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MERIONETH (Welsh, Meirionydd)

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Originally appearing in Volume V18, Page 168 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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MERIONETH (Welsh, Meirionydd) , a See also:county of See also:North See also:Wales, bounded N. by See also:Carnarvon and See also:Denbigh, E. by Denbigh and See also:Montgomery, S.E. by Montgomery, S. by the Dovey (Dyfi) See also:estuary, dividing it from See also:Cardigan, and W. by Cardigan See also:Bay. It is nearly triangular, its greatest length from N.E. to S.W. being about 45 m., its greatest breadth about 30 M. The See also:relief is less bold than that of Carnarvon, but the scenery is richer and more picturesquely varied. The highest summits are the peaks of Cader Idris (q.v.) including See also:Pen y gader (the See also:head of the See also:chair; 2927 ft.); See also:Aran Fawddwy (2970 ft.); Arenig fawr (260o ft.); Y Llethr (2475 ft.), and Rhobell fawr (2313 ft.). Perhaps the finest of the valleys are those of Dyfi (Dovey) Dysyni, Tal y llyn (forehead of the See also:lake), Maw (Mawddach), and See also:Festiniog. The Dyfrdwy (See also:Dee) drains See also:Bala Lake (Llyn Tegid or Pimblemere), which is fed by two See also:brooks rising at the See also:foot of the Berwyn Hills. The Dyfrdwy leaves the lake at the north-See also:east corner, near See also:Castell Goronwy (erected 1202, hardly traceable), flowing slowly to See also:Corwen, after which it is rapid, and receives the tributaries Alwen, Ceiriog, Clywedog and Alun. The Dyfi (Dovey) rising in a small lake near Aran Fawddwy, passes Machynlleth, and expands into an estuary of Cardigan Bay. Rising north of the Aran, the Mawddach (Maw) runs See also:south-See also:west some 12 m., being joined by rivulets. Tratth See also:bach is formed by the Dwyryd streamlet among others. Other streams are the Wnion, See also:Eden, See also:Cain (variously spelled). Besides Bala and Tal y llyn lakes, there are among the hills over fifty more, e.g.

Llyn Mwyngil. Among the waterfalls may be mentioned Rhaiadr y glyn (cascade of the glen), near Corwen, Rhaiadr du (See also:

black), and Pistyll Cain (Cain's See also:waterspout), some 150 ft. high. A See also:mountain See also:tract of the county, 15 M. from north to south by to from east to west, stretching from the See also:coast inland, is of the See also:Cambrian See also:age, composed of grits, quartzites and slates, and comprising the Merionethshire anticlinal. The central portion of this tract is occupied mainly by See also:Harlech Grits and Menevian beds; it is bordered on the north, east and south by the Lingula, Tremadoc and Arenig beds, which are pierced by numerous dikes and intrusive masses, mostly greenstone. The andesitic See also:rock of Rhobell-fawr is one of the greatest Igneous masses in the whole See also:area of the Lingula beds. The Lingula beds are quarried and See also:mined for See also:slate at Festiniog, and near Dolgelly See also:gold is obtained from a See also:quartz vein, while near See also:Bar-mouth See also:manganese has been worked. Bordering the Cambrian area are the Ordovician rocks. The Arenig beds are interstratified with and overlaid by accumulations of volcanic ashes, felspathic traps or See also:lava-flows, which See also:form the rugged heights of Cader Idris, the Arans, the Arenigs, Manod and Moelwyn; and these are in turn overlaid by the Llandeilo and Bala beds, the latter including the Bala See also:lime-See also:stone. See also:Lead and See also:copper ores have been worked near Towyn. Here and there along the eastern boundary See also:Llandovery and See also:Wenlock strata are included. The structure of the See also:Silurian tract is synclinal; in the Berwyn mountains the Ordovician rocks again appear with associated andesitic and felsitic lavas and tuffs. West of Llangar, near Corwen, is a small patch of Carboniferous See also:limestone.

