Pentraeth - Prendergast

Pentraeth (Pen-Traeth)

PENTRAETH (PEN-TRAETH), a parish, in the hundred of Tyndaethwy, union and county of Anglesey, North Wales, 5 miles (N. W.) from Beaumaris; containing 985 inhabitants. The name of this place, signifying "the head or point of the sands," is derived from its situation at the head of a small bay of the Irish Sea, called Traeth Côch, or "the red sands," and sometimes Red Wharf Bay. The parish comprises a considerable tract of arable and grazing land, which is inclosed and cultivated, and a large portion of common, affording tolerable pasturage for sheep and young cattle. Several of the inhabitants are employed in the quarries of marble and limestone that are worked here, and as seamen on board the vessels engaged in conveying the produce of the quarries to its destination; there is also a fulling-mill in the village, affording occupation to a few persons. The whole of the western side of the Traeth Côch, which is the place for shipping the marble and limestone found on this part of the island, is within the parish; and the sands on the shore of the bay, which are dry at low water, are so intermixed with sea-shells, as to form a substitute for lime, and to be used as manure for many miles round, even constituting a considerable article of export to the neighbouring coasts. The village, which is very neat and of prepossessing appearance, is pleasantly situated in a narrow sheltered vale, on the turnpike-road from Beaumaris to Llanerchymedd. Plâs Gwyn, a seat here, is a spacious and handsome mansion, surrounded with thriving woods and plantations, and formerly containing a valuable collection of ninety-one volumes of manuscripts, chiefly in the Welsh language, brought together by the late Mr. Panton. Fairs are held on May 5th, June 24th, and September 20th.

The living is a perpetual curacy, with that of Llanbedr-Gôch annexed, in the gift of the Bishop of Bangor. The tithes of the parish have been commuted for a rent-charge of £290. 11. 3.; and there is a glebe of about one acre and a half, valued at £1. 10. per annum. The church, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, is a small neat edifice, put into a complete state of repair in 1821; it is one of the only two churches in the island of Anglesey noticed by the learned Grose in his Antiquities of Great Britain, and in the church and churchyard are some monuments bearing the armorial shields of various families in the vicinity. The name of the village of Pentraeth is more properly Llanvair-Bettws-Geraint, and it is therefore thought that before the erection of the present church, here was a church in honour of Geraint, an early British saint. There are places of worship for dissenters. A day school in connexion with the Established Church is endowed with £4 per annum, arising from a bequest of £100 by Dr. JohnSs Jones, Dean of Bangor, in 1719; it is principally supported by subscription and school-fees, and the master has a house and garden. Two Sunday schools are supported by the dissenters.

Anne Williams left £50, the interest of which, £2. 10., is paid to the poor by the owner of Plâs Gwyn on Good Friday and St. Thomas's day. In 1715, Rowland Jones left a messuage and land called Gors las, containing about five acres and a quarter, for the use of the poor of this parish, and of that of Llansadwrn, to which half an acre was added on the inclosure of the common of Mynydd Llwydiarth, about thirty years since; the whole now paying a rent of £4. 10. per annum, a moiety of which is distributed on St. Thomas's day. Under the same inclosure act six acres were assigned for fuel to the poor, which have been allotted to indigent families, who are allowed to possess the portions during their lives. Other sums for the relief of deserving objects are, 18s. charged by a mortgage deed upon lands in the parish, and commonly termed the poor's money; and 15s. divided among three widows of the parishes of Pentraeth, Llanddona, and Llandegvan, and payable by the proprietor of Plâs Gwyn. Poor men from the parish are entitled to share in the advantages of a residence in the almshouse at Penmynedd. Towards the repairs of the church there is a rent-charge of 20s. upon a farm of twenty acres named Tŷ'n-y-Lôn; and two payments of 8d. and 4d. are received out of small parcels of land called glebe-lands. A charity of £4. 10. has been lost by the insolvency of the parties entrusted with the money. Dr. Jones, Dean of Bangor, who bequeathed extensive benefactions to various places, principally for educating children, was born at Plâs Gwyn in the parish.

