. The OTHER BCOK6EILESE TO THOMAS JAMES WARREN BULKELEY, EotfJ Ftscmmt 3Sulf.rfrg OF CASHEL, IN THE KINGDOM OF IRELAND J AND BARON BVLKELET, OF BEAUMARIS, IN THE KINGDOM OF ENGLAND j PEER OF THE REALM; fcORD LIEUTENANT, & COS+OS HOTULORCM, OP THE COUNTY OF CAEBNAHVOKI CHANCELLOR AND CHAMBERLAIN OF NORTH WALES J CONSTABLE OF BEAtJMAIHS C-.STLE, &C. &C. A Nobleman, whose sole study is to do Good, and to promote the Happiness and Welfare of his Fellow Creatures J and wbo is highly Esteemed, and greatly and justly Beloved* in this part of the Principality ; and has repeatedly and deservedly received the Thanks of the Bench of Magistrates, as well as those of the Established Militia, under their gallant Commander, Col. Edwards, and the other Officers, for the Admirable Method with which he has Organized tbe County, and his ready Attention and Assistance at ali Times when requisite, — This little Publication^ is most Hespectfully inscribed, by His Lordship's Most obedient, And most devoted i Humble Servant, P. B. WILLIAMS* Llanrog, April 9, IS 2]. ADVERTISEMENT. The following small compilation (for it claims too higher tiile) was made at the request of several friends, as the want of j_iich a little Manuel prin cipally for the use bf Strangers, was generally known and acknowledged. The Writer would not have permitted his name to appear, had he not been persuaded by the Publisher, that the countenance of even such an obscure individual would in some degree tend to promote the sale of the work. Some of the Subscribers, there is reason to apprehend, expect a full and complete His tory of the County, but surely they do not 11 - v.. suppose that such a work could be compressed wi.hin the compass of an octavo volume, or Sold for such a small sum. At some future period^ the Writer would not be unwilling to undertake , such a Publication, (should he meet with proper encouragement, and his life be spared) as he has for many years keen collecting materials for such a work. HISTORY OF CARtfAR VOmBlRE. CAftNAkVofclSH-Rfc, One of the six Counties of North Wkles, is bounded On the West by the Iris;h gfctf; dn the North by the Strait called Menai, which divides it from Anglesey ; Merionethshire ektehdh. alOhg the Southern eOastj and Denbigh shire limits the Eastern. As Travellers generally enter this County either along the Conway or Capel Curig Road, it may be more convenient, for their sakes, to commence its History with a short account of the Town and neighbourhood of But before we proceed id a description of the Town, it may fee necessary to inform the stranger ihat there is a District of this County, on the Denbighshire, or East side of the River Conway ; arid whether he be a JEto tariis't, a Miheraiogist, a Naturalist, or Ahiiqiiafy, he may, if he have leisure, spend a few days oh this side of the B 10 CONWAY. water with pleasure and advantage. This de tached part of the County of Carnarvon is called Creuddin yn Mhos, and is celebrated for pro ducing very excellent wheat ; it contains three Parishes, Llangwstenin, Llan Rh6s, or more properly Llan fair yn Rh6s, and Llandudno. — In and about the ruins of old Diganwy, or Din- gonwy, now called y Faerdre, and in Gloddaith woods, the Botanist will find a great number of rare Plants, while the Mineralogist will be tempt ed to examine the Copper Mines at Llandudno, and the Historian and Antiquary be induced to visit the curious collection of old Books and Ma nuscripts, in the libraries of Gloddaith and Bod- ysgallen, (Bod Caswallawn) two old family seats, belonging to Sir Thomas Mostyn Bart, the former built in the time of Queen Elizabeth, since which period it has undergone very little or no altera tion, and almost all the old furniture is preserved in the same state. Marie has also been a fine old house, but was nearly burnt down about seventy years ago ; it was at one time the pro perty of the Hollands, then of Sir Gryffydd Williams, of Penrhyn, and on the death of his grandson Sir Robert, it devolved to Sir Thomas Prendergast, an Irish Gentleman, in right of his Lady, Anne, sister to Sir Robert, but at present this house, as well as the Ferry of Conway, are in the possession of Owen^ Williams, Esq. M. P, fer Great Marlow. CONWAY. 