Gwynedd Archaeological
Trust Regional Historic Environment Record
Aberffraw Township, Site of, Aberffraw
Primary Reference Number (PRN) : 3184 Trust : Gwynedd Community : Aberffraw Unitary authority : Ynys Mon NGR : SH3568 Site Type (preferred type first) : EARLY MEDIEVAL TOWN
Description : Aberffraw is located on the west bank of the Ffraw, near its estuary at the south-west corner of Anglesey.
By the 12th century the bardic tradition recognised Aberffraw as the pre-eminent royal court, and Llewelyn ap Gruffudd's name was inextricably linked with it.
Medieval urban phase: Aberffraw was the maerdref of the commote of Malltraeth. Given the traditional importance of the place, the buildings of the llys would surely have been numerous and substantial. The fact that 198 pieces of timber were taken from Aberffraw for use in construction work at Caernarfon castle indicates that this was so. The usual range of buildings of a llys included a royal hall, court, privy, animal house and rhaglaw's chamber, and the complex was sometimes, perhaps always, enclosed within a structure of some sort which may have been defensive.
Documentary evidence suggests that Aberffraw was at least enclosed, and confirms by mention of tenants' obligations the existence of the llys buildings. Despite this, the actual location of the llys has proved elusive and remains uncertain. It seems most likely, however, that it lies under the modern village, perhaps on the same site as the Roman enclosure. There are good reasons for suggesting this, but in addition a 'negative' reason is that all attempts to locate the llys elsewhere have failed.
Various hints and suggestions as to the location of the llys have been recorded by writers in the past, but no attempt to verify any of these has been successful. Limited excavation in the area indicated by the Ordnance Survey (for reasons now lost) to be the site of the llys had negative results.
On the other hand, the difficulty of investigating within the built-up area of the modern village may have prevented the identification of the site so far. The oldest standing building in the village now is the church of St Beuno, parts of which are 12th century. However, both documentary and cartographic evidence indicates that another church, Eglwys y Beili (the church of the enclosure), once stood at the corner of Church Street and Bangor Street; and this, judging by its name, was presumably the llys church. The layout of the village, too, with its unusual central square, tends to suggest that the llys lies under the modern village centre. Other pointers are that an enclosure called 'Gardd y Llys' is recorded in the extreme south-west of the village, and some fragments of 13th-century sculptured stone were discovered near Bodorgan Square in 1973.
An examination of the results of excavations within the village suggests that the enclosure which lies under its centre is formed by a bank and ditch with two distinct phases of construction. The earlier of these, despite the presence of very little pottery of the period, is probably Roman. The later is built in a style uncharacteristic of Roman work of this type, and is very possibly the enclosing structure of the llys. If the importance of Aberffraw as a royal seat does indeed go back several generations before the time of Cadfan, the Roman bank and ditch would still have been very much in evidence, and what more sensible than to improve on it and make the most of the strategic and other advantages of the site enjoyed by the Romans? Indeed, the presence of the Roman fort may even have been a factor influencing the choice of the site by the Welsh kings.
Modern development has unfortunately now obscured the enclosure and the area surrounding it. Small excavations have revealed minor banks and ditches which may have been property boundaries of the Medieval period, but the evidence is very sparse. This lack is particularly unfortunate in view of the great importance of Aberffraw in Welsh history. (GAT, Undated)
See town files for descriptive text from 'Early Medieval Settlements in Wales AD 400-1100'. See also SH36NE (map) for individual PRN's for excavations, planning lists, site visits etc.
Events : 44421 : Llys and Maerdref: an Investigation into the Location of the Royal Courts of the Princes of Gwynedd (year : 1995) 44557 : Early Celtic Societies in North Wales (year : 2010)
