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Llanddeiniolen

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"LLANDDEINIOLEN, a parish in the hundred of Is-Gorfai, county Carnarvon, 4 miles N.E. of Carnarvon, its post town, and 6 from Bangor. It is situated at the head of the vale of the Cegid to the N.W. of Snowdon, and E. of the Menai Straits. The parish, which is very populous, includes the villages of Clwt-y-Bont, Ebeneza, and Penisarwain. The old Roman road passes through it. The people are mostly employed in the Dinorwig slate quarries. There are several mineral springs. The tithes were commuted in 1839. The living is a rectory* in the diocese of Bangor, value £305, in the patronage of the lord chancellor. The church is a small ancient structure. The parochial charities produce about £6 per annum. In the neighbourhood are some objects of antiquarian interest, including a rocking stone, a Druidical circle, and cyttian, the ruins of the palace of Llewelyn ap Grufydd, the last of the princes of North Wales, at Llys Dinorwig, and the pass of Nant-y-Garth, through which it is said Archbishop Baldwin and Giraldus passed in 1118." [From The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland (1868) - Transcribed by Colin Hinson ©2003]

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Bibliography

  • Williams, A Wynn. King Arthur's Well, Llanddeiniolen, near Caernarvon : a chalybeate spring equal to any of the German spas, with directions for its use; also, a description of British and druidical remains, and other objects of interest, in the neighbourhood. Caernarvon : Printed by H. Humphreys, 1858. 68p
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Business & Commerce Records

Deiniolen Co-operative Society Records (Additional) 1915-1961 - details of extant records on Archives Network Wales
"Deiniolen Co-operative Society Ltd was based in Deiniolen, Llanddeiniolen; established by 1915, dissolved in 1981.."

Dinorwic Quarry records 1809-1970 - details of extant records on Archives Network Wales
 "Slate quarrying at Dinorwig dates back to the 18th century. In 1787, Thomas Assheton-Smith (1752-1828) of the Faenol estate, leased his workings to the Dinorwig Slate Company............"

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Census

1851 Census of Llanddeiniolen. A full transcription by Joyce & Douglas Hinde in both "As Enumerated" and "Surname Order" form.

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Church History

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.

Llanddeiniolen Parish; Statistics; Area 9024 acres; Population 2460 males, 2434 females, total 4894

  • Club Room, Llanddeilionen (denomination not stated but see below)      Erected before 1810       Attendance - usual - afternoon 15              Informant; Wm Williams, Registrar
  • Llanddeilionen Parish Church         Consecrated before 1800.    Rebuilt on same site 1843        Attendance - morning 60             "Afternoon service is performed in a club room at the mountain end of the parish"       "I would beg to observe that the Parish Church of Llanddeiniolen is within 3/4 of a mile of the lower boundary of the Parish, and is well placed as regard the old agricultural population. But the bulk of the present population, which has, during the last forty years, been drawn together by the working of Mr Assheton Smith's slate quarries, lies at a distance from the Church of from 3 to 5 miles. There are in the parish 13 dissenting Meeting Houses."     Services in Welsh         T N Williams, Rector
  • Sion, Wesleyan Methodist          Erected 1818           Attendance - morning 70, evening 91                Erasmus Thomas, Trustee acting on behalf of  the Minister Erasmus Thomas, Llwyngwynt, Llanddeiniolen
  • Bethel, Independent or Congregational            Erected c 1811         Attendance - morning 126, afternoon 152 scholars, evening 164        "In this part of Wales the congregations are much more numerous on Sunday evenings ........."            David Griffith Ivan, One of the Minister
  • Peniel Chapel, Independent             Erected 1831                Attendance - morning 67 scholars, afternoon 55, evening 70             William Thomas, Pentir
  • Pisga, Wesleyan Methodist              Erected 1833          Attendance - morning 50, afternoon 60, evening 70              Edward Jones, Elder; Richard Bonner, Minister, Yr Allt, Pentir
  • Jehofa - Jeira, Wesleyan Methodist          Erected 1811   Not a separate building    Not used exclusively as a place of worship        Attendance - morning 56 scholars, afternoon 57, evening 76  William Price, Joiner, Penisaf Waen
  • Bazra Chapel, Independent           Erected 1841            Attendance - morning 36, afternoon 58 scholars, evening 46            Griffith Thomas, Penisarwaen
  • Rhydfawr, Calvinistic Methodist         Erected 1820            Attendance - morning 140 scholars, afternoon 160, evening 166               Owen Owens, Elder, Bryneithin
  • Ebenezer Chapel, Independents         Not used exclusively as a place of worship            Attendance - morning 268 scholars, afternoon 356, evening 360         "NB. Many of our Attendants who used to attend our Chapel being ill at home and Great many are gone & going to America during the last and present twelve months"        Thos Edwards, Minister, Ebenezer
  • Cefn-y-Waen, Calvinistic Methodists         Erected 1838          Day School       Attendance - morning 217 scholars, afternoon 307, evening 268               William Rowlands, Deacon, Cefn y Waen
  • Ysgoldy Llanddeiniolen, Calvinistic Methodists             Erected 1808         Attendance - morning 428, afternoon 184 scholars, evening 537         Robert Ellis, Minister, Cwrt-ybont
  • Dinorwic Chapel, Calvinistic Methodists              Erected 1833        Attendance - morning 306, afternoon 318 scholars, evening 297      Robert Jones, Trustee, Groeslon, Dinorwic
  • Sardis, Baptists            Erected 1820        Attendance - morning 62 scholars, afternoon 106, evening 108            John Jones, Minister, Dinorwig
  • Bryn-yr-Efail, Calvinistic Methodists            Erected 1844      Attendance - morning 110, afternoon 205, evening 86          Daniel Pritchard, Bryn yr efail

