LLANYMYNECH
Is situated about six miles from Oswestry, on the turnpike-road leading from thence to Welshpool. The parish contains one township, Carreg Hofa (Offa’s stone,) which, although detached from, yet is within the county of Denbigh, but attached to Montgomeryshire for election and other purposes. The other two townships, Llwyntidman and Treprenal, are within the county of Salop, but on the borders of Montgomeryshire. The church is dedicated to St. Agatha. Patron,—the Bishop of St. Asaph. The present Rector is the Rev. John Luxmoore. In the chancel is a monument to the memory of the wife and daughter of George Griffith, Bishop of St. Asaph, who had been Rector of this parish whilst Canon of that Chapter. He was of the House of Penrhyn, in Caernarvonshire, and was consecrated to the above See in October 1660, in reward for his piety and great sufferings in the royal cause. A tablet, in another part of the church, has the following singular inscription:—“Randolph Worthington, died in the West Indies, of the yellow fever, nobly fighting for his king and country.” The church and village are beautifully situated on a gentle slope above the river Vyrnwy, and from Llanymynech Hill present the appearance of a charming Swiss scene. Various interpretations of the name of the village are given. Some etymological writers have said that the word Llanymynech means “the Village of the Miners,” whilst others contend that it signifies “the Church of the Monks, or Monkstown.” Since the invasion of the Romans the hill has been known as mineral ground, so that the origin of the name “Village of the Miners,” is easily understood. A monastery is said to have been in existence here at an early date, and hence “the Church of the Monks,” &c.
An ancient mansion called Carreg Hofa Castle once stood in the parish, but was demolished about the beginning of the 13th century. Having been built of wood, not a vestige of the Castle remains. A foss, to guard the most inaccessible approach on the east, is the only index left. It was taken and pillaged in 1162, by the two cousins Owen Cyveiliog and Owen ab Madog. The latter kept possession of it for twenty-five years, and was eventually slain in it by Gwenwynwyn and Cadwallon, sons of Owen Cyveiliog.
Offa’s Dyke separates the parish into two nearly equal parts, and continues its course as described in page [10]. The river Morda divides the parish on the east from Kinnerley, and on the north it joins the parish of Oswestry.
Llanymynech Hill is an extensive tract of land, on the limestone formation, comprising about 160 acres. It belongs to F. R. West, Esq., M.P., and the minerals upon it are leased to the “Carreg Hova Copper and Lead Mining Company.” The limestone rocks, part of which are 900 feet in height, are worked by another Company, and large quantities of fine limestone are annually raised and sold, principally for agricultural purposes, in Shropshire and Montgomeryshire. The ores raised from the hill are carbonates, sulphurets, and oxides of copper, carbonate of lead, and calamine (carbonate of zinc). On the north-west side of the hill are the remains of ancient surface mines, supposed to have been of Roman origin, and from vitrifications near this spot, there is no doubt that the Roman miners smelted their copper there in jars on open hearths. Near these old workings is an immense cave or level, known in the district by the name of the Ogo, from the Welsh Ogof—(a cave). Its windings are so numerous and intricate, that many years back the labourers, attempting to explore its mazes, were bewildered in the effort, and a number of miners, who had been sent in search of them, discovered them lying prostrate on the ground, in despair of ever again seeing the light of day. Skeletons, various utensils, and coins of Constantine and Vespasian, Antoninus and Faustina, have been found within and about the Ogo. One of these skeletons had a battle-axe by its side, and a bracelet of glass beads, like the druidical rings or beads called glain neidr, (the ova anguinum of Pliny,) and another with a golden bracelet encircling the wrist. In 1849 two other skeletons were found buried in trenches near the Ogo, by the side of one of which lay a strong battle-axe, formed of mixed metal, but sharp at the edge. These skeletons were of a very large size, the bones evidently being those of remarkably tall men. The late Mr. J. F. M. Dovaston explored the Ogo several years ago, and declared that none of the paths extend more than two hundred yards from the entrance. Great quantities of human bones were found in many parts, especially where the cavern becomes wide and lofty, and this fact induced the belief that the place, at some early period, was a refuge in battle or a depository for the dead. For years it was commonly believed in the district that this labyrinth communicated by subterraneous paths with Carreg-Hofa Castle; and some persons have exercised their imagination so largely as to declare that, while in the far recesses of the cave, they have heard the rivers Vyrnwy and Tanat rolling over their heads, and that the said labyrinth actually leads down to fairy-land!
