Dôlgelley (Dôl-Gellau, or Dôl-Gelleu) - From 'A Topographical Dictionary of Wales' (1849)
DÔLGELLEY (DÔL-GELLAU, or DÔLGELLEU), a market-town and parish, and the head of a union, in the hundred of Tàl-y-Bont and Mowddwy, county of Merioneth, North Wales, 18 miles (S. W.) from Bala, 20 (S. E.) from Harlech, and 211 (W. N. W.) from London; containing 3695 inhabitants, of whom 2016 are in the town of Dôlgelley. This place derives its name, which is compounded of Dôl, "a dale," and Celli, "a grove of hazel-trees," from being situated in a vale abounding with hazels. During the insurrection headed by Owain Glyndwr, that aspiring chieftain assembled a parliament at this town, whence he despatched his chancellor, Griffith Yonge, LL.D., archdeacon of Merioneth, and his kinsman John Hanmer, ambassadors to the French court, with credentials beginning "Owinus, Dei gratiâ princeps Walli1æ," and dated thus:—"Datum apud Doleguelli 10 die mensis Maii, MCCCC quarto, et principatûs nostri quarto." In the war between Charles I. and the parliament, Dôlgelley was occupied by a small garrison for the latter, and was besieged by about one hundred of the king's troops, who, however, were dispersed by Mr. Edward Vaughan, and their captain made prisoner.
The town is justly regarded as the provincial metropolis of Merionethshire, being by far the most populous and central of any within its limits. It occupies a delightful situation, on the road from Welshpool to Barmouth, in a fertile and picturesque vale, bounded by lofty mountains, adorned with numerous genteel residences, and watered by the river Wnion, or Gwynion, which unites with the Maw, or Mawddach, near Llanelltyd, about two miles lower down, and thence, under the latter name, flows into Cardigan bay at Barmouth. The streets are irregularly formed, and the houses mostly ill-built. A good line of houses, however, was erected by the late Sir R. W. Vaughan, Bart., called, in respect for the venerable nobleman of that name, Eldon Row; and many other parts of the town have experienced, or are now undergoing, considerable improvement. The river Wnion is here crossed by a stone bridge of seven arches, erected in 1638, and some time ago enlarged and repaired. A book society has been formed, which consists of several highly respectable members. The parish is about sixteen miles in length, and from three to four in breadth, nearly the whole of it being rocky mountainous land consisting of sheep-walks and turbaries, in the latter of which a considerable quantity of peat is obtained; the portion of arable and meadow land is little more than onefortieth part of the superficial extent. Upwards of 6000 acres of waste land were inclosed by act of parliament in 1811. A great quantity of peat is brought up the river Maw from an extensive turbary near Barmouth, at which place the coal used by the inhabitants is imported.
Dôlgelley and its vicinity have long been noted for the manufacture of a sort of coarse woollen cloth, or flannel, called "WEBS," or "Welsh plains." This material is likewise manufactured in two other districts, one in Montgomeryshire, and the other in Denbighshire: but the quantity produced in Dôlgelley and its environs is by far the greatest. The manufacture of "webs" in this town is of remote origin, as appears by acts of parliament of the first and third of James I., and by two orders for its regulation from the Privy Council of Charles I., which are further noticed in the article on the county of Merioneth. The warp is now composed of the fleece wool of the country; while the woof is a mixture, containing about one-third, and sometimes one-half, of lambs' wool. The "webs" of Dôlgelley, in common with those of Machynlleth in Montgomeryshire, are called by the drapers " strong cloth," to distinguish them from those of the Glyn district in Denbighshire, which are termed "small cloth," because the pieces are about one-eighth of a yard narrower, though of the same length. Until towards the close of the last century, the only market for them was one held weekly, on Thursday, at Shrewsbury, in the hall belonging to the drapers of that town, where no buyers but of that particular guild were admitted, and an injurious monopoly consequently prevailed; but agents were afterwards employed by the merchants of Liverpool and Shrewsbury, to collect them at the place of their manufacture. In the last century they were chiefly sold directly from the loom; but fulling-mills have since been erected upon the banks of the streams in the neighbourhood, and bleaching-grounds formed along the sides of the hills. Much business is also done at Dôlgelley in the dressing of native lamb-skins and foreign lamb and kid skins, upwards of 100,000 of the former being sent annually to Worcester and Chester, and a few to London. Tanning is carried on to a considerable extent, and in some of the adjacent parishes copper and lead exist.
