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Afon Ffraw

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59-529: The Afon Ffraw is a short river on the Isle of Anglesey , Wales . It arises at Llyn Coron and flows southwest for two miles along the northwestern margin of Twyn Aberffraw ('Aberffraw dunes') via the village of Aberffraw to Aberffraw Bay on the island's west coast. The river is tidal to a point just northeast of Aberffraw and is accompanied by the Wales Coast Path and Isle of Anglesey Coastal Path . Llyn Coron

118-607: A 30 per cent partner. In 1974, Anglesey became a district of the new county of Gwynedd . Until 1974, Anglesey was divided into civil parishes for the purpose of local government; these in large part equated to ecclesiastical parishes (see the table below), most of which still exist as part of the Church in Wales. (chapelries are listed in italics) a chapelry to Llantrisant in Lyfon hundred The Local Government (Wales) Act 1994 abolished

177-631: A Celtic word for 'mountain' (reflected in Welsh mynydd , Breton menez and Scottish Gaelic monadh ), from a Proto-Celtic *moniyos . Poetic names for the island of Anglesey include the Old Welsh Ynys Dywyll (Shady or Dark Isle) for its former groves and Ynys y Cedairn (Isle of the Brave) for its royal courts; Gerald of Wales ' Môn Mam Cymru ("Môn, Mother of Wales") for its agricultural productivity; and Y fêl Ynys (Honey Isle). The history of

236-541: A few natural lakes, mostly in the west, such as Llyn Llywenan , the largest on the island, Llyn Coron, and Cors Cerrig y Daran, but rivers are few and small. There are two large water supply reservoirs operated by Welsh Water . These are Llyn Alaw to the north of the island and Llyn Cefni in the centre of the island, which is fed by the headwaters of the Afon Cefni . The climate is humid (though less so than neighbouring mountainous Gwynedd ) and generally equable thanks to

295-461: A majority of independent councillors. Though members did not generally divide along party lines, these were organised into five non-partisan groups on the council, containing a mix of party and independent candidates. The position has been similar since the election, although the Labour Party has formed a governing coalition with the independents. Brand new council offices were built at Llangefni in

354-717: A spelling that is still occasionally used today. Ynys Môn , the island and county's Welsh name, first appeared in the Latin Mona of various Roman sources. It was likewise known to the Saxons as Monez . The Brittonic original was in the past taken to have meant "Island of the Cow". The name is probably cognate with the Gaelic name of the Isle of Man , Mannin , ( Manaw in Welsh), usually derived from

413-431: A wall at Tŷ Mawr and Roman-era pottery from the 3rd to 4th centuries AD. Some of these huts were still being used for agricultural purposes as late as the 6th century. The first excavation of Ty Mawr was conducted by William Owen Stanley of Penrhos, Anglesey (son of Baron Stanley of Alderley ). Historically, Anglesey has long been associated with the druids . The Roman conquest of Anglesey began in 60 CE when

472-416: Is a local attraction offering looks at local marine wildlife from common lobsters to congers . All fish and crustaceans on display are caught round the island and placed in habitat reconstructions. The zoo also breeds lobsters commercially for food and oysters for pearls, both from local stocks. Sea salt ( Halen Môn , from local sea water) is produced in a facility nearby, having formerly been made at

531-595: Is a nesting site for skylarks . The sheer cliff faces at South Stack near Holyhead provide nesting sites for large numbers of auks , including puffins , razorbills and guillemots , along with choughs and peregrine falcons . Anglesey holds several tern species, including the roseate tern on three breeding sites – see Anglesey tern colonies . There are marked occurrences of the Juncus subnodulosus – Cirsium palustre fen-meadow plant association marked by hydrophilic grasses, sedges and forbs. Anglesey supports two of

