Bettws
BETTWS, a parish, in the union of Llanelly,
hundred of Iskennen, county of Carmarthen,
South Wales, 8 miles (S.) from Llandilo-Vawr;
comprising the Upper and Lower divisions, and
containing 1109 inhabitants. This parish, which is
situated within a short distance of the turnpike-road
leading from Llandilo-Vawr to Swansea, is about
five miles in length, from east to west, and about a
mile and a half in breadth. It is bounded on the
north by the parish of Llandebie, on the south and
east by the river Loughor, which separates it from
the county of Glamorgan, and on the west by
Mynydd-Mawr. A considerable part of the surface
is mountainous and barren; the level portion contains some tracts of woodland: the soil is partly a
loamy earth, resting on clay, and partly peat and bog;
a small quantity of grain is grown, but the chief produce is cheese and butter. The parish is watered by
the river Amman, and two brooks called Cathan and
Nantyfin. Slate is quarried, and coal and ironmines are worked, a railroad having lately been
made to the port of Llanelly. The living is a perpetual curacy, endowed with £800 royal bounty, and
£1000 parliamentary grant; net income, £98. The
tithes of Bettws have been commuted for a rentcharge of £200, payable to the Bishop of St. David's.
The church, dedicated to St. David, is about fifty
feet in length and fifteen in width, and contains 250
sittings. There are places of worship for Calvinistic
Methodists, Independents, Wesleyans, and Baptists,
with a Sunday school held in each; and a day and
Sunday school in connexion with the Established
Church is conducted in the parish, the master receiving a salary of £40 per annum, of which £10 are
contributed by Lord Dynevor, £20. 10. raised from
school-pence and subscriptions, and the remainder
paid by the incumbent of Christ-church, Cwmamman.
The district of Cwmamman is partly in this parish,
and partly in that of Llandilo-Vawr, which see.
Bettws
BETTWS, a parish, in the union of Bridgend
and Cowbridge, hundred of Newcastle, county of
Glamorgan, South Wales, 4 miles (N.) from
Bridgend; containing 438 inhabitants. This parish is
pleasantly situated on the river Ogmore, not far from
its confluence with the Severn, and is watered also
by the rivulets Llynvi and Garw, which bound it on
two sides. On the north and north-east lies the parish
of Llangeinor, on the south that of St. Bride's Minor,
and on the west the parish of Llangonoyd. The
lands consist of well-cultivated fields, good pastures,
woods, and mountains; the scenery, which is plentifully interspersed with oak, is rich and beautiful,
and the views from different parts of the parish diversified and extensive, especially that from the lofty
eminence of More-gila, which embraces among many
other interesting objects, the fine vale of Glamorgan. In the immediate neighbourhood are some
handsome seats. Coytrehŷn, the seat of Morgan
Popkin Traherne, Esq., is a handsome mansion,
occupying a retired and agreeable situation on the
declivity of a hill, surrounded with luxuriant plantations, with the river Ogmore flowing at the base.
It commands a beautiful view of the surrounding
country, and of the confluence of the Ogmore with
the Severn in the distance. This estate was anciently the property of the Powells, from whom it
passed by marriage to the families of Popkin and
Traherne. Within half a mile of Coytrehên, a small
but elegant residence has been erected, in the Elizabethan style of architecture, under the direction of
Mr. Traherne, for his sister, the widow of the late
George Jenner, Esq., of Doctors' Commons.
Iron is wrought, and the parish abounds with excellent coal. The coal, till lately, was procured only
for the supply of the inhabitants of the district; but
a vein was opened about twenty years ago by John
Edwards Vaughan, Esq., of Rheola in the Vale of
Neath, who worked the coal on a larger scale, and for
its readier conveyance laid down a tramroad, communicating with the Porthcawl tramroad. For several
years past, the collieries have been extensively
wrought by Sir Robert Price, M.P. for Hereford,
large quantities being required for sale at Bridgend,
and for exportation at Porthcawl harbour, in addition
to what is used at the Tondu iron-works, in the parish
of Newcastle. The coal is conveyed to the lastmentioned place along a tramway two miles in
length, constructed at the expense of Sir Robert
Price, and to Bridgend and Porthcawl along the
Porthcawl railway. Some veins of coal are worked
also by other individuals, and the produce disposed of
to the country people.
