Rhoscolyn
Rhoscolyn is a village located on Holy Island, Anglesey, Wales. It is just over five miles south of Holyhead and is the most southerly settlement on the island.[1] The name Rhoscolyn is said to mean "The Moor" (Rhos) of The Column (colyn), referring to a pillar which the Romans put up to mark the edge of their territories.[2]
A little to the west of the village is a mediaeval well dedicated to St Gwenfaen beside which are the remains of a drystone well house measuring 4.5m east-west by 5.5m.[3] The local church in the village itself is dedicated to the same saint and was first built in the 6th century.[4][5]
Rhoscolyn is bordered to the south by a small enclosed bay called Borthwen which is bordered by a public beach. There was once a lifeboat station on Borthwen which was open between 1830 and 1929[6] which has been replaced by a navigational beacon on Ynysoedd Gwylanod (Gulls' Island). Around these waters at the end of the 18th century was a thriving oyster catching industry but this declined once the beds had been depleted.[4] Existing buildings include the local pub, The White Eagle, and the primary school which is found just over a mile north of the village.[7]
Probably the most significant lifeboat incident here was the launch to the 'Timbo': On 1/12/1920 a small coaster, the Timbo, was enroute to Ireland from Holyhead when she was overcome by a storm off South Stack and began to drift down the coast. The lifeboat was launched, with great difficulty in the heavy seas, and made a number of attempts to get a line aboard her, without success, until the cox decided no more could be done and the lifeboat started it’s return journey, from a point close to Llanddwyn Island. The lifeboat capsized and 5 of the 13 man crew were lost, and, a little later, 4 men from the Timbo as well. The ship eventually became stranded at Dinas Dinlle, was eventually refloated with the use of tugs until she struck the Carreg y Trai (Ebb Rocks) reef off Abersoch and was lost.
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- ^ Multimap mapping services for the area
- ^ A gazette entry about the parish found on GENUKI.com
- ^ A Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales page on the well and wellhouse
- ^ a b Hughes, Margaret: Anglesey from the Sea, page 43, Carreg Gwalch, 2001
- ^ St Gwenfaen parish homepage
- ^ Some information on the station
- ^ The school's website
Coordinates: 53°15′N 4°36′W / 53.25°N 4.6°W
