Cardigan, Ceredigion
Encyclopedia
Cardigan is a town
in the county
of Ceredigion
in Mid Wales
. It lies on the estuary
of the River Teifi
at the point where Ceredigion meets Pembrokeshire
. It was the county town
of the pre-1974 county of Cardiganshire
. It is the second largest town in Ceredigion. The town's population
was 4,203 inhabitants in 2001. It is a significant regional administrative centre for West Wales
, harbouring a hospital, college, a modern arts centre (with two-screen cinema) and a currently under-used nineteenth century guildhall together with a theatre
and good shopping facilities. Cardigan is twinned
with Brioude
, France
. The current Mayor, 2011-2012, is Cllr. Catrin Miles.
In 2006 and 2007 the town undertook a co-ordinated programme of building works restoring many of the facades of the town centre shops in a sympathetic style. The quayside has been rebuilt with a new civic area and landing stage.
's land." The city's Welsh name Aberteifi means "Teifi
estuary."
Whereas in English, "Cardigan" used to refer to both the town and the county, in Welsh, "Ceredigion" only refers to the county.
. The castle was built by Robert Montgomery in 1093 after the Norman army had conquered Ceredigion. A walled settlement developed around the castle and after much unrest and violence over the years, the Norman invaders were defeated. The Lord Rhys instituted the very first eisteddfod in the more peaceful times of 1176. Competitors came from all over Wales, England, Scotland and Ireland to compete for chairs in music and poetry. In 1199 the town received its first charter
and was an important trade centre. A weekly market was established in 1227 and continues to this day.
Until the 16th century, Cardigan was a small, walled town with some river traffic. By the passing of the Laws in Wales Acts 1535–1542, Wales was annexed to England. This brought political stability, piracy was suppressed and maritime trade increased. The herring
fishery developed and by the beginning of the 18th century, there was a large merchant fleet. Exports included herring and salmon, slate, bark for tanning, corn and ale. Imports included oranges, manufactured goods, building materials and coal. Industries that developed included shipbuilding, brickworks, a foundry, ropemakers and sailmakers.
In the 18th and early 19th century, Cardigan was the most important seaport in South Wales
. In 1815 it possessed 314 ships with a total tonnage of 12,554 tons. This was seven times as many vessels as Cardiff
and three times as many as Swansea
. It had a thriving shipbuilding industry, with over 200 vessels being built here and downstream in the village of Llandudoch.
Rural industries and craftsmen were an important part of life in a country town. Information recorded in Trade Directories show that in 1830, there were in Cardigan:
Thirteen boot
makers, three baker
s, one corn miller
, four blacksmith
s, seven carpenter
s, two cooper
s, six tailor
s, five dressmakers and milliners, two straw hat makers, two weavers, three currier
s, three saddle
rs, two whitesmiths (tinsmith
s), four glazier
s, five maltsters, two printers, two tanners and one stonemason.
The river silted up and larger vessels could no longer reach the port, which had largely become inactive by the early part of the 20th century. Plans for dredging have come to nothing over the years.
thumb
Cardigan Railway Station, the terminus of the Great Western Railway
line from Whitland
, was closed under the Beeching Axe
in 1963.
Much of Cardigan's history from pre-Norman times to the present day is on display at the Heritage Centre, located in an 18th century warehouse at Teifi Wharf, and managed by Cardigan's historic society, Hanes Aberteifi.
became the site of the first competitive Eisteddfod. Cardigan also hosted the National Eisteddfod of Wales
in 1942 and 1976. The castle
was for many years in private hands and as a result became run down and derelict. The town council itself showed little interest in saving it. However a group of volunteers, and the local Catholic Priest (Saemus Cunane), working separately did raise its profile. Ceredigion County Council
finally bought it in 2003.
lies just 200 metres offshore near the village of Gwbert
. The village of Moylegrove
is also nearby.
speaking community. At the last census
more than 69% of the residents were recorded as being able to speak or understand spoken Welsh with 45% able to speak, read and write in the language. In 1176 and again 800 years later the National Eisteddfod was held in the town. In 2003 the community together with the Welsh Language Board
set up a language action plan designed to provide opportunities for people of all ages to get together to speak Welsh. The county council, Twf, Mudiad Ysgolion Meithrin, the Urdd, Cardigan town council, the local Young Farmers, Menter Aberteifi and the Board are working together in pursuit of its objectives.
