'Anglesey' (historically 'Anglesea'; , pronounced (
IPA)) is a predominantly
Welsh-speaking island off the northwest coast of
Wales. It is connected to the mainland by two bridges spanning the
Menai Strait: the original
Menai Suspension Bridge (carrying the
A5), designed by
Thomas Telford in 1826; and the newer reconstructed
Britannia Bridge (originally designed by
Robert Stephenson), which carries the
A55 and the
North Wales Coast Railway line.
'Anglesey' is also a
county which includes
Holy Island and other nearby small islands.
With an area of 276 square miles (715 km²), Anglesey is the largest Welsh island, and the fifth largest surrounding
Britain.
History
There are numerous
Megalithic monuments and
Menhirs present on Anglesey testifying to the presence of mankind in prehistory.
Historically, Anglesey has long been associated with the
Druids. In AD 60 the
Roman general
Suetonius Paulinus, determined to break the power of the Druids, attacked the island, destroying the shrine and the sacred groves. News of
Boudicca's Revolt reached him just after his victory, causing him to withdraw his army before consolidating his conquest. The island was finally brought into the Roman empire by the governor
Gnaeus Julius Agricola in AD 78. The Romans called the island ''Mona''.
''Môn'' is the
Welsh name of Anglesey, but its origin is obscure, appearing first during the Roman era as 'Mona'. The 'English' name is in fact derived from the
Old Norse, meaning 'Ongull's Island'. The alternative "isle (''ey'') of the
Angles" is discredited.
Old Welsh names are ''Ynys Dywyll'' ("Dark Isle") and ''Ynys y Cedairn'' (''cedyrn'' or ''kedyrn''; "Isle of brave folk"). It is the ''Mona'' of
Tacitus (Ann. xiv. 29, Agr. xiv. 18),
Pliny the Elder (iv. 16) and
Dio Cassius (62). It is called ''Môn Mam Cymru'' ("Môn, Mother of Wales") by
Giraldus Cambrensis, for the claimed ability of the fertile land to produce enough food for the whole of Wales. In reality, the claim was probably more directed at an ability to sustain Gwynedd. ''Clas Merddin'', and ''Y fêl Ynys'' (honey isle) are other names. According to the Triads (67), Anglesey was once part of the mainland. 28
cromlechs remain on uplands overlooking the sea; e.g. at
Plâs Newydd. The Druids were attacked in
61 by
Suetonius Paulinus, and again in
78 by
Agricola. The present road from
Holyhead to
Llanfairpwllgwyngyll may originally have been a Roman road, and a network of such roads on the island may await formal discovery. British and Roman sites, coins and ornaments have been dug up and discussed, especially by the 19th century romantic antiquarian, the Hon. Lord Stanley of Penrhos. The foundations of the
fort in Holyhead are Roman.
At the end of the Roman period in the late
4th Century and early
5th Century pirates from
Ireland colonised Anglesey and the nearby
Llŷn Peninsula. In response to this a
Brythonic warlord from the north of Britain called
Cunedda came to the area and began the process of driving the Irish out. This process was continued by his son
Einion ap Cunedda and grandson
Cadwallon Lawhir until the last Irish were defeated in battle in
470. As an island ''Môn'' would usually be a good defensive position and because of this it was the site of the court or ''Llys'' of the kings and princes of Gwynedd at
Aberffraw. Apart from a devastating
Danish raid in
853 this was to remain the case until the thirteenth century when improvements to the English navy made it indefensible.
After the Romans, the island was invaded by
Vikings,
Saxons, and
Normans before falling to
King Edward I of England, in the
13th century.
Geography
Anglesey is a relatively low-lying island with slight risings such as
Parys Mountain, Cadair Mynachdy (or Monachdy, i.e., "chair of the monastery"; there is a Nanner, "convent", not far away),
Mynydd Bodafon and
Holyhead Mountain.
Anglesey has many small towns scattered all around the island, making it quite evenly populated.
Beaumaris (Welsh: ''Biwmares''), to the south of the island, features
Beaumaris Castle, built by
Edward I as part of his campaign in North Wales. The town of
Newborough (Welsh: ''Niwbwrch''), created when the townfolk of Llanfaes were relocated to make way for the building of Beaumaris Castle, includes the site of
Llys Rhosyr, another of the courts of the mediaeval Welsh princes and which features one of the oldest courtrooms in the United Kingdom. Beaumaris acts as a
yachting centre for the region with many boats moored in the bay or off Gallows Point.
