This last month has been a real journey down the road of my childhood, as I’ve been discussing the Porth Dafarch area with local people, and some of the folk tales associated with it. I grew up in Spencer Terrace, just inside Maeshyfryd ward. Not far from there, on a lonely, but peaceful, road half way between Holyhead, and the rugged shores of the beach, you’ll come across a large piece of quarried stone, standing almost out of place in its green surroundings.

The stone has many names. As a child, myself and my friends knew it as Carreg-y-Bwgan, the Stone of the Ghost. Others called it the Bogie Stone, the Bwgie Stone, or simply Carreg Fwgan, but one thing all the children of Holyhead knew, was that if you walked around the stone 3 times on the 3^rd August, something would be summoned.

In my childhood, the ghost to be called upon was that of a highway man, his head loosely hanging from his body. He had been terrorising sailors, travellers and merchants, who had arrived from Ireland and landed at the nearby old harbour at Porth Dafarch. But on one of these nights, after a late ship had come in, he ran into some soldiers who were visiting Holyhead on leave. On trying to relieve them of their purses, the soldiers took their blades, and, together, managed to separate the highwayman’s head from his body, at the exact spot where the stone stands today. Now, it is said that he is doomed to haunt Porth Dafarch road for eternity.

There is a more relevant story though, passed to me by a member of the Porthdafrach & Treaddur Bay Community group. It is the story of a young woman. She had been courting a sailor for many months, and he had been called away to sea by his captain. His ship set sail from the old Harbour, and every day, the woman would watch the horizon for her cariad’s ship. She was an average girl, from an average family, who simply walked down to the shore each day, waiting for her sailor’s return while, in her head, planning her wedding and their life together. The day for his homecoming came and went, and like so many living here on the island, before or since, she started to become anxious that the fate of his ship had ended terribly beneath the waves. Of course, as every day passed, with no sign of the ship, the strain on her heart and mind became too much to bear. Before long, she was down at the shore, turbulent and unsettled, often crying out to the waves for her cariad to return to her. As the people of the Porth Dafarch community watched her behaviour change, and witnessed her agitation, they came to believe that her cries to the sea were actually an attempt to summon the devil in rage. Finally, they accused her of witchcraft. There was no trial, no attempt at ordeal by water, as there was seemingly for other woman at the nearby Rhoscolyn blow hole. She was simply taken to the site of Carreg - y – Bwgan, forced into a hole in the ground, and the rock was placed on top, so she would never bother the towns people again with her ‘satanic ravings.’ Many members of the community have reported seeing the spectre of a woman roaming the lonely road down to the shore, and she has become known as the White Lady of Carreg – y – Bwgan. Seemingly, still looking for her lost cariad.

I only ever came across the gory story of the Highway Man in my childhood. The White lady’s story resonates with me in a different way though. As a Storyteller, I have a particular interest in re-framing our conception of the ‘witch,’ after the atrocities of the historic witch trials of Europe and America. The White Lady of Carreg-Y-Bwgan will be a catalyst for deeper research into a new Storytelling piece, including research into the famous Witch stories of Llandona, and the Witch Trial of Biwmaris. I’ll post updates on here as the piece develops.

Helping me along the way, are a brilliant group of Year 8 English students from Ysgol Uwchradd Caergybi. It’s really special to be back at my old school, and the place I first started to understand what it meant to communicate a story to an audience, many years ago. Now, it’s the turn of these young people. Together, we make up Cylch Stori Môn for the Mycelium Storytelling Hub. It’s a place where young people can experience some of these stories, retell them and bring their own along too. The majority of the group knew about our headless horseman, calling the stone the Bogie Stone, but the White Lady’s story was new to all of us. We have only been together a short time, but already, we’re exploring folk lore associated with the Holyhead Breakwater, and an amazing tree story from Turkey, which has travelled to Môn with one of the student’s family. Again, a landmark with dark connections just like our stone here on Môn. It’s exciting that we have the opportunity to explore global stories here on Anglesey, as well as those closer to home. Find out more on this blog over the weeks to come, as our Young Storytellers prepare their stories for you to hear!

The Sea Serpent's Locker - New Tellings of Old Tales

The Spectres of Porth Dafarch Road & the Young Storytellers of Ysgol Uwchradd Caergybi

Tea at the Museum - The Sea Serpent of Holyhead & Other Surprises

An Island of Stories