Gwynedd buildings

Apr 13, 2018

Trapped by a newsagent's pencil


A wealthy Stafford merchant almost got away with dumping his illegitimate baby's body, wrapped in newspaper, in the sea near Dolgellau, but he forgot that his newsagent had written his name on ...

the paper. The body was later found beside the river Mawddach in Dolgellau in 1865. Police eventually found that George Griffin, son of a magistrate, had had an affair with his father's housekeeper. Their baby girl was stillborn but he feared a scandal if she were buried in a local cemetery, so he travelled to his usual hotel in Dolgellau, the Royal Ship, and secretly disposed of the body. For more about the history of the Royal Ship Hotel - the first place in Dolgellau to receive goods by train - use your mobile to scan the HistoryPoints QR codes at the entrances. Or click here