Dros nifer o flynyddoedd mae Ymddiriedolaeth Treftadaeth Ddiwydiannol Amlwch wedi bod yn rhannu gwybodaeth am hanes y gweithgarwch cloddio copr gwirioneddol ragorol ar Fynydd Parys, a’r effaith a gafodd hyn ar y dref, ei phorthladd a’r ardal gyfagos.
Yn y gorffennol diweddar, mae ein gwaith wedi cael ei hwyluso gan adnewyddu dau adeilad hanesyddol ym Mhorthladd Amlwch, y Bin Gopr a Llofft Hwyl, y ddau ohonynt wedi cynnal arddangosfeydd sy’n cynnwys arteffactau, rhai ohonynt wedi cael eu benthyg gan deuluoedd pobl sy’n uniongyrchol gysylltiedig â’r gweithgarwch mwyngloddio.
Er bod cyflwr y Bin Copr, yn benodol, wedi ei gwneud hi’n anodd agor dros y blynyddoedd diwethaf, rydym yn falch iawn o roi gwybod bod trafodaethau bellach ar y gweill i’r ddau safle gael eu prynu ar ran y gymuned, gyda’r perchnogion newydd yn glir yn eu hawydd i’n gwaith barhau.
Er y gall fod yn rhy hwyr eleni rydym yn obeithiol y bydd y ddau adeilad yn ailagor o 2025 ymlaen i ddarparu gwasanaeth llawn i’n cymuned ac ymwelwyr fel ei gilydd unwaith eto. Mae’n edrych fel pe gallai’r dyfodol fod mor ddisglair â’r mwyn copr sydd wedi ei gloddio ar Fynydd Parys ers Oes yr Efydd – gadewch i ni obeithio felly.
The purpose of the Amlwch Industrial Heritage Trust has been, over many years, to share knowledge about history of the genuinely outstanding copper mining activity on Parys Mountain, and the effect this had on the town, its port and the surrounding region.
In the recent past our work has been facilitated by the refurbishing of two historic buildings in Amlwch Port, the Copper Bin and Sail Loft, both of which have housed exhibitions that contain artefacts, some of which have been loaned by the families of people directly linked to the mining activity.
Whilst the condition of the Copper Bin, in particular, has made it difficult to open over the past couple of years we are delighted to advise that negotiations are now underway for both sites to be purchased on behalf of the community, with the new owners clear in their desire for our work to continue.
Whilst it may be too late for this year we are optimistic that from 2025 both buildings will re-open to provide a full service to our community and visitors alike once again. It looks as though the future could be as bright as the copper ore that has been mined on Parys Mountain since the Bronze age – let’s hope so.
MY LIFE AS A GIRL GROWING UP IN PARYS FARM
My family came to Parys Farm in 1954 & consisted of my father who was a local Welsh farmer who hailed from Pentraeth originally, my mother who was a Land Girl who was billeted in Llannerchymedd during the Second World War & my brother who is nearly 4 years older than me, & myself. I was to start school about 6 months later in Amlwch Primary School.
Parys Farm itself was rather run down in the mid-Fifties when my Dad bought it with drainage problems & too many rabbits! It consisted of 87 acres, which was a fraction of what it had been originally when The Marquis owned it, which was just over 245 acres in all.
However, antiquated as the old farmhouse was, with its rambling rooms, it was heaven-sent for a young child growing up with two statuesque Monkey Puzzle trees standing sentinel at the front!
It wasn’t long before I realised Parys was a very unique place, not least for its special ‘sense of place’,which I firmly believe was a result of its long association with the copper mines in nearby Mynydd Parys! All around the farmyard were outbuildings, many of which were built with the lucrative proceeds of selling grain to the continent in the time of the Napoleonic Wars when Sir Fon /Anglesey farms went through a prosperous period financially & frequently farmhouses were extended & re-furbished. New outbuildings sprang up: sadly, a number of these have fallen down.
The old stables spring to mind with their wooden stalls & the names of the horses inscribed on them. There was also a smithy which boasted graffiti, daubed in black tar, harking back to the days when agriculture was not mechanised & horse power ruled. I believe this black smith also made metal components for use in the copper mining.
Farming at that time was labour-intensive, not least the process of milking, when there was a cowman’s house built in the middle of a 15 acre field. The Census of 1841 lists a significant number of people living in Ty’n Beudy but by today, no sign of it is visible above ground. The Census of 1801 lists a smith living in the old smithy in Parys Farm yard. What a Mecca this place must have been in its heyday! No wonder it is still imprinted so indelibly on my imagination!
Talking of bygone homes, there was a derelict building right on the boundary of our land, named Llys y Gwynt, which is on several old maps, but I cannot find its occupants named in any Census.
This property intrigued me as a little girl growing up, not least because I found the name quite romantic, it means ‘Court of the Wind’ & is well-named being high up! It was included in Parys Farm land & is named in the 1910 Finance Act, & listed as Hereditament No. 246 but it transpires it was included in with Parys Farm land under 184 & was classed as’Redundant’by that time.
I frequently wonder who might have lived there.
Linking this centre with Rhosgoch, Amlwch, Rhosybol & Mynydd Parys were 3 footpaths: one emanating from the direction of Rhosgoch, which wound its way through our marshy area, another which veered off in the direction of Rhosybol & the interlinking public path which connected them, which culminated in Amlwch. It was not unusual to see people walking these footpaths, notably the one coming from the Amlwch direction. In fact, the cross-country run from the local secondary school used to cross through our yard, much to the amusement of my father!
As I grew older, I took my sturdy legs up the Mountain road in search of adventure & realised on cresting this track & crossing the B5111, a whole new landscape, one of wonder & awe, opened up before me! It was the colours that left the most impression upon me as well as the topography & the ruined buildings..
In later life, I was to become a fell runner & mountaineer in the Eryri area. They do say, your formative years life can shape your future life, I guess it is all about subconscious impressions.
They are still mining on Mynydd Parys & in my family’s days there, there was often a drilling rig on one of our fields, for which imposition my father would receive compensation.
In summary, as many of my contemporaries will say, we did not have much in the material sense in the Fifties especially, but we had lots of freedom which I feel builds character, as you have to be more self-sufficient. Nowhere was this more true than it was in Parys in those days with the freedom to roam, inspired by the memories of those by-gone days.
Denise Pritchard-Williams