Anglesey

Anglesey (historically Anglesea; Ynys  Môn, ) is a predominantly   off the northwest coast of. It is connected to the mainland by two bridges spanning the : the original (carrying the ), designed by  in 1826; and the newer reconstructed  (originally designed by ); which carries the  and the.

Anglesey is also a which includes  and other nearby small islands.

With an area of 276 square miles (715 km²), Anglesey is the largest Welsh island, and the fifth largest surrounding.

History
There are numerous ic monuments and s present on Anglesey testifying to the presence of mankind in prehistory.

Historically, Anglesey has long been associated with the. In AD 60 the general, determined to break the power of the Druids, attacked the island, destroying the shrine and the sacred groves. News of reached him just after his victory, causing him to withdraw his army before consolidating his conquest. The island was finally brought into the Roman empire by the governor in AD 78. The Romans called the island Mona.

Môn is the name of Anglesey, but its origin is obscure, appearing first during the Roman era as 'Mona'. The 'English' name is in fact derived from the, meaning 'Ongull's Island'. The alternative "isle (ey) of the " is discredited. names are Ynys Dywyll ("Dark Isle") and Ynys y Cedairn (cedyrn or kedyrn; "Isle of brave folk"). It is the Mona of (Ann. xiv. 29, Agr. xiv. 18),  (iv. 16) and  (62). It is called Môn Mam Cymru ("Môn, Mother of Wales") by, for the claimed ability of the fertile land to produce enough food for the whole of Wales. In reality, the claim was probably more directed at an ability to sustain Gwynedd. Clas Merddin, and Y fêl Ynys (honey isle) are other names. According to the Triads (67), Anglesey was once part of the mainland. 28 s remain on uplands overlooking the sea; e.g. at. The Druids were attacked in by, and again in  by. The present road from to  may originally have been a Roman road, and a network of such roads on the island may await formal discovery. British and Roman sites, coins and ornaments have been dug up and discussed, especially by the 19th century romantic antiquarian, the Hon. Lord Stanley of Penrhos. The foundations of the in Holyhead are Roman.

At the end of the Roman period in the late and early  pirates from  colonised Anglesey and the nearby. In response to this a warlord from the north of Britain called  came to the area and began the process of driving the Irish out. This process was continued by his son and grandson  until the last Irish were defeated in battle in. As an island Môn would usually be a good defensive position and because of this it was the site of the court or Llys of the kings and princes of Gwynedd at. Apart from a devastating raid in  this was to remain the case until the thirteenth century when improvements to the English navy made it indefensible.

After the Irish, the island was invaded by, , and before falling to  of England, in the.

Geography
Anglesey is a relatively low-lying island with slight risings such as, Cadair Mynachdy (or Monachdy, i.e., "chair of the monastery"; there is a Nanner, "convent", not far away), and.

Anglesey has many small towns scattered all around the island, making it quite evenly populated. (Welsh: Biwmares), to the south of the island, features, built by as part of his campaign in North Wales. The town of (Welsh: Niwbwrch), created when the townfolk of Llanfaes were relocated to make way for the building of Beaumaris Castle, includes the site of, another of the courts of the mediaeval Welsh princes and which features one of the oldest courtrooms in the United Kingdom. Beaumaris acts as a centre for the region with many boats moored in the bay or off Gallows Point. is located in the centre of the island and is also the island's administrative centre. The town of (Welsh: Porthaethwy) expanded when the first bridge to the mainland was being built, in order to accommodate workers and construction. Up until that time Porthaethwy had been one of the principal ferry crossing points from the mainland. A short distance from this town lies, a burial mound. The town of is situated in the northeast of the island and was once largely industrialised, having grown during the 18th century supporting the  mining industry at Parys Mountain. The island also has the village with the longest official place name in the,. Other towns and settlements include, , , , , and. The is a local tourist attraction, providing a look at and descriptions of local marine  from  to s. All the  and s on display are caught around the island and are placed in reconstructions of their natural. They also make (evaporated from the local sea water) and commercially breed lobsters, for food, and s, for pearls, both from local stocks.

