teries were built and endowed between the tenth and thirteenth centuries. Wales, being a poor country, had fewer religious houses than England; yet some of them were established long before those in England. following are a few instances :

The

St. Deiniol (or Bangorfawr), Bangor isycoed, St. Beuno (Clynnog), Bardsey, Llanddwyn, St. Cybi (Côr), St. Seiriol (Côr), St. Winifreds, Gwytherin (a nunnery), St. Mary's Priory, Beddgelert, etc. With a few exceptions, there are no traces left of the above. There are fine ruins at Penmon (which priory was built by Maelgwyn Gwynedd), and at Valle Crucis Abbey.

It appears that the Abbeys of Aberconway, Ystradfflur, and Ystrad Farchill (Strata Monaca), were the most important monasteries in Wales. There was a Carmelite abbey at Denbigh, which, according to an old chronicle, was given by Sir John Salisbury in 1282 to the monastery of Bardsey. It was established by Adam Salisbury, temp. Henry III. Owen, in his Account of Wales (1602), only mentions a few monasteries, etc., in the different counties of Wales :

"Flintshire-Basingwick, alias Maesglas, Monachlog Ruddlan. Denbighshire-Ville Crucis, also Langewast; Priory, Dinas

Vassey.

Montgomeryshire-Monasteries, etc., none.

Anglesey-Monastery, Beaumaris (? Friars), Priory, Penmon. Carnarvonshire - Monasteries, Bangor and Conway; Priory, Bodkeln (Bethkeln), Beddgelert(?). Merionethshire-Monastery, Kimmer.

Cardiganshire-Nunnery, Llanllyr; Priory, Cardigan."

From the above list it appears that Owen knew nothing about the various other monastic institutions, or purposely ignored them.1

Coming now to the special subject of this essay, that is, the history of the local abbeys and convents of the Vale of Conway, one cannot help regretting the fact that so little reliable information is to be obtained about them. Dugdale, Speed, Tanner, and some other authors have, however, thrown some light upon the subject.

1 Latimer, who could not be suspected of any leaning towards the Romish faith, earnestly entreated that two or three monasteries in every shire might be continued (Baynes, Antiquities of Conway Castle).

The abbey of Aber-Conway was the most important. establishment, so it ought to come first. The original abbey was endowed by Llewelyn ap Iorwerth, Prince of North Wales," to the honor of the blessed Virgin Mary" (1185-6). By his charter it was highly endowed with lands in Carnarvonshire, Anglesey, and Denbighshire. He also allotted to it the land on which the abbey stood, and also part of Creuddyn. In the charter, written in Latin, which is to be found in extenso in Williams's History of Aberconwy, the boundaries of the different estates are fully described. Many of the names mentioned are still to be found on the Ordnance Maps, and help to prove the enormous extent of the properties belonging to the monastery. Of course, the greater number of the names are not now to be found.

Near

the town of Aberconway-if we are to judge by namesthe present Conway "Council" property is identical with the abbey lands in the borough; and the fact of Edward I having given land to the town, on the removal of the abbey to Maenan, seems to confirm that idea. In addition to that property, there was land in Llanfairfechan, reaching as far as the Cambwll river, which runs. through the Brynneuadd land. In Anglesey the abbey had land in the neighbourhood of the Braint river, Trefarthen, Dwynain, Bodgedwydd, Sarn, Carregele, Carnedd Iorworth, Henllys, Trefdraeth, Corsygygfrau, Pwllhaloc, Llanfaer, and many other places, the names of which have disappeared. The charter also specifies certain lands about Kebymog and Llanwdda (Carnarvon). In south Carnarvonshire the names would suggest that from the village of Beddgelert to the summit of "Ywyddfa" and "Cribgoch," the land about Gwastad Annes, and Nant Gwynant, Llyndir, Hendrefrwynog, Pennant Carndylif, Mymbyr, Blaencarw, Llyndinas, Abercolwyn, and on by the Cowlyd lake, and "Llithrig y wrach", as far as Llyn Eigiau, and from there down to the Conway river, belonged to the Abbey of Aberconway. These lands would represent a very extensive

1 There is considerable doubt as to whether it belonged to the Bishop of Bangor (St. Deiniols) or to the Monastery of Aberconway (Williams's History of Aberconwy, etc., and Pennant).

portion of central, south, and east Carnarvonshire. It would also go far to prove that the monastery at Beddgelert (p. 54) was a branch of the Abbey of Aberconway. In addition to their enormous endowments, the monks of Aberconway had many exceptional rights and privileges, including perpetual exemption from keeping men, horses, dogs, or hawks for the Prince's service, and from giving entertainment to himself, "or any lay person on pretence of custom." They were allowed to choose their own abbot, without interference. All wrecks upon their land belonged to them, and in case any of their vessels were wrecked on the Prince's land, they could recover the same. They were also free from tolls, and were entitled to a free passage over the ferries of Menai, Conway, Abermawddach, and Dyfi. The Prince had no jurisdiction over them in any of his Courts, except according to their own rules. They were allowed to receive any person into the monastery; and, if any monk borrowed money without the consent of the abbot, the monastery was not answerable for it. All these and several other privileges were secured for them by the charter dated from Aberconway, A.D. 1198, and witnessed by Iorwerth Gam and Gwyn ab Ednywain Ydon, his chaplain.