The living is a perpetual curacy, annexed to the
vicarage of Newcastle, which is endowed with the
whole tithes of this parish, lately commuted for a
rent-charge of £140. The church, dedicated to
St. David, is not distinguished for its architectural
features; it is fifty-nine feet in length, and eighteen
feet in breadth. There is a place of worship for
Unitarians, which has a small endowment; also one
or two Sunday schools. The Coytrehên estate is
charged with an annual payment of £2, arising from
a bequest by Anthony Powell, in 1786; and £1. 10.
per annum is secured by a deed-poll on the Bridgend turnpike-trust: both sums are distributed at
Christmas, among about eighteen poor persons who
do not receive parochial relief. Dr. Richard Price,
an eminent nonconformist divine, and moral and
political writer, was born at Ty'nton, in this parish,
in February, 1723; he died at Hackney, in Middlesex, on the 19th of April, 1791, and was interred in
the burial-ground in Bunhill-Fields. His publications on the events of the American and French
Revolutions acquired for him a high reputation as a
political writer, and distinguished him for a power of
observation and reflection, which was equally conspicuous in his metaphysical productions.
Bettws, or Llawr-Y-Bettws
BETTWS, or LLAWR-Y-BETTWS, a township, in the parish of Llanvawr, union of Bala,
hundred of Penllyn, county of Merioneth,
North Wales: the population is returned with the
parish.
Bettws, or Bettws-Caedwen
BETTWS, or BETTWS-CAEDWEN, a parish
in the union of Newtown and Llanidloes, upper
division of the hundred of Newtown, county of
Montgomery, North Wales, 4 miles (N. by E.)
from Newtown; containing 821 inhabitants. This
place is pleasantly situated on the small river Bechan,
which falls into the Severn at Aber-Bechan. The
western branch of the Montgomeryshire canal to
Newtown passes through the eastern part of the
parish, which is also intersected by the turnpike-road
from that town to Welshpool; another road from
Berriew to Llanwnnog runs through the village.
The parish contains about six thousand acres of
land, all inclosed, the commons having been divided
pursuant to an act for inclosing the waste lands
within the manors of Cŷdewain, Hopeton, and
Gorddwr Uchŷv, obtained in 1796. The road leading from BrYnderwen Bridge to Garthmael is beautifully picturesque; the high grounds on the north side are richly planted, from the base to the summit,
with trees and shrubs of various kinds, and the scenery, which is enlivened by the meandering of the
river Severn, presents one of the most pleasing and
interesting spectacles in this part of the principality,
especially in the autumn, when every variety of tint
is seen to advantage on the wood-crowned heights.
The living is a discharged vicarage, rated in the
king's books at £10; present net income, £211,
with a glebe-house; patron, the Bishop of St. Asaph;
impropriator, Lord Sudeley. The impropriate tithes
have been commuted for a rent-charge of £230,
and the vicarial for one of a similar amount, with a
glebe of four acres and a half; a tithe payment
of £8 a year is also made to the parish clerk. The
church, dedicated to St. Beuno, a saint of the sixth
century, belonged to the ancient nunnery of Llanllugan, founded prior to 1290, for sisters of the Cistercian order. It is a plain neat structure, with a
handsome tower, which was built in the year 1531,
by John ab Meredith, whose effigy, engraved on a
brass plate bearing a Latin inscription, ornaments
a tablet of porphyry erected to his memory on the
north side of the chancel. There is a place of worship for Calvinistic Methodists; also a day school,
held in the church tower, partly supported by subscription; and one or two Sunday schools.
An almshouse was founded in 1709, for four poor
persons of this parish, and four of the adjoining
parish of Trêgynon, by Arthur Weaver, Esq., who
also left £4 per annum to keep it in repair, and to
purchase fuel for the use of the inmates: three aged
women and one old man inhabit the Bettws portion.
He likewise gave £6 per annum to be distributed
among the poor of the same parishes, and charged the
payment of both sums on certain tithes, at present
possessed by Lord Sudeley, who pays the amount,
together with a benefaction of three guineas annually,
left by Arthur Blayney, Esq., for the use of the
poor. Edward Guest bequeathed £200, the interest
of one moiety to be given to the poor, and that of
the other to the minister for the time being; he also
gave £2. 2. per annum for the use of the poor, payable by the vicar. These sums are secured by mortgage on the tolls of the Welshpool and Newtown
turnpike-roads, as is likewise another bequest of £26
by Richard Blayney. Edward Lloyd gave a rentcharge of £2, charged on a house in the parish of
Meivod, to be equally shared between this parish and
that of Llanllwchaiarn. The produce of these charities for the poor is distributed in small sums about
Christmas among those who receive no parochial
aid.
