Online Encyclopedia

Search over 40,000 articles from the original, classic Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th Edition.

ANGLESEY, or ANGLESEA

Online Encyclopedia
Originally appearing in Volume V02, Page 18 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
» Make a correction to this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Spread the word: del.icio.us del.icio.us it!

See also:

ANGLESEY, or ANGLESEA , an insular See also:northern See also:county of See also:Wales. Its See also:area is 176,63o acres or about 276 sq. m. Anglesey, in the see of See also:Bangor, is separated from the mainland by the Menai Straits (Afon Menai), over which were thrown See also:Telford's suspension See also:bridge, in 1826, and the See also:Stephenson tubular railway bridge in 1850. The county is See also:flat, with slight risings such as Parys, Cadair Mynachdy (or Monachdy, i.e. " See also:chair of the monastery "; there is a Nanner, " See also:convent," not far away) and See also:Holyhead See also:Mountain. There are a few lakes, such as Cors cerrig y daran, but rising See also:water is generally scarce. The See also:climate is humid, the See also:land poor for the most See also:part compared with its old See also:state of fertility, and there are few See also:industries. As regards See also:geology, the younger strata in Anglesey See also:rest upon a See also:foundation of very old pre-See also:Cambrian rocks which appear at the See also:surface in three areas:—(1) a western region including Holyhead and Llanfaethlu, (2) a central area about Aberffraw and Trefdraeth, and (3) an eastern region which includes Newborough, Caerwen and Pentraeth. These pre-Cambrian rocks are See also:schists and slates, often much contorted and disturbed. The See also:general See also:line of strike of the formations in the See also:island is from N.E. to S.W. A See also:belt of granitic rocks lies immediately See also:north-See also:west of the central pre-Cambrian See also:mass, reaching from Llanfaelog near the See also:coast to the vicinity of Llanerchymedd. Between this See also:granite and the pre-Cambrian of Holyhead is a narrow See also:tract of Ordovician slates and grits with See also:Llandovery beds in places; this tract spreads out in the N. of the island between Dulas See also:Bay and See also:Carmel Point.

A small patch of Ordovician strata lies on the northern See also:

side of See also:Beaumaris. In parts, these Ordovician rocks are much folded, crushed and metamorphosed, and they are associated with schists and altered volcanic rocks which are probably pre-Cambrian. Between the eastern and central pre-Cambrian masses carboniferous rocks are found. The carboniferous See also:limestone occupies a broad area S. of Ligwy Bay and Pentraeth, and sends a narrow See also:spur in a See also:south-See also:westerly direction by Llangefni to Malldraeth sands. The limestone is underlain on the N.W. by a red See also:basement See also:conglomerate and yellow See also:sandstone (sometimes considered to be of Old Red Sandstone See also:age). Limestone occurs again on the N. coast about Llanfihangel and Llangoed; and in the S.W. See also:round Llanidan on the border of the Menai Strait. See also:Puffin Island is made of carboniferous limestone. Malldraeth See also:Marsh is occupied by See also:coal See also:measures, and a small patch of the same formation appears near Tall-y-foel See also:Ferry on the Menai Straits. A patch of granitic and fclsitic rocks See also:form 1'arys Mountain, where See also:copper and See also:iron ochre have been worked. See also:Serpentine (See also:Mona See also:Marble) is found near Llanfaerynneubwll and upon the opposite See also:shore in Holyhead. There are abundant evidences of glaciation, and much See also:boulder See also:clay and See also:drift See also:sand covers the older rocks. Patches of blown sand occur on the S.W. coast.

The See also:

London & North-Western railway (See also:Chester and See also:Holy-See also:head See also:branch) crosses Anglesey from Llanfairpwllgwyngyll to Gaerwen and Holyhead (Caer Gybi), also from Gaerwen to See also:Amlwch. The See also:staple of the island is farming, the See also:chief crops being turnips, oats, potatoes, with See also:flax in the centre. Copper (near Amlwch), See also:lead, See also:silver, marble, See also:asbestos, See also:lime and sandstone, See also:marl, See also:zinc and coal have all been worked in Anglesey, coal especially at Malldraeth and Trefdraeth. The See also:population of the county in 1901 was 50,606. There is no See also:parliamentary See also:borough, but one member is returned for the county. It is in the north-western See also:circuit, and assizes are held at Beaumaris, the only municipal borough (pop. 2326). Amlwch (2994), Holyhead (10,079), Llangefni (1751) and Menai Bridge (See also:Pont y Borth, 1700) are See also:urban districts. There are six hundreds and seventy-eight parishes. Mon (a cow) is the Welsh name of Anglesey, itself a corrupted form of O.E., meaning the Isle of the Angles. Old Welsh names are Ynys Dywyll (" Dark Isle ") and Ynys y cedairn (cedyrn or kedyrn; " Isle of brave folk "). It is the Mona of See also:Tacitus (See also:Ann. xiv.

