Melin-y-Coed past and present - its people and community life, farms and the farming life, the surrounding countryside and local history. Also known as Melinycoed or Melin y Coed.



HANESION MELIN-Y-COED A'R CYLCH - TALES OF MELIN-Y-COED AND ITS ENVIRONS




MELIN Y COED
By the late Philip Williams when he was 14 years old.

Melin y Coed sy'n ardal hyfryd -
Dyma'r fan sydd imi ngwynfyd.
Mewn cornel fechan ces fy magu;
Swn y dwr a'm sua i gysgu.

(PW)

Melin y Coed, this lovely place
Is where I am blessed with grace.
I was raised in this small corner,
My lullaby the sound of water.

(RE)


FAMILY AND LOCAL HISTORY - PHOTOS - ESSAYS




QUICK GUIDE TO LATEST ADDITIONS


On Page "Not Forgotten" - April 2012



Sympathy to the family of MYFANWY ANDREW who passed away on April 20th 2012. Peacefully at Llandudno Hospital of Cae'r Ceiliog, Tafarn y Fedw, Llanrwst aged 81 years.

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March 2012: Page "Wool in History" - Gwytherin Woollen Mill - Essay by Heulwen Roberts about the history of this mill.



There is also a section below the photo of young William Andrew on the Penmachno/Capel Garmon page with a new search of names and dates.


In memory of John Hughes, Gwytherin Woollen Factory.



Archived lists of additions to pages for 2007 to 2011 can be found at the bottom of this page.
Photos placed temporarily on this page can be found on other pages e.g. Friends and Neighbours.
When "Latest Additions" entries are archived to the bottom of the page, photos are removed and can be found in the appropriate page elsewhere on the site.
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Above: Aerial view of the village as shot in 1999 by Howard.
More of these photos on our "Bird's Eye View" page.


Above: an old photo of Melin y Coed.



CROESO - WELCOME - MELIN Y COED

Croeso cynnes i bawb, a diolch yn fawr i chi am ymweld a ni.

A warm welcome to you all.
Thank you for visiting melin-y-coed.co.uk

Sie sind herzlich wilkommen in Melin-y-Coed. Wir danken Ihnen für Ihre Besuch!

Bienvenu a Melin-y-Coed! Nous vous remercions de votre visite.

Kor torn rub Melin-y-Coed soo. Kopkwmkap tee maa ywen prod klab ma ywen eek.

Céad míle fáilte romhat! Fàilte! In buis!
Bem vindo ao website do Melin-y-Coed!
Viteite na webove strance Melin-y-Coed!
Witamy na stronie internetowej Melin-y-Coed!
Dobro pozhalovat na cait Melin-y-Coed!
Bienvenido! Wilkommen! Welkom! Benvenuto! Wilicom! Wälkommen! Välkommen! Velkominn! Willkamen! Velkomen! Karibuni! Ahup yan! Mirë se vini! Willkomme! Ahlan wa sahlan! Ongi etorriak! Z dobym prybytsyom! Dobro dosli! Dobrodoshli! Degemer mat! Benvinguts! Dynnargh dhis! Van harte welkom! Benvenguda! Tere tulemast! Vælkomin! Tervetuloa! Wäljkiimen! Witajcie! Benvignût! Khosh geldiniz! Mobrdzandeet! Kalos orisate! Aloha mai! Bruchot habaot, Bruchim habayim! Suswaagatam! Isten hozta! Tikilluaritsi! Irashaimasu! Choš kiel'di! Terveh tulgua! Esiet sveicinati! Sveiki atvyke! Dobre doshle! Selamat datang! She dty vea! Haere mai! Bien ati veni! Benvegnüu! Mišto reslan! Bun venit! Buerie biejjie! Bene bennios! Mipela welkam yupela! Hosh geldiniz! Laskavo prosimo! Zayt vilkum!



Above: a map of the Houses, Rivers and Leats of Melin-y-Coed.



