Above a view, of Llanrwst, from the West.
History of Llanrwst
Llanrwst is a town in the Conwy Valley that has a population of about 3000.
It has had occupation for millenia, and is situated near the Roman spa village of Trefriw. Look
Click here to view cottages in Britain and Ireland, Including Llanrwstat http://www.lonympics.co.uk/
The village was so, brutally sacked by Henry V crushing the revolt of Owain Glyndwr, that it would have grass growing across the main square for decades .
There was also a battle there in the 13th Century when Gwynedd was finally defeated by England in war. There was also a famous battle here in the 10th Century. This is the first time that Llanrwst is recorded. A prince from the South West of Wales, launched attacks on the North in retaliation for attacks on the South by leaders who claimed to their being their feudal vassals. In later years it carried on it's history of being separate from the ruling authorities. During the rebellion against oppression, in the 1400s, by Owain Glyndwr, the English King, Henry V, sacked the town, so even decades later grass grew allot in the main market. A market that was the centre of life in the area. During the Wars of the Roses, the saying, England, Wales and Llanrwst arrived, as this part of the world was so autonomous. In the later era, in the Seventeenth Century a school was built here, and the writer of the first Welsh Bible lived near. Later on in the early Industrial Revoltion, for a short era, Llanrwst was one of the TOP TEN most populous places in Wales. It had grown in population owing, to it's posistion as a market town, and closeness to the tin mines of the hills to the West. Llanrwst had grown as a market town because Welsh market towns were only allowed to develop if they were situated more than 12 miles from the main English castle Conwy. With other industries including clock making, printing, and industries associated with agriculture. It also was a place where people would commute to slate mines to the South West. A major factor for it's importance was it having the crossing between both sides of the Conwy valley, which added to wealth and trade. The present bridge was built in the Seventeenth Century, but there had been bridges there for a long, time, servicing a main foad from London too Holyhead. The town even at some stage had a small harbour at the North, with small boats going up as far as Llanrwst. With parts of that structure still showing in the North. The last big boats to come upto Llanrwst were in the 18th Century, some of which were big enough to go to Bristol, or even the continent and Ireland. This changed though because of silting, so that boats found it dangerous to come up to the town. It has always had a history of flooding, with small homes, and shops, flooded right across the centuries. In the 19th century it carried on being the main town for the Southern Conwy valley, but never grew at a great rate. So has stayed a small typical market town.
Here is a list of facts The bridge was built in 1636, The saying Cymru, Lloegr, and Llanrwst, has been around since the Middle Ages, In the 1830s-40s it had around 3600 people. The area was badly attacked in the Wars of the Roses, notably in sackings in 1468. Clock making started in the late 17th Century and lasted for a couple of centuries. There was a battle of Llanrwst in one of the last wars against the Plantagenet invasions of Wales.
A site on a History of Trefriw
The 10 Largest towns in North Wales
History of Glan Conwy, Llansantfraid