590-602: Is fed by the Afon Gwna which rises near to Llangefni in the centre of Anglesey. The flow of the Ffraw is bolstered by the left-bank tributary, the Afon Frechwen and a larger, though unnamed right-bank tributary which rises near Gwalchmai . Pont Aberffraw is a bridge spanning the river constructed as a single stone arch in 1731. When the A4080 main coastal road was diverted onto a new line,

649-403: Is one of the first villages in Wales, it was built at Llanfaethlu . Also an example permanent settlement on Anglesey is of a Bronze Age built burial mound , Bryn Celli Ddu (English: Dark Grove Hill ). The mound started as a henge enclosure around 3000 BC and was adapted several times over a millennium. There are numerous megalithic monuments and menhirs in the county, testifying to

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708-546: Is restricted to Holyhead (Caergybi), which until 30 September 2009 supported an aluminium smelter , and the Amlwch area, once a copper mining town. Nearby stood Wylfa Nuclear Power Station and a former bromine extraction plant. With construction starting in 1963, the two Wylfa reactors began producing power in 1971. One reactor was decommissioned in 2012, the other in 2015. Anglesey has three wind farms on land. There were plans to install tidal-flow turbines near The Skerries off

767-428: Is the northernmost county in Wales. The Isle of Anglesey has an area of 275 square miles (712 km ) and a population of 69,049 in 2022. After Holyhead (12,103), the largest settlements are Llangefni (5,500) and Amlwch (3,967). The economy of the county is mostly based on agriculture, energy, and tourism, the latter especially on the coast. Holyhead is also a major ferry port for Dublin , Ireland. The county has

826-593: Is the only royal court of Gwynedd whose site has so far been excavated. In 2023 the site was bought by Cadw , the Welsh Government’s historic environment agency. Llys Rhosyr is a scheduled monument . A reconstruction of the Great Hall of Llys Rhosyr was built as part of the redevelopment of St Fagan's National History Museum , Cardiff , using a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund awarded in 2012. It

885-601: The Britannia Bridge , originally designed by Robert Stephenson in 1850. The English name for Anglesey may be derived from the Old Norse ; either Ǫngullsey "Hook Island" or Ǫnglisey "Ǫngli's Island". No record of such an Ǫngli survives, but the place name was used by Viking raiders as early as the 10th century and later adopted by the Normans during their invasions of Gwynedd . The traditional folk etymology reading

944-601: The Gulf Stream . The land is of variable quality and has probably lost some fertility. Anglesey has the northernmost olive grove in Europe and presumably in the world. The coast of the Isle of Anglesey is more populous than the interior. The largest community is Holyhead , which is located on Holy Island and had a population of 12,103 at the 2021 United Kingdom census . It is followed by Amlwch (3,697), Llanfair-Mathafarn-Eithaf (3,085), and Menai Bridge (3,046), all located on

1003-519: The Jómsvíkinga — and by Saxons , and Normans , before falling to Edward I of England in the 13th century. The connection with the Vikings can be seen in the name of the island. In ancient times it was called "Maenige" and received the name "Ongulsey" or Angelsoen, from where the current name originates. Anglesey (with Holy Island) is one of the 13 historic counties of Wales . In medieval times, before

1062-529: The Roman departure from Britain in the early 5th century, pirates from Ireland colonised Anglesey and the nearby Llŷn Peninsula . In response to this, Cunedda ap Edern , a Gododdin warlord from Scotland, came to the area and began to drive the Irish out. This was continued by his son Einion Yrth ap Cunedda and grandson Cadwallon Lawhir ap Einion ; the last Irish invaders were finally defeated in battle in 470. During

1121-587: The 17th and 20th centuries, with connections ranging from close geographical proximity and shared transport networks to marriage and family ties. One example, the article notes, is that in 1663 the Duke of Ormonde wrote from Dublin Castle to Lord Bulkley of Baron Hill, Anglesey, who had been created Viscount Bulkeley of Cashel in 1644, about bringing partridges from Anglesey to Ireland for a hunt. The Shire Hall in Llangefni

