Caernarvonshire

Towns & Parishes

Contents

CLYNNOG VAWR

"CLYNNOG VAWR, a parish in the hundred of Uwch Gorfai, in the county of Carnarvon, North Wales, 9 miles S.W. of Carnarvon, its post town and railway station. This pretty little village is situated about 10 miles from the foot of the Rivals, near the sea-shore. Its church, as Pennant truly remarks, is the most remarkable structure of its kind in North Wales. It is built in the form of a cross, and is a fine specimen of the late perpendicular style of Henry VII. Its length from E. to W. is 130 feet, and its breadth, from N. to S., 70. It consists of a nave, transept, and chancel, with a tower, and at the western end a porch surmounted by a muniment room, and a sacristy, also surmounted by a room. The church contains tombs of the Glynne and Twisleton families, and a curious oak chest, carved out of a solid tree, which was once used for the reception of offerings to St. Bino, or Beuno, to whom the church is dedicated, and who is supposed to have founded an abbey in 616." [From The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland (1868) - Transcribed by Colin Hinson ©2003]

• Bibliography
• Church History
• Church Records
• Description and Travel
• Gazetteers
• Land and Property
• Maps

Bibliography

De Hirsch-Davies, John E. History and antiquities of Clynnog. Bangor : Caxton Press, pr., [1913] 24p

Kelly, Richard S. The excavation of a burnt mound at Graeanog, Clynnog, Gwynedd, in 1983. Archaeologia Cambrensis 141 (1992), p. 74-96

Thomas, W Gwyn. An early Christian monument in Caernarvonshire [Clynnog Fawr]. Archaeologia Cambrensis 141 (1992), p. 183

Church History

The Penllyn site - Church of St Bueno, Clynnog Fawr

Ebenezer Chapel, Clynnog-fawr - see below under Land and Property

Rees, Thomas & John Thomas. Hanes Eglwysi Annibynnol Cymru (History of the Welsh Independent Churches), 4 volumes (published 1871+). Here is the entry from this book for Pantglas  chapel (in Welsh ) - with translation

Church and chapel data from The Religious census of 1851 : A Calendar of the returns relating to Wales, Vol 11, North Wales. Ed. by Ieuan Gwynedd Jones, UWP, 1981. The names given towards the end of each entry are those of the informants.

Clynnog Parish; Statistics; Area 12060 acres; Population 796 males, 854 females, total 1650

• Clynnog Parish Church             Attendance - morning 102, afternoon 49 scholars         Services in Welsh      "The Church is situated at the extreme end of a Parish nearly six miles square, where the Population is widely scattered. An Evening service at 6 o'clock is to be shortly commenced, being a more convenient hour for a large class of the population."         Robert Williams, Vicar
•  
• Bryn Aera, Calvinistic Methodist         Erected 1817        Attendance - morning (sermon) 149, afternoon (school) 108 scholars, evening (prayer meeting) 98        "When the sermon is on the afternoon and evening the congregation is about 1/3 more numerous which we have every other Sunday with Birlan Chappel."               Lewis Owen, Elder, Llwyai Bach
• Pont Llyfni, Particular Baptists           Erected 1822         Attendance - morning 33 scholars, afternoon 79, evening 57      James Roberts, Minister
• Clynnog Village Chapel, Calvinistic Methodists            Erected 1844      Attendance - morning 40 + 20 scholars, afternoon 54 scholars, evening 150 + 50 scholars          Ebenezer Thomas, Deacon
• Capel Uchaf, Calvinistic Methodists           Erected before 1800         Attendance - morning 93 scholars, afternoon 160, evening 160            William Pary, Deacon, Brynhafodfawr
• Sion Chapel, Calvinistic Methodists            Erected  1826          Attendance - morning 107, afternoon 77 scholars                    Thomas Roberts, Deacon, Bryn Eryr
• Capel Nazareth, Independents            Erected 1829           Attendance - afternoon 39 scholars, evening 55                        William Jones, Deacon, Bryn Gwyn
• Ysgoldy Taiduon, Calvinistic Methodists              Erected 1835         Attendance - afternoon 72 scholars, evening 80              Thomas Jones, Deacon, Penrorsedd
• Pantglas Chapel, Independents      Erected  1836         Attendance - morning 43, evening 52               Thomas Jones, Minister, Penrorsedd, Pantglas
• Bwlchderwen, Welsh Calvinistic Methodist            Erected 1818         Attendance - morning 56, afternoon 42 scholars, evening 63              Owen Owens, Elder, Gors Clynnog

Church Records

Joyce Hinde has supplied a list of Parish Registers held at the Caernarfon Area Record Office.

Tombstone Epitaphs c. 1904 - details of extant records on Archives Network Wales
"Epitaphs on tombstones collected by Urias Stephen from cemeteries in Llanwnda, Llanllyfni, Llandwrog, Brynaerau and Clynnog, Caernarfonshire"

Description and Travel

Clynnog Fawr -  on the Nantlle.com site (Welsh version)

Clynnog Fawr on Wikipedia  and   wicipedia (Welsh)

People's Collection Wales site - Reconstruction of a settlement at Cefn Graeanog, Clynnog Fawr in 4th century AD

Gazetteers

• The transcription of the section for Clynnog Vawr from The National Gazetteer (1868) provided by Colin Hinson.
• A Topographical Dictionary of Wales by Samuel Lewis, 1833

Land and Property

Maps

Gwynedd Family History Society  have a diagram of the ecclesiastical parishes of Caernarfonshire (under Publications)  - with some links to photographs of parish churches

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