29, Age. xiv. 18), See also:

Pliny the See also:Elder (iv. 16) and Dio See also:Cassius (62). It is called Mam Cymru by Giraldus Cambrensis. Clas Merddin, Y vel Ynys (See also:honey isle), Ynys Prydein, Ynys See also:Brut are other names. According to the Triads (67), Anglesey was once part of the mainland, as geology proves. The island was the seat of the See also:Druids, of whom 28 cromlechs remain, on uplands over-looking the See also:sea, e.g. at Plas Newydd. The Druids were attacked in A.D. 61 by Suetonius See also:Paulinus, and by See also:Agricola in A.D. 78. In the 5th See also:century Caswallon lived here, and here, at Aberffraw, the princes of Gwyneddlived till 1277. Thepresentroadfrom Holyhead to Llanfairpwllgwyngyll is originally See also:Roman.

See also:

British and Roman camps, coins and ornaments have been dug up and discussed, especially by the Hon. Mr See also:Stanley of Penrhos. See also:Pen Caer Gybi is Roman. The island was devastated by the Danes (Dub Gint or See also:black nations, genies), especially in A.D. 8J3. See Edw. Breese, Kalendar of Gwynedd (Venedocia), on Anglesey, See also:Carnarvon and See also:Merioneth (London, 1873) ; and The See also:History of Powys Fadog. ANGLESI'I E, a See also:mineral consisting of lead sulphate, PbSO4, crystallizing in the orthorhombic See also:system, and isomorphous with See also:barytes and celestite. It was first recognized as a mineral See also:species by Dr Withering in 1783, who discovered it in the Parys copper-mine in Anglesey; the name anglesite, from this locality, was given by F. S. See also:Beudant in 1832. The crystals from Anglesey, which were formerly found abundantly on a See also:matrix of dull See also:limonite, are small in See also:size and See also:simple in form, being usually bounded by four faces of a See also:prism and four faces of a See also:dome; they are brownish-yellow in See also:colour owing to a stain of limonite.

Crystals from some other localities, notably from Monteponi in See also:

Sardinia, are transparent and colourless, possessed of a brilliant adamantine lustre, and usually modified by numerous See also:bright faces. The variety of combinations and habits presented by the crystals is very extensive, nearly two See also:hundred distinct forms being figured by V. von See also:Lang in his monograph of the species; without measurement of the angles the crystals are frequently difficult to decipher. The hardness is 3 and the specific gravity 6.3. There are distinct cleavages parallel to the faces of the prism { r ro 1 and the basal See also:plane ) oor t, but these are not so well See also:developed as in the isomorphous minerals barytes and celestite. Anglesite is a mineral of secondary origin, having been formed by the oxidation of See also:galena in the upper parts of mineral lodes where these have been affected by weathering processes. At Mon teponi the crystals encrust cavities in glistening granular galena; and from See also:Leadhills, in See also:Scotland, pseudomorphs of anglesite after galena are known. At most localities it is foundas isolated crystals in the lead-bearing lodes, but at some places, in See also:Australia and See also:Mexico, it occurs as large masses, and is then See also:mined as an ore of lead, of which the pure mineral contains 68 %.

End of Article: ANGLESEY, or ANGLESEA

Additional information and Comments

There are no comments yet for this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Please link directly to this article:
Highlight the code below, right click, and select "copy." Then paste it into your website, email, or other HTML.
Site content, images, and layout Copyright © 2006 - Net Industries, worldwide.
Do not copy, download, transfer, or otherwise replicate the site content in whole or in part.

Links to articles and home page are always encouraged.

[back]
ANGLESEY, HENRY WILLIAM PAGET 		[next]
ANGLI, ANGLII

Site © 2006 - Net Industries