CAMBRIDGE COUNTY GEOGRAPH IES

GU I LLEMARD M A . . M. D . G : . . . eneral Editor F H H , ,

B RECO NS H IRE C A MB RI DGE UNIVE RS ITY P RE S S

F E T N u n h o n z TE R A E . C . il L E ,

F . NA R C . Y MA GE CLA ,

l o o P RIN E S S TRE E T QEDmb u rgb , C H E R AND l . S CO . B a m . A A F B R K H 1 8 mm} : . A . OC AU S

’ fi sh) Q u rk : G P P UTNAM S S O NS

‘ t tt MAC MI LLAN AND LT B u mb ag an b Qial u a: CO D. ' ’ Cam ér z ag e C o u n ty Geog r aph er

B R E C O N S H I R E

CH RISTOPH E R J E VANS l l ‘

M With aps, Diagrams and Illustrations

Cam b ridge

at th e U n iv e rsity Pr e ss

P RE FACE

HE author desires to acknowledge his indebtedness to several works on the history and antiquities

' The B ir ds o B r eco m b z r e of B reconshire , especially to f

Mr by E . Cambridge Phillips . His thanks are also

Mr due to John Ward, for his great assistance during the photographing of exhibits in the Welsh M ' ifi Mr . Car d . useum , ; to C H Priestley, for plans and information supplied ; to Dr W . Black Jones of Llangammarch Wells for kindly furnishing sunshine

' statistics ; to the Principal of the Cardiff University

College for permission to photograph the Celtic handbell ; and to several ladies and gentlemen of B reconshire who readily gave permission for photographs to be taken when they understood the obj ect for which they were intended .

ANS c . J . EV .

n u r 2 ya a y 1 9 r . SIR FRYC HEINIO G

Wr th o c h r h o n S ir F r c h e in io mae y g ,

M n ddo e dd m an n au c r ibo y y mawr a g ,

Ym M u allt r h o s dd tir dd o e r ll d y o e y ,

Rh ai m n ddau c h o e d h f y y a ydd e yd .

Tiro e dd ddio e l da a choed g , ’ O r i Dal ar th Gelli g Cerrig Hywel ,

A c 0 wm as Ab e r h o n ddu g p ,

’ Dyna r dr e f g yf o e th o c a yn Ng h ym r u

A c y n h o n mae P r o te s tan iaid

idd n t f n e d A thair eglwys y y ,

0 w lad m e w n am r w fan n au nd hyd eu g y , ’ r h ai n r e e th u Mae p g hyd eu teian .

H aidd we n ith h e f d r au a g , a y yg ’ Caws a m e n yn s ydd m e w n mannan ;

P u r io n c e ir c h dio e l bara g ,

Y n N h wm wd M u all g t ac y n Llywel .

’ G w n a r h n n o f u s fan merched y y g g y , B o b g waith h ys w i i m e w n ac allan ; ’ ’ Gwau r h o s an au dr w r fl w dd n y holl y y , l O — n - we s n Lan Fair hyd y Aber G y .

’ 1 1 T H O MAS A I A T 8 4 . D . C N .

1 o u o u s to Ra o s e e s B e c o s e m o u a o u s m a y C ntig dn r hir li r n hir , nt in with n

B u h m m o as m e a o s x s a s s e c o u s ac e s . t e c o t h e o e o m e pr ipit pl ilth ( ) d w , p d l nd ,

s an d a s o fo s m o u ntain l re s t . Go o d land s an d pl e nte o u s fo re s ts e xte nd fro m G e lli to Talgarth an d

ic o e an d a s o a o u B e c o :— a is th e e a e s o in Cr kh w ll, l r nd r n th t w lthi t t wn

s 'Val e .

Th e P o e s ta s e e a e e e c u c e s b u t o e th e c o u s e in r t nt h r h v thr h r h , v r ntry id ,

s e e a ac e s s o m e e ac f o m o u s e to o u s e . v r l pl , pr h r h h

B a e an d e a an d a s o r e c e e s e an d b u e are to b e fo u in rl y wh t l y , h tt r, nd

a s P e o f o o o a e b e a in th e c o m m o o f B u an d in s o m e pl c e . l nty g d t n r d t ilth

Llyw e l . Th e m aid s o f Bre c o n s hire atte nd c are f u lly to d u ti e s Within an d with o u t th e o u s e an d o u th e o e e a in th e s c b e e e L a fa an d h , thr gh wh l y r, di tri t tw n l n ir

Abe r w e s s n e s o c s . g y , th y knit t king CO NTE NTS

PAGE

s . Siluria . Its divi ion into Principalities Garth c c Madryn , Bry heiniog , Breckno k , and Breconshire

s n General Characteristic . Position and Natural Co

ditio n s

z S . S i e . hape Boundaries

S urface and General Features

— ' a ft S Rivers ( ) Nedd , Ta , Tawe , Rhymney , irhowy , Towy — Rivers (bl The U s k and its Basin — Rivers (c) The Wye and its Basin Lakes and Waterfalls Geology and Soil Natural History Climate and Rainfall — People Race , Lang uag e , Population

— S Ag riculture Main Cultivations , Woodland , tock

Industries and Manufactures viii CONTENTS

Mines and Minerals S pas The Breconshire Reservoirs

H istory o f Breconshire — c S Antiquities Prehistori , British , Roman , axon

Ancient Stones o f Breconshire

—a Architecture ( ) Ecclesiastical . Abbeys and Churches — b r r Arc hitecture ( ) Military . Castles o — Architecture (c) Dome s tic — c . Communi ations Past and Present Roads , Railways , and Canals Administration and Divisions—Past and Present

Roll o f Honour

The Chief r To wn s and Villages o f Breconshire ILLU STRATIO NS

Cri c khowell Bridg e The Blue Pool and Gorge o n Taff Fechan The Brecon Beacons In the Vale o f Neath O n the Senni The Usk near Brecon The Wye at Builth The Ir fo n in flood Upper Ff r wdg r ec h Waterfalls Bwa Maen Striated Boulder Glacial Boulder O utc rop o f S ilurian Rock Llangorse Lake Prehistoric Implements found in Breconshire Neolithic Implement found near Devynock c Coed Farm , near Bre on

Cattle Fair , Devynock Limestone Q uarries near Vaynor t aw Talgar h S mills . Plan and Section o f Cardiff Water Sy s tem x ILLUSTRATIONS

Craig Goch Dam

Ban n iu m Roman Wall ,

’ - - Llewelyn s Monument , Cefn y Bedd Remains o f Cromlech near Cric khowell An c ient Bron z es found at Llwyn fawr Mound o n Site o f Roman Station near Cric khowell Celtic Handbell Maen y Mo rwyn io n Ancient Carved Stones from Breconshire Brecon Priory Church Bronllys Church St ’ Mary s Church , Brecon Llan g as ty Talyllyn Church Brecon Honddu Mill and Castle Bronllys Castle

Earthworks , Builth Castle Crickhowell Castle Tretower Castle : th e Keep

Tr e b e r fe dd

Po r th m aw r Gate , Crickhowell Cottages o n Silurian Rock The Canal at Brecon

’ Cefn Brith : J ohn P e n r y s Birthplace Theophilus Evans Sir Bartle Frere Mrs Siddons c Christ College , Bre on Vaynor Viaduct Devynoc k Llanelieu Church Henry Vaughan ’ s Tomb Sc Rood reen , Partrishow Church Diagrams ILLUSTRATIONS

MAP S

c c Bre onshire , Physi al Geological Annual Rainfall o f England and Wales Sketch M ap showing th e Chief Castles o f Wales Border Counties S ketc h Map showing British Camps and Roman and Roads

o n . 1 1 2 6 1 0 1 1 8 1 2 8 1 6 The illustrations pp 4 , 3 , 9 , , 45 , 3 , , , 3 ,

1 2 ar e s . Co . 5 from photographs upplied by Messrs F Frith ,

o f o n . . . A b e r o f Ltd . , Reig ate ; that p 7 4 by Mr P B y Builth ; f o n . 1 . . o o n 1 that p 9 by Mr R H Thomas Aberdare ; that p . 6 5

S o f by Mr R . H . tevens Crickhowell ; and the remainder , with

th e o f o n . 1 exception that p 5 9 , from photographs taken expressly

fo r . this book by Mr Fred Evans , Llangynwyd , Glamorganshire

= 1 S il ia. It s d iv is io n in o P r in c i a . u r t p h Mad n B h e in i lit ie s . a o G rt ry , ry c g ,

B re ck n o ck , an d B re co n s h ire .

When the Romans made their appearance in the islands of B ritain , the district now forming the south eastern corner of Wales was known to the B ritons as

E ss llw Es s llw r . y g, and was inhabited by a tribe known as y y These names the Romans tra n slated into Latin as Siluria S and Silures respectively . iluria comprised most of the s G B pre ent counties of lamorgan and reconshire, the M whole of onmouthshi re, and some other outlying tracts n o w forming parts of English counties . It was divided

- into districts, probably under sub chiefs, and of these a G M tract of country called arth adryn was one . We do not know the actual extent of this district, but, roughly, it was contained within the boundaries that now mark the t B presen county of reconshire , with the possible exception of the hundred of Builth . G h M “ H ill art adryn , we are told , means Fox or d ” Fox Hol , and was thus named because it formed the home of large numbers of those animals . Perhaps the

E . B . 2 BRECONSHIRE name was only given to a small portion of the district at fi rst and was afterwards extended to include the whole area we have outlined . Still this does not help us to understand how the county received its present name . Neither does it tell us what it means . For this information we must come to a period several hundreds of years later, in fact to the A period of the departure of the Romans . bout this time the Welsh prince of Garth Madryn was a man named

B r c han y , and in his honour it was renamed B rycheiniog he in iaw — B r h an B r c c . or y g that is, the Land of y From that time onwards its princes or rulers were always described as of B rycheiniog , and in later times still , when the Normans took most of the district from the Welsh , the name was still retained to designate the Lordship formed by the Norman conqueror who was known as the

Lord of Brycheiniog .

- The Normans half translated the word Brycheiniog, and after some changes the word they used in time n became fixed as Brecknock, or as it is owadays written ,

Brecon . To the Welsh the name is still B rycheiniog,

e Sir F r c he in io and when we speak of B reconshir we say y g . The di fference in spelling is simply due to a grammatical rule which alters the first letters of many words in the

Welsh language . For a long period the names B recon shi re and Brecknockshire have been used indiscriminately 1 1 0 for our county , but i n 9 the County Council , by

e resolution , determined that the form Breconshir shall ffi be used in all o cial documents . This may have the ff e ect of standardising the name of the county , and to SILURIA 3 harmonise with the o fiic ial nomenclature we shall use the “ ” name Breconshire in the pages of this book . We have read in one or two sentences the words ” County of Brecon . Strictly speaking th is is not cor rect, as Brecon is not a county in the sense that the S S English counties Kent , urrey, and ussex are . B recon “ ” is what is termed a shire , that is, it was formed from a sh ame i e 1mm f . . 5 o f of a larger district, the part , for the two i w A . S . sr r ords have a common origin in the , to cut , to divide . For many years, even after the death of Prince 1 2 8 2 Llewelyn in , the Lordship of Brecknock continued M as a Lordship archer , and it was only given the privileges that belong to our counties and shi res in the reign of

V Ac t Henry III . During that reign an of Parliament was passed that divided such portions of Wales as had

- not already been made shire ground into shires, and of

. So these Breconshire was one , to be correct, we should always speak or write of the shire as Breconshire, and not as B recon as if it were a county .

i i n 2 n l Ch a a e is i s . o s o . Ge e ra r ct r t c P t n i i n an d Natu ral Co d t o s . — Breconshire is an inland county o n e of the three inland counties of Wales . Its nearest point to the sea is that portion that forms the upper valley of the Tawe, where the boundary line is some 1 2 miles from Swansea

lac e Bay . Crickhowell , the most important p in the south 2 S east , is over 4 miles from the shores of the evern

1 —2

6 BRECONSHIRE

in numerous streams , have given rise to a small woollen du s tr y which produces flannel and a coarse woollen cloth .

Breconshire also manufactures leather of excellent quality . S ituated in the marchland or border of Wales , with

- o f its eastern border contiguous to that England , it is no wonder that in early days Breconsh ire was debatable ground . Th e valleys of the Wye and Usk open to the ff east , and though these a ord ready communication with

in England these peaceful times, yet they proved a source of danger and made invasion on the part of marauders

o e ri c v n g its soil an easy matter in more warlike days .

This way , no doubt, came the Romans ; through these S the axon hordes made thei r incursions , and the possession of the valleys of the Wye and the Usk gave Bernard Ne w m arc h and his followers their grip on the county when they rode steel- clad to seek new homes in wild

Wales .

S i e S h a B n i 3 . z . p e . o u dar e s .

A s a rule , when we consider the size of a county, we have to reckon with the fact that counties are divided for purposes of local government into County Boroughs, which administer their own affairs , and the remainder A of the county, which is known as the dministrative S County . ometimes, too, a portion of a county is attached to a district in another county for administra tive purposes on account of convenience , or a county may administer a portion of another county for the same reason . So the Administrative County does not coincide altogether SI'E SHAP E BOUNDARIES 1 with the bounds of what is term e d the A ncient or Geo graphical County .

u s Breconshire has no County Borough , but fo r parishe on th e southern border are within the Administrative M County of onmouthshire, though they lie within the A S boundaries of the ncient County of B reconshire . till , the area thus detached is so small that unless definitely s stated otherwise, we shall con ider the general term county to mean both the Ancient and Administrativ e

Counties . B reconshire ranks fourth in size among the counties of Wales and has an area of about 7 2 6 square miles or A statute acre s . The area of the dministrative

County is statute acres . This places it about equal in area to the English counties Surrey and Berk shire and among the dozen smallest counties of the

- s ix t s e v e n th country . It occupies about one y of the entire 6 area of England and Wales . It is 5 miles long, 3 5 miles f 1 0 . broad , and has a circum erence of 4 miles The natural formation of the county seems to have marked it o ff as a mountainous region contained within the bounds of its highlands and streams . In shape it is

° i rregular, but has somewhat the appearance of a slightly truncated right - angled triangle with its base to the south

e A and its vertical sid on the west . smaller irregularly shaped triangle rises from its longest or eastern side . Th e boundaries of the county were fixed when the m m l 1 . c o o ts shire was formed in 5 3 5 Certain cantrefs, ,

1 Bryc he i n io g at th e S u rv ey o f Wal e s in th e r e ign o f H o we ll B da — e n c e u was a o e n o f o u c an e fs o r c an e s 1 . an t e f (t th nt ry) p rtiti n d i t r tr tr d , C r 8 BRECONSHIRE

n e w w s and parishes were named , and of these the shire a th to consist . Being an inland county e boundaries, save

u re l ar bitrar when they coincide with a river, are p y y, but except along the south they are fai rly clearly defined .

We will now follow these boundaries upon a map , espec ial care being taken to note when they foll o w along the line of a river or along a mountain range .

The town of Hay makes a good starting point, as fro m here th e boundary follows the river Wye as far as

. m the the northern point of the county Fro Hay . then boundary—separating B reconshire from Radnorshire runs for about seven miles in a south -westerly direction

n to the vicinity of Three Cocks Ju ction , when it curves

h - - dire c tio t boldly to t e north north west . This n i maintains

th e to the neighbourhood of Llanfaredd , on Radnorshire side , when i t takes a sinuous course westward towards At Builth Wells . Builth Wells it runs for about four miles in a north - westerly direction and then turns to the north

Te wdo s ii a e E daf an d i ll a e i . u v . a Maw . e S e l f . th e r, C ntr f , C ntr f , C ntr f y In

a o n o f Wa e s b P i c e L e e a G u f te e t c e n u r as p rtiti l y r n l w lyn p r fydd (thir n h t y) , ' e n in th e M r z an A r chaeo lo B c e o h as o t wo c an tre fs giv yf y gy, ry h ini g nly ,

f c o m s n th e e as e o o o f th e s i. a e S e l c an d ii. a e f C ntr f y , pri i g t rn p rti n di tri t, C ntr

Ma c o m s th e e s e o o . th e s e in S ir o wr, pri ing w t rn p rti n In li t giv n J hn

’ P c e s Des cr z f z o n o Wales B c e o h as e e c a e fs an d ri p f , ry h ini g thr ntr e ight c o m m o ts

l f t tw o c o m m o ts S e l f an d Tr ah a i S e e rn . . y , wi h , y y

W e c o m m o s Tal o rth Ys tr ad w ii. a o e an d B rw n ll C n l, ith thr t , g , y , y ys o r a Eglwys Y il .

Ma w e e c o m m o ts Tir Rau lff L e an d in . e H o e wr, ith thr , , lyw ll , C rrig w l .

W e th e s e w as fo m e in th e e i o f H e V th e a e h n hir r d r gn nry III , C ntr f o f

h fs m e B u allt in P o wys w as add e d to t e thre e c antre n t i o ne d abo ve to fo rm

s B re c o n hire . SI'E S HAPE BOUNDARIES 9 with a subsequent inclination to the north - west as far as f the con luence of the Elan with the Wye . The boundary now follows the Elan until it reaches the point where th e

Clae rw e n fl ows into the Elan , in the district submerged

lae r by the Birmingham Waterworks . It follows the C wen valley to the point where the counties of Radnorshire and Cardiganshire meet and then a couple of miles further,

G n o n near Llyn y , strikes across country southward into the valley of the Towy . The boundary now lies to the west of the county and follows the Towy valley in a southerly direction until it

reaches the spot where the three counties, Breconshire ,

Cardiganshire , and Carmarthenshire meet . To follow the boundary for some distance further becomes a matter of

ff n o w di iculty . It zigzags now east, now west, south and sometimes north in seemingly haphazard fashion , but has in the main a south - easterly direction until it reaches the

Gw dde r i valley of the g, when it makes a bend along the

10 M n western s pes of ynydd Bwlch y Groes . Leavi g this

valley it strikes across into the Usk valley , which it follows V to the source of the river in the Carmarthen ans, and crossing that range between Llyn y Fan Fawr and Llyn y Fan Fach strikes south -west into the valley of the

T r h T w rc h w c . The valley is followed until that stream

flows into the Tawe near Ystalyfera . Now the boundary runs along the south of the county

and crosses river, valley, and mountain in a manner that

baflle s description . From Ystalyfera it winds its sinuous way over Mynydd y Drum to Coelbren Ju n ction in the Dulas valley an d then over the slopes of Hir Fynydd and G o n f Th e B lue P 0 01 an d orge Ta f Fechan SI'E S HAPE BOUNDARIES 1 1

th rough the valleys of the Pyrddin and the Nedd to Pont S Nedd Fechan . till winding its way eastwards it passes to the no rth of Hi rwaun and then trends over Mynydd Aberdare into the Taff Fawr valley and across Cefn ff ff Merthyr into that of the Ta Fechan . From the Ta Fechan valley it crosses Mynydd Llangynidr in a series

of straight lines to turn to the south above B rynmawr .

From Brynmawr it pursues its winding easterly course , keeping south of Clydach and then bending north it strikes the valley of the e yne Fawr . It follows this river valley almost to its head and then striking boldly northwards across the B lack Mountains arrives at our — starting point the town of Hay .

S a e an d e n e al Fe a e s . 4 . u rf c G r tu r

e Br conshire is cradled in mountains, some of which

rank as the highest eminences in South Wales . More than half the county is over 1 000 feet above the level 00 of the sea , and scarcely any is within 3 feet of it . The general slope of the surface is towards the south

and east . The river valleys divide it naturally into four hill

districts . The valley of the Usk, crossing the county

e from ast to west , cuts it into two main portions .

M E n t North of this valley is ynydd ppy , wh ich is again separated from the wilder hill country of the north - west

I f n r o . corner by the valley of the , a tributary of the Wye — South of the Usk are the B eacons B an n au B rycheiniog 12 BR ECONS HIRE

“ t which , commencing below the own of Crickhowell , extend westwards into the Forest Fawr or Black Moun tains of Carmarthensh ire . The remaining hill district, M comprising the Black Forest ountains, lies in the south

o ff W e . b Ll fn i eastern corner cut by the y , y the y , a tributary of the Wye , and by the Usk .

