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Thursday, 02-Sep-2010 18:41:52 BST
Llanbadarn Fawr
View St Padarn's Church website below
Tel: +44 (0)1970 623713
E-mail:
http://www.stpadarns-llanbadarn.org.uk
View University of Wales, Aberystwyth Society of Change Ringers website below
E-mail:
http://users.aber.ac.uk/scty24/
Description of the parish of Llanbadarn Fawr
Extract from "A Topographical Dictionary of Wales"
by Samuel Lewis 1833
"LLANBADARN-VAWR (LLAN-BADARN-VAWR), a parish comprising the sea-port, borough, and market and post town of Aberystwith, from which the church is one mile distant, to the south-east, and the hamlets of Broncastellan and Clarach, in the upper division, and those of Cwrnrheidol, Elerch, Isā yn Dre', Uchā yn Dre', Isā yn Vainor, Uchā yn Vainor, Melindwr, Parcel-Canol, and Trźvirig, in the lower division, of the hundred of GENEU'R GLYN ; and the hamlets of Llanba-darn Isā yn y Croythen and Llanbadarn Uchā yn y Croythen, each of all these hamlets maintaining its own poor, in the upper division of the hundred of ILAR, county of CARDIGAN, SOUTH WALES; and containing 9824 inhabitants.
The name of this extensive parish, which is of very remote antiquity, is derived from the dedication of its church, and its distinguishing adjunct from the pre-eminence which it enjoyed with respect to other parishes of that name, and also to distinguish it from the adjoining town of Aberystwith, which was anciently called Llanbadarn Gaerog, or the "Walled Llan-Badarn." St. Padarn, or Paternus, to whom the church is dedicated, was a divine of considerable celebrity : he is said to have studied under Iltutus at Lantwit Major, or in Glamorganshire, and is associated with Teilo and David in the Welsh Triads, as one of the three blessed visitors. He is supposed to have founded a religious establishment here, which afterwards was erected into an episcopal see, of which he became the first bishop, and a suffragan to the Archbishop of St. David's. Paternus continued to preside over this see for twenty-one years, during which period he erected several churches, and founded divers monasteries in various parts of the province of Caredigion, now comprised chiefly in the county of Cardigan, in which he placed colonies of monks from the principal establishment at Llanbadarn, and at the end of that period, being recalled into Brittany, where he was made Bishop of Vannes, was succeeded in this diocese, which was afterwards called, after its first diocesan, "Paternensis," by Cynoc. The see appears to have flourished for nearly a cen-tury, and notice of a bishop of Llanbadarn occurs in the minutes of a synod held in the county of Worcester, in the year 601. About this time Llanbadarn is said to have lost its episcopal privileges, in conse-quence of the violent conduct of the inhabitants, who killed their bishop, and the church is said to have been annexed, after the dissolution of the see, to that of St. David's. The name of the bishop who thus be-came the victim of their fury is not mentioned in existing annals, neither is there any particular record of the event but Humphrey Lloyd supposes it to have been Bishop Idnerth, to whose memory there is a monumental inscription in the parish church of Llandewy - Brevi. The suffragan bishop of Llanbadarn was one of the deputation appointed to meet St. Augustine, on his landing in Britain, with a view to resist the encroachments which were apprehended from the church of Rome, by opposing every attempt on the part of that missionary to establish the su-premacy of the pope over the British church. The church was destroyed in 987, by the Danes, whose ravages in this part of the principality were carried to so great an extent, that Meredydd Prince of South Wales compounded with these ferocious invaders for the security of his territories, by the payment of one penny for every man within his dominions ; this pay-ment was called " the tribute of the black army." In 1038, this place was reduced to ashes by Grufydd ab Llewelyn ab Sitsylt, who wrested it by violence from the hands of Howel ab Edwin ; but in the year 1106, when Ithel and Madoc, who were in alliance with Henry I, ravaged all the county of Cardigan, with the exception of this place and Llandewy-Brevi, it suffered only an attack upon its sanctuary, from which several of Owain ab Madoc's men, who had taken refuge there, were dragged by force and put to death. Gilbert Strongbow, Earl of Strygyll, who, in 1109, erected the castle of Aberystwith, in this parish, gave the emoluments of this church to the monas-tery of St. Peter at Gloucester, in the year 1111 ; but the ancient establishment does not appear at that time to have been dissolved, for mention occurs of John, arch-priest of Llanbadarn, in the