The Lost Cottages - Llŵyn Penddu, Gyffin Llechan Parish

Llŵyn-Penddu (OS Grid Reference SH 7415 7368) is a small farmstead up on the ffridd (mountain pasture) above Llangelynnin Old Church, at the end of the mountain of Tal y Fan. The house itself is set off the footpath in an enclosure of small fields, typical of a small farmstead. Coflein details the house under the name of 'Ffriddlys, Farmstead 1,' but mentions the place was called 'Llwyn-Penduu' on an early Ordnance Survey map. I assume this is a misspelling, for 'Llŵyn-Penddu.' Coflein describes the site as a '3 celled farmhouse, with internal features including a fireplace and oven. It is mostly ruinous, but moderately well built and the walls survive up to 1.8m high by 0.7m wide. There are five farm buildings in the line and three peat roofed buildings to the west end. The entire block including ancillary buildings is approximately 45m long.'

Slightly more intriguing in theory, but lacking detail on the ground, is another enclosure opposite this one, apparently Ffriddlys itself, with what the Ordnance Survey marks as building remains in the shape of a B (OS SH 7406 7340). Nothing is very evident on the ground, but I'm intrigued by this very large, walled in, very roughly circular area with an odd shaped building in the middle, going by the name of 'Friddlys.' 'Llys' means court or hall (or slime, apparently.) Is that what it means in this context, or is there another meaning? The implication, otherwise, is of a building that either had importance or remains that looked like they had importance. I haven't included photos of this place because there's almost nothing to see but some low walls around spaces that would be large for a farmstead building, that don't really correspond with the shape on the map.

Notes from a friend: The name Ffriddlys on the map could be a misspelling, as is often seen with the tithe maps, which were often drawn up by by English speakers. Llus means bilberries, and the area is full of bilberry plants. A ffridd is usually is a large parcel of rougher ground, too rough to try and get rid of the stones to plough, which could explain why there are no field boundaries inside the area.

Back to Llŵyn Penddu. It's a reasonably easy walk to get near to this farmstead, up a solid track from Llangelynnin Old Church (the church is one of the oldest in Wales, and well worth a visit itself.) The house is not accessible from the footpath, but if you walk on past, along a track used a lot by hikers and bikers, you will come across the substantial standing stone of Maen Penddu (OS SH 7391 7357) (sadly defaced with Christian and other grafitti), the remains of the small Tal y Fan slate quarry, and a few small ruins that may or may not be associated with the quarry. Keep on walking (with a map!) for a substantial walk towards Llanfairfechan and Meini Hirion (Druid's Circle) stone circle (OS SH 7229 7466).

As always, or almost always, the farmstead is marked from a distance by a stand of trees.

The place is probably used by the farmer as a handy place to gather sheep. The front and interior of the house is overgrown with nettles.

Llwyn Penddu is actually made up of two houses adjoining one another, both listed as having two rooms each in the censues. The walls are quite ruined and only survive to a height of around four feet, but some mortar still remains. This is the north wall of the first house, where it meets the wall of the second, probably original, house.

In the fireplace in the main room of the first cottage the cast iron oven is still hanging on, just barely.

The upper level of the oven.

The interior of the oven. Presumably these ridges are to hold the oven shelf at different heights. The oven was probably a Victorian addition.

This cast iron plate was some way away at the other end of the buildings, on the pigsty wall, but I thought it might be the oven door.

This is a very small fireplace, with a hefty slate beam, set rather offcentre towards the back wall. The whole room is filled with nettles.

It's impossible to tell which census entry belongs to which house, but most of the entries for Llwyn Penddu show two households. Only the 1841, 1881, and 1911 censuses show one household only, and in the 1911 census it is obvious that the two houses have been merged into one dwelling.

A Jane Jones dies at Llwyn Pendu in 1837 at the age of 80. In 1841 the house is being lived in by the Williams family, who, according to the baptism register of Llangelynin Old Church, have been living there since at least 1817 when a daughter, Elizabeth, was baptised. Perhaps Jane Jones lived in the other house, or was an elderly relative living with the family.

 

It seems likely to me that the Williams family would have been living in the second house in the range rather than the one in the photo above. Agricultural labourer John Williams, 55, is living with Elinor, 55, William, 20, also an agricultural labourer, and Jane, also listed as 20 years old. No family relationship is shown. Since the baptism register shows William being baptised in 1819 and Jane in 1822, perhaps they've simply noted the ages down inaccurately.