Th e fi Beacons , perhaps, are the nest of the moun

n tains in the county, stretch ing with thei r spurs alo g the f whole southern border . Th ree magni icent peaks mark their entry from Carmarthenshire , chief of which Capel

- lante towers some 2 3 94 feet above sea level . Within the county the peaks succeed each other almost in a line due

h irr h fi 8 1 . . Ge ac 2 east and west Y comes rst , 3 feet high 2 1 Llia 2 0 1 Then follow Y Fan Nedd ( 7 7 feet), Fan ( 7 2 00 feet), Fan Fawr ( 4 feet), culminating in the peak

Pe n fan B appropriately named y , th e monarch of the eacons 2 0 S ( 9 7 feet high), the highest point in outh Wales, and the highest O ld Red Sandstone peak in the ki n gdom . East of Pe n yfan the range slopes downwards again into S B the valley of the Usk . outh of the eacons, the surface is formed of the high steep barren hills of the great coal basin of South Wales .

M E n t ynydd ppy , separating the valley of the Usk from that of the Wye , is most appropriately named , for the range slopes in a long trend in a south—westerly B direction from the neighbourhood of uilth . Near the Carmarthenshire border it is known as Mynydd Bwlch y G t roes and this spur, continuing round the head wa ers

M n of the Usk, connects the Black Forest ountai s with

n t Mynydd Eppy . Though not so h igh as the Beacons

1 4 BRECONSHIRE — the highest peaks are Moelfre ( 1 45 0 feet) and Panne — ( 1 29 0 feet) these h ills present a considerable boldness of outline and amongst them lies some of the loveliest

- scenery of the county . The hills in the north west are

ff Pl n lim m o n o shoots from the y range, and rise in Y D ry 2 1 2 0 garn Fawr to an elevation of feet . — East of the valley of the Llyfn i the Vale of Talgarth — M as it is called rises the chain of the Black ountains, or

Ha e a as they are named on the Herefordshire side , the tt r l

- Hills . The mountains rise in the well known Sugar Loaf A mountain , near bergavenny, and range in a convex line with a general north - easterly direction into Herefordshire

some distance south of Hay . The highest peaks are Waun 2 660 2 6 2 Fach ( feet) and Pen y Gader Fawr ( 4 feet) .

iv e s — a Ne dd Ta Taw e 5 . R r ( ) , ff , ,

m n S i h o T . Rh y e y , r wy , o w y

The rivers of Breconshire are numerous , but though

o f im o rtan c e not one of them is navigable , they are yet p for f the quantity and qual ity of the ish , especially salmon and trout, that are found in their waters . The river system — falls naturally into three divisions the s treams flowing south from the Beacons and their extensions, the rivers of the Usk basin , and those of the basin of the Wye . A glance at the map will show us these divisions and how the Beacons separate the first from the second , and how Mynydd E ppyn t forms the barrier between the

c se ond and the third . RIV ERS 15

The streams flowing south from the Beacons do so

- - in a south westerly and south easterly direction, the dividing barrier being the huge group of mountains that lies at th e head of the Rhondda Valley in Glamorgan b f shire . Just to the west of this arrier low a number

In the Vale o f Neath

of streams that are renowned far and wide for the

beauty of the scenery that encircles their head waters .

P rddin H e s te Me llte They are the y , Nedd Fechan , p ,

S c h n an t and y , which unite their waters near Pont Nedd h Fec an to form the Nedd (N eath) . Here are innumerable 16 BRECONSHIRE cascades and deeply wooded gorges overhung by craggy heights, varied by woodland nooks of great beauty . This region deserves more tha n a paragraph and we shall pass on to other streams to return again to a fuller notice of its attractions . East and west of this romantic neighbourhood are the basins of the two most important rivers of Glamorganshire — ff . T afI the Ta and the Tawe The rises in two heads , ff ff the Ta Fawr and the Ta Fechan , on the slopes of the

n o n s ide r B eacons . While in the county the Taff is an i c able stream , indeed it is not navigable at any part, but the natural formation of its course has been taken advantage of to construct huge reservoirs to collect the plentitude of

z ff water for the use of the citi ens of Cardiff . The Ta enters Glamorganshire near the importa n t mining and M f ironworking town of erthyr Tyd il , and after winding through a valley containing numerous collieries and iron

ff n works, it flows past the ancient city of Llanda and e ters

S e a ff the evern S at Cardi . The Tawe rises in Llyn y Fan Fawr on the eastern M slopes of the Black Forest ountains . It receives nume rous tributaries within the county . Chief of these are — the T w r c h which for a part of its course marks a portio n of the boundary between B reconsh ire and Carmarthe n — Gw s Giaidd. shire the y g, and the The Tawe enters

G an d lamorganshi re between Ystradgynlais Ystalyfera , and after a course th rough a rapidly growing mining S and manufacturing district, empties its waters in wan sea Bay .

The Rhymney is another affl uent of the Severn . that RIV ERS 17

has . its origin in the county It rises, just within the M border, on the ynydd Llangynidr extension of the S e Beacons . The irhowy has its source in the sam M mountains , but both streams flow into onmouthshire before they are swollen by thei r tributaries to any size .

O n the western side of Breconshi re the Towy, for a portion of its course , forms part of the boundary between

w e . the county and Cardiganshire , as have already seen

— i b Th e Us k an d it s B as in . 6 . R v e rs ( )

The Usk admits no rival to its claim to be the river of the county, for it bisects it from west to east and drains the major portion of its area . It rises on the northern slopes of the Carmarthen Van in the B lack or Forest Fawr

M fi - ountains, ve miles south west of Trecastle . Its course at first is due north and h ere the river forms part of the ‘ S county boundary on this side . ome two and a half miles from its source Mynydd Myddfai bars its way and forces it to turn to the east to flow at the foot of the southern

re c te ll At H dfe r slopes of Mynydd T as . Pont y it is joined

H dfe r Van by the y , which also has its source in the , less than a mile from the main stream . Two miles beyond Trecastle it receives the Crai from

hirra h . Ge c the south This stream rises in Y , and a short distance beyond its conflue n ce with the Usk the latter is b fl joined on the north y the Clydach , which ows from the B At S southern slopes of Mynydd wlch y Groes . enni Bridge it receives the waters of the Sen n i whose head

E . B . 2 18 BRECONSHIRE waters lie in the valley between Y Ge h irrac h and Y Fan li L a.

The Cilieni is its next tributary, a very winding stream that rises in a depression between Mynydd Bwlch

G M E n t Ab e rb ran y roes and ynydd ppy proper . Near station the Usk is joined by the Nant Bran from Mynydd

E n t M E n t Ys c ir ppy . ynydd ppy also is the source of Yr

O n th e S enn i

( Ou ier op of Old Red S an ds to n e )

Y s c ir two Fechan and Yr Fawr , rushing, tumultuous, mountain torrents that j oin their waters at Pontfaen to fl Ys c ir A O n ow as Yr into the Usk at beryscir . the left bank of the river, on the wedge of land formed by

f Ysc ir the con luence of the with the Usk, is the site of

B an n iu m , the military station of the Romans . At the county town the Usk receives two considerable RIV ERS 19

u . tributaries , the Tarrel and the Hondd The Tarrel

Llw c h rises by two heads , one of which is in Llyn Cwm , a small glacier- formed lake about a mile in circumference

10 on the northern s pes of Y Fan Fawr . The Honddu flows from Mynydd Eppyn t and its junction with the Usk

B Ab e h n d u gives to recon its Welsh name of r o d . O n G Y aer Fawr, a height on the left bank of the Honddu ,

Th e U s k near B re c o n are the remains of an ancient fort or camp which gives the heigh t its name , while a short distance south of the M camp is the site of Castell adoc .

C n r i m The y g and n flow from the Beacons, and G C o llw n th rough lyn g, the valley that lies between the

M fl Carv an e ll Beacons and ynydd Llangynidr, ows the or

l Llan s an tff rae d A n u e l e . , which joins the Usk n ar The

2 —2 20 BRECONSHIRE

ra C w n o n is another tri butary from the south . It rises in Carn y B u gail in Mynydd Llangynidr and traverses the parish of that name . O nly two tributaries of any size flow from the Black

M s - hian o ll ountain the R g and the e yne . Between the confluence of these two rivers with the Usk lies

Crickhowell , the second town of any importance that stands on the Usk while a Breconshire river . The Rhian go ll rises in the Gader ridge and flowing past Cwmdu and Tretower joins the main stream at Glan u s k e —e Bridge . The yne rises in two heads yne Fawr — and e yne Fechan o n opposite sides of the same

Gader ridge . They join thei r waters a little south of Llanbedr and flow into the Usk half a mile south of

r n e the village of Llan g wy . The Usk now ceases to be a Breconsh ire river as it flows into Monmouthshire a little west of its confluence with the e yne . It winds its

A fl - way past bergavenny , and owing in a south westerly direction , meanders peacefully through the town of Usk

ea to Newport and the Seve rn S .

- W e an i s a in i e s e Th e d t B s . 7 . R v r ( ) y

The Wye rises about a mile eastwards of the h ighest Pl n lim m o n summit of the y range , i n a district hallowed A by historic memories . round its upper reaches waged

C fe ilio f . O many a stern con lict in days of old wain y g, a Cadw Prince of Powys, here met and fought Howell p O G gan , and here also wain lyndwr unfurled the banner

22 BRECONSHIRE

Gw of Rhayader y is passed and , shortly after , the river t enters Breconshire . From its entry into our county , un il f it leaves it at the town of Hay , the Wye lows th rough scenery of the most beautiful description, thought by some to be unrivalled among th e inland river scenery of the country , especially at the fall of the year, when the warm

Th e I r fo n in fl ood tints of autumn-dyed leaves surround the river with a wealth of colour .

Where the Wye enters B reconshire , it receives on its right bank the waters of the river Elan , which , with

Clae rwe n a tributary the , forms the northern boundary at this point . Cwm Elan , transformed into a huge lake , forms the reservoi r whence the great city of B irmingham RIV ERS 23

- A t Irfo n derives its water supply . Builth the , a beautiful G and important stream , rising on the slopes of Bryn arw

- in the north western corner of the county, adds its

waters to the Wye . Its waters are fed by many moun

' s tre am s f ro m tain the wild h ills around , chief of which

Cam m ar c h D u las Chw e rfu are the Cerdin , Camddwr, , , and

b D u lai s . on the left ank, and the on the right

Ir fo n The valley of the is fairly well populated , many

villages and towns being found on its banks . The pre sence of mineral wells has helped to increase the prosperity

of two of these , Llanwrtyd Wells and Llangammarch ,

which are fast becoming favourite summer resorts . Below

B uilth only tw o streams of importance fall into the Wye .

ih o n w Ll fn i Ll fn i Th ese are the D and the y . The y flows

Safaddan from Llyn or Llangorse Lake , and on its banks

T re fe c c a an d f are Talgarth . Hay lies some ive miles beyond the junction of the Llyfn i and the Wye and just beyond the town the Wye ceases to be a Breconshire river

and flows into the county of Hereford .

8 k n W alls . . La e s a d ate rf

- For so mountainous and well watered a county, Brecon

Ffarl n shire has few lakes . I n the north are Llyn y , which

- - Go rllw n n G lies among the slopes of Pen y y , and Lly arw,

Llw d Rh es t r ff Dr arn on Cerrig y y y , an o shoot of Y yg A M E n t Fawr . mong the hills of ynydd ppy are Llyn

Llo in an d Pe n lan g Llyn y , and above Llyswen on the

Wye is Llyn Brechfa . These are but small sheets of

water hardly worthy of the name lake . 24 BRECONSHIRE

S outh of the Usk, however, are two lakes more de

o f — serving the term Llyn y Fan Fawr, from which the

an d river Tawe flows, Llangorse Lake , the largest natural

Safaddan sheet of water in South Wales . Llyn or

Safe ddan m has , as the Llangorse Lake is na ed in Welsh , a circumference of about five miles ; its greatest length is

two miles from east to west, and its greatest breadth is fi about one mile . Its waters abound in sh of several kinds, f chie ly pike, roach , and perch , and eels of such an extra “ C h d ordinary size as to have given rise to the proverb, y y ” ll n af d Safaddan a ys yw e S a dan (as long as a eel) . The

lake is the subject of many fables and traditions, and at one end of it archaeologists have discovered traces of the

- lake dwellings of a preh istoric race of men . It is said that the waters of the Llyfn i do not mix with those of the lake and that the fish from the one never pass into the

other . Brief reference has already bee n made to the natural

- attractions of the south western corner of the county, where the waters of several streams unite to form the

e Nedd . The li mestone of this district is asily worn away by the action of water, and as the strata above i t are generally of sandstone , which better resists the action of water , the wearing away of the one and the resistance of the other give rise to those precipitous step-like forma tions over which the waters tumble in many beautiful forms . The action of surface waters often eats away the rock into huge pits , and several of these exist on the mountain slopes of this district . The Pyr ddin lies farthest west of the five streams LAKES AND WATERFALLS 25

and before i t joins its waters to the Nedd Fechan , it leaps in two beautiful cascades from shelf- like sandstone rocks

Sc w d Ein io n am into the limestone basin below . G is f fall the irst . The river approaches the through a gloomy , narrow glen , bordered with mountain ash and willow , and plunges a distance of from 7 0 to 8 0 feet in one grand — unbroken sheet into the basin beneath . Three quarters of

Sc w d Gw lad s a mile below is y , or The Lady Fall , where the water has a fall of 40 feet and shoots clear of the ledge beneath so that one can get under it though he cannot cross to the other bank .

The N edd Fechan also has two falls , the U pper and the Lower Falls . These are pretty , but neither are they so h igh nor is thei r environment so picturesque as

n Me llte that of the other falls of the district . O the

falls M Clu n w n are three , the Upper, i ddle , and Lower g y

l n n u w s 0 . Falls . The Lower C g y Fall i about 4 feet high f It is ine and massive , as even after a drought a consider f A abl e amount o water is found in the stream . short

M dis tr i distance above is the iddle Fall , which is more buted , and descends from a curved rock suggestive in miniature of the form of Niagara . The Lower H e ps te Fall on the river of the same name is really a steep cataract, as the water tumbles

Cilh e s te down in a series of mad leaps, but the p Fall ,

e high r up the stream , is the most beautiful waterfall in the district . The valley in which it is situated is deep and almost inaccessible , and th rough it the water leaps in a wide unbroken sheet from a level rock nearly 5 0 feet

Y s w d in height into a deep basin . g yr Eira , as it is f lls U pp e r F frwdg r e c h Water a LAKES AND WATERFALLS 27

sometimes called , throws its waters clear of the rock and , by means of a ledge about 3 feet in width , a passage is possible from o n e bank to the other underneath the falling sheet of water . This is the only path from one side of the valley to the other . The glen is full of mist, on wh ich the sunlight plays at times with beautiful rainbow ff e ects . B efore leaving th is neighbourhood we must notice e some oth r curious natural features , the underground

Me llte fl Ddin as cavern through which the ows, Craig y ,

c h n an t c h r d and the wild gorge of the Sy or Sy y . The “ ” O o f underground cavern , Porth yr g , lies some distance south of the village of Ystradfellte and through it the

e ll e river M t flows for over six hundred yards . The mouth of the cavern is very picturesque , surrounded as it is by A the vivid greenery of the glen . broad slab of rock

' th e lin te l 2 0 forms to the entrance, which is some feet in height and 45 feet in width . Inside , th e cavern opens out into a large apartment overhung by numerous stalac

i e s At t t . no time is the cavern accessible from end to end , for in its . passage the river falls wi th a tremendous roar into a deep part at a lower level , but when the water is low it may be traversed until light is visible at the lower end . The subterranean passage of a stream is quite characteristic of a limestone district , as the friction and chemical action of the water on the lime during the course of ages wear away a passage th rough the rock which is ever slowly increasing in extent . A rock of di fferent composition would resist the action of the water ff and cause the stream to take a di erent course . 28 BRECONS HIRE

Parallel with the He ps te flows a small brook called

S c h n an t Y y , which here forms a portion of the boundary

n between Breconshire and Glamorganshire . The Syc h an t fl Me llte ows into the , and on the tongue of land formed by their confluence stands a bold precipitous limestone

d n rock of considerable elevation known as Craig y D i as .

Its top is fairly level , and is accessible after a struggle , when the climber is rewarded with a magnificent view

th e Me llte of the Vale of Neath and glen . The ravine

h n an t f ff S c . of the y is particularly ine , but di icult of access The river is enclosed by tall cliffs and its bed is a cradle

fl su b te r of boulders . Except during oods the brook is

c h ran a for a portion of its course th rough the glen , but in flood th e rush of waters forms a series of cataracts that “ ” give to the gorge its name of The Cascade . Upper Ffrw dgr e c h Waterfalls on the Rhyd Goch

' s h o w le n river also g scenery characteristic of the district, and Sc w d yr Hen Rhyd is another waterfall that deserves

Lle c h notice . The , a tributary of the Tawe , a short

o n e distance north of Coelbren Junction , falls in unbroken

0 . M sheet of water, some 9 feet perpendicularly Pistyll awr on the river Clydach is another fine waterfall , and there are many others of greater or less height and beauty on

s . the several treams of the county It is, indeed , a land of waterfalls .

o t s Cn u ac r e n s o r Ro S v sr s ms

eis to c en e e r fic ia d e o s i s cen . 81 Pl s a s s u p Re t nd , p l t

ERTIARY d s a s c e fl c lays an nd hi y

c h alk at to p a s be o w d s o n e s m u d an d c s an t , l y l

a e s s an s o e s an d s h l , d t n m e s o e s CO NDARY J u r as sic o o liti c li t n

an d an d m a s s u m red s an d s to n e s rl , gyp s alt o e 85 m a e s a l m e s re d s an d s to n e s gn i n i t n

at to s sh al e s an d c o al s p s an d s to n e , in m e s an d sto n e s iddl s ' Ca b o n if er o u d s h ale S be lo w r li m e s to n e an

an s o e s r e d s d t n , n ian e s o es De o a e s s a e s an d m v s h l , l t li t n

d s a e s s an ds to n e s an h l thin lim e s to ne s

P RIMARY Or do vician

Camb rian GEOLOGY AND S OIL 3 1

A forms a new igneous rock in those places . gain volcanic ash or dust is th rown up by volcanoes and oftentimes covers a considerable area in a thick layer . The oldest stratified rocks were formed by the dis in t e gratio n or wearing down of the primitive or firs t- fo rmed igneous rocks by climatic or chemical influences . Running water collected the particles and carried them into the beds of lakes or into the sea , and matters held in solution were also deposited by the waters in course of time . Thus the various beds of sandstone were deposited ; thus the clay beds that were afterwards heated and compressed to form slate were made ; and thus beds of rock salt, of gypsum , and of carbonate of lime were deposited by the waters that contained these substances in solution .

ff n These beds su ered many cha ges at times . The movements of the earth would lift them up or depress them , or again other beds would be deposited over them and they would be subjected to pressure and heat . The earth movements formed the beds into arches or troughs in various ways so that they would be contorted out of the flat or nearly flat position in which they were origin ’ ally laid . If we take a bundle of tailor s patterns and press it at both ends we see something like the con dition into which most of the rocks of the earth ’ s crust A have been twisted . pply pressure above and below and you will obtain more varied forms still . O ften some of the beds would break under the strain and one portion b e w forced above or belo the level of the other , giving rise “ ” to what geologists term a fault .

The pressure exerted upon rocks changed their nature . B wa Maen

( Co n to rted Limes to n e) GEOLOGY AND S OIL 3 3

They were hardened so that a bed of sand would becom e hard sandstone , soft deposits of lime became limestone ,

muds and clays became shale, and so on . Then the com bin e d pressures on all sides caused joints or cracks : the side pressure often causing the rocks to split easily into

— c leav s heets of varying th ickness . This result termed

S triated B o ulder

(Mar ked by g lac ial actio n )

— age is best seen in slate , which can be split into very

thin sheets . When rocks are tilted and folded by the movements ’ of the earth s crust , the weather, rivers, glaciers , or waves of the sea wear away the crest of the curve just as one might cut the top of the curve in the cloth patterns with

E. B . 3 3 4 BRECONS HIRE

a pair of scissors . Thus we often see rocks cropping out at an angle , with the edges of the strata showing on the surface . Perhaps on this broken edge another bed of rock may be deposited, and sometimes a comparatively recent rock may be seen lying on the top of a much older one , the causes just enumerated having taken away one or more

r layers of th e rocks that should lie between . O again glaciers may transport boulders wh ich have fallen upon them , and after travelling some distance deposit them as isolated rocks on recent strata .

