Part 15

Close above the town is Baron Hill, the seat of R. B. Williams Bulkeley, Esq. delightfully situated on the declivity of a richly wooded bank, and possessing a complete command of every object which can add to the charms of picturesque scenery. The park extends to, and nearly surrounds, the west and north sides of the town; whilst the rising ground, upon which the mansion stands, shelters the town from the rude blasts that would otherwise assail it; thus giving it that protection from the raging elements which the last noble owner ever afforded to its inhabitants, when sorrow and adversities assailed their domestic peace. To enumerate all the acts of Lord Bulkeley’s munificence and kindness would be impossible, but a few of them may be seen in the neighbourhood of Beaumaris.

The beautiful road of four miles and a half, along the shore of the Menai to the suspension bridge, was made at the expense of Lord and Lady Bulkeley, in 1804: it cost about 3000_l._ and, when completed, was presented to the public, and kept in repair by the owner of Baron Hill until 1827, when an act of parliament was obtained, making it a public road, and commissioners appointed, who have erected a turnpike-gate thereon, and under whose inspection and influence it has been considerably improved in width, and the precipices reduced. A road possessed of greater picturesque beauty is not to be found in Britain.

The church was kept in repair by the late Lord Bulkeley, to which he presented a new organ, a set of elegant communion plate, a clock, and a peal of six fine toned bells; together costing about 1200_l._ He also gave a good house to the rector for the time being. The national school, as well as the master’s house, was built by public subscription, on land given by the late Lord Bulkeley, and the master’s and mistress’s salaries were paid by him and his lady.

Many more acts of their liberality might be enumerated, but these are sufficient to prove them zealous protecting friends and kind neighbours. Their numerous deeds of private charity ought not to be blazoned to the world, but they will live long in the grateful remembrance of those around them.

Beaumaris, situated 249 miles from London, had, in 1811, 249 houses, and 1,810 inhabitants; and in 1821 a population of 2,205. It is governed by a mayor, recorder, two bailiffs, twenty-four capital burgesses, and several inferior officers. It formerly possessed an extensive trade; but has declined since the rise of Liverpool.

From Beaumaris we proceeded, by Dulas and Red Wharf Bay, to Amlwch; the distance is about sixteen miles, through a pleasant country, in parts greatly resembling England. About a mile from Red Wharf Bay you pass the village of Pentraeth, _The End of the Sands_. The situation is pleasant; and Mr. Grose was so taken with the picturesque beauty of its small church, as to give a view of it in his Antiquities.

Near this, in a field at Plâs Gwynne, the seat of the Panton family, are two stones, placed, as tradition says, to mark the bounds of an astonishing leap, which obtained for the active performer of it the wife of his choice; but it appears, that as he leaped into her affections with difficulty, he ran away from them with ease; for going to a distant part of the country, where he had occasion to reside several years, he found, on his return, that his wife had, on that very morning, been married to another person. Eenion, on hearing this, took his harp, and, sitting down at the door, explained in Welsh metre who he was, and where he had been resident. His wife narrowly scrutinized his person, unwilling to give up her new spouse, when he exclaimed:

Look not, Angharad, on my silver hair, Which once shone bright of golden lively hue: Man does not last like gold:—he that was fair Will soon decay, though gold continue new.

If I have lost Angharad, lovely fair! The gift of brave Ednyfed, and my spouse, All I’ve not lost, (all must from hence repair), Nor bed, nor harp, nor yet my ancient house.

I once have leap’d to show my active power, A leap which none could equal or exceed, The leap in Aber Nowydd, which thou, fair flower! Didst once so much admire, thyself the meed.

Full fifty feet, as still the truth is known, And many witnesses can still attest; How there the prize I won, thyself must own: This action stamp’d my worth within thy breast.

BINGLEY’S NORTH WALES.

