Llandre, or Llanfihangel Genau'r Glyn, is a village in
Ceredigion
Ceredigion ( , , ) is a county in the west of Wales, corresponding to the historic county of Cardiganshire. During the second half of the first millennium Ceredigion was a minor kingdom. It has been administered as a county since 1282. Cer ...
, Wales. It lies 5 miles north of
Aberystwyth in the north-west of the
county
A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...
, on the road from
Rhydypennau to
Borth
Borth ( cy, Y Borth) is a village and seaside resort in Ceredigion, Mid Wales, 7 miles (11 km) north of Aberystwyth on the Ceredigion Coast Path. The community includes the settlement of Ynyslas. The population was 1,399 in 2011. From be ...
. To the north of the community lies the village of
Dôl-y-bont. 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, ...
is called Geneu'r Glyn.
Toponymy
The traditional
placename
Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of ''toponyms'' ( proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage and types. Toponym is the general term for a proper name of ...
of the village was Llanfihangel Genau'r Glyn ( en, St Michaels at the Mouth of the Valley), which derives from its location in the old
cwmwd
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 Wal ...
of Genau'r Glyn, part of the cantref of Penweddig (cantref), Penweddig. Before that, the name was Llanfihangel Castell Gwallter. The name changed to Llanfihangel Genau'r Glyn in the 16th century. When the railway station opened in 1864 the nameboards read simply "Llanfihangel", but in 1916, at the request of Cynnull Mawr Parish Council "as Llanfihangel is a very common place name in Wales and much confusion is causing considerable inconvenience", the name was changed to Llandre ( en, Churchtown).
The old name of Llanfihangel Genau'r Glyn still occurs frequently in books of Welsh history.
Local sites
Among the antiquities of the district are Castell Gwallter ( en, Walter's Castle), a motte-and-bailey castle built by the Normans in around 1110. This stood around half a mile to the west of the village. An Iron Age hill fort stood on the hill to the east of the village. St Michael's Church in the centre of the village is open every day and has useful information on the area for visitors.
There is a holy well just below the lychgate and an ancient yew tree to the northeast of the church which has been estimated as being 1800 years old.
Station
Llandre railway station, formerly named 'Llanfihangel', was opened on 23 June 1864 on the Cambrian Line between Machynlleth and Aberystwyth. It closed on 14 June 1965.
[ Between 1897 and 1899 this was the interchange with the Plynlimon and Hafan Tramway.
]
Notable residents
*Tom Macdonald (writer), Tom Macdonald (1900-1980), journalist and novelist
*Cynog Dafis (1938–present), politician and member of Plaid Cymru.
*Gwenan Jones (1889-1971), Welsh cultural historian and member of Plaid Cymru
* (1947-present), artist and entrepreneur
References
External links
Llandre village websitewww.geograph.co.uk : photos of Llandre and surrounding areaHistorical information
at GENUKI
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Villages in Ceredigion