T h e arrangement of the beds is important , as by their positions geologists are able to classify the rocks into groups according to their age , the upper beds being of course newer than those that lie beneath . The stratified rocks are divided into three main groups called Palaeozoic or M S Primary , esozoic or econdary, and Cainozoic or

Tertiary . Below the Primary rocks are those termed — pre Cambrian , and these form , as it were , the foundation on which all the other rocks have been built . It is a curious circumstance that in Great B ritain we find all the older rocks in the north and west of the island A and the younger rocks in the south and east . line drawn from the Exe to Wh itby roughly separates these two marked geological divisions . The reason is not far to seek when we consider that during the submerged

- period we shall read about later, the lower lying eastern and southern portions were more favourable to the formation of new sedimentary rocks than the more rugged and elevated northern and western portions . A n examination of a geological map of Great Britain GEOLOGY AND S OIL 3 5

will show us that the Cainozoic or Tertiary rocks , in the

th e form of sands and clays, lie principally in Thames

Basin and in a part of Hampshire . They overlie the M S chalk of the esozoic or econdary period , which out

G lacial B ould e r

' ( Gr an ite o n S z lu r z an r o ck)

crops farther to the west and north . West and north of O the chalk appears the olitic series, which in turn gives

way to the Lias formations . The Lias is succeeded by

the marls and new red sandstone of the Trias formation , which pass into the Palaeozoic or Primary rocks of the — 3 2 3 6 B RECONS HIRE

- north and west . These last occupy nearly two thirds of the surface of Britain . Now that w e have a general and rough idea of the clas sification of rocks we can proceed to a brief notice of the rocks found within the borders of Breconshire . All the rocks of the county are of Palaeozoic age and a greater portion of its surface is made up of the Silurian and Devonian formations of that great group . The Lower Silurian rocks are found in th e north - west of the county in the district extending from the Wye to Llanwrtyd . The lowest layers of this formation consist of a series of s strata called Lingula Flag , which are made up of dark

n e shales and flags to s . Next to them come the Llandeilo

Beds, so called from Llandeilo in Carmarthenshire , which are composed of dark slates and sandy flags tones with occasional beds of sandstone . O ther beds of the same u system occ r, and the characteristic nature of the rocks is that they are shales and sandstones with occasional thin layers of limestone . The Lower Silurian rocks are overlaid by those of the S Upper ilurian formation , which pass through the Tile stones , forming the upper bed of th at system , into the Devonian rocks that lie to the south of a line drawn from

Llanwrtyd to the Wye . The chief rock in the Devonian Old S system is the Red andstone, which occupies the central and most of the southern portion of the county . It is of this rock that th e higher mountains such as the M Fans, the Beacons , and the Black ountains are com posed . The southern boundary of Breconshire touches the

E 3 8 BRECONS H I R unproductive of any but the poorest th e ground wet and rfo n I , , herbage . The banks of the Wye and nevertheless

R O utcrop o f S ilurian ock

quality, where a are composed of land of a much richer sound loam prevails to the depth of from one to six feet . The soils of the Carboniferous district are for the GEOLOGY AND S OIL 3 9 most part of the same poor quality as those of the u p

f A - lands o the slate district . clay sub soil makes them wet . It is said that , owing to their containing a fine silex m s which renders the friable , the clayey soils of this di trict are more capable of improvement under cultivation than those of the north . The use of lime makes a soil of this nature sweeter and drier, and fortunately there is plenty of this mineral in the district . The middle part of the county is wholly composed of ld soil having the O Red Sandstone as substratum . For the most part it is composed of a brownish -red sandy V loam , which in the ale of Usk is highly sandy in nature .

This soil is light , and during dry summers does not retain ffi su cient moisture to nourish th e plants grown in it . When well cultivated and irrigated it returns fairly good

s - crops . The soil of the upland as distinct from the — i mountain tracts is stronger, having more arg l in its composition , and under good tillage it produces good V crops of grain . The ale of the Wye below the town of Builth has brown gravelly loam , capable of growing G fairly fine crops, but near lasbury, where the river widens and the river deposits are composed of well - mixed particles from both shale and sandy districts, and in V the ale of Talgarth , the soil becomes a fine rich loam . The mountain tracts of the Red Sandstone districts are far superior in soil to the corresponding tracts in the shale district . The soil of the narrow l imestone district between the red soil and the coal measures is for the most part rendered very arid by its elevation , its want of depth ,

- and the absorbent quality of the sub soil . 40 B RECONS HIRE

1 0 . Na al Hi tu r s to ry . Thousands of years ago the British Islands formed part of the mainland of the Continent of Europe , and it was but the other day , as time is reckoned by geologists, that they became separated and were made islands . M any things prove that such was the case , as , for ex

o f ample , the existence the remains of forests now sunk beneath the sea, the comparative shallowness of the waters surrounding our coasts, and the similarity in con struction of our shores to those of the continent directly facing them . Ge ologists also tell us that before these islands were

o n e severed from the mainland , they were, at period , almost entirely submerged by the sea—as the existence of marine shells on the summit of one of the Carnarvon O f shire mountains goes to prove . course such a condition

‘ th e was fatal to animal and vegetable life of the land , so, when it again appeared above the surface of the waters, it was necessary that it should be r e -stocked from a terri tory where plants and animals were already in existence .

This was the mainland of Europe , and as our land was

n con ected with the Continent on the east and south , it, in course of time , became covered with vegetation , fl which , naturally , was followed by an in ux of animal life . So we must expect to find that our flora and fauna are similar to those of the Continent ; and this, with slight modification , is the case . S ome of the land failed to keep above water and sank, NATURAL HISTORY 41

Se a or was washed away, forming the North and the

English Channel , and as this occurred not very long after

the period of submersion , all the continental species could not establish themselves within our borders . In fact, even at th e present time , the districts nearest the Continent, as the south and east of England , are richer in the number S of thei r species than are cotland , the west of England , and Wales . Ireland , the remotest part , is poorer in flora and fauna than almost any part of Britain .

Breconsh ire , in comparison with the greater portion f of England and Wales, is not rich in lora for the reason stated above , and also because its surface as a whole is fl elevated and sterile . Taking its ora first, we shall only notice a few of the rarer plants or those that are of special interest . In the latter class we may include the ff da odil , which is plentiful in the Wye valley, especially

Al/'m ebo en o in the neighbourhood of Builth . Chives ( u s

r asu m p ) are common on the banks of the Wye, and in

- Lat/yr aea s u amar ia one or two districts the root parasite , q ,

M eco n o s is cambr ica is common . The Welsh poppy ( p ) is A fairly abundant in some parts . mong the rarer plants of the county may be mentioned the ivy - leaved bell-flower

Wablen ber ia beder acea -f Cam an u la ( g ), spreading bell lower ( p

atu la - -f C lati o lia p ), broad leaved bell lower ( . f ), Herb Paris (P ar is Grass of Parnassus (P ar n assia

' ' ‘ Diam bar delto z des Saxz r a a maiden pink ( ), mossy saxifrage ( f g b n o ides fl Tr o lliu s eu r o aeu s yp ), globe ower ( p ), mountain pansy

Vio la lu tea Als in e v' er n a ( ), vernal sandwort ( ), and blue

' f i n a allz s caer u lea pimpernel ( g ) . The moist moors and

Gen is ta an liea heaths are the habitat of the needle whin ( g ), 42 BRECONS HIRE and in the bogs both the round and long leaved sundews

D r o rer a ( ) are to be found . In damp pastures the meadow

' Car du u s r atem z s plume thistle ( p ) occurs, and the melancholy th istle (Cn icu s b eter opbyllu s) is found in sub - alpine pastures and rivulets . In some of th e swampy districts th e graceful ’ fronds and inflorescence of the royal fern (Osmu n aa r egalis) wave above the surrounding herbage . The number and species of the mammals are those of almost every inland county in the country . Badgers are common and are said to be increasing in numbers .

Foxes, too, are numerous, and otters are fairly so . The stoat and weasel are frequently seen ; the polecat makes its appearance occasionally and the pine marten is not yet quite extinct . The pipistrelle , whiskered noctule, and

- Th e long eared bats are fairly common . barbastelle bat was observed in the porch of Llanelwedd church 1 0 (Radnorshi re) in 9 4, but before this date its presence e had not been record d west of Worcester . Though Llanel wedd is so close to our border this bat has not yet been recorded in the county .

Reptiles are few in number . The viper or adder is but very occasionally seen and so is the common snake .

- The lizard and slow wormare fairly numerous . The Usk and Wye are among the best known salmon rivers i n the country and these rivers and their tributaries abound in trout . The reservoirs in the county are also well stocked with trout . Chub and dace are plentiful in A the rivers and pike are always to be found . very local

e Clu ea alo sa fish in the Wye is the allic shad ( p ), which may be seen in shoals in May and June . Llangorse NATURAL HIS TORY 43

Lake , too, forms a favourite resort of anglers, pike , perch , and eels of large size being the chief fish caught . The canal swarms with roach .

s Breconshire, a county of mountain , moors , and river valleys, of mountain tarn and bogs , presents diversified physical features each suited to the needs of di ff erent species of birds, and we naturally expect that its list of

e bi rds should be varied and extensiv . Though nearly 2 00 species of B ritish birds have been recorded as occur

in ring the county many of these are but migrants, visitors

- 1 00 and often storm driven stragglers . Still over species may be classed as residents , making the county their home during the breeding season .

The larger land birds are fast becoming extinct . The l 0 ast golden eagle was shot some 5 years ago the osprey , once to be found on Llangorse Lake , has not been seen

- for many years ; the marsh barrier, formerly common in

the south of the county, is now extinct ; and the hen harrier, though occasionally seen , has almost left the

county . The buzzard still holds its ground and is fairly common in the rocky hills of the north and in the wildest recesses of the Beacons, and the honey buzzard sometimes

- makes its appearance i n the south west . The kite remains

th e and has been known to breed with in recent years,

peregrine falcon is frequently observed , and the merlin

S - h aw kS ' an d and hobby are occasionally seen . parrow

T h e kestrels are common . brown owl still maintains its

- - position , though the short eared , long eared, and wh ite or

barn owls have almost all disappeared . Among the rare winter visitors are the golden oriole 44 B RECONS HIRE

and the great grey shrike . The ring ouzel , a bird of the uplands, is a frequent summer visitor, breeding some

o n M E n t times ynydd pp , and the clear mountain streams y — are the haunts of the water ouzel or dipper o n e of th e commonest of our birds . The remote regions of the county still aff ord shelter

: S to the raven the hooded crow is becoming rare . tarlings breed in large numbers and during the autumn their numbers are augmented by large flocks from other parts which seem to have a striking partiality for the reed beds of Llangorse Lake . These also attract great numbers of reed and sedge warblers . The garden and grasshopper warblers occur but rarely, though they are said to be increasing . The nightingale occurs sparingly, and it is said locally, with some foundation in fact, that it is never

- heard west of Bwlch , eight miles south east of Brecon . The many fir and larch plantations of the county form the haunts of numbers of golden crested wrens .

The coal titmouse is the rarest of the commoner tits,

- the great, blue , and long tailed species being numerous . The fact that the Usk is a good trout stream no doubt accounts for the numerous wagtails that are residents, the grey headed wagtail being the only uncommon member of that family . The woodlark is also a rare bird , but meadow and tree pipits have increased con s ide r ably of late years .

T h e twite is a fairly common winter visitor, being distributed th roughout the county . The tree sparrow

h aw fin c h occurs rarely , as does the , though the latter is increasing and has taken to breeding in the district around

46 BRECONS HIRE

. A Crickhowell rare winter visitor is the crossbill , though fl it occasionally occurs in large ocks attracted , no doubt, by the numerous coniferous trees of the county . The wryneck is very rare but has been known to nest in the county . The kingfish e r is found in slowly increasing

- numbers on the larger streams , and the night jar is fairly common on the lower hills . Th e heather-covered moors of the county form the home of grouse . The black grouse is said to be native and , being strictly protected , is increasing in numbers .

The red grouse is also plentiful and increasing, the grey partridge is common but the red-legged partridge is very rare . The quail is an occasional visitor, and some years ago a pair nested near Brecon but did not hatch . The bogs among the hills are the haunts of the great snipe , w and the common and jack snipes . The s ampy districts too form the breeding grounds of the curlew . The golden plover occasionally breeds on Mynydd

E n t ppy , and Llangorse Lake is sometimes visited by the ringed plover and the turnstone . Th e greenshank and the common redshank are very rare in the county though both species have been observed and shot in the vicinity

M E n t . of Llangorse Lake, and the latter also on ynydd ppy

The green sandpiper is also very rare , although there is some evidence of its having bred in the county, and solitary specimens of the curlew and purple sandpipers

fre have been recorded . The common sandpiper is quent, breeding on the banks of the Usk and the Wye , which rivers with Llangorse Lake form the occasional haunts of the dunlin . NATURAL HISTORY 47

r The heron is generally dist ibuted over the county , but as there are few nesting places and no well established heronry many of the birds must have been bred elsewhere . Though once common the bittern has become scarce , Llangorse Lake and the Usk valley being the localities it visits . The swampy places are the haunts

- of the water rail , which is fairly common , and to the bogs in the vicinity of O nllwyn and Hay the spotted crake is a regular visitor . Llangorse Lake seems to be the favourite haunt of

the swimming birds, though some , as the moorhen , also frequent the lesser lakes and the pools of th e Usk and

Wye . The coot breeds on Llangorse Lake and also on

lu d G . y Lake near B recon The sheldrake , shoveller, and th e pintail occur very rarely , but the wild duck breeds in

bogs in the h ills, is fairly common and is increasing. Th e wigeon is also a common winter visitor and the teal breeds A in several bogs among the hills . winter visitor that

occurs frequently is the goosander . The little grebe is

common and breeds in several parts, and the great crested

grebe breeds regularly on Llangorse Lake .

lim a n d ain all C te a R f . By climate we mean the kind of weather that a

country, county, or district enjoys throughout the year .

. The nature of the climate of a particular district depends

upon a variety of conditions, chiefly , the temperature of

th e air f , the directio n o the prevailing winds, the amount 48 BRECONS HIRE

th e of moisture in the air, and to a lesser degree, character

of the soil and the nature of the surface . Perhaps the most important factor i n determining the temperature of the air is the distance of the district under

consideration from the Equator . Breconshire is situated

about midway between the Equator and the Pole, and n thus enjoys what is k own as a Temperate climate , that

is, it is not su bject to the excessive heat of the Tropics,

or to the extreme cold of the Polar regions . Another factor of importance is the proximity of the

sea . Nearness to the sea modifies the climate of a district

to a considerable extent, and , though our county is entirely A O inland , it is still near enough to the tlantic cean to benefit from the cooling breezes of summer and the A tempering winds of winter . gain the surface of the

county is hilly, and in fact more than half of the surface of B reconshire is over 1 000 feet above the level of the

n 00 . sea , and scarcely any of it is withi 3 feet of it This high altitude makes the temperature colder than if the

county lay at a lower level , and scientists have computed that an average fall of one degree Fahrenheit takes place

- with every 2 7 0 feet of ascent above the sea level . The prevailing winds come from the west and th e

- south west, thus making the climate a moist one . These A O winds come from the tlantic cean laden with moisture, and striking the mountains are driven into higher altitudes A where the water vapour is condensed to fall as rain . glance at the rain chart will show that the wettest regions lie in the south and west and that to the eas tward and

northward th e rainfall gets less . CLIMATE AND RAINFALL 49

The nature of the climate is of great importance, as it has considerable influence upon th; vegetable and animal productions of the county . We have established the fact that the climate of B reconshire is , generally, mild and moist , and such a climate favours the production of those plants whose leaves are of more service than the fruit .

th e Thus, apart from the quality of soil and the great average altitude of the county, the climate of itself, except in portions of the valleys, prevents any successful growth W of grain . ith reference to animals we shall take the sheep as an example . We find that in damp climates the w o o l s doe not reach the same quality as in a drier district , and this fact is noticeable even within the confines of such

B . O n a small area as reconshi re the other hand , the mutton fro m the wet districts is superior to that from the drier parts . A farmer should always have a knowledge of the climatic influences at work in his neighbourhood so that he may be guided in the selection of his flocks and in the f crops suited to his district . O considerable service to th is end , among other things, are the stations established in diff erent parts of the country (there are 4000 such stations in the British Isles) where particulars of the rainfall , tem e r atu re e p of the air , the forc and direction of the winds, barometric pressure , and the number of hours of sunshine S are collected daily and tabulated . uch observations are sometimes published daily in the local press and they are

o flic e M all sent to a central station , the of the eteorological

e Society in London , wher charts are prepared giving the information collected in a complete and graphic manner .

E . B . 4 5 0 BRECONS HIRE From a careful study of cause and eff ect and of the ’ ff statistics furnished by these returns, the society s o i cials

are enabled to forecast , with a considerable degree of

accuracy , the nature of the probable weather for the next twenty - four hours in the 1 2 districts into which the B ritish Isles and the Western Channel are divided . Warnings are also issued when rough weather is ex

e d pec t . l Not only do we get these daily particu ars, but they are also tabulated for th e various stations and issued in

book form , with charts . From these we learn that in the 6 0 8 Beacons district from to 0 inches of rain fall annually . in G 8 0 Just beyond the border, lamorganshire , over inches S fall in the year . outh of the Usk the average annual 0 60 rainfall decreases to a range of from 5 to inches, while the same figu res hold good for a small district in

- B e the north west of the county . tween th ese two dis t ric ts lies a region where the average ranges from 40 to 0 5 inches yearly, and along the right bank of the Wye ,

from Builth to near Hay, there is a narrow strip where 1 the average varies from 3 0 to 40 inches a year . In 9 08 th e t wettes portion of the county was around Bwlch , where the instruments recorded the high fall of 1 3 5

inches of rain . A comparison of the annual rainfall of our county with that of Great B ritain as a whole shows us that we experience the heavy rainfall that is the common lot of A the western and mountainous areas of the island . portion of the county falls in the area of greatest rainfall . But when we examine the records for the eastern portion

5 2 BRECONS HIRE

of the island the contrast is very marked as in the east , instead of a rainfall varying from 3 0 inches per annum to

8 0 2 to 0 n inches and over, it varies from 5 4 inches o ly

in the wettest parts, with an area lying east of the Trent

basin , in the basins of the Wash rivers, and surrounding

the Estuary of the Thames , where the annual rainfall is

under 2 5 inches . In many places records are kept of the number of

o f hours bright sunshine enjoyed at those places . From these records we find that the regions of less rainfall that is the east and south coasts—have also the greater

number of hours of sunshine during the year . The total 1 8 00 amount in the sunniest districts is about hours, which decreases the farther north and west we get to about 1 2 00 heurs per annum . There is only one station in Breconshire at which sunshine records are kept , that maintained at Llangammarch Wells by Dr W . Black

Jones, who very kindly supplied the statistics for this 1 1 paragraph . In 9 0 the total amount of bright sunshine recorded at Llangammarch Wells was hours . Ma The sunniest months were y, June , and July with

2 06 2 1 6 1 1 . A , 5 , and 5 5 5 hours respectively ugust was 1 very wet but 1 2 0 hours of sunshine were recorded . O ther fairly sunny months were March with 1 36 ° O hours 1 1 1 and September with 8 hours . The least sunny 1 6 months were December with only 3 hours, January

1 8 . with 45 hours, and November with 5 7 hours The average sunshine per day for the year amounted to 3 4 1 1 0 hours . The year 9 was an exceptionally wet year

n for the district , so taking this fact into consideratio the

5 4 BRECONS HIRE

which they hunted . Thei r tools and weapons were of the

flin ts . rudest description , chiefly made of roughly chipped This race of people was followed— after a long period during wh ich the land disappeared to give place to t he

— b - - English Channel y the long skulled , dark eyed Iver n ian s who are sometimes known as the Neolithic or New

n O ld Stone Me . These were more cultured than the Stone Me n and they had learnt how to make finely

P reh i s toric Implement s f o un d in B recon s h ire polished and ground implements and weapons of stone ; they possessed domestic animals, and they knew how to make rough cloth and rude pottery . They lived in long A huts and buried their dead under long mounds . fter another lo n g interval came the first division of a Celtic

Go ide ls w h o people known as the , were followed by another branch of the same race known as the Brythons . These

- Celts were round skulled , had blue eyes and fai r hai r , and made weapons and implements of iron and bronze . O — G GE OP T O 5 5 PE PLE RACE, LAN UA , P ULA I N

They lived in circular hu ts and burned their dead before S . s burying them under round mounds The ilure , who inhabited B recons hi re when the Romans came into the G country, were of the oidelic branch of the Celtic race ,

Ne o l ith ic I mplement found near D evynock

Wels le z llu s e u m Car d ( , gfl ) but the Brythons had driven a wedge right across mid

o o v e rflo w e d Wales, so it is possi ble that s me B rythons had into the northern part of the county . 5 6 B RECONS HIRE

As each new wave of people arrived on the shores of Britain they dispossessed their pre decessors of the best lands and in time drove them westwards and northwards M into the more mountainous and barren regions . any of the inhabitants were doubtless enslaved by their conquerors, to become , in process of time , assimilated

. G Iv e rn ian into thei r race The oidel dispossessed the , and , as we have seen , the Brython in parts took the place of the Goidel . The Romans ruled the country for nearly four hun dred years , but in spite of their long residence they do not seem to have left any permanent racial trace on the people . During the last fe w years of the Roman occupation bands of Irish Celts made settlements in Wales, but they do not appear to have settled any portion of this county . Shortly after the Roman exodus a Brythonic force from Strath

C u n e dda clyde , under , subdued these intruders and established itself in their place . We are told that these

North Brythons came in three waves, that a great portion of the country was settled by them , and that the

u n e dda family of C gave us our ruling families . Under C u n e dda the Celtic peoples formed themselves into a great confederation and henceforward they are known by th e generic title of Cymry . From this time the old tribal S O divisions of ilures, rdovices , and so on are lost sight of, and the country appears to have been divided into a number of small principalities, which were to all intents and purposes independent, though nominally under the sovereignty of an overlord who was a descendant o f

C u n e dda. P O L — A G G OP T O 5 7 E P E RACE , L N UA E, P ULA I N The Saxons made repeated incursions into B recon sh ire , and though evidences exist of mounds erected by them on which thei r strongholds were built, they left no trace on the people . The N ormans, however, left distinct

th e traces . They conquered and settled district , and by marriage and inter- marriage a large infusion of Norman blood resulted . Thus we see that the people of Breconshire who have descended from Breconshire forefathers for some genera tions are the sons and daughters of the prehistoric people , G S the oidelic ilures, with some traces of the Brythonic O rdovices and the Brythons from the north , and of the

‘ v ia . Normans who came , England , from Normandy We must now turn our attention to the people of

- B reconshire of to day . We get our particulars from the census returns that have been taken every ten years

1 8 0 1 . 1 0 1 since In 9 , persons inhabited the A . O f ncient County these , were born in Brecon shire , and were born in the other counties of 6 Wales and Monmouthsh ire . No less than 47 were born 2 0 S 2 8 in London , 4 in cotland , 7 in Ireland , 43 in the

Man Colonies , 7 in the Isle of and the Channel Islands , 8 and 9 were subjects of foreign nations . The remainder

w as of the population born in the English counties , the West Midlands and the South Western counties — — ( 1 200) the counties lying nearest to B reconshire pro v idin m a r i l g the j o ty .

