Penmachno is a village in the isolated
upland Machno valley, south of
Betws-y-Coed
Betws-y-coed (; '' en, prayer house in the wood'') is a village and community in the Conwy valley in Conwy County Borough, Wales, located in the historic county of Caernarfonshire, right on the boundary with Denbighshire, in the Gwydir Forest. ...
in the
county
A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...
of
Conwy
Conwy (, ), previously known in English as Conway, is a walled market town, community and the administrative centre of Conwy County Borough in North Wales. The walled town and castle stand on the west bank of the River Conwy, facing Deganwy on ...
,
North Wales
, area_land_km2 = 6,172
, postal_code_type = Postcode
, postal_code = LL, CH, SY
, image_map1 = Wales North Wales locator map.svg
, map_caption1 = Six principal areas of Wales common ...
. The B4406 road runs through part of the village. The village is at the confluence of the Glasgwm and
Machno rivers. It has a five-arched, stone bridge dating from 1785. The village has been referred to as ''Pennant Machno'', ''Llandudclyd'' and ''Llan dutchyd'' in historical sources.
According to the
2011 census, the population of the
Bro Machno
Bro Machno is a community in Conwy County Borough, in Wales, formed from the former civil parish of Penmachno. It covers the Penmachno Valley, through which runs the Afon Machno, and includes the villages of Penmachno and Cwm Penmachno. To the ...
parish (which also includes the village of
Cwm Penmachno
Cwm Penmachno (historically called Tre-Gynwal) is a village at the head of Cwm Machno in North Wales.
History
The village was built in the 1860s as a quarry settlement. The Penmachno quarry lay immediately south and above the settlement. High ...
, about 5 km south west) was 617, of whom 342 (55%) were able to speak
Welsh
Welsh may refer to:
Related to Wales
* Welsh, referring or related to Wales
* Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales
* Welsh people
People
* Welsh (surname)
* Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...
and 214 (34%) had no skills in Welsh.
Toponymy
The village has been referred to as ''Pennant Machno'', ''Llandudclyd'' and ''Llan dutchyd'' in historical sources.
The name derives from the
Welsh
Welsh may refer to:
Related to Wales
* Welsh, referring or related to Wales
* Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales
* Welsh people
People
* Welsh (surname)
* Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...
''pen'', meaning head, end or
promontory
A promontory is a raised mass of land that projects into a lowland or a body of water (in which case it is a peninsula). Most promontories either are formed from a hard ridge of rock that has resisted the erosive forces that have removed the so ...
and Machno, the name of the valley.
Notable residents
The village was the birthplace of Bishop
William Morgan (probably 1545 – 1604), who was born at
Tŷ Mawr, Y Wybrnant, near the village. The precise year of his birth is uncertain: it is generally accepted to be 1545, but his memorial in St John's College Chapel, Cambridge suggests 1541.
Memorial Cambridge He was one of the leading scholars of his day, having mastered
Hebrew
Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
in addition to
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
and
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
. He was the first to translate the
Bible
The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...
in its entirety into Welsh. Tŷ Mawr is now a
National Trust
The National Trust, formally the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, is a charity and membership organisation for heritage conservation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, there is a separate and ...
property open to the public and contains a Bible museum.
![Ty_Mawr_Wybrnant](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2d/Ty_Mawr_Wybrnant.JPG)
Poet, local historian, building contractor and quarry owner
Owen Gethin Jones
Owen Gethin Jones (1816 - 1883), was a Welsh building contractor, quarry owner and prominent poet.
Early life
Jones was born on 1 May 1816 at Tyn-y-Cae, Penmachno, to parents Owen and Grace Jones.
Family
In 1843, Jones married Ann Owen of B ...
(1816 - 1883) was born, lived and died in Penmachno.
Huw Owen alias Huw Machno (1585 - 1637), poet, is recorded by Owen Gethin Jones as living at Coed-y-Ffynnon in Penmachno (
). Gethin Jones writes in his essay ("Gweithiau Gethin" (The Works of Gethin)):
A gravestone inscribed 'H. M. Obiit 1637' exists.
