"CARNARVONSHIRE, (or Caerntarvonshire), a maritime county of North Wales, occupying the N.W. quarter of the principality, and bounded on the N. by the sea, on the E. by the county of Denbigh, on the S. by the county of Merioneth and the bay of Cardigan, and on the W. by the sea and the Menai Strait, by the latter of which it is separated from the Isle of Anglesey. This county is irregular in form, extending in length from Little Orme's Head on the N.E. to Braich-y-Pwll on the S.W., about 55 miles; and in breadth from Bangor or Carnarvon in a south-easterly direction, 22 miles; but the greater part of the county is much narrower. It is nearly 150 miles in circuit, and has a coast-line of above 90 miles. It comprises an area of 579 square miles, or about 370,273 acres. The county is situated between 52° 47' and 53° 22' N. lat., and between 3° 40' and 4° 45' W. long.

Carnarvonshire derives its name from Caer yn Arvon, the ancient British designation for the Roman city of Segontium, and signifying "the fort in the country next Mona" (Anglesea). Its early history is most intimately connected with its physical character, its impenetrable mountain recesses forming an indispensable support to the stout resistance made for centuries by the early occupants of the country to the invading forces of Romans, Saxons, and Normans. It appears probable that this district was part of the territory of the British tribe called the Ordovices, although some inquirers assign it to the Cangi. It was about the year A.D. 58 that the Romans first made their appearance in this quarter, on occasion of the great attack on the Isle of Mona by Suetonius Paulinus, but the district was not conquered till about twenty years later. It was included in that division of the island named Britannia Secunda, and in that district of it called Venedotia.

Two military stations were established in the county: Segontium, close to the present town of Carnarvon, and Conovium, near Conway. The Welsh name of the former is Caer-Seiont, that of the latter Caer-Rhun. These stations were connected by a road branching off from Watling Street, and passing through the county of Denbigh. Segontium was also the terminus of the great road called the Via Occidentalis. After the retirement of the Romans, Segontium was long one of the residences of the princes of North Wales, who had another seat at Deganwy on the river Conway, On the death of Rhodri Mawr (Roderick the Great) about A.D. 880, and the partition of Wales among his three sons, this county, as part of Gwynedd (North Wales), fell to Anarawd, the eldest. It was invaded and wasted in the following century by the princes-of South Wales, who were, however, defeated near the Conway by the two reigning princes, Ievav and Iago.

About the middle of the 11th century the Saxon chief, Harold, was charged by Edward the Confessor with the conduct of an expedition against North Wales, in which, with the co-operation of his brother Tostig, he acquitted himself with great skill and complete success. Later in the same century invasions were made by the earls of Chester and Shrewsbury. Early in the 13th century King John, intending to take revenge on Llewellyn ap Iorwerth, then Prince of North Wales, led an army into the country; but after suffering greatly from want of supplies, and from the harassing attacks of the Welsh, he had to retire. John was more successful, when shortly afterwards he renewed the attempt, and compelled Llewellyn to accept peace on disadvantageous terms. Henry III. invaded North Wales about 1245, and encamped on the Conway; but after being reduced to great extremities, and losing many of his men, who were killed or captured by the Welsh, he had to withdraw, the only success to compensate for his toils and losses being the fortress of Deganwy, which he succeeded in completely rebuilding. This fortress was subsequently taken and demolished by Prince Llewellyn ap Gruffyd. Edward I. having invaded Wales about 1277, Llewellyn was compelled to make peace with him on very hard terms; and the second invasion by the same monarch about 1283 resulted in the death of Llewellyn, and the entire conquest of the principality.

This achievement was celebrated by a grand tournament held at Nevin, and the great castles of Carnarvon and Conway were immediately founded. A formidable insurrection, provoked by a levy of new taxes, broke out in Carnarvonshire about 1294, when the Welsh, led by Madoc, an illegitimate son of Llewellyn, got possession of the town and the castle of Carnarvon, burnt the former, and killed all the English then gathered in great numbers there. The insurrection was suppressed by Edward himself, who recalled the army on the point of embarking for the French war, and marched into Wales. The next important event in the history of the county is the siege of the castle of Carnarvon by Owain Glyndwr at the commencement of the 15th century, and its successful defence for Henry IV. by the Welsh captains to whom, under an English officer, it had been entrusted. This county became the scene of several contests during the civil war in the reign of Charles I., Carnarvon and Conway castles being taken by the parliament.

