Aberffraw from the 14th to 18th Centuries

The fourteenth century is a story of decline in Anglesey, like most of Britain. Climatic change, crop failure in the years 1315-17, famine, livestock epidemics and the Black Death from 1348, proved a relentless and debilitating combination which bred social unrest and rebellion during the latter part of the century; a process which culminated in the Glyndwr uprising in1400. Land values were depressed and the abandoned property became a battleground for rival gentry families hungry for land.

A Great Storm struck southwest Anglesey in 1331. Its effect on Aberffraw was dramatic and must have hastened its decline. Aberffraw Bay changed. Sand dunes dominated where once there was open water. The harbour began silting up. Navigating the river had become more difficult (but by no means impossible).

The first recorded mention of a market and fairs in Aberffraw is in 1342. On 8th June 1342 Master Roger de Heyton, the King's surgeon, who had become lord of the manor of Aberffraw, was granted charters for a weekly market and two annual fairs to be held in the manor. The market was to be held on Thusdays and the fairs, originally lasting for two days, on designated feast days.
The first fair was on the feast of Corpus Christi. (This was Easter dependent - Corpus Christi being observed on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday, which is the eighth Sunday after Easter.)
The second fair was on 13th October, assumed to be the translation of Edward the Confessor.

By 1352 it was the custom for a length of wall on either side of the gate of the manor (remains of the Llys?) at Aberffraw to be repaired. After that, Aberffraw appears to have declined further, but perhaps not as rapidly as some reports suggest. After all Anglesey was still a very fertile area, producing large amounts of cereals, quantities of which were loaded on to ships in Aberffraw harbour.  However, Aberffraw was a far less important place than in its heyday.

A Crown survey of 1608 shows how the consolidation of holdings had progressed across the royal lands of Aberffraw before the sale of Crown lands later in the 17th Century. In Garddau and Maerdref, fifty percent of the land was in the hands of four major landholders whereas fourteen tenants held considerably less than one acre. In 1608, thirty of the thirty-seven tenants were householders occupying twenty-nine dwelling houses, five cottages, five 'tofts' (homesteads), five 'cubicula' (rooms) and fourteen other buildings as well as various barns and outbuildings. Almost half of the householders must have been town dwellers in Aberffraw itself. 

During the reign of Henry VIII a few Welshmen found a niche in court circles.  Meurig ap Llywelyn, the son of Llywelyn ap Heilyn, rose to be Captain of the Guard and was rewarded with the manor of Aberffraw. His son Richard, living at Bodorgan, anglicized the surname to Meyrick instead ot the patronym ap Meurig.

Rev. S. Rowlands, who was Curate of Aberffraw and an acknowledged and respected historian of Anglesey, wrote in the early nineteenth century and described how the Crown Lands, including the former lands of the Welsh Princes, were sold off during the 17th century. He wrote:

 "All villein and native tenements were claimed and seized by the Kings of England as of their own right in fee simple; and were let our under that name by the King's collectors whoever they might be for a term of life or years, a price being payed down according to ancient custom. Now through necessity or neglect of some monarchs almost all lands of this kind which are legally styled royal (King's lands) have been commonly granted and ultimately sold to the chief men of our county, especially to those who by their wealth had any influence at court; so that it is hardly possible, at the present day, to distinguish amidst the common mass, what might be a villeinage from a freehold. Indeed in the present state of conducting matters they have all become freeholds indiscriminately"

In Aberffraw, and neighbouring parishes, transactions in the property market, including the purchase of the now-available Crown Lands, led to the creation of two large estates and a number of consolidated farms. As a result, life in Aberffraw from the 16th century onwards was dominated by  two landowning families, the Meyricks (also spelt Merrick) of Bodorgan and the Owens of Bodowen (earlier known as Bodeon) 

The Owen family were descendents of Owain Gwynedd who died in 1170. His father Gruffydd ap Cynan died in 1137. The former family seat was at Bodowen (also known as Bodeon). Little now remains of the original and once imposing house but it was situated quite close to Bodorgan (home of the rival Meyrick family) on the other side of Aberffraw Common overlooking Malltraeth and the Cefni estuary. The once very powerful  Owen family stabilised its surname (as Owen) in the 16th century. One of its most prominent members was John Owen (d.1712).  He stood apart from the gentry of western Anglesey in opposing the influence of the Meyricks of Bodorgan.