On the summit of a lofty conical hill of steep
ascent, commanding an extensive prospect of the
Vale of Severn and the surrounding country, is
Castell Dôl-y-Vorwyn, or "the Castle of the Virgin's
Meadow." The name is supposed to allude to the
traditionary story of Havren, daughter of Locrinus
(the son of Brutus, first king of Britain) by Essyllt,
daughter of the king of Germany, whom Locrinus
had taken captive in his wars against Humyr, king
of the Huns. Locrinus, having espoused Essyllt, in
violation of a former pledge given to Gwenddolan,
daughter of Corineus who had accompanied Brutus
into Britain, was compelled by a threat of hostilities
to fulfil his engagement to the latter; and, concealing
Essyllt, whom he pretended to have banished from the
kingdom, married Gwenddolan, according to his
engagement. On the death of Corineus, which followed soon after, Locrinus divorced Gwenddolan,
and declared Essyllt queen; but on the death of Locrinus, Gwenddolan assumed the government, and in
retaliation caused Essyllt and her daughter Havren to
be drowned in the river Severn. From this circumstance the river is supposed to have derived its name,
originally "Ys Havren," and by contraction Savern,
from which are deduced the Latin name Sabrina and
the English Severn. The castle is said by Camden
to have been originally built by Prince Bleddyn ab
Cynvyn, between the years 1063 and 1073; but Dugdale refers its erection to Davydd ab Llewelyn, about
the year 1245. In the Welsh Chronicle (Brut y
Tywysogion) it is said to have been taken by Llewelyn ab Grufydd, in 1269. It was besieged in the
year following by the Earl of Lincoln and Roger
Mortimer, to whom the garrison, being in want of
water, surrendered: the latter commander, in 1278,
obtained from Edward I. a grant of it, together with
the castles of Cêdewain and Kerry. The castle was
of a quadrangular form, about fifty yards in length
and twenty-five yards in width, and built of the small
rag-stone found in the neighbourhood: a portion
of the north wall, with some parts of the interior, are
the only remains. On the more accessible sides of
the hill on which the castle is built, it is defended by
deep intrenchments cut in the solid rock; and the
base is surrounded by a deep dingle, thickly planted
with wood, where a small stream rises, which, after
pursuing a course of nearly a mile, falls into the
river Severn. A brass pot, an earthen jug, and
some other ancient relics, were dug out of the ruins
some years since, and are at present preserved at
Gregynog. About half a mile north-west of the
village is Pen-y-gaer, a British camp, defended by a
triple intrenchment; there are also several smaller
encampments in various parts of the parish. In
the township of Dôlvorwyn is a mineral spring,
strongly impregnated with sulphur and iron, and esteemed highly efficacious in cutaneous diseases.
The ancient mansion of Gregynog, in this neighbourhood, was the residence of the late Arthur
Blayney, Esq., who was distinguished for his unwearied endeavours to promote the prosperity and
comfort of his tenantry, and for his public-spirited
encouragement, regardless of the sacrifices made by
himself, of every undertaking calculated to advance
the interests, or conduce to the convenience, of the
county. His house was always open for the hospitable reception and entertainment of travellers.
His tenants were aided in every suitable attempt to
improve their farms, which were invariably held at a
moderate rental; and their convenience was carefully
studied in the construction and alteration of the
farm-houses and offices. The habitations of the cottagers on his estates were always comfortable, and
had a small plot of ground attached, for the support
during summer of a cow, for which he gratuitously
supplied them with hay in winter. The roads in
the neighbourhood were greatly improved, and the
churches repaired and embellished by him; whilst
his beneficence was extensively diffused among the
poor, in the praiseworthy solicitude to seek for deserving objects, and afford them that timely assistance which might enable them to provide for themselves in future. This benevolent man died at
Gregynog, at an advanced age, in the year 1795.
Bettws-Bledrws
BETTWS-BLEDRWS, a parish, in the union
of Lampeter, upper division of the hundred of
Moythen, county of Cardigan, South Wales,
3¼ miles (N. E.) from Lampeter, on the road to
Trêgaron; containing 227 inhabitants. It comprises
an area of 1600 acres. At a short distance from
the road is Dery Ormond, an elegant mansion,
erected in 1827, and beautifully situated under the
shelter of a lofty hill covered with luxuriant plantations. The grounds, which are tastefully laid out, are
ornamented with a small sheet of water, formed by
the expansion of a rivulet by which they are intersected, and over which is a bridge of handsome
design. Though not upon a very large scale, this is
one of the best houses in the county, and forms an
interesting feature in the scenery of the place.
Lead-ore is supposed to lie under the surface of the
parish, but no attempt has been made to work it.
The living is a discharged rectory, rated in the king's
books at £4. 7. 8½., and endowed with £400 royal
bounty; patron, the Bishop of St. David's. The
tithes have been commuted for a rent-charge of £120,
and there is a glebe of ten acres, valued at £15 per
annum; also a glebe-house. The church, dedicated
to St. Bleddrws, is a very neat well-built edifice,
altered and repaired in 1831, with a tower surmounted
by a well-proportioned spire cased with slate: the
interior is furnished with ranges of seats with high
backs, elevated above each other, erected at the
expense of John Jones, Esq., of Dery Ormond.
