Dolgellau
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Dolgellau | |
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| Population | 2,678 (2001 census) |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | |
| Principal area | Gwynedd |
| Ceremonial county | Gwynedd |
| Constituent country | Wales |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | DOLGELLAU |
| Postcode district | LL40 |
| Dial code | 01341 |
| Police | North Wales |
| Fire | North Wales |
| Ambulance | Wales |
| UK Parliament | Meirionnydd Nant Conwy |
| European Parliament | Wales |
| List of places: UK • Wales • Gwynedd | |
Dolgellau (pronounced /dɔl'gɛɬaɨ/, occasionally /-gɛɬi/) is a market town in Gwynedd, north-west Wales, lying on the River Wnion, a tributary of the Mawddach. It was the county town of Merionethshire (Welsh: Meirionnydd, Sir Feirionnydd).
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[edit] History and economy
The area upon which Dolgellau stands was, in the pre-Roman period, part of the tribal lands of the Ordovices, who were conquered by the Romans in AD 77–78. Although a few Roman coins from the reigns of Emperors Hadrian and Trajan have been found near Dolgellau, the area is marshy and there is no evidence that it was settled during the Roman period. There are, however, three hill forts in the vicinity of Dolgellau, of uncertain origin.
After the Romans left, the area came under the control of a series of Welsh chieftains, although Dolgellau was probably not inhabited until the late-11th or 12th century, when it was established as a "serf village" (or maerdref), possibly by Cadwgan ap Bleddyn — it remained a serf village until the reign of Henry Tudor (1485–1509).
A church was built at some point in the 12th century (demolished and replaced by the present building in 1716), although Cymer Abbey, founded in 1198 in nearby Llanelltyd, remained the most important religious centre locally. Dolgellau gained in importance from this period and was mentioned in the Survey of Merioneth ordered by Edward I (Llanelltyd was not). In 1404 it was the location of a council of chiefs under Owain Glyndŵr.
After a visit by George Fox in 1657, many inhabitants of Dolgellau converted to Quakerism. persecution led a large number of them to emigrate to Pennsylvania in 1686, under the leadership of Rowland Ellis, a local gentleman-famer. The Pennsylvanian town of Bryn Mawr is named after Ellis's farm near Dolgellau.
The woollen industry was long of the greatest importance to the town's economy and by the end of the 18th century, output was reckoned to be worth between £50,000 to £100,000 annually. The industry was to decline in the first half of the 19th century, however, owing to the introduction of mechanical looms. Another important contributor to the local economy was tanning, which continued into the 1980s in Dolgellau, though on a much reduced scale.
The town was the centre of a minor gold rush in the 19th century and at one time the local gold mines employed over 500 workers. Gold prospecting continues today at 'Gwynfynydd Gold Mines', one of the few sources of Welsh gold.
Dolgellau was the county town of Merionethshire (Welsh: Meirionydd, Sir Feirionnydd) until 1974 when, following the Local Government Act of 1972, it became the administrative centre of Meirionnydd, a district of the county of Gwynedd. This was abolished in 1996 by the Local Government (Wales) Act 1994.
Today, the economy of Dolgellau relies chiefly on tourism (see below), although agriculture still plays a role; a Farmers' market is held in the town centre on the third Sunday of every month.
[edit] The name "Dolgellau"
The name of the town is of uncertain origin, although dol is Welsh for "meadow", and (y) gelli (from celli, pl. cellïau) means "grove" or "spinney", and is common locally in names for farms in sheltered nooks. This would seem to be the most likely derivation, giving the translation "Meadow of Groves". It has also been suggested that the name could derive from the word cell, meaning "cell", translating therefore as "Meadow of [monks'] cells", but this seems less likely considering the history of the name. Furthermore the standard plural of cell is celloedd, not cellau.
The earliest recorded spelling (from 1253, in the Survey of Merioneth) is "Dolkelew", although a spelling "Dolgethley" dates from 1285 (the thl is almost certainly an attempt to represent Welsh /ɬ/). From then until the 19th century, most spellings were along the lines of "Dolgelley", "Dolgelly" or "Dolgelli" (Owain Glyndŵr wrote "Dolguelli"). Thomas Pennant used the form "Dolgelleu" in his Tours of Wales, and this was the form used in the Church Registers in 1723, although it never had much currency. In 1825 the Registers had "Dolgellau", which form Robert Vaughan of Hengwrt adopted in 1836; it may derive from a false etymology. This, however, is the modern form in English and Welsh, although the town continued to be known as Dolgelley in English until extremely recently.