11 On the very summit of the high Promontory of Ormshead, or Gogarth, is situated the small Church of Llandudno, dedicated to St. Tudno, whose rocking stone (Maen sigl or Cryd-Tudno) is not very far distant. On the Western side of this Mountain is a tremendous precipice, over hanging the sea, and these rocks are frequented in the summer season by great numbers of birds of passage ; the Gulls occupy the lowest range, above them are the Razor-bills and Guillemots, over these croak the Corvorants, and the Herons possess the uppermost projections and ledges of this stupendous rock ; the Peregrine Falcon also builds his nest in these impending crags. In the days of Falconry these birds were considered so excellent, that the great minister Bokleigh, sent a letter of thanks to an ancestor of Sir Thomas Mostyn's, for a present of a cast of Hawks from this place. The British name of this hill, Gogarth, seems to be derived from ogo, or gogo, a Cave, and Garth, a Promontory, for there are several caves under this rock, and particularly one very large, inaccessible except by water; not far from it are the ruins of an old Palace, belonging to the Bishops of Bangor ; there is also a farm house near the spot, known by the above name, Gogarth. Mr. Pennant says, (but upon what authority is not known) that this tract of Land was an appendage of the Abbey of Conway. 12 CONWAY. The Castle of Deganwy, or Dingonwy, called by the English, Ganoe, and afterwards, by the fault of transcribers, corrupted into Gannock, was celebrated in the wars between the two na tions ; the small remains of it are on two hills, not far from the shore of the river, nearly oppo site the Town of Conway, but nearer to the sea ; there is a house a little below it, which still bears the name, and was lately inhabited by Lprd Kirkwall ; the walls of the old Castle surrounded these two rocks, and on the summit of one of them is the vestige of a round Tpwer j — In all probability this, as well as most Welsh Castles, was originally constructed of timber, as it is asserted in our Histories, that it was destroyed by lightning, in the year 810,'— the founder of it is not known. It was afterwards rebuilt, and was for some time in the possession of the Earls of Chester, when it was again destroyed by Llewelyn the Great ; — Randle de Blondeville then repaired it, and King John encamped under its walls in * It is in this manner, (observes Mr. Pennant, speaking of Tommen y Rhodwydd in Yule)" that we must account for the total disappearance of many Welsh Castles, whose names are preserved in History, and whose vestiges we have sought lor in vain. — Tbey were made pf wood, as wm very' customary with several unci. nt nations, and with others of later date. The fcrsiana, on the approach of the Sgartans, secured themeelvei within their wooden walls'; and Caesar 'found' great resistance from k Tower, in the Alpine Castle of Larignuni, made pf the timber of the 1-arix, or the Larch, which was found lo be incombustible. In later times, the Castle of Jiainborough was built originally by Ida, with wood ; ' i fortified by 'the f)anee,with the same material.- the Burg of Murray was I ?he people of tlie same country, in |22$, had Cas/les of wpoij ; and a cen tury after these, more recent instances: William de Melton, Archbishop of York, in 131., fortified tie Mount in that City, called tbe Otd Bute, with plants, eighteen inches thick. coi^ay. J8 the year 1211, anf| was rpdwced to grpat distress by the ikiUand prudence of Llewelyn, who con trived tq put pff his §uppljp§. Henry IIJ. suffered ftill greater calamities near this plape, in the year 1245, at which time John de Grey, of Witypn, was Constable ; pop of Jii§ pQurtiers most pathetically describes their miseries. At length Diganwy was in 12ft0 totally dismantled by our las<; Prince, Llewelyn **p Gryifydd. Not far from hence, on the top of a hill, is an ancient Tower ; its form is circular, its height about 20 feet, the diameter 12 ; its walls com pose only two thirds of a circle, the rest js open. In all probability it was a Watch Tower, and con nected with Diganwy as a place of retreat. The name of this District, Creuddin, seems, to be de rived from Creu, or Crau, blood, or gore, and Din, or Din^s. a fortified place ; and was so denor initiated, in all probability, from the many bloody battles fougjbt here between the English and Welsh- The fine view of Conway Castle and thp Pennarth wppds, from this side of the river, is greatly and deservedly admired. The original name of Conway was Caer Gyffin, and it probably was inhabited, and was a place of some strength, prior to the establishment of a Cistercian