Happy Birthday to Ray!!! Somehow, Margaret and Colin managed to get a card delivered to this hotel ON THIS DAY!!! They are masters of surprise as it was lying on the bed when we returned from our travels today.
First order of the day was a visit to the Smallest House in Great Britain in the walled city of Conwy, Wales. It is also known as the Quay House. It is only 10 ft. by 6 ft. and was used as a residence from the 16th century until 1900. The last residence in 1900 was a 6 ft. 3 inch fisherman Robert Jones. The rooms were too small for him to stand up in fully, and he was eventually forced to move out when the council declared the house unfit for human habitation. The house is still owned by his descendants. The house is currently red and you can tour inside, but we were there way too early. The Welsh lady that stands outside most days wasn’t here yet. The upstairs is so tiny that there is only room for one bed and a bedside cabinet. Visitors aren’t even allowed to walk about on the 2nd floor but can view it from a step ladder. Downstairs there is just enough room for one stove and a water tap.
We had breakfast then headed back to Anglesey Island. St. Cwyfan’s Church is known as the Church in the Sea. It is on a small tidal island called Cribinau located off the west coast of Anglesey and close to the village of Aberffraw. Also known as Llangwyfan the church can be reached on foot at low tide. Old maps show the church standing on the mainland of Anglesey but erosion by the sea of the boulder clay cliffs has since separated the church from the mainland. The original site or "Llan" of Cwyfans would have been founded in the 7th Century and the building would have been of wattle and daub construction. The present building is said to date back to the 12th or 13th Century with the building undergoing many restorations. By the 19th Century the building was a roofless ruin but money was raised to repair the building and to build the massive sea defense walls of stone that give the island its distinctive shape and protect it from the full force of the Irish Sea. In the 21st Century the church was in the news when a government office Cadw) offered a grant to repair the building. The grant was conditional on the exterior of the building being finished in a cream colored limewash. Locals were not happy with the color scheme many preferring the weathered look of the old building but Cadw prevailed and St Cwyfan's Church joined the many old Welsh buildings to receive the fashionable limewash finish. In 2008 the church was in the news again when an organ was presented to the church that had to be carried across the causeway by church wardens and local farmers. We had tried to find this church on our day visit from the ship but to no avail. So I got on Google Maps and got my little imaginary person to walk around the streets of Aberffraw and out into the countryside on a single track road and I turned him and there the church was. Then I went to Google Earth and found the same place and got the coordinates and today we tried again, and the church was exactly where I said it was. Yay!
We also revisited the church we happened upon on that same day—Eglwys y Plwyf—Llanidan Parish Church. It is dated 1843 but had a plaque inside from 1563. It has a lovely tower with a clock on it and a gorgeous view of the Snowdonia Mountains. When we were here last time, the chain was on the gate, not locked but still we didn’t want to take it off. Today, there were two men here and they let us in to see the church. They told us there was to be a funeral in half an hour but we only stayed 5 minutes. It was very pretty inside and had some lovely stained glass and a very old font. We then found the city of Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch. It is situated on the Menai Strait and is best known for its name, the longest place name in Europe and one of the longest place names in the world. Originally the town had a shorter, easier to pronounce name: Llanfairpwllgwyngyll. In the 1860s, more syllables were added to attract more visitors to the town. It is believed the name was officially conjured up by the village council, intentionally for the privilege and reputation of having the longest railway station name in Great Britain. The name is usually shortened to Llanfair P.G. It is 58 letters in length (51 in the Welsh alphabet, where ch and ng and ll count as single letters). The approximate English pronunciation is: Llan-vire-pooll-guin-gill-go-ger-u-queern-drob-ooll-llantus-ilio-gogo-goch Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch means; "St. Mary's Church in the hollow of white hazel near the rapid whirlpool and the Church of St. Tysilio by the red cave." It was so long on the sign at the railway station that I had to take a movie to get in all in! While I was doing so, a local woman walked up to me with her husband and asked if I could say the name. I said I was afraid not, and she smiled and started rattling it off so beautifully!! I asked her if I could take a movie of her saying it and she seemed delighted. So THAT is one video I will never forget and now you can hear it too!!!
