1 8 W. J. Perry — Megalithic Monuments 



regions fresh-water pearl-bearing mussels are reported.* 

 But here again one must be prepared to hear of the presence 

 there of other forms of wealth that attracted the megalith 

 builders. Near the Conway valley are some stone circles and 

 dolmens situated at the back of Penmaenmawr. Till recently 

 I was of the opinion that these monuments were connected 

 with the people of the Conway valley. But it appears that 

 they can be brought rather into line with settlements of the 

 nature of those of Wiltshire. For recently there has been 

 examined an important factorv of stone implements on 

 Penmaenmawr, whence implements were exported, at least as 

 far as Anglesea. Apparently old copper mines have been 

 found in parts of North Wales, on Snowdon, on Great Orme's 

 Head, and in Holyhead and Anglesea ( 18 ). In the tiny 

 island of Holyhead there are several dolmens. In the middle 

 of the last century the Hon. Owen Stanley examined some of 

 the ancient hut dwellings that exist there. He found large 

 pounding-stones, saddle-querns, rubbing-stones of grit that 

 must have come from the middle of Anglesea, whorls of 

 buttons, and hammers. From the similarity of their imple- 

 ments he concludes that the people all over Holyhead and 

 Anglesea must have been engaged in the same industry 

 (18, 9). Speaking of Plas Penrhos or Plas Milo, he says 

 that a copper vein runs near the ruins of the circular huts 

 that have been found there. He also mentions several 

 standing stones in the near vicinity. These remains must 

 also have been quite near to the dolmens of the island. 

 Mr. Stanley says that the fire-places that have been found 

 in the old Holyhead settlements are " so disposed and formed 

 as to suggest the supposition that they may have been for the 

 purpose of heating and working metal rather than for cooking, 

 the slag and clay-lined fire-place, as I have supposed them 

 to have been, the stone mortars, the pounding and grinding 

 stones also strongly embedded in the floor of the huts, the 

 broken quartz from the copper lode, and the close proximity 

 of both copper and iron ore," all suggesting metallurgy. He 

 goes on to say that in the opinion of a competent geologist 

 and mineralogist, Sir Richard Griffith, it could not be doubted 

 that some extensive works had been carried on ; but .... 



* (8). Cf. J. W. Jackson. " Shells as Evidence of the Migrations of Early 

 Culture." I am indebted to Mr. Jackson for information with regard to the 

 existence of pearls in other parts of Wales. For information with regard to the 

 existence of pearls at Criccieth I am indebted to my friend Mr. Owen Roberts, 

 of Gyrn Gych, Clynnog. 



