a rebellion against his brother Llywelyn ap Gruffydd, the last prince of
Wales. It seems to have been long in ruins, for in Leland’s time there
was only part of a tower left. The key of the castle is kept at the
Victoria Hotel, and may be had by tourists on application.
The view hence is remarkably splendid, embracing the lakes, which extend
nearly three miles, the various interesting objects by which they are
surrounded, and the immense chains of rugged mountains that bound the
vale. The view from the lake is also finely picturesque.
About half a mile south of the castle, at the end of a deep glen, there
is a tremendous cataract, called
Ceunant Mawr,
(The Waterfall of the Great Chasm.) It is upwards of sixty feet in
height, and is formed by the mountain torrent from Cwm Brwynog, which
rushes through a cleft in the rock above, and after coming in a direct
line, suddenly takes a turn with the broad stratum of the rock, and thus
descends aslant, with a thundering noise, into the deep black pool below.
On the declivity of the mountain, and nearly opposite Dolbadarn castle,
on the eastern side of the lake, are extensive slate quarries, the
property of Thomas Assheton Smith, Esq., situated high among the rocks.
The mode of conveying the slates down the almost precipitous descent, to
the margin of the lake, was formerly singularly awkward, and apparently
very dangerous. The carts, each conveying about one ton of slates in
winter, and two in summer, were drawn down a serpentine path by one horse
in front, and one hooked on behind, to counteract the rapidity of motion
which otherwise would endanger the whole. From the lake the slates were
carted in great quantities to the Menai, whence they were shipped to
Ireland, Liverpool, America, &c. To avoid this great labour and danger,
a railroad has been made from the quarries down to the shipping place at
Velin Heli, on the Menai, a distance of about nine miles. By this road,
the slates are conveyed down, at an average, it is said, of about 100
tons daily throughout the year. At this place of activity, generally
designated by the name of “Dinorwic Slate Quarry,” above a thousand men
are usually employed.
On the opposite side of the lake, and nearer to Caernarvon, at a place
called Glyn Rhonwy, is another quarry, the property of Lord Newborough,
worked by from 150 to 200 men; and the slates are conveyed by carts to
Caernarvon.
This little valley can also boast of its mineral treasures. A valuable
copper mine is situated on the side of the upper lake, about half a mile
from the village. A stream of water, for the use of the mine, is
conveyed along the mountain on each side, and over the road, just at the
head of a lake, by means of a wooden conduit, supported by piers. The
ore obtained is, in general, what is termed rich, on an average worth
from £20 to £25 per ton; but the value consequently varies with the price
of copper.
About two miles above Llanberis church, on the Capel Curig road, there is
an immense stone, that has once been precipitated from above, called