1180-516: The 1974 county and the five districts on 1 April 1996, and Anglesey became a separate unitary authority . In 2011, the Welsh Government appointed a panel of commissioners to administer the council, which meant the elected members were not in control. The commissioners remained until an election was held in May 2013, restoring an elected Council. Before the period of direct administration, there had been

1239-426: The 1990s for the new Isle of Anglesey County Council . Anglesey is a low-lying island with low hills spaced evenly over the north. The highest six are Holyhead Mountain , 220 metres (720 ft); Mynydd Bodafon , 178 metres (584 ft); Mynydd Eilian , 177 metres (581 ft); Mynydd y Garn , 170 metres (560 ft); Bwrdd Arthur , 164 metres (538 ft); and Mynydd Llwydiarth, 158 metres (518 ft). To

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1298-577: The 9th century, King Rhodri Mawr unified Wales and separated the country into at least 3 provinces between his sons. He gave Gwynedd to his son, Anarawd ap Rhodri , who founded the medieval Welsh dynasty , The House of Aberffraw on Anglesey. The island had a good defensive position, and so Aberffraw became the site of the royal court ( Welsh : Llys ) of the Kingdom of Gwynedd . Apart from devastating Danish raids in 853 and 968 in Aberffraw, it remained

1357-563: The Iron Age, and also some of these sites were later adapted by Celts into hillforts and finally were in use during the Roman period (c. 100 AD) as roundhouses. Castell Bryn Gwyn (English: White hill castle , also called Bryn Beddau, or the "hill of graves" ) near Llanidan , Anglesey is an example of a Neolithic site that became a hillfort that was used until the Roman period by the Ordovices ,

1416-622: The Middle Ages the area was part of the Kingdom of Gwynedd and its cadet branch the House of Aberffraw who maintained courts ( Welsh : llysoedd ) at Aberffraw and Rhosyr . After Edward I 's late 13th century conquest of Gwynedd, Beaumaris Castle was constructed and today is a part of Gwynedd's world heritage sites . The Menai Strait to the mainland is spanned by the Menai Suspension Bridge , designed by Thomas Telford in 1826, and

1475-601: The RAF Fast Jet Training School and 22 Sqn Search and Rescue Helicopters, both units providing employment to about 500 civilians. RAF Valley is now the 22 Sqn Search and Rescue headquarters. The range of smaller industries is mostly in industrial and business parks such as Llangefni and Gaerwen . The island is on one of the main road routes from Britain to Ireland, via ferries from Holyhead on Holy Island to Dún Laoghaire and Dublin Port. The Anglesey Sea Zoo

1534-588: The Roman Empire by Gnaeus Julius Agricola , the Roman governor of Britain, in AD 78. During the Roman occupation, the area was notable for the mining of copper . The foundations of Caer Gybi , a fort in Holyhead , are Roman, and the present road from Holyhead to Llanfairpwllgwyngyll was originally a Roman road . The island was grouped by Ptolemy with Ireland (" Hibernia ") rather than with Britain (" Albion "). After

1593-420: The Roman general Gaius Suetonius Paulinus , determined to break the power of the druids, attacked the island using his amphibious Batavian contingent as a surprise vanguard assault and then destroyed the shrine and the nemeta ( sacred groves ). News of Boudica 's revolt reached him just after his victory, causing him to withdraw his army before consolidating his conquest. The island was finally brought into

1652-507: The Sea Zoo site. Plans were offered in 2013 by Horizon , a subsidiary of Hitachi , to start production in the 2020s. Though enthusiastically endorsed by Anglesey Council and Welsh Assembly members, protesters raised doubts about its economic and safety claims, and in January 2019 Hitachi announced it was putting development on hold. On 17 January 2019, Hitachi-Horizon Nuclear Power announced it

