Charles III
107-518: Criccieth , also spelled Cricieth ( [ˈkrɪkjɛθ] ), is a town and community in Gwynedd , Wales, on the boundary between the Llŷn Peninsula and Eifionydd . The town is 5 miles (8 km) west of Porthmadog , 9 miles (14 km) east of Pwllheli and 17 miles (27 km) south of Caernarfon . It had a population of 1,826 in 2001, reducing to 1,753 at the 2011 census. The town
214-731: A local government district was created under the Criccieth Improvement Act 1873, which also disbanded the old borough corporation, replacing it with an elected local board. Any residual claim Criccieth may have had to be called a borough was extinguished under the Municipal Corporations Act 1883 . Local government districts were converted into urban districts under the Local Government Act 1894 . The 1894 Act also directed that parishes could no longer straddle district boundaries, and so
321-556: A French fleet in the Irish Sea stopped supplies getting through, and the castle fell in the spring of 1404. The castle was sacked; its walls were torn down; and both the castle and borough were burned. The castle was never to be reoccupied, while the town was to become a small Welsh backwater, no longer involved in affairs of state. The town was described in 1847 as follows, It is a poor straggling place, with houses built without any regard to order, and having nothing worthy of notice save
428-527: A basal Permian unconformity into at least the western part of the Caernarfon Bay Basin. The timing of gas generation presents the greatest exploration risk. Maximum burial of, and primary gas migration from, the source rocks could have terminated as early as the Jurassic , whereas many of the tilted fault blocks were reactivated or created during Paleogene inversion of the basin. However, it
535-604: A continuation into British waters of Ireland's North Celtic Sea Basin, which has two producing gas fields. The basin comprises a south-easterly deepening half-graben near the Welsh coastline, although its internal structure becomes increasingly complex towards the southwest. Permian to Triassic, syn-rift sediments within the basin are less than 3 km (1.9 mi) thick and are overlain by up to 4 km (2.5 mi) of Jurassic strata, and locally also by up to 2 km (1.2 mi) of Paleogene fluvio-deltaic sediments. The basin has
642-459: A corresponding dosage of radioactivity naturally occurring in the seafood consumed by this group of 148 μSv (0.0148 rem) and a total average dosage in Ireland from all sources of 3,620 μSv (0.362 rem). In terms of risk to this group, heavy consumption of seafood generates a 1 in 18 million chance of causing cancer. The general risk of contracting cancer in Ireland is 1 in 522. In
749-456: A further invasion of Gwynedd, during which Llywelyn was killed on the battlefield at Cilmeri . With the final defeat of Gwynedd, Edward set about consolidating his rule in Wales. Criccieth Castle was extended and reshaped, becoming one of a ring of castles surrounding Edward's newly conquered territories. A township developed to support the garrison and a charter was granted in 1284; the charter
856-565: A great storm in the Irish Sea stopped the tidal flow, causing a double high tide. High seas and strong on-shore winds destroyed houses at Abermarchnad, the pressure of the waves punching holes through the back walls; the houses subsequently had to be demolished and the occupants rehoused. There are two tiers of local government covering Criccieth, at community (town) and county level: Criccieth Town Council (Cyngor Tref Criccieth) and Gwynedd Council (Cyngor Gwynedd). The town council meets at
963-402: A large extent on whether the seabed is composed of rock , boulders , gravel , sand , mud or even peat . In the soft sediments seven types of community have been provisionally identified, variously dominated by brittle-stars , sea urchins , worms, mussels , tellins , furrow-shells , and tower-shells. Parts of the bed of the Irish Sea are very rich in wildlife. The seabed southwest of
1070-638: A luscious, green countryside and many delicate plant species grow wild; gorse flowers throughout the year. One plant unusual to Criccieth is Lampranthus multiradiatus (syn. Lampranthus roseus ), known locally as the Oxenbould daisy and introduced in the late 19th century by a resident of Min-y-Mor. At the 2001 Census, Criccieth had a population of 1,826, of which 62.76% were born in Wales, whilst 32.61% were born in England. 62.54% of households were owner occupied, and 25.30% were in rented accommodation. In
1177-480: A national revolt against English rule . Criccieth was besieged for several months over the winter; 41 residents sought refuge within its walls, joining the garrison of 29 men under William de Leybourne , until supplies were brought in from Ireland the following April. The following year, the castle was again used as a prison, housing captives taken in Edward's wars against Scotland . Three Welshmen who had settled in
SECTION 10
#17327726185491284-548: A number of places off the Cardigan Bay coastline, including Criccieth; these are deposits of peat, soil and tree remains and appear to be post-glacial coastal lagoons and estuaries, which have been flooded by rising sea levels. The town has a temperate maritime climate which is influenced by the Gulf Stream . Frost and snow are rare; the last serious snowfall, of 6 inches (15 cm), was in 1985. The climate results in
1391-665: A plan to reintroduce grey whales by airlifting 50 of them from the Pacific Ocean to the Irish Sea was claimed to be logically and ethically feasible; it has not been implemented as of 2013. The common or harbour seal and the grey seal are both resident in the Irish Sea. Common seals breed in Strangford Lough, grey seals in southwest Wales and, in small numbers, on the Isle of Man. Grey seals haul out, but do not breed, off Hilbre and Walney islands, Merseyside ,
1498-577: A proven petroleum system, with potentially producible gas reserves at the Dragon discovery near the UK/ROI median line, and oil shows in a further three wells. The Cardigan Bay Basin contains multiple reservoir targets, which include the Lower Triassic (Sherwood Sandstone), Middle Jurassic shallow marine sandstones and limestone (Great Oolite ), and Upper Jurassic fluvial sandstone, the reservoir for
