Merionethshire

Towns & Parishes

Contents

LLANYCIL

"LLANYCIL, (or Llanykill), a parish in the hundred of Penllyn, county Merioneth, 12 miles S.W. of Corwen, 15 N.E. of Dolgelly, and 1 mile from Bala, its post town. The parish includes the market town of Bala and five other townships It is situated on the western side of Bala Lake, and has the workhouse for that Poor-law Union. Many of the people are employed in stocking-knitting. The parish is of large extent, being about 9 miles in length by 4 broad. The surface is hilly, rising at Arrenig Fawr to an altitude of 2,809 feet above the sea. The living is a rectory* in the diocese of St. Asaph, value £350, in the patronage of the bishop. The church is dedicated to St. Beuno. There is a free grammar school, with an endowment producing about £80, besides six scholarships, and six exhibitions at Jesus College, Oxford. There are other charities, amounting to nearly £30 per annum. Fairs are held on the 3rd June, 11th September, and 2nd October." [From The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland (1868) - Transcribed by Colin Hinson ©2003]

• Business and Commerce Records
• Census
• Church History
• Church Records
• Description and Travel
• Gazetteers
• Genealogy
• History
• Land and Property
• Maps
• Occupations
• Poorhouses, Poor Law, etc.
• Social Life and Customs

Business and Commerce Records

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

• Guthrie Jones & Jones, Bala office, records  1613-1939    "Guthrie Jones & Jones, Solicitors, were based in Corwen, Merionethshire, during the 19th and 20th centuries. The firm dealt with cases in Merionethshire, and handled land transactions, mainly in Merionethshire and Denbighshire, and had an office in Bala...."
• Archibald Williams & Son, Solicitors, Bala, Papers  1577-1955   "R. O. Anwyl (fl. 1803-1837) practiced as a solicitor in Bala and in Machynlleth, Montgomeryshire. John Richard Jordan (d. [1942]) and Archibald Williams (fl. 1902-1951) were solicitors based in Bala, Merionethshire................."
• Pell, W. M., Bala, papers 1915-1956    "W. M. Pell was an engineer and plumber, based at 4/6 High Street, Bala, Merionethshire, during the 20th century. He worked on Capel Tegid, Bala."
• Y Seren, Bala Printing Works Papers 1885-1950  "Y Seren printing works, Bala, Merionethshire, was active from the 1890s, established to print the Radical weekly newspaper, Y Seren....."

Census

• The 1851 Census of Llanycil as enumerated - transcription provided by John and Doreen Jones
• The 1871 Census of Llanycil as enumerated - transcription provided by John and Doreen Jones
• The 1891 Census of Llanycil as enumerated - transcription provided by John and Doreen Jones

Church History

Church in Wales announces amalgamation of three parishes
"The Church in Wales diocese of St Asaph announced today that the parishes of Llanycil with Christ Church Bala, Llangower, and Llanuwchllyn have taken the brave decision to join forces - a decision that could result in three of the four church buildings within these parishes being declared redundant. The church councils of each parish have faced up to the reality of their respective situations and come to some difficult decisions. They have agreed that the cause of the Gospel will be better served in the Bala area if resources are concentrated in one church building. It seems likely therefore that the final services have already been held in the church buildings in Llangower and Llanycil with the likely final service at Llanuwchllyn church being a Plygain service on 4th January 2004. "

BALA, Christ Church 1853-1857   - on the Church plans online site

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

• Bala-Bangor Manuscripts 1826-1967    "The history of the Bala-Bangor College is a complex one, which begins in 1842 with the establishment of the Independent College in Bala, Merionethshire........."
• Papers on the Bala and Bala-Bangor Independent Colleges 1855-1941

 

Rees, Thomas & John Thomas Hanes Eglwysi Annibynnol Cymru (History of the Welsh Independent Churches), 4 volumes (published 1871+). The Bala  section (in Welsh) has been extracted

Church Records

Joyce Hinde has supplied a list of Parish Registers held at Merioneth Record Office.

Description and Travel

Bala Information Page - tourist data

Bala Lake Railway

Bala Today - a Cambrian News site

An old view of Llanycil  - on the Abercelyn site

Moel Uchaf Dol-haidd - on the Heneb site

Tomen y Bala castle - on Castle Wales

Gazetteers

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

Genealogy

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

• Peryddon (J. H. Lloyd), papurau (papers) 1799-1970   "J. H. (John Humphrey) Lloyd ('Peryddon', b. 1884) was a native of Bala, Merionethshire.............He wrote short stories and novels (unpublished), and also collected materials relating to the history and culture of Bala."

History

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

• Davies, Arthur L., Dr, papurau (papers) 1818-[1952]           "Notebooks of Dr Arthur L. Davies, [1903]-[1952], containing biographical material, letters and copy letters, poetry, photographs and historical material relating to Llanuwchllyn and Bala, Merionethshire; exercise book and autograph book of Thomas Davies, 1818, [1860s]; and copies of Seren y Mynydd, 1895"
• Williams, D. Moelwyn, poetry and Bala Junction station archives 1951-1974  "Bala Junction Station was opened in 1882, for passengers using the Llangollen line for Bala Town and/or Blaneau Festiniog.............."

Land and Property

The History of Abercelyn (House) site

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

• Llwynrodyn, Llanycil, Deeds 1699-1950  "Ellis William (d. [1780]) lived at Llwynrodyn (or Llwyn yr Odyn), Llanycil, Merionethshire............."
• Plas yn Dre, Y Bala, Deeds 1509-1884  "The Plas yn Dre estate, Bala, Merionethshire, was held by the Lloyd family from the late 17th century...."
• Deeds relating to the Price Family of Llanycil  1584-1878     "John Price was the son and heir of Ellis Price of Boch yr hayad............"
•  Semple collection of Llanycil, Trawsfynydd and Bala deeds and papers 1837-1932   
• Creini Estate [Bala], sale records  1912-1914

Maps

Occupations

The manganese mines of Merionethshire

Poorhouses, Poor Law, etc.

Bala Workhouse - on Peter Higginbotham's site

Social Life and Customs

BBC Wales site - Local Legends - 'Coch Bach y Bala (the Welsh Houdini)

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