Caersws (; ) is a village and

community A community is a social unit (a group of people) with a shared socially-significant characteristic, such as place, set of norms, culture, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given g ...

on the

River Severn The River Severn (, ), at long, is the longest river in Great Britain. It is also the river with the most voluminous flow of water by far in all of England and Wales, with an average flow rate of at Apperley, Gloucestershire. It rises in t ...

, in the Welsh county of

Powys Powys ( , ) is a Principal areas of Wales, county and Preserved counties of Wales, preserved county in Wales. It borders Gwynedd, Denbighshire, and Wrexham County Borough, Wrexham to the north; the English Ceremonial counties of England, ceremo ...

; it was formerly in

Montgomeryshire Montgomeryshire ( ) was Historic counties of Wales, one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolishment in 1974. It was named after its county town, Montgomery, Powys, Montgomery, which in turn was named after ...

. It is located west of Newtown, halfway between

Aberystwyth Aberystwyth (; ) is a University town, university and seaside town and a community (Wales), community in Ceredigion, Wales. It is the largest town in Ceredigion and from Aberaeron, the county's other administrative centre. In 2021, the popula ...

and

Shrewsbury Shrewsbury ( , ) is a market town and civil parish in Shropshire (district), Shropshire, England. It is sited on the River Severn, northwest of Wolverhampton, west of Telford, southeast of Wrexham and north of Hereford. At the 2021 United ...

. At the 2011 census, the community had a population of 1,586 – a figure which includes the settlements of Clatter,

Llanwnnog Llanwnnog (also spelt Llanwnog) is a village in Powys, Wales. It is located one-and-a half miles north of Caersws in the Community (Wales), community of the same name, on the B4568 road. The Ordnance Survey spell the name with a single 'n'. Bui ...

and Pontdolgoch; the village itself had a population of slightly over 800.

Etymology

The name is derived from the Welsh placename elements "

Caer Caer (; or ') is a placename element in Welsh meaning "stronghold", "fortress", or "citadel", roughly equivalent to an Old English suffix (''-ceaster'') now variously written as , , and .Allen, Grant"Casters and Chesters" in ''The Cornhill Ma ...

-" and "Sŵs". "Caer" translates as "fort" and likely refers to the Roman settlement. The derivation of the second element is less certain.

Thomas Pennant Thomas Pennant (16 December 1798) was a Welsh natural history, naturalist, traveller, writer and antiquarian. He was born and lived his whole life at his family estate, Downing Hall, near Whitford, Flintshire, in Wales. As a naturalist he had ...

and later writers note that the fort was the termination of the

Roman Road Roman roads ( ; singular: ; meaning "Roman way") were physical infrastructure vital to the maintenance and development of the Roman state, built from about 300 BC through the expansion and consolidation of the Roman Republic and the Roman Em ...

from

Chester Chester is a cathedral city in Cheshire, England, on the River Dee, Wales, River Dee, close to the England–Wales border. With a built-up area population of 92,760 in 2021, it is the most populous settlement in the borough of Cheshire West an ...

(via

Meifod Meifod, formerly also written Meivod (), is a small village, Community (Wales), community and Wards and electoral divisions of the United Kingdom, electoral ward north-west of Welshpool in Montgomeryshire, Powys, Wales, on the A495 road and loca ...

), the name of the road was ''Sarn Swsan'' or ''Sarn Swsog'' and it is thought that the town and the road share their etymology. The meaning of Swsan/Swsog is again, uncertain, but two local traditions hold that this is a personal name, either of a Queen Swswen (a name which may translate as "The Blessed/Pure Kiss") a Celtic leader who is said to have fought a battle in the vicinity around the time of the Roman occupation who was equated with

Estrildis Estrildis was the beloved Mistress (lover), mistress of King Locrinus of the Britons (Celtic people), Britons and the mother of his daughter Hafren, Habren, according to the 12th-century chronicler Geoffrey of Monmouth. Medieval literature In Ge ...

by Oliver Mathews, or it is named for a Roman lieutenant "Hesus". Furthermore, the linguist

John Rhys John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second Ep ...

noted that the dialect of Mid-Wales Welsh (Y Bowyseg) was closer to the

Gaulish language Gaulish is an extinct Celtic language spoken in parts of Continental Europe before and during the period of the Roman Empire. In the narrow sense, Gaulish was the language of the Celts of Gaul (now France, Luxembourg, Belgium, most of Switzerl ...

than its neighbours, and concluded that the area had pre-Roman links to Gaul. This may suggest a link between Caersŵs and the God

Esus Esus is a Celtic god known from iconographic, epigraphic, and literary sources. The 1st-century CE Roman poet Lucan's epic ''Pharsalia'' mentions Esus, Taranis, and Teutates as gods to whom the Gauls sacrificed humans. This rare mention of Cel ...

venerated by the Parisii and Treverii. Other suggested etymologies include the name retaining a Roman-era dedication to

Zeus Zeus (, ) is the chief deity of the List of Greek deities, Greek pantheon. He is a sky father, sky and thunder god in ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, who rules as king of the gods on Mount Olympus. Zeus is the child ...

