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Llangollen (Llan-Gollen) - From 'A Topographical Dictionary of Wales' (1849)
LLANGOLLEN (LLAN-GOLLEN), a market-town and parish, in the union of Corwen, Nant-heudwy division of the hundred of Chirk, county of Denbigh, in North Wales, 21½ miles (S. E. by S.) from Denbigh, 13½ (S. E. by S.) from Ruthin, and 183 (N. W.) from London; consisting of the two divisions of Glyn-Traian, and LlangollenTraian with Trevor-Traian, each supporting its own poor by a separate assessment; and the whole containing 4906 inhabitants, of whom 3955 are in the latter, which includes the town of Llangollen. The name of this place is derived from the dedication of its church to an ancient British saint named Collen. The town, which is beautifully situated in a deep and narrow valley, inclosed by lofty mountains, and watered by the noble stream of the Dee, appears to have been formerly protected by the neighbouring fortress of Castell Dinas Brân, occupying the summit of a vast conical hill which rises from the side of the vale immediately opposite to Llangollen. It is supposed to have been erected by some of the native Welsh lords of Yale, who made it their principal residence for several centuries; and Madoc ab Grufydd Maelor, one of these lords, about the year 1200, founded in an adjacent dell the famous abbey of Valle Crucis. His son and successor, Grufydd, in the reign of Henry III., taking part with the English against his countrymen, was compelled to immure himself in the fortress of Dinas Brân, to secure himself from the resentment of the latter. After the death of Grufydd ab Madoc, Edward I. gave the wardship of his two sons to John, Earl Warren, and Roger Mortimer, who, causing them to be murdered, received from the king a grant of the possessions of their late wards. The same monarch, by a charter to Roger Mortimer, dated July 16th, 1284, granted to the manor of Llangollen a weekly market, to be holden on Sunday, and two annual fairs, each of which was to continue for three days. In 1390, the castle of Dinas Brân was inhabited by a celebrated beauty, named Myvanwy Vechan, descended from the house of Tudor Trevor, and celebrated in an elegant and impassioned ode, still extant, by a poetic suitor named Einion Lygliw. The possession of Castell Dinas Brân was an object of frequent contention, in the reign of Henry IV., between Owain Glyndwr and the vassals of the English king. When it was deserted or dismantled is uncertain; but it is described by Leland, in the time of Henry VIII., as being then in a ruinous condition.
The houses of the town are in general old and of mean appearance, but occasionally interspersed with some handsome modern dwellings; and there is excellent accommodation for the numerous visiters who frequent the neighbourhood during the summer season, few of whom, in their excursions of pleasure in this part of Wales, fail to pass some time at the place. The buildings are for the most part constructed of a dark shaly stone, which gives them a very dull aspect. There is a stone bridge over the Dee, consisting of five pointed arches, erected in the year 1345, by John Trevor, Bishop of St. Asaph, and which was anciently regarded as one of the wonders of North Wales: the largest of the arches is twenty-five feet in span; the two smallest are placed in the centre: the piers are triangular, and rest on a bed of slippery rocks. The situation of Llangollen on the road from Shrewsbury to Holyhead causes it to be enlivened by the passage of travellers; and its inhabitants derive considerable advantage from the number of persons who visit it in the summer season, and make it their temporary abode, for the purpose of enjoying the scenery of the neighbourhood, which is equally pre-eminent for its grandeur and sublimity, and for its picturesque and romantic beauty. The parish comprises by admeasurement 16,386a. 2r., of which 3040 acres are arable, 4069 pasture, 2160 grass for hay, 5500 sheep-walk, and the remainder rough waste. The soil is light and gravelly, and the chief grain cultivated, barley and wheat; the grounds are interspersed with trees of oak, ash, elm, sycamore, and fir, and are watered by several minor streams, the chief of which is the Ceiriog, running along the southern boundary. The district is in many parts wild and mountainous.