Funny that the word STOP on Welsh road signs is STOPIWICH. Ambulance is Ambiwlans. On one farm today, I saw the tiniest baby Shetland pony trying to put its front legs on its mother’s back. Maybe he wanted a piggyback ride. I also saw a disturbing sign for which I have no explanation: ½ Lamb for Sale. Don’t even ask, I don’t want to think about it anymore. Yesterday at around 5pm, all the church bells in town began ringing and kept doing so for over an hour. It was a very pretty sound, but we don’t know why they were ringing. The sun finally went down at 11 last night and rose again at 5 this morning. Seriously. And we are heading even further north on Saturday. Ray says he thinks we will be in Inverness—the furthest north we are going this trip--on June 21—the longest day of the year. I might as well just stay up.
We saw some more of the double-keeled boats that we saw in Penzance. I guess with the drastic change in tide levels they have to have 2 keels or they’d just topple over every time the water receded. We also visited Penman Lighthouse (its base submerged) and Puffin Island Viewpoint. The wind is still very strong—so strong that it blew me up against the car. So I don’t know yet if the pictures are good. The waves were crashing against the lighthouse and island with amazing splashes. Then we visited the Penman Priory with its dovecote. I had never been inside one of these and it was incredible. It was from 1600 AD and had nesting holes for 930 pigeons, which were used as food. I never knew that people ate pigeons. The priory was founded by Saint Seiriol in the 6th century and later became an Augustinian Christian establishment. We walked up to where St. Seiriol’s cell and holy well are. Quite interesting. I threw in a few coins and made my wishes. According to tradition, a monastic community was established on a site near the tip of Penmon in the 6th century AD. There was a growth in the Christian Church in Celtic Britain around that time and simple monasteries were often founded by hermits and holy men in remote locations, this one by St. Seiriol. Evidently St. Seiriol is buried underneath the altar!
The monastery prospered, and two 10th c. carved stone crosses were set up at its gate. In 971 the Vikings destroyed much of Penmon. The two crosses and the decorated font remain from this time. After surviving the conquest of Wales by King Edward, it was eventually dissolved in 1538. The buildings were transferred to the ownership of the Bulkeleys of Beaumaris (there they are—the Bulkeleys again), a prominent local family, and are still in use today. The Bulkeleys also used most of the land for a deer park and built the dovecot. There is said to be a ghostly nun at the priory and the bells ring themselves at night. There are also stories of King Arthur’s sword being made here and that this is the place King Arthur was brought to to heal of his wounds after his battle at Camlan. Nine holy maidens (nuns) helped him and Seiriol is said to be Arthur’s son by some accounts. As to the legends of King Arthur, It has been speculated that King Arthur was based on a historical person, a fifth century warrior ruler of Powys named Owain Ddantgwyn. His name in battle would have been known as “The Bear” which would have been translated as Arth. Owain’s Father’s name would have been known as “Terrible Head Dragon” which in Welsh can be translated as “Uthr Pen Dragon” which is very similar to Uther Pendragon, who was Arthur’s Father in the Arthurian legends. The twelfth century writer Geoffrey of Monmouth wrote that Arthur’s final battle was at Camlan. It was apparently a historical event which the Dark Age Welsh annals record in 539. The most likely site for this battle was along the Gwynedd-Powys border as it existed at the time. In precisely this location can be found the only place in the British Isles that is still called Camlan a bleak and remote mountain pass 8 kilometres East of Dolgellau. It was at this battle when Arthur became mortally wounded and it is said that he was taken to the isle of Avalon, this would mean that the isle would have had to have been somewhere close by. In one of Augustine’s letters to the Pope he states that ” In the western confines of Britain there is a certain Royal island of large extent, surrounded by water, abounding in all the beauties of nature and necessaries of life”. There is only one island anywhere near Camlan that fits the description, the island of Anglesey about fifty kilometres to the North West. Apart from being a large island it was also a Royal island as it was the seat of the Dark Age Kings of Gwynedd. Furthermore it was in the “White Land”, which is where the Grail Romances say that Avalon was to be found. In Old Welsh the word Gwynedd actually means “White Land”. It is thought that Arthur would have had to have been taken to Penmon Priory on Anglesey for his wounds to have been treated, this is thought to be the “Nine Maidens sanctuary” in the Grail Romances. Now in the 6th c., two monasteries were formed at opposite ends of Anglesey by two friends, Seiriol (already mentioned that he set up at Penmon), and Cybi who set up his at the heart of Holyhead (its Welsh name is Caergybi).
