| DATE |
EVENTS ARE IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER.
COLOUR CODING OF PLACES;
Beaumaris Penmon Llangoed
National Anglesey Others
Topics appear in bold print and can be followed on by the '(see .....)' references.
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EARLIER INFORMATION TO FOLLOW |
| Glacial times |
Anglesey; Anglesey became an island when the relative levels of land and sea changed by about 60 feet, and one of Anglesey’s many parallel river valleys flooded, forming the Menai Strait.
 |
| 7000 BC |
Anglesey; The first people walked across the exposed central corridor of dry land that lay between two deep river-cut valleys. Traversed low-lying coastal areas to set up temporary encampments in accordance with the seasons. (see 3000 BC) |
| 3000 BC Old Stone Age |
Europe; A movement of peoples in Europe gave rise to new patterns of settlement. With the development of farming, these migrators stabilised into settled communities with a degree of social organisation. (see 2500BC) |
| 2500 BC |
Anglesey; Paleolithic farmers arrive on the Island. Megalithic tombs or cromlechs are evident of their existence. (see 500BC)
 |
| 2000 BC |
Anglesey; The population was overcome by a fresh wave of immigration. This consisted of the Goidels, a fair haired, grey eyed, round headed, and a more powerfully built people who introduced the Goidelic tongue – Gaelic, Irish, Manx, who manufactured weapons and implements of bronze. They began to desert their primitive cave dwellings of their forefathers for crude huts. Their settlements were grouped into small villages on hill slopes or set in lonely isolation upon some lofty sea cliff. |
| 500 BC |
Anglesey; The Celts arrive in Britain, bringing with them the knowledge of using iron. Artefacts found at Valley in AD 1942, included ornaments, tools, a large number of animal bones, swords, spear heads, parts of chariots and harnesses (indicating warfare). These suggest that Anglesey was a place of refuge for people from another part of Britain. (see AD60)
 |
| Bronze Age |
Anglesey; Stone circles and standing stones give evidence to the arrival of Beaker people. |
| AD 60 |
Anglesey; Anglesey was the centre of Druidic administration and it was important to the Roman conquest to overcome them.
Tacitus the Roman historian had said that it became necessary to attack the Island of Anglesey, which was feeding the native resistance to the Romans. He later wrote:
"Ranks of warriors lined the Anglesey shore, urged on by their women, shrieking like furies, dressed in burial black, while Druids, with arms outstretched to heaven, cursed the invaders."
The Romans slaughtered the Druids and won victory but were soon drawn South to quell a revolt by the Celtic Queen of Iceni, Boudicca. (see AD61)
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| AD 61 |
Anglesey; The Druidical power was all but destroyed by the Romans, under Suetonius Paulinus. who crossed the Strait in flat bottomed boats. (see AD76)
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| AD 76 |
Anglesey; The island was again subdued by Julius Agricola, but soon deserted by the Romans. (see AD78) |
| AD 78 |
Anglesey; Roman Julius Agricola overcame the Iberian stock of Ordovices tribes of Brythonic Celts who ruled Anglesey. Agricola fought and beat the tribes of north Wales in a fierce mountainous battle. He passed over the Menai Strait into Mona to complete the subjection which Suetonius Paulinus eighteen years previously had only partly completed. |
| 450 |
Anglesey; Like much of Anglesey, the area surrounding Holyhead has been inhabited for thousands of years. The town itself dates from 450 AD when King Caswallon defeated Serigi, an Irish chieftain and his Irish invaders on Holy Island. |
| 6th Century |
Penmon Priory; The religious settlement of Penmon was founded by Maelgwn Gwynedd, who installed his cousin Seiriol as the head of the college of monks. (see 6th Century)
 |
| 6th Century |
Penmon; The devotees of the college would have lived in huts or small dwellings grouped around the sanctuary, and it would not be until the 12th century, that monastic buildings were erected there. (see 1098) |
| 540 |
Puffin Island; Saint Seiriol landed here and built his sanctuary. It is said he received the island from his brother, Einion Frenhin. Puffin Island has also been known as Ynys Seiriol, Ynys Glanawg, Priestholme, Glanawg’s Island, Ynys Lenach, Ynys Y Llygod. (see 632)
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| 632 |
Puffin Island; The Northumbrian King Edwin, in his attack on Mona, cornered the Welsh Chieftain Cadwallon ap Cadfan, great great grandson of Maelgwn Gwynedd in the island and blockaded him there. (see 8th & 9th Centuries) |
| 8th & 9th Century |
Britain; The 8th and 9th centuries brought Viking raids to Britain. (see 968)
 |
| c 810 |
