Puffin Island (Anglesey)

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Puffin Island
Native name:
Ynys Seiriol
Puffin Island (Ynys Seiriol), Anglesey.JPG
Puffin Island seen from Penmon Point
Wales location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Puffin Island
Geography
Location Anglesey, Wales
Coordinates 53°19′00″N4°01′00″W / 53.31667°N 4.01667°W / 53.31667; -4.01667
Administration
Wales
County Anglesey
Demographics
Population0 (uninhabited)

Puffin Island (Welsh : Ynys Seiriol) is an uninhabited island off the eastern tip of Anglesey, Wales. It was formerly known as Priestholm in English (and Ynys Lannog/Glannog in Welsh). A hermitage was established here around the 6th century, and there are remains of a 12th-century monastery on the island. The island is also a Special Protection Area for wildlife.

Contents

Geography

A map of the island from 1947 Puffin islandmap1947.png
A map of the island from 1947

Puffin Island is the ninth-largest island off the coast of Wales and marks the northeastern end of the Menai Strait. Puffin Island's highest point is carboniferous limestone, at 192 feet (59 m) above sea level, having steep cliffs on all sides. It has an area of 69 acres (0.28 km2). The island is privately owned by the Baron Hill estate.

History

View on Puffin Island, 1815 View on Puffin Island, near Anglesea.jpeg
View on Puffin Island, 1815

The Welsh name, Ynys Seiriol, refers to Saint Seiriol. The son of Owain Ddantgwyn, a 5th-century ruler of the Kingdom of Gwynedd, and the brother of Saint Einion Frenin, a 5th or 6th-century king in the Llŷn Peninsula, Seiriol founded and governed a class (ecclesiastical settlement) at Penmon on the Anglesey. In later life, he abandoned his responsibilities there to establish a hermitage on the nearby island, where his remains are thought to rest. [1]

King Cadwallon ap Cadfan of Gwynedd is said to have sheltered here in around 630 when fleeing an invasion from the Kingdom of Northumbria. A monastery [2] existed on the island in the late 12th century and was mentioned by Gerald of Wales, who visited the area in 1188. He claimed that, whenever there was strife within the community of monks, a plague of mice would devour all their food. Llywelyn the Great issued two charters in 1221 and 1237 confirming the Canons Regular, in possession of the island and the church and manor of Penmon on the mainland of Anglesey.

The ruins of several ecclesiastical buildings are visible on the island, including the remains of a 12th-century church, which has a Grade I heritage listing. The central tower and the foundations of the nave remain. The remains of the chancel and south transept have been covered by a 19th-century cottage and building. [3]

Much later a telegraph station was built on the northeastern tip of the island. [4] It is now disused.

There is one identified shipwreck, a steamship named The Pioneer, which ran ashore in 1878 with a cargo of iron bars when the tow lines to it broke following its rescue from engine failure near the Skerries. [5]

Wildlife

Trwyn Du Lighthouse near the island TrwynDuLighthouse.jpg
Trwyn Du Lighthouse near the island

The island is a Special Protection Area [6] (SPA), particularly because of its great cormorant colony of over 750  birds, which is over 10% of the national population, making it one of the largest colonies in the British Isles. [7] It also has good numbers of guillemot, razorbill, shag and kittiwake nesting, [8] and in recent years small numbers of common eider and black guillemot. [9] The Atlantic puffins from which the island gets its modern English name bred in considerable numbers at one time, with up to 2000 pairs recorded. [10] The brown rat was introduced accidentally to the island, probably in the late 19th century, and reduced this population to a very few pairs. A programme of poisoning these rats started in 1998 by the Countryside Council for Wales appears to have eradicated them, and the puffin population has shown an increase since that date. [11]

At one time the island was heavily grazed by rabbits, but these were wiped out by an outbreak of myxomatosis, leading to the growth of dense vegetation, particularly common elder ( Sambucus nigra ).

The strong currents around the island provide for an abundance of marine life, particularly on the north coast, where the depths reach 15 metres (8 fathoms). Many people enjoy fishing trips departing from Beaumaris in these waters, catching mainly mackerel, but many other species are caught. The abundance of fish feeds a large colony of grey seals, and bottlenose dolphins and harbour porpoises regularly visit the area. Pleasure cruises are also available from Easter to October to view the island, its seal colony and birdlife.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Menai Strait</span> Tidal water between Anglesey and mainland Wales