Abb^ey here, in 11*15, by Llewelyn ap Jorwerth, Prince of North Wales, and it then no doubt increased m opulence and respectability, as the privileges of the members of this community, like many 14 CONWAY. others of a similar description, were very con siderable ; in the first place they were to be exempt in all parts from Tolls and Pontage, and they had a right to a free passage over the ferries of the Menai, Conway, Barmouth, and Dyfi, (or Dofwy) and it was endowed with Lands to a great extent, both in this County and in Anglesey ; Caput Wedva vawr, (Snowdon) Crib Goch, near Llanberis, and Morfa Dinlle, ar© mentioned. The Castle was built by Edward the first, about the year 1284, who being appre hensive, probably, that he might find these monks and their attendants very unpleasant and troublesome neighbours, he removed them to Maenan, about 8 miles higher up on the Den* bighshire side of the river, and not far from Llan- rwst, where there is an old family seat belonging to Lord Newborough, which still retains the name ©f the Abbey. The town of Conway has four entrances : The upper Gate, the lower, or that next to the River, a Portal between that and the Castle, and another to the Creek called Porth y felin, or the Gate to the mill. Mr. Pennant's observation with respect to this place is this, " a more ragged Town is scarcely to be seen " within, or a more beautiful one without ,•" the form is nearly triangular, surrounded with lofty Walls, and guarded by 24 round Towers ; the lower face of the triangle borders on the River. The Castle is built on a lofty rock, at the S. E. CONWAY. 15 corner, and is generally considered (as thp same Historian remarks,) a structure of " matchless magnificence," and a more beautiful Fortress, perhaps,; never arose. The Architect, Henry Ellerton, or de Elreton, (the person under whose direction Carnarvon Castle was also built) seems to have exerted all his skill here. It had two entrances, one up a steep rock from the River, with winding stairs, and ending in a small ad vanced work, before one of the Gates of the Castle, and protected by small , round Towers ; at the other extremity is a similar work, from which there was a drawbridge into the Town. — Over a great Foss, in one of the great Towers, is a beautiful oriel window. The form of this Fortress is oblong, one side is bounded by the River, another by a Creek, full of water at every tide ; within are two Courts, and on the outside project eight vast Towers, each with a slender one of amazing elegance issuing from its top, within which was a winding staircase. The great Hall was very magnificent, and was of a curved form, conformable to the bend of the outward walls, including one end with a large window, which seems to have been the private Chapel ; it was one hundred and thirty feet in length, and thirty broad, and of great height; the rpof was supported by eight noble Arches, six of which still remain ; there was a great fire place at one end, and anothprjm the side, it had I<_ COtfWAY. iix windows to the country aiid thrtee to the Court, dtid beneath it Were va§t Vaults and Cel lars.. The foundation of brie of the Towei-i. hext the Creek haS b'eeri uhdeririiried, ah'd it is how denominated the Hanging Tower. Edward the First made this Town a Free Bo rough, and ordered that the Maybr (who wai_ {lie Co rifctable of the Castle for the tittie being) should preserve its privileges. Willi&ni SikUh w&S appointed first to tnkt honor. At present it ii governed by one Alderriikn, a H'ecbtdei-, Coroher; Water-bailiff, and two Serjeant*, at Mace, chbSeri annually. ttS privileges extended frorh Car narvon to the River Clwyd; and rio ohe cdhld be convicted of any crime within its limit!., excej_'t by a Juiy collected iii that DMribt, and stick was the case with all the other Eh|lfeh G&frHi stihSi ih North Wales. Cbhway is a ContHbutoiy Borough, wltfe C^K ndrvon, Pwllheli, Nevin, and Crickaeth, in Re turning a Meriiber to Parliament. Tile Great SessMs for the County were formerly held Here, alternately with Carnarvon, but the latter placS being more central, enjoys that privilege tit present exclusively. The resident i>Opulatiori ih this Parish ih 1801 wiife 889. The Market is bii Friday. Conway is *_S2 milfefe N. W. froth Loridbri; The passage over the river is attended with mahy inconveniehc.es, arid riot many years ago a boa* wai t^Hlli ztib. hq vetel lives Ibst. The. ferrymeh CQNWA.V. J7 are said tp be very uncivil, and are accused of practising great impositions on strangers.