View source for Aberffraw

{{Short description|Village and community in Anglesey, Wales}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2019}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2025}}
{{Infobox UK place
| static_image_name = Aberffraw - geograph.org.uk - 3923739.jpg
| static_image_caption = The village from the east
| label_position = 
| official_name = Aberffraw
| welsh_name = 
| country = Wales
| os_grid_reference = SH3568
| coordinates = {{coord|53.188|-4.463|display=inline,title}}
| population = 597
| population_ref = (2021)
| community_wales = Aberffraw
| unitary_wales = [[Anglesey]]
| lieutenancy_wales = [[Gwynedd]]
| constituency_welsh_assembly = [[Ynys Môn (Senedd constituency)|Ynys Môn]]
| constituency_westminster = [[Ynys Môn (UK Parliament constituency)|Ynys Môn]]
| post_town = TŶ CROES
| postcode_district = LL63
| postcode_area = LL
| dial_code = 01407
| module= [[File:Wales Anglesey Community Aberffraw map.svg|240px]]<br />Map of the community
}}

'''Aberffraw'''{{efn|Pronounced as Aberffro.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.aberffraw.wales/historyabout.html|website= aberffraw.wales|title= Aberffraw, Anglesey, Wales|access-date=31 October 2023}}</ref> Spelled variously in period sources, including '''Aberfrau'''.}} is a village and [[community (Wales)|community]] on the south west coast of the [[Isle of Anglesey]] in [[Wales]]. The village is 9 miles from the island's county town, [[Llangefni]], and is on the west bank of the [[Afon Ffraw]] (Ffraw River). The community includes [[Soar, Anglesey|Soar]] and Dothan. It is on the [[A4080 road|A4080]] and the nearest rail station is [[Bodorgan railway station|Bodorgan]].

The village has a long history as a settlement from the Mesolithic Age. More recently, in medieval times, the site became the capital of the [[Kingdom of Gwynedd]] and a royal residence for the family of the [[House of Aberffraw]].

The name of the village is often truncated to "Berffro" in the local dialect of Welsh.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Rhys |first=Guto |title=Amrywiaith 2 - Blas ar dafodieithoedd Cymru |publisher=Carreg Gwalch |year=2022 |isbn=9781845278526 |edition=1 |location=Llanrwst |pages=40 |language=cy}}</ref> Local attractions include a part of the [[Anglesey Coastal Path]], the beach and dunes at Aberffraw bay, a lake for recreational fishing, historic churches and prehistoric burial chambers.

[[File:Aberffraw_coast.jpg|thumb|right|Coast near Aberffraw]]

==History==
Aberffraw is one of the oldest [[Mesolithic]] sites from [[Prehistoric Wales#Mesolithic|prehistoric Wales]], dating to {{circa|9,000}} years ago. At Aberffraw Bay is the ''Trwyn Du'' ({{langx|cy|Black nose}}) site. The burial was discovered whilst excavating a [[Bronze Age]] kerb cairn ([[bowl barrow]]) from 2000 BC, which was excavated because of the threat of coastal erosion. The 1977 dig revealed that the cairn was built on top of a deposit of 7,000 [[stone tool#Neolithic industries|flint tools]] and two axes from 7000 BC, a few millennia after the last [[Last Glacial Period|Ice Age]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cadwpublic-api.azurewebsites.net/reports/sam/FullReport?lang=en&id=4175|website=cadwpublilc-api.azurewebsites.net|title=Trwyn du Scheduled Monuments- Full Report|access-date=29 August 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Coflein|num=302323|desc=Trwyn Du Cairn near Aberffraw, Overlying A Mesolithic Site}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.walescoastpath.gov.uk/media/1649/wcp-aberffraw-porth-cwyfan-map_eng.pdf| website=walescostalpath.gov.uk|title=Aberffraw to port Cwyfan, Anglesey}}</ref>

An intact monument near Aberffraw is  [[Din Dryfol]], a [[Neolithic]] chambered tomb from 3000 BC, and around the banks of the nearby River Gwna are the remains of a stone [[hut circle]] and [[Roundhouse (dwelling)|roundhouses]], which were lived in during the Welsh [[British Iron Age|Iron Age]], {{circa|500 BC}}, until the [[Roman Britain|British Roman period]], before the 4th century.<ref>{{google book|title=RCAHMW, An Inventory of the Ancient Monuments in Anglesey |id=d0nwILR1UQEC&num|page=LXXIV, LVXXX, 2}}</ref><ref>{{Coflein|num=93831|desc=Din Dryfol Chambered Tomb, Aberffraw}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://medievalheritage.eu/en/main-page/heritage/wales/din-dryfol-burial-chamber/|website=medievalheritage.eu|title=Din Dryfol - Burial chamber|access-date=31 October 2023}}</ref>

