Llyn Cerrig Bach
(Lake of the Small Stones)
Llyn Cerrig Bach is a small lake, rippled by the wind and surrounded by reeds. It is not well known, even on the Isle of Anglesey. However, Llyn Cerrig Bach is an extraordinary place because of its ancient history. The Iron Age artefacts uncovered there continue to fascinate archaeologists, and the story of their discovery still captures the public imagination.
This is the forward for a new book
by
Oriel Ynys Mon and is the subject of this month’s history story.
The Royal Air Force opened its airfield near Llyn Cerrig Bach during the second world war on 13th February 1941. The station was briefly called RAF Rhosneigr, before being renamed RAF Valley. In 1942 the runways had to be extended to accommodate large American bombers and it was said that the airman at the time had a second enemy with which to contend, namely the never-ending windblown sand.
At that time William Owen Roberts was green keeper at the Anglesey Golf Club so had plenty of experience in dealing with the problems of turf and windblown sand. He was employed by the Ministry of War Transport as Head Groundsman at the airfield. His job was to find a way of stabilising the sandy soil which had been levelled, stripped of natural windbreaks and its marram grass. The suggested solution was to dredge peat from the local bog and to spread it over the runway. From the autumn of 1942 the buckets hauled the peat to the banks and onto lorries bound for the site designed for the runway extension. One day a lorry became stuck in thick mud and needed a tow from a tractor. Unfortunately, the wire rope broke several times and eventually William retrieved an old chain he noticed lying in the mud. The chain linkage saw repeated service that day and stood up to the stress and strain without difficulty. At the end of the day William looked more carefully at the unusual construction of the chain. A sketch of the improvised tow rope was sent to the National Museum of Wales in Cardiff and was identified as a gang chain for slaves or captives, perhaps 2,000 years old. The ground staff recalled that other items found during the early stages of the ground works were flung back into the bog as scrap! In the months and years that followed further pieces of iron and bronze were found.
The make up of the collection is predominantly masculine, a bracelet being probably the only other thing which might have belonged to a woman; it is military in character. More than half the finds are metal fittings from chariot or pony harness and numerous swords and spears. So, these items are solely concerned with warfare.
The secrets of this small lake in north Wales have puzzled archaeologists to this day.
Were these offerings to the gods?
Who were the people who came to the lake?
How did they live and what was their fate when the Roman legions crossed the Menai Strait?
************
My thanks to Gwyneth Peters for bringing this story to my attention and thanks to Oriel Ynys Mon for researching and writing this book, “Llyn Cerrig Bach (Treasure from the Iron Age”) this fascination story from the history of Anglesey.