Llanfachreth is a village approximately three miles north-east of

Dolgellau Dolgellau (; ) is a town and Community (Wales), community in Gwynedd, north-west Wales, lying on the River Wnion, a tributary of the River Mawddach. It was the traditional county town of the Historic counties of Wales, historic county of Merion ...

Gwynedd Gwynedd () is a county in the north-west of Wales. It borders Anglesey across the Menai Strait to the north, Conwy, Denbighshire, and Powys to the east, Ceredigion over the Dyfi estuary to the south, and the Irish Sea to the west. The ci ...

, in the

community A community is a social unit (a group of people) with a shared socially-significant characteristic, such as place, set of norms, culture, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given g ...

of Brithdir and Llanfachreth within the historic boundaries of

Merionethshire Merionethshire, or Merioneth ( or '), was Historic counties of Wales, one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolishment in 1974. It was located in the North West Wales, north-west of Wales. Name 'Merioneth' is a ...

(), Wales.

History

Llanfachreth is a small village near

in north west Wales; it was greatly influenced by the local Nannau family. The village is mentioned in the Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales by John Marius Wilson in 1872 : ''"LLANFACHRETH, a village and a parish in Dolgelly district, Merioneth. The village stands on the river Mawddach, at the N foot of Moel-Orthrwm, 3¼ miles NNE of Dolgelly r. station; and has a post office under Corwen, and fairs on 22 April, 30 June, 15 Aug., and 23 Oct. The parish comprises the townships of Nannau-Isafon and Nannau-Uwchafon. ..."'' The parish emerged from the ancient

commote A commote (, sometimes spelt in older documents as , plural , less frequently )'' Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru'' (University of Wales Dictionary), p. 643 was a secular division of land in Medieval Wales. The word derives from the prefix ("together" ...

of Talybont,

Meirionnydd is a coastal and mountainous region of Wales. It has been a kingdom, a , a district and, as Merionethshire, a county. It is currently a committee area within the county Gwynedd. Kingdom (Meirion, with as a Welsh suffix of land, literally 'La ...

. It is in the Mid and West Wales region, and is on a tributary of the

Afon Mawddach is a river in Gwynedd, Wales, which has its source in a wide area north of Dduallt in Snowdonia. It is 28 miles (45 km) in length, and is much branched; many of the significant tributaries are of a similar size to the main river. The c ...

. The village is in the valley of the Mawddach and at the foot of Foel Offrwm and

Rhobell Fawr Rhobell Fawr is the site of an ancient volcano that was active during the Early Ordovician period in the Arenig range within the Snowdonia National Park. Despite its modest height of 734 m (2,408 feet), it is a mountain with views ...

. To the south-west on another prominent hill, the Foel Cynwch, is the famous Precipice Walk. The parish is now part of the

Diocese of Bangor The Diocese of Bangor is a Diocese#Church of England and Anglican Communion, diocese of the Church in Wales in North West Wales. The diocese covers Anglesey, most of Caernarfonshire and Merionethshire and the western part of Montgomeryshire. His ...

. The town is mentioned in the

Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales (RCAHMW; ; ), established in 1908, is a Welsh Government sponsored body concerned with some aspects of the archaeological, architectural and historic environment of Wales. ...

as part of the 6th edition, county of Merioneth.

Ancient history

The village and surrounding area have thousands of years of history, this includes the

tumulus A tumulus (: tumuli) is a mound of Soil, earth and Rock (geology), stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds, mounds, howes, or in Siberia and Central Asia as ''kurgans'', and may be found through ...

'Cors y Garnardd', near the farm it is named after. There are the remnants of a

hill fort A hillfort is a type of fortification, fortified refuge or defended settlement located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typical of the late Bronze Age Europe, European Bronze Age and Iron Age Europe, Iron Age. So ...

on Moel offrwm (translated 'Hill of sacrifice'), which is mentioned in the

Peniarth Manuscripts The Peniarth Manuscripts, also known as the Hengwrt–Peniarth Manuscripts, are a collection of medieval Welsh manuscripts now held by the National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth. The collection was originally assembled by Robert Vaughan (c. 159 ...

where a local Lord named Ophrom Gawr once lived. And 'Y Gaer' a camp situated 1000 ft. above sea. In older history an

Iron Age The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...

fort was discovered, named 'Dol y Clochydd' (the sexton's meadow). In addition

Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

urns An urn is a vase, often with a cover, with a typically narrowed neck above a rounded body and a footed pedestal. Describing a vessel as an "urn", as opposed to a vase or other terms, generally reflects its use rather than any particular shape ...

have been found in a bronze age cyst.