Welsh annals, in the year 1136, wherein he is stated to have been canonized for his great piety; and in the same an-nals, in the year 1143, the death of Sulien ab Rhyth-march, a man of great knowledge, and one of the College of Llanbadarn, is noticed. In the year 1116, Grufydd ab Rhys, who had been invited into this part of the principality to assist in recovering from the Norman settlers the territories which they had usurped in the province of Cardigan, encamped his forces at Glās Grūg, in this parish, previously to his unsuccessful attempt on Aberystwith castle ; his failure in this enterprise was by some superstitiously attributed to an act of impiety, of which he was guilty, in taking some cattle to refresh his forces from within the limits of the extensive sanctuary attached to the church of Llanbadarn. Baldwin, Archbishop of Canterbury, attended by Giraldus Cambrensis, visited this place, in 1188, on his tour to preach the crusades throughout the principality. Upon this occasion it is especially noticed by Giraldus, in his Itinerary, that the revenue of the monastery was chiefly enjoyed by laymen of one family, and that the affairs of the establishment were in a very bad state. The church was subsequently appropriated to the abbey of Vale Royal, in the county of Chester, founded by Edward I. During the insurrection headed by a native chieftain named Rhys ab Meredydd, in 1287, Llan-badarn-Vawr was the principal place of rendezvous for the English forces in South Wales.
The parish, which extends on an average about fifteen miles in length and six in breadth, is intersected by the rivers Ystwith and Rheidol, and comprehends a district distinguished for the abundance of its mineral wealth. The surface is generally hilly, in some parts even mountainous, and is also agreeably diversified with picturesque valleys ; and the lands, with the exception of some large tracts of common and extensive elevated wastes, which, however, bear but a small proportion to the extent of the parish, are enclosed and cultivated; but the system of tillage, though it has considerably improved of late years, has not yet attained any great degree of excellence. The village is pleasantly situated under a high ridge on the banks of the river Rheidol, and consists of one straggling street of considerable length. The surrounding scenery is boldly and richly varied, combining many features of picturesque and romantic beauty; and from the higher grounds are obtained extensive and interesting views of the bay of Cardigan and the adjacent country. In the neighbourhood, and within the parish, are several noble mansions and elegant seats, of which the principal are, Nant Eos, the seat of Colonel William Powel, a spacious and well built mansion, beautifully situated in a richly wooded vale, comprising much pleasing scenery; Gogerddan, the seat of Pryse Pryse, Esq. ; and Glanrheidol, the residence of James Hughes, Esq. The soil is various, in some parts affording only scanty pasturage for sheep, and in general being rather poor than fertile and productive. The principal mineral produce is lead-ore: from the mines, which were formerly worked upon a very extensive scale, Sir Hugh Myddelton chiefly derived the princely revenue which he patriotically expended, in the reign of James I., in supplying the metropolis with water by means of the New River. After this period the mines were continued in successful operation by Mr. Bushel, who, in the reign of Charles I., obtained from that monarch the privilege of establishing a mint in the castle of Aberystwith, as noticed in the article on that town. At present they are not worked to any great extent; indeed, owing to the great reduction in the price of the ore, and the deterioration of its quality, very few of them are in operation. The Cwm Symlog and Darrenvāch mines, which are situated on the estate of Pryse Pryse, Esq., are now in the occupation of Messrs. John Wil-liams, Junr., and Brothers, of Scorrier House, near Truro, in the county of Cornwall: the quantity of ore raised from them, in the year 1831, was eighty tons, producing about sixty tons of fine lead, containing in every ton thirty-four ounces of pure silver. The Cwmrheidol mine, in the hamlet of that name, in the same year produced sixty tons of ore, from which forty-five tons of fine lead were extracted ; but the proportion of silver intermixed with the ore of this mine was too inconsiderable to compensate for the trouble of separating it. The situation of the parish, on the coast of Cardigan bay, is highly favourable for the exportation of the produce of its mines ; and the turnpike roads from Aberystwith to Llanidloes, Machynlleth, and Radnor, afford great facilities of intercourse with the neighbouring districts.