 

In 1851 the house contains John Williams, 61, now a widower, still an agricultural labourer. Ellin Williams died in August 1845 at the age of 62. John is living with his son William, 31, an agricultural labourer, Eleanor, 23, John's daughter in law, and John, his six month old grandson.

By 1851 the second house is being lived in. It might have existed before this but been empty during the 1841 census, or it could have been added to the property since then. A Jane Roberts died at 'Llwyn y Pendu' in 1849 at the age of 37 - perhaps she was living in the second house. In 1851 the second family are also called Williams, but since John Williams was born in Gyffin and Enoch Williams, the head of the second family, was born in Llanrhos, it seems less likely that they're closely related, if at all.

Enoch Williams, 36, an agricultural labourer, is living with wife Jane, 28, and daughters Elizabeth, 13, Eleanor, 2, and Anne, who is under one month. In 1861 Jane is a widow, 43, with no occupation entered, living with daughters Ellen, 12, Ann, 9, and Catherine, 7, and son Evan, 4. The other house is still lived in by William Williams, 41, now a farmer of ten acre and wife Ellen, 30. In the last ten years they've been quite busy, and have children John, 10, William, 9, Edward, 7, Elizabeth, 5, David, 3, Elias, 2.

At a different time of year it's easier to see the shape of the fireplace, offset to the right of the room.

Quite a lot of the render has survived on the inside back wall of this first house.

The area is strewn with rubble from the tumbled walls. This single space is split into two rooms, a large one with the fireplace, and a smaller one at this north end.

 

Looking along the front of some of the outbuildings on the north end of the second home in this range. I return to the second home further down the post, looking in from the back of the room. There's a blocked up doorway in this front-facing wall, into one of the outbuildings. 

 

Looking across the front of the last two outbuildings on the north end of the range, towards two small shelters, probably pigsties. These are two of the peat roofed buildings mentioned by Coflein. Note the similarity to the pens at the nearby Tan y Graig (not the Tan y Graig mentioned later in this post.)

At the north end of the second house a very small interior door sits between the main room and the next room in the range. Even if the ground level has risen over the years, this door is still very narrow. In the censuses both these two houses are listed as having two rooms, so either this door provided access to the second room, or it lets through into an outbuilding and the large room of the main house was split with wooden partitions.

On another day the pallet had been moved from this little doorway, allowing access into the second house.

 

In 1871 William Williams, 52, still a farmer of ten acres, and Ellen, 43, are living with William, 20, Elizabeth, 17, Elias, 14, and Rowland, 2. Tragically three of their children died in quick succession in 1869. Evan died at the age of 13 on the 10th April, Catherine died at 15 three days later, and David on June 26th at the age of 12. David is listed as 'David Edwards' but the house name and age are correct so it seems likely this is a mistake. Daughter Anne was then lost in October 1870 at the age of 19. Son Rowland also died in May 1877, at the age of 8.

The other house is being lived in still by Jane Williams, 49, listed as 'lab's widow' with 'living on the parish' crossed out. She lives with daughter Ellen, 22. It seems likely her other children have left home.

In 1881 only one house is lived in, by William Williams, 62, a farmer of 12 acres, and wife Ellen, 51. It seems likely that their surviving children have left home. William Williams was buried on March 14th, 1888, at the age of 68.

In 1891 both houses are lived in again. Although Ellen Williams, 63 is now widowed, son William, 37, a farmer, has come back to live at home, along with daughter Elizabeth, 31. The household are exclusively Welsh speaking, and living in two rooms. The second house is lived in John Williams, a 38 year old farm labourer, wife Anne, 28, and children Robert John, 5, and Jane Ellen, five months. Like the other family, they are exclusively Welsh speaking, and live in two rooms.

 

By 1901 Ellen Williams is still living in the house, at 74, but son William has left. Instead, daughter Elizabeth, 40, and son Elias, 44, are living with her. Ellen is listed as 'Farming (employer)', and Elias as 'Farming (own account.) In the second house John Williams, 48, farmer and general labourer, is still living with with Anne, 38, and children Robert J, 15, employed as 'boy on farm, agricultural labourer,' and Jane E, 10, Anne, 5, and William, 3. Wife Anne is described as speaking English and Welsh. Perhaps this is because she comes from further east, having been born in Dyserth, Flintshire.

In 1911 only John Williams' family is still living in the house, but the place is now listed as having four rooms, implying they are using both houses. He is 58, a farmer, and lives with wife Anne, 48, and son William, 13. All family members are bilingual. The couple have been married for 20 years and have had five children, one of whom has died. Likely this is daughter Gwladys, who died in 1901 at the age of 10 months.

