Aberllynfi
Encyclopedia
Aberllynfi is a village in Powys
Powys
Powys is a local-government county and preserved county in Wales.-Geography:Powys covers the historic counties of Montgomeryshire and Radnorshire, most of Brecknockshire , and a small part of Denbighshire — an area of 5,179 km², making it the largest county in Wales by land area.It is...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
close to Glasbury
Glasbury
Glasbury , also known as Glasbury-on-Wye, is a village in Powys, Wales which lies at an important crossing point on the River Wye, connecting the former counties of Brecknockshire and Radnorshire. The village is just outside the Brecon Beacons National Park, north of the Black Mountains. The...
. The name refers to the mouth of the Afon Llynfi
Afon Llynfi (Wye)
The Afon Llynfi is a short river in the county of Powys, south Wales. A tributary of the River Wye, it runs approximately south to north just to the west of the Black Mountains and partly within the Brecon Beacons National Park. The river rises as a small stream to the west of the village of Bwlch...
which enters the River Wye
River Wye
The River Wye is the fifth-longest river in the UK and for parts of its length forms part of the border between England and Wales. It is important for nature conservation and recreation.-Description:...
just east of the village. The nearest town is Hay-on-Wye
Hay-on-Wye
Hay-on-Wye , often described as "the town of books", is a small market town and community in Powys, Wales.-Location:The town lies on the east bank of the River Wye and is within the Brecon Beacons National Park, just north of the Black Mountains...
some 5 miles (8 km) to the east.
Aberllynfi parish
Aberllynfi was once a separate ecclesiastical parishParish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
, but its church fell into disuse in the 18th century.
Three Cocks
The curious English name of the village is comparatively recent and was taken from the former railway station (Three Cocks Junction, now a garden centre) where the Hereford, Hay and Brecon RailwayHereford, Hay and Brecon Railway
The Hereford, Hay and Brecon Railway was an early railway linking Hereford in England with Brecon in Wales.-Incorporation and early history:...
met the Mid-Wales Railway
Mid-Wales Railway
-Company Formation and Parliamentary authorisation:The company was formed in 1859 and parliamentary approval was received on 1 August for the northern section of the line from Llanidloes, Montgomeryshire to Llandovery, Carmarthenshire...
. The station derived its name from the 15th century Three Cocks Inn (a coaching inn, still extant) which in turn took its name from the armorial bearings
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
of former local landowners, the Williams family of Old Gwernyfed. These were supposed to have been based on the arms of the medieval Welsh prince Einon Sais, who lived in Aberllynfi, but this is probably a later invention.
Thomas Edwards, a former innkeeper of the Three Cocks, was also a bridge-builder, constructing the 7-arch Glasbury Bridge in 1777 (destroyed by floods in 1795) and rebuilding the 3-arch bridge over the Llynfi at Pont Ithel in 1783.
Gwernyfed
The original house and deer parkMedieval deer park
A medieval deer park was an enclosed area containing deer. It was bounded by a ditch and bank with a wooden park pale on top of the bank. The ditch was typically on the inside, thus allowing deer to enter the park but preventing them from leaving.-History:...
of Old Gwernyfed, to the south of the village, is of medieval origin, but the house was extensively rebuilt in the 17th century. In 1600 it was purchased by Sir David Williams, MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for the Borough of Brecon
Brecon (UK Parliament constituency)
Brecon was a parliamentary constituency in Wales which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and its predecessors, from 1542 until it was abolished for the 1885 general election.-Boundaries:...
(1584–93, 1597–1604). In 1613, it was inherited by his son, Sir Henry Williams, MP for the Borough of Brecon (1601–04) and for Breconshire
Breconshire (UK Parliament constituency)
Breconshire or Brecknockshire was a constituency in Wales which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the English Parliament, and later to the Parliament of Great Britain and of the United Kingdom, between 1542 and 1918...
(1620–28). His son, also Sir Henry Williams
Sir Henry Williams, 2nd Baronet
Sir Henry Williams, 2nd Baronet was a British politician.He was one of the Williams Baronets. He was a Member of Parliament and represented the constituencies of Brecon and Breconshire .-References:...
, was also MP for Breconshire (1628–29). On 6 August 1645, he was said to have entertained King Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
at Gwernyfed, following Charles' defeat at the Battle of Naseby
Battle of Naseby
The Battle of Naseby was the key battle of the first English Civil War. On 14 June 1645, the main army of King Charles I was destroyed by the Parliamentarian New Model Army commanded by Sir Thomas Fairfax and Oliver Cromwell.-The Campaign:...
. Curiously, Sir Edward Williams was not a relation (despite his surname), but married the family heiress. This seems to have ensured that he too became MP for Breconshire (1697–98, 1705–21). In 1776, Thomas Wood also married the family heiress. Their son, Thomas Wood
Thomas Wood (1777–1860)
Thomas Wood was an English Tory and later Conservative politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1806 to 1847....
, was MP for Breconshire for forty-one years (1806–47). He enjoyed the friendship of members of the royal family and King George IV
George IV of the United Kingdom
George IV was the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and also of Hanover from the death of his father, George III, on 29 January 1820 until his own death ten years later...
visited him at Old Gwernyfed. The house is now a grade I listed building.
Gwernyfed Park, a much later Jacobean-style
Jacobean architecture
The Jacobean style is the second phase of Renaissance architecture in England, following the Elizabethan style. It is named after King James I of England, with whose reign it is associated.-Characteristics:...
house within the deer park, was built for Captain Thomas Wood, MP for Middlesex
Middlesex (UK Parliament constituency)
Middlesex is a former United Kingdom Parliamentary constituency. It was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1885....
, by William Eden Nesfield
William Eden Nesfield
William Eden Nesfield was an English architect, designer and painter.W. E. Nesfield was the eldest son of the landscape architect and painter William Andrews Nesfield. He was educated at Eton and then articled to the architect William Burn in 1850, transferring after two years to his uncle by...
in the 1870s. During the Second World War, it was requisitioned and used by the South Wales Borderers. Since 1950, it has formed part of Gwernyfed High School
Gwernyfed High School
Gwernyfed High School is a secondary school in the village of Aberllynfi, Powys, Wales which first opened in 1950 It currently has around 600 pupils. Part of the school is a Victorian mansion house, Gwernyfed Park.Also it contains a modern block which also accommodates classrooms....
. A rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
club, Gwernyfed RFC
Gwernyfed RFC
Gwernyfed RFC is a rugby union club based in the town of Talgarth, near Brecon, in Powys, Wales. Gwernyfed RFC is a member of the Welsh Rugby Union and is a feeder club for the Cardiff Blues....
, was founded at the school in the 1960s, but now plays at and represents the nearby town of Talgarth
Talgarth
Talgarth is a small market town and community in southern Powys , Mid Wales, with a population of 1,645. Notable buildings in the town include its 14th-century parish church and 13th century Pele Tower, located in the town centre, now home to the Tourist Information and Resource Centre...
. Gwernyfed Park is now a grade II* listed building.
Following local government reorganization in 1974, Aberllynfi has been placed in the Community
Community (Wales)
A community is a division of land in Wales that forms the lowest-tier of local government in Wales. Welsh communities are analogous to civil parishes in England....
of Gwernyfed, together with the neighbouring village of Felindre and the southern part of the village of Glasbury.