1605-578: A rebel. By 1277, Edward's armies had captured the Isle of Anglesey , and were encamped at Deganwy ; the settlement, the Treaty of Aberconwy , forced Llywelyn to acknowledge Edward as his sovereign, and stripped him of much of his territory. Dafydd ap Gruffydd , Llywelyn's younger brother, attacked the English forces at Hawarden in 1282, setting off a widespread rebellion throughout Wales; Edward responded with
1712-412: A revolt. He was proclaimed Prince of Wales, and within days a number of towns in the north east of Wales had been attacked. By 1401 the whole of northern and central Wales had rallied to Owain's cause, and by 1403 villages throughout the country were rising in support. English castles and manor houses fell and were occupied by Owain's supporters. Although the garrison at Criccieth Castle had been reinforced,
1819-507: A sandy beach with a shallow area for bathing, whilst the Marine Beach, to the west, is quieter and has a number of hotels and guest houses. The rhyolitic headland on which the castle is built is strong and not easily eroded. The cliffs to each side, however, are less resistant, being made up of glacial drift , layers of boulders, stones, clay and silt which were laid down during the last ice age . Sea walls were already in existence at
1926-533: A series of dramatic changes over the last 20,000 years as the last glacial period ended and was replaced by warmer conditions. At the height of the glaciation, the central part of the modern sea was probably a long freshwater lake. As the ice retreated 10,000 years ago, the lake reconnected to the sea. The Irish Sea was formed in the Neogene era. Notable crossings include several invasions from Britain. The Norman invasion of Ireland took place in stages during
2033-400: A stained glass insertion above the shop window which depicts bakers at work. In the past nearby residents could bring their own dough to be baked in the ovens. By the castle entrance Gardd y Stocs, a small green, was home to the town's stocks , whilst the building that houses the castle information centre was part of the town's guildhall . The heart of the old town is Y Dref. It was here that
2140-626: A year. Holyhead port handles most of the passenger traffic from Dublin and Dún Laoghaire ports, as well as 3.3 million tonnes (3,200,000 long tons; 3,600,000 short tons) of freight. Ports in the Republic handle 3,600,000 travellers crossing the sea each year, amounting to 92% of all Irish Sea travel. Ferry connections from Wales to Ireland across the Irish Sea include Fishguard Harbour and Pembroke to Rosslare , Holyhead to Dún Laoghaire and Holyhead to Dublin. From Scotland , Cairnryan connects with both Belfast and Larne . There
2247-470: A yellow pebble-dashed building once owned by the Bird's Custard family. Morfin, on Tan-y-Grisiau Terrace was used as an office by David Lloyd George whilst he was practising as a solicitor . Nearby, Ty Newydd, a mid-16th century house, was originally built to house the estate bailiff. Criccieth's first council houses on the adjacent Henbont Road were built on land donated to rehouse families made homeless by
SECTION 20
#17327726185492354-548: Is a seaside resort , popular with families. Attractions include the ruins of Criccieth Castle , which have extensive views over the town and surrounding countryside. Nearby on Castle Street is Cadwalader's Ice Cream Parlour, opened in 1927, and the High Street has several bistro -style restaurants . In the centre is Y Maes, part of the original medieval town common . The town is noted for its fairs , held on 23 May and 29 June every year, when large numbers of people visit
2461-486: Is a division of land in Wales that forms the lowest tier of local government in Wales . Welsh communities are analogous to civil parishes in England but, unlike English parishes, communities cover the whole of Wales. There are 878 communities in Wales. Until 1974 Wales was divided into civil parishes . These were abolished by section 20 (6) of the Local Government Act 1972 , and replaced by communities by section 27 of
2568-662: Is also a connection between Liverpool and Belfast via the Isle of Man or direct from Birkenhead . The world's largest car ferry , Ulysses , is operated by Irish Ferries on the Dublin Port–Holyhead route; Stena Line also operates between Britain and Ireland. "Irish Sea" is also the name of one of the BBC 's Shipping Forecast areas defined by the coordinates: Iarnród Éireann , Irish Ferries , Northern Ireland Railways , ScotRail , Stena Line and Transport for Wales Rail promote SailRail with through rail tickets for
2675-503: Is also possible that a secondary gas charge occurred during regional heating associated with intrusion of Paleogene dykes , such as those that crop out nearby on the coastline of north Wales. (Floodpage et al., 1999) have invoked this second phase of Paleogene hydrocarbon generation as an important factor in the charging of the East Irish Sea Basin's oil and gas fields. It is not clear as yet whether aeromagnetic anomalies in
2782-692: Is bounded to the north and south by Lower Paleozoic massifs . Only two exploration wells have been drilled so far, and there remain numerous undrilled targets in tilted fault block plays . As in the East Irish Sea Basin, the principal target reservoir is the Lower Triassic, Sherwood Sandstone, top-sealed by younger Triassic mudstones and evaporites. Wells in the Irish Sector to the west have demonstrated that pre-rift, Westphalian coal measures are excellent hydrocarbon source rocks, and are at peak maturity for gas generation (Maddox et al., 1995). Seismic profiles clearly image these strata continuing beneath
2889-518: Is closely associated with sediment activity, with muddy deposits on the seabed acting as sinks, soaking up an estimated 200 kg (440 lb) of plutonium . The highest concentration is found in the eastern Irish Sea in sediment banks lying parallel to the Cumbrian coast. This area acts as a significant source of wider contamination as radionuclides are dissolved once again. Studies have revealed that 80% of current seawater contamination by caesium
