Tywyn
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"TYWYN, (or Towyn), a parish, post, and market town in the hundred of Estimaner, county Merioneth, 12 miles N. of Aberystwith, and 10 from Barmouth Ferry, with which it is connected by a short branch of the Aberystwith and Welsh coast railway. It is a bathing-place situated under the hills, near Cardigan Bay, opposite Sarn-y-Buch shoal. The parish includes Aberdovey, Cefnrhos, Cynfalfach, Faenol, and 7 other townships The town is much resorted to for bathing. In the parish is a small harbour easy of access. The herring fishery is carried on to some extent, and lead, copper, and slate are productive. The soil is rocky. Much of the marshes have been reclaimed, and are now rich meadow and pasture. The ruins of Trebeni Castle are seen on the hills. The river abounds in salmon." [From The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland (1868) - Transcribed by Colin Hinson ©2003]
Bibliography
Aberdovey & Tywyn pocket companion. Tywyn : Aberdovey & Tywyn Tourism Council, 1993. 48p
Aberdovey : a glimpse of the past : a collection of photographs. [Aberdovey] : [Hugh M. Lewis], [1975] 64p
Beech, Michael J. My childhood in Tywyn, Meirionydd : 1942-1951. Montpon-Ménestérol : Les Presses de la Double, 2002. 69 leaves
Leigh, Leslie A. Tenant farmer family in-migration and stability in the parishes of Pennal and Tywyn, 1838-1910. Journal of the Merioneth Historical and Record Society 12 (1996), p. 277-88
Lewis, Hugh M. Aberdovey official guide. Aberdovey : Aberdovey Advertising Association, [195-?] 42p
Morgan, Thomas O. New guide to Aberdovey and its neighbourhood : with some account of Towyn, Machynlleth, and the vales of Dovey and Dysynwy. Aberystwyth : J. Cox, 1854. 118p
Official guide Tywyn Meirionnydd, Gwynedd : home of the Talyllyn Railway. 5th ed. Tywyn : Tywyn and District Publicity Bureau, [1985]. 114p
Thomas, Henry. Some features and episodes in the history of St. Cadvan's Church, Towyn. 1964?
Towyn, Merioneth : the official guide. Gloucester : British Publishing Co., [195-?] 56p
Business and Commerce Records
Details of extant records on Archives Network Wales for the following;
- Towyn Friendly Society and Aberllefenni Slate and Slab Quarries Co. records 1832-1953
"Towyn Friendly Society was established in c.1830 in Tywyn, Merionethshire............. Aberllefenni Slate and Slab Quarries Co., Machynlleth, Montgomeryshire, managed the Aberllefenni Quarry, close to Corris, Montgomeryshire, during the 19th and 20th centuries; its records became incorporated in those of Towyn Friendly Society."
Churches
| St Cadfan, Tywyn (Church in Wales) |
| St Matthew, Bryncrug (Church in Wales) |
| St Peter, Aberdyfi (Church in Wales) |
| Capel Baddon, Aberdyfi (Baptist) |
| Tywyn Baptist Church, Tywyn |
| Bethesda Chapel, Tywyn |
| Congregational Church, Aberdyfi (Independent) |
| Saron Chapel, Bryncrug (Welsh Independent) |
| Sunday School, Cwrt (Independent) |
| Cemetery, Aberdovey |
| Cemetery, Tywyn |
| Presbyterian Church, Aberdyfi (English Presbyterian) |
| Catholic Church, Aberdyfi (Roman Catholic) |
| St David, Tywyn (Roman Catholic) |
| Chapel, Frongoch (Unknown) |
| Kingdom Hall, Tywyn (Jehovah's Witnesses) |
You can also perform a more selective search for churches in the Tywyn area or see them printed on a map.
Church History
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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. Parish statistics; Area 26372 acres; Population 1322 males, 1447 females, total 2769
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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 Saron, Bryncrug chapel (in Welsh ) - with translation by Eleri Rowlands And Towyn chapel (No translation) And Aberdyfi chapel (No translation)
Various items - on the People's Collection Wales site
- Church, Tywyn
- Bethel chapel; (CM), Tywyn
- Bryn-crug Chapel, Tywyn with Nain Griff Brynglas
- Tywyn children's choir outside Bethel chapel, c. 1885
Church Records
Joyce Hinde has supplied a list of Parish Registers held at Merioneth Record Office.
Details of extant records on Archives Network Wales for the following;
- Eglwys Bethel (MC), Tywyn, casgliad (collection) 1879-1971 ".....established in 1815, with a new chapel being built in 1871......"
