Kerry ( cy, Ceri) is a village and geographically large

community A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, ...

Montgomeryshire , HQ= Montgomery , Government= Montgomeryshire County Council (1889–1974)Montgomeryshire District Council (1974–1996) , Origin= , Status= , Start= , End= ...

Powys Powys (; ) is a county and preserved county in Wales. It is named after the Kingdom of Powys which was a Welsh successor state, petty kingdom and principality that emerged during the Middle Ages following the end of Roman rule in Britain. Geog ...

, Wales. The village lies on the

A489 road The A489, officially known as the Newtown to Machynlleth Trunk Road in Wales, is a trunk road in the United Kingdom running from Craven Arms, Shropshire to Machynlleth, Powys and crossing the Wales-England border. The road starts about one mile ...

southeast of Newtown and possesses two

pubs A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

— the Herbert Arms and the Kerry Lamb — a village hall, a

bowling green A bowling green is a finely laid, close-mown and rolled stretch of turf for playing the game of bowls. Before 1830, when Edwin Beard Budding of Thrupp, near Stroud, UK, invented the lawnmower, lawns were often kept cropped by grazing sheep ...

, a

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional ser ...

, a

primary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary e ...

and a hairdresser. Kerry also has a

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

of Norman origins dedicated to St. Michael and All Angels, as well as a baptist church. It gives its name to the Kerry Hill breed of

sheep Sheep or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are domesticated, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus '' Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to domesticated ...

Governance

The large, rural Kerry

contains the villages of Kerry, Glanmule,

Dolfor Dolfor is a small hamlet in the north of Powys, Wales. It is located about three miles to the south of Newtown, at the junction of the B4355 and A483 roads. It is in the historic county of Montgomeryshire The source of the River Miwl is near ...

and Sarn. It is divided into three wards (Kerry, Dolfor and Sarn) and for

Powys County Council Powys County Council ( cy, Cyngor Sir Powys) is the local authority for Powys, one of the administrative areas of Wales. The County Hall is in Llandrindod Wells. History The county of Powys was created on 1 April 1974 under the Local Govern ...

the community is an

electoral division An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger state (a country, administrative region, or other poli ...

/ward (called Kerry). It falls in the historic county of

Montgomeryshire , HQ= Montgomery , Government= Montgomeryshire County Council (1889–1974)Montgomeryshire District Council (1974–1996) , Origin= , Status= , Start= , End= ...

History

The Battle of Kerry was fought nearby in 1228 between Llywelyn Fawr and

Hubert de Burgh Hubert de Burgh, Earl of Kent (; ; ; c.1170 – before 5 May 1243) was an English nobleman who served as Chief Justiciar of England and Ireland during the reigns of King John and of his son and successor King Henry III and, as a consequenc ...

. The area around the village was the Welsh

commote A commote (Welsh ''cwmwd'', sometimes spelt in older documents as ''cymwd'', plural ''cymydau'', less frequently ''cymydoedd'')''Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru'' (University of Wales Dictionary), p. 643 was a secular division of land in Medieval Wales ...

and Lordship of Ceri, part of the region of Rhwng Gwy a Hafren, and it was originally ruled by the Princes of

Maelienydd Maelienydd, sometimes spelt Maeliennydd, was a cantref and lordship in east central Wales covering the area from the River Teme to Radnor Forest and the area around Llandrindod Wells. The area, which is mainly upland, is now in Powys. During the ...

and their descendants. Kerry was the terminus of the Kerry Railway, later a branch of the Cambrian Railways, connecting it to Abermule that ceased operating in 1956. The

narrow gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structu ...

Kerry Tramway brought timber from the forests to the main line station.

Population

St. Michael's Church

St. Michael's Church of Kerry is located within the diocese of St. Asaph and was rededicated in 1176; an earlier church is likely to have occupied the site previously. The parish is very large in comparison to others, stretching as far as Mochdre, Dolfor and

Beguildy Beguildy ( cy, Bugeildy) is a village and community in Powys, Wales. It lies in a remote tract of countryside, northwest of Knighton, on the B4355 road to Newtown, near the headwaters of the River Teme, at an elevation of . The village ha ...

. It boasts one of only three chained Bibles in Wales, possibly even in the United Kingdom, and is printed according to William Morgan's Welsh translation.

Dolforgan Hall

Dolforgan Hall and estate, was located just outside Kerry. From 1868 to 1883, it was the home of inventor and industrialist James Walton. In 1894, it was purchased by John William Willans, the chief engineer of the

Liverpool Overhead Railway The Liverpool Overhead Railway (known locally as the Dockers' Umbrella or Ovee) was an overhead railway in Liverpool which operated along the Liverpool Docks and opened in 1893 with lightweight electric multiple units. The railway had a number ...

, and passed to his son, philanthropist John Bancroft Willans.

Kerry Hill sheep

Kerry was noted for its local breed of sheep and the large sheep fairs that were held in the village. Kerry Hill sheep have a distinctive and unique coloration, with a white face bearing black markings around the mouth, ears, and eyes.

References

External links

Kerry Community Council websitePhotos of Kerry and surrounding area on geograph.org.ukKerry Baptist Church
{{authority control Villages in Powys Communities in Powys Commotes Dolforgan Estate