From the mouth of the Conway, at the north-eastern extremity of the county, the coast-line has a south-westerly direction, with no great irregularity, to Braich-y-Pwll, opposite Bardsey Island, from which point it bends eastward, with several curves, to St. Tudwal's Island, and thence sweeps north-eastward in a bold curve, forming the northern boundary of Cardigan Bay. The principal promontories along the coast are Great Orme's Head, running out several miles to the N.W. at the mouth of the Conway; Penmaen-Mawr, about 3 miles W. of Conway; Yr Eivl, or Rivell, a few miles to the N. of Nevin; Braich-y-Pwll at the south-western extremity of the county, and Penrhyn Du, near St. Tudwal's Island. Except at these points and near them, the coast is generally low, a narrow tract of comparatively level ground intervening between the mountains and the sea. Along the northern coast are the Lavan Sands, an extensive tract left dry at low water, and supposed to have been formerly an inhabited district. With the exception of Anglesey, the only islands off the coast are Bardsey Island and St. Tudwal's.

Carnarvonshire is almost wholly covered with the vast range of mountains connected with Snowdon, and named from it Snowdonia. It commences on the coast not far from Conway, with the huge headland of Penmaen-Mawr, rising precipitously from the bay of Beaumaris to the height of 1,540 feet, and extends southward with increasing elevation and breadth till it covers the whole county between Denbighshire and the bay of Carnarvon. This range terminates near Nevin, in the lofty irregular mountain mass of Rivell, 1,867 feet above the level of the sea. Snowdonia consists almost entirely of slate-rocks belonging to the Silurian system, and is the principal mountain chain in Wales and in South Britain. The central mountain, from which four main ridges diverge, was named by the Welsh Creigiau 'r Eryri, which has been variously translated "eagle-rocks" and "snowrocks" (Snowdon, or Snawdun). Its highest point is called Yr Wyddva, i.e. the "conspicuous summit," and rises to the height of 3,571 feet above the level of the sea. Two other peaks approach this in elevation-Carnedd Llewellyn, 3,470 feet in height, and Carnedd Davydd, 3,429 feet. Other remarkable summits are Moel Shabod, 2,878 feet high; Moel Hebog, 2,585 feet; Clawd Goch, Craig Goch, Glider Vawr, and Glider Vechan; Bwlch Mawr, 1,673 feet high; and Gyrn Goch. The heights of Penmaen-Mawr and Rivell have been previously given.

Valleys of great depth, and some with very precipitous sides, lie round Snowdon, separating the various ridges. In these valleys or cwms are numerous tarns or mountain lakes, most of them of small size, and formed by the expansion of mountain streams. The principal lakes, or llyns, are those of Cwn, Conway, Llanberris, Ogwen, Cawellyn, and Nanlle. Many of them abound in fish of various species, and are remarkable for the fine scenery surrounding them--Carnarvonshire has many rivers, but the only one of any importance is the Conway. It takes its rise at Llyn Conway, at the S.E. corner of the county, on the edge of Denbighshire and Merionethshire, and after a short curve; first to the N.E. and then to the N.W., runs in a northerly direction past Llanrwst to Conway, where it falls into the bay of Beaumaris. Its entire length is about 30 miles, throughout the greater part of which it is the boundary of Carnarvonshire and Denbighshire. The Conway is navigable to within a short distance of Llanrwst. It is joined by many tributary streams on both sides, amongst which are the Machno, Llygwy, and the Ledan.

The Llygwy rises near the Carnedd Davydd, and passing Capel Curig runs over several ledges of rock, and joins the Conway a little above Llanrwst. Other rivers are the Seiont, which falls into the Menai at Carnarvon; the Ogwen, which falls into the same strait near Bangor; the Gwrfai, the Llyfui, and the Glas-Llyn. The latter rises near the centre of Snowdonia, and runs through some of the most wonderful scenery in Wales. It has a fine fall not far from its source, forms two beautiful lakes, and after a course southward of about 15 miles, passing Beddgelert, falls into the bay of Cardigan, near Tremadoc.

The general characteristic of the scenery of this county is sublimity. But the wild grandeur of the mountains is inter-mingled with and softened by many a passage of quiet beauty, still lake and shining stream. The shores of the Menai present a succession of diversified and picturesque scenes.: Some of the most beautiful landscapes occur in the valley of the Conway. But above all is the view from Yr Wyddfa, the loftiest peak of Snowdon. Besides the vast ridges radiating from it as a centre, with their intervening cwms and llyns, and the greater part of North Wales with Anglesey immediately surrounding them, the view embraces the mountains of Cumberland, Westmoreland, and Yorkshire, portions of the Highlands of Scotland, the Irish Sea, with the Isle of Man, and even the mountains of Wicklow. It is seldom, however, that the atmosphere is sufficiently clear for the observing of this magnificent panorama. A large part of Snowdonia belongs to the crown, having been made a royal forest by Edward I. It was dis-afforested in 1649.