Pentre-Hobyn, or Pentrobin

PENTRE-HOBYN, or PENTROBIN, a township, in the parish of Hawarden, union of Great Boughton, hundred of Mold, county of Flint, North Wales, 1½ mile (S.) from Hawarden; containing 987 inhabitants. It comprises what may be considered the southern suburbs of the town of Hawarden, and is chiefly noted for its manufacture of fire-bricks, tiles, coarse earthenware, &c., of which large quantities are exported; the clay for the purpose being procured in the immediate neighbourhood. A part of the Warren mountain, in the hamlet, was inclosed by an act of parliament in 1798. Pentre-Hobyn House is a fine mansion, erected in the year 1540. In the hamlet, at Pen-y-mynnydd, is a free chapel of ease dedicated to St. John the Baptist, in the early English style of architecture, with an elegant spire; it was built at the expense of Sir Stephen Richard Glynne, Bart., and consecrated in July 1843. A parsonage-house was built by the Hon. Lady Glynne, in which a curate, appointed by the rector of Hawarden, resides. There is a spacious schoolroom; the school is for boys and girls, is conducted on the National system, and supported by Sir S. R. Glynne and the Rev. Henry Glynne, the rector, a weekly fee, however, being paid by the children towards the funds of the school. A Church Sunday school is also held.

Pentre-Voelas

PENTRE-VOELAS, a parochial chapelry, in the union of Llanrwst, hundred of Isaled, county of Denbigh, North Wales, on the road leading from Shrewsbury to Holyhead, 14 miles (S. W.) from Denbigh; containing 611 inhabitants. This chapelry is situated in the western part of the county, and on the right bank of the river Conway, which here separates the shires of Denbigh and Carnarvon. It is surrounded on the other sides by Cerrig-yDruidion, Llanrwst, &c., and comprises a portion of the most mountainous and sterile moorlands of the district, together with some boggy patches, and wood, the prevailing timber being larch. Barley and oats are the principal produce. Besides the Conway on the west, there are two brooks named Nug and Merddwr, which here unite with that river; the most elevated mountain is one called Garn. Voelas Hall is the residence of C. W. G. Wynne, Esq., the sole landed proprietor, and lord of the manor. The village consists of only thirteen houses; a post-office has been established, and fairs are held on March 18th, May 12th, August 14th, and November 20th. An excellent road has been constructed from this place to Denbigh, across the mountains. The inhabitants of the chapelry are chiefly employed in agriculture. The living is a perpetual curacy; net income, £242, with a glebehouse; patron, C. W. G. Wynne, Esq. The chapel, a small edifice in good repair, was erected in 1760, and, with the exception of two pews, is free to all the tenantry. There are places of worship for dissenters; a day and Sunday school in connexion with the Church; and two Sunday schools belonging to the dissenters: the Church school is mainly supported by Mrs. Wynne. Within a short distance of the chapel is an extensive earthwork, once the site of Castell Côch, a fortress which was taken and destroyed by Llewelyn the Great. In Mr. Wynne's possession is a tombstone bearing a Latin inscription in memory of one Brochmael and his wife Caune; it was dug up in forming the new line of the Holyhead road between Lima and Cernioge, whilst cutting through the corner of a field called Doltrebeddw, and is supposed to be of a date considerably earlier than the ninth century. There is a mineral spring in the chapelry, strongly impregnated with iron.

Pentrêv-Cwn

PENTRÊV-CWN, a hamlet, in that part of the parish of Llandilo-Vawr which is in the hundred of Iscennen, in the union of Llandilo-Vawr, county of Carmarthen, South Wales, 2½ miles (W. S. W.) from Llandilo-Vawr; containing 315 inhabitants. It is situated in the valley of the Towy, and on the left bank of that river, immediately opposite to Dynevor Castle, and contains several agreeable residences.