* Tbj^ regular phai-ge ought to be one penny for a foot passenger, two-pence for a man and horse, and half a crown a wheel for a carriage, but they generally demand more than double these sums. and then importune for liquor. Jt is to be hoped that when the improvements now executing on the Shrewsbury road are com pleted, Government will pay the same ^btentioiji, to the Chester line, and that a Bridge will h« erected here, over the Conway ; as this is the principal communication between Dublin and the North of England, Plas mawr, (the great mansion) an old house in the centre of the town, built by Robert Wynne, Esq. a branch of the Gwydir family, in the year 1585, will be likely to attract the traveller's atr tention. CXver the gateway are the words Anechou, Apechon, sustine, abstine ; and on the House these capital letters, IHS. X.P.S. being the Ancient method of inscribing our Saviour's name. The Church, the ruins of an old Abbey,, and another old HLouse, called the College, also tlaim a visit from the. stranger. * The Court of. Ring's Bench has very lately determined, that Coach passengers cannot legally be required to pay any demand whatever, for being couyayed over the ferry at Conway, and for carriage. of their luggage, over and above the amount of their respective fares in inch' CofteU. «2 18 CONWAY. Gyffin, a Parish Church, about half a mile off, on the road to Llanrwst, is a Stipendiary Cure, and is generally annexed to Conway. The late Doctor Jones, Dean of Bangor, left _£100. the interest of which he directed to be applied to the keeping of a School here. The Vicarage of Conway, as well as Gyffin, are in the patronage of the Bishop of Bangor. On the summit of the hill below the town, and nearly opposite to the bifurcated rock, on which stood the Castle of Diganwy, are the ruins of an ancient fortification, of a circular form, with only one entrance, and this probably is the place mentioned by Leland, in his Itinerary, and which he denominates Sinnodun, and where, he says, there are the re mains of a great work ; it is described by him a* being a mile out of the town, but in what direc tion is not mentioned. Camden also mentions a British Post, called Caer Lleion, surrounded by Ditches and strong Ramparts, on a lofty hill, near Conway marsh. The Castle of Sinnodun is also represented as being situated near this place, In a Map of the County, annexed to a very old edition of that Author's Britannia. As this small work is intended merely as a guide to the Tourist, in his excursion through the County, it cannot be expected to contain a very detailed or particular account of every object, which may deserve attention ; for this reason the Com piler must pass over the siege of this Castle, CONWAY. 19 during the Rebellion, in Oliver Cromwell's time, and merely observe, that the custody of it was committed by the King to Archbishop Williams, of the Penrhyn family, near Bangor, and after the gentlemen and freeholders of the neighbour hood had placed a number of valuable articles under his care, and for which he had given them receipts, and thus became answerable for the property, he was, in 1645, cruelly dispossessed by Prince Rupert, without assigning any reason for this strange conduct ; it was taken, however, from the Prince in June, 1646, by General Mytton. The Archbishop was buried in the Church of Llandegai," near Bangor, where his Monument is still to be seen. It would puzzle any one, unacquainted with the mistakes and blunders of transcribers, to con jecture how Toi sob i ts should become Ptolemy's Conobius, or Conovius, (or Conpvium) but whe» we reflect a little, it may be supposed, that the initial C, might be easily mistaken for T, and the v converted into b, so as to form Toinobius, instead of Coinovius. The derivation of the word Cynwy, seems to be, as Mr. Edward Llwyd conjectures, from Cyn, chief or principal, and Gwy, or wy, water ; the prefix cyn, being aug mentative, as cyn-gann, very white; cyn-dynn, very stiff; or signifying first or chief, as cynfyd, the old antediluvian world ; cyn-ddydd, day break ; and Dr. Davies supposes cyn io be C3 20 CONWAY synonymous with penn, as cyntiaf, pvnqf, first or chief. Admitting this, Cumgetorix Would be Cyntwrch, and Ctmobelinm, Cynfeiyn, tye. The River Conway has been celebrated for ages, for it* muscle-pearl fishery. Pliny informs us, that