Rhoscolyn
Rhoscolyn is a village and parish located on Holy Island, Anglesey. The village is just over five miles south of Holyhead and is the most southerly on the island. The parish encompasses the southern third of the island, from Four-Mile Bridge southward. 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.[1]
A little to the west of the village is a mediæval well dedicated to St Gwenfaen beside which are the remains of a drystone well house.[2] The local church in the village itself is dedicated to the same saint and was first built in the 6th century.[3][4]
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 There was once a lifeboat station on Borthwen which was open between 1830 and 1929[5] which has been replaced by a navigational beacon on Ynysoedd Gwylanod (Gulls' Island).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.[3] Existing buildings include the local pub, The White Eagle, and the primary school which is found just over a mile north of the village.[6]
Probably the most significant lifeboat incident here was the launch to the 'Timbo'. On 1st December 1920, a small coaster, the Timbo, was sailing for 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 coxswain decided no more could be done and the lifeboat started its 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.
Outside links
References
- ↑ Information on Rhoscolyn from GENUKI
- ↑ A Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales page on the well and wellhouse
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Hughes, Margaret: Anglesey from the Sea, page 43, Carreg Gwalch, 2001
- ↑ St Gwenfaen parish homepage
- ↑ Some information on the station
- ↑ The school's website
