Cemaes
Encyclopedia
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
on the north coast of Anglesey
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...
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...
, on Cemaes Bay, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is an area of countryside considered to have significant landscape value in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, that has been specially designated by the Countryside Agency on behalf of the United Kingdom government; the Countryside Council for Wales on...
, which is partly owned by the National Trust
National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
. Population 1,392 (Llanbadrig ward). It is home to both a wind farm
Wind farm
A wind farm is a group of wind turbines in the same location used to produce electric power. A large wind farm may consist of several hundred individual wind turbines, and cover an extended area of hundreds of square miles, but the land between the turbines may be used for agricultural or other...
and a nuclear power station (Wylfa
Wylfa
The Wylfa Nuclear Power Station is situated just west of Cemaes Bay on the island of Anglesey, North Wales. Its location on the coast provides an excellent cooling source for its operation...
). It is also a fishing port and is known for its beach. The village also has a football team, Cemaes Bay F.C.
Cemaes Bay F.C.
Cemaes Bay F.C. is a football team playing in the Anglesey League . Between 1995 and 1998 the club played in the League of Wales.-History:...
, that play in the Welsh Alliance League
Welsh Alliance League
The Welsh Alliance Football League is a football league formed in 1984...
, but once got as high as the League of Wales
League of Wales
The Welsh Premier League is the national football league for Wales. It has both Professional and Semi-Professional status clubs and is at the top of the Welsh football league system. Prior to 2002, the league was known as the League of Wales, but changed its name as part of a sponsorship deal...
, becoming the first team on Anglesey to do so.
Cemaes is the most northerly village in Wales and its development has been shaped by the natural resources available to it. Cemaes Bay is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is an area of countryside considered to have significant landscape value in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, that has been specially designated by the Countryside Agency on behalf of the United Kingdom government; the Countryside Council for Wales on...
, some of which is owned by the National Trust
National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
. The village includes a sheltered natural harbour that looks north to the Irish Sea and is a site of an ancient settlement that in more recent centuries has become a centre for maritime activities.
Since Victorian times, the picturesque character of Cemaes and the natural beauty of the island has attracted many artists. They have responded to the sea and sky as it changes with the weather, the superb sunsets, the multicoloured rocks and sands exposed on the cliffs and beaches as well as the charm of Cemaes village.
For more than a hundred years, Cemaes has attracted holiday makers and tourists including Lloyd George
David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor OM, PC was a British Liberal politician and statesman...
. Cemaes is located on the Anglesey Coastal Path
Anglesey Coastal Path
The Anglesey Coastal Path is a long-distance footpath around the island of Anglesey in North Wales....
and is quite popular with walkers. One popular path which runs behind the high-street called Valley of the Otters (Nat y Dyfrgi in Welsh) is very peaceful. It is surrounded by woodland, wildflowers and the sounds of the river. The river itself is called the River Wygyr which flows from just below Parys Mountain to the sea at Cemaes. It is joined along the way by the Afon Meddanen on Carrog Farm. The name Wygyr itself in Welsh means 'where two rivers meet'.
History
The village was a commotal centre for the Prince of WalesPrince of Wales
Prince of Wales is a title traditionally granted to the heir apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the 15 other independent Commonwealth realms...
before the invasion of Edward I in 1282-3. Dafydd ap Llywelyn
Dafydd ap Llywelyn
Dafydd ap Llywelyn was Prince of Gwynedd from 1240 to 1246. He was for a time recognised as Prince of Wales.- Descent :...
, prince of Wales from 1240 to 1246, is recorded as having issued an act at Cemaes in 1238.
Between the end of the 18th and beginning of the 20th century the village was noted for producing salted herring
Herring
Herring is an oily fish of the genus Clupea, found in the shallow, temperate waters of the North Pacific and the North Atlantic oceans, including the Baltic Sea. Three species of Clupea are recognized. The main taxa, the Atlantic herring and the Pacific herring may each be divided into subspecies...
as well as bricks from a nearby works which was served by a narrow gauge railway down to the sea. The pier
Pier
A pier is a raised structure, including bridge and building supports and walkways, over water, typically supported by widely spread piles or pillars...
which was badly needed for trade and fishing, and later tourism was damaged badly by storms in 1828 and 1889. Both times they were rebuilt and improved by local businessmen.