Llangefni is located in the centre of the island and is also the island's administrative centre. The town of
Menai Bridge (Welsh: ''Porthaethwy'') expanded when the first bridge to the mainland was being built, in order to accommodate workers and construction. Up until that time Porthaethwy had been one of the principal ferry crossing points from the mainland. A short distance from this town lies
Bryn Celli Ddu, a
Stone Age burial mound. The town of
Amlwch is situated in the northeast of the island and was once largely industrialised, having grown during the 18th century supporting the
copper mining industry at Parys Mountain.
Anglesey closeup map
The island also has the village with the longest official place name in the
United Kingdom,
Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch. Other towns and settlements include
Cemaes,
Benllech,
Pentraeth,
Gaerwen,
Dwyran,
Bodedern and
Rhosneigr. The
Anglesey Sea Zoo is a local tourist attraction, providing a look at and descriptions of local marine
wildlife from
lobsters to
conger eels. All the
fish and
crustaceans on display are caught around the island and are placed in reconstructions of their natural
habitat. They also make
salt (evaporated from the local sea water) and commercially breed lobsters, for food, and
oysters, for pearls, both from local stocks.
The island's entire rural coastline had been designated an
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and features many sandy beaches, especially along its eastern coast between the towns of Beaumaris and Amlwch and along the western coast from
Ynys Llanddwyn through
Rhosneigr to the little bays around Carmel Head. The northern coastline is characterised by dramatic cliffs interspersed with small bays. The
Anglesey Coastal Path is a 125-mile (200-km) path which follows nearly the entire coastline. Tourism is now the most significant economic activity on the island. Agriculture provides the secondary source of income for the island's economy, with the local dairies being amongst the most productive in the region. There is also a nuclear power station, at
Wylfa Head on the north coast.
Major industries are restricted to Holyhead which supports an
aluminium smelter and the
Amlwch area where the
Wylfa nuclear power station is located close to a former
bromine extraction plant. The nuclear power station is scheduled to close in or around 2010, and the aluminium smelting operation is likely to close as a consequence of losing its affordable local electricity supply. There is a wide range of smaller industries, mostly located in industrial and business parks especially at
Llangefni and
Gaerwen. These industries include an
abbatoir and fine chemicals manufacture as well as factories for timber production, aluminium smelting, fish farming and food processing.
Wind power is developing on Anglesey with more than 20 commercial
wind turbines established near to the north coast. The strong sea currents around the island are also attracting the interest of electricity generation companies interested in exploiting tidal power.
The island is also on one of the major routes from Britain to
Ireland, via
ferries from
Holyhead, off the west of Anglesey on
Holy Island, to
Dún Laoghaire and
Dublin Port.
There are a few lakes mostly in the west, such as Cors Cerrig y Daran, but rivers are few and small. There are two large water supply reservoirs operated by Dwr Cymru Welsh Water. These are
Llyn Cefni in the centre of the island, which is fed by the headwaters of the
Afon Cefni, and
Llyn Alaw to the north of the island.
Llyn Llywenan is the largest natural lake on the island.
The climate is humid but generally equable under the effects of the
Gulf Stream bathing the island. The land is of variable quality and it may have been more fertile in the past.
''See the
list of places in Anglesey for all villages, towns and cities''.
''See the
List of Anglesey towns by population for populations''.
Ecology and conservation
Much of Anglesey is covered with relatively intensive cattle and sheep farming aided by modern agro-chemicals. In these areas there is little of ecological conservation worth. However there are a number of important wetland sites which have protected status. In addition the several lakes all have significant ecological interest including their support for a wide range of aquatic and semi-aquatic bird species. In the west, the
Malltraeth marshes are believed to be supporting an occasional visiting
Bittern and the nearby estuary of the
Afon Cefni supports a bird population made internationally famous by the paintings of
Charles Tunnicliffe. The RAF airstrip at Mona is a nesting site for
skylarks.
The sheer cliff faces at
South Stack near Holyhead provide nesting sites for huge numbers of
auks including
Puffins,
Razorbills and
Guillemots together with
Choughs and
Peregrine falcons.
Three sites on Anglesey are important for breeding terns - see
Anglesey tern colonies.
Anglesey is home to two of the UK's small number of remaining colonies of
Red Squirrels, at
Pentraeth and
Newborough.
[1]
Almost the entire coastline of Anglesey is designated an
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty The coastal zone of Anglesey was designated as an AONB in 1966 and was confirmed in 1967. It was designated in order to protect the aesthetic appeal and variety of the island’s coastal landscape and habitats from inappropriate development.