, Cardigan experiences a maritime climate with cool summers and mild winters. The nearest official Met Office
weather station
for which online records are available is at Aberporth, about 6 miles east north east.
Typically, less than 3 days of the year will reach 25.1 °C (77.2 °F) or above, the warmest of which should rise to 26.8 °C (80.2 °F) - The highest temperature recorded at Aberporth was 32.7 °C (90.9 °F), during July 2006.
On average 18.3 nights will report air frost and the coldest night of the year should fall to -4.5 C. The lowest recorded temperature was -9.9 C, during January 1963
Rainfall averages around 870mm a year, with at least 1mm falling on 143.5 days.
, a Roman Catholic shrine
, also known as the shrine to Our Lady of the Taper. In pre-English Reformation
times it was known for a statue of the Virgin Mary, who held a candle whose flame never extinguished.
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
in the county
County
A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain modern nations. Historically in mainland Europe, the original French term, comté, and its equivalents in other languages denoted a jurisdiction under the sovereignty of a count A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain...
of Ceredigion
Ceredigion
Ceredigion is a county and former kingdom in mid-west Wales. As Cardiganshire , it was created in 1282, and was reconstituted as a county under that name in 1996, reverting to Ceredigion a day later...
in Mid Wales
Mid Wales
Mid Wales is the name given to the central region of Wales. The Mid Wales Regional Committee of the National Assembly for Wales covered the counties of Ceredigion and Powys and the area of Gwynedd that had previously been the district of Meirionydd. A similar definition is used by the BBC...
. It lies on the estuary
Estuary
An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....
of the River Teifi
River Teifi
The River Teifi forms the boundary between the counties of Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire in south-west Wales for most of its 75 mile length, flowing into the sea below the town of Cardigan. The catchment of the river is estimated to be 1,008 square kilometres yielding an average flow at Glan...
at the point where Ceredigion meets Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire is a county in the south west of Wales. It borders Carmarthenshire to the east and Ceredigion to the north east. The county town is Haverfordwest where Pembrokeshire County Council is headquartered....
. It was the county town
County town
A county town is a county's administrative centre in the United Kingdom or Ireland. County towns are usually the location of administrative or judicial functions, or established over time as the de facto main town of a county. The concept of a county town eventually became detached from its...
of the pre-1974 county of Cardiganshire
Ceredigion
Ceredigion is a county and former kingdom in mid-west Wales. As Cardiganshire , it was created in 1282, and was reconstituted as a county under that name in 1996, reverting to Ceredigion a day later...
. It is the second largest town in Ceredigion. The town's population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
was 4,203 inhabitants in 2001. It is a significant regional administrative centre for West Wales
West Wales
West Wales is the western area of Wales.Some definitions of West Wales include only Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire, an area which historically comprised the Welsh principality of Deheubarth., an area called "South West Wales" in the Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics....
, harbouring a hospital, college, a modern arts centre (with two-screen cinema) and a currently under-used nineteenth century guildhall together with a theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
and good shopping facilities. Cardigan is twinned
Town twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with Brioude
Brioude
Brioude is a commune in the Haute-Loire department in the Auvergne region in south-central France. It lies on the banks of the River Allier, a tributary of the Loire.-History:...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. The current Mayor, 2011-2012, is Cllr. Catrin Miles.
In 2006 and 2007 the town undertook a co-ordinated programme of building works restoring many of the facades of the town centre shops in a sympathetic style. The quayside has been rebuilt with a new civic area and landing stage.
