Myths and Legends
Over the years many myths and legends have appeared
about the Isle of Anglesey, some true and some not so true. To
whet your appetite here are just a few of them.
The Queen whose beauty destroyed two Islands;
Branwen was the daughter of a King of Britain who became Queen
of Ireland. She was treated so badly that she befriended a starling
and sent it to Wales with a message for her brother, Bedigeidfran,
who just happened to be a giant! Accompanied by a fleet of ships
tied to his hair, he walked to Ireland to rescue his sister. In
the battle that followed, all but seven of the Welshmen perished.
However, the Irishmen's cauldron of rebirth was also destroyed
and along with it their hopes of victory. Tragically the pain
of having destroyed two Islands was too much for her, she died
of a broken heart and was buried at Bedd Branwen on the banks
of Afon Alaw.
Bedd Branwen is near Llanddeusant and Llyn Alaw off the A5025.
The Bone Setters of Anglesey
Many years ago, off Carmel Head, an unknown ship was wrecked and
from it were said to have descended the Bone Setters of Anglesey.
The story goes that a smuggler found two boys, probably Moors,
clinging to the wreckage of a ship. One died but the other lived
to show strange healing powers, especially in the setting of bones.
The Bone Setter of Anglesey lived near Llanfairynghorny. In the
parish church there is a plaque commemorating this strange castaway.
The coffin used as a horse trough
Plantagenet King John, eager to ally Wales to England, gave the
hand of his daughter, Princess Joan to Llewellyn ap Gruffydd.
Her coffin ended up being used as a horse trough in Beaumaris
and it was not until the lid with her effigy on it was found in
a ditch that people realised just what they had. The complete
coffin is now in Beaumaris Church.
The tragic Abermenai ferries
This ferry has been the subject of three incredible tragedies.
In 1664 a dispute over a penny fare resulted in the deaths of
79 people when the ferry drifted out to sea and capsized while
the argument raged. Only one man was saved. His name was Hugh
Williams. Worse was to come in the disaster in 1785 when the ferry
grounded on a sandbank in the middle of the Straits. The shallowness
of the bank made rescue impossible and the stranded passengers
realised for many hours that they were doomed. The tide rose,
56 lives were lost and only one survived. His name was Hugh Williams!
Then on Saturday the 5th of August 1820 a boat belonging to the
new ferry adjacent to Caernarfon was overloaded and sank with
the loss of all except one, a native of Anglesey, whose name was
also Hugh Williams!