Bardsey Island
Encyclopedia
Bardsey Island the legendary "Island of 20,000 saints", lies 1.9 miles (3.1 km) off the Llŷn Peninsula
in the Welsh
county of Gwynedd
. The Welsh
name means "The Island in the Currents", although its English name refers to the "Island of the Bards", or possibly the island of the Viking chieftan, "Barda". It is 0.6 mile (0.965604 km) wide and 1 miles (1.6 km) long. The north east rises steeply from the sea to a height of 548 feet (167 m) at Mynydd Enlli, while the western plain is low and relatively flat cultivated farmland; to the south the island narrows to an isthmus
, connecting to a peninsula. Since 1974 it has been included in the community
of Aberdaron
. It is about 440 acres (178.1 ha) in extent (about 2 square km). It is the fourth largest offshore island in Wales.
The island has been an important religious site since Saint Cadfan
built a monastery in 516. In medieval times it was a major centre of pilgrimage and, by 1212, belonged to the Augustinian Canons Regular
. The monastery was dissolved and its buildings demolished by Henry VIII
in 1537, but the island remains an attraction for pilgrims to this day.
Bardsey Island is now as famous for its wildlife and rugged scenery. A bird observatory was established in 1953, largely due to the island's position on important migration routes. It is of European importance, cited as a nesting place for Manx shearwaters and choughs, its rare plants, and habitats undisturbed by modern farming practices. It is one of the best places in Gwynedd to see grey seals, and the waters around the island attract dolphins and porpoises
.
The spirituality and sacredness of the island, its relative remoteness, and its legendary claim to be the burial site of King Arthur
, have given it a special place in the cultural life of Wales, attracting artists, writers and musicians to its shores. It has inspired award winning literature, and attracted internationally renowned singers. On 31 July 2011 the island was featured on BBC television's Countryfile
, and traces of hut circles remain. During the fifth century the island became a refuge for persecuted Christians, and a small Celtic
monastery existed. In 516 Saint Cadfan
arrived from Brittany
and, under his guidance St Mary's Abbey was built. For centuries the island was important as "the holy place of burial for all the bravest and best in the land". Bards called it "the land of indulgences, absolution and pardon, the road to Heaven, and the gate to Paradise", and in medieval times three pilgrimages to Bardsey Island were considered to be of equivalent benefit to the soul as one to Rome
. In 1188 the abbey was still a Celtic institution, but by 1212 it belonged to the Augustinians. Many people still walk the journey to Aberdaron
and Uwchmynydd each year in the footsteps of the saints, although today only ruins of the old abbey's 13th century bell tower remain. A Celtic cross
amidst the ruins commemorates the 20,000 saints reputed to be buried on the island.
Saint Deiniol
, the bishop of Bangor
, was buried on the island in 584. Saint Dyfrig
was also buried on Bardsey Island, although in 1120 his remains were transferred to Llandaff
.
A gnarled and twisted apple tree, growing by the side of Plas Bach, is believed to be the only survivor of an orchard that was tended by the monks who lived there a thousand years ago. In 1998, experts on the varieties of British apples at the National Fruit Collection in Brogdale
stated that they believed the strain, the Bardsey Apple , to be the only one in the world. Cuttings from the tree have been planted so that they can be sold to raise funds for the Bardsey Island Trust.
The Dissolution of the Lesser Monasteries Act
of 1536, on the orders of Henry VIII
, resulted in St Mary's Abbey being dissolved and its buildings demolished in 1537. The choir stalls, two screens and the bells were transferred to Llanengan
, where the parish church was then being built.
For many years Bardsey Island formed part of the Newborough Estate
, and between 1870 and 1875 the island's farms were rebuilt; a small limestone
quarry was opened, and a lime kiln constructed. Carreg and Plas Bach are separate buildings, but the remaining eight were built as semi-detached houses, each pair with out buildings set around a shared yard. The buildings are Grade II listed and, in 2008, Cadw
approved a grant of £15,000 to cover the first phase of repairs. Only one of the original croglofft cottages, Carreg Bach, survives. Given the choice of a harbour or a new church, in 1875 the islanders asked the estate to provide a place of worship; a Methodist chapel was built.
The island had a population of 132 in 1881; by 1961 it had fallen to 17. The island's small school, opened in a former chapel in 1919, closed in 1953; and by 2003 the population was down to 4.
Bardsey Island Trust bought the island in 1979, after an appeal supported by the Church in Wales
and many Welsh academics and public figures. The trust is financed through membership subscriptions, grants and donations, and is dedicated to protecting the wildlife, buildings and archaeological sites of the island; promoting its artistic and cultural life; and encouraging people to visit as a place of natural beauty and pilgrimage. When, in 2000, the trust advertised for a tenant for the 440 acres (178.1 ha) sheep farm on the island, they had 1,100 applications. The tenancy is now held by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
; and the land is managed to maintain the natural habitat. Oats
, turnips and swedes
are grown; goats, ducks, geese and chickens kept; and there is a mixed flock of sheep
and Welsh black cattle
.
.
Application for a light here was first made in 1816 by Lt. Thomas Evans R.N., but several other applications made in 1820 finally resulted in the building of the tower by Trinity House
in 1821 at a cost of £5,470 12s 6d plus a further £2,950 16s 7d for the lantern
.