Julius Caesar dedicated to Venus Gene- trix, in her temple at Rome, a Breastplate set With British Pearls ; and Suetonius alledges the acquisition of these, as one motive for his inva sion of the Island. Mr. Edward Llwyd assert* that the pearls found in this river are as large^ and as well coloured, as any in Great Britain or Ireland, and says that he saw several very fine large ones in the possession of Robert Wynne, Esq. of Bodysgallen. Mr. Pennant distinguishes this shell-fish by the name of Mya Margaritifera. A vein of Burr, (a species of Milestones) wai discovered near Conway, about the year lSOOj, but being inferior in quality to those brought from France, there is no great demand for them. The ancient Conovium, for some time the station of the Tenth Roman Legion, was no doubt at Caer fihun, about five miles up the River, and near the Parish Church of that name ; as a Roman Hypoeaust, a small Shield, and a great number of Roman Coins were discovered there, by the late Rev. Hugh DavieS Griffith* late Vicar of the Parish, a gentleman of great worth and integrity > highly esteemed and respect" ed in his neighbourhood, and a person who had TO LtANRWST. 21 a great taste for the study of Antiquities. And what renders this conjecture more probable is this, that there is a hill not far distant, whicfe is Will called Mynydd Caer Lleon, or the Hill of the Legion. The Rev. W. Brickdale, at that time Rector of Llanrwst, saw several Roman bricks, dug up near the Church of Caer Rhun, which Were inscribed LEG. X. This Legion wa* denominated Antoniana Augusta. The XXth, Stationed at Chester, (Caer Leeon Gawr, or Caer Lleion ar Ddyfrdwy) was distinguished by the name VicessIma Victrix, and the Second Legion, stationed at Caer Leon, in Monmouth* Ihire, Or Caer Lleon ar Wysc, Was known by the title of Augusta Britannica. And theVb was (no doubt) a Roman Road from hence to Se- gontium on the West) and to VariUm or Bodvarri and CaervvyS) on the East; and another probably through Dolyddelen,to Sarn Helen and Tommen y Mur, in Merionethshire ; Pert y street, Dol- gelley; Castell y Beri, near Tai y Llynn, to Penal near Machynlleth, where there was a Roman encampment, and where very consider able remains were discovered. The admirer of picturesque and roniantie Scenery Would, no doubt, consider his time well employed, and find his propensity amply grati* fiedj were he to deviate here from the direct foad to Bangor and Carnarvon, and trace the Conway to its source, or at least to its junction 22 LLANRWST with the Lledr and Machno ,• he would then pass very near Caer Rhun, the ancient Conovium, and in proceeding along the banks of this beau tiful River, would be able to visit a great number of Water-falls, and he would find the Scenery constantly changing, and new beauties presenting themselves to his view, at almost every turn of the road. My limits will merely allow me to enumerate some of the objects which claim his attention, and ought to be visited, which are the numerous Cascades on the right, between Llanbedr (near Caer Rhun) and Trevriw ; the old House of Gwydir, and its beautiful woods ; the town of Llanrwst, and particularly the old Monuments in the Church, to the memory of the Wynne's, the ancient Proprietors of Gwydir, and the handsome Bridge over the Conway, supposed to have been erected by the celebrated Inigo Jones, who is said to have been a native of that neighbourhood. Near this town are also several Lead Mines. The traveller will then proceed through the Gwydir woods, up to the Village of Bettws y Coed, and the new Iron Waterloo Bridge, over the Conway, on the Great Irish Road ; he will next visit the falls of the Conway and Machno, and then return to Bettws, and proceed up the river Lligwy ; when about half way between that Village and Capel Curig Inn, he will stop to view Rhaidr y Wennol, a tremendous Cateract, and from the last mentioned TO SNOWDON. 