The living is a discharged vicarage, in the archdeaconry of Cardigan, and diocese of St.David's, rated in the king's books at £20, endowed with £450 private benefaction, and in the patronage of the Bishop of St. David's. The church, dedicated to St. Padarn, and situated near the centre of the village, is an ancient and venerable cruciform structure, in the early style of English architecture, with a large square tower rising from the centre, supported on four massive columns, and surmounted by a low spire. The chancel contains several mural monuments to the principal families of the neighbourhood, among which may be more particularly noticed those to the families of Nant Eos and Gogerddan: of these, one of the most interesting is of white marble, sculptured by Flaxman, to the memory of Harriet, daughter of Viscount Ashbrook, and late wife of Pryse Pryse, Esq.: above this monument is a canopy exquisitely carved, in the most elaborate style of later English architecture. In the churchyard are two ancient British crosses without any inscription.At Yspitty, in the hamlet of Croythen Uchā, is a chapel of ease, the living of which is a perpetual curacy, in the patronage of the landholders in that part of the parish which is above Nant Lymystaw, who pay sixpence in the pound, according to an old survey, towards the stipend of the minister. From the greatly increased population of the parish it has been found advisable, in addition to the newly-erected chapel in the town of Aberystwith, to build a chapel also at Tyn Llidiart, in the hamlet of Parcel-Canol, for the erection of which a plan is now under consideration, and subscriptions have been opened, several hundred pounds having been already contributed. The number of places of worship for dissenters, including those in the town of Aberystwith, is no fewer than seventeen or eighteen, namely, for Baptists, Independents, and Calvinistic and Wesleyan Methodists. Roderick Richards, of Pen Bont, in 1752, bequeathed £ 104 ; Jacob Evans, late of Pen-lanolew, in 1760, bequeathed £40; and John Jones, in 1783, left £50, for the instruction of poor children of this parish. Lewis Jones, late of Caeaebāch, bequeathed £200 for teaching poor children of four ham-lets ; and Richard Lewis, late of Abercumdole, left £150 towards instructing those in the hamlet of Parcel-Canol : there are also some smaller charitable donations and bequests for distribution among the poor. The Roman Via Occidentalis, now called the Sarn Helen, passed through the parish ; and about a mile eastward from the church are the remains of Glās Grūg, the fortified post occupied by Grufydd ab Rhys prior to his attack on Aberystwith castle. Davydd ab Gwilym, an eminent Welsh poet, was born at Broginin, in this parish, in 1340: he became Bard of Glamorgan, and is said to have written one hundred and fifty poems: he died in 1400, and was buried at Ystrad Flūr, or Strata Florida. Lewis Morris, an antiquary of some eminence, and surveyor of the mines royal, was interred in the church of this place: he had for sometime preceding his death resided at Penbryn, in this county. The average annual expenditure for the support of the poor of the whole of this extensive parish amounts to £2172.1. "
Descriptions of Llanbadarn Fawr Townships
"BRONCASTELLAN (BRON-CASTELLAN), a township in that part of the parish of LLANBADARN-VAWR which is in the upper division of the hundred of GENEU 'R GLYN, county of CARDIGAN, SOUTH WALES, 14 miles (E.) from Aberystwith, containing 144 inhabitants. This place occupies a rugged and mountainous district near the foot of the Plynlimmon mountain, and the road from Llanidloes to Aberystwith passes through it. It is separately assessed for the support of its poor, the average annual expenditure being £8.16."