The island's entire rural coastline had been designated an and features many sandy beaches, especially along its eastern coast between the towns of Beaumaris and Amlwch and along the western coast from  through  to the little bays around Carmel Head. The northern coastline is characterised by dramatic cliffs interspersed with small bays. The is a 125-mile (200-km) path which follows nearly the entire coastline. Tourism is now the most significant economic activity on the island. Agriculture provides the secondary source of income for the island's economy, with the local dairies being amongst the most productive in the region. There is also a nuclear power station, at Head on the north coast.

Major industries are restricted to Holyhead which supports an smelter and the  area where the  nuclear power station is located close to a former  extraction plant. The nuclear power station is scheduled to close in or around 2010, and the aluminium smelting operation is likely to close as a consequence of losing its affordable local electricity supply. The Royal Air Force base RAF Valley is home to the RAF Fast Jet Training School and also 22 SQN Search and Rescue Helicopters which provide employment for approx 500 civilians.

There is a wide range of smaller industries, mostly located in industrial and business parks especially at and. These industries include an and fine chemicals manufacture as well as factories for timber production, aluminium smelting, fish farming and food processing.

Wind power is developing on Anglesey with more than 20 commercial s established near to the north coast. The strong sea currents around the island are also attracting the interest of electricity generation companies interested in exploiting tidal power.

The island is also on one of the major routes from Britain to, via from , off the west of Anglesey on , to  and  Port.

There are a few lakes mostly in the west, such as Cors Cerrig y Daran, but rivers are few and small. There are two large water supply reservoirs operated by Dwr Cymru Welsh Water. These are in the centre of the island, which is fed by the headwaters of the, and  to the north of the island. is the largest natural lake on the island.

The climate is humid but generally equable under the effects of the bathing the island. The land is of variable quality and it may have been more fertile in the past.

See the for all villages, towns and cities. See the for populations.

Ecology and conservation
Much of Anglesey is covered with relatively intensive cattle and sheep farming aided by modern agro-chemicals. In these areas there is little of ecological conservation worth. However there are a number of important wetland sites which have protected status. In addition the several lakes all have significant ecological interest including their support for a wide range of aquatic and semi-aquatic bird species. In the west, the es are believed to be supporting an occasional visiting  and the nearby estuary of the  supports a bird population made internationally famous by the paintings of. The RAF airstrip at Mona is a nesting site for s.

The sheer cliff faces at near Holyhead provide nesting sites for huge numbers of s including s, s and s together with s and.

Three sites on Anglesey are important for breeding terns - see.

Anglesey is home to two of the UK's small number of remaining colonies of s, at and. 

Almost the entire coastline of Anglesey is designated an The coastal zone of Anglesey was designated as an AONB in 1966 and was confirmed in 1967. It was designated in order to protect the aesthetic appeal and variety of the island’s coastal landscape and habitats from inappropriate development.

The AONB is predominantly a coastal designation, covering most of Anglesey’s 201-kilometre (125-mile) coastline but also encompasses Holyhead Mountain and Mynydd Bodafon. Substantial areas of other land protected by the AONB form the backdrop to the coast.

The approximate coverage of the Anglesey AONB is 221 km², and it is the largest AONB in Wales covering as it does one third of the island.

A number of the habitats found on Anglesey are afforded even greater protection both through UK and European designations because of their nature conservation value, these include:

6 candidate Special Areas of Conservation (cSACs) 4 Special Protection Areas (SPAs) 1 National Nature Reserve 26 Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) 52 Scheduled Ancient Monuments (SAMs) These protected habitats support a variety of wildlife such as Harbour Porpoises and Marsh Fritillaries.

The AONB also takes in three sections of open, undeveloped coastline which have been designated as Heritage Coast. These non-statutory designations complement the AONB and cover approximately 50 km (31 miles) of the coastline. The sections of Heritage Coast are:

north Anglesey 28.6 km (17 miles) Holyhead Mountain 12.9 km (8 miles) Aberffraw Bay 7.7 km (4.5 miles) A Living and Working Landscape Employment within the AONB is mainly based on agriculture and tourism and in some cases a combination of both. The range of local produce found on the island is quite varied from cheese and chocolate to wine. In a number of instances the local produce is also organic.