According to the legend, the two saints used to meet weekly near Llanerchymedd near the center of the island. St. Cybi would walk from Holyhead facing the sun in the morning and the setting sun in the evening. St. Seiriol, traveling in the opposite direction, would have had the sun at his back for his journeys. They were thus known as Cybi the Dark (tanned) and Seiriol the Fair.
Now that I’ve told you this, I’ll tell you what I’ve saved for last—the best: The information that follows comes from Graham Phillips book, “The Marian Conspiracy,” which I read several months ago. In this book, Graham has done an excellent job of researching the possibility that Joseph of Arimathea brought the Virgin Mary to Great Britain after the crucifixion and that she is buried here. All of this centers around the Llanerchymedd Church, possibly the oldest on the island, and a nearby well, and St. Pabo Church. So of course, I had to visit all of these sites. Graham states that the idea of the Virgin Mary coming to this area is supported by two books in the Vatican library and in 12th century Grail Romances. A British monk named Gildas even wrote in the 6th century of the original disciples of Jesus coming to Britain in 37 AD. So basically, the legend is that Joseph of Arimathea lived in Wales with the Virgin Mary for 15 years and built the Llanerchymedd Church. He dedicated it to the Virgin Mary and buried her in the church upon her death. In the 6th century, the two saints, Seiriol and Cybi, met near here because it was a very holy and sacred place. When the Vikings invaded the East of the island in the 10th century, her body may have been moved to the St. Pabo Church. (Pabo, a 6th c. King of Gwynedd was buried at Llanerchymedd and his body was removed to an isolated church at Llanbabo, so maybe Mary’s body was taken here, too.) Then Madoc, a Prince of Gwynedd, discovered the Grail at Llanbabo church. When the Normans threatened to invade his kingdom he evidently removed the body to a new place of safety—near where St. Cybi ascended at the well and where the gravestone was eventually found.
Graham writes of how, after many hours of searching, he was able to discover this overgrown holy well. About three meters to the side of this well, a geophysical survey had taken place in the past which reveals a disturbance in the ground of six feet by three feet which suggests a burial site. Beside the well was what appeared to be a grave marked with two stones, a head and a foot stone. The smaller of the two stones, golden sandstone, was inscribed with the Greek astrological sign for Virgo, the Virgin.
I was so excited about the possibility of seeing the places he mentioned in his book. I emailed him and asked questions about the research and where to find the well. He was so nice and asked me to send a survey map so that he could mark it for me. He did so and emailed it back. I was thrilled. I asked him if the stone was still there and he said he had heard that it was in the Oriel Ynys Mon museum on Anglesey. So I wrote to the museum and Pat West emailed me back saying that if a museum officer were in attendance when I visited, that I could see the gravestone as it was not part of the regular collection on display but was kept in the office. So this morning, we first went off in search of the grave and well, based on the map Graham had marked for me. Unfortunately, we were not successful, even after tromping around in the pouring rain in soggy fields.
Then I headed to the museum and asked to speak with a museum officer. I was nervous but knew I would never forgive myself if I didn’t do this. After talking to a nice lady, she offered to check with someone to see if it was possible to see the stone. While I waited, I took a look at the Hendy Stone Head on display. It was found on Hendy farm near Llanfairpwll. Heads like these, which have been found throughout the Celtic world, probably represented gods and might have been used for ceremonial purposes. The tops of the heads were often flat and may have been used in the ritual placeing of offerings. This head, like many others, had a small hole drilled in the mouth area which might have been used for giving drinks or food to the god during ceremonies or perhaps for holding a pipe or branch. She came back out of the office and asked me to wait, that someone would talk with me. At this point, I was so excited and anxious. After all, I had no idea whether these people were amenable to the idea that this may indeed be the gravestone of the Virgin Mary.
