Llangeitho
Encyclopedia
Llangeitho is a village
and community
in Ceredigion
, Wales
situated on the upper river Aeron about 6 km due west of Tregaron
and 11 km north of Lampeter
. It has a population of 874.
It is primarily associated with the name of Daniel Rowland
(born in the village in 1713) and the Welsh Methodist revival
of the 18th century. Rowland served as curate at Nantcwnlle and Llangeitho. The village's chapel, built in 1760, became famous throughout Wales as a Methodist centre, and thousands of people visited it to listen to the preaching. Rowland was buried in the village and there is a memorial column to him there. Two more chapels were built, in 1764 and 1814, to replace the original chapel. The village witnessed many periods of religious revival throughout that century, but the most powerful was that of 1762. Rejoicing, dancing and jumping for joy were seen during the 1762 revival. Welsh Methodists earned the name 'Jumpers' as a result. William Williams Pantycelyn
wrote in defence of these celebrations.
The village was long considered as a stronghold of the Welsh language
, but the 1970s saw an influx of people from outside Wales, mainly from England
, and this period saw the percentage of Welsh speakers decline from 83% in 1971 to 55% ten years later. The census figure for 2001 was 57%.
The village church, situated on the north side of the village, is an ancient one, but the first substantial reference to it is from around 1900: the pretty mediaeval double screen and the old wooden stairs leading up to the gallery were destroyed.
The church and parish are named after St Ceitho
, and St Ceitho's Spring is nearby: its water is said to be cool in summer and warm in winter.
At the edge of the village is the mansion of Cwrt Mawr, where antiquary J. H. Davies
assembled a valuable collection of Welsh language manuscripts known as the Cwrtmawr manuscripts
, which Davies gifted to the National Library of Wales
and now forms part of its manuscript collection.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
and 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....
in 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...
, 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...
situated on the upper river Aeron about 6 km due west of Tregaron
Tregaron
Tregaron is a market town in the county of Ceredigion, Wales, lying on the River Brenig , a tributary of the River Teifi. The town is twinned with Plouvien, in Finistere, France. According to the 2001 Census, Tregaron's population was 1,183, of whom 68.8% spoke Welsh fluently.-History:Tregaron...
and 11 km north of Lampeter
Lampeter
Lampeter is a town in Ceredigion, South West Wales, lying at the confluence of the River Teifi and the Afon Dulas.-Demographics:At the 2001 National Census, the population was 2894. Lampeter is therefore the smallest university town in both Wales and the United Kingdom...
. It has a population of 874.
It is primarily associated with the name of Daniel Rowland
Daniel Rowland
Daniel Rowland —sometimes spelt as Rowlands—was one of the foremost leaders of the Welsh Calvinistic Methodist revival along with Howell Harris and William Williams. For most of his life he served as curate in the parishes of Nantcwnlle and Llangeitho, Ceredigion...
(born in the village in 1713) and the Welsh Methodist revival
Welsh Methodist revival
The Welsh Methodist revival was an evangelical revival that revitalised Christianity in Wales during the 18th century. Methodist preachers such as Griffith Jones, William Williams and Howell Harris were such powerful speakers that they converted thousands of people back to the church...
of the 18th century. Rowland served as curate at Nantcwnlle and Llangeitho. The village's chapel, built in 1760, became famous throughout Wales as a Methodist centre, and thousands of people visited it to listen to the preaching. Rowland was buried in the village and there is a memorial column to him there. Two more chapels were built, in 1764 and 1814, to replace the original chapel. The village witnessed many periods of religious revival throughout that century, but the most powerful was that of 1762. Rejoicing, dancing and jumping for joy were seen during the 1762 revival. Welsh Methodists earned the name 'Jumpers' as a result. William Williams Pantycelyn
William Williams Pantycelyn
William Williams Pantycelyn , also known as Williams Pantycelyn and Pantycelyn, is generally acknowledged as Wales' most famous hymn writer. He was also one of the key leaders of the 18th century Welsh Methodist revival, along with Daniel Rowland and Howell Harris. As a poet and prose writer he is...
wrote in defence of these celebrations.
The village was long considered as a stronghold of the Welsh language
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...
, but the 1970s saw an influx of people from outside Wales, mainly from England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, and this period saw the percentage of Welsh speakers decline from 83% in 1971 to 55% ten years later. The census figure for 2001 was 57%.
The village church, situated on the north side of the village, is an ancient one, but the first substantial reference to it is from around 1900: the pretty mediaeval double screen and the old wooden stairs leading up to the gallery were destroyed.
The church and parish are named after St Ceitho
Saint Ceitho
Ceitho was an abbot and a saint living in West Wales in the 6th Century. According to legend he was one of the five sons born to Cynyr Barbtruc of Cynwyl Gaeo, and a descendent of the ancient Welsh king Cunedda Wledig. Along with his brothers Gwynno, Gwynoro, Celynin, and Gwyn, he became a saint...
, and St Ceitho's Spring is nearby: its water is said to be cool in summer and warm in winter.
At the edge of the village is the mansion of Cwrt Mawr, where antiquary J. H. Davies
John Humphreys Davies
John Humphreys Davies was a Welsh lawyer, bibliographer and educator.Born at Llangeitho, Ceredigion, he received his education at the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth and Lincoln College, Oxford, before being called to the bar at Lincoln's Inn. His interest in Welsh literature is...
assembled a valuable collection of Welsh language manuscripts known as the Cwrtmawr manuscripts
Cwrtmawr manuscripts
The Cwrtmawr Manuscripts are a collection of 1,549 volumes of medieval Welsh documents, mainly texts of Welsh literature, collected by John Humphreys Davies....
, which Davies gifted to the National Library of Wales
National Library of Wales
The National Library of Wales , Aberystwyth, is the national legal deposit library of Wales; one of the Welsh Government sponsored bodies.Welsh is its main medium of communication...
and now forms part of its manuscript collection.
External links
- Llangeitho and Welsh revivals by D. Geraint Jones. At the Heath Christian Bookshop website
- Statistics about Llangeitho
- www.geograph.co.uk : photos of Llangeitho and surrounding area