Anglesey Coastal Path, Coastal Path
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Anglesey ( ; ) is an island off the north-west coast of
Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
. It forms the bulk of the
county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...
known as the Isle of Anglesey, which also includes Holy Island () and some islets and
skerries A skerry is a small rocky island, usually defined to be too small for habitation. Skerry, skerries, or The Skerries may also refer to: Geography Northern Ireland *Skerries, County Armagh, a List of townlands in County Armagh#S, townland in Coun ...
. The county borders
Gwynedd Gwynedd () is a county in the north-west of Wales. It borders Anglesey across the Menai Strait to the north, Conwy, Denbighshire, and Powys to the east, Ceredigion over the Dyfi estuary to the south, and the Irish Sea to the west. The ci ...
across the
Menai Strait The Menai Strait () is a strait which separates the island of Anglesey from Gwynedd, on the mainland of Wales. It is situated between Caernarfon Bay in the south-west and Conwy Bay in the north-east, which are both inlets of the Irish Sea. The s ...
to the southeast, and is otherwise surrounded by the
Irish Sea The Irish Sea is a body of water that separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is linked to the Celtic Sea in the south by St George's Channel and to the Inner Seas off the West Coast of Scotland in the north by the North Ch ...
.
Holyhead Holyhead (; , "Cybi's fort") is a historic port town, and is the list of Anglesey towns by population, largest town and a Community (Wales), community in the county of Isle of Anglesey, Wales. Holyhead is on Holy Island, Anglesey, Holy Island ...
is the largest town, and the administrative centre is
Llangefni ; ) is the county town of Anglesey in Wales. At the 2011 census, Llangefni's population was 5,116, making it the second-largest town in the county and the largest on the island. The community includes the village of Rhosmeirch. Location The ...
. The county is part of the
preserved county Preservation may refer to: Heritage and conservation * Preservation (library and archival science), activities aimed at prolonging the life of a record while making as few changes as possible * ''Preservation'' (magazine), published by the Nat ...
of Gwynedd. Anglesey is the northernmost county in Wales. The Isle of Anglesey has an area of and a population of in . After Holyhead (12,103), the largest settlements are Llangefni (5,500) and
Amlwch Amlwch () is a port town and community (Wales), community in Wales. It is situated on the north coast of the Anglesey, Isle of Anglesey, on the A5025 road, A5025 which connects it to Holyhead and to Menai Bridge. As well as Amlwch town and Am ...
(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 Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
, Ireland. The county has 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 , is the largest in Wales and the
Irish Sea The Irish Sea is a body of water that separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is linked to the Celtic Sea in the south by St George's Channel and to the Inner Seas off the West Coast of Scotland in the north by the North Ch ...
, 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; the interior is gently undulating. In the north of the island is
Llyn Alaw Llyn Alaw (meaning: ''Lily Lake'') is a man-made reservoir on Anglesey, North Wales managed by Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water. It is a shallow lake and was built in 1966. It is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a destination for overwintering b ...
, a reservoir with an area of . 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 South Stack () is an island situated just off Holy Island on the northwest coast of Anglesey, Wales. Geology South Stack is an island known as a sea stack. It was formed by the wave erosion of sedimentary rocks that once connected the isla ...
and Puffin Island, are home to seabird colonies. Large parts of the county's coastline have been designated an
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB; , AHNE) is one of 46 areas of countryside in England, Wales, or Northern Ireland that has been designated for conservation due to its significant landscape value. Since 2023, the areas in England an ...
. The county has many prehistoric monuments, such as
Bryn Celli Ddu Bryn Celli Ddu () is a prehistoric site on the Wales, Welsh island of Anglesey located near Llanddaniel Fab. Its Welsh placenames, name means 'the mound in the dark grove'. It was archaeologically excavated between 1928 and 1929. Visitors can ge ...
burial chamber. In the Middle Ages the area was part of the
Kingdom of Gwynedd The Kingdom of Gwynedd (Medieval Latin: ; Middle Welsh: ) was a Wales in the Early Middle Ages, Welsh kingdom and a Roman Empire Succession of states, successor state that emerged in sub-Roman Britain in the 5th century during the Anglo-Saxon ...
and its cadet branch the
House of Aberffraw The House of Aberffraw was a medieval royal court based in the village it was named after, Aberffraw, Anglesey (Wales, UK) within the borders of the then Kingdom of Gwynedd. The dynasty was founded in the 9th century by a King in Wales whose de ...
who maintained courts () at
Aberffraw Aberffraw is a village and community (Wales), community on the south west coast of the Isle of Anglesey in Wales. The village is 9 miles from the island's county town, Llangefni, and is on the west bank of the Afon Ffraw (Ffraw River). The com ...
and
Rhosyr Rhosyr is a community in the far southern corner of Anglesey, Wales. It includes the villages of Dwyran and Newborough, Llangeinwen and Llangaffo. The community population taken at the 2011 census was 2,226. and includes Llanddwyn Island ...
. After
Edward I Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots (Latin: Malleus Scotorum), was King of England from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he was Lord of Ireland, and from 125 ...
's late 13th century
conquest Conquest involves the annexation or control of another entity's territory through war or Coercion (international relations), coercion. Historically, conquests occurred frequently in the international system, and there were limited normative or ...
of Gwynedd,
Beaumaris Castle Beaumaris Castle ( ; , ), in Beaumaris, Anglesey, Wales, was built as part of Edward I of England, Edward I's Conquest of Wales by Edward I of England, campaign to conquer north Wales after 1282. Plans were probably first made to construct t ...
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 The Menai Suspension Bridge ( or ) is a suspension bridge spanning the Menai Strait between the island of Anglesey and the mainland of Wales. Designed by Thomas Telford and completed in 1826, it was the world's first major suspension bridge. Th ...
, designed by
Thomas Telford Thomas Telford (9 August 1757 – 2 September 1834) was a Scottish civil engineer. After establishing himself as an engineer of road and canal projects in Shropshire, he designed numerous infrastructure projects in his native Scotland, as well ...
in 1826, and the
Britannia Bridge Britannia Bridge () is a bridge in Wales that crosses the Menai Strait between the Isle of Anglesey and city of Bangor, Gwynedd, Bangor. It was originally designed and built by the noted railway engineer Robert Stephenson as a tubular bridge of ...
, originally designed by
Robert Stephenson Robert Stephenson , (honoris causa, Hon. causa) (16 October 1803 – 12 October 1859) was an English civil engineer and designer of locomotives. The only son of George Stephenson, the "Father of Railways", he built on the achievements of hi ...
in 1850.


Name

The English name for Anglesey might be derived from the
Old Norse Old Norse, also referred to as Old Nordic or Old Scandinavian, was a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants ...
, either "Hook Island" or "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 Folk etymology – also known as (generative) popular etymology, analogical reformation, (morphological) reanalysis and etymological reinterpretation – is a change in a word or phrase resulting from the replacement of an unfamiliar form by a mo ...
reading the name as the "Island of the
Angles Angles most commonly refers to: *Angles (tribe), a Germanic-speaking people that took their name from the Angeln cultural region in Germany *Angle, a geometric figure formed by two rays meeting at a common point Angles may also refer to: Places ...
(English)" may account for its Norman use but has no merit; the Angles' name itself is probably cognate with the shape of the
Angeln Angeln (; ) is a peninsula on the Baltic Sea, Baltic coast of Jutland, in the Bay of Kiel. It forms part of Southern Schleswig, the northernmost region of Germany. The peninsula is bounded on the north by the Flensburg Firth, which separates it ...
peninsula. All of them ultimately derive from the proposed
Proto-Indo-European Proto-Indo-European (PIE) is the reconstructed common ancestor of the Indo-European language family. No direct record of Proto-Indo-European exists; its proposed features have been derived by linguistic reconstruction from documented Indo-Euro ...
root ''*ank-'' ("to flex, bend, angle"). Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries and into the 20th, it was usually spelt Anglesea in documents, a spelling that is still occasionally used today. ''Ynys Môn'', the island and county's Welsh name, first appeared in the
Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
of various Roman sources. It was likewise known to the
Saxons The Saxons, sometimes called the Old Saxons or Continental Saxons, were a Germanic people of early medieval "Old" Saxony () which became a Carolingian " stem duchy" in 804, in what is now northern Germany. Many of their neighbours were, like th ...
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 The Isle of Man ( , also ), or Mann ( ), is a self-governing British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland. As head of state, Charles III holds the title Lord of Mann and is represented by a Lieutenant Govern ...
, Koch, John T. (2006). Celtic Culture: A Historical Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. p. 676 & 679. ISBN 978-1-85109-440-0 ( in Welsh), usually derived from a Celtic word for 'mountain' (reflected in Welsh , Breton and Scottish Gaelic ), from a Proto-Celtic ''*moniyos''. Poetic names for the island of Anglesey include the
Old Welsh Old Welsh () is the stage of the Welsh language from about 800 AD until the early 12th century when it developed into Middle Welsh.Koch, p. 1757. The preceding period, from the time Welsh became distinct from Common Brittonic around 550, ha ...
''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 Gerald of Wales (; ; ; ) was a Cambro-Norman priest and historian. As a royal clerk to the king and two archbishops, he travelled widely and wrote extensively. He studied and taught in France and visited Rome several times, meeting the Pope. He ...
' ''Môn Mam Cymru'' ("Môn, Mother of Wales") for its agricultural productivity; and ''Y fêl Ynys'' (Honey Isle).


History


Prehistory

The history of the settlement of the local people of Anglesey starts in the
Mesolithic The Mesolithic (Ancient Greek language, Greek: μέσος, ''mesos'' 'middle' + λίθος, ''lithos'' 'stone') or Middle Stone Age is the Old World archaeological period between the Upper Paleolithic and the Neolithic. The term Epipaleolithic i ...
period. Anglesey and Great Britain were uninhabitable until after the previous
ice age An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages, and g ...
. It was not until 12,000 years ago that the island of
Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...
became hospitable. The oldest excavated sites on Anglesey include ''Trwyn Du'' () at Aberffraw. The Mesolithic site located at Aberffraw Bay (Porth Terfyn) was buried underneath a Bronze Age 'kerb cairn' which was constructed . The
bowl barrow A bowl barrow is a type of burial mound or tumulus. A barrow is a mound of earth used to cover a tomb. The bowl barrow gets its name from its resemblance to an upturned bowl. Related terms include ''cairn circle'', ''cairn ring'', ''howe'', ''ker ...
(kerb cairn) covered a material deposited from the early Mesolithic period; the archeological find dates to 7000 BC. After millennia of
hunter-gather A hunter-gatherer or forager is a human living in a community, or according to an ancestrally derived lifestyle, in which most or all food is obtained by foraging, that is, by gathering food from local naturally occurring sources, especially wi ...
civilisation in the
British Isles The British Isles are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner Hebrides, Inner and Outer Hebr ...
, the first villages were constructed from 4000 BC. Neolithic settlements were built in the form of long houses, on Anglesey is one of the first villages in Wales, it was built at
Llanfaethlu Llanfaethlu is a village and community in the north west of Anglesey, in north-west Wales. The community population taken at the 2011 Census was 553. The village takes its name from the Church of Saint Maethlu. The community includes Llanfwro ...
. Also an example permanent settlement on Anglesey is of a
Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...
built
burial mound Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and objec ...
,
Bryn Celli Ddu Bryn Celli Ddu () is a prehistoric site on the Wales, Welsh island of Anglesey located near Llanddaniel Fab. Its Welsh placenames, name means 'the mound in the dark grove'. It was archaeologically excavated between 1928 and 1929. Visitors can ge ...
(). The mound started as a henge enclosure around 3000 BC and was adapted several times over a millennium. There are numerous
megalith A megalith is a large stone that has been used to construct a prehistoric structure or monument, either alone or together with other stones. More than 35,000 megalithic structures have been identified across Europe, ranging geographically f ...
ic monuments and
menhir A menhir (; from Brittonic languages: ''maen'' or ''men'', "stone" and ''hir'' or ''hîr'', "long"), standing stone, orthostat, or lith is a large upright stone, emplaced in the ground by humans, typically dating from the European middle Br ...
s in the county, testifying to the presence of humans in
prehistory Prehistory, also called pre-literary history, is the period of human history between the first known use of stone tools by hominins   million years ago and the beginning of recorded history with the invention of writing systems. The use ...
. Plas Newydd is near one of 28 cromlechs that remain on uplands overlooking the sea. The
Welsh Triads The Welsh Triads (, "Triads of the Island of Britain") are a group of related texts in medieval manuscripts which preserve fragments of Welsh folklore, mythology and traditional history in groups of three. The triad is a rhetorical form whereby o ...
claim that the island of Anglesey was once part of the mainland.


