Mysterious Britain & Ireland

Country and County: Wales

Ancient Sites

Ty Mawr hut group (a.k.a. Cytau’r Gwyddelod, or Irish Huts)

These Iron Age remains of circular buildings can be found on Holy Island, near South Stack on Anglesey. The site consists of ten large circular stone rings (the remains of Iron Age huts) on the hillside with nine smaller rectangular structures (probably workshops for metal working) scattered among them, covering an area of up to twenty acres.

Ancient Sites / Roman

Caer-y-Twr

Caer-y-Twr is the remains of an Iron Age hill fort on the summit of Holyhead mountain (Mynydd Twr) 220 metres in height. Due to its position, it did not need much additional defence, but it had a stone rampart on the northern and eastern sides enclosing an area of roughly seven hectares. The site of the hill fort now contains mostly rubble, but the walls can still be identified.

Ancient Sites / Early Christianity / Wells

Ffynnon Barruc (St Barruc’s Well)

St Barruc’s Well is today capped and the once healing waters were diverted to make way for a Butlins holiday camp in 1965. Luckily though descriptions of the well survive. Wirt Sykes in British Goblins (1881) tells us that ‘on Barry Island, near Cardiff, is the famous well of St.

Ancient Sites / Early Christianity / Legends

St Barruc’s Chapel

St Barruc is said to have been buried on Barry Island, possibly at the chapel which was dedicated to him. The ruins of this chapel are on Friar’s Road overlooking Jackson Bay.

Fairies / Folklore / Folktales / Welsh Fairies / Welsh Folktales

Henry Edmund And The Fairies In Llanhilleth

There are many folk tales from Wales concerning fairies carrying people away. One such story is said to have taken place in Llanhilleth (Lanhiddel) and involved Charles Hugh, a person thought to have dealings with them. The following version appeared in British Goblins: Welsh Folk-lore, Fairy Mythology, Legends and Traditions (1881) by Wirt Sykes.

Apparitions / Hauntings

Ghost Of Elizabeth Gething

The following tale concerning a haunting in Ystradgynlais was printed in British Goblins (1881) by Wirt Sykes. ‘In the parish of Ystradgynlais, in Breconshire, Thomas Llewellyn, an innkeeper’s son, was often troubled by the spirit of a well-dressed woman, who used to stand before him in narrow lanes, as if to bar his passage, but he always got by her, though in great alarm.

Ancient Sites / Early Christianity / Folklore / Folktales / Wells / Welsh Folktales

Ffynnon Elian (St. Elian’s Well)

St Elian’s Well, like most Holy Well’s was associated with having healing properties until around 1723 when it developed a reputation for being a cursing well. Thought to have sprang forth to quench the thirst of St Elian in the 6th century, the well was a source of pilgrimage for many centuries.