The monastery, in addition, had extensive fisheries reaching up the estuary of the Conway, and also at. Llandrillo yn Rhos, where the "Gorad" or Weir still exists, and the tenant has still to reserve the "takes" of the tenth day for the benefit of the vicar of Llandrillo. Near the "Gorad" there is a small cell and well, where it is said that a monk prayed daily for the success of the fishery (p. 49). Like other monasteries, the Abbey of Aberconway' was the depository of the public Acts. All important matters happening in Wales were recorded in the Abbeys of Aberconway, in North Wales, and Ystradfflur, in South Wales. Every third year the records of the two monasteries were compared together by the existing bards, when going on their visitations. This continued until about 1270 A.D. Unfortunately, in the case of the Abbey of Aberconway, there is every probability that

1 History of Aberconwy, Pennant, etc.

all the valuable documents stored there were destroyed (up to 1245), during the siege of Deganwy Castle by Henry III. Matthew Paris gives the following account of the sack of the Abbey on that date, his information being obtained through the report of a courtier present with the King on the occasion. It seems the King was reduced to great straits :

"The King with his army is encamped at Gannock (Deganwy), and is busy fortifying that place (sufficiently strong already) about which we lay in our tents, in watching, fasting, and praying, and freezing. We watch for fear of the Welsh

we fast for want of provision . we pray that we may speedily return safe, and scot-free home, and we freeze for want of winter garments. . . . . There is a small arm of the sea under the Castle where we lay. This arm lies betwixt us and Snowdon, where the Welsh are encamped; it is in breadth, when the tide is in, about a bow-shot. Now it happened that upon Monday before Michaelmas day, an Irish vessel came to the mouth of the haven, with provision to be sold in the camp, which being negligently looked after by the mariners, was upon the low ebb stranded on the other side. . . . The enemy perceiving this, descended from the mountains, and laid siege to the ship, which was fast on the dry sands."

Then he describes the sending of some border Welsh, etc., to rescue the ship. The Welsh withdrew on their approach, and retired, pursued for about two miles by the borderers, who slew a great number of them.

"In their return back our soldiers being too covetous, and greedy of plunder, spoiled the Abbey of Aberconwy, and burnt all the books, and other choice utensils belonging to it. The Welsh being distracted by these irreligious practices got together in great number, and in a desperate manner setting upon the English, killed a great number of them, and following the rest to the water side, forced as many as could not escape into the boats," etc.1

In this skirmish several men of note were killed, including Richard, Earl of Cornwall, Sir Allan Buscell, Sir Adam de Maio, Sir Geoffry Estuany, and others, and about 100 soldiers, so retribution came quickly upon them for their sacrilege. The monastery itself was

1 Williams's History of Aberconwy, etc.

supposed to have occupied most of the space in the centre of the town, and probably the present Castle Street and High Street would represent the boundary on two sides, and the small street passing by "Ty Gwyrdd" on the west, and the Holyhead and Chester road the other two sides. Unfortunately, there are no remains now that could be positively identified with the Abbey.

In Pennant's time there existed a "long vaulted room of good masonry, and worked with clay, but plastered with lime, and a Saxon door". They were taken down about fifty years ago. In the churchyard at the same

date there was an ancient tombstone, ornamented with a "crois fleuris", but it had no inscription. In 1832 another one was found with a plain cross cut on it, when making some improvement in the Castle Hotel yard. A stone font was also discovered about 1870 at the back of a house just below the Castle Hotel, all which help to indicate the position of a portion of the monastic buildings. In cutting drains, etc., in the streets, many skeletons were found, but it is possible they might have been those of people who died of the plague in 1607. Several illustrious persons were buried in the Abbey, including the founder, Llewelyn the Great, in 1246. In 1200, Griffith ab Cynan ab Owen Gwynedd was buried here, in a monk's cowl, from superstitious motives. Llewelyn ap Maelgwyn Gwynedd was also buried here in 1230. great Llewelyn's stone coffin was removed to Maenan Abbey, and it is now to be seen at the Gwydir Chapel (attached to Llanrwst parish church), p. 45.

The

The parish church of Conway has no pretensions to architectural beauty, but is a large structure, and part of it seems very ancient. The length of the church is 116 ft., and the breadth 58 ft., without the transepts. There are many interesting monuments in the church. One is in memory of Robert Wynn (of Gwydir), who built Plâs Mawr. Several of the Hollands and Hookes were also buried here. Only one of the four original bells remains. This large bell bears the inscription "ave fidelis dia Werburga, santissima felix in choro Virginum"; below this is "Ora pro nobis". is"