The next cell northwards, in a very ruined state. Stands of trees around these exposed farmsteads must have been a blessing at times, but after the places have gone to ruin the trees help the progress of entropy.

At the end of the range is another little cell, perhaps just an unroofed enclosure. Very little remains of the wall, but a doorway can be seen to the left.

 

 Two of the 'peat roofed buildings' at the end of the range. They're both small, low spaces which I assume are pigsties.

 

 

 Inside one of the peat roofed shelters, an abandoned tin, spade, and some fencing staples.

 

 

 

 It's unclear whether there would have been a dividing wall down the middle, or if the two shelters let out into the same enclosure. One of the hefty stone lintels has fallen from the roof of the shelter to the right.

There was a lot of domestic debris around this end of the farmstead. Lacking any kind of rubbish service, and not producing nearly as much offensive rubbish as we do nowadays, familes would simply throw their broken and unneeded glass and pottery out onto a rubbish heap.

These white, ridged pottery jam jars are often seen around old inhabited places, along with other things like meat paste jars, preserving jars, plate shards, and glass bottles.

A square glass bottle.

A rather pretty bit of glazed earthenware. Things like this give you a better glimpse into past lives than the stones of the buildings.

The third peat roofed building is a little bigger, and is to be found in the back yard, through what seems to have been a low but wide gateway.

This structure seems more substantial and well-preserved.

Inside, perhaps these are the remains of rough cobbles. Probably there are more cobbles in the farmyard, under the grass.

This slate roof structure is something I've seen most recently in buildings associated with quarries. Presumably the slabs made the bulk of the roof and peat over the top made it weathertight.

The roof of the peat roofed building, overgrown with moss.

The back yard and its stand of trees, protecting the house from the north-west. The back wall of the second house can be seen to the left.

Looking down into the second of the two houses. It's impossible to tell if this room was partitioned with wood, and with the walls only surviving to a few few there's no way to tell if there were ever a first floor. It seems possible that this and the other home might have had a croglofft - a platform at one end for sleeping - but I don't know if the census would count this as a separate room.

The small interior door from the other side, and another small fireplace. It seems intriguing that both houses have such small fireplaces, and both built off-centre to the room. Could they be later additions to a house built initially with a hearth rather than a fireplace?

A closer look at the small interior doorway. It's hard to imagine anyone getting through here without crouching.

Without going into the room it was almost impossible to get a good shot of the fireplace, and I didn't want to risk doing any harm in a building that was very deliberately blocked off from access.

 

At another time, when the small doorway was unblocked, it was possible to go in and get a closer look at the fireplace.

 

 

 

The remains of a small cast iron oven can just be seen under the rubble.

 

 

 

To the right of the big fireplace lintel is a small niche, forming a little cupboard.

 

 

 

A broken bottle on the wall has the name Llandudno on it, a town only a few miles away.

 

 

 

I couldn't see any signs of partitions in this big room, but it is a large space. It could easily have been one large space downstairs with a croglofft above at one end. It's a shame the walls have fallen to such a low height.

 

 

 

A piece of cast iron on the ground near the low doorway, perhaps part of the oven.

 

 

A view of the blocked up front door from inside the big room in the second house.

 

 The blocked up front doorway is just visible to the left of the fallen tree in one of the earlier photos. It seems that the interior of the space has been cleared somewhat since this photo was taken.

Behind this part of the building appeared to be a kind of accidental graveyard for sheep and birds.

A lovely intact glass jar behind this part of the house.

The bottom of the same jar.

When you see something this bright in ruins like this, the automatic assumption is that it's modern. But this was a lovely little broken bottle, perhaps originally containing non-poisonous medicine.

Holding the blue bottle, for scale.

Against the sunlight the bottle is a beautiful colour. Perhaps the original inhabitants used to hold up bottles in the same way, to let the sun shine through.

Addendum: A few days later I went back to see what I could see of the farmstead above Llŵyn Penddu. On the map as Tan y Graig, this is the second Tan y Graig in a relatively small area. Coflein has little to say about it, probably because little remains. I only looked at it over the wall, but there's very little left. 

 

A glimpse of the farmstead over the wall. Little more can be seen than low walls marking out the shapes of buildings. 

 

 

I wondered if this metal wheel were related to farming or to the quarry not far away.

 

 

 

A small ruin on the other side of the wall, outside the farmstead enclosure.

 

 

 

Just the suggestion of buildings.

 

 

 

 Very low walls.

 

 

 

Something that looks like a low gatepost is visible here, and a corner to the left. The trees in the distance are those around the other farmstead, Llŵyn Penddu.