The mineral productions of Carnarvonshire are various and of considerable importance. Slate is the prevailing rock throughout the county, and is quarried to a great extent at Llanberis, Llanlyfni, Nantfrancon, and other places. It is mostly of a blue colour, and is of very fine quality. Immense quantities are annually consumed in the manufacture of writing slates, both for British and foreign markets. Large slabs are also prepared for roofing, paving, hearth-stones, and chimney-pieces, and a great variety of small articles are made of the best kinds. Basalt, porphyry, quartz, and serpentine are found in the higher regions. Great Orme's Head consists of lime-stone, which occurs also along the shore of the Means. Braich-y-Pwll is composed of Old Red sandstone, and this species of rock also appears along the northern coast.

The principal metal found in this county is copper, which is worked at Derwendeg, Llanberis, Capel Curig, and Llinian Dinlle, near Beddgelert. Lead ore is abundant in the great mines of Bwlch-haiairn, near Gwydir, where zinc is also found, and there are other lead mines at Gest, near Penmorva, and Penrhyn Du. Near Conway is a quarry of millstone. Ochre is obtained near Dolawen. The climate of Carnarvonshire has the natural characteristics of a mountainous region with a long coastline: cold and rainy, with mists and sudden storms of wind, and snow lying late in the year on the higher grounds, but a milder and drier air in the districts lying along the sea-coast. Of these the driest and most pleasant is the promontory of Lleyn, forming the south-western extremity of the county. The general healthiness of the county is proved, like that of the rest of North Wales, by the common instances of longevity of the inhabitants.

It is only a very small part of the surface of Carnarvonshire that is under or capable of cultivation. Tracts of good land occur in the valley of the Conway, on the shore of the Menai, and in Bardsey Island. The most common soils are the wide heathy pastures and peaty flats. Little wheat is grown, the chief crops being oats, barley, and potatoes. Most of the farmers keep great numbers of cattle and sheep, which they pasture on the mountains during the summer. The cattle and sheep are of small and hardy breeds, the latter yielding a short, coarse wool. The golden eagle is occasionally to be seen in the mountains, and seals are found on the coast. Many rare and interesting plants are indigenous. The mountains were formerly to a great extent covered with forests, but there is little woodland in the county now.

Carnarvonshire is divided for purposes of civil jurisdiction into 10 hundreds, viz-: those of Commitment, Creuddyn, Dinlaenn, Evionydd. Gafflogian, Is-Gorfai, Uchaf, Isaf, NantConway, Uwch-Gorfai. These are divided into about 70 parishes The county contains one city, Bangor, the seat of a bishopric; one parliamentary borough, Carnarvon, to which five others are contributory-Bangor, Conway, Criccieth, Nevin, and Pwllheli; and 7 market towns, being the above six with the modern town of Tremadoc. Carnarvon is the county town. Bangor, Carnarvon, Conway, and Pwllheli, are seats of Poor-law Unions and heads of County Court districts. Portmadoc is also the head of a County Court district. One member is returned to the imperial parliament by the county, and one by Carnarvon and its contributory boroughs. The election for the county takes place at Carnarvon, and the polling places are Carnarvon, Capel Curig Conway, and Pwllheli. Carnarvonshire is in the North Wales circuit, and the assizes and quarter sessions are held at Carnarvon. It is in the home military district. The local government is entrusted to a lord-lieutenant, high sheriff, and a body of about 30 magistrates.

The county is almost entirely in the diocese of Bangor, in the province of Canterbury. Carnarvon has no important manufactures, and but a small proportion of the inhabitants are engaged in trade. Agriculture forms the principal employment of the people; and next to that, mining and quarrying, in which above 5,000 persons are engaged. The herring fishery is carried on along the S.E. coast, between Bardsey Island and Pwllheli. The antiquities of the county are numerous, but chiefly military. There are several primitive stone circles and cromlechs; the former near Penmorva, at Dwygyfylchi, and on Bwlch Craigwen; the latter near Clynnog, Ystym Cegid, and Cefu Amlwch. Remains of British fortresses exist in several places. The principal are those of Tre'r Ceiri, on the summit of Yr Eifl, Braich-y-Dinas, on Penmaen-Mawr, Dinas Dinorweg, Diganwy, and Castell Caer Lleion.

The Roman stations of Segontium and Conovium have already been referred to, as have also the magnificent castles of Carnarvon and Conway, two of the finest in the kingdom. Ruins of other castles are seen at Criccieth, on the S. coast; at Dolbadarn, near Llanberis; at Diganwy, near Great Orme's Head; and at Dolwyddelan. There were five monastic establishments in this county, but few remains of the buildings are left: these are of the abbey in Bardsey Island; of that at Maenan, near Llanrwst; and of the priory at Beddgelert. The most interesting churches are the cathedral of Bangor, and the churches of Clynnog, formerly collegiate, and Llandegai.

