![The excavated foundations of the Royal Llys at Rhosyr - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8c/The_excavated_foundations_of_the_Royal_Llys_at_Rhosyr_-_geograph.org.uk_-_838333.jpg)
Llys Rhosyr, also known as "Cae Llys",
is an
archaeological site
An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology an ...
near
Newborough in
Anglesey
Anglesey (; cy, (Ynys) Môn ) is an island off the north-west coast of Wales. It forms a principal area known as the Isle of Anglesey, that includes Holy Island across the narrow Cymyran Strait and some islets and skerries. Anglesey island ...
; the ruins of a
pre-Edwardian commotal court. The
Welsh
Welsh may refer to:
Related to Wales
* Welsh, referring or related to Wales
* Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales
* Welsh people
People
* Welsh (surname)
* Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...
word ''llys'' originally referred to an enclosed open-air space but gradually took on the meaning of a place where legal proceedings took place and was gradually extended to refer to royal "courts".
Llys Rhosyr was a commotal centre before
Edward I of England
Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he ruled the duchies of Aquitaine and Gascony as a vassa ...
's conquest of Wales and debate now surrounds the former use of the Rhosyr site. Archaeologists at
Gwynedd Archaeological Trust
The Gwynedd Archaeological Trust ( cy, Ymddiriedolaeth Archeolegol Gwynedd) is an Archaeological Trust organisation established in 1974; it is one of four Welsh Archaeological Trusts.
The trust maintains Historic Environment Records for their ar ...
consider it to have been a royal home and have established an exhibition in the Pritchard-Jones Institute in the village on their findings supporting this theory. Excavations reveal that the enclosure had a hall, accommodation and storage barns, originally built in stone and wood. The buildings may have occupied an area as much as .
A fierce
sandstorm
A dust storm, also called a sandstorm, is a meteorological phenomenon common in arid and semi-arid regions. Dust storms arise when a gust front or other strong wind blows loose sand and dirt from a dry surface. Fine particles are transporte ...
in the winter of 1332 buried the site and much of the surrounding area, which may have caused the decline in activity during the 14th century revealed by the archaeological investigation.
When
Henry Rowlands was writing in the early 18th century, the sands had uncovered parts of the walls, but no significant remains were visible, though he comments that local people were aware of the location and nature of the remains, a site sometimes known as 'llys' or 'cae'r llys' ('the field of the court' in English).
From 1992 it was excavated by the
Gwynedd Archaeological Trust
The Gwynedd Archaeological Trust ( cy, Ymddiriedolaeth Archeolegol Gwynedd) is an Archaeological Trust organisation established in 1974; it is one of four Welsh Archaeological Trusts.
The trust maintains Historic Environment Records for their ar ...
and was opened to the public for the first time in 1995. What remains is the outlines of the walls, around only a quarter of which are exposed, including the main surrounding wall and foundations and lower walls of three large buildings, possibly the hall, a chamber and storage barns. Many
artifacts were recovered from the site, including pottery and silverware indicating use by people of a high social status, as well as lead fishing weights.
It is the only royal court of Gwynedd whose site has so far been excavated.
Reconstruction at St Fagans
A reconstruction of the Great Hall of Llys Rhosyr was built as part of the redevelopment of
St Fagan's National History Museum,
Cardiff
Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...
, using a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund awarded in 2012. It was proposed that the building, with its walls, would be able to accommodate groups overnight on completion. The hall and the nearby chamber were modelled on the two most thoroughly excavated buildings on the original site.
[
]
The building was opened to the public in October 2018 and the first group of visitors to spend the night were children and teachers from Ysgol Santes Dwynwen School in Newborough, Anglesey
Newborough ( cy, Niwbwrch) is a village in the south-western corner of the Isle of Anglesey in Wales; it is in the community (Wales), community (and former Wards and electoral divisions of the United Kingdom, electoral ward) of Rhosyr, which has ...
, in May 2019.
References
External links
Llys Rhosyr
on heneb.co.uk
St Fagan's National Museum of History
{{anglesey
Archaeological sites in Anglesey
Scheduled monuments in Anglesey
Medieval Wales
Rhosyr