| Llanrhychwyn | |
|---|---|
| Hamlet | |
 Llanrhychwyn church | |
  Llanrhychwyn Location within Conwy | |
| OS grid reference | SH776619 |
| Community | |
| Principal area | |
| Country | Wales |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | TREFRIW |
| Postcode district | LL27 |
| Dialling code | 01492 |
| Police | North Wales |
| Fire | North Wales |
| Ambulance | Welsh |
| UK Parliament | |
| Senedd Cymru – Welsh Parliament | |
Llanrhychwyn is a hamlet in Conwy county borough, Wales. It lies in the Conwy valley, less than a mile south of Trefriw, and a mile north-west of Llanrwst. Today neighbouring Trefriw is a village with a population of around 600, but in the time of Llywelyn Fawr (Llywelyn the Great), and up to the early 19th century, Llanrhychwyn was larger than Trefriw, which consisted simply of "a few houses here and there" (quote from Hanes Trefriw, by Morris Jones). Indeed, even today both Trefriw and Llanrhychwyn lie within the parish of Llanrhychwyn. The area around Llanrhychwyn had a population of only 178 in 2011.[1]
The adjacent Gwydir Forest would have provided work for many of the inhabitants. A number of small slate quarries and metal mines were located in the forest, and the heyday of metal mining here was between 1850 and 1919. The forest also provided wood, and timber, slate and metal ores were transported from the forest to the quay at neighbouring Trefriw, from where it was shipped downstream to the coast.
Llanrhychwyn takes its name from Saint Rhychwyn (sometimes recorded as Rhochwyn), son of Helig ap Glannog, the prince who lived at Llys Helig before it was inundated by the sea, and now the subject of myth and legend. Rhychwyn had several brothers who established churches and became saints, including Celynin, who established the old church at Llangelynnin, near Henryd, further down the valley.
- ^ UK Census (2011). "Local Area Report – Llanrhychwyn population (W00000987)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 9 July 2021.