Small lake with a big history!
Llyn Cerrig Bach(translation – the lake of small stones) is a small lake in the north-west of the island of Anglesey, Wales. Its main claim to fame is the group of over 150 Iron Age metal objects discovered there in 1942, apparently placed in the lake as votive offerings. These finds are one of the most important collections of La Tène style metalwork discovered in the British Isles and the most important in Wales. A recent re-assessment of the objects now sees them as a collection of different offerings deposited over a long period from about 300 BC to 100 AD, rather than a single group deposited together, as was previously thought.
The discovery was made by William Owen Roberts, head groundsman of RAF Valley when ground was being cleared for a runway extension. The first object to be found was an iron gang chain, used for slaves. This was caught up in the teeth of a harrow and was not at first identified as being ancient. It was attached to a tractor and used to pull lorries out of the mud. Despite its age, the chain performed this function well. The slave chain is over 3 metres long, with five neck-rings to hold five captives, and weighs 6.66 kilograms.