Joseph Nelson was the engineer and builder, but the heavy weathered string-course near the base and the blocked and hooded directional-light window show the influence of Daniel Alexander, who succeeded Samuel Wyatt as architect to Trinity House, and under whom Nelson served. Joseph Nelson is associated with the design of at least fifteen lighthouses, mostly in the Bristol Channel
.
The Lighthouse is built of ashlar
limestone
and is unplastered inside and out, but painted in red and white bands on the outside. The Lighthouse tower
is 30 m (98 ft) high and is unusual, amongst Trinity House towers of this period in being square in plan. Unlike many other lighthouses, it retains its original gallery railings, which are of iron and bellied (i.e. curved out in width at their crowns) towards the top. Other examples include Salt Island
Lighthouse, at Holyhead, designed by John Rennie in the same year. Fortunately, the present lantern, fitted in 1856, did not require the removal of the original railings.
The plinth
of the tower is 4 m (13 ft) high and elaborately enriched, and at ground level it forms a square of 7.6 m (25 ft) reducing to 6.1 m (20 ft) at the top of the plinth and 4.6 m (15 ft) at the top of the tower below the crowning cornice
, which juts out in a square of 5.5 m (18 ft). The walls are 1.2 m (4 ft) thick at the base reducing to under 0.9 m (3 ft) at the top.
Originally, the light comprised reflectors but changed to a dioptric (refracting) mechanism in 1838; the appearance of the original lantern is not known. The present lantern of 1856 is a 4.27 m (14 ft) wide chamfered octagon and the light remained fixed, instead of revolving. The present revolving apparatus was installed in 1873 and gives a group of five flashes, originally driven by a vapourizing oil-lamp, but replaced by electric in 1973.
The Lighthouse is unusual in lacking any sort of harbor or quay facilities. As it is on an established migratory route, the tower has many bird casualties and The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, and Trinity House have tried to help the problem by providing perches on the lantern top and flood-lighting the tower, although this does not seem to have helped.
In 1987 the Lighthouse was converted to automatic operation and up until 1995 was monitored from the Trinity House Area Control Station at Holyhead
. It is now monitored from the Trinity House Depot at Harwich
. with a local part-time attendant carrying out routine maintenance.
Y Storws, sometimes referred to as The Boathouse, was built a few years before the lighthouse, near to the landing place at Y Cafn.
in 1986, and is part of Glannau Aberdaron ac Ynys Enlli Special Protection Area . It is now a favourite bird-watching location, on the migration routes of thousands of birds. Bardsey Bird and Field Observatory , founded in 1953, nets and rings 8,000 birds each year in order to understand their migration patterns.
The island was designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest
for its maritime communities; internationally rare lichen
s; bryophyte
, vascular plant and bird species; and intertidal communities. Nationally important flowering plants include sharp rush
, rock sea lavender
, small adder's tongue
and western clover
, and the rare purple loosestrife is found in places. Two nationally rare heathland lichens are found on the slopes of Mynydd Enlli: the ciliate strap lichen
and golden hair lichen
; and there are over 350 lichen species in total. The leafcutter bee
, named after its habit of cutting neat, rounded circles in rose leaves, used to seal the entrance to its nest, is native.
Thousands of birds pass through each year on their way to their breeding or wintering grounds. Chiffchaffs, goldcrests and wheatears
are usually the first to pass through, followed by sedge warblers and willow warblers, whitethroats and spotted flycatchers.
About thirty species of bird regularly nest on the island, including ravens
, little owls, oystercatchers
and the rare chough
. Hundreds of sea birds, including razorbills, guillemots
, fulmars
and kittiwakes
, spend the summer nesting on the island's eastern cliffs, the numbers reflecting the fact that there are no land predators such as rats or foxes to worry about. On a dark moonless night an eerie cackling can be heard across the island as 7,000 pairs of Manx shearwaters, 3.5 per cent of the British population, come ashore to lay and incubate their eggs in abandoned rabbit warrens or newly-dug burrows.
The island is one of the best places in Gwynedd
to see grey seals. In mid summer over two hundred can be seen, sunbathing on the rocks or bobbing in the sea, and about fifteen pups are born each autumn. Their sharp teeth and strong jaws are perfect for breaking the shells of lobsters
and crabs which dwell in the waters. It is also possible to spot bottlenose
and Risso's dolphins, and porpoises
. The currents around the island are responsible for flushing in food-rich waters, and the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society
has been carrying out surveys since 1999 to find out which areas are particularly important for feeding and nursing calves.
The seas around the island are rich in marine life. There are forests of strap seaweed
; in the rock pools are sea anemones, crabs and small fish; and in deeper waters, the rocks are covered by sponges and sea squirts
. The yellow star anemone, found offshore, is more common to the Mediterranean
.
:Brenin Enlli), and from 1826 onwards, he would be crowned by Baron Newborough or his representative. The crown is now kept at Merseyside Maritime Museum
in Liverpool
, although calls have been made for it to return to Gwynedd. The first known title holder was John Williams; his son, John Williams II, the third of the recorded kings, was deposed in 1900, and asked to leave the island as he had become an alcoholic. At the outbreak of World War I
, the last king, Love Pritchard, offered himself and the men of Bardsey Island for military service, but he was refused as he was considered too old at the age of 71. Pritchard took umbrage, and declared the island a neutral power. In 1925 Pritchard left the island for the mainland, to seek a less laborious way of life, but died the following year.