, and the fact that "sws" (not sŵs) can be literally translated to "

Kiss A kiss is the touching or pressing of one's lips against another person, animal or object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely; depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sex ...

" in

modern Welsh The history of the Welsh language () spans over 1400 years, encompassing the stages of the language known as Primitive Welsh, Old Welsh, Middle Welsh, and Modern Welsh. Origins Welsh evolved from British (Common Brittonic), the Celtic languag ...

has led to a number of developing

folk etymologies Folk etymology – also known as (generative) popular etymology, analogical reformation, (morphological) reanalysis and etymological reinterpretation – is a change in a word or phrase resulting from the replacement of an unfamiliar form by a mo ...

History

Caersws was the location of two

Roman forts ''Castra'' () is a Latin term used during the Roman Republic and Roman Empire for a military 'camp', and ''castrum'' () for a 'fort'. Either could refer to a building or plot of land, used as a fortified military base.. Included is a discuss ...

of Roman Wales. Although the

Mediolanum Mediolanum, the ancient city where Milan now stands, was originally an Insubres, Insubrian city, but afterwards became an important Ancient Rome, Roman city in Northern Italy. The city was settled by a Celts, Celtic tribe belonging to the Ins ...

of the

Antonine Itinerary The Antonine Itinerary (, "Itinerary of the Emperor Antoninus") is an , a register of the stations and distances along various roads. Seemingly based on official documents, possibly in part from a survey carried out under Augustus, it describes t ...

has since been identified as Whitchurch in

Shropshire Shropshire (; abbreviated SalopAlso used officially as the name of the county from 1974–1980. The demonym for inhabitants of the county "Salopian" derives from this name.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West M ...

, Caersws is sometimes identified as the Mediolanum among the

Ordovices The Ordovīcēs (Common Brittonic: *''Ordowīces'') were one of the Celtic tribes living in Great Britain before the Roman invasion. Their tribal lands were located in present-day North Wales and England, between the Silures to the south and the ...

described in

Ptolemy Claudius Ptolemy (; , ; ; – 160s/170s AD) was a Greco-Roman mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were important to later Byzantine science, Byzant ...

's ''

Geography Geography (from Ancient Greek ; combining 'Earth' and 'write', literally 'Earth writing') is the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. Geography is an all-encompassing discipline that seeks an understanding o ...

'',Roman Britain Organisation
"Mediomanum?" at ''Roman Britain''
. 2010. although others argue for

Llanfyllin Llanfyllin ( – ) is a market town and Community (Wales), community in Powys, Wales. The community (which measures 41.8 square kilometres) population in 2021 was 1,586 and the town's name means ''church or parish'' (Llan (placename), llan) ''o ...

.Williams, Robert
"A History of the Parish of Llanfyllin" in ''Collections Historical & Archaeological Relating to Montgomeryshire'', Vol. III, p. 59
. J. Russell Smith (London), 1870. Further, this second Mediolanum may be identical or distinct from the "Mediomanum" ( "Central Hand") mentioned by the

Ravenna Cosmography The ''Ravenna Cosmography'' (, "The Cosmography of the Unknown Ravennese") is a work describing the Ecumene, known world from India to Ireland, compiled by an anonymous cleric in Ravenna around 700 AD. It consists of five books describing ...

Governance

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 t ...

in the same name exists. This ward includes the community of

Carno Carno is a village and Community (Wales), community in Powys, Wales. It was also a parish in the historic county of Montgomeryshire, comprising the townships of Derlwyn, Llysyn and Trowscoed. It is in the geographical centre of Wales. History ...

and, at the 2011 Census, had a population of 2,316.

Buildings

The Church of St Gwynog dates from the 15th century and was restored in 1863. It contains a 15th century

rood screen The rood screen (also choir screen, chancel screen, or jubé) is a common feature in late medieval church architecture. It is typically an ornate partition between the chancel and nave, of more or less open tracery constructed of wood, stone, o ...

and loft which the

Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales (RCAHMW; ; ), established in 1908, is a Welsh Government sponsored body concerned with some aspects of the archaeological, architectural and historic environment of Wales. ...

describes as "exceptional; the best-preserved of thirty known to have existed in the county". Maesmawr Hall, to the south-east of the village, was built in the early 19th century and is a

Grade II* listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

Transport

Caersws railway station is a stop on the

Cambrian Line The Cambrian Line (), sometimes split into the Cambrian Main Line () and Cambrian Coast Line () for its branches, is a railway line that runs from Shrewsbury in England, westwards to Aberystwyth and Pwllheli in Wales. Passenger train services ...

