Bardsey's crown is back in Wales

King John Williams II took the crown when he was only one day old.

The Bardsey Island crown, which is controversially kept in storage in a Liverpool museum, is coming back to Wales as the centrepiece of an exhibition.

The event at the Gwynedd Museum and Art Gallery in Bangor celebrates 30 years of the Bardsey Island Trust and runs from 24 October to 17 April.

Previously the island at the tip of the Llŷn Peninsula belonged to Lord Newborough and many of his estate's effects, including the Bardsey crown, were sent to Liverpool.

It isn't clear when the first king of Bardsey was crowned or how the title originated. A letter from one of Lord Newborough's workers suggests that one king died in 1826, but the first named king was John Williams.

"He died in 1841, just a day after his son was born, so his son, John Williams II, also became king of Bardsey," explained the Bangor museum's curator, Esther Roberts.

But the most famous and photographed king was Love Pritchard.

Liverpool could only give the crown to an accredited museum for safe keeping, so it couldn't go to Bardsey Esther Roberts, curator

"He was the last king," said Esther. "He was there during the great exodus from the island in 1926 and took pictures of the boats leaving.

"We're not sure what the reasons were for this exodus. It seemed to coincide with other islands losing their population.

"Perhaps it was because they didn't have enough men to row, although there seemed to be plenty on the island. Or perhaps they thought farming would be easier on the mainland."

Esther hasn't been able to discover how the kings came to be chosen, but there is talk of a crowning ceremony on the narrows; the smaller part of the island between two larger land masses.

Bardsey Island saw a great population exodus in 1926.

"I do know they were crowned with a silver snuff box, too," said Esther," But we haven't been able to locate that.

"But we do have the crown. It's made of tin and some think it comes from the tradition of when Lord Newborough and his wife, Maria Stella, would visit the island and present the islanders with ribbons to put round their hats."

As Love Pritchard died childless, there is no longer a king of Bardsey, but at least now his crown is coming home - almost.

"Liverpool could only give the crown to an accredited museum for safe keeping," said Esther. "So it couldn't go to Bardsey. As we're the only appropriate museum in Gwynedd, it's come to us and we're so glad to have it.

"It will be the only artefact in the exhibition; the rest will be photographs and stories, some from our archives and some we gathered from local people on a day's workshop in Aberdaron. We hope to gather more."