At Llanfair, which is about a mile distant from this road, was born the celebrated scholar and poet, Goronwy Owen, who, notwithstanding his acknowledged and admired abilities, was, after a series of hardships and struggles, obliged to expatriate himself to the wilds of Virginia, where he was appointed pastor of the church. He was well versed in the Latin, Greek, and oriental languages, was a skilful antiquary and an excellent poet. His Latin odes are greatly admired; but his Welsh poems rank him among the most distinguished bards of his country.

About five miles west of Beaumaris is Peny-mynydd, the birth-place of Owen Tudor, a private gentleman, who, having married Catherine of France, the Dowager of our Henry V. in 1428, became the ancestor of a line of monarchs. They had three sons and one daughter. The daughter died in her infancy: Edmund was created Earl of Richmond, and marrying a daughter of the Duke of Somerset, had Henry, afterwards Henry VII. Jasper was created Earl of Pembroke; and Owen became a monk. By means of his marriage, therefore, Owen Tudor not only became father to a line of kings, but in his son, as Gray says, Wales came to be governed again by their own princes.

The Tudor family became extinct in Richmond Tudor, who died in 1657, and the estate belongs to R. B. Williams Bulkeley, Esq. In the church is one of their monuments, removed from Lanvaes Abbey at its dissolution.

LLANELIAN

is about two miles east of Amlwch, near the coast: Mr. Bingley’s account of which, and the superstitious ceremonies still attaching to it, is both curious and entertaining:

“The church is by no means an inelegant structure; and adjoining to it is a small chapel of very ancient foundation, that measures in its interior twelve feet by fifteen, called Myfyr, _the confessional_. A curious closet of wood, of an hexagonal form, called _St. Elian’s closet_, is yet left in the east wall; and is supposed to have served both the office of communion table, and as a chest to contain the vestments and other utensils belonging to the chapel. There is a hole in the wall of the chapel, through which the priests are supposed to have received confessions: the people believe this hole to have been used in returning oracular answers to persons who made inquiries of the saint respecting future events. Near the door is placed Cyff Elian, _Elian’s chest_, or poor-box. People out of health, even to this day, send their offering to the saint, which they put through a hole into the box. A silver groat, though not a very common coin, is said to be a present peculiarly acceptable, and has been known to procure his intercession, when all other kinds of coin have failed! The sum thus deposited, which in the course of a year frequently amounts to several pounds, the churchwardens annually divide among the poor of the parish.

“The wakes of Llanelian were formerly held on the three first Friday evenings in August; but they are now confined to only one of those days. Young persons from all parts of the adjacent country, and even from distant counties, assemble here; most of whom have along with them some offering for the saint, to ensure their future prosperity, palliate their offences, and secure blessings on their families, their cattle, and corn.

“The misguided devotees assemble about the chapel, and having deposited their offerings, many of them proceed to search into their future destiny in a very singular manner, by means of the wooden closet. Persons of both sexes, of all ages and sizes, enter the small door-way, and if they can succeed in turning themselves round within the narrow limits of the place, (which measures only betwixt three and four feet in height, about four feet across the back, and eighteen inches in width,) they believe that they shall be fortunate till at least the ensuing wake; but if they do not succeed in this difficult undertaking, they esteem it an omen of ill fortune, or of their death within the year. I have been told, that it is curious enough to see a stout lusty fellow, weighing perhaps sixteen or eighteen stone, striving to creep into these narrow confines, with as much confidence of success as a stripling a yard high; and when he fails in the attempt, to see him fuming and fretting, because his body, which contains in solid bulk more than the place could hold, were it crammed into all corners, cannot be got in. But when we consider that superstition and enthusiasm have generally little to do with reason, we must not wonder at this addition to the heap of incongruities that all ages have afforded us.

“Llanelian was formerly a sanctuary, or place of refuge for criminals. In digging a grave in the churchyard, about sixteen years ago, a deep trench was discovered, which extended about twenty yards in a transverse direction across. It was found to contain a great quantity of human bones; and is supposed to have been the place of interment of a number of sailors, who perished in a storm that drove them upon this coast.”