During the period of about ten years which intervened between the close of the American war and the commencement of the great European struggle, the web-manufacturers of Dôlgelley established a warehouse at the port of Barmouth, and thence conveyed about one-third of their manufactures by sea to London, the small vessels employed taking each about 300 webs, each consisting of two pieces, over a ballast of slate or paving stones. The total number of yards annually thus exported amounted to about 25,000. This maritime trade, however, ceased in 1793, when it became necessary to return to the old method of land-carriage, which was five times more expensive, and, conjointly with other circumstances, caused such a decline in the prosperity of the trade, that many of the weavers were compelled to seek other employment. The town is principally supplied with groceries from Liverpool, the goods being brought to Barmouth, and thence conveyed up the river Maw in boats varying from ten to twenty tons' burthen, to a place near Llanelltyd bridge, within two miles of Dôlgelley. There are two weekly markets, on Tuesday and Saturday; and fairs, chiefly for the sale of horned-cattle, horses, cheese, butter, &c., are held on February 20th, April 21st, May 11th, June 27th, August 13th, September 20th, October 9th, November 22nd, and December 16th.
The summer assizes, and the Easter and Michaelmas quarter-sessions, for the county, are held here; but seldom more than two or three prisoners are tried at the former, and frequently none at all. The powers of the county debt-court of Dôlgelley, established in 1847, extend over the registration-district of Dôlgelley. Petty-sessions are held here for the division. The county-hall, which is situated near the river Wnion, is a neat stone edifice of mixed architecture, erected in 1825, at an expense of £3000: the length of the front is about seventy-three feet. The court-room is handsomely fitted up with the necessary accommodations for the officers of justice, and measures about forty-four feet by thirty feet: on the right of it are, a retiring-room for the judges, an apartment for the petty jury, and the record office; and on the left are a grand-jury room, and an armoury for the county. In the grand-jury room is a portrait by Sir Martin Shee of the late Sir Robert Vaughan, for forty-four years representative of the shire in parliament. The county gaol, situated at the outskirts of the town, is a semicircular edifice of stone, built in 1811, at an expense of nearly £5000; it includes also the house of correction, comprises three day-rooms and four airing-yards, and will admit of a classification of the prisoners into five divisions.
The LIVING is a rectory, rated in the king's books at £13. 1. 8., and in the patronage of the crown; the tithes have been commuted for a rent-charge of £499. 17. There is no parsonage-house, nor was there any glebe attached to the living prior to the inclosure of waste land in the year 1811, when five acres, lying about three miles from the town, were assigned to the rector out of the allotment due to the crown. The church, dedicated to St. Mary, is a neat structure, principally of Grecian architecture, with a square embattled tower, which contains an excellent peal of eight bells, and was erected with a bequest of £50 left in 1727 by the Rev. Ellis Lewis, of this place. In the church is an old monument to the memory of Meiric Vychan ab Ynyr Vychan, fifth in descent from Prince Cadwgan, son of Bleddyn ab Cynvyn; who resided at the neighbouring house of Nannau, which still continues in the possession of his descendants: he is represented as clad in close mail, wearing a helmet and neck-guard, with a sword in his hand, and a dog at his feet; his shield bears a lion passant gardant, with the inscription "Hic jacet Mauric filius Ynyr Vychan." A handsome monument has also been erected to the memory of the late Lord Chief Baron Richards, who was a native of this parish. An ancient chapel, called Yspytty Gwanas, was formerly situated at about four miles' distance on the road to Dinas-Mowddwy; the site is now marked by a few yew-trees. There are places of worship for Calvinistic Methodists, Independents, Wesleyans, and Baptists.
The Free grammar school was founded in 1665, by John Ellis, D.D., incumbent of the parish, who bequeathed a tenement called Penrhyn, in the parish of Llanaber, in this county, for the instruction of twelve poor boys. It was further endowed by the Rev. Ellis Lewis, by will dated August 21st, 1727, with a tenement called Kîlgwyn, in the parish of Llandrillo-yn-Rhôs, Denbighshire, and with £50 for the erection of a schoolroom; also with £300 in the three per cent. consols., by the Rev. Mr. Tamberlain, a late incumbent. The present income, arising from these and some minor donations, is above £40 per annum: the master, who is appointed by the rector of Dôlgelley, must, according to the will of Ellis Lewis, be a graduate of either Oxford or Cambridge, and without cure of souls. There are also, a National school for boys and girls, with an infants' school in the same large building; a British school, established in 1845; and a small school opened in October 1846, at Islaw'rdre, about three miles distant from Dôlgelley, on the unfrequented mountain-road that leads to Towyn. The number of Sunday schools in the parish is eleven. John Rowlands, Esq., of London, left the sum of £4 per annum for apprenticing boys; and a few other small benefactions have been made for the poor of this place, the principal being a farm called Vaenol, in the parish of Towyn, left by William John Evans in 1651, and producing £21 per annum, which, with about £5 arising from the other bequests, is shared in money, clothing, and bread, at stated periods, among the poor. The poor-law union of which this town is the head, was formed January 12th, 1837, and comprises the thirteen following parishes and townships: namely, Dôlgelley, Is-y-Graig and Uwch-y-Graig, Llanaber, Llanddwywau, Llanegrin, Llanelltyd, Llanenddwyn, Llangelynin, Llanvachreth, Llanvihangel-y-Pennant, Llanymowddwy, Mallwyd, and Tàlyllyn. It is under the superintendence of nineteen guardians, and contains a population of 13,208.