Llanfaes; After the Battle of Llanfaes, Anglesey lay for a while under the heal of the Saxons, but was soon afterwards freed by Merfyn Frych, who was King of the Isle of Man. (see c 1043) |
| 818 |
Llanfaes; Egbert who ruled Wessex invaded North Wales and Anglesey. (see 968) |
| 819 |
Llanfaes; Saxon Egbert fought a great battle at Llanfaes in which he defeated the Welsh. The field of battle lay between the Llanfaes village and the ancient tower of Tre’r Castell, once famous for its inexhaustible mead cellar. (see c810)
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| 844 - 877 |
Aberffraw; Rhodri Mawr had his seat at Aberffraw. He had inherited the succession derived from Maelgwn Gwynedd from his grandmother. (see 855)
 Royal Arms of Aberffraw |
| 855 |
Penmon; Anglesey was ravaged by the Black Gentiles (Norwegians) and later raids targeted Holyhead, Aberffraw and Penmon. In time raids were tempered by trading and alliances were formed with the Vikings of Dublin and the Isle of Man. (see 968) |
| 962 |
Anglesey; Edgar, who succeeded Alfred the Great as King of the Anglo Saxons, came to North Wales and tried to colonise Anglesey |
| 966 |
Aberffraw; The Irish and Danes were utterly destroyed, and Aberffraw was razed to the ground. (see 968) |
| 968 |
Aberffraw; The Royal Court at Aberffraw was attacked by Vikings. Maelgwn was King of Gwynedd and probably had his seat here. (see 992) |
| 968 |
Penmon; Macht ap Harold came to Anglesey and devastated Penmon, which before was the fairest spot in all the Isle of Mona. (see 969) |
| 969 |
Penmon; Gotffrid ap Harold came and laid Penmon waste. King Edgar gave permission to Gotffrid’s men to abide in Anglesey and united themselves into one tyranny with the men of Edwin. They never departed, nor ever after that could treachery be eradicated from the island. (see 1098) |
| 992 |
Anglesey; Danes invaded the island and Idwal perished in the conflict. (see1090) |
| c 1043 |
Llanfaes; Tre’r Castell near Llanfaes was occupied by Sir Tudur ap Gronw ap Tudur Fychan in the Royal House of North Wales, during the time of Edward I. (see c1230) |
| 1090 |
Anglesey; The Normans arrived on Anglesey, under the leadership of Hugh of Avranches, Earl of Chester. |
| 1090 |
Aber Lleiniog; A timber built Aber Lleiniog Castle (Castell Aber Llienawg), was built by Hugh Lupus, Earl of Chester. It stood on the left of the Lleiniog stream, about two miles south west of Penmon where the stream enters the Menai Straits. (see 1094)Communication with the shore was made by means of a sunken way, which has now disappeared. A low mound, situated on the north side of the mouth of the stream, may have been the site of an outwork intended to guard the landing. |
| 1094 |
Aber Lleiniog; Aber Lleiniog Castle was besieged by the Welsh, under the leadership of Gruffydd ap Cynan, but retaken later. Earl of Chester and Hugh the Proud, Earl of Shrewsbury encamped at Castle. (see c1095) |
| c 1095 |
Aber Lleiniog; Aber Lleiniog Castle was attacked by Magnus, King of Norway, when Hugh Lupus, Earl of Chester and Hugh the Proud, Earl of Shrewsbury were encamped there. During the fierce battle one of Magnus’ bowmen shot Hugh of Shrewsbury in the eye, whereupon Magnus, seeing him in his death agony, cried “Liet loup! Let him dance! A punishment merited for the cruelties committed by him on the poor inhabitants.” (see middle ages) |
| 1098 |
Penmon; Prisoners taken by the Earl of Chester and Hugh the Proud, Earl of Shrewsbury, when they suppressed the insurrection of the Welsh in Anglesey were executed. Cae Grogi, or Marian Crogwydd, a field situated about three quarters of a mile westward from Penmon Priory, is believed to be the site of the executions, and two holes sunk in the limestone rock, still visible until recently, were the slots made to hold the gallows. (see 12th Century)
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| 12th Century |
Puffin Island; Island known as Ynys Lenach, or Priest’s Island, because many bodies of saints are deposited there, and no woman is suffered to enter it. (see 12th Century) |
| 12th Century |
Puffin Island; A historian of the time wrote “ There is a small island almost adjoining to Anglesey, which is inhabited by hermits, living by manual labour and serving God. When discord arises among them, all their provisions are devoured and infected by a species of small mice, with which the island abounds, but when the discord ceases, they are no longer molested. (see 1238) |
| 12th Century |
Penmon; Prince Gwen Gwynedd re-founded Penmon as an Augustinian Priory. (see 1283) |
| 1100 |
Anglesey; The earliest surviving stone churches on Anglesey date from this time, many churches being built in the Romanesque style. |
| 1142 |
Aber Menai; Cadwaladr ap Gruffydd ap Cynan landed here with an army of Irish and Scots mercenaries to attack his brother Owain Gwynedd. Cadwaladr was defeated and peace was declared by the brothers.
