Holyhead, Anglesey : Historical writing

Descriptive gazetteer entries

These other entries in our collection of descriptive gazetteers are also about Holyhead. You may be able to find further references to Holyhead in the descriptive gazetteers by doing a full-text search here.

Place Type of entry Source
Holyhead seaport town and parish Bartholomew
HOLYHEAD a sea port town, a parish, and a sub-district Imperial

Travel writing

This website includes the complete texts of books describing journeys around Britain, written between the twelfth and nineteenth centuries. Selecting one of the links below will take you to the first reference to Holyhead within the selected text. This will not always be a description of a visit: travellers often mention places other than where they are, for example as a basis for comparison.

Traveller Section No. of Refs.
George Borrow Around Anglesey (4) 11
John Wesley 1749-50: Wesley and the Soldiers; In Ireland and Wales Again; Wesley Burned in Effigy 4
George Borrow Bangor, Anglesey and Snowdon 3
John Wesley 1754-6: Retirement in Paddington; Wesley Slandered; Premonitions 3
George Borrow Around Anglesey (2) 2
William Camden Rest of Wales 2
Daniel Defoe Letter 6, Part 3: Worcester, Hereford and Wales 2
Arthur Young 1776 Tour from Essex to Shropshire 2
Arthur Young 11th to 19th October 1776: Tipperary and Waterford 2
George Borrow Around Anglesey (3) 1
Charles Wesley May 3 - Dec. 28, 1747: Wales and Ireland 1
Charles Wesley Jan: 15 - Apr. 29, 1748: Ireland, Wales and meeting future wife 1
Charles Wesley May 1 - Aug. 31, 1748: London, Wales and Ireland 1
Charles Wesley Sept. 1- Dec. 31, 1748: Ireland and central Wales 1
Daniel Defoe Appendix to the second volume 1
John Wesley 1746-8: Severe Weather; Ireland; Wesley's Protest against Lawlessness 1
John Wesley 1760-2: Letter to an Editor; Impositions and Declarations; Speaking Statue; Pentecost 1
John Wesley 1771-3: Windsor Park; Wesley as Art Critic; Glasgow and Perth; Preaches to 30,000 People 1
John Wesley 1781-4: An Ideal Circuit; Wesley in his Eighties; Wesley Visits Holland; Scotland 1
John Wesley 1785-90: Collects Money for the Poor; Visits House of Lords; Reasons for his Long Life 1
Arthur Young 19th to 30th June 1776: Dublin, Kildare, Meath and Westmeath 1
Arthur Young Appendix, Itinerary 1

This website includes two large libraries, of historical travel writing and of entries from nineteenth century gazetteers describing places. We have text from these sources available for these places near your location:

Place Mentioned in Travel Writing Mentioned in Historical Gazetteer
Holy Island 0 2
Llanfwrog 0 2
Valley 0 2
Llanynghenedl 0 2
Llanfachreth 0 2
Rhoscolyn 0 2
Llanfaethlu 0 2
Llanfair Yn Neubwll 0 2
Llanfigael 0 2
Llanllibio 0 2
Llanfihangel Yn Howyn 0 2
Bodedern 0 2
Llanrhuddlad 0 2
Llanddeusant 0 3
Treffynon 0 2
Llanfair Yng Nghornwy 0 2
Llifon 0 2
Bryngwran 0 2
Llechylched 0 2
Llanfflewyn 0 2

Names from historical writing

The following appear as names for Holyhead. Follow the links for what the author actually said:

Name Author Source
CAER CYBI John Marius Wilson Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (Edinburgh: A Fullarton & Co., 1870-72).
CAER GUBY William Camden Britain, or, a Chorographicall Description of the most flourishing Kingdomes, England, Scotland, and Ireland (London: George Bishop and John Norton, 1610).
HOLLY HEAD Daniel Defoe A tour thro' the whole island of Great Britain, divided into circuits or journies (London: JM Dent and Co, 1927).
HOLLYHEAD Daniel Defoe A tour thro' the whole island of Great Britain, divided into circuits or journies (London: JM Dent and Co, 1927).
HOLY HEAD William Camden Britain, or, a Chorographicall Description of the most flourishing Kingdomes, England, Scotland, and Ireland (London: George Bishop and John Norton, 1610).
HOLYHEAD John Bartholomew Gazetteer of the British Isles (Edinburgh: Bartholomew, 1887).
John Marius Wilson Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (Edinburgh: A Fullarton & Co., 1870-72).
THE HEAD Charles Wesley The Journal of the Rev. Charles Wesley (London: Hutchinson & Co., 1849).

NB: These variant names come from our collections of historical travel writing and descriptive gazetteers:

  • The above links take you to the first reference to this particular version of the name within a book of travel writing, or to the relevant gazetteer entry.
  • Some names may derive from research by antiquarian writers such as William Camden and Thomas Pennant into the Roman, Saxon and medieval names of places. Their claims are not always supported by modern place-name researchers.
  • References by travel writers to the place using its "normal" name are not included. Descriptive gazetteer entries are included only if the name does not appear anywhere else.