Pentyrch

PENTYRCH, a parish, in the union of Cardiff, hundred of Miskin, county of Glamorgan, South Wales, 7 miles (N. W. by W.) from Cardiff; containing 1248 inhabitants, of whom 1053 are in the hamlet of Garth. This parish is situated on the western bank of the river Tâf, here crossed by a private iron-bridge, the passengers over which are subject to a toll. It is divided into Garth and Castle hamlets, and comprises 3975 acres, of which 269 are common or waste. Mr. Booker, proprietor of the Melin-Griffith works, two miles southward, has an extensive establishment here also: at the upper works are two blast furnaces, and pig-iron and finers' metal are there manufactured, which are rolled into charcoal bar-iron at the lower works; the bars thus completed are conveyed to Melin-Griffith, for the manufacture of tin and sheet-iron: the number of persons employed, including colliers and miners, is nearly 500. In one part of the parish the iron-ore is found in parallel strata; in another, in patches, indiscriminately blended with limestone. There is also an abundance of good coal, which is actively worked. The Taf-Vale railway and the Glamorganshire canal afford facilities of conveyance. The living is a discharged vicarage, rated in the king's books at £8. 3. 1½., and endowed with £200 royal bounty; present net income, £113; patrons and appropriators, the Dean and Chapter of Llandaf. The church is dedicated to St. Cadocus. There are places of worship for Baptists, Independents, and Calvinistic Methodists; a National day and Sunday school; and three Sunday schools belonging to the dissenters. Mary Mathew, in 1729, gave by will the sum of £300 for the benefit of the poor, which was laid out either in a mortgage or the purchase of a rent-charge on an estate in the parish of Llangonoyd, now the property of Sir Digby Mackworth, Bart. A sum of £12 is annually paid in respect of the charity, which, with £15, a voluntary yearly gift from Lord Dynevor, is expended in the purchase of cloth and flannel, distributed on the 1st of January among the most deserving poor not receiving parochial relief. An old mansion in the parish, called "Castell-y-Mynach," now belonging to Lord Dynevor, and occupied by a farmer, was formerly a religious house, but nothing is known of its history.

Pen-Y-Bont

PEN-Y-BONT, in the county of Radnor, South Wales.—See Llanbadarn-Vawr.

Peterston-super-Ely

PETERSTON-super-ELY, a parish, in the union of Cardiff, hundred of Dinas-Powys, county of Glamorgan, South Wales, 7 miles (W.) from Cardiff; containing 223 inhabitants. This parish derives its name from the dedication of its church to St. Peter, and its distinguishing adjunct from its situation on the bank of the river Ely. It lies in the south-eastern part of the county, and comprises a moderate portion of arable and pasture land, in a good state of cultivation. Limestone is found in most parts of the parish, and the procuring of it affords employment to a portion of the inhabitants. The living is a rectory, rated in the king's books at £7. 12. 8½.; present net income, £228; patrons, Sir T. D. Aubrey and Col. Wood. The church, dedicated to St. Peter, is not distinguished by any architectural details. A day and Sunday school is held, in connexion with the Established Church. Here are the remains of an ancient castle, which has been long in ruins; nothing satisfactory is known of its original foundation.

Peterston-super-Montem

PETERSTON-super-MONTEM, a chapelry, in the parish of Coychurch, union of Bridgend and Cowbridge, hundred of Newcastle, county of Glamorgan, South Wales, 8 miles (N. E. by E.) from Bridgend; containing 166 inhabitants. It is in Welsh called Llanbedr-ar-Vynydd, "the church of St. Peter on the mountain," and is situated on the confines of the hundreds of Ogmore and Cowbridge, at some distance from the mother church. It occupies the southern declivity of the mountain called Mynydd-y-Rhiw, and the inhabitants are exclusively engaged in agriculture; the river Ely partly bounds it on the north. The chapel is dedicated to St. Peter, and annexed to the rectory of Coychurch: the tithes have been commuted for a rent-charge of £75. There is a Sunday school, established in 1847, held in the chapel.

Petrox (St.)

PETROX (ST.), a parish, in the hundred of Castlemartin, union and county of Pembroke, South Wales, 3 miles (S. W.) from Pembroke; containing 92 inhabitants. This parish, which is also called Llan-Bedrog, derives its name from the dedication of its church to Pedrog, a British saint, who flourished about the commencement of the seventh century. It comprises but a very moderate tract of arable and pasture land, and is chiefly distinguished for the salubrity of the air, and the longevity of its inhabitants; the surface is varied, and the soil fertile. The living is a discharged rectory, rated in the king's books at £7. 3. 9., and united in 1839 to the rectory of Stackpool-Elidur. The church, dedicated to St. Pedrog, is a neat edifice, with a handsome square tower, and is situated on an eminence commanding a good view over the adjacent country.

Pickhill

PICKHILL, a township, in the union of Wrexham, in that part of the parish of BangorIscoed which is in the hundred of Bromfield, county of Denbigh, in North Wales, 4½ miles (E. S. E.) from Wrexham; containing 178 inhabitants. It is situated on the western bank of the Dee, and has some handsome residences overlooking that river, among which Pickhill Hall is the most conspicuous. There are benefactions amounting to £6. 13. 4. per annum, for teaching children.

