Historic Landscape Characterisation

Mynydd Hiraethog: Moel Maelogen
Bro Garmon, Gwynedd
(HLCA 1099)

Late 18th to early 19th-century enclosed and improved pasture on north-west edge of Mynydd Hiraethog.

Historic background

The area falls within the 19th-century tithe parish of Llanrwst. Relatively little recent archaeological fieldwork has been undertaken within the area and few archaeological sites are recorded.

Key historic landscape characteristics

The character area occupies an area of just over 3km2 of undulating improved upland pasture on the western edge of Mynydd Hiraethog, between a height of about 340-410m above Ordnance Datum. It includes the southern slopes of Moel Maelogen and Ffriddog and faces predominantly to the north and west. The area includes a number of small streams which drain eastwards into the Afon Cledwen, a tributary of Afon Elwy, and westwards into tributaries of the Afon Conwy. The area falls outside the Mynydd Hiraethog SSSI and none is registered Common Land.

No settlement evidence is recorded in the area. The present boundaries of the area with the lower-lying enclosed ground are shown on the Llanrwst tithe map of 1836, some of these boundaries being formed of drystone walling and some by post-and-wire fences. Boundaries within the area itself are almost exclusively of post-and-wire. Peat cutting is the only land use apart from grazing recorded in the area, turbaries being shown on the Llanrwst tithe map on Ffriddog and on the mountain edge above the farmstead at Tan-y-graig, some of which possibly continued in use until the 1950s. The area is crossed by the winding lane mountain lane linking Nebo and Gwytherin, possibly of medieval origin, but again first recorded together with several other lanes and footpaths on the Llanrwst tithe map.

Sources