Place:Aberdaron, Caernarvonshire, Wales

source: Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names

source: Family History Library Catalog

source: Family History Library Catalog

the text in this section is based on an article in Wikipedia

Aberdaron is a community (or parish) and former fishing village at the western tip of the Llŷn Peninsula since 1974 in Gwynedd, Wales. It lies 14.8 miles (23.8 km) west of Pwllheli and 33.5 miles (53.9 km) southwest of Caernarfon, and has a population of 965. It is sometimes referred to as the "Land's End of Wales". The community includes Bardsey Island and Llanfaelrhys (both parishes before 1934), the coastal area around Porthor, and the villages of Anelog, Penycaerau, Rhoshirwaun, Rhydlios, Uwchmynydd and Y Rhiw.

Y Rhiw and Llanfaelrhys have long been linked by sharing rectors and by their close proximity, but were originally ecclesiastical parishes in themselves. The parish of Bodferin/Bodverin was assimilated in the 19th century.

A Vision of Britain through Time lists the following lower level settlements (some of these may be spelling variations of those above):

• Chapelries: Capel Anelog, Capel Odo, Eglwys Fair, Llanllawen
• Grange: Cwmdyliw
• Hamlets: Bodernabwy, Cadlan, Deunant, Dwyros, Rhedynfre, Ystolhelyg
• Townships: Bodrydd, Bodwrdda, Is Sely, Llawenan, Pennarfynydd, Tre Glas, Tynrefail, Ultra Daron, Uwch Sely

The village was the last rest stop for pilgrims heading to Bardsey Island, the legendary "island of 20,000 saints". In the 18th and 19th centuries it developed as a shipbuilding centre and port. The mining and quarrying industries became major employers, and limestone, lead, jasper and manganese were exported, and there are the ruins of an old pier running out to sea at Porth Simdde, which is the local name for the west end of Aberdaron Beach. After the Second World War the mining industry collapsed, and Aberdaron gradually developed into a popular holiday resort.

Research Tips

• A 1900 Ordnance Survey map of the historic county of Caernarvonshire is available on the A Vision of Britain through Time website. This shows all the old parishes of the Llyn Peninsula.