National Gazetteer (1868)

National Gazetteer (1868) "BANGOR, a parish, city, borough, and market town, in the hundred of Uwch-gorfai, in the county of Carnarvon, North Wales, 9 miles to the N.E. of Carnarvon, and 238 miles by railway from London. It is situated on the north coast of the county, at the head of the bay of Beaumaris, and at the entrance to the Menai Strait, and is a station on the Holyhead railway, which is carried across the strait by the great Britannia Tubular Bridge, not far from the city. This place has existed from a very early period; but the precise time of its foundation is not known. It is the oldest see in Wales, except Llandaff, its first bishop having been appointed about A.D. 560. King Edgar confirmed the privileges of the bishopric, and added to its endowments. The original cathedral was destroyed in 1071 by the English army, and was not rebuilt till, after 1102, when contributions were made for that purpose at a synod at Westminster. When King John invaded the principality, in 1211, he captured the bishop at the altar, and only released him on payment of a large ransom. The city suffered greatly from the wars in the reigns of John and Henry III. Edward I. restored the endowments of the see, and granted further privileges. The cathedral was again destroyed during the insurrection under Owain Glyndwr, and lay in ruins nearly a century; being then restored by Bishop Dean. The city, which formerly consisted chiefly of one long street in a beautiful valley, protected on the south by rocks and mountains, is now considerably enlarged, and is divided into Upper and Lower Bangor. Since the formation of the Holyhead railway many new residences have been built, and the city has grown in population and prosperity. Its situation near the sea and the mountains, the fine views, and the beautiful scenery of the neighbourhood, make it an attractive watering-place. The bay of Beaumaris, the Isle of Anglesey beyond it, the Snowdon range of mountains, and the two marvellous bridges over the Menai, combine to make it a spot of more than common interest. Within 8 miles of Bangor are the great slate quarries of Llandegai, the property of the Pennants, which employ above 2,000 hands, and yield a gross annual revenue of £250,000. The principal trade of the city and port depends on these mines. There are several manufactories, in which various articles, useful and ornamental, are made of slate; but the larger part of the produce of the mines is exported. There are several shipping places, the chief of which is Port Penrhyn. The city contains a market-house, assembly rooms, a museum, several banks, and some good hotels. The borough, with three others, is contributory to Carnarvon in returning one member to parliament. It comprises within its limits, which nearly coincide with those of the parish, 1,336 inhabited houses, with a population of 6,795, according to the census of 1861, against 6,338 in 1851, showing an increase of 457 in the decennial period. It is the seat of a County Court district, and of a Poor-law Union. The Union house is about half a mile from the city. The diocese of Bangor, which is in the province of Canterbury, comprises Carnarvonshire, Merionethshire, Anglesey, and part of Montgomeryshire. It includes the two archdeaconries of Bangor and Merioneth, and about 130 benefices. The living is a vicarage* in the diocese of Bangor, value with the chapelry of Pentir, which is annexed to it, of £800, in the patronage of the bishop. It consists of undivided moieties, shared by two incumbents, who, though in receipt of all the tithes of the parish, both small and great, are called vicars. The cathedral is dedicated to St. Deiniol, or Daniel, by whom it was founded; and a portion of the building is appropriated and used as the parish church. It is a plain structure, in the form of a cross, with a low tower at the west end, and is chiefly in the perpendicular style of architecture. It is 233 feet in length, and 96 feet in breadth through the transepts. The interior is simple and unadorned, but it contains a few monuments. The most interesting are those of the two princes, Ap Cynan and Owain Gwynedd. In the library is preserved the missal of Bishop Anian, a curious folio volume of the year 1291. The cathedral has been recently restored, and a handsome stained window placed at the east end. The bishop's palace stands near the cathedral. Among the Bishops of Bangor have been Hoadly, Sherlock, Herring, Moore, Randolph, and Bethell. This diocese was prospectively united with St. Asaph by order in council, dated 12th December, 1838; but the arrangement was annulled by Stat. 10 and 11 Vict. c. 108. Arrangements have been made to build two new churches in this place-one in Upper, the other in Lower Bangor. The latter has been recently commenced, and is in the geometrical Gothic style of architecture. The parish has also, for ecclesiastical purposes, been divided between the senior and junior vicars into two districts-Upper and Lower, with that of Pentir shared jointly by both. The population of the Lower district, according to the last census, amounts to 5,574; Upper, 3,966; Pentir, 953, total, 10,493. A free grammar school was established here, in 1557, by Dr. Geoffry Glynn, advocate, which has a revenue from endowment of about £580. It has two scholarships in Jesus College, Oxford. There are also three National schools, one Wesleyan, and one British school, in the parish. The Baptists, Independents, Roman Catholics, and Wesleyans have chapels here. An almshouse for six men was founded by Bishop Rowlands in the 17th century, the revenue of which is now £216. In 1809, the Carnarvonshire and Anglesey Royal Dispensary was founded on the 50th anniversary of the accession of King George III.; it has been converted into an infirmary. Near the city is Penrhyn Castle, the fine seat of the Pennants. There are many handsome residences in the neighbourhood. From Garth Point is a ferry to Anglesey, and there is regular communication by steam with Liverpool and other ports. Friday is the market day. Fairs are held on the 5th April, the 25th June, the 16th September, and the 28th October." "ABERPWL, a village in the parish of Bangor, hundred of Uwchgorfai, in the county of Carnarvon, North Wales, not far from Bangor." "GARTH, a village in the parish of Bangor, county Carnarvon, 2 miles from Bangor. It is situated near the ferry." "HIRAEL, a village in the parish of Bangor, county Carnarvon, 2 miles from Bangor." "PENRHYN CASTLE, a demesne in the parish of Bangor and hundred of Uwchgorfai, county Carnarvon, 1 mile E. of Bangor, and 9 miles N.E. of Carnarvon. This mansion, which is now the seat of the Hon. Colonel Pennant, M.P., is situated on an eminence embowered in trees near the river Ogwen, at the northern mouth of the Menai Strait, and is surrounded by a park 7 miles in circumference, fenced round with slate. The present edifice was built for the late Lord Penrhyn by S. Wyatt, after designs by Hopper, in the Norman castellated style, with towers and turrets, on the site of the ancient seat of the Griffydds, once the palace of King Roderic Malwynog. It is built of Mona marble, and is said to have cost no less a sum than half a million, and took fourteen years in building. At a distance its massive grandeur produces an imposing aspect, but on a nearer approach, and after entering within its walls, the effect is far less agreeable. The interior is embellished with painted glass, sculptured chimneypieces, oak carving, and panelling. In one of the rooms is a bedstead entirely formed of slate, and amongst the antiquities a hirlas, or drinking-horn, of Piers Gruffydd, who fought under Drake against the Spanish Armada. From several spots within the park a panorama is obtained, embracing in the distance the Menai Bridge and the heights of Snowdon." "PENTIR, a hamlet in the parish of Bangor, county Carnarvon, 3 miles S.W. of Bangor. It once formed a separate parish. The living is a curacy united with Bangor." "TYNLON, a village in the parish of Bangor, county Carnarvon, near Bangor." .

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