- Eglwys Gynulleidfaol Bethesda (Bethesda Congregational Church), Tywyn, cofnodion (records) 1809-1957
"The cause at Bethesda Congregational Church, Tywyn, Merionethshire, was begun in 1804. ......."
Description and Travel
Narrow Gauge Railway Museum at Tywyn Wharf
Tywyn - on Wikipedia
Aberdovey - on Wikipedia
Aberdovey - on the Aberdyfi.org site
Various landscapes/seascapes - on the People's Collection Wales site
You can see pictures of Tywyn which are provided by:
Gazetteers
- The transcription of the section for Tywyn from The National Gazetteer (1868) provided by Colin Hinson.
- A Topographical Dictionary of Wales by Samuel Lewis, 1833 (inc Aberdovey)
Ask for a calculation of the distance from Tywyn to another place.
Click here for a list of nearby places.
Genealogy
Details of extant records on Archives Network Wales for the following;
- Owens brothers of Rhoslefain, Tywyn, archives. 20th century "Hugh W. and Haydn Owens were brothers from Rhoslefain, Tywyn, Merionethshire, who moved to the USA. ...... "
- Williams, W. Pryce, of Tywyn, papers "papers of W. Pryce Williams, 1863-1958, comprising printed flyers of local interests, 1887-1958, including lists of pupils at Towyn Council School, 1927-1936; family papers, 1894-1939; letters, 1894-1907; note books, 1863-1935; and miscellaneous papers, 1891-1955"
Historical Geography
You can see the administrative areas in which Tywyn has been placed at times in the past. Select one to see a link to a map of that particular area.
History
Tywyn enamel works group c 1885 - on the People's Collection Wales site
Maps
Gwynedd Family History Society have a diagram of the ecclesiastical parishes of Merionethshire (under Parishes) - with some links to photographs of parish churches
Plan of the parish of Towyn in the County of Merioneth - on the People's Collection Wales site
You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SH632014 (Lat/Lon: 52.593477, -4.021082), Tywyn which are provided by:
- This place shown on an OpenStreetMap map.
- Google Streetview
- StreetMap (Current Ordnance Survey maps)
- OpenStreetMap
- OpenStreetMap Cymru (Welsh counties only)
- Bing (was Multimap)
- OldMaps (Old Ordnance Survey maps.)
- Old Maps Online (Other old maps.)
- National Library of Scotland (Best site for old maps)
- Vision of Britain (Click "Historical units & statistics" for administrative areas.)
- English Jurisdictions in 1851 (Unfortunately the LDS have removed the facility to enable us to specify a starting location, you will need to search yourself on their map.)
- Magic (Geographic information) (Click + on map if it doesn't show)
- Elgin Road Works
- GeoHack (Links to on-line maps and location specific services.)
- All places within the same township/parish shown on an Openstreetmap map.
- Nearby townships/parishes shown on an Openstreetmap map.
- Nearby places shown on an Openstreetmap map.
Merchant Marine
Details of extant records on Archives Network Wales for the following;
- Aberdovey Port (Aberdyfi) trading letters and accounts "Xerox copies of Aberdovey Port, Aberdyfi, trading letters and accounts, 1787-1794 [20th century]."
- Aberdyfi crew lists 1863-1913 "Crew lists, merchant ships' agreements and official logbooks of ships connected to Aberdyfi, registered at Aberystwyth, 1863-1913"
- T. Wynne Thomas of Aberdovey Archives "Papers ..... relating to Aberdyfi, comprising Cambrian Railways-Port Aberdovey account books, 1882-1888; newspaper cuttings on shipping at Aberdovey and the Second World War, 1882-1944; manuscripts, 1925-1926; printed booklet, 1946; and photograph of the Aberdovey Lifeboat, [undated]."
- Wynne-Williams, R. A., Cambrian Railways port papers "Cambrian Railways Company, rgister of vessels, Port of Aberdovey, 1895-1932; and notes of ships using Aberdovey Port, 1934-1959."
Military History
Tywyn Memorial Hospital, built 1922, was built as a memorial to those killed in the First World War - on the People's Collection Wales site
Occupations
The manganese mines of Merionethshire
Various items - on the People's Collection Wales site
- A threshing machine, Tywyn
- Tywyn enamel works group
- Working on a submarine telecommunications cable from Barmouth to Tywyn
Schools
Various items - on the People's Collection Wales site
- Girls, Tywyn school
- Boys, Tywyn school (1890)
- Towyn British School Log Book, Merionethshire, 1863-76 (34 images]