The Vale of Llangollen, in proportion to its extent, comprehends a greater variety of interesting objects, and a more striking combination of the milder and nobler features of scenery, than probably any other valley in the principality. The river Dee, winding along the vale, which is environed by hills of stately elevation, in some parts of its course flows with a broad and unruffled surface, and in others rushes impetuously over the shelving rocks that interrupt its progress, adding equal beauty and fertility to the vale. This charming tract is richly diversified with verdant meadows, highly cultivated fields, barren hills, and luxuriant woodlands, stretching from the banks of the river, or depending in varied slopes from the lofty eminences that rise on either side, and finely interspersed with plantations and rural villas. At the eastern extremity of the vale is Wynnstay Park, the seat of Sir W. W. Wynn, Bart., the grounds of which are skirted by a thickly-wooded dingle, called Nant-y-Bele, "the dingle of the martin," but commonly known as Nant-y-Bellan, on a projecting rock in which an ornamental tower of white freestone has been erected, forming a conspicuous and pleasing object in the view. To the west of Wynnstay, which is described under the head of Ruabon parish, the banks of the Dee are beautifully fringed with wood; and over the river is a bridge on the road from Chirk to Ruabon, designated Newbridge, beyond which is the straggling village of Cevn, where another ornamental tower has been erected on the Wynnstay estate. On the southern side of the vale runs the road from Shrewsbury to Holyhead, which some time ago was diverted from its former course at the village of Chirk, and carried, by means of excavations and embankments, along the acclivity of the mountain, instead of its former rapid descent into the bottom of the vale. In the Llangollen part of the vale the Ellesmere canal is conveyed across it by the splendid aqueduct of Pont-y-Cysylltau, a stupendous structure of nineteen lofty arches. From this point upwards, the left side of the vale is bounded by a lofty barren mountain, at the base of which the lands on the bank of the river are divided into small inclosures of great fertility. Upon the right the lands, which are less elevated, and in a state of high cultivation, are occasionally interspersed with farmhouses and cottages, and ornamented with the plantations and pleasuregrounds belonging to various gentlemen's seats: among these Trevor Hall, the ancient residence of the Trevor family, is conspicuous; and romantically situated, almost at the water's edge, is the small but picturesque mansion of Plâs-y-Pentre. On the summit of an isolated rocky mountain, rising precipitously on the northern side of the vale to the height of 1045 feet above the level of the sea at low water, are the magnificent ruins of Castell Dinas Brân, occupying the whole summit of the mountain, whose base is washed by the river Dee; the river is here about 250 feet above the same level, and on its opposite bank is the town of Llangollen, beautifully sheltered by a continuous chain of hills.
Above the town the valley of the Dee becomes exceedingly rich, and on the northern side is joined by the Vale of Eglwyseg, the charms of which are heightened by the interesting ruins of Valle Crucis Abbey, situated in a small fertile plain, watered by a winding rivulet, and embosomed among hills, whose sides are covered with verdure affording pasturage to numerous flocks of sheep. Beyond the picturesque ruins of the abbey, the vale of Eglwyseg is bounded on the right by the Eglwyseg rocks, extending for a considerable distance, and towering above each other in successive tiers to the height of 1500 feet above the sea. Of these stupendous rocks, which assume a rude and grotesque appearance, and in the fissures of which trees of stately growth have taken deep root, Craig Arthur, Craig yr Adar, and Craig y Vorwyn, or "the maiden's rock," are the most remarkable: the last obtained its name from the circumstance of a young woman of the neighbourhood having precipitated herself from its summit, in despair arising from the inconstancy of her lover. On the left hand the Eglwyseg vale is bounded by richly-wooded eminences: in the centre flows the river Brân, in beautiful windings; and at the extremity is the venerable mansion of Plâs Uchâv, erected in the reign of Elizabeth.
Llangollen is a market-town, and the market, chiefly for corn, is on Saturday: fairs are annually held on the last Friday in January, March 17th, May 31st, August 21st, and Nov. 22nd, for horses, cattle, pigs, butter, and cheese. In 1832 the town was made a polling-place in the election of knights for the shire. On the banks of the river Dee is an extensive factory, in which the first attempt to manufacture cotton fancy goods by power-looms was made by Mr. Turner, but the undertaking having passed successively into various hands, at last failed, and the building is at present used for making flannel, for which there are two other factories in the parish; the three employing respectively about 130, 80, and 12 hands. The neighbourhood abounds with coal and ironstone; and limestone is found in great abundance in the townships of Trevor Isâv and Uchâv: on the side of the mountain close to the Holyhead road are extensive lime-works, upon the Chirk Castle estate. About twenty-six tons of lead-ore were raised near Llangollen in 1846.