Bronze Age to Roman times

After the Neolithic age, the
Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...
began ( – 800 BC). Some sites were continually used for thousands of years from original
henge A henge can be one of three related types of Neolithic Earthworks (archaeology), earthwork. The essential characteristic of all three is that they feature a ring-shaped bank and ditch, with the ditch inside the bank. Because the internal ditches ...
enclosures, then during the Iron Age, and also some of these sites were later adapted by
Celts The Celts ( , see Names of the Celts#Pronunciation, pronunciation for different usages) or Celtic peoples ( ) were a collection of Indo-European languages, Indo-European peoples. "The Celts, an ancient Indo-European people, reached the apoge ...
into
hillforts A hillfort is a type of fortified refuge or defended settlement located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typical of the late European Bronze Age and Iron Age. Some were used in the post- Roman period. The forti ...
and finally were in use during the Roman period (c. 100 AD) as roundhouses.
Castell Bryn Gwyn Castell Bryn Gwyn (also spelled Castell Bryngwyn) is a prehistoric site on the Isle of Anglesey, west of Brynsiencyn. It is a circular clay and gravel bank covered with grass, still some high and revetted externally by stone walls, which surr ...
(, also called ''Bryn Beddau'', or the "hill of graves") near
Llanidan Llanidan is a community in the south of Anglesey, Wales which includes the village of Brynsiencyn (). The parish is along the Menai Strait, about 4 miles north-east of Caernarfon (across the strait). The parish church of St Nidan is near the A ...
, Anglesey is an example of a Neolithic site that became a
hillfort A hillfort is a type of fortification, fortified refuge or defended settlement located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typical of the late Bronze Age Europe, European Bronze Age and Iron Age Europe, Iron Age. So ...
that was used until the Roman period by the
Ordovices The Ordovīcēs (Common Brittonic: *''Ordowīces'') were one of the Celtic tribes living in Great Britain before the Roman invasion. Their tribal lands were located in present-day North Wales and England, between the Silures to the south and the ...
, the local
tribe The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide use of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. The definition is contested, in part due to conflict ...
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 A cairn is a human-made pile (or stack) of stones raised for a purpose, usually as a marker or as a burial mound. The word ''cairn'' comes from the (plural ). Cairns have been and are used for a broad variety of purposes. In prehistory, t ...
in South-west Anglesey was being used. It is a Beaker period prehistoric funerary monument. During the Iron Age the Celts built dwellings
huts A hut is a small dwelling, which may be constructed of various local materials. Huts are a type of vernacular architecture because they are built of readily available materials such as wood, snow, stone, grass, palm leaves, branches, clay, hid ...
, also known as roundhouses. These were established near the previous settlements. Some huts with walled enclosures were discovered on the banks of the river () Gwna near. An example of a well-preserved hut circle is over the
Cymyran Strait Cymyran Strait () is a strait that runs from Beddmanarch Bay in the north to Cymyran Bay in the south between the islands of Anglesey (Ynys Môn) and Holy Island (Ynys Cybi). At either end it opens up into the Irish Sea. The strait was fir ...
on Holy Island. The Holyhead Mountain Hut Circles (, Big house / "Irishmen's Huts") were inhabited by ancient Celts and were first occupied before the Iron Age, . The Anglesey Iron Age began after 500 BC. Archeological research discovered
limpet Limpets are a group of aquatic snails with a conical gastropod shell, shell shape (patelliform) and a strong, muscular foot. This general category of conical shell is known as "patelliform" (dish-shaped). Existing within the class Gastropoda, ...
shells which were found from 200 BC on 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 Hon. William Owen Stanley (13 November 1802 – 24 February 1884) was a British Liberal Party politician. Life Stanley was the son of John Stanley, 1st Baron Stanley of Alderley, and Lady Maria Josepha, daughter of John Holroyd, 1st Earl of S ...
of
Penrhos, Anglesey Penrhos was a large estate on Holy Island, Anglesey, in north-west Wales. History In 1553, during Edward VI's reign, Penrhos was granted to John-ap-Owen (also known as John Derwas). At this time, the land consisted of little more than the Pen ...
(son of
Baron Stanley of Alderley Baron Stanley of Alderley, in the County of Chester, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1839 for the politician and landowner Sir John Stanley, 7th Baronet. History When the 1st Baron died in 1850, he was ...
).


Modern Anglesey


Roman occupation

Historically, Anglesey has long been associated with the
druid A druid was a member of the high-ranking priestly class in ancient Celtic cultures. The druids were religious leaders as well as legal authorities, adjudicators, lorekeepers, medical professionals and political advisors. Druids left no wr ...
s. The
Roman conquest of Anglesey The Roman conquest of Anglesey refers to two separate invasions of Anglesey in North West Wales that occurred during the early decades of the Roman conquest of Britain in the 1st century Common Era, CE. The first invasion of North Wales began af ...
began in 60 AD when the Roman general
Gaius Suetonius Paulinus Gaius Suetonius Paulinus (fl. AD 40–69) was a Roman general best known as the commander who defeated Boudica and her army during the Boudican revolt. Early life Little is known of Suetonius' family, but it likely came from Pisaurum (modern Pe ...
, determined to break the power of the druids, attacked the island using his amphibious Batavian contingent as a surprise
vanguard The vanguard (sometimes abbreviated to van and also called the advance guard) is the leading part of an advancing military formation. It has a number of functions, including seeking out the enemy and securing ground in advance of the main force. ...
assault and then destroyed the shrine and the nemeta (
sacred grove Sacred groves, sacred woods, or sacred forests are groves of trees that have special religious importance within a particular culture. Sacred groves feature in various cultures throughout the world. These are forest areas that are, for the most ...
s). News of
Boudica Boudica or Boudicca (, from Brittonic languages, Brythonic * 'victory, win' + * 'having' suffix, i.e. 'Victorious Woman', known in Latin chronicles as Boadicea or Boudicea, and in Welsh language, Welsh as , ) was a queen of the Iceni, ancient ...
's revolt reached him just after his victory, causing him to withdraw his army before consolidating his conquest. The island was finally brought into the Roman Empire by
Gnaeus Julius Agricola Gnaeus Julius Agricola (; 13 June 40 – 23 August 93) was a Roman general and politician responsible for much of the Roman conquest of Britain. Born to a political family of senatorial rank, Agricola began his military career as a military tribu ...
, the
Roman governor A Roman governor was an official either elected or appointed to be the chief administrator of Roman law throughout one or more of the many Roman province, provinces constituting the Roman Empire. The generic term in Roman legal language was ''re ...
of Britain, in 78 AD. During the Roman occupation, the area was notable for the mining of
copper Copper is a chemical element; it has symbol Cu (from Latin ) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish-orang ...
. The foundations of Caer Gybi, a fort in
Holyhead Holyhead (; , "Cybi's fort") is a historic port town, and is the list of Anglesey towns by population, largest town and a Community (Wales), community in the county of Isle of Anglesey, Wales. Holyhead is on Holy Island, Anglesey, Holy Island ...
, are Roman, and the present road from Holyhead to
Llanfairpwllgwyngyll Llanfairpwllgwyngyll or Llanfair Pwllgwyngyll (), often shortened to Llanfairpwll and sometimes to Llanfair PG, is a village and community on the Isle of Anglesey, Wales. It is located on the Menai Strait, next to the Britannia Bridge. At the ...
was originally a
Roman road Roman roads ( ; singular: ; meaning "Roman way") were physical infrastructure vital to the maintenance and development of the Roman state, built from about 300 BC through the expansion and consolidation of the Roman Republic and the Roman Em ...
. The island was grouped by
Ptolemy Claudius Ptolemy (; , ; ; – 160s/170s AD) was a Greco-Roman mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were important to later Byzantine science, Byzant ...
with
Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
("
Hibernia () is the Classical Latin name for Ireland. The name ''Hibernia'' was taken from Greek geographical accounts. During his exploration of northwest Europe (), Pytheas of Massalia called the island ''Iérnē'' (written ). In his book ''Geogr ...
") rather than with Britain ("
Albion Albion is an alternative name for Great Britain. The oldest attestation of the toponym comes from the Greek language. It is sometimes used poetically and generally to refer to the island, but is less common than "Britain" today. The name for Scot ...
").


Kingdom of Gwynedd and House of Aberffraw

After the Roman departure from Britain in the early 5th century, pirates from Ireland colonised Anglesey and the nearby
Llŷn Peninsula The Llŷn Peninsula ( or , ) is a peninsula in Gwynedd, Wales, with an area of about , and a population of at least 20,000. It extends into the Irish Sea, and its southern coast is the northern boundary of the Tremadog Bay inlet of Cardigan Ba ...
. In response to this, Cunedda ap Edern, a
Gododdin The Gododdin () were a Brittonic people of north-eastern Britannia, the area known as the Hen Ogledd or Old North (modern south-east Scotland and north-east England), in the sub-Roman period. Descendants of the Votadini, they are best known ...
warlord from Scotland, came to the area and began to drive the Irish out. This was continued by his son
Einion Yrth ap Cunedda Einion Yrth ap Cunedda ( – c. 500; – c. 480), also known as Einion Yrth ( Welsh for "the Impetuous"), was a king of Gwynedd. He is claimed as an ancestor of the later rulers of North Wales. One of the sons of Cunedda, he travelled with h ...
and grandson
Cadwallon Lawhir ap Einion Cadwallon Lawhir ap Einion (c. 460 – c. 534), usually known as Cadwallon Lawhir ("Long Hand") and also called Cadwallon I by some historians, was a king of Gwynedd around 500. Cadwallon was the son of Einion Yrth ap Cunedda and Prawst ferch ...
; the last Irish invaders were finally defeated in battle in 470. During the 9th century, King
Rhodri Mawr Rhodri ap Merfyn, commonly known as , was a Welsh king whose legacy has impacted the history of Wales. Rhodri rose to power during a tumultuous era, where the fate of Welsh kingdoms was often determined by the power of their leaders. Early life ...
unified Wales and separated the country into at least 3 provinces between his sons. He gave Gwynedd to his son,
Anarawd ap Rhodri Anarawd ap Rhodri () was List of rulers of Gwynedd, King of Gwynedd from 878 to 916. He faced challenges from the Mercia, kingdom of Mercia and Vikings, Viking raiders during a period of uncertainty for his realm. Nonetheless, he managed to sec ...
, who founded the
medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...
Welsh
dynasty A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family, usually in the context of a monarchy, monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A dynasty may also be referred to as a "house", "family" or "clan", among others. H ...
, The
House of Aberffraw The House of Aberffraw was a medieval royal court based in the village it was named after, Aberffraw, Anglesey (Wales, UK) within the borders of the then Kingdom of Gwynedd. The dynasty was founded in the 9th century by a King in Wales whose de ...
on Anglesey. The island had a good defensive position, and so
Aberffraw Aberffraw is a village and community (Wales), community on the south west coast of the Isle of Anglesey in Wales. The village is 9 miles from the island's county town, Llangefni, and is on the west bank of the Afon Ffraw (Ffraw River). The com ...
became the site of the
royal court A royal court, often called simply a court when the royal context is clear, is an extended royal household in a monarchy, including all those who regularly attend on a monarch, or another central figure. Hence, the word ''court'' may also be app ...
() of the
Kingdom of Gwynedd The Kingdom of Gwynedd (Medieval Latin: ; Middle Welsh: ) was a Wales in the Early Middle Ages, Welsh kingdom and a Roman Empire Succession of states, successor state that emerged in sub-Roman Britain in the 5th century during the Anglo-Saxon ...
. Apart from devastating Danish raids in 853 and 968 in Aberffraw, it remained the capital until the 13th, after Rhodri Mawr had moved his
family seat A family seat, sometimes just called seat, is the principal residence of the landed gentry and aristocracy. The residence usually denotes the social, economic, political, or historic connection of the family within a given area. Some families t ...
from
Caernarfon Caernarfon (; ) is a List of place names with royal patronage in the United Kingdom, royal town, Community (Wales), community and port in Gwynedd, Wales. It has a population of 9,852 (with Caeathro). It lies along the A487 road, on the easter ...
and built a royal
palace A palace is a large residence, often serving as a royal residence or the home for a head of state or another high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome whi ...
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 Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9 ...
—some raids were noted in famous
saga Sagas are prose stories and histories, composed in Iceland and to a lesser extent elsewhere in Scandinavia. The most famous saga-genre is the (sagas concerning Icelanders), which feature Viking voyages, migration to Iceland, and feuds between ...
s (see Menai Strait History) such as the Jómsvíkinga—and by
Saxons The Saxons, sometimes called the Old Saxons or Continental Saxons, were a Germanic people of early medieval "Old" Saxony () which became a Carolingian " stem duchy" in 804, in what is now northern Germany. Many of their neighbours were, like th ...
, and
Normans The Normans (Norman language, Norman: ''Normaunds''; ; ) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norsemen, Norse Viking settlers and locals of West Francia. The Norse settlements in West Franc ...
, before falling to
Edward I of England Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots (Latin: Malleus Scotorum), was King of England from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he was Lord of Ireland, and from 1254 ...
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 The historic counties of Wales () were the thirteen Subdivisions of Wales, sub-divisions used in Wales from 1535 up to their abolition in 1974 when they were replaced by Preserved counties of Wales, eight larger administrative counties (which i ...
. In medieval times, before 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 Gwynedd () is a county in the north-west of Wales. It borders Anglesey across the Menai Strait to the north, Conwy, Denbighshire, and Powys to the east, Ceredigion over the Dyfi estuary to the south, and the Irish Sea to the west. The ci ...
, an example of this was ''
Llywelyn ap Iorwerth Llywelyn ab Iorwerth (, – 11 April 1240), also known as Llywelyn the Great (, ; ), was a medieval Welsh ruler. He succeeded his uncle, Dafydd ab Owain Gwynedd, as King of Gwynedd in 1195. By a combination of war and diplomacy, he dominate ...
'' (Llywelyn I, the Great c. 1200s) who was styled the ''Prince of Aberffraw''. After the
Norman invasion of Wales The Norman invasion of Wales began shortly after the Norman Conquest, Norman conquest of England under William the Conqueror, who believed England to be his birthright. Initially (1067–1081), the invasion of Wales was not undertaken with the fer ...
was one of the last times this occurred a few years after 1171, after the death of
Owain Gwynedd Owain ap Gruffudd ( – 23 or 28 November 1170) was King of Gwynedd, North Wales, from 1137 until his death in 1170, succeeding his father Gruffudd ap Cynan. He was called Owain the Great () and the first to be styled "Prince of Wales" and th ...
, when the island was inherited by
Rhodri ab Owain Gwynedd Rhodri ab Owain Gwynedd ( 1147 – 1195) was prince of part of Gwynedd, one of the kingdoms of medieval Wales. He ruled from 1175 to 1195. On the death of Owain Gwynedd in 1170, fighting broke out among his nineteen sons over the division of hi ...
, and between 1246 and about 1255 when it was granted to
Owain Goch Owain Goch ap Gruffudd (also known as ''Owain Goch'' wain the Red (died 1282) was brother to Llywelyn ap Gruffudd and Dafydd ap Gruffudd and, for a brief period in the late 1240s and early 1250s, ruler of part of the Kingdom of Gwynedd (in moder ...
as his share of the kingdom. After the conquest of Wales by
Edward I Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots (Latin: Malleus Scotorum), was King of England from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he was Lord of Ireland, and from 125 ...
, Anglesey became a county under the terms of the
Statute of Rhuddlan The Statute of Rhuddlan (), also known as the Statutes of Wales ( or ''Valliae'') or as the Statute of Wales ( or ''Valliae''), was a royal ordinance by Edward I of England, which gave the constitutional basis for the government of the Principal ...
of 1284. Hitherto it had been divided into the ''
cantref A cantref ( ; ; plural cantrefi or cantrefs; also rendered as ''cantred'') was a Wales in the Early Middle Ages, medieval Welsh land division, particularly important in the administration of Welsh law. Description Land in medieval Wales was divid ...
i'' of
Aberffraw Aberffraw is a village and community (Wales), community on the south west coast of the Isle of Anglesey in Wales. The village is 9 miles from the island's county town, Llangefni, and is on the west bank of the Afon Ffraw (Ffraw River). The com ...
,
Rhosyr Rhosyr is a community in the far southern corner of Anglesey, Wales. It includes the villages of Dwyran and Newborough, Llangeinwen and Llangaffo. The community population taken at the 2011 census was 2,226. and includes Llanddwyn Island ...
and
Cemaes Cemaes () is a village on the north coast of Anglesey in Wales, sited on Cemaes Bay, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty which is partly owned by the National Trust. It is the most northerly village in Wales (excluding the nearby hamlet of ...
. During 1294 as a rebellion of the former house of Aberffraw, Prince
Madog ap Llywelyn Madog ap Llywelyn (died after 1312) was the leader of the Welsh revolt of 1294–95 against English rule in Wales. The revolt was surpassed in longevity only by the revolt of Owain Glyndŵr in the 15th century. Madog belonged to a junior branch ...
had attacked King Edward I's castles in
North Wales North Wales ( ) is a Regions of Wales, region of Wales, encompassing its northernmost areas. It borders mid Wales to the south, England to the east, and the Irish Sea to the north and west. The area is highly mountainous and rural, with Snowdon ...
. As a direct response,
Beaumaris Castle Beaumaris Castle ( ; , ), in Beaumaris, Anglesey, Wales, was built as part of Edward I of England, Edward I's Conquest of Wales by Edward I of England, campaign to conquer north Wales after 1282. Plans were probably first made to construct t ...
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 Owain ap Gruffydd (28 May 135420 September 1415), commonly known as Owain Glyndŵr (Glyn Dŵr, , anglicised as Owen Glendower) was a Welsh people, Welsh leader, soldier and military commander in the Wales in the late Middle Ages, late Middle ...
in the early 15th century. It was ruinous by 1609; however, the 6th Viscount Bulkeley purchased the castle from the Crown in 1807 and it has been open to the public under the guardianship of
the Crown The Crown is a political concept used in Commonwealth realms. Depending on the context used, it generally refers to the entirety of the State (polity), state (or in federal realms, the relevant level of government in that state), the executive ...
ever since 1925.