1711-509: The UK's remnant colonies of red squirrels , at Pentraeth and Newborough . Llys Rhosyr Llys Rhosyr , also known as "Cae Llys", is an archaeological site near Newborough in Anglesey ; the ruins of a pre-Edwardian commotal court. The Welsh word llys originally referred to an enclosed open-air space but gradually took on the meaning of a place where legal proceedings took place and

1770-403: The bays around Carmel Head. The north coast has sharp cliffs with small bays. Anglesey Coastal Path outlining the island is 124 miles (200 km) long and touches 20 towns and villages. The starting point is St Cybi's Church, Holyhead . Tourism is now the major economic activity. Agriculture comes second, with local dairies being some of the most productive in the region. Major industry

1829-511: The bulk of the county known as the Isle of Anglesey , which also includes Holy Island ( Ynys Gybi ) and some islets and skerries . The county borders Gwynedd across the Menai Strait to the southeast, and is otherwise surrounded by the Irish Sea . Holyhead is the largest town, and the administrative centre is Llangefni . The county is part of the preserved county of Gwynedd. Anglesey

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1888-547: The capital until the 13th, after Rhodri Mawr had moved his family seat from Caernarfon and built a royal palace at Aberffraw in 873. This is when improvements to the English navy made the location indefensible. Anglesey was also briefly the most southerly possession of the Norwegian Empire . After the Irish, the island was invaded by Vikings — some raids were noted in famous sagas (see Menai Strait History ) such as

1947-614: The castle from the Crown in 1807 and it has been open to the public under the guardianship of the Crown ever since 1925. Due to its geographic proximity, Anglesey (and particularly Holyhead ) enjoyed close cultural ties with Ireland throughout the later parts of this period. A 2023 study in The Welsh History Review by historian Adam N. Coward highlights the interconnectedness of landed gentry families in Ireland and Anglesey between

2006-515: The coast of the island of Anglesey. The largest community in the interior of Anglesey is Llangefni (5,500), the county town; the next-largest is Llanfihangel Ysgeifiog (1,711). Beaumaris (Welsh: Biwmares ) in the east features Beaumaris Castle , built by Edward I during his Bastide campaign in North Wales . Beaumaris is a yachting centre, with boats moored in the bay or off Gallows Point. The village of Newborough (Welsh: Niwbwrch ), in

2065-622: The conquest of Wales in 1283, Môn often had periods of temporary independence, when frequently bequeathed to the heirs of kings as a sub-kingdom of Gwynedd , an example of this was Llywelyn ap Iorwerth (Llywelyn I, the Great c. 1200s) who was styled the Prince of Aberffraw . After the Norman invasion of Wales was one of the last times this occurred a few years after 1171, after the death of Owain Gwynedd , when

2124-426: The enclosure had a hall, accommodation and storage barns, originally built in stone and wood. The buildings may have occupied an area as much as 450 by 300 feet (137 m × 91 m). A fierce sandstorm in the winter of 1332 buried the site and much of the surrounding area, which may have caused the decline in activity during the 14th century revealed by the archaeological investigation. When Henry Rowlands

2183-474: The first bridge to the mainland was being built. Hitherto Porthaethwy had been one of the main ferry ports for the mainland. A short distance from the town lies Bryn Celli Ddu , a Stone Age burial mound. Nearby is the village with the longest name in Europe, Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch , and Plas Newydd , ancestral home of the Marquesses of Anglesey . The town of Amlwch lies in

2242-419: The first time in 1995. What remains is the outlines of the walls, around only a quarter of which are exposed, including the main surrounding wall and foundations and lower walls of three large buildings, possibly the hall, a chamber and storage barns. Many artifacts were recovered from the site, including pottery and silverware indicating use by people of a high social status, as well as lead fishing weights. It

2301-515: The former house of Aberffraw, Prince Madog ap Llywelyn had attacked King Edward I's castles in North Wales . As a direct response, Beaumaris Castle was constructed to control Edward's interests in Anglesey, but by the 1320s the build was abandoned and never complete. The castle was besieged by Owain Glyndŵr in the early 15th century. It was ruinous by 1609; however, the 6th Viscount Bulkeley purchased