A branch of the Ellesmere canal extends up the vale, on the northern side, and, passing above the town of Llangollen, is continued along the left bank to within a quarter of a mile of Llantysillio church, where, arriving at nearly a level with the Dee, it receives a supply of water by means of a well-constructed weir, thrown across in the form of a semicircle. This and the main canal afford a ready means of conveyance for the produce of the district. The aqueduct of Pont-y-Cysylltau was projected, designed, and executed under the superintendence of Mr. Telford; the first stone was laid on the 25th of July, 1795, and the work was completed and opened to the public on the 26th of November, 1805, with the ceremony of a grand procession, led by the Earl of Bridgewater in his barge, accompanied by his countess, Sir Watkin Williams Wynn, Sir Foster Cunliffe, Colonel Kynaston Powell and his lady, and several other gentlemen and ladies of the vicinity, followed by boats full of people, and by two empty boats, which, after being loaded with coal on the north side, were taken across the aqueduct with flags flying, accompanied by the firing of guns and other demonstrations of joy. This magnificent work of art was formed with a view to continue the canal in a straight line to Chester, which was soon found impracticable, owing to the broken nature of the country. It is one thousand and seven feet in length, one hundred and twenty-six feet eight inches in height, and supported on nineteen arches of cast-iron, each forty-five feet in the span, resting on elegant piers of solid masonry; the watercourse is wholly of iron, eleven feet ten inches wide, and five feet three inches in depth. At the southern end is an embankment of earth, one thousand five hundred feet in length, and seventy-five feet in height nearest the aqueduct. By this means the canal is conveyed over the river Dee and the Vale of Llangollen to the Ruabon collieries and Trevor limeworks, and, at the distance of three hundred yards, terminates in an extensive basin, from which are tramways through the Acrevair collieries to the PlâsKynaston stone-quarries: the height of the canal above low water at the Mersey is three hundred and thirteen feet. At the extremity of the aqueduct are spacious wharfs for coal, timber, and lime, with boatbuilders' yards, and other accommodations connected with the navigation of the canal.
The Chester and Shrewsbury railway runs at the eastern end of the vale, a few miles from the town of Llangollen, beyond the parish boundary, passing from Ruabon by Wynnstay to Chirk. It is carried over the river Dee and the vale by a stupendous viaduct, at Newbridge (already mentioned), half a mile lower down than Pont-y-Cysylltau; and thus connects the two parishes of Ruabon and Chirk. The viaduct, forming a noble specimen of engineering and architectural skill, was designed by Henry Robertson, Esq., the engineer to the company, and executed by Mr. Brassey, contractor. It measures one thousand five hundred and eight feet in length, or between one-third and one-fourth of a mile; and stands one hundred and forty-seven feet above the level of the river, being higher than the great viaduct at Stockport, or the suspension-bridge at the Menai: the structure is supported by nineteen arches, of sixty feet span. From three to four hundred masons were employed the whole time of its construction, and the work, massive in its strength and beautiful in its proportions, was completed in the autumn of 1848.
The Living is a discharged vicarage, rated in the king's books at £9. 11. 10½.; patron, the Bishop of St. Asaph; impropriator, Sir W. W. Wynn: the tithes of the parish have been commuted for £888. 14. 9. payable to the impropriator, and £401. 18. 3. to the vicar, who has also a glebe of six acres, valued at £8 per annum, and a glebe-house. The church, dedicated to St. Collen, is an ancient structure, partly in the early style of English architecture, consisting of a nave with one aisle, and a chancel, and measuring sixty-five feet by forty. The pews, which are closely arranged, cover the area of the nave, and are all appropriated, but there is a gallery containing about one hundred sittings, all of which are free: the roof is of oak, panelled and richly carved; the east window of the chancel is embellished with a half-length figure of the Saviour, in stained glass, by Eginton. Service in the English language is performed only on the second Sunday in each month. The churchyard is spacious and elevated, and commands a pleasing prospect of the town and bridge, above which is seen the isolated hill whereon stand the ruins of Castell Dinas Brân. In Trevor-Traian is another incumbency; and at Pontfadog is a church in the early English style, the first stone of which was laid in June 1845: it contains 322 sittings, all free, and is ornamented with a tower. There are places of worship for Baptists, Independents, and Calvinistic and Wesleyan Methodists. A National school, and a British school, are held; and sixteen Sunday schools are conducted, one of them in connexion with the Established Church, and the others with the dissenters. There is a small endowment for education, charged on certain property.
