Betws Bledrws

During the nineteenth century the parish extended to about 1,600 acres and supported 227 inhabitants. Samuel Lewis judged Derry Ormond "one of the best houses in the county", observing that its ornamental lake and plantations dominated the scene. He described a mainly pastoral economy: arable ground was limited, lead ore was thought to lie beneath the surface but never exploited, and annual poor-law expenditure stood at £89 17 s. Nonconformity thrived beside the parish church. Pen-y-coed Baptist chapel was erected in 1735, re-roofed in slate in 1827 and, after services moved to Silian in 1831, allowed to decay; the ruin was finally cleared before 1998. Lewis also recorded separate meeting…