The Mostyns of Mostyn

Tonight I went to an excellent lecture on the history of the Mostyn family in the 16th and 17th centuries. It was given by Shaun Evans in Llanasa Village Hall. Shaun's presentation was first class and reflected real scholarship on his part. It reminded me of the power the Mostyn family has exerted over North Wales since medieval times. Their influence is still apparent in Mostyn (obviously) but also widely across the region, especially in Llandudno. The Mostyn family came about as a result of the union, through marriage and inheritance, of five aristocratic Welsh families in the later middle ages. This meant the family controlled lands from Caernarfon to the border counties. Papers belonging to the Mostyn family are deposited at the National Library in Aberystwyth: they are being used to extensively as part of the Mostyn Project - a joint historical and literature venture between Bangor and Aberystwyth universities.

Mostyn Hall today: still rather grand.