The interest of various charitable bequests, amounting in the aggregate to about £80 or £90 per annum, for the entire parish, is annually distributed among the poor. The consolidated charities of the Llangollen and Trevor "Traians," or districts, produce £43 per annum, which amount arises out of the donations of several individuals, made between the years 1697 and 1753, and is given on St. Thomas's day in each year in clothing and money, among such persons as are selected by the clergyman and wardens, at a vestry held on the preceding day. In these Traians, also, a distribution is made on every Thursday morning during fifty weeks in the year, of bread to the amount of twenty loaves, amongst twenty of the most deserving poor, men and women; the bread being made from a measure of corn annually received in conformity with the will of Sir Thomas Myddelton, whose charities in this neighbourhood were marked by great liberality and discrimination. In the two weeks at Christmas time there is no distribution, on account, as is supposed, of the munificence of this ancient family to the poor at that period of the year, at Chirk Castle, rendering the donation in bread of minor importance. This bequest was provided for out of the family estates until 1819, when the Hon. Frederic West became possessed, in right of his lady (one of the three daughters and co-heiresses of Richard Myddelton, Esq.), of that portion of the property liable to the payment of it. In the Glyn district of the parish, the same weekly donation of bread is made, emanating from the same benevolent testator, and also provided for out of the estate of the West family; and various other charities, chiefly bequests of small yearly amount, are appropriated to the relief of the poor of this division. John Matthews, a resident here, but a native of the parish of Llanarmon, granted the residue of his estate, which produced £300, to purchase a plot of ground near the place where he was born, the proceeds to be applied to the education of four boys of his next kindred, and the vicars of Chirk and Llangollen to act as trustees and make the selection. The estate, purchased in Llanarmon parish, now produces £36 per annum, and is applied to the education of the four boys, the next of kin being regularly advertised for on every vacancy.
The abbey of Valle Crucis, though forming a beautiful and prominent feature in the scenery of this neighbourhood, is situated in the parish of Llantysillio, under which head an account of it will be found, as also of the famous "Pillar of Eliseg," in the same vicinity. Castell Dinas Brân, from its peculiar situation, and the massive structure of such portions of its walls as are still remaining, appears to have been almost impregnable. Its remains, which are very extensive, comprise a quadrilateral area, 190 feet long, and 140 broad, forming the entire summit of the mountain on which they stand, and which on most sides is so precipitous that it can be ascended only with great difficulty: the side easiest of access is defended by a deep trench cut through the solid rock. The walls, though ornamented in some places with mouldings of freestone, are composed for the most part of the coarse and friable schistose stone abounding in the neighbourhood, which gives to the broken towers and shattered fragments yet remaining a strikingly rugged and picturesque appearance, and combines, with the conspicuousness of their situation, to render them one of the most remarkable objects in the surrounding scenery. At Pengwern are some remains of a mansion supposed to have been the residence of Tudor Trevor, lord of Bromfield, in the early part of the tenth century, and which certainly formed the residence of Ednyved Vychan, one of his descendants.
Close to the town stands the elegant little mansion of Plâs Newydd, lately occupied by Lady Eleanor Butler and Miss Ponsonby, two ladies of Irish extraction, who, in 1778, retired from the gaieties of fashionable society, and secluded themselves in this charming sequestered retreat, where they continued, devoted in their companionship, and seeking little intercourse with the neighbouring gentry, for the remainder of their lives. Lady Eleanor Butler died in 1829, and Miss Ponsonby in 1831, and both were interred in the churchyard here. After the decease of the latter lady, the estate was purchased by two other ladies, Miss Lolly and Miss Andrews.
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