23 Inn, he may either continue his rout along the Irish road to Bangor, or direct his course to Bet h- gelert Village, which is a stage of twelve miles, or turn off on the right from that road, after he has proceeded about four miles, for tlie Village of Llanberris, through its wonderful pass, and from the new Inn, which we shall have occasion hereafter to notice, he will be able to procure a guide to the summit of Snowdon. But as most strangers will no doubt proceed from Conway to Bangor, it shall be my endeavour to act as their guide, and mention some of the particulars which are worth their attention along this line of road : For the first two miles he will proceed up hill, until he comes to an opening between two rocks, near a place called Sychnant, when all of a sudden a most magnificent scene presents itself; from hence he commands a full view of Beau maris Bay, generally covered with a number of small vessels ; the Puffin, or Priestholm Island, the Village of Llangoed,the Town of Beaumaris, Baron Hill, and the Friars; the former the beau tiful seat of Lord Viscount Bulkeley, and the latter that of his brother, Sir Robert Williams, Baronet, M. P. all on the Anglesey shore • — ¦ On the Carnarvonshire side, Bangorand Penrhyn Castle, and last, ihough not least, the huge Pen- nuaen-mawr, protruding its rocky front into the ¦ea, forming a, natural barrier, in such manner (to all appearance) as to cut off every eommani- 24 PEN MAEN MAWR. cation this way, and render any further progress impracticable ; the art of man has, however, at length conquered these difficulties,and surmount ed every obstacle, for about the year 1TT2 an excellent road was formed along the edge of this once tremendous and dangerous precipice, under the direction of the ingenious Mr. Sylvester^ Parliament having generously voted1 a grant fo* this purpose. Prior to this event several fatal accident* had happened here, and one or two nearly miraculous escapes are recorded in Mr. Pennant's Tour through No»th Wales. At that time no carriages passed this way, and conse quently all the travelling was either on foot or on horseback. Dean Swift was generally a Pedestrian, and in one of his rambles he left* these lines, written on a pane of glass at the old Inn, (now a Farm House) near this Mountain :— - Before yon venture here to pass, Take a,gqp*l refreshing, glass ;-^- And when you are over, take another, Your fainting spirit? to recover. Before the Traveller descends from the top **f Sychnant, just mentioned, to the little Vale of D wygyfylchj, he should deviate a little to the left, in order to examine some Antiquities, near a place called Gwddw Glite? in that Parish; here are several circles of stones of various diameters^ ajad large Carneddau, viz, Barrows, or Tumuli, supposed to have beeri memorials of those Heroes who fell in the field of battle, as Cmtfmns,Qx PEN MAEN MAWR. 25 ¦¦—.—..— ... ,. ¦ . i i , . . _, . , ... . _ . ._ ri. Stone Coffins, are frequently discovered in some of these circular (heaps, or collections of stojaes. The p rincipal Circle now consists of ten upright Stones, at unequal distances, the largest is eight feet three inches high ; on the ground is another, eleven feet two ; the diameter of this Circle is eighty feet. Near this are four other smaller Circles, in the centre of oine is a flat stone, the remains of a Cromlech, from which it may be conjectured that it was a Druidical or Bardic Circle. About a quarter of a mile from -these is a large Circle, composed of small stones, and near it another of large stones; and not far .frona these another Circle, composed of small ones.— Near the last is, a huge upright stone, called Maeu y Campiau, or the Stone of Games ; and nearly contiguous is a Carnedd,, and asmali Circle of twelve stones ; adjoining to these are also a great joumber of what are now called in this country, Cyttiau Gwyddelod, (Woodmen or Irishmen's Huts) being the foundations of small buildings, made of roiiuaded tstones; and the vestige of a road .is still visible in a .direction -foam hence towards the tCosiiway. Some of these last might .probably ihavebeenriihe summer habi tations or encam pment of a small detachment of the Roman Legion, stationed at Caer Rhun ot Conoviura, for the purpose of protecting their Cattle. Having mentioned Maen y Campiau, ii may .not perhaps be considered a .digression te 26 PEN MAEN MAWR. enumerate the twenty-four Welsh or British Games, of which there were ten Gwrolgampau, or manly games, viz. 1, To lift up great weights; 2. Running; 3. Leaping; 4. Swimming; 5. Wrestling; 6. Riding. These six were stiled Tadogion, viz. pertaining to fathers, or grown up persons, and required only bodily strength and activity ; this last, Marchogaeth, is supposed to have included Charioteering, or the skilful driving and management of different kinds of carriages. The other fpur were, 1 . Archery ; 2. Playing with the Sword and Buckler ; 3. Play ing with the Cleddau deuddwrn, or