Llyn Cerrig Bach

NOVEMBER - DECEMBER 2011

2011-12-27T13:19:00.000-08:00

Following my concept of having a book printed specifically on the find my father instigated at Llyn Cerrig Bach, I had a meeting with Philip Steele, the editor of this book, who is working in conjunction with the publisher, Robert Williams of Magna Books to bring this book to fruition. Hopefully, it will be launched next July in order to coincide with a collection of Llyn Cerrig Bach that is coming back to Anglesey from Cardiff. These will be displayed at Oriel Ynys Môn from July onwards for three months.

Alan took a picture of Phil and I planning which images that needed to be included in the book from my Powerpoint Images and also the text needed from my lecture notes.

This meeting was followed later by an e-mail from Phil, enquiring as to where in my research I’d found out that TACAN rock, thus christened this by the RAF, was originally called Craig Carnau’r Ebolion. He needed confirmation of this fact before putting it into print in the book. He also queried my translation of Llyn Cerrig Bach, as the Lake Belonging to Cerrig Bach farm. Only this last August I saw again it literally translated and referred to in English as “The Lake of Little Stones “.
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By going back to my original research source, Ida Owen, Carnau Farm, I was able to confirm that I had translated the title of the lake correctly. Mrs Owen agreed with me, that the translation of Llyn Cerrig Bach should be, the Lake of Cerrig Bach (i.e. belonging to the farm of Cerrig Bach). She stated that all the lakes around that area carry the title of the farm on whose land they are sited on. They include Llyn Traffwll, Llyn Dinam and Llyn Penrhyn, all carrying the names of their farms.

Regarding my title of Rock of ponies’ hooves, Mrs. Owen assured me that the full title on the deeds of her farm property appears as Carnau’r Ebolion and agreed that it refers to hooves of ponies. Hence my remarks about the coincidence that small horse’ bits had been found in Llyn Cerrig Bach. TACAN rock was on their land originally before the airfield took it over. She repeated to me that It was always referred before then as Craig Carnau’r Ebolion. I wonder if the chariots therefore were built to fit the size of these small indigenous horses.

As members of the Anglesey Antiquarian Society, the county’s history society, we have been celebrating its centenary during November. First, an exhibition was launched at Oriel Ynys Môn, with some artefacts being brought back on loan from the National Museum at Cardiff and from the British Museum. Various cabinets can be seen showing artefacts that have been saved by our society over its many years.

A centenary weekend of events then took place. On the Saturday, Alan and I attended a full day of lectures at Plas Newydd, Lord and Lady Anglesey’s residence on the banks of the Menai Straits. It was a beautiful sunny day and the Snowdonia Range looked magnificent across the waters.

I particularly enjoyed the lecture given by the renowned Welsh artist, Peter Lord about Artisan painting 1732 – 1860. Peter himself has bought quite a number of these paintings. He showed a picture of a self portrait by Edward Owen of Penrhos, Holyhead. This Peter re-discovered in a private collection in Massachusetts, America. He will be exhibiting this long lost painting amongst others at Plas Glyn y Weddw, Llandwrog.
You can read the full fascinating story about Edward Owenof Penrhos if you Google his name.

Our second venue for our society’s centenary celebration, was a lunch at the newly re-furbished mansion house of Plas Coch, situated not far along the bank of the Menai Straits from Plas Newydd. The date above the front door – 1569, shows that it was built in the time of Elizabeth 1, 450 years ago. It was built by the Welsh gentry’s family Hughes, descendants of whom live at Brynddu, Llanfechell. They are direct descendants of Llywarch ap Bran, a key official to Owain Gwynedd, the King of North Wales. The present owner has now built luxury holiday lodges in the grounds, from which they have a magnificent view of the Snowdonia Range across the Menai Straits. After lunch, we were taken to an upstairs lounge where we were given an excellent account of the stages and problems that were encountered and overcome during the refurbishment period.

A new Archives building was opened recently in Llangefni. The Talwrn Archaeology group, which we attend their lectures, had a special viewing evening of its new research and storage areas. Amanda Sweet and Pat West gave us an interesting guide as how to make the best use of these new facilities.
As if completing my blog in time each month is not a sufficient challenge for me, I have now volunteered to keep a HAND WRITTEN diary throughout the coming year. Different age groups will be taking part in this project.These diaries will then be placed in our Archives at llangefni. It is hoped that these will give future generations a snapshot of life on Anglesey during 2012.

Our next Talwrn Group gathering was at the Christmas Dinner. This was held in the restaurant in the new extension built at the back of Plas Coch, which also has a huge Spa. We had a fantastic evening dinner and enjoyed sharing the company of our dear friends Chas and Helen Parry-Jones. Sadly, Plas Coch is not open to the general public, so we were very lucky to have an insight to both the old and new parts during the course of one month!

Since last September, Alan and I have been attending a course of lectures given through the medium of Welsh by Rhys Mwyn at Llanfairpwll. These have been on the Archaelogy of Anglesey and North Wales. Evidence as to how good these lectures were, lies in the fact that we started in September with 25 members and the 25 members kept on attending to the end of the term. We are all looking forward to rejoining the class again in January. I am hoping to start a similar Monday evening class with Rhys at Llanfaelog Village Hall in the New Year. The format for this class will be bi-lingual and based mainly on the History and Archaeology of Anglesey. I also hope to set up a Beginners’ Evening Class in learning Welsh at the same venue.
follow Rhys’ blog – rhysmwyn.blogspot.com

News that saddened me recently, was hearing that the History and Archaeology displays at the National Museum will be moving from Cardiff to San Fagan. I fail to see how anybody from North Wales will be able to visit this display in a day, as one is able to do now; being the museum is sited conveniently in the centre of Cardiff. By the time you’ve travelled by train down to Cardiff and then caught a bus to San Fagan, you’ve very little time left for viewing anything. This means that anyone travelling from North Wales will have the extra expense of an paying for an overnight stay. As a result of my talks, so many of my associates, including school children, have been to view the Llyn Cerrig Bach display. I have written to implore the powers to be at the museum, to at least lay on a shuttle bus service at convenient times from the museum door to San Fagan. Probably, the whole of San Fagan Heritage site would benefit from such a service.
If you also wish to state your objection to this move, do write to -
Nigel Williams, National Museum Cardiff, Cathays Park, Cardiff CF10 3NP
or e-mail: nigel.williams@museumwales.ac.uk

OCTOBER 2011

2011-11-06T10:48:00.000-08:00

At the beginning of October, I had the pleasure of being my daughter Delyth’s accompanying guest to the Station Commanding Officer’s invitation at RAF Valley.

To begin with, we were taken in groups of eight in a mini bus on a prior event tour around the base. What I enjoyed most, was sitting behind a trainee pilot in a simulation cockpit of the new Hawk aircraft. In front of me was a massive cockpit “window” and we “flew” along the Welsh coast and amongst the Snowdonian mountains. I had always wanted to fly low enough above Wales to see the landscape from above and this turned out to be the next best thing! The cockpit screen technology is completely different from the old Hawk, so all the pilots need to be retrained. The sad news told to us was that 120 students had recently lost their places due to the government cutbacks. Not only had it been so upsetting for the students and their families, but also for the staff at Valley who felt their loss.

We then went inside the new hanger I’d watched being built last year as the heavy transport lorries passed Llyn Cerrig Bach each day. They had brought into the hanger the new Hawk for us to see and also one of the Squadron 22 rescue helicopters. It is one of these helicopters that Prince William flies ( Wales as he is known on camp). Dominic, Delyth’s long term partner’s work is to maintain these helicopters. Very often he has chats with Prince William while he waits to board his helicopter. As you can see, I enjoyed my visit on board one of them - I’ll let you guess if it’s Prince William behind me in the picture! Afterwards we were treated to a cocktail party with the Station Commander where I chatted to lots of very nice people.

The following morning, it was off to Llangefni to attend the ceremony of the Freedom of Anglesey to RAF Valley. I was very moved, when the Chairman of Ynys Môn County Council, Cllr. Gwilym Jones during his speech from the podium, described how my father had made the significant discovery of the Llyn Cerrig Bach artefacts whilst extending the runways at Valley airfield during World War 2. Also, how privileged they were to have me present at the ceremony. Cllr. Jones announced that some of the Llyn Cerrig Bach artefacts will be coming up from Cardiff to Oriel Ynys Môn next summer for 3 months and that the Llyn Cerrig Bach book will be launched to coincide with this. Last week, Philip Steele, the editor, visited me once more to discuss its content in readiness for the final draft goes into print.

This is a picture of Cllr. G. O. Jones inspecting the RAF contingent

During school half term I took my 7 year old granddaughter Awen twice to the Ucheldre Centre at Holyhead. The first visit was to an evening performance by the GLERORFA. This is a folk orchestra of about thirty musicians, all on stage together, playing traditional Welsh melodies. There were three playing the Triple Harp, which is a traditional Welsh harp. This has three rows of strings rather than the usual two, so is very difficult to play as you have to reach inside the outer rows of strings to access the middle one. It is small harp in size and has no pedals. Other musicians played the pibgorn – a form of old traditional flute. They were accompanied by a quite a number of fiddlers. As you can imagine it was all very exhilarating to listen to! At times, two of the musicians relinquished their fiddles clog dancing.
I have seen them this time last year at Ucheldre also so keep a look out for their next visit.

