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Llanllyfni

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"LLANLLYFNI, a parish in the hundred of Uwch-Gorfai, county Carnarvon, 6 miles S. of Carnarvon, its post town, and 13 N.E. of Nevin. It is situated to the W. of Snowdon, and is watered by the river Llyfni, which rises in Lake Nanlle, flows through here, and empties itself into Carnarvon Bay. Here are copper and manganese mines, also slate quarries, which afford employment to the people. There is a tram-road to Carnarvon for the transit of the products of the mines. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Bangor, value £240, in the patronage of the bishop. The church, dedicated to St. Rhedyw, is an ancient edifice built in the form of a cross. In this parish is an old house built on the site of one inhabited by Edward I., who is said to have made a stay here in 1284. There are remains of dwellings supposed to have been those of the first inhabitants,- also of an ancient camp by the river." [From The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland (1868) - Transcribed by Colin Hinson ©2003]

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Bibliography

  • Dutton, L A. A quernstone from Llwyn-Bedw-Isaf, Llanllyfni. Transactions of the Caernarvonshire Historical 49 (1988), p. 178-80
  • Green, Stephen. A find of Bronze Age 'ring money' from Graianog, Llanllyfni, Gwynedd. Bulletin of the Board of Celtic Studies 35 (1988), p. 87-91
  • Jones, Thomas Ll. Hanes dechreuad a chynydd Methodistiaeth yn Llanllyfni, Nantlle, Ffridd, Talysarn, Cesarea, Baladaulyn, a Hyfrydle : ynghyd a hanes dechreuad a chynnydd yr Ysgol Sabbothol yn y Ffridd, Talysarn, Gelli, Cesarea, ochr y Cilgwyn, Tanyrallt, Baladaulyn, a Hyfrydle. Dolgellau : D. H. Jones, 1875. 52p
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Business & Commerce Records

Penyrorsedd Slate Quarry Co., additional records  1856-1979 - details of extant records on Archives Network Wales 
"The Penyrorsedd slate quarry, close to the village of Talysarn, Llanllyfni, was first developed in 1816. The Darbishire family, who expanded the operation with three mills built in 1860, 1870 and 1898, owned the quarry........"

Llanwnda Mill Account Book - details of extant records on Archives Network Wales
"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"

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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.

Llanllyfni Parish; Statistics; Area 7521 acres; Population 995 males, 1015 females, total 2010

  • Llanllyfni Parish Church    "Consecrated from time immemorial, rebuilt and enlarged in the reign of Henry 7th"      Attendance - morning 60, afternoon 30     Services in Welsh      John Jones, Minister
  • Tyn Lon, Babtist           Erected more than 60 years ago              Attendance - usual - morning 20, afternoon 20           No Sunday School kept              Informant; Rowland Jones, Village
  • Soar, Penygroes, Independents                  Erected 1834         Attendance - morning 49, afternoon 86, evening 120          Samuel Jones, Minister, Penygroes
  • Pen y Groes, Calvinistic Methodist            Erected 1834            Attendance - morning 135 scholars, afternoon 161, evening 174         William Owen, Deacon, Penbrynmawr, Llanllyfni
  • Ebenezer, Baptist               Erected 1826           Attendance - morning 60, afternoon 50 scholars, evening 82                  Robert Jones, Baptist Minister, Llanllyfni
  • Salem, Calvinistic Methodist                  Erected 1812           Attendance - morning 149, afternoon 225 scholars, evening 275                    Robert Parry, Elder, Tynllan, Llanllyfni
  • Ysgoldy Mynydd Llanllyfni, Calvinistic Methodist           Erected c 1827          Attendance - morning 150 scholars, afternoon 140, evening 55        Richard Roberts, Elder, Bod Ychain, nr Llanllyfni

        Salem Chapel, Llanllyfni Records 1813-1921 - details of extant records on Archives Network Wales
        "3 books recording the names of Sunday preachers and other meetings held at Salem Chapel. Also, a list of preachers who served Salem from 1813-1864 and a history of the beginnings of Methodism in Tal-y-sarn dated 1921"

        • 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 Talysarn  chapel (in Welsh) - with translation by Eleri Rowlands (June 2009)         Also Nazareth chapel        Also Drwsycoed chapel       Also Penygroes chapel       Also Llanllyfni chapel  - with translations by Eleri Rowlands (July 2009)

        Various items - on the People's Collection Wales  site

        • ST RHEDYW'S CHURCH, LLANLLYFNI 
        • SALEM CHAPEL, LLANLLYFNI
        • PENCHWAREL SUNDAY SCHOOL (CALVINISTIC METHODIST)
        • BETHANIA BAPTIST CHAPEL, TAL-Y-SARN
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        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"

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        Description & Travel

        Llanllyfni - on the Dyffryn Nantlle site

        Various landscapes  - on the People's Collection Wales  site

        You can see pictures of Llanllyfni which are provided by:

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        Gazetteers

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        History

        Llanllyfni Parish History 1949 - details of extant records on Archives Network Wales
        ".........Canon Gwynfryn Richards, Vicar of Conwy, was the joint winner of a competition in the National Eisteddfod in 1949 in Dolgellau to write a history of any country parish in Wales. He chose to write about the parish of Llanllyfni....."

        Various items  - on the People's Collection Wales  site

        • The Llanllyfni Hair Ring   " ...... This thickened ring is made of gold foil wrapped around a copper or bronze core and was probably used as an item of personal adornment, perhaps in the hair, during the late Bronze Age...."
        • Pris a dalwyd yn y flwyddyn 1855 i'r plwyf Llanllyfni am" treth y tlodion"  [Price paid in 1855 to the parish Llanllyfni for "poor rate"]
        • Memorandum of receipt of Thomas Roberts, Petty Constable pa. [rish] Llanllifni [Llanllyfni], from Owen Jones of Llanllifni [Llanllyfni], of 20 shillings as a fine for selling ale on the sabbath day. The money has been delivered to Humphrey ap Evan Gruffith, churchwarden. Appended [in another hand]: Note: 'Sworne to be true'. dd 23 Apr 1655
        • Poor rate receipt for one pound payed by Henry Jones, Talgmignedd, Parish of Llanllyfni, 1846
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        Maps

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

        The parish of Llanllyfni in Carnarvonshire - on the People's Collection Wales  site

        You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SH496517 (Lat/Lon: 53.041233, -4.244843), Llanllyfni which are provided by:

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        Schools

        Black and white photograph showing a plaque at the British School, Llanllyfni, produced by Malcolm Seaborne, 1989 - on the People's Collection Wales  site