A list of old dwellings and their locations in the two parishes (Llandecwyn and Llanfihangel y Traethau).
I begin at Ty Gwyn, Y Gamlas, yr Ynys as this was a very important place ln the past. This was the port for this side of the river and ships were built here.
(1) Tŷ Gwyn - old inn.
(2) Tyddyn Du - situated on land of Ty Gwyn Mawr beside the path that leads up to Cefn Gwyn and Chollwyn. Here lived Sian Parry and her mother; she was one of those who drowned from the ferry that sank on the Traeth, August 7th 1862.
(3) Odyn y Ciw - situated on land of Tyddyn yr Eglwys, where Evans, the carrier used to live; he would carry goods to the Harlech shops from Ty Gwyn and rejoiced as he rode in his cart at the time of the Temperance movement in 1859.
(4) Yr Efail - where Minafon now stands.
(5) Carreg Ro Bach - near the beach on the land of Carreg Ro Fawr.
(6) Llechollwyn Bach - outdoor kitchen of the present Chollwyn, again near the beach.
(7) Rhyd Goch Isaf - situated at the top of the hill, above the stream gate.
(8) Gwyndy Bach - at yr Ynys, near Cartrefle
.(9) Dengrwd - on the land of Penywaen, beside Morfa road, the chimney of the old house marking the boundary of the two parishes (Llanfihangel and Llandanwg)
(10) Cefnrhydd or Cefnyrhydau – grazing for two or three cows in the middle of Morfa Harlech at the side of the old track where an old Christian named Griffith Roberts used to attend Capel Uchaf Harlech to worship, in a cart and a white horse. The last people I remember living there were Griffith Ellis and Evan Ellis – two bright old Christians who regularly attended Eglwys Llanfihangel . I could carry on writing about these two but I would then stray away rom the subject.
(11) Glasfryn Isaf - this was situated on the roadside on the way from Harlech to Talsarnau where the small cowshed of Tanpenmaen stands now.
(12) Glasfryn Uchaf – on the hill above Glyn Lodge, where the antiquarian and poet Robert Hugh lived; grazing for two cows.
(13) Dolysgymunech – this was where Llety'r Wialch is now. There was once a shop many years ago and the saying goes that this is where the first measure of music in the county of Meirionnydd was composed.
(14) Rhosigor Bach a - (15) Rhosigor Ganol – one of them near the side of the road near Pont y Glyn, and the other higher up.
(16 ) and (17) Two old houses opposite Gafaelgrwn. Families of four lived in these – some upstairs and some upstairs.
(18) Pandy'r Glyn – further up the road towards Eisingrug where Evan and Betty Rogers used to keep a cow. It was from here that the woollen cloth that was drying out overnight was lost.
(19) Ffatri y Glyn – here lived W Williams and his two talented sons, who died young.
(20) Further up was Bondwll where Thomas Griffith, head drainage man at the Glyn, lived. He raised three or four sailor sons.
(21) Pengarreg – where Morgan Prys had a smithy and kept cattle.
(22) Pengarreg Ucha' – further up, where the mother of Captain Williams, Minafon lived.
(23) Tynffordd Fawr – beside the road between Tyddyn Sion Wyn and Eisingrug where Richard Parry lived. He was the author of 'Fuchangerdd y Wlanen Wen'.
(24) Nearby at the top of the hill was Beudy Newydd . A spinster and her mother lived here, and who knitted stockings and bred tabby cats for the neighbours.
(25) Near Tyddyn Sion Wyn stood Tyddyn Sion Wyn Bach – with grazing for one cow, where William Edward, farm bailiff at the Glyn for years, was raised.
(26) At the boundary with Plasucha stood Penybont, where Doli and her brother Tom lived. Tom Jones spent his days with the Edmunds' at Plasucha.
(27) Above Tynllwyn stood Caegwndwn.
(28) Near the junction to Maesyneuadd stands Ysgol Bach where Robert Roberts, head bailiff for Mrs Nanney, Maesyneuadd lived.
(29) Further along the road on the way to Llandecwyn stands Dolorcian Bach, a small farm for around three cows and a few sheep. The name of the old man was Owain Lewis; he and his wife had no children. They didn't like visitors at their house and would say, 'Don't come into the house or these young girls will laugh at you'. But there was no one in the house.
(30) Glan yr Afon – where Shion Owen raised seven or eight children. A little further up stood
(31) Bryn Melyn – grazing for three or four cows and a few sheep. Thomas Jones, drainer at the Glyn, once lived there.
