T HE LIBRARY OF T HE UNIVERSIT Y OF C ALIFORNIA ANGELES P HYSI C AL M A P OF R A D N O R C AM B RI DGE U N IV E RS ITY PRE S S AY M A N G E R F . C L , A O E E E E C . LOND N F TT R LAN , 4 P P U T ’ S N E W Y O R K G. N A M S S O N BO M B AY ‘ ND C UT T C I N A C O . L T D C AL A MA M LLA , . MADRAS ' ND LT T O N T O : . D E N T A O N D RO J . M S S , . T OKYO : M A RUZ E N- KA B U SH I K I - KA I S HA A LL RI GHT S RE S E RV E D RA D N O RS H I RE L E WIS D A VI E S ( of C ymmer) ’ Diagrams and Illustrations C amb ridge at th e U n i v e rsi ty P re ss P RE FA C E t han k M rs F H A t o . VE Edmund J Jones, forest ” L e i o n i s Gl n n e ath g , y , for kind aid in the subject A M r R matter of Ecclesiastical rchitecture ; oger Howel , B r n co ch fo r y , facts of interest in connection with the M r R C u mt wrch geology of the county ; and T . Thomas , , for his valuable assistance in correcting the proofs . L . D . J ug"" 1 9 1 2 C O NT E NT S PAGE T he o Ff r l T h i n Penins ula f e l ys . e Place o f Rad n or — W T h i t s ales . e Name Origin a n d Meaning General C haracteristic s z S . s . D Si e . hape Boundarie etached Portions Surface a n d General Features T he Sm S s Rivers a n d Waters hed . aller tream — T he W ye (a ) Main Stream — T he W ye (b) Tributaries Lakes a n d Reservoirs Fi s herie s Geology a n d Soil Natural Hi s tory C limate a n d Rainfall — S s People Race , ettlement , Population — W c C s S . Agri ulture Main ultivation , oodlands , tock Industries a n d Manufactures Mines a n d Mineral s vi ii CONTENTS Hi s tory o f t he C ounty — Antiquiti es (a ) Prehi s toric a n d Roman — Antiquities Tb) Iri s h a n d Saxon — Architecture (a ) E ccles ia s tical — Architecture (b) Military — Architecture (c) Domestic — C s an d . s ommunications Pa t Present Road , Railways — ' Admini s tration a n d Divisions A n ci e n t a n d Modern T he Roll of Honour T he C hief Towns a n d Villages o f Radnorshire ILLUST RA T I ONS A Radnors hire Moorland Scene Vale o f Ne w Radnor A Radnors hire Farm T he m s d Pu p Hou e , Llandrindo T he W ye at Hay O n Radnor Fores t Water - break - i ts - neck T he s Lug Bridge , Pre teign River Teme near Knighton T h e W ye at Builth Bridge General View o f the W ye Valley with Builth a n d Llanelwedd i s s o f the w e Hor e hoe Bend y , Boughrood ’ T he M arte g near St Harmon s Valley o f t he I t ho n Llyn G wyn Pe n ce rrig Lake C aban C och Dam C a re ddu s E n g Re ervoir , la Valley T he s C wm E s s Filtering Bed , lan Re ervoir S almon Ladder , Rhayader Bridge Salmon Netting at Llanelwedd Po s ition of t he Radnor Rock s Abe redw Rock s E rratic Boulder on Carn e dda u x ILLUSTRATIONS Timber Felli n g i n Radnors hire T he Stanner Rock s T he W e i n y Flood . n n o f G H C ar n e ddau Fou datio oidel ut, Wel s h Peasant W oman i n Natio n al C o stume A Radnors hire Ploughi n g M atch Sheep - Sheari n g i n Radnors hire s - o n - W e Hor e Fair , Newbridge y A Rhayader Tan yard S n C s n to e ru her , Lla elwedd G —C adw a n ( n w elly g marry , Lla el edd ’ C aractacus C amp n ear Kn ighton ’ Llewely n s C ave near Aberedw T he Mound , Pilleth Battlefield ” T h e s n Pale , Lla degley Prehi storic Sto n e - Hammer T he S s o f n Four tone , Vale Rad or C C s C n Roman amp , a