Etymology
Cardigan is an anglicization of the Welsh name Ceredigion meaning "CeredigCeredig
Ceredig ap Cunedda, , king of Ceredigion, may have been born c. 420 AD in the Brythonic kingdom of Manaw Gododdin , centred on the Firth of Forth in the area known as Yr Hen Ogledd.Little is known of him...
's land." The city's Welsh name Aberteifi means "Teifi
River Teifi
The River Teifi forms the boundary between the counties of Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire in south-west Wales for most of its 75 mile length, flowing into the sea below the town of Cardigan. The catchment of the river is estimated to be 1,008 square kilometres yielding an average flow at Glan...
estuary."
Whereas in English, "Cardigan" used to refer to both the town and the county, in Welsh, "Ceredigion" only refers to the county.
History
The town is strategically placed on the banks of the River TeifiRiver Teifi
The River Teifi forms the boundary between the counties of Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire in south-west Wales for most of its 75 mile length, flowing into the sea below the town of Cardigan. The catchment of the river is estimated to be 1,008 square kilometres yielding an average flow at Glan...
. The castle was built by Robert Montgomery in 1093 after the Norman army had conquered Ceredigion. A walled settlement developed around the castle and after much unrest and violence over the years, the Norman invaders were defeated. The Lord Rhys instituted the very first eisteddfod in the more peaceful times of 1176. Competitors came from all over Wales, England, Scotland and Ireland to compete for chairs in music and poetry. In 1199 the town received its first charter
Municipal charter
A city charter or town charter is a legal document establishing a municipality such as a city or town. The concept developed in Europe during the middle ages....
and was an important trade centre. A weekly market was established in 1227 and continues to this day.
Until the 16th century, Cardigan was a small, walled town with some river traffic. By the passing of the Laws in Wales Acts 1535–1542, Wales was annexed to England. This brought political stability, piracy was suppressed and maritime trade increased. The herring
Herring
Herring is an oily fish of the genus Clupea, found in the shallow, temperate waters of the North Pacific and the North Atlantic oceans, including the Baltic Sea. Three species of Clupea are recognized. The main taxa, the Atlantic herring and the Pacific herring may each be divided into subspecies...
fishery developed and by the beginning of the 18th century, there was a large merchant fleet. Exports included herring and salmon, slate, bark for tanning, corn and ale. Imports included oranges, manufactured goods, building materials and coal. Industries that developed included shipbuilding, brickworks, a foundry, ropemakers and sailmakers.
In the 18th and early 19th century, Cardigan was the most important seaport in South Wales
South Wales
South Wales is an area of Wales bordered by England and the Bristol Channel to the east and south, and Mid Wales and West Wales to the north and west. The most densely populated region in the south-west of the United Kingdom, it is home to around 2.1 million people and includes the capital city of...
. In 1815 it possessed 314 ships with a total tonnage of 12,554 tons. This was seven times as many vessels as Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
and three times as many as Swansea
Swansea
Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
. It had a thriving shipbuilding industry, with over 200 vessels being built here and downstream in the village of Llandudoch.
Rural industries and craftsmen were an important part of life in a country town. Information recorded in Trade Directories show that in 1830, there were in Cardigan:
Thirteen boot
Boot
A boot is a type of footwear but they are not shoes. Most boots mainly cover the foot and the ankle and extend up the leg, sometimes as far as the knee or even the hip. Most boots have a heel that is clearly distinguishable from the rest of the sole, even if the two are made of one piece....
makers, three baker
Baker
A baker is someone who bakes and sells bread, Cakes and similar foods may also be produced, as the traditional boundaries between what is produced by a baker as opposed to a pastry chef have blurred in recent decades...
s, one corn miller
Miller
A miller usually refers to a person who operates a mill, a machine to grind a cereal crop to make flour. Milling is among the oldest of human occupations. "Miller", "Milne" and other variants are common surnames, as are their equivalents in other languages around the world...
