Llangadwaladr () is a small village in south-west

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 ...

, Wales, located around 2 miles east of

Aberffraw Aberffraw is a village and community on the south west coast of the Isle of Anglesey ( cy, Ynys Môn), in Wales, by the west bank of the Afon Ffraw (Ffraw River). The community includes Soar and Dothan. Located near the A4080 and the neares ...

and 3 miles south of Gwalchmai. It is part of the

community A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, t ...

Bodorgan Bodorgan is a village and community on the Isle of Anglesey, Wales, United Kingdom. According to the 2001 Census, there were 1,503 residents in the now former electoral ward, 72.7% of them being able to speak Welsh. This increased to 1,704 at ...

. The village is a short distance from the ancient ''llys'' ( en,

royal court A royal court, often called simply a court when the royal context is clear, is an extended royal household in a monarchy, including all those who regularly attend on a monarch, or another central figure. Hence, the word "court" may also be appl ...

) of the kings of Gwynedd, and is reputed to have been their royal burial ground. The inscription on one monumental stone in the church (pictured) reads "Catamanus rex sapientisimus opinatisimus omnium regum" ( en, King Cadfan, most wise and renowned of all kings), suggesting that

Cadfan ap Iago Cadfan ap Iago (c. 569 – c. 625) was King of Gwynedd (reigned c. 616 – c. 625). Little is known of the history of Gwynedd from this period, and information about Cadfan and his reign is minimal. The historical person is known only fr ...

(c. 569 – c. 625)

King of Gwynedd Prior to the Conquest of Wales, completed in 1282, Wales consisted of a number of independent kingdoms, the most important being Gwynedd, Powys, Deheubarth (originally Ceredigion, Seisyllwg and Dyfed) and Morgannwg (Glywysing and Gwent). Boun ...

, is buried there. One of the windows of St

Cadwaladr Cadwaladr ap Cadwallon (also spelled Cadwalader or Cadwallader in English) was king of Gwynedd in Wales from around 655 to 682 AD. Two devastating plagues happened during his reign, one in 664 and the other in 682; he himself was a victim of t ...

's church dates from the 12th century. Unusually, the

advowson Advowson () or patronage is the right in English law of a patron (avowee) to present to the diocesan bishop (or in some cases the ordinary if not the same person) a nominee for appointment to a vacant ecclesiastical benefice or church living, a ...

(right of presentation) of the

benefice A benefice () or living is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The Roman Empire used the Latin term as a benefit to an individual from the Empire for services rendered. Its use was adopted by ...

lay with the monarch rather than the bishop, until

Disestablishment The separation of church and state is a philosophical and jurisprudential concept for defining political distance in the relationship between religious organizations and the state. Conceptually, the term refers to the creation of a secular s ...

(1920). The inscription is the subject of a "detective story" that interprets it as containing a series of coded messages, insulting to the deceased king.Whispering Reeds, or, The Anglesey Catamanus Inscription Stript Bare. A detective story by Antony Charles Thomas. Oxbow Books 2002.

Notable people

Owen ap Hugh Owen ap Hugh (1518–1613), of Bodeon, near Llangadwaladr, Anglesey was a Welsh politician. He was a Member (MP) of the Parliament of England The Parliament of England was the legislature of the Kingdom of England from the 13th century ...

(1518–1613), of Bodeon, near Llangadwaladr, was a Welsh politician. *

Eryl Stephen Thomas Eryl Stephen Thomas (20 October 1910 – 6 December 2001) was a Welsh Anglican clergyman who served as Bishop of Monmouth and Bishop of Llandaff. An Anglesey man, after education at St John's College, Oxford, Eryl Thomas served curacies in th ...

(1910-2001), bishop of Monmouth and subsequently of Llandaff was born in this parish.

References

Villages in Anglesey Bodorgan {{Anglesey-geo-stub