The diagram above indicates the position of homes old and new in Carmel and Nant y Rhiw, up the hills from the village of Melin-y-Coed. For more maps of the area, please look at "Maps" page.
There is one map which demonstrates the North-South corridor passing through Melin y Coed from the Abergele Road near Tafarn y Fedw down to the A5 at Rhydlanfair showing the relationship of farms and villages "as the crow flies".



ABOUT THIS WEBSITE


Above: The village of Melin-y-Coed c. 1876

This website has been set up to focus on the village of Melin-y-Coed in the Conway Valley and the surrounding rural area.

The village lies a little south of Llanrwst, the local market town, but is off the beaten track.

Once past the last turnoff before the village, every road you choose will take you to "y topiau", the tops, the high ground of the Hiraethog running from the Carmel area through to Nebo and beyond.



Above: A local wag rearranges the front page of the local community paper to reflect his impression of our wide-ranging interest in the vicinity. All parts of the valley and the tops are dear to us.

We have pages dedicated to the homes and gardens in the village and on the tops, roaming the tops, life today, life yesterday, old houses, old photos, old weddings and news cuttings, family and local history, aerial views, the Llanrwst Show, the Livestock Market, overseas descendants of families of MYC and the tops, and even people we can't identify (though we hope you can!).
New pages are added regularly.



Above: The gate to Ty Uchaf.

We invite all with a connection to Melin-y-Coed and the tops to contribute stories, photographs, news items, art work and song.

We leave it to other specialised websites to concentrate on Llanrwst, the Conway Valley, and the wider subject of North Wales.

Anyone with a connection to or interest in Melin-y-Coed and the surrounding rural areas is welcome, whether to browse or to contribute. Contact details below.

VISITORS AND NEIGHBOURS - please let us know you came today!

LANGUAGE:
Contributions in Welsh or any other language are welcome (translations are also welcome).
The working language of the site is English in order to be accessible to visitors world wide.

POETRY
We are very proud to be able to present four of the elegaic poems of Mr Thomas Williams of Gorsedd Grucyn, whose bardic name was "Grucyn". These are to be found on "Pennillion Thomas Williams". For these we are indebted to the late Mr Phillip Williams of Melin y Coed, a descendant of Thomas Williams, and the relative to whom he entrusted them, Mr Ken Davies, who has transcribed them for us.

MYC AR WASGAR - MYC ABROAD

On this website you will find photos and stories of people from Melin-y-Coed and their descendants; some have moved to America, Canada, Patagonia, the West Indies, Australia, New Zealand, and other parts of the world.

We love to hear from them or their descendants and publish their stories and photos.
See our "Roots" pages for these historical stories, as well as updates on "Friends and Neighbours".



Above: A bird's eye view of the Chapel, Cae'r Berllan and the road up to Carmel.
See page "A Bird's Eye View" for more.



Above: View from the Mill.
An old Xmas card from the Mill shows Maes y Felin, the site of Highgate, and other features of the village.

FAMILY HISTORY RESEARCHERS:
A Window on the Past via the census returns is sure to be of interest to you.

For notes of Births, Marriages and Deaths, look at "Old News BMD".

Also look at the sites "Roots" which showcase the research of descendants of expatriate locals and "Gorsedd Grucyn", which presents family history and stories thanks to the work of Rhianwen Roberts, Ken Davies, and the late Phillip Williams of Melin y Coed.

"Fronwen" features the families who lived in this whitewashed stone cottage near the top of the Hiraethog slopes, the whitewashed frontage of which used to be visible near the skyline when one stood on the Llanrwst Bridge.

Hendre House, Cyffdy, Tyddyn Gilbert, Bryniog Isaf, Pen Ucha'r Gwyllt, Bethel and Ty Mawr, are among the homes already written about on this website.



KEEP IN TOUCH!
You can also leave a message for everyone on our Guest Book page, via an email with the subject heading "Guest Book MYC" to our email address.
MYC MAIL @ melin-y-coed.co.uk
Please close the anti-spam spaces on either side of the "@".

Read other people's stories - and write your own for us!

If you can supply names of people or places, please send us an email.

