Descriptive Gazetteer Entry for LLANBADARN-FAWR

LLANBADARN-FAWR, a village and a parish in Aberystwith district, Cardigan. The village stands on the river Rheidol, and on the Sarn-Helen way, 1 mile E of Aberystwith r. station; occupies the site of a Roman settlement; took its name from St. Padarn or Paternus, a foreigner of great celebrity; was made by him, in 516, the seat of a church, a bishopric, and a monastic college; had, soon afterwards, another church; suffered devast a tion by the Danes in 987 and 1038, when its two churches were destroyed; had long a market, which was eventually removed to Aberystwith; contains, in its centre, a huge stone, which was split by the lighting of a bonfire on it; stands amid verdant meadows, under shelter of a range of hills, backed by Plinlimmon; and has a post office under Aberystwith. The diocese existed till only about 600; and in consequence of the bishop of that time having been murdered by the inhabitants, it was then united to the see of St. David's. The monastic college was given, in 1111, to St. Peter's of Gloucester; and went afterwards to the abbey of Vale Royal in Cheshire.—The parish contains the chapelry of Aberystwith, and the townships of Uchayndre, Issayndre, Upper Vainor, Lower Vainor, Broncastellan, Clarach, Elerch, Lower ILlanbadarn-y-Croyddin, Upper Llanbadarn-y-Croyddin, Cwmrheidol, Melindwr, Parcel-Canol, and Trefeirig. Acres, 5,270; of which 330 are water. Real property, £38,460; of which £3,196 are in mines, and £20 in quarries. Pop. in 1851,12,776; in 1861,13,724,-of whom 5,641 were in Aberystwith borough. Houses in 1861, 2,646,-of which 1,089 were in Aberystwith borough. The property is much subdivided. There are several good residences. Castle House, below the castle at Aberystwith, is an edifice of fantastic design, built by Nash for the late Sir Uvedale Price, Bart. Plas. Crug, on the Rheidol near Aberystwith, is a ruined castellated structure, said to have been the residence of Owen Glendower. A mineral spring, whose waters resemble those of Tunbridge Wells, is near Plas-Crug. Lead mines, which were worked by Sir Hugh Myddleton, are at Cwmsymlog and Cwmrheidol. Traces exist of several ancient British camps. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of St. David's. Value, £170. * Patron, the Bishop of St. David's. The church is early English, cruciform and large; has a massive central tower, resting on four great piers; has also a fine early English doorway on the S side of the nave; has likewise a number of roundheaded windows, which contribute much to its appearance of solidity and strength; contains monuments to the Pryses of Gogerthan, the Powels of Nanteos, and the antiquary Morris; and was reported, in 1859, to be in bad condition. The churchyard contains some very ancient sculptured stone crosses. The p. curacies of Aberystwith, Bangor, Yspytty-Cenfyn, and Llangorwen are separate benefices. There are chapels for Independents and Calvinistic Methodists in Llanbadarn-Fawr village, and other places of worship for dissenters in other parts of the parish. There are also an endowed school with £20 ayear, and other charities £15. Archbishop Baldwin and Giraldus visited the village in 1188; and the poet Davydd ap Gwillim was a native of the parish.


(John Marius Wilson, Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (1870-72))

Linked entities:
Feature Description: "a village and a parish"   (ADL Feature Type: "populated places")
Administrative units: Llanbadarn Fawr AP/CP       Aberystwith RegD/PLU       Cardiganshire AncC
Place: Llanbadarn Fawr

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