The Menai Strait is a strait which separates the island of Anglesey from Gwynedd, on the mainland of Wales. It is situated between Caernarfon Bay in the south-west and Conwy Bay in the north-east, which are both inlets of the Irish Sea. The strait is about 25 km (16 mi) long and varies in width from 400 metres (1,300 ft) between Fort Belan and Abermenai Point to 7.5 kilometres (4.7 mi) between Puffin Island and Penmaenmawr. It contains several islands, including Church Island, on which is located St Tysilio's Church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skomer</span> Island in Pembrokeshire, Marloes and St Brides, Wales

Skomer or Skomer Island is an island off the coast of Pembrokeshire, in the community of Marloes and St Brides in west Wales. It is well known for its wildlife: around half the world's population of Manx shearwaters nest on the island, the Atlantic puffin colony is the largest in southern Britain, and the Skomer vole is unique to the island. Skomer is a national nature reserve, a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a Special Protection Area. It is surrounded by a marine nature reserve and is managed by the Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ramsey Island</span>

Ramsey Island is an island about 1 kilometre off St David's Head in Pembrokeshire on the northern side of St Brides Bay, in southwest Wales, in the community of St Davids and the Cathedral Close. It is 259 hectares in area. Ramsey means Hrafn's island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cardigan Island</span> Island in Wales

Cardigan Island is an uninhabited island north of Cardigan, Ceredigion, south-west Wales. It reaches a height of 52 metres (171 ft) a.s.l., and 38 acres (15 ha) in area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint Tudwal's Islands</span> Pair of islands off the coast of Wales

Saint Tudwal's Islands are a small archipelago lying south of Abersoch on the Llŷn Peninsula in North Wales, at the western end of Tremadog Bay. They were referred to as the Studwells in the early 19th century. The name of the islands derives from their traditional identification as the site of a hermitage used by Saint Tudwal during the 6th century. They are about 1 kilometre (0.6 mi) east of the southern tip of the Llŷn Peninsula.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Middle Mouse</span> Island off Anglesey, Wales

Middle Mouse is an uninhabited island situated 1 kilometre off the north coast of Anglesey. It is notable as the northernmost point of Wales. The island measures a maximum of 207 metres by 110 metres, with a maximum area of 3.7 acres and has a maximum altitude of 16 metres (52') above sea level. It is one of a chain of three islands off the north of Anglesey, the others being Ynys Amlwch and Maen y Bugail.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pentraeth</span> Village and community in Anglesey, Wales

Pentraeth is a village and community on the island of Anglesey, North Wales, at grid reference SH523786. The Royal Mail postcode begins LL75. The community population taken at the 2011 census was 1,178. The village itself having a population of 557.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Margaret's Island</span>

St Margaret's Island is a small tidal island to the northwest of Caldey Island in Carmarthen Bay, Pembrokeshire, Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Skerries, Isle of Anglesey</span> Group of rocky islets in Wales

The Skerries, coming from the Old Norse word sker, are a group of sparsely vegetated rocky islets (skerries), with a total area of about 17 hectares lying 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) offshore from Carmel Head at the northwest corner of Anglesey, Wales. The islands are important as a breeding site for seabirds, and they attract divers, who come to visit the numerous shipwrecks. The Skerries Lighthouse sits atop the highest point in the islands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church Island (Anglesey)</span> Island in Anglesey, Wales

Church Island, also known as Llandysilio Island, is a small island in the Menai Strait on the shores of Anglesey to which it is attached by a short causeway that is reachable only on foot. The dominant feature of the island is with St Tysilio's Church, constructed in the 15th century, its churchyard, and a grade-II listed war memorial. The 20th-century bard Cynan is among several notable people buried in the churchyard. The Anglesey Coastal Path passes the head of the causeway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seiriol</span>

Seiriol was an early 6th-century saint, who created a cell at Penmon Priory on Anglesey, off the coast of north Wales. He later moved to Ynys Seiriol.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anglesey Coastal Path</span>

The Anglesey Coastal Path is a 200-kilometre (124 mi) long-distance footpath around the island of Anglesey in North Wales. The route is part of the Wales Coast Path.

Penmon is a promontory, village and ecclesiastical parish on the eastern tip of the Isle of Anglesey in Wales, about 3 miles (4.8 km) east of the town of Beaumaris. It is in the community of Llangoed. The name comes from Welsh: pen and Môn, which is the Welsh word for Anglesey. It is the site of a historic monastery and associated 12th-century church. Walls near the well next to the church may be part of the oldest remaining Christian building in Wales. Penmon also has an award-winning beach and the Anglesey Coastal Path follows its shores. Quarries in Penmon have provided stone for many important buildings and structures, including Birmingham Town Hall and the two bridges that cross the Menai Strait. The area is popular with locals and visitors alike for its monuments, tranquillity, bracing air and fine views of Snowdonia to the south across the Menai Strait.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anglesey</span> Island county in Wales

The Isle of Anglesey is a county off the north-west coast of Wales. It is named after the island of Anglesey, which makes up 94% of its area, but also includes Holy Island and some islets and skerries. The county borders Gwynedd across the Menai Strait to the southeast, and is otherwise surrounded by the Irish Sea. Holyhead is the largest town, and the administrative centre is Llangefni. The county is part of the preserved county of Gwynedd.