 |
| 13th Century |
Menai Bridge; The earliest recorded ferry crossing the Menai Strait from Bangor was that of Porth Esgob, the ’Bishop’s Crossing’, which up to the middle of the 19th century, plied between Gored-y-Gyt, below Upper Bangor and Cadnant Creek, and between Garth and Gallows Point. (see 1684) |
| 13th Century |
Menai Bridge; The Old Horse Ferry here dates back to this time. It was originally shared between the crown and the town. (see 1502) |
| c1230 |
Llanfaes; Monastery at Llanfaes founded by Llywelyn the Great, when he introduced a brotherhood of the Franciscan order of friars to Anglesey. (see 1254) |
| 1237 |
Llanfaes; Joan, Llywelyn the Great’s wife died, and Llanfaes Priory erected over her grave. The site is now marked by the large private house of “Friars”, situated near the shore of Friars Bay. (see 1240) |
| 1240 |
Conway; Llywelyn the Great, dies and is buried at the Cistercian Monastery at Conway |
| 1254 |
Llanfaes; The town had become quite sizeable, with a port and ferry service. Boats from here were trading with Liverpool. (see 1300s) |
| 1276-1279 |
Aberffraw; The conflict between King Edward I and the Princes of Aberffraw reached its culmination in a war. Edward sent a fleet to blockade the corn supply to Anglesey, seizing the harvest for his own use.Llywelyn ap Gruffydd’s (the Last) fortune was in decline. (see Aug 1282)
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| Aug 1282 |
Anglesey; Edward I sent an army from Rhuddlan to Anglesey to commandeer the harvest. Once taken, a bridge of boats was built across the straits to launch a 2-sided attack on Snowdonia.(see Nov 1282) |
| Nov 1282 |
Anglesey; Through lack of coordination, the English forces were caught out on the bridge and routed by the Welsh, led by Llywelyn. (see Dec 1282) |
| Dec 1282 |
Cilmeri; Prince Llywelyn is tragically killed at Cilmeri, Powys. Welsh resistance ended. (see 1283)
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| 1283 |
Penmon; Prince Llywelyn is mentioned in the Charter of Inspeximus of Edward I ”confirming to the Canons of the Isle of Glannach the donation of the Lord Llywelyn concerning the land of Penmon. Dated at Kemeys (Cemmaes) on the first Sunday of Lent in the year of the Incarnation of Our Lord 1283”. (see 1293) |
| 1283 |
Puffin Island; The earliest known charter, that of Edward I refers to the Canons of Glanawg’s (Glannauch) Island. (see middle ages) |
| 1283 |
Llanfaes; Roger de Puleson was sheriff of the new shire of Anglesey and given charge of the manor of Llanfaes. (see 1293) |
| August 1283 |
Llanfaes; King Edward I spent a week here. (see 1294) |
| c 1285 |
Caernarfon; Caernarfon Castle built. (see 1294)
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| 1294 |
Caernarfon; Caernarfon Castle taken by Welsh rebels led by Madog ap Llywelyn. As they revolted against their enlistment for service in Gascony. Many casualties were inflicted on the English and the sheriff of Anglesey, Roger de Puleson, who was hanged. (see 1294) |
| 1294-95 |
Llanfaes; Following the Welsh revolt, a critical campaign this winter, English power was re-asserted immediately, by the eviction of the whole Welsh population of Llanfaes, to commence work on the castle in Beaumaris (see April 1295) |
| 1295 |
Newborough; The Welsh people from Llanfaes were moved here to establish a new settlement. (see April 1295) |
| April 1295
| Beaumaris; Edward I builds the last of his great stone castles in Wales. It was partly finished in three years at a cost of £11,000. Never completed as the money ran out. Its direction was in the hands of Master James of St George. (see 1306)
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| 15th Sept 1296 |
Beaumaris; The first stage of the development of the town was the granting of a foundation charter to Beaumaris. English settlers were enticed to move here by privileges, which included rent-free land for the first 10 years. (see 1296) |
| 1296 |
Menai Straits; One of the oldest ferries on the Strait is recorded as The Aber Menai. It plied from a place known as Abermeney, later called Southcrook, on the southern extremity of the island. (see 1710) |
| 1296 |
Beaumaris; Population was 90. (see 1563) |
| 1300s |
Llanfaes; It became a place of considerable importance. Edward I chose this and the neighbouring shore as the most suitable place on Anglesey to establish a base . (see 1303) |