2996-525: Is found in Brut y Tywysogion , where reference is made to the imprisonment of Gruffudd ap Llywelyn in the 'castle of Cruceith ' ( Middle Welsh orthography: Kastell Krukeith ). The form Cruciaith was used by Iolo Goch in a famous 14th century poem addressed to Sir Hywel y Fwyall, custodian of the castle. There are a number of theories as to the meaning, but the most popular is that it comes from crug caeth : caeth may mean 'prisoner' and thus
3103-517: Is no top-seal for reservoirs sub cropping the regional base Permian unconformity in the east of the basin, and Carboniferous strata crop out at the sea bed in the west. Previous exploration drilling in the Kish Bank Basin has confirmed the potential for petroleum generation with oil shows seen in a number of wells together with natural hydrocarbon seeps recorded from airborne surveys. New analysis of vintage 2-D seismic data has revealed
3210-496: Is of significant economic importance to regional trade, shipping and transport, as well as fishing and power generation in the form of wind power and nuclear power plants . Annual traffic between Great Britain and Ireland is over 12 million passengers and 17 million tonnes (17,000,000 long tons; 19,000,000 short tons) of traded goods. The Irish Sea joins the North Atlantic at both its northern and southern ends. To
3317-465: Is sourced from sediment banks, whilst plutonium levels in the western sediment banks between the Isle of Man and the Irish coast are being maintained by contamination redistributed from the eastern sediment banks. The consumption of seafood harvested from the Irish Sea is the main pathway for exposure of humans to radioactivity. The environmental monitoring report for the period 2003 to 2005 published by
Criccieth - Misplaced Pages Continue
3424-470: Is the largest island in the Irish Sea, followed by the Isle of Man . The term Manx Sea may occasionally be encountered ( Welsh : Môr Manaw , Irish : Muir Meann Manx : Mooir Vannin , Scottish Gaelic : Muir Mhanainn ). On its shoreline are Scotland to the north, England to the east, Wales to the southeast, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland to the west. The Irish Sea
3531-541: The Bahama and King William Banks to the east and north of the Isle of Man and the Kish Bank , Codling Bank, Arklow Bank and Blackwater Bank near the coast of Ireland. The Irish Sea, at its greatest width, is 200 km (120 mi) and narrows to 75 km (47 mi). The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the Irish Sea (with St George's Channel) as follows, The Irish Sea has undergone
3638-873: The Douglas Complex the gas is piped by subsea pipeline to the Point of Ayr gas terminal for further processing. The gas is then sent by onshore pipeline to PowerGen 's combined cycle gas turbine power station at Connah's Quay . PowerGen is the sole purchaser of gas from the Liverpool Bay development. The Liverpool Bay development comprises four offshore platforms. Offshore storage and loading facilities. The onshore gas processing terminal at Point of Ayr. Production first started at each field as follows: Hamilton North in 1995, Hamilton in 1996, Douglas in 1996, Lennox (oil only) in 1996 and Hamilton East 2001. The first contract gas sales were in 1996. The quality of
3745-521: The Irish Sea , probably around the 4th century BC. Ptolemy calls the peninsula Ganganorum Promontorium (English: Peninsula of the Gangani); the Gangani were a tribe of Irish Celts, and it is thought there may have been strong and friendly links with Leinster . Although it is thought that Criccieth Castle was built around 1230 by Llywelyn ab Iorwerth , who had controlled the area since 1202,
3852-745: The Local Government (Wales) Act 1994 and the Local Government (Wales) Measure 2011 . Irish Sea The Irish Sea is a 46,007 km (17,763 sq mi) body of water that separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain . It is linked to the Celtic Sea in the south by St George's Channel and to the Inner Seas off the West Coast of Scotland in the north by the North Channel . Anglesey , North Wales ,
3959-537: The North Channel to see if a tunnel between Ireland and Scotland was viable. Sixty years later, Harford Montgomery Hyde , Unionist MP for North Belfast, called for the building of such a tunnel. A tunnel project has been discussed several times in the Irish parliament . The idea for a 34-kilometre (21 mi) long rail bridge or tunnel continues to be mooted. Several potential projects have been proposed, including one between Dublin and Holyhead put forward in 1997 by
4066-504: The Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland (RPII) reported that in 2005 average quantities of radioactive contamination found in seafood ranged from less than 1 Bq/kg (12 pCi/lb) for fish to under 44 Bq/kg (540 pCi/lb) for mussels. Doses of man-made radioactivity received by the heaviest consumers of seafood in Ireland in 2005 was 1.10 μSv (0.000110 rem). This compares with
4173-453: The Wirral , St Annes, Barrow-in-Furness Borough, and Cumbria. The Irish Sea has been described by Greenpeace as the most radioactively contaminated sea in the world with some "eight million litres of nuclear waste " discharged into it each day from Sellafield reprocessing plants, contaminating seawater, sediments and marine life. Low-level radioactive waste has been discharged into
4280-625: The fairground and the market which spreads through many of the streets of the town. Criccieth hosted the National Eisteddfod in 1975, and in 2003 was granted Fairtrade Town status. It won the Wales in Bloom competition each year from 1999 to 2004. The town styles itself the "Pearl of Wales on the Shores of Snowdonia". The earliest recorded form of the place name Criccieth in Welsh