Dindaethwy was in medieval times one of two commotes of the cantref of Rhosyr, in the south-east of the Isle of Anglesey. It was between the Menai Strait and Conwy Bay, and the Irish Sea and Red Wharf Bay.

Nidan was a Welsh priest and, according to some sources, a bishop, in the 6th and 7th centuries. He is now commemorated as a saint. He was the confessor for the monastery headed by St Seiriol at Penmon, and established a church at what is now known as Llanidan, which are both places on the Welsh island of Anglesey. He is the patron saint of two churches in Anglesey: St Nidan's Church, Llanidan, built in the 19th century, and its medieval predecessor, the Old Church of St Nidan, Llanidan. Midmar Old Kirk in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, is also dedicated to him: Nidan is said to have helped to establish Christianity in that area as a companion of St Kentigern. St Nidan's, Llanidan, has a reliquary dating from the 14th or 16th century, which is said to house his relics.

Elaeth was a Christian king and poet in Britain in the 6th century who is venerated as a saint. After losing his territory in the north of Britain, he retreated to Anglesey, north Wales, where he lived at a monastery run by St Seiriol at Penmon. Some religious poetry is attributed to him, as is the foundation of St Eleth's Church, Amlwch, also in Anglesey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Llaneilian</span> Village and community in Anglesey, Wales

Llaneilian is a village and community in Anglesey, Wales. It is located in the north east of the island, 2.2 miles (3.5 km) east of Amlwch, 16.5 miles (26.6 km) north west of Menai Bridge and 12.5 miles (20.1 km) north of Llangefni. The community includes the villages and hamlets of Dulas, Llaneilian, Pengorffwysfa, Cerrig Man and Penysarn, Gadfa and Nebo, and at the 2001 census had a population of 1,192, decreasing slightly to 1,186 at the 2011 Census. The parish is crowned by its hill, Mynydd Eilian, a HuMP, popular with walkers and ramblers, and its beach, Traeth Eilian, which is popular with holidaymakers and for watersport activities. At the north easternmost point is Point Lynas,, while Ynys Dulas lies off the North East coast of the island, east of Dulas Bay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Einion Frenin</span> Welsh confessor and saint of the Celtic Church

Saint Einion Frenin was a late 5th- and early 6th-century Welsh confessor and saint of the Celtic Church. His feast day was originally given as 9 February, although this had moved to the 10th or 12th by the 16th century and is no longer observed by either the Anglican or Catholic church in Wales.

References

  1. Topham, Simon. "Ynys Seiriol". Mysterious Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
  2. "Cell of Penmon Priory on Priestholm Island". Coflein Database Record. Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales . Retrieved 28 November 2016.
  3. Remains of monastic settlement including tower and walls, Llangoed, British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
  4. Faster Than The Wind, The Liverpool to Holyhead Telegraph, Frank Large, an avid publication ISBN   0-9521020-9-9
  5. Holden, Chris (2008). Underwater Guide to North Wales Vol. 2. Calgo Publications. pp. 158–167. ISBN   978-0-9545066-1-2.
  6. "The UK SPA network: its scope and contents (Volumes 1–3) | JNCC Resource Hub". hub.jncc.gov.uk.
  7. "Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo (breeding)" (PDF). Special Protection Area species accounts. Defra. Retrieved 10 April 2019.
  8. "Meet the Birds - Puffin Island Seabird Research".
  9. "Core Management Plan Including Conservation Objectives for Ynys Seiriol/Puffin Island SPA" (PDF). Cyngor Cefn Gwlad Cymru (Countryside Council for Wales). Retrieved 23 October 2022.
  10. Harris, MP (1976). "The present status of the Puffin in Britain and Ireland" (PDF). British Birds. 69 (7): 249.
  11. Molloy, Tom (11 September 2018). "How Puffin population has recovered after a shipwreck more than 200 years ago". North Wales Live. Retrieved 28 November 2022.

53°19′07″N4°01′46″W / 53.31854°N 4.02958°W / 53.31854; -4.02958 (Puffin Island)