tell olle ’ Off s D K n a yke , near nighto Norman Doorway with Tympanum,Llanbadarn Fawr ’ S n Ll an a n o C Rood cree , hurch ’ T he n O n r C rc Fo t, ld Rad o hu h M - r - C G s aes y onen hapel , la bury — - Rui n s o f Abbey C wm Hi r Ruins o f Di n b o d C astle T he Sto n es Farmhou s e M ae s ll wch C s s a tle , Gla bury Na n n e rth H s a Farm ou e, ne r Rhayader ” T he s ms s n Radnor hire Ar , Pre teig ’ W Kn . N . ucklas Viaduct , L . Railway T he n Tow Hall , Rhayader Knighto n ’ C wm E n H s S s s n la ou e , helley Re ide ce ILLUSTRATIONS xi VVa l b e e S s C d Moll tone, Llowe hurchyar Di n b od C s Ll a n a n o . a tle Moat , C o n s ockpit Llanelwedd Rock . — - Newbridge o n W y e School Interior o f Old Rad n or C hurch Diagrams MAP S n s s Rad or hire , Phy ical Geological Radnor Rivers flowing E ast T he Upper W ye a n d i t s Radnors hire Tributaries W S . o t Diagrammatic ection from t he C ounty Boundary N. Rhayader to Hay E n an d W s s n f gland ale , howi g Annual Rain all Sketch Map s howi n g t he chief C a stle s o f Wale s a n d t he t 1 1 Border C ounties o f a ce p . 6 ’ T he Scene o f Llewelyn s Downfall 1 2 0 T he s n s o n . 2 1 1 1 1 1 2 a n d 1 f illu tratio pp 7 , 9 7 , , , 49 are rom W - - s . s s C t he photograph by Mr M Dod on , Bettw y oed ; remainder W f . A b e r the m are rom photographs by Mr P B y , Builth ells ; aps f o ri . 1 2 1 an d 1 2 0 s s the o n pp 5 , , are rom ketche by author ; that s s D i s f . p . 49 rom a ketch kindly upplied by r J E . Marr ; that f 1 1 6 i s f n . E acing p . rom a drawi g by Mr C J vans. 2 RADNORSHIRE A ll times, a matter of great import . the roads and tracks - o f of Mid Wales converged on the fords Wye, and whoever dominated them dominated the country o n both sides . R Celt, oman , and Norman successively mastered and l o f Ffe rll s owned the beautiful va leys Upper y , and each A Radnors hire M oorland S cene has left very conspicuous marks of his occupation . The Saxon was not uniformly victorious— his boundary varied from age to age . Now he advanced to the Wye itself, t o to i and now he had retreat the Severn , unt l at last the great O ffa fixed the boundary that i s still connected with his name . The Dane also raided the district , but did not succeed in making it his permanent abode THE PENINSULA OF FFE RLLYS 3 A lthough this mountain region has a long history , R the county of adnor, as we now know it, is a modern n o 1 6 division , dating further back than 53 , when at the B same time, and under similar circumstances as recon , was Monmouth , Montgomery, and Denbigh , it created o f u n s hire d M . out the lands of the Borders , or arches Vale o f Ne w Radnor Pembroke and Glamorgan were counties before the 1 2 8 fall of the last Llewelyn , and in 4. Edward I by Rhu dd- s ix — the Statute of lan created others Flint, A Carnarvon , nglesey, Merioneth , Cardigan , and Car mart he n ; but the remainder o f Wales was for t wo and a half centuries an unhappy territory, where legalised - M oppressors, the Lords archers, to the number of about I — 2 4 RADNORSHIRE 1 0 4 , held the destinies of life and death over the wretched people, ruling them by the strength of the sword , in “ ” R —a o f virtue of the Jura egalia, martial law the sternest kind .