Buasem yn hynod o falch o'ch cymorth i gadw popeth yn gywir.
Diolch i chi am meddwl dros y peth.
Mi fasa e-bost bach yn dderbyniol iawn.



Above: Looking down on Melin y Coed.

Cyfeiriad e-bost / e-mail address: MYC MAIL @ melin-y-coed.co.uk
Close spaces on address.
Add MYC to distinguish from spam which is deleted unread and a heading to indicate the subject, please.
This helps us spot your mail among the pages of spam.
We hope you enjoy looking around today.

Mwynhewch eich hunain!


Above: Mill Bank



Above: The Mill at Melin-y-Coed c. 1876

This painting shows the chapel and the western side of the mill with the mill pond.

We thank Wyn and Sylvia of Bryniog Isaf for permission to photograph and use the above paintings of Melin y Coed in the nineteenth century.

Wyn's great grandfather owned the mill and lived at Mill Bank when it was a single house, not divided into two dwellings as it is now. Wyn's grandfather was a harp maker as well as a miller.

He imported oats from Ireland and exported harps to Ireland.
He also donated timber from his land to build the chapel's roof, floors, and pews.



The painting at the top shows Highgate cottage on the hilltop on the left and the row of cottages near the mill, numbered 1 to 7 in those days, not named as they were later.
A gap in the cottages was formed when one cottage was burnt down.
The cottages were owned by the mill owner and rented to the workers as tied houses.

In the 1700s Melin-y-Coed consisted of the mill, Mill Bank house, the seven cottages, Ty Newydd and the outlying farms, as well as Cyffdy Hall.

Please visit our page "The Mill" dedicated to the mill at Melin-y-Coed.


Cyfeiriad e-bost / e-mail address: mail @ melin-y-coed.co.uk
Close spaces and add MYC to clear heading to distinguish from spam which is deleted unread.

Your MYC stories and photos are invited and welcome.


Above: The Village of Melin-y-Coed (Mill in the Trees) as it is today.

Cyffdy dates back to 1596. We have a page dedicated to Cyffdy Hall on the site.

Other buildings such as farms and dwellings, and the mill which gives the village its name, date from the 1700s.


Above: Looking down on Cyffdy, the Mill, and Glan Llyn Terrace, Melin y Coed. Spring 2007.


This photo shows the mill converted to a dwelling.


There are an estimated 140 dwellings and farms in the Melin-y-Coed area nowadays.



Above: Bont y Clwt as it was in April 1967, when it was the home of Hywel (in picture) and Sally Jackson.

Many years before, it was the home of Anne who moved to Penuchargwyllt. The estate which stands there now was called Cae'r Berllan because it was built on the orchard.

Photo: Sent to Melin-y-Coed by Ken Davies (Gorsedd Grycun descendant) and originally owned by Mrs Alwenna Evans.
Many thanks for this little time capsule.


Above: Ty Mawr is on higher ground to the south of the village.
See the Ty Mawr page for more photos.



But for Bethel Chapel, Melin-y-Coed would have remained a hamlet.
See the page devoted to Bethel Chapel.

There is no evidence to date that there was ever a public house in the village.

NAME OF VILLAGE IN 1800

According to a survey conducted in 1800 for a map printed over thirty years later, the village was then called "Pentre y Coed".
Some of the place names on that map were slightly different to today's, for instance:

Careg Groes
Poethwol (Poeth Foel, often written Porth Foel)
Llwyn Gronw
Llety Drw (Llety Dryw, Wren's Lodging)
Pennant y Bribwll (now Priddbwll, "earth pit", a trap for wolves)
Orsedd Grychyn
Moel Hogan (Maelogen)
Pwll Mawnin (mawn=peat, peat pool) Pwll Monyn.
Cae Melwyr
Garth y Pegau
Ty'n y Twll
Cwmin Gaer (Gwninger?)
[Cummin (spice); Cwmin (common, land)
cwninger - rabbit warren, coneygar.
Cwnin gaer - reformation of word supposing that it means rabbit fortress (cwning+caer with soft mutation).]

kimkat.org/amryw/1_vortaroy/geiriadur_cymraeg_saesneg_BAEDD_cr_1040e.htm


Above: An example of the stone cottages built near the Mill pond, originally un-named but later called Glan Llyn Terrace.
They were then given house numbers, but now have individual names.
This house is called "Pen y Llyn".


