It is hoped that
in these short articles that will appear regularly on the
MATRA website, that residents and
ex-patriates will learn a little bit more about this ancient
city.
|
|
These pages have been kindly
donated ( time and effort) by a local resident who has written
them hoping you will gain some extra knowledge about the area
you live.
I would just like to thank them
for their efforts which I personally found interesting.
|
|
Bangor :- it's name in
history
|
Photo's added by Cindy Hutchinson
|
Celtic place names flourish in Wales,
and many a historian has spent countless years researching the
true meaning of a place name.
Bangor is no exception to this frustrating search for how it
got its' name. The often wrongly accepted translation for Bangor
is from the transcripts of Hywel Dda where the words seem to
signify "wattlings". This suggests that the word may
mean either a wattle fence, or the area enclosed within the
fence.
Another theory is that the word Bangor is a corruption of the
word Pen-Chor (Head choir), yet another theory is that Bangor
is derived from the old Irish language, and was named Ban Cor.
The Irish translation means White Robes, supposed by some
to mean the choir or circle of the white robed Druids. Then
there is yet another suggestin than Bangor was once named Banchor,
meaning Ban (superior) and Cor (circle or choir)
If we accept the transcripts of Hywel Dda we are guided towards
the old Welsh Laws:
" A thair bangor a ddyly bod ar ysgubor a galan gaeag allan"
And three bangors should be on the barn after All Hallow-tide.
"Tri anhebgor bwd hafodwr::- nenbren, a nenffyrch, a bangor,
a rhydd iddo eu torri yng nghoed gwyllt a fynno"
The three essentials of the hut of a summer resident :- a rooftree,gable
forks and bangor: : and he is at liberty
to cut them in any wild woods he pleases
The corruption of Pen Chor into Bangor seems to be the most
acceptable way that Bangor got its' name, as the name occurs
with similar significance in Celtic and Gaelic regions, such
as Brittany, Ireland and Scotland.
If we accept that the earliest religious communities in Wales
were designated as Corau (choirs or circles), then it is a natural
progression to monastries, or colleges founded by monks and
bishops.
This fits nicely into the history of the cathedral and also
in that of the old Friars School.
.......................................................
|
|
Afon Cegin (River
Cegin)
The Afon Cegin is mentioned in the ancient Welsh book/manuscripts
called "Mabinogion."
This falls in nicely with the next little snippet of information,
because all civilisations require a source of fresh water, there
was no Dwr Cymru that long ago !
Pre-Historic site near Maesgeirchen
During the excavation works for the building of the High Speed
Plastics factory in Llandegai, workmen came upon the remains
of buildings that dated back to a time well before the Romans.
It is possible there may be some marked stones or pottery in
the nearby fields, especially the one split by the public footpath
by the Telecom buildings on Llandegai Industrial Estate.
If anyone is lucky enough to find some stones with Roman or
earlier writings on them, then they could be in for a nice little
windfall of a few hundred pounds or so from collectors or museums.
Shakey Bridge.
There is a story that along the banks of the River Ogwen, near
Shakey Bridge, a quantity of gold coins were
either lost or buried by a nobleman, to this day have not been
found
Gold Coin Hoard between Cwm-y-Glo and
Deiniolen.
Around 1884, a farmhand was hill walking and the weather wasn't
at all pleasant, mainly mist and
snow flurries
He sought shelter in some woodland, and to his surprise came
upon a hoard of gold coins, hidden under branches and leaves.
As it was bitterly cold and geting dark he decided to make his
way home, and return with his brothers and collect the gold
coins the following day
To his disappointment, the weather got worse, and the search
for the hoard was delayed for a few weeks.
When he and his brothers eventually went to look for the gold,
he was unable to find the exact location where he rested that
cold winters day.
A relative of this man lives in Bethesda, and whenever possible
he walks the hills of Deiniolen with his metal detector, searching
for the Deiniolen Hoard,
Best of luck to Mr. H**** H***** of Bethesda.