The AONB is predominantly a coastal designation, covering most of Anglesey’s 201-kilometre (125-mile) coastline but also encompasses Holyhead Mountain and Mynydd Bodafon. Substantial areas of other land protected by the AONB form the backdrop to the coast.
The approximate coverage of the Anglesey AONB is 221 km², and it is the largest AONB in Wales covering as it does one third of the island.
A number of the habitats found on Anglesey are afforded even greater protection both through UK and European designations because of their nature conservation value, these include:
6 candidate Special Areas of Conservation (cSACs)
4 Special Protection Areas (SPAs)
1 National Nature Reserve
26 Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)
52 Scheduled Ancient Monuments (SAMs)
These protected habitats support a variety of wildlife such as Harbour Porpoises and Marsh Fritillaries.
The AONB also takes in three sections of open, undeveloped coastline which have been designated as Heritage Coast. These non-statutory designations complement the AONB and cover approximately 50 km (31 miles) of the coastline. The sections of Heritage Coast are:
north Anglesey 28.6 km (17 miles)
Holyhead Mountain 12.9 km (8 miles)
Aberffraw Bay 7.7 km (4.5 miles)
A Living and Working Landscape
Employment within the AONB is mainly based on agriculture and tourism and in some cases a combination of both. The range of local produce found on the island is quite varied from cheese and chocolate to wine. In a number of instances the local produce is also organic.
Approximately 2 million people visit the island each year attracting people from North Wales the North West of England and also visitors from overseas. In terms of recreation the island offers a number of opportunities to both residents and visitors alike, the majority enjoying the fine sandy beaches and the coastal landscape.
The most popular forms of recreation include sailing, angling, cycling, walking, wind surfing and jet skiing. These all place pressures and demands on the AONB. At the same time, the AONBs popularity for such activities clearly provides a contribution to the local economy.
[2]
Natural history
References:
Jones, W.E. (Ed.)1968. ''Natural History of Anglesey.'' Anglesey Antiquarian Society, Llangefni.
Culture
★ Anglesey hosted the
National Eisteddfod in
1999,
1983, and
1957.
★ Anglesey/Ynys Môn is a member island of the
International Island Games Association. The most recent Island Games were held in 2007 on Rhodes (Greece). Anglesey/Ynys Môn came 15th on the medal table with 3 gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze medals. The 2009 Games will be held on the Åland Islands (Finland) and the 2011 Games will be held on the Isle of Wight (UK). In the 2005 Games, held on the Shetland Islands, Anglesey/Ynys Môn came 11th on the medal table with 4 gold, 2 silver and 2 bronze medals. The Isle of Anglesey/Ynys Môn Island Games Association plan to make a bid to host the 2015 Island Games.
★ Anglesey has featured in the
Channel 4 television archaeology series,
'Time Team' (series 14) - programme transmission date 4 February 2007.
★ Anglesey has the second highest population of native
Welsh language speakers in
Wales (70% of the population).
Geology
The geology of Anglesey is notably complex and is frequently used for geology
field trips by schools and colleges. Younger strata in Anglesey rest upon a foundation of very old
pre-Cambrian rocks that appear at the surface in four areas:
#a western region including Holyhead and
Llanfaethlu,
#a central area about
Aberffraw and
Trefdraeth,
#an eastern region which includes
Newborough,
Caerwen and
Pentraeth and
#a coastal region at
Glyn Garth between
Menai Bridge and
Beaumaris.
These
pre-Cambrian rocks are
schists and
slates, often much contorted and disturbed. The general line of strike of the formations in the island is from north-east to south-west. A belt of
granitic rocks lies immediately north-west of the central pre-Cambrian mass, reaching from
Llanfaelog near the coast to the vicinity of
Llanerchymedd. Between this granite and the pre-Cambrian of Holyhead is a narrow tract of
Ordovician slates and grits with Llandovery beds in places; this tract spreads out in the north of the island between
Dulas Bay and Carmel Point. A small patch of Ordovician strata lies on the northern side of Beaumaris. In parts, these Ordovician rocks are much folded, crushed and metamorphosed, and they are associated with schists and altered volcanic rocks which are probably pre-Cambrian. Between the eastern and central pre-Cambrian masses
carboniferous rocks are found. The carboniferous
limestone occupies a broad area south of
Lligwy Bay and
Pentraeth, and sends a narrow spur in a south-westerly direction by
Llangefni to
Malltraeth sands. The limestone is underlain on the north-west by a red basement conglomerate and yellow
sandstone (sometimes considered to be of Old Red Sandstone age). Limestone occurs again on the north coast about
Llanfihangel and
Llangoed; and in the south-west round Llanidan on the border of the
Menai Strait.
