Bardsey Island () is a small island off the coast of Wales. Bardsey is wide, long and in area. The north east rises steeply from the sea to a height of at Mynydd Enlli. The western end is low and flat farmland. On the south, the island narrows to a peninsula with a lighthouse. It is the fourth-largest island in Wales.
Bardsey has several names, including the "Island of 20,000 saints". In Welsh the name means "The Island in the Currents". In English the name means the "Island of the Bards", or possibly the "Island of Barda", a Viking chieftain.
The island has been an important religious site. In AD 516, Saint Cadfan built a monastery on Bardsey. In medieval times many pilgrims visited the island, and by 1212 the monastery was part of the Augustinian Canons Regular. In 1537 Henry VIII closed the monastery and had the buildings pulled down, but pilgrims still visit the island.
Bardsey Island is famous for its wildlife and rugged scenery. A bird observatory was set up in 1953 as the island is on important migration routes. It is a nesting place for Manx shearwaters and choughs. It also has rare plants, and habitats undisturbed by modern farming practices. It is a good place to see grey seals, dolphins and porpoises.
The spirituality and sacredness of the island, its relative remoteness, and its legendary claim to be the burial site of King Arthur, have given it a special place in the cultural life of Wales. It has attracted artists, writers and musicians to its shores. It has inspired award winning literature.
Geology
The island is formed from rocks of the late Precambrian Gwna Group, part of the Monian Supergroup. The rocks are a mélange, often called Gwna Mélange, which have an unusual mix of clasts of all sizes up to 100m across. These are also very varied types, including both sedimentary and igneous rocks. Blocks of sheared granite in the melange can be seen in the northwestern coastal cliffs of the island. In other places there are clasts of quartzite, limestone, sandstone, mudstone, jasper and basalt. The deposit is an olistostrome, a very large underwater landslide possibly caused by an earthquake some time after 614 million years ago.
A dolerite dyke of Ordovician age can be seen in the melange at Trwyn y Gorlech in the north. There is an olivine dolerite dyke of Tertiary age at Cafn Enlli in the southeast. Further dykes can be seen in the cliffs at Ogof y Gaseg and at Ogof Hir.
A thin spread of glacial till stretches across the centre of the island. This was left behind by the Devensian Irish Sea Icesheet. There is a small patch of blown sand at Porth Solfach on the west coast and a landslip at Briw Cerrig at the foot of the cliffs on the east coast.
History
People lived on the island in Neolithic times, and traces of their hut circles remain. During the 5th century the island became a place of refuge for Christians and a small Celtic monastery existed. In 516 Saint Cadfan arrived from Brittany and directed the building of St Mary's Abbey. In medieval times three pilgrimages to Bardsey Island were said to be equal to one visit to Rome. In 1188 the abbey was still a Celtic institution, but by 1212 it belonged to the Augustinians. Many people still walk to Aberdaron and Uwchmynydd each year in the footsteps of the saints. Only ruins of the old abbey's 13th-century bell tower remain. A Celtic cross in the ruins commemorates the 20,000 saints claimed to be buried on the island.
Saint Deiniol, the bishop of Bangor, was buried on the island in 584. Saint Dyfrig was also buried on Bardsey Island, although in 1120 his remains were moved to Llandaff.
The Dissolution of the Lesser Monasteries Act of 1536, on the orders of Henry VIII, resulted in St Mary's Abbey being closed and its buildings pulled down in 1537. The choir stalls, two screens and the bells were moved to Llanengan, where the parish church was then being built.
For many years Bardsey Island formed part of the Newborough Estate. Between 1870 and 1875 the island's farms were rebuilt. A small limestone quarry was opened, and a lime kiln set up. Carreg and Plas Bach are separate buildings, but the remaining eight were built as semi-detached houses, each pair with outbuildings set around a shared yard. The buildings are Grade II listed. In 2008, Cadw gave £15,000 to help with some repairs. Only one of the original croglofft cottages, Carreg Bach, is still standing. Given the choice of a harbour or a new church, in 1875 the islanders asked for a place of worship; a Methodist chapel was built.