In 1870-72, John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described Snowdon like this:
SNOWDON, a mountain in Carnarvonshire; culminating at an altitude of 3,571 feet, 9½ miles SE of Carnarvon. It is known to the Welsh as Eryri, signifying ''eagle top;" it comprises four rugged and precipitous ridges, separated by caverns or hollows, about 1,000 feet deep; it consists chiefly of slate and porphyry; it presents a rich variety of picturesque, romantic, and savage close scenery; it commands most magnificent and extensive panoramic views; it connects with offshoots, spurs, and subordinate heights, extending from near the river Conway to near the Irish Sea, and constituting the region of Snowdonia; it was anciently all forest, but was divided into several manors, under the Crown, in the time of Edward I.; it was frequented for deer-hunting so late as 1626; and it has been celebrated in description and in song, by multitudes of writers. ...
Drayton says,-
For Snowdony, a hill, imperiall in his seat,
Is from his mighty foote unto his head, so greate,
That were his Wales distrest, or of his helpe had neede,
Hee all her flocks and heards for many months coulde feede.
Additional information about this locality is available for Beddgelert
Snowdon through time
Snowdon is now part of Gwynedd district. Click here for graphs and data of how Gwynedd has changed over two centuries. For statistics about Snowdon itself, go to Units and Statistics.
GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of Snowdon, in Gwynedd and Caernarvonshire | Map and description, A Vision of Britain through Time.
URL: https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/26114
Date accessed: 19th April 2024
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