Approximately 2 million people visit the island each year attracting people from North Wales the North West of England and also visitors from overseas. In terms of recreation the island offers a number of opportunities to both residents and visitors alike, the majority enjoying the fine sandy beaches and the coastal landscape.

The most popular forms of recreation include sailing, angling, cycling, walking, wind surfing and jet skiing. These all place pressures and demands on the AONB. At the same time, the AONBs popularity for such activities clearly provides a contribution to the local economy.



Natural history
References: Jones, W.E. (Ed.)1968. Natural History of Anglesey. Anglesey Antiquarian Society, Llangefni.

Culture

 * Anglesey hosted the in, , and.


 * Anglesey/Ynys Môn is a member island of the . The most recent Island Games were held in 2007 on Rhodes (Greece). Anglesey/Ynys Môn came 15th on the medal table with 3 gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze medals. The 2009 Games will be held on the Åland Islands (Finland) and the 2011 Games will be held on the Isle of Wight (UK).  In the 2005 Games, held on the Shetland Islands, Anglesey/Ynys Môn came 11th on the medal table with 4 gold, 2 silver and 2 bronze medals.  The Isle of Anglesey/Ynys Môn Island Games Association plan to make a bid to host the 2015 Island Games.


 * Anglesey has featured in the television archaeology series,  (series 14) - programme transmission date 4 February 2007.


 * Anglesey has the second highest population of native speakers in  (70% of the population).

Geology
The geology of Anglesey is notably complex and is frequently used for geology s by schools and colleges. Younger strata in Anglesey rest upon a foundation of very old rocks that appear at the surface in four areas: These rocks are s and s, often much contorted and disturbed. The general line of strike of the formations in the island is from north-east to south-west. A belt of lies immediately north-west of the central pre-Cambrian mass, reaching from  near the coast to the vicinity of. Between this granite and the pre-Cambrian of Holyhead is a narrow tract of slates and grits with Llandovery beds in places; this tract spreads out in the north of the island between  and Carmel Point. A small patch of Ordovician strata lies on the northern side of Beaumaris. In parts, these Ordovician rocks are much folded, crushed and metamorphosed, and they are associated with schists and altered volcanic rocks which are probably pre-Cambrian. Between the eastern and central pre-Cambrian masses rocks are found. The carboniferous occupies a broad area south of  and, and sends a narrow spur in a south-westerly direction by  to. The limestone is underlain on the north-west by a red basement conglomerate and yellow (sometimes considered to be of Old Red Sandstone age). Limestone occurs again on the north coast about and ; and in the south-west round Llanidan on the border of the. is made of carboniferous limestone. is occupied by coal measures, and a small patch of the same formation appears near Ferry on the. A patch of and  rocks form, where copper and iron ochre have been worked. (Mona Marble) is found near and upon the opposite shore in. There are abundant evidences of glaciation, and much boulder clay and drift sand covers the older rocks. Patches of brown sand occur on the south-west coast.
 * 1) a western region including Holyhead and ,
 * 2) a central area about and ,
 * 3) an eastern region which includes, and  and
 * 4) a coastal region at between  and.

A Google Earth .kmz file, Anglesey.kmz, Anglesey.kml, showing important geological locations on Anglesey, and including a number of geological map overlays, can be downloaded from: Google Earth Geology, whereas a historiography of geological research on Anglesey is available at: Historiography of Geological Research

Other places of interest

 * which can be found at the end of a low piece of submerged land, North-East of
 * The working at Llynnon
 * - Lovers island
 * The sea zoo near
 * The church in the sea on
 * a motor racing track near Valley
 * Stone Science, near Pentraeth - a journey through 650 million years.
 * 's seat near
 * Priory and dovecote
 * the town and castle of
 * , and many other beaches
 * for its ternery
 * Ellin's Tower (Twr Ellin) RSPB reserve and the lighthouse at South Stack (Ynys Lawd) near
 * Moelfre, the fishing village and the home of.