Pilleth

PILLETH, a parish, in the union of Presteign, hundred of Kevenlleece, county of Radnor, South Wales, 3¾ miles (S. W.) from Knighton; containing 73 inhabitants. It is distinguished as the scene of a memorable engagement that occurred between the army of Owain Glyndwr and the forces under the command of Sir Edward Mortimer, in which the latter was taken prisoner, with the loss of 1100 of his men. This battle, which is noticed by Shakspeare in his First Part of Henry IV., was fought on the 22nd June, 1402. It is said to have commenced on a hill, or hilly common, about half a mile north of the church, called Brynglâs, and to have raged in the peaceful valley below; but the great dramatist has taken the liberty of changing the scene from the banks of the meandering Lûg, to those of the distant Severn. There are circular intrenchments in that part of the vale bordering on the river, and tradition says that these were occupied by Mortimer's forces previous to the engagement. The parish is situated on the river Lûg, and extends for about three miles in length, and a mile and a half in breadth: the surface is boldly undulated; the greater portion of the land is inclosed, and in a tolerable state of cultivation, and the soil, especially in the lower grounds, is fertile and productive. Near the church is an interesting brick mansion, of the Elizabethan period, now occupied by a farmer.

The living is a perpetual curacy, annexed to the vicarage of Llangunllo, and endowed with £800 royal bounty. The church, dedicated to St. Mary, is an ancient structure chiefly of Decorated character, situated on a slight eminence, close to the base of a hill that overlooks the adjoining sequestered vale, along which flows the river Lûg. It measures fifty-five feet long, by twenty-one feet wide, externally; and consists of a nave, chancel, a tower at the west end, and a south porch. Modern alterations have much disfigured the sacred fabric, but it still contains some interesting architectural features, among which may be mentioned the fine square-panelled wooden roof of the nave, the north and south windows of the chancel, a small piscina, and several inscribed slabs. In digging out graves in the churchyard, great quantities of human bones are always discovered; and there can be little doubt, that this spot was chosen as the resting-place for many of those who fell in the severe conflict above noticed. The poor children of the parish are entitled to gratuitous instruction in the school founded at Whitton, by Dame Anna Child, of this place, who endowed it with £500, with which lands were purchased now producing a rent of more than £100, and under the provisions of whose will a child of Pilleth is annually apprenticed, with a premium of £8. On a common in the northern part of the parish are a few scattered houses, forming a place called Hêndre'r Genau. In the churchyard is a well, the water of which is said to be peculiarly efficacious in the cure of all diseases of the eye.

Pipton

PIPTON, a township, in the parish of Glâsbury, union of Hay, hundred of Tàlgarth, county of Brecknock, South Wales, 4½ miles (S. W.) from Hay; containing 129 inhabitants. This township is situated on the south bank of the Wye, and between that river and the Llynvi. The road from Hay to Builth passes through it, and the surrounding country is fertile and pleasing. Here was formerly a chapel of ease to the mother church of Glâsbury. A benefaction of £1 per annum was left for the use of the poor, in 1753, by Mrs. Sybil Williams.

Pistill (Pistyll)

PISTILL (PISTYLL), a parish, in the union of Pwllheli, hundred of Dinllaen, county of Carnarvon, North Wales, 7 miles (N. by W.) from Pwllheli; containing 514 inhabitants. This parish is situated on the shore of Carnarvon bay, and comprises a small mountainous district; the entire surface is dreary, rugged, and barren, and the scenery derives the little interest it possesses from the vicinity of the bay. There is no village, the houses being entirely scattered. Near the church is a modern farmhouse, built upon the site of an ancient mansion: the proprietor of this farm, comprising 200 acres of land, pays only 1s. modus for tithes, in consideration of the smallness of which charge he is compelled to provide bread and cheese, with good ale, or mead, for all persons who shall have crossed the pass leading through the mountains of Yr Eivl, on their way to the market-town of Nevin. The living is a perpetual curacy, annexed to the rectory of Edern: the tithes have been commuted for a rentcharge of £142. The church, in which divine service is performed only on every third Sunday, is a small edifice, situated under a high rock, and upon the verge of a precipice overlooking the sea. There are two places of worship for Calvinistic Methodists, one of them at a place called Llithvaen, and the other near the church: a Sunday school is held in each. To the east of the church is a vale called Nant Gwrtheirn, or "the vale of Vortigern," whither that prince is said to have retreated for shelter from his infuriated subjects, and where he built a castle, which is reported to have been destroyed by lightning. This narrow vale lies between Craig-y-Llan and Yr Eivl, and is accessible only by sea; the sides are bounded by barren and rugged rocks, on which not a blade of vegetation is seen. At one extremity rises the loftiest peak of Yr Eivl, and the only opening from the valley is towards the sea, by which it is bounded on the north; the sole agricultural produce of the vale is oats. Near the shore is a verdant mound, said to have been the site of Vortigern's castle; and near it was formerly a tumulus, designated Bedd Gwrtheirn, or "Vortigern's grave," in which was found a stone coffin, containing human bones. No traces of these relics are now visible, but the spot is still pointed out where that unfortunate prince, who met his death in this retired spot, in 464, was interred.