17 to 20th centuries

Due to its geographic proximity, Anglesey (and particularly
Holyhead Holyhead (; , "Cybi's fort") is a historic port town, and is the list of Anglesey towns by population, largest town and a Community (Wales), community in the county of Isle of Anglesey, Wales. Holyhead is on Holy Island, Anglesey, Holy Island ...
) enjoyed close cultural ties with Ireland throughout the later parts of this period. A 2023 study in ''
The Welsh History Review ''The Welsh History Review'' (Welsh: Cylchgrawn Hanes Cymru) is a peer-reviewed academic journal covering the history of Wales. It is published in four parts per volume, one volume every two years. The journal was established in 1960. The editors- ...
'' by historian Adam N. Coward highlights the interconnectedness of
landed gentry The landed gentry, or the gentry (sometimes collectively known as the squirearchy), is a largely historical Irish and British social class of landowners who could live entirely from rental income, or at least had a country estate. It is t ...
families in Ireland and Anglesey between 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 The peerage title Earl of Ormond and the related titles Duke of Ormonde and Marquess of Ormonde have a long and complex history. An earldom of Ormond has been created three times in the Peerage of Ireland. History of Ormonde titles The earldom ...
wrote from Dublin Castle to Lord Bulkley of Baron Hill, Anglesey, who had been created Viscount Bulkeley of Cashel in 1644, about bringing
partridges A partridge is a medium-sized galliform bird in any of several genera, with a wide native distribution throughout parts of Europe, Asia and Africa. Several species have been introduced to the Americas. They are sometimes grouped in the Perdic ...
from Anglesey to Ireland for a hunt.


20th century

The Shire Hall in Llangefni was completed in 1899. During the
First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, 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 The Irish Sea is a body of water that separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is linked to the Celtic Sea in the south by St George's Channel and to the Inner Seas off the West Coast of Scotland in the north by the North Ch ...
, with half a dozen airships based at Mona. German
POWs A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...
were kept on the island. By the end of the war, some 1,000 of the island's men had died on active service. In 1936 the
NSPCC The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) is a British child protection charity founded as the Liverpool Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (LSPCC) by Thomas Agnew on 19 April 1883. The NSPCC lobbies t ...
opened its first branch on Anglesey. During the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, Anglesey received Italian
POWs A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...
. The island was designated a reception zone, and was home to evacuee children from
Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
and
Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...
. In 1971, a 100,000 ton per annum
aluminum smelter Aluminium smelting is the process of extracting aluminium from its oxide, alumina, generally by the Hall-Héroult process. Alumina is extracted from the ore bauxite by means of the Bayer process at an alumina refinery. This is an electrolytic ...
was opened by Rio Tinto Zinc Corporation and
British Insulated Callender's Cables British Insulated Callender's Cables (BICC) was a major British cable manufacturer and construction company of the 20th century. It has been renamed after its former subsidiary Balfour Beatty. BICC was created via the merger of two long establi ...
with Kaiser Aluminum and Chemical Corporation as a 30 per cent partner.


Governance

In 1974, Anglesey became a district of the new
county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...
of
Gwynedd Gwynedd () is a county in the north-west of Wales. It borders Anglesey across the Menai Strait to the north, Conwy, Denbighshire, and Powys to the east, Ceredigion over the Dyfi estuary to the south, and the Irish Sea to the west. The ci ...
known under the name “Anglesey-Ynys Môn”. Until 1974, Anglesey was divided into
civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...
es 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.


Parishes

(chapelries are listed in italics) 1a chapelry to Llantrisant in Lyfon hundred The
Local Government (Wales) Act 1994 The Local Government (Wales) Act 1994 (c. 19) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which amended the Local Government Act 1972 to create the current local government structure in Wales of 22 unitary authority areas, referred to as ...
abolished the 1974 county and the five districts on 1 April 1996, and Anglesey became a separate
unitary authority A unitary authority is a type of local government, local authority in New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Unitary authorities are responsible for all local government functions within its area or performing additional functions that elsewhere are ...
. In 2011, the
Welsh Government The Welsh Government ( ) is the Executive (government), executive arm of the Welsh devolution, devolved government of Wales. The government consists of Cabinet secretary, cabinet secretaries and Minister of State, ministers. It is led by the F ...
appointed a panel of commissioners to administer the council, which meant the elected members were not in control. The commissioners remained until an
election An election is a formal group decision-making process whereby a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold Public administration, public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative d ...
was held in May 2013, restoring an elected Council. Before the period of direct administration, there had been 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 the 1990s for the new
Isle of Anglesey County Council The Isle of Anglesey County Council () is the local authority for the Isle of Anglesey, a principal areas of Wales, principal area with county status in Wales. Since 2022 the council has 35 councillors who represent 14 multi-member electoral war ...
.


Geography


Physical

Anglesey is a low-lying island with low hills spaced evenly over the north. The highest six are
Holyhead Mountain Holyhead Mountain ( Welsh ''Mynydd Twr,'' from ''mynydd'' 'mountain, unenclosed land' and ''twr'' 'a heap, pile') is the highest point on Holy Island, Anglesey, and in the county of Anglesey, north Wales. It lies about two miles west of the town ...
, ;
Mynydd Bodafon is a small collection of peaks including which is the highest point on the island of Anglesey (although not in the county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers ...
, ;
Mynydd Eilian Mynydd Eilian, sometimes also referred as ''Mynydd Llaneilian'', is a hill in Anglesey, Wales. Etymology The word ''Mynydd'' in Welsh language, Welsh stands for ''Mountain''. ''Eilian'' refers to Elian (Welsh saint), Saint Elian (), to whom are ...
, ; Mynydd y Garn, ; Bwrdd Arthur, ; and Mynydd Llwydiarth, . To the south and south-east, the island is divided from the Welsh mainland by the
Menai Strait The Menai Strait () is a strait which separates the island of Anglesey from Gwynedd, on the mainland of Wales. It is situated between Caernarfon Bay in the south-west and Conwy Bay in the north-east, which are both inlets of the Irish Sea. The s ...
, which at its narrowest point is about wide. In all other directions the island is surrounded by the
Irish Sea The Irish Sea is a body of water that separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is linked to the Celtic Sea in the south by St George's Channel and to the Inner Seas off the West Coast of Scotland in the north by the North Ch ...
. At , it is the 52nd largest island of Europe and just smaller than the main island of
Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...
. There are 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 Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, of or about Wales * Welsh language, spoken in Wales * Welsh people, an ethnic group native to Wales Places * Welsh, Arkansas, U.S. * Welsh, Louisiana, U.S. * Welsh, Ohio, U.S. * Welsh Basin, during t ...
. These are
Llyn Alaw Llyn Alaw (meaning: ''Lily Lake'') is a man-made reservoir on Anglesey, North Wales managed by Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water. It is a shallow lake and was built in 1966. It is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a destination for overwintering b ...
to the north of the island and
Llyn Cefni Llyn Cefni is a small reservoir in the centre of Anglesey, Wales which is managed by Welsh Water and Hamdden Ltd, while the fishery is managed by the Cefni Angling Association. The reservoir is located just northwest of the island's county town ...
in the centre of the island, which is fed by the headwaters of the
Afon Cefni Afon Cefni is one of the major rivers on the island of Anglesey, Wales. It is long. Its source is near to the village of Capel Coch, before flowing through Bodffordd and into Llyn Cefni in the centre of the island. It continues to run south ...
. The climate is humid (though less so than neighbouring mountainous
Gwynedd Gwynedd () is a county in the north-west of Wales. It borders Anglesey across the Menai Strait to the north, Conwy, Denbighshire, and Powys to the east, Ceredigion over the Dyfi estuary to the south, and the Irish Sea to the west. The ci ...
) and generally equable thanks to the
Gulf Stream The Gulf Stream is a warm and swift Atlantic ocean current that originates in the Gulf of Mexico and flows through the Straits of Florida and up the eastern coastline of the United States, then veers east near 36°N latitude (North Carolin ...
. The land is of variable quality and has probably lost some fertility. Anglesey has the northernmost
olive The olive, botanical name ''Olea europaea'' ("European olive"), is a species of Subtropics, subtropical evergreen tree in the Family (biology), family Oleaceae. Originating in Anatolia, Asia Minor, it is abundant throughout the Mediterranean ...
grove in Europe and presumably in the world.


