BEAUMARIS

beaumaris, a market town and municipal borough, and the county town of anglesey, n. wales, situated on the bay of beaumaris, not far from penmon, the northern entrance of the menai strait. pop. (1901) 2326. it has but one considerable street. the large castle chapel, dedicated to the virgin, has some fine monuments. david hughes, of jesus college, oxford, founded the free grammar school in 1603. buildings include town-hall and county-hall, with st mary's church of the 13th century, with chancel of the 16th. practically without trade and with no manufactures, beaumaris is principally noted as a bathing-place. its earliest charter dates from 1283 and was revised under elizabeth. the town was formerly called barnover and, still earlier, rhosfair, and bears its present name of french origin since edward i. built its castle in 1293. this extensive building was erected on low ground, so that the fosse might communicate with the sea, and vessels might unload under its walls. the castle capitulated, after siege, to general mytton (1646).