Carnarfonshire, North-West Wales aka Gwynedd, British Isles

Archaeologia Cambrensis 1927 Pages 1-43. "Tynycord Cromlech - Capel Garmon, Denbighshire [Map]."

"This is a remarkably fine specimen of an Ancient sepulchral chamber in excellent preservation. It was once embedded in a tumulus or carnedd, as was the case with most of our cistveini and Cromlechau. The incumbent heap has been half removed for building walls. ... The Leading outline of the tumulus is elliptical, its greatest diameter at the base being 20 yards, its east 13 yards. It has been reduced in size within living memory. Level with the present surface of the mound is the denuded roof of the Cromlech, a flat slab of marvellous size and symmetry. Its form is rhomboid, or symewhat lozenge-shaped, its greatest length 14 feet 7 inches, its breadth 11 feet 4 inches ... exceeding, I apprehend, in superficial measure any Cromlech in Wales. Its average thickness is about 15 inches. Under one end or apex is the entrance to the cell pointing to the South West, opposite the other at a distance of 2½ yards is a circle 2 yards in diameter, composed of seven stones about 2 feet out of the ground, at unequal distances, as if some of them had been removed. A line drawn lengthways over the large slab from the entrance of the cell would intersect this circle. There are no other traces of systematic arrangement outside the monument. A deep lane, 4 yards long, which appearsto have been once a covered way, leads to the entrance of the chamber. This has been converted into a stable by a former tenant and provided with a door and window, and with a manger at the end opposite the door. The shape of the chamber inclines to a pentagon, the doorway forming one side. Its height at the door is 5 ft. 5 inches, at the middle 5 ft. 7 inches, gradually increasing towards the opposite end. The supporters, which partly form the walls of the stable, are five in number, and measure respectively 5 ft. 5 inches high by 4 broad; 5 ft. by 2 ft.; 6 ft. by 3 ft. 4 inches; 5 ft. 9 inches by 2 ft., and 5 ft. by 3 ft. 6 inches. They stand at regular distances and the intervening spaces have been built up with a wall of small stones, a few of which, by their aged, greenish colour, seem composed of a broken portion of the Cromlech. The floor is paved; some of tae supporters appear disturbed from their original position and somewhat broken. Still, so neatly and free from damage, on the whole, has the conversion been made from the sepulchre of a hero to a stable for colts that no one would wish the work undone nor the integrity of the structure better secured."

"All the stones of the Cromlech are of the argillaceous stone, or flags, with which the country abounds. Someone has been barbarous enough to attempt to blast the large cover stone. But the hole being bored too deep the underside of the stone gave way, the laminæ being forced out in concentric circles, diminishing upwards and presenting an object, that if unexplained, might perplex an antiquary."

Archaeologia Cambrensis 1849 Page 1. Cefn Ystym Cegid [Map] & Dolbenmaen Monum^ts-—Cefn is a farm on the right hand of the road leading from Clynnog to Dolbenmaen; to the west of the house a most stately beautiful cromlech, neither alter'd by time nor injured by any accidental violence. Its superficies gibbous, underneath flat, having 5 strong supporters; it is call'd the Goetan, &c. Ystym Cegid stands opposite to this, on the other side of the river Cegid; and in a stone wall that runs from the house to the rock above it, stand 3 uncommon columns, whose tops resemble javelin points; one is 2 cubits in length & 1 in breadth; the other, 2 cubits & -J high & 3 broad; the third, 3 cubits in length and 2J in breadth, &c. Not far from these, on a rising ground called Bryn y gogo, i. e. The Hill of Prayer, stands the grand triple cromlech called Coetan Arthur. The largest table stone is triangular, & in length 8 cubits, in breadth 5, supported by six pillars. The 2d, which rest upon it an un trapezium, in length 5 cubits, breadth 2, stands upon three pillars. The 3d roofstone, a flat quadrilateral shiver, 3 cubits long and 2^ broad, stands upon 4 pillars. The ends of the middle covering stone rest Mrs. Eobert Williams, the lady of the present vicar of Clynnog Fawr. The following are the dimensions of the cromlech with which Mrs. Williams has favoured us: Total height of eastern end 5ft. 5in.; do. supporting stone 3ft. 6in.; thickness of cromlech at eastern end 1ft. llin.; total height of western end 4ft. 3in.; do. Oi upporting stone 3ft. 9in.; thickness of western end of cromlech 6in.; whole length of upper stone 8ft. 6in. upon the other two. In the way to it appears a directing stone. In the field adjoyning it, a tall pillar, another lying on the ground very near it. A little distance to the west, the low arch'd stone, &ec., farther on in the bottom, several carnedds remov'd, and an oval 12 paces one way & 17 the other. The inclination of the triple cromlech is to the north. In the way to Dolbenmaen, in a hedge row, stands a lonely pillar, in height 4 cubits, in breadth 2. To the left of the road, in a field calld Rhyd y Cawg, are 2 pillars, sloping different ways; in another field, to the east, the remains of a Druid cirque. In the Parson's garden a pillar, 4 cubits long old. Between the church and Dolwgan stands the famous Maen Arthur, or rather Maen Sigl, being a vast round orb, now off its axis; it faces the accomplish'd Oval of Cwm Mawr. The author supposes Dolbenmaen to derive its name from this stone. Ystym Cegid, anciently calld Cefn y Fan; tradition says that John ap Meredydd's house stood in a field call'd Cae y Mur Poeth.