Awen and my second visit together to Ucheldre, was to a live performance of the old classic Wind in the Willows. This was given by members of the travelling Riverbank Productions. It was an excellent performance as they were all so enthusiastic and their annunciation was perfect. There was plenty of audience participation with the children, so that I enjoyed not only the performance but also watching the children’s faces.

Again this month, I was invited to give my presentation on Llyn Cerrig Bach, this time to the Welsh Historical Society at Benllech. A good crowd had turned up on such a dreadful stormy night. They appreciated so much seeing the facsimiles that Alan has created of the main artefacts.

Last Thursday, we went with Ynys Môn U3A to Liverpool. We were dropped off at the Albert Dock for a couple of hours. It was a lovely sunny day – it can be quite cold a windy there. Be warned though if you have walking difficulties – there is no public seating there, only chairs belonging to cafes. If you need to sit down, you therefore have to buy food! I approached a site attendant to state my concern. He explained it was due to Health and Safety should there be a fire – people might trip over the benches. I jokingly told him that I’d already tripped over two of the café chairs on my way around!

We then went to the Empire Theatre to a beautiful performance by the English National Ballet company. They danced and sang the music of Gershwin. The orchestra had such a fantastic conductor. At times, he was dancing and jumping around to the rhythm of the music. Also, the costumes were exceptionally beautiful.

We have been busy this month as members of Project Rhosneigr arranging the switching on of the Christmas Lights Evening. I have managed to book the highly popular North Wales Saxophone Group to entertain again. Father Christmas will be travelling along the High Street and there will be free mince pies and mulled wine or juice. This is a prior notice as it will be happening next month on November 26th from 5 – 7pm. Croeso i Bawb / Welcome to All.

September 2011

2011-10-04T08:44:00.000-07:00

Alan has decided that he will produce representations for me of the most significant items of the Llyn Cerrig Bach artefacts. These are to fill in the gap whilst I wait for Oriel Ynys Món to produce the proper replicas which I collected funding for two years ago. I had also planned with others to produce videos of how they were made during the Iron Age. They were also to be accompanied by a school’s interpretation pack. I still live in hope that the making of these replicas and their accompanying package will come to fruition in the near future.

When we were at the National Museum in Cardiff six months ago, Alan mentioned to Adam Gwilt, Curator of Prehistory at the museum, how he’d made a copy of the crescentic plaque. Adam said he would be very interested to see it when we were next in Cardiff. This month therefore, we took it to show him and as you can see from the picture, he was duly fascinated and impressed with the way Alan had managed to produce such a good copy from basic material.

I took a picture of Alan with his “plaque” alongside the cabinet which houses the original plaque. As you can see he has done an excellent representation of it.

By now, Alan has also completed a copy of the shield boss and has started work on a copy of the votive sword.
However, in no way do these do instead of the properly produced replicas, but even so, as you saw from previous blog entries, it gives adults and children a great insight into their size and how they would have looked until we get the real ones. I took the picture of the shield in the children’s education area of the museum. This shows exactly the positioning of the boss on a shield.

I love going to the museum to see the Llyn Cerrig Bach artefacts and to reminisce how at one time many of them had lain on our kitchen table. This was before my father took some to Bangor museum and mailed others to Cardiff. I have now been informed that all the archaeology on display at the museum is moving to San Fagan, outside Cardiff. For the sake of people that are unable to travel to San Fagan by car or public buses, I do hope that a shuttle bus will be organized, if only twice a day, from outside the museum. Being in the centre of the city, the museum is so accessible to everyone who visits Cardiff, especially if you have to travel all the way down from North Wales like us.

Last week, we had a lovely coach ride along the Lleyn peninsula. The weather was so beautiful; it was just like touring along the Mediterranean coast. The first place we visited was Nant Gwrtheyrn, "Vortigern's Creek". It takes its name from Brenin Gwrtheyrn, a disgraced Kentish king who ruled ancient Britain early in the 5th.century. This was a small quarrying village by Llithfaen, which became derelict when the need for granite diminished in the Midland towns during World War II.

A group of people, led by Dr. Carl Clowes, managed to buy the village and turn it into a Welsh language Centre which specializes in courses for adults who want to learn Welsh. Recently, they have received a £5million grant. All the old Victorian cottages ( except the one you see in the photograph ) have been modernized into 4* accommodation. They have a lovely café and also a new conference hall. The walks along the shoreline here are breathtaking.

The access road down used to be quite hair raising when I first visited the centre years ago. However, it too, has now undergone an improvement. Prior to this, production companies used to send cars and motorbikes here to test them on the corkscrew bends!
We drove safely back up onto the main road, and then continued down the Lleyn peninsular to Llanbedrog. Here we visited the Gothic mansion of Plas Glyn y Weddw, roughly translated - Mansion of the Valley of the Widow. This mansion was built for Lady Love Jones Parry as a Dower House in 1856. Although she never slept here, she visited it weekly by carriage from her other home Madryn nearby. I first became aware of the Madryn estate when I visited Port Madryn in Patagonia. This was named in honour of Sir Love- Jones Parry , who was one of the founders of the Welsh settlement in Patagonia. It was at Port Madryn that the first settlers disembarked in 1865.

In 1979 Plas Glyn y Weddw had become almost derelict, but was bought and restored by Gwyneth and Dafydd ap Thomas. In 1997 it was bought by Friends of the Gallery and is now run by a group of 70 volunteers. The mansion house is mainly an Art Gallery, exhibiting work by prominent artists from Wales and beyond. Upstairs, there is one room with exhibition china cabinets in it, one of which has a collection of the rare Nantgarw Welsh porcelain.
In order to pay their costs, the Friends organise concerts, lectures, craft fairs, weddings and even funeral wakes here! They have a large dining room and also a splendid café which serves excellent homebaked cakes – something I’m always happy to partake in as you’re well aware by now!

August 2011

2011-09-01T12:21:00.000-07:00

Shula, my eldest granddaughter has returned from Uganda.
She had an amazing experience volunteering at the schools. She also visited the local regions taking part in sessions which encouraged mothers to get themselves and their children tested for HIV. She is already looking forward to going again next year.

Mid-month, we flew to the Isle of Man at the invitation of Alan and Fran, the friends we made on the Baltic Cruise in June. They had sent us a DVD to watch so that we could decide together via e-mails, the sites we would like to visit. As it turned out, they showed us every nook and cranny of the island, even taking us around the TT circuit.
We flew over with Manx2 from Valley to Castletown in a Dornier 228. This is a very small plane with only one passenger on each side and VERY noisey. As the plane sat on the runway, I kept thinking of my Dad. He had been in charge of building this runway during the war in 1942. Here I was, not only sitting in one of the German planes that probably flew over Valley then, but being piloted by two Germans. Thankfully, times move on. Our journey was over in 20 minutes! Sad to say, I don’t think they’ll be going again until next summer. We had fine weather on both flights and throughout our stay there. This is a view taken over Rhosneigr.

Our first call was to The Manx Museum in Douglas, where we were staying. To start us off, we entered a small viewing cinema showing us an excellent informative film about the island’s history.
Despite it not being very big The Manx Museum is bursting with national treasures including hoards of Viking silver and gold. They have several extremely well done displays and naturally, a display of motorcycle memorabilia. Most galleries have interactive interpretive screens. It was nice to come across a group of children engrossed in making rubbings of Celtic stone engravings.

Always conscious of Llyn Cerrig Bach’s votive significance, I was especially interested with this votive sword that had been purposely broken in two places across it. Llyn Cerrig Bach also had a purposely bent sword that is thought to have been for a votive purpose.

We ended up spending most of the morning studying the periods that interested us most, resulting in us having to do a quick tour of the rest before having lunch at their very nice modern café. The visit had given us a fascinating insight into the island’s history before commencing our 5 day tour.

The next day, we visited Peel. Here, the castle dominates the town. However, as you might have guessed by now, it was their museum we wanted to visit. The House of Manannan was built in 1997. It is partly new and partly the old Peel Railway Station. Manannan is the Island’s mythological sea god and protector and he could shroud the island with a cloak of mist to protect it from its enemies. Maybe this is one reason why the Romans never came across it!
I really felt this is such a brilliant museum. It covers the history of the island, from ancient times to the present day. It highlights the Celtic links, the early Viking settlers, the coming of Christianity, and the various wars fought there between rival English, Scottish and Viking warlords. It emphasis The Isle of Man's links to the sea with exhibits that tell you about smuggling, exploration, trade, fishing, Trafalgar and the Mutiny on the Bounty.

The centrepiece of the museum is "Odin's Raven", a replica Viking longship built in Norway in 1979. It was then sailed to the Isle of Man to arrive in Peel harbour on Tynwald Day in 1979.

