Bardsey Crown Returns

An exhibition which will recount the history of Bardsey Island (Ynys Enlli) and exhibit the crown of the King of Enlli will open at the Gwynedd Museum & Art Gallery, Bangor this Saturday, 24th October at 11am. Alun Ffred Jones AM and Minister for Heritage will open the exhibition with Christine Evans, a poet from the island, reading an extract from her work.

The exhibition, which has been jointly organised by the Gwynedd Museum & Art Gallery and the Bardsey Island Trust will look at the history of the community who once fished and farmed on the island until the mid 20th century, and marks 30 years since the Bardsey Island Trust was established as a registered charity in 1979.

Made of tin, the crown is usually stored in the Maritime Museum in Liverpool. There have been many calls to have the crown returned to Gwynedd. Whilst the need to ensure strict security and environmental controls means that it will not be possible for the crown to return to the island, the standards in the Gwynedd Museum & Art Gallery, Bangor mean that it will be possible for the crown to return to Gwynedd for a period of six months.

Esther Roberts, Gwynedd Museum & Art Gallery Curator said:

“We are very happy to have the crown back in Gwynedd for this exhibition. Only a few artefacts have survived that give an insight into the community that lived and worked on the island. Because there are so many stories surrounding the crown, it has turned into an icon in itself.”

“The exhibition tries to place the crown in its context so we look at the community that lived there from the beginning of the 19th century until 1925 when the remaining inhabitants, led by Love Pritchard, left for the mainland to seek a less laborious way of life. The images in the exhibition show people at their work, with their boats, mending ropes, learning in the school – it was a busy place during the nineteenth century. The Reverend W.T.Jones even describes the island, in 1875 as ‘a Paris of a place’.”

John Griffiths of the Bardsey Island Trust added:

“We are delighted to support this wonderful exhibition at Gwynedd Museum and Art Gallery. It is particular timely that the event is held this year – 30 years since the establishment of the Trust as a registered charity.

“As a Trust, we work to protect the wildlife and ecosystem of the island, to encourage people to visit the island as a place of natural beauty and pilgrimage to protect the buildings and archaeological sites, to promote the artistic and cultural life of the island and to engage in farming to benefit the island’s diverse habitats. We hope that this exhibition will be a great way for us to share this message with more people.”

The exhibition will be at the Gwynedd Museum & Art Gallery, Bangor from 24 October 2009 until 17 April 2010.

The Gwynedd Museum & Art Gallery, Bangor is open from Tuesday to Friday from 12.30pm to 4.30pm and on Saturday from 10.30am to 4.30pm. Admission is free.