AMLWCH,

or _the Winding Loch_, is a dirty-looking straggling town, founded on rocks. It owes its support chiefly to the copper works in its vicinity. The church is a neat modern structure, dedicated to Elaeth, a British saint: the port, which is but small, is notwithstanding excellently adapted for the trade which is carried on; it is narrow, capable of only containing two vessels abreast, of about 200 tons burthen each, and of these it will furnish room for about thirty; the entrance is by a chasm between two rocks.

The Parys Mountain, like the works at Merthyr, shews what the industry of man is capable of accomplishing in removing rocks, mountains, and dragging forth the bowels of the earth. To those who possess good nerves, the view of this scene of wealth and industry will afford gratification unalloyed; but to those not so blessed, the horrific situations in which the principal actors of the scene are placed, poised in air, exposed to the blasting of the rocks, and the falling of materials, which themselves are sending aloft, or from those which may be misdirected, as ascending from the workings of others, by striking against projecting crags, seem to threaten death in so many varied shapes, that the wonder and admiration excited by the place are lost in pity and anxiety for the hardy miners.

From the top of the mountain the dreadful yawning chasm, with the numerous stages erected over the edge of the precipice, appal rather than gratify the observer. To see the mine to advantage, you must descend to the bottom, and be provided with a guide, to enable you to shun the danger, that would be considerable, from the blasts and falling materials; the workmen generally not being able to see those that their operations may endanger.

The Mona mine is the entire property of the Marquis of Anglesea. The Parys mine is shared.

The mountain has been worked with varied success for about sixty-five years: it is now believed to be under the average; but whether that arises from the low price of the article, or the mine being exhausted, I am unable to say: for a considerable period it produced 20,000 tons annually. One bed of ore was upwards of sixty feet in thickness. In the blasting the rock, to procure the ore, from six to eight tons of gunpowder are yearly consumed.

“This celebrated mountain,” says Mr. Evans, “is easily distinguished from the rest; for it is perfectly barren from the summit to the plain below: not a single shrub, and hardly a blade of grass, being able to live in its sulphurous atmosphere.

“No grassy mantle hides the sable hills, No flowery chaplet crowns the trickling rills; Nor tufted moss, nor leathery lichen creeps In russet tapestry, o’er the crumbling steeps.”

DARWIN.

[Picture: Map of North Wales]

From hence we proceeded to

HOLYHEAD,

called in Welsh _Caergybi_, situated on an island at the western extremity of Anglesea. It has lately changed its aspect from a poor fishing village to a decent looking town, in consequence of its being the chief resort for passengers to and from Dublin. The distance across the channel is about fifty-five miles; and there are four steam packets which daily cross the channel, with the mail and government despatches.

Each vessel has two cabins, beautifully fitted up, light and airy; and every thing appears to have been attended to, that can either add to the comfort or safety of the passengers: expense has not been spared for that which was useful, and conducive to safety; and the equipment having been superintended by the late Captain Rogers, an experienced officer, on the Holyhead station, nothing has been misapplied. The passage is effected in from five and a half to seven hours, a distance of fifty-five miles; and the letters are delivered in Dublin from London in the short space of forty hours.

In short, the attention which government has evinced to facilitate the communication between the two kingdoms merits every praise. Neither exertion nor expense have been spared in improving the roads from Shrewsbury to Holyhead, which improvements have been executed under the direction of Mr. Telford, who is now commencing on that from Chester to the above place; and now the suspension bridge over Conway Ferry (for which parliament voted 40,000_l._) is completed, in addition to that over the Menai at Bangor Ferry, but few persons will run the risk of a dilatory and dangerous passage by Liverpool, when they may have a certain and a safe one by Holyhead, with excellent roads and accommodation; and without the trouble of the ferries, which were formerly an inconvenience to persons taking this route.

