The Owens of Penparc and Foel

The Owen family occupied Penparc farm near Cwm Tydu from 1793 until the twentieth century. Thomas Owen, the first, and his wife Margaret, daughter of Ysgubor Fawr, Llwyndafydd, were ardent Nonconformists and Thomas helped to establish Capelwig. His grandson, Thomas Owen, became a mariner and founded his own family at Foel and has many descendants world-wide. They were a typical family of their era and area in that they combined farming and seafaring. Thomas's sons, sons-in-law and grandsons all went to sea, serving with Canadian Pacific and Evan Thomas Radcliffe of Cardiff among other companies. One rescued 52 people from the Lusitania. Some have settled in Australia, Canada and America. But the family links remain strong today and so does their attachment to their roots.