Penrhyndeudraeth
Encyclopedia
Penrhyndeudraeth is a village
and community
in the Welsh
county
of Gwynedd
. It is located between Traeth Mawr
(big beach), the now largely reclaimed estuary
of the Afon Glaslyn, and Traeth Bach (little beach), the estuary of the Afon Dwyryd
. The village is close to the mouth of the Afon Dwyryd on the A487
from Porthmadog
, and has a population of 2,031. The vacation village of Portmeirion
, best known as the filming location for the 1960s TV series, The Prisoner
, is located within Penrhyndeudraeth.
on land reclaimed by the drainage of stagnant marsh
es. The older settlement at Upper Penrhyn was originally called Cefn Coch ('Red Ridge') and that name is perpetuated by the Penrhyndeudraeth primary school, which is known as Ysgol Cefn Coch.
The lower half of Penrhyndeudraeth used to be a lake
, which was then drained to create the area where the village's High Street is today. The names of terraces in Penrhyndeudraeth, such as Glanllyn ('lakeside') or Penllyn ('the furthest side of the lake'), hearken back to a time when the space they occupy was underwater. There is also an area named Penlan ('the end of the tide'), which may point to the reason why the lower half of Penrhyndeudraeth is flat. It is believed that the lower half of Penrhyndeudraeth was founded on a spot behind the Royal Oak pub where the old Pierce & Sons garage is located.
Prior to the many 19th century land reclamation projects (including The Cob at Porthmadog
) and the building of the Ffestiniog Railway
, both of which spurred economic growth, the few local inhabitants relied on agriculture
and small scale copper mining. Some men worked boats on the River Dwyryd
, carrying slate from Maentwrog
to the sea for export
. Local women at that time gathered cockle
s in the estuary for sale in local markets, Penrhyndeudraeth is still known locally, especially by the people of Blaenau Ffestiniog
and Porthmadog
, as 'Cockletown'.
In 1648, at “Hendre Hall” (located next to the Snowdonia National Park Headquarters) Humphrey Humphreys
was born, Bishop of Bangor and then Hereford. According to Edward Llwyd he was the most patriotic Welshman of his time. His parents Richard Humphreys and Margaret Wynn are buried at St Brothen's Church, Llanfrothen
. He died in 1712. One of the family carvings at the Holy Trinity Church Penrhyndeudraeth is of him and there is also an oak chest which Richard Humphreys gave to Llanfrothen Church whilst working as its warden in 1690.
A few old cottages were erected on Upper Penrhyn or Cefn Coch as it was called; but the village proper is comparatively modern. The ground on which it stands was a malarial swamp encirciling a huge stagnant pool. It owes its existence as a commerical centre to the farsighted-ness and business acumen of a patriotic squire - David Williams of Castell Deudraeth - who drained the swamp and dried the pool and constructed many roads. Wisely adopting a scheme of town planning evolved by the builder of Tremadog and his Italian craftsmen, Squire Williams gave Penrhyndeudraeth broad streets and wide open spaces. There was also a dream of a garden of rest on Market Square (outside Osmond Terrace which now has parked cars), with ornamental trees and clumps of shrubs in front of what was Victoria Hotel which is now a dwelling and previously a shop owned by Mr & Mrs. Rimmer, and nearby to the Victoria Inn at the time which later became Midland Bank / HSBC, but unfortunately this was never fulfilled. The village square is a road junction. A traveller has choice of four roads - one leading to the station, one to Porthmadog, one to Maentwrog and the other to Llanfrothen and the Pass of Aberglaslyn.
Halfway between Penrhyndeudraeth and Minffordd standing aloof is Hendre Hall, the home of Humphrey Humphries, Bishop of Bangor from 1689 to 1701. A notable Welshman, well versed in history and antiquities of his native land, he was the inspirer of a revival in Welsh literature and the patron of such eminent writers as Ellis Wynne, Samuel Williams, Edward Llwyd and Edward Samuel.