| 1300s |
Amlwch; Cannons were mostly made of iron at first cast and later wrought. (see 1520) |
| 1303 |
Llanfaes; The inhabitants of Llanfaes (see c1405) were removed en bloc to Rhosyr, which thereafter took the name of Newborough, to further the development of Beaumaris. (see 1305) |
| 1305 |
Beaumaris; The 132.25 burgage tenements listed in a survey, make Beaumaris the largest of the North Wales boroughs founded in and after 1278. (see 1410) |
| 1305 |
Beaumaris; The greater part of North Wales commerce was concentrated here, and distributed by coastal shipping to the other boroughs to be sold in their fairs and markets. (see 1323) |
| 1306 |
Beaumaris; A survey was taken of the castle. (see 1306) |
| 1306 |
Beaumaris; A constable went on a 40 day visit to London to buy armour and other supplies for the castle garrison, as there was a fear that the Scots would make common cause with the Welsh, and effect a landing on the North Wales coast. (see 1306) |
| 1306 |
Penmon; A mason named William de Kyrkebi was paid 3s 6d for shaping 180 round stones at Penmon Quarry ‘for the prince’s engines at the (Beaumaris) castle’ (see 1312-1315) |
| 1312-1315 |
Beaumaris; 10.5 perches of the castle moat were completed (see 1330s)
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| 1317 |
Aberffraw; The palace here was demolished. Its timbers were used in the repairs and improvements at Caernarfon Castle. |
| 1323 |
Beaumaris; 160 gallons of Spanish honey was bought for the Beaumaris garrison, and salt, corn, beans, hides, cloth, goat and calf skins are among the commodities traded. |
| 1330s |
Beaumaris; Building of the castle ceased, and the inner towers of the great ward were without their top storeys. Building cost since 1295 was £14,500 (equal to £8 million in 1980). (see 1343) |
| 1343 |
Beaumaris; A survey reported that 30 perches of the castle walls as being ‘partly ruinous’. (see 1402) |
| 1349 |
Beaumaris; The Plague kills Beaumaris fishermen as it sweeps through Anglesey. |
| 1349 |
Llanfaes; Many monks of the Franciscan order died of The Plague, having administered the last rights to those dying of the Black Death. (see 1414)
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| 1400 |
Anglesey; Henry V led an army into Anglesey during the rebellion of Owain Glyndwr (see 1403). Llanfaes friars were known to support Owain, and the King partially destroyed Llanfaes Friary and caused the friars to be dispersed. (see c1405)
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| 1400 |
Beaumaris; Timber framed houses built in Castle Street (see 1410) |
| 1402 |
Beaumaris; Some old lead tanks were melted down to provide castle roofing for the new tower in the Outer Ward. (see 1440) |
| 1403 |
Beaumaris; The castle fell to the Welsh rebels of Owain Glyndwr (see c 1405) |
| c 1405 |
Llanfaes; After final destruction of Llanfaes Friary a great stone coffin was found, the heavy lid carved with a representation of the tragic Princess Joan, wife of Llywelyn the Great. The coffin was removed to the grounds of Baron Hill, the 17th Century mansion of the Bulkeley family. It is now preserved in the parish church of St Mary at Beaumaris. (see c1474)
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| 1405 |
Beaumaris; Castle regained from the Welsh. (see 1410) |
| 1407 |
Beaumaris; Burgesses granted £10 towards the cost of circling the town with a bank and ditch. (see 1408-09) |
| 1408-1409 |
Beaumaris; The need for a town wall to enclose and protect the town is shown by a record explaining that there were 10.5 burgages for which no rent could be collected, because they had been destroyed by fire, not only by the Welsh rebels under Glyndwr, but also by the Scots. (see 1410) |
| 1410 |
Beaumaris; It became a walled town with three gates. (see 1414)
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| 1414 |
Beaumaris; Henry V granted a new charter to Llanfaes, and the monastery was rebuilt. (see 1536) |
| 1414 |
Beaumaris; A record held implies that 30 burgages have been requisitioned to make way for the town wall, so that customary rent could no longer be obtained for them. It is clear that the wall was provided with battlements and garderobes, and that there were passages in it. (see 1414) |
| 1414 |
Beaumaris; Ten burgages are recorded as being submerged by the sea. (see 1460) |
| 1425 |