Above: Looking green!
Wind farm on the Carmel / Maethebrwd tops.
1 May 2007

Where is "Mathebrwd / Maethebrwd"?

Mathebrwd covers 2 districts on census, Llanrwst N04 and N05.

The area in 4 is:
'Dyffryn Aur, hamlet of Tafarn y Fedw, 8 houses, Tynycauau, Cerniach, Tai Candryll, Rhydlechog, Ty'n y Ffordd Bach Ty Capel Carmel, Rhydloyw, 2 house, Brynsyllty, Coed y Brain, Garthyrhwylbren, Poethfoel, Gwern Rhisgl - 2 house -Ty Newydd, Bryn Dyffryn, Coed Bryn Dyffryn, Coed Llydan Isa, Pont y Clwt, Garth y Foel and Gwyllt Isa.'

District 5:
'Part of the Township of Mathebrwd' lies to the east of Pennant, Rhydlechog, Henblas and Cefn Coch and that part of the township of Mathebrwd that lies to the east of the road leading from Bethel Chapel to Farmyard Tollgate.'

(Information from Patricia Williams, Llanrwst Historical Society)




Archived Information for 2011


FIVE GENERATIONS!
Above: From "Yr Odyn" November 2011 - five generations of the Gwynllys family in Melin y Coed - Megan Jackson, the great great grandmother, Eirian her daughter the great grandmother, Chris, Eirian's son, the grandfather, and Zach, Chris' son, the father of Evie Beau.
From page "Black and White and Read All Over".


14 December 2011 - New Page: EVACUEES

Stories and photos - add your own - send to mail @ melin-y-coed.co.uk marked "Evacuees".

7 December 2011 - Bethel Chapel Page - 2011 Eisteddfod and 11/11/11

27 NOVEMBER 2011

AUDREY WILLIAMS, TYN TWLL, NANT Y RHIW - Page "Not Forgotten" for more.

Passed away on the morning of Sunday, 27 November 2011, after a short spell in hospital, Ms Audrey Williams of Tyn Twll, Nant y Rhiw, was most recently resident in Llanrwst. Sympathy to all her family from those who remember her over her lifetime. Audrey was the daughter of Emily and Idwal Williams, and sister to Gwyneth. Emily's parents were Eunice Lois (Edwards, Tyddyn Du) and John Owen Jones who at one time lived at Bryn Fawnog; their other children were Owen, Lizzie Jane and David.



Daily Post Fiday December 2, 2011 :


WILLIAMS - AUDREY EURWEN, Tachwedd 27ain. 2011. Yn dawel yn Ysbyty Glan Clwyd ac o 18 Llwyn Brith, Llanrwst ( gynt o Tyn Twll, Nant-y-Rhiw) yn 80 mlwydd oed. Cymar annwyl y diweddar Hugh Roberts, chwaer hoff Gwyneth a modryb garedig Evelyn a Lynda. Angladd ddydd Mercher Rhagfyr y 7fed. 2011. Gwasanaeth cyhoeddus yng Nghapel y Tabernacl, Llanrwst am 12.30 o'r gloch ac i ddilyn ym Mynwent Cae Melwr. Blodau gan y teulu agosaf yn unig ond derbynnir rhoddion yn ddiolchgar tuag at Adran Stroc Ysbyty Glan Clwyd, trwy law Williams & Davies, Penlan, Pentrefoelas. 01690 760263.