4387-783: The sea duck , common scoter , spend winters feeding in shallow waters off eastern Ireland, Lancashire and North Wales . Whales, dolphins and porpoises all frequent the Irish Sea, but knowledge of how many there may be and where they go is somewhat sketchy. About a dozen species have been recorded since 1980, but only three are seen fairly often. These are the harbour porpoise , bottlenose dolphin and common dolphin . The more rarely seen species are minke whale , fin whale , sei whale , humpback whale , North Atlantic right whales which are now considered to be almost extinct in eastern North Atlantic, sperm whale , northern bottlenose whale , long-finned pilot whale , orca , white-beaked dolphin , striped dolphin and Risso's dolphin . In 2005,
Criccieth - Misplaced Pages Continue
4494-467: The 16th century, at the bottom of Lôn Felin stood the town's mill, powered by water from a millpond near to the present level crossing and fed from the Afon Cwrt. The herring industry was important by the 19th century, with horsedrawn carts converging on Abermarchnad to transport the catch to neighbouring villages. There was also a coal yard and other storehouses by the quay, where the Afon Cwrt enters
4601-527: The 1927 storm. Three 600-year-old cottages, originally thatched, make up Wellington Terrace. They are thought to be the oldest in the town. Castle Road is within the original settlement, Yr Hen Dref, though most of the houses are Victorian . Ty Mawr, however, originally a smallholding and later a public house , dates from the 16th century, whilst on the opposite side of the street a long stone building, divided into three cottages, Porth yr Aur, Trefan and Cemlyn, dates from 1700. The Castle Bakery next door features
4708-573: The British engineering firm Symonds. At 80 km (50 mi), it would have been by far the longest rail tunnel on earth with an estimated cost approaching £20 billion. An offshore wind farm was developed on the Arklow Bank, Arklow Bank Wind Park , about 10 km (6.2 mi) off the coast of County Wicklow in the south Irish Sea. The site currently has seven GE 3.6 MW turbines , each with 104-metre (341 ft) diameter rotors ,
4815-545: The Cricieth spelling on multiple occasions, dating back to at least 1969 when the county council asked the urban district council (the town council's predecessor) to change the name, but it declined to do so. This led to a row between the two councils over various road signs the county council had already put up with the Cricieth spelling. The town council maintained its position of using the spelling Criccieth in both Welsh and English contexts when similar requests for it to change
4922-479: The Crown . In Wales, all town councils are community councils. There are now three communities with city status: Bangor , St Asaph and St Davids . The chair of a town council or city council will usually have the title mayor (Welsh: maer ). However, not every community has a council. In communities with populations too small to sustain a full community council, community meetings may be established. The communities in
5029-575: The Dee Estuary and the estuaries are also important as nurseries for flatfish , herring and sea bass . Muddy seabeds in deeper waters are home to populations of the Dublin Bay prawn , also known as "scampi". The open sea is a complex habitat in its own right. It exists in three spatial dimensions and also varies over time and tide. For example, where freshwater flows into the Irish Sea in river estuaries its influence can extend far offshore as
5136-478: The Dragon discovery. The most likely hydrocarbon source rocks are Early Jurassic marine mudstones. These are fully mature for oil generation in the west of the British sector and are mature for gas generation nearby in the Irish sector. Gas-prone, Westphalian pre-rift coal measures may also be present at depth locally. The Cardigan Bay Basin was subjected to two Tertiary phases of compressive uplift, whereas maximum burial that terminated primary hydrocarbon generation
5243-715: The East Irish Sea Basin is at a mature exploration phase. Early Namurian basinal mudstones are the source rocks for these hydrocarbons. Production from all fields is from fault-bounded traps of the Lower Triassic formation, principally the aeolian Sherwood Sandstone reservoir, top-sealed by younger Triassic continental mudstones and evaporites . Future mineral exploration will initially concentrate on extending this play , but there remains largely untested potential also for gas and oil within widespread Carboniferous fluvial sandstone reservoirs. This play requires intraformational mudstone seal units to be present, as there
5350-762: The Irish Sea and its surrounding coastline, ranging from flower-like fan-worms to predatory swimming crabs to large chameleon -like cuttlefish . Some of the most significant for other wildlife are the reef-building species like the inshore horse mussel of Strangford Lough, the inter-tidal honeycomb worm of Morecambe Bay, Cumbria and Lancashire , and the sub-tidal honeycomb worm of the Wicklow Reef . These build up large structures over many years and, in turn, provide surfaces, nooks and crannies where other marine animals and plants may become established and live out some or all of their lives. There are quite regular records of live and stranded leatherback turtles in and around
5457-453: The Irish Sea are of international importance for birds. They are vital feeding grounds on migration flyways for shorebirds travelling between the Arctic and Africa. Others depend on the milder climate as a refuge when continental Europe is in the grip of winter. Twenty-one species of seabird are reported as regularly nesting on beaches or cliffs around the Irish Sea. Huge populations of
SECTION 50
#17327726185495564-408: The Irish Sea as part of operations at Sellafield since 1952. The rate of discharge began to accelerate in the mid- to late 1960s, reaching a peak in the 1970s and generally declining significantly since then. As an example of this profile, discharges of plutonium (specifically Pu ) peaked in 1973 at 2,755 terabecquerels (74,500 Ci) falling to 8.1 TBq (220 Ci) by 2004. Improvements in