In [[Welsh mythology]] Aberffraw features as the site of [[Branwen]] and [[Matholwch]]'s wedding festival, where [[Efnysien]] maimed Matholwch's horses.<ref>''[[Mabinogion|The Mabinogion]]:'' [http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/celt/mab/mab22.htm Branwen the Daughter of Llyr], translated by [[Lady Charlotte Guest]]. Online at [http://www.sacred-texts.com/ www.sacred-texts.com].</ref>

===Medieval Royal House of Aberffraw===
{{see also|House of Aberffraw}}
In the early [[Middle Ages]] Aberffraw was settled by [[Cadwallon Lawhir ap Einion]] who built a palace in the 5th century.<ref name=history>{{cite web|url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/topographical-dict/wales/pp1-12#h3-0015|website=british-history.ac.uk|title= Abbey- Aberffraw|access-date=31 October 2023}}</ref> [[Rhodri the Great]], the [[List of rulers of Gwynedd|King of Gwynedd]] rebuilt the residence in the year 873 and had returned the capital of the [[Kingdom of Gwynedd]] to the [[Aberffraw cantref]] after [[Cadwallon ap Cadfan]] (c. 620) moved the royal court to [[Caernarfon]] in mainland Wales in the 7th century. Rhodri's [[palace]] ({{langx|cy|Llys}}) became a [[royal court]] and his son [[Anarawd ap Rhodri]] started a [[cadet branch]] named the Royal House of Aberffraw. Anarawd's descendants settled the area for centuries as Kings of Gwynedd and were eventually titled the [[Prince of Wales]]. [[Llywelyn ab Iorwerth]] in 1201 re-established the palace as a residence and installed personnel to work similarly to the original set up of the King's royal suite based on the rules from their creation in 914.<ref name=history/><ref>{{cite DWB|id=s-RHOD-MAW-0877|title=RHODRI MAWR ('the Great') (died 877), king of Gwynedd, Powys, and Deheubarth}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|first=Angharad| last=Llwyd|year=1832|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vHA_AQAAMAAJ |title=A history of the island of Anglesey|pages=55, 61, 83, 90–91}}</ref><ref>{{cite DNB|wstitle=Llywelyn ab Gruffydd| volume=34|pages=13-21|author-first=Thomas Frederick|author-last=Tout|author-link=Thomas Tout}}</ref> The court was then dismantled in 1317 to provide building materials for [[Caernarfon Castle]] across the [[Menai Strait]].<ref name=CofleinAberffraw>{{Coflein|num=401126|desc=Aberffraw, Excavated Features, Rejected Roman Fort And Suggested Llys Site}}</ref><ref>{{google book|title=RCAHMW, An Inventory of the Ancient Monuments in Anglesey |id=d0nwILR1UQEC&num|page=XXXVIII|volume=2|publisher=[[Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales]]}}</ref>

The royal court was destroyed on [[Saint Nicholas Day]], 6 December 1331, when a sandstorm buried 186 acres from Aberffraw north to [[Rhosneigr]] on the west of Anglesey in the [[Aberffraw cantref]]. This disaster drove families living in this area from their homes, and they migrated south to the villages of [[Llanddwyn]] and [[Newborough, Anglesey|Newborough]].<ref>{{cite journal| title=Newborough Warren, Anglesey: I. The Dune System and Dune Slack Habitat|first=Derek|last= Ranwell|journal=[[Journal of Ecology]]| volume=47|date=October 1958|issue=3 |page=573|doi=10.2307/2257291|jstor=2257291 }}</ref>

