9. Carnedd Angharad, a Grave in Glynn Park, North of the house.
10. Bedd Gwennen, another Grave, near Ffrwd Ysgyfarnog.
11. Bettws Gwenrhyw, the ruins of an old family Chapel, belonging to Glynn.
12. Muriau Gwilym Ddu, on Tyddyn Tudur Land, the ruins of the habitation of the old Bard of that name.
13. Talwrn yr Arch, on Bodaden Land, and behind that house, on Rhos Tryfan Common, were visible, some years ago, several detached parts of an old Roman Road.
Llandwrog is a large extensive Parish, and contains about 10,000 Acres of Land; the resident population, in 1801, was 1175. The Church is dedicated to St. Twrog; it is a Rectory, in the patronage of the Bishop, and is valued in the King’s Books at £11. 11s. 5½d.—Dinas Dinlle is in this Parish, the Roman Road from which to Segontium, is uncommonly interesting, as it is carried chiefly over a flat marsh, once a morass, and broken only in one part by a river, the ford over which is at this day called Rhyd y Pedestri; but Rhyd y Equestri, which is mentioned Mr. Rowlands, in his History of Anglesey, is now scarcely known.—Many Roman Coins have been discovered here, particularly those of the Emperors Gallienus, Tetricus Senior, Tetricus Cæsar, Carausius, and Alectus.
After passing Glynn, we cross the Llifon, and about two miles further the Llyfni, a rapid Stream, flowing out of Llynn Nanlle, and soon afterwards arrive at Clynnog, a neat pleasant Village, beautifully situated on a plain, near the Sea shore. There is a very handsome venerable looking old Church, which has greatly the appearance of a Cathedral; it is built in form of a cross: the length, from East to West, is about one hundred and thirty-eight feet, and from North to South, seventy. Near the Altar are three neat Stalls, divided by pillars supporting Gothic Arches, the seats of the officiating Priests;—the Monuments are not numerous, there is one however to William Glynn de Lleiar, with his figure and those of his wife and seven children, another to his son in law George Twisleton, Esq. of Aula Barrow in Yorkshire, and in right of his wife of Lleiar; he is generally supposed to be the same with Colonel Twisleton, who was an active officer under Cromwell, and took the gallant Sir John Owen, of Clenenney, prisoner.—Adjoining to the Church, is the Chapel of St. Beuno; the passage to it is a narrow vault, covered with large flat stones, and of far greater antiquity than either Church, or Chapel, which seem nearly coeval. The reader will not be displeased to see the following extract from Leland, respecting this venerable old Fabrick:—“Clunnock Vawr, yn Arvon, in the Commot of Uwch Gurvay, is a great Parish, and the fairest Church in all Caernarvonshire, and is better than Bangor, is 15 miles beyond it, and about the same distance as that town from the shore.—Clunnock Vawr was some time a Monastery of White Monks, suppressed many years ago, but the original of this Monastery was by St. Beuno, of whom mention is made in St. Winifrede’s Life. The White Monks were of a newer foundation. Gwytheint, uncle to one of the Princes of North Wales, was the first giver of Clunnock Village and place to Benow. The Church that is now there, with cross isles, is almost as big as St. David’s, but it is of a new work; the old Church, where St. Benow lieth, is hard by the new.” The Chapel was probably built after Leland had visited the place, in the room of the old Church, which might have fallen to ruin. In the middle of the Chapel was the tomb of the Saint, plain and altar shaped, but it was in a great measure demolished, about 20 years ago, when some workmen were employed by the late Lord Newborough, to dig in search of the Saint’s bones. Votaries were wont to have great faith in him, and did not doubt but that by means of a night’s lodging on his tomb, a cure would be found for all diseases; it was customary to cover it with rushes, and leave on it till morning sick children, after making them first undergo ablution, in the neighbouring holy well. St. Beuno, after he had assumed the Monastic habit, founded a Convent here in 616.