Yorkshire born poet, Christine Evans, lives half the year on Bardsey Island, spending the winters at Uwchmynydd. She moved to Pwllheli
as a teacher, and married into a Bardsey Island farming family. While on maternity leave in 1976, she started writing poems, and her first book was published seven years later. Cometary Phrases was Welsh Book of the Year 1989 and she was the winner of the inaugural Roland Mathias Prize in 2005.
Edgar Ewart Pritchard, an amateur film-maker from Brownhills
, produced "The Island in the Current", a colour movie of life on Bardsey Island, in 1953. A copy of the film is held by the National Screen and Sound Archive of Wales.
Opera singer Bryn Terfel
, a patron of the Bardsey Island Trust, has performed in the island's chapel; and triple harp
ist Llio Rhydderch in 2002 released Enlli, an album inspired by the spiritual emotions evoked on the pilgrimages.
Dilys Cadwaladr
, the former school teacher on the island, in 1953 became the first woman to win the Crown at the National Eisteddfod, for her long poem Y Llen; and artist Brenda Chamberlain
twice won the Gold Medal for Art at the Eisteddfod; in 1951 for Girl with Siamese Cat, and in 1953 with The Christin Children. Some of the murals she painted can still be seen on the walls of Carreg, her home from 1947 to 1962. Wildlife artist Kim Atkinson, whose work has been widely exhibited in Wales
and England
, spent her childhood on the island and returned to live there in the 1980s.
Since 1999, Bardsey Island Trust has appointed an Artist in Residence to spend several weeks on the island producing work which is later exhibited on the mainland. A Welsh
literary residence was created in 2002; singer-songwriter Fflur Dafydd
spent six weeks working on a collection of poetry and prose. Her play Hugo was inspired by her stay, and she has produced two novels, Atyniad (Attraction), which won the prose medal at the 2006 Eisteddfod; and Twenty Thousand Saints, winner of the Oxfam Hay Prize, which tells how the women of the island, starved of men, turn to each other.
In 2009 Cowbois Rhos Botwnnog
became the first electric rock group to play on the island, as part of S4C
's "Bandit" series.
by Bardsey Boat Trips and Enlli Charters.
At times, the wind and the fierce sea currents make sailing between the island and the mainland impossible. Sometimes boats are unable to reach or leave Bardsey Island for weeks, and in 2000 seventeen island visitors became stranded for two weeks when gales prevented a boat going to rescue them.
Llŷn Peninsula
The Llŷn Peninsula extends into the Irish Sea from north west Wales, south west of the Isle of Anglesey. It is part of the modern county and historic region of Gwynedd. The name is thought to be of Irish origin, and to have the same root Laigin in Irish as the word Leinster...
in the Welsh
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
county of Gwynedd
Gwynedd
Gwynedd is a county in north-west Wales, named after the old Kingdom of Gwynedd. Although the second biggest in terms of geographical area, it is also one of the most sparsely populated...
. The Welsh
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
name means "The Island in the Currents", although its English name refers to the "Island of the Bards", or possibly the island of the Viking chieftan, "Barda". It is 0.6 mile (0.965604 km) wide and 1 miles (1.6 km) long. The north east rises steeply from the sea to a height of 548 feet (167 m) at Mynydd Enlli, while the western plain is low and relatively flat cultivated farmland; to the south the island narrows to an isthmus
Isthmus
An isthmus is a narrow strip of land connecting two larger land areas usually with waterforms on either side.Canals are often built through isthmuses where they may be particularly advantageous to create a shortcut for marine transportation...
, connecting to a peninsula. Since 1974 it has been included in the community
Community (Wales)
A community is a division of land in Wales that forms the lowest-tier of local government in Wales. Welsh communities are analogous to civil parishes in England....
of Aberdaron
Aberdaron
Aberdaron is a community and former fishing village at the western tip of the Llŷn Peninsula in the Welsh county of Gwynedd. It lies west of Pwllheli and south west of Caernarfon, and has a population of 1,019. It is sometimes referred to as the "Land's End of Wales"...
. It is about 440 acres (178.1 ha) in extent (about 2 square km). It is the fourth largest offshore island in Wales.
The island has been an important religious site since Saint Cadfan
Saint Cadfan
Saint Cadfan, ; , Abbot of Tywyn and Bardsey was a Breton Saint who lived in 6th century Wales. A Breton nobleman, he was the son of Eneas Ledewig , and Gwen Teirbron, a daughter of Budic II, a King of Brittany.- Associations & Legacy :...
built a monastery in 516. In medieval times it was a major centre of pilgrimage and, by 1212, belonged to the Augustinian Canons Regular
Canons Regular
Canons Regular are members of certain bodies of Canons living in community under the Augustinian Rule , and sharing their property in common...
. The monastery was dissolved and its buildings demolished by Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
in 1537, but the island remains an attraction for pilgrims to this day.
Bardsey Island is now as famous for its wildlife and rugged scenery. A bird observatory was established in 1953, largely due to the island's position on important migration routes. It is of European importance, cited as a nesting place for Manx shearwaters and choughs, its rare plants, and habitats undisturbed by modern farming practices. It is one of the best places in Gwynedd to see grey seals, and the waters around the island attract dolphins and porpoises
Harbour Porpoise
The harbour porpoise is one of six species of porpoise. It is one of the smallest marine mammals. As its name implies, it stays close to coastal areas or river estuaries, and as such, is the most familiar porpoise to whale watchers. This porpoise often ventures up rivers, and has been seen...
.