two-handed Sword ; 4. Chwarau ffonn ddwybig, or playing with the two-end Staff or Spear. Next to these were the ten Mabolgampau, or those more pe culiarly adapted to young men, viz. 1. Coursing; 2. Fishing ; 3. Fowling ; the remaining seven were of the domestic kind : 1. Barddoniaeth, or Poetical Composition ; 2. Chwareu'r Delyn, or playing upon the Harp; 3. Reading Welsh; 4. Singing with the Harp ; 5. Singing between three or four, most probably in alternate Stanzas, or Pennillion ; 6. Drawing or Painting, particu larly Coats of Arms ; 7. Heraldry. After these were four Gogampiau, or Minor Games, viz. 1. Chwarau Gwydd-bwyll, a game similar to that of Draughts ; 2. Chwarau Tawl-Bwrdd, probably Back -gammon, as this word is supposod to be derived from the Welsh Language, viz. Bach, PEN MA EN MAWR. 27 little, and Cammawn, or Gammon, Battle, and Tawl-Bwrdd, means the toss on the table ,• 8. Chwarau Ffrjsteal, or the Game of the Dice Box, in what manner it was played is not known at present ; 4. Cyweiriaw Telyn, or the Tuning of the Harp. After visiting these Circles, the traveller may either proceed to the top of Pen-maen-. mawr, or descend to the high road, near Dwygyfylchi Church, not far from which, just at the foot of Pen-maen-bach, is Pendyffryn, the seat of T. Smith, Esq. — In the clefts of the rock, above the Turnpike-gate, near Pen-maen-mawr, grows the Crat_egtjs aria, or White Beam Tree; Mr. Pennant observes that the Swiss procure a good kind of Ardent Spirit from the berries. The summit of this mountain seems to have been fortified by two or three, walls, one within the other ; and there are still visible the remains of a great number of Huts, or small buildings, most probably at one time the habitations of Soldiers ; it was no doubt a strong military Post, and is supposed to have been made use of by the Britons and Romans. The Roman Road, from Segontium to Conovium, must have passed near it, probably on the South side ; and this high mountain, so conspicuous and so easily dis tinguished at a distance, formed a kind of link, no doubt, in the military chain of communication D2 ,, 28 ABfeR. _-T_r_»-. iftTiirgir. between this County and Denbighshire, as it is very visible from Dinorwick, (now called Pen Dinas) a Roman Encampment in the Parish of Llanddeiniolen, near Carnarvon, on the West, and from many fortified eminences in the other County, on the East. The usual signals in an cient times were fires by night, and a particular kind Of flag by day. Having examined JBraich y Dinas, which is the name by which the fortified part of the mountain is distinguished, we now proceed along the high road through the Parish of Llanfair fechan, and leaving that small Church on ah eminence, a little to the left of the road, and on the right Brynn y Neuadd, an old neglect ed family seat, at one time the property of Hum phrey Roberts, Esq. and afterwards conveyed t© the Wynne's of Plas Newydd, near Denbigh, by the marriage of his daughter to a son of that family > we soon pass Gorddinog, (Mrs. Crawley's) also on the left, and soon reach the beautiful little Village of Aber, situated near a small river, and at the entrance of a narrow Glenn-. Near the Bridge is a Circular Mount, seemingly artificial, which was the foundation of a small Castle, pro bably constructed of timber, as many of our Welsh Fortresses are stated to have been con* sumed by fire. Several ot the Welsh Princes resided occasionally at this place, and David ap LlyWelyn died here, about the year 1246, and Was buried in the Abbey of Conway. ab'Er. 2ft Traces of Buildings have been discovered near this spot, which were probably the remains of the Prince's Palace, as the inhabitants still pretend to shew strangers the foundation of the old kitchen. Several Memorials, &c. appear in our Welsh Histories, dated Aber Garth Celyn, which is the ancient name by which this place was dis tinguished. William de Breos, (son of Reginald, a potent Baron in the Reign of Henry III.) who had been taken prisoner by the Welsh Prince Llewelyn ap Jorwerth, was detected in an in trigue with Joan his wife, (daughter to the King of England). The enraged Prince, upon the discovery of her infidelity, caused her paramour to be hung on the side of the opposite hill ; and there is a tradition, that the Princess going out the next morning, and accidentally meeting th« Bard of the Palace, the latter (knowing that she was ignorant of the fate of her lover) accosted her in the following poetical rhyme : .Diccyn, doccyn, gwraig Llywelyn, Beth a roit ti am weled Gwilym . That is, " Tell me wife of Llywelyn, what you, would give for a sight of your William?" te which she answered : — Cymrn, Lloegr a Llywelyn, Y rown i gyd am Weled G wily in ! i. e. Wales and England, and Llywelyn, I would give them all to see my William ! The Bard, on receiving this answer, shewed him to her, hanging on a tree, on the side of a hill, 30 aber. , — — — ¦ ¦ ¦ ( .