It is claimed that Huw Machno was descended from
Dafydd Goch of Penmachno, an illegitimate son of
Dafydd III
Dafydd ap Gruffydd (11 July 1238 – 3 October 1283) was Prince of Wales from 11 December 1282 until his execution on 3 October 1283 on the orders of King Edward I of England. He was the List of rulers of Wales, last native Prince of Wales b ...
(1238 - 1283, the last independent ruler of Wales as the Prince of Wales) and therefore a grandson of
Llywelyn the Great
Llywelyn the Great ( cy, Llywelyn Fawr, ; full name Llywelyn mab Iorwerth; c. 117311 April 1240) was a King of Gwynedd in north Wales and eventually " Prince of the Welsh" (in 1228) and "Prince of Wales" (in 1240). By a combination of war and d ...
.
Richard Edgar Thomas (known as Richie Thomas) (1906 - 1988), the tenor, was born at Eirianfa, Llewelyn Street, Penmachno and lived his whole life in the village. He worked at the Machno Woollen Mil
(Richie Thomas working at Woollen Mill)and led the singing in his chapel for over 50 years.
He first came to prominence when he won the Blue Riband at the
Rhyl
Rhyl (; cy, Y Rhyl, ) is a seaside town and community (Wales), community in Denbighshire, Wales. The town lies within the Historic counties of Wales, historic boundaries of Flintshire (historic), Flintshire, on the north-east coast of Wales at ...
National Eisteddfod in 1953.
He gave many concerts and numerous recordings were made, and a double album of his best work was released in 2008 under the title ''′Richie Thomas - Goreuon Richie Thomas (Tenor)′'' (The Best of Richie Thomas). There is a plaque to commemorate him at his birthplace.
Howel Harris Hughes
Howel Harris Hughes (7 September 1873 – 23 November 1956) was a Welsh theologian and Presbyterian minister. He was Principal of the United Theological College in Aberystwyth in from 1927 to 1939.
Biography
Hughes was born in Brynteg, Llanfa ...
(1873–1956), Principal of the
United Theological College in
Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth () is a university and seaside town as well as a community in Ceredigion, Wales. Located in the historic county of Cardiganshire, means "the mouth of the Ystwyth". Aberystwyth University has been a major educational location in ...
ministered here from 1901 to 1903.
Parish Church
![The Carausius Stone at St Tudclud's Church Penmachno (1)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ab/The_Carausius_Stone_at_St_Tudclud%27s_Church_Penmachno_%281%29.jpg)
The
parish church
A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...
of
Saint
In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of Q-D-Š, holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and Christian denomination, denominat ...
Tudclud (alternatively Tyddyd, Tudclyd, Tudglud or
Tudglyd),
was built in the mid-19th century,
but contains five important
early Christian
Early Christianity (up to the First Council of Nicaea in 325) spread from the Levant, across the Roman Empire, and beyond. Originally, this progression was closely connected to already established Jewish centers in the Holy Land and the Jewish d ...
inscribed stone slabs dating from the 5th or 6th century. The Carausius Stone, which bears the
Chi Rho
The Chi Rho (☧, English pronunciation ; also known as ''chrismon'') is one of the earliest forms of Christogram, formed by superimposing the first two (capital) letters— chi and rho (ΧΡ)—of the Greek word ( Christos) in such a way t ...
symbol, was found in 1856 with two of the others when the site of the church was being cleared.
It has been suggested that it is the gravestone of
Carausius
Marcus Aurelius Mausaeus Carausius (died 293) was a military commander of the Roman Empire in the 3rd century. He was a Menapian from Belgic Gaul, who usurped power in 286, during the Carausian Revolt, declaring himself emperor in Britain and no ...
, a Roman military commander who usurped power in 286 and was assassinated in 293 (see
Carausian Revolt),
who is possibly the same person as St Caron to whom the church in
Tregaron
Tregaron ( "town of St Caron") is an ancient market town in Ceredigion, Wales, astride the River Brenig, a tributary of the River Teifi. Tregaron is northeast of Lampeter. According to the 2011 Census, the population of the ward of Tregaron wa ...
is dedicated.