"CLARACH, a township in that part of the parish of LLANBADARN-VAWR which is in the upper division of the hundred of GENEU 'R GLYN, county of CARDIGAN, SOUTH WALES, 3 miles (N. E.) from Aberystwith, on the road from that town to Machynlleth, containing 290 inhabitants. The river Clarach, which gives name to the township, flows through a pleasing vale here, and falls into the bay of Cardigan, where the shore expands into a fine sandy beach, and the water is extremely shallow at ebb tide. From the northern part an extensive bank of sand, called Sarn Gynvelyn, stretches in a south-western direction for several miles into the bay of Cardigan, terminated by sunken rocks, and with only two fathoms of water on its surface at ebb tide. This township separately supports its own poor: the average annual expenditure is £68.5."
"CWM-RHEIDOL [CWM-RHEIDIOL], A township in that part of the parish of LLANBADARN-VAWR which is in the upper division of the hundred of GENEU 'R GLYN, county of CARDIGAN, SOUTH WALES, containing 649 inhabitants. The river Rheidol, which gives name to the township, flows through a vale here, remarkable for its varied and picturesque scenery. There are extensive lead mines, which yielded, in 1831, forty-five tons of that metal and sixty tons of ore, and afforded employment to the greater portion of the inhabitants. This township separately supports its own poor: the average annual expenditure is £154.17."
"ELERCH [ELEIRCH], a township in that part of the parish of LLANBADARN-VAWR which is in the upper division of the hundred of GENEU'R GLYN, county of CARDIGAN,SOUTH WALES, 8 1/4 miles [E.N.E.] from Aberystwith, containing 179 inhabitants. The average annual expenditure for the support of the poor amounts to £41.10."
"LLANBADARN ISĀ YN Y CROYTHEN (LLAN -BADARN -Y- CREUDDYN), a township in that part of the parish of LLANBADARN-VAWR ,which is in the upper division of the hundred of ILAR, County of CARDIGAN, SOUTH WALES, 4 miles (E. S. E.) from Aberystwith, containing 891 inhabitants. This large township, which forms a portion of the district of this extensive parish lying south of the river Rheidol, extends from that river to the northern bank of the Ystwith, and contains some pleasing residences, the principal of which is Nant Eos, the seat of Col. William Powel. The township is in general well wooded, and the roads from Aberystwith to Rhaiadr and Llanidloes and to Cardigan pass through it. A separate assessment is made for the maintenance of the poor: the average annual expenditure amounts to £346.8."
"LLANBADARN UCHĀ YN Y CROYTHEN (LLAN-BADARN Y CREUDDYN), a township in that part of the parish of LLANBADARN-VAWR, which is in the upper divisionof the hundred of ILAR, county of CARDIGAN, SOUTH WALES, 12 1/2miles (E.) from Aberystwith, containing 743 inhabitants. It is situated in the upper part of the parish, which is here wild and mountainous, and on the eastern bank of the river Rheidol, which rushes in foaming torrents along a rocky bottom, in a deep precipitous gulph, with its sides covered with thick brushwood, until it is joined by the Mynach at a short distance. The small chapel of Yspitty Cynvyn dedicated to St. John the Baptist, is situated in this township. The living is a perpetual curacy, in the archdeaconry of Cardigan, and diocese of St. David's, endowed with £1000 royal bounty, and £600 parliamentary grant, and in the patronage of the majority of the landholders in that part of the parish which is above Nant Lymystaw, who pay sixpence in the pound, on an old survey, towards the minister's stipend. In the burial-ground are four large stones, the largest eleven feet high and six broad, standing upright, and forming the periphery of the quadrant of a circle, having the chapel in the centre, which were probably a Druidical enclosure. Through the burial ground of the chapel a footpath leads to a rude wooden bridge, composed of one plank, thrown over a vast chasm, between two precipitous rocks, beneath which the Rheidol rushes with great force: it is called the Parson's bridge. The tithes of this township belong to the Chichester family. The celebrated Devil's bridge with its romantic and picturesque scenery, is ,situated in this township, but is described in the article on the parish. A separate assessment is made for the support of the poor, the average annual expenditure being £153.16."