—Cadvan, King of North Wales, was his great Patron, and promised him much Land; his son, Cadwallon, performed the promise, and received from the Saint a golden Sceptre, worth Sixty Cows; the land was afterwards claimed, in behalf of a little infant, and his title proved good,—the King refuses either to give other Land in lieu, or to resign the present, Beuno cursed him and went away, but was appeased by Gwrddeint, first cousin to the King, who overtook him, and gave the Town of Celynnog, for ever, to God and St. Beuno, for his soul’s sake, and that of the wicked Cadwallon. Long after his time, the Carmelites, or White Monks, had here an establishment; they were however suppressed, sometime before the Lincoln Taxation, in the year 1291, as the Church was then Collegiate, consisting of five portionists or prebendaries, and it so continued to the Dissolution. The Rectory, valued in the King’s Books at £24. is annexed to the Headship of Jesus College, Oxford, and the Vicarage, which is discharged, and valued at £6. is in the gift of the Bishop; here is an excellent Vicarage House, built by the late Vicar, the Rev. John Williams. Under the article Tiboeth, in Dr. Davies’s Welsh-Latin and Latin-Welsh Dictionary, we have an account of a curious old M.S.: which was preserved in this Church, called Llyfr Beuno Sant, said to have been written by Twrog, and seen here by Dr. Thomas Williams, of Trefriw, in 1594.—This curious Relic, which has been missing many years, is said to have been discovered lately by Mr. Edward Williams, (alias Iolo Morganwg).—There is a tradition, that an Ancient British Town, situated near this place, called Caer Arianrhod, was swallowed up by the Sea, the ruins of which, it is said, are still visible, during neap tides, and in fine weather. Many of the Kings, and principal inhabitants of the Country, appear to have been benefactors to the original religious establishment at this place: Cadwalader gave Grayanog,—Tegwared gave Porthamel,—Cadell bestowed Kilcourt,—Prince Mervin, Carnguwch,—Cadwgan ap Cynfelyn, Bodweiliog and Bodvel, in Lleyn,—Idwal endowed it with Penrhos and Clynnog Fechan, in Anglesey, and many others, which may be seen in Dugdale.—The offerings of calves and lambs, which happen to be born with the Nôd Beuno, mark of St. Beuno, (a certain natural mark in the ear,) have now nearly ceased; they used to be brought to the Church on Trinity Sunday, the anniversary of the Saint, and delivered to the Church Wardens, who were accustomed to sell and account for them, and put the value into a great Chest, called Cyff Beuno, made of one piece of oak, secured with three locks, from which circumstance the Welsh in these parts have a proverb, for attempting any difficult thing, “you may as well try to break St. Beuno’s Chest.” The little money resulting from the sacred Beasts, or casual offerings, were either applied to the relief of the poor, or in aid of repairs. There is a curious antique Chalice, preserved amongst the Communion Plate, with the following Inscription, on the lid or cover:
Tu Nazarenus Rex Judeorum
Fili Dei, miserere mei.
Those who are curious in Druidical Antiquities, may see a very uncommon Cromlech, on the Tenement of Bachwen, about half a mile from this place, between the road and the sea. The inclination of the upper stone is to the West, on its surface are numbers of small shallow holes, with two or three larger than the rest, possibly for some purpose of augury; at thirty paces distance, is an upright stone, placed, as is supposed, to mark the limits of approach to the people, while the rites were performing by the Druid Priest. On the left, as we proceed towards the pass or defile, between the mountains, are two lofty conical hills, called Gern Goch, and Gern Ddu; and, on the right, are those well known by the name of Rivals (yr Eifl [159]). This Bwlch, or Pass, now called Bwlch Llanaelhaiarn, is supposed to be the ancient Bwlch Dau Fynydd, frequently mentioned as the scene of many a bloody battle. Near this small Church we quit the Pwllheli road, and turn to the right towards Nevin; but before we leave this celebrated mountain, we shall take an opportunity of examining Tre’r Ceiri and Vortigern’s Valley; of both which we have a long, interesting, and circumstantial account in Pennant’s Tour.—It is very probable that the Districts of Lleyn and Eifionydd, served as a secure retreat to the Britons in ancient times, as most of the hills and eminences in both are strongly fortified, the names of some of which are subjoined: Carn Madryn and Carn Boduan,—Moel Garn Guwch,—The Rivals, Tre’r Ceiri,—Moel Ben Tyrch, between that and Penmorva,—Gaer Tyddyn Mawr,—Castell Gwgan, remarkable for a small circular entrenchment; and Pen y Gaer.—To these many others might be added, but we are reminded that neither our confined limits nor the nature of the work, will admit of very detailed or circumstantial descriptions of either these or any other ancient fortifications, we can therefore only touch on these subjects very superficially, and throw out a few hints as we proceed along.