Puffin Island is made of carboniferous limestone.
Malltraeth marsh is occupied by coal measures, and a small patch of the same formation appears near
Tall-y-foel Ferry on the
Menai Strait. A patch of
granitic and
felsitic rocks form
Parys Mountain, where copper and iron ochre have been worked.
Serpentine (Mona Marble) is found near
Llanfairynneubwll and upon the opposite shore in
Holyhead. There are abundant evidences of glaciation, and much boulder clay and drift sand covers the older rocks. Patches of brown sand occur on the south-west coast.
A Google Earth .kmz file, Anglesey.kmz, Anglesey.kml, showing important geological locations on Anglesey, and including a number of geological map overlays, can be downloaded from:
Google Earth Geology, whereas a historiography of geological research on Anglesey is available at:
Historiography of Geological Research
Other places of interest
★
The Skerries Lighthouse which can be found at the end of a low piece of submerged land, North-East of
Holyhead
★ The working
windmill at Llynnon
★
Ynys Llanddwyn - ''Lovers island''
★ The sea zoo near
Dwyran
★ The ''church in the sea'' on
Cribinau
★ a motor racing track near Valley
★
Stone Science, near Pentraeth - a journey through 650 million years.
★
King Arthur's seat near
Beaumaris
★
Penmon Priory and dovecote
★ the town and castle of
Beaumaris
★
Red Wharf bay,
Llanddona and many other beaches
★
Cemlyn Bay for its ternery
★ Ellin's Tower (Twr Ellin) RSPB reserve and the lighthouse at South Stack (Ynys Lawd) near
Holyhead
★ Moelfre, the fishing village and the home of
Dic Evans.
Sons and daughters of Anglesey
Born on Anglesey
★
Tony Adams - ''actor (Anglesey, 1940)''
★
William Bulkeley - ''diarist (1691 - 1760 Brynddu, Llanfechell, Anglesey)''
★ Dic Evans - ''Seaman and coxswain two-times winner of the
RNLI gold medal for bravery - (Moelfre, 1905)''
★
Dawn French - ''actress, writer, comedian (Holyhead, 1957)''
★
Hugh Griffith - ''Oscar winning actor (Marianglas, 1912)''
★ Steve Griffiths - ''writer (Anglesey 1949''
★
Owain Gwynedd - ''prince (Anglesey, c1100)''
★
Hywel Gwynfryn - ''radio and TV personality (Llangefni, 1942)''
★
Wayne Hennessey - ''footballer - currently goalkeeper with
Wolves and Wales (Anglesey 1987)''
★ Captain Owen Jones ''- volunteer lifeboatman winner of the
RNLI gold medal for bravery (Anglesey)''
★ Rhys Jones - ''2 gold medals (archery)
International Island Games 2005''
★ Mr Thomas William Jones - ''able seaman on
RMS Titanic who took charge of Lifeboat #8 (Anglesey, c1880)''
★
William Jones - mathematician ''(Llanfihangel Tre'r Beirdd, 1675)''
★
John Morris-Jones - ''Welsh grammarian and poet (Llandrygarn, 1864)''
★
Glenys Kinnock - ''politician (Holyhead, 1944)''
★
Wendy Orme - ''screenwriter (Anglesey, 1911)''
★ Edward Roberts - ''gold medal (team shooting)
International Island Games 2005''
★ Edward Roberts - ''second coxswain winner of the RNLI gold medal for bravery (Anglesey)''
★ Wilf Roberts - ''landscape artist (Anglesey, 1941)''
★
Ifor Owain Thomas - ''tenor (Pentraeth, 1892)''
★
Hugh Owen Thomas - ''pioneering orthopaedic surgeon (Anglesey, 1833)''
★ Thomas Thomas - ''gold and bronze medal (team shooting & shooting)
International Island Games 2005''
★ Anthony White - ''gold medal (team shooting)
International Island Games 2005''
★ Nicola Kate Stretton - ''silver medal (athletics)
International Island Games 2005''
★ Sir
Kyffin Williams RA - ''landscape painter (Anglesey, 1918 - 2006)''
★ Claire Wilson - ''gold medal (swimming)
International Island Games 2005''
★
Owain Tudor - ''Grandfather of Henry VII (Henry Tudor), who had married the widow of Henry V to give the Tudor dynasty a tenuous claim on the English throne
Plas Penmynydd''
Lived on Anglesey
★
Henry Austin Dobson - ''poet and essayist (Plymouth, Devon 1840)''
★
Tristan Hughes - ''writer (Canada)''
★
Aled Jones - ''singer and television presenter (Bangor, 1970)''