Warkworth's Chronicle. [December 1462] And after that, the castelle of Bamburght was yoldene to the Kynge, by treyatte and apoyntment by Herry the Duke of Somersett (age 26) that kept it, and came in to Kynge Edwardes grace, whiche graunted to hym a M^l, marke by yere, whereof he was not payede, the[r]for he departed oute of England after halff yere into Scotlonde, &c, And so Kynge Edward was possessed of alle England, excepte a castelle in Northe Wales called Harlake [Map]¹, whiche Sere Richard Tunstall (age 35) kepte, the qwhiche was gotene afterwarde by the Lorde Harberde (age 39)⁷,

Note 1. Excepte a castelle in Northe Wales called Harlake. I cannot resist the temptation of taking the following lines from the poems of Lewis Glyn Cothi, relative to the future siege of Harlech

"Doves â'i wyr, divasw wedd,

Dareni daiar Wynedd;

Jarll, ond ev a'r llu, nid â

Ar wddv Eryri Wyddva.

Dau er ei chael dri a chwech,-

Un dân harddlun yw Harddlech.

Tynu â gwyr tònau gwin

Peiriannus, val mab brenin.

Uchel ewri a chlariwns,

A tharvu gwyr â thwrv gwns;

Saethu 'mhob parth saith mil pen,

A'u bwa o bob ywen:

Clod wellwell, cludaw allan

Goed mawr a fagodau mân;

O wartha 'r rhai'n, hyd yr hwyr,

Arvogion a'u rhyvagwyr.

Trwy'r tair gwart Herbart hirborth

Ty'nu'r pen capten i'r porth.

Ennillodd, eu ewyllys,

Y brenin lech Bronwen Lys.

Hywel Davydd ab Jevan ab Rhys.

As no translation is added in the published works of Glyn Cothi, may be as well to give one here;

"He tamed, in no trifling manner,

The lofty heights of Gwyneth²; No earl, save him and his followers, could ever mount

Upon the neck of Snowdon, the Alpine of Eryri.³

There would climb up, to gain the ascent,

Now three, -now six men, all at once;

One beautifully formed fiery blaze is Harddlech⁴

Men drawing from men waves of wine⁵, -

Loud the shouting - loud the blasts of clarions;

Scattering of men, thundering of guns;

Arrows flying in every quarter from seven thousand men,

Using bows made of the yew.

Bravo! bravo! they bring out large trees and faggots;

They pile them up, and, behind the pile,

Armed men are placed to continue there ' til night.

Then Herbert, through the three wards,

Brings forth the head captain in the porch.

Thus King Edward, as it were, with one volition,

Gained possession of Bronwen's Court."

This place was possessed in 1468 by Dafydd ap Jeuan ap Einion, - a strong friend of the house of Lancaster, distinguished for his valour and great stature. He was besieged here by William Herbert, Earl of Pembroke, after a march through the heart of our Alps, attended with incredible difficulties; for in some parts, the soldiers were obliged to climb; in others, to precipitate themselves down the rocks; and, at length, invested a place till that time deemed impregnable.

The Earl committed the care of the siege to Sir Richard, a hero equal in size to the British commandant. Sir Richard sent a summons of surrender, but Dafydd stoutly answered that he had kept a castle in France so long, that he made all the old women in Wales talk of him; and that he would keep this so long, that all the old women in France should also talk of him. He at last surrendered, and Herbert had a hard struggle with Edward's barbarous policy to save the noble defender's life. - Pennant's Tour in Wales, vol. II. p. 121-2. Margaret of Anjou found refuge in this Castle after the unfortunate battle of Northampton; and it has been conjectured that the song of "Farwel iti Peggy Ban" was composed on the occasion of her quitting it. On the peculiar advantages of the position of this castle, see The Cambrian Traveller's Guide, p. 574.

Note 2. North Wales.

Note 3. The mountains surrounding Snowdon.

Note 4. This couplet is metaphorical of the rapidity of Herbert's motions.

Note 5. i.e. streams of blood.

Note 6. The castle was anciently called Twr Bronwen, after Bronwen, daughter of Llyr (King Lear), and aunt to the great Caractacus. See The Cambro - Briton, ii. 71. She is the subject of an old Welsh Romance.

Note 7. By the Lorde Harberde. "Et castrum forte in Wallia per dominum Harbarde captum est, et Dominus Ricardus Tunstalle, cum ceteris ibi inventis, captus est, et in Turri Londonie clausus, qui tum in breve gratiam a Rege consecutus est. Duo nobiles ex illic capti decollati sunt [And a strong castle in Wales was captured by Lord Harbarde, and Lord Richard Tunstalle, along with others found there, was captured and imprisoned in the Tower of London, who then shortly obtained favor from the King. Two nobles captured there were beheaded]." - MS. Arundel, Coll. Arm. 5, fol. 171, rº. There is a grant to Lord Herbert for his services in Rot. Pat. 3 Edw. IV.