Menai Straits; The first passenger ferry service, The Foel Ferry, between Caernarfon and Anglesey was inaugurated. (see 1503) |
| 1440 |
Beaumaris; A Bulkeley was constable of the castle (see 1534) |
| 1444 |
Beaumaris; William Bulkeley moved here from Cheadle in Cheshire. Already a wealthy man, he married into a local landowning family. (see 1490) |
| 1460 |
Beaumaris; The town wall is described as being completely broken by the waves. (see 1536 – 1540) |
| c 1472 |
Beaumaris; Original Old Bull’s Head Inn reputed to have been built. (see c 1700) |
| c 1474 |
Beaumaris; William Bulkeley built Hen Blas, a medieval mansion. It became their family home until Baron Hill was built. (see 1618) |
| c 1480 |
Beaumaris; Beaumaris alone of the great boroughs of the north, developed into a major centre of commerce, for it was convenient, sheltered, and less liable to attack by the pirates who infested the Irish Sea. (see 1610) |
| 1490 |
Beaumaris; William Bulkeley died, leaving £20 in his will for a tomb for him and his wife. |
| 1502 |
Menai Bridge; The Old Horse Ferry, originating from the 13th Century became the property of the crown. (see c1530) |
| 1503 |
Menai Straits; In Caernarfon Bailiff’s account, The Foel Ferry is called “the passage of the water of Seynt called Tallevoil”, the ferry being leased to private individuals. (see 1832) |
| 1520 |
Amlwch; Emphasis for cannons to made out of bronze (see c 1670) |
| c 1530 |
Menai Bridge; During the time of Henry VIII, the Old Horse Ferry passed from the crown to private management. (see 1819) |
| 1534 |
Beaumaris; The castle was gradually deteriorating. “There was scarcely a single chamber in Beaumaris Castle where a man could lie dry” (see 1538)
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| 1536 |
Llanfaes; Llanfaes Monastery fell in the “Dissolution”. (see 1536 – 1539) |
| 1536-1539 |
Beaumaris; After the dissolution of the monasteries, the transfer of lands greatly benefited the holdings of existing large scale and local landowners such as the Bulkeleys. (see Middle Ages) |
| 1536-1540 |
Beaumaris; Rebuilding of the town wall undertaken. (see 1646) |
| 1538 |
Beaumaris; All four North Wales castles (including Harlech, Caernarfon and Conway) were reported as ”much ruinous and ferre in decay for lacke of timely reparacons”. (see 1539) |
| 5th April 1539 |
Beaumaris; Sir Richard Bulkeley wrote to the King's secretary Thomas Cromwell that "The royal castles of North Wales are unfurnished and have neither guns nor powder, nor other artillery, apart from eight or ten small pieces in Bewmares possessed by the writer. Has provided three barrels of gunpowder, some shot, forty bows, and forty sheaves of arrows, with as many coats of fence and sallets and splinters, at his own cost; this is inadequate for such a fortress. Conwey, Carn, and Hardlach castles have nothing in them to defend them for one hour. If enemies secure them “hit wold cost his majestie a hundreth thowsand of his pounds and the losse of mayny a man affor' they shuld be gotten again". Anglesey is but a night’s sailing from Scotland….. beseeches a couple of gunners and some good ordnance and powder to defend the King’s house in Biwmares"”. (see 1609)
Harlech Castle
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| 1553 |
Beaumaris; Edward VI dies and the reformers in Wales as elsewhere tried unsuccessfully to continue the new faith by making Lady Jane Grey queen. She was proclaimed queen in the town on one day, but Mary was proclaimed there on the very next day. |
| 1562 |
Beaumaris; The borough was entitled to return its own Member of Parliament. The Bulkeleys gave the ‘seat’ to one of its family or to nominee prepared to vote as instructed. |
| 1563 |
Beaumaris; Population was 555 with 111 households. 9 shops in the town, and Beaumaris had merchants operating in Spain. Exports included farm produce, millstones and slates from Caernarfon. (see 1801) |
| 1576 |
Penmynydd; Plas Penmynydd built. |
| c 1577 |
Beaumaris; Piracy was rife. Bardsey Island was as much the haunt of pirates as it had once been of saints. At Beaumaris, Sir Richard Bulkeley was not above giving his support to Hugh Griffith, a native of Cefn Amlwch in Llyn and perhaps the most cruel sea-robber of them all. Sir Richard Bulkeley’s younger brother Edward turned pirate, met his death on the pirate infested Barbary coast of north Africa.
