Caernarvonshire

Contents

Llandwrog

"LLANDWROG, a parish in the hundred of Uwch-Gorfai, county Carnarvon, 4 miles S.W. of Carnarvon, its post town, and 14 from Nevin. It is situated near the northern extremity of Carnarvon Bay, and includes the villages of Bethesda and Tylon. The neighbourhood yields copper and slate. A large number of the people are employed in the slate quarries, from whence there is a tram-road to Carnarvon. Edward I. is said to have once made a stay here. The living is a rectory* in the diocese of Bangor, value £314, in the patronage of the Bishop of Llandaff. There is also the district church of St. Thomas. The parish church, dedicated to St. Twrog, has recently been restored. Here is an hospital, or almshouse, founded by Mrs. Glynne, for the reception of twelve ladies of reduced circumstances, and endowed with property producing £200 per annum. There are other charities amounting to about £18. The Roman road Sarn Helen passed through this district, and overlooking the sea is Dinas Dinlle, a strongly fortified camp with a double range of escarpments, said to have been connected with Segontium. Lord Newborough is lord of the manor, and sole proprietor." [From The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland (1868) - Transcribed by Colin Hinson ©2003]

• Bibliography
• Business and Commerce Records
• Census
• Church History
• Church Records
• Description and Travel
• Gazetteers
• Genealogy
• History
• Land and Property
• Maps
• Public Records

Bibliography

Annand, David. RAF Penrhos near Pwllheli 1937-45 and RAF Llandwrog near Caernarvon 1940-45. Tywyn : David Annand, 1986. 36p

Doylerush, Edward. The legend of Llandwrog : the story of an airfield and the birth of the RAF Mountain Rescue Service. Leicester : Midland Counties Publications, 1994. 96p

Eames, Aled. Ship master : the life and letters of Capt. Robert Thomas of Llandwrog and Liverpool 1843-1903. [Caernarfron] : Gwynedd Archives Service, c1980. 199p

Jones, Charles Sheridan. What I saw at Bethesda.  Gomer catalogue 2006.   ISBN 1 84323 324 X  "The  Great Strike of 1903 brought the North Wales village of Bethesda to national attention....."

Williams, W Gilbert. Moel Tryfan i'r traeth : erthyglau ar hanes plwyfi Llanwnda a Llandwrog. Pen-y-groes, Gwynedd : Cyhoeddiadau Mei, 1983. 155p

Business and Commerce Records

Details of extant records on Archives Network Wales for the following;

• Dorothea Quarry Records 1792-1970
  "Dorothea Quarry was opened in 1820 and was located in the parish of Llandwrog close to Talysarn.... "
• J. Foxwist Roberts ( of Gefail y Ffrwd, Llandwrog) and Family Shop Invoices  1860-1917
• Llanwnda Mill Account Book     "An account book, 1879 - 1890, in several hands, consisting of the names and addresses of customers from the parishes of Llanwnda, Llanllyfni and Llandwrog, Caernarfonshire"

Census

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

Church History

Llandwrog Church - see under Land and Property 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 Pisgah   chapel (in Welsh )                      Also Moel Tryfan chapel                           Also  Rhosnenan (Gosen)  - with translations by Eleri Rowlands (July 2009)

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.

Llandwrog Parish; Statistics; Area 9516 acres; Population 1423 males, 1400 females, total 2823

