Britain, or A chorographicall description of the most flourishing kingdomes, England, Scotland, and Ireland, and the ilands adjoyning, out of the depth of antiquitie beautified vvith mappes of the severall shires of England: vvritten first in Latine by William Camden Clarenceux K. of A. Translated newly into English by Philémon Holland Doctour in Physick: finally, revised, amended, and enlarged with sundry additions by the said author.

[ A] CAERNARVON-SHIRE.

ABove Merionith-shire, lieth that Country which the Britans call Sire Caer-ar-von, and English men CAER-NARVON-SHIRE, of the principall Towne therein; and before that Wales was laied out into Shires, they tearmed it, by the name of Snowden-Forest, and the Latine Historians Snaudonia, of that Forest, and Ar-vonia, out of the British name because it hath Mona, that is, Anglesey just over against it. The North [ B] side and the West butteth upon the Irish Sea: the South-side is enclosed with Merioneth-shire,* 1.1 and the East with Denbigh-shire, from which it is se∣vered by the River Conwy. On that part which looketh toward the Sea, especially where it shooteth forth a great way South-west with a Promontorie and stretcheth out the shores with crooked turning full against OCTOPITARUM, or Saint Davids Land, it is of a very fruitfull soile and garnished all a long with prety Townes.

As for the more in-land part of the Shire, Nature hath loftily areared it up farre and neere with Mountaines standing thicke one by another, as if she would here have compacted the joynts of this Island within the bowels of the earth: and made [ C] this part thereof a most sure place of refuge for the Britans in time of adversitie. For there are so many roughes and Rocks, so many vales full of Woods, with Pooles heere and there crossing over them, lying in the way betweene, that no Armie, nay not so much as those that are lightly appoynted, can finde passage. A man may truely,* 1.2 if he please, terme these Mountaines, the British Alpes: for besides that they are the greatest of the whole Island, they are no lesse steepe also with crag∣ged and rent Rockes on every side than the Alpes of Italie, yea and all of them com∣passe one Mountaine round about, which over-topping the rest so towreth up with his head aloft in the aire, as he may seeme not to threaten the Skie, but to thrust his [ D] head up into Heaven. And yet harbour they the Snow, for, all the yeere long, they be hory with Snow, or rather with an hardened crust of many Snowes felted together.

Whence it is, that all these hilles are in British by one name termed Craig Eriry, in English Snow-don,* 1.3 which in both languages, sound as much as Snowie Moun∣taines: like as Niphates in Armenia, and Imaus in Scythia, tooke their names, as Pli∣nie witnesseth of Snow. Neverthelesse, so ranke are they with grasse, that it is a very common speech among the Welsh, That the Mountaines Eriry will yeeld suffici∣ent pasture for all the Cattaile in Wales, if they were put upon them together. Concerning the two Meares on the toppe of these, in the one of which floreth a wandring Island, [ E] and in the other is found great store of Fishes, but having all of them but one eye a peece, I will say nothing left I might seeme to foster fables: although some confi∣dent upon the authoritie of Giraldus, have beleeved it for a veritie. Yet certaine it is, that there be in the very toppe of these Mountaines Pooles in deed and standing Waters: whereupon Gervase of Tilbury in his Booke entituled Otia Imperialia, wri∣teth thus.

In the Land of Wales within the bounds of great Britain, there be high Hilles that haue laied their foundations upon most hard Rockes, and in the toppe thereof the earth is crusted over with such a coate of waterish moisture, that wheresoever a man doe but lightly set his foote, he shall perceive the ground to stirre the length of a stones cast from him: whereupon when [ F] the enemies came, the Welsh with their agility and nimblenesse lightly leaping over the boggy ground, either avoide the enemies assaults, or to their losse resolutely expect their forces. These Mountainers John Salisbury in his Polycraticon, by a new forged Latine name termed Nivicollinos,* 1.4 that is, Snow-down inhabitants, of whom in King Henry the Second his daies he wrote thus.

The Snow-downe Britans make inrodes, and being now come out of their Caves and lur∣king [ A] holes of the Woods, enlarge their borders, possesse the plaines of the Noble men: and whiles themselves looke on, they assault, they winne, and overthrow them, or else keepe the same to their owne behoofe; because our youth, which is so daintily brought up, and loves to be house-birds and to live lazie, in the shade, being borne onely to devoure the fruits of the earth and to fill the belly, sleepes untill it be broad day light, &c.

