Dear Jeff and Ann:
Found myself in the same position as Jeff. I just could not find Maerdy Gate
despite a search on current OS and the old OS map on-line. The suggestion
that Maerdy Gate may be the site of an old toll gate makes sense. The
question is...which of the main roads in the area. The Holyhead - London
road or the route from Bala to Corwen.
I checked Atlas Meirionnydd on old roads (a contribution by Harold Carter of
the University of Wales) and found the following:
- the current A 494 (Bala to the A5) was listed as a main road , but no
reference to tolls,
- the current B4401 from Bala to Corwen together with the route now followed
by the A5 are listed as toll roads in the 18th century.
According to Carter, the roads of the mid-18th century were in poor
condition. It wasn't until about 1775 that a company was formed to be
responsible for the maintenance of main roads which facilitated the
introduction of coach services in Meirionnydd during that year. The first
service ran from Barmouth to Corwen to connect with the Holyhead to London
service.
Regards
Ken Richards
----------
>From: Jeff Delves <Jeff_Delves(a)compuserve.com>
>To: WLS-MERIONETHSHIRE-L(a)rootsweb.com
>Subject: [MER] REG OF BIRTH
>Date: Sat, Jan 19, 2002, 11:42 AM
>
> Dear Ann,
>
> Sorry to hear that you've had no reply to your message of 7th January
> seeking details about the birthplace of your grandfather's brother and also
> information about your grandfather's second wife.
>
> Although I'm based in Suffolk I spend quite a lot of time in Llandrillo, so
> I was interested in your query.
>
> Regarding Maerdy Gate in Llandderfel, I've looked through all Llandderfel
> in the 1881 census & looked at several maps but to no avail - also not
> shown in Ordnance Survey Gazetteer. I have written to some friends in
> Llandrillo about your queries, & I shall be visiting them next week, so
> they may be able to help. 'Maerdy Gate' suggests to me that it may have a
> connection with a one-time toll-gate house on a road to Maerdy. Which
> Maerdy? - presumably the one a few miles west of Corwen on the A5, though
> north of Gwyddelwern there are also a number of 'Maerdy' dwellings. To
> further confuse the issue, a map of the Ecclesiastical Parishes of
> Meirionnydd shows that Llandderfel parish includes 2 small areas situated
> within the parish of Llanfor.
>
>