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OYSTERMOUTH, or THE MUMBLES

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Originally appearing in Volume V20, Page 429 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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OYSTERMOUTH, or THE MUMBLES , an See also:urban See also:district and seaside resort in the See also:Gower See also:division of See also:Glamorganshire, See also:south See also:Wales, situated on the western See also:bend of See also:Swansea See also:Bay, 42 m. S.W. of Swansea, with which it is connected by the See also:steam-See also:tramway of the Swansea and Mumbles Railway See also:Company, constructed in 1804. The See also:London and See also:North-Western railway has also a station at Mumbles Road, 22 m. N. of Oystermouth. Pop. (1901) 4461. The See also:castle, which belongs to the See also:duke of See also:Beaufort as See also:lord of the seigniory of Gower, is an imposing ruin, nobly situated on a rocky knoll overlooking the bay. Its See also:great See also:hall and See also:chapel with their traceried See also:Gothic windows are fairly well preserved. The earliest structure (probably only a " See also:peel " See also:tower), built in the opening years of the 12th See also:century, probably by See also:Maurice de Londres, was destroyed by the Welsh in 1215. The See also:early See also:English features of the square keep indicate that it was soon rebuilt, by one of the De Breos lords (see GowER). In 1284 See also:Edward I. stayed here two days as the See also:guest of See also:William de Breos, and from that See also:time on it became the See also:chief See also:residence in Gower of the lords seignior and subsequently of their stewards, and their See also:chancery was located here till its abolition in 1535• The See also:parish See also:church, which has an embattled tower, was restored in 186o, when fragments of See also:Roman tesselated See also:pavement were found in various parts of the See also:churchyard. Roman coins were also found in the See also:village in 1822 and 1837—all indicating that there had been a small See also:settlement here in Roman times.

The name of the castle appears in the Welsh See also:

chronicles as Ystum Llwynarth, which, by the elision of the penultimate, was probably changed by false See also:analogy into Oystermouth—the bay being noted for its See also:oyster beds. Its church is mentioned in the cartulary of See also:Gloucester (1141) as Ostrenuwe. The village itself is straggling and uninteresting, but the high ground between it and the See also:pretty bays of See also:Langland and Caswell on the See also:southern See also:side of the headland fronting the open channel is dotted with well-built villas and commands magnificent views. The headland terminates in two rocky islands, which to sailors coming up the channel would appear like the breasts of " mammals," whence the comparatively See also:modern name, The Mumbles, is supposed to be derived. On the See also:outer of these rocks is a lighthouse erected in 1794 and maintained by the Swansea See also:Harbour See also:Trust. The district is rapidly increasing in popularity as a seaside resort. A See also:pier was erected by the Mumbles Railway Company at a cost of £12,000 in 1898. The fishing See also:industry, once prosperous, has much diminished in importance, but there are still oyster-beds in the bay.

End of Article: OYSTERMOUTH, or THE MUMBLES

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