[edit] Education
Dolgellau is home to a bilingual further education college, Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor[1]. The site it occupies was originally home to Dr Williams School, a girls' grammar school established in 1875. It was named after its benefactor Dr Daniel Williams, a Nonconformist minister from Wrexham, who also gave his name to Dr Williams's Library in London. The school closed in 1975.
A boys' grammar school had been established in 1665 at the opposite end of the town. In 1962, this became a comprehensive school under the name Ysgol y Gader[2] ("School of the Chair", in reference to the mountain Cader Idris, whose name translates as "Idris's Chair"). Like Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor, it operates bilingually in Welsh and English.
There is also a primary school, Ysgol Gynradd Dolgellau, which is under the voluntary control of the Church in Wales.
[edit] Literary connections
Near Dolgellau is the house of Hengwrt, whose 17th-century owner Robert Vaughan (1592–1667) kept an extensive library. This was home, among other treasures, to the Book of Taliesin, the Black Book of Carmarthen, the White Book of Rhydderch and the Hengwrt manuscript.
In 1971 John Elwyn, a local school teacher, published Pum Cynnig i Gymro ("Five Tries for a Welshman"),[1] an account of his time as a Prisoner of War in Poland during World War II. The title of the book refers to the five attempts he made to escape, the last of which succeeded. The book was dramatised by S4C in 1997. In 1986 and 1987 John Elwyn published his autobiography in 3 volumes, called Yn Fy Ffordd Fy Hun ("In My Own Way") . These do not duplicate his Prisoner of War adventures, but recount his upbringing in the area—he was born at Bryn Gwyn, less than a mile from the town—and subsequent return to the area after his years in the armed services.[2]
The modern Welsh writers Marion Eames, Bethan Gwanas and Nia Medi all live local to Dolgellau. The first is probably best-known for her book The Secret Room (originally published in Welsh as Y Stafell Ddirgel), a semi-fictional account of the events leading up to the 1686 emigration of Quakers from Dolgellau. It was dramatised by S4C in 2001.
[edit] Local attractions
The surrounding area is known for its wild but beautiful countryside and places of historical interest. It is popular with tourists who enjoy activities such as walking, hiking, horse riding, white-water rafting and climbing. Dolgellau is the main base for climbers of Cadair Idris (known as Cader Idris locally).
The Great Western Railway line from Ruabon to Llangollen was extended via Corwen and Llanuwchllyn to Dolgellau, and a station was opened there in 1868. The Ruabon Barmouth line was closed in the 1960s under the Beeching Axe. The railway line was converted some years ago into the Llwybr Mawddach (or "Mawddach Trail") which now runs for some eight miles from Dolgellau to Morfa Mawddach railway station, near Fairbourne on the coast. It is maintained by the Snowdonia National Park and is very popular with walkers and cyclists. It passes some estuarine areas that are important for water birds.
The site of Dolgellau railway station itself, along with approximately a mile and a half of former trackbed, was used to construct the Dolgellau bypass in the late 1970s.
Historical attractions, apart from the town itself, include the 12th-century Cymer Abbey, a short walk from Dolgellau. The Tourist information centre also has an exhibition on Quakers and there is a Quaker graveyard in the town. A field known as Camlan, in nearby Dinas Mawddwy, has been claimed as the site of the last battle of King Arthur (based on a mention of the name in the Annales Cambriae; see also Battle of Camlann).
[edit] Cultural Events
Since 1992 Dolgellau has held its own annual world music festival, Sesiwn Fawr (English: Big Session). Originally free and held in the streets of the town, it has now grown too big for the centre of Dolgellau. Since 2002 it has been held on the outskirts of the town and admission is charged, which has allowed the organisers to book such acts in recent years as Cerys Matthews, Super Furry Animals and Goldie Looking Chain. It attracts crowds of up to 5,000 every year and claims to be one of Europe's biggest and best world music festivals. Since 1995 it has been broadcast live on BBC Radio Cymru and since 1997 on S4C.
Every Summer, Dolgellau is also host to the Gŵyl Cefn Gwlad ("Festival of the Countryside"), a mix of agricultural show and fête. Entry is free, but the money raised in the various stalls is given to good causes.
In 1949 Dolgellau hosted the National Eisteddfod and, more recently in 1994, the Urdd National Eisteddfod.
[edit] Twin-town
Dolgellau is twinned with:
[edit] External links
[edit] Notes
- ^ Tri chynnig i Gymro ("three tries for a Welshman") is a more or less equivalent saying to English "three times lucky".
- ^ "Yn Fy Ffordd Fy Hun", in 3 volumes by John Elwyn. Published by Gwasg Carreg Gwalch, 1986/7. ISBN 0-86381-054-3 ISBN 0-86381-060-8 ISBN 0-86381-074-8