Another commemorates
Cantiorix as a citizen of
Gwynedd
Gwynedd (; ) is a county and preserved county (latter with differing boundaries; includes the Isle of Anglesey) in the north-west of Wales. It shares borders with Powys, Conwy County Borough, Denbighshire, Anglesey over the Menai Strait, and C ...
and cousin of the magistrate
(the local ruler under the Romans, suggesting that the Roman political structure was retained locally into the 5th century after the departure of the legions).
The inscription reads: ''Cantiorix hic iacit / Venedotis cives fuit / consobrinos Magli magistrati'' ("Here lies Cantiorix / He was a citizen of Gwynedd / and cousin of the magistrate Maglos".) The third of these slabs reads
"ORIA C IACIT" or "''Oria lies here''".
A fourth stone slab was discovered in the old garden wall of the Eagles Hotel (about 40 m from the church and 15 m from the churchyard) in 1915; one interpretation of its inscription is "''...son of Avitorius... in the time of Justinus the Consul''".
There was a consul called Justinus in 540, but the inscription is unclear and could refer to Justus (328); the broadest date range for the slab is 328 - 650. Several academics have recently suggested that the inscription refers to the Byzantine Emperor
Justin II
Justin II ( la, Iustinus; grc-gre, Ἰουστῖνος, Ioustînos; died 5 October 578) or Justin the Younger ( la, Iustinus minor) was Eastern Roman Emperor from 565 until 578. He was the nephew of Justinian I and the husband of Sophia, the ...
, who was consul repeatedly between 567 and 574; it is argued that this is one of a number of instances of close links between post-Roman Britain and the Byzantine Empire. The fifth slab was discovered during quarrying near the Roman road in
Rhiwbach, Cwm Penmachno and just features a cross.
![Ffenestr liw'r Tywysog Llywelyn Fawr Trefriw Sir Conwy 2014](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1e/Ffenestr_liw%27r_Tywysog_Llywelyn_Fawr_Trefriw_Sir_Conwy_2014.png)
The
chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse.
Ove ...
of the present church stands on the site of a previous church which burnt down in 1713. Three of the stone slabs were discovered when the older church was dismantled. Also discovered was a wall of a 12th-century church; this was the church of St Enclydwyn (probably the same as
St Clydwyn or Cledwyn, a 6th-century saint, the eldest son of
Brychan Brycheiniog
Brychan Brycheiniog was a legendary 5th-century king of Brycheiniog (Brecknockshire, alternatively Breconshire) in Mid Wales.
Life
According to Celtic hagiography Brychan was born in Ireland, the son of a Prince Anlach, son of Coronac, and hi ...
and brother of
St Tudful), this church fell into ruin following the
Reformation
The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...
. The existing font is 12th century and from the earliest church.
The discovery of the slabs on the site and the large enclosure of the church that is now the graveyard (about 100 m by 75 m), suggests there was a religious community here, probably a
''clas''. It has been suggested that Iorwerth ab Owain Gwynedd (1145-1174), also known as
Iorwerth Drwyndwn
Iorwerth mab Owain Gwynedd (or Iorwerth Drwyndwn meaning "the flat-nosed"), (c. 1130–1174), was the eldest legitimate son of Owain Gwynedd (the king of Gwynedd) and his first wife Gwladys (Gladys) ferch Llywarch. He married Marared ferch Madog. ...
, the father of
Llywelyn the Great
Llywelyn the Great ( cy, Llywelyn Fawr, ; full name Llywelyn mab Iorwerth; c. 117311 April 1240) was a King of Gwynedd in north Wales and eventually " Prince of the Welsh" (in 1228) and "Prince of Wales" (in 1240). By a combination of war and d ...
, was buried in the oldest church, and that a sixth stone slab in the present church (a 13th-century gravestone) marked his grave.
The church is kept locked; the key can be obtained by asking at a neighbouring house.
The holy well of St Tudclud is in the cellar of the old Post Office, now a private dwelling.
Other significant associations
Penmachno briefly featured during the revolt of
Madog ap Llywelyn
Madog ap Llywelyn (died after 1312) was the leader of the Welsh revolt of 1294–95 against English rule in Wales and proclaimed "Prince of Wales". The revolt was surpassed in longevity only by the revolt of Owain Glyndŵr in the 15th century. Ma ...
in 1294–95 as the place where Madog signed the so-called ''
Penmachno Document The Penmachno Document was a letters patent drawn up at Penmachno in Gwynedd and signed on 19 December 1294 by Madog ap Llywelyn at the height of his revolt against English rule in Wales. Though unremarkable in its content – the document consists ...