Part of the building in which a parliament was held by Owain Glyndwr is still standing among a group of old houses near the Ship Inn, and is called Cwrt Plâs-yn-Drêv, "the town-hall court." The Roman Via Occidentalis is supposed to have taken its course from Menapia (St. David's) to Segontium (Carnarvon) by this town, between which and Trawsvynydd, at a place called Pen-y-Strŷd, or "the head of the street," part of it may yet be traced. Close to the town, near a well called Fynnon Vair, "St. Mary's Well," the water of which was formerly considered efficacious in the cure of rheumatic diseases, a few Roman coins have been discovered. A golden torques (a baldric worn as a badge of distinction by some of the Roman conquerors of Britain, and by such of the ancient British chieftains as were their allies) was found in a turbary, in 1823, on the margin of Llyn Gwernan, near the northern cliffs of Cader Idris, by James P. Hughes, Esq. He found it whilst shooting, and, ignorant of its value as a very rare relic of antiquity, offered it for sale to a friend for five shillings; the offer being rejected, Mr. Hughes presented it to David Jones, Esq., one of the clerks of the engrossments of the House of Commons, by whom it was discovered to be a torques. It is about forty-two inches in length, weighs eight ounces and eight pennyweights, and the intrinsic value of the metal is about £36. In the grounds of Nannau, in the parish, are the remains of a British fortification, called Moel Orthrwm, "the hill of oppression," or Moel Ofrwm, "the hill of sacrifice:" it is formed by the summit of a high rock, encircled by a rampart of loose stones.
The mansion of Nannau, situated about two miles from Dôlgelley, is a handsome substantial structure, having been rebuilt on a more eligible site by the late Sir R. W. Vaughan, Bart.; it stands on very high ground, and is surrounded by thick woods and plantations, which hold a high rank among the beauties of the Vale of Dôlgelley. In the reign of Henry IV., the estate of Nannau belonged to Howel Sele, a warm partisan of the house of Lancaster, and the bitter enemy of Owain Glyndwr, his first cousin. To reconcile the kinsmen, the abbot of Cymmer contrived a meeting at this place, and apparently succeeded in his design; but whilst walking out, Owain, observing a doe feeding, pointed it out as a fine mark to Howel, who was considered the most skilful archer of that period, and the latter bent his bow, and pretended to take aim, but suddenly turning round, let fly at Owain, who, however, being protected by armour which he wore under his clothes, received no injury. Owain immediately seized his treacherous kinsman, and burnt his mansion of Nannau to the ground. Howel was conveyed to some place of imprisonment, and was never afterwards heard of alive; but, about forty years after this event, the skeleton of a man, supposed to be his, was discovered in the hollow trunk of a huge oak, in which he had probably been confined by Owain.
