Does the building known as the Queens Head, 3 Pepper Lane, Caernafon, in 1881 still exist? Perhaps it has a different name now. My great grandmother was said to have lived in a 'grand house', indeed she probably did - as a domestic at the Queens Head. No great shame in that but my family tended to elaborate on the truth - hugely.
Cheers, Luned in Tasmania

Dear Eluned,

I am sorry to have to disillusion you, but the Queens Head has not existed for well over a century. I was born in 9 High Street in 1928 and lived there as a child and there was no pub of that name in my time.

History tells us, however, that there was only one pub in Pepper Lane, The Queens Head. In Northgate Street, which runs parallel to Pepper Lane, there were three around 1881, two on one side of the street, one at No.7 and one next door No.9. Then on the opposite side of the street there was a Llanfair Arms, which was back to back with the Queens Head and on occasions the Police were sent to one of the two pubs to look for someone and many culprits succeeded in avoiding the arms of the law by running through to the pub in the other street and making good their escape.

From what I can make out there was nothing GRAND about either of the two pubs, just the type of pub you would expect in a Schooner Port like Caernarfon in the Victorian era and Caernarfon, known at that time to sport 60 pubs, was nicknamed in Welsh as TREF Y TRIGAIN TAFARN (Town of the three score taverns).

I hope that this will give you a better idea of the life and times of our ancestors.

Cofion,(Regards)

Meirion

Dear Meirion,
I haven't been called Eluned since I was a young girl! Thank you it brought back memories.
And thank you for that information about the Queens Head. It all helps to fill in those missing pieces of peoples' lives.
Cheers
Luned in Tasmania

Thank you for your kind words,

The reason I called you Eluned is that I have a close relative now 86 living in the South of England who was babtized Eluned in Caernarfon in 1923, but for ease on the Anglo Saxon tongue now calls herself Lynne. OK?

I would never give in to the English to call me T.M. or Tom as many have done in the past. Everyone in Caernarfon calls me Meirion and that is good enough for me and upon my being not so far death that is what shall appear on my gravestone.

Cofion gorau, (Best regards)

Meirion