Anglesey, Wales : Historical writing

Descriptive gazetteer entries

These other entries in our collection of descriptive gazetteers are also about Anglesey. You may be able to find further references to Anglesey in the descriptive gazetteers by doing a full-text search here.

Place Type of entry Source
Anglesey an insular county Bartholomew
ANGLESEY Imperial

Travel writing

This website includes the complete texts of books describing journeys around Britain, written between the twelfth and nineteenth centuries. Selecting one of the links below will take you to the first reference to Anglesey within the selected text. This will not always be a description of a visit: travellers often mention places other than where they are, for example as a basis for comparison.

Traveller Section No. of Refs.
William Camden Rest of Wales 21
William Camden Smaller Islands in the British Ocean 15
Gerald of Wales Book II, Ch. 7: Anglesey 9
Daniel Defoe Letter 6, Part 3: Worcester, Hereford and Wales 5
Gerald of Wales Book II, Ch. 9: Snowdonia 2
Charles Wesley May 3 - Dec. 28, 1747: Wales and Ireland 2
Gerald of Wales Introduction 1
Gerald of Wales Book II, Ch. 6: Lleyn and Bangor 1
Gerald of Wales Book II, Ch. 8: Conway 1
William Camden Ireland (1) 1
George Head South from Douglas 1
Arthur Young Sections 10-12: Timber, Planting; Manures, Waste Lands; Cattle, Wool, Winter Food 1

This website includes two large libraries, of historical travel writing and of entries from nineteenth century gazetteers describing places. We have text from these sources available for these places near your location:

Place Mentioned in Travel Writing Mentioned in Historical Gazetteer
Bodwrog 0 2
Llangwyllog 0 2
Heneglwys 0 2
Coedana 0 2
Llandrygarn 0 2
Gwalchmai 0 2
Llechgynfarwy 0 2
Tregaean 0 3
Trewalchmai 0 2
Cerrigceinwen 0 2
Llannerch Y Medd 0 2
Llangefni 0 2
Llanbeulan 0 2
Llanfihangel Trer Bardd 0 2
Rhodogeidio 0 2
Llantrisant 0 2
Llifon 0 2
Llangristiolus 0 2
Holyrood Church 0 2
Tregarnedd 0 1

Names from historical writing

The following appear as names for Anglesey. Follow the links for what the author actually said:

Name Author Source
ANGLESEA Gerald of Wales The Itinerary of Archbishop Baldwin through Wales (Oxford, Mississippi, 1997).
Charles Wesley The Journal of the Rev. Charles Wesley (London: Hutchinson & Co., 1849).
Arthur Young A Tour in Ireland, made in the years 1776, 1777, and 1778 (London: T. Cadell, 1780).
ANGLESEY John Bartholomew Gazetteer of the British Isles (Edinburgh: Bartholomew, 1887).
John Marius Wilson Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (Edinburgh: A Fullarton & Co., 1870-72).
ENGLES EA William Camden Britain, or, a Chorographicall Description of the most flourishing Kingdomes, England, Scotland, and Ireland (London: George Bishop and John Norton, 1610).
ISLE MONA William Camden Britain, or, a Chorographicall Description of the most flourishing Kingdomes, England, Scotland, and Ireland (London: George Bishop and John Norton, 1610).
ISLE OF ANGLESEA Daniel Defoe A tour thro' the whole island of Great Britain, divided into circuits or journies (London: JM Dent and Co, 1927).
MENAVIA PRIOR William Camden Britain, or, a Chorographicall Description of the most flourishing Kingdomes, England, Scotland, and Ireland (London: George Bishop and John Norton, 1610).
MON William Camden Britain, or, a Chorographicall Description of the most flourishing Kingdomes, England, Scotland, and Ireland (London: George Bishop and John Norton, 1610).
MONA William Camden Britain, or, a Chorographicall Description of the most flourishing Kingdomes, England, Scotland, and Ireland (London: George Bishop and John Norton, 1610).
Daniel Defoe A tour thro' the whole island of Great Britain, divided into circuits or journies (London: JM Dent and Co, 1927).
George Head A Home Tour through various parts of the United Kingdom (London: John Murray, 1837).
Gerald of Wales The Itinerary of Archbishop Baldwin through Wales (Oxford, Mississippi, 1997).
MONE William Camden Britain, or, a Chorographicall Description of the most flourishing Kingdomes, England, Scotland, and Ireland (London: George Bishop and John Norton, 1610).
MONEG William Camden Britain, or, a Chorographicall Description of the most flourishing Kingdomes, England, Scotland, and Ireland (London: George Bishop and John Norton, 1610).
MONEGE William Camden Britain, or, a Chorographicall Description of the most flourishing Kingdomes, England, Scotland, and Ireland (London: George Bishop and John Norton, 1610).
TIR MON William Camden Britain, or, a Chorographicall Description of the most flourishing Kingdomes, England, Scotland, and Ireland (London: George Bishop and John Norton, 1610).
YNIS DOWIL William Camden Britain, or, a Chorographicall Description of the most flourishing Kingdomes, England, Scotland, and Ireland (London: George Bishop and John Norton, 1610).
YNIS DOWYLL William Camden Britain, or, a Chorographicall Description of the most flourishing Kingdomes, England, Scotland, and Ireland (London: George Bishop and John Norton, 1610).

NB: These variant names come from our collections of historical travel writing and descriptive gazetteers:

  • The above links take you to the first reference to this particular version of the name within a book of travel writing, or to the relevant gazetteer entry.
  • Some names may derive from research by antiquarian writers such as William Camden and Thomas Pennant into the Roman, Saxon and medieval names of places. Their claims are not always supported by modern place-name researchers.
  • References by travel writers to the place using its "normal" name are not included. Descriptive gazetteer entries are included only if the name does not appear anywhere else.