The spirituality and sacredness of the island, its relative remoteness, and its legendary claim to be the burial site of King Arthur
King Arthur
King Arthur is a legendary British leader of the late 5th and early 6th centuries, who, according to Medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and...
, have given it a special place in the cultural life of Wales, attracting artists, writers and musicians to its shores. It has inspired award winning literature, and attracted internationally renowned singers. On 31 July 2011 the island was featured on BBC television's Countryfile
Countryfile
Countryfile is a British magazine-style television programme produced by BBC Birmingham, first aired on 24th July 1988, which reports on rural and environmental issues within the United Kingdom. For its first 20 years it was fronted by broadcaster John Craven, until he stepped back from the role of...
History
The island was inhabited in neolithic timesNeolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
, and traces of hut circles remain. During the fifth century the island became a refuge for persecuted Christians, and a small Celtic
Celtic Christianity
Celtic Christianity or Insular Christianity refers broadly to certain features of Christianity that were common, or held to be common, across the Celtic-speaking world during the Early Middle Ages...
monastery existed. In 516 Saint Cadfan
Saint Cadfan
Saint Cadfan, ; , Abbot of Tywyn and Bardsey was a Breton Saint who lived in 6th century Wales. A Breton nobleman, he was the son of Eneas Ledewig , and Gwen Teirbron, a daughter of Budic II, a King of Brittany.- Associations & Legacy :...
arrived from Brittany
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
and, under his guidance St Mary's Abbey was built. For centuries the island was important as "the holy place of burial for all the bravest and best in the land". Bards called it "the land of indulgences, absolution and pardon, the road to Heaven, and the gate to Paradise", and in medieval times three pilgrimages to Bardsey Island were considered to be of equivalent benefit to the soul as one to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. In 1188 the abbey was still a Celtic institution, but by 1212 it belonged to the Augustinians. Many people still walk the journey to Aberdaron
Aberdaron
Aberdaron is a community and former fishing village at the western tip of the Llŷn Peninsula in the Welsh county of Gwynedd. It lies west of Pwllheli and south west of Caernarfon, and has a population of 1,019. It is sometimes referred to as the "Land's End of Wales"...
and Uwchmynydd each year in the footsteps of the saints, although today only ruins of the old abbey's 13th century bell tower remain. A Celtic cross
Celtic cross
A Celtic cross is a symbol that combines a cross with a ring surrounding the intersection. In the Celtic Christian world it was combined with the Christian cross and this design was often used for high crosses – a free-standing cross made of stone and often richly decorated...
amidst the ruins commemorates the 20,000 saints reputed to be buried on the island.
Saint Deiniol
Deiniol
Saint Deiniol was the first Bishop of Bangor in the Kingdom of Gwynedd, Wales. He is also venerated in Brittany as Saint Denoual. In English, the name is translated as Daniel but this is rarely used....
, the bishop of Bangor
Bangor, Gwynedd
Bangor is a city in Gwynedd, north west Wales, and one of the smallest cities in Britain. It is a university city with a population of 13,725 at the 2001 census, not including around 10,000 students at Bangor University. Including nearby Menai Bridge on Anglesey, which does not however form part of...
, was buried on the island in 584. Saint Dyfrig
Dubricius
Saint Dubricius was a 6th century Briton ecclesiastic venerated as a saint. He was the evangelist of Ergyng and much of South-East Wales.-Biography:Dubricius was the illegitimate son of Efrddyl, the daughter of King Peibio Clafrog of Ergyng...
was also buried on Bardsey Island, although in 1120 his remains were transferred to Llandaff
Llandaff
Llandaff is a district in the north of Cardiff, capital of Wales, having been incorporated into the city in 1922. It is the seat of the Church in Wales Bishop of Llandaff, whose diocese covers the most populous area of South Wales. Much of the district is covered by parkland known as Llandaff...
.
A gnarled and twisted apple tree, growing by the side of Plas Bach, is believed to be the only survivor of an orchard that was tended by the monks who lived there a thousand years ago. In 1998, experts on the varieties of British apples at the National Fruit Collection in Brogdale
Brogdale
Brogdale is a hamlet in Kent, England, located beside the M2 motorway south of Faversham. It is one of several hamlets making up the civil parish of Ospringe and is in the Borough of Swale....
stated that they believed the strain, the Bardsey Apple , to be the only one in the world. Cuttings from the tree have been planted so that they can be sold to raise funds for the Bardsey Island Trust.
Dissolution of the Lesser Monasteries Act
The Act for the Dissolution of the Lesser Monasteries – was an Act of the English Reformation Parliament of 1535/36, the beginning of the legal process by which King Henry VIII set about the Dissolution of the Monasteries...
of 1536, on the orders of Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
, resulted in St Mary's Abbey being dissolved and its buildings demolished in 1537. The choir stalls, two screens and the bells were transferred to Llanengan
Llanengan
Llanengan is a small village and community south west of Abersoch in Gwynedd, north-west Wales. It has a population of 2,024.In its centre is the parish church of St...
, where the parish church was then being built.
For many years Bardsey Island formed part of the Newborough Estate
Baron Newborough
Baron Newborough is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of Ireland. Both titles are still extant. The first creation came in 1716 in favour of George Cholmondeley, later 2nd Earl of Cholmondeley. See Marquess of Cholmondeley for further history of this creation. The second creation...
