A group of boys in the churchyard, Llanfihangel-yng-Ngwynfa NLW3365237

Llanfihangel-yng-Ngwynfa () was a parish within the former historic county of

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

. It now forms a major part of 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, t ...

of Llanfihangel in Powys, which covers an area of . Its Community Council extends to take in

Dolanog Dolanog () or Pont Dolanog is an ecclesiastical parish or chapelry that was formed in October 1856. It comprises the townships of Dolwar in Llanfihangel portions of Coedtalog in Llanerfyl, Cynhinfa in Llangyniew and Gwaunynog in Llanfair ...

and Llwydiarth, having approximately 413 registered voters (as at 2012). The parish originally consisted of the following townships: Cefncleisiog, Cydwnfa, Dolwar, Fachwen, Farchwell, Fynnonarthwr, Garthucha, Halfen, Llaethbwlch, Llwydiarth, Nanty-Candy, and Rhiewlas.

seceded from Llanfihangel in 1856. Poet and hymnwriter

Ann Griffiths Ann Griffiths (née Thomas, 1776–1805) was a Welsh poet and writer of Methodist Christian hymns in the Welsh language. Her poetry reflects her fervent Christian faith and thorough scriptural knowledge. Biography Ann was born in April 1776 ...

(1776–1805) was born in, and is buried, in this place.

Geography and amenities

The main village is dispersed astride a gently winding uphill road extending many miles past St Michael's Church to the south. Its relative concentration of homes commence just south of the

Llanfyllin Llanfyllin ( – ) is a market town, community and electoral ward in a sparsely populated area in Montgomeryshire, Powys, Wales. Llanfyllin's community population in 2011 was 1,532, of whom 34.1% could speak Welsh. Llanfyllin means ''church or ...

to Llanwddyn road, WNW of

Welshpool Welshpool ( cy, Y Trallwng) is a market town and community in Powys, Wales, historically in the county of Montgomeryshire. The town is from the Wales–England border and low-lying on the River Severn; its Welsh language name ''Y Trallwng'' m ...

; on the east side is the cemetery, six houses largely still owned by the local authority, and a couple of bungalows. The church is no longer used, as unsafe. At the centre are The Goat Inn, a post office/shop, and the village hall, opened in 1981, which has frequent whole-community, family and retired community events.

History

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 ...

is at the centre of the village. Behind it is Poplar Cottage, once the home of E. D. O'Brien (1911-1953), a noted

Eisteddfod In Welsh culture, an ''eisteddfod'' is an institution and festival with several ranked competitions, including in poetry and music. The term ''eisteddfod'', which is formed from the Welsh morphemes: , meaning 'sit', and , meaning 'be', means, ac ...

conductor.

Ffair Llan

A fair, known as Ffair Llan, used to be held every year on 9 May, when store cattle and sheep were sold to visiting dealers. Piglets were brought by horse and cart, with a mesh strung over to prevent their escape.

Demographics

Llanfihangel community's population was 467, according to the 2011 census; a 9.5% decrease since the 516 people noted in

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a multi-national coalition in an invasion of Afghanist ...

. The 2011 census showed 52.6% of the population could speak

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peopl ...

, a fall from 65.0% in 2001.

Governance

Llanfihangel-yng-Ngwynfa is in the Llanfihangel

electoral ward A ward is a local authority area, typically used for electoral purposes. In some countries, wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected to ...

which elects a councillor to

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 Gover ...

. This ward had a population of 1,049 at the 2011 census.

Life in a Welsh Countryside

In 1950 ''Life in a Welsh Countryside, A Social Study of Llanfihangel-yng-Ngwynfa'' by Alwyn D. Rees was published. This was soon seen as a classic study of the social structure and life in a predominantly Welsh-speaking rural community in upland Wales. This study describes the farming, kindred relationships, customs and traditions, and the role of religion, particularly the chapels. In 2003 the Llanfihangel Social History Group published ''A Welsh Countryside Revisited: A new study of Llanfihangel-yng-Ngwynfa'', which records the changes since the original publication such as decline in chapel attendance and preferred use of Welsh.

Literature

* Morgan V. et al. A (2003), "A Welsh Countryside Revisited" A new study of Llanfihangel-yng-Ngwynfa'', Powysland Club, Llanfihangel Social History Group. * Rees A.D., (1950), ''Life in a Welsh Countryside, A Social Study of Llanfihangel-yng-Ngwynfa'', University of Wales Press, Cardiff. * Thomas, D.R.(1911) ''History of the Diocese of Saint Asaph'', Vol II, 227–230.

References

External links

Llanfihangel yng Ngwynfa Community Council website
{{authority control Villages in Powys Montgomeryshire