        Bethel Congregational Chapel - see under Genealogy below

        • 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 Bethel chapel (in Welsh) - with translation by Eleri Rowlands (May 2012)        Also Shiloh chapel - with translation by Eleri Rowlands (Oct 2012)           Also Ebenezer chapel   - with translation by Eleri Rowlands (April 2013)        Also Bozrah chapel - with translation by Eleri Rowlands (Jan 2010)      Also Pentir chapel (Peniel at Waen-pentir) - with translation by Eleri Rowlands (Jan 2010)

        Various items  - on the People's Collection Wales site

        • ST DEINIOLEN CHURCH
        • PENISA'RWAEN METHODIST CHAPEL
        • BOSRA WELSH INDEPENDENT CHAPEL, PENISA'R-WAUN
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        Church Records

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

        Capel Dinorwig, cofysgrifau (records) 1865-1866, 1870-1984 - details of extant records on Archives Network Wales
        "Sefydlwyd yr achos ym 1825 mewn ysgoldy bach yn ymyl chwarel Dinorwig ......................."

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        Description & Travel

        Llanddeiniolen - on wicipedia (Welsh)

        Dinorwig - on Wikipedia

        Dinorwig Power Station - on Wikipedia

        Various items - on the People's Collection Wales site

        • Various landscapes
        You can see pictures of Llanddeiniolen which are provided by:

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        Gazetteers

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        Genealogy

        R. D. Evans Papers 1780-1957 - details of extant records on Archives Network Wales
        "Robert David Evans lived at Bryn Mair, Tre Gof, Bethel, Llanddeioniolen....."

        Papurau Teulu Thomas, Tyddynyberth, Bethel  - details of extant records on Archives Network Wales
        "Papers of the Thomas family, Tyddynyberth, 1839-1979, including annual reports and other records of Bethel Congregational Church, 1885-1979; other papers relating to religion in Caernarfonshire, 1856-1970......" Cefn-Llan Manuscripts 1781-1914  - details of extant records on Archives Network Wales
        "Cefn-llan was a farm in the parish of Llanddeiniolen home to the Hughes family. They were a family of Independents and two of the sons became preachers..............."

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        History

        Quarry proprietors, the Faenol Dynasty and Dinorwig - on   Slatesite

        The Roofing Slates of Dinorwig - on Slatesite Dinorwic Quarry Accident Book  1908-1968 - details of extant records on Archives Network Wales

        Minute Book of the Dinorwic Quarry Hospital Fund 1916-1925  - details of extant records on Archives Network Wales

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        Land & Property

        Bron y Fuches Records 1842-1957 - details of extant records on Archives Network Wales
        "Records mainly relating to Bron y Fuches, Dinorwig, and the Williams family...."

        Coed Helen Papers  - details of extant records on Archives Network Wales
        "Includes; ....... rentals of the Coed Helen and Glascoed (Llanddeiniolen) estates, 1849-1862....."

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        Law & Legislation

        Various items - on the People's Collection Wales site

        • Indictment against Katherine Foulke, lately of Llantheniolen [Llanddeiniolen], for the theft of three loaves of bread valued at 3d. from Richard Gruffydd at Cororion.Endorsed: Billa vera. dd March 1588
        • Petition of Gwen verch Thomas against Owen Davies, Llanddyniolen [Llanddeiniolen], Clerk, and his wife Margarett Edwards for causing malicious troubles and the imprisonment of Gwen re. her taking earnest in her son's name for him to serve Owen Davies for 12 months - if he does not condescend then she is to pay the earnest back.........
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        Maps

        Gwynedd Family History Society have a diagram of the ecclesiastical parishes of Caernarfonshire (under Parishes)

        You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SH562640 (Lat/Lon: 53.153343, -4.151544), Llanddeiniolen which are provided by:

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        Occupations

        Various items - on the People's Collection Walessite

        • Jackson Focus Tubes were part of the x-ray machine in Dinorwig Quarry Hospital in 1898. They are of particular interest as it was only in 1895 that x-rays were discovered in Germany and that this is one of the earliest evidence of their use in the United Kingdom.
        • Dinorwig Quarry Hospital - Various items, selection; - Leg splint, Dinorwig Quarry Hospital; / Box of surgical instruments, Dinorwig Quarry Hospital; / This operating table was especially made for the hospital by a joiner in the Dinorwig quarry workshops./ The ward, Dinorwig Quarry Hospital / Stretcher for railway track, Dinorwig Quarry Hospital
        • Rules of Dinorwig Quarry Hospital, 21 June 1890
        • Pamphlet and songsheetre. the Dinorwig Quarry lock-out of 1885-6 
        • Photographs of Dinorwig Slate Quarry
        • Photographs of Dinorwig Quarry Workshops 
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        Schools

        Vaynol Papers  - details of extant records on Archives Network Wales
        " ..............The archive also includes papers relating to Llanddeiniolen school, 1868-1904............."