Glacial See also:

drift with See also:boulder See also:clay is a prominent feature in the valleys and on the mountain sides. A See also:good See also:deal of blown See also:sand fringes the coast north and south of Harlech. At the Llyn Arenig Bach a See also:deposit of kieselguhr has been found. The See also:climate varies much with the See also:elevation, from See also:bleak to genial, as at Aberdyfi (See also:Aberdovey). See also:Grain crops See also:cover a small area only, See also:green crops being poor, and fruits practically nil. While the See also:soil is generally thin, there are fertile tracts in the valleys, and there is some reclaimed See also:land. The small, See also:hardy ponies (known as of Llanbedr, See also:Conway Valley) are now almost restricted to this county and See also:Montgomeryshire. Manufactures indude woollen stockings, &c., at and near Bala, flannels at Dolgellau (See also:Dolgelley), Towyn, and a few other places. Slate is the See also:chief See also:staple. The Cambrian railway skirts the coast from Portmadoc to Aberdyfi. At See also:Barmouth junction a See also:branch crosses to Dolgelley, where it is joined by a branch of the See also:Great Western railway. Bala and Festiniog are also See also:united by the Great Western, and Festiniog is further joined with See also:Llandudno junction by the See also:London & North Western railway, and with Portmadoc (Minffordd) by the narrow See also:gauge railway, a See also:light See also:line, opened in 1865, See also:running between Portmadoc and Duffws, rising 700 ft. in 13 M.

The tourist See also:

traffic is a source of livelihood to many of the inhabitants. The coast is almost unnavigable, owing to sand-See also:banks, and the only havens are Barmouth and Aberdyfi. The area of the See also:ancient county is 427,810 acres or 67o sq. m., with a See also:population in 1891 of 49,212 and 1901 of 49,149. In the 19th See also:century, however, the population nearly doubled. The area of the administrative county is 422,018 acres. Welsh is the See also:tongue See also:par excellence of Merionethshire. The county returns one member to See also:parliament, and has neither See also:parliamentary nor municipal See also:borough. The See also:urban districts are: Bala (pop. 1544), Barmouth (Abermaw, 2214), Dolgelley (Dolgellau, 2437), Festiniog (11,435), Mallwyd (885), Towyn (3756). The See also:shire is in the north-west See also:circuit, and assizes are held at Dolgellau. It is partly in the See also:diocese of St See also:Asaph and partly in that of See also:Bangor, and has 37 ecclesiastical parishes and districts, with parts of four others. See also:History and Antiquities.—This is the only Welsh county retaining in See also:English its See also:primitive See also:British name, latinized Into Mervinia, a subdivision of Britannia Secunda, and in the Ordovices' territory.

The poet See also:

Churchyard in 1587 described the county as remote and difficult of See also:access in his See also:day, and it was never made the See also:field of See also:battle in Saxon, Danish or See also:Norman times, nor indeed until See also:close on the See also:period of Welsh loss of See also:independence. There are not many remains, See also:Celtic, See also:Roman or See also:medieval. Caer Drewyn, a British fort on the Dee, is near Corwen, where See also:Owen Gwynnedd was posted to repel See also:Henry II. and whither Owen See also:Glendower retired before Henry IV. The numerous cromlechs are chiefly near the coast. The Roman via occidentalis ran through the county from south to north and was joined by a branch of Watling See also:Street at Tomen y mur (perhaps Heriri See also:Mons) on Sarn See also:Helen, not far from Castell Prysor. Tomen y mur (detritus of the See also:wall) and Castell Prysor have yielded Roman bricks, tiles, urns and coins. Castell y here, an extensive ruin, and once one of Wales's largest castles, has not been inhabited since the See also:time of See also:Edward I. Cymmer See also:Abbey (Y Fanner) near Dolgellau, a Cistercian See also:establishment founded about. 1200, and dissolved by Henry VIII., is most perfect at the east end, with See also:lancet windows, and against the south wall there are a few See also:Gothic pillars and See also:arches. The See also:architecture varies from Norman to Perpendicular. Towen y Bala, east of Bala, is supposed to be a Roman encampment. It was afterwards occupied by the Welsh, to check the English lords marchers.

Moel Offrwm is near Dolgellau. Among the county families may be mentioned that of Hengwrt, since the Hengwrt Welsh See also:

MSS. are famous in north Wales and among all Celtic scholars.

End of Article: MERIONETH (Welsh, Meirionydd)

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