5671-473: The Irish Sea. This species travels north to the waters off the British Isles every year following the swarms of jellyfish that form its prey. Loggerhead turtle, ridley sea turtle and green turtle are found very occasionally in the Irish Sea but are generally unwell or dead when discovered. They have strayed or been swept out of their natural range further south into colder waters. The estuaries of
5778-477: The Isle of Man is particularly noted for its rarities and diversity, as are the horse mussel beds of Strangford Lough. Scallops and queen scallops are found in more gravelly areas. In the estuaries, where the bed is more sandy or muddy, the number of species is smaller but the size of their populations is larger. Brown shrimp , cockles and edible mussels support local fisheries in Morecambe Bay and
5885-719: The Memorial Hall on High Street. The town forms part of the Dwyfor Meirionnydd constituency for elections to the House of Commons , and also forms part of the Dwyfor Meirionnydd constituency for the Senedd . Criccieth was an ancient parish . It was also the main town in the ancient commote of Eifionydd , which in 1284 was made part of the new county of Caernarfonshire under the Statute of Rhuddlan . Also in 1284
5992-786: The Middle Jurassic section. The Liverpool Bay Development was BHP 's largest operated asset. It comprises the integrated development of five offshore oil and gas fields in the Irish Sea: Oil is produced from the Lennox and Douglas fields. It is then treated at the Douglas Complex and piped 17 km (11 mi) to an oil storage barge ready for export by tankers. Gas is produced from the Hamilton, Hamilton North and Hamilton East reservoirs. After initial processing at
6099-474: The North Channel of around six months with peak concentrations off the northeast Irish coast occurring 18–24 months after peak discharge. Less soluble elements such as plutonium are subject to much slower redistribution. Whilst concentrations have declined in line with the reduction in discharges they are markedly higher in the eastern Irish Sea compared to the western areas. The dispersal of these elements
6206-667: The Opposition Andrew RT Davies MS ( C ) Shadow Cabinet ( current ) Prime Minister Rt Hon Keir Starmer MP ( L ) Secretary of State for Wales Rt Hon Jo Stevens MP (L) Principal councils ( leader list ) Corporate Joint Committees Local twinning see also: Regional terms and Regional economy United Kingdom Parliament elections European Parliament elections (1979–2020) Local elections Police and crime commissioner elections Referendums A community ( Welsh : cymuned )
6313-537: The UK, the heaviest seafood consumers in Cumbria received a radioactive dosage attributable to Sellafield discharges of 220 μSv (0.022 rem) in 2005. This compares to average annual dose of naturally sourced radiation received in the UK of 2,230 μSv (0.223 rem). Discussions of linking Britain to Ireland began in 1895, with an application for £15,000 towards the cost of carrying out borings and soundings in
6420-400: The adjoining shores , the seabed and the open sea itself. The information on the invertebrates of the seabed of the Irish Sea is rather patchy because it is difficult to survey such a large area, where underwater visibility is often poor and information often depends upon looking at material brought up from the seabed in mechanical grabs. However, the groupings of animals present depend to
6527-537: The area of the abolished urban district. District-level functions passed to Dwyfor District Council , which was in turn replaced in 1996 by Gwynedd Council. Criccieth is located in Eifionydd on the Cardigan Bay shore of the Llŷn Peninsula . The town is south facing and built around the rocky outcrop containing Criccieth Castle , which effectively divides the shoreline in two at this point. The East Shore has
SECTION 60
#17327726185496634-556: The borough corporation had very few powers. The role of mayor and constable of the castle had become hereditary; in 1835 it was held by William Ormsby-Gore , who lived in Shropshire . Given its limited powers, the borough was left unreformed when the Municipal Corporations Act 1835 reformed most ancient boroughs across the country into municipal boroughs . The old corporation continued to operate, but with very few functions. In order to provide more modern forms of local government,
6741-575: The borough had Welsh names. Richard II was deposed and imprisoned in 1399, and died in mysterious circumstances the following year. Opposition to the new king, Henry IV , was particularly strong in Wales and Cheshire , and in 1400 serious civil unrest broke out in Chester . Henry had already declared Owain Glyndŵr , a descendant of the Princes of Powys , a traitor, and on 16 September 1400 Owain launched
6848-435: The borough, which was supposedly reserved for the English, were evicted in 1337, but times were about to change. Hywel ap Gruffydd was appointed constable of the castle in 1359, the first Welshman to hold the post. The following year came mayor of the town, holding the office for twenty years; in a poem of praise, Iolo Goch described him as "a puissant knight, head of a garrison guarding the land". By 1374 eight jurymen from
6955-772: The community boundaries within their area every fifteen years. The councils propose changes to the Local Democracy and Boundary Commission for Wales , which prepares a report and makes recommendations to the Welsh Government . If the Welsh Government accepts the recommendations, then it implements them using a statutory instrument . For example, in 2016 four new communities were created in the City and County of Cardiff . The legislation surrounding community councils in Wales has been amended significantly in
7062-426: The east. The depth of the western channel ranges from 80 m (260 ft) to 275 m (900 ft). Cardigan Bay in the south, and the waters to the east of the Isle of Man , are less than 50 m (160 ft) deep. With a total water volume of 2,430 km (580 cu mi) and a surface area of 47,000 km (18,000 sq mi), 80% is to the west of the Isle of Man. The largest sandbanks are
