Date

Subject

Event

6^th C

Llanrwst

St Grwst Church founded

7^th C

Gwydir Castle

A fort stood at the site of Gwydir Castle

845AD

Llanrwst

The name of Llanrwst is encountered as  far back as then, in connection with a sanguinary battle between two rival Princes.

1170

Llanrwst

St Grwst Church built

13^th C

Llanrwst

St Grwst Church moved to its present site

1240

Llywelyn Fawr

Death of Llywelyn Fawr.

1254

Church

An early Llanrwst church is mentioned in the Norwich Taxation.

1277

Maenan

Monks traded in wool. While the Abbey was still at Conwy, the King issued a safe conduct to Chester to a merchant named de Podio, whose men were carrying 20 sacks of wool bought from the Abbot of Aberconwy.

1284

Llywelyn Fawr

Llywelyn's body moved from the Abbey at Conwy to a new Abbey at Maenan.

1291

Church

An early Llanrwst church is mentioned in the Lincoln Taxation.

14^th C

Gwydir Castle

A Watch tower replaced the 7^th Century fort

1328

Llanrwst

It was compulsory to publish the date when a market or fair was to be held in Llanrwst – an occasion for buying and selling, but also for brawls. The carrying of weapons was therefore prohibited.

Upto

15^th C

Llanrwst

Hair was being used to string Welsh Harps.

1359

Llanrwst

Welsh soldiers drawn from this part of North Wales to serve under the banner of The Black Prince, the Earl of Chester. There is a record in the Black Prince's Registers that green and white cloth be bought for short coats and hats for 50 Welshmen chosen to follow the Black Prince to war as they invaded France.

1398

Hywel Coetmor

Hywel and his brother were executors of the will of Griffith Vaughan ap Griffith ap David Goch

1400

Owain Glyndwr

Sir John E Lloyd writes, " When Owain Glyndwr's rebellion shook the country, the Conway Valley was under the sway of two brothers who espoused his cause. Hywel Coetmor and Rhys Gethin, who from their eyrie in Cwm Llanerch near Betws y Coed, so harassed the town of Llanrwst that grass grew in the market place and the deer fed in the churchyard".

1401

Conwy

Conwy was captured. Llanrwst people suffered much hardship at this time. Aberconwy Abbey and Maenan suffered.

1415

Owain Glyndwr

Sir John Wynn wrote 'All the whole countrey then was but a forrest, rough and spacious, as it still is, but then waste of inhabitants, and all overgrowne with woods, for Owen Glyndwr's warres beginning in anno 1400, continued fifteen years, which brought such a desolation that greene grasse grew on the market place in Llanrwst, called Bryn y botten, and the deere fled into the church-yard, as it is reported'.

1483

Gwydir Castle

Came into the hands of the Wynne Family

1525

Gwydir Castle

Maredudd of Y Gesail Goch and Gwydir died.

1536

Maenan Abbey

Henry VIII ordered the dissolution of monasteries

1536

Gwydir Castle

Leland wrote 'Gwydir lieth two bowshots above the River Conway. It is a pretty place'.

1536

Llywelyn Fawr

Llywelyn's stone coffin rescued by the Wynne family. Placed at Gwydir Chapel

1553

Gwydir Castle

Sir John Wynn born. His parents were Morus Wyn and Jane, daughter of Sir Richard Bulkeley of Beaumaris. He wrote 'The History of the Gwydir Family'.

c1540

Gwydir Castle

Acquired additions to the buildings, including reused gothic building material from nearby Maenan Abbey

1565

Llanrwst

First Grammar School built. Founded by Sir Richard Wynn.

1570

Maurice Wynn

He wrote a memorandum, referring to the wildness of Snowdonia, where foxes, falcons and polecats 'haunted' the area, stating that one of his sheep had been killed by an eagle.

1570s

Gwydir Castle

Home to Katherine of Berain, cousin of Queen Elizabeth I

1580

Gwydir Castle

Morus Wynn died.

1586

Gwydir Castle

Associations with the Babbington plot

C 1595

Gwydir Castle

Fine Elizabethan porch and garden added to the buildings

1605

Gwydir Castle

Associations with the Gunpowder Plot.

C1610

Llanrwst

Sir John Wynn describes Llanrwst as a village. Its importance was its site on the Conwy, not its size.

1610

Llanrwst

Sir John Wynn established Almshouses, providing housing for the elderly members of the area, until 1970. Initially for men only

1626

Gwydir Castle

Sir John Wynn died

1627

Llanrwst Bridge

A request for a new bridge came before a jury at the General Sessions at Denbigh. It was stated that 'the public and common bridge' had for many years been 'in the greatest decay so that neither the King’s subjects, nor horses, carts nor carriages, could come and go without great danger to life'. 

1634

Gwydir Chapel

A mausoleum was erected by Sir Richard Wynne, from the designs of Inigo Jones. The roof  is of finely carved oak from Maenan Abbey.

1636

Llanrwst Bridge

First stone bridge built over the Conwy River – Inigo Jones.

1642

Llanrwst

Edward Lhwyd notes in 1699, that 'Cay-r-Berllan in Tybrith Issa' was occupied by Robert Hughes, gent in 1642.

Sept 1645

Gwydir Castle

King Charles XIV paid a visit as guest of Sir Richard Wynn.

16 April 1650

Llanrwst / Dolwyddelen

GWYDIR RENT LISTS
Papurau Gwydir, Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru
Llythyr 16.4.1650 o Lanrwst, Edward Pryse at Ellis Moris [Pen Amnen, Dôlwyddelan]; ateb, gyda rhestr deiliaid ym mhlwyf Dôlwyddelan

Thomas ap Richard Rowland (£5/8/0)
Gruffith ap William Thomas & Moris ap Reinallt ei fab yng nghyfraith (£2/[-]/0)
Gruffith Thomas ---------- Gorddinen (£4/7/8)
aseswyd Ddanhadog (£4/13/4), a William ap Evan [?yn unig ---------] (16/-) a dalwyd yn unig ganddo ef
Deiliaid Garnedd (£3/16/0)
Deiliaid Penrhiw (£4/2/2)

1661

Market Hall

Original Market Hall built

1675

Llanrwst bridge

The west arch of the bridge collapsed. The original springers remained but the arch is of poorer workmanship.

1678

Llanrwst Bridge

The Caernarfonshire Justices were compelled to expend a further £15 on repairs to the bridge.

1699

Population

Edward Lhwyd estimated that Llanrwst had 66 houses. He lists, in his quaint spelling, the townships as;

Tre Lan Ryst, Garth Gyvannedh, Malhebrwd,

Ty bruth Ycha, Garth Garmon and Trewydr – the latter in Caernarfonshire.