Llaneilian

Governance

An electoral ward in the same name exists. The ward covers some of Rhosybol community with a total population taken at the 2011 census of 2,264.

Capital of the Kingdom of Gwynedd

The parish contains the remains of Llys Caswallon the site of the court of 5th Century King of Gwynedd Cadwallon Lawhir ap Einion - the third generation of the dynasty of Gwynedd, being the grandson of Cunedda, the progenitor of the royal dynasty of Gwynedd. This Lineage led to the famed reign of Rhodri the Great, who brought the kingdoms of Gwynedd, Powys and Seisyllwg under his control, and fought the threats of the Anglo Saxons and Vikings, and who was killed on the island of Anglesey in 854AD. Later, this lineage led to possibly the most well known of all the medieval kings of Wales, Hywel Dda, who came to rule most of Wales, and became synonymous with the codification of medieval Welsh law which became famed for a reputation of justice and early recognition of women's rights. His legacy endured in the form of his laws, which remained in active use throughout Wales until the appointed date of implementation of the Laws in Wales Acts 1535–1542 of Henry VIII of England who asserted his royal descent by blood-line from the House of Aberffraw, via Rhodri Mawr via Hywel Dda. It was this claim to this ancient Brittonic lineage by a British monarch that led to a widespread feeling of the fulfilment of the myth of the Mab Darogan, a messianic figure of Welsh legend destined to reclaim Britain for the Celtic inhabitants. The legacy of this lineage is represented in the main office buildings of the National Assembly for Wales being named "Tŷ Hywel" (the House of Hywel), within which the former debating chamber of the National Assembly for Wales has been converted into a youth debating chamber, the first of its kind in Europe, named "Siambr Hywel" (Hywel's Chamber) after Hywel Dda. The coat of arms of this dynasty is represented on the Royal Badge of Wales which appears on Acts of the National Assembly for Wales passed by the National Assembly for Wales.

Notable buildings

Saint Eilian's Church is Grade I listed. A Celtic clas church, it has a 12th-century tower, 14th-century chapel and a nave and chancel dating from the 15th century. In the chancel is a rare 15th-century rood screen, and there are traces of post-medieval wall paintings. A painting of a skeleton bears the inscription "Colyn angau yw pechod" (English: The sting of death is sin). The churchyard contains the war grave of a Royal Navy sailor of World War I. The Church is named after Saint Eilian. Saint Eilian of Rome also known as Eilian of Anglesey was a 6th-century Saint Saint Eilian(Eilianus) came from Rome to Britain, where he lived as a hermit in the area north of Anglesey, and venerably reposed in peace. (His feast day is 13 January).

At Dulas is Saint Gwenllwyfo's Church, a mid-19th-century building designed by Henry Kennedy of Bangor. It is Grade II* listed. The nave and chancel contain 15th and 16th century Flemish stained glass, which had been removed from former Roman Catholic churches taken over by Protestants, who considered the images theologically unsound. Other examples are found at the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Burrell Collection in Glasgow, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

The refuge tower on Ynys Dulas was built in 1821 by James Hughes of Llysdulas as a refuge for shipwrecked sailors. It was stocked with essential foodstuffs to enable those stranded to survive until rescuers arrived.