Caernarfon, Caernarvonshire : Historical writing

Descriptive gazetteer entries

These other entries in our collection of descriptive gazetteers are also about Caernarfon. You may be able to find further references to Caernarfon in the descriptive gazetteers by doing a full-text search here.

Place Type of entry Source
CARNARVON a town, a subdistrict, and a district Imperial
Carnarvon, or Caernarvon county town of Carnarvonshire, parliamentary and municipal borough, and seaport Bartholomew
CARNARVON RAILWAYS four railways Imperial

Travel writing

This website includes the complete texts of books describing journeys around Britain, written between the twelfth and nineteenth centuries. Selecting one of the links below will take you to the first reference to Caernarfon within the selected text. This will not always be a description of a visit: travellers often mention places other than where they are, for example as a basis for comparison.

Traveller Section No. of Refs.
George Borrow Bangor, Anglesey and Snowdon 8
George Borrow To Beddgelert 8
William Camden Rest of Wales 4
Daniel Defoe Letter 6, Part 3: Worcester, Hereford and Wales 2
George Borrow Introduction; Norfolk to Chester 1
George Borrow Around Anglesey (4) 1
Gerald of Wales Book II, Ch. 6: Lleyn and Bangor 1
Charles Wesley Jan: 15 - Apr. 29, 1748: Ireland, Wales and meeting future wife 1
Charles Wesley May 1 - Aug. 31, 1748: London, Wales and Ireland 1
Charles Wesley Sept. 1- Dec. 31, 1748: Ireland and central Wales 1
Daniel Defoe Letter 10: Lancashire, Westmorland and Cumberland 1
Arthur Young 1776 Tour of South Wales and South Midlands 1

This website includes two large libraries, of historical travel writing and of entries from nineteenth century gazetteers describing places. We have text from these sources available for these places near your location:

Place Mentioned in Travel Writing Mentioned in Historical Gazetteer
Llanbeblig 0 2
Castellmai 0 2
Bont Newydd 0 2
Llanfaglan 0 2
Llanfair Is Gaer 0 2
Waun Fawr 0 2
Llangeinwen 0 2
Brynsiencyn 0 2
Llanrug 0 2
Llanwnda 0 2
Llanidan 0 2
Llanfair Cwmmwd 0 2
Bethesda 0 2
Dinorwic 0 4
Moel Y Don 5 2
Gwyrfai 0 2
Cwm Y Glo 0 2
Capel Cadwaladr 0 1
Penisar Waun 0 2
Llanddeiniolen 0 3

Names from historical writing

The following appear as names for Caernarfon. Follow the links for what the author actually said:

Name Author Source
CAER CUSTENITH William Camden Britain, or, a Chorographicall Description of the most flourishing Kingdomes, England, Scotland, and Ireland (London: George Bishop and John Norton, 1610).
CAER NARVON William Camden Britain, or, a Chorographicall Description of the most flourishing Kingdomes, England, Scotland, and Ireland (London: George Bishop and John Norton, 1610).
CAERNARVON John Bartholomew Gazetteer of the British Isles (Edinburgh: Bartholomew, 1887).
George Borrow Wild Wales: Its People, Language and Scenery (Oxford, Mississippi, 1996).
Daniel Defoe A tour thro' the whole island of Great Britain, divided into circuits or journies (London: JM Dent and Co, 1927).
Gerald of Wales The Itinerary of Archbishop Baldwin through Wales (Oxford, Mississippi, 1997).
Charles Wesley The Journal of the Rev. Charles Wesley (London: Hutchinson & Co., 1849).
CARNARVON John Bartholomew Gazetteer of the British Isles (Edinburgh: Bartholomew, 1887).
Daniel Defoe A tour thro' the whole island of Great Britain, divided into circuits or journies (London: JM Dent and Co, 1927).
John Marius Wilson Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (Edinburgh: A Fullarton & Co., 1870-72).
Arthur Young Tours in England and Wales, selected from the Annals of Agriculture (London: London School of Economics, 1932).
CARNARVON OR CAERNARVON John Bartholomew Gazetteer of the British Isles (Edinburgh: Bartholomew, 1887).
CARNARVON RAILWAYS John Marius Wilson Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (Edinburgh: A Fullarton & Co., 1870-72).
SEGONTIUM William Camden Britain, or, a Chorographicall Description of the most flourishing Kingdomes, England, Scotland, and Ireland (London: George Bishop and John Norton, 1610).

NB: These variant names come from our collections of historical travel writing and descriptive gazetteers:

  • The above links take you to the first reference to this particular version of the name within a book of travel writing, or to the relevant gazetteer entry.
  • Some names may derive from research by antiquarian writers such as William Camden and Thomas Pennant into the Roman, Saxon and medieval names of places. Their claims are not always supported by modern place-name researchers.
  • References by travel writers to the place using its "normal" name are not included. Descriptive gazetteer entries are included only if the name does not appear anywhere else.