Thieves of St Moelrhys.

On the borders of the parishes of Rhiw and Llanfaelrhys there are two standing stones, according to the legend they are two thieves, who as they were fleeing from St Moelrhys church were turned into stone by the wrath of God as punishment for stealing from the church.

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Crosville,

The first regular bus service to Rhiw was in 1934 when the Crosville bus company ran scheduled services to Pwllheli Prior to that Talafon used to run a bus to Pwllheli on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Talafon Bus

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Owen Davies,

Owen Davies was the vicar of Rhiw from 1888 - 1895. in his day he was a famous singer and was known as ‘Eos Llechyd’.

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Doctor’s callout,

One winter’s day when snow had fallen heavily and the road to Rhiw was impassable Dr Bobi Jones got a call from one of his patients in Rhiw. Seeing that it would be impossible to go by car up to Rhiw he left the car in Penygroeslon and walked up to Rhiw through the blizzard to visit his patient. When he reached the patient he asked what the matter was to which the patient replied “ Nothing I only wanted to see if I was really ill that you’d be able to come”!!!!! (and this tale really is true as I heard it from the old Dr himself when I was a child)

Dr Bobi Jones

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Secret Mission,

At the height of World War 2, Rhiw played an important and secret part in the forthcoming invasion of France in 1944. A team of electronic engineers led by Frank Bott set up an experimental Ultra High Frequency radio station on the Clip ( now the site of the MOD radar station).  From there they developed a viable radio system operating on a wavelength of 5cm. (The frequency now used by mobile phones and microwave ovens) They were able make a direct link with a radio station at Fishguard and with another station on the Great Orme at Llandudno.  Having proved the system it was used at the Normandy landings as a reliable link on a frequency which the German Forces could not monitor nor jam. The valve used known as a magnetron was tested to be working  by the scientists placing their hands near it.  If they felt their skin warming up and reddening (like cooking in a microwave oven) then they knew the valve was working. None of the team ever suffered any ill effects from this even years after, a point which should be considered by those people who think that the extremely low power radiation from mobile phone masts has a detrimental effect on their health

Pat Allely

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Mary Williams Fron Oleu.1844- 1922.

Mary Williams Fron Oleu used to make ‘mushroom ketchup’ which she would sell to Hotels in Llandudno. On wednesdays Mary and her husband would go by horse and cart to Pwllheli where they would sell eggs and butter in the market. Mary would take the train from Pwllheli to Llandudno to deliver her ‘Ketchup’ to the hotels there. Her sister kept a hotel in Llandudno. The photograph is taken outside her sisters hotel.

Mary Williams

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Celebration Mug,

When the First World War ended the children of Rhiw were invited to a party at Plas yn Rhiw they were each given a mug to celebrate and placed in each mug was a bun. At the time a Miss Roberts was living at the Plas, but only during  the summer months, she spent the winter in Italy where the climate was more favourable.

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Elin Trip,

Elin Trip used to gather seaweed, cockles and winkles in Rhuol Hells Mouth and send them by train from Pwllheli to Penclawdd South Wales. The seaweed was used to make lavar bread.