There are places of worship for Baptists and Calvinistic Methodists. Between Dery Ormond and the
Teivy is an intrenchment, called Castell Goedtrêv,
situated on a farm to which it gives name.
Bettws-Clyro, or Capel-Bettws (Bettws-Claerwy)
BETTWS-CLYRO, or CAPEL-BETTWS
(BETTWS-CLAERWY), a chapelry, in the parish
of Clyro, union of Hay, hundred of Painscastle,
county of Radnor, South Wales, 4 miles (N. by
W.) from Hay; containing 218 inhabitants. The
views here embrace a pleasing variety of landscape,
enlivened by the windings of the river Wye. The
chapel is distant about two miles from the church of
Clyro; divine service is performed in it only a certain number of Sundays in the summer months. The
tithes of the chapelry are included in the commutation for those of the parish. There is a separate
assessment for the support of the poor.
Bettws-Disserth (Bettws-Diserth)
BETTWS-DISSERTH (BETTWS-DISERTH), a parish, in the union of Builth, hundred
of Colwyn, county of Radnor, South Wales,
8 miles (N. E.) from Builth; containing 132 inhabitants. The parish is pleasantly situated near the
source of the river Edw, or Edwy, on the turnpikeroad leading from Builth to New Radnor; and is
bounded on the north by the parishes of Kevenlleece
and Llandegley, on the south by that of Llansantfraid-in-Elvel, on the east by the parish of Glâscomb,
and on the west by that of Disserth. It comprises
1885 acres, of which 230 are arable, 870 pasture, 90
woodland, and the remainder common; the soil is
wet and clayey, and yields but small quantities of
grain, cattle and sheep being the chief dependence.
Some parts of the substratum have been thought to
consist of coal; but an endeavour to procure it, made
some time since, on a farm called Tyncoed, was unattended with success, though a shaft was sunk to a
considerable depth: attempts have also been made to
discover lead, but they have been equally unsuccessful. The surrounding scenery is generally pleasing, but not distinguished by any peculiarity of
feature from that which prevails throughout this part
of the principality. The Kiddy brook runs through
the parish; the principal hills are Gilwern and Bryntidder, and the gentlemen's seats Wernhwsmon and
Hendy.
The living is a perpetual curacy, consolidated with
the rectory of Disserth: the tithes have been commuted for a rent-charge of £74. The church, dedicated to St. Mary, is forty feet in length and twenty
in breadth. This is one of the parishes from which
children are apprenticed under the will of the Rev.
Rice Powell, of Boughrood. Elizabeth Jones, in
1746, bequeathed a rent-charge of £2 on a farm
called Gwern-Vawr, in this parish, to be given to
the poor at the discretion of the minister and six of
the principal inhabitants; but the payment has been
discontinued since 1820, although a rent-charge of
£1, bequeathed by an unknown benefactor, from the
same farm, is regularly distributed among the poor
not receiving parochial aid. There are some sulphureous springs in the parish, but they are not
strongly impregnated, nor are they used for medicinal
purposes.
Bettws-Garmon
BETTWS-GARMON, a parish, in the hundred
of Isgorvai, union and county of Carnarvon,
North Wales, 5 miles (S. E.) from Carnarvon, on
the road to Bethgelart; containing 111 inhabitants.
The scenery in this neighbourhood is magnificently
grand, and strikingly varied. Part of the base of
Snowdon is within the parish, and previously to the
formation of the new line of road to Llanberis and
Capel Curig, the principal ascent to that mountain
was from this place, where a guide is still constantly
in attendance to conduct the adventurous traveller to
the summit. Behind the church is the mountain
Moel Aelian, which rises to the height of 2377 feet
above the level of the sea; and on the south of it is
Mynydd Mawr, of less elevation, but seen to greater
advantage from the road. Both these mountains
abound with copper-ore, and they were lately excavated with considerable success; but the want of
capital caused the discontinuance of the works, although it is said there are not more promising mines
in the principality. On the summits of the two
mountains are the remains of watch-towers, or exploratory stations, erected to defend the pass; and at the
foot of Mynydd Mawr is a bold rock, called Castell
Cidwm, supposed to have been the abode of some
ancient British chieftains. The abrupt and mountainous elevations which form so prominent a feature
in the scenery, are finely softened and contrasted by
the lakes in the parish, which are much resorted to by
tourists and by artists, who find in the beautiful
scenery around them some of the finest subjects for
the pencil. Of these, the principal are Fynnon Lâs,
Llyn Côch, Llyn-y-Nadroedd, and Llyn Fynnon-yGwâs, forming the several sources of the river Avon,
or Tarddeni. Llyn Cwellyn, one of the most celebrated lakes in this part of the principality, and one
of the two in Wales containing char, is partly within
the parish; in which also is Nant Mill, remarkable
for its beautiful cascade. Fairs are held on August
17th and September 22nd and 26th.