7169-547: The eastern end of the Esplanade stands the Morannedd Café, built in 1954 by Clough Williams-Ellis . Talhenbont Hall is a Grade II listed manor house. It was built in 1607 was once the home of William Vaughan. In 1642, the owner William Lloyd was arrested as a Royalist sympathiser as Cromwell's men took over the hall. In 1758 Talhenbont was the largest single owned piece of land in the district of Eifionydd . The estate
7276-522: The first record of the building was in 1239, when the administrative centre of Eifionydd was moved from Dolbenmaen . In the later years of his life, Llywelyn turned his attention to his successor. Welsh law stipulated that illegitimate sons had equal rights with legitimate sons; Llywelyn sought to ensure that Dafydd ap Llywelyn , his legitimate offspring, would inherit Gwynedd in place of his eldest, but illegitimate, son Gruffydd . On Llywelyn's death in 1240, Dafydd sought to secure his position. Dafydd
7383-408: The freshwater is lighter and "floats" on top of the much larger body of salt water until wind and temperature changes mix it in. Similarly, warmer water is less dense and seawater warmed in the inter-tidal zone may "float" on the colder offshore water. The amount of light penetrating the seawater also varies with depth and turbidity. This leads to differing populations of plankton in different parts of
7490-753: The greatest wildlife resource of the Irish Sea lies in its estuaries : particularly the Dee Estuary , the Mersey Estuary , the Ribble Estuary , Morecambe Bay , the Solway Firth , the Firth of Clyde , Belfast Lough , Strangford Lough , Carlingford Lough , Dundalk Bay , Dublin Bay and Wexford Harbour . However, a lot of wildlife also depends on the cliffs, salt marshes and sand dunes of
7597-434: The green at West Parade stands a shelter donated by Margaret Lloyd George , the wife of the former prime minister . Muriau on Lôn Fel includes a group of partly 17th century farm buildings set around a square, which were converted into houses by Elizabeth Williams Ellis of Chwilog . Muriau Poethion contains an early spiral staircase going round a large inglenook fireplace. North of Pwllheli Road, several mansions are along
7704-476: The ill-fated Versailles peace treaty . Before that he was one of the great welfare reformers of the 20th century, starting old age pensions and unemployment payments. His position as a leading statesman brought Criccieth national and international prominence that it had never previously enjoyed; the town still has many locations connected with Lloyd George and his family. Disaster struck Criccieth in October 1927;
7811-479: The lane, now named Lôn Fel Uchaf. Parciau was once owned by Ellis Annwyl Owen, rector of Llanystumdwy from 1837 to 1846, whilst Parciau Mawr has a notable 19th century hay barn. Bryn Awelon was the home of David Lloyd George before the First World War , and later of his daughter Megan . Nearby, on Arfonia Terrace, is Parciau Uchaf, a farmhouse dating from 1829. Y Gorlan on Caernarfon Road formed part of
7918-594: The late 12th century from Porthclais near St. Davids , Wales , in Hulks , Snekkars , Keels and Cogs to Wexford Harbour , Leinster . The Tudors crossed the Irish Sea to invade in 1529 in caravels and carracks . In 1690 the English fleet set sail for the Williamite War in Ireland from Hoylake , Wirral , the departure becoming permanently known as King's Gap as a result. Because Ireland has neither tunnel nor bridge to connect it with Great Britain ,
8025-475: The name could mean 'prisoner's rock', a reference to the imprisonment of one of Llywelyn ab Iorwerth's sons in the castle by his brother. However, caeth has the primary meaning in Middle Welsh of 'serf[s]' and the name could refer to a bond community nearby. In later medieval times the settlement was also known as Treferthyr (martyr's town), probably a reference to Saint Catherine , after whom
8132-467: The name were made in 1985 and 2008. The area around Criccieth was settled during the Bronze Age , and a chambered tomb , Cae Dyni, survives on the coast to the east of the town; it consists of seven upright stones, and there are 13 cup marks , arranged in several groups. Evidence from other sites on the Llŷn Peninsula suggests that the area was colonised by a wave of Celtic settlers, who explored
8239-578: The north, the connection is through the North Channel between Scotland and Northern Ireland and the Malin Sea . The southern end is linked to the Atlantic through the St George's Channel between Ireland and Pembrokeshire , and the Celtic Sea . It is composed of a deeper channel about 300 km (190 mi) long and 30–50 km (20–30 mi) wide on its western side and shallower bays to
8346-549: The opposite end of the terrace was a dairy , and to the south are the ruins of the former animal pound, where stray animals were held before being sold. The former National Westminster Bank on the High Street has step gables and is a duplicate of a building at Talgarth in Powys . On the south side of the street are a number of 19th century shops, including the Medical Hall, dating from 1875 and Siop Newydd, built in 1869. At
8453-433: The parish church is named. The Welsh Language Commissioner gives the standard form of the name as Cricieth . However, the post town , Ordnance Survey and the legal name of the community all use the spelling Criccieth . The town council has the power to change the legal name of the community, or to adopt different forms of the name for use in Welsh and English language contexts. The council has been petitioned to adopt
8560-408: The part of Criccieth parish outside the urban district became a separate parish called Penllyn . The urban district was extended in 1934 to take in parts of the neighbouring parishes of Penllyn and Treflys, and again in 1938 to take in part of Llanystumdwy . Criccieth Urban District was abolished in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972 . A community called Criccieth was created instead, covering
8667-447: The partners are currently advancing a focused work programme in order to better understand and hopefully mitigate these risks. However, given its location in shallow water and close proximity to shore, the prospect is of great interest as exploration drilling, together with any future development costs, are likely to be low. Below is a list of cities and towns around the Irish Sea coasts in order of size: The most accessible and possibly
