According to the 2011 census, 35% of Bangor’s people speak Welsh. But how did we get to this point in the history of the language in our city? Is the change from Welsh to English that we have seen and heard in recent years something relatively recent? Or are there historical reasons to explain the situation of the language today?

As anyone who knows Bangor well understands, the current linguistic situation is not something that happened overnight. But something that has been happening for a number of reasons for a while. In fact, as early as the early 1800s, English had the same status as Welsh in the services of the Anglican churches, while services in the rest of Gwynedd (like society in general outside the towns, apparently) were exclusively Welsh. However, the Welsh language services were probably more popular than the English language in 1850. Beyond religion, Bangor was one of the most important centers in Wales in terms of launching Welsh newspapers in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, with eight newspapers launched in the city (second only to Caernarfon, where 16 newspapers were launched in the same period). In addition, the Welsh Department was established at Bangor University in 1889.

What went wrong then? Were the schools, with the arrival of the Welsh Not (an example can be seen in Storiel) and compulsory English-medium education to blame? The Education Act 1870 was passed 21 years before the first census to inquire about the ability of the people of Wales to speak Welsh, English, or both languages. According to the 1891 census, 61% of the people in the Bangor Registration District (which also included areas adjacent to the city) indicated that they only spoke Welsh, with 29.3% speaking both languages ​​and 9.7% speaking only English. One must be wary of the statistic regarding the percentage of monolingual Welsh speakers. Some may have misunderstood the question and indicated the language they use more often, and perhaps they have some knowledge of English. And of course, bearing in mind the Cymru Fydd campaign, some may have recorded themselves as monolingual Welsh speakers as a political protest.

So by 1891 at least, neither the Welsh Not nor English-medium education had that much of an impact on the linguistic situation in the Bangor area. Looking at the language survey of Caernarfonshire schools in 1944, a Language Policy was published by Caernarfonshire in 1904, where it was said that all young children had to be taught in their mother tongue only, before introducing English or Welsh to them during their time at school. A copy of the policy was sent to every school in the county, but there is no evidence of how many Bangor schools had followed the policy. In 1927, more emphasis was placed on the Welsh language as a medium for teaching cultural subjects. Seven years later, it was noted again that the younger children did not have to be taught a second language until they had thoroughly learned to speak, read and write the first language. At the time the report was published in 1944, the majority of pupils at Friars (56.4%) and Ysgol Sir (62.1%) were from Welsh homes. But when looking at Bangor’s primary and infant schools, the percentages vary from 91.5% of children from Welsh homes for Ysgol Garth down to 40.9% of Junior pupils at Ysgol Bangor Uchaf (38.2% for the infant school in that area).

Did Bangor schools implement the council’s language policy thoroughly? And if they were, what other reason was there for such a significant drop in certain areas in the percentage of Bangor children who were brought up in Welsh-speaking households? An influx of university students and staff to Bangor Uchaf with their families? Emigration during the Great Depression of the 1930s? An impression between the world wars that English was the best language to ensure success in the world? Whatever the reason, one thing is certain, we have seen a steady decline in the use of the Welsh language in Bangor.

Nevertheless, there are things in Bangor that we have that work in favor of the Welsh language. By now, Gwynedd Council has a comprehensive policy to ensure that all children in the city of Bangor have the opportunity to be balanced bilingual, by the time they leave school. In fact, there was an increase of 5.1% in the number of children in Bangor with the ability to speak Welsh between 2001 and 2011. The Initiative hopes to collaborate with others to raise that figure higher again.

Following the journalistic tradition of the nineteenth century, the Goriad local paper will have been serving Bangor and Felinheli for 45 years by October 2025. The National Eisteddfod was held in Bangor 5 times in total between 1890 and 1971.

There are a number of Bangor institutions where one can be sure to receive a Welsh language service, such as the city library, Storiel (Gwynedd museum and art gallery), the Globe pub and the Pontio centre.

Menter Iaith Bangor’s hope, with the support of the community, is to help prevent further deterioration and to promote the social, natural use of the Welsh language in Bangor, the most Welsh city in Wales and the whole world. Come with us on the journey!

Protests

Protests in favour of the Welsh language and against the University’s English influence – Cymdeithas yr Iaith in the early seventies, the large student protests 1976-79, and later protests.

There was a campaign in favour of giving status to the Welsh language in the 1960s with a petition from the students and staff calling for that in 1962, a request that was rejected by the authorities at the time. There were a number of protests afterwards including sticking posters and painting slogans. Two students, Robat Gruffydd and Penri Jones, set out to produce a leaflet entitled Welsh Not ar y Bryn for distribution at the Llandudno National Eisteddfod, 1963.

[The information can be found in Brwydr yr Iaith 1962-1967 by Geraint Jones, which will be published by Y Lolfa press in March 2025]

In 1972 Quentin Hogg, Lord Hailsham, visited Bangor to reprimand the justices of the peace in Wales who were showing support for Welsh Cymdeithas yr Iaith, comparing those young people to ‘IRA baboons’. There was a protest against his visit.

[See Do You Remember? Gwilym Tudur, The Lounge, 1989, page 102]

In 1976 the association Y Cymric began an intense campaign of direct action in order to Welshize the University College, Bangor. Four of the officers were expelled leading to large public protests. All four got their places back in the end and a new language policy was adopted.

[See The Bangor Aye website 24.11.20 – ‘Welsh language activist kicked out of Bangor University releases autobiography’]

Following the establishment of UMCB, the students turned to opposing the expansion of the University because of the danger of further Anglicizing Bangor and the surrounding area. In 1978-79 the toughest fighting took place with the occupation of the New Arts Building and the theft of thousands of files from the administrative offices in it. Seven students were expelled and despite a large demonstration afterwards, there was no forgiveness this time.

[See ‘Helyntion Coleg Bangor’ by Iwan Edgar in I’r Gad by Arwel Vittle, Y Lolfa, 2013]

There were takeover campaigns by UMCB in the 1980s as well and at the start of one Pontio project in the new century there was an effective joint protest between UMCB and the Language Association which led to securing a firm language policy in that organisation.