History Of North Wales
Evidence of the existance of early man in North Wales can be seen in burial chambers and standing stones, such as Ty Newydd and Penrhos Feilw on Anglesey, together with the Bronze Age hill fort and Ty Mawr Iron Age stone huts both on Holyhead Mountain.
Historians believe that human habitatian of North Wales dates back to around 4000BC, when Mesolithic farmers lived on Angelsey. Around 2000BC, the Bronze Age 'Beaker Folk' settled in the area.
By around 1000BC, the population of North Wales seems to have consisted of settled farmers and miners. The remains of an ancient copper mine can be see on Pen y Gogarth (Great Orme) near Llandudno. This was when the Celtic language and traditions arrived in Wales from Europe, with them came the Druids.
The Druids were more than priests in the modern sense of the word; they were doctors, teachers, bards, seers, judges and philosophers. They were the intellectuals in a mainly tribal, warrior race and held positions of great power, controlling and guarding all aspects of Celtic life.
In spite of this, little is known of their beliefs. Writing appears to have been forbidden in the Druid world and the only documented evidence of the Druids was left by the Romans, who wrote of human sacrifices which they said sickened them. The Romans weren't adverse to cruelty themselves though, and it's more likely they saw the Druids ability to organise the Celts as a threat to Roman power.
There is one myth that should be dispelled. The Druids had nothing to do with the building of the huge stone circles - such as Druid's Circle on Penmaenmawr. These were built long before the Celts came to the British Isles, although the Druids did make use of them in their rituals.
Druid activity in North Wales, and therefore resistance against the Romans, was centred on Ynys Mon (the island of Anglesey). There are reports of the Druids carrying out guerrilla warfare against the Romans on the island, as the invaders destroyed their sacred oak forests.
The Romans finally conquered North Wales in AD75. They left their mark on the area with their forts at Holyhead and at Segontium, near Caernarfon.
The best known remains of Snowdonia's history though are the wealth medieval castles built by the native Welsh princes and the invading Normans.
This section of the site gives a brief overview of the history of Snowdonia, from the Druids to the present day, with particular attention being given to the Welsh princes of the 12th and 13th century, who's wars with the neighbouring Norman kings had a huge influence on the development of the area.
Follow the links below to discover North Wales history in more detail.
Roman Wales - Dark Age Wales - Medieval Wales - 1286 to Today