Thoroughout its history the village has had three names. The first was Castell Iorwerth ("Iorwerth's Castle") after an important Welsh prince of the time. The second name, Cemais, is similar to the modern name and refers to the meanders in the River Wygyr that are near the village. The name of the nearby Wylfa
Wylfa
The Wylfa Nuclear Power Station is situated just west of Cemaes Bay on the island of Anglesey, North Wales. Its location on the coast provides an excellent cooling source for its operation...
nuclear power station is liked to the village. The late 19th century Cemaes resident David Hughes who travelled to 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...
and found riches in the building industry lived for much of his life on the island. He built the village town hall in 1898 and his cottage, on the site of the power station was called Wylfa.
Llanbadrig Church
Those who make the pilgrimage from Cemaes to the headland to the east, where the church stands will be rewarded by both the history of the church and views on a clear day to the Isle of ManIsle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
, the hills of the Lake District
Lake District
The Lake District, also commonly known as The Lakes or Lakeland, is a mountainous region in North West England. A popular holiday destination, it is famous not only for its lakes and its mountains but also for its associations with the early 19th century poetry and writings of William Wordsworth...
and the Mountains of Mourne
Mountains of Mourne
The Mourne Mountains are a granite mountain range in County Down in the south-east of Northern Ireland. It includes the highest mountains in Northern Ireland and the province of Ulster. The highest of these is Slieve Donard at...
in Ireland. The Welsh name Llanbadrig
Llanbadrig
Llanbadrig is a parish in the cwmwd of Talybolion, on the island of Anglesey, north Wales. The parish includes the township of Clygyrog and the little port of Cemaes . The region has extensive quarries of limestone and marble....
means ‘church of St Patrick’. There are three churches in Wales with dedication to St. Patrick, although Llanbadrig church, founded in 440 AD, is probably the only one with a direct link to the patron saint of Ireland. We know that Patrick, then Bishop, was sent by Pope Celestine I
Pope Celestine I
Pope Saint Celestine I was elevated to the papacy in the year 422, on November 3 according to the Liber Pontificalis, but on April 10 according to Tillemont....
to Ireland to convert the Irish to Christianity during the 5th century. Local legend insists that Patrick was shipwrecked on Ynys Badrig (Patrick's Island which is also called Middle Mouse because of its shape). This is the island that can be seen deom the stile in the churchyard wall. He succeeded in crossing to Anglesey, landing at Rhos Badrig (Patrick's Moor) and finding refuge in Ogof Badrig (Patrick's Cave). This cave, below the churchyard, has a freshwater well – Ffynon Badrig (Patrick's Well). Legend states that this fresh water allowed Bishop Patrick to recover from his ordeal and he founded the church as thanks to God.
Geology
The rocks exposed by coastal erosion in North Anglesey belong mainly to what geologists call the Mona Complex, which is among the oldest rock units seen in WalesGeology of Wales
Wales is a peninsula in the south-west of the island of Great Britain. The entire area of Wales is about . It is about north-south and east-west. Wales is bordered by England to the east and by sea in the other three directions: the Bristol Channel to the south, St George's Channel to the west,...
. It underlies, and is therefore older than the slates of the North Wales quarrying industry, but is probably not very much older in geological terms. Since the remains of fossilized remains have been found in the rocks, it is does not predate the origins of life and is therefore probably about 600 million years old.
The locality is well-known to geologists following the enthusiastic description by Edward Greenly, in his pioneering book on the geology of Anglesey dated 1919: ‘a many coloured mélange that is really indescribable, and must therefore be seen in the field to be envisaged’.
Wildlife
Cemaes has a range of wildlife from foxes and peregrine falcons to marine life. Usually, on WylfaWylfa
The Wylfa Nuclear Power Station is situated just west of Cemaes Bay on the island of Anglesey, North Wales. Its location on the coast provides an excellent cooling source for its operation...
head, you can see porpoises coming up for air. The currents around there are perfect feeding spots for them. Cemaes habour is a perfect spot for fishing, as you can catch Atlantic mackerel
Atlantic mackerel
The Atlantic mackerel , is a pelagic schooling species of mackerel found on both sides of the North Atlantic Ocean. The species is also called Boston mackerel, or just mackerel....
, flatfish
Flatfish
The flatfish are an order of ray-finned fish, also called the Heterosomata, sometimes classified as a suborder of Perciformes. In many species, both eyes lie on one side of the head, one or the other migrating through and around the head during development...
, red crabs and other fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
and crustaceans. Near Cemaes is Cemlyn, which hosts the only breeding Sandwich Terns in Wales.