Arches from the former Bodowen manor house - 16th Century

The two estates were made up of parcels of land in the parishes of Aberffraw, Llangadwaladr, Llanfeirian, Trefdraeth, Llanfaelog, Llangristiolus, Heneglwys and Trewalchmai. The estates increased in size as the Meyricks and Owens acquired land all over south-west Anglesey. It is  not hard to imagine that this was the cause of a lot of rivalry and perhaps animosity between the two families. The estates were, therefore, rather piecemeal collections of land and property. It appears that the village of Aberffraw was caught up in the disputes;  land and property being bought and sold by various landowners.

During the reign of Elizabeth I and James I various proceedings were initiated concerning disputes between those who considered themselves to be 'ancient tenants' of the Crown lands in and around Aberffraw and the new leaseholders of these lands. In 1614, for example, certain lands were the subject of a dispute between Tristram Bulkley and Rowland Owen on the one hand and William Owen on the other.

The process of estate building pitted the Meyricks of Bodorgan against the Owens of Bodowen in a protracted legal dispute concerning land at Aberffraw in the late 16th century. Trouble erupted between Richard Meyrick II (d.1596) and Hugh Owen concerning part of the Aberffraw manor lands. The Bodorgan estate was crushed by the cost of the litigation, and by 1590 a substantial portion had been sold to discharge Meyrick's debts.

The two families were, however, sometimes political allies (of sorts), united in opposing the influence of the Bulkeleys from the other side of the island. In the Anglesey elections of 1708 and 1710 efforts were made, under the leadership of Owen Meyrick(1682-1760), to dethrone the Bulkeleys from the political dictatorship of Anglesey.  Sir Arthur Owen was also against the Bulkeleys, but instead of concentrating on winning the county for the opposition Whig party, both he and Owen Meyrick were nominated for Anglesey boroughs seat - the result was that they both lost. (Sir Arthur Owen was also nominated for the Pembrokeshire seat in which  he was the successful candidate.)

Perhaps the most tangible and lasting evidence of the rivalry between the Owens and the Meyricks can be seen in Llangadwaladr church. The two families influenced the development of this church. The magnificent stained glass east window was the gift of Meuric ap Llywelyn and his wife in thanks giving for their son Owain’s safe return from the Battle of Bosworth in 1485. Their descendant Richard Meyrick added the north chapel in 1640. Not to be outdone, Colonel Hugh Owen added a south chapel in 1661and there are family memorials in both chapels.

Records of life in Aberffraw become more plentiful in the 18th century. In the early part of the century the Owens appear to have owned a great deal of Aberffraw and made several improvements to the village. In 1729 a ruined church, Eglwys y Beili, was rebuilt as a school by Sir Arthur Owen, who endowed it with £4 per annum for the instruction of six poor children in the Welsh language.  This property, known locally as "The Eagles" in Church Street, is said to be the oldest extant house in Aberffraw. In 1731 Sir Arthur commissioned the building of Aberffraw bridge. However, the Owen's interest in the village declined rapidly towards the latter part of the century.

In ‘A History of the Island of Anglesey’ published in 1775, the author, Nicholas Owen, writes: "The bay of Aberfraw is shallow, and even dangerous from the great number of sand banks here raised by the winds; however, it is often frequented in summer by small sloops, that come in to take in their lading of corn and butter, which the neighbours sell to a considerable amount. The sand in the bay is found to be good manure, procuring to the farmers who use it plentiful crops of barley and oats. Here are held four fairs in the year, March 7th, Wednesday after Trinity Sunday, October 23rd and Dec. 19th, all for cattle."

