•  Llanfachreth, Merionethshire

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In 1870-72, John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described Llanfachreth like this:

LLANFACHRETH, a village and a parish in Dolgelly district, Merioneth. The village stands on the river Mawddach, at the N foot of Moel-Orthrwm, 3¼ miles NNE of Dolgelly r. station; and has a post office under Corwen, and fairs on 22 April, 30 June, 15 Aug., and 23 Oct. The parish comprises the townships of Nannau-Isafon and Nannau-Uwchafon. ...

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Acres, 10,000. Real property, £5,333; of which £272 are in mines, and £17 in fisheries. The property is divided among a few. Nannan is a modern mansion, the seat of John Vaughan, Esq.; was built by the late Sir Robert Vaughan, Bart.; succeeded an ancient edifice, which was the residence of Hywel Sele, the relation and foe of Owen Glendower; and stands in a very large park, extending several miles up the Bala road, and to the foot of MoelOrthrwm. A spot, now occupied by a sun-dial, within the park, was the site of an ancient oak, 27 feet in girth, popularly regarded as the haunt of evil spirits, and destroyed by lightning in 1813. The death of Hywel Sele, at the hand of Owen Glendower, occurred in the vicinity of that spot; and his body was hid in a hollow of the tree, and not discovered for upwards of 40 years. The place is still viewed by the country people with superstitions dread; and it was selected by Lord Lytton as the scene of his romance of Arthur:-

Of evil fame was Nannau's antique tree,
Yet styled the hollow oak of denmonrie.

Moel-Orthrwm commands a magnificent view, similar to that from Cader-Idris; and is crowned with a strong ancient fortification, surrounded by a stone rampart,- having two entrances, protected by outworks,-and containing traces of cyttiau. Moel-Cynwch is another height; Llyn-Cynwch is a preserved lake; and the Precipicewalk is a charming path on the way from Moel-Cynwch to the Mawddach. Much of the land is waste upland and hill pasture. Copper ore has been worked. The living is a p. curacy in the diocese of Bangor. Value, £92. Patron, John Vaughan, Esq. The church was partly restored in 1820, and is good. There ave two Calvinistic Methodist chapels, and charities £9. Rice Jones, the Welsh bard, was a native.

Llanfachreth through time

Llanfachreth is now part of Gwynedd district. Click here for graphs and data of how Gwynedd has changed over two centuries. For statistics about Llanfachreth itself, go to Units and Statistics.

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