Transport for Wales Transport for Wales (TfW; ; ) is a not-for-profit company owned by the Welsh Government and managed at arms length by its appointed board. TfW oversees the Transport for Wales Group (TfW Group) consisting of itself and its subsidiaries: Trans ...

operates services between /,

and .

Sport

Downhill

mountain biking Mountain biking (MTB) is a sport of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, usually using specially designed mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes but incorporate features designed to enhance durability ...

has flourished in forestry at Henblas farm, to the north of the village, with a number of national races being held there. The current series, ''The Caersws Cup'', began in March 2009.

Cymru Alliance The Cymru Alliance League (known for sponsorship reasons as Huws Gray Alliance) was a association football, football league in North Wales, north and Mid Wales, central Wales which formed the second level of the Welsh football league system. Fro ...

club Caersws F.C. are based in the village and play their home matches at the

Recreation Ground A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are green spaces set aside for recreation inside towns and cities. N ...

. Caersws is home to current and past champions of a number of sporting disciplines, leading some to christen it the "Sporting Capital of Wales".

Notable people

John Ceiriog Hughes John Ceiriog Hughes (25 September 1832 – 23 April 1887) was a Wales, Welsh poet and collector of Welsh language, Welsh folk music, folk tunes, sometimes termed a Robert Burns of Wales. He was born at Penybryn Farm, overlooking the village of L ...

(1832–1887), a Welsh poet and collector of Welsh folk tunes; also stationmaster and manager of the

Van Railway The Van Railway was a standard gauge railway in mid Wales. The line was built in 1871 to link the highly productive lead mines at Van, Llanidloes, Van, near Llanidloes to the main Cambrian Railways, Cambrian line at Caersws. The mines closed in ...

from 1868 to 1887; buried in the churchyard at

. *

Mart Watkins Walter Martin Watkins (21 March 1880 – 14 May 1942) was a Welsh footballer who played in the Football League for Aston Villa, Stoke and Sunderland. Club career Watkins was born in Caersws and was one of six sons of a Welsh farmer from Llanwn ...

(1880–1942), footballer with 161 club caps and 10 for

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

. * Derek A. Traversi (1912–2005), a literary critic mainly for the

British Council The British Council is a British organisation specialising in international cultural and educational opportunities. It works in over 100 countries: promoting a wider knowledge of the United Kingdom and the English language (and the Welsh lang ...

Phil Woosnam Phillip Abraham Woosnam (22 December 1932 – 19 July 2013) was a Welsh association football inside-right and manager. A native of Caersws, Powys, Wales, Woosnam played for five clubs in England and one in the United States. He played internati ...

(1932–2013), former NASL commissioner and footballer with over 370 club caps and 17 for

Gallery

File:Cearsws village center 4`.png, The village centre, complete with

Texaco Texaco, Inc. ("The Texas Company") is an American Petroleum, oil brand owned and operated by Chevron Corporation. Its flagship product is its Gasoline, fuel "Texaco with Techron". It also owned the Havoline motor oil brand. Texaco was an Independ ...

garage A garage is a covered structure built for the purpose of parking, storing, protecting, maintaining, and/or repairing vehicles. Specific applications include: *Garage (residential), a building or part of a building for storing one or more vehicl ...

and Spar

shop Shop or shopping may refer to: Business and commerce * A casual word for a commercial establishment or for a place of business * Machine shop, a workshop for machining *"In the shop", referring to a car being at an automotive repair shop * Reta ...

in 2010. File:Cearsws village 3`.png, One of Caersws’ four local

pub A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the late 17th century, to differentiate private ho ...

s in 2010. File:Caersws staion crossing..jpg, The in town

level crossing A level crossing is an intersection where a railway line crosses a road, Trail, path, or (in rare situations) airport runway, at the same level, as opposed to the railway line or the road etc. crossing over or under using an Overpass#Railway, o ...

by Caersws station in 2010. File:Caersws foot crossing1..jpg, A gated village Barrow Crossing/foot crossing in Caersws in 2010. File: Maes Mawr Hall.jpg, Maesmawr Hall, a grade II* listed building

References

Literature

* Stephenson D. (2014), ''The Medieval Borough of Caersws: Origins and Decline'', The Montgomeryshire Collections, Vol. 102, 103–109.

External links

6 pages of artifacts and documents associated with Caersws and held on Gathering the Jewels the website of Welsh cultural history

www.geograph.co.uk : photos of Caersws and surrounding area
{{Authority control Communities in Powys Montgomeryshire Victorian Montgomeryshire parishes