The House of Manannan is wheelchair accessible throughout. The story unfolds as you enter first the Iron Age round house. Set amongst the various room artefacts, are lifelike authentically dressed mannequins. Here, as in the other rooms you will enter, there are short video films with soundtracks to tell you the background stories. There are also interactive screens, and tape recordings you can listen to. As you enter each room, you enter a new phase of history. My only problem was, that my camera was useless at taking pictures in the lighting conditions there as you can see from this one I tried to take of a Viking.

We visited two Celtic Crosses' collections. Our first visit was to Maughold where one of the stones had an unusual loop with a hole at its top. I have my finger in the hole in the picture.

The second visit was to the church of St. Peter in Onchan. The collection is inside the church but the church was locked. However, the sexton was working outside and when he heard that we were over from Anglesey, he insisted on showing us enthusiastically around its inside. As we left, I remarked about a large church bell on the ground outside. It seems that the members had decided to get a new steel bell instead of the old one. The day arrived for the new bell to be rung and a large crowd had gathered for the occasion. They couldn’t believe their ears though when they heard a ting, ting rather than the usual bong, bong! The new was duly taken down and the old re-installed. If you know of anyone in need of a very large bell, its there for the taking but it would need to be transported by sea! In the picture,you can see a few of their collection of Celtic crosses.

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We also visited a burial site across the road to the Laxey wheel, called King Orry’s grave.This is a Neolithic chambered long barrow over 4,000 years old. It contains three chambers once filled with burials. When excavated in 1953 only one burial and bowl had survived. The name King Orry's Grave is probably early 19th century and supposedly coined as a joke! King Orry in Manx history usually refers to a Scandinavian king who claimed to be present when the west end of the barrow was opened in the 1830. Previous to this, the monument was nameless.

Incase you should think we spent all our days going around museums and gravestones, we also managed to see the Point of Ayre lighthouses, the Calf of Man, Creagnesh Folk Village, the Laxey wheel, the Castle and House of Keys at Castletown with lovely lunches at Niaryl point and Milntown mansion house. This was all due to the fact that we were lucky enough to be chauffeured around by Fran and Alan in their very spacious car.
This is me on the balcony of our room overlooking Douglas Bay, before we went for an evening meal with them at Norman’s Bar ( named after Norman Wisdom) before going on to the Gaiety Theatre nextdoor. Here again, we were enthralled to see such a beautiful Victorian theatre.

Having seen the DVD my cousin Ken has recorded based on his lecture on the bonesetters of Anglesey, I decided it would be a good idea for me to do the same on Llyn Cerrig Bach. I have therefore being involved in composing text and filming it on site at various locations that appear in my lecture. This turned out to be very different from speaking in front of an audience. I also had to remember to wear the same clothes each time! Having completed the site visits, the next recordings will be done whilst sitting in my study. I have a major job therefore doing some paper clearing on my worktops before this takes place.

September !st tomorrow, so managed to get my August entry written in time!

JULY - AUGUST 2011

2011-08-13T13:30:00.000-07:00

July flew by – Project Rhosneigr, of which I have been a committee member now for 3 years, had the official opening of the new seating area performed by the new chairman of Anglesey County Council, Cllr. Gwilym Jones. This is a small area of land above the boating pool, named Pwll Cwch. A grant was successfully acquired through Menter Môn, so that the sea wall has been strengthened and benches and a picnic area set up. This project of ours was due mainly to the vision and planning of our Chairman, Derek Brown with support from the rest of us on the committee. As you can see from the picture, an amazing view from Rhosneigr to Cymyran Bay is to be had from this point.

Another rewarding function happened this month, when I attended my eldest granddaughter’s graduation at Bangor University. Both mother and daughter received their cap and gown on the same day! In the evening, all the members of our immediate family joined up together for a celebratory evening meal at a local restaurant. It was a very happy and proud occasion for me.

On July 14th, it was my son Gorwel and Fiona’s 27th wedding anniversary! According to plan, we celebrated by going for an evening meal at the Galeri at Caernarfon and then on to an Art lecture at Fort Belan. It was a beautiful summer’s evening and the views from the fort were fantastic. We felt so close to Anglesey across the Menai Straits. Also Snowdonia was magnificent in the sunshine, but even better when we were leaving, as the moon was just appearing over the mountains.

The fort was built by Lord Newborough, who owned Glynllifon nearby. When I took a large party of U3A members on a visit to Fort Belan, they had such an interesting day. We were welcomed and shown around by Jean Blundell, the present owner, seem with me in the picture. She and her family have strived so hard to bring back the fort’s glory. Throughout the summer months, they arrange various classical concerts and residential art courses. There is plenty of accommodation to be had in the various sized of refurbished cottages. A website has been set up recently. www.fortbelan.co.uk

At the end of July, I visited the excavations that had been in progress for 3 weeks by Dave Hopewell. the Director of the dig and his team at Tai Cochion, Brynsiencyn. This was in the field next to the one that they excavated last July.
This, it seems is the first residential Roman site to be found in North Wales. All the others have been forts. The significance of this site is that it is opposite the Roman fort of Segontium in Caernarfon. Carbon dating some of the finds will give a true date for it, but it seems to be from the period when Segontium was being abandoned by Edward 1st,ie mid 3rd. centaury. The foundation of a large high status dwelling has been unearthed, with a veranda having been added on later around it. Amongst finds, dating from about 100 – 300 AD were the remains of a set of bronze age scales, a bronze fish broach and loads of other finds from the same period. Excavations have just come to an end now until next summer. There is a dig diary written by Tegid Williams of GAT – to view it, just google “tai cochion dig 2011”. Iwan Parry from GAT, seen in the picture, was my guide when I visited the site.

I also came across two brothers dressed as Roman soldiers, who are the sons of an old friend of mine, Robin Griffiths, the Headmaster of Bodorgan school.

I spent a very hot day at the Eisteddfod at Wrexham during the first week of August. Whilst I helped to man the U3A stall, my son Gorwel took Awen, my granddaughter around various activities for children on the field. In the picture she is in a coracle. This was used in Wales to fish on the rivers. She also had fun rolling inside a see- through balloon on water! I managed a couple of hours with them visiting the Technology and also the Art exhibitions. It was an extra pleasure meeting up with all kinds of old friends that one hadn’t seen for years. I didn’t have a chance to sit in the pavilion but on my days at home, I sat in front of the television most of the day watching the performances and the ceremonies!

I made lovely new friends with the other U3A members from Llandrindod who were volunteering with me on the stall - Patsy, Eileen and her husband John Lewis. In this picture also, is Llyr Huws Griffith, the North Wales Plaid regional AM at the Senedd.

June - mid July 2011

2011-07-13T14:24:00.000-07:00

I have a good excuse for being late with my blog entry this time! Alan and I went on a cruise around the Baltic Sea throughout the first half of June. We had been on a river cruise from St. Petersburg to Moscow about six years ago, but we particularly wanted to visit Tallinn in Estonia. Estonia is about one-third the size of England and includes 800 islands and twice as many lakes. It lies in the Gulf of Finland, some 50 miles from Helsinki and less than 500 miles from the Arctic Circle, as the crow flies. Luckily, the weather was sunny every day and we even a heat wave in Finland.
In Tallinn, there is a castle on top of a 150 ft hill, built as a defensive fortress in 1229. The picture is of Tall Hermann, a 150 foot tower, standing on the edge of a high ravine. The walls are 10 ft. thick and the top floors were even heated so that they could be used as a sanctuary in case of attack, while prisoners were kept in the dungeons at the lowest levels.

As Estonia is surrounded on all sides by different powers, it is only since August 1991 that it has gained its independence for the first time! In spite of huge apartments being built by the Russians to house their military there, they managed to make sure that their culture and language survived. Proof of this was seen this week with their beautifully dressed choir competing at our National music Festival at Llangollen. Countries from all over the world travel here during the first week of July each year

Our young guide told us about how their previous president, Arnold Ruutel, who was quite elderly, refused to speak only Estonian. However, as George Bush was coming on a visit, he agreed to learn a few pleasantry greetings in English like “How do you do”. As he stepped forward to shake George Bush’s hand, he said “How do you do, who are you”!

We were invited to a very nice evening at the Valley Hotel which Menter Mon had arranged, with Tudur Owen, our local popular comedian as entertainment. This event was to show Menter Môn’s appreciation to lots of us who have done voluntary work over the last few years in conjunction with the Anglesey Walking Festival. Over 1,500 people took part in the various organised walks, many of them from outside Wales. Not only do local people get to see and learn about our island, but also tourists, some arranging their holiday specifically to coincide with the festival. This festival contributes a lot to our tourism trade therefore. All of us sincerely hope, that in spite of the cut backs, funding can found to organise as usual the walking festival again next year.

Our local Welsh Literary Society had arranged a coach trip to Llangollen. We visited the Heritage Centre in the village and had lunch there. A lady gave us an excellent talk on the centre and then we were shown around the small museum they had on the first floor.
Alan and I were surprised to see the door knocker from the surgery of Hugh Owen Thomas, the orthopaedic surgery in Liverpool. He was descendant from the well- known family of gifted bonesetters from Anglesey. In the 18th century, a shipwreck occurred on the coast of Llanfairynghornwy. The only survivor was a young Spanish boy. He was taken in and adopted by a childless farming couple with the surname of Thomas, so he was given the same surname. It became obvious, that he had a gift for re-setting dislocated bones on animals. Then farmers in the area started coming to him for treatment. His descendants became renowned as orthopedic surgeons in Liverpool. Many from Anglesey would specifically ask to be referred to them for a consultation.