The living, usually styled a perpetual curacy, is
vicarial, and is endowed with £600 royal bounty and
£200 parliamentary grant; net income, £62. 10.;
patron, the Bishop of Bangor; impropriator, Lord
Newborough. The great tithes have been commuted
for a rent-charge of £16. 13. 1½., and those payable
to the perpetual curate for one of £14. 6. 4. The
church, dedicated to St. Garmon, and romantically
situated in a vale bounded by lofty mountains, has
been rebuilt under the superintendence of Mr. George
Alexander, architect, of London, at an estimated expense of £350, chiefly received from persons unconnected with the parish. It is a neat small edifice,
surmounted by a belfry and cross, with a two-light
window beneath. There is a place of worship for
Calvinistic Methodists, with a Sunday school held in
it. On the side of a hill, about one mile west of the
church, is a fine spring of water, called St. Garmon's
well, of reputed efficacy in the cure of rheumatic and
eruptive disorders.
Bettws-Gwervil-Gôch
BETTWS-GWERVIL-GÔCH, a parish, in
the union of Corwen, hundred of Edeyrnion,
county of Merioneth, North Wales, 6½ miles
(W. N. W.) from Corwen; containing 279 inhabitants.
The village is situated on the road from Bala to
Ruthin, and on the small river Alwen, over which
here is a bridge of three arches. The vale of Alwen
is pleasingly picturesque, particularly at Point Llyny-Gigvran, where the hills along the banks of the
stream, from the base to the summit, are thickly
clothed with trees: the Alwen is here crossed by a
bridge of one wide arch. The parish is about ten
miles in circumference, and not more than one-half
is under cultivation. It forms part of the district
which is noted for the knitting of woollen hose. A
farm called Bottegîr, in the county of Denbigh, but
within its limits, was the residence of Col. William
Salusbury, who bravely defended Denbigh Castle,
for fourteen weeks, against the besieging body of
parliamentarians under Major-General Mytton, and
then surrendered only upon the most honourable
terms. Fairs are held on June 22nd, August 12th,
September 16th, and December 12th, for hornedcattle, horses, sheep, and pigs; that in August is one
of the largest lamb-fairs in North Wales. The
living is a discharged rectory, rated in the king's
books at £5. 4. 7.; patron and impropriator, the
Bishop of St. Asaph. The incumbent's tithes have
been commuted for a rent-charge of £142, and the
glebe comprises thirteen acres, valued at £30 per
annum: a rent-charge of £3 is paid to the rector of
Llangwm. The church, dedicated to St. Mary, is in
the early style of English architecture: near the entrance is a piscina. Close to the church is a well,
called St. Mary's. There is a small place of worship
for Wesleyans; and two Sunday schools, one of them
conducted by the Wesleyans in their meeting-house,
and the other by the Calvinistic Methodists in a
farm-house, are attended by a few adults and children. Griffith Roberts, Esq., of Bodynllyn, in 1812,
bequeathed a sum of £50, the interest to be distributed among twenty of the poorest inhabitants on
Christmas morning, which is accordingly carried into
effect.
Bettws Ieuvan or Evan (Bettws-Ieuan)
BETTWS IEUVAN or EVAN (BETTWS-IEUAN), a parish, in the union of Newcastle-Emlyn, lower division of the hundred of Troedyraur, county of Cardigan, South Wales, 5
miles (N.) from Newcastle-Emlyn; containing 426
inhabitants. This parish is situated a short distance
east of the turnpike-road leading from Cardigan to
Aberystwith, and on the road from Newcastle-Emlyn
to Aberporth and Penbryn. It is bounded on the
north and east by the parish of Penbryn, on the
south by Troedyraur and Llandyvriog, and on the
west by the parishes of Blaenporth and Brongwyn.
It comprises by computation about 2500 acres,
chiefly arable land, of a light soil, and producing
barley and oats, with a small portion of wheat. On
the south flows the river Cerri, the banks of which
are ornamented with woodlands of considerable extent and beauty. A villa has been lately built on
the bank of the brook Medeni, which divides the
parish. The living is a perpetual curacy, annexed,
with that of BrongwYn, to the vicarage of Penbryn:
the impropriate tithes have been commuted for a
rent-charge of £82. 10., and the vicarial for one of
£77. 10. The church, dedicated to St. John, is a
small edifice in the early English style; it has of late
years been repaired, and has received 250 additional sittings, the whole of which are free, the Incorporated Society for the building and enlargement
of churches and chapels having granted £25 towards
defraying the expense. There is a place of worship,
or schoolroom, for Independents.