The principal seats of the nobility and gentry in Carnarvonshire are the following: Glynllifon Park, the seat of Lord Newborough; Gloddaeth, that of Lord Mostyn; Gwydir Hall, of Lord Gwydir; Nant Hall, of Sir Williams, Bart.; Penrhyn Castle, of the Hon. Colonel Pennant; Vaenol, Cefn Amlwch, Nanthoran, Maenan, &c.

The Chester and Holyhead railway enters Carnarvonshire near Conway, and running along the coast to Bangor, crosses the Menai by the Britannia tubular bridge. A branch line from that point is now constructed to Carnarvon, whence it is continued as far as Nantlle. Another branch is projected from Conway, up the valley of the Conway, to. Llanrwst. There are several railroads connecting the great slate quarries with the coast. The principal roads are the following: from Conway along the coast to Bangor and Carnarvon; from Carnarvon, by Dolbadarn Castle and Capel Curig, to Llanrwst; or from Carnarvon, by the coast, to Nevin, and thence south-eastward to Pwllheli; from the same place, by Bettws, under Snowdon, to Beddgelert and Tremadoe. The northern part of the county is crossed by the road from Shrewsbury to Holyhead, winch enters near Bettws-y-Coed, and runs past Capel Curig north-westward to Bangor, whence it is carried across the Menai suspension bridge into Anglesey." [Description(s) from The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland (1868)
Transcribed by Colin Hinson ©2003]

 

Despite the details given in gazetteers, see below, it has proved difficult to determine exactly where
the detached part of Llandrillo yn Rhos parish lies within Caernarfonshire as opposed to the main part which is in Denbighshire.

See the Genuki Denbighshire page for fuller details of this place

The gazetteer entries below are included here to assist the reader

National Gazetteer (1868)

"LLANDRILLO-YN-RHOS, a parish partly in the hundred of Creuddyn, county Carnarvon, and partly in that of Isdulas, county Denbigh, 3 miles N.E. of Conway, its post town, and 8 W. of Abergele. The Colwyn station on the Chester and Holyhead line of railway is about 2 miles S.E. of the village. It is situated on the northern coast, near Little Orme's Head, and W. of Abergele Bay. The parish includes 7 townships, of which Colwyn and Eirias are the principal. The inhabitants are mostly engaged in the fisheries. During the summer months steamers from Liverpool, and occasionally from Carnarvon and Beaumaris, call at the landing-stage of Llandudno.

The living is a vicarage* in the diocese of St. Asaph, value £343, in the patronage of the bishop. There is also the district church of St. Catherine, Colwyn, a perpetual curacy, value £170, in the gift of the vicar. The church, dedicated to St. Trillo, has a tower, remarkable for having double-stepped battlements. It contains some stained-glass windows, and an ancient Norman font. The Wesleyans have a chapel. The parochial charities produce about £14 per annum. Here are the remains of an ancient seat of the Conways. About half a mile distant from the village is Capel Trillo, a rude little building, asserted by tradition to be earlier than the Norman Conquest, but, according to the Rev. H. L. Jones, not older than the 16th century."

"EIRIAS, a township in the parish of Llandrillo-yn-Rhos, hundred of Crenddyn, county Carnarvon, 4 miles N.E. of Conway. The Fynnon Eilian, or Holy Well, is in this township."

[Description(s) from The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland (1868)
Transcribed by Colin Hinson ©2003]

