RHOSSILI

"RHOSSILI, (or Rosilly), a parish in the hundred of Swansea, county Glamorgan, 16 miles S.W. of Swansea, its post town, and 6 from Penrice. It is situated on Rhossili Bay, near Worms Head, and was given by Fitz Hamon to Reginald de Sulwy. Limestone isabundant. A great portion of the parish is occupied by Rhossili Downs, which are devoted to pasture. In stormy weather the sea makes so terrific a noise in rushing up through a cave, designated the "Barometer," that it can be heard at a distance of 7 miles. In the 17th century a Spanish galleon was wrecked here, from which many dollars were picked up in 1833, bearing date 1631, and more have been discovered since that period. It was likewise on this coast that the City of Bristol was wrecked in 1840. The living is a rectory* in the diocese of St. David's, value £135. The church is dedicated to St. Mary.

"WORM'S HEAD, a dangerous promontory or headland on the S. side of Rhosilly Bay, in the parish of Rhossili, county Glamorgan. It is united to the mainland by a narrow strip of rock about three-fourths of a mile long, called Worm's Sound, which is submerged during high tide."

[Transcribed from The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland 1868]
by Colin Hinson ©2018