The Modern Antiquarian. Ancient Sites, Stone Circles, Neolithic Monuments, Ancient Monuments, Prehistoric Sites, Megalithic Mysteries

Wales   Conwy  

Penmaenmawr

<b>Penmaenmawr</b>Posted by blossomImage © W.G. Smith
Also known as:
  • Moelfre, Druids Circle and Environs
  • Penmaen Mawr

See individual sites for details

Added by TMA Ed

Show  |  Hide
Web searches for Penmaenmawr

Sites in this group:

6 posts
Bryniau Bugeilydd Barrow / Cairn Cemetery
21 posts
Cefn Coch Cairn(s)
9 posts
Cerrig Gwynion Cairn(s)
32 posts
Circle 275 Stone Circle
14 posts
Circle 278 Ring Cairn
20 posts
Cors y Carneddau Cairn(s)
8 posts
Cors y Carneddau Stone Circle
5 posts
Fridd Wanc Barrow / Cairn Cemetery
9 posts
Graig Lwyd Ancient Mine / Quarry
17 posts
Maen Crwn Standing Stone / Menhir
6 posts
Moelfre Cairn(s)
35 posts
Monument 280 Standing Stones
20 posts
Red Farm Stone Circle
104 posts
Y Meini Hirion Stone Circle

News

Add news Add news

Stories in stone walk and exhibition launch Saturday 21st July


Sat 21 July; 13.30-16.30

Come and see our brand new exhibition about stone working at the extraordinary Neolithic quarry at Graiglwyd, Penmaenmawr. The launch will begin with a guided walk to visit the quarry site and its surrounding archaeological landscape, led by the Snowdonia National Park Archaeologist... continues...
blossom Posted by blossom
19th July 2012ce
Edited 19th July 2012ce

Prehistoric Ancestors - Ritual in the Carneddau Mountains

A guided walk around the area above Penmaenmawr. A National Archaeology Week event by Gwynedd Archaeological Trust.

Saturday, 14th July 2007, 11.00am.

http://www.heneb.co.uk/waunllanfair/waunllanfairwalk.html
Posted by Robert Carr
13th July 2007ce

Images (click to view fullsize)

Add an image Add an image
<b>Penmaenmawr</b>Posted by blossom

Folklore

Add folklore Add folklore
That's right, of all the many prehistoric remains up here, why not destroy the very one that has some decent folklore.
A short distance from [Meini Hirion] is a smooth round hill called Moelfre, upon which is a carnedd, covered with turf, about seventeen feet in diameter. I allude to it chiefly for the sake of introducing the following very curious unpublished notice of it which occurs in the [17th C] manuscript of Sir John Wynn..

.."and in the top very plain and pleasant upon this hill there is a circle marked, whereupon stood three stones about a yard and a quarter above ground, the one red as blood, the other white, and the third a little bluer than the white stone, standing in a triangle.

What should be the reason of placing such three stones in such a place upon so high and so pleasant a mount, and to place there stones of such colours, I cannot express otherwise that we have it by tradition.

The tradition is this, that God Almighty hath wrought in this place a miracle for increasing of our faith. And that was thus. Three women, about such time as Christianity began to creep in amongst us, upon a Sabbath day in the morning went to the top of this hill to winnow their corn, and having spread there winnowing sheet upon the ground and begun their work, some of their neighbours came unto them and did reprehend them for violating and breaking the Lordes commandment by working upon the Sabbath day.

These faithless women, regarding their profit more than the observing of God's commandments, made slight of their neighbours' admonition, and held on in their work; whereupon it pleased God instantly to transform them into three pillars of stones, and to frame these stones of the same colour as the women's clothes were, one red, the other white, and the third bluish, and to transform their winnowing sheet and corn into earth, and so to leave them there in example to others.

This is a tradition we have and believed by the old people in that neighbourhood, and however, whether it was so or no, the tradition is wholesome, and will deter others from working upon the Sabbath day.

These stones, being worth the seeing as they were placed, have been digged up by some idle headed youths within these six years, and were rolled down the hill, and do now lie together at the foot of the hill.
p162 of 'Notes of Family Excursions in North Wales', by J. O. Halliwell, 1860.

With old-fashioned, and possibly slightly hammed-up spelling turned into 21st century English.

John Wynn lived from 1553-1626.
Rhiannon Posted by Rhiannon
26th July 2007ce
Edited 30th November 2012ce

Miscellaneous

Add miscellaneous Add miscellaneous
The Rev. W Bingley decided to hike up Penmaen Mawr - he scrambled up a steep ascent "from the sixth milestone" and "it was not before I had experienced several severe tumbles" on the loose stones, that he reached the summit.

On the summit, and extending in an oval form from north to south, are some evident remains of antiquity [..] This ruin is called Braich y Ddinas, The Arm of the City, and is supposed to have been an ancient British fortification.

He also spotted a shrub, "called by the Welsh Pren Lemwn, or lemon tree" which he was relieved, as a Logical Englishman, to find was actually Whitebeam.

From p312 of 'Excursions in North Wales' (1839) - on Google Books.
Rhiannon Posted by Rhiannon
8th October 2007ce

Latest posts for Penmaenmawr

Showing 1-10 of 280 posts. Most recent first | Next 10

Graig Lwyd (Ancient Mine / Quarry) — Images (click to view fullsize)

<b>Graig Lwyd</b>Posted by postman postman Posted by postman
13th April 2013ce

Fridd Wanc (Barrow / Cairn Cemetery) — Fieldnotes

It's now time to go and get out of this biting wind, but just before I do there's just one more new site to see.
A mere fifty yards from Brian (Circle 275) is this massively overlooked barrow/cairn, with so many megalithic wonders here about it's almost understandable. About a meter tall and maybe five across this heather and grass covered mound melts seamlessly into it's surroundings, look for the telegraph pole uncaringly stuck right on top of it, blighters.
When Anglicising this site name have a giggle, a smirk, maybe even a titter, Fridd Wanc, giggle smirk titter.
postman Posted by postman
13th April 2013ce

Fridd Wanc (Barrow / Cairn Cemetery) — Images

<b>Fridd Wanc</b>Posted by postman<b>Fridd Wanc</b>Posted by postman<b>Fridd Wanc</b>Posted by postman<b>Fridd Wanc</b>Posted by postman postman Posted by postman
13th April 2013ce

Circle 275 (Stone Circle) — Images

<b>Circle 275</b>Posted by postman<b>Circle 275</b>Posted by postman postman Posted by postman
13th April 2013ce

Red Farm (Stone Circle) — Images

<b>Red Farm</b>Posted by postman<b>Red Farm</b>Posted by postman postman Posted by postman
12th April 2013ce
Showing 1-10 of 280 posts. Most recent first | Next 10