A Topographical Dictionary of Wales Samuel Lewis, 1833

LLANDRILLO YN RHOS (LLAN-DRILLO-YN-RHOS), a parish, partly in the hundred of CREUDDYN, county of CARNARVON, but chiefly in the hundred of ISDULAS, county of DENBIGH, NORTH WALES, On the shore of the Irish sea, 5 miles (N. E.) from Aberconway, containing 1133 inhabitants. The village of Llandrillo is composed of three houses only : the townships in that part of the parish which is in Denbighshire are united for the maintenance of their poor ; while that of Eirias, which forms the Carnarvonshire portion of it, supports its poor separately. There are four weirs along the shore, where an immense quantity of fish, of various kinds, is taken during the season, particularly mackarel and salmon : one only of these, namely that which formerly belonged to the monks of Aberconway, pays tithe, the capture at every tenth tide being divided between the bishop, as rector, and the vicar, three-fourths to the former, and one-fourth to the latter. A considerable quantity of limestone is shipped hence to Liverpool. The living consists of a sinecure rectory and a discharged vicarage, in the archdeaconry and diocese of St. Asaph : the former, rated in the king's books at £ 27. 1. 3., is held in commendam by the Bishop of St. Asaph, who is also patron of the latter, which is rated at £ 8. 15. 10. The church, dedicated to St. Trillo, is a large handsome structure, situated on a high rock of limestone, and consists of a nave, chancel, north aisle, and a lofty square modern tower : the east window is in the later style of English architecture, and contains some elegant specimens of ancient stained glass : in one compartment is a fine head of Marchudd, founder of one of the fifteen noble tribes of North Wales, above which are the arms of Ednyved Vychan, counsellor and leader of the armies of Llewelyn the Great, and a successful warrior against the English : in the others are figures in flowing drapery, representing the tribes of Wales. Ednyved Vychan obtained a license from the pope to build a chapel adjoining this church, the only remains of which are part of two old arches in the north wall. There are places of worship for Wesleyan and Calvinistic Methodists and Presbyterians. A large and handsome building of stone, roofed with slate, was erected in 1819, for a National school, at an expense of nearly £400, which was raised by subscription, aided by a grant of £50 from the National Society : it presents a singular appearance, from its situation in the midst of lofty limestone rocks : the school is supported by Voluntary contributions, and at present affords instruction to about one hundred and forty children of both sexes. The poor derive benefit from several small bequests, amounting in the whole to about £ 17 per annum, which is distributed among them on St. Thomas's day. On the shore, at the distance of a mile to the north-east of the church, stands a very small chapel with a vaulted roof; called St. Trillo's, of singular appearance, being of an oblong form, with a window on each side and at the end, and entered by a small door : it is built over a well. A quarter of a mile southward from the church is a strongly fortified hill, called Bryn Euryn, at the foot of which are the ruins of a large building, called Llys Bryn Euryn, erected by Ednyved Vychan, as a residence for himself and his descendants, who procured a license from the pope to build a chapel near it, with permission to give all his tithes and oblations to the officiating chaplain. It was burned down, in 1409, by Owain Glyndwr ; but the remains were modernized, and occupied by some female members of that family, named Conway, (the descendants of Sir Tudwr ab Ednyved, who was one of the commissioners for negociating terms of peace between Edward I. and Llewelyn, and resided here so late as the reign of Charles II.), who contributed largely towards defraying the expense of erecting the tower of the church. In the township of Eirias is the noted well called Fynnon Eilian, which, even in the present age, is annually visited by some hundreds of people, for the reprehensible purpose of invoking curses upon the heads of those who have grievously offended them. The ceremony is performed by the applicant standing upon a certain spot near the well, whilst the owner of it reads a few passages of the sacred scriptures, and then, taking a small quantity of water, gives it to the former to drink, and throws the residue over his head, which is repeated three times, the party continuing to mutter his imprecations in whatever terms his vengeance may dictate. The average annual expenditure for the support of the poor of the entire parish amounts to £555. 8., of which sum, £441.5. is raised for that portion in the county of Denbigh.

EIREAS

EIREAS (EIRIOES), a township forming that part of the parish of LLANDRILLO YN RHOS which is in the hundred of CREUDDYN, county of CARNARVON, NORTH WALES, 4 1/2 miles (N. E.) from Aberconway, containing 262 inhabitants. A small stream, bounding this town-ship on the east, separates the county from Denbigh-shire. The celebrated well, called Fynnon Eilian, in this township, is still visited by hundreds of people annually, for the purpose of venting maledictions against any person who has unfortunately incurred their displeasure. The usual ceremony attending this unchristian practice is, for the person who owns the well, after having read certain passages from the sacred scriptures, to hand some of the water of the spring to the applicant, who drinks a part and throws the remainder over his head, at the same time cursing his victim in whatever words he pleases, which ceremony is repeated three times. The township is separately assessed for the support of its poor, the average annual expenditure amounting to £114. 3.

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"CEGID RIVER, passes under the viaduct, 600 feet long, on the Holyhead and Chester railway, and falls into the sea at Port Penrhyn, in the county of Carnarvon."

"COMMITMAEN, a hundred in the south-western part of the county of Carnarvon; contains Bardsey-Isle, Llandegwning, Rhiw, Aberdaron, Bodferin, Pen-llech, Llanengan, Myllteyrn, Bryncroes, Llan-faelrhys, and Llangwnadle."

"CREUDDYN, a hundred in the county of Carnarvon, contains the parishes of Llandudno, Eglwys-Rhos, Llangwstennin, Llys-faen, and part of Llandrillo-yn-Rhos."

"DINLAEN, a hundred in the county of Carnarvon, contains the borough of Nevin, and the parishes of Bodvean, Aber-Erch; Ceidio, Llandwdwen, Edeyrn, Pistil, Llaniestyn, Tydweiliog, and part of Llamnor."

"EVIONYDD HUNDRED, one of the subdivisions of county Carnarvon. It is situated in the southern part of the county, and contains the parishes of Beddgelert, Criccieth, Dol-ben-maen with Penmorfa, Llanarmon with Llangybi, Llanfihangel-y-Pennant, Llangybi, Llanystyn-dwy, Penmorfa, Tref-llys, and Ynys-cynhaiarn with Criccieth. It gives name to a deanery in the archdeaconry of Merioneth and diocese of Bangor."