Human

The coast of the Isle of Anglesey is more populous than the interior. The largest
community A community is a social unit (a group of people) with a shared socially-significant characteristic, such as place, set of norms, culture, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given g ...
is
Holyhead Holyhead (; , "Cybi's fort") is a historic port town, and is the list of Anglesey towns by population, largest town and a Community (Wales), community in the county of Isle of Anglesey, Wales. Holyhead is on Holy Island, Anglesey, Holy Island ...
, which is located on Holy Island and had a population of 12,103 at the
2021 United Kingdom census 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, Numeral (linguistics), numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest Positive number, positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in o ...
. It is followed by
Amlwch Amlwch () is a port town and community (Wales), community in Wales. It is situated on the north coast of the Anglesey, Isle of Anglesey, on the A5025 road, A5025 which connects it to Holyhead and to Menai Bridge. As well as Amlwch town and Am ...
(3,697), Llanfair-Mathafarn-Eithaf (3,085), and
Menai Bridge Menai Bridge (; usually referred to colloquially as ''Y Borth'') is a town and community on the Isle of Anglesey in north-west Wales. It overlooks the Menai Strait and lies by the Menai Suspension Bridge, built in 1826 by Thomas Telford, j ...
(3,046), all located on the coast of the island of Anglesey. The largest community in the interior of Anglesey is
Llangefni ; ) is the county town of Anglesey in Wales. At the 2011 census, Llangefni's population was 5,116, making it the second-largest town in the county and the largest on the island. The community includes the village of Rhosmeirch. Location The ...
(5,500), the county town; the next-largest is
Llanfihangel Ysgeifiog Llanfihangel Ysgeifiog (occasionally spelt Llanfihangel Esgeifiog or Llanfihangelesgeifiog) is a community (Wales), community and St Michael's Church, Llanfihangel Ysgeifiog, former ecclesiastical parish in Anglesey, Wales, east of Llangefni. D ...
(1,711).
Beaumaris Beaumaris (; ) is a town and community (Wales), community on the Anglesey, Isle of Anglesey in Wales, of which it is the former county town. It is located at the eastern entrance to the Menai Strait, the tidal waterway separating Anglesey fro ...
(Welsh: ''Biwmares'') in the east features
Beaumaris Castle Beaumaris Castle ( ; , ), in Beaumaris, Anglesey, Wales, was built as part of Edward I of England, Edward I's Conquest of Wales by Edward I of England, campaign to conquer north Wales after 1282. Plans were probably first made to construct t ...
, built by
Edward I Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots (Latin: Malleus Scotorum), was King of England from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he was Lord of Ireland, and from 125 ...
during his
Bastide Bastides are fortified new towns built in medieval Languedoc, Gascony, Aquitaine, England and Wales during the 13th and 14th centuries, although some authorities count Mont-de-Marsan and Montauban, which was founded in 1144, as the first bastides ...
campaign in
North Wales North Wales ( ) is a Regions of Wales, region of Wales, encompassing its northernmost areas. It borders mid Wales to the south, England to the east, and the Irish Sea to the north and west. The area is highly mountainous and rural, with Snowdon ...
. Beaumaris is a
yachting Yachting is recreational boating activities using medium/large-sized boats or small ships collectively called yachts. Yachting is distinguished from other forms of boating mainly by the priority focus on comfort and luxury, the dependence on ma ...
centre, with boats moored in the bay or off Gallows Point. The village of Newborough (), in the south, created when townsfolk of Llanfaes were relocated for the building of Beaumaris Castle, includes the site of
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. History and description The Welsh word ''llys'' originally referred to an enclosed open-air space but ...
, another court of medieval Welsh princes featuring one of the United Kingdom's oldest courtrooms. The centrally localted
Llangefni ; ) is the county town of Anglesey in Wales. At the 2011 census, Llangefni's population was 5,116, making it the second-largest town in the county and the largest on the island. The community includes the village of Rhosmeirch. Location The ...
is the island's administrative centre. The town of
Menai Bridge Menai Bridge (; usually referred to colloquially as ''Y Borth'') is a town and community on the Isle of Anglesey in north-west Wales. It overlooks the Menai Strait and lies by the Menai Suspension Bridge, built in 1826 by Thomas Telford, j ...
(Welsh: ) in the south-east, expanded to accommodate workers and construction when 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 Bryn Celli Ddu () is a prehistoric site on the Wales, Welsh island of Anglesey located near Llanddaniel Fab. Its Welsh placenames, name means 'the mound in the dark grove'. It was archaeologically excavated between 1928 and 1929. Visitors can ge ...
, a
Stone Age The Stone Age was a broad prehistory, prehistoric period during which Rock (geology), stone was widely used to make stone tools with an edge, a point, or a percussion surface. The period lasted for roughly 3.4 million years and ended b ...
burial mound. Nearby is the village with the longest name in Europe,
Llanfairpwllgwyngyll Llanfairpwllgwyngyll or Llanfair Pwllgwyngyll (), often shortened to Llanfairpwll and sometimes to Llanfair PG, is a village and community on the Isle of Anglesey, Wales. It is located on the Menai Strait, next to the Britannia Bridge. At the ...
gogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch, and Plas Newydd, ancestral home of the
Marquesses of Anglesey A marquess (; ) is a Nobility, nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German-language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman with the rank of a marquess or the wife ...
. The town of
Amlwch Amlwch () is a port town and community (Wales), community in Wales. It is situated on the north coast of the Anglesey, Isle of Anglesey, on the A5025 road, A5025 which connects it to Holyhead and to Menai Bridge. As well as Amlwch town and Am ...
lies in the north-east of the island and was once largely industrialised, having grown in the 18th century to support a major
copper Copper is a chemical element; it has symbol Cu (from Latin ) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish-orang ...
-mining industry at
Parys Mountain Parys Mountain () is located south of the town of Amlwch in north east Anglesey, Wales. Originally known as Trysclwyn, the high ground is reputed to have gained its current name when it was given to Robert Parys, Chamberlain of North Wales by ...
. Other settlements include
Cemaes Cemaes () is a village on the north coast of Anglesey in Wales, sited on Cemaes Bay, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty which is partly owned by the National Trust. It is the most northerly village in Wales (excluding the nearby hamlet of ...
,
Pentraeth Pentraeth () is a village and Community (Wales), community on the island of Anglesey (''Ynys Môn''), North Wales, at . The Royal Mail postcode begins LL75. The community population taken at the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 census was 1,178 ...
,
Gaerwen Gaerwen () is a village on the island of Anglesey in the community of Llanfihangel Ysgeifiog in Wales. It is located in the south of the island west of Llanfairpwllgwyngyll and southeast of Llangefni . The A5 runs through the village, and t ...
,
Dwyran Dwyran is a village on the island of Anglesey, in north-west Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the Englan ...
,
Bodedern Bodedern is a village and community (Wales), community in the west of Anglesey, Wales. At the 2001 census, it had a population of 1,074, decreasing slightly to 1,051 at the 2011 census. The community includes the settlements of Llanllibio and Pe ...
,
Malltraeth Malltraeth (origin: ''Mall'' (corrupt, blasted, desolate, + ''Traeth'' (beach))) is a small village in the southwest of Anglesey, in the community of Bodorgan. It is now at the end of a large bay, which used to extend much further inland, alm ...
and
Rhosneigr Rhosneigr () is a village in the south-west of Anglesey, north Wales. It is situated on the A4080 road. It is south-east of Holyhead, and is on the Anglesey Coastal Path. From the clock at the centre of the village can be seen RAF Valley an ...
.


Coastal path

The coastline is classed as an
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB; , AHNE) is one of 46 areas of countryside in England, Wales, or Northern Ireland that has been designated for conservation due to its significant landscape value. Since 2023, the areas in England an ...
, with many sandy beaches, notably along its east coast between Beaumaris and Amlwch and west coast from Ynys Llanddwyn through
Rhosneigr Rhosneigr () is a village in the south-west of Anglesey, north Wales. It is situated on the A4080 road. It is south-east of Holyhead, and is on the Anglesey Coastal Path. From the clock at the centre of the village can be seen RAF Valley an ...
to the bays around Carmel Head. The north coast has sharp cliffs with small bays.
Anglesey Coastal Path The Anglesey Coastal Path (formally the Isle of Anglesey Coastal Path, ) is a long-distance footpath around the island of Anglesey () in North Wales. The route is part of the Wales Coast Path. Description The path mainly follows the coast. ...
outlining the island is long and touches 20 towns and villages. The starting point is
St Cybi's Church, Holyhead St Cybi's Church is a medieval church near the Roman Caer Gybi in Holyhead, Anglesey, Wales. The church was Grade I listed in January 1968. The original church was constructed at Holyhead around 540 AD by St Cybi, a cousin of St David. The chu ...
.


Economy

Tourism is now the major economic activity. Agriculture comes second, with local dairies being some of the most productive in the region. Major industry is restricted to Holyhead (Caergybi), which until 30 September 2009 supported an
aluminium smelter Aluminium smelting is the process of extracting aluminium from its oxide, alumina, generally by the Hall-Héroult process. Alumina is extracted from the ore bauxite by means of the Bayer process at an List of alumina refineries, alumina refinery. ...
, and the
Amlwch Amlwch () is a port town and community (Wales), community in Wales. It is situated on the north coast of the Anglesey, Isle of Anglesey, on the A5025 road, A5025 which connects it to Holyhead and to Menai Bridge. As well as Amlwch town and Am ...
area, once a copper mining town. Nearby stood
Wylfa Nuclear Power Station Wylfa nuclear power station () is a Magnox nuclear power station undergoing decommissioning. Wylfa is situated west of Cemaes Bay on the island of Anglesey, off the northwestern coast of Wales. Construction of the two 490MW nuclear reactors ...
and a former
bromine Bromine is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol Br and atomic number 35. It is a volatile red-brown liquid at room temperature that evaporates readily to form a similarly coloured vapour. Its properties are intermediate between th ...
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 the north coast, and for a major
biomass Biomass is a term used in several contexts: in the context of ecology it means living organisms, and in the context of bioenergy it means matter from recently living (but now dead) organisms. In the latter context, there are variations in how ...
plant on Holy Island (Ynys Gybi). Developing such low-carbon-energy assets to their full potential forms part of the Anglesey Energy Island project.Anglesey Today: Energy
accessed 15 April 2014
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 The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...
station
RAF Valley Royal Air Force Valley or more simply RAF Valley () is a Royal Air Force station on the island of Anglesey, Wales, and which is also used as Anglesey Airport. It provides both basic and advanced fast-jet training using the Beechcraft Texan T. ...
(Y Fali) holds 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 ; ) is the county town of Anglesey in Wales. At the 2011 census, Llangefni's population was 5,116, making it the second-largest town in the county and the largest on the island. The community includes the village of Rhosmeirch. Location The ...
and
Gaerwen Gaerwen () is a village on the island of Anglesey in the community of Llanfihangel Ysgeifiog in Wales. It is located in the south of the island west of Llanfairpwllgwyngyll and southeast of Llangefni . The A5 runs through the village, and t ...
. The island is on one of the main road routes from Britain to Ireland, via
ferries A ferry is a boat or ship that transports passengers, and occasionally vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A small passenger ferry with multiple stops, like those in Venice, Italy, is sometimes referred to as a water taxi or water bus. ...
from
Holyhead Holyhead (; , "Cybi's fort") is a historic port town, and is the list of Anglesey towns by population, largest town and a Community (Wales), community in the county of Isle of Anglesey, Wales. Holyhead is on Holy Island, Anglesey, Holy Island ...
on Holy Island to
Dún Laoghaire Dún Laoghaire ( , ) is a suburban coastal town in County Dublin in Ireland. It is the administrative centre of the county of Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown. The town was built up alongside a small existing settlement following 1816 legislation th ...
and
Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
Port. The Anglesey Sea Zoo is a local attraction offering looks at local marine
wildlife Wildlife refers to domestication, undomesticated animals and uncultivated plant species which can exist in their natural habitat, but has come to include all organisms that grow or live wilderness, wild in an area without being species, introdu ...
from common lobsters to
conger ''Conger'' ( ) is a genus of marine congrid eels. It includes some of the largest types of eels, ranging up to or more in length, in the case of the European conger. Large congers have often been observed by divers during the day in parts of t ...
s. All fish and
crustacean Crustaceans (from Latin meaning: "those with shells" or "crusted ones") are invertebrate animals that constitute one group of arthropods that are traditionally a part of the subphylum Crustacea (), a large, diverse group of mainly aquatic arthrop ...
s on display are caught round the island and placed in habitat reconstructions. The zoo also breeds lobsters commercially for food and
oyster Oyster is the common name for a number of different families of salt-water bivalve molluscs that live in marine or brackish habitats. In some species, the valves are highly calcified, and many are somewhat irregular in shape. Many, but no ...
s 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 the Sea Zoo site.


Abandoned nuclear plan

Plans were offered in 2013 by
Horizon The horizon is the apparent curve that separates the surface of a celestial body from its sky when viewed from the perspective of an observer on or near the surface of the relevant body. This curve divides all viewing directions based on whethe ...
, a subsidiary of
Hitachi () is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in 1910 and headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo. The company is active in various industries, including digital systems, power and renewable ener ...
, 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 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.


Ecology and conservation

Much of Anglesey is used for relatively intensive cattle and sheep farming, but several important
wetland A wetland is a distinct semi-aquatic ecosystem whose groundcovers are flooded or saturated in water, either permanently, for years or decades, or only seasonally. Flooding results in oxygen-poor ( anoxic) processes taking place, especially ...
sites have protected status and the lakes all have significant ecological interest, including a wide range of aquatic and semi-aquatic bird species. In the west, the
Malltraeth Marsh Malltraeth Marsh (also spelled as Malldraeth; or ) is a large marsh area in Anglesey, North Wales, north-east of Malltraeth village, along the flatlands of Trefdraeth, Bodorgan, Llangristiolus and south of Cefn Cwmwd, Rhostrehwfa. It was recla ...
es are believed to support an occasional visiting
bittern Bitterns are birds belonging to the subfamily Botaurinae of the heron family Ardeidae. Bitterns tend to be shorter-necked and more secretive than other members of the family. They were called ''hæferblæte'' and various iterations of ''rared ...
, and the nearby estuary of the
Afon Cefni Afon Cefni is one of the major rivers on the island of Anglesey, Wales. It is long. Its source is near to the village of Capel Coch, before flowing through Bodffordd and into Llyn Cefni in the centre of the island. It continues to run south ...
has a bird population made famous internationally by the paintings of
Charles Tunnicliffe Charles Frederick Tunnicliffe, OBE, RA (1 December 1901 – 7 February 1979) was an internationally renowned naturalistic painter of British birds and other wildlife. He spent most of his working life on the Isle of Anglesey. He is popularly ...
, who lived and died at
Malltraeth Malltraeth (origin: ''Mall'' (corrupt, blasted, desolate, + ''Traeth'' (beach))) is a small village in the southwest of Anglesey, in the community of Bodorgan. It is now at the end of a large bay, which used to extend much further inland, alm ...
on the Cefni estuary. The RAF airstrip at Mona is a nesting site for
skylark ''Alauda'' is a genus of larks found across much of Europe, Asia and in the mountains of north Africa, and one of the species (the Raso lark) endemic to the islet of Raso in the Cape Verde Islands Cape Verde or Cabo Verde, officially ...
s. The sheer cliff faces at
South Stack South Stack () is an island situated just off Holy Island on the northwest coast of Anglesey, Wales. Geology South Stack is an island known as a sea stack. It was formed by the wave erosion of sedimentary rocks that once connected the isla ...
near
Holyhead Holyhead (; , "Cybi's fort") is a historic port town, and is the list of Anglesey towns by population, largest town and a Community (Wales), community in the county of Isle of Anglesey, Wales. Holyhead is on Holy Island, Anglesey, Holy Island ...
provide nesting sites for large numbers of
auk Auks or alcids are birds of the family Alcidae in the order Charadriiformes. The alcid family includes the Uria, murres, guillemots, Aethia, auklets, puffins, and Brachyramphus, murrelets. The family contains 25 extant or recently extinct speci ...
s, including
puffin Puffins are any of three species of small alcids (auks) in the bird genus ''Fratercula''. These are pelagic seabirds that feed primarily by diving in the water. They breed in large colonies on coastal cliffs or offshore islands, nesting in crev ...
s,
razorbill The razorbill (''Alca torda'') is a North Atlantic colonial seabird and the only extant member of the genus ''Alca (bird), Alca'' of the family Alcidae, the auks. It is the closest living relative of the extinct great auk (''Pinguinus impennis' ...
s and
guillemot Guillemot is the common name for several species of seabird in the Alcidae or auk family, part of the order Charadriiformes. In Europe, the term covers two genera, '' Uria'' and '' Cepphus''. In North America the ''Uria'' species are called mu ...
s, along with
chough A chough ( ) is any of two species of passerine birds that constitute the genus ''Pyrrhocorax'' of the Corvidae (crow) family. These are the red-billed chough (''Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax'') and the Alpine chough (or yellow-billed chough) (''Pyr ...
s and
peregrine falcon The peregrine falcon (''Falco peregrinus''), also known simply as the peregrine, is a Cosmopolitan distribution, cosmopolitan bird of prey (raptor) in the family (biology), family Falconidae renowned for its speed. A large, Corvus (genus), cro ...
s. Anglesey holds several tern species, including the
roseate tern The roseate tern (''Sterna dougallii'') is a species of tern in the family Laridae. The genus name ''Sterna'' is derived from Old English "stearn", "tern", and the specific ''dougallii'' refers to Scottish physician and collector Dr Peter McD ...
on three breeding sites – see Anglesey tern colonies. There are marked occurrences of the ''Juncus subnodulosus''–''Cirsium palustre'' fen-meadow
plant association A plant community is a collection or association of plant species within a designated geographical unit, which forms a relatively uniform patch, distinguishable from neighboring patches of different vegetation types. The components of each plant ...
marked by hydrophilic grasses, sedges and forbs. Anglesey supports two of the UK's remnant colonies of
red squirrel The red squirrel (''Sciurus vulgaris''), also called Eurasian red squirrel, is a species of tree squirrel in the genus ''Sciurus''. It is an arboreal and primarily herbivorous rodent and common throughout Eurasia. Taxonomy There have been ...
s, at
Pentraeth Pentraeth () is a village and Community (Wales), community on the island of Anglesey (''Ynys Môn''), North Wales, at . The Royal Mail postcode begins LL75. The community population taken at the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 census was 1,178 ...
and Newborough. Almost the whole coastline of Anglesey is designated as an Area of Outstandng Natural Beauty (AONB) to protect the aesthetic appeal and variety of the island's coastal landscape and habitats from inappropriate development. The coastal zone of Anglesey was classed as an AONB in 1966 and confirmed as such in 1967. The AONB is predominantly coastal, covering most of Anglesey's coastline, but includes Holyhead Mountain and Mynydd Bodafon. Large areas of other land protected by the AONB form the backdrop to the coast. The AONB is about 221 sq. m (85 sq mi) and is the largest in Wales, covering a third of the island. A number of Anglesey habitats gain still greater protection through UK and European designations of their nature conservation value. These include: *6 candidate Special Areas of Conservation (cSACs) *4 Special Protection Areas (SPAs) *1 National Nature Reserve *26 Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) *52 Scheduled Ancient Monuments (SAMs) These support a variety of wildlife, such as
harbour porpoise The harbour porpoise (''Phocoena phocoena'') is one of eight extant species of porpoise. It is one of the smallest species of cetacean. As its name implies, it stays close to coastal areas or river estuaries, and as such, is the most familiar ...
s and
marsh fritillary The marsh fritillary (''Euphydryas aurinia'') is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. Commonly distributed in the Palearctic region, the marsh fritillary's common name derives from one of its several habitats, marshland. The prolonged larval st ...
. The AONB takes in three sections of open, undeveloped coastline designated as Heritage Coast. These non-statutory designations complement the AONB and cover about of the coastline. The sections are: #North Anglesey #Holyhead Mountain #Aberffraw Bay Popular recreations include sailing, angling, cycling, walking, wind surfing and jet skiing. They place pressures and demands on the AONB, while stoking the local economy.


