April 6, 2007
Map of Llanystumdwy
Llanystumdwy, Criccieth and the surrounding area.
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Llanystumdwy Church from bridge |
Llanystumdwy Church |
Date of Bridge - stone from middle of Bridge |
Afon Dwyfor - looking upstream |
Sewin (sea trout) from this famous fishing
river |
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David Lloyd George's bust |
Lloyd George Museum |
Details of Museum and Highgate |
Highgate - Lloyd George's boyhood home |
Tÿ
Canton, next door |
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Back of Highgate |
Lower part of Highgate garden |
Upper part of Highgate garden |
Capel Moria |
Llôn
Singrig 1730 |
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Pwll Tan Capel and Bridge |
D
Ll G MP his own initials carved into stone on bridge c. 1918 |
Lloyd George's Grave designed by Clough Williams
Ellis |
Plaque by William Lloyd George |
Lloyd
George's favourite "sitting" stone from
sea side path |
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Another view of Lloyd George's Grave |
Afon Dwyfor below Grave |
Looking upstream |
Pwll Berw, Trefan Woods |
Cae Criw Bach, Aberkin |
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Dwyfawr, Dwyfor, Dwyfach are all names referring
to our two rivers near to and by Llanystumdwy. Ask a local whether
the name Dwyfawr or Dwyfor is correct, and you will I guarantee
no one will agree. One of the commonest explanations is that Dwy
is two in Welsh - fawr is large and fach is small, mor is the sea
- so the explanation becomes that there are two rivers - one large,
one smaller and when they join they become the two seas.
Fine, but not really because the true explanation goes back centuries - the time of the Brythoniad, possibly earlier - who knows. It is certainly in a time when old Welsh was spoken and the most likely explanation is that Dwy refers to Duw or in the old Welsh Duwies or God. 'God' is strictly speaking female in Welsh. So Dwyfawr really is the large God! Dwyfach the small God! - God's river. It's amazing the reaction one has had to the 'academic' explanation referred to above - 'rubbish' some people say even to the point of hostility! For my evidence, I will give a simple explanation taken from the pamphlet produced about the history of our Church - and I quote "The name Llanystumdwy means the Church at the bend of the Dwy. Dwy is a water or river deity: thus, the two rivers between the Church stands -the Dwyfor and the Dwyfach ('Great and Little Goddess') - suggest this may have been a site of pre-Christian worship. It has been said that an early Christian church stood here dedicated to St. Tydecho, a Celtic missionary of the 6th century with churches in Merioneth and Montgomeryshire, but there is no positive evidence. The present dedication of the Church to St. John the Baptist dates from at least 1720. A church has, however, existed on this site from the 14th century. There is a reference to the appointment of an incumbent, David ap Adam, on the presentation of the Prince of Wales (Edward the Black Prince) in May 1375. The succession of rectors and curates can be traced from 1397 to the present day. The National Library of Wales) date from 1596". Copyright Llanystumdwy Church and thanks for permission to quote this extract and thanks to the Rev. Ivan Williams of Llanystumdwy for his help . I also quote from 'Enwau Lleoedd' gan Yr Athro Ifor Williams, page 30 'Am yr hyn a elwais uchod yn ddol afon digwydd hefyd ystum yn bur gyffredin. Golyga dro neu blygiad mewn afon neu graig, neu'r cyfryw. Enghraifft wych yw Afon Ystumiau ger Dolwyddelan. Edrychwch arni ar y map: mae fel mor-neidr droellog mewn hunllef morwr, neu fel teclyn tynnu corcyn o botel. .......... Mae Sir Garnarfon yn llawn ystumiau, megis Ystumllech, ger Clynnog, Ystumllyn, ger Cricieth a Llanysyumdwy. Saif y Llan i'r gogledd ddwyrain o gymer ceinciau'r Afon Ddwy (ar ei henw, gw. td. 36), sef Dwyfor a Dwyfach. Wedi uno'r ddwy gainc rhed yr afon i'r de i gyferiad y mor am ysbaid, ond yn lle torri trwwodd yn syth, llifa yn gyfochrog a'r mor am oddeutu milltir dda cyn cael bwlch i ymgolli ynddo. Dyna'r ystum amlwg ar y map ni wn ai hwn a roes enw i'r llan, ond tybiaf hynny.' Page 36 'Dwyfawr (Dwyfor) a Dwyfach yn Eifionydd, gw. uchod ar Dyfrdwy, ac ar Ystumdwy (td 30). Duwies ddiamheuol eto. Cedwir hen ffurf yr ail gainc fel Dwyfech yn enw'r bardd Morys Dwyfech, ac mewn breilen a roes Llywelyn Fawr (bu farw yn 1240) i Faenan.' The name of the village itself is interesting - Llan is often referred to as a Church, but it's proper meaning is an enclosure. We certainly have a very beautiful Church, but it is recent - about 1740, the same age as our bridge - if you look carefully about halfway across the bridge on the side facing the sea you can see 1745 engraved, especially clear with a bit of rain on it. Ystumdwy - Ystum refers to something being stretched or a bend, dwy again not dwy - two but Duw, God. More recently you can also see chiseled into the stone work D. Ll. G. MP - David Lloyd George, Llanystumdwy's claim to fame! - Wales' only British prime minister - he was borne in Liverpool (capital of Wales!?) but brought up in this village. There is a recently restored film in black and white which portrays his life (made in 1918) - in this he is shown engraving his name onto this stone - are these his initials? Hen
Bentref Llanystumdwy
Yn
fynych hen atgofion Dwyfor
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