 |
| 1579 |
Trysclwyn; A Mr Medley opened a "greate mineral worke at Anglesey" from which he obtained "mineral water that made alome and copperas, and transmuted iron into copper”. Trysclwyn was much later named Parys Mountain. (see 1698) |
| 1582 |
Beaumaris; The Victory, a Beaumaris ship, sailed to Newfoundland and Portugal, bringing back salt, soap and barley malt. |
| Middle Ages |
Puffin Island; The island’s monks used to carry about with them images of St Seiriol, and would perhaps exchange an image of the Saint with nine cheeses in his arms, for wool or flour. The image was supposed to bring the farmer prosperity. |
| Middle Ages |
Aber Lleiniog; A stone fort replaced the timber one dating from 1090 was built. It consisted of a simple four-sided plan and round towers at the angles. (see 1642)
 |
| 1592 |
Holyhead; William Davies and four others seized when on their way to Valladolid from to Ireland. He was moved from prison to prison for twelve months, openly declaring his Catholic faith and refusing every opportunity to recant and escape, by his captors. (see 1593) |
| 27.07.1593 |
Beaumaris; William Davies was hanged, drawn and quartered watched by a sorrowing crowd. He was the only seminary priest executed in Wales in Elizabeth Ist’s reign. (see 1929). |
| 1603 |
Beaumaris; Grammar School founded under the will of David Hughes. (see1834) |
| 1607 |
Beaumaris; The town was well nigh depopulated by the plague. |
| 1609 |
Beaumaris; Parts of Harlech and Caernarfon castles were still usable, but Beaumaris and Conway castles were officially classed as "utterlie decayed". Thomas Viscount Bulkeley was alleged to have spent £3,000 in repairing the castle in aid of Charles I early in the Civil War. (see 1643) |
| 1610 |
Beaumaris; Town map appeared on John Speed’s Map of Anglesey. The town had 2 Inns, The Bull’s Head and the George & Dragon, as resting places for road travellers to Ireland. Outside the town walls were a windmill and two water mills. (see 1775) |
| 1617 |
Beaumaris; Old Bull's Head rebuilt and was the original post house for travellers during their tiring journey to and from Ireland. (see 1624) |
| 1618 |
Beamaris; Baron Hill originally built. (see 1776) |
| 1624 |
Beaumaris; Rowland ap Robert, the town's Postmaster requested guide posts be sunk on Lavan Sands to assist with hazardous crossing to the Welsh mainland when the tide was out. Passage was only possible some three or four hours out of every twelve. He was concerned about the Royal mail. He wrote “when sudden mistes and fogs doe fall, for the danger is very great upon the sandes that ye Kinges packets and subjects are like to perishe”. (see c1635) |
| c 1635 |
Beaumaris; The town became a vital link in communication between London and Dublin ever since the public postal system had been established during the reign of Charles I in 1635. (see 1685) The Beaumaris postmaster, Randolph Evans, was responsible for conveying the mail between Conway and Holyhead. He received an annual salary of £60. (see 1685) |
| 1642 |
Aber Lleiniog; During the Civil War, Aber Lleiniog Castle was garrisoned and held by Sir Thomas Cheadle. (see 1645)
|
| 1643 |
Beaumaris; Thomas Bulkeley, who later became Lord Bulkeley was appointed Constable of the Castle. (see 1643) |
| 1643 |
Beaumaris; Both Conway and Beaumaris castles occupied key positions in the transit of men and materials from Ireland to the King. (see 1646) |
| 1645 |
Aber Lleiniog; The castle here was surrendered to Colonel Robinson. It was knwon as Lady Cheadle's Fort. (see 1646) |
| 1646 |
Aber Lleiniog; Lady Cheadle's Fort was dismantled. |
| 14h June 1646 |
Beaumaris; For the town, the eventual victory of the parliament culminated with the surrender of the castle by Co. Richard Bulkeley to General Thomas Mytton, ' Beaumaris being a place that hath been a very great use to the King. The Castle surrendered to Parliament and its active life was at an end. (see 1646) |
| 25th June 1646 |
Beaumaris; Story relating to the taking of the castle. "Among those who fought for King Charles at St Mary’s field was a yeoman of the name of Howell, of Wern, Llanddona. This hero, when he found that the Royalists party was routed and had fled refuge to Beaumaris Castle, retired stealthily to the beach of that town, under the green, and having turned one boat on top of another over himself, he fired from his hiding place on the besiegers, who were on the Green, until his ammunition was all spent. He then crept from between the boats, reached the Friars unobserved, where a servant was waiting for him with a horse, which he mounted, and rode home with all speed. However, by the time he was on part of his own land, called Mynydd y Wern, he was surrounded by a party of the Parliamentarians, who were determined to take him prisoner; seeing which, he urged his horse over a precipice and was killed on the spot, under the brow of a rock called to this day, Craig Howell. The horse and its rider were buried together, and over the grave a little mound of stones was raised, which, until within the memory of a late tenant of Wern, was whitewashed occasionally by the descendants of the loyalist hero." (see 1648) |
