Owen Gethin Jones | |
|---|---|
 Owen Gethin Jones around 1875 | |
| Born | 1 May 1816 |
| Died | 29 January 1883 (aged 66) |
| Nationality | Welsh |
| Citizenship | British |
Owen Gethin Jones (1816 - 1883), was a Welsh building contractor, quarry owner and prominent poet.
Owen Gethin Jones | |
|---|---|
| Owen Gethin Jones around 1875 | |
| Born | 1 May 1816 |
| Died | 29 January 1883 (aged 66) |
| Nationality | Welsh |
| Citizenship | British |
Owen Gethin Jones (1816 - 1883), was a Welsh building contractor, quarry owner and prominent poet.
Jones was born on 1 May 1816 at Tyn-y-Cae, Penmachno, to parents Owen and Grace Jones. [1]
In 1843, Jones married Ann Owen of Bwlch Bach, Dolwyddelan. [1] Their son Owen Jones died in 1877 of liver failure. [2] Their youngest daughter Jeanie G. Jones was married in 1884. [3]
Jones was a prominent poet in Eisteddfod circles and was a noted local historian. His essay on Penmachno, written in the mid 19th century, was first published in 1884 (after his death) in "Gweithiau Gethin" (The Works of Gethin). [4] The essay refers to the first nonconformist sermon in the parish in about 1784 at Penrhyn Uchaf; it describes the buildings at Dugoed farm ( 53°03′11″N3°46′55″W / 53.053°N 3.782°W ) (the oldest part of the farmhouse was built around 1517 [5] ) and reflects on the possible sites of historical significance on the farm itself, including Tomen y Castell as a possible fort and the field Cae'r Braint ("Field of Honour") which may have contained a great Bardic circle. [6]
In 1875, he was a member of the committee organising the National Eisteddfod in Pwllheli. [7]
Between 1861 and 1863, Jones built the Rhiwbach Tramway serving eight of the slate quarries at Blaenau Ffestiniog. He also built the Betws-y-Coed and Pont-y-Pant stations and the Pont Gethin viaduct on the Conwy Valley Line [1] [8] [9] spanning the Lledr Valley, and St Mary's Church, Betws-y-Coed. [10]
Jones built the parsonage at Llandrillo, Denbighshire in 1872. [11]
In the mid 1870s, Jones opened the Bwlch Gordduant quarry in the Crimea Pass between Blaenau Ffestiniog and Dolwyddelan. This was not a great success and he sold the quarry to the owner of the Prince Llewellyn quarry in late 1876. [12]
In early 1882, Jones was paralysed and subsequently confined to his home. He died on 29 January 1883, at Tyddyn Cethin in Penmachno (as recorded in 1871 and 1881 Wales censuses and National Probate Calendar for 1883, but currently known as Tyddyn Gethin (transl. Home of Gethin or Gethin House)) . [1]
Blaenau Ffestiniog is a town in Gwynedd, Wales. Once a slate mining centre in historic Merionethshire, it now relies much on tourists, drawn for instance to the Ffestiniog Railway and Llechwedd Slate Caverns. It reached a population of 12,000 at the peak development of the slate industry, but fell with the decline in demand for slate. The population of the community, including the nearby village Llan Ffestiniog, was 4,875 in the 2011 census: the fourth most populous in Gwynedd after Bangor, Caernarfon and Llandeiniolen. The population not including Llan is now only about 4,000.
Betws-y-coed is a village and community in the Conwy valley in Conwy County Borough, Wales, located in the historic county of Caernarfonshire, right on the boundary with Denbighshire, in the Gwydir Forest. It is now a very popular visitor destination in the Snowdonia National Park.
Dolwyddelan – in Victorian times, often spelled Dolyddelen – is a village and community in Conwy county borough, Wales, on the main A470 road between Blaenau Ffestiniog and Betws-y-Coed. As a community, the population of Dolwyddelan was recorded in the 2001 Census as 427, and 55.8% of those residents could speak Welsh. The population increased to 474 in the 2011 census with the proportion of Welsh speakers falling to 50.8%.
The Crimea Pass is a mountain pass in North Wales, on the A470 road between Blaenau Ffestiniog and Dolwyddelan connecting the counties of Gwynedd and Conwy.