2360-612: The interior is gently undulating. In the north of the island is Llyn Alaw , a reservoir with an area of 1.4 square miles (4 km ). Holy Island has a similar landscape, with a rugged north and west coast and beaches to the east and south. The county is surrounded by smaller islands; several, including South Stack and Puffin Island , are home to seabird colonies. Large parts of the county's coastline have been designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty . The county has many prehistoric monuments, such as Bryn Celli Ddu burial chamber. In

2419-498: The island was inherited by Rhodri ab Owain Gwynedd , and between 1246 and about 1255 when it was granted to Owain Goch as his share of the kingdom. After the conquest of Wales by Edward I , Anglesey became a county under the terms of the Statute of Rhuddlan of 1284. Hitherto it had been divided into the cantrefi of Aberffraw , Rhosyr and Cemaes . During 1294 as a rebellion of

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2478-584: The island's men had died on active service. In 1936 the NSPCC opened its first branch on Anglesey. During the Second World War , Anglesey received Italian POWs . The island was designated a reception zone, and was home to evacuee children from Liverpool and Manchester . In 1971, a 100,000 ton per annum aluminum smelter was opened by Rio Tinto Zinc Corporation and British Insulated Callender's Cables with Kaiser Aluminum and Chemical Corporation as

2537-540: The lakes all have significant ecological interest, including a wide range of aquatic and semi-aquatic bird species. In the west, the Malltraeth Marshes are believed to support an occasional visiting bittern , and the nearby estuary of the Afon Cefni has a bird population made famous internationally by the paintings of Charles Tunnicliffe , who lived and died at Malltraeth on the Cefni estuary. The RAF airstrip at Mona

2596-622: The local tribe who were defeated in battle by a Roman legion (c. 78 AD). Bronze Age monuments were also built throughout the British Isles. During this period, the Mynydd Bach cairn in South-west Anglesey was being used. It is a Beaker period prehistoric funerary monument. During the Iron Age the Celts built dwellings huts , also known as roundhouses . These were established near

2655-500: The name as the "Island of the Angles (English)" may account for its Norman use but has no merit; the Angles' name itself is probably cognate with the shape of the Angeln peninsula. All of them ultimately derive from the proposed Proto-Indo-European root *ank- ("to flex, bend, angle"). Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries and into the 20th, it was usually spelt Anglesea in documents,

2714-528: The north coast, and for a major biomass plant on Holy Island (Ynys Gybi). Developing such low-carbon-energy assets to their full potential forms part of the Anglesey Energy Island project. When the aluminium smelter closed in September 2009, it cut its workforce from 450 to 80, in a major blow to the island's economy, especially to Holyhead. The Royal Air Force station RAF Valley (Y Fali) holds

2773-491: The north-east of the island and was once largely industrialised, having grown in the 18th century to support a major copper -mining industry at Parys Mountain . Other settlements include Cemaes , Pentraeth , Gaerwen , Dwyran , Bodedern , Malltraeth and Rhosneigr . The coastline is classed as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty , with many sandy beaches, notably along its east coast between Beaumaris and Amlwch and west coast from Ynys Llanddwyn through Rhosneigr to

2832-403: The old bridge closed to traffic. This Anglesey location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article related to a river in Wales is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Anglesey Anglesey ( / ˈ æ ŋ ɡ əl s iː / ; Welsh : Ynys Môn [ˈənɨs ˈmoːn] ) is an island off the north-west coast of Wales . It forms

2891-503: The presence of humans in prehistory . Plas Newydd is near one of 28 cromlechs that remain on uplands overlooking the sea. The Welsh Triads claim that the island of Anglesey was once part of the mainland. After the Neolithic age, the Bronze Age began ( c.  2200 BC – 800 BC). Some sites were continually used for thousands of years from original henge enclosures, then during