A n 1 1 1 ih ccordi g to the 9 census, persons A habited the dministrative County , an increase on the

1 m a e a s o f th e 1 1 1 c e s u s are n o t b s Si il r d t il 9 n ye t pu li h e d . 5 8 BRECONS HIRE

1 0 1 inhabitants in 9 of 9 4 per cent . This makes an average of about 8 1 persons per s quare mile for the county . When we consider that the number of persons per square mile for t he whole o f England and Wales is 6 1 8 , and the number per square mile for the neighbouring G 1 8 county of lamorganshire is 3 3 , it is evident that the county of Breconshire is very thinly populated . Indeed , M with the exception of erionethshire , Radnorshire , and Montgomeryshire it is the most Sparsely populated county in Wales . The diagram at the end of the book gives a graph ic idea of the fluctuations in the population of the co u nty

1 1 since 8 0 . In that year the population was and 1 1 this increased in varying proportions to in 8 5 . During the next ten years there was only an increase of

0 1 n 1 per ce t . or 2 for every 000 of the inhabitants .

The next th ree decades were worse still , as they recorded 1 0 1 se decreases, and even in 9 the increa was only 5 per 1 8 1 cent . over the population in 9 . How do we account for this ' It is explained by the tendency of the young people of the villages to drift

e to the larg towns in search of employment . There are

es no great industri in the county, so the people went out side its borders to find work . The fact that the old home industries of spinning, weaving, and the manufacture of domestic and industrial articles had been practically killed

- by the introduction of machine and factory made goods, added to the rumours o f fo r tu n e s that were to be acquired in the industrial districts, made emigration inevitable for those

n who could n o t find employme t at home . Now however P O — ANG G P O A O 5 9 E PLE RACE, L UA E , PUL TI N

matters are becoming normal again . Emigration is lower , and the increase in the population follows naturally . Many further interesting facts were shown in the 1 90 1 returns, a few of which are given bel o w . The people of the county lived in houses and the males out 1 numbered the females by something over 000 . The

in 2 68 people living barracks numbered , nearly all of 2 1 whom were males . In the workhouses were 7 inmates, fli whose comforts were seen to by 2 3 o c ials . In prison

1 2 o flic ials were persons with nine to take care of them , l 1 and nine o flic ia s looked after the 3 persons in hospital .

The occupations of the people were also shown . Taking the males we find that agricultural pu rsuits were

e followed by the great st number, but almost an equal number were employed in mining and quarrying . Next in number were the people engaged in building and works of construction , of whom carpenters reached the highest total . These were closely followed by men engaged in the conveyance of men , goods, and messages . Those engaged in the following occupations numbered many less than those employed as above . Chief among them were the men employed in the manufacture of iron , the puddling and rolling of i ron , steel smelting and founding, and in the manufacture of tinplates, while a few were engaged in combing, carding, spinning, and f weaving wool . The manu acture of gunpowder, of

in diaru bb e r chemicals, and of gave employment to a small number of hands, and some were engaged in skin ’ ning and furriers work, in tanning and in currying . O f course numbers were engaged in professional and 6 0 BRECONS HIRE

commercial occupations . The females were mostly shown as domestic servants, dressmakers and milliners, and teachers . The language spoken by the people was also shown in

. 0 the returns Taking the whole of the county, 54 per cent . spoke English only, 9 3 per cent . Welsh only , and

6 6 . 3 per cent spoke English and Welsh . The remaining

0 1 per cent . of the population made no statement with reference to language in thei r census papers .

1 i l e — Main C l iv a io n s 3 . Ag r cu tu r u t t , Wo lan k o d d o . , S t c

A griculture , in former days, was in a very backward condition in Breconshire . Writers in the first half of the last century were loud in their complaints of the antiquated methods practised and the cumbersome implements used by the farmers of the county in their days . Needless to say matters are now much improved and , thanks to the advance of education and the eff orts of Agricultural So c ie tie s , the farmers of B reconshire are as scientific in their as methods any, and use only the most modern implements on their farms . We get our facts about the condition of agriculture in the county from the reports issued by the Board of Agri culture , and the figures quoted are mainly from the report 1 issued for the year 9 09 . From a consideration of the report we arrive at three main facts which show us how little of the county is under cultivation . The first fact

n that strikes us is that acres consist of mountai ,

6 2 BRECONS HIRE

are grown on acres, or abo ut 3}7 per cent . of the

- 0 land area . When we note that three tenths or 3 per cent . of Essex is devoted to the same purpose we at once see how restricted the county is in this respect . O ats

s take up the greate t area , acres being devoted to 2 2 s this purpose . Barley comes next with 3 3 acre , and wheat thi rd with 2 2 8 2 acres . The other ce reals grown 1 6 2 1 1 are rye , beans, and peas, which take up , , and 5 acres respectively . Contrast the last two crops with the acres devoted to them in Essex and the acres in Lincolnshire and one is amazed that such a small area is devoted to their growth . O f Green crops occupy 5 8 2 2 acres . this area potatoes take up 794 acres, turnips and swedes 45 7 3 acres, and mangolds 45 5 acres . Clover, sainfoin , and other grasses under rotation are grown on acres , small fruit

1 2 8 on 7 acres, bare fallow occupies 4 acres, and other ad crops 409 acres . The valleys of the county are m irably suitable for the growth of small fruit and increased attention has been paid to this cultivation within the last two years, so it is possible that later returns will show a n welcome i crease in the acreage devoted to it .

The county is well wooded , timber being at one time

s e i a considerable export, for Breconshire oak had an e p c ally high reputation among shipbuilders . Timber is still

- felled and taken to the local saw mills, but its consumption is practically confined to the district in which it is grown . O ak , elm , beech , sycamore , and ash are the most numerous of the deciduous trees, but there are also numbers of

n d A poplars a birches . feature of the Usk valley is the AGRICULTURE 6 3

frequent occurrence of the graceful Lombardy poplar .

Willows, too , are numerous , sometimes attaining a

e large size . In the swampy parts alders abound . Larg a pl ntations of conifers are distributed over the county, larches and firs being the chief trees seen . There are also S numerous cots pines , especially in the east of the county ,

planted , so it is said , by Jacobites as a delicate expression S of loyalty to the exiled tuarts . Yews attain a large size

i D Cattle Fa r, evynock

and many are of considerable age , and there are also numbers of cedars .

The chief animal of the county is the sheep , of which are reared on the pastures and on the mountains . Cows number horses and there are 1 2 G 7 9 pigs . ood butter and cheese are made and large m nu bers of poultry are reared . These find a ready sale

and good prices i n the county markets . 6 4 BRECONS HIRE

1 . In d s ie s an d Man a 4 u tr uf ctu re s . We have already read that the principal industry in

the county is, and always has been , agriculture . Next

in importance come mining and quarrying . Coal mining forms the most important branch and is carried on in the

- - south eastern and south western corners of the county . In the south - east the coal mined is of the household “ i e kind , . . bituminous . This coal binds or cakes into

a mass when ignited , and is known to the Welsh as b m th lo r w . e g y East of Nedd , for a short distance , the

coal is also bituminous, but less so than that in the south

adm ir east of . the county, and is of a quality that makes

able coke for use in blast furnaces . West of the Nedd the coal changes its character and contains a high percentage

of carbon . It is the kind known as anth racite , and burns l with intense heat and with litt e smoke and ash . The

its lo car r e lo caled Welsh call it from hardness, g g or g

it does not soil the fingers , and is peculiarly suited for the

re drying of malt or hops, and in places where heat is quired without the disadvantages of noxious smoke and A fumes . bout tons of coal , valued at are raised annually . The quarrying of limestone is carried on to a con s ide rable extent , over tons a year being obtained . A great deal of this is burned to make lime for industrial and agricultural purposes . Th e improvement of the soil

n by liming has been carried on for many ce turies . Nearly tons of sandstone are quarried for building purposes INDUSTRIES AND MANUFACTURES 6 5

' a - and also as flags for p ving stones, ~ and setts for the

‘ curbing and channelling of . roadways and pavements . A small quantity of slate is quarried , and tons

m - annually of clay , arl , brick earth , and shale . From

are m fire- these latter bricks made , and so e bricks are also

' c fire - th e s o th manufa tured from the clay found in u . Iron ore was formerly mined but of late years this industry has been discontinued .

L imes tone Q uarries n e ar Vay nor

18 working of iron , there good reason to believe , was carried on in the county by the Romans . Proof of this 18 furnished by the masses of imperfectly fused scoriae fou nd in diff erent parts o f the h undred of Crickhowell ri a d known as Roman Cinders . The modern revival of h ~ lac e ~ o v e r u e t e , i took p two, h ndred y ars ago, and ment of th e iron trade in South Wales

E . . B 5 6 6 B RECONS HIRE

several works were erected . These were established at diff erent times in the Vale of Clydach in the parish of

Llan at Llanelly, the Beaufort Works in the parish of g

n tock , Blaen Rhymney Works situated ear the source of

th e the river Rhymney, near Hirwain on border of the

th e Y n sc e dw n county in parish of Penderyn , and at y y in the parish of Ystradgynlais . Here the smelting and manufacture of iron was

e carried on to a considerabl extent, especially on the M border that adj oins onmouthshire . The industry has declined of late years, and though some pig iron is made and some puddling and rolling of iron is carried on , the quantity of i ron turned out is very small . There is also a little industry in the manufacture of

- tin plates . Th e fact that large quantities of wool are obtained each year from the sheep of the county has fostered the growth of a small woollen industry . The combing, carding, and Spinning of wool into yarn , and the weaving of a coarse kind of woollen cloth , tweed , and flannel give employment to a number of the inhabitants . The ih du str y is now chiefly carried on at Devynock , Brecon ,

Llan w r t d an d . near y , at Crickhowell The mills and fac tories are small , and here and there weaving is carried on

- with small hand looms in the homes of the weavers, who A o btain the yarn from the mills . leather of good quality is made in the county, especially at B recon and Hay , and is used up locally in the manufacture of saddlery and in the shoe trade . Gunpowder and other explosives are made , the factories being situated along the banks of INDUSTRIES AND MANUFACTURES 6 7

Me llte - the river , and there are saw mills at Talgarth and elsewhere .

The principal exports of the county are wool , butter, and cheese ; of the former a quanti ty is still spun and knit into stockings in the hundred of Builth and in diff erent parts of the highlands . There is also a considerable trade

Talgart h S aw - m ill s

at the county markets in poultry , eggs, etc . , which are bought by hucksters for sale in the populous industrial S districts . heep and cattle are sold in considerable num bers to dealers who attend th e markets and fairs . Timber was once an importa n t trade commodity but the trade

n M is now practically exti ct . ost of the country towns — 5 2 6 8 B RECONS HIRE depend very largely upon the trade done with the sur rounding agriculturists , but B rynmawr and Ystradgynlais are centres where coal mines or similar works provide a livelihood for the inhabitants .

1 in s 5 . M e an d Min e rals .

We hav e already read of the most important minerals found in Breconsh ire, as the coal , the limestone , the sand

- stone and the brick making earths, but we must take somewhat fuller notice of the coal measures, and there are a few other minerals to be mentioned , though they are not of very great importance . Th e strata of coal and i ron are the lowest found in alfi ld the basin of the South Wales c o e . This does not necessarily mean that the mines are of very great depth , as by some tremendous natural upheaval the edge of the basin containing the coal measures has been forced u p “ ” it - wards so that out crops, as it is called , in the southern portion of Breconshire . The upper measures have been worn away so that the lower ones are now comparatively easy of access . Coal occurs at three points along the

Tw rc h in the district contained by the , Tawe, M G 2 D rum ountain , and the reat Forest of Brecon ( ) in a corner of the territory from Blaen Rhymney to the northern side of Bryn O e r ; and (3) in the district around th e o bw s urce of the E y river .

h e ' l th e ' s o u th- T c o a measures in eastern corner have .

' 2 2 6 from to 3 beds of coal , varying in thickness from

7 0 BRECONS HIRE rock of the southern part of the county and was of a

. S very pure quality It was sent by the canals to wansea , whence it was shipped to England to be used in the bur n is hin g of metals . The trade in this commodity has now A ceased . black stone of close texture , called locally ’ M u cbead Ir an f , is found in the hundred of Builth . It was once used as a base or carriage on which the axles of engine wheels were supported , and was considered superior for th is purpose to brass .

1 s 6 . S pa . The mineral wells of B reconshire have not attained th e celebrity of the more fashionable Llandrindod Wells in the neighbouring county of Radnorshire , but they are fast becoming inland resorts that are much frequented during the summer season , by invalids who take the waters and by others for whom the attraction lies in the scenery , the sport, and the pure air which the neigh bo u rho o d w ff of the ells a ords . The wells all lie in the

Irfo n G valley of the , at Builth , at arth , at Llangammarch

ir h e A . M t and Llanwrtyd . ccording to S R urchison mineral nature of the waters is caused by the contact of eruptive rock with the schist , which produces much sulphuret of iron , the decomposition of which gives rise to their various mineral constituents . G The wells at Builth are at Park and lanne, the former lying about a mile and a quarter to the north -west

- - of the town , and the latter on the road to Cefn y bedd S PAS 7 1

about a mile west of the town . The Park Wells are w note orthy for their sal ine water, which contains a h igh percentage of barium chloride . They are similar to the waters at Homburg and Kis s e n ge n though they lack that aeration characteristic of the waters of the continental spas . The presence of lithium , however, somewhat com e n sate s p for th is want . There are also chalybeate and sulphur springs at Park . Glanne Wells are chiefly visited

e for the sulphur wat rs, though there is also a chaly beate spring . The Garth Wells are about six miles west A of Builth and were only recently discovered . mag n es iu m well here is much advertised , and the waters are claimed to have beneficial results when taken for certain diseases . Llangammarch Wells are also strongly impregnated with barium and other mineral constituents, and the

ar waters e said to be si m i lar to those of Kreuznach .

Llangammarch lies eigh t miles west from B uilth , and s four miles further up the valley is Llanwrtyd , the be t known and most popular of the B reconshire spas . S ulphur and chalybeate wells , with the fine air and scenery, attract large numbers of visitors during the brief summer season , but at other times Llanwrtyd is but a country village , devoid of any bustle , set among the wild hills of north Breconshire . 7 2 B RECONS HIRE

‘1 h o i 7 . Th e B re co n s ire Re s e rv rs .

Some one has said that in Welles one can always hear th e o n to iii s u d of running water, and no county the Principality is th e statement more applicable th an to “ ' e u Breconshi re . Numerous str ams of p re clear water

fl o w i from the hillsides in all d rections, unpolluted by

' i is the refuse from any great industr al undertaking . It

“ n o w t n s o onder , then , that many populous ow c me to

‘ Breconshire for their water- supply and that so m any a w ' important w terworks lie ithin , or are situated near, h o the confines of the county . Here , for t eir water, c me ff S M l Birmingham , Cardi , wansea , and erthyr, while esser i ‘ ‘ iw0r) ks A b V an d th e lar e r supply Neath , berdare , Eb w ale , g

' t o s c h e m e is owns fl the county itself, and an immense

’ 'un der consideration whereby the Irfo n yalle y will be itapped for ~ the purpose of supplying London w ith Welsh water . The most important of the waterworks are those constructed by the city. of Birmingham in the valleys

h e lae rw e n o f t C . Elan and the Part , only} of these

l é c - e works i s within the ounty, the border line betw en Breconshire and Radnorshire running along the line taken by the ancient courses of the streams in this part .

The Caban Coch dam , formed at the junction of the

Clae r w e n and the Elan , is the first of a series of dams which have transformed the picturesque Elan valley into the three huge artificial lakes of the Caban Coch com

e n satio n an d Pe n are G p reservoir, the yg g and Craig och

7 4 BRECONS HIRE

supply reservoi rs . The first dam stands at an elevation

8 2 0 Pe n are of feet, the yg g dam at an altitude of 945 feet, G 1 0 0 - and the Craig och dam at 4 feet, the water surface 1 2 area of the three reservoi rs being 497 acres, 4 acres, 1 S 0 and 2 7 acres respectively . ome 9 feet below the surface of the waters lie submerged the sites of Nant

Craig Goch Dam

Gw llt S y and Cwm Elan houses, at both of which helley once resided , a church , a chapel and some twenty home A t steads, all of which have been rebuilt elsewhere .

Care ddu n g , where the Caba Coch lake shoots out one arm to the north along the Elan valley and another to th e Clae rw e n south along the valley of the , is a huge submerged dam from wh ich the conduit leads . These THE B RECONS HIRE RES ERVOIRS 7 5

lakes contain million gallons of water, and yield a daily supply to B irmingham of 2 7 million gallons .

I Clae rw e n Do l m n ac h n the valley is the y y dam , which 1 8 impounds a mass of water with a surface area of 4 acres . Further dams are to be constructed in the Clae r w e n valley ; one at Cil O e rwyn t at an altitude of 1 095 feet will creat e

v 2 6 a reser oi r of 9 acres surface area , and one at Nant y Beddau at 1 1 7 5 feet altitude will impound a lake with

A B irm in 2 44 acres of surface . ltogether the city of g ham has acquired upwards of acres of land i n the

e watershed , thereby ensuring that the sources whenc the city derives its water shall be absolutely uncontaminated .