The village

Interesting features other than the church and its Lych Gate include a war memorial to local residents who gave their lives in the world wars, and also a mounting block that once stood at the bottom of the steps to the Lych gate once served as a "town cryer" type of meeting place. The cottage "Ty-isa", opposite the church steps, was previously a pub and brewery. In later temperate times the brewing cauldron was used elsewhere to dip sheep. Prior to the mid 19th century education for the children of the large parish was haphazard and undertaken by parents, the church or by volunteers and the standard was very low throughout Wales.

Nannau family influence

From the 12th century two families, the Nanneys and the Vaughans, controlled the area that formed the greater part of the parish of Llanfachreth. The estate was, and is, known as the Nannau estate. The history of Llanfachreth is inextricably intertwined with the fortunes of these families. Cadwgan, son of Bleddyn ap Cynfyn, Prince of Powys in the early 12th century, came into possession of large areas in Merioneth and built Nannau house, a mansion a mile south west of Llanfachreth, which Obert Vaughan of Hengwrt (1592?-1667) later called the stateliest structure in North Wales. Cadwgan founded a small colony of serfs at Llanfachreth, his free followers settled the lands surrounding the house. The settlements spread over the area of Llanfachreth and became arable holdings made up of 70 tyddynod. Cadwgan was killed at Welshpool in 1111 but his lands remained in his family until 1701. Robert Williams Vaughan, 1768 to 1843, the second baronet, ruled the surrounding countryside with benevolent autocracy for over 50 years. He was affectionately known as "Yr Hen Syr Robert" and, during this golden age of the estate, he rebuilt Nannau between 1788 and 1796, was elected as MP for

Merioneth Merionethshire, or Merioneth ( or '), was one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolishment in 1974. It was located in the north-west of Wales. Name 'Merioneth' is an anglicisation of the Welsh placename ''Mei ...

in 1792, and subsequently re-elected thirteen times, sitting till 1836. He accomplished much for the area; along with the rebuilding of nearby Dolgellau he financed much renewal of cottages, enclosure walls, houses, roads, fencing and created the precipice walk on the estate. Much of this work was paid for by Robert to relieve unemployment after the

Napoleonic wars {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Napoleonic Wars , partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg , caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...

. He built several roads from Nannau house and, a mile east of Llanfachreth across the Bontnewydd road, a striking arch called "Y Garreg Fawr" (the Great Stone) because of huge stone, brought from Harlech, that forms the span. Many of the cottages he had rebuilt in Llanfachreth are unusual architecturally. They include slate roofs curving over dormer windows, for instance, and porches with rounded brick pillars. The last he built was "Glasgoed" a mile north of Llanfachreth. In 1814, Vaughan bought the

township A township is a form of human settlement or administrative subdivision. Its exact definition varies among countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, this tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Canad ...

of cottages in Llanfachreth, the land was occupied by

squatters Squatting is the action of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied area of land or a building (usually residential) that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have lawful permission to use. The United Nations estimated in 2003 that there wer ...

Church

St Machreth is thought to have come from Llanfacreth circa. 5th century. Locally there is a house near the village is called 'Gell Fachreth' (Machreth's Cell). The foundations of the church go back to the 15th century, when the 11th Lord of Nannau bequeathed 6

Shilling The shilling is a historical coin, and the name of a unit of modern currency, currencies formerly used in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, other British Commonwealth countries and Ireland, where they were generally equivalent to 1 ...

and 8 pence towards its construction in 1494. The church would remain the same for 300 years, until 2nd baronet Vaughan begins improvements that would take near three decades to complete, beginning in 1800. The chancel inspriction reads : ''"AD 1820, To the Memory of

George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland, Ireland from 25 October 1760 until his death in 1820. The Acts of Union 1800 unified Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and ...