2950-667: The previous settlements. Some huts with walled enclosures were discovered on the banks of the river ( Welsh : afon ) Gwna near. An example of a well-preserved hut circle is over the Cymyran Strait on Holy Island . The Holyhead Mountain Hut Circles ( Welsh : Tŷ Mawr / Cytiau'r Gwyddelod , Big house / "Irishmen's Huts") were inhabited by ancient Celts and were first occupied before the Iron Age, c.   1000 BC . The Anglesey Iron Age began after 500 BC. Archeological research discovered limpet shells which were found from 200 BC on

3009-476: The second-highest percentage of Welsh speakers in Wales, at 57.2%, and is considered a heartland of the language . The island of Anglesey, at 261 square miles (676 km ), is the largest in Wales and the Irish Sea , the seventh largest in Britain , and the sixth most populous island in Britain. The northern and eastern coasts of the island are rugged, and the southern and western coasts are generally gentler;

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3068-457: The settlement of the local people of Anglesey starts in the Mesolithic period. Anglesey and the UK were uninhabitable until after the previous ice age . It was not until 12,000 years ago that the island of Great Britain became hospitable. The oldest excavated sites on Anglesey include Trwyn Du ( Welsh : Black nose ) at Aberffraw. The Mesolithic site located at Aberffraw Bay (Porth Terfyn)

3127-415: The south and south-east, the island is divided from the Welsh mainland by the Menai Strait , which at its narrowest point is about 250 metres (270 yd) wide. In all other directions the island is surrounded by the Irish Sea . At 676 km (261 sq mi), it is the 52nd largest island of Europe and just five km (1.9 sq mi) smaller than the main island of Singapore . There are

3186-485: The south, created when townsfolk of Llanfaes were relocated for the building of Beaumaris Castle, includes the site of Llys Rhosyr , another court of medieval Welsh princes featuring one of the United Kingdom's oldest courtrooms. The centrally localted Llangefni is the island's administrative centre. The town of Menai Bridge (Welsh: Porthaethwy ) in the south-east, expanded to accommodate workers and construction when

3245-455: Was abandoning plans to build a nuclear plant on the Wylfa Newydd site in Anglesey. There had been concern that the start might have involved too much public expenditure, but Hitachi-Horizon say the decision to scrap has cost the company over £2 billion. Much of Anglesey is used for relatively intensive cattle and sheep farming, but several important wetland sites have protected status and

3304-484: Was buried underneath a Bronze Age 'kerb cairn' which was constructed c.  2,000 BC . The bowl barrow (kerb cairn) covered a material deposited from the early Mesolithic period; the archeological find dates to 7,000 BC. After millennia of hunter-gather civilisation in the British Isles , the first villages were constructed from 4000 BC. Neolithic settlements were built in the form of long houses , on Anglesey

3363-516: Was completed in 1899. During the First World War , the Presbyterian minister and celebrity preacher John Williams toured the island as part of an effort to recruit young men as volunteers. The island's location made it ideal for monitoring German U-Boats in the Irish Sea , with half a dozen airships based at Mona . German POWs were kept on the island. By the end of the war, some 1,000 of

3422-551: Was gradually extended to refer to royal "courts". Llys Rhosyr was a commotal centre before Edward I of England 's conquest of Wales and debate now surrounds the former use of the Rhosyr site. Archaeologists at Gwynedd Archaeological Trust consider it to have been a royal home and have established an exhibition in the Pritchard-Jones Institute in the village on their findings supporting this theory. Excavations reveal that

3481-524: Was writing in the early 18th century, the sands had uncovered parts of the walls, but no significant remains were visible, though he comments that local people were aware of the location and nature of the remains, a site sometimes known as 'llys' or 'cae'r llys' ('the field of the court' in English). From 1992 it was excavated by the Gwynedd Archaeological Trust and was opened to the public for

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