On the eastern brow of the hill there formerly stood a Cromlech, measuring seven feet by six, and eighteen inches thick. It was called by the Welsh people “Bedd-y-Cawr,” or the Giant’s Grave; and under it, according to tradition, a giant’s wife was buried, with a golden torques about her neck. To search for this treasure three brothers named Paine, who lived in the neighbourhood some years ago, threw down the stone from its pedestal.
The prospect from Llanymynech Hill is indisputably one of the finest in the kingdom. On the Welsh side are seen the summits of mountains, rising in every variety of ridge, the distant in the softest azure, and the nearer in the most brilliant verdure, with hanging woods, fertile meadows, and the brightly-shining rivers, Vyrnwy and Tanat, uniting in the valley below, and sweeping their sunny waters to join the Severn, under the abrupt and bold rocks of the Breiddin range of mountains. At a considerable distance, when enlightened by the sun, may be seen the glistening water-fall of Pistill Rhaiadr. Turning towards England the expansive Vale of Shropshire is seen richly wooded, and profuse in luxurious vegetation, terminated by the column and spires of Shrewsbury, the Wrekin, and the far distant hills of Staffordshire and Cheshire. In a northerly direction the Shropshire Union Canal is seen glitteringly interlacing the rich meadow land; the graceful lake at Llynclis peeps out amidst over-shading trees; and the ancient tower of Oswestry parish church completes the diversified and enchanting series of landscapes. We lately heard a visitor from Switzerland, just arrived at Llanymynech Hill from that far-famed picturesque country, declare that he had seen nothing in the land of William Tell to compare with the beauty and grandeur of the scene before him. Enraptured with the prospects, he enthusiastically exclaimed, as the celebrated Lord Lyttleton had done on viewing Festiniog Vale, “With the woman one loves, with the friend of one’s heart, and a good library of books, one might pass an age here, and think it a day!”
To the south-west lies Carreg Hofa Hall, formerly the pleasant retreat of Sir Thomas Jones, Chief Justice of the Common Pleas, and representative for Shrewsbury in 1660. It came into the possession of Sir J. T. Tyrwhitt Jones, Bart., Usher of the Black Rod, and father of the first wife of the late John Mytton, Esq., of Halston. Further in the same direction is Pentre Heilyn, the seat of the Heilyn family, some members of which occupy a distinguished place in Cambrian biography. Below the western brow of the hill is Aber Tanat, formerly the seat of the Tanats, or Tanads, descended from Einion, who took their name from the river Tanat, near their house, for the same reason as the Mostyns, the Glynnes, &c., to avoid the redundancy of Aps. Blodwel, a little farther north, was the graceful theme of bards and minstrels when Welsh song and music went joyously hand in hand. Llwyn-y-groes, formerly the seat of the late John Evans, M.D., (but now of Richard Nightingale Broughton, Esq.,) viewed also from the hill, claims special notice. Dr. Evans was popular in the literary world, and his didactic poem, “The Bee,” enriched with instructive notes, philosophical and botanical, is still read with delight. Dr. Evans was father of the author of “The Rectory of Valehead,” a work which obtained public favour, and still holds its place as a literary production of high merit. The late Mr. Robert Baugh, of Llanymynech, was another distinguished parishioner. He officiated for many years as clerk of the parish, but his talents as a land surveyor and draughtsman procured for him a high reputation. His large map of Shropshire, a work honourable to his talents, is still referred to for its accuracy.
The identification of the Roman encampment at Clawdd Coch, in the parish of Llanymynech, with the ancient Mediolanum, is still a disputable point. A learned antiquary, the Rev. R. W. Evans, Vicar of Heversham (son of the late Dr. Evans), considers that such identification is clearly established; and the late Rev. Peter Roberts, who had viewed the place, “would fain insist, in conversation, that it was the identical spot where Mediolanum once quartered the legions of ambitious Rome.” The late Rev. Walter Davies, no mean authority on questions of antiquity, paid much attention to the subject, and after personal inspection of Clawdd Coch, came to the conclusion that Mediolanum is still among the terræ incognitæ.