The Welsh Government paid £17,000 for a medieval court used by the last native ruler of Wales, and they intend to raise awareness of the site's archeological significance. Last week, the Welsh Government revealed that it had acquired Llys Rhosyr on Anglesey, which will be maintained and made available for public viewing.

The Welsh Government announced it had purchased Llys Rhosyr on Anglesey this week

Although though Llys Rhosyr in Newborough is adjacent to popular tourist attractions and is free to visit, few people are aware of it. Llywelyn the Last, also known as Prince Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, used the location as his administrative center.

It is the only court of the medieval Welsh rulers with observable remains, and it is thought to have been in use between 1237 and 1314. Llys (court in English) Rhosyr was taken over by the English after Edward I's conquest of north Wales in 1282, and it ceased to serve as an administrative body.

The site’s importance to Welsh history saw the reconstruction of its 29.5 ft-high thatched hall at St Fagans National History Museum, known as Llys Llywelyn

A sandstorm covered the court in 1332. Three-quarters of the enormous complex are still buried beneath the ground despite being partially excavated by the Gwynedd Archaeological Trust (GAT) in the 1990s after being submerged for more than six centuries.

Inside the thatched hall at St Fagans National History Museum, based on what is known about Llys Rhosyr

The restoration of the site's thatched hall, known as Llys Llywelyn, at the St. Fagans National History Museum signaled the significance of the location. Llys Rhosyr still has “huge archaeological potential,” according to deputy minister for arts and sport Dawn Bowden, who announced the purchase this week while visiting St. Fagans. “Visiting Llys Llywelyn in St. Fagans has provided a fascinating insight into what the original site on Anglesey could have looked and felt like—and how crucial it was to the history of Wales,” she said.

“Of course, the Llys Rhosyr site itself still has a lot of archaeological potential. With vistas toward the mountains of Eryri (Snowdonia) across the Menai Strait, which the Princes of Gwynedd utilised to their advantage during times of assault, it also has a significant sense of location.”, she continued.

Gwilym Hughes Head of Cadw and the Deputy Minister for Arts and Sport Dawn Bowden

The site “tells a very important part of our history from perhaps eight or nine hundred years ago," according to Gwilym Hughes, the head of Cadw.

Llywelyn the Great “rallied soldiers, collected taxes, handled disputes, hosted fetes, danced with his bride, or devised a scheme to invade Ceredigion or assault Shrewsbury,” according to Visit Anglesey, at Llys Rhosyr.

The princes controlled by traveling throughout their “commotes,” which were essentially mini-courts. Courts in Aberffraw and Llys Rhosyr, where Llywelyn the Great issued a charter in 1237 awarding territory to the Augustinian community of Ynys Lannog, served as the administrative centers for South Anglesey (Puffin Island).

The local llys would receive farm products from tenants in nearby communities. Also, they would construct and restore regal buildings. At Llys Rhosyr, it is known that they built an enclosure wall, a chapel, a great hall, stables, and the lord's ty ro (privy).

There have been found to be ovens, and archaeologists think that there may also be food storage areas, barns, kilns, and dormitories. Pottery and silverware were found at the site, indicating that people of high social standing may have used it.