Melin Gallt-y-Benddu

Melin Gallt-y-Benddu, 2012

The building of this windmill, located just outside Llanerchymedd, is known to have begun on 8 September 1737 and finished on 24 October 1738, thanks to the diary of Anglesey landowner William Bulkeley. This makes it the oldest mill of those with known construction dates.

The mill features well in historical documents. The sequence of millers is known through tax and census records, starting with Thomas Davis in 1745, followed by Evan Ellis, then John Williams in 1763. By the 1840s another John Williams was running the mill. He ran it until shortly before his death in 1873 (aged 86). At this time the mill was taken over by John Jones, who was the miller at Melin Rhos Fawr in Brynteg. He put his eldest son Edward in charge, but he soon moved to running a mill near Abergwyngregyn. His younger brother John took over the mill around 1874, but he decided to train as a preacher in 1881. He left the running of the mill to the youngest brother Hugh, who was only 15 years old. Despite his age he successfully ran it for several years.

By 1891 Hugh had returned to Brynteg to run the mill there after his father's death. Gallt-y-Benddu was then being run by William Pritchard, who had previously been working Llynon mill for his aunt, Anne Jones. The mill, warehouses, dwelling house and 18 acres of farmland was auctioned in 1898 and William Pritchard went on to own the nearby farm of Brynhyfryd. Owen Roberts was then presiding over the mill when it lost its cap and sails during a storm and closed at the end of the 19th century.

In 1841, not one but two fatal accidents occurred at the mill. In the first, Anne Jones, the wife of John Jones of Tyddynbach, Llanfihangel Tre'r Beirdd was delivering some sacks of oats for grinding but strayed too close to the sails when heading towards the door. She was struck, seriously injured, and died instantly. Soon after a four-year-old child also went too close and was struck by the sails.

As with most storm-damaged mills, this one deteriorated through the decades, but was rescued in 1964 when it was bought and restored for holiday accommodation.

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