My cousin, Dr. Ken Roberts, has researched their history in depth, having been doing orthopedic consultations himself at Ysbyty Gwynedd before he retired as a G.P. He has a most created a most interesting presentation on their history, which he gives to various societies around Anglesey. The photograph is of me and Ken taken in near Corwen, by the site reputed to be Owain Glyndwr’s residence. This was another interesting history day I enjoyed.

I had a lovely surprise during this month. I had been e-mailing Arwel Evans, the Public Rights of Way Officer for Ynys Môn to ask him for a flat resting stone to be placed by the footpat on the Llanfaelog side of Llyn Maelog. I sent him a picture of the stone I’d like and a suggested site to place it on. Mrs. Rosemary Phillipedes, had already kindly given me her permission to have such a stone placed on her land. It was such a pleasant surprise therefore, to see such a stone having been placed where I’d suggested. Thank you Arwel!
Older people like me are encouraged to walk as much as we can, but we do need resting points. Thankfully, we can now sit and admire the beautiful view that is to be had across Llyn Maelog towards Rhosneigr.

MAY 2011

2011-06-01T13:13:00.001-07:00

Alan and I went along to Llynnon Mill during the fine weather we had at the beginning of the month. There are loads of websites to read about Llynnon Mill’s history. We have been there many times before, but this was an outing just to go to their café to indulge in their lovely homemade cakes and scones. The windmill looked magnificent and being such a fine day, we chose to eat outside in the picnic table area. You will never regret it should you chose to follow our suit, unless your on a diet!
Open: Easter until the end of September
The lady told me they serve food from 11am – 4.30pm ( closing 5pm)

This month, we also visited the Festival of Heritage Arts & Crafts at Beaumaris Castle. It was nice to meet up again with Anita Diamond from GAT and also, her assistant, Tegid. Last time Anita and I met, was at the Tai Cochion dig. This time she had brought along various replicas of historical items. As there was a cruise ship in port at Holyhead, there were lots of American visitors there. They were really fascinated with all the history related to them. However, I don’t seem to be enjoying drilling a hole into Tegid’s head with this medical tool!

In another corner of the castle, we came across Hero Melia with her mother Lady Alice Douglas. Hero played her own special harp donated to her when she was so successful on “Britain’s Got Talent” Having attended local schools, she is a fluent Welsh speaker and sang beautifully in both Welsh and English. I bought her CD at a very reasonable prize of £3!

Following on from the formal issues of our Antiquarian end of year AGM, we had a most informative talk by Arwel Jones ( originally from Rhosybol, Anglesey), who is now the Director of Public Services at the National Library of Wales at Aberystwyth. He drew our attention to the fact that the library is but a small part of the building now. It not only has books but a massive collection of maps, manuscripts, archives, pictures, photographs and electronic resources. In recent years they have had a circular metal theatre, called Y Drwm / The Drum, dropped down into an empty courtyard space. This again is not just used for theatre performances. I have had the pleasure of going there to listen to a harpist and also attending lectures and conferences.
You can easily access a wealth of information on their website. I decided to follow up the history of the first Welsh book printed in Wales in 1585 at Llandudno, after my visit to the museum there. I found its correct title was “Y Drych Cristianogawl” and that I could actually read each page of it on-line on their site.
http://www.llgc.org.uk/index.php?id=ydrychcristianogawl

Do visit their site www.llgc.org.uk but be warned, if like me, you’ll be fascinated for hours!
It seems the first Welsh book “ Yny Llyvyr hwn” was printed in London, before this in 1546.

It was The Anglesey Walking Festival this week and for the fifth year running by now, I met up with a group by Llyn Cerrig Bach. And also Jackie Lewis from Menter Môn, who organize the week. I was really disappointed to learn from Jackie, that Oriel Ynys Môn have missed out on getting the top-up funding needed towards the £4,500 I’d acquired for producing the six most significant replicas from the lake. I came up with the original concept of producing these two years ago. (please read earlier blog entries ) Jackie said, this was because their application wasn’t presented in time before the final closing date in March. By now, I’m having depressing visions that I shall be a buried artefact myself before these six replicas are finally completed!
In the pictures, you can see the group studying the magnificent replica of the gang chain in the boot of my car. This was given to Oriel Ynys Môn by Cardiff, shortly after the Oriel’s opening.

APRIL 2011

2011-05-08T13:15:00.001-07:00

The first good news entry is that happily, the local council have now placed two benches on the Maelog Lake stretch of road. This is after me embarrassingly sending them this picture of me! When you reach well passed your retirement age, you realise how necessary it is to have rest points like this if the older generation are to follow the advice, of keeping active by doing such things as walking.

Alan and I have enjoyed two visits this month with the U3A. First, we were blessed with a beautiful sunny afternoon at Caernarfon Castle. The historian Neil Johnston met us and told us some of its history. Initially, it was the site of the Welsh Prince Llywelyn the Great’s home during his lifetime (1173-1240). In 1282, Prince Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, his grandson, was killed by English soldiers in an ambush at Cilmeri, Powys. In 1283, King Edward 1 came to Conwy where he built the castle and then came on to Caernarfon. Here, he incorporated material from the nearby Roman fort of Segontium with other materials that were brought by boat to build himself a new castle.

Edward had travelled with the Crusaders as far Constantinople to fight. It is thought now that it was he that designed the castleby on his return, based on the ideas he had gathered whilst on his travels. He then installed James of St.George in charge of the building of it. In 1284, his son, Edward 2 was born here and was presented to the local people from the Eagle Tower as a native prince who couldn’t speak a word of English! In 1969, Prince Charles was invested here as the present Prince of Wales.

Our second U3A visit was to Theatre Clwyd. Each time we visit this theatre, we always enjoy a highly professional performance. This one was no exception, called “Journey’s End”. It was a deeply moving play depicting the endurance suffered by the soldiers whilst in the trenches during the First World War.

On one of the lovely days over Easter, Alan and I took Awen, my six year old granddaughter, for a walk along the Malltraeth Cob. We all took our binoculars with us to do a bit of bird spotting. This is where one of our eminent bird and wildlife artists, Charles Tunnicliffe, lived. ( 1901 – 1979 ). You can see his home, “Shorelands” on the opposite side of the River Cefni estuary in the picture.

He had an upstairs studio giving him a panoramic view through the window of the ebb and flow of the tidal waters. He used to find dead birds and take them to his studio to make intricate drawings of the wings, beaks feet etc. His illustrations have been used in at least 250 books, such as “Tarka the Otter” and Ladybird books eg. “What to look for in Spring”etc.. His work can be seen at Oriel Ynys Môn and the lecture room has been named in honour of him.

When we go on this walk, we always like to end up with tea and homemade cake in Jane and Norman’s
Café by the cob entrance – well signed on the roadside as you can see. They are open every day except Sunday, 11am – 5pm. They also cater for children’s parties, including making the cake and providing the party games. Learn more from their website, www.janenormanphillips.co.uk If you view the pictures of their cakes, you’ll soon be tempted!

Alan and I enjoyed an excellent day out to Llandudno on another day. He must be one of the few husbands not to be dragged into M&S or any other shop whilst there! This was because we intend taking our U3A there to visit to the Museum and the Senedd Buldings in Llandudno Junction at the end of May/ We therefore needed to do a pre-run.

The Museum is located on Gloddaeth Street, just off the top of Mostyn St.( the street with car parking down its centre). We were made extremely welcome by Mr.Richard Hughes, the curator, who explained about all the ground floor exhibitions personally to us. As he was also in charge of the desk, we went to view the first floor on our own. He has produced detailed text sheets on all the exhibitions. There are of course also information boards by each exhibition. One case contained pre-historic exhibits from Kendrick’s Cave, on the Great Orme. They included decorated beads made from deer and wild cattle teeth from the end of the Ice Age period. There were also some of the Bronze Age hoard of artefacts found in the Great Orme mines. In one cabinet, was quite a big piece of a 5,000 year old tree trunk found on Llandudno’s North Shore. These can still be found there during very low tides.

Upstairs, there is a fascinating display based on the secret printing press that the Catholics had in a cave on the Little Orme during the time of their persecution by Elizabeth 1. Here, they produced the first Welsh book printed in Wales – “ Y Drych Cristnogol” “ The Christian Mirror”. Its leader, Father William Davies, sadly was caught and taken to Beaumaris Goal to be hung, drawn and quartered!

The hologram of the Llyn Cerrig Bach plaque had just been taken down and is now on its way to Oriel Ynys Môn in readiness for its display there as from May 28th.

I’m afraid I could go on and on about all the interesting things we saw, but this would result in a very lengthy blog entry! I will just give the opening times. There is a small entrance charge, being it is not maintained by the council.