, and between 1870 and 1875 the island's farms were rebuilt; a small limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
quarry was opened, and a lime kiln constructed. Carreg and Plas Bach are separate buildings, but the remaining eight were built as semi-detached houses, each pair with out buildings set around a shared yard. The buildings are Grade II listed and, in 2008, Cadw
Cadw
-Conservation and Protection:Many of Wales's great castles and other monuments, such as bishop's palaces, historic houses, and ruined abbeys, are now in Cadw's care. Cadw does not own them but is responsible for their upkeep and for making them accessible to the public...
approved a grant of £15,000 to cover the first phase of repairs. Only one of the original croglofft cottages, Carreg Bach, survives. Given the choice of a harbour or a new church, in 1875 the islanders asked the estate to provide a place of worship; a Methodist chapel was built.
The island had a population of 132 in 1881; by 1961 it had fallen to 17. The island's small school, opened in a former chapel in 1919, closed in 1953; and by 2003 the population was down to 4.
Bardsey Island Trust bought the island in 1979, after an appeal supported by the Church in Wales
Church in Wales
The Church in Wales is the Anglican church in Wales, composed of six dioceses.As with the primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church, the Archbishop of Wales serves concurrently as one of the six diocesan bishops. The current archbishop is Barry Morgan, the Bishop of Llandaff.In contrast to the...
and many Welsh academics and public figures. The trust is financed through membership subscriptions, grants and donations, and is dedicated to protecting the wildlife, buildings and archaeological sites of the island; promoting its artistic and cultural life; and encouraging people to visit as a place of natural beauty and pilgrimage. When, in 2000, the trust advertised for a tenant for the 440 acres (178.1 ha) sheep farm on the island, they had 1,100 applications. The tenancy is now held by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
Bird Notes and News was first published in April 1903.The title changed to 'Bird Notes' in 1947. In the 1950s, there were four copies per year . Each volume covered two years, spread over three calendar years...
; and the land is managed to maintain the natural habitat. Oats
OATS
OATS - Open Source Assistive Technology Software - is a source code repository or "forge" for assistive technology software. It was launched in 2006 with the goal to provide a one-stop “shop” for end users, clinicians and open-source developers to promote and develop open source assistive...
, turnips and swedes
Rutabaga
The rutabaga, swede , turnip or yellow turnip is a root vegetable that originated as a cross between the cabbage and the turnip; see Triangle of U...
are grown; goats, ducks, geese and chickens kept; and there is a mixed flock of sheep
Domestic sheep
Sheep are quadrupedal, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Like all ruminants, sheep are members of the order Artiodactyla, the even-toed ungulates. Although the name "sheep" applies to many species in the genus Ovis, in everyday usage it almost always refers to Ovis aries...
and Welsh black cattle
Welsh Black
The Welsh Black is a dual-purpose breed of cattle native to Wales.-History:Commercial exploitation of the breed meant that drovers would herd them to English markets. Herds from south west Wales travelled towards Hereford and Gloucester up the Tywi Valley to Llandovery. Herds from South...
.
Bardsey Lighthouse
Bardsey Lighthouse, stands on the southerly tip of the island and guides vessels passing through St George's Channel and the Irish Sea. It is the only square lighthouse maintained by Trinity HouseTrinity House
The Corporation of Trinity House of Deptford Strond is the official General Lighthouse Authority for England, Wales and other British territorial waters...
.
Application for a light here was first made in 1816 by Lt. Thomas Evans R.N., but several other applications made in 1820 finally resulted in the building of the tower by Trinity House
Trinity House
The Corporation of Trinity House of Deptford Strond is the official General Lighthouse Authority for England, Wales and other British territorial waters...
in 1821 at a cost of £5,470 12s 6d plus a further £2,950 16s 7d for the lantern
Lantern
A lantern is a portable lighting device or mounted light fixture used to illuminate broad areas. Lanterns may also be used for signaling, as 'torches', or as general light sources outdoors . Low light level varieties are used for decoration. The term "lantern" is also used more generically to...
.
Joseph Nelson was the engineer and builder, but the heavy weathered string-course near the base and the blocked and hooded directional-light window show the influence of Daniel Alexander, who succeeded Samuel Wyatt as architect to Trinity House, and under whom Nelson served. Joseph Nelson is associated with the design of at least fifteen lighthouses, mostly in the Bristol Channel
Bristol Channel
The Bristol Channel is a major inlet in the island of Great Britain, separating South Wales from Devon and Somerset in South West England. It extends from the lower estuary of the River Severn to the North Atlantic Ocean...
.
The Lighthouse is built of ashlar
Ashlar
Ashlar is prepared stone work of any type of stone. Masonry using such stones laid in parallel courses is known as ashlar masonry, whereas masonry using irregularly shaped stones is known as rubble masonry. Ashlar blocks are rectangular cuboid blocks that are masonry sculpted to have square edges...
limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
and is unplastered inside and out, but painted in red and white bands on the outside. The Lighthouse tower
Tower
A tower is a tall structure, usually taller than it is wide, often by a significant margin. Towers are distinguished from masts by their lack of guy-wires....
is 30 m (98 ft) high and is unusual, amongst Trinity House towers of this period in being square in plan. Unlike many other lighthouses, it retains its original gallery railings, which are of iron and bellied (i.e. curved out in width at their crowns) towards the top. Other examples include Salt Island
Salt Island, Anglesey
Salt Island is an island joined to Holy Island, itself an island joined to Anglesey in North Wales. It is a natural provider of shelter for the towns Old Harbour from the Irish Sea and is also where the ferries to Dublin sail from.-History:...
