SH 30623 30426
Bwgan Pant-y-wenol.
Y mae son am y bwgan uchod wedi lledsenu dros braidd bob rhan o Leyn, ac y mae yn gryn syndod genym ganfod personau a safant yn uchel fel gwybodusion yn yr ardaloedd yma mor hygoelus. Yr ydym wedi bod yn llygad-dystion o weithrediadau y bwgan (?) hwn, ond ni welsom ddim nad allasai dyn neu ddynes ei wneyd yn eithaf hawdd. Symud a rhwygo ydynt weithredoedd y bwgan hwn. Dwg amryw bethau o’r ty heb i neb ei ganfod, – collant y peth yn y ty, a deuant o hyd iddo mewn ffos gyfagos. Nid ydym am ddrwgdybio neb, hyd nes y daw y peth i’r golwg; ond y mae yn eithaf teg i ni, fel y rhai hyny a gredant mai ysbryd drwg anweledig sydd yn gweithio, i ddatgan ein crediniaeth mai ysbryd neu ysbrydion drwg gweladwy sydd yn gweithio. Y mae genym amryw ddysgwyliadau (heblaw rhesymau tebyg i un doniol Kilsby, sef “na fedd y devil gyllell”) ydynt yn seiliau cryfioin i gasglu mai bod neu fodau dynol sydd yn gweithredu. Gobeithio na phery yn hir eto, onide bydd rhaid i ni daflu drwg-dybiaeth ar rywun , a cheisio casglu seiliau iddi. Yr ydym nin yn credu ei bod yn llawn mor hawdd i ddyn neu ddynes fyned o’r ty heb eu canfod gan neb ag ydyw i unrhyw wrthddrych sylweddol arall wneyd felly. Da chwi, bobl Lleyn, “profwch yr ysbrydion” cyn eu credu. Y mae un ffaith yn glyau wrth bob gweithred o eiddo y bwgan (?), sef yw hyny – er ei fod yn gweithredu liw dydd, na welodd neb me hone yn gweithredu: wedi gwneyd y mae pan yr ydym yn dyfod i wybod. Yn yr oes oleu hon, anwyl bobl, peidiwch ag ymdywyllu. – Aughredadyn.
Bwgan Pant-y-wenol.
Talk of the ghost above has spread over almost every part of Leyn, and we are quite surprised to find persons who stand tall as knowledgeable in these areas so gullible. We have been eyewitnesses of the actions of this ghost (?), but we have not seen anything that a man or woman could not do quite easily. The actions of this ghost are moving and tearing. Bring several things from the house without anyone finding it, – they lose the thing in the house, and find it in a nearby ditch. We do not want to suspect anyone, until the matter comes to light; but it is quite fair for us, as those who believe that an invisible evil spirit is at work, to declare our belief that a visible evil spirit or spirits are at work. We have several teachings (apart from reasons similar to Kilsby’s funny one, namely “the devil does not have a knife”) which are strong grounds for concluding that it is a human being or human beings who act. I hope it won’t be long again, won’t we have to cast suspicion on someone, and try to gather grounds for it. We believe that it is just as easy for a man or woman to leave the house without being found by anyone as it is for any other significant object to do so. Well done, people of Lleyn, “test the ghosts” before believing them. There is one fact that is heard with every action of the ghost (?), which is that – although it acts during the day, no one saw me here acting: it is done when we come to know. In this age of light, dear people, don’t get dark. – Author.
Herald Cymraeg, 8th September 1866.
A girl living at Pantywenol has been taken before the magistrates for appearing as a ghost before her mother, with a view of frightening the old woman in order to take possession of the house itself.
Wrexham Advertiser, 6th October 1866.
Portmadoc Ghost Story.
For some time past the windows of a particular house in this town were now and then smashed in the night, and the door coal-tarred. No living being, in corporeal state, could be seen committing the mischief; it was therefore thought that it was done by some evil spirit. Some persons said, however, that the “ghost” was akin to the celebrated ghost of Pant-y-wenol. Last week this was proved to be the case, as the “ghost” was “caught” alive and well, in the form of two married women living in the neighbourhood.
Caenarvon and Denbigh Herald, 21st February 1880.
Welsh “ghost” of 50 years ago.
The death has occurred of Ellen Evans, who created some consternation 50 years ago as the “Ghost of Pant-y-Wenol,” Mynytho, about eight miles from Pwllheli. The inhabitants were terrorised by a “ghost” which made its visitation by night and by day, and destroyed boots, shoes, clothing, and bedclothes. The local police failed to lay the “ghost,” but eventually Police-Sergeant Price, of Portmadoc, caught the girl Evans cutting up some boots, and she confessed to being the originator of the antics of the “ghost.”
Lancashire Evening Post, 21st April 1919.
Marwolaeth. dydd sadwrn, ar ol cystudd byrr, bu farw Miss Ellen Evans, Ty Uchaf, yn 67 mlwydd oed. “Ellen Evans, Pantywenol,” fel y’i gelwid. Yr oedd yn adnabyddus iawn yn y rhan hon o sir Gaernarfon tua hanner can mlynedd yn ol, gan iddi gymeryd rhan flaenllaw ynglyn ag ysprydiaeth, etc. Pwy o ddarllenwyr yr Herald rydd ychwaneg o hanes? Hebryngwyd ei gweddillion i orphwys ym mynwent Llanengan, anghyhoedd ydoedd. Gwasanaethwyd yn y ty gan y Parch Conway Pritchard.