Culture

Anglesey hosted the
National Eisteddfod The National Eisteddfod of Wales ( Welsh: ') is the largest of several eisteddfodau that are held annually, mostly in Wales. Its eight days of competitions and performances are considered the largest music and poetry festival in Europe. Competito ...
in 1957, 1983, 1999, and 2017. It belongs to the
International Island Games Association The International Island Games Association (IIGA) is the organising body for the Island Games, a friendly biennial multi-sport competition between teams from several European islands and other small territories (24 members from 8 nations). The ...
. Anglesey's biggest successes were at the
1997 Island Games The 1997 Island Games were the seventh Island Games, and were held in Jersey, from June 28, to July 4, 1997. Medal table Sports The sports chosen for the games were: External links Jersey 1997 {{Island Games Island Games Sport in Jersey Is ...
in
Jersey Jersey ( ; ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey, is an autonomous and self-governing island territory of the British Islands. Although as a British Crown Dependency it is not a sovereign state, it has its own distinguishing civil and gov ...
, (11th in the medals table, with two gold, three silver and nine bronze medals) and the 2005 Island Games in the
Shetland Islands Shetland (until 1975 spelled Zetland), also called the Shetland Islands, is an archipelago in Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the Uni ...
, (again 11th, with 4 gold, 2 silver and 2 bronze). The annual Anglesey Show is held on the second Tuesday and Wednesday of August. Farmers from around the country compete in livestock–rearing contests, including sheep and cattle. Other events include Gottwood, an electronic music and arts festival held each summer at the Carreglwyd estate.
Môn FM MônFM is a bilingual community radio station serving Anglesey and Gwynedd. The station is owned and operated by Gwy-Môn Media and broadcasts on 96.8, 102.1 and 102.5 FM and online from studios in Llangefni town centre. Overview MônFM broad ...
, a volunteer community radio station, broadcasts across the island from the county town, Llangefni, and also covers northern
Gwynedd Gwynedd () is a county in the north-west of Wales. It borders Anglesey across the Menai Strait to the north, Conwy, Denbighshire, and Powys to the east, Ceredigion over the Dyfi estuary to the south, and the Irish Sea to the west. The ci ...
. Capital Anglesey & Gwynedd, a commercial
contemporary hit radio Contemporary hit radio (CHR, also known as contemporary hits, hit list, current hits, hit music, top 40, or pop radio) is a radio format common in many countries that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top ...
station, broadcasts local news bulletins. In 2017 filming took place for the
Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
TV series '' Free Rein''. Scenes were used in all three series. Locations included Newborough Warren and Beaumaris Pier. In 2018, the
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
began a three-part series entitled ''Anglesey: Island Lives'', detailing the lives of several residents of the island. In the first episode, Kris Hughes, a noted companion of the Druid community and the Anglesey Druid Order, was followed as the order marked the Summer Solstice.


Welsh language

Anglesey is a stronghold of the
Welsh language Welsh ( or ) is a Celtic languages, Celtic language of the Brittonic languages, Brittonic subgroup that is native to the Welsh people. Welsh is spoken natively in Wales by about 18% of the population, by some in England, and in (the Welsh c ...
. According to the 2011 census it was the local authority with the second highest proportion of Welsh speakers. The earlier percentages were these: *1901: 91% *1911: 89% *1921: 88% *1931: 87% *1951: 80% *1961: 75% *1971: 66% *1981: 61% *1991: 62% *2001: 60% *2011: 57% *2021: 55% Today, Welsh is less widely used, but remains the dominant language in some areas, particularly in the centre, including
Llangefni ; ) is the county town of Anglesey in Wales. At the 2011 census, Llangefni's population was 5,116, making it the second-largest town in the county and the largest on the island. The community includes the village of Rhosmeirch. Location The ...
and some parts of the south coast. The island's five secondary schools vary widely in the proportions of their pupils from predominantly Welsh-speaking homes, and in those who can speak Welsh: * Ysgol David Hughes (in
Menai Bridge Menai Bridge (; usually referred to colloquially as ''Y Borth'') is a town and community on the Isle of Anglesey in north-west Wales. It overlooks the Menai Strait and lies by the Menai Suspension Bridge, built in 1826 by Thomas Telford, j ...
): 33% come from Welsh-speaking homes; 90% "can speak Welsh." *
Ysgol Gyfun Llangefni Ysgol Gyfun Llangefni is a bilingual community comprehensive school for pupils aged 11 to 18 years old located in Llangefni, Anglesey. Pupils come from the town of Llangefni and the surrounding villages and rural areas. The school opened in 1953 ...
(in
Llangefni ; ) is the county town of Anglesey in Wales. At the 2011 census, Llangefni's population was 5,116, making it the second-largest town in the county and the largest on the island. The community includes the village of Rhosmeirch. Location The ...
): 68% of pupils speak Welsh as their
first language A first language (L1), native language, native tongue, or mother tongue is the first language a person has been exposed to from birth or within the critical period hypothesis, critical period. In some countries, the term ''native language'' ...
; 87% of pupils take their exams through the medium of Welsh. *
Ysgol Syr Thomas Jones Ysgol Syr Thomas Jones is a mixed bilingual community school for pupils between 11 and 18 years of age in the Pentrefelin area of Amlwch, Anglesey. The school serves the town and the rural catchment area. History Originally designed by N. Squir ...
(in
Amlwch Amlwch () is a port town and community (Wales), community in Wales. It is situated on the north coast of the Anglesey, Isle of Anglesey, on the A5025 road, A5025 which connects it to Holyhead and to Menai Bridge. As well as Amlwch town and Am ...
): 34% of pupils come from Welsh-speaking homes; 82% sit the Welsh First Language
General Certificate of Secondary Education The General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) is an academic qualification in a range of subjects taken in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, having been introduced in September 1986 and its first exams taken in 1988. State schools ...
(GCSE). *
Ysgol Uwchradd Bodedern Ysgol Uwchradd Bodedern is a co-educational secondary school in Bodedern, Anglesey, Wales first opened in 1977. It is a bilingual establishment run by Anglesey County Council. History Ysgol Uwchradd Bodedern opened on 6 September 1977 and the he ...
(in
Bodedern Bodedern is a village and community (Wales), community in the west of Anglesey, Wales. At the 2001 census, it had a population of 1,074, decreasing slightly to 1,051 at the 2011 census. The community includes the settlements of Llanllibio and Pe ...
): 67% of pupils come from Welsh-speaking homes; "a majority" speak Welsh fluently. *
Ysgol Uwchradd Caergybi Ysgol Uwchradd Caergybi is a coeducational Comprehensive school, comprehensive secondary school in Holyhead, Anglesey. It was the first comprehensive school in Wales, opening in 1949 as Holyhead County School.
(in
Holyhead Holyhead (; , "Cybi's fort") is a historic port town, and is the list of Anglesey towns by population, largest town and a Community (Wales), community in the county of Isle of Anglesey, Wales. Holyhead is on Holy Island, Anglesey, Holy Island ...
): 14% of pupils speak Welsh at home; 11% are taught the "Welsh First Language" curriculum.


Geology

The geology of Anglesey is complex and frequently targeted for geology
field trip A field trip or excursion is a journey by a group of associated peers, such as coworkers or school students, to a place away from their normal environment for the purpose of education or leisure, either within their country or abroad. When ar ...
s by schools and colleges. Younger strata in Anglesey rest upon a foundation of old
Precambrian The Precambrian ( ; or pre-Cambrian, sometimes abbreviated pC, or Cryptozoic) is the earliest part of Earth's history, set before the current Phanerozoic Eon. The Precambrian is so named because it preceded the Cambrian, the first period of t ...
rocks that appear at the surface in four areas: #a western region including
Holyhead Holyhead (; , "Cybi's fort") is a historic port town, and is the list of Anglesey towns by population, largest town and a Community (Wales), community in the county of Isle of Anglesey, Wales. Holyhead is on Holy Island, Anglesey, Holy Island ...
and
Llanfaethlu Llanfaethlu is a village and community in the north west of Anglesey, in north-west Wales. The community population taken at the 2011 Census was 553. The village takes its name from the Church of Saint Maethlu. The community includes Llanfwro ...
#a central area about
Aberffraw Aberffraw is a village and community (Wales), community on the south west coast of the Isle of Anglesey in Wales. The village is 9 miles from the island's county town, Llangefni, and is on the west bank of the Afon Ffraw (Ffraw River). The com ...
and Trefdraeth #an eastern region which includes Newborough,
Gaerwen Gaerwen () is a village on the island of Anglesey in the community of Llanfihangel Ysgeifiog in Wales. It is located in the south of the island west of Llanfairpwllgwyngyll and southeast of Llangefni . The A5 runs through the village, and t ...
and
Pentraeth Pentraeth () is a village and Community (Wales), community on the island of Anglesey (''Ynys Môn''), North Wales, at . The Royal Mail postcode begins LL75. The community population taken at the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 census was 1,178 ...
#a coastal region at Glyn Garth between
Menai Bridge Menai Bridge (; usually referred to colloquially as ''Y Borth'') is a town and community on the Isle of Anglesey in north-west Wales. It overlooks the Menai Strait and lies by the Menai Suspension Bridge, built in 1826 by Thomas Telford, j ...
and
Beaumaris Beaumaris (; ) is a town and community (Wales), community on the Anglesey, Isle of Anglesey in Wales, of which it is the former county town. It is located at the eastern entrance to the Menai Strait, the tidal waterway separating Anglesey fro ...
These rocks are
schist Schist ( ) is a medium-grained metamorphic rock generally derived from fine-grained sedimentary rock, like shale. It shows pronounced ''schistosity'' (named for the rock). This means that the rock is composed of mineral grains easily seen with a l ...
s and
phyllite Phyllite ( ) is a type of foliation (geology), foliated metamorphic rock formed from slate that is further metamorphosed so that very fine grained white mica achieves a preferred orientation.Stephen Marshak ''Essentials of Geology'', 3rd ed. I ...
s, often contorted and disturbed. The general line of strike of the formations in the island is from north-east to south-west. A belt of
granitic rocks A granitoid is a broad term referring to a diverse group of coarse-grained igneous rocks that are widely distributed across the globe, covering a significant portion of the Earth's exposed surface and constituting a large part of the continental ...
lies just north-west of the central Precambrian mass, reaching from
Llanfaelog Llanfaelog () is a village and community in western Anglesey, Wales. It is situated some 13 kilometres south-east of Holyhead and 22 kilometres west of the city of Bangor. At the 2001 census, it had a population of 1,679, increasing to 1,758 ...
near the coast to the vicinity of
Llanerchymedd Llannerch-y-medd, is a small village and community on the Isle of Anglesey in North West Wales. It had a population of 1,360, of whom more than 70% is Welsh speaking. The village is situated near the centre of Anglesey close to the large water ...
. Between this granite and the Precambrian of Holyhead is a narrow tract of
Ordovician The Ordovician ( ) is a geologic period and System (geology), system, the second of six periods of the Paleozoic Era (geology), Era, and the second of twelve periods of the Phanerozoic Eon (geology), Eon. The Ordovician spans 41.6 million years f ...
slates and grits with Llandovery beds in places, spreading out in the north of the island between
Dulas Bay Dulas Bay ( Welsh: ''Bae Dulas'') is a small bay on the north east coast of Anglesey (''Ynys Môn''), north Wales, forming the boundary between Llaneilian and Moelfre communities. The bay is bordered by three beaches. Overview The north-weste ...
and Carmel Point. A small patch of Ordovician strata lies on the northern side of Beaumaris. In parts, these Ordovician rocks are much folded, crushed and metamorphosed, and associated with schists and altered volcanic rocks which are probably Precambrian. Between the eastern and central Precambrian masses
Carboniferous The Carboniferous ( ) is a Geologic time scale, geologic period and System (stratigraphy), system of the Paleozoic era (geology), era that spans 60 million years, from the end of the Devonian Period Ma (million years ago) to the beginning of the ...
rocks are found. Carboniferous Limestone occupies a broad area south of
Lligwy Bay Lligwy Bay () is a bay of the Welsh island of Anglesey. It is on the north east of the island, to the north of the village of Moelfre. It was the site, in October 1859, of the loss of the steam clipper ''Royal Charter'' with a loss of life in ...
and Pentraeth, and sends a narrow spur in south-westwards by
Llangefni ; ) is the county town of Anglesey in Wales. At the 2011 census, Llangefni's population was 5,116, making it the second-largest town in the county and the largest on the island. The community includes the village of Rhosmeirch. Location The ...
to Malltraeth Sands. It is underlain on the north-west by a red basement conglomerate and yellow
sandstone Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...
(sometimes considered of
Old Red Sandstone Old Red Sandstone, abbreviated ORS, is an assemblage of rocks in the North Atlantic region largely of Devonian age. It extends in the east across Great Britain, Ireland and Norway, and in the west along the eastern seaboard of North America. It ...
age). Limestone occurs again on the north coast around Llanfihangel and
Llangoed Llangoed () is a small village, community and electoral ward just north of Beaumaris, on the Isle of Anglesey (), at . The Royal Mail postcode begins LL58. Llangoed ward has a population of 1,275 (2001), falling at the 2011 census to 1,229. The ...
; and in the south-west round Llanidan near the
Menai Strait The Menai Strait () is a strait which separates the island of Anglesey from Gwynedd, on the mainland of Wales. It is situated between Caernarfon Bay in the south-west and Conwy Bay in the north-east, which are both inlets of the Irish Sea. The s ...
. Puffin Island is made of Carboniferous Limestone.
Malltraeth Marsh Malltraeth Marsh (also spelled as Malldraeth; or ) is a large marsh area in Anglesey, North Wales, north-east of Malltraeth village, along the flatlands of Trefdraeth, Bodorgan, Llangristiolus and south of Cefn Cwmwd, Rhostrehwfa. It was recla ...
is occupied by Coal Measures, and a small patch of the same formation appears near Tal-y-foel Ferry on the Menai Strait. A patch of
rhyolitic Rhyolite ( ) is the most silica-rich of volcanic rocks. It is generally glassy or fine-grained (aphanitic) in texture, but may be porphyritic, containing larger mineral crystals ( phenocrysts) in an otherwise fine-grained groundmass. The miner ...
/ felsitic rocks forms
Parys Mountain Parys Mountain () is located south of the town of Amlwch in north east Anglesey, Wales. Originally known as Trysclwyn, the high ground is reputed to have gained its current name when it was given to Robert Parys, Chamberlain of North Wales by ...
, where copper and iron ochre have been worked. Serpentine (Mona Marble) is found near
Llanfair-yn-Neubwll Llanfair-yn-Neubwll is a village and community (Wales), community on the Isle of Anglesey in the north west of Wales. The community includes the villages of Llanfihangel yn Nhowyn and Caergeiliog, and had a population of 1,688, increasing to 1,8 ...
and upon the opposite shore in Holyhead. Anglesey is the only onshore part of the UK to have sediments dated to the Early
Middle Miocene The Middle Miocene is a sub-epoch of the Miocene epoch (geology), epoch made up of two Stage (stratigraphy), stages: the Langhian and Serravallian stages. The Middle Miocene is preceded by the Early Miocene. The sub-epoch lasted from 15.97 ± 0. ...
(?Langhian). Under the name '' GeoMôn'', affirming its extraordinary geological heritage, the island gained membership of the
European Geoparks Network The European Geoparks Network (EGN) functions as the regional organization of the Global Geoparks Network (GGN) and the UNESCO International Geosciences and Geoparks Programme (UNESCO-IGGP). Its main objective is to ensure cooperation between geop ...
in spring 2009. and the
Global Geoparks Network UNESCO Global Geoparks (UGGp) are geoparks certified by the UNESCO Global Geoparks Council as meeting all the requirements for belonging to the Global Geoparks Network (GGN). The GGN is both a network of geoparks and the agency of the United Nati ...
in September 2010.


