E r A 



B E A 



atf J on the weftevn biiik of the river Mciiai, which forms 

 a tine fpaciouj bay cppofile the town. The callle, inti- 

 ni.itely c .nneCted witK tlie early hillory and foundation of 

 this town, owes its origin to Edward I. who, having ereft- 

 cd two magnificent fortrciTcs at Caernarvon and Conway, 

 deemed it neceifary t) raifc another at this place, for the 

 purpofe of enforcing obedience and fubjedion among the 

 conquered Britons of AngUfea. The foundation of this 

 ftrudure was laid in 1275, in a place called Bonover Marlh, 

 which afterwards adumed the compound French terms beau, 

 fmr, and marair, marjli. The favourable fituation of the 

 calUe enabled the engineers to make fuch a folTe or ditch 

 wund it, as might be conftantly filled with water from the 

 bay, and a canal was alfo cut between the river and caftlc, 

 that fmall vtflels might cany their freightage immediately to 

 the walls of the hitter. This fortrefs being complete, the 

 royal founder appointed fir William Pickmore, a Gafcon, the 

 firil governor, who was alfo nominated captain of the town. 

 The fame perfon (one inllance excepted) was always ap- 

 pointed to thefe two offices ; and his annual falary was forty 

 pounds as conllable, and twelve pounds three fliiUings and 

 four-pence as captain. The callle and town were guarded 

 by 24 foldiers, at four-pence a day each. Other perfons 

 had proportionable pay, yet from every man's falary a cer- 

 tain fum was deduced monthly towards the payment of iti- 

 nerant preachers and teachers, and for letters and intelli- 

 gence. The ca(l!e becoming very burtlicnfome to the peo- 

 ple, occafioncd many contentions between the inhabitants of 

 the town and thofe of the foitrcfs. Battles fometimes en- 

 fued. One of them, called the black fray, happened on a 

 market-day, in the time of Henry VI. and it produced 

 great flaughter. The hillory of thefe fortrefFes prcfents a 

 continued feries of opprefTion and irritation ; and it feemed 

 a grand policy of the Englilh governors to exclude the 

 WcHh from thofe llrong holds, and their dependent towns, 

 ■which they had wrelted from the fuhjugated Cambrians. By 

 a rental of the borough property of Beaumaris, taken even 

 fo late as 1608, there appear onlv fcven Wclfh names, and 

 one burgage in the tenure of a Wclfhman. The caftle was 

 given by Hcnryl V.to Percy, earl of Northumberland, for life; 

 and Richard III. granted the conftablefhip and captainfliip 

 of the caiHe and town to fir Richard Huddlellone, knight. 

 From the time of fir Rowland VilleviUc, alias Brittayne, tl;e 

 reputed bafe fon of Henry VII., and conftable of the caftle, 

 the garrifon was withdi-awn till 1642, when Tiiomas Chea- 

 dle, then conllable, repleninicd it with men and ammunition. 

 It was then held for Charles I. whofe throne was in danger. 

 The gentlemen of this town and ifland being warm partifans 

 for the monarchy, determined to oppofe the parliamentary 

 forces wliich had alfcmblcd at Conway, and had deputed five 

 commiffiuners to manage their bufinefs. The iflar.ders re- 

 iufing to furrtndcr on fummoiis, were invaded by about 1500 

 men, hoi fe and foot, whole fuperior difcipline and courage 

 fooa routed and co;iquercd the royalifts. On the 2d of 

 October 1648, the town and caftle furrendcrtd to general 

 Mytton : colonels Bulkdey and Whitcly were madeprilon- 

 «rs ; ftnd the inhabitants agre;-d to pay to their conquerors 

 70C0I. within fourteen days. The caftle is now the property 

 of the crown. It Hands in the grounds of lord Bulkelcy, at- 

 tached to the eaft crd of the town, and covers a confiderable 

 fpace of ground. Thongh partly in ruins, yet its outer walls, 

 feveral tiiwcrt, and many parts remain, to charafteiife its di- 

 menfions a-d architertun-. It is fiirioundtd by a foffe, with 

 ail entrance to the tall between two embattled round and 

 fqu.re towers. Witliln thcle is tbc principal body of the 

 caiUe, which is nearly of a fqnarc form, having a round 

 tower at cacli angle, and inolher ia tku centre of eacU facs. 



