Llys Rhosyr
Encyclopedia
Llys Rhosyr is an archaeological site
near Newborough
in Anglesey
; the ruins of a pre-Edwardian
commotal
court.
Llys Rhosyr was a commotal centre before the Edward I of England
s conquest of Wales and debate now surrounds the former use of the Rhosyr site. Archaeologists at Gwynedd Archaeological Trust
consider it to have been a royal home and have established an exhibition in the Pritchard-Jones Institute in the village on their findings supporting this theory. Excavations reveal that the enclosure had a hall, accommodation and storage barns.
A fierce sandstorm
in the winter of 1332 buried the site and much of the surrounding area. Henry Rowlands
mentions the site in his 18th century Mona Antiqua Restaurata. By the 20th century nothing was visible on the surface, though local people knew the precise location of the remains, which was always known as 'cae'r llys' ('the field of the court' in English).
From 1992 it was excavated by the Gwynedd Archaeological Trust
and was opened to the public for the first time in 1995. What remains is the outlines of the walls, around only a quarter of which are exposed, including the main surrounding wall and foundations and lower walls of three large buildings, possibly the hall, a chamber and storage barns. Many artifact
s were recovered from the site, including pottery and silverware indicating use by people of a high social status.
Archaeological site
An archaeological site is a place in which evidence of past activity is preserved , and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology and represents a part of the archaeological record.Beyond this, the definition and geographical extent of a 'site' can vary widely,...
near Newborough
Newborough, Anglesey
Newborough is a village in the south-western corner of the Isle of Anglesey in Wales; it is in the community of Rhosyr, which has a population of 2,169.-History:Newborough was a commotal centre of medieval Anglesey...
in 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...
; the ruins of a pre-Edwardian
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...
commotal
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...
court.
Llys Rhosyr was a commotal centre before the Edward I of England
Edward I of England
Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...
s conquest of Wales and debate now surrounds the former use of the Rhosyr site. Archaeologists at Gwynedd Archaeological Trust
Gwynedd Archaeological Trust
The Gwynedd Archaeological Trust is an Archaeological Trust organisation established in the mid 1970s as part of the Welsh Archaeological Trusts....
consider it to have been a royal home and have established an exhibition in the Pritchard-Jones Institute in the village on their findings supporting this theory. Excavations reveal that the enclosure had a hall, accommodation and storage barns.
A fierce sandstorm
Sandstorm
Sandstorm can refer to:* Dust storm, a storm caused by strong winds and blowing sand or dust* "Sandstorm" , a trance song by Darude* "Sandstorm" , a song on Cast's debut album, All Change...
in the winter of 1332 buried the site and much of the surrounding area. Henry Rowlands
Henry Rowlands
Henry Rowlands was the author of Mona Antiqua Restaurata: An Archaeological Discourse on the Antiquities, Natural and Historical, of the Isle of Anglesey, the Antient Seat of the British Druids The Bridestones were among the sites described by Rowlands....
mentions the site in his 18th century Mona Antiqua Restaurata. By the 20th century nothing was visible on the surface, though local people knew the precise location of the remains, which was always known as 'cae'r llys' ('the field of the court' in English).
From 1992 it was excavated by the Gwynedd Archaeological Trust
Gwynedd Archaeological Trust
The Gwynedd Archaeological Trust is an Archaeological Trust organisation established in the mid 1970s as part of the Welsh Archaeological Trusts....
and was opened to the public for the first time in 1995. What remains is the outlines of the walls, around only a quarter of which are exposed, including the main surrounding wall and foundations and lower walls of three large buildings, possibly the hall, a chamber and storage barns. Many artifact
Artifact
- Objects :*Artifact , an object formed by humans, particularly one of interest to archaeologists*Artifact , one of many kinds of tangible byproducts produced during the development of software...
s were recovered from the site, including pottery and silverware indicating use by people of a high social status.
External links
- Llys Rhosyr on BBC.co.uk
- Llys Rhosyr on heneb.co.uk