8774-654: The presence of a large undrilled structural closure at Lower Triassic level situated about 10 kilometres (6 mi) offshore Dublin. This feature, known as the Dalkey Island exploration prospect, may be prospective for oil, as there are prolific oil productive Lower Triassic reservoirs nearby in the eastern Irish Sea offshore Liverpool. Whilst the Dalkey Island exploration prospect could contain about 870 million barrels (140,000,000 m ) of oil in place, this undrilled prospect still has significant risk and
8881-428: The railway was built. Nearby, where the slate shop now stands, was a smithy. On Penpaled Road is a cottage, Penpaled, built in 1820 on a plot lying between two enclosed meadows. The meadows, Cae'r Beiliaid (bailiff's field) and Llain y Beiliaid (bailiff's strip) were subsequently to form part of the route of both the road and the railway. Further uphill stand a 17th-century whitewashed cottage, Ty'r Felin, and Foinavon,
8988-487: The ruins of the ancient castle, which stand on an eminence jutting into the sea. The population of Criccieth in 1841 was 811. The town expanded in the 19th century with the coming of new transportation links. In 1807 a turnpike road was built from Tremadog to Porthdinllaen , which was intended to be the main port for traffic to Ireland ; and with the construction of the Aberystwith and Welsh Coast Railway in 1868,
9095-487: The same Act. The principal areas of Wales are divided entirely into communities. Unlike in England, where unparished areas exist, no part of Wales is outside a community, even in urban areas . Most, but not all, communities are administered by community councils , which are equivalent to English parish councils in terms of their powers and the way they operate. Welsh community councils may call themselves town councils unilaterally and may have city status granted by
9202-401: The sea and varying communities of animals that feed on these populations. However, increasing seasonal storminess leads to greater mixing of water and tends to break down these divisions, which are more apparent when the weather is calm for long periods. Plankton includes bacteria, plants ( phytoplankton ) and animals ( zooplankton ) that drift in the sea. Most are microscopic, but some, such as
9309-462: The sea. Opposite stood a lime kiln , with lime produced both for local use and export, limestone for the kiln being unloaded from ships on the quay. At the 2001 Census 54.18% of the population were in employment, whilst the unemployment rate stood at 3.81%. The proportion retired accounted for 22.99% of the inhabitants. Of those employed, 23.04% worked in the wholesale and retail trades and 19.86% in hotels and restaurants. Criccieth Castle dominates
9416-399: The small estate of Cefniwrch Bach, a hunting lodge for Edward I at the time the castle was being built, and is thought to have been a tannery in medieval times. Ger y Maes, the end house on Holywell Terrace, is close to an ancient well, Ffynnon y Saint, which supplied much of the town's water. The house had a spring inside a cupboard, and ginger beer was manufactured and sold. The house at
9523-506: The south of Y Maes stands Caffi Cwrt, an early 18th century detached stone house where the burgesses held court when rain prevented them meeting in their usual location on the bridge. The house has been owned by just two families since 1729. Two medieval strip fields to the rear, Llain Fawr (large strip) and Llain Bella (furthest strip), formed most of the smallholding of Cwrt but were lost when
9630-460: The southeast of Caernarfon Bay are imaging a continuation of the dyke swarm into this area too, or whether they are instead associated with deeply buried Permian syn-rift volcanics . Alternatively, the fault block traps could have been recharged by exsolution of methane from formation brines as a direct result of the Tertiary uplift (cf. Doré and Jensen, 1996). The Cardigan Bay Basin forms
9737-419: The time of the first Ordnance Survey map in 1891, and the west shore sea wall had been extended and groynes built by 1913. Extensive remedial work was completed in 1965, and the defences were again strengthened in 1974 and 1985. In 1995 work was started on improving the defences along The Esplanade, followed in 1997 by further work to replace the crumbling gabions below Lôn Felin. Submerged forests occur in
9844-531: The town began to develop as a Victorian seaside resort. Criccieth solicitor David Lloyd George was elected as Liberal Member of Parliament for the Caernarfon Boroughs in 1890. He was to hold the seat for 55 years, during which he was Prime Minister from 1916 to 1922, contributing greatly to victory in the First World War (he was 'the man who won the war') through brilliant administration, leadership skills and personal energy, and negotiating
9951-554: The town was made a borough under a charter granted by Edward I of England. The first mayor was William de Leybourne , who was appointed constable of the castle a month after the charter was granted. It became customary for the constable of the castle to also serve as mayor ex officio , and the Town Hall (also known as the Guildhall) was built within the castle grounds. A government survey of boroughs in 1835 found that
10058-417: The town, standing on a rock overlooking Cardigan Bay . Little survives of the original building, but the outer defences are still prominent. The inner bailey contains the earliest remains, including the inner gatehouse, which has two semi-circular towers. It is thought that the original living quarters were in the south west tower, overlooking the sea, and that the square north tower supported a catapult . To
