Llanbrynmair
Encyclopedia
Llanbrynmair is a village and community in Powys
, Mid Wales
on the A470 road
between Caersws
and Machynlleth
. Llanbrynmair, in area, is the second largest in Powys. In 2005, it had a population of 958.
The community includes several hamlets: Talerddig
, Dolfach
, Tafolwern, Pandy, Cringoed and Pennant. The original centre is at Llan
, on the road to Llanidloes
, where the local parish church of St Mary is located. The current centre (formerly called "Wynnstay") at the junction of the A470 and B4518
rose to local prominence with the building of the new turnpike road in 1821 and the arrival of the railway line between Newtown and Machynlleth
in 1861.
Geographically, the community includes the valleys of three rivers - Afon Twymyn
, Afon Iaen and Afon Rhiw Saeson - and the surrounding uplands. The three rivers join around the main village and flow westwards as the Afon Twymyn towards the Afon Dyfi
and Cardigan Bay
.
The Cambrian railway line
, built in the 1860s, runs through Llanbrynmair and for a time provided an outlet for the mines at Dylife
, 8 miles south. The village station closed in 1965 as part of the "Beeching closures". There was a level crossing
next to the station
but, following the accidental death of an American visitor in October 1999 and its description as a "blackspot", the crossing was closed and the road diverted.
The area is predominantly Welsh-speaking
and reliant upon livestock farming. It was fortunate to escape the foot and mouth disease outbreak in Britain in 2001.
A bilingual book was published in 2005 reviewing the history of the parish of Llanbrynmair in the twentieth century compiled by the Llanbrynmair Local History Society. (ISBN 978-0955068409).
Estate owned for generations by the families of Sir Watcyn Williams Wynne. The connection is noted in the "Wynnstay Arms", a prominent local public house
.
The parish of Llanbrynmair played prominent roles in both the "Nonconformist Revolution" of the late 18th Century and the emigration to America during the 19th and early 20th centuries. This cultural revolution was the movement of Welsh religious independents to break from the established Church of England. The parish is reputed to have been the source of the most emigrants, per capita, to America of any in Wales. The first of them departed Llanbrynmair in 1796. A large proportion of these emigrants settled in western Ohio, particularly in the rural farming communities of Paddy's Run (now Shandon
), Gomer and Venedocia. The two most prominent emigrants were Edward Bebb and Ezekiel Hughes, who settled in Butler County, Ohio
near Paddy's Run. Edward Bebb's son, William, became governor of the State of Ohio. Josiah Jones, hymnologist under the pen name Josiah Brynmair, emigrated to and is buried in Gomer, Ohio.
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...
, 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...
on the A470 road
A470 road
The A470 is a major long-distance connective spine road in Wales, running from Cardiff on the south coast to Llandudno on the north coast. It covers approximately 186 miles , over a zig-zagging route through the entirety of the country's mountainous central region, including the Brecon Beacons and...
between Caersws
Caersws
Caersws is a village and community sitting on the River Severn, at miles west of Newtown, Powys, and halfway between Aberystwyth and Shrewsbury.- History & Amenities :...
and Machynlleth
Machynlleth
Machynlleth is a market town in Powys, Wales. It is in the Dyfi Valley at the intersection of the A487 and the A489 roads.Machynlleth was the seat of Owain Glyndŵr's Welsh Parliament in 1404, and as such claims to be the "ancient capital of Wales". However, it has never held any official...
. Llanbrynmair, in area, is the second largest in Powys. In 2005, it had a population of 958.
Description
Talerddig
Talerddig is a village in Powys, Mid Wales located on the main A470 road between Llanbrynmair and Carno. It is part of Llanbrynmair community and Anglican parish....
, Dolfach
Dolfach
Dolfach is a village in Powys, Mid Wales located on the main A470 road between Llanbrynmair & Talerddig.- External links :*...
, Tafolwern, Pandy, Cringoed and Pennant. The original centre is at Llan
Llan
Llan is a village in Powys, Mid Wales, located on the B4518 road to Llanidloes, from Llanbrynmair.The parish church of St Mary is located here. This area was the original centre of Llanbrynmair up to the early to mid 19th century...
, on the road to Llanidloes
Llanidloes
Llanidloes is a town along the A470 road and B4518 road in Powys, within the historic county boundaries of Montgomeryshire , Mid Wales.It is the first town on the River Severn...
, where the local parish church of St Mary is located. The current centre (formerly called "Wynnstay") at the junction of the A470 and B4518
B4518 road
The B4518 road is a road in Powys, central Wales, with a total length of . It begins at in Rhayader near the junction of the A470 road and the A44 road and leads eventually to the A470 again at Llanbrynmair at...
rose to local prominence with the building of the new turnpike road in 1821 and the arrival of the railway line between Newtown and Machynlleth
Machynlleth
Machynlleth is a market town in Powys, Wales. It is in the Dyfi Valley at the intersection of the A487 and the A489 roads.Machynlleth was the seat of Owain Glyndŵr's Welsh Parliament in 1404, and as such claims to be the "ancient capital of Wales". However, it has never held any official...
in 1861.
Geographically, the community includes the valleys of three rivers - Afon Twymyn
Afon Twymyn
The River Twymyn is a river in Powys, Mid Wales.From its source at the 40-metre high Ffrwd Fawr waterfall and head of the Pennant Valley near Dylife the river flows through Llanbrynmair before joining the River Dyfi upstream of Cemmaes Road.- See also :* Dylife Gorge...