In all , this stupendous undertaking will cost some

Th e aqueduct, from the intake to Bi rmingham , is som e 73 115 miles long . For the first 3657 miles it consists

1 of a brick and concrete structure 9 feet in diameter , 3 7} 2 miles of which is in tunnel and 3 miles in cut and cover . For the remaining 3 7 miles the water is conveyed in huge iron pipes . U p to 1 8 5 1 Cardiff was dependent on water obtained

th e ff from the canal, river Ta , and from a few pumps in

o n e the town , of the pumps being kept under lock and key during periods of drought . Under powers obtained 1 8 0 in 5 , several reservoirs were constructed by a private company whose rights were acquired by the Corporation

1 8 . in 79 Further local works were constructed, and in 1 8 84 and 1 8 94 powers were obtained to construct three ff large reservoirs in the Ta Fawr valley . Two of these reservoirs have been constructed and the third is now 76 BRECONS HIRE

. o ir under process of construction The Cantref reserv ,

h av m 2 n g a storage capacity of 3 3 million gallo s, was

‘ an d B eac o n s r es e r completed in immediately the . ff t voi r, 3 5 miles from Cardi , and having a storage capaci y

e be o n of 345 million gallons , was comm nced , to pe ed in 1 8 97 . These two reservoirs have surface areas of 44 acres 2 s ff and 5 acres respectively, and they furni h Cardi with an annual supply of 22 8 0 million gallons as ‘ well as 3 million T afl gallons per day of compensation water into the . Ex tended powers were obtained in 1 909 for the reservoir now

Llw n o n being constructed at y , which under the amended

' ’ m are a o f 1 sche e will have a depth of 7 5 feet , a surface 44 1 l 200 al o n s . acres, and a storage capacity of million J g ff d The total cost of the Cardi works, when complete , is estimated at and they have been carried out under the direct supervision of the Corporation officials

after two failures on the part of private contractors . S The wansea waterworks in the Crai valley are curious, as they tap a river on the opposite side of the watershed

from Swansea . This necessitated the construction of a tunnel 3 miles in length underneath a mountain termi nating at Nan tyr wydd. The dam across the valley is ‘ 1 00 over a quarter of a mile in length , is about feet in

n 8 0 height at the ce tre , and has a width at the base of feet .

The works cost to complete , and the reservoir has a capacity of over 1 000 million gallons with a water surface area of over 1 5 9 acres . The Merthyr waterworks are in the Taff Fechan

. u e valley and consist of two reservoirs Th e pp r, under

8 0 s the Beacons, has a capacity of million gallon , and

7 8 BRECONS HIRE

In accordance with their usual custom , the Romans set about the construction of their military roads and stations by means of which they were able to retain their hold on any subdued territory . We shall read of the remains of their works in a later chapter . For nearly four hundred years the Romans ruled this land ,

1 0 A . D . t h e and when they evacuated it about 4 , native princes , who had been allowed to retain thei r rank while their conquerors ruled , entered into the government of their respective territories . We are told , that shortly

B r ha - D c n 00 0 A . . after their departure , y (4 45 ) ruled in G M arth adryn , a district named after him Brycheiniog

B r c han or Brecon . y , according to the tradition , was the father of a numerous family, his sons and daughters M being renowned for their piety and learning . any of s them became the tutelar saints of paroch ial churche , and thus imparted their names to the respective parishes . S o revered was this family for its saintliness that it is mentioned in the British Triads as one of the three holy families of Britain . Th e law of gavelkind obtained in those days and at ’ B ryc han s death h is dominion was divided between two l w n C e d . of h is sons, y and Rhian The divided territory ’ B r c han s was again unified under y grandson , Caradoc

Arm Fre ic hfras . (Caradoc of the Brawny ) Caradoc, who lived towards the end of the fifth or the early part of the

was R sixth century, one of the Knights of the ound Table A and fought under the renowned rthur . His exploits at the famous battle of Catt rae th are preserved in the poem

Godoelin E u rfro n called the . His wife , Tegau , also figures HISTORY OF BRECONS HIRE 79

A ’ largely in the legends of rthur s court . Caradoc was Caw rdaf succeeded by his son , , who in the Triads is named one of the th ree Prime Ministers of Britain . Nothing is known of the history of Breconshire

Caw r daf subsequent to the reign of , until the reign of

e ithwalc h T in the eighth century, which saw the first incursion into South Wales of the Saxons under the M A Eth e lbald . command of , King of ercia battle was

2 8 . fought at Carno, near Rhymney, in the year 7 The

T e d Saxons came again in the reign of gy , the son of

T e ithw alc h O ff , and , under a, they succeeded in wresting a considerable district consisting of the most fertile O ff parts of Fe rre gs from the Welsh . a separated these wrested lands from the territories held by the Welsh by O ff ’ the huge earthwork called a s Dyke, that extended northwards from the river Wye in Herefordshire across M the arches .

an H u an u s n , or g , was prince when Edward the

an Elder was King of England . n , calculating that

Edward was fully occupied with the Danes , mustered an army and led them across the Saxon border . He was unexpectedly opposed by a powerful army under Ethel

Me rc ra fleda, the Lady of , and was overthrown after an

Eth e lfl e da obstinate encounter . followed up her victory ’ by invading n an s territory ; she stormed his strong

o ff a hold and carried his wife and her attendants . n n fled to the camp of the Danes and fell while assisting ’

S . n Dr fin them against the axons an s son , y , suc c e e de d A him , and during his time thelstan wrested the whole of Fe rre gs from Brych einiog and compelled n an 8 0 B RECONS H I RE

’

. Ab A . D . Dr fin was to pay tribute out 944 , when y prince , Was a survey made of the whole of Brycheiniog, in com m o n with the rest of Wales, by the order of Howell Dda

. 8 2 in the King of Wales Brycheiniog , in 9 , was agai n A M m vaded by a force under lfred , Earl of er a, but after S ’ laying waste nearly the whole country, the axons were e routed by the W lsh .

R B an n iu m oman Wall ,

’ Dr fin s B le dd n a Mae n arc h y descendant , y p , was the h in i last native prince or lord of B re c e o g . He was over thrown at the battle of Cw m gw e rn ygad by a Norman host under Bernard Ne w m arc h about the year 1 09 1 ; B le ddyn was killed and his territories fell by right of Ne w m arc h conquest into the hands of , who apportioned HISTORY OF B RECONS HIRE 8 1‘

them among his followers, retaining a large portion for

Ne wm arc h h imself and the sovereignty of the whole . , more just than the majority of Norman adventurers in

B le dd n Wales, granted the sons of y portions of land for thei r sustenance and support, and treated the eldest son ,

Gwr an . g , with much respect To win the sympathy of

Ne w m arc h the people married a Welsh royal lady, Nest, G ff a the daughter of ru ydd p Llewelyn , Prince of North

Wales . The old Roman station of Caer B an n au (B an n iu m )

Ne w m ar c h was the capital of Brycheiniog, but this Bernard demolished , using the materials of which it was built for the erection of his new castle of Brecon and of the town which grew up around its walls . B recon was the seat of government for the Lordshi p Marcher of Brecon u M now fo nded , and from its castle the Lords archer w ruled , ith almost regal powers, over their Norman and

Newm arc h Welsh vassals . Bernard died sometime in G the reign of Henry I , and was buried in loucester

Cathedral . The lordship and lands held by Bernard New m arc h became , after his death , the property of his daughter S M ybil , who conveyed them by marriage to ilo Fitz

itz Walte r G . Walter, constable of loucester F was a firm M supporter of the Empress atilda and her son Henry, and as a reward for his services was afterwards created Earl of

Hereford . Four of his sons succeeded him , but as they died without male heirs , their possessions went by mar r ia e o g to Philip de Br os of Builth , the husband of their second sister .

E . B . 8 2 B RECONS HIRE

B re o s The de family held the lordsh ip for many years, and some of its members figured largely in local and

B r e o s general h istory . William de was the traitor who invited a number of Welsh Chieftains to h is castle o f A . O bergavenny, and there murdered them ther atrocious deeds he committed , but he and his wife were amply punished by th e misfortunes that became their portion during their dealings with King John of England .

B re o s Gw lad s Reginald de married y , daughter of

Prince Llewelyn of North Wales , and assisted his father

- in law against King John . He was a treacherous ally and deserted Llewelyn to join his forces to those of the English king . The punishment meted him by the

Welsh brought him to their side again , an action which King John naturally resented and punished him for by the deprivation of some of his estates . Reginald died

1 2 2 8 . in and was succeeded by h is eldest son , William William de B re o s aided the English king in an expedition against Llewelyn but was captured by the Welsh prince , who released hi m on th e payment of a heavy ransom .

By some means, however, he incensed Llewelyn and , when he again fell into the hands of the Welsh prince , he was put to an ignominious death , and his lands wasted with fire and sword . Llewelyn made an attempt

re on the castle of Brecon , but failing to capture it , treated after setting the town on fire . Humphrey de Bohun now came into posses sion through his marriage to Eleanor, the second daughter

s 1 2 6 of William de B re o . In 5 the castles of Hay and

B recon were taken by Prince Edward , son of Henry III . HIS TORY OF BRECONS HIRE 8 3 T hey had probably been in the hands of the Welsh , as at that time the territory round Builth was subject to

Me r e d dd a y p Rhys , to whom it had been given by Prince

Llewelyn . Humph rey de Bohun was succeeded by his

son Humphrey, the seventh Earl of Hereford . Th is ’ earl s occupation of the lordship is noteworthy , as in his time a dispute arose concerning the exact boundary be

th e G tween lordshi ps of Brecon and lamorgan , which

developed into a local civil war . The vassals and tenants of the Earl of Gloucester and Lord of Glamorgan entered on the lands of the Earl of Hereford and carried away

e cattle and plund r . Reprisals on the part of the people

of Brecon followed naturally , and some lives were lost . Matters were becoming somewhat serious when the king interfered and both nobles were fined and the liberties and privileges of the Lords Marcher were considerably

curtailed . During Humphrey de Bohun ’ s li fe was enacted the

tragedy that put an end , at least for a period , to the

aspirations of the Welsh for their national independence . a G ff Llewelyn p ru ydd , the last native Prince of Wales, had been engaged in ravaging the territories of the sup

e o f port rs the English king in Cardiganshire , and directed

his course towards Builth through the valley of the Irfo n . He crossed that stream at a bridge called Po n tyc o e d and here h e stationed a few troops from his meagre bodyguard

re A t to secu a retreat . Builth he expected to meet with

some of his allies and supporters, but soon discovered — that he had been betrayed by the very persons who had invited h im to the district it is said—into the

6—2 ’ - -B Mo nu m C f y edd Llewelyn s ent , e n

8 6 B RECONS HIRE

defend the county, with power to demand assistance from

ffs o f the sheri six adjoining counties . The castles of the IV district were strongly fortified , and Henry himself

as ro must have been in B reconshire at one time , a p clamation issued by him promising pardon to the rebels “ if they returned to thei r allegiance is dated from De fyn S 1 nock, eptember 5 th , V I In the reign of Henry , Henry , Earl of Bucking ham , was Lord of Brecon , the estates of the lordship A having descended to h im from his mother , nne , daughter of Humphrey de Bohun , to whom they had been regranted by the Crown . Buckingham ruled his lordship in a h igh handed manner and was long remembered by the tenants

d H e for his tyranny an oppression . was slain fighting on the Lancastrian side at the battle of Northampton in

1 60 . 4 His grandson , Henry, when he attained his ma o rit III j y, was a strong supporter of Richard , but Richard after winning the Crown forgot h is obligations to the duke , who retired to Brecon determined on revenge . M orton , bishop of Ely, a man who had a strong

e IV attachm nt for the murdered sons of Edward , had ’ been committed into Buckingham s charge . The duke “ ” imprisoned him in the Ely Tower of Brecon Castle , but on reaching that place after the rupture with

Richard III , Buckingham gave the bishop h is liberty .

M e or than this , he joined the bishop in a conspiracy to place Henry Tudor on the th rone and marched a body of his retainers against the king . Henry Tudor was delayed by storms and the expedition failed , Buckingham S being captured . He was afterwards executed at alisbury HISTORY OF BRECONS HIRE 8 7

1 8 . in November, 4 3 The estates were , of course , for fe ite d to the Crown , but the conspiracy did not fail in ff ac c o m its e ects, for two years afterwards Henry Tudor ,

an ie d l M p by a sma l body of men , landed at ilford Haven

Sir a D n e v o r . and was met by Rhys p Thomas of y Rhys,

on a recruiting march , journeyed th rough Carmarthen

shire and Breconshire , increasing his forces with every

m e t step . He with such success that on his arrival at B recon he was embarrassed with the numbers of his

recruits and it became necessary to reduce his following . A selection was made ; some were detailed for the ad

vance , some for the defence of the lands left in the rear, and the remainder were dismissed to thei r homes with

’ thanks for their o fl b rs of service . The battle of Bosworth

Field followed , and a Welshman was crowned King of

England on the field of battle . Henry V II restored the Buckingham estates and

honours to Edward , son of the late duke , whom he also

made Constable of England . This Edward was executed V for high treason in the reign of Henry III , and the lordship of Brecon with all its territories and revenues

escheated to the Crown , in whose possession it remained

for a considerable period . During the reign of Henry V III ( I 536) the present county was formed out of the Marches and it was enacted that in the whole of Wales law and j ustice

should be administered in the same form as in England . M The power of the Lords archer was thus curtailed , the almost regal jurisdiction they exercised was lost to

them , and they were reduced to the condition of ordinary 8 8 BRECONS HIRE

n manorial lords . A active promoter of the petition for a more intimate union of Wales with England was Sir

the John Price , who, it is said , was actual author of the petition presented to King Henry . B reconshire should

Sir be proud that John lived at the Priory at B recon , and was a native of the county .

Wales, on the whole , was on the side of the king d uring the Civil War, and B reconsh ire also was in the main Royalist . The county , however, was not the scene of much fighting, and the inhabitants, generally, managed to steer a course that kept them from figuring too pro

m in e n tl . S y on either side during the struggle till , there t 1 6 was at leas one battle , that at Brecon in 45 , where 00 the Royalists lost some 7 men in killed , wounded , and prisoners . A 1 6 King Charles I visited the county in ugust 45 , staying the night at the Priory , Brecon . Here he wrote the famous letter to h is son in which he states the sad conclusion h e had arrived at , that the young prince must now prepare for the worst ” and bidding him fly to France if he found h imself in danger . We are told that the loyalty of the Breconshire people was not at such a low ebb as that of their neighbours o f Glamorgansh ire ; for they supplied sufficient horses ’ to convert Sir Thomas Glenham s foot (which was under ’ the command of Sir Henry Stradling of St Donat s) into

n O f th A 1 6 dragoons . O the morning the 7 of ugust, 45 ,

King Charles left Brecon for Radnor, dining on the way

fe d at Gw e r n y .

Though so much better than their neighbours , the

90 B RECONS HIRE

Duon stands on a hill to the west of Devynock . There

Man n es t are circles near Builth , and on , a hill near Llan

san tff raed . , are the remains of another

f cr o mlecbau O , or dolmens, there were several , but

. O n e those that remain are imperfect cromlech , a small

R e main s o f C romlech near C ric khowell

s one with capstone removed , tands in a field near Crick th e Illt d howell , and remains of Ty y , formerly consisting s of three upright bearing a sloping capstone , stands on

an n e t n e M s . O cromlech remains near Llanwrtyd Wells

n t and another on the E ppy .

There are several British camps which , as a rule , ANTIQUITIES 9 1 — occupy the characteristic position of these stron gholds th e

brow or side of a h ill . In Benni wood , near B recon , is

one almost entirely concealed by trees, with its ditch alto

A th e gether obliterated . large oval encampment crowns

- summit of Pen y Crug, two miles north west of Brecon ,

A ncient B ro n z e s fo und at L lw y n faw r

and a triangular camp , defended by a ditch and ramparts

of stones, stands in a position of great natural strength

. O Allt fin io near Crickhowell ther camps are situated at , G near lasbury, near Talgarth , and at Castell Dinas . Remains of prehistoric days in the form of weapons 9 2 B RECONS HIRE

A s and implements are few . ground stone , as just tated , was discovered in the er an n oge in Llangorse Lake and a

- rudely formed spear head of flint in a cairn near Bronllys .

A coarse earthen vessel was also discovered in this cairn . A mound near Ystradfellte yielded a fine dagger- like

e knife of flint , a flint fabricator and several oth r flint chips, and a number of fragments of very rude pottery . “ ” The most interesting find of this type is th e highly polished stone axe- hammer which was discovered on the — hillside near Devynock o n e of the largest axe- hammers S discovered in this country . ome bronze implements ’ M n n o n au were found in the Bishop s eadow, near n ,

Llw n f r 1 8 8 2 1 1 1 aw . in and others in 9 , at y , Penderyn ’ ’ Car n eaaau , tumuli , or mounds are found in various S parts , as on the scene of the conflict between the axons

2 8 Pe n m arth and B ritons in 7 one , called y , on a hill near

Tretower, and others on the h ills bordering Carmarthen M shire . ounds of artificial construction are also found Ll M near Dinas, anwrtyd Wells, Castell adoc, Builth , V . S at Ystradfellte, aynor, and Trecastle ome of these

f ists s have been opened , revealing or sepulch ral tone chests .

th e The Romans had several stations in the county ,

e n B an n iu m chi f being that at Caer Banna ( ), one of a chain

' Via u lz a M on tan a n of forts situated on the 7 . Caer Banna was constructed by Julius Agricola and was built to ac commodate a garrison of one cohort with its complement

1 000 . M of auxiliaries, or about men any interesting th e remains have been unearthed on site , and on the line of the road , about a quarter of a mile from the fort, is the

94 BRECONS HIRE of a quadrangular hand- bell of the type commonly us ed in the ancient Celtic church from the sixth to the ninth

w as Pe n darre n centuries, discov ered on a farm called y

Celtic H and b ell

’ ' ' Wels le M z s eu m Car az ( , fi

lan e n u he ll near the church of L g a . The was of sheet iron , riveted at the joints ; it was provided with a handle at the top , and originally had been coated with brass by ANTIQ UIT I ES 9 5

n being dipped into the molten alloy . The to gue or

s . clapper was mis ing The bell disappeared , but when the Cardiff University College acquired the Sal es bury

th e library some years ago, a bell answering description of the Llan ge n au bell passed into the possession of the

he ll Council of the College . This is now exhibited at M the Welsh useum , and authorities are of the opinion

e that it is the lost Llan g n au bell .

Saxon remains are few . They consist chiefly of moated mounds on wh ich the Saxon invaders erected

O n th eir strongholds . some of these the Normans erected their keeps at a later period in the history of the county . Where such mounds were utilised by the

Normans, they will be noticed in the chapter dealing th e with the castles of county .

2 0 . n ie n S o n e s o f B e n A c t t r co s h ire . The ancient stones of B reconshire may be divided

th e into the undecorated inscribed stones, and decorated stones which may or may not have inscriptions cut upon them . Unfortunately several of these interesting relics V have been lost, as the alens stone at Tretower, the

V Pe n m n dd aynor stone , the crossed stone at y y y , and the Roman stones known as the Cass an iu s stone and the Capel

Coelbren stone .

S U h everal of the Roman stones, however, remain . doubtedly the most interesting of these is that known “ ’ M Mo r w n io n M S as aen y y , The aidens tone , which Maen y Mo rwy n io n

9 8 BRECONS HIRE

work on the Llanynys stone being exceptionally well done , but thei r depiction of figures is exceedingly crude . The Llandefaelog stone is one of the few figured stones of the county and is interesting , as it was probably inspired

Mo r w n io n lan de by Maen y y . It stands in a wall in L fae lo g churchyard and is divided into four compartments with ornamentations in relief. Th e first or uppermost compartment is occupied by a cross formed of two parallel raised bands interlaced at the junctions of the limbs and dilated at the ends of the limbs into trefoiled knots . In the spaces between the limbs are interlaced knots of ribbon work . The second compartment contains a mutilated

figure of a warrior, rudely represented in outline as wearing All a long tunic and bearing arms . available Space is

- A occupied by knots and patterns of ri bbon work . rough cable pattern marks out the thi rd compartment , which contained an incised inscription—now defaced—preceded by a cross . The bottom of the stone is entirely occupied by a double interlaced ribbon pattern of good design and execution . This stone is one of the rare instances in Wales where a figure of the deceased is represented on an early sepulchral slab .

