PENNANT, or PENNANT-MELANGELL, a parish, in the union and upper division of the hundred of LLANVYLLIN, county of
MONTGOMERY, NORTH WALES, 10 miles (N. W. by W.) from Dan" vyllin; containing 795 inhabitants., This village denves its
name, signifying " the head of the brook,'? from its situation near the source of the river Tanat, which rises in
the.parish, and falls into the Vyrnwy near Llanymyneeh, on the confines of Shropshire. The adjunct to the name, by which
it is distinr guished from other localities of the same appellation, .is derived from St. Monacella, by the Welsh called
,Melangell, the daughter of an Irish monarch, who, having devoted herself to life of celibacy, retired from her father's
dominions to this place, where she spent her time in seclusion. St. Monacella had passed fifteen years in devotional
retirement here, in a small cell among the rocks near the present church, when Brochwel Yscythrog, Prince of Powys, gave
her some lands, to which he added the privilege of sanctuary to all who .fled thither for protection. Iorwerth Drwyndwn,
or " Edward with the broken nose,". eldest .son of Owain Gwynedd, Prince of North Wales, being deprived of his succession
on account of that natural deformity, fled to this place for shelter, when his younger brother Davydd ascended the throne,
and was, not long afterwards, killed at Rwlcheroes Iorwerth, at no great distance from the spot. The parish is remarkable
for the irregularity of its boundaries; some portions of it being separated from others .by the intervention of the
parishes of Llangynog, Llanrhaiadr, and Hirnant. It comprises some rich arable. and pasture land, inclosed and in a high
state of cultivation; and the rateable annual value is returned at £3001. The surrounding scenery is finely
diversified, and in many parts highly picturesque; and the views over the adjacent country abound with objects of
interest and features of romantic beauty. The village, consisting only of the church, and fonr or five houses, is
beautifully situated in a valley, inclosed on all sides by hills, except at the entrance, and watered by the small river
Tans. Half a mile below the church the vale divides into two branches, the extremities of which are bounded by two lofty
precipices, separated from each other by the vast and rugged promontory called Moel Dimmer, which stretches into the vale;
down' each of the precipices, at certain times, rushes an impetuous torrent, descending from a considerable height, and
forming an imposing and picturesque cascade. The living consists of a rectory and a vicarage: the rectory, which is a
sinecure, is rated in the kings books at £11. 16. 14., and annexed to the bishopric of St. Asaph; and the vicarage, which
is discharged, is rated at £5. 16. 5i., and endowed with £200 royal bounty, and £200 parliamentary grant. The tithes of
the parish have been commuted for a rent-charge of £405, of which a sum of £298 is payable to the bishop, who has also a
glebe of 10 acres, valued at £15 per annum, £100 to the vicar, and £7 to the parish-clerk; and the tithes of one-half of
the township.of Bryn, in Llanyblodwell, near Coswestry, belong, three-tourths to the rector, and one-fourth to the vicar,
of Pennant. The vicarage is in the gift of the bishop, and the net income payable to the incumbent amounts in the whole to
about £200 per annum, of which £75 a year were lately assigned as an augmentation by the bishop. The church is an ancient
structure, dedicated to St. Monacelle, whose history is sculptured on the front of the gallery, and of whom several
reliques are still preserved: her tomb was in a small chapel or oratory adjoining the church, now used as a vestry-room;
but her remains have been removed and deposited in the churchyard, under a stone on which is a recumbent figure of the
saint, sculptured in freestone with the arms crossed. There is also a stone, with the figure of an armed man, which once
covered the grave of Iorwerth Drwyndwn; on his shield, bearing a lion rampant, is inscribed the legend " Hic facet
Etwart." There are places of worship for Independents and Wesleyans. In the parish is a day school, containing from twenty
to thirty young children, instructed at their parents' expense; and there are four Sunday schools, gratuitously
conducted. The produce of some trifling charitable donations and bequests, amounting altogether to £6. 10. 6. per annum,
is divided among the poor of the lower division on Easter Monday and St. Thomas's-day, in sums varying from 6d. to 2s.,
the largest benefaction being a bequest of £30, by Ellis Jones, of Peniarth Issa, in 1802. On the mountain between
Llanwddyn and this parish, is a circular inclosure surrounded by a wall, called " 116n Eglwys," supposed to be a Druidical
relic, or probably the remains of an ancient cemetery; and near Plfis Du, in the lower division of the parish, are some
vestiges of a British encampment. On the mountain between Bala and this place was found, some time since, a large bone
named the Giant's Rib, perhaps the bone of some fish, and now kept in the church. In the left branch of the valley in
which the village is situated is a large stone, under which were found, a few years ago, several coins, rings, and other
relics of antiquity. It is said that a Roman road passed near the place, towards Aberystwith; and in many of the narrow
passes between the hills that confine the vale are vestiges of intrenchments, apparently thrown up for defence.