Pontvaen (Pont-Faen)

PONTVAEN (PONT-FAEN), a parish, in the union of Haverfordwest, hundred of Kemmes, county of Pembroke, South Wales, 5 miles (S. E.) from Fishguard; containing 52 inhabitants. It lies on the turnpike-road leading from Haverfordwest to Newport, and has a diversified surface, enlivened by the river Gwayn, which runs through it. Pontvaen House, formerly the residence of the Laugharnes, and now by purchase, together with the estate, including the whole of the parish, the property of Henry Rees, Esq., is a handsome mansion, pleasantly situated, and surrounded with thriving plantations. The neighbourhood is supposed to afford some of the best grouse-shooting in the county. The soil is in general fertile; the substratum is slate, which, however, has not yet been worked. The living is a perpetual curacy, rated in the king's books at £3. 6. 8., and endowed with £1200 royal bounty, and £400 parliamentary grant; present net income, £72; patron and impropriator, Mr. Rees. The church, dedicated to St. Bernard, is not remarkable for any architectural details of importance.

Pool

POOL, in the county of Montgomery, North Wales.—See Welshpool.

Port Dinorwig or Dinorwic

PORT DINORWIG or DINORWIC, a considerable village and a port, partly in the parish of Bangor, union of Bangor and Beaumaris, and partly in the parish of Llanvair-is-Gaer, union of Carnarvon, in the hundred of Isgorvai, county of Carnarvon, North Wales, 3½ miles (N. N. E.) from the town of Carnarvon. The old port here, called Aber-y-Pwll, was in the parish of Bangor, but it has been extended into the parish of Llanvair, so that there is now about half of the village in each parish. Port-Dinorwig, comprising the whole, is situated on the Menai strait, about half way between Carnarvon and Bangor, and has a commodious harbour, accessible to vessels of considerable burthen, and forming a convenient shipping-place for the produce of the great Dinorwig slate-quarries, in the parishes of Llanberis and Llandeiniolen. From the quarries a railway of four feet gauge and about eight miles in length leads to the port, where there is an inclined plane of about 800 yards, along which the slates, previously drawn by a locomotive engine, are let down by an endless chain above 1600 yards in length. Several hundred tons are brought daily for shipment. The harbour, which has been recently enlarged, is capable of accommodating a great number of vessels, which may lie here in safety while waiting for their freight; and the quay has been greatly improved.

Port-Eynon (Porth-Einion)

PORT-EYNON (PORTH-EINION), a parish, in the union and hundred of Swansea, county of Glamorgan, South Wales, 15 miles (W. S. W.) from Swansea; containing 364 inhabitants. It lies on the Bristol Channel, and is inclosed and in a good state of cultivation. The village occupies a pleasant situation on the west, and forms an agreeable feature in the picturesque scenery with which its environs abound. There is an extensive oysterfishery on the coast, which, with the exportation of the fish, affords a lucrative employment during the season to a large portion of the inhabitants. There are from fifteen to twenty vessels, varying in burthen from thirty to sixty tons, engaged in this and the limestone trade, the oysters, when obtained in sufficient quantity, being shipped off to Bristol. The parish abounds with limestone, which is procured in large quantities for exportation, and also for the supply of the neighbouring districts; on that which is exported a toll of two-pence per ton, called "cliffage," is paid to the lord of the manor, and the toll frequently amounts to £40 per month. The living is a rectory, rated in the king's books at £9. 5. 10., and in the patronage of the Lord Chancellor; present net income, £121, with a glebe-house. The church is dedicated to St. Cadocus. There are two day schools and a Sunday school, in connexion with the Established Church. John Clement, in 1784, left £14. 9. 6., directing the interest to be laid out in bread for distribution on Christmas-day, among the poor not receiving parochial relief.

