Bryniog Isaf

An old historical farm situated on the road from Melin y Coed up to "The Tops"

Bryniog Isa or Isaf is also known as Bryniog Bach.

The census of 1851 had a separate entry for Bryniog Bach and for Bryniog Isaf.

At Bryniog Bach, Hugh Jones, 36, was farming 60 acres. His wife, Margaret, 36, had been born in Llangerniew, but all the children had been born locally, Anne, 9, Elinor, 6, John, 4, Hugh 2, and Price, a month old.

Living at Bryniog Isaf was William Jones, 39, farm labourer, with his wife Margaret, 39, and their children, Margaret, 11, Mary, 8, Robert, 5, Evan, 3, and Elizabeth, 2 months old. All had been born locally.

In 1871 the property still consisted of 60 acres, and was being farmed by Robert Roberts, 65, from Gwytherin. His wife Grace, 62, had been born in Llanrwst, but their 22 year old daughter Eleanor had also been born in Gwytherin. Their daughter Margaret, 18, had been born locally. Mr Roberts employed two Llansannan-born farm servants, Peter Evans, 20, and Thomas Williams, 13.

The census for 1881 records that Bryniog Bach was still home to Robert Roberts, now 75, and still farming 60 acres, now with the help of Edward Jones, 26, and Edwin Roberts, 17, both local bachelors. His wife Grace was 72, their daughter Margaret 29, and their grandson, John R. G,, born at Llanufydd, was four.

By 1891 Robert Roberts had died, and his widow was now 80. Their 54 year old son was now living there, along with their grandson, John R. G. Thomas, now 14 and working as a farm servant. Richard Davies from Llanbedr was working as a farm servant, and Leah Davies, 12, born locally, was working as a general servant.

By 1901 William Roberts was now head of the household, and his nephew William G. Roberts, born in Liverpool was now on the farm at the age of 17. Hannah Owen of Pentrevoelas, a 28 year old spinster from Pentrevoelas, was working there as a domestic servant.

In 1913 an advertisement appeared in the Weekly Mercury for missing person "THOMAS, John Robert Griffith, who left his home, Bryniog Issaf, Llanrwst," inserted by his Aunt, Margaret ROBERTS, St John’s Place, Waterloo, Liverpool, in the American and Australian copy of the papers. So John had evidently emigrated either to America or Australia, and Margaret, who was living in Liverpool, had become concerned for his welfare and tried to locate him via the newspaper advertisement.

Some decades later a family by the name of Owen lived at Bryniog Isaf. The son, Morris, born about 1910, in the course of time married Ann Edwards from Bryniog Plas, and they both survived into the 21st century.