===Aberffraw cantref (hundred)===
{{see also|Aberffraw cantref}}
The [[Meyrick family|Meyrick]] ({{langx|cy|Meurig}}) family of [[Bodorgan]], Anglesey, were given the Crown lease for the manor lands of the Aberffraw cantref during the [[Tudor period]] ({{circa|1500}}). Llewelyn ap Heilyn fought at the [[Battle of Bosworth]] alongside [[Henry VII of England]]. Afterward, Llewelyn's son Meurig became captain of the bodyguard to [[Henry VIII]] and was rewarded with the [[lease]]. Today, the same family at [[Bodorgan Hall]] (near Aberffraw) is represented by the [[Tapps-Gervis-Meyrick baronets]].<ref name=history/><ref>{{cite DWB|id=s-MEYR-BOD-1485|title=Meyrick family, Bodorgan, Anglesey.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book| title=Debrett's peerage, baronetage, knightage, and companionage| editor-first=Charles| editor-last=Kidd| url=https://archive.org/details/b24883797/mode/2up?ref=ol| page=414| date=1903| publisher=[[Dean & Son]]|location =[[London]]}}</ref> After the ''Meyrick'' family ownership, it was the ''[[Sir John Thomas Stanley, 6th Baronet|Owen]]'' family of [[Penrhos, Anglesey|Penrhos]] locally on Anglesey who owned the lands of Aberffraw until 1808.  Subsequently, the ''Hughes'' family of [[Baron Dinorben]], the ''Williams'' and ''Wynn'' families of [[Baron Newborough]], then the [[Marquess of Anglesey]] ''Paget'' family, and finally ''[[Lord Bulkeley]]'' ([[Viscount]]) all briefly owned the lands surrounding {{em|Aberffraw}}. Today, the current town was developed in the mid to late 20th century. By 1949, the village was called the poorest in Anglesey.<ref>{{Coflein|num=32986|desc=Aberffraw|access-date=15 September 2023}}</ref>

==Aberffraw village==
[[File:Wales Coast Path at Aberffraw - geograph.org.uk - 3555308.jpg|thumb|right|Wales costal path, Aberffraw on the river Ffraw.]]

===Attractions===
Attractions near Aberffraw village include [[Barclodiad y Gawres]], a [[neolithic]] burial chamber.<ref>{{Coflein|num=95545|desc=Barclodiad y Gawres Burial Chamber; 'The Giantess's Apronful', Aberffraw}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://cadw.gov.wales/visit/places-to-visit/barclodiad-y-gawres-burial-chamber|website=cadw.gov.wales|title=Barclodiad y Gawres Burial Chamber|access-date=31 October 2023}}</ref> Also [[Llyn Coron]] is used for [[fly fishing]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://llyncoronfishery.co.uk/| website=llyncoronfishery.co.uk|title= Llyn Coron|access-date=31 October 2023}}</ref> The village has a sandy beach, which was awarded the [[Blue Flag beach|Blue flag]] rural beach award in 2005.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dailypost.co.uk/whats-on/hidden-tiny-welsh-rural-villages-13815046|website=dailypost.co.uk|title=These 14 gorgeous villages in North Wales will make you yearn for the quiet life|date=26 October 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thebeachguide.co.uk/north-wales/anglesey/aberffraw-bay-traeth-mawr.htm|website=thebeachguide.co.uk|title=Aberffraw Bay|access-date=31 October 2023}}</ref> Aberffraw bay is a part of the [[Anglesey Coastal Path]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.visitanglesey.co.uk/en/things-to-do/activities/isle-of-anglesey-coastal-path-aberffraw-to-four-mile-bridge/| website=visitanglesey.co.uk|title=ISLE OF ANGLESEY COASTAL PATH - ABERFFRAW TO FOUR MILE BRIDGE|access-date=31 October 2023}}</ref>

===Churches===
Near the village, on the tidal island of [[Cribinau]], is [[St Cwyfan's Church, Llangwyfan|St Cwyfan's Church]]. Perched on top of a rock, the "church in the sea" was constructed in the 12th century and renovated in 1893–94.<ref>{{National Historic Assets of Wales|num=5273 |desc=St. Cwyfan's Church |access-date=31 October 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.visitwales.com/info/history-heritage-and-traditions/princes-gwynedd| website=visitwales.com|title=Princes of Gwynedd|access-date=31 October 2023}}</ref> The church still holds services in the summer and is sometimes used for weddings.

