Dolbenmaen () is a village and

community A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, t ...

in the

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peopl ...

county of

Gwynedd Gwynedd (; ) is a county and preserved county (latter with differing boundaries; includes the Isle of Anglesey) in the north-west of Wales. It shares borders with Powys, Conwy County Borough, Denbighshire, Anglesey over the Menai Strait, an ...

, located in

Eifionydd Eifionydd () is an area in north-west Wales covering the south-eastern part of the Llŷn Peninsula from Porthmadog to just east of Pwllheli. The Afon Erch forms its western border. It now lies in Gwynedd. The commote of Eifionydd formed the ...

, of which it was the administrative centre until 1239. The community includes the villages of Bryncir (), Cenin,

Garndolbenmaen Garndolbenmaen, known colloquially as Garn, is a village in the county of Gwynedd, Wales. It lies near the A487, approximately north west of Porthmadog, in the community of Dolbenmaen, which has a population of 1,300. The closest villages ar ...

, (the largest settlement) Golan, Llanfihangel-y-Pennant, Penmorfa (), Pentrefelin, Wern, Glan-dwyfach, and the hamlet of

Prenteg Prenteg is a hamlet that lies from Porthmadog, Wales, between Tremadog and Beddgelert Beddgelert () is a village and community in the Snowdonia area of Gwynedd, Wales. The population of the community taken at the 2011 census was 455, a ...

. It has a population of 1,300, increasing slightly to 1,343 at the 2011 Census. The summit of Moel Hebog is shared between

Beddgelert Beddgelert () is a village and community in the Snowdonia area of Gwynedd, Wales. The population of the community taken at the 2011 census was 455, and includes Nantmor and Nant Gwynant. It is reputed to be named after the legendary hound ...

and Dolbenmaen. It is a sparsely populated area and covers nearly 100 square kilometres. Church at Dolbenmaen (geograph 1885515)

A castle motte is located to the south of the village which is thought to have been the residence of

Llywelyn the Great Llywelyn the Great ( cy, Llywelyn Fawr, ; full name Llywelyn mab Iorwerth; c. 117311 April 1240) was a King of Gwynedd in north Wales and eventually " Prince of the Welsh" (in 1228) and "Prince of Wales" (in 1240). By a combination of war and ...

until the 1230s, when the court moved to a

motte and bailey A motte-and-bailey castle is a European fortification with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised area of ground called a motte, accompanied by a walled courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade. Relatively easy t ...

castle at

Criccieth Criccieth ( cy, Criccieth ) is a town and community on the Llŷn Peninsula in the Eifionydd area of Gwynedd in Wales. The town lies west of Porthmadog, east of Pwllheli and south of Caernarfon. It had a population of 1,826 in 2001, reducing ...

. The castle guarded a ford on the Afon Dwyfor which may have been on the

Pen Llystyn Pen Llystyn, sometimes referred to as Pen Llys Tyn, was a Roman fort located to the north of Bryncir, between Porthmadog and Caernarfon in Gwynedd, north Wales. The fort itself stands on the east bank of the Afon Dwyfach. Fort The fort that st ...

(

Tremadog Tremadog (formerly Tremadoc) is a village in the community of Porthmadog, in Gwynedd, north west Wales; about north of Porthmadog town-centre. It was a planned settlement, founded by William Madocks, who bought the land in 1798. The centre ...

) to

Segontium Segontium ( owl, Cair Segeint) is a Roman fort on the outskirts of Caernarfon in Gwynedd, North Wales. The fort, which survived until the end of the Roman occupation of Britain, was garrisoned by Roman auxiliaries from present-day Belgium and Ge ...

Roman road. The parish church of St Mary's is a grade II* listed building. South of Pentrefelin is

St Cynhaearn's Church, Ynyscynhaearn St Cynhaearn's Church is a redundant church standing in an isolated position on Ynyscynhaearna, a former island in Llyn (Lake) Ystumllyn, south of the village of Pentrefelin, near Criccieth in Gwynedd, Wales. It is designated by Cadw as a Grade& ...

Governance

electoral ward A ward is a local authority area, typically used for electoral purposes. In some countries, wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected to ...

of the same name exists. The extent of this ward differs slightly to the Community and the total population of the ward taken at the 2011 Census was 1,212.

References

{{Gwynedd-geo-stub