| 1648 |
Beaumaris; A short lived revolt led Anglesey to a second surrender of Beaumaris to Mytton, and a fine of £7,000 levied on the Island for its contumacy. Constableship of the castle conferred to Major General John Jones, a near relative by marriage of Oliver Cronwell, with an old Ironside officer named Captain Wray, his deputy. (see 1650s) |
| 1650 |
Beaumaris; Colonel Richard Bulkeley, who had defended the castle for the King, was killed, fighting a duel on the Lavan Sands. The duel was fought to avenge his father whom he bellieved had been poisoned by his stepfather, Thomas Cheadle. |
| 1653 |
Beaumaris; Thomas Cheadle was hanged in Conway for the murder of Co. Richard Bulkeley. |
| 1660 |
Beaumaris; Castle being dismantled at the time of the Restoration. Medieval courtyard buildings removed and the unroofing of the hall in the North Gatehouse. (see1665) |
| 1665 |
Conway; Lord Conway's agent, supervising the dismantling of Conway Castle wrote about the diffficulties and dangers encountered in taking down the lead roofs there."I feare I can have no workman here that knowethe how to doe it, but I here there is one at Bewmares that hath taken downe one or two Castels alredye, and tomorrow I doe intend to gett him". (see1807) |
| c 1670 |
Amlwch; Copper mining industry, previously a royal monopoly, was opened up to private competition. (see 1700s)
 |
| 1675 |
Beaumaris; In Ogilby's road map in his Britannia book, he states 'If the tide be in (at Lavan SDands) you are obliged to go by Bangor (to Holyhead)'. (see 1805) |
| 1684 |
Beaumaris; Landing point for the corporation ferry from Lavan Sands moved from the Green at the town to the Point. (see c 1795) |
| 1685 |
Beaumaris; The Beaumaris postmaster, Randolph Evans, was responsible for conveying the mail between Conway and Holyhead. He received an annual salary of £60. (see 1718) |
| 1698 |
Trysclwyn; Mention is again made of a mine here, called Prince's Mine. The vast riches that lay below surface were undreamed of in those days. (see 1764) |
| c 1700 |
Beaumaris; The Liverpool Arms was built. |
| 1700s |
Amlwch; The copper boom was set to erupt due to the increased use of the metal in coins, and househol items in addition to military requirements. (see c 1760)
 Copper as a mineral |
| 1710 |
Menai Straits; The Aber Menai Ferry was leased by the Lords Bulkeley to 1828 (see 02.12.1785) |
| 1718 |
Beaumaris; The Lavan Sands crossing was abandoned by the postal authorities in favour of the Porthaethwy Ferry near Bangor. (see 1812)
 |
| 1727 |
Beaumaris; A gaol was built on the Green on part of the site now occupied by Victoria Terrace. It housed those who broke the law in the borough and the whole of the Island. (see 1829) |
| 1748 |
Beaumaris; Lewis Morris described the town ' as a place of good trade formerly, and might still be so if the inhabitants pursued it. (see 1775) |
| c 1760 |
Parys Mountain; Copper mining at Parys Mountain was at its peak, lastying for 60 to 70 years. (see 1764) |
| 1763 |
Liverpool; In order to supply shipping information as quickly as possible, a semaphore Signal House was set up at Bidston Hill. Flagpoles were set up to fly house flags of those ships sighted. (see 1827) |
| 1764 |
Parys Mountain; A Macclesfield manufacturer, Charles Roe, set up a partnership, agreeing to lease the mine workings together with a mine at Penrhyn Du in Lleyn, little knowing that in a few years the foreman of the latter mine, Jonathan Roose was to make the discovery of the century. (see 1768) |
| 1764 |
Parys Mountain; Sir Nicholas Bayly introduced a mining firm into Anglesey. Copper was being supplied into naval warfare, plating ship's hulls below the waterline and copper bolts to secure the plating. Initially, little activity took place. (see 1768) |
| c1764 |
Beaumaris; There was a considerable ship building industry here. Vessels were chiefly used in the copper and slate trade, for both Parys Mountain and Penrhyn Slate quarry near Bethesda. (see 1786)
 |
| 02.03.1768 |
Parys Mountain; An exceptionally rich seam of copper was discovered. Jonathan Roose was sent for from Penrhyn. He offered a prize of a bottle of brandy for the first man to strike the ore. The lucky prize winner was one Roland Pugh,who was also granted a cottage rent free for life, and enjoyed the honour of being 'chaired' at the annual celebration of the great discovery. (see 1775) |
