Llanfaes
Encyclopedia
Llanfaes is a small village on the island of Anglesey
, Wales
, located on the shore of the eastern entrance to the Menai Strait
, the tidal waterway separating Anglesey from the north Wales
coast.
) of King Cynan Dindaethwy ap Rhodri
of Gwynedd
(reigned 798 – 816), the seat of the cwmwd
of Tindaethwy in the cantref of Rhosyr. The site gained its present name as the site of a battle in 818, the Gwaith Llanfaes (Battle of Llanfaes), fought between unidentified combatants.
A Franciscan
monastery was founded here by Llywelyn ap Iorwerth
, built over the grave of his wife Joan
, daughter of King John, who died in 1237. Wasted in the aftermath of Llywelyn's fall in 1240, it was somewhat restored with help from Edward II
(reigned 1307 – 1327), but was thoroughly plundered and utterly destroyed by the men of Henry IV
due to the adherence of the friars to the Welsh cause in the Glyndŵr Rising
(1400 – 1415). Following a recovery, whatever remained was finally diminished by the Dissolution
in 1537, with the church then turned into a barn, and Joan's stone coffin used as a watering trough.
Anglesey
Anglesey , also known by its Welsh name Ynys Môn , is an island and, as Isle of Anglesey, a county off the north west coast of Wales...
, 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...
, located on the shore of the eastern entrance to the Menai Strait
Menai Strait
The Menai Strait is a narrow stretch of shallow tidal water about long, which separates the island of Anglesey from the mainland of Wales.The strait is bridged in two places - the main A5 road is carried over the strait by Thomas Telford's elegant iron suspension bridge, the first of its kind,...
, the tidal waterway separating Anglesey from the north Wales
North Wales
North Wales is the northernmost unofficial region of Wales. It is bordered to the south by the counties of Ceredigion and Powys in Mid Wales and to the east by the counties of Shropshire in the West Midlands and Cheshire in North West England...
coast.
History
The ancient name of Llanfaes was Llan Ffagan Fach in honour of Ffagan, the founder of the church. It was once the llys (royal courtRoyal court
Royal court, as distinguished from a court of law, may refer to:* The Royal Court , Timbaland's production company*Court , the household and entourage of a monarch or other ruler, the princely court...
) of King Cynan Dindaethwy ap Rhodri
Cynan Dindaethwy ap Rhodri
Cynan Dindaethwy ap Rhodri was King of Gwynedd . His reign was marked by a destructive dynastic power struggle with his brother Hywel, and is not otherwise notable....
of Gwynedd
Kingdom of Gwynedd
Gwynedd was one petty kingdom of several Welsh successor states which emerged in 5th-century post-Roman Britain in the Early Middle Ages, and later evolved into a principality during the High Middle Ages. It was based on the former Brythonic tribal lands of the Ordovices, Gangani, and the...
(reigned 798 – 816), the seat of the cwmwd
Commote
A commote , sometimes spelt in older documents as cymwd, was a secular division of land in Medieval Wales. The word derives from the prefix cym- and the noun bod...
of Tindaethwy in the cantref of Rhosyr. The site gained its present name as the site of a battle in 818, the Gwaith Llanfaes (Battle of Llanfaes), fought between unidentified combatants.
A Franciscan
Franciscan
Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
monastery was founded here by Llywelyn ap Iorwerth
Llywelyn the Great
Llywelyn the Great , full name Llywelyn ab Iorwerth, was a Prince of Gwynedd in north Wales and eventually de facto ruler over most of Wales...
, built over the grave of his wife Joan
Joan, Lady of Wales
Joan, Princess of Wales and Lady of Snowdon was the wife of Llywelyn the Great, Prince of Wales and Gwynedd and effective ruler of most of Wales.-Early life:...
, daughter of King John, who died in 1237. Wasted in the aftermath of Llywelyn's fall in 1240, it was somewhat restored with help from Edward II
Edward II of England
Edward II , called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England from 1307 until he was deposed by his wife Isabella in January 1327. He was the sixth Plantagenet king, in a line that began with the reign of Henry II...
(reigned 1307 – 1327), but was thoroughly plundered and utterly destroyed by the men of Henry IV
Henry IV of England
Henry IV was King of England and Lord of Ireland . He was the ninth King of England of the House of Plantagenet and also asserted his grandfather's claim to the title King of France. He was born at Bolingbroke Castle in Lincolnshire, hence his other name, Henry Bolingbroke...
due to the adherence of the friars to the Welsh cause in the Glyndŵr Rising
Glyndwr Rising
The Glyndŵr Rising, Welsh Revolt or Last War of Independence was an uprising of the Welsh, led by Owain Glyndŵr, against England. It was the last major manifestation of a Welsh independence movement before the incorporation of Wales into England by the Laws in Wales Acts 1535–1542.- The Fall of...
(1400 – 1415). Following a recovery, whatever remained was finally diminished by the Dissolution
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
in 1537, with the church then turned into a barn, and Joan's stone coffin used as a watering trough.