Born on Anglesey

 * - actor (Anglesey, 1940)
 * - diarist (1691 - 1760 Brynddu, Llanfechell, Anglesey)
 * Dic Evans - Seaman and coxswain two-times winner of the gold medal for bravery - (Moelfre, 1905)
 * - actress, writer, comedian (Holyhead, 1957)
 * - Oscar winning actor (Marianglas, 1912)
 * Steve Griffiths - writer (Anglesey 1949
 * - prince (Anglesey, c1100)
 * - radio and TV personality (Llangefni, 1942)
 * - footballer - currently goalkeeper with and Wales (Anglesey 1987)
 * Captain Owen Jones - volunteer lifeboatman winner of the gold medal for bravery (Anglesey)
 * Rhys Jones - 2 gold medals (archery) 2005
 * Mr Thomas William Jones - able seaman on who took charge of Lifeboat #8 (Anglesey, c1880)
 * - mathematician (Llanfihangel Tre'r Beirdd, 1675)
 * - Welsh grammarian and poet (Llandrygarn, 1864)
 * - politician (Holyhead, 1944)
 * - screenwriter (Anglesey, 1911)
 * Edward Roberts - gold medal (team shooting) 2005
 * Edward Roberts - second coxswain winner of the RNLI gold medal for bravery (Anglesey)
 * Wilf Roberts - landscape artist (Anglesey, 1941)
 * - tenor (Pentraeth, 1892)
 * - pioneering orthopaedic surgeon (Anglesey, 1833)
 * Thomas Thomas - gold and bronze medal (team shooting & shooting) 2005
 * Anthony White - gold medal (team shooting) 2005
 * Nicola Kate Stretton - silver medal (athletics) 2005
 * Sir RA - landscape painter (Anglesey, 1918 - 2006)
 * Claire Wilson - gold medal (swimming) 2005
 * - Grandfather of Henry VII (Henry Tudor), who had married the widow of Henry V to give the Tudor dynasty a tenuous claim on the English throne 

Lived on Anglesey

 * - poet and essayist (Plymouth, Devon 1840)
 * - writer (Canada)
 * - singer and television presenter (Bangor, 1970)
 * - heavy metal bass player and singer (Stoke-on-Trent, 1945)
 * - cricketer (Oldham, Lancashire 1966)
 * - writer (Wales)
 * - sports journalist & broadcaster (Bangor, 1970)
 * - baritone (Conwy, North Wales)
 * - wildlife artist (Chester, 1901)
 * - actress (Kent, 1968)
 * - Actor and Thrash Metal vocalist(with )
 * - Musician best known for being the leadman of grew up in Rachub, near  (Haverforwest, 18 July 1970)
 * - artist (Eltham, Kent 1905)
 * - designer of the Landrover; which was test driven at Newborough and Llanddona beaches

Government

 * see also: 

Anglesey (together with Holy Island) is one of the thirteen. In medieval times, before the conquest of Wales in, Môn often had periods of temporary independence as it was frequently bequeathed to the heirs of kings as a of. The last times this occurred were for a few years after 1171 following the death of when the island was inherited by  and again between 1246 - c.1255 when it was given to  as his share of the kingdom. Following the conquest of Wales by it was created a county under the terms of the  of 1284. Prior to this it had been divided into the i of:



In 1974 it formed a district of the new large of, until in the 1996 reform of local government it was restored as a local government county. The county council is a and is named "Isle of Anglesey County Council" (Cyngor Sir Ynys Môn). While there is currently a majority of independent councillors, the council is under no overall control, as the members do not generally divide along party lines. The only party group on the council is that of. There are five non-partisan groups on the council, containing a mix of party and independent candidates. The largest of these groups is Môn Ymlaen/Anglesey Forward, with 15 members out of the 40 in total.