★
Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister - ''heavy metal bass player and singer (Stoke-on-Trent, 1945)''
★
Matthew Maynard - ''cricketer (Oldham, Lancashire 1966)''
★
Gwyn Parry - ''writer (Wales)''
★
Gary Pritchard - ''sports journalist & broadcaster (Bangor, 1970)''
★
Eric Roberts - ''baritone (Conwy, North Wales)''
★
Charles Tunnicliffe - ''wildlife artist (Chester, 1901)''
★
Naomi Watts - ''actress (Kent, 1968)''
★
Dyfed Russell-Hughes - ''Actor and Thrash Metal vocalist(with
Alisons Refrigerated Delicatessen)''
★
Gruff Rhys- Musician best known for being the leadman of
Super Furry Animals grew up in Rachub, near
Bethesda (Haverforwest, 18 July 1970)
★
Rex Whistler - ''artist (Eltham, Kent 1905)''
★
Maurice Wilks - ''designer of the Landrover; which was test driven at Newborough and Llanddona beaches''
Government
:''see also:
Isle of Anglesey County Council''
Anglesey (together with Holy Island) is one of the thirteen
traditional counties of Wales. In medieval times, before the conquest of Wales in
1283, ''Môn'' often had periods of temporary independence as it was frequently bequeathed to the heirs of kings as a
sub kingdom of
Gwynedd. The last times this occurred were for a few years after 1171 following the death of
Owain Gwynedd when the island was inherited by
Rhodri ab Owain Gwynedd and again between 1246 - c.1255 when it was given to
Owain Goch as his share of the kingdom. Following the conquest of Wales by
Edward I it was created a county under the terms of the
Statute of Rhuddlan of 1284. Prior to this it had been divided into the ''
cantrefi'' of:
★
Aberffraw
★
Rhosyr
★
Cemais
In 1974 it formed a district of the new large
county of
Gwynedd, until in the 1996 reform of local government it was restored as a local government county. The county council is a
unitary authority and is named "Isle of Anglesey County Council" (). While there is currently a majority of independent councillors, the council is under no overall control, as the members do not generally divide along party lines. The only party group on the council is that of
Plaid Cymru. There are five non-partisan groups on the council, containing a mix of party and independent candidates. The largest of these groups is ''Môn Ymlaen''/''Anglesey Forward'', with 15 members out of the 40 in total.
See also
★
Ynys Môn (UK Parliament constituency)
★
List of islands of Wales - including those around Anglesey
External links
★
Anglesey Community Forums - All Welcome
★
Anglesey Tourist Information
★
Live Anglesey weather and local images of Anglesey
★
Half Light Filming Locations
★
Anglesey Today
★
Aerial coastal images
★
Anglesey lifeboat heroes of Moelfre RNLI
★
Moelfre Seawatch Centre
★
Anglesey Môn Info Web Anglesey History, including the only online pictorial record of all Anglesey's churches and many of the ancient monuments
★
Anglesey History
★
Anglesey wildlife, weather and other information
★
Photos of the Parys Mountain Copper Mine near Amlwch, Anglesey
★
Anglesey Môn Info Web - An information site about Anglesey.
★
Isle of Anglesey Photographs
★
The Isle of Anglesley, Wales through time: Local history overview (maps, statistical trends and historical descriptions)
★
"When Romans Attack" - how things might have been during the Roman invasion of 60AD
★
Archaeological discoveries from the time of the Druids in Anglesey
★
Isle of Anglesey County Council / Cyngor Sir Ynys Môn
★
Anglesey Arts Forum / Fforwm Gelf Yns Môn
★
School of Ocean Sciences in Menai Bridge
★
The Isle of Anglesey/Ynys Môn is a member island of the International Island Games
★
Local images of Anglesey
★
Anglesey Heritage: historical, cultural and natural
★
Môn Mam Cymru: the Guide to Anglesey
★
Anglesey episode of the Channel 4 television archaeology series 'Time Team'
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