Easter – 31st October: Tues– Sat. and Bank Hols: 10.30 – 1.00 & 2.00 – 5.00 Sunday 2.15 – 5.00pm.
1st November – Easter: Tuesday – Saturday 1.30 – 4.30

After lunch in our favourite home-cook restaurant around the corner in Mostyn Street, we made our way Llandudno Junction to the Senedd building. Here, we met up as arranged with Shaun Holden, the Communications Officer and made most welcome once more. We finalised the necessary arrangements for our U3A group’s visit and then had a coffee in their very nice reception area called Y Bont (trans. The Bridge).

APRIL 14th

2011-04-13T13:04:00.000-07:00

When I referred in my blog yesterday, to my father sending iron artefacts down to Cardiff museum, I forgot to upload the images I’d taken of the thank you letters he received from Sir Cyril Fox.
I wanted you to notice how much the postage was for iron swords etc. in a wooden box! Goodness knows how much they would charge these days.

Letter images haven't appeared very well in the blog preview - it states - one shilling for postage! You can view them better on my website www.llyncerrigbach.co.uk

APRIL 2011

2011-04-12T14:09:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of April, Alan and I visited the National Museum in Cardiff once again as I needed extra pictures of some of the artefacts in storage for my presentation. Again we were made so welcome by the staff in the Archaeology department. Like many times before, we were met by Adam Gwilt, who took us through a maze of corridors to see how the artefacts are stored in special acid free foam. There again we met up with a familiar friend, Evan Chapman and later Tony Daly again in his studio. The artefacts are stored at an even temperature and in special acid free foam. The nitrogen in this foam deters any further deterioration. I was able to handle swords I’d last handled as a child of about 8 years old when my father brought them home before posting them to Cardiff in a wooden box.

Adam told me that it has been agreed to a notable amount of Llyn Cerrig Bach artefacts coming up to Oriel Ynys Môn in 2012. As I have recently instigated the publication of a book on Llyn Cerrig Bach, which I shall be contributing to, to be launched in May 2012, it was great that Adam confirmed that both things would come together at Oriel Môn at the same time. The idea of a book on Llyn Cerrig Bach came to me after seeing the format of the bi-lingual publication that Ian Jones of Oriel Môn, had produced on South Stack. This has plenty of pictures in it with not too much text. Ideal, I feel, for the general inquisitive reader who wants to learn about the history of our island. We already have a super academic tome written by Dr.Philip McDonald on the analysis of the various metal content of the artefacts. Also Frances Lynch has given detailed professional descriptions of the artefacts in her highly acclaimed book “Prehistoric Anglesey” I’m very pleased to say that Frances has agreed from the onset of my idea to put her expertise input into this publication.

At the beginning of April, Alan and I also went to listen to a talk on Patagonia at Oriel Ynys Môn. This was given by Clare Dudman ( nee Jenkins ) who is originally from Anglesey. She has written a part fictional novel based on an imaginary tale of a couple typical to the ones who emigrated to Patagonia on the Mimosa in 1865. The novel title is – A Place of Meadows and Tall Trees. There were a number of people like myself in the audience, who had been to Patagonia, some of them having lived there for a year or more. We all had fascinating chats together at the end of the evening, comparing our different experiences. I had stayed with families in two villages whilst there in 1995.Since this visit, I have found that I have developed a great empathy with this Welsh colony which was established in Argentina nearly 150 years ago. When I first arrived there, I was horrified by the bleakness of the landscape and the strong wind that blew dust everywhere. However, of all the countries I’ve visited, my stay in Patagonia was truly an amazing experience. I’d love to go back there, but sadly it is much too far for me to travel to now. The story of the hardships that the first settlers endured is heartbreaking to read about.
I have been able to return the hospitality I received in Patagonia by having two ladies staying with me here when their choir was on tour around Wales. Sonia could only speak Spanish and Menna spoke Welsh and Spanish. Neither, you will note, could speak English. Menna had to translate from one to the other, so that we could carry on a conversation! It is incredible how the Welsh language has survived this long and is now even on the increase amongst the young people there. This is a picture of me at the Welsh nursery school there in 1995.

During this month, a number of us from Anglesey / Ynys Môn U3A visited the National Library in Aberystwyth. I decided that I would apply for a Reader’s Card on-line before I went so that I could look at some material relating to the Welsh emigration to Patagonia. This is because I have to give a presentation to the Bangor U3A in November, so I need to brush up on my knowledge beforehand. Before going to the library, ias well as registering for a Reader’s Card it is also very important to search for the title of the documents you would like to see and record their documentation number. You must then hand over these details at the desk when you arrive, as it still takes over an hour to retrieve them from the various vaults. This is an example of one of the reference details I took with me.
“Dau o ddyddiaduron Llwyd ap Iwan a gadwodd ar ei deithiau aml dros y paith ac yn yr Andes ac yn disgrifio bywyd yn y Wladfa; 1888-9. NLW MS 7258-9C. C.”
These were two diaries of Llwyd ap Iwan relating his travels in the Andes in 1888-89. He was murdered by hostile Indians soon after his last entry. It should be noted that there were also peaceful Indian tribes who lived happily alongside the Welsh settlers and they each respected one another. They loved the bread baked by the Welsh and would trade a wild horse in exchange for a loaf! It was quite emotional to be able to hold and read these two exercise book diaries, knowing what had happened to Llwyd ap Iwan had actually handled them.

Last week, I again had the pleasure of visiting Amlwch Primary School to relate the story about the Llyn Cerrig Bach find. All the children from the junior classes had gathered in the hall and showed a keen interest, especially in the gang chain replica and the plaque copy that Alan has made.

Finally, this Thursday night, I’m looking forward to watching Neil Oliver’s programme on “The History of Celtic Britain.” The programme last week showed him standing by the Llyn Cerrig Bach artefacts cabinet at the National Museum in Cardiff talking about the Llyn Fawr cauldron. This week he will be showing and discussing the gang chain from Llyn Cerrig Bach.

MARCH 2011

2011-03-31T10:34:00.000-07:00

The weather has been fantastic allowing me to go on various walks in my area. My favourite is Barclodiad y Gawres, which is only down the road from my home. I like to take in the 360ᴼ panoramic view around me when on the top – scanning the Snowdonia range all the way down to Bardsey Island and then in the opposite direction, along the coast towards Holyhead Mountain. This picture of Awen, my granddaughter however, was taken on a windy day last October.

Barclodiad y Gawres is the remains of a decorated passage grave from about 2,500 BC. Its Welsh name means “the giantess’ apron” – the legend describes a giantess flying over from Ireland and dropping her apronful of stones here! I rather think it must have been a witch giantess, as the remains of what one associates with witches cauldron were excavated on the site, such as the remains of a toad, eel, shrew, mouse, grass snake and a hare. You can find all about the site on the web. Like in the picture I took, you can peer into the inner chamber through the locked bar gate. However, If you wish to go inside the inner chamber, you will have to do a prior booking by phoning the Wayside Stores ( 01407 810153 ). They hold the key and will meet you there during any of these allocated opening times:
APRIL – OCTOBER, SAT & SUN 12pm – 4pm + BANK HOLIDAYS.

A letter appeared in the local Anglesey Mail this month, the person demanding that the National Museum should return all the Llyn Cerrig Bach artefacts back to Anglesey. There are two sides to every story, as they say, and I felt I should make my view known in a reply letter, for which I received only positive feedback. This is what I wrote:

“As a retired teacher and the daughter of William Roberts, whose decision to dredge Llyn Cerrig Bach resulted in the discovery the artefacts, I wish comment on two articles in last week’s Mail.

Over the years, I have been in discussion with various curators at the National Museum in Cardiff, regarding returning some of the Llyn Cerrig Bach artefacts. It has become clear to me, that they will never be in a position to be able to return the main original items. Along the years, these have always been on display in permanent exhibitions in our National Museum, as they are at present. This is because they have by now become world famous in the field of archaeology, with visitors, not only from the UK, but all over the globe coming to view them. We have been able to have a number of artefacts back on loan over the years, but like in the National Museum, they had to be viewed in humidity controlled glass cabinets. I myself have put on permanent display in Oriel Ynys Môn, three Llyn Cerrig Bach artefacts that were donated to my father and these have to be displayed as such, for their preservation.

I have spent many years presenting their story to schools and adult groups. About three years ago, I realised that the best asset for explaining the Llyn Cerrig Bach heritage on Anglesey, would be to have excellent replicas made of the main items from the hoard. This is because replicas can be handled and examined, rather than being observed as originals in a glass cabinet. The National Museum in Cardiff gave Oriel Ynys Môn, shortly after its opening, a replica of the famous gang chain, which it still has. I have taken this amazing chain to all my presentations and this has always been the highlight of the event. (pictures prove this on my blog). I could not have done this with originals. I have managed to raise over £4,000 towards the production of more quality replicas. This money has been handed over to Oriel Ynys Môn. Pat West, the Principal, assures me that their production will be starting soon this year. I agree entirely with her article in your paper, that the island’s heritage needs to be presented in a realistic way. I shall be thrilled when these valuable replicas are made.

