



CAERNARVONSHIRE. 



s:o 



at UM wall* DOW exa*. of which on the couth aide there are exten 

 srr. iarrtoM la tolerably perfect etal*. In 1845 Roman rill, 

 utd h**he wrr traced, cad a Dumber of coin* found, including one 

 *rrkan oeeaaio. of the subjugation of the Jewish people b 7 Vpean. 

 A wrfl w UM neighbourhood still bears the nuns of Helena, th mother 

 of I'mtitentipe In UM local museum are deposited numerous epe- 



i of gold ud copper coin*, peieuneJ ornament*, mid other Roman 

 r mulm dleouvered on the eite of the ancient Segonlium. A Roman 

 road i. .ull traceable lading to Dina* Dinorddwig, Romu station 

 few mile, to UM eeet On thr left bulk of the Seiont U a Roman 

 feftetUI nearly entire. The walk are about 1 1 feet high and < feet 

 thick, with three parallel rowi of circular holm about 3 inch* in 

 dfamileT running all round the walla. 



Caernarvon owe* it importance, if not also its origin, to the erection 

 by Kdward I. of UM caeUe, a great part of the remain* of which still 

 ad*. The erection of UM oaitie wa commenced in 1283 or 1284, 



UM work we* carried on during the succeeding 10 year* : the 

 walb of SegoatiuB furnished a part of the material* ; limestone was 

 brought from Anglesey, and outer material* from Voeuol, between 

 Ceermrvim and Baagor. At Caernarvon, in 1284, the first Eneli*h 

 Prince of Walea,' afterwards the unhappy Edward II., was bom. 

 Upon an inennvction of the WeUh in 12V4, under Madoc, an illegiti- 

 BMte con of Llewellyn prince of Wale*, the castle and town were 

 taken by the Welsh, the English inhabitants massacred, and the place 

 burnt After this the work* appear to have been commenced afresh, 

 and continued till their completion. The tower called the Eagle 

 Tower, from the figure of an eagle carved on it in stone, was com- 

 pleted in 1317; it could not therefore have been, as popularly sup- 

 posed, the birthplace of Edward II., the first Prince of Wales. The 

 cattle wa* defended for Henry IV. against Owen Olyndwr, by two 

 Welsh captain*, to whom it had been intrusted. In the civil war of 

 Charles I. and the Parliament the castle was alternately in the hands 

 of the opposing parties, but in 1640 it was taken by the Parliamen- 

 tarian* who retained possession of it 



The external walla of the castle are nearly entire, inclosing a space 

 of 3 acres, of an oblong shape : they are from 8 to 10 feet thick, and 

 have within their thickness a covered gallery with loopholes for the 

 discharge of arrows. There are in the circuit of the walls 13 em- 

 battled tower* with turrets : some are pentagonal, while others have 

 six or eight (idea. The principal entry to the castle is by a gateway 

 originally defended by four portcullises, under a many tower, on the 

 front of which is a statue of Edward I. The interior of the castle is 

 much dilapidated : but the wall* have been recently repaired under 

 the direction of Mr. Salvin, and it is now carefully preserved. The 

 mayor of Caernarvon i* during bis term of office deputy-governor of 



Caernarvon wa* made a free borough by Edward I. The charter 

 dated September 1284 wa* the first granted by Edward I. to Wales. 

 The name of the borough, Caer-yn- Arfon, signifies the town or fortress 

 in Arfon, the district opposite Anglesey. The town walls are defended 



gates : other openings 

 communication with the 

 i far increased as to make a new 



town. The street* are narrow but regularly laid out, crossing each 

 other at right angle* ; they are well paved and lighted. Much im- 

 provement ha* taken place in the appearance of the town of kite years. 

 (hitaide the town wall and along the shore of the Menai is a terrace 

 steading from the quay to the north side of the town ; there is here 

 a landing-pier, recently built Another pier projects into the Seiont 

 The guild-hall is over one of the ancient gates of the town. The 

 county-hall in which the cadxe* are held i* a commodious building ; 

 the County priaon i* small A county court is held in the town. 