Lighthouse, at Holyhead, designed by John Rennie in the same year. Fortunately, the present lantern, fitted in 1856, did not require the removal of the original railings.
The plinth
Plinth
In architecture, a plinth is the base or platform upon which a column, pedestal, statue, monument or structure rests. Gottfried Semper's The Four Elements of Architecture posited that the plinth, the hearth, the roof, and the wall make up all of architectural theory. The plinth usually rests...
of the tower is 4 m (13 ft) high and elaborately enriched, and at ground level it forms a square of 7.6 m (25 ft) reducing to 6.1 m (20 ft) at the top of the plinth and 4.6 m (15 ft) at the top of the tower below the crowning cornice
Cornice
Cornice molding is generally any horizontal decorative molding that crowns any building or furniture element: the cornice over a door or window, for instance, or the cornice around the edge of a pedestal. A simple cornice may be formed just with a crown molding.The function of the projecting...
, which juts out in a square of 5.5 m (18 ft). The walls are 1.2 m (4 ft) thick at the base reducing to under 0.9 m (3 ft) at the top.
Originally, the light comprised reflectors but changed to a dioptric (refracting) mechanism in 1838; the appearance of the original lantern is not known. The present lantern of 1856 is a 4.27 m (14 ft) wide chamfered octagon and the light remained fixed, instead of revolving. The present revolving apparatus was installed in 1873 and gives a group of five flashes, originally driven by a vapourizing oil-lamp, but replaced by electric in 1973.
The Lighthouse is unusual in lacking any sort of harbor or quay facilities. As it is on an established migratory route, the tower has many bird casualties and The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, and Trinity House have tried to help the problem by providing perches on the lantern top and flood-lighting the tower, although this does not seem to have helped.
In 1987 the Lighthouse was converted to automatic operation and up until 1995 was monitored from the Trinity House Area Control Station at Holyhead
Holyhead
Holyhead is the largest town in the county of Anglesey in the North Wales. It is also a major port adjacent to the Irish Sea serving Ireland....
. It is now monitored from the Trinity House Depot at Harwich
Harwich
Harwich is a town in Essex, England and one of the Haven ports, located on the coast with the North Sea to the east. It is in the Tendring district. Nearby places include Felixstowe to the northeast, Ipswich to the northwest, Colchester to the southwest and Clacton-on-Sea to the south...
. with a local part-time attendant carrying out routine maintenance.
Y Storws, sometimes referred to as The Boathouse, was built a few years before the lighthouse, near to the landing place at Y Cafn.
Wildlife
The island was declared a National Nature ReserveNational Nature Reserve
For details of National nature reserves in the United Kingdom see:*National Nature Reserves in England*National Nature Reserves in Northern Ireland*National Nature Reserves in Scotland*National Nature Reserves in Wales...
in 1986, and is part of Glannau Aberdaron ac Ynys Enlli Special Protection Area . It is now a favourite bird-watching location, on the migration routes of thousands of birds. Bardsey Bird and Field Observatory , founded in 1953, nets and rings 8,000 birds each year in order to understand their migration patterns.
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
for its maritime communities; internationally rare lichen
Lichen
Lichens are composite organisms consisting of a symbiotic organism composed of a fungus with a photosynthetic partner , usually either a green alga or cyanobacterium...
s; bryophyte
Bryophyte
Bryophyte is a traditional name used to refer to all embryophytes that do not have true vascular tissue and are therefore called 'non-vascular plants'. Some bryophytes do have specialized tissues for the transport of water; however since these do not contain lignin, they are not considered to be...
, vascular plant and bird species; and intertidal communities. Nationally important flowering plants include sharp rush
Juncus acutus
Juncus actus or spiny rush, sharp rush or sharp-pointed rush is of the monocot family Juncaceae and genus Juncus. It grows in salt marshesand on dunesand is reliable for reducing erosion rates...
, rock sea lavender
Limonium binervosum
Limonium binervosum, commonly known as the Rock Sea Lavender, is an aggregate species in the family Plumbaginaceae.Despite the common name, Rock Sea Lavender is not related to the lavenders or to rosemary but is a perennial herb with small violet-blue flowers with five petals in clusters..Eight...
, small adder's tongue
Ophioglossum azoricum
Ophioglossum azoricum is a small fern of the family Ophioglossaceae.- Description :The frond consists of a single, pointed leaf blade and a narrow pointed spore-bearing spike on a stalk. The spike has about 4-18 segments on each side, each of which opens up when ripe to release spores...
and western clover
Clover
Clover , or trefoil, is a genus of about 300 species of plants in the leguminous pea family Fabaceae. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution; the highest diversity is found in the temperate Northern Hemisphere, but many species also occur in South America and Africa, including at high altitudes...
, and the rare purple loosestrife is found in places. Two nationally rare heathland lichens are found on the slopes of Mynydd Enlli: the ciliate strap lichen
Heterodermia
Heterodermia is a genus of lichenized fungi in the Physciaceae family. The genus has a widespread distribution, especially in tropical regions, and contains about 80 species....
and golden hair lichen
Teloschistes
Teloschistes is a genus of lichenized fungi in the family Teloschistaceae.-External links:*...
; and there are over 350 lichen species in total. The leafcutter bee
Megachile
The genus Megachile is a cosmopolitan group of solitary bees, often called leafcutter bees. While other genera within the family Megachilidae may chew leaves or petals into fragments to build their nests, certain species within Megachile neatly cut pieces of leaves or petals, hence their common name...
