Botwnnog is a village and
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 ...
in
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 ...
in
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 ...
, located on the
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 ...
west-northwest of
Abersoch. It is in the
historic county of
Caernarfonshire
Caernarfonshire (; , ), previously spelled Caernarvonshire or Carnarvonshire, was one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolishment in 1974. It was located in the north-west of Wales.
Geography
The county ...
. It had a population of 955 in 2001, increasing to 996 at the 2011 Census. The community covers around .
It lies between
Mynytho and
Sarn Meyllteyrn (which is in the community), has two schools and a doctors' surgery, Meddygfa Rhydbach.
The artist
Moses Griffith (1749–1819) was born in Botwnnog and attended Ysgol Botwnnog. His watercolour ''Bottwnog church & free school'' is in the collection of the
National Library of Wales
The National Library of Wales (, ) in Aberystwyth is the national legal deposit library of Wales and is one of the Welsh Government sponsored bodies. It is the biggest library in Wales, holding over 6.5 million books and periodicals, and the l ...
. Welsh band
Cowbois Rhos Botwnnog come from the small settlement of Rhos Botwnnog.
The community also includes the hamlets of
Bryncroes and
Llandegwning.
Education
A Welsh-language playgroup ''Cylch Meithrin Pont Y Gof'' currently serves the community with the support of
Mudiad Meithrin.
''Ysgol Gynradd Pont Y Gof'' provides Welsh-medium primary education to the village and the surrounding villages of Sarn Mellteyrn, Llaniestyn and Garn Fadryn. As of 2024, there were 89 pupils enrolled at the school. 77.5 percent of pupils come from Welsh-speaking homes in 2024.
''Ysgol Botwnnog,'' a bilingual
comprehensive school
A comprehensive school is a secondary school for pupils aged 11–16 or 11–18, that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude, in contrast to a selective school system where admission is restricted on the basis ...
for pupils aged 11 to 16, is also situated in the village.
As of 2024, there are 474 pupils enrolled at the school. According to the latest
Estyn
Estyn is the education and training inspectorate for Wales. Its name comes from the Welsh language verb meaning 'to reach (out), stretch or extend'. Its function is to provide an independent inspection and advice service on quality and stand ...
inspection report in 2019, three-quarters of pupils come from Welsh-speaking homes. 98 percent of pupils are fluent in Welsh, and Welsh is the main medium of teaching.
Originally, Ysgol Botwnnog was a grammar school founded in 1616 by
Henry Rowlands,
Bishop of Bangor
The Bishop of Bangor is the Ordinary (officer), ordinary of the Diocese of Bangor of the Church in Wales. The Episcopal see, see is based in the city of Bangor where the bishop's seat (''cathedra'') is at Bangor Cathedral, Cathedral Church of Sa ...
.
References
External links
www.geograph.co.uk : photo of Botwnnog and surrounding area
{{Gwynedd-geo-stub