There is a hologram of the crescentic plaque due to come on tour to Oriel Ynys Môn from Llandudno museum in May. It seems already viewers are having difficulty in recognising the original from this 3D hologram because of the excellent modern production techniques available today. Sean Harris has made fascinating animated films with computer graphics, with various Anglesey school children contributing to the production. This depicts the story of Llyn Cerrig Bach and also other famous sites on Anglesey.

I visited the Tutunkhamun exhibition in Manchester this month. Here again the replicas were as good as the originals and much more accessible. Tourists from everywhere flocked to see them even though they were replicas.

As you can see, a lot of us have been working really hard for many years, transferring the story about the Llyn Cerrig Bach artefacts to adults and children alike.”

Those of you, who have followed my blog, will know that I have been campaigning for years by now to have such replicas produced.

Last week, I had a special treat of giving my talk to a group of people who have succeeded in becoming fluent Welsh speakers. Brenda Wyn Jones, their tutor deserves such praise, as she is so dedicated and successful in her work. Andrew, in the front row, is holding a copy to the exact dimensions of the crescentic plaque, which Alan, my husband, has made until we get the real replica produced in bronze.
After the talk, we were invited by Tecwyn, Brenda’s husband to view his studio. Here he has made beautiful sculptures based on the Mabinogion, the Welsh Medieval tales. The biggest pleasure I had though, was to be shown an etching depiction he had produced of Llyn Cerrig Bach, which you see here. He insists it still needs improving on and is going to give me a signed copy of the final etching.

FEBRUARY 2011

2011-03-13T09:56:00.000-07:00

February has passed in a whirl of activities so my apologies again for missing a month’s entries!
I was invited by a group of ladies in Valley to give my presentation on Llyn Cerrig Bach. They were very interested in the subject, as the lake is right on their doorstep. They particularly enjoyed handling the replica of the Gang Chain, as you can see from the picture.
Having had to hand over to the Oriel, over a year ago, the funding I’d collected for producing more replicas, I am still anxiously waiting for the good news that perhaps some of them have finally been made. It will be a great thrill for me when this happens, as I know from visiting various schools, how much the children like to examine replicas, rather than seeing an untouchable original.

I became very concerned when I saw that the roadside wall in front of the Pencarnisiog commemorative standing stone had collapsed. This is known locally in Welsh as Maen Hir. I contacted our Cadw warden for this area and she came over immediately. However, since its on private land she can only express our concern to the landowner. Hopefully, he will get the wall rebuilt as soon as possible. This is a very important stone as there is a Roman style inscription on it to Cunugusus – CYNGVSIHICIACIT. This is from where the name of the village Pencarnisiog derives.

I had a very interesting visit from Mark, a mature student at Bangor University. He is on his final year and doing research into comparing votive offerings into such watery places as Llyn Cerrig Bach. He was very interested in some seismic maps I had been given by Dr. Phillip McDonald when he was a research student at Cardiff in 1995. I e-mailed Philip, who is now a lecturer at Belfast University, and he kindly gave me permission to forward copies to Mark. I am looking forward now to reading his final paper.
Like many others, Mark expressed his appreciation of being told so many personal background facts that I’d researched and been told by my father about Llyn Cerrig Bach.
I have decided, therefore, that I should take the step forward into filming a DVD of my lecture presentation. When I become too decrepit to voice the lecture, or even when I’ve popped my clogs, at least this information won’t be lost!

Rhys Mwyn, who writes an article each Wednesday in the Welsh Herald section of the Daily Post, asked if he could visit me. He wanted to write a column about what I knew about Llyn Cerrig Bach. We visited the lake and had a long chat. I was very interested when he showed me excellent replicas of Bronze Age tools that Dave Chapman had made in his foundry in the Conwy valley.

A fortnight ago, my husband and I visited the Tutankhamun Replicas exhibition at Manchester. Because of so many visitors in the museum when we visited Cairo, we had failed to get in to see the originals. However, the replicas were as good as the real things and so easy to observe at close quarters. I’m sure we gained much more experience from this visit than we would have had in Cairo looking over other peoples’ shoulders and being made to move along all the time. Here, we were able to browse and take as many pictures as we liked. I was fascinated with the tomb chariot, noticing especially that there was a plaque similar to the Llyn Cerrig Bach one, attached to its shaft, as you can see in the picture I took. I couldn’t help noticing also other similarities with the chariot’s form and its wheel hub. All these things in spite of it being made in Egypt over a thousand years before the chariot parts found in Llyn Cerrig Bach.

2011 - JANUARY 6th

2011-01-06T12:06:00.000-08:00

Blwyddyn Newydd dda i chi gyd – Good New Year to you all.
What snow we experienced here on Anglesey,. Our back garden was like a scene from fairyland and so beautifully quiet.

One present I had for Christmas was the wonderful detailed illustration of the votive scene as depicted by Tony Daly, which my husband had framed for me. This brought happy memories back of our visit to his studio at the National Museum in Cardiff.

As it is copyrighted, I'm afraid you will have to view it at my Powerpoint presentations only!

Dominic, a family member, agreed to write an account for me about his experiences at the Bryn Gwyn site, Brynsiencyn in December. (Dom is on the extreme left of the picture).

“George Smith from the Gwynedd Archaeological Trust and a team of volunteers has returned to carry out further excavations at the Brynsiencyn site Bryn Gwyn. The Bryn Gwyn site is famous for having two standing stones standing within a field boundary wall which may have been part of a henge monument erected in the late Neolithic period around four thousand years ago.
The first excavation carried out in 2008 was to establish if indeed the standing stones were part of a ringed henge monument and to try and locate any potential existing stone holes that maybe lying beneath the surface. The site turned out to be very interesting as two remaining stumps of what were clearly at one time standing stones, one being on a circular alignment, were clearly found, with evidence of deliberate removal.
In December 2010 the object of the dig was to try and find the remaining stone sockets or robbed out pits, to try to establish how many stones had originally stood at this site. There are old accounts from visiting antiquarians to Anglesey, which saw at least four stones standing and estimated that there may have been at least eight or nine stones standing in its original state.
One of the stone stumps that had been partially excavated in 2008, was opened up to reveal more of the stone and try to establish how far down it went. Also to try and find any datable evidence for its construction. What was interesting was, this stone was on a completely different alignment to the other remaining stones. It was made of limestone and seemed to be on an alignment with the mid winter solstice sunset and also with the entrance of the Castell Bryn Gwyn site in the adjacent field. There were some pieces of worked flint found at the site and evidence of burning and charcoal around some of the potential stone locations.
The last interesting point is that the two remaining standing stones you can see today are of completely different shapes. One stone being of a lozenge or diamond shape and the other has a pointed thin form. Even more interesting is that what we seem to have established is that each stone that originally stood seemed to alternate between lozenge and point forms. This I clearly saw in another location which I visited recently, around a very historical and well documented site at West Kennet Avenue leading to the Henge monument at Avebury in Wiltshire. There, the avenue of standing stones are lozenge and pointed and have been deliberately erected to be opposite to each other as the avenue climbs to the main henge monument. It has also been suggested that this maybe a representation of male and female. Further excavation will be carried out at the site in the near future.”

I enjoy reading Rhys Mwyn’s archaeological articles in the Welsh Herald enclosed in the Daily Post each week. This week he mentions the Megalithic Anglesey DVD which we both took part in. This has been unavailable for some time but according to Rhys, can now be had through www.telegtv.com as can also the one on Parys Mountain.

It was my eldest granddaughter Shula’s 21st. birthday two days ago. Here she is with me and her cousins Awen Hâf and Elin Sian.

Sorry, I seemed to have managed somehow to set it all on the left and have no one here to correct it for me! I dare not try it myself incase I delete it all1

NOVEMBER 2010

2010-11-25T10:21:00.000-08:00

What a big lapse of time!
Most of August, I spent taking my six year old granddaughter, Awen, on various visits to interesting Anglesey sites. This is one I took of her by Tŷ Newydd Cromlech, Llanfaelog.

To my disappointment, things have really been on a back burner as far as producing the replicas. This is due to the fact that The Friends of The Oriel decided to fold up. All the funding that I’d collected under their title was then passed on to the Oriel itself.

Pat West, the Principal, has put it in an account called Llyn Cerrig Bach and thankfully has ring fenced it. However, Pat is a busy person and finds it very hard to slot time to get the replicas made. She has promised that come the new year she will get their production in motion.
Our diving friends from the States came over in September. They phoned me to say that their time was so limited, that they wouldn’t be diving in Llyn Cerrig Bach this year. They had been called to an important meeting in London with the National Geographical Society.

Alan and I paid our usual visit to the National museum whilst in Cardiff. We were given such a warm and enthusiastic welcome by three of the most prominent staff in the archaeology department, namely Adam Gwilt, Curator - Later Prehistory, Mark Lodwick, Portable Antiquities Finds Co-ordinator and Tony Daly, Archaeology Department Illustrator. We spent a good hour together discussing various queries on aspects I needed guidance on regarding my present involvement with Llyn Cerrig Bach.

