Nant Gwrtheyrn

Nearest town:
Pwllheli (10km SSE)
OS reference:
SH3545
OS sheet:
123
Latitude:
52° 58' 35.48 N
Longitude:
4° 27' 27.89 W
Added to TMA by

Images

Image of Nant Gwrtheyrn (Ancient Village / Settlement / Misc. Earthwork) by thesweetcheat

Looking down on the field systems on the climb out of Nant Gwrtheryn. The northwestern peak of Yr Eifl (Garn For) looms above.

Image credit: A. Brookes (8.5.2016)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat May 29, 2016
Image of Nant Gwrtheyrn (Ancient Village / Settlement / Misc. Earthwork) by thesweetcheat

Nant Gwrtheryn is the valley with the buildings, centre of image, enclosed by steep sides and the towering peaks of Yr Eifl above. Seen across Porth y Nant from the southwest.

Image credit: A. Brookes (8.5.2016)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat May 29, 2016

Articles

Folklore

Nant Gwrtheyrn
Ancient Village / Settlement / Misc. Earthwork
Vortigern
Vortigern Nov 12, 2002

The source for this name of this valley, which is the only one in Wales named after Vortigern, is not known. Vortigern’s legends do take him to north Wales (especially Snowdonia), but never to the Lleyn peninsula itself. But maybe the legend about his death did travel to this area, as there are many more places that are connected with Vortigern in the direct neighborhood.

At least until around the year 1700 a stone grave covered with a turf mound existed there, which was called Vortigern’s Grave (Bedd Gwrtheyrn) by the local population. George Borrow, writing in 1862 (Wild Wales), described it as follows: “It was in a wind-beaten valley of Snowdon, near the sea, that his dead body decked in green armour had a mound of earth and stones raised over it”.

Sites within 20km of Nant Gwrtheyrn

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