Llanddona fish weir
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2019}}
{{Infobox historic site
| name = Llanddona fish weir
| other_name = Gorad Llanddona
| type = fish weir
| image = File:View northeast across Red Wharf Bay - geograph.org.uk - 944068.jpg
| caption = Red Wharf Bay with fish weir in the distance
| locmapin = Wales Anglesey
| map_relief = yes
| map_caption = Location in Anglesey
| coordinates = {{coord|53.308|-4.144|display=inline,title}}
| gbgridref = SH 5725 8116
| designation1_free1name = Community
| designation1_free1value = Llanddona
| designation1_free2name = Principal area
| designation1_free2value = Anglesey
| designation2 = Scheduled monument
| designation2_offname = Llanddona Fish Weir
| designation2_number = AN137
| designation2_date = 31 October 2002
}}
Llanddona fish weir (also known as {{langx|cy|Gorad Llanddona}} or {{langx|cy|Gorad Fona}}) is a post-medieval fish trap sited in Llanddona, on the Isle of Anglesey. The fish weir is a scheduled monument.
Location
Llanddona fish weir is at the far eastern end of the beach at Red Wharf Bay where a band of rocks turns to sand, and is near the estuary of the brook that passes near St Dona's church.{{r|GAT Llanddona|OS Map Anglesey XIV.NE|Coflein Llanddona Fish Trap}} The fish weir lies at the edge of the Penmon Historic Landscape Area.{{r|GAT Penmon HLA}}
Description
Llanddona fish weir is a V-shaped trap, typically used when trapping fish in tidal waters.{{r|GAT Llanddona Fish Trap|Cadw Scheduling Llanddona Fish Weir}} The two arms of the V run down the beach, starting below the high-water line and almost meet at the tip of the V just above the low-water line, where the fish are caught in a net or a trap when the tide recedes.{{r|Bannerman}} The sides of the V-shaped trap can be made of stone, wattle fencing, or both.{{r|Bannerman}}
At Llanddona the sea is north of the beach, so the western arm, about 300m long, points north-east, and the eastern arm, about 100m long, starts at the edge of the beach and points north-west.{{r|Coflein Llanddona Fish Trap|OS Map Anglesey XIV.NE}}
History
Llanddona fish weir is first mentioned in the 17th century in the records of the Baron Hill estate and is also shown on a chart of 1748 by Lewis Morris, a hydrographer, surveyor and author from Anglesey.{{r|Cadw Scheduling Llanddona Fish Weir|GAT Llanddona|DNB Lewis Morris}}
Near the weir there are two buildings named as Godreddi Bach and Godreddi Mawr. The names seem to be a corruption of Goreddi (the plural of gored, meaning weir).{{r|Vousden}} This possibly associates the buildings with the weir, and that there may have been more than one weir.{{r|Vousden}} Additionally, a double line of stones has been identified on an aerial photograph which may be part of the original construction or part of later rebuilding.{{r|GAT Llanddona}}
Recent history
Llanddona fish weir was designated as a scheduled monument in 2002 as being of national importance to improve understanding of medieval or post-medieval maritime agricultural practices and possibly containing archaeological information concerning chronology and building techniques.{{r|Cadw Scheduling Llanddona Fish Weir}}
Access
Llanddona fish weir, like most of the beach at Red Wharf Bay, is covered by the sea at high tide, and even at low tide the apex of the weir is still underwater.{{r|Coflein Llanddona Fish Trap}} The Llanddona circular walk passes near the site of the weir.{{r|Llanddona Walk}}
See also
References
{{reflist|refs=
|title = Llanddona
|url = http://www.heneb.co.uk/hlcpenmon/12llanddona.html
|publisher = Gwynedd Archaeological Trust (GAT)
|access-date = 29 July 2016
|id = GAT PRN 33476
|date =
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150924025701/http://www.heneb.co.uk/hlcpenmon/12llanddona.html
|archivedate = 24 September 2015
|url-status = dead
}}
{{cite map
| title = Anglesey Sheet XIV.NE
| date = 1888
| publisher = Ordnance Survey
| scale = 1:10560
| edition = 1st
| access-date = 29 July 2016
| url = http://maps.nls.uk/view/101604145#zoom=5&lat=3846&lon=5532&layers=BT
| via = National Library of Scotland
}}
|num = 406349
|desc = Llanddona Fish Trap
|access-date = 30 September 2021
}}
|title = Penmon Historic Landscapes
|url = http://www.heneb.co.uk/hlcpenmon/hlcpenmonpoly5.html
|publisher = Gwynedd Archaeological Trust (GAT)
|date = 2010
|accessdate = 29 July 2016
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160805215429/http://www.heneb.co.uk/hlcpenmon/hlcpenmonpoly5.html
|archive-date = 5 August 2016
|url-status = dead
}}
{{watprn
| 1 = GAT
| 2 = 7204
| title = Fish Trap, Llandona
| access-date = 30 September 2021
}}
{{cite report
| work = National Monuments Record of Wales (NMRW)
| title = Llanddona Fish Weir
| date = 31 October 2002
| publisher = Cadw
| access-date =
| orig-year = Scheduled 2002
| id = Cadw Id: AN137
}}
{{cite report
| title = The Archaeological and Historical Significance of Intertidal Fish Traps at Llanon, Cardigan Bay
| date = 2014
| last = Vousden
| first = Nikola
| publisher = University of Wales Trinity Saint David
| location = Lampeter
| pages = 32–33
| citeseerx = 10.1.1.655.3206}}
{{cite report
| title = Flood, Folklore and Fish Weirs
| last = Bannerman
| first = N. V. Campbell
| date = 2011
| page = 3
| access-date = 30 July 2016
| url = http://www.nbannerman.co.uk/Flood_Folklore_and_Fishweirs.pdf
}}
{{cite web
| title = Circular walk – Llanddona
| url = http://www.visitanglesey.co.uk/media/73705/circular_walk_llanddona.pdf
| website = www.visitanglesey.co.uk
| publisher = Isle of Anglesey County Council
| accessdate = 1 August 2016
}}
{{Cite ODNB
| id = 19313
| title = Morris, Lewis
| first = Dafydd Wyn
| last = Wiliam
}}
}}
External links
- [http://www.ancientmonuments.info/wa124-llanddona-fish-weir Llanddona Fish Weir] – on Ancient Monuments website
- [https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/~cmi/lewismorris/lm4.jpg Lewis Morris's Map of Red Wharf Bay, 1748] – from a collection at Liverpool University