The Conwy Valley line is a railway line in north-west Wales. It runs from Llandudno via Llandudno Junction to Blaenau Ffestiniog, and was originally part of the London and North Western Railway, being opened in stages to 1879. The primary purpose of the line was to carry slate from the Ffestiniog quarries to a specially built quay at Deganwy for export by sea. The line also provided goods facilities for the market town of Llanrwst, and via the extensive facilities at Betws-y-Coed on the London to Holyhead A5 turnpike road it served many isolated communities in Snowdonia and also the developing tourist industry. Although only a little over 27 miles (43 km) between Llandudno and Blaenau Ffestiniog, the journey takes over one hour, largely due to the sinuous and steeply graded nature of the route taken. Most of the stations along the line are treated as request stops.
Betws-y-Coed railway station is a railway station on the Conwy Valley Line from Llandudno Junction to Blaenau Ffestiniog, Wales. It is situated 15+1⁄2 miles (24.9 km) south of Llandudno Junction.
Roman Bridge railway station is a request stop passenger station in the Lledr Valley, Wales, on the Conwy Valley Line from Llandudno Junction to Blaenau Ffestiniog, which is operated by Transport for Wales Rail.
Pont-y-Pant railway station is a single platform passenger station in the Lledr Valley, Wales, on the Conwy Valley line from Llandudno Junction to Blaenau Ffestiniog, which is operated by Transport for Wales Rail. The station house is well maintained and used as a private dwelling.
The Afon Lledr is a river in north-west Wales and the second major tributary of the River Conwy. It is about 10 miles or 16 km long, and flows in a generally easterly direction.
Penmachno is a village in the isolated upland Machno valley, 4 miles (6 km) south of Betws-y-Coed in the county of Conwy, North Wales. The B4406 road runs through part of the village. The village is at the confluence of the Glasgwm and Machno rivers. It has a five-arched, stone bridge dating from 1785. The village has been referred to as Pennant Machno, Llandudclyd and Llan dutchyd in historical sources.
The Lledr Valley is a valley in Snowdonia in north Wales. It runs from the top of the Crimea Pass, north of Blaenau Ffestiniog down to Betws-y-Coed.
Cwm Penmachno is a village at the head of Cwm Machno in North Wales.
The Blaen y Cwm quarry was a slate quarry located east of Blaenau Ffestiniog in Wales. It was first worked in some time between 1813 and 1818 and sporadically after that until 1914. The quarry was connected to the Ffestiniog Railway at Duffws Station via the Rhiwbach Tramway.
Blaenau Ffestiniog Amateur Football Club are a Welsh football club from Blaenau Ffestiniog, Gwynedd. They play in the North Wales Coast East Football League Premier Division, which is in the fourth tier of the Welsh football league system.. Founded in 1883, they are given the nickname "The Quarrymen" due to the quarry history around the town.
Bro Machno is a community in Conwy County Borough, in Wales, formed from the former civil parish of Penmachno. It covers the Penmachno Valley, through which runs the Afon Machno, and includes the villages of Penmachno and Cwm Penmachno. To the south west borders Gwynedd, and is located 4.8 miles (7.7 km) south of Betws-y-Coed, 21.8 miles (35.1 km) north west of Corwen, and 19.4 miles (31.2 km) south of Conwy. The whole of the community is within the Snowdonia national park, while much of it forms part of Gwydir Forest. According to the 2011 census, the population of the Bro Machno Parish was 617, of whom 342 (55%) were able to speak Welsh and 214 (34%) had no skills in Welsh.
Rhiwbach quarry was a slate quarry located to the east of Blaenau Ffestiniog in North Wales. The quarry was a remote site; it was nearly 4 miles (6.4 km) to north-east of Duffws, the Festiniog Railway's terminus in Blaenau Ffestiniog. It was the connected to the Ffestiniog Railway by the Rhiwbach Tramway. Commercial operation began around 1812, and it finally closed in 1952. It was the last Welsh slate quarry where workers lived in barracks on the site. 'Rhiwbach' is Welsh for 'Little Hill'.
The Prince Llewellyn quarry was a slate quarry that stands on the west side of the Lledr Valley, ENE of Dolwyddelan. It was worked from around 1820 to 1934.
The Penmachno quarry was a slate quarry near Cwm Penmachno, Conwy, North Wales. It was directly below the Rhiwbach Quarry. It was worked between 1818 and 1962.
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