Hello

Congratulations on the new site - the articles so far are very interesting.

One of my ancestors, David Davies, was a blockmaker living on Love Lane c1800-1860s. Is there anything you can tell me about this area of Caernarfon town? Ideally I would like to try to obtain an image of what it looked like in the early 1800s as I don't think it exists today - any suggestions where I might find one?

Thank you
Heather

Thank you very much for a most interesting question. The first mention of Love Lane can be observed on a map of Caernarfon dated c. 1800 and the Lane was much longer than that which is called Love Lane today. The name itself does not refer to a Lover's Lane as one would imagine, but is named after a former Liberal M.P. for the constituency Sir Love Jones Parry.

The Lane commenced from where the General Post office on the Town Square (Y Maes)lies today along what is now called Segontium Terrace and the upper part of Love Lane right up to an entrance leading to South Road, which leads on to Porthmadog and Pwllheli. At the entrance at the top of Love Lane a Grammar School was built in the year 1836 and later became known locally as "Ysgol Jones Bach" after its last headmaster who retired in 1917. The part at the end of Segontium Terrace is still called Love Lane, but there are only a few houses there.

Segontium Terrace was a select residential terrace with well-to-do persons living there, many of whom were Master Mariners, but nearby and where the Welsh Highland Railway Station is today, this was a very poor area of the town called Under Love Lane and houses there were demolished at the end of the 1860's when the Railway tunnel under the town was built so that the railway could carry on towards Llanberis and Afonwen

Dear Mr. Hughes

Thank you very much for your timely and helpful response. I will have a look at the early censuses again to possibly place my family members in relation to your explanation. I think they probably fit somewhere in the middle stratum between "des res" and very poor!

By the way I looked at google street view of Caernarfon town the other day and was disappointed to see that the inner castle was not depicted. Perhaps the camera car could not fit through the arches?

Warm regards
Heather

Thanks for your kind words. There is one thing that comes to mind which may be useful to you and that is to be seen on Keith's Caernarfon Traders under the Miscellaneous Section.

I suggest you click on 1841 Caernarfon Borough Election Canvass Book and then on Love Lane and you will observe that the first name on the list is that of David Davies and that he voted for the Tory candidate Charles Paget (Member of the family of the Marquis of Anglesey).

Just a little snippet that may be of help to you.

Regards,

TMH

Hello

Thank you for the link. Very interesting. I guess it means that my David Davies was a leaseholder of the property on Love Lane at the time.

BTW I think your detailed explanation re Segontium Terrace & Love Land may have helped to shed some light on a mystery for me. DD was living at Love Lane in 1841/1851/1861 but died at Segontium Terrace in 1862. I couldn't understand why he moved before he died but it sounds like just the street name was changed.

Am very grateful for your help!

Heather