Llandissilio is a village and

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one o ...

in the

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, ...

of Llandissilio West in east Pembrokeshire, Wales on the

A478 road The A478 road is a major road in Wales. The route is from its junction with the A487 at Cardigan, Ceredigion, to Tenby, Pembrokeshire. It crosses the Preseli Hills and winds through farmland for almost all of its route. The road just touches t ...

between Efailwen to the north and Clunderwen to the south. A largely ribbon development along the main road, the village is surrounded by farmland.

Name

The village takes its name from

Tysilio Saint Tysilio (also known as/confused with Saint Suliac; la, Tysilius, Suliacus; died 640 AD) was a Welsh bishop, prince and scholar, son of the reigning King of Powys, Brochwel Ysgithrog, maternal nephew of the great Abbot Dunod of Bangor ...

, a 7th-century Welsh saint to whom the parish church is dedicated.

History

Ancient remains indicate that the area that is now the village of Llandissilio has been occupied for many centuries. For part of its history the parish of Llandissilio was in

Carmarthenshire Carmarthenshire ( cy, Sir Gaerfyrddin; or informally ') is a county in the south-west of Wales. The three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford. Carmarthen is the county town and administrative centre. The county is known as ...

. The parish was originally part of the Hundred of Derllys in

. A Visitation of the Archdeaconry of Carmarthen in 1710 found that of about 120 families in the parish, 40 attended church at Easter, 20 at Whitsuntide and 20 at Christmas and noted ''"the Minister suffers in his reputation for being addicted to drinking and swearing"'' and ''"the roof of the north side of the Chancell lies open to the wind & weather."'' The population of the parish of Llandissilio West in 1801 was 281. By 1981 the population had grown to 458. In 1891, 97% were Welsh-speaking, and 75% spoke only Welsh; 10 years later those speaking only Welsh had fallen to 29%. By 1981, 70% still spoke Welsh, but only 1% were not English-speaking. Evacuees From London in Pembrokeshire, Wales, 1940 D997

Evacuees From London in Pembrokeshire, Wales, 1940 D997

In 1831 nearly half of men over 20 years were agricultural labourers, and nearly a quarter were farmers employing them. The rest of the male population was engaged in retail or handicrafts. Slate quarrying and corn milling were carried out in the 19th century. Boys from Creek Road LCC School, Greenwich, London, were evacuated to Llandissilio during World War 2 (pictured). The

War Memorial A war memorial is a building, monument, statue, or other edifice to celebrate a war or victory, or (predominating in modern times) to commemorate those who died or were injured in a war. Symbolism Historical usage It has ...

records the names of ten men of the parish who were killed in World War 1 and World War 2, and the memorial was Grade II listed in 2004.

Environment

Llandissilio is situated on the Landsker Borderlands Trail, a circular waymarked long-distance footpath running through Pembrokeshire and

. The village is surrounded by farmland with deciduous trees. Near the south of the village is the source of the River Conyn which then flows south-west to meet the

Eastern Cleddau The River Cleddau ( cy, Afon Cleddau) consists of the Eastern and Western Cleddau rivers in Pembrokeshire, west Wales. They unite to form the Daugleddau estuary and the important harbour of Milford Haven. The name of the combined estuary – ...

Worship

The church and churchyard, Llandysilio (Penf) NLW3361895

St Tysilio Parish Church is in the

Diocese of St David's The Diocese of St Davids is a diocese of the Church in Wales, a church of the Anglican Communion. The diocese covers the historic extent of Ceredigion, Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire, together with a small part of western Glamorgan. The episcop ...

. The church was Grade II listed in 1971 under the auspices of Cadw; it has mediaeval origins, and has been restored since. Blaenconin Baptist Chapel is on the outskirts of the village.

Waldo Williams Waldo Goronwy Williams (30 September 1904 – 20 May 1971) was one of the leading Welsh-language poets of the 20th century. He was also a notable Christian pacifist, anti-war campaigner, and Welsh nationalist. He is often referred to by his f ...

is buried there. A drawing of Blaenconin chapel by the artist John Piper illustrates John Betjeman's collection of essays on architecture, ''First and Last Loves'' (2012). John Piper's photograph of the chapel is held in the Tate collection.

Education

Brynconin Community School (''Welsh: Ysgol Brynconin'') educates children from 3 to 11 years. Teaching is in English and Welsh languages, and (in 2011) 40% of pupils spoke Welsh at home.

Amenities

The village has a post office, two pubs (''The Angel'' and ''The Bush''), hotel, holiday park and retail premises.

Governance

The

of Llandissilio West, in which the village lies, is part of Maenclochog electoral division of Pembrokeshire County Council which elects one county councillor. The community of Llandissilio East is in Carmarthenshire.

References

External links

{{authority control Villages in Pembrokeshire