• Llandwrog Parish Church      Attendance - morning 75 + 20 scholars, afternoon 18     "Divine Service is performed in English the last Sunday of every month........................the Welsh Congregation on other Sundays is generally more than double"          D Williams, Rector
•  
• Tynlan, Wesleyan Methodists           Erected 1810           Attendance - morning 70, afternoon 63 scholars, evening 110            Robert Jones, Elder, Tyn Llidiart
• Bwlan, Welsh Calvinistic Methodists           Erected 1814          Attendance - morning 200, afternoon 216 scholars, evening 300          David Thomas, Deacon, Glynllifon
• Bryn yr Odyn, Calvinistic Methodist         Erected first 1790, rebuilt 1830      Attendance - morning 275 scholars, afternoon 286, evening 349            Meyrick Griffith, Elder & Deacon, Bryn Rodyn
• Gosen, Independent      Erected 1850          Attendance - morning 80, afternoon 42 scholars, evening 100                 Geo. (?) Rhydderch, Minister, Minffordd
• Voel Tryfan Chapel, Independent            Erected 1843       Attendance - morning 90, afternoon 102 scholars, evening 126            Samuel Jones, Minister, Penygroes
• Pisgah, Independent                Erected 1820                 Attendance - morning 15 scholars, afternoon 150, evening 120              Samuel Jones, Minister, Penygroes
• Cesarea, Calvinistic Methodist          Erected 1839              Attendance - morning 116, afternoon 96 scholars, evening 112           Robert Davies, Deacon, Fron
• Carmel, Calvinistic Methodist                 Erected 1826          Attendance - morning 190, afternoon 130 scholars, evening 170           John Robins, Deacon, Glanrafon
• Talysarn Chapel, Independents            Erected c1801         Attendance - morning 120, afternoon 104, evening 130                   David Jones, Independent Minister, Talysarn
• Talysarn Upper Chappel, Welsh Calvinistic Methodists        Erected 1821          Attendance - morning 212, afternoon 268 scholars, evening 328           "By counting the Families in this neighbourhood that depend upon this chappel alone for for a place of worship they are above 700 souls, and casually attend and sometimes our chappel is crowded and though it will hold more than 500 men it is too small and we are now Building a new chappel much more spacious, all the sittings in the old been always let for quarterly Rent and enquiry for more."    Robert Owen, Elder, Tynyfawnog, Talysarn

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"

Details of extant records on Archives Network Wales for the following;

• Capel Brynrhos, Groeslon, cofnodion (records) 1884-1982
  "Capel Brynrhos was a Calvinistic Methodist chapel in Groeslon, Llandwrog ... founded in 1880 ....."
• Capel Bryn'rodyn, Llandwrog, cofysgrifau (records) 1878-1997
  "Codwyd y capel gwreiddiol ym 1789 ar dir fferm Bryn'rodyn ym mhlwyf Llandwrog, Gwynedd......."

Description and Travel

Caernarfon Airpark Museum, formerly RAF Llandwrog

Llandwrog - on the Dyffryn Nantlle site

Gazetteers

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

Genealogy

• Captain Robert Thomas Additional Papers 1860-1947 
  "Captain Robert Thomas lived in Llandwrog  before moving to Liverpool...."
• Williams family papers, Tryfan (Llandwrog) 1787-1953

History

Details of extant records on Archives Network Wales for the following;

• Jarvis, W. J., papurau ychwanegol (additional papers) 1862-1989  
  "William John Jarvis of Carmel, Groeslon, Llandwrog, was a local historian. His main interest was the slate industry in Dyffryn Nantlle...."
• Farm Accounts, Ty'nllan, Llandwrog 1840 - 1851
  " Farmland ...... situated in the Glynllifon and Dinas Dinlle districts ........ details of farms, farmers, prices of cattle and cereals etc.."

Land and Property

Details of extant records on Archives Network Wales for the following;

• Newborough (Glynllifon) estate plans 1745-1958  
  "Plans and related papers of the Glynllifon estate,1745-1958, including plans of Bodfuan Hall, 1832-1928; Glynllifon mansion, 1794-1928; Glynllifon Park, 1751-1935; Llandwrog Church, 1790-1869; and printed maps, 1745-1829."
• Tryfan Bach, Llandwrog Papers 1786-1890 

Maps

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

Public Records

• Llandwrog Parish Papers 1839-1904
• Mynydd Cilgwyn Friendly Society Records 1843 - 1911 
  "The Mynydd Cilgwyn Friendly Society (Cymdeithas Caredigion Mynydd y Cilgwyn) was an association in which members paid fixed contributions to insure help in sickness or old age......Mynydd Cilgwyn is located in the parish of Llandwrog..."

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