Llyswen
| Llyswen | |
|---|---|
  Llyswen Location withinPowys | |
| Principal area | |
| Preserved county | |
| Country | Wales |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | BRECON |
| Postcode district | LD3 |
| Dialling code | 01874 |
| Police | Dyfed-Powys |
| Fire | Mid and West Wales |
| Ambulance | Welsh |
| UK Parliament | |
| Senedd Cymru – Welsh Parliament | |
Llyswenis a small village inPowys,Wales on the west bank of theRiver Wye.It was formerly within the county ofBrecknockshireand now forms part of theCommunityofBronllys.The nearest town isBreconapproximately 8 miles (13 km) to the south-west.
History[edit]
'Llys-wen' isWelshfor "The White Court" and the settlement is first mentioned as a site of a court where the sons ofRhodri Mawr,ninth century King of the Britons, might arbitrate their differences.[1]It has been suggested that the remains of ahill fortabove the village might be the location of this court.
Parish Church[edit]
The site of theparish churchmay be of equal age or older. It is dedicated to St Gwendoline, one of the many saintly offspring of KingBrychanofBrycheiniog,who is said to have been killed by paganSaxonsand buried in nearbyTalgarth.Unfortunately the church was destroyed and rebuilt in 1862 and only theNormanfont remains. Unusually, this destruction (common in the Victorian period) drew adverse comment at the time. A contemporary editorial in Archaeologia Cambrensis said: "We are sorry to hear that this ancient edifice has been pulled down...We have no right...to remove the handiwork of our forefathers...It would be better to let the old buildings, plain or ugly as they may be, pass down unscathed to our children, who will have more respect for them than is shewn by ourselves."[2]
Llyswen Castle[edit]
Following theNorman invasion of Wales,Llyswen became subject to theMarcher Lordsand in the 12th century formed part of the lands ofWalter de Clifford.Most villages in the area were fortified with amotte-and-baileycastle and a possible site for Llyswen Castle has been identified, though no supporting documentary evidence exists.
Llangoed Hall[edit]
Llangoed Hall to the north of the village was built in 1633 by the Williams family ofOld Gwernyfedin nearbyAberllynfi.It was lost to the MacNamara family (apparently after a game of cards) in about 1800 and subsequently much rebuilt. A London hatter called Archibald Christy bought the house in about 1860 and later had it extensively redesigned by the architectClough Williams-Ellis,who formed the romantic notion that it was the site of the original 'White Court'. In 1987 the house was bought and much restored inEdwardianstyle bySir Bernard Ashley,who subsequently opened it as theLlangoed HallHotel and fabric design centre.[3]It is now agrade II* listedbuilding.[4]
The Hermit of Llyswen[edit]
The romantic radical and poetJohn Thelwallbuilt himself a "hermitage" at Llyswen Farm during his exile in Wales. His friendsWilliamandDorothy WordsworthandSamuel Taylor Coleridgevisited him there in August 1798.[5]The figure of "The Solitary" from Wordsworth's later poem 'The Excursion' may have been based on Thelwall in Llyswen.[6]
Today[edit]
A travel guide of 1847 referred to Llyswen as a "miserable village".[7]Things have apparently improved since then. In 2008, Llyswen was judged one of the top ten most desirable British villages in which to live.[8]
Notes[edit]
- ^"Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust - Projects - Historic Landscapes - Middle Wye -".
- ^Archaeologia Cambrensis p.293 (1862)
- ^"Archived copy".Archived fromthe originalon 19 February 2012.Retrieved25 August2009.
{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^"Llangoed Hall, Bronllys, Powys".
- ^T. McFarland et al., The Coleridge connection, p.78 (1990)
- ^J.Thompson in D.W.Davies, Romanticism, History, Historicism, p.122 (2008)ISBN0-415-96112-2
- ^C.F. Cliffe, The Book of South Wales (2nd Edn), p.297 (1847)
- ^"Channel 5's Top 10 Perfect Villages".Designs on Property.Retrieved9 August2016.
