Tŷ Mawr Wybrnant

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Tŷ Mawr Wybrnant

Caernarfonshire

National Trust

Ty Mawr Wybrnant.JPG
Tŷ Mawr Wybrnant
Grid reference: SH770524
Location: 53°3’17"N, 3°50’12"W
Information
Website: Ty Mawr Wybrnant

Tŷ Mawr Wybrnant is a house in the Wybrnant Valley of Caernarfonshire, in the parish of Bro Machno, near Betws-y-Coed. It was the birthplace of Bishop William Morgan, the first translator of the whole Bible into the Welsh language, in the days of Queen Elizabeth I.

Tŷ Mawr Wybrnant is today owned by the National Trust and has been sensitively restored to its probable 16th-century appearance.

Despite its name (Tŷ Mawr means 'Big House') it is very small by today's standards, but it houses some old furniture and a collection of Welsh Bibles, including William Morgan's Bible of 1588. There are also other Bibles in many other languages, donated by visitors to the house from around the world.

The house is most easily reached from the village of Penmachno, 4 miles from Betws-y-coed, but can also be reached from the A470 between Betws-y-coed and Dolwyddelan.

River

The River Wybrnant is the stream near which the house is located, and its name is usually appended to the house's name to distinguish it from other Tŷ Mawrs.

The origins of the name Wybrnant are not wholly known. Although nant denotes a small stream and wybr is an old word for sky or cloud, some would have it that the word is derived from a corruption of gwiber, meaning "adder" or "viper". According to legend, long ago a gwiber was a huge flying snake, and one lived in this valley.[1]

Outside links

References

  1. Heffernan, Mike. "The Gwiber of Penmachno". Mysterious Britain & Ireland: Mysteries, Legends & the Paranormal. http://www.mysteriousbritain.co.uk/wales/gwynedd/legends/the-gwiber-of-penmachno.html. Retrieved 24 August 2009.