Tony Daly then invited Alan and myself to his graphics studio and showed us various techniques he used to produce his illustrations. Alan, being an artist in his leisure time, was enthralled with it all. Before I left, he presented me with a complete set of the drawings he made of Llyn Cerrig Bach artefacts ( A2 sheets ). He also gave me a copy on my memory stick of his depiction of a votive ceremony taking place on the banks of Llyn Cerrig Bach,for me to include in my future Powerpoint presentations. (This has gradually climbed to 105 slides by now. Thankfully, I have a shorter version for schools!)

Another good friend, Ken Brassil, the museum Education Officer then appeared with a group of school children. He is a font of knowledge on the history of Llyn Cerrig Bach and I have been observing him working with various Anglesey schools, as you will note from my previous blog entries. He also appears on the DVD “Megalithic Anglesey” explaining the significance of the find, whilst leaning on a cabinet full of artefacts from the lake. These are on display at the Origins exhibition in the museum.

( Forgive the large text and left aligment. I failed completely to locate any Font or Centre icon this time sorry!)

JULY 2010

2010-07-24T08:44:00.000-07:00

Just before our U3A summer recession we went on a visit to Parys mountain, Amlwch. Our guide for the day was Alan Kelly, a good friend of mine since a few years now. It was great meeting up again, although we’ve been keeping in touch frequently by e-mail. Alan gave us an interesting insight into the history of Parys mountain followed by a visit to Amlwch Port Heritage Centre. Everyone enjoyed the humorous anecdotes that Alan introduced frequently to enhance the facts. As you can see from the picture we share the same sense of humour.

Our final visit was up Snowdon by train. The visibility was excellent at the summit and everyone admired the new café, Hafod Eryri. It really has blended well into the surrounding vista. It reminded me very much of the one I’d been to at Cape Point in South Africa during the time I stayed with my cousin Eric. The view is of the famous Crib Goch and with my friend Shirley on the summit.

For the last three weeks there has been an exciting archaeological excavation been happening on Anglesey, led by Dave Hopewell and George Smith from GAT. An earlier geophysical survey made revealed an extensive Roman settlement on Tai Cochion land near the Menai Straits. This would probably have had connection with the Roman Fort of Segontium over by Caernarfon. A team of volunteers, including my son in law Dominic helped each day. Boundary walls and a ditch were excavated Amongst the finds they unearthed were coins, and an accumulation of different parts of pottery, including a dated one from AD 140 – 160. Also various animal bones and part of a Roman broach. A filming crew from S4C came on site to make a documentary which will be shown in the Autumn.

On their final day last Saturday, they held a public open day. Alan and myself took my cousin Ken with us. ( Dr.Ken ) He is a very highly respected local historian and having been an orthopaedic consultant, is able to identify any bones brought up on various sites over the years. It was very pleasing to see such a large attendance of interested people in our history and heritage.

View also Tai Cochion dig blog

JUNE 2010

2010-06-04T14:32:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday, I was invited to give my presentation on Llyn Cerrig Bach to the members of the Holyhead Probus. I had a great welcome being the only woman amongst 35 men. Some of them were friends which I had not met since our time in Holyhead Grammer school 60 years ago! So there was a lot of hugging and kissing going on! My only disappointment was that my cousin, Dr.Ken wasn’t able to attend, due to a bout of ill-health. He had been looking forward to introducing me officially before the talk. He had asked me to show first a photo of us both on Rhosneigr beach when we were about two years old!

The Anglesey Walking Festival started on May 29th. and I was Walk 21.I have agreed to do this for Menter Môn for five consecutive years by now.. It was arranged that I met the walkers first by Llyn Cerrig Bach to give them an insight into the history of how my father came to a decision to dredge the lakes and bogs around Llyn Cerrig Bach in 1943, resulting in the incredible find of the Iron age artefacts. The picture has been taken of them admiring the replica gang chain in the boot of my car It is much too heavy to handle, especially for children. This is why I want to have a lighter one produced, along with five other replicas.

We then continued the walk into the RSPB reserve with Ian Simms, the warden. We were all able to observe a great variety of birds through Ian’s strong telescopic lenses. The weather was absolutely glorious.

2010-05-12T12:26:00.000-07:00

Managed to click the wrong key again before I'd finished!

It is lovely coming back home to Anglesey although its very cold. However, it has been so sunny that I have spent a lot of time walking my daughter’s dogs around the nearby Llyn Maelog.

The Anglesey Walking Festival starts on May 29th. and I shall be giving a talk on site at Llyn Cerrig Bach (NGR SH / 303765 ) about the Iron Age artefacts found there. Car park grid ref. NGR SH 312 763. Maybe I shall see some of you there?

2010-05-12T12:11:00.001-07:00

Another lapse of entry! This is due to the fact that lucky me has been with Alan, my husband, on a three week Classical Music Festival cruise along the Med.and the Adriatic. Richard Baker introduced all the concerts and surprisingly to all, sang and played the piano. He had a wonderful sense of humour. We were blessed with lovely sunshine every day and also to spend two full days in Venice.

I noticed in the Daily Post that the hologram which I knew was being produced, has been completed and on display at Llangollen Museum. It is a travelling exhibition and will make its way Oriel Môn in due course.

The imaging technique was developed by Professor Hans Bjelkhagan of Glyndwr University in Wrexham. Prof Bjelkhagan has been working on the new technique for
15 years and said Wales was the first country in the world to use this technology.
He states - "We freeze the light as it comes from the object, so we actually capture the light coming from the object which can then regenerate the object as if it was still there”. The technique uses three lasers, in red, blue and green, which are then combined into one white light.

Oriel Ynys Môn - Tomb Builders 4,000 - 3,000BC

2010-03-27T13:24:00.000-07:00

Following our visit to Ysgol y Graig in the morning, for our afternoon session, I had organised a visit for the group to Oriel Ynys Môn. This was in order for them to have the opportunity to view the special exhibition that was on tour from The National Museum in Cardiff called “The Tomb Builders of Wales 4,000 – 3,000 BC”

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I had invited Mr. George Smith from the Gwynedd Archaeological Trust to give us the introductory talk. Pat West, the Oriel’s Principal, made an appeal to our age group for any memorabilia or written memories they could provide about their life on Anglesey during the Second World War years. These will be included in the Oriel’s next exhibition “Anglesey 1939 -1945 “ that begins on July 3rd.

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In one corner of the History Gallery are the original artefacts that I have loaned to the Oriel for its lifetime. These had been given originally by my father to the Wigwam Museum in Rhosneigr and then returned to the family when Miss Manning, the curator died. For many years they laid in a biscuit tin at the bottom of my wardrobe before I realised their significance!

2010-03-26T15:34:00.000-07:00

I have been a member of the Anglesey Ynys Môn U3A 9 University of the Third Age ) for the last 14 years. This is a society for retired people who wish to keep learning for pleasure. During that period I have given numerous presentations and also organised visits to interesting sites. By now, I hardly think that there isn’t a mansion house on Anglesey that we haven’t visited, also historical churches, archaeological sites and small businesses on our island.

Today’s visit was to a completely different venue. We visited a newly built primary school in Llangefni. Ysgol y Graig is an entirely eco-friendly school.

The school has been built from sustainable timber and local stone. It includes a host of energy saving features, including solar photovoltaic roof tiles, a wind turbine and a green seeded roof, which provides a natural habitat for plants and insects.

The architects also designed the school with skylights that flood the classrooms and corridors
with daylight, cutting lighting bills. They also specified super-thick, highly insulated exterior
walls, solid wood window frames and thick window glass to reduce heat loss.

All internal lighting is provided by movement activated energy-efficient lamps. It is estimated that the power generated by the photovoltaic roof tiles and the wind turbine will reduce the school's power requirement by approx. 45%, based on average consumption. All excess energy produced during school closure days is directed to the National Grid, which they in turn pay the school for, thus generating funds.
Also all the latest technological equipment has been implemented thus creating a model school of the future. Throughout their time in school, pupils to learn to understand how their environment is being regulated by eco-friendly materials, and solar powered lighting, heating and ventilation. Their understanding of this knowledge, they will take with them into their adulthood.

I had thirty U3A members in all who attended and we were warmly welcomed by the acting Head, Mrs Eiriannwen Williams. Mr. Owain Gwilym, the Deputy Head then showed us an explanatory presentation about the school and answered the many enquiring questions from a captive audience.

March 22nd. 2010

2010-03-22T15:36:00.000-07:00

I was invited to visit Morswyn Primary School in Holyhead on the 8^th.of this month to give a talk on Llyn Cerrig Bach to the older children. This is a Welsh medium school. Luckily, when I was invited to Bethesda Historical Society last year, I had prepared my Powerpoint in Welsh then, as time was a premium this month for me.

The children were studying the Celts and had produced a variety of excellent project books. They asked well-prepared sensible questions in an orderly manner. It was really a pleasure for me to be back again in a school environment. Naturally, they enjoyed handling the large replica gang chain which I had borrowed from Oriel Ynys Môn.

Sadly, I won’t have the access to this for very long again, as it is needed for a permanent display that is to be set up in the History Gallery alongside the three original artefacts which have been on loan to the Oriel from me for the last fifteen years. Hopefully, very soon, the replica of the lighter gang chain will have been produced for transit educational purposes by then.