Figures are also carved on the Llanhamlach stone . These are not of the deceased but are thought to re present the V irgin Mary and St John at the foot of the

a . Cross , whose upright limb p sses between the figures Interlaced work and circular and straight- lined ornaments decorate the stone . The sides are also incised with ribbon work and on the reverse face is an early inscription . S omething similar to this stone is the one at Llanfrynach , ANCIENT STONES OF BRECONS HIRE 9 9 where a human figure is carved with arms and fingers outstretched towards a small Greek cross on the upper part of the stone . Surrounding the legs of the figure and extending down the stone for about three feet is a ribbon work pattern which terminates in another small Greek cross, two triquetra ornaments, and a small bird . The “ — reverse side bears the name io h ir in Anglo Saxon

n minuscules . The Lla gammarch stone has a raised cross of unequal arms contained within a circle , and among other decorations has a sm all incised figure with arms

- outstretched horizontally and a well cut spi ral . It is a fragment of a larger stone and is built into the west wall of the church .

The most graceful of the carved stones of the county , and one of the finest in Wales, is the Llanynys stone,

No add Sh arm o n now at y three miles west of Builth . It is elaborately ornamented with interlaced ribbon- work of beautiful design and execution . Two sides only are exposed , the others being built into a wall . The upper portion of the face is formed into a cross with dilated ends to the limbs, while raised edges, divided into compartments or sections by knots, extend down the sides of the stone . The exposed side has a regular pattern carved upon it

n with the raised edge and k ots also showing . The Llan dde tty stone is ornamented with straight lines be n t G at right angles, the design looking like a reek fret or

- a straight lined maze . There is also an inscription in

- irregular and badly cut letters . A rudely- designed cross contained within an ill - cut circle is carved on the face of the Llangorse stone . — 7 2 s f o B h i A n c ient Carved S tone r m recon s re ' Weir /z Alu mn a ar az (F r o m c as ts m , C fi

102 BRECONS HIRE

limbs contained within a circle , with raised decorations between the ci rcle and the end of the stone , suggesting M a altese cross .

2 1 . h i a l Arc te ctu re ( ) Ecc e s ias tical. s an h Ab b e y d C u rch e s .

The religious houses of Breconshire , if we except the somewhat doubtful connection of B attle with the abbey

n of that name in Engla d , were all situated in the county

. Ne w m arc h town In the time of Henry I , Bernard de founded a priory at Brecon for six Benedictine monks and made it subservient to the great abbey of Battle in

S s ussex . By him , his connections and succes ors, it was so liberally endowed that at the Dissolution of the Mo n as te ries it was one of the richest of the religious houses of

Wales . The lands of the priory, at the Dissolution , were granted to Sir John Price of Brecon and a portion of the

- buildings was by him converted into a dwelli n g house .

The priory church became the parish church , but the owners of the priory lands retained certain rights as to the chancel , which they still possess . By the west gate of the town was also formerly a house of Black Friars, which after the Dissolution was V converted by Henry III into a college , by the name of A Christchurch , and connected with the College of ber gwili in Carmarthenshire . The college , now known as A Ch rist College , was removed from bergwili to Brecon and was at first ecclesiastical in character . It is now a public school , one of the two in Wales, and retains traces ARCHITECTURE— ECCLES IAS TICAL 103

of its former ecclesiastical nature in its beautiful Early

English chapel and a Divinity lectureship in the college . The college stands on the right bank of the Usk and comprises a fine group of buildings in the Early English

style , some converted from their former uses and some

modern . The college ranks high among the schools of

B rec o n P ri o ry Church Wales and many of the distinguished sons of the Princi alit e e . p y have been educated within its walls . (S p I B reconshire contains many churches of interest, but the palm must be given to the priory church of St John

the Evangelist , or the Holyrood at Brecon , which belonged

1 to the Benedictine priory founded in 095 . The late 104 BRECONS HIRE

A Professor E . . Freeman considered this church to be indisputably the third church (not in a state of ruin) in

the Principality, standing next in order after the Cathedral ’ St ff an d churches of David s and Llanda , the choi r fur nishes one of the choicest examples of Early English

ir S architecture . S Gilbert cott was entrusted with the

w as restoration of this beautiful fabric, and the work done

1 6 1 1 8 —1 8 in 8 and between the years 7 4 7 5 . The church is a grand cruciform structure in the

Norman , Early English , and Decorated styles of archi

n tecture . The eastern portions , i cluding the chancel , 1 2 2 0—1 2 0 transepts , and central tower, were built about 3 . The nave and aisles were rebuilt or transformed during the Decorated period , but the piers of the nave arcade ’ are of Norman date . Havard s Chapel , north of the choir , is also in the Decorated style . The church contains several monuments of great interest and som e of the windows are also memorials to the dead .

The churches of Breconshire , outside the town of B recon , are not remarkable for any striking architectural features . The country churches , with one or two ex c e tio n s p , are severely simple in plan and perfectly plain in construction . They are built of native stone , chiefly sandstone , with , occasionally, dressings of imported stone where they have been restored of recent years . Yet the

are churches full of interest, especially when we remember that the majority of the parochial edifices date their foun dation from very early days . The general arrangement of a country church of simple type is a western tower, a south porch , and

106 BRECONS HIRE

A in dovecot fashion . few of the towers have spi res of the pyramidal or extinguisher type , and some of the

- churches have simple bell cotes . B ronllys church is unique in the county, as it has a low, detached , dovecot topped tower situated at the east side of the church . The

’ S t M s B ary Church , recon

’ St M naves are often long, narrow , and low , that of ary s S church , Brecon , being exceptionally so . ometimes an aisle is added , but to find two aisles is an exception . Though the churches were founded at an early period there are no remains of any work before Norman times .

I n fact Norman churches are few, the B recon churches ARCHITECTURE—ECCLES IAS TICAL 107 and Bronllys being the only structures showing any great h traces of Norman influences . T e Early English period of construction is well represented , the majority of th e churches owing the main portions of their structures to

th is period . The cruciform churches of the county belong

to this period . They include the Priory church , Brecon , ’ St —a David s, Llanthew smaller and plainer reproduction — of the Priory church and the parish church of Llan fihan gel A h . t e bergwessin Penpont, restored under direction of Sir G S ilbert cott, is curious, as originally the west end

was rounded , but the east end was square until the apse

was built at the restoration of the church . Crickhowell church is in the transitional Decorated A style , and is built after the style of Llanthony bbey , to

- which it was attached in pre Reformation days . For a long period this church was the on ly one in the county

possessing a spire , but pyramidal spires have been added to

several during the last half century , when the majority of

the buildings had undergone restoration . Llanelly church

is also of the Decorated period . Perpendicular churches

are few, though Perpendicular restorations as windows

occur frequently, B rynmawr church being in this style ,

and there are Perpendicular windows in several churches . Perhaps the best examples of Perpendicular work are at

Partis h o w m Talgarth and , but even here so e portions are

V . older . aynor church h as an interesting h istory It was 1 2 8 first built in the eighth century, to be replaced in 7 by

- a second building having a saddle back tower , after the destruction of the original structure during the War of

1 8 0 . Independence . It was a third time rebuilt in 7 108 BRECONS HIRE

L lan as t g y Talyllyn church , on the shores of Llangorse St C n n o Lake , was the scene of the baptism of y g alluded

iraldu s Cam b re n s is . to by G , but the ancient font is lost 1 8 Restored about 49, the church is one of the prettiest i n the county .

There are not many rood screens in the county,

L lan g as ty Talyllyn Church

numbers having been destroyed at one period or another, and probably some churches never possessed one . The

ar t h finest example is in Patricio or P is o w church . This

n is a beautiful piece of work, equal to any in the cou try .

Llan fillo There is also a good example at , and a very curious screen and loft, said to be of fourteenth century

1 10 BRECONS HIRE inscription which states that it was constructed in the time C n h ll n of y y y who lived in the eleventh century . Semi foliated designs are also cut on the font . Devynock font is ornamented with quatrefoils and oval pellets on the bowl , and trefoils at the angles of the base .

— 2 2 . h i o Mili a as le s . Arc te ctu re ( ) t ry . C t

After the downfall and death of B le ddyn ap Mae n arc h

Cw m w e rn ad 1 0 1 at the battle of g yg in 9 , h is conqueror Bernard Ne w m ar c h divided the subdued territory into

fifteen manors , which he gave to the knights who had accompanied him on his expedition . The manors, with

—Ab e rc n ri Slw c h the names of their lords , were y g and (Sir Reginald Awbrey) ; Crickhowell (Sir Humph rey Burghill) ; T re gu n te r (Sir Peter Gunter) ; Sc e th ro g (Sir Miles de Picard) ; Llanhamlach and Llan fihan ge lTalyllyn (Sir John Walbe o ff ) ; T re du s tan (Sir Humphrey Sollers) ; Po n tw illiam (Sir Walter Howard) ; T r e bo is (Sir Richard de Bois) ; Pe ytin (Sir Richard Pe ytin ) ; B o lgo e d and Cray (Sir John Skull) ; We rn faw r (Sir Thomas Buller) ; Hay (Sir Phillip Walwyn) ; Aberyscir (Sir Hugh Su rdwal) ;

ile s to n e Sir Pie r re o in t Ne w m arc h and G ( Giles p ). him self had the Lordship o f Brecon and fixed his residence in the town of that name . Here he erected his castle with materials conveyed from the ruined Caer B an n au . His example in constructing a fortress was followed by all h is knights and soon the conquered territory was dominated by a string of strongholds that made fast the grasp of the invader on the land . Several attempts were ARCHITECTURE— CASTLES 1 1 1 made by the Welsh to recover their lost lands but u m

u successf lly, and they were compelled to submit to the

Normans . The distinctive feature of the Norman castle was the keep , a strong tower whose strength lay in its massive

fir t' . s solidity Not built for comfort , it was and last a stronghold , ease being entirely subservient to military necessities . When surrounded by walls its situation was

generally on the highest ground of the site, full advantage

being taken of any natural defensive aid . The keep formed the last line of defence of the garrison if drive n

from the outer walls of the castle . Norman keeps were of two types— the massive rect

angular keep , and the lighter polygonal or circular shell

keep . The interior of the rectangular keep was divided

into three or four stories , in which were the rooms that

formed the storehouse and quarters of the garrison . The

entrance was generally on the first floor . The smaller shell keeps also contained apartments like the rectangular

keeps, but the larger ones were merely open courts where

shelters were erected for the lord and h is garrison . The shell keep was often erected on the summit of an artificial “ ” S . mound , often the mound of a axon burh During the period of castellation known as Early English the keep developed into the type known as —a donjon massive structure . Greater attention was paid

to domestic comforts during this period , and the defences

of the outer walls were more elaborate . Gatehouses and

mural towers were provided , and long stretches of curtain Walls and the bases of the round towe rs were defended 1 12 BRECONS HIRE

by external wooden galleries . Then the central keep , surrounded by a ward enclosed within a curtain defended by mural towers and strong gateways, gradually developed into the concentric castles of the Edwardian period—the last word in medieval castellation . The k’ eep—the chief feature of Norman or Early English castles—was then dispensed with and its place was taken by an inner ward or court—a kind of glorified — shell - keep contained within a second and sometimes

o f a thi rd ring of defence , thus giving to this type castle its concentric form . The ch ief features of the defences were strong gatehouses, massive curtain walls, and mural towers placed at the angles and at intervals along the curtains . From the towers every portion of the curtain could be swept by the fire of the garrison , thus doing away with the clumsy wooden galleries of the Early

English period . Within the inner ward were the hall , chapel , kitchen , and the domestic apartments of the lord and his family, built against the curtain or in the towers

n O and gatehouses defendi g the ward . ther apartments were distributed among the gatehouses and towers of the outer wards, and the whole castle was adapted for everyday use as a residence , as well as being a place of strength . The ruins of many of these evidences of the Norman occupation still grace the scenery in many parts of the county . The Norman conquerors have passed away but

n the Welsh still remai on the soil , and strange to say most of the manors to- day are in the possession of gentle men who pride themselves o n a ancient Welsh descent .

— ARCHITECTURE CAS TLES 1 13

Th e accompanying sketch map shows how the castles e were distributed in strategic chains, holding all the b st

and most fertile lands in the grasp of the Norman . B lae n llyfn i Castle stood at the head of the Llyfn i river in such a situation as to command the important

pass of the Bwlch , and it was probably built at an early date to check the raids of the restless Welshmen through

- the pass . The remains are few and are of post Norman

date , the castle , probably, having been rebuilt or extended about the reign of Henry III . It occupied a strong

natural position , the swampy nature of the surrounding

land adding to its strength . The castle was part of the possessions of the chief lord and is supposed to have

B re c o n m e re occupied the Site of the stronghold of , which

E th e lfl e da M was stormed by , the Lady of the ercians,

an B after her defeat of n , Lord of rycheiniog . B recon Castle was built about 1 094 by Bernard New

. th e march The remains , wh ich are those of original

castle , show that it was of considerable strength . The

site was a strong one , an elevation on the western bank

of the Honddu near its confluence with the Usk . There was here a Saxon mound on which the invaders no doubt had erected a stronghold during one of their incursions M into the district . ost likely the existence of this mound influenced Ne w m arc h when he decided to fix the main stronghold of his lordship at this spot rather than at Caer

Bannan . The present remains consist of the keep and a portion of the curtain and a tower in the grounds of the

Castle Hotel . The tower is known as the Ely Tower, so - M and is called after the famous Bishop orton of Ely,

E . B . 8 l 14 BRECONS HIRE

1 0 who was imprisoned in it . In 4 4 the cas tle was garri so n e d 1 00 -at- 00 s by men arms 3 archer on horseback,

B reco n : H onddu Mill and Ca s tle under the joint command of Lord Audley and the Earl A of bergavenny .

B ronlly s C as tle ARCHITECTURE— CAS TLES 1 17

and either he or one of his immediate successors, more f probably one of the latter, constructed upon it de ences E of the late Norman or arly English type . The castle occupied a dominating position above the town and com m d d an e the passage of the river over the old bridge . Few

w o s B s Earth rk , uilth Ca tle

traces of the masonry of the stronghold now remain , but we see that its form was nearly a circle and that the castle consisted of a keep and an outlying ward contained within

curtains defended by towers .

Like the castles of B recon and Builth , Crickhowell Castle was originally a Saxon moated mound with a ward l18 BRECONS HIRE

at its base . It stood between the town of Crickhowell and the Usk . Its remains, which are not very consider able and not of any great interest, consist of two towers

Crickhowell C as tle

of the Edwardian period , one a drum or round tower , and the other a rectangular tower . They are situated on the curtain which the Norman erected around the ward at the foot of the mound . Ch ief of the other

BRECONS HIRE in matters political and military previous to the death of 8 Prince Llewelyn in 1 2 2 . The remains of the castle consist of a large square tower, probably the keep , and a gateway that adj oins the tower to the east . The gateway , still in a fair state of preservation , is a Gothic structure , and had the usual provisions for a portcullis and other defences of a gate . It was situated outside

n the town , and as it was thus beyo d the jurisdiction of

the ancient baron court, it formed a kind of sanctuary for debtors who fled for temporary refuge from creditors

fli e r o c s . and of the law The manor of Hay, at first a

possession of the Walwyn family , soon passed into the a hands of the chief lord , and went with other estates p

pertaining to the lordship until the reign of Henry VIII . A rch bishop Baldwin , when preaching the Crusade in

H e 1 1 8 8 . , spent a night in Hay Castle was accompanied

G . by erald the Welshman , archdeacon of B recon Th e castle was frequ e ntly the cen tre of strife and suff ered

considerably at the hands of contending forces . Henry II is credited with its destruction during one of his expe

ditio n s into Wales, and towards the end of his reign it ’ r e o s B re o s s was rebuilt by William de B . De wife was

M Ste V aud alerie , and this lady, according to the local

tradition , performed the superhuman feat of rebuilding

Hay Castle in a single night , carrying the stones necessary M for her purpose in her apron . aud , also known as

M e M Walbe e aud de Haie , had the sobriqu t of oll , and her alleged feats gave rise to many parochial legends in

s e y e ral parts of the county . Time after time Hay Castle

was destroyed by English or Welsh , only to be again ARCHITECTURE— CASTLES 121

O w G rebuilt, but after its destruction by ain lyndwr it does not seem to have been again reconstructed , though

the Glan u s k dower house occupies a portion Of the site . A 1 8 8 a mansion , erected in 5 by Thomas p Howel , is

M o c c u known as Castell adoc, but the site was formerly

pied by an older forti fied place . Its situation is on the

Mr G . . Honddu above B recon , and T Clarke says it was, B more probably, an ancient ritish fortress . The mound S of the ancient keep remains within the grounds . carcely

Pe n c e lli Pe n ke ll h any vestige remains of , or y Castle , whic

- stood four miles south east of B recon . The materials of

this ancient structure were used by the H erberts, in the

fifteenth century , for the erection of a castellated mansion ,

now in ruins and partly converted into a farmhouse .

R B r iw B rie w Castell Du , hyd y , or Rhyd y Castle stood upon a small knoll upon the western bank of the river Senni near its fall into the Usk and a short distance

from Devynock . It is said that it was erected in the reign of Edward III to protect travellers and the inhabitants of the surrounding district from the ravages of the outlaws a of the hills and forests . The c stle seems to have con sisted only of a tower surrounded by a walled court and was a place “ where the robbers from the mountains were ” n Sc e th ro confi ed and frequently executed without trial . g

- P e n c e lli Castle , or tower, stood a mile north east of Castle , and portions of its walls are incorporated into those of A a farmhouse which has been erected upon the site . modern mansion of the same name stands a short distance

from the site of the ancient fortalice . The tower of Talgarth has been considered by some 122 BRECONS HIRE writers as merely a structure intended for use as the

old borough gaol . The tower, however, was really a “ ” s trongly fortified structure , similar to the peels of the S cottish border , and when it was no longer required for

strictly defensive purposes was used as the borough prison . It stands on th e banks of the Llyfn i and commands the

passage of the river at this point, and also the pass leading

to Crickhowell . The tower was built in the fourteenth

century, and its defences were strengthened by the pro

vision of machicolations, part of wh ich remain . No traces

are visible of any of the usual external defences of a castle , A and the tower appears to have been entirely isolated .

military building of this type , though once fairly common S on the borders of England and cotland , is a rare occur

rence in Wales . Leland speaks of the tower as standing in “ Englisch

Talgarth , which reminds us that many of the manors

held by the Normans were divided into two portions,

inhabited respectively by Welsh and Norman tenants .

Welsber ie The former held by , or the ancient Welsh

E n lisber ie tenure , and the latter by g or English tenure ,

according to the strict rules of the feudal system . The

Welsh often won th is great privilege , for a great privilege

it was, by rebellion , and their lot was much easier than if they held their lands from thei r lords according to the

feudal tenure . Tretower Castle was built on the left bank of the

e Rhian o ll riv r g , about a mile and a half above its junction with the Usk . It forms one of a chain of

B lae n ll fn i A castles ( y , Dinas, Crickhowell , and bergavenny

124 BRECONS HIRE in Monmouthshire were the others) that checked the Welsh of Breconshire and Radnorshire from advancing to the south , and made their expeditions in that direction hazardous adventures . The site of the castle is, naturally , a strong one , being on a gravelly eminence covered on ffi three sides by a swamp , so that approach was di cult

- except from the north east . The castle ruins exhibit

n e many arch itectural features of great interest . O prob ably unique feature is th e fact that an Early English tower of cylindrical formation has been erected in the centre of the square enclosure of a previously- built Norman

Mr : keep . Clarke comments on it thus Tretower is a rare , probably a solitary example , of a rectangular Norman keep, which has been gutted , and its central part occupied ” by an Early English tower . The final destruction of the castle was the work of O wain Glyndwr .

— 2 h i e e c Do m e s i . 3 . Arc t ctu r ( ) t c

Castle- building reached its h ighest point of develop ment in the reign of Edward I , but by the time of Edward III the need for such strong fortresses had passed away . Two factors brought this about, the more settled an d state of the country , the introduction of gunpowder, which made the reduction of a castle a far easier matter

. S than in older times till , some defence was necessary against the bands of robbers unprovided with cannon , so ff a compromise was e ected in the fortified manor houses, which gave sufficient protection against sudden attacks by ARCHITECTURE— DOMES TIC 125 small bands and yet allowed room for the comfort and luxury that an advanced state of civilisation demanded .

