Anglesey (British History)

[Mick Harper]

Ah, I see what you mean. It's true there has been a modern mania, when carving out new Welsh local authorities and parliamentary constituencies, to come up with faux antique names, and perhaps Ynys Mon is one such.

Your report of a link with "angle" rather than with "Angle" is extremely useful. The existence of various "angle" associations with Wales (eg Helen) and with islands off the Welsh coast (eg Lundy) is dealt with elsewhere in these columns We could do with more on that.

[TelMiles]

Ah, now I get what you were referring to Hatty! Sorry, I'm a bit slow. It was the fact that East Angia seems to suddenly appear in the histories as a kingdom already established.

Personally I think East Anglia was probably the oldest Anglo-Saxon settlement and dated back so far that those that wrote the ASC didn't even know. If we go with the view that the Saxons could have been Roman auxilia, then maybe the Iceni revolt was put down using Saxon soldiers that were then settled in the area, leading to the area's name change to Anglia by the time the Dark Ages rolled around.
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Against all Gods.

[DPCrisp]

{Why can't I post this picture?}

http://www.comp-archaeology.org/BenzGramschEtAl1988MapCordedWareCAWEB

The distribution of Bell Beakers in Great Britain is a remarkably good fit for England-and-not-Celticland, including "English" south Wales, plus Anglesey/top-left-corner-of-Wales, which includes one of the most significant copper mines of the ancient world, at Great Ormes Head.

The Beaker people are entangled with the advance of the Bronze Age and also link Anglesey with England.

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Is Mon/Mona = mount(ain) completely rejected? It would be odd, since Anglesey is very flat, innit?

[Hatty]

Dan wrote:

Is Mon/Mona = mount(ain) completely rejected? It would be odd, since Anglesey is very flat, innit?

There's a "mountain" on Anglesey called Parys (Paris?) Mon, aka Myndd Parys, where copper is mined and excavations have uncovered substratum debris dating back to the early Bronze Age, as you said.

(could mon be 'mine' rather than 'mountain'?)

[Mick Harper]

A mate of mine owns Parys Mountain. Not that I'd drop his name or anything.

[Ishmael]

[Pulp History]

Also note.... the "celtic tribe" in this region were the 'Deceangli' - Dece ANGLI. Who were they?, where did they come from? What does the name mean? Any relation to the Angles perhaps...... this would tie in with Anglesey.
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[Pulp History]

"Isle of Man ( Mona nesos—Ptolemy). The origin of the name is uncertain, but it MAY be derived from the Celtic Mon (Latinised by the Romans into Mona), meaning 'Lonely' " - from Browns Directory 1881.

Ynys Mon - Lonely Isle..... perhaps.
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[Mick Harper]

So, two lonely isles together? Ah, place-name etymology, dontcha just love it?

[Hatty]

Hallo Pulp, nice to have a new non-face! Are you Welsh or living in Wales under duress?

Isle of Man according to wiki is called Ellan Vannin in the Manx Gaelic language. Ellan certainly sounds island-like. The island's symbol, the triskelion, three bent legs each with a spur, joined at the thigh, is a feature of Sicily and Brittany and has been found on coins around the Bosphorus - do you know anything about its origin?

[Mick Harper]

Ah now, Ellen has a long history in these sacred portals. She's the Celtic Goddess of travel. Or summat.

[Hatty]

Ellen could also be a 'water' word.

All (Gaelic), white; Al-non, white water. Latinised into alanna. Hence Ain, Alan, Ellen, Lune.
Allt, Aid, Auld, Ault (Gaelic), a stream

[Pulp History]

Albion...... white - cliffs of Dover?? Don't know what bion means though!!

Yes. Living in Wales. Originating in Somerset. Married to a Welsh Goddess, with 3 lovely kiddies. Daughter fluent in cymraeg.
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Question everything!

[Mick Harper]

Yes, I thought Pulp was a Celtic name.

[Pulp History]

If it were 'Celtic' it would be pronounced 'Pilp' which is not quite so good!!
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Question everything!