Llyn Cerrig Bach ( The Lake of the Small stones.)

Ordnance Survey SH306 765.

The site of Llyn Cerrig Bach was discovered during the Second World War in 1942 as they were extending the runway at R.A.F. Valley. An exceptionally large amount of very high - quality Iron Age objects ( which have been dated to the first century B.C. ) were found  as they were digging blocks of peat out of the lake to stabilise the sand dunes and level the surface. The items were discovered by William O. Roberts, foreman on the site. His daughter Mrs. Evelyn Owen has been to school to talk to the children about the finds. The area known as Llyn Cerrig Bach ( which was reduced to a marsh over the centuries ) consisted of a pool or lake edged by cliff just over 3 metres high. This would have been a good vantage point for throwing offerings into the lake. Amongst the items found were chariot fittings, horse bridles, cauldrons, trumpets, two sets of slave chains, swords,spears, currency bars and animal bones.

In July 1943, Sir Cyril Fox, Director of the National Museum of Wales received a letter from the resident engineer at R. A. F. Valley informing him of the treasures that had been discovered. Sir Cyril Fox visited Anglesey for two days during August and made arrangements for the entire finds to be shipped to the National Museum at Cardiff.

Items from Llyn Cerrig Bach were loaned to Oriel Môn in 2002 for their Millennium Exhibition entitled "A Thousand Things". Callum Stocker a pupil at Ysgol y Tywyn was inspired by the Oriel Môn exhibition to write a 1500 word essay on Llyn Cerrig Bach. He won the Blodwen Jarman Historical Essay Competition run by the Archaeological Society and was presented with his cheque for £50 by Frances Lynch, an eminent archaeologist.