Samuel James Hennis

“of London”
Dyffryn

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Hennis held land (under a Mr Lloyd of Brwynllynau) around Llyn Cwm Bychan [MJ 1867 p. 247]. He is mentioned in the North Wales Directory for 1868 in connection with his Roman Pottery and Granite Quarries, Cwm Bychan, which had an office at Pensarn wharf and railway station. The directory entry states that Hennis has “found china clay of high quality at Cwm Bychan, a lake which is 2,300ft [sic] above sea level at Pensarn. This material is good for making chrystal glass, porcelain, fancy images, bleaching powder, chemical utensils (on account of its resisting great heat in the manufacture), and for a great many other uses in the arts and manufactures.” [Slater 1868: 51] (The deposit was the bed of the lake itself and Hennis made some effort to lower the level of the lake in order to develop the deposit. [MJ 1849 p. 403; 1867 pp. 247, 254])

Hennis was the recipient of two Crown Grants of lease for minerals, in 1868 in Llanfair parish and in 1869 in Ffestiniog parish [Wilkinson 2003].

In May 1869 Hennis was described as the land holder (presumably under Mr Lloyd) at Cambrian mine. He was also descibed as being the holder of the Great Manod Silver-Lead mine and as having “opened a lode of quartz rich in gold” in Cwm Bychan. [MJ 1869 p. 336]