Bardsey Island
Bardsey Island
| |
---|---|
Bardsey Island seen from Mynydd Mawr | |
Location within Gwynedd | |
Area | 1.79 km2 (0.69 sq mi) |
Population | 11 (as of 2019[update])[1] |
• Density | 6/km2 (16/sq mi) |
OS grid reference | SH122218 |
Community | |
Principal area | |
Preserved county | |
Country | Wales |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | PWLLHELI |
Postcode district | LL53 |
Dialling code | 01758 |
Police | North Wales |
Fire | North Wales |
Ambulance | Welsh |
Dwyfor Meirionnydd | |
Bardsey Island (Welsh: Ynys Enlli), known as the legendary "Island of 20,000 Saints", is located 1.9 miles (3.1 km) off the Llŷn Peninsula in the Welsh county of Gwynedd.[2] The Welsh name means "The Island in the Currents", while its English name refers to the "Island of the Bards",[3] or possibly the Viking chieftain, "Barda". At 179 hectares (440 acres; 0.69 sq mi) in area it is the fourth largest offshore island in Wales, with a population of 11.[4]
The north east rises steeply from the sea to a height of 548 feet (167 m) at Mynydd Enlli,
The island is claimed to be the burial site of
Bardsey Island is famous for its wildlife and rugged scenery. A bird observatory was established in 1953.
In 2023, the island became the first site in Europe to be awarded International Dark Sky Sanctuary certification.[15]
Geology
Like the western and northern parts of nearby
A
A thin spread of glacial
History
The island was inhabited in
Bards called it "a direct path to heaven" and "the gates of Paradise",[19] and in medieval times three pilgrimages to Bardsey were considered to be of equivalent benefit to the soul as one to Rome.[23]
In 1188, the abbey was still a local institution but, by 1212, it belonged to the
Saint Einion is sometimes claimed to have joined the community on the island,[26] although his relics are claimed by Llanengan on the mainland.[21] Saint Deiniol, the Bishop of Bangor, was buried on the island in 584.[27] Saint Dyfrig was also buried on Bardsey Island, although in 1120 his remains were transferred to Llandaff centuries later.[28]
The
In the 16th century, Bardsey was owned by Sir John Wynn (an ancestor of the Newborough barons), who was standard bearer to Edward VI at Kett's Rebellion in Norfolk in 1549.[30]
For many years Bardsey Island formed part of the
The island had a population of 90 by 1841.[34] It had increased to 132 in 1881; by 1961 it had fallen to seventeen.[35] The island's small school, opened in a former chapel in 1919 and closed in 1953.[31] In 2019 there was a long-term population of eleven, of whom four lived on the island during the winter.[1]
The Bardsey Island Trust (Welsh: Ymddiriedolaeth Ynys Enlli) bought the island in 1977,[6] after an appeal set up by the Bardsey Bird and Field Observatory and 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.[36]
When, in 2000, the trust advertised for a tenant for the 440 acres (180 ha) sheep farm on the island, they had 1,100 applications.
Bardsey apple
A gnarled and twisted apple tree, discovered by Ian Sturrock 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.[40][41][42] In 1998, experts on the varieties of British apples at the National Fruit Collection in Brogdale stated that they believed this tree was the only example of a previously unrecorded cultivar, the Bardsey Apple (Welsh: Afal Enlli). The cultivar has since been propagated by grafting and is available commercially.[43] Since its discovery it has led to a resurgence in the discovery and propagation of other Welsh apple varieties.
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.[44] It was built in 1821 by Joseph Nelson.[45] Unusually for a British lighthouse, it is square in section and is painted in red and white bands. Y Storws, sometimes referred to as The Boathouse, was built a few years before the lighthouse, near to the landing place at Y Cafn.[31]
Wildlife
The island was declared a
The island was designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest for its maritime communities;[49] internationally rare lichens; 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,[14] and the rare purple loosestrife is found in places.[50] Two nationally rare heathland lichens are found on the slopes of Mynydd Enlli: the ciliate strap lichen and golden hair lichen;[14] and there are over 350 lichen species in total.[51] 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.[52]
Thousands of birds pass through each year on their way to their breeding or wintering grounds.
About thirty species of bird regularly nest on the island, including
The island is one of the best places in
The seas around the island are rich in marine life. There are forests of
Culture
King of Bardsey
It was tradition for the island to elect the King of Bardsey (Welsh:Brenin Enlli), and from 1826 onwards,[55] he would be crowned by Baron Newborough or his representative.[56]
In 1925, at the age of 80, Love Pritchard was concerned over the future of the crown, he wished for it to be kept at the National Museum Cardiff in Wales.[57] However, against king Love's wishes, the Wynn family sold the crown to the Merseyside Maritime Museum in Liverpool, England in 1986[58] where it was stored until 2000, when it was requested by Gwynedd Council to display within a 'special exhibition', it has since been loaned to Storiel gallery, in Bangor.[59]
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.