The Vale of Dôlgelley is remarkable for the number and variety of the prospects which it affords, the scenery being characterized by surpassing grandeur, richness, and diversity of aspect. There is, probably, no place in the principality whence so many interesting excursions may be made, as from Dôlgelley; in consequence of which, tourists usually station themselves here for some days. Among the principal objects claiming notice is the towering Cader Idris, "the seat of Idris," situated in this parish, the summit of which is 2850 feet above the level of Dôlgelley Green, being exceeded in height only by two other mountains in Wales. Its southwestern ascent commences on the sea-shore, close to the estuary of the small river Dysynni, about a mile from Towyn, and proceeds almost uninterruptedly, first northward for three miles, and then for ten miles east-north-eastward, with a branch, nearly three miles long, extending in a south-western direction parallel to the main ridge. The ascent from Dôlgelley, which usually occupies nearly three hours, commences about a mile and a half from the town, on the road to Towyn. This performed, and the highest summit, called Pen-y-Gader, once attained, a scene presents itself, of vast extent, and of almost indescribable grandeur, having a circumference of at least 500 miles. To the north the prospect is terminated by Snowdon, with its dependent mountains; on the west, by the bay of Cardigan, bounded by the Carnarvonshire hills; on the south, by the Radnorshire hills and Plinlimmon mountain, with a partial glimpse between them of the bay of Swansea and the Bristol Channel, together with the conspicuous summits of the Brecknockshire hills; and on the east by the lake of Bala, the two Arenig mountains, the two Arans, and the long chain of the Berwyn mountains, with the Breidden and Wrekin hills, and even Blackstone Edge on the border of Lancashire: occasionally also some of the Irish mountains are visible. Within the limits of these interesting boundaries numberless objects of romantic beauty, including mountains of different forms and elevations, valleys, lakes, harbours, towns, and villages, combine to form a landscape rarely excelled for richness and variety. The mountain is steep and craggy on every side, but especially on the south, to the border of Talyllyn lake, where the descent is almost perpendicular. Its breadth bears only a small proportion to its length; a line passing along its base and intersecting the summit would hardly measure four miles and a half, while in other parts the breadth of the base seldom exceeds one mile. At a place called Rhiwgredydd, within a few yards of the path along which the ascent is generally made, in the side of the mountain, a sort of mineral, much resembling English amber, was discovered in 1831; the vein extends horizontally between two rocks, and is about three-quarters of a yard in breadth.
The cataracts in the vicinity are also of surpassing interest and transcendent beauty. Of these, the nearest is Rhaiadr dû, or "the Black Cascade," more commonly called Dôl-y-MelynllYn Cascade, situated a little beyond the fifth milestone, on the road to Trawsvynydd. It is approached by a path leading from the left of the road up a tolerably steep woody ascent, whence the river Camlan is seen pouring its waters over a rocky precipice full forty feet in perpendicular height, in two principal sheets, and through some lateral gullies into a bed of dark-coloured disjointed rocks, leaving which it is speedily engulfed in the darkness of the adjacent woods. A view of its further progress is obtained by means of a steep and intricate path, leading to the foot of the cascade, where a beautiful prospect opens: an additional waterfall, nearly thirty feet in height, appears immediately in front; to the left, the former cataract tumbles furiously over the rocks, which in many places are covered with a pure white lichen, and to the right rises a perpendicular mass of rocks, crowned with trees. About two miles to the north-east of these falls, in a deep, narrow, and thickly wooded valley, are the cascades of Pistyll Cain and Pistyll Mawddach, situated within a short distance of each other. The former is generally approached over a rude alpine bridge, formed by the trunk of an oak thrown from rock to rock across a dark, narrow chasm, where the river Cain rushes along with noisy and impetuous rage; after which, descending to the bottom of the fall, the river is seen rolling its foaming waters over a rugged ledge of rocks, about 200 feet in height, nearly perpendicular. Falling upon rocks of a light dun colour, the water has worn them into hollows of great depth and grotesque form. Pistyll Mawddach consists of three falls, the first forming a sheet about twenty feet broad, and nearly as many in height, which is received into a kind of natural basin, about thirty feet in diameter. Hence the river glides over the second precipice, by a fall of about thirty feet, into a second basin, larger than the former; and from this, contracting itself, it is precipitated over the third ledge, by a fall of twenty feet, into a capacious pool, from which issuing with boiling fury, it foams among the rocky fragments that interrupt its course, and proceeds onward to its junction with the Cain. The small mountain river Clywedog also, rising on Cader Idris, in its course of about two miles forms numerous waterfalls, some of which are fifty feet in height. This interesting river winds through some pleasure-grounds, and an excellent gravel-walk has been made along each of its banks, with others branching off, so as to afford a better view of the falls. Its waters, after heavy rains, descend with great velocity and noise over the huge rocks; its banks are well wooded, and the whole forms a scene highly picturesque and romantic. The road to Dinas-Mowddwy commands a fine view of the vale, with the town of Dôlgelley, and the lofty Cader Idris; and from Twrglâs, near Garthynghared, are seen the bay of Cardigan, Bardsey Island, the coast of Carnarvon, and the town of Barmouth, at the mouth of the Mawddach, with that river winding westward along the vale, which is bounded by the two Arans: the fore-ground is delightfully varied by the picturesque road from Dôlgelley to Barmouth, and the lofty rugged mountains and well-wooded fertile valleys that intervene. Lewis Owen, Esq., Vice-Chamberlain and Baron of the Exchequer for North Wales, who was barbarously murdered by a gang of lawless banditti, near Dinas-Mowddwy, whilst on his journey to the assizes at Montgomery in 1555, resided at Llwyn, near this town. |
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