ABER,
(Caernarvonshire.)
| Distance from | Miles. |
| Port Penrhyn | 5 |
| Llanvair Vechan | 2 |
| Conway | 9 |
| Penmaen Mawr | 3 |
| Llandegai | 3½ |
| London | 245 |
Aber, or, as it is called by way of distinction, Aber-gwyngregyn, the Stream of the White Shells, is a small neat village, situated on the Holyhead and Chester road, near the Lavan Sands, at the extremity of a luxuriant vale watered by the river Gwyngregyn, which runs into the Irish sea; it commands a fine view of the entrance into the Menai, with the islands of Anglesea and Priestholme, and the vast expanse of water which rolls beneath the ragged Ormesheads. The pleasantness of its situation, and the salubrity of its air, render this place exceedingly attractive during the summer season, and the beach, at high water, is very convenient for sea bathing.
The church is an ancient structure, with a square tower; the living being in the gift of Sir R. W. Bulkeley.
The Bulkeley Arms is an excellent inn, where post-chaises and cars may be had.
This is considered a very convenient station for such persons as wish to examine Penmaen-mawr, and the adjacent country, either as naturalists or artists. From this place also persons frequently cross the Menai straits immediately into Anglesea, in a direction towards Beaumaris. The distance is somewhat more than six miles. When the tide is out, the Lavan Sands are dry for four miles, in the same direction, over which the passenger has to walk within a short distance of the opposite shore, where the ferry-boat plies. In fogs, the passage over these sands has been found very dangerous, and many have been lost in making the hazardous enterprise at such times. As a very salutary precaution, the bell of Aber church, which was presented for the purpose by the late Lord Bulkeley, in 1817, is rung in foggy weather, with a view to direct those persons whose business compels them to make the experiment. It would be dangerous for a stranger to undertake the journey without a guide, as the sands frequently shift: however, since the erection of the Menai bridge, this route is seldom taken.
The village is situated at the mouth of the deep glen, which runs in a straight line a mile and a half between the mountains, and is bounded on one side by a magnificent rock, called Maes-y-Gaer. At the extremity of this glen, a mountain presents a concave front, down the centre of which a vast cataract precipitates itself in a double fall, upwards of sixty feet in height, presenting in its rushing torrent over the scattered fragments of rock a grand and picturesque appearance.
At the entrance of the glen, close to the village, is an extensive artificial mount, flat at the top, and near sixty feet in diameter, widening towards the base. It was once the site of castle belonging to the renowned prince, Llewelyn the Great, foundations are yet to be seen round the summit; and in digging, traces of buildings have been discovered. This spot is famous as the scene of the reputed amour of William de Breos, an English baron, with the wife of the Welsh hero, and of the tragical occurrence which followed its detection. This transaction, which has given rise to a popular legend, is well told in Miss Costello’s “Pictorial Tour,” published in 1845:—
Llywelyn had been induced by the artful promises of the smooth traitor, king John, to accept the hand of his daughter, the princess Joan; but his having thus allied himself did not prevent the aggressions of his father-in-law, and John having cruelly murdered twenty-eight hostages, sons of the highest Welsh nobility, Llywelyn’s indignation overcame all other considerations, and he attacked John in all his castles between the Dee and Conway, and, for that time freed North Wales from the English yoke.
There are many stories told of the princess Joan, or Joanna, somewhat contradictory, but generally received: she was, of course, not popular with the Welsh, and the court bard, in singing the praise of the prince, even goes so far as to speak of a female favourite of Llywelyn’s, instead of naming his wife: perhaps he wrote his ode at the time when she was in disgrace, in consequence of misconduct attributed to her. It is related that Llywelyn, at the battle of Montgomery, took prisoner William de Breos, one of the knights of the English court, and while he remained his captive treated him well, and rather as a friend than enemy. This kindness was repaid by De Breos with treachery, for he ventured to form an attachment to the princess Joan, perhaps to renew one already begun before her marriage with the Welsh prince. He was liberated, and returned to his own country; but scarcely was he gone than evil whispers were breathed into the ear of Llywelyn, and vengeance entirely possessed his mind: he, however, dissembled his feelings, and, still feigning the same friendship, he invited De Breos to come to his palace at Aber as a guest. The lover of the princess Joan readily accepted the invitation, hoping once more to behold his mistress; but he knew not the fate which hung over him, or he would not have entered the portal of the man he had injured so gaily as he did.