Er Cof am Audrey Eurwen Williams
Bu farw’r diweddar Audrey Eurwen Williams yn dawel yn Ysbyty Glan Clwyd am 5 o’r gloch bore dydd Sul y 27ain. o Dachwedd 2011 yn 80 mlwydd oed wedi iddi gael strôc drom yn ei chartref yn 18 Llwyn Brith bedwar diwrnod ynghynt a chyn i’m côf amdani syrthio i dywyllwch ac ebargofiant, fe hoffwn ddweud gair neu ddau amdani yn ' Yr Odyn ' y mis hwn.
Gedy’r ymadawedig un chwaer a dwy nith i alaru ar ei hôl ac yn ogystal â hynny roedd yn brith berthyn i wraig y gohebydd hwn ac fel Anti Audrey y nabodem ni hi.
Roedd Audrey’n fonesig fychan o ran corff ond rhadlon o ran ysbryd. Er y byddai’n hoffi mân siarad â phawb yn ddiwahân, roedd Audrey’n ddynes aruthrol o breifat. Nid oedd wedi dod allan o’i chragen yn gyfangwbl ac ni chrwydrodd rhyw lawer y tu hwnt i’w milltir sgwâr. Bu’n ddyweddïedig am ddeugain mlynedd a rhoddwyd ei gweddillion marwol i orwedd ym Mynwent Cae Melwr ym meddrod ei chariad a fu farw ar yr 2ail. o Orffennaf 1993. Hefyd, bu’n gofalu’n dyner am ei mam ar fferm Ty’n Twll, Nant-y-Rhiw, am flynyddoedd cyn i honno farw y 19eg. o Dachwedd 1992. Wedi’r ddwy brofedigaeth grybwylliedig, fe symudodd Audrey i fyw ar ei phen ei hun yn Llanrwst.
Cydymdeimla fy ngwraig a minnau â phawb sydd yn teimlo’r ing cignoeth o’i cholli.

Dafydd Jones

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It has been a very sad time recently for the family of the late Mary and William Roberts of Bod Wylim. In a short space of time three family members passed away, a son, a daughter and a son in law.

Robert Hugh Roberts (Bob Bont) of Pen y Bont, passed away 4 July 2011 aged 86. Dear husband of Nance, father of Garry, Karen and Nigel. Laid to rest in Llangernyw 13 July 2011.

Thomas Arfon Evans, husband of Edna and father of David and Marie passed away July 12th 2011, aged 83, and was laid to rest in Llanfairtalhaiarn.

Margaret Elizabeth Jones, daughter of Mary and Wil, passed away July 18, 2011, aged 90 years. She was the wife of the late David John Jones and mother of William, Eifion and Eirlys, and a loving grandmother and great grandmother.

Sister in Law Janet Roberts said: "They all had a lovely funeral as funerals go. Bob was private for the family only. There was a very good turn out for Mag and the singing was wonderful as members of the Maelgwyn Male Voice Choir was in the congregation. The chapel was full. The same also for Tom."

Sympathy to all the family, especially Edna, who lost her husband, brother and sister in such a short space of time.


15 December 2011 - Page "Black and White ..." News from Penmachno way.
Ken, Elen, Lowri and Cari went to Dinas Dinlle to present a cheque of £527 to the Air Ambulance, the sum raised in their recent Open Day in Tyddyn Gethin. More news about Tyddyn Gethin's prizewinning Limousin cattle on the same page and from the Daily Post.

Local Talent on the hoof.
See page "Black and White" for full story.

M A Y - 20 1 1
PAGE "A MILL IN THE TREES" - More photos
PAGE "OUT AND ABOUT" - More photos of MYC
PAGE "WINDOW TO THE PAST" - Notes on Bryn Bras, Nebo, by Anthony Francis of White Rock, Canada


M A R C H - 2 0 1 1
PENMACHNO/CAPEL GARMON - more census information.

F E B R U A R Y - 2 0 1 1
Hendre House page - details of the tenant at Hendre House between 1830 and 1840, a Mr Tait from Staffordshire. He had several children while living there; they were registered in Capel Garmon.



Cyfeiriad e-bost / e-mail address: MYC MAIL @ melin-y-coed.co.uk (close spaces)
Add MYC to subject line to distinguish from spam, which is deleted unexamined