A property between Penrhyndeudraeth and Minffordd named Cae Ednyfed also has historical interest. This was once the property of Ednyfed Fychan, commander-in-chief to Llywelyn ap Iorwerth.
notable for the presence in summer of nightjars
.
Another 19th century industry in the district is Garth Quarry at Minffordd, established in 1870 to make granite
setts
for road building in Victorian
towns and cities. Like the explosives industry, the quarry relied heavily on the coming of the Cambrian Railways
in 1872. The quarry is still working and now produces roadstone and railway ballast.
and Caernarfon
. The first section of this road is very narrow and rises steeply through Upper Penrhyn. In places it is so narrow that only a single vehicle can pass.
To the south is the Pont Briwet
toll road
leading over a wooden bridge providing a short-cut to the Harlech
road. This toll bridge
provides stunning views of the Dwyryd estuary, spoiled only by the electricity pylons crossing immediately downstream. The bridge is also shared with the Cambrian Coast railway mainline. A new £20m road and rail bridge will be built to replace Pont Briwet, and work on the new crossing will start in autumn 2011.
For generations, the Grade II listed Pont Briwet has carried the Cambrian Coast Railway and allowed people to cross Afon Dwyryd from Penrhyndeudraeth to Llandecwyn along a narrow road suitable for cars only.
Lorries, buses, fire engines and ambulances, which now have to go through Maentwrog, will be able to cross the new bridge.
The village has two stations, Penrhyndeudraeth railway station
on the southern side of the village on the Cambrian Coast Railway
from Pwllheli
to Shrewsbury
and to the north, Penrhyn railway station
, on the A4085
near the top of the hill, on the Ffestiniog Railway
.
-speaking village, where the language is used everyday. In 2001 76% of the population spoke Welsh. Even so, in June 2011, a new monoglot immigrant English landlord of a public house
in Penrhyndeudraeth pointed an airgun at local patrons of his pub, threatening to shoot his customers if they continued to speak Welsh.
The Penrhyndeudraeth Children and Young People's Chaired Eisteddfod is held annually at the Memorial Hall. The village is home to the Snowdonia National Park Authority headquarters.
There is also a very popular Facebook
group entitled "Hen Luniau a Hanes Penrhyndeudraeth Old Photos and History" which provides many interesting old photos of the village and its characters.
There are many language traces of Old Welsh to be found in the place names in the Penrhyndeudraeth area, such as “Pont Briwet /Briwet Bridge (Briwet is cognate with the Breton
word “Brued” meaning bridge). Remains of old huts can be found near Ty’n y Berllan, which date back to the Bronze Age
.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
and community
Community (Wales)
A community is a division of land in Wales that forms the lowest-tier of local government in Wales. Welsh communities are analogous to civil parishes in England....
in the Welsh
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
county
Unitary authority
A unitary authority is a type of local authority that has a single tier and is responsible for all local government functions within its area or performs additional functions which elsewhere in the relevant country are usually performed by national government or a higher level of sub-national...
of Gwynedd
Gwynedd
Gwynedd is a county in north-west Wales, named after the old Kingdom of Gwynedd. Although the second biggest in terms of geographical area, it is also one of the most sparsely populated...
. It is located between Traeth Mawr
Traeth Mawr
The Traeth Mawr is a polder near Porthmadog in Gwynedd in Wales. It was formerly the tidal estuary of the Afon Glaslyn, and many travellers sank in its quicksands trying to cross it. Much of it is between high mountains...
(big beach), the now largely reclaimed estuary
Estuary
An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....
of the Afon Glaslyn, and Traeth Bach (little beach), the estuary of the Afon Dwyryd
River Dwyryd
The Afon Dwyryd is a river in Gwynedd, North Wales, which flows principally westwards draining to the sea into Tremadog Bay south of Porthmadog....
