The friary was founded by Llywelyn ap Iorwerth in memory of his wife Joan (Siwan) (d. 1237), who was the daughter of King John. What is thought to be her tomb stone now lies in the church of St Mary and St Nicholas, Beaumaris see image. The stall-work at Beaumaris may also have come from the friary.
The name 'Llanfaes' is thought to come from 'mes', the Welsh for acorn, and indeed a number of tiles found on the site bear an oak leaf or acorn leaf motif. View tiles
Standing remains
There are no visible remains of the former friary but fragments of some fourteenth-century encaustic tiles were found on the site, as well as fragments of matrices.The friary church survived until the mid-nineteenth century as a granary and stable. The building measured c. 35 metres by 10 metres and had a nave which opened onto a south transept or chapel, a steeple passage and choir.
Medieval Diocese: Llandaff Lordship at foundation: Gwynedd
Main events in the history of this site
c.1237: Foundation - The friary was founded by Llywelyn ap Iorwerth as a memorial to his wife, Joan (Siwan), who died in 1237. [7 sources] 1284: Commission of inquiry - The warden of Llanfaes was appointed by Archbishop Pecham to join a commission of inquiry to investigate the repair of churches damaged during the Edwardian wars. [1 source] 1382: Burial - Iolo Goch mentions the burial of Goronwy ap Tudor of Penmynydd at Llanfaes - 'the half-naked friar'. [1 source] c.1401: Abandoned - The friary suffered during the troubles at the beginning of the fifteenth century and was said to have been deserted in 1401. [2 sources] 1414: Reconstitution - The friary was allegedly deserted from 1401, as a consequence of its involvement in the troubles at the start of the fifteenth century, but the house was reconstituted in 1414. [2 sources] 1538: Dissolution - The friary was dissolved in 1538. At this time there were four friars at Llanfaes. [2 sources] + 4 minor events.Show minor events
H. L. J., 'Llanfaes Friary', Archaeologia Cambrensis, 3rd series, 1:2 (1855), pp. 73-81
Johnston, Dafydd, 'Monastic patronage of Welsh poetry', in Monastic Wales: New Approaches, ed. Janet Burton and Karen Stöber (University of Wales: Cardiff, 2013), pp. 177-190
Lloyd-Morgan, Ceridwen, 'Manuscripts and the monasteries', in Monastic Wales: New Approaches, ed. Janet Burton and Karen Stöber (University of Wales: Cardiff, 2013), pp. 209-227