 Taere at* a market house and a corn-market An establishment for 

 warm and cold baths, with reading-room, Ac., ha* been contructed 

 at a cost of about WOt by the Marquis of Anglesey. 



At the parish church of Llanbeblig divine service is conducted in 

 the WeUh language ; at St. Mary"*, the chapel of ease in Caernarvon, 

 UM Mrvice* are in English. There are seven place* of worship for 

 pkacetora, at one of wnich (the Wesleyan) the service, are conducted 

 fe KagUoh. Model National acbooU were erected in Caernarvon in 

 let of 80001. There are two other National schools, a 

 ,aa Infant school, and a Ragged school An institution 

 90*1 cnoolmaster. had 21 student* in 1852. 

 UietituUoe aad two reading-room* are supported in 

 Caernarvon, aad there U an excellent local museum in connection with 

 UMOaaraarvoa, Aagbeey, aad Merioneth Natural Hutory Society. 



ao memirortiire of any importance in Caernarvon : the 

 aUaftrade b to. exportation of copper-ore and of .Utes from the 

 quarries of Llanberrie aad UanllyfnT in the interior. The average 

 annual amount of date exported i* 90,000 ton*. The number and 



TSLilTTfnfc."''' 4 " "?** * the port of Caernarvon 

 on December 3lt IMS were under 80 ton* 177, tonnage J87 

 above SO tea* J4, toaaage ,1,473; aad 1 steam *.M|?M teat' 

 Duriag II rS there entered at the port in the coarting-trade 1342 



tons: of 



in Anon, UM district opposite Anglesey. The t. 

 by round towers, and had originally only two 

 have been subsequently made to form a con 

 ubnrb* on the east, which have so far inert* 



UM port in the coanting-trade 

 ' ""* cklw * d " *" o 



Amiga trade there entered *8 ve.U of SM6 ton. ; 

 OofMMtoa*. The port he. been much improved, and 



there i* a railroad from UM slate-quarries of Tallynaen and Llanllyfni 

 to the town. There is an extensive iron and brass foundry, 

 building is carried on. Some of the inhabitants are engaged in 

 fishing. 



Caernarvon U resorted to a* a bathing-place, and many genteel 

 families reside in the town and neighbourhood. It i* alao one of the 

 town* generally visited by tourist* in Wales, for whom accommodation 

 there are excellent hotel*. The communication with Anglesey is kept 

 up by a small steamer which plies every half-hour during the day. 

 Caernarvon has two weekly markets, on Wednesday and Saturday ; 

 that on Saturday is of most importance. There are five annual fairs. 



(Parry, Cambrian Mirror; Bingley, ffortk Wait*; Cliffe, Boo* of 

 Xorlk Watt*; Communii-iitvjn from Caernarvon.) 



CAERNARVONSHIRE is situated at the extremity of the main- 

 land of Wales, being farther to the north-west than any < 

 except the island of Anglesey. It lie* between 52 47' and : 

 N. lat, 8 40' and 4 45' vf.kug It is hounded on the N. by the 

 Irish Sea ; on the N.W. by the Menai Strait, which separates it from 

 Anglesey, and by Caernarvon Bay ; on the 8. it is bounded by the 

 great Bay of Cardigan, which forms on this coast the smaller bays of 

 Aberdoron, Hell's Mouth, Ceiriad Road, and St. Tudwal's Road' : on 

 the S.E. it is bounded by Merionethshire ; and on the E. by Denbigh- 

 shire, from which, for a large part of the boundary, it is separated 

 by the river Conway. Caernarvonshire is thus on every side, except 

 the east and south-east, washed by the sea ; while inland the boundary 

 is for the most part formed by two streams, the Conway and a stream 

 which separates Caernarvonshire from Merionethshire. There are 

 three detached portions on the east or Denbighshire side of the 

 Conway : one of these at the mouth of the river comprehend* the 

 promontories of Great Orme's Head and Little Urine's Head. The 

 form of the county is an irregular oblong, having ito greatest length 

 about fifty-five miles and its greatest breadth about twenty-two miles. 