, named after its habit of cutting neat, rounded circles in rose leaves, used to seal the entrance to its nest, is native.
Thousands of birds pass through each year on their way to their breeding or wintering grounds. Chiffchaffs, goldcrests and wheatears
Northern Wheatear
The Northern Wheatear or Wheatear is a small passerine bird that was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family Turdidae, but is now more generally considered to be an Old World flycatcher, Muscicapidae...
are usually the first to pass through, followed by sedge warblers and willow warblers, whitethroats and spotted flycatchers.
About thirty species of bird regularly nest on the island, including ravens
Common Raven
The Common Raven , also known as the Northern Raven, is a large, all-black passerine bird. Found across the northern hemisphere, it is the most widely distributed of all corvids...
, little owls, oystercatchers
Eurasian Oystercatcher
The Eurasian Oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus, also known as the Common Pied Oystercatcher, or just Oystercatcher, is a wader in the oystercatcher bird family Haematopodidae. It is the most widespread of the oystercatchers, with three races breeding in western Europe, central Eurasia,...
and the rare chough
Red-billed Chough
The Red-billed Chough or Chough , Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax, is a bird in the crow family; it is one of only two species in the genus Pyrrhocorax...
. Hundreds of sea birds, including razorbills, guillemots
Common Guillemot
The Common Murre or Common Guillemot is a large auk. It is also known as the Thin-billed Murre in North America. It has a circumpolar distribution, occurring in low-Arctic and boreal waters in the North-Atlantic and North Pacific...
, fulmars
Northern Fulmar
The Northern Fulmar, Fulmarus glacialis, Fulmar, or Arctic Fulmar is a highly abundant sea bird found primarily in subarctic regions of the north Atlantic and north Pacific oceans. Fulmars come in one of two color morphs: a light one which is almost entirely white, and a dark one which is...
and kittiwakes
Black-legged Kittiwake
The Black-legged Kittiwake is a seabird species in the gull family Laridae.This species was first described by Linnaeus in his Systema naturae in 1758 as Larus tridactylus....
, spend the summer nesting on the island's eastern cliffs, the numbers reflecting the fact that there are no land predators such as rats or foxes to worry about. On a dark moonless night an eerie cackling can be heard across the island as 7,000 pairs of Manx shearwaters, 3.5 per cent of the British population, come ashore to lay and incubate their eggs in abandoned rabbit warrens or newly-dug burrows.
The island is one of the best places in Gwynedd
Gwynedd
Gwynedd is a county in north-west Wales, named after the old Kingdom of Gwynedd. Although the second biggest in terms of geographical area, it is also one of the most sparsely populated...
to see grey seals. In mid summer over two hundred can be seen, sunbathing on the rocks or bobbing in the sea, and about fifteen pups are born each autumn. Their sharp teeth and strong jaws are perfect for breaking the shells of lobsters
European lobster
Homarus gammarus, known as the European lobster or common lobster, is a species of clawed lobster from the eastern Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea and parts of the Black Sea. It is closely related to the American lobster, H. americanus. It may grow to a length of and a mass of , and bears a...
and crabs which dwell in the waters. It is also possible to spot bottlenose
Common Bottlenose Dolphin
Tursiops truncatus, commonly known as the Common Bottlenose Dolphin, is the most well-known species from the family Delphinidae.Common bottlenose dolphins are the most familiar dolphins due to the wide exposure they receive in captivity in marine parks, dolphinarias, in movies, and television...
and Risso's dolphins, and porpoises
Harbour Porpoise
The harbour porpoise is one of six species of porpoise. It is one of the smallest marine mammals. As its name implies, it stays close to coastal areas or river estuaries, and as such, is the most familiar porpoise to whale watchers. This porpoise often ventures up rivers, and has been seen...
. The currents around the island are responsible for flushing in food-rich waters, and the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society
Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society
the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society is a wildlife charity that is dedicated solely to the worldwide conservation and welfare of all whales, dolphins and porpoises...
has been carrying out surveys since 1999 to find out which areas are particularly important for feeding and nursing calves.
The seas around the island are rich in marine life. There are forests of strap seaweed
Laminaria
Laminaria is a genus of 31 species of brown algae , all sharing the common name "kelp". This economically important genus is characterized by long, leathery laminae and relatively large size. Some species are referred to by the common name Devil's apron, due to their shape, or sea colander, due to...
; in the rock pools are sea anemones, crabs and small fish; and in deeper waters, the rocks are covered by sponges and sea squirts
Tunicate
Tunicates, also known as urochordates, are members of the subphylum Tunicata, previously known as Urochordata, a group of underwater saclike filter feeders with incurrent and excurrent siphons that is classified within the phylum Chordata. While most tunicates live on the ocean floor, others such...
. The yellow star anemone, found offshore, is more common to the Mediterranean
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
.
Culture
It was tradition for the island to elect the King of Bardsey (WelshWelsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
:Brenin Enlli), and from 1826 onwards, he would be crowned by Baron Newborough or his representative. The crown is now kept at Merseyside Maritime Museum
Merseyside Maritime Museum
The Merseyside Maritime Museum is a museum based in the city of Liverpool, Merseyside, England. It is part of National Museums Liverpool and an Anchor Point of ERIH, The European Route of Industrial Heritage...
in Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, although calls have been made for it to return to Gwynedd. The first known title holder was John Williams; his son, John Williams II, the third of the recorded kings, was deposed in 1900, and asked to leave the island as he had become an alcoholic. At the outbreak of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, the last king, Love Pritchard, offered himself and the men of Bardsey Island for military service, but he was refused as he was considered too old at the age of 71. Pritchard took umbrage, and declared the island a neutral power. In 1925 Pritchard left the island for the mainland, to seek a less laborious way of life, but died the following year.
