Farm House and later hotel,now again it seems.
Flat Holm Farm House Records show that monks from St Augustine's Abbey in Bristol established a dairy farm and grange on the island after Flat Holm was granted to them by Robert, Earl of Gloucester in 1150.[29] Dr Thomas Turner, who was stranded on Flat Holm during a visit in 1815, passed the time by exploring the island. He noted that the tax-exempt abbey farm was prospering and counted "seven cows, two bulls, five sheep, one horse, two pigs and two dogs".[5] The 1881 census record for Flat Holm shows that the farmhouse was later occupied by Henry and Emily Morgan, their four sons and four daughters, a governess (Henry's niece) and Emma Craddock, a 14-year-old servant.[30] In 1897 the farmhouse was converted into The Flat Holm Hotel, and a bar and skittle alley were added, but the hotel closed after a few years.[9] The farmhouse has been renovated by the Flat Holm Project and is now used as accommodation for visitors staying on the island.
The men of the Flatholme Hotel,note the name spelling change.
Image taken by Hebburns James Goring
Continuing a religious connection with Wales and Ireland,with the Church of St Tanwg not so far north,in the parish of Llanbedr with Llandanwg,
we now have a Nordic connection as well it seems but none religious?
History
Flat Holm is part of the Parish of St.Mary's in Cardiff and inextricably linked to Cardiff's history.
The axe head found on the island is believed be from the late Bronze Age, 900 to 700 BC. In the absence of any other archaeological evidence it is not known if the island was settled at that time. The Anglo-Saxons called the island "Bradanreolice", and Steep Holm "Steopanreolice" confirming the religious associations of the islands, as 'reolice' derives from an Irish word meaning churchyard or graveyard.
The earliest known visitor to Flat Holm was St. Cadoc. He made frequent visits to the island in the late 6th century for periods of tranquil meditation, especially during Lent. Gildas, Barruc and Gwalches, all disciples of St. Cadoc, are known to have visited Flat Holm. Gwalches and Barruc were returning from Flat Holm, where they had been sent by St. Cadoc to retrieve a book forgotten on a previous visit, when the boat overturned and they were drowned. Barruc's body was washed ashore and interred on Barry Island, whilst the body of Gwalches was carried to the Island of Echni, and buried there.
In the year 918, following their defeat by the Saxons at Watchet, Danish invaders took refuge on the islands of Steopanreolice and Bradanreolice, though for how long is uncertain. From the Anglo Saxon Chronicle:
"918-In this year a great naval force came over here from the south of Brittany, and two earls, Ohter and Hroald with them. And they went west round the coast so that they arrived at the Severn estuary and ravaged in Wales everywhere along the coast, where it suited them... Yet they stole inland by night on two occasions - on the one occasion east of Watchet, on the other occasion at Porlock. Then on both occasions they were attacked, so that few of them got away - only those who could swim out to the ships. And then they remained out on the island of Flatholme until they became very short of food and many men had died of hunger because they could not obtain any food. Then they went from there to Dyfed, and from there to Ireland; and this was in the autumn."
Another entry in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle states:
"1067-And Gytha, Harold's mother, and many distinguished men's wives with her, went out to Flatholme and stayed there for some time and so went from there overseas to St. Omer."
The name of Holm or Holme derives from the Scandinavian for river island and although the Danes may not have stayed on either island for long they certainly used both Flat Holm and Steep Holm as navigational aids during attacks along the Severn estuary
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