Here is a picture of me examining the lighter gang chain with Evan Chapman in the research lab. of the National Museum Cardiff last summer.

FEBRUARY 2010

2010-03-21T12:08:00.000-07:00

Here I am again, writing for February, having missed a month !

During February, I decided to put into print, the story of my life and got as far as the age of 22. This is mainly for the benefit of my children and grandchildren so that they can have an insight into how it was when I was I was growing up during the war. It has been quite time consuming, but the family are very appreciative of what I have achieved. I have tried to include photographs on each page and a few anecdotes here and there. I also went to our local Archive office in Llangefni and gleaned a wealth of info. from Rhosneigr Primary School Log book, where I was a pupil.

It has certainly been a worthwhile activity to get engrossed in during the very cold weather. I was lucky not to have to go out and battle the elements like the younger generations in my family –one of the many benefits of being retired!

This is a picture of my cousin, Ken and myself, with out Aunty Vera and Susie, the dog, at our grandparents' house, Cae Gwyn, Llanfaelog around 1938. I hope I didn't managed to strangle the cat whilst I was so engrossed in what Ken was studing!

Rhosneigr Primary School 1947.

We were well trained in those days - feet and arms crossed front row, other rows, hands behind your backs, including the Headmaster Mr.Ifor.H.Roberts!

I am centre front, with Cassie, my best friend in childhood to the left.

( each row – read left to right, starting at the top )

Idwal Parry, Gwyfa. Llanfaelog. Gordon Owen, Galtymor, Rehoboth. Raymond Morris, The Bungalow, Llanfaelog. Henry Roberts, Crossing.

Hywel Williams, Trewyn Bach. Griffith Roberts, Station House. Tommy Rowlands,

Ynys Fôr, High St. Rhosneigr.

David Owen, Bodelwa. Tŷ Croes. Iola Price, Hafodol. Pat Pritchard. Hillcrest. Marie Burgess, Dune Edge Warren Rd. Dilys Creely, Lucerne, Station Rd. Enid Rees, Penmorfa. John Jenkins, Crafnant – all from Rhosneigr

Glenys Morris, Bronallt. Mair Lewis, Tŷ Mawr. Cassie Thomas, 10 Rehoboth Terrace.

Evelyn Roberts, 5 Rehoboth Terrace, Beryl Williams, Rockfield, Rehoboth. Ann Owen, Bodelwa. Betty Parry, Gwyfa. – all from Llanfaelog area.

A year ago, I did produce a similar folder for Rhosneigr Primary School's centenary, about my childhood during the war. Rhosneigr school has been given a copy as has The Holyhead Maritime Museum for their Air Raid Shelter, also Oriel Ynys Môn. My copy will be on display and for perusal in Oriel Ynys Môn at their next exhibition, from 3 July - 24 Decemberunder the title of " Anglesey 1939 -1945.

As you can see, I've been much to busy printing all these, so haven't had time to write a blog also - excuse again!.

P.S January 2010

2010-01-24T12:17:00.000-08:00

Forgot to mention, last week I had a visit from Graham and Pauline to say that Deeptrek will be returning to Llyn Cerrig Bach in March, bringing with them more sophisticated diving equipment.
I shall be looking forward to meeting them again at the lake and spending time observing once more.

Managed to buy an Interim Report 1945 edition on Llyn Cerrig Bach, signed by Sir Cyril Fox for £9 on e-bay!

January 2010

2010-01-24T09:47:00.000-08:00

This week the press jumped on the fact that someone had said that Anglesey wanted all the Llyn Cerrig Bach artefacts back permanently in Oriel Ynys Môn from the National Museum in Cardiff. Their reasoning for this was because an expansive gallery, with the required safety and humidity conditions, had been built there for the Kyffin Williams Art collection.

I was approached by both press and the Welsh radio, as to whether I agreed with this statement. I explained that having worked closely for years with Oriel Mon principal and the staff of the Archaeology department at the National Museum, I am aware of how the items needed to be on display at our National Museum as people even from around the world.

However, I am fully in support in having part of the collection sent here on display, as they have done so over a number of years. Alun Gruffydd and myself negotiated for a large display to come up for the millennium. It is now up to the present principal to organise a display to fit in with her planned programme. I have suggested for a number of years that it would be a good idea in having displays perhaps on a rotation basis.

The most important endeavour for me at the moment, is to get the remaining funding required to produce the handling collection of the main items of the artefacts. They would be so beneficial for Ynys Môn school children. I have already been promised personally 50% of the necessary £7,600 and have an application under consideration by Medrwn Môn for the other half. I await their decision daily! When I finally have the money, then Pat West, the present Oriel Principal and I will work together to make sure that everything is produced to the highest standard. There will be an information pack produced to accompany the replicas.

2010-01-02T12:02:00.000-08:00

Blwyddyn Newydd Dda i chi i gyd
Happy New year to you all.

During the months before Christmas, I've been striving hard to raise funding in order to produce replicas of the most significant items in the Llyn Cerrig Bach collrction. Having again been to another school and out in the community giving talks on the finds, I have become really passionate about providing replicas that both children and adults can handle for examination.
Having already had positive replies to my request for donations, I found myself in a position to apply for the remainder of the funding to the Heritage Lottery Fund.
This involved getting quotes that matched in content from three different sculptors, six letters of support and an explanation from myself why I thought it was a viable project. There were also numerous pages to fill in on the application form.

Having thought that they would be taking into consideration all the various work and research I'd been involved with, especially with the schools, I was then told that they would count for nothing and that I would have to start a project plan of the work I intended doing in the forseeable future. This meant filling in various planning columns etc. I realised this was going to be a long term plan over at least one year if not more.

Thankfully, I have found that I can apply for another funding locally, who do take all my previous projects into consideration.

This meant filling in a different application form, not as long as the Heritage one and all the other paperwork I'd collected applied to this one the same. I managed to get it all finished on Dec.16th. just before the closing date and had it delivered by hand just incase with the Christmas post.

You can appreciate therefore why I've had no time to do any blogging recently, especially with writing all my Christmas cards as well!

My New Year resolution is to try and blog more often therefore.

2oth. October 2009

2009-10-20T03:21:00.000-07:00

Have been busy sending begging letters out to local companies to try to get funding support. Had an interview with the Anglesey Head of Life long learning who has promised me £750. He also advised me to apply to Your Heritage Lottery Funding as I had an excellent chance of support. Downloaded their application form - 24 pages! I have also got to send three quotes and six letters which explain why they support my project. Lots of work to do therefore!

Received a CD in the post today from Graham and Pauline Wright with all the pictures they had taken of the two day dive event by Llyn Cerrig Bach last month. Here are two of them.

23rd September 2009

2009-10-18T08:57:00.001-07:00

Following a most interesting day spent with the divers at the lake on Tuesday, I went back again on Wednesday to observe them.

According to the graph, that they had produced from the previous day's soundings, they dropped three marker bouys in the water. They dived to these. Nothing was found at the first two but a length of very bent metal was retrieved from the third point. To me it did not look similar to the 2,000 yr.old ones I had handled but it was highly encrusted though. They would be taking it to Liverpool to be examined , cleaned and catalogued. Jay Usher, the leader was adamant that anything they found would be returned to Anglesey.

22nd September 2009

2009-10-18T08:52:00.000-07:00

Spent a most interesting day with the divers at the lake today. They did a sonic graph of the lake by going backwards and forwards in a dingy across the lake in order to produce a graph showing any soundings.

Had a picture tken with the group.

Fund Raising

2009-10-18T08:49:00.000-07:00

I am trying to raise funds in order to produce replicas of six of the most significant artefacts from Llyn Cerrig Bach. This is because their history is now included in the schools national curriculum. Because I have first hand experience of having handled most of the artefacts with my father, I am called upon frequently to give presentations in schools. I am also invited to give talks to various societies. Due to this the idea came to me to do this project.

21st September 2009

2009-10-18T08:47:00.000-07:00

Have been involved with the older children at Ysgol y Tywyn, Llanfihangel- yn Nhowyn, ( next to RAF Valley where Llyn Cerrig Bach is sited ). As usual, Oriel Ynys Môn kindly lent me the replica of one of the gang chains. This was produced by The National Museum in Cardiff about 20 years ago. It is very heavy indeed and I have to wheel it in a box on a trolley. It is well worth it though, as it turns out to be the highlight of my visit when the children are allowed to handle it.

Each child produced an excellent project book on the story of Llyn Cerrig Bach and also paper mache models of their favourite artefact. It is a shame that Anglesey School children can't have more replicas of their heritage to handle.

Eflyn Owen Jones

2009-10-18T08:40:00.000-07:00

Hello viewers,

I am Eflyn, the daughter of William Owen Roberts, the finder of Llyn Cerrig Bach artefacts on RAF airfield, Anglesey in 1943.

To view the whole story, you will need to access my website http://www.llyncerrigbach.co.uk/

As you can see, I'm just getting the hang of this blogging world, so you will need to view my first entries according to the title dates. Thanks.