Llys Hynafol Cochwillan Medieval Hall-House - geograph

Cochwillan is a

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

hall house The hall house is a type of vernacular house traditional in many parts of England, Wales, Ireland and lowland Scotland, as well as northern Europe, during the Middle Ages, centring on a hall. Usually timber-framed, some high status examples wer ...

situated in the lower

Ogwen Valley Dyffryn Ogwen, or Ogwen Valley, is a valley mostly located in the Welsh county of Gwynedd. The upper section of the valley, east of Llyn Ogwen, lies in the county of Conwy. Geography The valley lies to the south of Bangor. It is bordered one s ...

, south of the village of Talybont in the parish of

Llanllechid Llanllechid () is a village near Bethesda and a community in Gwynedd, Wales with a population of 889 as of the 2011 UK census and an area of . The community also includes Tal-y-Bont near Bangor, Gwynedd and a large part of the Carneddau rang ...

, between Bethesda and

Llandygai Llandygái (; ; ; also Llandegai) is a small village and community on the A5 road between Bangor and Tal-y-bont in Gwynedd, Wales. It affords a view of the nearby Carneddau mountain range. The population of the community taken at the 2011 ...

. It is designated by

Cadw (, a Welsh verbal noun meaning "keeping/preserving") is the historic environment service of the Welsh Government and part of the Tourism and Culture group. works to protect the historic buildings and structures, the landscapes and heritage ...

as a Grade I listed building.

History

Cochwillan was built around 1465 by William ap Gruffudd who for supporting Henry Tudor at the

Battle of Bosworth The Battle of Bosworth or Bosworth Field was the last significant battle of the Wars of the Roses, the civil war between the houses of Lancaster and York that extended across England in the latter half of the 15th century. Fought on 22 A ...

was rewarded by being named

Sheriff of Caernarvonshire This is a list of Sheriffs of Caernarvonshire (or Carnarvonshire). The Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in a county but over the centuries most of the responsibil ...

. In the 17th century

John Williams, Archbishop of York John Williams (22 March 1582 – 25 March 1650) was a Welsh clergyman and political advisor to King James I. He served as Bishop of Lincoln 1621–1641, Lord Keeper of the Great Seal 1621–1625, and Archbishop of York 1641–1646. He was the l ...

combined the hall with the Penrhyn estate. By 1969 it was in use as a

barn A barn is an agricultural building usually on farms and used for various purposes. In North America, a barn refers to structures that house livestock, including cattle and horses, as well as equipment and fodder, and often grain.Allen ...

when it was restored by Cadw and the Penhryn estate.Cochwillan Old Hall
Britain Express

Features

Many of its original architectural elements are still intact, including the

hammerbeam roof A hammerbeam roof is a decorative, open timber roof truss typical of English Gothic architecture and has been called "...the most spectacular endeavour of the English Medieval carpenter". They are traditionally timber framed, using short beams pr ...

of three bays, and unusual for the time, a lateral fireplace.

In poetry

The owners of the hall gave patronage for some of the most prominent poets of the period such as

Lewys Daron Lewys Daron (''fl.'' ''c.'' 1495 – ''c.'' 1530) was a Welsh-language professional poet from the Llŷn area of Gwynedd, Wales. Although not considered to be one of the foremost of the Poets of the Nobility, his work provides a portrait of the g ...

Lewys Môn Lewys Môn (fl. 1485 – 1527) was a Welsh-language poet, one of the Beirdd yr Uchelwyr (Poets of the Nobility), from the '' cwmwd'' (commote) of on Ynys Môn (now Anglesey), north Wales. About 110 of his poems survive, mostly traditional prais ...

and

Guto'r Glyn Guto'r Glyn (c. 1412 – c. 1493) was a Welsh language poet and soldier of the era of the ''Beirdd yr Uchelwyr'' ("Poets of the Nobility") or ''Cywyddwyr'' (" cywydd-men"), the itinerant professional poets of the later Middle Ages. He is consi ...

.Dyfynnir gan Enid Roberts, ''Tai Uchelwyr y Beirdd 1350–1650'' (Cyhoeddiadau Barddas, 1986), p. 47.

References

External links

Cochwillan
Coflein
A Genealogical Account of the Families of Penrhyn and Cochwillan
by William Williams, 1802 Bethesda, Gwynedd Grade I listed buildings in Gwynedd Houses in Gwynedd Grade I listed houses Hall houses {{UK-listed-building-stub

History

Features

In poetry

References

Further reading

External links