Next thing I know, a young man named Ian Jones came wheeling out a cart with something on it covered with a cloth. We introduce ourselves and he removed the cloth to reveal the stone!!!! The actual stone. Oh my! And there, inscribed upon it was the glyph—the Virgo symbol, an M shape, and what appeared to be an obvious attempt at what we today call the “Jesus fish” symbol of Christianity. I could not have been more pleased with what happened. Ian was a wealth of information. You never know who you’re going to upset by revealing information that might shake all of someone’s beliefs, so I played it cool and asked him what we know about the stone. Then he said, “Well, you’ve read the book, right? Graham’s book?” Oh yes, yes, I thought. How happy I was to find someone who took this as seriously as I did. Yes, I read the book. From then on, I was treated with the utmost respect, and they could not have been more helpful. Ian offered to lift the stone up onto the table so I could inspect it closer, and he went so far as to wheel it out into the hall where the light was better so I could photograph it. He then told me that where we had searched for the grave and well was wrong—laughing that Graham must’ve gotten his north and south mixed up. He was very familiar with the site. Ian printed out a new map and marked it for us.
Then he introduced me to John Smith, the Technical Services Officer of the museum and someone who knew Graham well. John is even mentioned in the book as someone who was a great deal of help in finding the stone. He was most gracious and shared the stories of the stone with me. Evidently he lives near where the stone was found and had helped Graham in his search. He told me the story of how Graham at the site had given up on finding anything then they saw something lying on top of a small rise in the land. They turned the stone over and were amazed. He also revealed that he (John) had called Graham a while later and asked him what he had done with the stone. Graham said that he didn’t have it, that he had left it at the site. This was a Sunday evening and John jumped in his car and rushed over to the site but couldn’t find it anywhere. He said he, too, almost gave up, but as he was headed back to his car, he saw it on the side of the road in some grass and covered with moss and algae. He said he kept it in his home for a while then brought it to the museum. He said they haven’t cleaned it but that the moss and algae have just disappeared while at the museum. He and Ian seemed to be genuinely please in my interest in the stone and even asked me to write to and encourage Graham to reissue his book because it would make it easier for them to display the stone, which the museum wants to do. After promising that I would do so and that I would let them know about my visit to the well site, and after getting the information on how to contact them, I bid them farewell.
We did find the site, thanks to Ian’s great directions. It was a lovely little rocky well that was running quite fast as it was still raining. Unfortunately, someone had put up two new strands of barbed wire, making it impossible to go tromping through more fields in search of the grave site. But I got within 15 feet of it, I am sure.
Then we visited Llanbabo, where a herd of sheep on top of a hill came rushing over to see what we were up to. They even seemed to be asking us questions with their baas. St. Pabo Church is a medieval church located in Llanbabo, most of the church dating to the 12th century. Madoc ap Owain joined the monastry at Penmon and later became priest of Llanbabo. It was at this time when he claimed that he discovered the Holy Grail. “When Madoc was in old age he discovered here the most illustrious Grail, and fearing the English would lay waste to the island returned it to the Cornu Copia where the blessed St Cybi ascended.” Also at this church a rectangular slab was unearthed in 1730 and upon it was a carving of St Pabo Post Prydain, the founder of the church. He was depicted holding a rose in his hand which is a clear reference to the Virgin Mary (rosary). It was said to represent Pabo’s Queen, possibly a reference to the Virgin Mary. The church is still in use, as part of the Church in Wales, although services are only held here occasionally. The door was locked, though, and I was disappointed not to get a look at the carving.
As I am writing this, I think my ghost from down the hall, George, has come for a visit—I will post a video of the ghostly sounds in the bathroom when I can. Just imagine the most ghostly Whoooo-ing sound you can and you’ve got it. All in all, a very productive and happy day.
pictures from top: where George, the ghost, hangs out; on the way to St. Cwyfan’s Church; St. Cwyfan’s Church; Smallest House in Great Britain; Eglwys y Plwyf Church.
Movie of lady saying the railway name:
relaxing sounds at the well:
