Album of entries

This material is held atArchifdy Prifysgol Bangor / Bangor University Archives

  • Reference
    • GB 222 BMSS/3869
  • Dates of Creation
    • n.d.

Scope and Content

very much cognate in content to 3654-3868, but contains matter (see especially 46,47) quite outside the days when Hugh Ellis and the two Evans attorneys held sway at Porth-yr-Aur. Its main interest centres around Caernarvon, and politics are very prominent - this is natural, when one remembers the turbulence of its municipal life, the corruption, the rich field of satire, and the wonderful crop of satirists. The wider ambit of the County, and the neighbouring isle of Anglesey, also come into the picture; there is evidence of a deep bias of opposition to the Bulkeley interests and influence (which was almost as potent in Caernarvonshire as in Anglesey) as represented by Sir Robert Williams, son of Sir Hugh Williams of Arianwst, half-brother to the last Lord Bulkeley, and father of the Sir R.B.Williams-Bulkeley who died in 1875. E.G., item 22 is a printed broadside making free with the current report that Sir Robert had only become candidate for co. Caerns. in 1790 by paying £2,000 to the sitting member, John Parry of Wernfawr, one of the younger members of the house of Madryn. The same charge is reiterated in 28, another broadside of 1809, by Welshman. 42 still another broadside, seems to refer to the bitter election of 1796, when Sir Robert, backed to the full by his half-brother, but strenuously opposed by Bishop John Warren of Bangor, won a decisive victory over the first Lord Penrhyn; the Rowland who is gibed at in the first thirty lines, is, without much doubt, Rowland Williams of Beaumaris, the agent of the Baron Hill estate. 43, with its poor poetry and obscure references, may refer to the same election of 1796, and seems not to favour the Penrhyn interest. Of the other political items, 7 is a song of 16 verses (and 4 additional) on the Anglesey election of 1784, probably in the Boroughs; 24 is a warm recommendation of the candidature of the (first) Sir Love Jones Parry in 1834 for co. Caernarvon by W. Lloyd Caldecot, his brother-in-law; 27 is a very droll, and very scurrilous copy of an illustrated squib entitled Trial of an Attorney & an Agent Begging Colonel Hughes Pardon, issued at Caernarvon in 1827 and printed by P(eter) E(vans), sold for 2/6 - the exact circumstances can (very likely) be come at by a diligent study of the last six months' issues of the N.W.Gazette in 1827 of the first three months of the N.W.Chronicle in the same year (Col. Hughes was son of Edward Hughes of Kinmel and was later to become the first Lord Dinorben). Pp. 30-41 are a skit upon the struggle between Sir Charles Paget and W. Ormsby Gore for the representation of the Caernarvon Boroughs' printed in 1830 by L.E.Jones.

So much for politics. Of the other items, 9-10 is a copy of the Welsh version of the London Gwyneddigion's protest against the appointment of J.W.Trevor to be vicar of Caernarvon on account of his poor Welsh, signed by Thomas Roberts (Llwynrhudol), January 6 1818; 16 is a delimitation of the Lordship of Celliniog, co. Anglesey (n.d., but printed by T.Roberts at Caernarvon); 17 is very valid evidence that attorney John Evans was the prime personality in working the Cilgwyn Quarries about 1800-1802; 18 contains a series of Scriptural arguments that the attempted invasion of Britain by the French would never succeed (n.d., but subscribed Vindex, and printed by T. Williams at Dolgellau); 19 proves what an active and influential gentleman James Hews Bransby was at Caernarvon about 1830, for it was he who organised the very successful collection of funds towards the maintenance and education of Mary Ann Watt, a poor child who lost both her parents in the wreck of the Newry on the Caerns. coast, April 16, 1830. The new Gwyneddigion Society in the town is illustrated by 23 and 25; in 26 we find Griffith Davies the actuary (later F.R.S.) organising in 1827 effective opposition in London to the proposed enclosures at Llandwrog and Llanwnda; in 29 we hear (through John Williams, Tu-hwnt-i'r-Bwlch) of the disaster to the Cob and to his master W.A.Madocks by the tides of February, 1812. It is the fine, fast-sailing, coppered ship Favourite, with Thomas Fanning as master, that gets advt. in 45; it was to sail about 12 May 1820, for New York and Charleston. 46 speaks of discoveries, excavations, and the uncovering of the mill race of the Old Crown Mill and portions of tiles of the Crown Malt House which stood nearby.

In 47 we come back to politics - a letter (Dec 1 1881) from Watkin Williams, Q.C., M.P. for co. Caern. for a few months in 1880 until raised to the Bench, to R.D.Williams of Porth-yr-Aur. He is sorry that the living of Llanfwrog has been disposed of by the Lord Chancellor, and roundly calls Mr. Sorton Parry "an ass or worse than an ass", which was to a large extent proved by Parry's very poor poll against Sir Love Jones Parry in the Boroughs election of 1882.