the river by an aqueduct of five arches, near which it is joined by the
Montgomeryshire canal.
THE CHURCH, dedicated to St. Agatha, consists of nave, chancel, side
aisles, and a square tower with one bell. It was rebuilt in 1845, in the
decorative style of English architecture, and exhibits some fine
chiselling and ornamental workmanship. The interior is neatly pewed, and
has a very chaste appearance. The living is a rectory, valued in the
King’s book at £12. 13s. 4d., now returned at £394, in the patronage of
the Bishop of St. Asaph, and enjoyed by the Rev. John Luxmore, M.A. The
rectory, a neat stuccoed residence a short distance from the church, has
been much improved by the present incumbent. The tithes are commuted for
£380. The National School stands near the churchyard, and is supported
by subscriptions and a small charge from the scholars: about sixty
children are educated. There is a school for girls in the village.
Fairs are held on April 1st, May 29th, and September 23rd, and are
generally well attended. A coach leaves the Red Lion Inn for Shrewsbury
and Welshpool daily.
On Llanymynech hill is an artificial cave of considerable length, called
_Ogo_ (from the Welsh word _Ogof_, signifying a cave), supposed to have
been worked by the Romans as a copper mine. It contains many
sinuosities, and is generally about three yards wide, having many
turnings and passages connected with each other. Some years ago, all the
passages of this subterraneous labyrinth were explored by J. F. M.
Dovaston, Esq., when none of the paths were found to extend more than two
hundred yards from the entrance. The passages are cut through the rock,
which is of limestone, whereon frequently appear the marks of chisels,
and the various ramifications have no doubt been made in quest of the
rich veins of ore. Subsequent to the Romans, it probably became either a
place of refuge after battle, or a depository for the dead, for human
skeletons, culinary vessels, hatchets, and Roman coins have been found in
this cavern. A finger-bone was picked up with a ring on it. One of the
skeletons had a curious battle-axe beneath his arm, and not far from it
were the bones of a man, woman, a child, a dog, and a cat. Some time ago
several Roman coins, mostly of Constantine, were found in the earth which
was washed down the side of the hill. The water which drops in some
parts of the cave is of a petrifying quality, and forms stalactites; the
drops of water hanging on the points of each, catch the light of the
candle, and give the surrounding space a glittering illumination
extremely beautiful. It is probable that a battle has been fought here
in disputing for this mine, or that the large entrenchments, that run
parallel with the Clawdd Offa eastwardly, were made to defend it. Not
far from this cave is a Cromlech, called the GIANT’S GRAVE. At the
north-east end are four large stones, which formerly supported a fifth
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