journey through mysterious wales, learn its history, places of battle, its holy sites, castles and ghosts

My own personal mysteries
During my wanderings through my homeland I have come across things I have no answers for, either from reading in reference libraries, asking locals or pouring over tythe maps. I always think there is someone out there that has an answer. But it’s not always easy to bring the persons with the question and the answer together. These are some of my mysteries, and the thoughts I have on them are my own. Maybe with more time and a little more investigation they will no longer be mysteries. Maybe it would be nice for them always to remain…Mysteries.

Living on the Island of Anglesey gives me the chance to get on the beaches etc quite often, and I am always interested in things from the past, that may only be seen when there are extreme spring tides. The water goes so low it uncovers areas that are not usually seen. This first photograph shows what I think is an ancient crossing from Holy Island (Anglesey) to the smaller Island known locally as Pen y Bont. Although there is now a tract of dry land enabling you to cross to the island, was it always so? And if not, is this the original crossing point. The island has three burial Cairns so maybe this is where they used to cross in ancient days.

As you come up from the shoreline at the crossing point and climb the small rise, you will see an area of stones, approx 6ftx6ft. These stones are unusual more in their location than anything else. The surrounding shoreline is made up of rocks and boulders whereas these would seem to be a quarried stone. The nearest quarry being a few miles away. I have had a cursory look at the first layer to see how deep the stones are, and have found they are not just surface stones but go down deeper. How deep wont be known until I get time to spend an afternoon removing the layers.

My first thoughts- kids using them in some type of game? Not likely, cant imagine kids hauling all those stones from a few miles away just in some game. Someone buried his or her pet? Again not likely, why bring a pet to a lonely desolate island to bury it, and it still leaves the problem of transporting all those stone. There is an option of it being used as some sort of base for a structure. Maybe used to pull boats across the water. But if there is a crossing point why use a boat. And to go where?
Anyhow these are my ponderings. Maybe you have an idea of what they may be.

This is a picture of what I think are the remains of a house. Although it is neither on any ordinance survey map, nor can I find it on any tythe map. The stones are more haphazard than you would expect to find in an ancient homestead, even after all this time. But the terrain has no loose boulders of its own apart from those you see in the photograph. So I assume they must have been brought here for the purpose of building.

My main doubts on it being a house are the boulders not actually being embedded in the ground. Although you would expect the smaller debris lying around, you would also expect the larger main boulders to be at least dug in a small way, whereas these are not. Although there are some doubts about what this actually is for the reasons I have given, it has the shape and size of a dwelling. Maybe it is an unfinished building.

The above two pictures are as far as I know, the only pictures in existence of a village which looks of Iron Age origin. Whilst I was looking through some old tythe maps of Anglesey for something totally unrelated, I noticed the mention of a village that I hadn’t seen on any ordinance survey maps. I thought I knew of every village of that era in the Gwynedd area, so was quite amazed to find one I hadn’t ever heard of. Because the tythe maps aren’t always exact as regards reference points it took me a while to find the location. As you can see by the photographs it is very overgrown and my photographs do not do the site justice. It is difficult to get a sense of size from a photograph, but for those of you who have visited Din Lligwy fortified village, then the sizes are the same. Although trees are growing through some of the houses, I think it is these that have kept the surrounding grassland at bay. Because of its damp location only moss has managed to gain a foothold, and is more of a protector than a destroyer. The muddy tracks you see are from the passage of cows from the landowners farm.From what I can make out easily amongst the moss there are three of four dwellings, although if you look really careful it seems there may be more amongst the undergrowth that I cant be sure of. The third picture (bottom left) shows what I think are the cut-outs, made when the stone was cut out of the surrounding rock to use for building. This is in the next wood along from the village. Bottom right is another picture from the same village. The bad point about this site is that my condition to being allowed on the land to photograph it was given on the promise that I would not reveal the whereabouts of the site publicly. Which means that at least in my lifetime nothing more will be learned about it.

I hope you have enjoyed reading my mysteries as much as I have enjoyed the telling.

Ongoing project

The pictures below are a village? that I have recently found near my home. After searching all available maps of the area, both ancient and modern and Sites and Monuments Records and not finding any reference to any building on the site, I have been in touch with the SMR officer (historical records)for the area, and they have written back stating it is an unknown site and are visiting myself and the site to take measurements etc. Hopefully it wont be "scheduled" and I will be able to carry the project on. We shall see.
The lines I have drawn on the photos will give you some idea of the line the walls follow, although as usual photographs cannot convey the true size and outline. But there are at least 4 houses plainly visible and one or two more "possibles".

Entrance to village?

Doorway from other side

Three buildings?