Landmarks

* Anglesey Motor Racing Circuit * Anglesey Sea Zoo near
Dwyran Dwyran is a village on the island of Anglesey, in north-west Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the Englan ...
*Bays and beaches –
Benllech Benllech () is a village on the Isle of Anglesey in Wales. It is in the community of Llanfair-Mathafarn-Eithaf, which has a population of 3,382. The name of Benllech village had been removed by the time of the 2011 census with the community b ...
,
Cemlyn Cemlyn is a village in Anglesey, in north-west Wales. It lies near Cemlyn Bay. It is in the community A community is a social unit (a group of people) with a shared socially-significant characteristic, such as place, set of norms, cult ...
, Red Wharf, and
Rhosneigr Rhosneigr () is a village in the south-west of Anglesey, north Wales. It is situated on the A4080 road. It is south-east of Holyhead, and is on the Anglesey Coastal Path. From the clock at the centre of the village can be seen RAF Valley an ...
*
Beaumaris Castle Beaumaris Castle ( ; , ), in Beaumaris, Anglesey, Wales, was built as part of Edward I of England, Edward I's Conquest of Wales by Edward I of England, campaign to conquer north Wales after 1282. Plans were probably first made to construct t ...
and
Gaol A prison, also known as a jail, gaol, penitentiary, detention center, correction center, correctional facility, or remand center, is a facility where people are imprisoned under the authority of the state, usually as punishment for various cri ...
*
Cribinau Cribinau is a small tidal island off the south west coast of the isle of Anglesey in Wales between Porth China and Porth Cwyfan. The island is in Aberffraw Community, about west of Aberffraw village. The island can be reached on foot at low ti ...
– tidal island with 13th-century church * Elin's Tower (Twr Elin) – RSPB reserve and the lighthouse at South Stack (Ynys Lawd) near
Holyhead Holyhead (; , "Cybi's fort") is a historic port town, and is the list of Anglesey towns by population, largest town and a Community (Wales), community in the county of Isle of Anglesey, Wales. Holyhead is on Holy Island, Anglesey, Holy Island ...
*
King Arthur According to legends, King Arthur (; ; ; ) was a king of Great Britain, Britain. He is a folk hero and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain. In Wales, Welsh sources, Arthur is portrayed as a le ...
's seat – near
Beaumaris Beaumaris (; ) is a town and community (Wales), community on the Anglesey, Isle of Anglesey in Wales, of which it is the former county town. It is located at the eastern entrance to the Menai Strait, the tidal waterway separating Anglesey fro ...
*
Llanfairpwllgwyngyll Llanfairpwllgwyngyll or Llanfair Pwllgwyngyll (), often shortened to Llanfairpwll and sometimes to Llanfair PG, is a village and community on the Isle of Anglesey, Wales. It is located on the Menai Strait, next to the Britannia Bridge. At the ...
, one of the longest place names in the world *
Malltraeth Malltraeth (origin: ''Mall'' (corrupt, blasted, desolate, + ''Traeth'' (beach))) is a small village in the southwest of Anglesey, in the community of Bodorgan. It is now at the end of a large bay, which used to extend much further inland, alm ...
– centre for bird life and home of wildlife artist
Charles Tunnicliffe Charles Frederick Tunnicliffe, OBE, RA (1 December 1901 – 7 February 1979) was an internationally renowned naturalistic painter of British birds and other wildlife. He spent most of his working life on the Isle of Anglesey. He is popularly ...
* Moelfre – fishing village *
Parys Mountain Parys Mountain () is located south of the town of Amlwch in north east Anglesey, Wales. Originally known as Trysclwyn, the high ground is reputed to have gained its current name when it was given to Robert Parys, Chamberlain of North Wales by ...
– copper mine dating to the early Bronze Age *
Penmon Penmon is a promontory, village and ecclesiastical parish on the eastern tip of the Isle of Anglesey in Wales, about east of the town of Beaumaris. It is in the community of Llangoed. The name comes from (which can mean "head", "end" or "pro ...
– priory and dovecote *
Skerries A skerry is a small rocky island, usually defined to be too small for habitation. Skerry, skerries, or The Skerries may also refer to: Geography Northern Ireland *Skerries, County Armagh, a List of townlands in County Armagh#S, townland in Coun ...
Lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lens (optics), lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Ligh ...
– at the end of a low piece of submerged land, north-east of
Holyhead Holyhead (; , "Cybi's fort") is a historic port town, and is the list of Anglesey towns by population, largest town and a Community (Wales), community in the county of Isle of Anglesey, Wales. Holyhead is on Holy Island, Anglesey, Holy Island ...
*
St Cybi's Church St Cybi's Church is a medieval church near the Roman Caer Gybi in Holyhead, Anglesey, Wales. The church was Grade I listed in January 1968. The original church was constructed at Holyhead around 540 AD by St Cybi, a cousin of St David. The c ...
– historic church in Holyhead *Stone Science Museum – privately run fossil museum near
Pentraeth Pentraeth () is a village and Community (Wales), community on the island of Anglesey (''Ynys Môn''), North Wales, at . The Royal Mail postcode begins LL75. The community population taken at the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 census was 1,178 ...
*Swtan longhouse and museum – owned by the
National Trust The National Trust () is a heritage and nature conservation charity and membership organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Trust was founded in 1895 by Octavia Hill, Sir Robert Hunter and Hardwicke Rawnsley to "promote the ...
and managed by the local community *Working
windmill A windmill is a machine operated by the force of wind acting on vanes or sails to mill grain (gristmills), pump water, generate electricity, or drive other machinery. Windmills were used throughout the high medieval and early modern period ...
Llanddeusant * Ynys Llanddwyn (Llanddwyn Island) – tidal island


Notable people


Born in Anglesey

*
Tony Adams Tony Alexander Adams (born 10 October 1966) is an English former football manager and player. Adams played for Arsenal and England, captaining both teams. Known as Mr. Arsenal, he spent his entire playing career of 19 years as a centre-back t ...
– actor (Anglesey, 1940) *
Stu Allan Stu Allan (6 February 1962 – 22 September 2022) was a British dance music DJ and producer who worked for Piccadilly Radio and Key 103 in Manchester in the 1980s and 1990s. His hip hop, hardcore techno and house music mixes ranked him the wo ...
– radio and club DJ * Billy Butler - radio personalty (Amlwch, 1942) * John C. Clarke – U.S. state politician (Anglesey, 1831) * Grace Coddington – creative director for US ''Vogue'' (Anglesey, 1941) * Charles Allen Duval – artist and writer (Beaumaris, 1810) *
Dawn French Dawn Roma French (born 11 October 1957) is a British actress, comedian and writer. She is known for writing and starring on the BBC sketch comedy series '' French and Saunders'' (1987–2007) with her best friend and comedy partner Jennifer Sa ...
– actress, writer, comedian (Holyhead, 1957) *
Huw Garmon Huw Garmon (born 1966) is a Welsh actor, probably best known for playing the eponymous lead in the Oscar-nominated Welsh language film '' Hedd Wyn'' (1992). He has also taken part in various television series and has currently taken an academic ...
– actor (Anglesey, 1966) *
Hugh Griffith Hugh Emrys Griffith (30 May 1912 – 14 May 1980) was a Welsh actor. Described by BFI Screenonline as a "wild-eyed, formidable character player", Griffith appeared in more than 100 theatre, film, and television productions in a career that spa ...
– Oscar-winning actor (Marianglas, 1912) * Elen Gwdman – poet (fl. 1609) *
Meinir Gwilym Meinir Elin Gwilym (born 31 March 1983) is a Welsh-language pop and folk singer. Raised in Llangristiolus, Anglesey, she released her first EP, "Smôcs, Coffi a Fodca Rhad" in 2002. Her website claims that she is amongst the best-selling Wel ...
– singer and songwriter (Llangristiolus, 1983) *
Owain Gwynedd Owain ap Gruffudd ( – 23 or 28 November 1170) was King of Gwynedd, North Wales, from 1137 until his death in 1170, succeeding his father Gruffudd ap Cynan. He was called Owain the Great () and the first to be styled "Prince of Wales" and th ...
– royal prince (Anglesey, c. 1100) * Hywel Gwynfryn – radio and TV personality (Llangefni, 1942) *
Max Horton Admiral (Royal Navy), Admiral Sir Max Kennedy Horton, (29 November 1883 – 30 July 1951) was a British submariner during the First World War and commander-in-chief of the Western Approaches Command, Western Approaches in the later half of the ...
- British submariner during the First World War and commander-in-chief of the
Western Approaches The Western Approaches is an approximately rectangular area of the Atlantic Ocean lying immediately to the west of Ireland and parts of Great Britain. Its north and south boundaries are defined by the corresponding extremities of Britain. The c ...
in the later half of the Second World War, responsible for British participation in the
Battle of the Atlantic The Battle of the Atlantic, the longest continuous military campaign in World War II, ran from 1939 to the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945, covering a major part of the naval history of World War II. At its core was the Allies of World War II, ...
(Rhosneigr, 1883) *
Aled Jones Aled Jones, (born 29 December 1970) is a Welsh singer, radio and television presenter, and actor. As a teenage chorister, he gained widespread fame in 1985 with his recording of " Walking in the Air", which reached No 5 in the UK pop chart. He ...
– singer and television presenter (Llandegfan, 1970) * John Jones – amateur astronomer (Bryngwyn Bach, Dwyran 1818 – Bangor 1898); a.k.a. Ioan Bryngwyn Bach and Y Seryddwr * William Jones – mathematician (Llanfihangel Tre'r Beirdd, 1675) *
Julian Lewis Jones Julian Lewis Jones is a Welsh actor. He is best known for his work in '' Invictus'' and the ''Justice League''. Career Originally from Anglesey, Jones lives in Nantgaredig. A fluent Welsh speaker, he has appeared on various productions on the ...
– actor, known for his portrayal of Karl Morris on the Sky 1 comedy ''
Stella Stella or STELLA may refer to: Art, entertainment, and media Films * ''Stella'' (1921 film), directed by Edwin J. Collins * ''Stella'' (1943 film), with Zully Moreno * ''Stella'' (1950 film), with Ann Sheridan and Victor Mature * ''Stella'' (1955 ...
'' (Anglesey, 1968) * John Morris-Jones – grammarian and poet (Llandrygarn, 1864) * Edward Owen – 18th-century artist, notable for letters documenting life in London's art scene * Goronwy Owen – 18th-century poet ( Llanfair-Mathafarn-Eithaf, 1723) *
Osian Roberts Osian Roberts (born 18 August 1965) is a Welsh football coach and former player who is the head of development of Italian Serie A club Como. In 2014, he was described in the media as "the most influential man in Welsh football". Early life Rober ...
association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...
player and manager (
Bodffordd Bodffordd () is a village and community in central Anglesey, Wales. As of the 2011 census, the community's population was 960. The community includes the hamlets of Trefor, Heneglwys and Bodwrog. Description and history Bodffordd is located ...
) *
Tecwyn Roberts Tecwyn Roberts (10 October 1925 – 27 December 1988) was a Welsh people, Welsh spaceflight engineer who in the 1960s played important roles in designing the Christopher C. Kraft Jr. Mission Control Center, Mission Control Center at NASA's John ...
NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...
aerospace engineer and Director of Networks at
Goddard Space Flight Center The Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) is a major NASA space research laboratory located approximately northeast of Washington, D.C., in Greenbelt, Maryland, United States. Established on May 1, 1959, as NASA's first space flight center, GSFC ...
(
Llanddaniel Fab Llanddaniel Fab (or Llanddaniel-fab; formerly Llanddeiniol-fab) is a village and community in the south of Anglesey, Wales. At the 2001 census it had a population of 699, increasing to 776 at the 2011 census. The village is at the highest point ...
, 1925) *
Hugh Owen Thomas Hugh Owen Thomas (23 August 1834 – 6 January 1891) was a Welsh orthopaedic surgeon. He and his nephew Robert Jones have been called "the Fathers of orthopaedic surgery". Thomas was descended from a line of Welsh bone setters and placed grea ...
– pioneering orthopaedic surgeon (Anglesey, 1836) * Ifor Owen Thomas – operatic tenor, photographer and artist (Red Wharf Bay, 1892) * Sefnyn – medieval court poet *
Owen Tudor Sir Owen Tudor (, – 2 February 1461) was a Welsh courtier and the second husband of Queen Catherine of Valois (1401–1437), widow of King Henry V of England. He was the grandfather of Henry VII, founder of the Tudor dynasty. Background ...
– grandfather of Henry Tudor, married the widow of Henry V, which gave the Tudor family a claim on the
English throne The Throne of England is the throne of the Monarch of England. "Throne of England" also refers metonymically to the office of monarch, and monarchy itself.Gordon, Delahay. (1760) ''A General History of the Lives, Trials, and Executions of All t ...
(Anglesey, ). *
Kyffin Williams Sir John Kyffin Williams, (9 May 1918 – 1 September 2006) was a Welsh landscape painter who lived at Pwllfanogl, Llanfairpwll, on the Island of Anglesey. Williams is widely regarded as the defining artist of Wales during the 20th century. Pe ...
– landscape painter (Llangefni, 1918) * William Williams – recipient of the
Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...
(Amlwch, 1890) * Andy Whitfield – actor (
Amlwch Amlwch () is a port town and community (Wales), community in Wales. It is situated on the north coast of the Anglesey, Isle of Anglesey, on the A5025 road, A5025 which connects it to Holyhead and to Menai Bridge. As well as Amlwch town and Am ...
, 1971) * Gareth Williams – employee of Britain's
GCHQ Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) is an intelligence and security organisation responsible for providing signals intelligence (SIGINT) and information assurance (IA) to the government and armed forces of the United Kingdom. Primar ...
signals intelligence agency (Anglesey, 1978)


