Colwyn Bay postcard: Rhos Fynach fish trap
This postcard on the promenade at Rhos-on-Sea relates to the fish trap which originally provided food for monks and remained in use into the 20th century.
The area already had a connection with the Cisterican monks of Aberconwy abbey in 1230, when the sale of Rhos Fynach was recorded. Mynach is Welsh for ‘monk’ and mutates to Fynach after Rhos, meaning ‘promontory’ or ‘moor’. Rhos was the name of the cantref for this area (medieval Wales was divided into cantrefi).
The Rhos Fynach pub and restaurant is thought to be on the site where monks would rest while on fish-gathering duties. There were two fish traps. The larger one fell into disrepair long before the smaller, which stretched north eastwards from Rhos Point with an arm at roughly 90 degrees at the far end. The drawing, courtesy of Conwy Archive Service, dates from the mid-19th century. You can see the fish trap in a photo from c.1908 on our page about the granite postcard relating to the wreck of the steamer Rhosneigr.
In the 18th century, antiquarian Thomas Pennant wrote that the church continued to keep a share in the “considerable wear”, and the bishop and the vicar of Llandrillo took “the fifth of every tenth tide between them”. Two successive tides had netted mackerel worth £40.
The fish trap was owned in the 19th century by John Lewis Parry-Evans, who trained his terrier Jack to catch fish there. In 1874 it was reported that 11 “splendid salmon” were caught at the weir by Spratt – who had been taught by Jack – and the newly trained Dash. The action was watched by c.100 people, who marvelled at Dash’s skill in bringing salmon to shore by the dorsal fin “without doing the least injury to the fish”.
Large numbers of fish were caught at the weir in summer 1906, including thousands of mackerel. Extra men had to be called in, and carts thronged to the beach. A “clever fishing dog” named Carlo caught salmon. A lady visitor, sister-in-law of musical impresario Jules Riviere, landed a large salmon after a “lively tussle”. Ancient tithe law entitled the local vicar to the fish trap’s produce every 10th day.
Ordnance Survey maps continued to show the main arm of the “Royal Fishing Weir” after the Second World War. In 1947 the North Wales Weekly News deplored that “only the veriest remnant now remains”, following neglect and successive storms. The war had halted the borough council’s consideration of renewing the weir.
Postcode: LL28 4EP
Click here for a map of the postcards' location.
Website of Conwy Archive Service
https://www.conwy.gov.uk/en/Resident/Libraries-Museums-and-Archives/Archives/Archives.aspx
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