Bettws-Leike (Bettws-Leici)
BETTWS-LEIKE (BETTWS-LEICI), a
chapelry, in the parish of Llandewy-Brevi, union
of Trêgaron, upper division of the hundred of
Moythen, county of Cardigan, South Wales, 6
miles (N. by E.) from Lampeter; containing 364 inhabitants. It is situated in the pleasant vale of the
Aëron, on the left bank of that river; and is bounded
on the north by the chapelry of Gwynvil, on the
south by the chapelry of Gartheli, on the east by its
own parish, and on the west by Llanbadarn-Odwynne.
It comprises by computation about 1200 acres, a small
part of which is wood, and the remainder nearly
equally divided between arable and pasture; the soil
is tolerably good, and the chief produce barley and
oats. The living is a perpetual curacy, endowed with
£1000 royal bounty; net income, £50; patron, the
Perpetual Curate of Llandewy-Brevi. The chapel,
which was erected in 1805, is forty-two feet long by
eighteen broad. A schoolroom has been lately built,
partly at the expense of the National Society, and
partly by voluntary contributions. This chapelry
separately maintains its own poor.
Bettws-Y-Coed, or Bettws-Wyrion-Iddon
BETTWS-Y-COED, or BETTWS-WYRION-IDDON, a parish, in the union of Llanrwst, hundred of Nantconway, county of Carnarvon,
North Wales, 3 miles (s.) from Llanrwst, on the
road to Holyhead; containing 451 inhabitants. This
parish derives its name from an ancient religious
establishment, called Bettws Wyrion Iddon, or "the
bead-house of the children of Iddon," on the site of
which the present church was built. It was formerly
only a township in the parish of Llanrhychwyn, from
which it was separated in the sixteenth century. The
village is delightfully situated in a vale, surrounded
on all sides by the Carnarvonshire and Denbighshire
mountains, and near the confluence of the rivers Conway and Llugwy. Across the former of these rivers,
about half a mile above the church, is an iron bridge
of one noble arch, beautifully ornamented with the
rose, thistle, and shamrock, with an inscription in
Roman capitals, purporting that it was constructed in
the year in which the battle of Waterloo was fought,
and thence called Waterloo bridge. Over the latter
river is a bridge of singular construction, called Ponty-Pair, or the Cauldron Bridge, consisting of four
arches, resting upon masses of rugged precipitous
rocks of romantic appearance, which in high floods
exhibit below the bridge several cataracts of striking
beauty. This picturesque structure was projected
and partly raised by one Howel, a mason from PenllYn, who, about the year 1468, had previously erected
a bridge over the Lledr. His passage across that
stream having been obstructed by a flood, whilst on
his journey to Conway, to attend the assizes, he removed to the spot, and built the bridge at his own
expense, receiving no other remuneration than the
voluntary donations of travellers. He then removed
to this place, where he commenced Pont-y-Pair
bridge, but died before its completion. The scenery
here consists of rocky mountains, in the fissures of
which are to be seen trees of stately growth; and the
whole neighbourhood abounds with strikingly magnificent and finely contrasted features.
The three rivers, Conway, Llugwy, and Lledr,
unite within the parish, and, in their course through
the mountainous districts, form the numerous and
majestic cataracts for which Bettws is celebrated. Of
these, the principal are the falls of the Conway and
Llugwy. The first river, rushing with impetuosity
through rocks of tremendous height, which contract
the passage of the waters, after descending from a
great elevation, forms four smaller falls, which are
seen in succession from the same spot; and just below
the junction of the Conway and the Lledr is a deep,
wide, and still piece of water, called LlYn-yr-Avanc,
or "the beavers' pool," from its being the resort of
the beaver, the skin of which was anciently prized
more highly than that of the ermine. About two
miles from the village is the cataract of Rhaiadr-yWenol, or "the waterfall of the swallow," formed by
the river Llugwy, which, after pursuing its course
for some distance in a straight rocky channel, along
narrow meadows inclosed by mountains of majestic
elevation, falls into a hollow of amazing depth, the
sides and summit of which are shaded with trees that
have taken root in the fissures of the rocks. The
whole of the neighbouring mountains abound with
lead-ore, but none of the mines have been worked for
some time: a few of the inhabitants are engaged in
spinning woollen yarn and knitting stockings. A
considerable variety of quartz crystal, of a beautiful
whiteness, is found in the parish. Fairs are held
annually on May 15th and December 3rd.
