Criccieth - The Cefn Castell Finger

Description

Criccieth - The Cefn Castell finger. Cefn Castell was a small cottage on the footpath between Criccieth and the mouth of the river Dwyfor. Today it has been replaced by a very modern building. Many years ago the family of the late Councillor Henry Jones lived there. He wrote this shocking story in his autobiography “Straeon Harri Bach” (Gwasg Carreg Gwalch 2011). “I remember my grandmother telling the story of her own grandmother, Dora Roberts, who was born in Bryn Ffynnon, Ynys. One morning, Dora's father died at Bryn Ffynnon and Dora knew she would get a share of the will and was probably boasting so that many people in the area knew that she would inherit money from her father. On the day of the funeral the will was read and the property divided according to the tradition of the age, and Dora went to the funeral and returned that evening with the money in her possession. While walking along the cliff (near the Marine Hotel today), someone jumped from the hedge and headed for her. Dora Roberts hit the man until he fell down the cliff and before he could climb back, she ran for Cefn Castell. After a while, she realised by the noise, that the man had climbed up the precipice and was running after her. She arrived at Cefn Castell and opened the door; this was a two-half door, like a cowshed door, with a finger hole to lift the wooden latch. In case the man opened the door, she pushed the oak table in the kitchen against the door. On the table were bread, butter and a large bread knife. Unfortunately, even though it prevented the bottom of the door from opening, the table did not block the top part and Dora saw a finger

coming through the hole to open the latch. She lifted the knife and struck the finger until it was on the floor. The man started screaming and ran away. After a while, her husband John Roberts came home after having been tending the stock. Dora was sitting, very pale, and the husband asked what had happened. 'Someone has tried to steal the money but he has a mark' 'What is that?' She showed the finger on the floor John Roberts went back to the squire and told him what had happened. He gathered together a group of men from his farm hands and tenants in search of the man. Who was the man? Nobody knew but he was believed to be the son of one of the neighboring farms. That's all Nain knew. She said she saw the story written in the back of the family Bible. ”