. The village is close to the mouth of the Afon Dwyryd on the A487
A487 road
The A487 is a trunk road in Wales, running up the western side of the country from Haverfordwest in the south to Bangor in the north.It starts at Merlin's Bridge near Haverfordwest, from where it travels north west to St David's, then switches back north east through Fishguard, Cardigan, Aberaeron,...
from Porthmadog
Porthmadog
Porthmadog , known locally as "Port", and historically rendered into English as Portmadoc, is a small coastal town and community in the Eifionydd area of Gwynedd, in Wales. Prior to the Local Government Act 1972 it was in the administrative county of Caernarfonshire. The town lies east of...
, and has a population of 2,031. The vacation village of Portmeirion
Portmeirion
Portmeirion is a popular tourist village in Gwynedd, North Wales. It was designed and built by Sir Clough Williams-Ellis between 1925 and 1975 in the style of an Italian village and is now owned by a charitable trust....
, best known as the filming location for the 1960s TV series, The Prisoner
The Prisoner
The Prisoner is a 17-episode British television series first broadcast in the UK from 29 September 1967 to 1 February 1968. Starring and co-created by Patrick McGoohan, it combined spy fiction with elements of science fiction, allegory and psychological drama.The series follows a British former...
, is located within Penrhyndeudraeth.
History
The present village was laid out in the second half of the 19th century by the local landowner David Williams of Castell Deudraeth at MinfforddMinffordd
Minffordd is a village within the Welsh county of Gwynedd. It is situated on the A487 road between Porthmadog and Penrhyndeudraeth....
on land reclaimed by the drainage of stagnant marsh
Marsh
In geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of wetland that is subject to frequent or continuous flood. Typically the water is shallow and features grasses, rushes, reeds, typhas, sedges, other herbaceous plants, and moss....
es. The older settlement at Upper Penrhyn was originally called Cefn Coch ('Red Ridge') and that name is perpetuated by the Penrhyndeudraeth primary school, which is known as Ysgol Cefn Coch.
The lower half of Penrhyndeudraeth used to be a lake
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
, which was then drained to create the area where the village's High Street is today. The names of terraces in Penrhyndeudraeth, such as Glanllyn ('lakeside') or Penllyn ('the furthest side of the lake'), hearken back to a time when the space they occupy was underwater. There is also an area named Penlan ('the end of the tide'), which may point to the reason why the lower half of Penrhyndeudraeth is flat. It is believed that the lower half of Penrhyndeudraeth was founded on a spot behind the Royal Oak pub where the old Pierce & Sons garage is located.
Prior to the many 19th century land reclamation projects (including The Cob at Porthmadog
Porthmadog
Porthmadog , known locally as "Port", and historically rendered into English as Portmadoc, is a small coastal town and community in the Eifionydd area of Gwynedd, in Wales. Prior to the Local Government Act 1972 it was in the administrative county of Caernarfonshire. The town lies east of...
) and the building of the Ffestiniog Railway
Ffestiniog Railway
The Ffestiniog Railway is a narrow gauge heritage railway, located in Gwynedd, Wales. It is a major tourist attraction located mainly within the Snowdonia National Park....
, both of which spurred economic growth, the few local inhabitants relied on agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
and small scale copper mining. Some men worked boats on the River Dwyryd
River Dwyryd
The Afon Dwyryd is a river in Gwynedd, North Wales, which flows principally westwards draining to the sea into Tremadog Bay south of Porthmadog....
, carrying slate from Maentwrog
Maentwrog
Maentwrog is a village and community in the Welsh county of Gwynedd, lying in the Vale of Ffestiniog, within the Snowdonia National Park. The River Dwyryd runs alongside the village...
to the sea for export
Export
The term export is derived from the conceptual meaning as to ship the goods and services out of the port of a country. The seller of such goods and services is referred to as an "exporter" who is based in the country of export whereas the overseas based buyer is referred to as an "importer"...
