1821.] Excursion through North Wales. 117 
where, probably, the holy water was 
kept. 
Vanner Abbey was founded about 
the year 1200,by Meredith and Griffith, 
sons of Cynan ab Owen Gwynedd, 
Prince of North Wales, for the recep¬ 
tion of some monks of the Cistertian 
order, and dedicated to the virgin. A 
few years after its erection, it is sup¬ 
posed to have been in a very flourishing 
condition ;* but narrowly escaped total 
dissolution from the following circum¬ 
stance: When Henry the Third 
marched into the principality, to carry 
on Avar against the Welsh, who had 
risen under their prince, the great and 
good Llewelyn, he resolved to attack 
the castle of Montgomery, then garri¬ 
soned by a strong party of the Welsh. 
While preparing for the siege, a monk 
of Vanner, who happened to be on the 
spot, fell into the hands of some of the 
royal troops, and ivas brought before 
the king, who questioned him closely 
as to the strength and position of the 
rebel army. The monk, actuated by 
patriotic motives, deceived the king, 
who determined, in consequence, to at¬ 
tack the castle without delay. An as¬ 
sault was accordingly made, and the 
Welsh, at the first onset, feigned a re¬ 
treat to a marsh behind the fortress, 
whither they were eagerly and quickly 
pursued by the enemy, habited in the 
heavy and cumbersome armour of that 
period. As soon as the greater part of 
the English were fairly in the marsh, 
and unable on account of their armour, 
either speedily to extricate, or effectu¬ 
ally to defend themselves, they were 
surrounded b)^ a numerous body of re¬ 
bels, and a sanguinary slaughter ensued. 
Henry, highly enraged at this decep¬ 
tion, and passing the abbey a short time 
afterwards, ordered it to be set on fire, 
by which all the detached buildings 
were consumed, and the remainder of 
the pile only preserved at the earnest 
entreaties of the abbot, and what was 
infinitely more effective, the payment 
of three hundred marks to the monarch. 
* Pennant informs us, that by a charter 
grautedby Llewelyn ab Jorwerth, in 1209, it 
“ had power over all rivers, lakes, and sea ; 
birds, and wild beasts and tame ; over all 
mountains, woods, things moveable and im¬ 
moveable \ and over all things under and 
over the lands so granted and that “ it 
gave liberty of digging for metals and hid¬ 
den treasures ; all of which was done in 
the presence of Esau, then lord abbot, and 
other religious of the house.”—Tours in 
Wales, vol. 2. p. 252. Svo. edit. 
At the general dissolution of monas-- 
teries, Vanner Abbey was valued at 
between fifty and sixty pounds per an¬ 
num, but the only charge on it in 1553, 
Avas £6. 13s. 4d. paid to Lewis ab 
Thomas, supposed to have been the 
last abbot. Elizabeth, however, five 
and twenty years afterwards, granted it 
to her favourite, Robert Dudley, Earl 
of Leicester. Since this period, it has 
gradually decayed, and the land on 
which it is situated is, we believe, 
the property of Griffith Houud Vaughan, 
Esq. brother to the member for the 
county, Sir Robert Vaughan. 
Such is the brief outline of the his¬ 
tory of Vanner Abbey— 
Where sleeps the saint whose holy strains 
Brought seraphs round the dying bed 5 
And where the warrior, who to chains 
Ne’er bowed his crested head. 
The spot where the ruins are situated 
is secluded and beautiful, and many a 
scene of pain and penance has it wit¬ 
nessed in the days of gloomy supersti¬ 
tion and catholic tyranny. Yet how 
pleasing must have been the emotions 
excited by the holy vesper hymn of the 
monks, heard in the deep stillness of 
the evening, as it floated with the 
breeze down the valley, softened by the 
distance into a soothing but melancholy 
murmur. But all this hath long since 
passed away, and with it the austere 
group of the monks of Vanner. Their 
very names are forgotten, and the proud 
pile in which they dwelt is now the 
resting-place of the owl, the bat, and 
the night-hawk. 
After our return from Vanner, av© 
arranged with Mr. W. to take the first 
opportunity of ascending Cader Idris ; 
after which he proposed that we should 
spend two or three days at Barmouth. 
We were much pleased with the ar¬ 
rangement, and rejoiced to find that 
our friend would be enabled to accom¬ 
pany us in our excursions through the 
country. By this Ave reaped the advan¬ 
tage of having for our cicerone a very 
skilful local antiquary, who is univer¬ 
sally esteemed in the country, for his 
benevolence, affability, and well culti¬ 
vated mind. 
On the fourth day after our arrival 
at Dolgelly, we ascended Cader Idris, 
in company with our friend W., an 
agreeable party of two gentlemen, and 
as many ladies, from the Lion, and a 
guide—a shrewd, sensible fellow, strong 
as a mountain bull, and active as a 
mountain goat, good-humoured and 
amusing withal, and the fittest man in 
the 