10165-889: The train and the ferry. The British ship LCT 326 sank in the Irish sea and was discovered in March 2020. In September 2021, the British Navy ship HMS Mercury was discovered; it sank in 1940. The British ship SS Mesaba was sunk by the Imperial German Navy U-118 in 1918 and discovered in 2022. This ship is well known for sailing near the Titanic and for attempting to warn the Titanic about dangerous icebergs. The Caernarfon Bay basin contains up to 7 cubic kilometres (1.7 cu mi) of Permian and Triassic syn-rift sediments in an asymmetrical graben that
10272-469: The treatment of waste in 1985 and 1994 resulted in further reductions in radioactive waste discharge although the subsequent processing of a backlog resulted in increased discharges of certain types of radioactive waste. Discharges of technetium in particular rose from 6.1 TBq (160 Ci) in 1993 to a peak of 192 TBq (5,200 Ci) in 1995 before dropping back to 14 TBq (380 Ci) in 2004. In total 22 petabecquerels (590 kCi) of Pu
10379-551: The urban areas of the cities of Cardiff , Swansea and Newport do not have community councils. As of the 2001 United Kingdom census , there were 869 communities in Wales. 84 percent, or more than 730, have a council. They vary in size from Rhayader with an area of 13,945 hectares (34,460 acres) to Cefn Fforest with an area of 64 hectares (160 acres). They ranged in population from Barry with 45,053 recorded inhabitants to Baglan Bay with no permanent residents. The twenty-two principal area councils are required to review
10486-460: The various species of jellyfish and sea gooseberry , can be much bigger. Diatoms and dinoflagellates dominate the phytoplankton. Although they are microscopic plants, diatoms have hard shells and dinoflagellates have little tails that propel them through the water. Phytoplankton populations in the Irish Sea have a spring "bloom" every April and May, when the seawater is generally at its greenest. Crustaceans , especially copepods , dominate
10593-594: The vast majority of heavy goods trade is done by sea. Northern Ireland ports handle 10 million tonnes (9,800,000 long tons; 11,000,000 short tons) of goods trade with the rest of the United Kingdom annually; the ports in the Republic of Ireland handle 7.6 million tonnes (7,500,000 long tons; 8,400,000 short tons), representing 50% and 40% respectively of total trade by weight. The Port of Liverpool handles 32 million tonnes (31,000,000 long tons; 35,000,000 short tons) of cargo and 734,000 passengers
10700-520: The water in Liverpool Bay was historically contaminated by dumping of sewage sludge at sea but this practice became illegal in December 1988 and no further sludge was deposited after that date. With 210 billion cubic metres (7.5 trillion cubic feet) of natural gas and 176 million barrels (28,000,000 m ) of petroleum estimated by the field operators as initially recoverable hydrocarbon reserves from eight producing fields (DTI, 2001),
10807-628: The weekly market was held, and it was also the venue for numerous political meetings. Edward I granted lands north of the borough to the Bishop of Bangor , and it is thought that Gardd yr Esgob on Lôn Bach formed part of these. In the 19th century one of the town's abattoirs stood here. Tan y Graig, a house at the end of a long garden, dates from at least 1800. Three 16th century fishermen's cottages stand in Rock Terrace. Named Sea Winds, Ty Canol and Ty Isaf, they have 14th century foundations. On
10914-465: The zooplankton. However, many animals of the seabed, the open sea and the seashore spend their juvenile stages as part of the zooplankton. The whole plankton "soup" is vitally important, directly or indirectly, as a food source for most species in the Irish Sea, even the largest. The enormous basking shark , for example, lives entirely on plankton and the leatherback turtle 's main food is jellyfish. A colossal diversity of invertebrate species live in
11021-510: Was discharged over the period 1952 to 1998. Current rates of discharge for many radionuclides are at least 100 times lower than they were in the 1970s. Analysis of the distribution of radioactive contamination after discharge reveals that mean sea currents result in much of the more soluble elements such as caesium being flushed out of the Irish Sea through the North Channel about a year after discharge. Measurements of technetium concentrations post-1994 has produced estimated transit times to
11128-572: Was half English and feared that his pure Welsh half-brother would be able to gather support to overthrow him. Gruffydd was held prisoner in Criccieth Castle, until he was handed over to Henry III of England in 1241, and moved to the Tower of London . Dafydd ap Llywelyn died in 1246, without leaving an heir, and was succeeded by Llywelyn ap Gruffudd , his nephew. Edward I had inherited the English throne in 1272, and in 1276 declared Llywelyn
11235-487: Was intended to create a plantation of English burgesses who would provide food for the soldiers from the arable land behind the Dinas and the grazings on the slopes beyond. Weekly markets were held on Thursdays and there were annual fairs on 25 April and 18 October, the evangelical feasts of Saint Mark and Saint Luke . The new administration soon proved unpopular among the native Welsh, and in 1294, Madog ap Llywelyn led
11342-770: Was occupied by Sir Thomas Mostyn , the sixth baronet, from 1796. In 1884 the estate was split into sections to pay off debts that had crept up during the Napoleonic Wars . It is now operated as a holiday centre. Community (Wales) Heir Apparent William, Prince of Wales First Minister ( list ) Rt Hon Eluned Morgan MS ( L ) Deputy First Minister Huw Irranca-Davies MS ( L ) Counsel General-designate – Elisabeth Jones Chief Whip and Trefnydd – Jane Hutt MS (L) Permanent Secretary Sixth Senedd Llywydd (Presiding Officer) Elin Jones MS ( PC ) Leader of
11449-527: Was probably around the end of the Cretaceous , or earlier if Cretaceous strata, now missing, were never deposited in the basin. Despite the Tertiary structuration, the Dragon discovery has proved that potentially commercial volumes of hydrocarbons were retained at least locally in Cardigan Bay. In addition to undrilled structural traps, the basin contains the untested potential for stratigraphic entrapment of hydrocarbons near synsedimentary faults, especially in
#548451