, King of Great Britain and Ireland. This structure (together with that of the South Side) intended to preserve the religion which he loved and practice, and to preserve which in its purity was the constant object of his endeavours, through a reign of unexampled length, were erected in the same year which deprived his people of their Father and Friend, by his dutiful and attached subject, Robert Williames Vaughan"'' The core village has 80 inhabitants, and the surround farms to about 150, totalling 200 in the village, this makes a small congregation some of which would be Welsh speaking. The Regular members are fewer than a dozen, some of these coming in from other villages. Having no vicarage was very inconvenient especially since Llanelltyd came also under the care of the minister so, around 1844, a vicarage was petitioned and granted at a cost of around £400. The old Llanfachreth church was apparently higher and wider than present one though little is known. The choir sat high in a gallery across the chancel. In 1872 the church built by the 2nd baronet in 1824 was demolished, with £1,000 () donated by the owners of Nannau to build a church which took 1 year to complete. The

Bishop of Bangor The Bishop of Bangor is the Ordinary (officer), ordinary of the Diocese of Bangor of the Church in Wales. The Episcopal see, see is based in the city of Bangor where the bishop's seat (''cathedra'') is at Bangor Cathedral, Cathedral Church of Sa ...

James Colquhoun Campbell James Colquhoun Campbell (27 December 1813 – 9 November 1895) was a Welsh Anglican bishop. Born at Knapdale, Stonefield, Argyllshire, he was the son of John Campbell and his wife Wilhelmina, the daughter of Sir James Colquhoun, 2nd Baronet. C ...

gave the sermon, the day was to coincide with 30 years after the death of Vaughan, the 2nd baronet. The tower still stands from the original 19th century rebuild. The church memorials are for Nanneys and Vaughans of Nannau and also the Morgan family of Hengwrt; there is also a memorial to Rice Jones, a Welsh poet. The churchyard has four ancient yews.

Chapel

There were protestations by the local baronet about

Methodism Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

and the church, Methodists were not allowed to rent his property but found homes not owned by him to rent. in 1804 a new chapel was built to accommodate for another congregation.

Local attractions

The surrounding area is known for its wild but beautiful countryside and places of historical interest. It is popular with tourists who enjoy activities such as walking,

hiking A hike is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century. Long hikes as part of a religious pilgrimage have existed for a much longer time. "Hi ...

horse riding Equestrianism (from Latin , , , 'horseman', 'horse'), commonly known as horse riding ( Commonwealth English) or horseback riding (American English), includes the disciplines of riding, driving, and vaulting. This broad description includes the ...

, white-water

rafting Rafting and whitewater rafting are recreational outdoor activities which use an inflatable raft to navigate a river or other body of water. This is often done on whitewater or different degrees of rough water. Dealing with risk is often a ...

and

climbing Climbing is the activity of using one's hands, feet, or other parts of the body to ascend a steep topographical object that can range from the world's tallest mountains (e.g. the eight thousanders) to small boulders. Climbing is done for locom ...

. Nearby

is a base for climbers of

Cadair Idris Cadair Idris or Cader Idris is a mountain in the Meirionnydd area of Gwynedd, Wales. It lies at the southern end of the Snowdonia National Park near the town of Dolgellau. The peak, which is one of the most popular in Wales for walkers and hikin ...

(known as Cader Idris locally). There also the

Great Western Railway The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a History of rail transport in Great Britain, British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, ...

line from

Ruabon Ruabon (; ) is a village and community in Wrexham County Borough Wrexham County Borough () is a Principal areas of Wales, county borough, with city status in the United Kingdom, city status, in the North East Wales, north-east of Wales. I ...

Llangollen Llangollen () is a town and community (Wales), community, situated on the River Dee, Wales, River Dee, in Denbighshire, Wales. Its riverside location forms the edge of the Berwyn range, and the Dee Valley section of the Clwydian Range and Dee Val ...

was extended via Corwen and

Llanuwchllyn Llanuwchllyn () is a village and Community (Wales), community in Gwynedd, Wales, near the southern end of Bala Lake (Llyn Tegid). It is one of the most sparsely populated communities in Wales. The electoral ward includes the small settlement ...

to Dolgellau, where it formed an end-on connection with the

Cambrian Railways The Cambrian Railways owned of Railway track, 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. The Cambrian connected with two larger railways with c ...

line from Barmouth Junction and a shared station was opened there in 1868. The Ruabon Barmouth line was closed in the 1960s under the

Beeching Axe The Beeching cuts, also colloquially referred to as the Beeching Axe, were a major series of route closures and service changes made as part of the restructuring of the nationalised railway system in Great Britain in the 1960s. They are named ...