The living is a perpetual curacy, endowed with
£800 royal bounty, and £200 parliamentary grant;
net income, £101; patron, the Bishop of Bangor;
impropriator, Lord Willoughby de Eresby, whose
tithes have been commuted for a rent-charge of £50.
The church, dedicated to St. Michael, is a small but
interesting edifice, romantically situated near the
confluence of the Conway and Llugwy. Among
other ancient monuments, it contains an altar-tomb
to the memory of Grufydd ab Davydd Gôch, son to
Davydd Gôch, natural son of Davydd, brother of
Llewelyn the last prince of Wales, on which is a
recumbent effigy in plate armour, with an inscription
in a very perfect state: this beautiful relic, which is
the production of the thirteenth century, is injudiciously concealed by the erection of a pew over
the monument. There are places of worship for
Calvinistic Methodists and others. A Church school,
open to all the poor children of the parish, was
founded in 1821, by Lord Willoughby de Eresby,
who contributes £10 per annum towards its support;
the master receives in addition fees from the scholars
amounting to about £9, and has a house and garden
rent-free. There are also two Sunday schools, both
connected with the dissenters, and one of them containing as many as 280 adults and children. The
interest of a bequest of £10 by Evan Evans in 1780,
is distributed among the poor at Christmas.
Bettws-Yn-Rhôs, otherwise Bettwsaber-Gelau
BETTWS-YN-RHÔS, otherwise BETTWSABER-GELAU, a parish, in the union of St.
Asaph, hundred of Isdulas, county of Denbigh,
North Wales, 4 miles (S. S. W.) from Abergele;
containing 911 inhabitants. The village is pleasantly situated at the base of a lofty mountain, by
which it is sheltered on one side, and has a fine
opening towards the north, commanding a full view
of the Irish Sea. About a quarter of a mile from
the village is a copious chalybeate spring, which was
much resorted to some years since, but its efficacy
has been greatly weakened by the influx of other
waters. Coed Côch, the seat of John Lloyd Wynne,
Esq., is a splendid mansion, with an elegant portico
of five fluted columns of Penrhŷn slate stone. Fairs
are held on February 20th, May 8th, August 15th,
and November 20th. The living is a discharged
vicarage, rated in the king's books at £12. 15. 5.;
patron and appropriator, the Bishop of St. Asaph.
The appropriate tithes have been commuted for a
rent-charge of £180. 3.2., and the vicarial for one of
£398. 12. 10., with a glebe of six acres and a half,
valued at £9 per annum, and a house: the parish
clerk likewise receives £8 per annum as a commutation. The old church, dedicated to St. Michael, was,
previously to the Reformation, a chapel of ease to
Abergele; a very neat new church, containing 428
sittings, was erected in 1839. There are places of
worship for Calvinistic and Wesleyan Methodists.
A National school has been erected by subscription, aided by a grant of £39 from the National
Society, in which about forty children from this and
the adjoining parishes receive gratuitous instruction.
The school is supported partly by a small subscription, and partly by a rental of £10 issuing from a
tenement and thirty-seven acres, called Aelwyd
Uchâv, assigned on the inclosure of waste lands.
The master also receives part of the rental of three
other tenements, called Gydar, Dôlwyd Bâch, and
Rhŷd-y-Saeson, in the parish of Llansantfraid-glanConway, amounting to £33. 10., of which the remainder is divided among the poor in clothing and
money on St. Thomas' day. This property contains
above twenty-nine acres, and was purchased in 1729,
for £180, the produce of various bequests, and of
subscriptions from Dr. Jones, the then vicar, and
other individuals. Altogether, with the fees from
some pay-scholars, the master has an income of above
£40 per annum; exclusively of a house and garden
rent-free. The Rev. Robert Anwyl, vicar of the
parish, who died in 1816, bequeathed £300, the interest to be applied for the benefit of the school, on
the death of a party who was sixty-five years of
age in 1836. There are also three Sunday schools,
conducted by gratuitous teachers; one is in connexion with the Established Church, and the other
two with the dissenters. A rent-charge of ten shillings on Pen-y-bryn farm is applied for the benefit
of the poor. Another of £5, charged by Mrs. Griffiths on Pen-fordd-deg farm, was given up in 1832,
by a resolution of the vestry, who consented to receive £100 from the present possessor as compensation: of this sum, £54. 13. 4. were expended in
erecting four cottages on a parish allotment, at
present inhabited by paupers; and the residue, £45.
6. 8., was applied towards rebuilding the house on
Dôlwyd Bâch farm, destroyed by fire.