"GAFFLOGIAN HUNDRED, one of the subdivisions of Carnarvonshire, North Wales. It is situated in the south-western part of the county, and contains the borough of Pwllheli, and the parishes of Bottwnog, Garn-giwch, Denio, Llan-bedrog, Llanfihangel-Bachellaeth, Llangian, Penrhos, and part of Llannor."

"GWRFAI, a small river, county Carnarvon. It rises under Snowdon, and falls into the Menai Straits, near Llanfaglan."

"IS-GORFAI, a hundred in the county Carnarvon, contains the county town of Carnarvon, and the parishes of Bettws-Garmon, Llanbeblig, Llanberis, Llan-ddeiniolen, Llanfaglan, Llanfair-is-Gaer, Llanrug, and part of Beddgelert."

"ISAF, a hundred in the county Carnarvon, contains the parishes of Caerhun, Conway, Gyffin, Llanbedr-y-Cennin, Llangelynin, and part of Eglwys-Fach."

"LAVAN SANDS, in Beaumaris Bay, county Caernarvon. They extend for above 5 miles along the coast from Bangor towards the N.E., and are 4 miles over at the Aber ferry to Anglesey, being dry at low water."

"LEDAN, a river rising under Snowdon, county Carnarvon, and joins the Conway at Waterloo Bridge."

"LLEDER, a stream rising under Mount Shabod, in county Carnarvon, and falling into the Conway."

"LLEYN, an ancient district in the south-western part of county Carnarvon. It gives name to a deanery in the archdeaconry of Merioneth, and diocese of Bangor."

"LLYDER VAWR, a ridge of Snowdonia in county Carnarvon, near Llanberis, attaining an altitude of near 3,000 feet."

"LLYFNANT, a stream rising on the borders of county Carnarvon and Montgomery, under Llyn Penrhiadr, and forms the cascade of Pistyll-y-Llynn."

"MACHNO, a feeder of the river Conway, rising in county Carnarvon."

"NANT CONWAY, a hundred in the county of Carnarvon, contains the parishes of Bettws-y-Coed, Dolwyddelan, Llan-Rhychwyn, Penmachno, Trefriw, and parts of Llanrwst and Yspytty."

"NANT-GWRTHEYRN, a dell under Yr Eifl Mountain, in county Carnarvon, 3 miles N.E. of Nevern, supposed to be the burial-place of the British chieftain Vortigern, who died here of his wounds in 465."

"NANTLLE, a small lake in county Carnarvon, 5 miles S. of Carnarvon. It is situated under Mynydd Mawr, and forms the source of the river Llyfni."

"NANTPERIS, a pass near Llanberris, county Caernarvonshire. It lies between Snowdon and Glider Fawr."

"OGWEN, a small lake and river of the county of Carnarvon, rises near Capel Curig, and falls into the sea near Bangor."

"PARWYD, a cove in Aberdaron Bay, county Carnarvon. It is celebrated for its steep cliffs, which in many places rise 600 feet above the sea."

"RIVEL, (or Yr Eifl), a lofty summit of the Clynnog range, county Carnarvon, 5 miles N.E. of Nevin. It attains an elevation of 1,866 feet above sea-level."

"TRAETH MAUR, a creek in Cardigan Bay, county Carnarvon, near Tremadoc."

"UCHAF, a hundred, county Carnarvon, contains the parishes of Aber, Dwygyfylchi, Llanllechid, Llandegni, and Llanfair-fechan, and is the property of the crown."

"UWCH GORFAI, a hundred, county Carnarvon, contains the parishes of Clynnog, Llanaelhaiarn, Llandwrog, Llanllyfni, and Llanwnda."

[From The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland (1868) - Transcribed by Colin Hinson ©2003]

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GENUKI Gazetteer maintenance - Ireland

Basic information

All the Irish Civil Parishes and Townlands appear in the gazetteer, but for many we do not have an actual location. So as a starting point it uses the centre of the county when we have no location. Where we have a parish location we use that as a starting location for the townland. All very approximate but it helps guide reasearchers to the appropriate area and as we add locations it gets nearer and nearer to the real value. So most of this work is to achieve that. There is also other documentation describing how it is achieved.

• The status of each county section can be seen on the statistics page which helps identiy the amount of work required for each county.
• Details of the format of the source files and basic techniques are described in the Gazetteer maintenance page.
• Work already mostly done on developing the Irish counties is a useful adjunct.