A few years later Thomas Pennant wrote, " the village is now reduced to a few poor houses, seated on the river Ffraw, near a small bay. Not a vestige is to be seen of its former boast."

In the 1770s the village was mapped. (This map was reproduced virtually unchanged in 1811 and copied again around 1827, so the map and accompanying schedule can only be confidently used for the last decades of the eighteenth century.)

Forty-three properties - houses, cottages, gardens and yards are represented, occupying the core area of present day Aberffraw centred on the square. Properties are present along the lane from the back of the Prince Llywelyn Inn to the square. This became Chapel Lane (now known as Chapel Street) after the first Calvinistic Methodist Chapel was built in 1772. There are houses along Llewelyn Street and also along Church Street as far as the church and south-east of the square. The greatest concentration of buildings, however, is to be found around Dinorben (now Bodorgan) Square and to the south of the lane (Bridge Street) leading towards the bridge over the Ffraw (built in 1731, previously a ford). Significantly, however, to the north of the church, the 1770 map carried a legend which read "Here anciently stood the palace of the Princes of the Welsh blood of which nothingremains, the stones have been removed for making hedges and for building houses about thirty years ago."

A letter dated 25 May 1787 from Humphrey Thomas of Aberffraw, states that the school house was in a very poor condition.  The furniture formerly in the school room had either been burnt or demolished and they are using borrowed furniture in school at present while teaching.

Although Aberffraw was now a poor village, its historical significance was still very relevant, particularly to the competing landowners. Aberffraw parish had land owned by many of the major Anglesey families, the Meyricks, the Owens (until 1808) then the Hughes (as Lord Dinorben), the Williams/Wynns (as Lord Newborough), the Pagets (as Earl of Uxbridge/Marquis of Anglesey) and Lord Bulkeley. Land and property in the parish was regularly changing hands between these landowners, usually for the purpose of estate consolidation – odd packets of land with different owners were intermingled making administration difficult. So exchange of land and property took place regularly. On change of ownership, tenants were often given notice to quit.

Part of the attraction of Aberffraw to landowners must have been the 'living' for the Rector. This living was worth over £55 000 net per annum in today's terms, and was in the patronage of the Crown (in the name of the Prince of Wales). Although the bishop had to approve the appointment, it was normally given to the protégé or nominee of the lord of the manor. The surnames of the rectors reflect the influence of wealthy family names:

(1709) Hugh Wynne, MA - (1715) Owen Hughes, MA. - (1740) Thomas Owen, MA. - (1754) Hugh Williams, MA. - (1780) Hugh Owen, MA, DD. - (1810) Evan Lloyd, BA. - (1815) Hugh Wynne Jones, MA.

Towards the end of the 18th Century the influence of the Owen family seems to have declined rapidly (They appeared to have consolidated their affairs around the Orielton estate in Pembrokeshire.) and Aberffraw was neglected. Nevertheless, as lord of the manor Sir Hugh Owen had considerable influence in the appointment of the Rector – particularly if he had the backing of other wealthy people.

In May 1779 Rev. Hugh Owen was nominated for the position of Rector of Aberffraw. He was a member of a younger branch of Owen dynasty (a namesake of Sir Hugh Owen, the current lord of the manor) This proposed appointment was not, however, without controversy:

The Rev. Hugh Williams, the previous incumbent, had died earlier in 1779. It appears that immediately after his death and with considerable haste, his successor was being lined up. Powerful connections came into play. In early July 1779 Lord Bulkeley wrote to Lord North (the Prime Minister!) in Rev. Owen’s favour. Soon afterwards Richard Poole, Sir Hugh Owen's agent in Aberffraw, heard that Lord North had approved the appointment. However, Mr. Meyrick protested against the installation of Rev. Owen to the Aberffraw living. It seems that Mr. Meyrick had organised a petition which had been presented to the Bishop of Bangor, but Sir Hugh Owen did not think the Bishop would take much notice.