Lived in Anglesey

* Rachel Davies (Rahel o Fôn) – preacher *
Henry Austin Dobson Henry Austin Dobson (18 January 1840 – 2 September 1921), commonly Austin Dobson, was an England, English poet and essayist. Life He was born at Plymouth, the eldest son of George Clarisse Dobson, a civil engineer, of French descent. Wh ...
– poet and essayist (Plymouth, Devon 1840) *
Taron Egerton Taron Egerton ( ; born 10 November 1989) is a Welsh actor. After graduating from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, he performed in stage plays before gaining recognition for his starring role as a spy in the action comedy films '' Kingsman: Th ...
– actor and star of '' Rocketman'' (raised on Anglesey from age 3 to age 12) * Ren Gill – musician, known as Ren, (born Bangor, 1990; raised in
Dwyran Dwyran is a village on the island of Anglesey, in north-west Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the Englan ...
) *
Gareth Glyn Gareth Glyn, born Gareth Glynne Davies (born 1951), is a Welsh composer and radio broadcaster. Life and education Born in Machynlleth, Wales, Glyn is the eldest son of the late Welsh poet T. Glynne Davies. He received his secondary education at ...
– composer and broadcaster (since 1978) *
Wayne Hennessey Wayne Robert Hennessey (born 24 January 1987) is a Welsh professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for the Wales national team. Hennessey's first professional games saw him set a new Football League record for consecutive clean sheet ...
– footballer, goalkeeper for the
Wales national football team The Wales national football team () represents Wales in international Association football, football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales (FAW), the governing body for football in Wales. They have been a member of FIFA since ...
(Bangor, 1987) * Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister – heavy metal bass player and singer, front man of
Motörhead Motörhead () were an English rock music, rock band formed in London in 1975 by bassist and lead vocalist Lemmy Kilmister, guitarist Larry Wallis and drummer Lucas Fox. Kilmister was the primary songwriter and only constant member. The band a ...
(Stoke-on-Trent, 1945) *
Glenys Kinnock Glenys Elizabeth Kinnock, Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead, (; 7 July 1944 – 3 December 2023), was a British politician and teacher who served as Minister of State for Europe from June to October 2009 and Minister of State for Africa and the U ...
– politician (Holyhead, 1950s) *
Marquesses of Anglesey A marquess (; ) is a Nobility, nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German-language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman with the rank of a marquess or the wife ...
– noble family from Plas Newydd,
Llanfairpwll Llanfairpwllgwyngyll or Llanfair Pwllgwyngyll (), often shortened to Llanfairpwll and sometimes to Llanfair PG, is a village and community (Wales), community on the Isle of Anglesey, Wales. It is located on the Menai Strait, next to the Britann ...
* Matthew Maynard – cricketer (Oldham, Lancashire 1966) *
George North George Philip North (born 13 April 1992) is a professional rugby union player who plays as a centre for Pro D2 club Provence Rugby. Born in England, he grew up in Wales and represented Wales at international level between 2010 and 2024, as we ...
Wales rugby union international (born King's Lynn, 1992; family moved to Anglesey in his early childhood) *
Cara Hope Cara Mai Hope (born 24 November 1993) is a Welsh Rugby Union professional player who plays Prop (rugby union), prop for the Wales women's national rugby union team and for Gloucester-Hartpury in the Premier 15s. Hope announced a hiatus from interna ...
Wales rugby union international player (born Bangor, 1993; raised in
Llangaffo Llangaffo is a village in Anglesey, in north-west Wales. It lies along the B4419 road, B4419 and B4421 roads, north of Dwyran, south of Gaerwen and northwest of Llanidan. It is named after Caffo, a 6th-century saint. A church, St Caffo's Church, ...
) *
Gruff Rhys Gruffudd Maredudd Bowen Rhys (; born 18 July 1970) is a Welsh musician, composer, producer, filmmaker and author. He performs solo and with several bands, including Super Furry Animals, which obtained mainstream success in the 1990s. He forme ...
– musician best known for being the leadman of
Super Furry Animals Super Furry Animals are a Welsh rock band formed in Cardiff in 1993. For the duration of their professional career, the band consisted of Gruff Rhys (lead vocals, guitar), Huw Bunford (lead guitar, vocals), Guto Pryce (bass guitar), Cian C ...
grew up in Rachub, near Bethesda (Haverfordwest, 18 July 1970) *
Iain Duncan Smith Sir George Iain Duncan Smith (born 9 April 1954), often referred to by his initials IDS, is a British politician who was Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party and Leader of the Opposition (United Kingdom), Le ...
– leader of the Conservative Party 2001–2003, attended HMS ''Conway'' School Ship Plas Newydd, Llanfairpwll, 1968–1972. *
Charles Tunnicliffe Charles Frederick Tunnicliffe, OBE, RA (1 December 1901 – 7 February 1979) was an internationally renowned naturalistic painter of British birds and other wildlife. He spent most of his working life on the Isle of Anglesey. He is popularly ...
– wildlife artist (Langley, Macclesfield, 1901) *
Naomi Watts Naomi Ellen Watts (born 28 September 1968) is a British actress. Known for her work predominantly in independent films with dark or tragic themes, she has received various accolades, including nominations for two Academy Awards, a Primetime ...
– Oscar-nominated actress (born Kent, 1968) *
Rex Whistler Reginald John "Rex" Whistler (24 June 190518 July 1944) was a British artist, who painted murals and society portraits, and designed theatrical costumes. He was killed in action in Normandy in World War II. Whistler was the brother of poet and ...
– artist (born Eltham, Kent 1905) *
Maurice Wilks Maurice Fernand Cary Wilks (19 August 19048 September 1963) was an English automotive and aeronautical engineer, and by the time of his death in 1963, was the chairman of the Rover Company. He was the founder of the Land Rover marque and respo ...
– father of the Land Rover, which was test driven on Newborough and Llanddona beach * Prince William, Prince of Wales and his wife
Catherine, Princess of Wales Catherine, Princess of Wales (born Catherine Elizabeth Middleton; 9 January 1982), is a member of the British royal family. She is married to William, Prince of Wales, heir apparent to the British throne. Born in Reading, Catherine grew ...
. (2010–2013) *
Clive Woodward Sir Clive Ronald Woodward (born 6 January 1956) is an English former rugby union player and coach (sport), coach. He was coach of the team from 1997 to 2004, managing them to victory in the 2003 Rugby World Cup. He also coached the 2005 Britis ...
rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...
player and England / British Lions coach, attended HMS ''Conway'' School Ship Plas Newydd, Llanfairpwll, 1969–1974.


Schools

Secondary schools: * Ysgol David Hughes,
Menai Bridge Menai Bridge (; usually referred to colloquially as ''Y Borth'') is a town and community on the Isle of Anglesey in north-west Wales. It overlooks the Menai Strait and lies by the Menai Suspension Bridge, built in 1826 by Thomas Telford, j ...
*
Ysgol Gyfun Llangefni Ysgol Gyfun Llangefni is a bilingual community comprehensive school for pupils aged 11 to 18 years old located in Llangefni, Anglesey. Pupils come from the town of Llangefni and the surrounding villages and rural areas. The school opened in 1953 ...
,
Llangefni ; ) is the county town of Anglesey in Wales. At the 2011 census, Llangefni's population was 5,116, making it the second-largest town in the county and the largest on the island. The community includes the village of Rhosmeirch. Location The ...
*
Ysgol Syr Thomas Jones Ysgol Syr Thomas Jones is a mixed bilingual community school for pupils between 11 and 18 years of age in the Pentrefelin area of Amlwch, Anglesey. The school serves the town and the rural catchment area. History Originally designed by N. Squir ...
,
Amlwch Amlwch () is a port town and community (Wales), community in Wales. It is situated on the north coast of the Anglesey, Isle of Anglesey, on the A5025 road, A5025 which connects it to Holyhead and to Menai Bridge. As well as Amlwch town and Am ...
*
Ysgol Uwchradd Bodedern Ysgol Uwchradd Bodedern is a co-educational secondary school in Bodedern, Anglesey, Wales first opened in 1977. It is a bilingual establishment run by Anglesey County Council. History Ysgol Uwchradd Bodedern opened on 6 September 1977 and the he ...
,
Bodedern Bodedern is a village and community (Wales), community in the west of Anglesey, Wales. At the 2001 census, it had a population of 1,074, decreasing slightly to 1,051 at the 2011 census. The community includes the settlements of Llanllibio and Pe ...
*
Ysgol Uwchradd Caergybi Ysgol Uwchradd Caergybi is a coeducational Comprehensive school, comprehensive secondary school in Holyhead, Anglesey. It was the first comprehensive school in Wales, opening in 1949 as Holyhead County School.
,
Holyhead Holyhead (; , "Cybi's fort") is a historic port town, and is the list of Anglesey towns by population, largest town and a Community (Wales), community in the county of Isle of Anglesey, Wales. Holyhead is on Holy Island, Anglesey, Holy Island ...
There are 50 primary, all co-educational day schools.