, Afon Iaen and Afon Rhiw Saeson - and the surrounding uplands. The three rivers join around the main village and flow westwards as the Afon Twymyn towards the Afon Dyfi
River Dyfi
The River Dyfi is a river in Mid Wales. The Dyfi estuary forms the border between the counties of Gwynedd and Ceredigion.- Source :...
and Cardigan Bay
Cardigan Bay
Cardigan Bay is a large inlet of the Irish Sea, indenting the west coast of Wales between Bardsey Island, Gwynedd in the north, and Strumble Head, Pembrokeshire at its southern end. It is the largest bay in Wales....
.
The Cambrian railway line
Cambrian Line
The Cambrian Line is a railway from Shrewsbury to Welshpool, Aberystwyth and Pwllheli. The railway runs first through the central part of Wales and then along the coast of Cardigan Bay....
, built in the 1860s, runs through Llanbrynmair and for a time provided an outlet for the mines at Dylife
Dylife
Dylife is a former mining settlement in Powys, Mid Wales, located at the head of Afon Twymyn in the Cambrian Mountains, one mile west of the road between Llanidloes and Llanbrynmair . The nearby lead mines intermittently sustained mining communities from Roman times until the early 20th century...
, 8 miles south. The village station closed in 1965 as part of the "Beeching closures". There was a level crossing
Level crossing
A level crossing occurs where a railway line is intersected by a road or path onone level, without recourse to a bridge or tunnel. It is a type of at-grade intersection. The term also applies when a light rail line with separate right-of-way or reserved track crosses a road in the same fashion...
next to the station
Train station
A train station, also called a railroad station or railway station and often shortened to just station,"Station" is commonly understood to mean "train station" unless otherwise qualified. This is evident from dictionary entries e.g...
but, following the accidental death of an American visitor in October 1999 and its description as a "blackspot", the crossing was closed and the road diverted.
The area is predominantly Welsh-speaking
Welsh 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...
and reliant upon livestock farming. It was fortunate to escape the foot and mouth disease outbreak in Britain in 2001.
A bilingual book was published in 2005 reviewing the history of the parish of Llanbrynmair in the twentieth century compiled by the Llanbrynmair Local History Society. (ISBN 978-0955068409).
History
Much of the area was part of the large WynnstayWynnstay
Wynnstay was a famous estate in Wales, the family seat of the Wynns. It is located at Ruabon, near Wrexham.During the 17th century, Sir John Wynn, 5th Baronet inherited the Watstay Estate through his marriage to Jane Evans , and renamed it the Wynnstay Estate...
Estate owned for generations by the families of Sir Watcyn Williams Wynne. The connection is noted in the "Wynnstay Arms", a prominent local public house
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
.
The parish of Llanbrynmair played prominent roles in both the "Nonconformist Revolution" of the late 18th Century and the emigration to America during the 19th and early 20th centuries. This cultural revolution was the movement of Welsh religious independents to break from the established Church of England. The parish is reputed to have been the source of the most emigrants, per capita, to America of any in Wales. The first of them departed Llanbrynmair in 1796. A large proportion of these emigrants settled in western Ohio, particularly in the rural farming communities of Paddy's Run (now Shandon
Shandon, Ohio
Shandon is an unincorporated community in southeastern Morgan Township, Butler County, Ohio, United States. It is located on Paddys Run, a tributary of the Great Miami River, about four miles west of Ross at the intersection of State Routes 126 and 748 in section 25 of R1ET3N of the Congress...
), Gomer and Venedocia. The two most prominent emigrants were Edward Bebb and Ezekiel Hughes, who settled in Butler County, Ohio
Butler County, Ohio
Butler County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. As of 2010, the population was 368,130. Its county seat is Hamilton. It is named for General Richard Butler, who died in 1791 fighting Indians in northern Ohio. Butler's army marched out of Fort Hamilton, where the city of...
near Paddy's Run. Edward Bebb's son, William, became governor of the State of Ohio. Josiah Jones, hymnologist under the pen name Josiah Brynmair, emigrated to and is buried in Gomer, Ohio.
Notable people and former residents
- Eirug WynEirug WynEirug Wyn was a Welsh satirical novelist who wrote in the Welsh language. He was born Eirug Price Wynne, in Llanbrynmair in Mid Wales, and educated at Brynrefail School and Trinity College, Carmarthen...
(11 December, 1950 - April 27, 2004), satirical novelist. - Richard Davies (Mynyddog)Richard Davies (Mynyddog)Richard Davies was a popular Welsh language poet.He was born in Llanbrynmair, Montgomeryshire, in a house called "Y Fron"....
(1833 - July 14 1877), poet. - Abraham ReesAbraham ReesAbraham Rees was a Welsh nonconformist minister, and compiler of Rees's Cyclopaedia .- Life :He was the second son of Lewis Rees, by his wife Esther, daughter of Abraham Penry, and was born at born in Llanbrynmair, Montgomeryshire. Lewis Rees Abraham Rees (1743 – 9 June 1825) was a Welsh...
(1743 - June 9 1825), compiler of Rees's CyclopaediaRees's CyclopaediaRees's Cyclopædia, or The New Cyclopaedia, or, Universal Dictionary of the Arts and Sciences was an important 19th Century encyclopaedia which was regarded by some as subversive when it first appeared. It was edited by Revd...
. - Samuel Roberts - (1800 - 1885), political & economic writer.
- Iorwerth PeateIorwerth PeateIorwerth Peate also known as Cyfeiliog, was a Welsh poet and scholar, best known as the founder, along with Cyril Fox, of St Fagans National History Museum. Born in Llanbrynmair, his interest in folk studies and anthropology was kindled when studying at Aberystwyth under professor Herbert John...
- (1901 - 1982) founder, National Folk Museum of Wales, St. Fagan's - Aled Wyn DaviesAled Wyn DaviesAled Wyn Davies is a classical tenor from Llanbrynmair, in Powys, Mid Wales.-Career:Davies is an award winning tenor soloist who has performed in venues all over the world...
a classical tenor singer.