In response, a declaration to the Bishop of Bangor was prepared. It was signed by the churchwardens of Aberffraw and the major parishioners and stated that they welcomed and approved of the induction of the Rev. Hugh Owen to the rectory of Aberffraw, and asked the Bishop not to listen to malicious rumour.

However, as an indication of the declining influence of the Owens in Aberffraw, the living of Aberffraw was under sequestration between the death of the late incumbent and the induction of the Rev. Owen. During that time the churchwardens took on themselves the task of letting the glebe house and lands and the great and small tithes. Poole (Owen's agent) investigated the accounts of the churchwardens for this time and made sure all sums of money owing were paid to him.

By January 1780 Rev. Hugh Owen was confirmed as Rector of Aberffraw.

 A document dated 1790 refers to the lease of Cellar Farm and Aberffraw Mill (both still in existence), which include a reservation of mining rights.

 In the 1791 edition of the 'Universal British Directory' the following description appears:

 

Aberfraw Anglesea Universal British Directory, 1791

 

Aberfraw is a small town in Anglesea, North Wales, and lies twenty miles from Holyhead. A bye-road over the sands; fifteen miles from the Head; sixteen miles from Bangor Ferry; six miles from Newburgh; and eight miles from the post road. It derives its name from the river Ffraw, on the banks of which it is situated. On one side it is surrounded by sand banks; and on the opposite by fine fertile land, producing, in particular, remarkably fine barley. Though Aberfraw is now an inconsiderable place, it was formerly the residence of the famous Prince Llewellyn, the remains of whose house are yet to be seen. The river is navigable, in the summer season, for vessels from 30 to 40 tons burthen, up to its quay. The living is in the king’s gift, and worth 300l. per ann. The principal inhabitants are,

Clergy :

Owen Hugh, Rev. : Rector

Rowlands Sarn, Rev. : Curate

Traders, &c :  

Germain John, Victualler

Prichard John, Victualler
Parry Robert, Shopkeeper for articles of all kinds
Williams John, Shopkeeper for articles of all kinds
Williams William, Victualler

Aberfraw being situated on the seashore, the lower class of inhabitants subsist chiefly by fishing: it has, likewise, the advantage of an excellent harbour. There was formerly a market here every Thursday; but it has, of late years been disused. There are still kept up four fairs in the year, viz., on March 7; first Wednesday after Trinity; October 23; and December 11; chiefly for horned cattle, and woollen cloths; the latter of which are brought from Carnarvonshire. The simplicity of former times is demonstrated here, in the following remarkable circumstance; that though there are three public houses, yet not one of them ever hung out a sign. The house of William Williams, however, affords the best accommodation to travellers.

About one mile from Aberfraw, is the parish church of Llanguisin, which, from the peculiarity of its situation, demands notice; it stands in the middle of a small island, accessible only at low water, except by boat. Bodorgan, the seat of Owen Putland Meyrick, Esq. lies pleasantly situated, two miles from Aberfraw. Bodowen, (joining Bodorgan,) was formerly the country residence of Sir William Owen, now of Sir Hugh Owen. About one mile from the village, is the old romantic church of Llangadwalladar, where may be seen some ancient hieroglyphics, curiously painted on the windows.

At the end of the 18th century the small market village of Aberffraw was described as, "as thoroughly Welsh as the pretty little village of Llangefni." The vast majority of villagers were monoglot Welsh speakers and everywhere poverty was acute. Most people lived a wretched existence perilously close to subsistence level. 
In 1799 a letter, dated 22nd May, to O. A. Poole from John Jerman stated that, "the people here are very ungovernable and are likely to destroy the common by cutting down the gorse and "môrhese" and by cutting sods".