. Local women at that time gathered cockle
Cockle
Cockle may refer to:* Cockle , a group of edible saltwater clams * Lolium temulentum, a tufted grass plant* Berwick cockles, a confectionery from ScotlandCockleshell* The Mark II canoes used in Operation Frankton in 1942...
s in the estuary for sale in local markets, Penrhyndeudraeth is still known locally, especially by the people of Blaenau Ffestiniog
Blaenau Ffestiniog
Blaenau Ffestiniog is a town in Gwynedd, north-west Wales. It has a population of 5,000, including Llan Ffestiniog, which makes it the third largest town in Gwynedd, behind Caernarfon & Porthmadog. Although the population reached 12,000 at the peak of the slate industry, the population fell due to...
and Porthmadog
Porthmadog
Porthmadog , known locally as "Port", and historically rendered into English as Portmadoc, is a small coastal town and community in the Eifionydd area of Gwynedd, in Wales. Prior to the Local Government Act 1972 it was in the administrative county of Caernarfonshire. The town lies east of...
, as 'Cockletown'.
In 1648, at “Hendre Hall” (located next to the Snowdonia National Park Headquarters) Humphrey Humphreys
Humphrey Humphreys
Humphrey Humphreys was successively bishop of Bangor and of Hereford .-Life:He was educated at Jesus College, Oxford and was later a Fellow of the college. A patron of Welsh literature, genealogical research and of the then newly-formed Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge...
was born, Bishop of Bangor and then Hereford. According to Edward Llwyd he was the most patriotic Welshman of his time. His parents Richard Humphreys and Margaret Wynn are buried at St Brothen's Church, Llanfrothen
St Brothen's Church, Llanfrothen
St Brothen's Church, Llanfrothen, is a redundant church at the edge of the village of Llanfrothen, Gwynedd, Wales. It has been designated by Cadw as a Grade I listed building, and is under the care of the Friends of Friendless Churches...
. He died in 1712. One of the family carvings at the Holy Trinity Church Penrhyndeudraeth is of him and there is also an oak chest which Richard Humphreys gave to Llanfrothen Church whilst working as its warden in 1690.
A few old cottages were erected on Upper Penrhyn or Cefn Coch as it was called; but the village proper is comparatively modern. The ground on which it stands was a malarial swamp encirciling a huge stagnant pool. It owes its existence as a commerical centre to the farsighted-ness and business acumen of a patriotic squire - David Williams of Castell Deudraeth - who drained the swamp and dried the pool and constructed many roads. Wisely adopting a scheme of town planning evolved by the builder of Tremadog and his Italian craftsmen, Squire Williams gave Penrhyndeudraeth broad streets and wide open spaces. There was also a dream of a garden of rest on Market Square (outside Osmond Terrace which now has parked cars), with ornamental trees and clumps of shrubs in front of what was Victoria Hotel which is now a dwelling and previously a shop owned by Mr & Mrs. Rimmer, and nearby to the Victoria Inn at the time which later became Midland Bank / HSBC, but unfortunately this was never fulfilled. The village square is a road junction. A traveller has choice of four roads - one leading to the station, one to Porthmadog, one to Maentwrog and the other to Llanfrothen and the Pass of Aberglaslyn.
Halfway between Penrhyndeudraeth and Minffordd standing aloof is Hendre Hall, the home of Humphrey Humphries, Bishop of Bangor from 1689 to 1701. A notable Welshman, well versed in history and antiquities of his native land, he was the inspirer of a revival in Welsh literature and the patron of such eminent writers as Ellis Wynne, Samuel Williams, Edward Llwyd and Edward Samuel.
A property between Penrhyndeudraeth and Minffordd named Cae Ednyfed also has historical interest. This was once the property of Ednyfed Fychan, commander-in-chief to Llywelyn ap Iorwerth.
