The church we've been trying to save is St Cynhaearn, Ynyscynhaearn, Pentrefelin, and it is in fact the original parish church for the whole Porthmadog area.

This area was known as Tre'r Gest, stretching from what became Porthmadog right to the outskirts of Criccieth. This little church pulled in people from farms and big estates and was probably part of an early settlement, though there's no remnant of that anymore.

The first records are from the 16th century, though the original church fell down in the early 1830s and was replaced by a late Georgian country church, which was very plain inside. It was decorated in the Victorian era, the time when Porthmadog was shooting up as a new town with the harbour and the railway because of the slate industry. The large estates were bringing money in and this little church became quite a hub for what was going on.

The pews at the church still carry the names of the families of the estates and the big houses around. There's Penamser, Steddfa, Cefn-y-Maesydd Isaf and Uchaf anda few more. They're all raked opposite the altar and those are the very cosy pews, for the gentry alone.

In the body of the church, either side of the main aisle, are the plainer pews, labelled again by estate and these are for the servants.

There's also a lovely gallery with a little organ bought by a lady called Mrs Walker who lived at Hendre Gadraeth, a big house in the village. She and her husband were English to the core, but her prayer book, which is still on her pew, is in Welsh - so she obviously learnt the language as it's very well thumbed.

There's also a graveyard beside the church, which includes the grave of the 'little black slave'. He was brought back possibly from Africa - his grave says India, but we don't think it was ever India, perhaps the West Indies. He was brought here by a sea captain in the 18th century and he became a servant at Ystumllyn House, which is visible across the fields from the church. This was in the time when 'small, gifted and black' was very popular with the ladies - it was quite fashionable to have a coloured boy to wait on in the house and was absolutely unique round here.

He became a valued member of the household, especially as a skilled gardener. He was known as Jack Ystumllyn - most servants were known by their own first name and the name of their house.

He married a girl from Trawsfynydd and was finally given his own house and little garden within the parish. It doesn't exist any more sadly, but there are descendants around and I think S4C did a television programme about him a while ago.

Dafydd y Garreg Wen (David of the White Rock) is also buried there. He wrote the Rising of the Lark, which is played every year at the cenotaph and people come from miles to see his grave. It was on the hill between Borth-y-Gest and Pentrefelin where he fell asleep, woke up and wrote the song.

The graveyard is absolutely stuffed with children's graves. It would make a most wonderful project for local schools to investigate why there are so many. Porthmadog was growing and perhaps there was inadequate sanitation in the new town.

Daniel Morris is buried alongside three of his little daughters. He was the first harbourmaster of Porthmadog and there are umpteen descendants of his around. There are also graves of ropemakers and pilots, ships' captains and lots of young sailors drowned at sea. Lord Snowdon's great, great grandfather (I'm not sure how many greats), Captain Thomas Jones, is buried there. It's a fascinating little church.
Suzanne Millard