[[St Beuno's Church, Aberffraw]] is a double-naved church of the later medieval style. The building dates from the 12th century and is a [[listed building|Grade&nbsp;II*]] listed building. Additions to the church were made in the 14th and 16th centuries and a repair that involved reroofing the building in about 1840. There were extensive alterations made in 1868.<ref>{{National Historic Assets of Wales|num=5270 |desc=Church of St. Beuno |access-date=11 April 2019}}</ref>

===Llys Llywelyn===
{{multiple image|total_width=300px|image1=Llys Llywelyn artwork.jpg|caption1=Llys Llywelyn sculpture by [[Jonah Jones (sculptor)|Jonah Jones]]|image2=Llys Llywelyn accommodation.jpg|caption2=The former heritage centre entrance and information board}}
There is a holiday home accommodation in the village named {{em|Llys Llywelyn}}, it was once a heritage centre dedicated to the history of the medieval Kingdom of Gwynedd and its royal court (llys) at Aberffraw. There is a sculpted piece of artwork by [[Jonah Jones (sculptor)|Jonah Jones]] dedicated to the Princes of Gwynedd. After more than a decade of negotiations, the heritage centre was moved to [[Llangefni]] and the centre was turned into holiday cottages in 2020. There is a cafe on site for visitors.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://cadw.gov.wales/sites/default/files/2019-04/InterpplanPrincesGwynedd_EN_0.pdf| website=cadw.gov.wales| title=Interpretation plan for the Princes of Gwynedd|orig-date=May 2010|pages=38, 41, 49, 118, 130, 185| access-date=31 October 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/huge-sell-off-for-anglesey-council-2803114| website=dailypost.co.uk| title=Huge sell-off for Anglesey council| date=27 December 2008|orig-date=19 April 2013| access-date=31 October 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.wales-tourist-information.co.uk/accommodation/item/148/Llys_Llywelyn.html| website=wales-tourist-information.co.uk| title=Llys Llywelyn| date=June 2009| access-date=31 October 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=https://seearoundbritain.com/venues/llys-llewelyn-heritage-centre-anglesey| website=seearoundbritain.com| title=Llys Llewelyn Cegin Bar, Aberffraw (formerly Llys Llewelyn Heritage Centre tea rooms), Anglesey.| access-date=31 October 2023}}</ref>

===Recreation and education===
The village has a [[Welsh football league system]] team named [[C.P.D. Aberffraw]] (''Aberffraw FC'' in English); they play in the village of [[Bryn Du]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pitchero.com/clubs/cpdaberffraw|website=pitchero.com|title= CPD Aberffraw|access-date=31 October 2023}}</ref> There was a school at Aberffraw since before 1860, but the village school closed in 2011.<ref>{{cite news|title=Last day at three primary schools in Anglesey and Conwy|url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/local-news/last-day-three-primary-schools-1822455.amp|orig-date=20 July 2011|access-date=31 October 2023 }}</ref>

==Governance==
There was a change in the Anglesey [[Wards and electoral divisions of the United Kingdom|UK electoral wards]] in 2013, reducing the number of councilors from 40 to 33. Aberffraw remained in the [[Bro Aberffraw]] area with 2 council members representing the Isle of Anglesey.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://nation.cymru/news/angleseys-multi-member-wards-to-gain-additional-five-councillors-in-boundary-shake-up/| website=nation.cymru|title=Anglesey's multi-member wards to gain additional five councilors in boundary shake-up|date=18 September 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.legislation.gov.uk/en/wsi/2021/1112/made?view=plain |title=The County of the Isle of Anglesey (Electoral Arrangements) Order 2021 |website=legislation.gov.uk|publisher=[[The National Archives (United Kingdom)|The National Archives]] |access-date=31 October 2023 }}</ref> As of the [[2022 Isle of Anglesey County Council election|2022 election]], the ward is represented by [[Plaid Cymru]] councillors [[Arfon Wyn]] and John Ifan Jones.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-05-05 |title=Election results for Bro Aberffraw, 5 May 2022 |url=https://democracy.anglesey.gov.uk/mgFindMember.aspx?XXR=0&AC=WARD&WID=13318|access-date=31 October 2023 |website=democracy.anglesey.gov.uk }}</ref>

===Demographics===
A historical census showed that the population in Aberffraw (Aberffro) grew from 936 in 1801 to 1,042 in 1971. In 1831, there were a total of 332 males in the village, and of those that were over the age of 20, 106 were [[farmworkers]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10175495|website=visionofbritain.org.uk|title=Aberffro CP/AP through time|access-date=31 October 2023}}</ref>