Industry
The main manufacturing industry in Penrhyndeudraeth was established in 1872 to make guncotton. Cookes Explosives Ltd - part of the Imperial Chemical Industries (I.C.I.) dealing with increased demand for munitions during World War I set up a new explosives manufacturing facility at Penrhyndeudraeth, bringing an economic boom to the town. The plant produced thousands of tons of munitions for the war and explosives for quarrying and mining. In 1949, R. T. Cooke applied for a licence to store explosives at Croesor Quarry, in Penrhyndeudraeth. Many lost their lives during accidents at the works, where there is a slate plaque to remember them and everyone who worked there. The prolonged miners' strike of 1983 and the competition from foreign coal imports resulted in wholesale pit closures which, in turn, reduced the demand for mining explosives to the point where production was no longer economic and the site was finally cleared in 1997. It is now a nature reserveNature reserve
A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...
notable for the presence in summer of nightjars
European Nightjar
The European Nightjar, or just Nightjar, Caprimulgus europaeus, is the only representative of the nightjar family of birds in most of Europe and temperate Asia.- Habitat and distribution :...
.
Another 19th century industry in the district is Garth Quarry at Minffordd, established in 1870 to make granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
setts
Sett (paving)
A sett, usually the plural setts and in some places called a Belgian block, often incorrectly called "cobblestone", is a broadly rectangular quarried stone used originally for paving roads, today a decorative stone paving used in landscape architecture...
for road building in Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
towns and cities. Like the explosives industry, the quarry relied heavily on the coming of the Cambrian Railways
Cambrian Railways
Cambrian Railways owned of track over a large area of mid-Wales. The system was an amalgamation of a number of railways that were incorporated in 1864, 1865 and 1904...
in 1872. The quarry is still working and now produces roadstone and railway ballast.
Transport
The village is at the junction of the A487 with the A4085 which connects with BeddgelertBeddgelert
Beddgelert, or in older English spelling often Bedgellert, is a village and community in the Snowdonia area of Gwynedd, Wales. It is reputed to be named after the legendary hound Gelert. Population 617.- History:...
and Caernarfon
Caernarfon
Caernarfon is a Royal town, community and port in Gwynedd, Wales, with a population of 9,611. It lies along the A487 road, on the east banks of the Menai Straits, opposite the Isle of Anglesey. The city of Bangor is to the northeast, while Snowdonia fringes Caernarfon to the east and southeast...
. The first section of this road is very narrow and rises steeply through Upper Penrhyn. In places it is so narrow that only a single vehicle can pass.
To the south is the Pont Briwet
Pont Briwet
Pont Briwet is a Grade II listed wooden bridge which crosses the River Dwyryd, located near to Penrhyndeudraeth, Gwynedd in North Wales.Built in 1860, the privately-owned toll road structure carries both the Cambrian Coast railway and a single-track road south to Harlech. Due to its age and weight...
toll road
Toll road
A toll road is a privately or publicly built road for which a driver pays a toll for use. Structures for which tolls are charged include toll bridges and toll tunnels. Non-toll roads are financed using other sources of revenue, most typically fuel tax or general tax funds...
leading over a wooden bridge providing a short-cut to the Harlech
Harlech
Harlech is a town and seaside resort in Gwynedd, within the historical boundaries of Merionethshire in northwest Wales. Lying on Tremadog Bay and within the Snowdonia National Park, it has a population of 1,952, of whom 59% speak Welsh...
road. This toll bridge
Toll bridge
A toll bridge is a bridge over which traffic may pass upon payment of a toll, or fee.- History :The practice of collecting tolls on bridges probably harks back to the days of ferry crossings where people paid a fee to be ferried across stretches of water. As boats became impractical to carry large...
provides stunning views of the Dwyryd estuary, spoiled only by the electricity pylons crossing immediately downstream. The bridge is also shared with the Cambrian Coast railway mainline. A new £20m road and rail bridge will be built to replace Pont Briwet, and work on the new crossing will start in autumn 2011.
For generations, the Grade II listed Pont Briwet has carried the Cambrian Coast Railway and allowed people to cross Afon Dwyryd from Penrhyndeudraeth to Llandecwyn along a narrow road suitable for cars only.
