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Conwy / Conway

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"CONWAY, (or Conwy), a parish, market town, municipal and parliamentary borough, in the hundred of Isaf, and county of Carnarvon, North Wales, 22 miles N.E. of Carnarvon, and 323 N.W. of London by road, or 233¼ miles by the North-Western and Chester and Holyhead railways. It is situated on the left bank near the mouth of the river Conway, hence called by the Welsh, Aber-Conway. The town is supposed by some antiquarians to occupy the site of the Roman station Conovium, and many antiquities have been found in the vicinity; but it is more probable that Caer-Rhun, a small village 5 miles higher up the river, was the ancient Conovium." [From The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland (1868) - Transcribed by Colin Hinson ©2003]

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Archives & Libraries

Conwy Library collection - details of extant records on Archives Network Wales
"Collection of Conwy Library 1875-1980, including newspapers, 1891-1896; records relating to the Conway School Board Controversy, 1877-1895; Medical Officer of Health reports, 1895-1907; Conwy rates, 1928; records relating to Conwy mills, including Gyffin Mill, 1962; records relating to the proposed demolition of Telford's Suspension Bridge, 1965 etc ...."

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Bibliography

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Business & Commerce Records

J and A Higginbottom's Garage on Conwy Quay c.1930  - on the People's Collection Wales site

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Cemeteries

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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.

Conway Parish and Borough; Statistics; Area 2437 acres; Population 730 males, 798 females, total 1528

  • Conway Parish Church                     Attendance - morning 98 + 114 scholars, afternoon 52             Services in Welsh and English              Morgan Morgan, Vicar
  • Carmel, Calvinistic Methodist            Erected 1828        Attendance - morning 175, afternoon 174 scholars, evening 275                John Williams, Deacon, Cyffredin, nr Conway
  • Sion Chapel, Independent             Erected 1824          Attendance - morning 60 scholars, afternoon 150, evening 130                 Henry Edwards, Deacon, Grossfford Bodidda, nr Conway
  • Tabernacle, Chapel St, Wesleyan Methodist                Erected 1826            Attendance - morning 88 inc 40 scholars, afternoon 195 scholars, evening 250 inc 180 scholars          William Bridge, Class Leader, Bookseller
  • Mount Chapel Chapel, Particular Baptists      Erected 1850        Attendance- morning 6 scholars, afternoon 33, evening 25          John Jones, Baptist Preacher
    • 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 Conwy  chapel (in Welsh ) - with a translation by Eleri Rowlands (April 2011)
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      Church Records

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

      Dyffryn Conwy Wesleyan Methodist Circuit records (Cofnodion Cylchdaith Wesleiaidd Methodistiadd Dyffryn Conwy) 1852-2001   - details of extant records on Archives Network Wales
      "The Welsh Methodist Society met in Ruthin in 1800, and the first Welsh language Wesleyan Methodist Chapel was opened in 1802. In 1802, the North Wales District was formed ........ churches were established throughout the area, organised into circuits ....... The Dyffryn Conwy Wesleyan Methodist Circuit covered Conway, Llandudno, Penmachno and Llanrwst."

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      Description & Travel

      County Borough of Conwy

      Journey to the past - Conwy & Castle & Suspension Bridge

      Welcome to Conwy

      A Castle Wales site - Conwy Castle  &  Conwy's Town Walls

      National Trust site - Conwy Suspension Bridge

      The Town Walls of Conwy

      Royal Cambrian Academy, Conwy

      Various items  - on the People's Collection Wales site

      • Conway Castle - by Griffith, Moses,  and also  Nicholson, Francis
      • 'Street view in Conway' by Wilhelmina Mary Martin, 19th century (watercolour) This watercolour features Plas Mawr, Conwy, one of the finest surviving town houses of the Elizabethan era to be found anywhere in the British Isles
      • Various landscapes 
      • Conwy Tunnel A55 under construction late 1980`s
      You can see pictures of Conwy / Conway which are provided by:

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      Gazetteers

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      History

      Various items   - on the People's Collection Wales site

      • Petition of Elizabeth Rushen, widow, Conway [Conwy] to Mr Madren and the rest of the bench re. money to pay for her journey with her 2 children to London to see what is due to her after her husband, a soldier, was killed by a corporal. Appended: No answer.dd 15 July 1653
      • Agreement to repair bridges, 7 April 1735 
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      Land & Property

      Map of Estates the property of Owen Holland Esqre. in the several parishes of Conway, Gyffin, Dwygyfylchi, Llanglynnin and Caerhun, 1776  - on the People's Collection Wales site

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      Maps

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

      Various items - on the People's Collection Wales site

      • Conway parish in the County of Carnarvon  
      • A plan of the bay and harbour of Conway in Caernarvon Shire

      You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SH769779 (Lat/Lon: 53.28356, -3.847403), Conwy / Conway which are provided by:

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      Poor Houses, Poor Law

      Conway workhouse - on Peter Higginbotham's site Conway Union Poor Law records  1837-1959 - details of extant records on Archives Network Wales
      "Conway Poor Law Union was formed on 11th April 1837. The Board of Guardians, 15 in number, represented its 15 constituent parishes across Caernarfonshire ..... "

      See below for further Poor Law material

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      Public Records

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

      • Conway Borough and Conwy Urban District Council Records [mid 17th century]-1974 
        "The castle and town of Conway was founded in 1283 by Edward I. The Borough was granted charters by Edward III in 1331 and Elizabeth I in 1561. It was administered by a Corporation consisting of a mayor, aldermen and the borough's burgesses ............"
      • Conwy Community Councils records 1331-1983 (accumulated 1977-1983)
        "From the late 19th century, civil parish councils formed the lowest tier of administration in areas covered by Rural District Councils. In 1974, Local Government re-organisation in Wales led to the renaming of Civil Parishes as Communities, and the creation of Community Councils in urban areas........"
      • Conwy (Conway) Borough and Parish Records 1570-1949
        "The collection consists of Poor Law records (1745-1783) and ...... borough and parish administrative material (1570-1786) ..................."
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      Schools

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

      • Conwy School Boards (Byrddau Ysgol Conwy) records 1873-1903
        "School Boards were reponsible for providing schools for a parish or group of parishes, following the Education Act 1872..."
      • Conwy Schools (Ysgolion Conwy) records 1838-1998
        "The school records typically comprise log books, attendance registers, and Local Management Committee minutes and papers...."
      • List of Conwy School Children    
        "A list of burgesses' children entered to Joseph Sheldon, schoolmaster, 2 November 1760 and November 1761-November 1762."