Llynclys Lake Legend

Photo by Gary Tacagni

About two miles outside the town of Oswestry in the U.K on the road that leads to Welshpool can be found a lake close to Llynclys crossroads. It is said according to legend that a palace lies beneath these waters, and it was said in the nineteenth century that when the waters were clear enough the towers of the palace could still be seen. Humphrey Llwd’s book Breviary of Britayne which was written in 1573 states that the reason that the palace disappeared under the waters of the lake was due to the King that lived there refusing to listen to the missionary Saint Germanusof Auxerre, the story is as follows: by the secret and terrible judgement of God, he with his palace and household was swallowed up into the bowels of the earth, in that place whereas, not far from Oswestry, is now a standing water, of an unknown depth, called Llunclys, that is to say: the devouring of the palace.

There is another version of the story which was published in Y Brython in 1862 and is as follows:

The Llynclys family were reknowned for riotous living and at their feasts a voice was often heard saying, “vengeance is coming, is coming” but no one took any notice and they carried on partying. However one day one of the maids of the household asked when the vengeance was coming, the reply was that it would come in the sixth generation, and the voice was heard no more. When the sixth heir from the time of the warning was giving a feast and music was playing and the wine was flowing, one of the harpists went outside for some fresh air, when he turned back to re-enter the palace he found that it had disappeared and all that could be seen was his harp floating on the waters of a lake which had now covered the palace and all its revellers. Whether or not there is any truth to the legend is not known, it is yet one more myth of the many thousands that can be found throughout this country.

Do the ruins of a palace exist beneath the waters of Llynclys Lake?