(32) A little further up was Ty'n y Mynydd where Sion and Gwen lived. They were quite poor. They survived on nettles in the spring and summer, boiled with salt and pepper, with bread.
(33) Further down was Maescaerau Ucha' where Thomas Rhys raised a houseful of strong sons and daughters. He was the father of John Tom, Berthen Gron and Hannah Williams, Soar.
(34) Further down was Glanrafon Gaerau - a cowshed now.
(35) Still further down was Cegin y Coety – where Simon Jones lived.
(36) Further down again was Gwastad Agnes – where Charles Jones raised around nine children. Two of the sons were champion gardeners. Only Lewis Jones remains, at Glanymor, Ynys and Ellen at Porthmadog.
(37) Near Caerwych was Bracdy — where Shion Dafydd raised several daughters and one son. There are several granchildren – one of them being Daniel Evans, Talsarnau.
(38) Further down stands Glanofer - and
(39) Blaen y Ddôl – grazing for one cow, where John Hughes lived before moving to Ty'n Llan.
(40) Higher up was Aberdeunant Uchaf, with grazing for one cow. Further still was -
(41) Hendre Cerrig – three or four cows and a few sheep and an old 'Calvin', Robert Richard lived. He had nineteen children with two wives. At least one is still living – Lowri Williams shoemaker of Llanfair.
(42) Talrhos – very nearby, where Griffith William, previously of Llechwedd Uchaf, had nine children. A little further was -
Talrhos2
(43) Tŷ Newydd Llennyrch – a little further again.
(44) Tŷ’n y Pant. Sorceress, Mari'r Fantell Wen lived there for a time. She and her followers would wander over the banks in their white gowns on Sundays shouting 'Cwio,cwio, cwio', professing to be super human and immortal. But die she did and her grave can be seen at Llanfihangel y Traethau on the east side of the church.
(45) Nearby was Tyn y Gors – where a Samson of a man lived, by the name of Guto Tyn y Gors. His shoe plates were 17 inches round. He carried a sack of flour on his back from Maentwrog, resting only once beside Felenrhyd Fawr hill.
(46) On the land of Felenrhyd Fawr were three dwellings -
(47) Breichiau – with grazing for one cow with each.
(48) It is by now a derelict place in the middle of the mountain. There were four or five other dwellings on the land of Felenrhyd. Beside the main road from Maentwrog stood -
(49) Tan yr Allt — and futher up, closer to Tŷ Newydd, stood –
(50) Muriau Robin – where the grandfather of John Richards, Yr Ogof, Ynys was raised.
(51) Higher up was Maes y Llan – where the mother of Rev. D Tecwyn Evans was raised.
(52) Cae Brân – with grazing for three cows on the land of Cefn Trefor Fawr, where a lame old forester, father of the Rev. Tecwyn Parry M.C., late of Llanberis, lived and where, later, the Rev. Parch W G Williams was raised. On the way from Talsarnau to Soar are -
(53) Beudy Bach -
(54) Garth — and further -
(55) Castell – where Saul, keeper at the Glyn, lived. Above Rhosigor stood -
(56) Bryneirin.
I have ended near Rhosigor. I am not knowledgeable enough to place them in their appropriate parishes. Here are the fifty six dwellings that I know about for certain, but I heard that there were six others on the land of Felenrhyd Fawr.
Atgof uwch Anghof.
March 16eg, 1928.
(the author was the great grandfather of Anna Wyn Jones, Cricieth and Lisbeth Wyn James, Llithfaen)
Here is a list of dwellings in the parishes of Llandecwyn and Llanfihangel that are, by now ,ruins.
Muriau Robin, Llidiart garw, Maes Llan, Mur Mawr, Y Gegin, Ffridd Rasus, Gwastas Annas, Cefn Mine, Capel Newydd, Caebran Hafod y Mynydd, Capel Bach, Pensarn, Bryn Melyn Garreg Ro Bach Dolorcan Fawr, Hendre Cerrig Penrhyn Uchaf Bryn Eirin, Ty Newydd Breichiau (Mari’r Fantell Wen) Tynffordd Fawr, Llennyrch Bondwll Efaill Bach Castell, Glandwr, Ffatri Eisingrug Talysarnau Ysgoldy Bach, Penybont, Blaenddol, Efail Eisingrug, Aberdeunant Uchaf, Bryn Eglwys, Glanofer (Dorti ) Glasfryn Bach, Muriau Gwyddil, Rhwngyddwybont, Gelli Grin Bach, Llain Wen, Nant Pasgan Cottage House, BeudyBach, Briws, Berthen Gron, Gwrach Ynys, Bracdy.
Collection submitted by Tomi Gwilym Williams