But come wee downe now from the Mountaines into the Champion Plaines, which because we finde no where else but by the Sea side, it may suffice to coast only along the shore. The Promontory which I said before shooteth out toward the South-west,* 1.5 is in Ptolomee called according to the diversitie of copies, CANGA∣NUM, JANGANUM, and LANGANUM. Which is the truest name I know not, [ B] but LANGANUM it may seeme; considering that the inhabitants name it at this day Lhein,* 1.6 which runneth forth with a narrow and even by-land, having larger and more open fields than the rest of the Country, and the same yeelding Barley most plenteously. Two little Townes it sheweth and no more, that are memorable. Far∣ther within upon the Creeke,* 1.7 is Pullhely, that is, that Salt Meare or Poole: more out∣ward, by the Irish Sea (hat beateth upon the other side of the Bi-land) is Nevin, a Village having a Merket kept in it: wherein the Nobility of England, in the yeere of our Lord 1284. in a Triumph over the Welsh did celebrate the memory of Arthur the great, as Florilegus writeth, with Iustes, Turnaments and festivall pompe. If any other Townes flourished here, then were they destroied, when Hugh Earle [ C] of Chester,* 1.8 Robert of Rudland, and Guarin of Salop, entring into this Country first of all the Normans, so wasted this Promontory, that for the space of seven whole yeeres, it lay dispeopled and desolate.

From Nevin, the shore pointed and endented with one or two elbowes lying out into the sea tendeth Northward, and then turning afront North-east, by a narrow sea or Frith (they call it Menai) it serveth the Isle Anglesey from the firme land.* 1.9 Upon this straight or narrow sea stood SEGONTIUM,* 1.10 a City which Antonine the Emperour maketh mention of: some reliques of the walles I saw neere unto a little Church built in honour of Saint Pulblicius.* 1.11 It tooke the name of a River running by the side of it, which yet at this day is called Seiont, and issueth out of the Poole Lin-Peru. In [ D] which, there is a kinde of fish peculiar to that water, and seene no where else, called by the dwellers there Tor-coch;* 1.12 of the belly that is somewhat red. Now, seeing that in an ancient copie of Ptolomee, SETANTIORUM PORTUS is here placed, which according to other copies is set farther off, if I should reade in stead of it, SEGON∣TIORUM PORTUS, that is, the Haven of the Segontians, and say it stood upon the mouth of this River, I should perhaps aime at the truth: if not, yet should I obtaine pardon for my conjecture of a courteous Reader.

This Citie Ninnius called Caer Custenith; and hee that wrote the life of Gruffin the Sonne of Conan, recordeth, that Hugh Earle of Chester built a Castle in Hean Caer Custenith, that is, as the Latine Interpreter transl••teth it, in the auncient Citie of Con∣stantine [ E] the Emperour. And Matthew of Westminster writeth (but let him make it good if he can) that the bodie of Constantius, Father to Constantine the Great was here found in the yeere of our Lord 1283. and honourably bestowed in the Church of the new Citie by the commandement of King Edward the First. Who out of the ruines of this Towne, at the same time raised the Citie Caer-narvon somewhat higher, upon the Rivers mouth, so, as that on the West and North-sides it is watered therewith. Which,* 1.13 as it was called Caer-narvon because it standeth right ouer against the Island Mona (for so much doth the word import) so, it hath communicated that name unto the whole Country; for, heereupon the English men call it Caer-nar∣von-shire. This is encompassed with a very small circuit of walles about it and in [ F] manner round, but the same exceeding strong, and to set it the better out, sheweth a passing faire Castle which taketh up the whole West side of it. The private buil∣dings (for the manner of that Countrey) are sightly enough, and the inhabitants for their courtesie much commended, who thinke it a point of their glorie, that