Transport

Anglesey is linked to the mainland by the
Britannia Bridge Britannia Bridge () is a bridge in Wales that crosses the Menai Strait between the Isle of Anglesey and city of Bangor, Gwynedd, Bangor. It was originally designed and built by the noted railway engineer Robert Stephenson as a tubular bridge of ...
, carrying the A55 from
Holyhead Holyhead (; , "Cybi's fort") is a historic port town, and is the list of Anglesey towns by population, largest town and a Community (Wales), community in the county of Isle of Anglesey, Wales. Holyhead is on Holy Island, Anglesey, Holy Island ...
, and the
Menai Suspension Bridge The Menai Suspension Bridge ( or ) is a suspension bridge spanning the Menai Strait between the island of Anglesey and the mainland of Wales. Designed by Thomas Telford and completed in 1826, it was the world's first major suspension bridge. Th ...
, carrying the A5 trunk road. The
A5025 The A5025 is an 'A' road that runs from Llanfairpwllgwyngyll to Valley in Anglesey, Wales. A major road around the north coast of the isle, it runs up the east, north and finally north-west side of the island via several places including Benll ...
round the northern edge of Anglesey and the
A4080 The A4080 is a British A road which is located on the Island of Anglesey, Wales. It follows a very roundabout route from the A5 road at Llanfairpwllgwyngyll via Newborough and Rhosneigr back to the A55 and the A5 about south of Holyhead. In ...
round the southern edge form a ring. The
North Wales Coast Line The North Wales Main Line ( or ; ), also known as the North Wales Coast Line (), is a major railway line in the north of Wales and Cheshire, England, running from Crewe on the West Coast Main Line to Holyhead on the Isle of Anglesey. The lin ...
travels across the Britannia Bridge to Anglesey. The six railway stations on the island are
Holyhead Holyhead (; , "Cybi's fort") is a historic port town, and is the list of Anglesey towns by population, largest town and a Community (Wales), community in the county of Isle of Anglesey, Wales. Holyhead is on Holy Island, Anglesey, Holy Island ...
,
Valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains and typically containing a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams over ...
,
Rhosneigr Rhosneigr () is a village in the south-west of Anglesey, north Wales. It is situated on the A4080 road. It is south-east of Holyhead, and is on the Anglesey Coastal Path. From the clock at the centre of the village can be seen RAF Valley an ...
, Ty Croes,
Bodorgan Bodorgan is a village and community on the Isle of Anglesey, Wales, United Kingdom. According to the 2001 Census, there were 1,503 residents in the now former electoral ward, 72.7% of them being able to speak Welsh. This increased to 1,704 at ...
and
Llanfairpwll Llanfairpwllgwyngyll or Llanfair Pwllgwyngyll (), often shortened to Llanfairpwll and sometimes to Llanfair PG, is a village and community (Wales), community on the Isle of Anglesey, Wales. It is located on the Menai Strait, next to the Britann ...
. Services operated by
Avanti West Coast First Trenitalia West Coast Rail, trading name, trading as Avanti West Coast, is a British train operating company owned by FirstGroup (70%) and Trenitalia (30%) that operates the West Coast Partnership. In November 2016, the Department for Tra ...
to
London Euston Euston railway station ( ; or London Euston) is a major central London railway terminus and connected London Underground station managed by Network Rail in the London Borough of Camden. It is the southern terminus of the West Coast Main Line ...
, and by
Transport for Wales Rail Transport for Wales Rail Limited, branded as Transport for Wales and TfW Rail ( and ), is a Welsh State-owned enterprises of the United Kingdom, publicly owned train operating company, a subsidiary of Transport for Wales (TfW), a Welsh Governme ...
to
Chester Chester is a cathedral city in Cheshire, England, on the River Dee, Wales, River Dee, close to the England–Wales border. With a built-up area population of 92,760 in 2021, it is the most populous settlement in the borough of Cheshire West an ...
,
Manchester Piccadilly Manchester Piccadilly is the main railway station of the city of Manchester, in the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester, England. Opened originally as Store Street in 1842, it was renamed Manchester London Road in 1847 and became Manchest ...
,
Birmingham New Street Birmingham New Street, also known as New Street station, is the largest and busiest of the three main railway stations in Birmingham city centre, England, and a central hub of the British railway system. It is a major destination for Avanti ...
and Cardiff Central. Historically the island was also served by the
Anglesey Central Railway The Anglesey Central Railway (Welsh: ''Lein Amlwch'', ''Amlwch Line'') was a standard-gauge railway in Anglesey, Wales, connecting the port of Amlwch and the county town of Llangefni with the North Wales Coast Line at Gaerwen. Built as an in ...
which ran from
Gaerwen Gaerwen () is a village on the island of Anglesey in the community of Llanfihangel Ysgeifiog in Wales. It is located in the south of the island west of Llanfairpwllgwyngyll and southeast of Llangefni . The A5 runs through the village, and t ...
to
Amlwch Amlwch () is a port town and community (Wales), community in Wales. It is situated on the north coast of the Anglesey, Isle of Anglesey, on the A5025 road, A5025 which connects it to Holyhead and to Menai Bridge. As well as Amlwch town and Am ...
, and the Red Wharf Bay branch line between Holland Arms railway station and Red Wharf Bay.
Anglesey Airport Anglesey Airport () is an airport owned by the Isle of Anglesey County Council on land leased from the Defence Infrastructure Organisation. The airport is situated at Llanfair-yn-Neubwll in Anglesey, Wales. The leased site is part of RAF Val ...
, until 2020, had a twice-daily scheduled service to
Cardiff Airport Cardiff Airport () is an airport in Rhoose, Vale of Glamorgan. It is the only airport offering commercial passenger services and cargo services in Wales. The airport is owned by the Welsh Government, operating it at arm's length as a commercia ...
. The route was subsidised by the
Welsh government The Welsh Government ( ) is the Executive (government), executive arm of the Welsh devolution, devolved government of Wales. The government consists of Cabinet secretary, cabinet secretaries and Minister of State, ministers. It is led by the F ...
and suspended due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. After a 2022 review, the Welsh government announced that it would not reinstate the flights; travel between
Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...
and Anglesey now takes over four hours by road or rail. The ferry port of Holyhead handles over two million passengers a year.
Stena Line Stena Line is a Swedish Shipping line, shipping line company and one of the world's largest ferry operators. It services Denmark, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Latvia, the Netherlands, Poland, Finland and Sweden. Stena Line is a ...
and
Irish Ferries Irish Ferries is an Irish ferry and transport company that operates passenger and freight services on routes between Ireland, Britain and Continental Europe, including Dublin Port–Holyhead; Rosslare Europort to Pembroke, Pembrokeshire, Pembr ...
sail to
Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
(previously to
Dún Laoghaire Dún Laoghaire ( , ) is a suburban coastal town in County Dublin in Ireland. It is the administrative centre of the county of Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown. The town was built up alongside a small existing settlement following 1816 legislation th ...
), forming the main surface
transport Transport (in British English) or transportation (in American English) is the intentional Motion, movement of humans, animals, and cargo, goods from one location to another. Mode of transport, Modes of transport include aviation, air, land tr ...
link from central and northern England and Wales to Ireland.


Sport and leisure

Anglesey is independently represented in the
Island Games The Island Games (currently known as the NatWest International Island Games for sponsorship reasons) are biennial international multi-sports events organised by the International Island Games Association (IIGA). Competitor teams each represent ...
(as ''Ynys Môn''). The team finished joint 17th in the 2009 Games hosted by
Åland Åland ( , ; ) is an Federacy, autonomous and Demilitarized zone, demilitarised region of Finland. Receiving its autonomy by a 1920 decision of the League of Nations, it is the smallest region of Finland by both area () and population (30,54 ...
, winning medals in
gymnastics Gymnastics is a group of sport that includes physical exercises requiring Balance (ability), balance, Strength training, strength, Flexibility (anatomy), flexibility, agility, Motor coordination, coordination, artistry and endurance. The movem ...
,
sailing Sailing employs the wind—acting on sails, wingsails or kites—to propel a craft on the surface of the ''water'' (sailing ship, sailboat, raft, Windsurfing, windsurfer, or Kitesurfing, kitesurfer), on ''ice'' (iceboat) or on ''land'' (Land sa ...
, and
shooting Shooting is the act or process of discharging a projectile from a ranged weapon (such as a gun, bow, crossbow, slingshot, or blowpipe). Even the acts of launching flame, artillery, darts, harpoons, grenades, rockets, and guided missile ...
. Anglesey made an unsuccessful bid for the 2009 games, led by Ynys Môn MP Albert Owen, in the hope of more than £3m of spending if it had hosted the event. However, Anglesey lacks two needful facilities: a six-lane competition swimming pool and an athletics track. Several precursors to the modern football codes were popular in Anglesey. They had few rules and were quite violent. Rhys Cox at the turn of the 18th century described a game in Llandrygan ending with "numbers of players... left here and there on the road, some having limbs broken in the struggle, others severely injured, and some carried on biers to be buried in the churchyard nearest to where they had been mortally injured." William Bulkeley, in his April 1734 diary, records that the violence of such games left no hard feelings, with both sides parting "as good friends as they came, after they had spent half an hour together cherishing their spirits with a cup of ale... having finished Easter Holydays innocently and merrily."


Association football

This arrived in the 1870s and met with local resistance for its perceived associations with drunkenness and rowdiness and the lower classes. One critic called it an "un-Christian practice". An Anglesey League of teams from
Amlwch Amlwch () is a port town and community (Wales), community in Wales. It is situated on the north coast of the Anglesey, Isle of Anglesey, on the A5025 road, A5025 which connects it to Holyhead and to Menai Bridge. As well as Amlwch town and Am ...
,
Beaumaris Beaumaris (; ) is a town and community (Wales), community on the Anglesey, Isle of Anglesey in Wales, of which it is the former county town. It is located at the eastern entrance to the Menai Strait, the tidal waterway separating Anglesey fro ...
,
Holyhead Holyhead (; , "Cybi's fort") is a historic port town, and is the list of Anglesey towns by population, largest town and a Community (Wales), community in the county of Isle of Anglesey, Wales. Holyhead is on Holy Island, Anglesey, Holy Island ...
,
Menai Bridge Menai Bridge (; usually referred to colloquially as ''Y Borth'') is a town and community on the Isle of Anglesey in north-west Wales. It overlooks the Menai Strait and lies by the Menai Suspension Bridge, built in 1826 by Thomas Telford, j ...
, Llandegfan, and
Llangefni ; ) is the county town of Anglesey in Wales. At the 2011 census, Llangefni's population was 5,116, making it the second-largest town in the county and the largest on the island. The community includes the village of Rhosmeirch. Location The ...
was formed in the 1895–96 season. This gave way in 2020 to the North Wales Coast West Football League. The Anglesey football team, Ynys Môn football team represents Anglesey at the biannual
Island Games The Island Games (currently known as the NatWest International Island Games for sponsorship reasons) are biennial international multi-sports events organised by the International Island Games Association (IIGA). Competitor teams each represent ...
, winning gold in 1999. In 2018, the island was chosen to host the 2019 Inter Games Football Tournament, where the men's team won gold and the women's team won silver. For the 2020–21 Cymru North, aborted 2020–21 season, Llangefni Town F.C., Llangefni Town and Holyhead Hotspur F.C., Holyhead Hotspur were due to play in the Cymru North league, the second tier of the Welsh football league system, after winning the Welsh Alliance League two years before. There were due to be nine Anglesey sides in the same season's fourth tier North Wales Coast West Football League Premier Division: C.P.D. Aberffraw, Aberffraw, Amlwch Town F.C., Amlwch Town, Bodedern Athletic F.C., Bodedern Athletic, Bro Goronwy, Gaerwen, C.P.D. Gwalchmai, Gwalchmai, Menai Bridge Tigers, Pentraeth and Trearddur Bay Bulls. There are a further nine teams in Division One.


Rugby Union

Llangefni RFC is the island's highest competing team in the WRU Division One North.
Llangoed Llangoed () is a small village, community and electoral ward just north of Beaumaris, on the Isle of Anglesey (), at . The Royal Mail postcode begins LL58. Llangoed ward has a population of 1,275 (2001), falling at the 2011 census to 1,229. The ...
hosts an annual rugby sevens contest. Touring sides have included Manhattan RFC.


Anglesey Hunt

Anglesey Hunt, formed in 1757, was the second oldest fox hunting association in Wales after Tivyside Hunt in Cardiganshire.


Athletics

Every September the Anglesey Festival of Running includes a marathon, a half-marathon, 10-km and 5-km races, and children's contests. Its slogan is ''Run the Island''. There are at present no 400-metre, all-weather, synthetic Running track, tracks on the island, the nearest being between Bangor and the
Britannia Bridge Britannia Bridge () is a bridge in Wales that crosses the Menai Strait between the Isle of Anglesey and city of Bangor, Gwynedd, Bangor. It was originally designed and built by the noted railway engineer Robert Stephenson as a tubular bridge of ...
on the mainland.


Motorsport

The Anglesey Circuit (Welsh: Trac Môn) is a licensed MSA and ACU championship racing circuit that opened in 1997. It hosts many events all year round and is a popular track.


Cricket

The Beaumaris Cricket Club formed in 1858. Clubs at
Holyhead Holyhead (; , "Cybi's fort") is a historic port town, and is the list of Anglesey towns by population, largest town and a Community (Wales), community in the county of Isle of Anglesey, Wales. Holyhead is on Holy Island, Anglesey, Holy Island ...
,
Amlwch Amlwch () is a port town and community (Wales), community in Wales. It is situated on the north coast of the Anglesey, Isle of Anglesey, on the A5025 road, A5025 which connects it to Holyhead and to Menai Bridge. As well as Amlwch town and Am ...
and
Llangefni ; ) is the county town of Anglesey in Wales. At the 2011 census, Llangefni's population was 5,116, making it the second-largest town in the county and the largest on the island. The community includes the village of Rhosmeirch. Location The ...
formed in the following decade, but not until the 1880s was the sport popular outside the upper classes.
Bodedern Bodedern is a village and community (Wales), community in the west of Anglesey, Wales. At the 2001 census, it had a population of 1,074, decreasing slightly to 1,051 at the 2011 census. The community includes the settlements of Llanllibio and Pe ...
Cricket Club was formed in 1947.


Sailing

The Royal Anglesey Yacht Club hosts the annual Menai Strait Regatta.


Swimming

The Menai Strait hosts two annual open-water contests: the Menai Strait Swim from Foel to Caernarfon (1 mile), and the Pier to Pier Open Water Swim, between Beaumaris Pier, Beaumaris and Garth Pier, Bangor. There is a 25-metre pool at Plas Arthur Leisure Centre in
Llangefni ; ) is the county town of Anglesey in Wales. At the 2011 census, Llangefni's population was 5,116, making it the second-largest town in the county and the largest on the island. The community includes the village of Rhosmeirch. Location The ...
.


See also

*Prehistoric Wales *
Roman conquest of Anglesey The Roman conquest of Anglesey refers to two separate invasions of Anglesey in North West Wales that occurred during the early decades of the Roman conquest of Britain in the 1st century Common Era, CE. The first invasion of North Wales began af ...
*List of scheduled monuments in Anglesey *List of places in Anglesey *List of Anglesey towns by population *List of lord lieutenants of Anglesey *List of custos rotulorums of Anglesey *List of sheriffs of Anglesey *
Isle of Anglesey County Council The Isle of Anglesey County Council () is the local authority for the Isle of Anglesey, a principal areas of Wales, principal area with county status in Wales. Since 2022 the council has 35 councillors who represent 14 multi-member electoral war ...
*Ynys Môn (UK Parliament constituency) *Ynys Môn (Assembly constituency) *List of islands of Wales – including those around Anglesey *The Royal Navy's four ships named *BNS Gomati, HMS ''Anglesey'' (P277)


Notes


References

* * * Attribution *


External links

* {{Authority control Anglesey, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty in Wales Counties of Wales Principal areas of Wales Cantrefs Commotes of Gwynedd Historic counties of Wales