Ystumllyn

Ystumllyn
Ystumllyn in 1794 by John Ingleby
Location	Criccieth, Gwynedd, Wales
Coordinates	52°55′33.53″N 4°12′18.53″W / 52.9259806°N 4.2051472°W / 52.9259806; -4.2051472
Built	late-16th-century
Architectural style(s)	Vernacular
Listed Building – Grade II*
Designated	12 December 1994
Reference no.	4291
Location of Ystumllyn in Gwynedd Show map of Gwynedd Ystumllyn (the United Kingdom) Show map of the United Kingdom

Ystumllyn is a Grade II* listed house in Criccieth, Wales. Founded in the late-16th-century, and significantly expanded in the early-18th-century, it is remarkable as an "important example" of the vernacular architecture of both periods.

The house was apparently built at the end of the 16th century by Ellis ap Cadwaladr (d. 1597),^[1] a member of the Welsh Ellis family, which claimed to trace its lineage back to Gollwyn ap Tangno, founder of one of the Fifteen Tribes of Wales.^[2] Ellis obtained the property from the Crown,^[1] and is the first member of the family to be described as "of Ystumllyn".^[3] When it was first built, the house was likely one of the earliest storied buildings in the region.^[1] Before 20th-century renovations, the house bore two dated inscriptions of 1720 and 1729 giving a likely date for the extensive 18th-century remodeling and extensions.^[1] The owner in this period was Rev. Humphrey Wynn (d. 1724),^[2] whose initials are featured on the earlier of these inscriptions.^[4] By 1725, it was in possession of Ellis Wynn (d. 1759) who held in until his death.^[5] In 1824, the estate passed to philologist Rowland Jones.^[2] The roof was raised and the fenestration was remodeled in the 19th century.^[4] In c. 1946, J. Egbert Griffiths of Porthmadog carried out several minor alterations, adding some extra windows and rearranging the internal room structure.^[1] On 12 December 1994, the building was designated a Grade II* listed building,^[1] a listing reserved for "particularly important buildings of more than special interest".^[6]

The house was home to several local notables throughout its history. The Welsh poet Gruffydd Phylip (d. 1666) composed several poems addressed to the Ellis family, including a poem directly referencing the house, "Hiraeth y bardd am Ystumllyn" ("The Bard's Longing for Ystumllyn").^[2] John Ystumllyn (d. 1786), who took his name from the household, was employed by the Wynn family at this estate as a gardener and survived as the first well-recorded black person of North Wales. He was of uncertain origins, and was possibly kidnapped from Africa by the Wynn family, but lived out a happy life in Ystumllyn, eventually running away with and marrying a local woman.^[5]

Ystumllyn is a rubble-built house of two stories, composed of two blocks arranged into a T-shaped plan. The east-facing block is the earliest part of the building, dating to the late 16th century, while the north-facing block (which bisects the east block) was constructed in the early 18th century.^[4] The building has been described as historically remarkable in the British Listed Buildings' rationale for registering it as a Grade II* listed building; its original component "incorporates an important example" of 16th-century architecture, while its 18th-century additions "represent high quality vernacular work of the period".^[1]

• 
  Large hall in the south of the original block, 16th-century.^[4]
• 
  Original doorway in the east side of the original block, 16th-century.^[4]
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  Panel in hall, left of fireplace, depicts the arms of Owain Gwynedd (1100–1170), king of Gwynedd.^[4]
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  North bedroom door, 18th-century. One of the few remaining unmodernised parts of the north wing.^[3]
• 
  Fireplace in south bedroom, 18th-century.^[3]
• 
  Staircase, reassembled during 18th-century renovations.^[3]

• Ystumllyn Site Details at Colfein