LLANGYNOG (LLAN-GYNOG), a parish, in the union and upper division of the hundred of LLANVYLLIN, county of MONTGOMERY,
NORTH WALES, 8 miles (N. W.) from Llanvyllin; containing 516 inhabitants. This parish derives its name from the dedication
of its church to St. Cynog, the eldest of the sons of Brychan, Prince of Brycheiniog, who suffered martyrdom in the fifth
century, was buried at Merthyr-Cynog, in the county of Brecknock, and was canonized after  his death. It is bounded on
the north and east by the county of Denbigh, on the south by the parish of Hirnant, and on the west by that of Pennant;
and comprises by admeasurement 974a. Or. 22p., covering a space four miles in length and nearly of equal breadth. The
village is beautifully situated in a pleasing but narrow vale, watered by the river Tenet, and sheltered by lofty
mountains, in the northern part of the county, bordering upon Denbighshire; and on the turnpike-road from Llanvyllin to
Bala, on the line of which there is a bridge over the stream. The scenery is strikingly diversified, abounding with
features of picturesque beauty, and of rugged grandeur; and the views over the adjacent country, comprising part of
Denbighshire on the east, and Merionethshire on the west, from which latter the parish is separated by the fine range of
the Berwyn mountains, are interesting and extensive. A very small proportion of the land is inclosed and cultivated, the
remainder being a mountainous district, in which are mines of lead, quarries of slate, and other mineral works: the soil
is in general fertile in the agricultural part, and produces good crops of wheat, barley, oats, and grass; and peat, which
forms the principal fuel of the inhabitants, is found in abundance: the rateable annual value of the parish is returned at
£946. The lead-mines, which are the property of the Earl of Powys, have been worked for nearly a century, and were
formerly productive of immense profit to an ancestor of the present owner: the ore is of the species called galena, or
"potters' ore," and is found in a rake vein, extending in a direction from east-by-south to west-by-north, which is
noticed by Williams, in his " Mineral Kingdom," published in 1789, as being perhaps the richest then discovered in the
island: it contained in the centre a breadth of five yards of clean ore, so pure as to be immediately conveyed from the
mine to the smelting-house, exclusively of a breadth of several feet on each side, which, being mixed with spar, required
previous dressing to prepare it for smelting. This vein has been worked to a depth of more than ninety yards, and during a
period of forty years yielded upon the average about four thousand tons of ore annually, producing to its proprietor a
clear yearly revenue of £20,000. About the commencement of the present century this mine, the working of which had been
for some time discontinued, owing to the influx of water, which rendered it impracticable, was leased by a company who
drove a level beneath it, in order to draw off the water, and continued the working of it for some time. In the course of
their operations the miners occasionally found masses of pure ore, weighing from seventy to one hundred lb. each; but,
after prosecuting their labours for some time, the works were again neglected. Within the last few years, however, the old
shaft has been re-opened; and about 40 persons are now engaged in the operations; the machinery employed In the mine is
driven by a stream of water, brought from a distance of seven miles at a very considerable expense. At Craig-y-Gribbin, in
the parish, are some quarries of excellent blue slate, of a strong and durable quality, in raising which about three
persons are at present occupied; but, from the veins of quartz that pervade the entire mass of the rock in which they are
quarried, they exhibit a rough surface; and some of the slabs contain beautiful cubes of mundic: these slates are procured
for the supply of the neighbouring districts, and a small quantity is sent to the Montgomeryshire canal at Newbridge, near
Lianymynech, for conveyance by water to more distant parts. In the rock of Llangynog, which has a lofty and almost
perpendicular elevation on the north side of the village, is another quarry, employing about 26 persons, from which great
numbers of slates of similar quality are obtained, and are brought down the steep declivity of the rock in sledges
containing about five cwt. each, with extreme danger to the persons engaged in this arduous task. When the sledge is
loaded, and drawn to the edge of the declivity, the conductor sits upon it, passing over his shoulders a rope which is
fastened at each extremity to the front, and also assisted with a pole; and, raising his feet from the ground, begins his
descent down a narrow winding path; guiding the sledge by opposing his feet to the projecting points of the rock, which
would divert it from its course, and governing its accumulating velocity by pressing firmly with his feet upon the ground;
and sustaining the weight of the carriage by the rope that passes over his shoulders. Sometimes the guide, passing the
rope over his shoulders as in the former case, instead of sitting upon the front of the sledge, descends backwards; and,
when in danger of being overpowered by the weight and the accumulated velocity of the sledge, slipping the rope over his
head, detaches himself from the carriage, and throws it sideways over the precipice, regarding only his own preservation.
In either case the descent is attended with extreme danger, and the least inattention or want of dexterity, on the part of
the guide, would expose him to inevitable destruction. The parish contains a woollen manufactory in which about three
persons are employed; and fairs are annually held in the village on May 6tb, August 9th, and September 3rd. The living is
a discharged rectory, rated in the 62 king's books at £4. 8. 1 11.; patron, Bishop of St. Asaph: the tithes have been
commuted for a rent-charge of £142.5., of which £140 are payable to the rector, and £2. 5. to the parish-clerk; and a
glebe-house is attached to the benefice, together with a glebe consisting of 6f acres, valued at £10 per annum. The
church, rebuilt in 1790, is 48 feet long and 20 broad, and contains 160 sittings, of which 61 are free. There are places
of worship for Independents and Calvinistic and Wesleyan Methodists. The parish occasionally enjoys the benefit of one of
Mrs. Bevan's circulating schools in common with a few other places; the master visiting them in succession, and always
remaining for two years in each: his salary is £20, and he also receives a trifling gratuity from the parents. Evan
Jones, in 1797, gave the interest of e20 in support of a school, and also bequeathed a house for its use; and if no school
should be held, he directed the proceeds to be distributed among the poor: £1, the produce of this bequest is paid to a
master who resides in the house, and instructs four poor children. Elizabeth Lloyd, in 1790, left a rent-charge of £2, a
moiety to be distributed among the poor of this parish, and the other moiety among those of Pennant; which sum is
accordingly so disposed of, in small sums every Easter Monday. A brass telt was found near the village, a few years since.
The parish contains a mining level called Ogov, or " the cave," driven under a vast depth of slaty rock, which appears to
have long ceased to be recognized as a work of art.