Notable residents
Yorkshire born poet
Since 1999, the 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.[61] Her play Hugo was inspired by her stay, and she has produced two novels, Atyniad (English: 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.[63]
Film
- Edgar Ewart Pritchard, an amateur filmmaker from Brownhills, produced The Island in the Current, a colour film of life on Bardsey Island, in 1953. A copy of the film is held by the National Screen and Sound Archive of Wales.[64]
Literature
Crime writer Mark Billingham set his 2014 novel, The Bones Beneath, on Bardsey.[66] He includes notes on the island at the end of the book, which is one in his series of Tom Thorne novels.
Music
- Opera singer Bryn Terfel, a patron of the Bardsey Island Trust, has performed in the island's chapel.[67]
- Triple harpist Llio Rhydderch released Enlli (2002), an album inspired by the spiritual emotions evoked on the pilgrimages.[68]
Transport
Passenger ferry services to Bardsey Island are operated from Porth Meudwy and Pwllheli by Bardsey Boat Trips and Enlli Charters.[69][70] 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 many days; seventeen visitors were stranded for two weeks in 2000 when gales prevented a boat from going to rescue them.[71]
Further reading
- Tide-race, by ISBN 9780907476658)
References
- ^ a b Williams, Kelly (28 May 2019). "Why family that went to live on Bardsey Island quit it after just one day". Daily Post. Colwyn Bay. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
- ^ Encyclopædia Britannica : Bardsey Island Retrieved 16 August 2009
- ^ Samuel Lewis, A Topographical Dictionary of Wales, 1849, S Lewis and Co, London, 474 pages
- ^ "Ynys Enlli". Natural Resources Wales. Archived from the original on 9 December 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
- ISBN 9780319244494. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
- ^ a b c Gwynedd Archaeological Trust : Bardsey Archived 16 February 2010 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 16 August 2009 to 2010
- ^ Ordnance Survey : Election Maps : Gwynedd Retrieved 16 August 2009
- ^ "The enchanted wood". www.smh.com.au. The Age. 26 March 2005. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
- ^ BBC, Travel (13 April 2016). "The tiny island of 20,000 graves". BBC. Amanda Ruggeri. Retrieved 29 February 2020.
- ^ a b c University College London Institute of Archaeology : Bardsey Island Retrieved 16 August 2009
- ^ a b c d Bardsey Island Trust : The Island : History Retrieved 16 August 2009
- ^ "Taith Pererin Gogledd Cymru ~ North Wales Pilgrim's Way". www.pilgrims-way-north-wales.org. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
- ^ a b c d e "Wildlife Haven". British Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 18 December 2007. Retrieved 16 August 2009.
- ^ a b c "Core Management Plan Including Conservation Objectives for Clogwyni Pen Llŷn SAC". Countryside Council for Wales. Archived from the original on 19 February 2012. Retrieved 16 August 2009.
- ^ "Dark Skies: Welsh island is first sanctuary in Europe". BBC News. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
- ^ British Geological Survey 1:50,000 scale geological map sheet 133 (England and Wales) Aberdaron and Bardsey Island (BGS, Keyworth, Notts) (with 1:10,00 inset map of Bardsey)
- ^ Howells, M.F. 2007 British Regional Geology: Wales (BGS, Keyworth, Notts) pp15-20
- ^ Bardsey Island Trust (2016). "Exploring Enlli". www.bardsey.org. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
- ^ a b c Dmitry Lapa. "Venerable Cadfan of Bardsey in Wales". orthochristian. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
- ^ Mysterious Britain and Ireland : Bardsey Island Retrieved 16 August 2009 [self-published source]
- ^ a b Baring-Gould, Sabine & al. The Lives of the British Saints: The Saints of Wales and Cornwall and Such Irish Saints as Have Dedications in Britain, Vol. II, pp. 422 ff. Chas. Clark (London), 1908. Hosted at Archive.org. Accessed 18 November 2014.
- ^ a b British Broadcasting Corporation : Pilgrims : The Northern Path Retrieved 16 August 2009 [dead link]
- ^ Aberdaron and District Tourist Link : Places to Visit Retrieved 16 August 2009
- ^ Aberdaron and District Tourist Link : Aberdaron Retrieved 16 August 2009
- ^ Edge of Wales Walk : History Retrieved 16 August 2009 [self-published source]
- ^ Bardsey Island Trust. "The Early Saints Archived 17 July 2014 at the Wayback Machine". Bardsey Office (Pwllheli), 2014. Accessed 18 November 2014.
- ^ St Deiniol's Library : St Deiniol : Abbot, Bishop and Confessor Retrieved 16 August 2009
- ^ "DYFRIG (DUBRICIUS), saint (fl. 475?)". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. 1959.
- ^ "Bardsey island history". bardsey.org.
- ^ Owens, B. G. (1949–50). "Bodfel deeds and documents". National Library of Wales Journal. Vol. VI. p. 106.