Death. Saturday, after a short illness, Miss Ellen Evans, Ty Uchaf, died at the age of 67. “Ellen Evans, Pantywenol,” as she was called. She was very well known in this part of Caernarfonshire about fifty years ago, as she took a leading part regarding spiritism, etc. Which of the Herald readers will give more history? Her remains were escorted to rest in Llanengan cemetery, it was undisclosed. A service was held in the house by the Reverend Conway Pritchard.
Yr Herald Cymraeg, 22nd April 1919.
Farmhouse terror. By Hilma Edwards.
Strange goings-on at a desolate farmhouse in Llyn where a poltergeist is supposed to have terrorised residents, were the subject of a TV drama in the Almanac series on S4C last Sunday evening. Pant-y-Wennol farmhouse lies in a lonely spot between Mynytho and Abersoch. In the 1860s, it was the home of Gwen Evans and her two daughters, Catrin and Elin. All was well until one day in 1864, when all hell was let loose there, and there followed a series of intriguing incidents which led to an exorcist from London travelling up to the house, and the youngest daughter, Elin being imprisoned at Pwllheli for her part in the sinister events.
Local poet and writer, Mr Moses Glyn Jones of Mynytho, has been so gripped by the Pant-y-Wennol story that he has written a book about it, which he hopes to publish in the summer. He takes up the story.
“Suddenly, and for no apparent reason, items of furniture began to move about, and things like kettles with boiling water in them used to fly around and hit people. Clothes were ripped, and the fame of ‘Bwgan Pant-y-Wennol’ spread far and wide. Villagers feared walking past the place, because of what might happen to them.” Eventually, said Mr Jones, a preacher and leading exorcist from London, the Rev. Kilsby Jones was induced to visit the house to try and send the “evil presence” away.
“At one point, during a prayer meeting at the house, the force of evil was so strong there, that the pages of a Bible were ripped apart, as the minister read from [it],” said Mr Jones. It was then that the minister cried out and accused the youngest daughter, Elin, of being the cause of the extraordinary happenings. She was only about 14 years old at the time, but was immediately imprisoned in Pwllheli gaol. After a few months, she was released, without being charged with anything.
“People at the time were very ready to believe in ghosts and poltergeists, and I personally think that there was definitely something there – what and who, I don’t know. But the tales of Pant-y-Wennol have survived to this day, by word of mouth,” said Mr Jones. He added: “Though she lived on into her 70s, Elin was shunned by villagers for the rest of her life, and referred to by one name only – Y Bwgan (The Bogey). As soon as she was taken to prison, the mysterious happenings ended. Whether that is an indication of her involvement, who knows,” said Mr Jones.
It appears that a local cobbler, Huw Crydd, who was at the time courting Elin’s sister, Catrin, had some books on Black Magic – but the extent of his involvement in the goings-on iss not known, said Mr Jones. Mr Jones supplied the background material on which the play was based, but it was not filmed at the real Pant-y-Wennol. the farmhouse is now occupied by another family, who probably know nothing of its ghostly past, and for the purpose of the play, Ffilmiau’r Nant used another farmhouse, somewhere in Dyffryn Nantlle.
Caernarvon and Denbigh Herald, 16th May 1986.
House destroyed in Halloween blaze ‘was haunted by poltergeist.’ By Marc Waddington.
The property in Mynytho, near Abersoch, was once thought to have been possessed by devils, according to old newspaper reports. A house gutted by fire in the early hours of this morning is reportedly haunted. The property at Pantywenol near Mynytho, was all but destroyed in the blaze today. It is not the first time the house has hit the headlines, and has long been thought to be haunted, with talk of devil worship having taken place at the site in the 1800s. According to a Daily Post report from 2011, “A poltergeist is alleged to have haunted a place named Pant-y-Wennol (or Pantywenol), near Abersoch, in the 1860s.
“The Bwgan Pant-y-Wennol became something of a cause celebre, but there are doubts as to whether the haunting was real or a malicious hoax.” The extract taken from Richard Holland’s book, continues: “This is what the Caernarvon and Denbigh Herald of May 29, 1866 had to say about it:”The Pantywenol Ghost – Certain doings have for some time been the almost universal theme of conservation in the neighbourhood. Most wonderful deeds were said to be performed at Pantywenol and many people actually believed that the devil or some of his commissioners had taken possession, but for what purpose was a mystery, the only work done being the cutting up of other people’s clothes, no article of apparel was safe.
“At length the police took the matter up and succeeded in tracing the act to the daughter of the poor woman which resulted in her being apprehended and bound over to keep the peace. It is rumoured that this young woman instituted these ghostly proceedings for the express purpose of frightening her mother away, purposing to take possession of the house herself.’ “
The story of the house was also the subject of a novel by Welsh author Ruth Richards.
The house began to burn in the early hours of this morning. Police have said the property is at risk of collapse. It was unoccupied at the time of the fire, and no-one was hurt. District Inspector Gethin Jones at Pwllheli Police Station said: “North Wales Police are conducting a joint investigation with the North Wales Fire and Rescue Service to establish the cause of the fire. Clearly this will be completed as soon as possible to alleviate any understandable concerns in the community. I am appealing to anyone who was in the area at the time who saw any suspicious persons or activity, or indeed knows anything about this fire to contact Police immediately.
North Wales Live, 31st October 2017.