Work required

The starting point for each county is to take a look at the Parishes column on the statistics page. If you hold the mouse over the numbers it explains what they represent. We want to get to the stage where there is just single number here where we've created a web page for each parish. If there is a name other than Phil Stringer in the Maintainers column then somebody is already working on this county.

In the end we want to get to the stage where there is nothing in the Approx column, and nothing in the No links column but it is easiest to do some of the tasks in a particular order.

Exact location for parish

In the Approx column, if there is a number marked Parishes with an approximate location this is the simplest one to resolve first. It is those parishes that had a location in our original data and location should be nearly right. Click the number for the names of the parishes, and click each name to see a page with links to online maps. Select This place shown on a Google map. Zoom the map appropriately and drag the icon to where you think the centre of that place is. You then have the correct value to go the csv file and can change the Approx field (column C)from Y to N. If you find the Google map does not take you to a place and ther is none nearby on the map, then perhaps then perhaps an error was made in the past. So use the instructions in the next step for finding the centre location of the parish.

Parishes where we need a location

These can be identified in the Parishes column, and are labelled Civil parishes for we don't yet have a location. Click the number and see the list of names. Click a name to take you to links to online maps, the ones in the south are much easier to do.

• North - the Irish Times site is your friend as it shows where they all are on a map. It is not always easy to relate this to the modern Google map as it does not show place names. But you need to open a Google map in another browser tab and pan it and move the marker to then centre of the area shown on the Irish Times. You then have the centre location of the parish.
• South - follow the link to the Irish Ordnance survey site. Use the search menu on the right, and select the county and then Historic parishes. That shows you a historic map of the parish along with its boundaries. Pan the map until the red cross is in the centre of the parish. Don't pan it again on subsequent clicks as it changes the location that you've just found!. I find it best then to go to the 'Preview map series' menu on the right and select 'Wind report' it changes to a modern map which is much easier to relate to the Google map. Zoom, without, panning so that you can see place names that you can relate to a Google map that you've open in another tab. So look at that the OS map with one eye and move the marker on the Google map to the same location. You then have the centre location of the parish.

Cut and paste the location (Lat/Lon) into column B in the csv file for that parish entry. Change the Approx field (column C) from Y to N. Now for all the townlands without a location in this parish, change the Approx field (column C) to P, and add the parish centre location to column B. This makes the most significant improvement to the gazetteer.

Places with no location at all

As updated versions of the csv file are updated the entries that need attention in the statistics file thankfully drop. At this point the Places with no location at all in the Approx column should now have disappeared. If not it is worth fixing these now as there will be very few left for this county. Sometimes you may see Market Town in column K with the name of a description in column L. Search the gazetteer for this place to read the description. It may tell you this is also a parish. If so copy column L into column L for the parish where it is missing and then you can probably just delete the duplicate Market Town entry. For others a Google search can help identify it and lead to a location.

Townlands with a parish centre location

We are now getting to the more tedious work, but once done it makes it much more useful for researchers. In the Approx column there is probably a significant number entitled Places with a parish location. This gives list of all the names which can be clicked to link to maps, such as Google centred on the parish centre, the value in that entry in the csv file. However going through this alphabetically can be slow and it isn't as easy to spot mistakes.

The easiest method I've found is to look in the csv file at all the entries in a parish, the smaller parishes being easier. Use the gazetteer to search for the entry for the parish and ask it to display all the places in the parish on a Google map. There will be townland names on the Google map which should match the ones you need to find. If none match then the parish location may be wrong! There do seem to townlands in other parishes with the same name as actual parishes. In the rare event that this has happened, then fix the parish centre location as described above. Drag and drop the marker on the map to find the location of the townlands and change the location field in the csv file and also change the Approx to N.

Start with the ones where we already have an approximate location as they show up reasonably easily to start with. Then compare the unknown townland names nearby on the Google map with the csv file. Where they match, drag and drop and you have another answer. Google does at times have two identical names close by. I tend to use the one in the larger font as that seems to be the older one. If both are the same size I drag to point mid-way between.

So what about the townlands that don't seem to be on the Google map? Well we can go to the Irish OS site and search for the townland and see where it is on the map. Be careful that the one you get is the one you want as there can be multiple townlands with the same name. Again a useful check is to look at adjacent ones on the map and see if they are in that parish in the cav file. The Irish OS technique can only be used for counties in the South as it doesn't have the countties and townlands in the search menu for the north. If it is a county in the North try the map provided by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency. We haven't found a way to link into a location so you will need to zoom and pan to the parish location and then search for townland names. There does seem to be better coverage than Google, and it appears to have more accurate locations.

There will be some very small townlands that the Irish OS site doesn't have in the menu. If it is an island, then browse the Irish OS 6" historic map for the parish and pan and zoom across the wet areas. It is easy to find island names there. For tiny townlands that aren't islands, try a Google search as somebody may have described the location. Otherwise you are left with panning the historic 6".