Tre’r Ceiri.—Across a hollow, from one summit of the Rivals (Eifl) to the other, extends an immense rampart of stones, or perhaps the ruins of a wall, which effectually block up the pass; and near this place, on the summit of these hills, is a most perfect and regularly fortified British Post, called Tre’r Caerau, the Town of Fortresses, or perhaps Tre’r Ceiri, the Town of the Giants. The most accessible side is defended by three walls; the lowest is very imperfect, the next tolerably entire, and has in it the grand entrance; this wall, in one part, points upwards towards the third, and runs round the edges of the top of the hill; the second wall unites with the first, which runs into a point, reverts and joins the highest, in a place where the hill becomes inaccessible: the facing on the two upper walls are very entire, especially that of the uppermost; they are lofty, and exhibit from below a grand and extensive front; the space on the top is an irregular area, part is steep and part flat, and is covered with heath, which affords shelter to a few red grouse;—the whole is almost filled with cells.—To be seen with advantage, the station should be taken from the summit, about which the cells (which are the foundations of the huts of the soldiers,) are very distinct, and disposed with much art: about the middle is a square place, fenced with stores, a sort of Prætorium, surrounded with two rows of cells; numbers are also scattered about the plain, and others again are contiguous to the wall, all along the inside. The fortifications on Pen-maen-mawr bear a great similarity to the mode of defence adopted on this strong Post. The cells are mostly perfect, of various forms, round, oval, oblong, and square; some of the round are fifteen feet in diameter, of the oblong, thirty feet in length, with long entrances, regularly faced with stone; all of them, when inhabited, were no doubt well protected from the weather, by roofs covered with thatch and sod. The upper wall was in many places fifteen feet high on the outside, and often sixteen feet broad; it consisted of two parallel and contiguous parts, one higher than the other, serving as a parapet to the lower, which seemed to have its walk, like that at Chester; there was in one place a cell in the thickness of the wall, or perhaps a sally port, in part stopped by the falling in of the stones. There is an excellent plan of this encampment in Mr. Pennant’s Tour. We shall now descend from these elevated summits, in order to visit Nant Gwrtheyrn, or Vortigern’s Valley, where that Prince is said to have fled from the rage of his subjects, and where it was said he and his Castle were consumed with lightning. His life had been profligate, the Monks therefore were determined that he should not die the common death of all men, and accordingly made him perish with signal marks of the vengeance of Heaven. Fancy cannot frame a place more fit for a retreat from the knowledge of mankind, or more apt to inspire one with full hopes of security from any pursuit.—Embosomed in a lofty mountain, on two sides bounded by stony steeps, on which no vegetables appear, but the blasted heath and stunted gorse; the third side exhibits a most tremendous front of black precipice, with the loftiest peak of the mountain Eifl soaring above, and the only opening to this secluded spot is towards the sea, a northern aspect; the Glenn is tenanted by a few families, who raise oats, and keep a few cattle, sheep, and goats. Just above the sea is a high and verdant mount, natural, but the top and sides fortified by art; on this might have been the residence of the unfortunate Prince, of which time has destroyed every other vestige. Till the beginning of the last century, a tumulus of stone within, and externally covered with turf, was to be seen here; it was known by the name of Bedd Gwrtheyrn, tradition having regularly delivered down the report of this having been the place of his interment. The inhabitants of the Parish dug into the Carn, and found in it a stone Coffin, containing the bones of a tall man. This gives a degree of credibility to the tradition, especially as no other bones were found with it, no other tumuli on the spot; a proof at least of respect to the rank of the person; and that the place was deserted after the death of the Royal Fugitive, about the year 465. Craig y Llam, near this place, is a tremendous lofty precipice, impending over the sea, and frequented in the summer season by numerous flocks of migratory birds, where their nests are ranged in regular tiers, on the ledges of this singular rock, in the same manner as at Gogarth, near Conway before-mentioned; underneath is a curious cave, accessible only by water, and visited in fine weather by different parties of pleasure, who bring their provisions along with them, and dine in the recesses of the Cliff.