Descriptive Gazetteer Entry for ABERFFRAW

ABERFFRAW, a seaport village, and a parish in the district and county of Anglesey. The village stands at the mouth of the Ffraw rivulet, on a creek of Carnarvon bay, 2¾ miles WSW of Bodorgan r. station, and 12 SE of Holyhead. It has a post office under Bangor, and an inn. It was formerly a market town; and it still has fairs on 7 March, the Tuesday before Easter, the Wednesday after Trinity, 15 Aug., and 11 Dec. It is now a poor place, inhabited chiefly by fishermen and farm laborurers; but it anciently, for four centuries, till the death of Llewelyn-ap-Griffith, was a capital of the princes of Wales. No remains of the palace exist; but a garden, at the S end of the village, still bears the name of Gardd-y-Llys or "palace-garden." The eisteddfodds, or assemblies of the bards, were anciently held here; and a spirited commemorative one was held in 1849. The parish comprises 6,114 acres of land, and 138 of water; and it contains eight tythings. Real property, £5,044. Pop., 1,238. Houses, 274. The property is not much divided. A lake, called Llyn Coron, about 2 miles in circumference, lies a little east of the village, and is much frequented by anglers. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Bangor. Value, £888.* Patron, the Prince of Wales. The old church contains a very interesting doorway of the 12th century, and is in good condition. There are four dissenting chapels, and charities £24.


(John Marius Wilson, Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (1870-72))

Linked entities:
Feature Description: "a seaport village, and a parish"   (ADL Feature Type: "populated places")
Administrative units: Aberffro CP/AP       Anglesey PLU/RegD       Anglesey AncC
Place: Aberffro

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