The close of the Wars of the Roses, which saw, with the accession of the Tudors , still greater security to life and property, brought about a more luxurious and elabo

e o f rate styl domestic architecture , and the manor houses of this period were buildings of great beauty and much comfort . The earlier manors of this period were built in the form of a quadrangle with the hall in the middle and wings on the sides . In the reign of Elizabeth , the “ ” ground plan was often like the capital letter E , out of compliment to the vi rgin Q ueen . Beautiful chimney pieces, tall ch imneys, wide staircases , ornamented plaster work , and h igh oak wainscotting, with the characteristic windows and doorways of the Perpendicular style of

n architecture were features of the mansio s of this date . As there was plenty of stone of various kinds in B re c o n s h ire it was used in the construction of houses, and “ ” tiles t o n e s of thin slabs of sandstone or shale were in general use for roofing purposes . In earlier days numerous manor houses of the Tudor period were scattered through the fertile valleys of the county , inhabited for the most part by descendants of th e ancient owners of th e soil . During the last century or so M a great change has taken place . uch of the land has passed from the hands of the ancient families into the possession of others, and many of the ancient houses

have either disappeared , or have been allowed to fall into ruins , or have been reduced to the state of an ordinary

. S farmhouse till , many of these ancient edifices remain , 126 BRECONS HIRE though modernised to suit the luxurious mode o f liv in g of a softer generation . In the valleys and in the suburbs of the few towns modern residences have sprung up , which , though unconnected with the traditions of the past, are , one must confess, more convenient and comfortable than the structures of bygone days . The fate of Tretower is typical of many of the ancient houses of the county . Here a q uadrangular manor house , said to be of the time of Edward III , fortified by a strong gateway and stout walls, has been allowed to fall

- into decay . The courtyard is now the rubbish heap of a farm , the buildings on the right as we enter, with the e r mains of a once graceful timber balcony , are the stables and outhouses , while the hall , yet retaining much of its beautiful woodwork and timber roof, has become the receptacle of hay . The remaining side is occupied by a later farmhouse , which , though not so incongruous as some others may have been , yet rises in condemnation of the people who allowed the fair place of Henry Vaughan to become an appendage when it should be the chief feature of the site . Newton is perhaps the most interesting specimen of

Abe rc am lais the buildings of Elizabethan times . It and are typical examples of the late Tudor manor house . w 1 8 2 Sir G Ne ton was erected in 5 by John ames, and is a strong and not unsightly mansion that is half fortress

T re barrie d and half domestic residence . , built over two hundred years ago by William ap Henry Vaughan ap c han , lies in a sheltered position and is now in the occupation of a farmer . For many years it contained

128 BRECONS H I RE is enti rely out of harmon y with the beautiful old gate way .

Abe rc l dac h y is a very ancient mansion . It was G occupied by the descendants of Rhys och , and was

Abe rc l dac h subsequently the home of the Lewises of y ,

- a well known Breconshi re family .

P o r th m aw r G a te , Crickhowell

The old Castle Madoc as we have seen was a true castle , and the mound of the keep is still visible in the grounds . Th e present mansion bearing the name was 1 8 8 a originally erected in 5 by Thomas p Howel , whose ARCHITECTURE— DOMESTIC 129

desce n dants occupied it until the year 1 7 96 . Th e last a w male representative of the Powel or p Ho el family,

Charles Powel , died i n that year, and on the death of his daughter the mansion and estates passed into the hands of a cousin , named Hugh Price , from whom the present owners are descended . A berysci r, situated close to the confluence of the Y s c ir with the Usk and near the ancient fortress of

G 1 1 . Y aer, was erected about 5 7 The mansion of

Ab e rc am lais 1 1 was also erected about 5 7 , but has from time to time been considerably altered and enlarged . Ab e rc am lais was the old home of the well- known A Williams family . branch of this family lived at - V Penpont, a mansion situated in the ale of Usk

B fin e above recon . The grounds contain some specimens of cedar and fir , and in the neighbourhood is the site

a E in io n S of the c stle of ais, of which no trace now remains .

Craig y Nos, the residence of Baroness Cederstrom M ( adame Patti), stands in a picturesque situation on the banks of the Tawe in the parish of Ystradgynlais . It is a large modern mansion of stone in the Italian style with a private theatre attached which is capable of seating an 0 audience of 2 2 persons . In the same parish is the

r Y n d n anc ent house of ys c e wy . The farmhouses and cottages of the county are generally well built, are two storied in height, and are constructed of local stone— Pennant Sandstone or Carboni

n O ld ferous Limesto e in the Carboniferous district, Red

S D an d an d andstone in the evonian region , shale sandy

E . . B 13 0 BRECONS HIRE

flags to n es on the Silurian formation . The softness of the stone in the last district gives the houses a weather beaten appearance , and plastering and other methods are adopted to prevent the decay of the stones . The use of whitewash , or of a red or yellow ochre , is prevalent everywhere ; most of the country cottages and farms being coated with a thick layer of one of these substances .

Cottage s o n S ilurian R ock Where the houses have been repaired of late years slate roofs have superseded the shale slab and sandy tilestone roofs used in older days, but many of the houses retain their original roofing and i t is by no means u n common to see the front portion of the roofs covered

e with slates while the back slope retains the ston slabs . Square dormer windows are a common feature of the

13 2 BRECONS HIRE The first made roads of the county were those con

- structed by those excellent road makers , the Romans . The making of these causeways was an important factor

S ketch M ap s how ing B ritis h C amp s an d R oman S tation s and Road s in their tactical scheme for keeping the country under f subjection , for stimulating commerce , and for acili tating the collection of revenue . They ran from one COMMUNICATIONS 13 3

important station to another, were defended in places by

minor stations, and were marked by mounds and mile stones . The principal Roman road in B reconshire was a

Via u lia M ar itima branch of the y , a road made by Julius Th e F ro n tin u s along the southern coast of Wales . branch road through Breconshire was called th e Via 7 u lia M o n tan a to distinguish it from the main road from

Th e ia - u lia M on tan a which it diverged . V 7 branched

[sea Silar am Le io n em from the other at , or g , the station of the Romans at the place now Caerleon , and passing Goban n iu m (Abergavenny) entered the county south of

Crickhowell . Passing Crickhowell it went through “ G Tretower to a station , now called Y aer, situated on an eminence near Llan fihan ge l Cwmdu . From G Y aer it went over a pass called Y B wlch , and fol lowing a line a little northward of the present main road

B th e between Crickhowell and recon , arrived at latter town and passed on to the Roman station of B an n iu m

el B an n au n (C er ). Beyond Caer Banna it crossed the Usk, an d v ia following that river valley westwards, proceeded

Rh d b riw y y into Carmarthenshire , , connecting with the

ia u lia M r t a ar idu u V 7 a i im at M n m (Carmarthen) . Several cross roads connected the great central station of Caer Bannan with other stations in various parts of the S country . arn Hir was one of these . It ran northward from Tibia Am n is (Cardi ff ) and entered B reconshire at

B r n o e r y , and continuing in a straight line, crossed the

Via u lia M o n tan a Usk, and joined the 7 at , or near ,

n Sam ia H elen a . V Caer Banna The Helen , or , in the 13 4 BRECONS HIRE same manner connected Caer Banna n with Nidam

(Neath) . Th is road entered the county at Ton y Fildra and proceeded across a brook called Nant H ir to Blaen

Nedd . It pursued a course parallel with the road from Pont Nedd Fechan to Brecon for about a mile and

n li passed the stone called Y Mae L a. From this spot it descended the hill on the southern side of the Senni

B lae n w rth id river . Its further course is lost until near g , where it is traced for a short distance only to be lost

ia u lia again . It is conj ectured that it joined the V 7 near A V . Penpont , in the ale of Usk road , sometimes called

Via Dev an a , is supposed to have connected Caer Bannan with the station at Cwm in the valley of the Itho n in Radnorshi re and to have proceeded thence to the station

D ev a e of at Chester . No trac s of it have been observed S in B reconshire . ome traces of a Roman road have been observed in the northern part of the county : it is supposed to have been a crossway running between

M ar idu n u m and the station at Cwm . After the departure of the Romans the roads fell into disuse and consequently into disrepair , and no doubt their destruction was accelerated by the transport of thei r V materials for other purposes . egetation overgrew the paved ways, and they now can only be followed in part . For hundreds of years the roads of the county we re mere ’ e n d farmers lanes and bridle paths , but towards the of the eighteenth and the beginning of the ninetee nth century a general improvement set in . New roads were made and the existing tracks that were important enough were placed in a serviceable condition . Now

13 6 BRECONS HIRE

M ff onmouthshi re Canal , thus a ording facilities for trans B S port from B recon to the ristol Channel . The wansea V Canal , running through the Tawe alley , has its northern

Ne u add terminus at Hen , in the parish of Ystradfellte , about four miles of the waterway lying in the county

The ch ief means of communication nowadays are , of course , the railways . Tramways, having horses as the motive power, had been in use in the coal and iron

Th e Canal at B recon

districts before the introduction of the locomotive . From the beginning of the reign of the late Q ueen V ictoria to the present time the construction and use of railways have developed so much that now the county has a good railway system connecting it with the other counties of

Wales and with England . Like the roads, the railway lines, with one exception , radiate from the county town . COMMUNICATI ONS 13 7 M The Cambrian Railway , has a branch from oat h M Lane in Montgomerys ire into the county . From oat

Lane it runs southwards to Rhayader in Radnorsh i re , and

- then th rough the valley of the Wye , the Radnor B recon

boundary, to Builth Road , to Three Cocks , to Talgarth , t and hence to Talyllyn and B recon . The same route,

e from Th ree Cocks th rough Talyllyn to B r con , is also followed by the Midland Company ’ s Hay and Brecon b ranch , which , continuing over the Neath and B recon

line, runs through Devynock and Coelbren to Neath and M Swansea . The B recon and erthyr Railway runs from

B recon to Talyllyn , and thence to Talybont . It follows the C o llw n g and Taff Fechan valleys to Po n ts tic ill

e o ff M Junction . Her a short line branches to erthyr,

v ia th e and the main line proceeds, Dowlais , th rough

Rhymney valley to Bargoed and Newport . The Central and So u th Wales branch of the London and North Western Railway enters from Radnorshire at Builth

d Irfo n Road , and proceeds own the valley, through w Llangammarc h and Llanwrtyd into the To y valley, where one branch turns o ff to Swansea and another — continues down the To wy valley to Carmarthen .

“ “ 2 dm in is 5 . A tratio n an d Div is io n s Pas t an d Pre s e n t : The ancient form of government in Wales di ff ered

from that of England insomuch that it was tribal , though

n -an the tribes were subject, ofte only nominally so, to 13 8 B RECONS HIRE

overlord . The Principality was divided into a number of small kingdoms or principalities of greater or lesser extent which were grouped under the sovereignty of the overlords, who were at first the kings of Wales , and afterwards the kings or princes of the three great sub

o f a h o dri divisions Wales after the de th of R Mawr . In th e Rh o dri division made by , B reconshire was included in

De h e u barth S . the kingdom of , or outh Wales For purposes of administration these districts were

was divided into cantrefs and commots . The cantref somewhat akin to the English hundred and was compo sed of two or more commots ; the commot was the unit of government . It was thus akin to the English manor and — was governed by a lord and his o flic e rs the maer or

n be lo r th ca l . S e steward , and the g or chancellor ocially, commot was composed of the tribesmen—who were of th e kin of the lord , held the land by gavelkind and we re distributed in homes teads on the land held by their “ ” “ ” es — famili and the strangers, who lived in villages or communities under th e control and supervision of a s repre entative of the lord . “ ” The strangers were partly composed of the pre

Cymric inhabitants of the land , and were not allowed the privileges of holding land , of bearing arms, or of hunting . To them was allotted the task of cultivating their lord ’ s land and performing certain menial duties . Below the ” “ - strangers, or non tribesmen , were the slaves . It must be pointed out that the tribesman did not hold possession of the land as an individual but as a

e ff e m mber of a family, and herein lies the great di erenc

140 BRECONS HIRE

’ A e breach of the peac was a Breach of the King s Peace, and h is officers punished the off enders who committed

that breach .

o flic ials ff The chief of the new shire were the sheri , i ffs . coroners, and bail Each commot had its own coroner ff ff and baili , and the sheri paid periodical visits to the O ff S ff commot to try minor ences . erious o ences he sent ’ C to the ounty town for trial by the King s Justices , who

attended periodically for that purpose . The formation of the Marches into shire ground and t h e incorporation of the Principality with England did not do away with all distinction between the English

shires and the Welsh shires . The latter were still under

An some disadvantages . attempt to better the condition

o f 1 G S Wales was made in 545 , when the reat essions of

Wales were instituted . These formed a High Court of

Justice for Wales , independent of the Courts at West

6 o f Wales m 1 . inster, and in 5 7 the Council was instituted The Great Sessions and the Council were abolished in

1 68 A 9 , bringing the dministration of Wales into line ff with that of England , and the final di erence was abolished ’ firs t d V in the ecade of Q ueen ictoria s reign , when the v m e th o d of selecting sheriff s for the Welsh counties was

~ made similar to that of England . The chief o flic e rs of the county are the Lord Lieu

tenant and the High Sheriff . The former is nearly a a“ lways a noblem n , or, if not, a large landowner, and is appointed by the Crown . He represents the King in the t county, and one of h is most important duties is he

' chairmanship of the committe e or association that has ADMINIS TRATION AND DIVIS IONS 141

control over the Territorial Force s of the county . The s ff l heri , generally a wealthy man , is chosen annua ly on “ ’ M 1 th St 2 . the morrow of artin s Day , November Th e County Council conducts the chief business of c the county and thus resembles the an ient shire moot .

Ac t 1 8 8 8 This body was instituted by of Parliament in , and in Breconshire is constituted of 1 5 aldermen and 49

Th e councillors . councillors are elected —triennially by th e ratepayers and the aldermen are c o opted by the

' councillors for a term of six years . Such matters as I‘ O VlSIO n sanitation , roadways , education , the p — of asylums, - o f water supply, etc . are under the control the Council .

C o u ii c il The County holds its meetings at B recon . An important committee in the county is the Standing n Joint Committee , composed of members of the Cou ty

Council and of the magistrates of the county , which has the appointment and control of the police . This com m itte e 1 8 o consists of members, and has under its contr l a body of 34 police of all ranks, who are commanded by a chief constable . Before the year 1 894 there existed a number of local governing bodies known as vestries , local boards, highway

A c t o f . w as boards, etc but in that year an Parliament passed which created new bodies to deal with the affairs controlled by these bodies . In the larger and more populous areas they are called D istrict Councils— Urban

District or Rural District Councils, as they govern town — or rural districts and the smaller parishes or areas have

M s . w their Parish Councils or Parish eeting These, hether t District or Parish Councils, represent the ancient cour s 142 BRECONS HIRE

of the townships or parishes under the old shire system . In Breconshire there are five U rban District Councils and

six Rural D istrict Councils . Th e parish of Ystradfellte is administered by th e Rural District Council of Neath A G in the dministrative County of lamorganshire , and the parish of Llanwrthwl by the Rural District Council of

e Rhayader in Radnorshire . The parish s of Beaufort, A Dukestown , Llech ryd , and Rassa are in the dministra M tive County of onmouthsh ire . The Borough of Brecon

has powers similar to those of the Urban District Councils, and also holds certain privileges under charters granted to

i t in ancient times .

e B reconshir has four Poor Law Unions, each of which G has a Board of uardians, elected by the ratepayers,

e e e whos duty it is to manag the workhous s, and appoint the relieving officers and other officials who take care of

the poor and aged . For the purpose of administering justice the county is S in the outh Wales Circuit, has one court of Q uarter

Sessions which meets at B recon , and is divided into ten S Petty essional Divisions, each having magistrates, or justices of the peace , who attend to try cases and punish M petty off ences against the law . The unicipal Borough of B recon has a separate Commission of the Peace but

has no separate Court of Q uarter Sessions . By far the greater portion of B reconshire is in the St Diocese of Davids, but three ecclesiastical parishes are f 0 in the Diocese of Llanda f. There are altogether 7 A t ecclesiastical parishes or districts in the county . one time the ecclesiastical parish was the same as the civil

144 BRECONS HIRE

the Martin Marprelate faction . Dr John J ones ( 1 5 7 5 the auth o r of s everal theological treatises and an

Ex o s itio n o f a p the Bible , was born at Llanfryn ch . He . A was a friend of rchbishop Laud . Thomas Howell

. 1 6 C ( d 44) was chaplain to harles I , and afterwards Canon

’ Cef n B rith : J ohn P e n ry s B irthplace

01 V Westminster and Bishop of Bristol . Thomas aughan , of Sc e th ro g ( 1 6 2 0 a student of O riental languages and a poet of some reputation , was incumbent of Llan “ ” n tff r d sa ae . He was twin brother of the Silurist . ' ’ D r c/o P r z Oeso ead w as y y f , a Welsh classic, the work of Theophilus Evans ( 1 694 incumbent ROLL OF HONOUR 147

1 8 H is to r o B r eco n shir e 7 5 . His y f has passed through

e many editions, and is a comprehensive and valuabl 1 8 1 2 account of the county . He died in and was buried at Llangammarch . The most eminent literary lady of M the county is iss Jane Williams, who was born at 1 8 8 Talgarth in 1 8 05 and died in 5 . Her best work was

i r itin s o the Rev Tho mas r ice Car n L e an d W . P the f g f , hu an aw c Liter ar , and she was also the authoress of y Wo men of the Sev en teen th Cen tu ry and a H isto ry of

The most prominent lawyer of the county is Sir John

Price of B recon , who was a barrister and a member of the Council of the Court of the Marches in the time of

D en ce B r Henry V III . He was the author of a ef of itish

H isto r D escr i tio n o Wales y and a p f , but he will be remem bered by his countrymen as the chief promoter of the ir Union of Wales with England . S Joh n Price died in

ir 1 . S . 5 73 Diplomacy is represented by the late H E .

. m Bartle Frere , who was born at Clydach He held any important diplomatic posts , ch iefly in India, becoming

1 86 Sir Governor of Bombay in 2 . Bartle Frere was specially sent to South A frica to promote confederation ’ in the terms of Lord C arn arv o n s scheme and became the

Sir first Governor of Cape Colony . Bartle Frere died in ’ 1 88 St 4 and was buried in the crypt of Paul s Cathedral . The chief representatives of art in the county are

e . thre brothers whose name is Thomas The eldest,

n Joh Evan Thomas, was born at B recon in 1 1 0 8 . He became a sculptor whose works received great S praise from the critics . ome of h is principal works are

1 0—2 148 BRECONS HIRE

V e Mr . . S a bronze statue of J H ivian , at wansea ; a marbl statue of the late King Edward V II when a boy ; a bronze statue of the Duke of Wellington wh ich is now in his

S ir B artle Frere nat ive town ; and a marble statue of the late Prince

- M fin e . Consort wh ich is at Tenby . any groups were “ S carved by him , the original model of one, cience

15 0 BRECONS HIRE

Ro v al A A cademy of rts, and was the sculptor of many excellent groups and statues . He was especially noted for h is medallion portraiture , which , for a time, was a speciality of his own . The third brother, James Lewis

Thomas, was an architect , and being connected with O ffi V the War ce , was the designer of the Royal ictoria

Hospital , Netley, and other public buildings . The stage is ably represented in the persons of the

Mrs S S gifted tragic actress, arah iddons, whose family name was Kemble , and her youngest brother, Charles

Kemble , father of Fanny Kemble , who was an actor of great repute though not of the rank of h is eldest brother,

John Philip . These talented players were born at the S M S V houlder of utton Inn , now the iddons aults, in

S Mrs S 1 High treet , B recon , iddons in July 7 5 5 , and her ‘ Mrs brother in 1 7 7 5 . Siddons also wrote some verses

r i e Lo s t and published an abridged edition of P a ad s . Another actor that may well be mentioned here was

T . L . Llewelyn Pritchard , but h e is better remembered by h is countrymen as the author of H er o in es of Welsh

H is to r tti Tw m Sho n Ca . y, and of the novel He was born

T rallw n at g at the beginning of the nineteenth century ,

S n and is supposed to have died in poverty at wa sea . 2 7 . THE CHIEF TO WNS AND VILLAGES F O BRECO NSHIRE .

The fig ures in brackets after each name give th e population

in 1 0 1 in c fo r 1 1 1 9 , except the ases where the fi g ures 9 are

available when they are disting uished by an asterisk . The figures at the end o f each section are referen ces to the pages

in the text .