Porthcawl

PORTHCAWL, a rising sea-port, in the parish of Newton-Nottage, union of Bridgend and Cowbridge, hundred of Newcastle, county of Glamorgan, South Wales, about 5 miles (W. S. W.) from Bridgend. This place is situated on the shore of the Bristol Channel, and forms the natural outlet of the Llynvi and other valleys abounding with coal and ironstone: it is also the water-side terminus of the Llynvi-Valley railway, formerly called the Dyfryn-Llynvi and Porthcawl tramway. The beach offers facilities for bathing; there are two inns, and several very convenient lodging-houses have been recently erected. About twenty-five years ago scarcely any business was done here: in 1827, however, a breakwater was constructed, for the purpose of making the port efficient for the coal-traffic of the district, and a large trade was thus created. The tramway was formed about the same time, at an expense of £92,000, reaching inland for a distance of seventeen miles, and opening up a means of conveyance for the produce of the mines and quarries of a tract rich in ironstone, coal, and stone. In 1843, a great extension of the iron-trade was caused by the discovery of blackband, or carboniferous ironstone, in the hills near the line of the tramway; this species of ironstone being smelted at a much less expense than the argillaceous kind, which alone had been previously worked. The exports in the year 1846 were, of pig-iron 25,554 tons, and of coal 22,913 tons; in 1847, of pig-iron 36,705 tons, and of coal 18,340 tons. In the latter year, thirteen blast-furnaces were in operation near the line of tramway, at Maes Têg, Llynvi, and the other works. The harbour is artificial, formed by two substantial arms of masonry, inclosing a bed of soft mud, with twenty feet of water at spring, and twelve at neap, tides; it is capable of accommodating twenty vessels, and is about to be improved. In 1847 an act was passed for the conversion of the tramroad into a locomotive railway, and several important extensions are projected: at present, the length of the line, including a branch of four miles and a half to the thriving town of Bridgend, is twenty-one miles and a half.

Porth-Dinllaen

PORTH-DINLLAEN, county of Carnarvon, North Wales.—See Edern, and Nevin.

Porthkerry (Porth-Ceri)

PORTHKERRY (PORTH-CERI), a parish, in the union of Cardiff, hundred of Dinas-Powys, county of Glamorgan, South Wales, 9 miles (S. E.) from Cowbridge; containing 120 inhabitants. It derives its name, signifying "the port of Ceri," from its situation on a small bay of the Bristol Channel, which is entered by vessels of inconsiderable burthen, for the purpose of shipping the limestone of which the beach is composed. Ceri, from whom the harbour received its name, was greatgrandfather of the celebrated Carodog, or Caractacus; but in what respect he was connected with the place does not appear. The manor formed part of the allotment of Sir John St. John, of Fonmon Castle, one of Fitz-Hamon's knights, and, after passing through various hands, was ultimately purchased by the late Sir Samuel Romilly, whose sons are the present proprietors. The parish comprises but a very small tract of land, the whole of which is inclosed and in a good state of cultivation. It is bounded on the south by the Bristol Channel, and on its other sides by the parishes of Penmark and Barry; the surface is undulated, with a southern inclination, and is well wooded and watered, the prevailing timber being oak and yew, and the scenery beautiful. The soil is of a tenacious quality, producing chiefly wheat. The limestone above mentioned, which is lias, is peculiar for its hardness, and for the property that the lime made from it possesses of binding under water; it has been used in constructing several of the docks at Liverpool, and some of the piers of Scotland. There are two small villages, named Porthkerry and Rhoose, with a villa in the Italian style, occupied by Edward Romilly, Esq., one of the sons of Sir Samuel.

The living, to which that of Barry has lately been united, is a discharged rectory, rated in the king's books at £7. 8. 1½., and in the patronage of the sons of Sir S. Romilly. The tithes of Porthkerry have been commuted for a rent-charge of £123. 13., and there is a glebe of sixty acres, valued at £65 per annum; the net income arising to the rector from Barry is £87. Porthkerry church, dedicated to St. Curig, is in the early English style, and is seventy feet long by twenty broad, containing about one hundred sittings, of which seventy are free: in the churchyard is a handsome cross, in tolerably good preservation. There is a rectory-house, lately built; and a school is chiefly maintained at the expense of the Romilly family: a Sunday school is supported by the rector. A charitable bequest to the poor, of £16, was lost by the party to whom it was lent becoming insolvent.—See Barry.