- ^ a b c "Landmarks". Bardsey Island Trust. Archived from the original on 24 June 2016.
- ^ Cadw : 15 January 2008 : Funding Announced in January to Restore Some of Wales's Historic Buildings Retrieved 16 August 2009
- ^ "Carreg Bach: A Grade II Listed Building in Aberdaron, Gwynedd". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
- ^ The National Cyclopeaedia of useful knowledge, Vol II, (1847) London, Charles Knight, p.859.
- ^ A Vision of Britain Through Time : Total Population : Bardsey Island Civil Parish Retrieved 16 August 2009
- ^ Bardsey Island Trust : The Trust Retrieved 16 August 2009
- ISBN 978-1-74104-538-3
- ^ Royal Society for the Protection of Birds : 14 May 2008 : News : Wildlife Wins on Bardsey Island Archived 5 May 2010 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 16 August 2009
- ^ "Agriculture". Bardsey Island Trust. Archived from the original on 24 June 2016.
- ^ Smith, Malcolm (22 March 2003). "The Sainted Apple". The Times. p. 12. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 16 February 2014.
- ^ Tunstall, Jill (6 October 2007). "The man who rescues trees". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 22 June 2015. Retrieved 16 February 2014.
- ^ "Afan Ynys Enlli - Bardsey Island Apple". Archived from the original on 16 May 2014. Retrieved 16 February 2014.[self-published source]
- ^ "Bardsey Island Apple". Ian Sturrock & Sons.[self-published source]
- ^ Genuki : A Topographical Dictionary of Wales 1833 by Samuel Lewis Retrieved 16 August 2009
- ISBN 1-871184-08-8
- ^ "Bardsey Island". BBC. Archived from the original on 12 March 2009. Retrieved 16 August 2009.
- ^ "About BBFO". Bardsey Bird Observatory. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
- ^ "Bardsey Bird and Field Observatory". West Midland Bird Club. Archived from the original on 30 April 2011.
- ^ "Ynys Enlli SSSI". National Biodiversity Network. Archived from the original on 5 July 2015. Retrieved 16 August 2009.
- ^ Celtlands : Ynys Enlli : Fauna Retrieved 16 August 2009 [self-published source]
- ^ a b Bardsey Island Trust : Natural History Retrieved 16 August 2009
- ^ Y Cafn : Winter 2007 : Leafcutter Bees Retrieved 16 August 2009 Archived 26 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ bbfo.org.uk
- ^ Joint Nature Conservation Committee : Manx Shearwater, Puffinus puffinus Archived 11 March 2011 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 16 August 2009
- ^ a b Y Cafn : Winter 2007 : Kings on Bardsey Retrieved 16 August 2009 Archived 26 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b Cimwch : Kings of Bardsey Retrieved 16 August 2009 [self-published source]
- ^ Nottingham Evening Post - Monday 12 October 1925 [cover page] - https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000321/19251012/009/0001
- ^ Daily Post (Wales), Monday, June 26, 2000
- ^ The Observer : 5 October 2008 : Islanders Call for Return of Welsh Crown Retrieved 16 August 2009
- ^ Y Cafn : Spring 2007 : Island Artist : Brenda Chamberlain (1912-71) Archived 22 February 2011 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 16 August 2009
- ^ a b "Enlli and the Arts". Bardsey Island Trust. Archived from the original on 24 June 2016.
- ^ Gwasg Gomer : Author Biographies : Christine Evans Archived 7 January 2016 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 16 August 2009
- ^ British Broadcasting Corporation : 24 May 2009 : Singer-songwriter Wins Book Prize Retrieved 16 August 2009
- ^ The National Library of Wales : Gathering the Jewels : Film : "The Island in the Current", 1953 Archived 15 August 2011 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 16 August 2009
- ^ Rollins, James (2009). The Doomsday Key. pp. Chapter 19 and Fact or Fiction.
- ^ Billingham, Mark (27 May 2014). "The Story Behind The Bones Beneath by Mark Billingham". UPCOMING4ME. Archived from the original on 8 July 2014.
- ^ Daily Telegraph : 11 September 2008 : Bryn Terfel : Why I Nearly Fled the Last Night Retrieved 16 August 2009
- ^ Llio Rhydderch. The Enlli Suite. Archived from the original on 8 October 2011. Retrieved 16 August 2009.[self-published source]
- ^ Bardsey Boat Trips : Your Ticket to Discovery Archived 8 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 16 August 2009 [self-published source]
- ^ Enlli Charters : Day Trips to Bardsey Island Retrieved 16 August 2009 [self-published source]
- ^ "Island of 20,000 Saints". BBC. Archived from the original on 17 December 2007. Retrieved 16 August 2009.
External links
- Bardsey Island travel guide from Wikivoyage
- Bardsey Island Trust
- Geograph : Photographs of Bardsey Island