'', the only surviving direct evidence for the rebel leader's use of the title of
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...
.
About 3 km north-east of the village centre(
), close to the disused 19th century, water-powered Machno Woollen Mill (Glandwr Factory
or Factory Isaf
(Inspecting a blanket made at the factory, 1952)built in 1839, there is a drystone-built, packhorse bridge over the Machno river. This is known as the 'Roman Bridge' but it is actually 16th or 17th century.
Penmachno is, however, near the section of the
Sarn Helen
Sarn Helen refers to several stretches of Roman road in Wales. The route, which follows a meandering course through central Wales, connects Aberconwy in the north with Carmarthen in the west. Despite its length, academic debate continues as t ...
Roman road from Betws-y-Coed to the Roman fort of
Tomen y Mur
Tomen y Mur is a First Century AD Roman fort in Snowdonia, Gwynedd, Wales. The fortification, which lies on the slope of an isolated spur northeast of Llyn Trawsfynydd, was constructed during the North Wales campaigns of governor Gnaeus Juliu ...
near
Trawsfynydd
Trawsfynydd (; Welsh for "across hemountain") is a linear village in Gwynedd, Wales, near Llyn Trawsfynydd reservoir, and adjacent to the A470 north of Bronaber and Dolgellau and 10 km (6 miles) south of Blaenau Ffestiniog.
The total com ...
; this road became part of the
Cistercian Way between
Aberconwy Abbey
Aberconwy Abbey was a Cistercian foundation at Conwy, later transferred to Maenan near Llanrwst, and in the 13th century was the most important abbey in the north of Wales.
A Cistercian house was founded at Rhedynog Felen near Caernarfon in 118 ...
and
Cymer Abbey
Cymer Abbey (Welsh: ''Abaty Cymer'') is a ruined Cistercian abbey near the village of Llanelltyd, just north of Dolgellau, Gwynedd, in north-west Wales, United Kingdom.
History
It was founded in 1189 and dedicated to the Virgin Mary under the ...
which also passed near
Ysbyty Ifan
Ysbyty Ifan (often formerly anglicised as Yspytty Ifan) is a small, historic village and community in the Conwy County Borough of Wales. The population in 2011 was 196 in 76 households (29 household spaces had no usual residents), over 79% of t ...
.
A
mountain bike
A mountain bike (MTB) or mountain bicycle is a bicycle designed for off-road cycling. Mountain bikes share some similarities with other bicycles, but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and performance in rough terrain, which ...
trail has been built at Gwydyr Forest in Penmachno. It consists of a 20 km loop with an optional 10 km extension.
There are parking facilities on the site.
The village was used as a special stage in the
2013 Wales Rally GB.
Gallery
File:A view of Penmachno from the Machno Hotel NLW3363857.jpg, View from the Machno Hotel looking NW towards St Tudclud Church with the bridge in the foreground (about 1875)
File:Penmachno NLW3361496.jpg, View of Penmachno looking SW towards the Bethania Chapel (about 1875)
File:The Old Shop, Penmachno. - geograph.org.uk - 146427.jpg, Gethin Square, Penmachno, with the old corner shop
File:Penmachno Parish Church - geograph.org.uk - 756583.jpg, St Tudclud Parish Church, Penmachno
File:Bridge, Afon Machno - geograph.org.uk - 34407.jpg, "Roman Bridge", Afon Machno
File:Penmachno woollen mill - geograph.org.uk - 174448.jpg, Machno Woollen Mill
File:Sarn Helen near Betws.jpg, The Roman road between Betws-y-Coed and Penmachno
References
External links
Penmachno.net: Tourism site for the villagePhotos of Penmachno and surrounding areaPhotos of the interior of St Tudclud's Church, the 12th century font and the early Christian stone slabsof the 13th century grave stone and the early Christian stone slabsPhoto of Penmachno Woolen Mill Shop in 1964Photo of interior of Penmachno Woolen Mill
{{authority control
Bro Machno
Villages in Conwy County Borough
Villages in Snowdonia
Rally GB