Silver and Gold Roman Coins found Nr Amlwch
In the late 1950s' a hoard of Roman coins were found buried
in a field on the Bull Bay side of Amlwch, this
area is now part of Amlwch Golf Club.
Imagine going there today for a round of golf, messing up your
shot and sending a huge sod of earth skywards.
Then to your surprise, as you gaze into the crater you've just
made, there shining up at you are some gold coins,
Better than a hole in one any day !!.
Roman Silver Coins found near Menai
Bridge
Around 1980 a Maestryfan man found a nice little pile of Roman
silver coins near Church Island, below Britannia Bridge. He
didn't end up a millionaire, but how satisfying to find the
unfound.
Henry V111 coin found in Maesgeirchen
A coin from the reign of King Henry V111 found in a garden in
Maesgeirchen is on display in Bangor Museum.
..........................................................
|
|
Folklore - Legend of Bangor and surrounding
areas
About three miles from Bangor there is
a very old building named Cochwillan Hall.
The following is about The Fairies of Cochwillan, from stories
in circulation circa 1898
In a small cottage at the site of where the old gas works stood
(1898) there dwelt an elderly midwife, whose services were in
great demand On a beautiful moonlit evening, around midnight,
she was aroused from her light sleep by the sound of gentle
tapping on her door.
Upon opening the door she was astonished to see a magnificent
carriage and pair of horses, and a lively footman dressed in
lavish attire. The footman beckoned her to make haste, to attend
to an urgent case regarding childbirth.
In a very short time the carriage arrived at the banks of Llyn
Cororion ( This lake is still accessible, and is on the Public
Footpath
on the Bangor-Glasinfryn road by the Esso Garage, commonly known
as The One Stop)
The old lady had little idea of where she was, but upon alighting
from the carriage she was escorted in to a palace of magnificence,
rich in decoration and opulence.The footmen and servants of
the palace were very polite and exceptionally well dressed,
and they seemed to anticipate every wish and necessity for the
job in hand.
After she had carried out the required task of assisting in
the delivery of the newly born, she was lost in admiration at
the almost angelic beauty of this newly arrived heir of the
fairy family.
As she was admiring the infant fairy, one of the servants brought
some ointment and a pearl box adorned with gold mountings, and
asked her anoint the eyes of the baby with the ointment.
Whilst carrying out this duty,she felt a slight twinge in one
of her eyes, by instinct she rubbed her eye with the hand that
had ointment on from the annointment of the baby.
An unexplainable occurrence followed, the eye that was untouched
by the ointment functioned as normal, but the touched eye
could see things that were not in the room.
She saw herself seated on the banks of Llyn Cororion, with the
sheep and goats of the surrounding pasture land staring at her,
as if to question her right to be on their territory.
Now the old ladies eyes began to see different things, the eye
that had been smeared could see a plump babe of supernatural
beauty, the other eye saw a haggard and repulsive being of unnatural
and aged appearance.
Unused to such visions that made no sense, the old lady hurried
about her duties in silent astonishment, and was not sorry to
be on her way back to Bangor in the supplied horse and carriage.
As a wage the old lady was gifted with beautiful presents of
untold value, and there followed for her a period of great prosperity,
and
meetings with fairies and elves.
Quite some years later, the midwife was in Bangor marketplace,and
saw some of the little people she had seen in the fairy mansion
all those years ago, yet neither a stall-holder nor any other
person in the market saw the little people that day.
The midwife was shocked to see that the little people were taking
goods from the stalls of the traders of the town.
Being an honourable woman, she was not prepared to let such
thievery take place, and summoning courage she accosted one
of them, before she could tap the elf on his shoulder to question
him, he turned around quickly and said.
"Dost thou know me?"
" I do" replied the midwife
"With which eye?" beckoned he
"With this eye" said the midwife, pointing to the
anointed eye.
The elf then dipped his finger in his mouth and drew it across
the eye that had had been touched by ointment.
The old lady lost her ability to see elves and fairies from
that day on
.................................................................so
until the next time....bye for now!
|
Back page
|