, four blacksmith
Blacksmith
A blacksmith is a person who creates objects from wrought iron or steel by forging the metal; that is, by using tools to hammer, bend, and cut...
s, seven carpenter
Carpenter
A carpenter is a skilled craftsperson who works with timber to construct, install and maintain buildings, furniture, and other objects. The work, known as carpentry, may involve manual labor and work outdoors....
s, two cooper
Cooper (profession)
Traditionally, a cooper is someone who makes wooden staved vessels of a conical form, of greater length than breadth, bound together with hoops and possessing flat ends or heads...
s, six tailor
Tailor
A tailor is a person who makes, repairs, or alters clothing professionally, especially suits and men's clothing.Although the term dates to the thirteenth century, tailor took on its modern sense in the late eighteenth century, and now refers to makers of men's and women's suits, coats, trousers,...
s, five dressmakers and milliners, two straw hat makers, two weavers, three currier
Currier
A currier is a specialist in the leather processing industry. After the tanning process, the currier applies techniques of dressing, finishing and colouring to the tanned hide to make it strong, flexible and waterproof...
s, three saddle
Saddle
A saddle is a supportive structure for a rider or other load, fastened to an animal's back by a girth. The most common type is the equestrian saddle designed for a horse, but specialized saddles have been created for camels and other creatures...
rs, two whitesmiths (tinsmith
Tinsmith
A tinsmith, or tinner or tinker or tinplate worker, is a person who makes and repairs things made of light-coloured metal, particularly tinware...
s), four glazier
Glazier
A Glazier is a construction professional who selects, cuts, installs, replaces, and removes residential, commercial, and artistic glass. Glaziers also install aluminum storefront frames and entrances, glass handrails and balustrades, shower enclosures, curtain wall framing and glass and mirror...
s, five maltsters, two printers, two tanners and one stonemason.
The river silted up and larger vessels could no longer reach the port, which had largely become inactive by the early part of the 20th century. Plans for dredging have come to nothing over the years.
thumb
Cardigan Railway Station, the terminus of the Great Western Railway
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
line from Whitland
Whitland
Whitland is a small town in Carmarthenshire, south-west Wales, lying on the River Tâf. Whitland is home to the elusive "Whitland Trout" noted for its eggs and oily scales.- History :...
, was closed under the Beeching Axe
Beeching Axe
The Beeching Axe or the Beeching Cuts are informal names for the British Government's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system in the United Kingdom. The name is that of the main author of The Reshaping of British Railways, Dr Richard...
in 1963.
Much of Cardigan's history from pre-Norman times to the present day is on display at the Heritage Centre, located in an 18th century warehouse at Teifi Wharf, and managed by Cardigan's historic society, Hanes Aberteifi.
Cardigan Castle
In 1176 Cardigan CastleCardigan Castle
Cardigan Castle is a castle located in Cardigan, Ceredigion, Wales.-History:The first motte-and-bailey castle was built a mile away from the present site, probably about the time of the founding of the town by Roger de Montgomery, a Norman baron....
became the site of the first competitive Eisteddfod. Cardigan also hosted the National Eisteddfod of Wales
National Eisteddfod of Wales
The National Eisteddfod of Wales is the most important of several eisteddfodau that are held annually, mostly in Wales.- Organisation :...
in 1942 and 1976. The castle
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
was for many years in private hands and as a result became run down and derelict. The town council itself showed little interest in saving it. However a group of volunteers, and the local Catholic Priest (Saemus Cunane), working separately did raise its profile. Ceredigion County Council
Ceredigion County Council
Ceredigion County Council is the governing body for the county of Ceredigion, one of the unitary authorities of Wales.-Political makeup:Elections take place every four years...
finally bought it in 2003.