Yorkshire born poet, Christine Evans, lives half the year on Bardsey Island, spending the winters at Uwchmynydd. She moved to Pwllheli
Pwllheli
Pwllheli is a community and the main market town of the Llŷn Peninsula in Gwynedd, north-western Wales. It has a population of 3,861, of which a large proportion, 81 per cent, are Welsh speaking. Pwllheli is the place where Plaid Cymru was founded. It is the birthplace of Albert Evans-Jones -...
as a teacher, and married into a Bardsey Island farming family. While on maternity leave in 1976, she started writing poems, and her first book was published seven years later. Cometary Phrases was Welsh Book of the Year 1989 and she was the winner of the inaugural Roland Mathias Prize in 2005.
Edgar Ewart Pritchard, an amateur film-maker from Brownhills
Brownhills
Brownhills is a town in the West Midlands, England. Located on the edge of Cannock Chase near the large artificial lake Chasewater, it is north-east of Walsall and a similar distance south-west of Lichfield. It is part of the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall and the Aldridge-Brownhills...
, produced "The Island in the Current", a colour movie of life on Bardsey Island, in 1953. A copy of the film is held by the National Screen and Sound Archive of Wales.
Opera singer Bryn Terfel
Bryn Terfel
Bryn Terfel Jones CBE is a Welsh bass-baritone opera and concert singer. Terfel was initially associated with the roles of Mozart, particularly Figaro and Leporello, but has subsequently shifted his attention to heavier roles, especially those by Wagner....
, a patron of the Bardsey Island Trust, has performed in the island's chapel; and triple harp
Triple Harp
The triple harp, often referred to as the Welsh triple harp , is a type of harp employing three rows of strings instead of the more common single row...
ist Llio Rhydderch in 2002 released Enlli, an album inspired by the spiritual emotions evoked on the pilgrimages.
Dilys Cadwaladr
Dilys Cadwaladr was a Welsh poet.She is notable for being the first woman ever to win the Crown at the National Eisteddfod of Wales. She achieved this feat in 1953 at Rhyl.-References:...
, the former school teacher on the island, in 1953 became the first woman to win the Crown at the National Eisteddfod, for her long poem Y Llen; and artist Brenda Chamberlain
Brenda Chamberlain (artist)
Brenda Chamberlain was a Welsh artist and poet.Born in Bangor, Wales, she studied art at the Royal Academy in London, but simultaneously developed an interest in poetry. Just before the Second World War, she moved in with artist John Petts, and together they set up the Caseg Press at their home...
twice won the Gold Medal for Art at the Eisteddfod; in 1951 for Girl with Siamese Cat, and in 1953 with The Christin Children. Some of the murals she painted can still be seen on the walls of Carreg, her home from 1947 to 1962. Wildlife artist Kim Atkinson, whose work has been widely exhibited in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
and England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, spent her childhood on the island and returned to live there in the 1980s.
Since 1999, Bardsey Island Trust has appointed an Artist in Residence to spend several weeks on the island producing work which is later exhibited on the mainland. A Welsh
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
literary residence was created in 2002; singer-songwriter Fflur Dafydd
Fflur Dafydd
Fflur Dafydd is an award winning novelist, singer-songwriter and musician. Whilst predominantly publishing in Welsh, she also writes in English. She records in Welsh, and her work is regularly played on Radio Cymru.-Early life:...
spent six weeks working on a collection of poetry and prose. Her play Hugo was inspired by her stay, and she has produced two novels, Atyniad (Attraction), which won the prose medal at the 2006 Eisteddfod; and Twenty Thousand Saints, winner of the Oxfam Hay Prize, which tells how the women of the island, starved of men, turn to each other.
In 2009 Cowbois Rhos Botwnnog
Cowbois Rhos Botwnnog
Cowbois Rhos Botwnnog are a three piece band consisting of brothers from Rhos Botwnnog, between the villages of Botwnnog and Llaniestyn in the Llyn Peninsula, North Wales. They experiment with country, folk and rock music...
became the first electric rock group to play on the island, as part of S4C
S4C
S4C , currently branded as S4/C, is a Welsh television channel broadcast from the capital, Cardiff. The first television channel to be aimed specifically at a Welsh-speaking audience, it is the fifth oldest British television channel .The channel - initially broadcast on...
's "Bandit" series.
Transport
Ferry services to Bardsey Island are operated from Porth Meudwy and PwllheliPwllheli
Pwllheli is a community and the main market town of the Llŷn Peninsula in Gwynedd, north-western Wales. It has a population of 3,861, of which a large proportion, 81 per cent, are Welsh speaking. Pwllheli is the place where Plaid Cymru was founded. It is the birthplace of Albert Evans-Jones -...
by Bardsey Boat Trips and Enlli Charters.
At times, the wind and the fierce sea currents make sailing between the island and the mainland impossible. Sometimes boats are unable to reach or leave Bardsey Island for weeks, and in 2000 seventeen island visitors became stranded for two weeks when gales prevented a boat going to rescue them.