Port-Madoc

PORT-MADOC.—See Trêmadoc.

Port-Penrhyn

PORT-PENRHYN, a sea-port, in the parish of Llandegai, union of Bangor and Beaumaris, hundred of Llêchwedd Uchâv, county of Carnarvon, North Wales, half a mile (E.) from Bangor: the population is returned with the parish. This place, which is of recent origin, owes its existence to the late Lord Penrhyn, by whom it was selected as the shipping-port for the slates from his very extensive quarries in the Vale of Nant-Francon, in the parish. It is very conveniently situated for that purpose on the Menai strait, closely adjoining the city of Bangor. About the year 1790, his lordship constructed a commodious wharf at the mouth of the river Cegin, which here falls into the strait; and in proportion to the extension and increased production of the quarries, have been the subsequent improvements of this port. Large quays accessible at every rise of the tide to vessels of considerable tonnage, and additional wharfs, have been constructed; several sluices made; and spacious warehouses erected, for depositing the produce of the quarries. A tramway, six miles in length, extends from the quarries to the port, and every possible accommodation has been provided for facilitating business. The only article shipped is the slate, of which immense quantities are sent coastwise, and some to America and other parts of the world: a considerable number of vessels of from 40 to 300 tons' burthen, from various ports, are generally waiting to receive their cargoes. The business transacted at the port affords constant employment to more than 200 men, making, with the number engaged in the quarries, nearly 2400 persons occupied in these very extensive and important works. Port-Penrhyn is included within the borough of Bangor.—See Llandegai.

Portscyborvawr (Port Hscybor, or Ysgubor, Fawr)

PORTSCYBORVAWR (PORT HSCYBOR, or YSGUBOR, FAWR), a hamlet, in the parish of Llandeveylog, hundred of Kidwelly, union and county of Carmarthen, South Wales, 1½ mile (S.) from Carmarthen; containing 271 inhabitants. The name of this place is derived from Porth, a gateway, Yscibor, a barn, and Fawr, large. It lies on the left bank of the Towy, by the side of which is a causeway to the town of Carmarthen; and several respectable residences are situated near the river, as well as on the banks of the stream Pibwr, which flows through the hamlet to its junction with the Towy. Over a chasm along which the tributary stream takes its course is a remarkable bridge, on the road from Carmarthen to Llandarog. A Roman road from Kidwelly to Carmarthen passed through the hamlet.

Port-Talbot

PORT-TALBOT, in the county of Glamorgan, South Wales.—See Aberavon.

Press-Uchâ

PREES-UCHÂ, county of Denbigh, North Wales.—See Trêv-Brŷs.

Prendergast

PRENDERGAST, a parish, in the union of Haverfordwest, partly in the borough of Haverfordwest, and partly in the hundred of Dungleddy and county of Pembroke, in South Wales; containing 1531 inhabitants, of whom 1340 are in the borough, and the remainder in the hundred of Dungleddy. This place derives its appellation from an ancient family of the same name, to whom the whole parish formerly belonged, and of whose mansion some remains may still be traced. The last member of that family who enjoyed the property was Maurice de Prendergast, who accompanied Strongbow, Earl of Clare, into Ireland, in which kingdom he finally settled. The lands afterwards came into the possession of the Stepneys, who resided here till their removal into the county of Carmarthen, when the seat, being deserted, soon fell into decay. The parish is situated between the rivers Hiog and Cleddy, and, near its south-western extremity, is connected with the town of Haverfordwest by a bridge across the latter stream, from which the village extends chiefly along the road to Cardigan, with a branch street southward; the whole forming an extensive and important suburb of Haverfordwest. A small tract at this angle of the parish, comprising a part of the village lying nearest to the town, is within the ancient limits of the town and county of the town of Haverfordwest, the parliamentary boundaries of which were extended in 1832, so as to include the whole village, together with the south-western portion of the parish, which contain about forty houses rated sufficiently high to qualify the tenants as voters for the borough. In 1836 the municipal limits of Haverfordwest were made co-extensive with the parliamentary limits. The petty-sessions for the hundred are held in the village. The living is a discharged rectory rated in the king's books at £9. 14. 9., endowed with £200 royal bounty, and in the patronage of the Lord Chancellor; present net income, £183. The church, dedicated to St. David, is an ancient and venerable structure, in the early style of English architecture, and in good repair. There is a place of worship for Primitive Methodists.