 The county contains 370,273 acres : the population of thu county in 

 1841 was 81,093 ; in 1851 it was 87,870. 



Coait and Itlandi, Surface, Hydrography, and CoauMoitcaiiont. 

 There are no remarkable headlands on the coast, except Great Urine's 

 Head, near the mouth of the Conway. Pentnaen-mnwr, a lofty 

 mountain, rises abruptly from the beach, between Conway and 

 Bangor; the high road winds along its side, and the Chester and 

 Holyhead railway is carried through it by a tunnel and cuttings. 

 From the foot of Penmaen-mawr the Lavan sand* extend toward* 

 Bangor, and contract the navigable part of the otherwise wide north- 

 east entrance of the Menai channel. South-west of Caernarvon a 

 tongue of low land projects into the Menai, and with its connected 

 sands, narrows the navigation of that channel in the south-west 

 entrance. In the south-western extremity of the county the Braich- 

 y-l'wll, the promontory of the Cancan! (Kayitaray dxpov) of Ptole- 

 ineeun, abruptly rises from the ocean. To the north of this craggy 

 coast, there are numerous little creeks or inlets which form safe 

 retreats for fishermen ; about this part is abundance of samphire, 

 which sheep and cattle eagerly feed on and grow very fat. The 

 herring, the lobster, and the dory are caught on this coast Opposite 

 to the headland of Braich-y-Pwll is the small island of Bardsey, on 

 which was a religious establishment of very early date. The south- 

 eastern boundary of the county is more irregular than that to the 

 north-west : nearly half of it is washed by the sea. From thu head- 

 land of IVnrhyn Du the coast stretches to the north-east, being for 

 the most part low and sandy, especially at the point where Caernar- 

 vonshire and Merionethshire meet, where a sandy inlet or wash i* 

 traversed by one or two stream* which here find an outlet to the sea, 

 Across the*e sands i* a passage dangerous indeed, but shorter than 

 round the head of the inlet Not far from the promontory of Penrhyn 

 Du are the two small islands of St Tudwal ; on the larger of the two, 

 now inhabited ouly by sheep and rabbits, and in the season by puffins, 

 was formerly a religious house dedicated to St Tudwal. 



Caernarvonshire is traversed in its whole length by mountains, 

 some of which are the loftiest in South Britain. From tl 

 side of the mouth of tlio Conway the mountains run south-west, 

 receding gradually from the coast, and presenting in succession the 

 following summit* ; Tal-y-Fan and Penmaen-mawr (1540 feet), Camedd 

 Llewellyn (3471 feet), Carnedd Dafydd (3429 feet), Glider Vechan and 

 Gli'liT-vawr, Snowdon (3571 feet, the highest mountain in South 

 Britain). From Snowdon the mountains vary their direction a little, 

 so a* gradually to approach the coast; the chief summits are < 

 Ooch, Bwlch-mawr (1673 feet), Oyrngoch, an.l I: faet), 



wlueh U close upon the shore. These summits may < red as 



belonging to the main range of the Caernarvonshire or Snowdonian 

 mountains. From the main mass of Snowdon, a branch running in 

 the direction of the town of Caernarvon has the summit Moel Kilio 

 (2308 feet). Other branches from the central moss occupy the 

 greatest part of the interior of the county, and extend into Merioneth- 

 shire. 



The name of Snowdon is the Saxon translation (Snawdun, 'Snow- 

 mountain ') of the ancient Welsh name Creigie-'r-Kira, according to 

 Pennant; but some other \\ . I 1, writers make the native name to 

 signify the eagle's rook or hill. Snowdon in the centre of the great 

 mountain range which traverses Caernarvonshire from north-coot to 

 south-west. Its highlit point is named Y Wyddfa, the Conspicuous, 