There is also a technique that will find the townlands plotted on a Google map. Go to https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@?dg=dbrw&newdg=1 and put the place and county in the search bar. It normally finds it and shows a marker on a map with a rough outline of the townland. What you want is the location of the marker. So right click next to the marker and a menu will appear. Select What's here? and the lat/lon is placed in the search bar. I tend to compare that with other places in the parish to make sure it is nearby and so the right one.

In the larger parishes I find it useful to put in a framework of townlands, upload the csv file, and wait for the nightly update. Things are then clearer on the map the next day. There is less clutter and it is easier to finds ones that still need doing. You need to zoom in for Google to make some visible.

The remaining places with approximate locations

That ones that are left with approximate locations come from the CIA World Fact Book. Some will be duplicates of existing places, some geographic features and some places smaller than townlands. So take each one in the list, and select nearby places on a Google map.

• Look at nearby places marked on the map, and if a duplicate, remove it from the csv file.
• I look at all Cross Roads and tend to remove any that match the name of a nearby townland. If it is a new name check on the Irish OS map and zoom in when it usually becomes visible. You then know the exact location and can drag/drop the Google marker. It is also useful loohing at the historic 6" to see which parish it was in, and put that name in the Parish field. The CIA didn't always get the spelling right, so make any adjustments that are needed.
• If it is a named bridge, then I keep these setting the exact location, and filling in the Parish name.
• Then any small places I treat in a similar way.

It is during this phase that the towlands with parish boundaries running through them become visible as we have two or more markers at the same spot. Zoom in to make it clearer and perhaps drag one to the side to check the names and the parishes.

We only want the user to be presented with a single place at that location. We don't multiple gazetteer entries for any of these as we are trying to specify where they are, not to document an administrative hierarchy. But we can do our best to tell the user that it is in multiple parishes. So for the first entry for the townland put the names of the parishes it lies in, in the parish field separating the names with a colon ':' character (without quotes). Then delete the entries from the other parishes. We then have a single place listing all the parishes it is in.

Gotchas

There do seem to be some parishes split across counties. If you find one, get in touch with Phil as he has devised a technique to handle it but has not yet implemented it.

 

The Post Office's Postcode Finder

 

The Post Office no longer supports their postcode finder tool. Instead they advise: for the most up-to-date address and postcode details, please use your preferred mapping service such as Google Maps or Apple Maps, or use a search engine.

 

• The GENUKI Gazetteer covers the whole of England, Wales and Scotland and can be searched by place-name (or part of a place-name) or Ordnance Survey Grid Reference (six-figure, eg NZ183848). If there are multiple place-names matching the name you enter, you will initially be presented with a drop-down list of the matching place-names with their distances and bearings from London, England.
• A Gazetteer of British Place Names provided by the Association of British Counties. This comprehensive place-name index for Britain lists more than 50,000 places and gives the Ordnance Survey grid reference, the ancient or geographical County, and current local government information for each place name. There is comprehensive coverage of alternative spellings (including Welsh and Gaelic versions) and detailed notes specifically aimed at historians and genealogists. Appendices relate present day registration districts to local government areas and list those places which lay in a different "registration county" to their ancient County in the 19th century.
• The GB1900  Project - a crowd-sourced historical gazetteer based on the 1:10560 Ordnance Survey mapping of Great Britain
• GENUKI Church Database provides an online Parish Locator covering the whole of the UK. This includes facilities for listing other churches and parishes within any specified distance of the parish church.
• UK Placename Finder from Popular Archaeology includes details of 160,000 UK places.
• The archived copy of the BBC Domesday Project Reloaded website provides a method of searching the contents of the original BBC Domesday Gazetteer disk - a huge crowd-sourced description of the UK, dating from 1986 - by using the TNA Discovery Catalogue's results filtering facility.

Some historical gazetteers:

Lewis, Samuel. A Topographical Dictionary of England. 4 vols. London: S. Lewis and Co., 1831

Southall, Humphrey; Aucott, Paula; Fleet, Christopher; Pert, Tom; Stoner, Michael. GB1900: engaging the public in very large scale gazetteer construction from the Ordnance Survey “County Series” 1:10,560 mapping of Great Britain. Journal of Map & Geography Libraries, Vol. 13, No. 1, (2017), p. 7-28. [PDF]

Wilson, John M. The Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales. Six Volumes. Edinburgh, Scotland: A. Fullerton, 1870

The National Gazetteer: A Topographical Dictionary of the British Islands. Virtue and Co., London (1868) 3 vols. [Full text - vol 1 (A-E), vol. 2 (F-M), vol. 3 (N-Z)]

Gazetteer of the British Isles. Edinburgh, Scotland: John Bartholomew and Sons, Ltd., 1966.