"MELINDWR (MELIN-DWR), a township in that part of the parish of LLANBADARN-VAWR which is in the lower division of the hundred of GENEU 'R GLYN, county of CARDIGAN, SOUTH WALES, containing 555 inhabitants, the population having increased nearly two-fold since the census of 1821. The situation of this township in the vale of the Rheidol is extremely picturesque, more especially at Pont y Pren, where the dark rocks rise on one side nearly four hundred feet above the bed of that river. Through a chasm among these a mountain stream issues, forming a fine cascade, and turning a small mill, which can only be approached by a rude bridge composed of the trunk of a tree. This district is well wooded, and there are some lead mines. The poor are supported by a separate assessment, the average annual expenditure amounting to £170.10."
"PARCEL CANOL (PARSEL-CANOL), a township in that part of the parish of LLANBADARN-VAWR which is in the upper division of the hundred of GENEU 'R GLYN, county of CARDIGAN, SOUTH WALES, 5 miles (E) from Aberystwith, containing 497 inhabitants. It is situated to the north of the river Rheidol, and contains some pleasing and respectable residences surrounded with timber. There is an endowment of £6.2.6. per annum for a free school, arising from a bequest of £150 by Richard Lewis, Esq., late of Abercumdole. A new church, or chapel, is about to be erected at Tyn' y Llidiart, in this township, towards defraying the expense of which several hundred pounds have been already raised by public subscription. The poor are maintained by a separate assessment, the average annual expenditure amounting to £99.7."
"TRŹVIRIG (TRŹV-VEIRIG), a township in that part of the parish of LLANBADARN-VAWR which is in the lower division of the hundred of GENEU'R-GLYN, county of CARDIGAN, SOUTH WALES, containing 496 inhabitants. It is situated contiguous to the valley of the Rheidiol. The poor are maintained by a separate assessment, the average annual expenditure being £129.14."
"VAINOR ISA (VAENOR - ISĀV), a township in that part of the parish of LLANBADARN-VAWR. which is in the lower division of the hundred of GENEU'R GLYN county of CARDIGAN, SOUTH WALES, 1 rnile (N. N. E.) from Aberystwith, containing 186 inhabitants. It lies on the sea-coast, and contains several pleasing residences. The Duke of Leeds, as lord of the manor of Vainor, receives five shillings per ton on the coal brought coastwise to Aberystwith, by virtue of a grant made by Charles I. A portion of the township is included within the new boundaries of the contributory borough of Aberystwith. The poor are maintained by a separate assessment, the average annual expenditure amounting to £90.11."
"VAINOR UCHA (VAENOR-UCHĀV ), a township in that part of the parish of LLANBADARN-VAWR which is in the lower division of the hundred of GENEU'R GLYN, county of CARDIGAN, SOUTH WALES, 2 miles (E. N. E.) from Aberystwith, containing 384 inhabitants. The northern part of this township is partially wooded, and here are a few large upright stones, standing apart, which are apparently of great antiquity; it is bounded on the south by the river Rheidiol. The poor are maintained by a separate assessment, the average annual expenditure amounting to £86.14."
"YN DRE UCHA (YN -Y- DRE - UCHĀV), a township in that part of the parish of LLANBADARN -VAWR which is in the lower division of the hundred of GENEU'R GLYN, county of CARDIGAN, SOUTH WALES, 1 3/4 miles (E. by S.) from Aberystwith, containing 347 inhabitants. It is bounded on the south by the river Rheidiol, and contains a portion of the village of Llanbadarn-Vawr. There is a separate assessment for the support of the poor, the average annual expenditure amounting to £77.19."
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