Near the centre of the town, on a rock close above the sea, is a church, on the site where _St. Cybi_, in A.D. 380, founded a small monastery, which, in 580, was converted into a college by _Maelgwyn Gwynedd_, or, according to some, by _Hwfa ap Cynddelw_, Lord of Llifon, one of the fifteen tribes of North Wales. James I. granted this college to Francis Morris and Francis Phillips, which afterwards became the property of Rice Gwyn, Esq. who bestowed the great tithes on Jesus College, Oxford, for the maintenance of two fellows and two scholars: from that time the parish has been served by a curate nominated by the college. This church is a handsome embattled edifice, built in the form of a cross, with this inscription, on a pediment of the north transept: “_Sancte Kyb. ora pro nobis_.” The walls of the churchyard are seventeen feet high, six feet thick, and form a quadrangle; three sides of which are evidently Roman, although ascribed to _Caswellon Llawhir_, a chieftain of Anglesea, in the fifth century: the east side is a modern low wall on the verge of the cliffs.

A fine extensive pier is now completed, on an island called _Ynys-halen_, which forms the north side of the harbour; at the extremity of which is a fine light-house, exhibiting a brilliant light by oil gas. This grand national undertaking has already afforded an asylum to the trade of the Channel: no less than sixty or eighty vessels have entered the harbour in one day, and many more have sailed out in one tide. Before the erection of the pier, which commenced in 1809, many valuable vessels, seeking for shelter in stormy weather, were lost with their crews on the southern shores of the harbour. From this port are sent upwards of 40,000 bushels of excellent grain every year. It contains 4071 inhabitants.

Under the mountain which overhangs the town, called the Head, is a large cavern, supported by natural huge pillars, named the Parliament House: this, as well as several others, perforate deep into the mountain, and is inaccessible without a boat. The South Slack light-house, on an islet, within about twenty yards of the bold cliffs of the mountain, exhibits a revolving light of the greatest utility. The islet is connected with the mountain by means of a suspension bridge, which is worthy the attention of the curious. Among these rocks vast numbers of the peregrine falcon take, up their abode, together with pigeons, gulls, puffins, razor-bills, and other sea-birds.

In returning from Holyhead, instead of taking the old circuitous line of road by Gwyndee and Llangefni, we took the new road, formed by Mr. Telford under the direction of the parliamentary commissioners, and which cost government, exclusive of bridges and embankments, at the rate of 2000_l._ per mile. The steepest part of the present line does not exceed one in thirty, and is considered the finest specimen of road-making in the kingdom, and at the same time reduces the distance from Holyhead to Bangor full three miles.

Having again reached Bangor, we determined still farther to explore the beauties of this delightful spot and its vicinity. Having taken a hasty refreshment, we bent our steps towards Aber cegin, near the mouth of a small rivulet that empties itself into Port Penrhyn, and from thence proceeded to

PENRHYN CASTLE,

the mansion of George Hay Dawkins Pennant, Esq. which is delightfully situated on a wooded eminence, between the estuaries of the Cegin and the Ogwen, about two miles east of the city of Bangor. It commands a fine view of the bay and town of Beaumaris to the north; the great Ormes Head, and Penmaen-mawr terminate the prospect on the east; and towards the south, the scene is closed by a bold and romantic range of mountains.

A short distance west of the Castle is Port Penrhyn, where the slates are brought down from Mr. Pennant’s quarry, and shipped in immense quantities to various parts of the world. It is easy of access, perfectly sheltered, and capable of accommodating trading vessels of upwards of 300 tons burthen.

It is but justice to the successor of the late Lord Penrhyn to say, that along with the estate, he appears to inherit the same spirit for improvement. The recent extension of the quay at Port Penrhyn, is one of the many instances which might be recited; by it, accommodation has been given to about fifty sail of traders, in addition to the former shipping-place, making the total length of the quay upwards of three hundred yards. A neat stone bridge over the river Cegin, which runs in at the head of the port, forms a complete connexion between the quay, the limeworks, the sea-shore, and the city.

Penrhyn Castle possesses a great curiosity; and Mr. Evans’s account of it, in his Topography, being both judicious and entertaining, I subjoin it. It is the Hirlas or drinking-horn of Piers Gryffydd, which is perhaps the only elegant specimen of that kind of utensil elucidatory of ancient manners.