Bishopston, or Llan-Deilo-Ver-Walt
BISHOPSTON, or LLAN-DEILO-VER-WALT, a parish, in the union and hundred of
Swansea, county of Glamorgan, South Wales,
6½ miles (S. W. by W.) from Swansea; containing
491 inhabitants. This place derives its name from
having formerly belonged to the bishops of Llandaf,
who held the manor in free alms. The custom of
the manor is, that copyholds not only descend to the
youngest son or daughter, but also in the collateral
line, to brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts, &c.; and
there is an ancient tenement, called Culver House,
which is held by service of grand serjeantry at the
king's coronation, the tenure having been recognized by a late court of claims. The village is pleasantly situated in a fertile vale near the sea. The
small village of Caswell, in the parish, gives name to
Caswell bay, remarkable for the grandeur of its rocky
scenery, and for the variety and beauty of the shells
thrown up on the shore. A spring of water, issuing
from a rock close to the beach, which is covered by the
sea at high water, is said to retain its freshness, perfectly free from any saline mixture, when the sea retires.
Lead-ore exists in the parish, and was formerly procured; within the last few years the mine was reopened, when the implements of the former miners
were discovered, and several tons of good ore were
raised, but the works have again been discontinued.
The living is a rectory, rated in the king's books
at £9. 6. 8.; net income, £242, with a glebe-house;
patron, the Bishop of Llandaf. The church, dedicated to St. Teilo, has no particular claim to architectural description. There are places of worship for
Independents and Calvinistic Methodists. Mrs.
Catherine Rees, in 1728, bequeathed £100 to be invested in the purchase of land, out of the rent of
which £2. 8. are appropriated to the instruction of
children, and the remainder is distributed among the
poor of the parish. The school is situated near the
church, and is principally supported by school-fees:
a Sunday school is held in the same room. A sum
of £4. 15., principally arising from a bequest of £20,
by William Hamon, in 1785, and from one of £100,
by — Bateman, in 1832, is distributed at Easter and
Christmas. Here was formerly a chapel, which has
long since fallen into ruins. The Rev. Edward
Davies, the learned author of the Celtic Researches,
and the Mythology of the Ancient Britons, was for
many years rector of this parish, where he died and
was buried, in January 1831.
Blaen
BLAEN, a parcel, in the parish of Llangynider,
union and hundred of Crickhowel, county of
Brecknock, South Wales; containing 2110 inhabitants.—See Llangynider.
Blaenaëron (Blaen-Aëron)
BLAENAËRON (BLAEN-AËRON), a hamlet, in the parish and union of Trêgaron, lower
division of the hundred of Penarth, county of
Cardigan, South Wales, 2 miles (N. W.) from
Trêgaron; containing 287 inhabitants.
Blaenau
BLAENAU, a hamlet, in the parish of Llanvihangel-Cwm-dù, union and hundred of Crickhowel, county of Brecknock, South Wales, 7
miles (N. by E.) from Crickhowel; containing 140
inhabitants. This place is situated at the upper extremity of the vale of Cwm-dû, among the Black
mountains.
Blaenau
BLAENAU, a hamlet, in the parish of Llannon, union of Llanelly, hundred of Carnawllon,
county of Carmarthen, South Wales, 11 miles
(S. E. by E.) from Carmarthen: the population is
returned with the parish. It is situated near the
source of the Gwili stream, where coal abounds,
and contiguous to the southern declivity of the
Mynydd Mawr mountain, over which the road from
Llanelly to Llandilo-Vawr passes, after proceeding
through this place. An old tramroad is carried along
its western division from the mountain to the seacoast; and there is also a canal through the hamlet
to Penbrey and Kidwelly harbours. Iron-works
have been established; and extensive works are carried on for raising anthracite coal.
Blaenau
BLAENAU, with Tîr Rosser, a hamlet, in
the parish of Llandebie, union of Llandilo-Vawr,
hundred of Iscennen, county of Carmarthen,
South Wales, 7 miles (S. S. W.) from LlandiloVawr; containing 251 inhabitants. The eastern
part of the lofty mountain of Mynydd Mawr, which
abounds with coal and limestone, is situated within
this hamlet. A small tributary of the Loughor river
passes through it, on the banks of which are some
pleasing cottages and well-wooded knolls. There
are numerous coal-pits in the district.
Blaenau
BLAENAU, with Llan, a hamlet, in the parish
of Llangendeirn, hundred of Kidwelly, union
and county of Carmarthen, South Wales, 6
miles (S. E. by S.) from Carmarthen; containing 634
inhabitants. This hamlet forms the north-western
part of the parish, and the road from Llangendeirn
to Llandarog passes through it.