[ A] King Edward the First, founded their Citie; that his Sonne King Edward the Se∣cond was heere borne and surnamed of Caer-narvon; who also was of the English line the first Prince of Wales; and also the Princes of Wales had heere their Chauncerie, their Exchequer, and their Iustice for North-Wales. About seven miles hence by the same narrow Sea standeth Bangor or Banchor low seated,* 1.14 enclosed on the South side with a Mountaine of great heighth, on the North with a little hill: so called A choro pulchro, that is, of a faire quire, or as some would have it, quasi Locus Chori, that is, as if it were the place of a quire. Which being a Bishops See, hath within the Diocese there∣of 96. Parishes. The Church, was consecrated unto Daniel sometime Bishop there∣of: but that which now standeth is of no especiall faire building: for, Owen Glen∣doverdwy [ B] that most notorious Rebell, who had purposed utterly to destroy all the Cities of Wales, set it on fire, for that they stood for the King of England, and de∣faced the ancient Church, which albeit Henry Deney Bishop of the same repaired about the time of King Henry the Seventh, yet it scarcely recovered the former dig∣nity. Now the Towne is small,* 1.15 but in times past so large, that for the greatnesse thereof it was called Banchor Vaur, that is, Great Banchor, and Hugh Earle of Chester fortified it with a Castle, whereof I could finde no footings at all, though I sought them with all diligent inquiry: But that Castle was situate upon the very entry of the said narrow Sea. Over the Menay, or streight hereby, King Edward the First, that he might transport his Army into Mona, or Anglesey (whereof I must treat anon in [ C] due order) went about with great labour to make a bridge, but all in vaine. Albeit Suctonius Paulinus conveyed over his Romane Souldiers long before into Mona, his Horsemen at a Fourd, and the Footemen in little flat botomed boates, as we reade in Tacitus. From hence the shore raising it selfe with a bending ascent, runneth on by Penmaen-maur,* 1.16 that is, The great stony head, a very exceeding high and steepe Rocke, which hanging over the Sea when it is floud, affourdeth a very narrow path way for passengers, having on the one side huge stones over their heads, as if they were ready to fall upon them, on the other side the raging Ocean lying of a wonderfull steepe depth under it. But after a man hath passed over this, together with Pen-maen bychan, that is, the lesser stony head, he shall come to an open broad plaine, that reacheth as farre [ D] as to the River Conwey,* 1.17 which limiteth this Shire on the East side. This River in Ptolomee after a corrupt manner of writing Greeke, is called TOISOVIUS, for CO∣NOVIUS. It issueth out of a Poole of the same name in the South border of the Shire, and being pent in, and, as it were, strangled runneth apace within a very nar∣row chanell, as farre almost as to the mouth thereof, breeding certaine Shell-fishes, which being conceived of an Heavenly deaw,* 1.18 bring forth Pearles; and there, gi∣veth he name unto the Towne CONOVIUM which Antonine mentioneth. And although it now lie all along, and that name there be utterly extinct, yet by a new name it doth covertly implie the antiquity. For a very small and poore village stan∣ding among the rubbish thereof is called Caer hean, that is, the ancient City. Out of the [ E] spoile and ruines whereof, King Edward the First built a new Towne at the very mouth of the River, which thereupon they call Aber-Conwey, that is, the mouth of Con∣wey; which place Hugh of Chester had before-time fortified. But this New Conovium, or Aber-Conwey, being strongly situated and fensed both with walls, and also with a very proper Castle by the Rivers side, deserveth the name rather of a prety Citie than of a Towne, but that it is not replenished with Inhabitants.

Opposite unto this Towne, and yet on this side of the River which is passed by fer∣ry, and not by bridge, reacheth out a huge Promontory with a bending elbow as if nature purposed to make there a road and harbour for Ships) which is also counted part of this Shire,* 1.19 and is named Gogarth: wherein stood Diganwy, an ancient City just [ F] over the River Conwey, where it issueth into the Sea: which was burnt many yeeres agoe with lightning.* 1.20 And I am of opinion, that it was the City DICTUM; where, under the later Emperours the Captaine over the band of the Nervians Dictenses kept their guard.* 1.21 And for that, afterwards it was called Diganwy, who seeth not that the said Canwey came of Conwey, and from thence the English name Ganoc?

For, so was that Castle called, which afterwards King Henry the Third built in that [ A] place to bridle the Welsh.

Straight after the Normans comming into this Island, Gruffin ap Conan, gover∣ned this Country, who being not able to represse the English troupes who swarmed into Wales, yeelded otherwhiles unto the tempest: and at length when with his in∣tegrity and uprightnesse he had regained the favour of King Henry the First, he ea∣sily also recovered his owne lands of the English, and left them to his heires succes∣sively, untill the time of Lhewelyn ap Gruffith, who when he had provoked his owne Brethren with wrongs, and the English men with inrodes, was brought to this passe, that hee held this hilly Country together with the Isle Anglesey of King Edward the First as Tenant in Fee, and paid for it yeerely a thousand Markes. Which con∣ditions [ B] afterward when hee would not stand unto, and following rather his owne and his Brothers stubborne wilfulnesse, than any good hope to prevaile, would needes put all once againe to the hazard of warre, he was slaine, and so both ended his owne life and withall the British government in Wales.

It hath in it Parish Churches 68.

[illustration]

ANGLESEY Conitatus, olim MONA INSULA Druidum sedes, Britannice Tir Mon

Notes

• * 1.1

  Conway Ri••
• * 1.2

  The Alpes Britany.
• * 1.3

  Snow-don hilles.
• * 1.4

  Nivicollini.
• * 1.5

  Canganum.
• * 1.6

  Lhein.
• * 1.7

  Pulhely. Nevin.
• * 1.8

  The life of Gruffin.
• * 1.9

  Menai.
• * 1.10

  Segontium.
• * 1.11

  Lhan Beblin.
• * 1.12

  Tor-coch fishes.
• * 1.13

  Caer-narvon.
• * 1.14

  Banchor as or would say Pe••••chor, that is, principal Qui as others thin
• * 1.15

  The life of Gruffin.
• * 1.16

  Pen-maen-maur.
• * 1.17

  Conwey Rive••
• * 1.18

  Pearles. Conwey Towne.
• * 1.19

  Gogarth.
• * 1.20

  Dictum.
• * 1.21

  Diganwy. Ganoc.