The Glynhir Estate, near Llandybïe
The Glynhir Estate, Llandyfan
This estate was developed by the Du Buisson family in the 18th century. Legend has it that their French connections resulted in them being the first people in Britain to learn of Napoleon’s defeat in 1815 – enabling them to make a fast buck in London!
Today Glynhir is regarded as a fine example of a surviving estate from the 18th century, when it was developed into a self-sufficient unit. At the centre is Glynhir Mansion, incorporating a 17th-century farmhouse. Clustered around are buildings originally used for farming, brewing and other activities. The family kept pigeons in the octagonal dovecote (pictured right).
Glynhir has an unusually large “ice house”, dug deep into the ground to prevent rapid melting of the ice which was placed inside each winter The building kept meat and produce cool, long before electric refrigeration was invented.
Some of the estate buildings now provide visitor accommodation – follow the link below for details.
The Du Buissons developed the estate after settling here in 1770. Their ancestors had fled to London from France in the previous century to escape Protestant persecution.
During the Napoleonic wars, there were suspicions that the estate’s knife factory was smuggling arms to France. One of Glynhir’s inhabitants at that time was Caroline Du Buisson, daughter of a City of London merchant. She had married into the family.
One or more homing pigeons were reputedly taken to France by relatives some time before the Battle of Waterloo, after which a pigeon arrived at Glynhir dovecote with the message that the allied army had defeated Napoleon. It’s said that Caroline reacted by riding her horse as fast as she could to London to buy stocks, which rapidly increased in value when news of the victory reached London later.
In her later years, Caroline gave to good causes. She contributed to the School for Deaf and Dumb in Llandaff, Cardiff, and gave warm clothing to local paupers in winter. She largely funded restoration of Llandybïe parish church in the 1850s. She co-funded the rebuilding of Llandyfan church in the years before her death, aged 81, at Glynhir in May 1869.
Her grandson John was a clergyman and writer, latterly Dean of St Asaph. You can read his story on our page about his grave at St Asaph Cathedral.
Postcode: SA18 2TD