Tryweryn flooding facts for kids
The Tryweryn flooding (Welsh: Boddi Tryweryn) happened when the small village of Capel Celyn in Gwynedd, Wales, was flooded. This happened in 1965 to create a new lake called Llyn Celyn. The lake was built to provide water for the city of Liverpool and the Wirral Peninsula in England, mainly for their industries.
Many people in Wales were against the flooding. About 125 local councils and most Welsh politicians (27 out of 36 Members of Parliament, or MPs) voted against the plan. At that time, Wales did not have its own government or much power to make its own decisions.
History
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The people of Capel Celyn first learned about the plan to flood their valley just before Christmas in 1955. They read about it in a local newspaper. The villagers quickly formed a group called the Capel Celyn Defence Committee. They spoke out against the plan across Wales, using newspapers, radio, and television.
In 1956, villagers even marched to Liverpool twice to show how much they disagreed. However, Liverpool city councillors voted strongly to continue with the plan.
In 1957, the Liverpool City Council asked the UK Parliament for special permission to build the reservoir. This was done through a "private bill." By using this method, Liverpool did not need permission from Welsh local councils. This also meant there would be no public hearing in Wales where people could argue against the plan.
This made the situation very controversial. Capel Celyn was one of the last villages where everyone spoke Welsh. Most Welsh MPs (35 out of 36) were against the bill. But in 1962, Parliament approved it. The community fought for eight years to save their homes, but they were not successful.
When the valley was flooded in 1965, the village and its buildings disappeared under the water. This included the post office, the school, and a chapel with its cemetery. Twelve houses and farms were submerged. Forty-eight people lost their homes. About 800 acres (3.2 square kilometers) of land were flooded to create Llyn Celyn.
The water from the reservoir is used to keep the River Dee flowing. This allows water to be taken from the river further downstream. It also helps improve conditions for white-water sports on the Afon Tryweryn.
Stones from the original chapel (built in 1820) were used to build a new memorial chapel. This new chapel was completed in 1967. It stands overlooking the reservoir and is a special historic building.
Families who had relatives buried in the old cemetery could choose to move them. Eight bodies were moved, but others were left. All headstones were supposed to be removed and the cemetery covered in concrete. However, this was not fully done.
During droughts in the 1980s and early 1990s, the water level dropped. The village then became visible again. The cemetery was found to be covered in concrete, and no gravestones were left standing. The removed headstones are now in a memorial garden at the new chapel.
Hafod Fadog
One of the submerged farmhouses was Hafod Fadog. This was a meeting place for Quakers, a religious group. A bronze plaque near the dam remembers this place. It says that Quakers met there for worship in the 1600s and 1700s. There was also a small burial ground nearby. Many early Quakers from this valley moved to Pennsylvania in America. They left to find religious freedom because they were treated badly in Wales.
Impact on Welsh law
The flooding of Tryweryn is often mentioned when people talk about giving more power to the Welsh Government. For example, it came up in discussions after the laws passed in 2006 and 2014 that gave Wales more control over its own affairs.
In 2015, the 50th anniversary of the flooding happened around the time of a UK election. The UK Conservative Party suggested new plans for Wales. These plans meant that UK ministers could stop any Welsh laws about water if they thought it would harm England's water supply. Many people in Wales strongly criticized this idea. Both the Welsh Government and another Welsh political party, Plaid Cymru, said a new agreement was needed, especially about water.
Alun Cairns, who was the Secretary of State for Wales at the time, spoke about the Tryweryn flooding. He said the UK's proposals were "about righting a wrong from 50 years ago." He added that the plan showed a strong message about how the UK and Welsh governments would work together.
These discussions eventually led to the UK government losing the power to interfere with Welsh laws about water. Supporters of the new Wales Act 2017 said it would "prevent another Tryweryn." Alun Cairns supported this new law too. He said it showed "how far we have come from the events of 52 years ago."
Cofiwch Dryweryn
Cofiwch Dryweryn means "Remember Tryweryn" in Welsh. It is a famous saying that reminds Welsh speakers about the flooding of Capel Celyn in 1965. It encourages them to remember the destruction of a Welsh-speaking community and to protect the Welsh language.
One well-known example of this motto is painted on a wall of a ruined cottage near Llanrhystud. This wall has become a "national landmark." It is believed that a writer named Meic Stephens first painted the wall in the 1960s. Since then, many people have repainted it, and the Welsh spelling has been corrected.
In 2010, a campaign started to raise money to protect the wall. About £80,000 was needed. A Welsh heritage organization called Cadw promised to give £30,000.
The wall has been damaged by vandals many times. In 2008, the words were changed to "Forget Tryweryn." It was also defaced in 2010, 2013, and 2014. In 2017, the words "Remember Aberfan 1966" were added below the original message. This referred to the Aberfan disaster of 1966. In that event, a coal waste pile collapsed, killing 144 people, including 116 children.
The original message was repainted in August 2018. But in February 2019, it was painted over with the name "Elvis." After the wall was repainted again, vandals knocked down parts of it. In response to this damage, many new "Cofiwch Dryweryn" memorials were painted across Wales and even further away.
The famous wall also appears in the music video for the song "Distant Colours" by the band Manic Street Preachers.