| 1775 |
Parys Mountain; Bayly's (see 1764) neighbours started mining on the mountain. (see 1778) |
| 1775 |
Beaumaris; A writer believed that the town had no appetite for commerce, but 'agriculture employs their chief attention. It consists of two or three good streets, better built than the greatest number of Welsh towns'. (see c1790) |
| 1776 |
Menai Straits; A Mr Golbornr made the earliest suggestion of a method of bridging the Straits, and consisted of an embankment with a bridge at the centre. (see 1785) |
| 1776 - 1779 |
Beaumaris; Baron Hill completely altered under architect Samuel Wyatt. (see 1821) |
| 1778 |
Parys Mountain; Parys Mining Company was formed by Bayly's neighbours. (see 1778) |
| 1778 |
Parys Mountain; Thomas Pennant in his tour of Wales, described the mines in operation as impressive. He said it was ' the most considerable body of copper ore perhaps ever known'. 'Suffocating fumes issue from the burniing heaps of copper, and extend their baleful influence for miles around. In the adjacent parts, vegetastion is nearly destroyed, and even the mosses and lichens of the rocks have perished'. (see 1780)
 |
| c 1780 |
Parys Mountain; Workers at Parys Mountain were paid in copper tokens. They were for a penny or half ppenny, and bore a druid's head on the obverse and the letters PMC on the reverse, and the date. (see 1785)
 |
| 1785 |
Parys Mountain; Mona Mine Company was formed, and together with the Parys Mine Company, now became managed by an agent for both mines, Thomas Williams a Beaumaris solicitor. The mines were supplying the navies of Britain, France, Holland and Spain with copper bolts, nails and sheathing. (see 1787) |
| 1785 |
Menai Strait; Another plan for bridging the Straits was proposed at Saint Alban's Tavarn. It was to be constructed of timber, with a swivel or drawbridge at the centre, and was planned to cross over to Ynys Geint, close northward of the village. The plan was rejected. (see 1828) |
| 02.12.1785 |
Menai Strait; A tragedy occurred when the Abermenai Ferryboat capsized with a shipload of passengers homeward bound from Caernarfon market and fifty people were drowned. (see 1828) |
| 1786 |
Beaumaris; The vessel Amlwch, 76 tons, was built. (see 1803) |
| 1787 |
Parys Mountain; The peak output of four thousand tons of pure copper was reached. A fleet of forty vessels was engaged in the copper trade and the port of Amlwch was at its busiest. (see 1793)
Copper ladies. |
| c 1790 |
Beaumaris; By the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, economic decay had set in. Beaumaris' slate trade was lost to Port Penrhyn and Caernarfon. Amlwch had adapted to meet the needs of the copper mines. Holyhead became the principal port for Irish treavellers. (see 1820s) |
| 1790 |
Beaumaris; The town at this time, had only a mere handful of shops. (see 1830) |
| 1793 |
Parys Mountain; The harbour at the port of Amlwch had to be enlarged to cope with the copper transportation demand. (see 1801) |
| 1794 |
Llangoed; Calvinistic Chapel originally built. (see 1822) |
| c 1795 |
Beaumaris; The town was no longer on the main London - Holyhead road, via the corporation ferry at the adngerous Lavan Sands. The route led up Red Hill, through Hirdrefaig to Llangefni. (see 1808) |
| 1801 |
Beaumaris; The town's population was 1576. (see 1851) |
| 1801 |
Parys Mountain; With the death of mining agent Thomas Williams, accompanied by the decline in productivity the fame of Parys Mountain waned. (see 1815) |
| 23 September 1801 |
Beaumaris; Richard Bulkeley was born. |
| 1802 |
Menai Strait; Rennie submitted a plan for a stone and iron bridge across the Straits - rejected. (see 1811) |
| 1803 |
Beaumaris; The sloop 'Warren Bulkeley' 77 tons was built, which carried cargoes to Liverpool and London. |
| 1804 |
Beaumaris; The Druid's Society was set up in the town This was a friendly society who gave support to its members at times of unexpected loss of earnings. (see 1816) |
| 1805 |
Beaumaris; Lord Bulkeley constructed a new road through his land in order to provide a more direct line of communication to Bangor. It cost some £3,000. (see 1826) |
| 1805 |
Beaumaris; Hurriedly built houses erected at Clay Pits, where many working class families lived in squalid housing. (see 19.04.1830) |
| 1807 |
Beaumaris; Castle ruins were brought from the crown by the sixth Lord Bulkeley. (see 1832)
 |
| 02.06.1808 |
Beaumaris; The North Wales Gazette advised visitors to take the Garth Ferry 'to Lord Bulkeley's road......hanging over the sea to Beaumaris' (see30 |