A Y S e e . b e r c r av e . under stradg ynlais

Ab e ry s cir ( 1 1 7) is a pari s h and villag e o n the west bank o f

th s k the Ys c ir at its confluence with e U . The church was

1 O n restored in 1 8 6 0 and 8 8 4 . the river bank near the churc h

f m . 1 th e o f th e o ld o Ban n iu . 8 are remains Roman station (pp ,

1 0 1 1 9 7 , 9 , 0 ,

A lltm aw r (3 8 ) is a parish o n the rig ht bank o f th e Wye o n

- o f the road from Builth to Hay some four miles south east Builth .

in Its parish church is o n e o f the s mallest the Principality .

B at tl e ( 1 1 3) is a parish and village named after the g reat

o f in S . . 1 0 2 Abbey Battle ussex (pp 9 7 , ,

B r e c o n is a municipal borough and market town

o f th e th e ca u t and the chief town county . It was formerly p o f the lordship o f Brecon and is situated o n the spot where

its it i the Honddu pours waters into the Usk . This gives ts

o f Ab e r h n S is Welsh name o ddu . The hire Hall a handsome in i building the Doric style and there s also a Guild Hall . The

15 4 BRECONS HIRE

S invalids and others . urrounded by some o f th e most mag nificent

in S its is o n e . mountain scenery outh Wales , situation an ideal s ix- d A arched stone bri g e crosses the river into Radnorshire .

is The town consists c hiefly o f o n e main street . It well paved and is two fo r supplied with water from sprin g s , which provide water two is storag e reservoirs holding g allons . The river

f o r navig able boats , and g ood trout fishing forms an additional

to th e o f o f attraction town . The site an ancient castle eleventh

o n o f century date stands the east side the town . Near the town is in Cwm Llewelyn , a wooded ravine where Prince Llewelyn fell

1 2 8 2 . h Aberedw rocks and caves afe also in t e vicinity . Nant “ ” is to - o f yr Arian , Money Brook , the south west the town and is s o called from the days o f the plague . Here the country people

fo r in brought their produce sale , the money payment therefor

th to being thrown into e brook prevent any possible contagion .

c o n e in 1 6 1 Builth has also experien ed several destructive fires , 9 completely destroying the town . The Builth Philharmonic

S c o f o ld c o iety , formed by the amalg amation the Builth Harmoni

S c is in . ociety and another hoir , held hig h repute Both choirs w o n the chief choral pri z e at the National Eisteddfod o f Wales .

(pp . 8 0 8 1 8 2 8 8 , 7 , , , 3 , 5 .

B w c . S e e Llan fih an e l . . 0 1 1 l h under g Cwmdu (pp 44 , 5 , 3 ,

ll n Se e . Ca w e . under Glyntawe

Cant r e f ( 1 8 5 ) is a parish lying two and a half miles south

o f in east Brecon . The Brecon Beacons , the hig hest mountains

S lie o f outh Wales , about the centre the parish ; Pen y Fan , the

o f 2 0 . ( p . highest peak , reaching a heig ht 9 7 feet

C e fn C o e d Y Cy m m e r is a hamlet and large village in

- t h e parish o f Vaynor tw o miles north west o f Merthyr Tydfil . The river Taff runs near th e villag e and over it is a viaduct o f CHIEF TOWNS AND V ILLAGES 15 5

o o f 1 6 arches which cost t build . The span each arch is 40 feet and the height from river to parapet is 1 2 0 feet .

C r a o r L lan u lid 0 is y , ( 7 9) a large and scattered parish

is 1 2 once part o f the parish o f Devynock . It miles from

is f o r Brecon . In the Cray Valley a large reservoir the supply

to th e o f was o f water town Swansea . It constructed at a cost o f c th e and omprises a concrete dam across valley ,

Vaynor Viaduct and a tunnel three miles in length which runs underneath a

Nan t r w dd is mountain , terminating at y y , whence water conveyed

o f in pipe s to Swansea . The dam is over a quarter a mile long

1 0 0 0 o f c and keeps back over million gallons water , which over

s th o f an area o f 1 5 0 acres . This parish form e g reatest portion f the site o the once g reat Forest o f Brecon . (p .

C r ic kadar n ( 2 9 5 ) is a strictly ag ric ultural parish eig ht miles s - o f outh west Builth . 15 6 BRECONS HIRE

Cr ickh o w e ll ( 1 1 5 0) is a market town and parish lying in a ' ' o n o f r iv e r Us k v w c is ’ a picturesque valley the banks the , o er hi h i bridg e o f 1 3 arches . The river s wide here and provides g ood

are o f in fishing . There many remains antiquity the neighbour hood and the curfew is rung at Crickhowell from Mi c haelmas to f . s d o Candlemas There are everal public buil ing s , chief which

o f are the Town Hall and the Clarence Hall . The first stone the l o f in 1 1 atter was laid by the late Duke Clarence 8 9 . There are

Devy nock

o f 2 ) is the remains a castle , and at Llang attock (9 4 a remarkable

' ” cavern called Eglwys Vae n o r th e Church Cavern . There are

' also several remarkable monoliths in the vicinity and th e r e m ain s f 2 1 1 1 1 1 o c . . 0 6 6 6 6 0 0 0 a cromle h (pp 3 , , 4 , 5 , , 9 , 9 3 , 7 , 9 , ,

fih an e l 2 Cw m du . S ee Llan . . 0 g Cwmdu (pp , 3 7 ,

De v y n o ck ( 1 0 2 7 ) is an ecclesiastical parish comprising

o f in th e several townships . The village Devynock stands

o f is o f . Th e r e is township Maescar and nine miles west Brecon ‘

15 8 BRECONS HIRE

L ib an u s a e t d o r G n h am le t , Ll n ll y , ly a and eccle

s ias tic al th e o f is o n parish which comprises township Glyn , the

- o f river Tarrel four miles south west Brecon . A Roman road

’ ran throug h the parish and the reputed site o f St Illtyd s g rave

is n o f Illt d o the side y Mountain .

Llan afan F aw r (45 7 ) is a pari s h s ix miles north -west from

o f St is Builth . In the churchyard Afan an altar tomb with the “ ” S t Av an u E i co u Hie ace t an c u s r s s . o n inscri ption , f7 p p In a field a farm (Do lfe lin ) stands an ancient monolith believed to mark th e

o f o f site the g rave a bishop slain by the Danes , and near this “ ” runs a stream known as Nant yr E s g o b . Llanafan F e ch an

o f f . o f 2 is a parish lying south the ormer It has a population 1 9 .

Llanb e dr ( 2 0 4) is a small parish and villag e near the

o f e e confluence the rivers yne Fawr and yne Fechan , some

S 1 two miles from Crickhowell . ince 8 6 5 the village has been almost entirely rebuilt . (p .

L lan dde tty (45 8 ) is a parish and scattered village s ix miles

o f S t from Crickhowell . The church Detta , an ancient building

in in 1 8 . o f the Early English style , was restored 7 4 The village

n . Talybont is partly i this parish ( p .

L lan dde w ( 1 8 3 ) is a parish and villag e o n the river

o n e . Honddu , and three quarter miles from Brecon The manor

to o f St is attached the bishopric Davids , and there was once a castellated mansion here o f which some traces remain in the

th e o f V icarage grounds . It was Breconshire home the famous

c Gir aldu s Cam b r e n s is . leric and writer ,

’ L lan dde w i r Cw m (4 2 6 ) is an agricultural parish and village two miles south o f Brecon .

Llande fall e (446) is a parish seven miles north -east o f the

- - Ein io n in o f county town . Pen heol this parish was the scene

o f a tenth century battle . There are the remains an an c ient Llanelieu C h u rc h 16 0 BRECONS HIRE

w th o f en campment at Pwll e . The c hurch has e remains an anc ient rood sc reen o f great beauty . (p .

i two f Llan e l e u ( 5 3 ) is a small parish miles east o Talgarth . The church contains an ancient double screen o f th e fourteenth century , the eastern and western faces being similar , and the

- interval between them roofed over s o as to form a rood loft .

o f th e in th e The socket ancient rood remains beam , a painted c ross n o w taking its place . (p .

l S ee Liban u s . L an e llty d . under

Llan e lly ( 3 0 7 6) is a parish three miles from Brynmawr and

s o f o f Dar r an f e le n consi ts the villages Blackrock , Clydach , ,

M ae s w r th a Gilwern , and g . Llanelly was once a busy mining di s trict but there are n o w n o works o f any kind except limestone s quarries and kilns at Clydac h . The lime tone here yields 9 7 and f 8 . o f . Sir o 9 per cent lime Bartle Frere , first Governor Cape

. . 6 6 1 0 Colony , was born at Clydach (pp , 7 ,

L lan fih an g e l Cw m du ( 8 2 6) generally known as Cwmdu

Y s tr ad w is o n and originally called y , a larg e and scattered parish th e river Rh ian g o ll about four and a half miles nort h -west from

B h is s in s . w Crickhowell lc a mall village situated this pari h .

o r in th e Of At Gaer , Coed y Gaer , the parish are remains an

o n B r ian o o f ancient encampment , and the g Mountains are traces

. . 1 0 1 0 British hut dwellings (pp 9 3 , 9 7 , 5 , 9 ,

L lan fih an g e l F e ch an o r Ll an fe c h an ( 1 2 6) is a parish

five miles north from Brecon . The parish churc h is plain but

c is in an d has an apsidal chancel . Castell Mado this parish there are traces o f a British camp called Twyn y Gaer .

lan r ac h 6 2 is o n L f y n (4 ) a parish and villag e the river Usk , i - Ro m a three and a half miles south east from Brecon . A n b afh

e in 1 8 8 o r and coins were discover d here , and 9 a kistvaen , stone

c in sepulchral hest , containing human remains , was discovered

16 2 B RECONS HIRE

o f s ix . Lim e b u r n in is c o n in bridge arches g arried the parish . The c hurch is an ancient edifice in the Early English style and was restored in 1 8 7 2 and 1 8 9 5 . (p .

a h am a h 2 is o n th e Ll n l c ( 49) a parish riv e r Usk . The

c o f St Illt d S t was o f chur h y and Peter , with the exception th e

’ H enry Vaughan s Tom b

in 1 8 0 2 . is in th e N tower , rebuilt The architecture plain orman in h e f s . O n Man n e s t t s th e o tyle , a hill pari h , are remains a

o r Illt d th e o f dolmen cromlech known as Ty y , stones which once

s s is had an in cription which has di appeared , and near Maen

llt d th e o f 1 I s c c . . 8 y , remain an ancient stone ir le (pp 9 , CHIEF TOWNS AND V ILLAGES 16 3

= = a i o n . 2 1 c . . 6 is Ll n g (Civil par 9 , ec les par 3 3 ) a parish

- and village two miles south west from Hay . About a quarter o f in is th e a mile distant from Glynfach , a hamlet the parish ,

- f newly erected Benedictine Monastery o the late Father Ignatius .

L lan lle o n fe l (9 4) is a pari s h o n the river Du lais seven

in th e miles from Builth . The Garth brickworks are parish , and at Garth there is also a recently - discovered magnesium spring . There are also some Roman remains in the parish . (p 9 7 )

L lan s an tfir ae d - j uxta- U s k ( 1 9 1 ) is a parish s ix miles

- h r f . S c e t o th e o south east from Brecon g , birth p lace Henry “ S is - s o t o f Vaughan , the ilurist , the south we tern p r ion the

its B r o c h we ll Ysc th ro o n e parish and derives name from y g , o f o f o f the Princes Powys , and still includes a group houses called b y this name . About half a mile from the cottages is a

in pillar stone , about three feet heig ht, with a much mutilated “ ” o f th e V ic to r in i is n o w inscription , which only word legible . Tradition s tates that it commemorates the burial p lace o f a s o n o f wh in Victorinus o was slain a neighbouring dell . The Roman road from Caerleon to Y Gaer ( Brecon) ran through th e

s . c o n c th e pari h At Bu kland , a hill known as Bu kland Hill , late

- o ld Colonel Gwynne Holford , an Waterloo veteran , had trees planted to represent squares o f infantry and troops o f c avalry at

1 0 1 0 1 Waterloo . (pp . 9 , 9 , 9 , 44 , = i . 1 d d 6 . 2 a s d 0 . is Ll n p y (civil par , eccles par 49) a

w - s parish t o miles south we t from Brecon . The church is o f thirteenth century date and has a finely carved sounding - board

is to th e over the pul pit , and the east window a memorial Morgan family . In the churchyard are 1 3 fine yew trees s up po sed to

th e is s date from fifth century , and there also an ancient tone

to th e o f A wlac h o n e o f o f B r c h said mark grave , the princes y

i io e n . g (p .

L lan i S e e . u l d . Cray 16 4 BRECONS HIRE

Llanw r th w l ( 1 7 8 5 ) is a parish in an ag ricultural district o n

o f t h e to th e the northern extremity county , close Radnorshire T . h e boundary parish church contains a twelfth century font ,

O n S and in the churchyard is a fine menhir . Rhos aith Maen (th e meadow o f th e seven stones ) are some stones irregularly

s s p laced , sometime desig nated a tone circle , but their orig in and purpose cannot be clearly determined . ( p .

a w rt d o r a w r t d We s 8 ) is Ll n y , Ll n y ll ( 5 4 a large

s o n th e village and pari s h 1 1 miles wes t from Builth . It stand

Ir fo n in o f river , a celebrated trout stream , the midst the wild

o f in and pictures que s cenery . The chief interest the place lies its celebrated sul phur and chalybeate spring s . There are three o f th e former,which ar e s aid to be the s trong est sul phur s prings

- r in the Principality . Many hotels and lodging houses cater fo

s the visitors , and there are plea ure grounds and a small lake fed

Ir fo n . . 2 6 6 6 0 0 2 by the (pp 3 , 3 , 3 7 , , 7 , 9 , 9 ,

Lly w e ll ( 6 5 4) is an eccles iastical pari s h in an agricultural is district o n the road from B recon to Llandovery . The church

o f is to S t P adar n an ancient building red sandstone and dedicated ,

St St . Teilo, and David , hence the alternative name Llantrisant Tr e as e 8 0) is in is s c da h o r c tl ( 3 a hamlet this parish , as Y ly c Rh d - - b r iw y y (p .

Me rth y r Cy n n o g (5 9 0) is an agricultural pari s h nine miles t — north by west from Brecon . A li tle flour milling by water

is o n . s it s o f th e power carried As the name implie , was the cene S o f C n n o . . martyrdom y g , a Celtic aint (p

N r i n th W = 1 is e w b dge o e y e Brec . 8 3 ) a

s in in Wltll pari h partly Radnorshire and partly Breconshire , some

n trade i lime and coal .

P a i io P art is h o w o r P ar tr is h o w is tr c , , (4 3) a small

- f parish o n the e yne Fawr s ix miles north east o Crickhowell .

16 6 BRECONS HIRE

T dfil. Merthyr y Here are limestone , sandstone , and silica

. . 6 6 quarries (pp , 7 7 ,

P n ll S e e . e w y t . under Glyntawe

P o nt Ne ath V au gh an (Ne dd F e ch an) is a village

in in partly Glamorganshire and partly Breconshire . It stands in the vicinity o f magnificent scenery and forms the cen tre whence tourists visit the many beautiful waterfalls and other

o f ( th e interesting natural features the district . marrying forms c chief lo al industry with some coal mining . There are silica and

o n th e M e llte o limestone quarries and are gunp wder works . In

f 1 1 o s . . 1 former days numbers Wel h hats were made here (PP ,

lf r a 2 th r S Llan s an t e d . . 1 1 1 1 1 S c e o g . ee (pp 9 7 , 0 , , 44 ,

Talgarth ( 1 46 6) is a parish and market town seven

- o f t and a half miles south west from Hay . The Vale Talgar h is o n e o f the most important and riches t ag ricultural districts — in the county and the town has an important and well attended

is s o n th e horsefair . It upplied with water from a reservoir

M in 1 i in . 8 s Black Mountains The arket Hall , erected 7 7 , th f Th e is e centre o the town . up per part used as an Assembly

etc . is Room and the lower as a provision market , The town a c fo r f o r its great entre markets and fairs , and depends entirely

o c . P o r th m ae l trade up n the agri ultural district around At Great ,

n o w is to once a fortified residence , a farmhouse , Henry VII said

n h i to o f have rested o s way the battle Bosworth Field . Dinas

is th e is Castle near town , and there an ancient stone circle at

t l T re fe c a Ffo s i l. c College stands about a mile from the town . The colleg e was orig inally th e home o f a community o f persons w h o settled here under th e governance and teaching o f Howell

c fo r d Harris . It was later a olleg e Calvinistic Metho ists and

in 1 2 was opened f o r this purpose 8 4 . The colleg e library has

o a valuable collection o f Welsh bo ks . In the grounds is th e CHIEF TOWNS AND V ILLAGES 16 7

lVle m o r ial w o in 1 8 . Howell Harris Chapel , hich was pened 7 3

is . . 2 6 8 1 The county asylum at Talgarth (PD 3 , 3 9 , 7 , 9 , 9 ,

1 1 1 2 1 I I I 0 7 1 0 9 1 1 3 7 ) 3 9 , 4

Tr aian glas (4 3 4) is a hamlet and ecclesiastical parish near th e confluence o f the Hydf e r with the Usk . Both streams are O n favourite waters with anglers and contain trout and salmon .

in is Trecastle mountain this parish a Roman camp , and coins and other Roman remains have been found from time to time . A

is o n h large lake situated t e Fan Mountain .

Tr e c as tl e (3 8 0) is a hamlet in th e ecclesiastic al parish o f

Llywel some four o r five miles from Devynock . At the New

- s c l dac h 2 2 is Factory some wool dressing is carried o n . Y y ( 0 )

i 2 n . . 1 another hamlet the same parish (pp 7 , 9 ,

Tr e t o w e r ( 3 4 8) is an ecclesias tical parish three miles north

th e o f c from Crickhowell . There are remains a medieval astle

it is o f o f here , and immediately adjoining a manor house the time

. . 2 0 2 1 2 2 1 2 6 1 Edward III (pp , 9 , 9 5 , 9 7 , , , 3 3 ,

V ay n o r ( 3 4 2 0) is a parish four miles north o f Merthyr

T dfil f in y . Part o the parish is the parliamentary borough o f ' m D ff n t Merthyr Tydfil. Cw tafl and y r y are hamlets and h e

o o f C e n C o d m m r is in p pulous village f e y Cy e the parish . The chief industries apart from agriculture are quarrying and

- is fin lime burning . Near Vaynor church an exceptionally e

i . n ) . 2 tumulus and there are others the vicinity (PI 9 , 9 5 ,

h s c dac . S ee Y ly under Llywell .

Ys tr adfe llt e (5 49) is a purely pastoral parish o n the road f from Brecon to Neath . The village o Pont Nedd Fechan is in this parish . Reservoirs belong ing to th e Borough o f Neath

n o w in o f in . 2 2 are p rocess construction this district (pp . 7 , 9 ,

1 3 6 , 16 8 BRECONS HIRE

= s tr ad n ais 8 2 0 = 6 is in Y gy l (Higher , Lower 49 5 ) a parish

- f th c the south western part o e county . It ontains the villages o f

Y Ab e r c r av e Cwm tw r c h G u r n o s its stradgynlais , , , and , and indus

tin - tries include anthracite coal mining , plate manufacturing ,

- - c . S c wd ement works and brick making yr Hen Rhyd waterfall ,

in i in th o n e o f s e . S the most attractive Wales , parish The wansea it Canal has s northern terminus here . There are traces o f a

Roman road and the remains o f a Roman camp to be seen .

1 (pp . 6 , 6 6 , 6 8 ,

170 B RECONS HIRE

F i . in o o o f B s g 4. Variation p pulati n recon h ire from 1 8 0 1 t o 1 9 1 1

F i . P o o a de o s G s s e tc g 5 . r porti n te acreag e un r Cr p , ra , . in B recon s h ire in 1 9 09 DIAGRAMS 17 1

A 6 . i in F ig . rea un der C o rn Crop s in B recon s h re 1 9 09

F P o i . o g 7 . r p rtionate area s o f chief Cereal s in B recon s h ire in 1 9 09 17 2 B RECONS H IRE

H o rs e s

F i 8 P tio b s o f i g . . ropor nate num er Live S tock n B recon s h ire in 1 909

- F i . D i s w i a o f s s i g 9 . agram ho ng percent ge En g li h peak ng , W s - s B i i P s s in B s i e el h peakin g , and l ngual er on recon h r in 1 9 0 1

MB I E R ITY P R E S S . C A R DG E : P RI NT E D B Y H N C L AY M . A A T T H E U N IV S J O , .