— — -— m at a place now called Wern Grogedig. It is added in Camden, " Tradition buries De Breos in a Cave, in a field called Cae Gwilym Ddu.*" Nearly at the extremity of this romantic Glenn, about a mile from the Village, the River form. a noble Cataract, precipitating itself down the front of a bold lofty rock, and making a double fall, the lowest of which is of very considerable height. This Village is much frequented in the summer season, and the accommodations at the Inn are very good. The beach, at high water, is very convenient for sea-bathing, and many strangers remain here some time for that pur pose. There is a road from hence, over the mountain, by Bwlch y Ddau Faen, to Tai y Cafn ferry, Llanbedr and Llanrwst ; and another over the sands to Beaumaris, but this latter is not to be attempted by a stranger without a guide. It is remarked by Mr. Pennant that all the Passes between the mountains were guarded by Forts and Castles, for besides this at Aber, Craig y Gaer and Maes y Gaer were fortified; and there was a Fort at Nant Ffranco, (or Nant Afangcwn)near Ponty Twr,another at Dolbadarn, * Probably at Braich y Bedel, near Hafod Gelyn. There is a Tradition that in former times there was a Church near that place, and a .pot is •til] shewn distinguished by tbe name of Hen Fonwent, (old Church- yard); ¦ and it is not unlikely but the Welsh Princes might have had their Summer residence here, if we may be allowed to judge from tbe name , for Garth ' Celyn must have been near this spot. There is also a Tradition, that the Village was set on Are, by Oliver Cromwell's men, from the Bridge to the Church-yard, and that they lighted a fire nnder the Bell rope, in the Chnreb, whieh they made nse of as a Stable. llandegai. 31 Nant Peris; CastellCidwm, Nant y Bettws; Craig y Dinas, near Llanllyfni ; a Fort near Dolben- maen, and an old Castle at Dolydd Elen, and Dinas Emrys, in Nant Gwynant, near Bethgelert. Lord Bulkeley is the proprietor of. the greatest part of the Parish of Aber, and he has been a great benefactor to this Church, as well as to all the others in his Lordship's Patronage, having built a Tower (or Steeple) to each, at his own expence, and furnished them with Bells. The distance from hence to Bangor is about five miles, and as the stranger proceeds he cannot help admiring the ever-varying Seene, and the beauty of the prospects which present themselves to his view : On the Anglesey shore, the Town of Beaumaris, Baron Hill, The Friars, Red Hill, &c. claim his attention ; and directly before him, on the Carnarvonshire side, he will perceive the Village and much-admired Church of Llandegai, and near it Penrhyn Woods and Castle, rising in Majestic grandeur. The Church of Llandegai has lately been very much improved and beauti fied, by means of a very handsome Legacy, left by the late Lady Penrhyn for that purpose. The whole of the interior has been renewed, viz. the Seats, Pulpit, Communion, Ceiling, Plastering, and Floor, and the Tower raised, in order to admit a Peal of Six Bells, a Legacy for which having been also left by Lady Penrhyn, as well as one for the erection of a Monument to her deceased gf T_LAN»E8A1. Lord, which is now fixed up in the Church, and is a most superb and elegant piece of work ; ft is Miade of Statuary Marble, and represents two Figures, one a Quarrymain, with an Iron Bar and Slate knife in his hand, reading the inscription, and reflecting on the loss of his benefactors, tbe other is a female Peasant Girl, weeping over the Joss of her deceased Lord and Lady; there are some other smaller Figures, very descriptive of the progress of improvement amongst the Pea santry, under rthe directing influence of his Whilst we are speaking of Llandegai Village end Church, we must not omit here to notice a very great improvement, and accommodation to the public, which has been effected, at very con siderable expence, through the liberality of Mr. Pennant, we mean the new piece