. The railway line was converted some years ago into the ''Llwybr Mawddach'' (or " Mawddach Trail") which now runs for some eight miles from Dolgellau to Morfa Mawddach railway station, near Fairbourne on the coast. It is maintained by the

Snowdonia National Park Snowdonia, or Eryri (), is a mountainous region and National parks of the United Kingdom, national park in North Wales. It contains all 15 mountains in Wales Welsh 3000s, over 3000 feet high, including the country's highest, Snowdon (), which i ...

and is very popular with walkers and cyclists. It passes some

estuarine An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environm ...

areas that are important for water birds. Historical attractions also include the 12th century Cymer Abbey. Also a mile to the West of Llanfachreth, along the banks of the Mawddach, are nature walks and disused copper mines to explore. Llanfachreth is a good centre for visiting a number of nearby narrow-gauge heritage railways, including the Corris Railway, the Fairbourne Railway and the

Talyllyn Railway The Talyllyn Railway () is a narrow-gauge railway in Wales running for from Tywyn on the Mid-Wales coast to Nant Gwernol railway station, Nant Gwernol near the village of Abergynolwyn. The line was opened in 1865Drummond 2015, page 17 to carr ...

. The Center for Alternative Technology is some 20 miles to the south. The village, snuggling in the hills close to the centre of Snowdonia National Park and is in easy reach of The Precipice Walk, the Mawddach river valley and the many footpaths across the nearby hills. Cader Idris is visible, when not in shroud, from there and but a short car drive. The views from the Precipice Walk are well worth the effort.

Famous residents

* Rice Jones, 1713–1801, Welsh Bard and historian of great repute. He was the son of John Jones of Blaenau, Llanfachreth and educated first at nearby Dolgellau then Shrewsbury. His works were published in 1818 under the title Gwaith Prydyddawl Y Diweddar Rice Jones o'r Blaenau, Meirion. Gan Rice Jones Owen, Wyr yr Awdur . He died 14 February 1801 and was buried in St. Machreth church. * William Williams of Wern (1781–1840) an Independent minister in Wales * E. Gwyndaf Evans (1913–1986) a poet who served as

Archdruid Archdruid () is the title used by the presiding official of Gorsedd Cymru, the Gorsedd. The Archdruid presides over the most important ceremonies at the National Eisteddfod of Wales including the Crowning of the Bard, the award of the and the C ...

of the

National Eisteddfod of Wales The National Eisteddfod of Wales ( Welsh: ') is the largest of several eisteddfodau that are held annually, mostly in Wales. Its eight days of competitions and performances are considered the largest music and poetry festival in Europe. Competito ...

from 1966 to 1969.

Gallery

File:Llanfachreth Vaughnan Cottages.JPG, Llanfachreth Vaughnan Cottages File:Llanfachreth War Memorial.JPG, Llanfachreth War Memorial File:Llanfachreth Cottages south of Church.JPG, Llanfachreth Cottages south of Church File:Llanfachreth Cottage bear church with circular pillars.JPG, Cottage near church with circular pillars and verandah File:Llanfachreth Old Vicarage.JPG, Llanfachreth Old Vicarage File:Llanfachreth site of Babtist Well.JPG, Llanfachreth site of Baptist Well File:Llanfachreth Old Arch entrace to Nannau Estate.JPG, Y Garreg Fawr, Arch entrance to Nannau Estate File:Llanfachreth Capel Carmel.JPG, Capel Carmel File:Llanfachreth Cottage once the shop.JPG, Cottage, once a shop File:Llanfachreth St. Mackraeth Ringers entrance.JPG, St. Mackraeth Tower. Bell Ringers entrance. File:Nannau House Llanfachreth Wales 2010.JPG, Nannau House near Llanfachreth in 2010 File:LLanfachreth, Wales, Heulwen Guest House.JPG, LLanfachreth, Heulwen Guest House