“It is a large bugle horn of an ox, ornamented with enchased silver, and suspended by a chain of the same metal, having the initials of his own name and family engraved at the end. In the royal court of Cambria, there were legally _three_ sorts of horns, for the purpose of private or public libations. The first was y corn ydd yfo y brenin, or the one solely appropriated to the king’s use; second, corn cyweithas, by which the domestics of the palace were summoned to duty. And, third, corn y pencynydd, committed to the custody of the chief huntsman. Each of these was to be of the reputed value of one pound. On grand occurrences, the domestics of the palace were permitted to drink out of the sovereign’s horn, and the chamberlain, or high steward, on such occasions, furnished handsome potations of the generous metheglin. The contents of the horn, at these times, assumed the name of the sacred potion, similar to the _wassail bowl_, or the apostle’s cup, in use among the Saxons. Ulphus, when he conveyed certain lands to the church of York, is said to have quaffed off the sparkling contents of such a vessel, drinking a health, “_Deo et Sancto Petro_,” to God and St. Peter. On festive days, the imperious custom was to empty the horn at one tip, and instantly blow it, as a testimony that no dereliction of draught had occurred.

“Fill the horn with foaming liquor, Fill it up, my boy, be quicker; Hence away despair and sorrow, Time enough to sigh to-morrow. Let the brimming goblet smile, And Ednyfed’s cares beguile. Gallant youth, unus’d to fear, Master of the broken spear; And the arrow-pierced shield, Brought with honour from the field. Like a hurricane is he Bursting on the troubled sea. See their spears distain’d with gore, Hear the din of battle roar, Bucklers, swords, together clashing, Sparkles from their helmets flashing, Hear ye not their loud alarms? Hark! they shout—to arms! to arms! Thus were Garthen’s plains defended, Melor fight, began and ended: There two princes fought: and there Was Mowrach Vowran’s feast exchang’d for rout and fear.” {224}

The rail-road and inclined planes formed by the late Lord Penrhyn, to reduce the labour and risk of bringing down the slates to the port, with numerous other improvements, are estimated to have cost his lordship one hundred and seventy thousand pounds.

The much-admired church of Llandegai is a neat Gothic edifice, which has recently been greatly improved and beautified; the late Lady Penrhyn having left a noble bequest for that purpose. “The whole interior has been renewed, viz. the seats, pulpit, communion, ceiling, plaistering, and floor, and the tower raised, in order to admit a peal of six bells: a legacy for which has been also left by Lady Penrhyn, as well as one for the erection of a monument to her deceased lord, which is now fixed up in the church, and is a most superb and elegant piece of work.”—_Williams_.

It is made of statuary marble, and represents two large figures; the one is a female peasant girl weeping over the loss of her deceased lord and lady; the other a quarryman, with an iron bar and slate knife in his hand, earnestly regarding the inscription, which commemorates his benefactors. Besides these, the following four smaller figures strongly depict the wonderful changes effected on the face of the country, and on the morals, habits, and comforts of its inhabitants, by the noble and spirited exertions of the late Lord Penrhyn.

The first is a boy, with two reeds in his mouth, feeding his goats on the mountains, being an emblem of this country, on its appearance to Lord Penrhyn when it was in a very rough state. 2nd, Two boys working in the slate quarry; being an emblem of industry. 3rd, One boy teaching another; being an emblem of religion. 4th, Three boys standing in a wheat field, bearing their sickles; being an emblem or representation of plenty. Here likewise are interred the remains of the celebrated Archbishop Williams; who is represented in his robes, in a kneeling position, on a mural monument.

Mr. Pennant’s slate quarry is about six miles from Bangor, on the road to Capel-Curig, and Cerniogi-Mawr. St. Ann’s Chapel, near the quarries, was erected and liberally endowed by the late Lord Penrhyn; and Lady Penrhyn left a sum of money for an organ, and a suitable stipend for the organist.