1 



The area !s an irregular oftagon, about 37 yards from nortS 

 to fouth, and 60 from call to weft. In the middle of the north 

 fide is the hall, twenty yards long and twelve wide. What 

 was formerly the porter's lodge is now ufed as the bridewell. 

 A gallery of comnninication extended round the buildings 

 of the inner court ; and in dilFerent receifes of this were 

 fquare holes, which feemed to have opened into dungeons 

 beneath. The two caftern towers ferved alfo as dungeons, 

 the defcent to which was dark and narrow. On the caftern 

 fide of the caftle was a fmall chapel, fome of which remains. 



The town of Beaumaris is not very ancie'nt; nor do we find 

 any particular records of it previous to the ereftion of the caf' 

 tie, foon after w hieh it afTumed fome confequence, and Edward 

 I. furrounded it with a wall, made it a corporation, and endow- 

 ed it with certain privileges. In the 27th of Henry VIII. 

 Anglefea, with eleven other counties of Wales, were imprl- 

 viltged and fummoned to fend members to parliament, but 

 no return was made from this county till the 33d of Henry 

 VIII. when Newboro'.igh, now ti poor decayed village, fent 

 one member. Since the 2d of Edward VI. Beaumaris has 

 been regularly reprefented by one member, and the right of 

 voting was vefted, in 1729, in a mayor, tv.-o bailiffs, and 

 twenty-one capital burgefTes. Though this town has not an 

 extenfive trade, yet it has a cuftom lioufe for the cafual re- 

 ception of goods, a large town hall with afl'emVjly room, » 

 free fchool, alms-houfc, and a liandfome church or chapel 

 with a lofty fquare tower. The free fchool and alms-houfe 

 were founded by David Hughes ; the firft in 1603, and the 

 latter in 16 13. Here are a weekly market on Saturday, and 

 four annual fairs. It is fituated 59 miles W. by N. from Chef- 

 ter, and 252 N.W.of London. N.lat.53° 14'. W.long.4° 15'.. 



The Bjy of Beaumaris forms a fine expanfe of water be- 

 fore the town, and (hips can rid^ fafe at anchor in fix or 

 feven fathom water, even when the tide is out. From thiS' 

 to the oppofite ihore at Abcr is a diftance of about fous. 

 miles, yet the channel at low water does not occupy above 

 one mile. The remainder is a uniform bed of fand, called 

 Traeth-Telavan, or the Levan fands. Thefe, the Wellh 

 fnppofe, were anciently quite free from water, and formed' 

 a habitable part of Carnarvonftiire ; which Mr. Pennant ad- 

 mits, and endeavours to prove, by ftiowing that the f^a has 

 made great encroachments at Abergcley, and tliat feveral 

 bodies and roots of oak trees have been found in a traft of' 

 hard loam at a coniiderable diftance from the prefent Ihores.. 

 • About one mile from Beaumaris ftand fome ftiattered re- 

 mains of Lhnfaes, which Camden called " a famous reli- 

 gious houfe in limes paft," and belonged " to the friars mi- 

 nors, unto whom the kings of England fliewed thcmfelvea 

 very bountiful patrons, as well in regard of the friar's holi- 

 nefs, as alfo becaufc (that I may fpeak out of the public re^ 

 cords of the kingdom ) were buried a daughter of king John, 

 a fon of a king of the Danes, the bodies aifo of the lord 

 Clifford, and other knights and fquires, who in the time of the 

 noble and renowned '-.ings of England were (lain in the wars 

 againft the Wel(h." This monaftery, credted by IJcwelvii 

 ap Jorwerlh, was confecrated, in 1 240, by Howel, bifhop of 

 Bangor ; and in a few years afterwards burnt in the infi:r- 

 reftion of Madoc. At the diffolution, Henry VIII. fold 

 the convent a:.'d its polfeflions to one of his courtiers. The 

 family of Whyte (now cxtincl) afterwards became poffefTed 

 of it, and built a refpeiftable houfe, which has fince been 

 enlarged, modernized, and the grounds much improved. It 

 is now one of the feats of fir Robert Williams, Bart. Near 

 this place a fevere battle was fought, in 819, between the 

 Welih and the Saxons under their leader Egbert, who had 

 invaded the idand, and given it then, for the firft time, the 

 name of Anglc-fca. Tlie Saxons at firft proved vidoricus, 



but 