For the 2011 census, {{em|Aberffraw}} had a population of 620, with 334 fully fluent Welsh-speaking individuals, 146 who could not speak the Welsh language at all, and the rest of the population as partially fluent. The findings also showed 67.5% of the population could speak the [[Welsh language]], a fall from 80.8% in 2001.<ref>{{cite web |title=2011 Census results by Community |url=http://www.comisiynyddygymraeg.cymru/English/Policy,%20research%20and%20data/Census%20Data/Pages/2011CensusresultsbyCommunity.aspx |publisher=[[Welsh Language Commissioner]] |date=26 October 2012 |access-date=25 June 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170914001036/http://www.comisiynyddygymraeg.cymru/English/Policy,%20research%20and%20data/Census%20Data/Pages/2011CensusresultsbyCommunity.aspx |archive-date=14 September 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://pop-stat.mashke.org/wales-welsh-lang-loc2011.htm|website=pop-stat.mashke.org|title=Welsh language skills in Wales|access-date=31 October 2023}}</ref>

The 2021 census shows Aberffraw to have 597 residents, in an area of 29.55&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>; this was a reduction in population of 0.38% since the previous census from 2011.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.citypopulation.de/en/uk/wales/admin/isle_of_anglesey/W04000001__aberffraw/|website=citypopulation.de|title=Aberffraw (Community, United Kingdom)}}</ref>

[[File:Aberffraw.jpg|thumb|Aberffraw village and surrounding grasslands]]

==Former airfield==
[[RAF Bodorgan]] near the village was once known as the {{em|RAF Aberffraw}} ([[Royal Air Force]]). Constructed in September 1940, the airfield was used in World War 2 as a testing site for military aircraft, [[de Havilland Tiger Moth#Variants|Queen Bee]], a pilotless airplane. In 1941, the [[airfield]] changed its name to Bodorgan, and by 1944 it was only used as a storage airfield. The grass [[runway]] airfield was closed in 1945.<ref>{{coflein|num=270848|desc=Bodorgan Airfield, Aberffraw}}</ref> After the opening of the airfield in Aberffraw, another was opened during the same period, the airfield is based at [[Rhosneigr]], Anglesey. [[RAF Valley]] is still in use today.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.raf.mod.uk/our-organisation/stations/raf-valley/| website=raf.mod.uk|title= RAF Valley| access-date=31 October 2023}}</ref>

==Aberffraw dune system==
The Aberffraw [[dunes]] cover an area of {{Cvt|883|acres}} in West Anglesey and are one of the biggest dune habitats in the UK. The dunes are preserved as a site of special scientific interest ([[SSSI]]) and are part of a [[Special Area of Conservation]] which spans from [[Abermenai Point]] in the southeast of Anglesey, then across the island westward, and they are 5&nbsp;km north-west of [[Newborough Warren]]. The most common species of plants are [[marram]] grass, which supports the sand and creates dunes, as well as early sand-grass, [[red fescue]], and [[lady's bedstraw]]. The dunes variety of natural [[flora]] and fauna such as waterwort and weeds are supported by the local lake, Coron, as well as the river Ffraw. The area is a popular [[Walking in the United Kingdom|walking]] destination.<ref>{{cite journal|title=A Quantitative Description of the Distribution of Annuals in the Dune System at Aberffraw, Anglesey|journal=[[Journal of Ecology]]|volume=62| number=2| pages=379–402|doi=10.2307/2258986|date=July 1974|jstor=2258986 |last1=Pemadasa |first1=M. A. |last2=Greig-Smith |first2=P. |last3=Lovell |first3=P. H. }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.visitanglesey.co.uk/en-gb/explore/wildlife/aberffraw-dunes-and-traeth-mawr-beach|website=visitanglesey.co.uk|title=Wildlife - Aberffraw dunes and Traeth Mawr beach|access-date=31 October 2023}}</ref>

==References ==
{{reflist}}

===Notes===
{{reflist|group=lower-alpha}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
{{wikivoyage|Aberffraw}}
*{{URL|https://www.aberffraw.wales/}}
* {{Genuki|county=AGY|Aberffraw}}
* [https://www.geograph.org.uk/gridref/SH3568 Geograph.org-Aberffraw]

{{Anglesey}}
{{Communities of Anglesey}}
{{Celtic mythology (Welsh)}}{{Native Welsh castles and llys in North Wales}}

[[Category:Aberffraw| ]]
[[Category:Former wards of Anglesey]]