History of Holyhead

By Iolo Griffiths

The story of the town of Holyhead in Anglesey, from its origins as a 6th century monastic settlement, to a small port and fishing village. Its importance and growth as a port and town owed much to its strategic position on the route between Dublin and London. 
The town is now a port of call for cruise liners, and surrounding areas merit exploration

• Language: English
• Publisher: Iolo Griffiths
• Release date: Mar 24, 2018
• ISBN: 9781540100368

Iolo Griffiths

Iolo Griffiths was brought up in Anglesey, lives in North Wales and has been working for Trinity Mirror North Wales since 1987, firstly as a librarian and then proofreader, and then a journalist. He is now a Community Content Curator for Trinity Mirror North Wales His main interests are genealogy and local history (mainly North West Wales)

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HOLYHEAD AND DISTRICT

Holyhead may be most familiar to many as a port for ferries to Ireland, but few people detain themselves to explore the town and its immediate surroundings.

While the town itself may seem rather down at heel it does have a rewarding history for those willing to take a closer look, and the island it stands on is worthy of exploration, with sites of natural and historic interest which hopefully will soon become apparent.

In recent years Holyhead has become a port of call for cruise ships, and while it may seem natural to take excursions to more glamorous destinations such as Beaumaris or Snowdonia, those who decide to stay closer to port can still find plenty to interest them.

The largest town of Anglesey offers the Church of St Cybi, on 6th century foundations, and located within a Roman Fort, or you can find out more about the maritime history of this port town at the Maritime Museum on Newry Beach. Alternatively you could visit an exhibition at the Ucheldre Centre. If you arrive on a Monday, you may be able to enjoy the street market. All these are just a few reasons to cross the futuristic Celtic Gateway bridge from the port and railway station into the town if you have arrived by train or on a cruise.

The RSPB centre at South Stack, and the famous lighthouse can be reached by bus from the town centre, but it is worth checking online for up-to-date information on bus timetables or taxis.

The Breakwater Country Park can be reached by a land train during the summer, and despite its industrial origin, is a peaceful and attractive place to visit.

If you arrive by car, and can afford to spend more time, you could visit Anglesey's highest point, Holyhead Mountain (719 feet), or explore the picturesque coastline along the west of Holy Island, including Silver Bay at Rhoscolyn, or the beach at Trearddur Bay, all within a short distance of the town.

PREHISTORIC REMAINS

Holy Island is rich in burial mounds, chambers, standing stones, hut groups and hill forts, which cast a light on life during the early ages of Britain. A glance at a map will reveal the locations of the numerous monuments.

Probably the most spectacular of these will be the hut circles on Holyhead Mountain, called Cytiau'r Gwyddelod (Irishmen's Huts), very near to the South Stack RSPB centre. The name is based on the assumption that the occupants of these hut circles were Irish. It has been suggested that these huts may have been occupied as far back as the Neolithic Age, up to the Dark Ages, with much of it dating from the Iron Age, being the remains of an extensive settlement. Querns, whetstones, coarse pottery and Roman coins were among the finds at this site, so it is likely that this site was occupied over a lengthy period. Although there is no clear Irish connection to these hut circles, we cannot rule out the possibility that they were occupied by Irish people during the Dark Ages, before Caswallon Lawhir drove the Irish out of Anglesey.

Twenty huts now remain, but over 50 were recorded in 1865. There are two main types of huts, circular huts and small rectangular chambers. Some of the circular huts have central hearths, and upright slabs marking the position of beds and seats. The roofs were presumably made of thatch and supported by a central pole. One of the small rectangular buildings contained copper slag, showing it had been used by a metal worker. These stand on land north of a farm called Ty Mawr.

On the top of Holyhead Mountain is Caer Y Twr, an ancient hill fort which covered 17 acres, and dating back to the Iron Age, between 600BC and 60AD. There was once a Roman warning beacon within the fort, probably to keep watch for roving invaders on the Irish Sea.

Other groups of hut circles can be found at Plas Meilw and Porth Dafarch, and there is a hut group at Trearddur.

At Porth Dafarch remains of a Bronze Age urn burial had been found with a cinerary urn, two food vessels (portions of a beaker) and a bronze rivet which probably fastened the blade of a dagger to its rivets. Nearby is Dinas, a native promontory fort defended by cliffs falling sheer to the sea, and approachable only along a narrow neck of land which was barred by a single banked rampart; within are traces of hut circles, seen as shallow hollows.

A dolmen can be found at Trefignath, 1.5 miles south east of Holyhead, while a standing stone, nine feet high, can be found at Ty Mawr, a mile south east of Holyhead (not to be confused with the Ty Mawr on Holyhead Mountain, where Cytiau’r Gwyddelod can be found).

At Penrhosfeilw near Trearddur Bay, there is a pair of standing stones, 10 feet high, and 11 feet apart dating from 2,000 BC. There is a tradition that a large stone cist, containing bones, a spear and arrow heads, was found between them, and that these stones once formed part of a circle, but no evidence of this now visible.

ST CYBI'S CHURCH

This church was founded in the middle of the 6th century within a Roman fortification by St Cybi, a first cousin of Wales’s patron saint, St David. This small fort had been used as a coastguard station in Roman times.

This reputed to have been given by Caswallon Lawhir after defeating the Irish who had held Anglesey, and slaying their leader Serigri at Holyhead (the vestry in the churchyard is reputed to stand on the site of Serigri’s grave).

By 961 the church and monastic settlement at Holyhead was sufficiently important to attract the attention of Viking raiders.

The present structure is built on 13th century foundations. In the 12th the church of St Cybi was endowed as a portionary college with a chapter of 12 canons by the two Anglesey chieftains Hwfa ap Cynddelw and Llywarch ap Bran, and there is evidence of royal patronage as in 1137 it was remembered in the will of Gruffydd ap Cynan in 1137.

In 1405 an army from Ireland helped Henry IV to lift Owain Glyndwr’s siege of Beaumaris, and afterwards stole the shrine and relics of St Cybi from Holyhead and took them to Holy Trinity Priory, Dublin (which is now Christ Church Cathedral).

The last assault on the Church was in the mid 17th century, when Cromwell's soldiers were garrisoned there. They destroyed the interior windows, fonts and statues, which they considered to be too Popish for their liking.

The chancel is the oldest part of the church which was mostly rebuilt in the 15th century on the 13th century foundations. The east window dates from the 15th century. The South Porch was built about 1520 and the