Lorries, buses, fire engines and ambulances, which now have to go through Maentwrog, will be able to cross the new bridge.
The village has two stations, Penrhyndeudraeth railway station
Penrhyndeudraeth railway station
Penrhyndeudraeth railway station is a railway station serving the small town of Penrhyndeudraeth on the Llŷn Peninsula in Gwynedd, Wales. It is a station on the Cambrian Coast Railway with services between Shrewsbury and Pwllheli via Machynlleth....
on the southern side of the village on the Cambrian Coast Railway
Cambrian Line
The Cambrian Line is a railway from Shrewsbury to Welshpool, Aberystwyth and Pwllheli. The railway runs first through the central part of Wales and then along the coast of Cardigan Bay....
from Pwllheli
Pwllheli
Pwllheli is a community and the main market town of the Llŷn Peninsula in Gwynedd, north-western Wales. It has a population of 3,861, of which a large proportion, 81 per cent, are Welsh speaking. Pwllheli is the place where Plaid Cymru was founded. It is the birthplace of Albert Evans-Jones -...
to Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England. Lying on the River Severn, it is a civil parish home to some 70,000 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement and headquarters of Shropshire Council...
and to the north, Penrhyn railway station
Penrhyn railway station
Penrhyn station on the Ffestiniog Railway is located on a restricted site at Pen-y-Bwlch above the town of Penrhyndeudraeth ....
, on the A4085
A4085 road
The A4085 is a 20-mile road between Caernarfon and Penrhyndeudraeth in North Wales that runs through the scenic Aberglaslyn Pass. There are several locations where the road is of substandard width....
near the top of the hill, on the Ffestiniog Railway
Ffestiniog Railway
The Ffestiniog Railway is a narrow gauge heritage railway, located in Gwynedd, Wales. It is a major tourist attraction located mainly within the Snowdonia National Park....
.
Culture and heritage
Penrhyndeudraeth is a thriving WelshWelsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
-speaking village, where the language is used everyday. In 2001 76% of the population spoke Welsh. Even so, in June 2011, a new monoglot immigrant English landlord of a public house
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
in Penrhyndeudraeth pointed an airgun at local patrons of his pub, threatening to shoot his customers if they continued to speak Welsh.
The Penrhyndeudraeth Children and Young People's Chaired Eisteddfod is held annually at the Memorial Hall. The village is home to the Snowdonia National Park Authority headquarters.
There is also a very popular Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
group entitled "Hen Luniau a Hanes Penrhyndeudraeth Old Photos and History" which provides many interesting old photos of the village and its characters.
There are many language traces of Old Welsh to be found in the place names in the Penrhyndeudraeth area, such as “Pont Briwet /Briwet Bridge (Briwet is cognate with the Breton
Breton language
Breton is a Celtic language spoken in Brittany , France. Breton is a Brythonic language, descended from the Celtic British language brought from Great Britain to Armorica by migrating Britons during the Early Middle Ages. Like the other Brythonic languages, Welsh and Cornish, it is classified as...
word “Brued” meaning bridge). Remains of old huts can be found near Ty’n y Berllan, which date back to the Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
.
Famous residents
- Philosopher Bertrand RussellBertrand RussellBertrand Arthur William Russell, 3rd Earl Russell, OM, FRS was a British philosopher, logician, mathematician, historian, and social critic. At various points in his life he considered himself a liberal, a socialist, and a pacifist, but he also admitted that he had never been any of these things...
- Poet Nathaniel JonesNathaniel Jones (poet)Nathaniel Jones , was a Welsh Calvinistic Methodist minister and poet.Nathaniel Jones took his bardic name of "Cynhafal" from his birthplace of Llangynhafal in Denbighshire. He worked as a tailor, and later as a sales assistant, before becoming a preacher in 1859...
- Fanny Edwards, school-mistress and Welsh language author
- Gwilym Deudraeth (William Thomas Edwards) (1863–1940), Welsh language author