Geography
Cardigan IslandCardigan Island
Cardigan Island is a small, uninhabited island lying north of Cardigan, in Ceredigion, south-west Wales. It reaches a height of 52 m a.s.l....
lies just 200 metres offshore near the village of Gwbert
Gwbert
Gwbert , also known as Gwbert-on-Sea, is a small cliff top coastal hamlet in Y Ferwig community, Ceredigion, Wales. It lies at the most southerly coastal point of Ceredigion, on the eastern shore of the Teifi estuary, from where there are views westwards over Cardigan Bay, and south-westwards to...
. The village of Moylegrove
Moylegrove
Moylgrove , also spelled Moylegrove, is a village and parish in north Pembrokeshire, Wales, about from Cardigan.-Description:The placename "Moylegrove" means "Matilda's Grove." "Matilda" may have been the wife of a Norman lord of the manor. The Welsh placename may mean "Irishman's farm" or "grove...
is also nearby.
Welsh language
Cardigan is predominantly a Welsh languageWelsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
speaking community. At the last census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
more than 69% of the residents were recorded as being able to speak or understand spoken Welsh with 45% able to speak, read and write in the language. In 1176 and again 800 years later the National Eisteddfod was held in the town. In 2003 the community together with the Welsh Language Board
Welsh Language Board
The Welsh Language Board is a statutory body set up by the UK Government as part of the Welsh Language Act 1993. It is now an Assembly Sponsored Public Body...
set up a language action plan designed to provide opportunities for people of all ages to get together to speak Welsh. The county council, Twf, Mudiad Ysgolion Meithrin, the Urdd, Cardigan town council, the local Young Farmers, Menter Aberteifi and the Board are working together in pursuit of its objectives.
Climate
As with the rest of the British IslesBritish Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...
, Cardigan experiences a maritime climate with cool summers and mild winters. The nearest official Met Office
Met Office
The Met Office , is the United Kingdom's national weather service, and a trading fund of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills...
weather station
Weather station
A weather station is a facility, either on land or sea, with instruments and equipment for observing atmospheric conditions to provide information for weather forecasts and to study the weather and climate. The measurements taken include temperature, barometric pressure, humidity, wind speed, wind...
for which online records are available is at Aberporth, about 6 miles east north east.
Typically, less than 3 days of the year will reach 25.1 °C (77.2 °F) or above, the warmest of which should rise to 26.8 °C (80.2 °F) - The highest temperature recorded at Aberporth was 32.7 °C (90.9 °F), during July 2006.
On average 18.3 nights will report air frost and the coldest night of the year should fall to -4.5 C. The lowest recorded temperature was -9.9 C, during January 1963
Rainfall averages around 870mm a year, with at least 1mm falling on 143.5 days.
Shrine to Our Lady of Cardigan
Cardigan is also the site of Our Lady of CardiganOur Lady of Cardigan
Our Lady of Cardigan , also known as Our Lady of the Taper, the national Catholic shrine of Wales, is a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary located in a chapel in Cardigan, Ceredigion, Wales.-History:...
, a Roman Catholic shrine
Shrine
A shrine is a holy or sacred place, which is dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, daemon or similar figure of awe and respect, at which they are venerated or worshipped. Shrines often contain idols, relics, or other such objects associated with the figure being venerated....
, also known as the shrine to Our Lady of the Taper. In pre-English Reformation
English Reformation
The English Reformation was the series of events in 16th-century England by which the Church of England broke away from the authority of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church....
times it was known for a statue of the Virgin Mary, who held a candle whose flame never extinguished.
External links
- Photographs of Cardigan
- Cardigan's Official site
- Old photographs of Cardigan port
- Aerial photograph of Cardigan
- 2001 Census. Neighbourhood Statistics: Cardigan
- Cardigan History: Cardigan Chamber of Commerce
- Everything Aberystwyth - Cardigan Guide Section
- BBC Cardigan - Aberteifi
- www.geograph.co.uk : photos of Cardigan and surrounding area
- Towyn Burrows and Gwbert
- Walks around Cardigan and Cardigan Bay