Descriptive Gazetteer Entry for AMLWCH

AMLWCH, a seaport town, a parish, and a subdistrict, in Anglesey.-The town stands on a small bay, 17 miles NW of Beaumaris; and is at the terminus of the Anglesey Central railway, opened in 1866. It was a fishing hamlet of only six houses in 1766; but it speedily acquired bulk and importance by the working of the mines in the Parys mountain. It is itself dingy and disagreeable; but its neighbourhood contains very fine coast scenery, and commands some noble views. The harbour was cut out of slate rock, is protected by a breakwater, and has capacity for thirty vessels of 200 tons' burden. A fixed light is on the north pier, 26 feet high, visible at the distance of 8 miles; and a number of rocks or small islets, one of them serving as a sea mark, lie off the entrance. A small steamer plies weekly to Liverpool and Holyhead. The town has a post office‡ under Bangor, a banking office, two hotels, a parish church, four dissenting chapels, several good schools, and a scientific and literary institution. The parish church is a large and handsome edifice, built by the Parys mine company, at a cost of £4,000. Many of the inhabitants are miners; and others are employed in alum and vitriol works and in shoemaking. Fairs are held on 8 March, 4 May, 12 Aug., and 21 Oct. Amlwch is a parliamentary borough under the Reform bill, united in the franchise with Beaumaris and Holyhead. Pop., 3,207. Houses, 825.

The Parys mountain is situated 2 miles S of the town. Its aspect, rising into vast rocks of aluminous shale and whitish quartz, is very rugged and impressive; and its picturesque appearance has been greatly increased by the mining operations. The Romans are believed to have obtained copper ore on it; and various vestiges of ancient workings have been observed, and some very ancient stone utensils found. Trials in quest of ore began to be made in 1761, and resulted in splendid discoveries on 2 March 1768,-a day. which has ever since been celebrated here by an annual festival. Rich lodes were found at a depth of only 7 feet from the surface; and two great mines, called the Parys mine and the Mona mine, were worked most productively, chiefly in the manner of quarries, till 1800. The Mona mine then became unprofitable, and the Parys fell greatly off; but in 1811, by means of sinking and improved management, they again became valuable. The ore is chiefly a sulphate of copper; and the bed of it in the Mona mine was 300 feet broad, and in some parts 72 feet thick. A lead ore, yielding from 60 to 1,000 pounds of lead and 57 ounces of silver per ton, occurs occasionally in a stratum of yellow saponaceous clay above the copper ore. The produce of copper at the richest period of the Workings, was worth £300,000 a year. The deepest shaft sunk is about 200 fathoms. The mines belong to the Marquis of Anglesey and the representatives of the late Lord Dinorben. The parish of Amlwch includes the borough of Amlwch, the chapelry of Llanwenllwyfo, and most of the town and chapelry of Llanerchymedd. Acres, 10,977. Real property, £7,590. Pop., 5,949. Houses, 1,450. The property is not much divided. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Bangor. Value, £217.* Patron, the Bishop of B. The vic. of Llanerchymedd is separate.-The subdistrict comprises two parishes.-Acres, 13,375. Pop., 7,777. Houses, 1,886.


(John Marius Wilson, Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (1870-72))

Linked entities:
Feature Description: "a seaport town, a parish, and a subdistrict"   (ADL Feature Type: "cities")
Administrative units: Amlwch AP/CP       Amlwch SubD       Anglesey AncC
Place: Amlwch

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