Hay-on-Wye, or simply Hay (; or simply ), is a

market town A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rura ...

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 ...

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 ...

, Wales. With over twenty bookshops, it is often described as a "town of books"; it is both the National Book Town of Wales and the site of the annual

Hay Festival The Hay Festival of Literature & Arts, better known as the Hay Festival (), is an annual literature festival held in Hay-on-Wye, Powys, Wales, for 10 days from May to June. Devised by Norman, Rhoda and Peter Florence in 1988, the festival was d ...

. The community had a population of 1,675 at the 2021 census. The town is twinned with

Redu Redu () is a village of Wallonia and district of the municipality of Libin, located in the province of Luxembourg, Belgium. The village is twinned with Hay-on-Wye in the United Kingdom and was one of the first book towns. The village was giv ...

, a village in the Belgian municipality of Libin, and with

Timbuktu Timbuktu ( ; ; Koyra Chiini: ; ) is an ancient city in Mali, situated north of the Niger River. It is the capital of the Tombouctou Region, one of the eight administrative regions of Mali, having a population of 32,460 in the 2018 census. ...

Mali Mali, officially the Republic of Mali, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is the List of African countries by area, eighth-largest country in Africa, with an area of over . The country is bordered to the north by Algeria, to the east b ...

, West Africa. Hay-on-Wye is often named as one of the best places to live in Wales and has been named as one of the UK's best Christmas destinations.

Location

The town lies on the south-east bank of the

River Wye The River Wye (; ) is the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, fourth-longest river in the UK, stretching some from its source on Plynlimon in mid Wales to the Severn Estuary. The lower reaches of the river forms part of Wales-England bor ...

and is within the north-easternmost tip of the

Brecon Beacons National Park Brecon Beacons National Park, officially named Bannau Brycheiniog National Park (), is a National parks of the United Kingdom, national park in Wales. It is named after the Brecon Beacons (), the mountain range at its centre. The national park ...

, just north of the Black Mountains. The town is just on the Welsh side of the border with

Herefordshire Herefordshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England, bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, here defined by the Dulas Brook. Where the brook joins the River Wye just north of the town, the border continues northwards along the river. The Wye was the boundary between the

former counties {{Commons category, Former counties counties A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. ...

and districts of

Radnorshire Radnorshire () was Historic counties of Wales, one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolishment in 1974, later becoming a Districts of Wales, district of Powys from 1974 to 1996. It covered a sparsely populat ...

and

Brecknockshire Brecknockshire ( or ), also known as the County of Brecknock, Breconshire, or the County of Brecon, was Historic counties of Wales, one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolishment in 1974. It was created in 1 ...

, with Hay lying in the latter. The adjacent parish of

Cusop Cusop is a village and civil parish in Herefordshire, England that lies at the foot of Cusop Hill next to the town of Hay-on-Wye in Wales. It is a short walk from Hay, the distance between bus stops, and can be reached by walking or driving o ...

lies on the English side of the Dulas Brook, with parts of the urban area of Hay now crossing the border into the parish of Cusop. The nearest city is

Hereford Hereford ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of the ceremonial county of Herefordshire, England. It is on the banks of the River Wye and lies east of the border with Wales, north-west of Gloucester and south-west of Worcester. With ...

county town In Great Britain and Ireland, a county town is usually the location of administrative or judicial functions within a county, and the place where public representatives are elected to parliament. Following the establishment of county councils in ...

of Herefordshire, some to the east. Hereford serves as the

post town A post town is a required part of all postal addresses in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, Ireland, and a basic unit of the postal delivery system.Royal Mail, ''Address Management Guide'', (2004) Including the correct post town in t ...

for Hay, so that its official postal address is "Hay-on-Wye, Hereford", despite Hay being in Wales and Hereford in England. Hay-on-Wye is in the area known as " Kilvert country" which includes

Clyro Clyro () is a village and community (Wales), community in Radnorshire, Powys, Wales, with 781 inhabitants as of the 2011 UK Census. The nearest town is Hay-on-Wye, some to the south-east. History The name of the village is thought to derive fro ...

Capel-y-ffin is a hamlet near the English-Welsh border, a couple of miles north of Llanthony in Powys, Wales. It lies within the Black Mountains and within the Brecon Beacons National Park. The nearest town is Hay-on-Wye, some to the northwest. History ...

Llowes Llowes is a small village in the community of Glasbury, Powys, Wales. The village has approximately 110 inhabitants (2005). The nearest town is Hay-on-Wye, some 3 miles (5 km) to the south-east. History St. Meilig and St. Meilig's Cross Th ...

Glasbury Glasbury (), also known as Glasbury-on-Wye, is a village and community in Powys, Wales. The village lies at an important crossing point on the River Wye, connecting the historic counties of Brecknockshire and Radnorshire, and is located just outs ...

Llanigon Llanigon is a village and Community (Wales), community in Powys, Wales on the edge of the Brecon Beacons National Park, north of the Black Mountains, Wales. The Community (Wales), community population was 478. The nearest town is Hay-on-Wye, so ...

, Painscastle, Clifford and

Whitney-on-Wye __NOTOC__ Whitney-on-Wye is a village and civil parish in Herefordshire, England, and approximately east from the border with Wales. The village is on the A438 road, on the River Wye, and west from Hereford. Parish population in 2011 United Ki ...

Etymology

The settlement's name is first referred to between 1135 and 1147 as ; in 1299 the name of is used. By the 16th century it was simply called ''Hay'', and the use of the river as a suffix is a later addition. In 1215, a Welsh name, was recorded, and in 1614; the two names may have been used concurrently in 1625. The English language name, ''Hay'', is derived from

Old English Old English ( or , or ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. It developed from the languages brought to Great Britain by Anglo-S ...

, possibly meaning a "fenced area" and a noun used in late Saxon and Norman times for an enclosure in a forest. The Welsh word (

lenited In linguistics, lenition is a sound change that alters consonants, making them "weaker" in some way. The word ''lenition'' itself means "softening" or "weakening" (from Latin 'weak'). Lenition can happen both synchronically (within a language ...

to ) has a range of meanings, including wooded areas of various extents. The legal name of the

is Hay rather than Hay-on-Wye. In 1947 the

General Post Office The General Post Office (GPO) was the state postal system and telecommunications carrier of the United Kingdom until 1969. Established in England in the 17th century, the GPO was a state monopoly covering the dispatch of items from a specific ...

changed the name of the postal locality from Hay to Hay-on-Wye. The change of postal address did not change the name of the

urban district An urban district is a division generally managed by a local government. It may also refer to a city district, district, urban area or quarter Specific urban districts in some countries include: * Urban districts of Denmark * Districts of Germa ...

which then covered the town, which retained the name Hay and was subsequently converted into a community called Hay in 1974.

History

The village of

is about south-west of the town of Hay-on-Wye. Before the

Norman Conquest The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Normans, Norman, French people, French, Flemish people, Flemish, and Bretons, Breton troops, all led by the Du ...

, Hay-on-Wye was part of the parish of Llanigon. The church of St. Eigon (possibly identified with Saint Eigen) in Llanigon was the principal church for the area. This was because the

settlement Settlement may refer to: *Human settlement, a community where people live *Settlement (structural), downward movement of a structure's foundation *Settlement (finance), where securities are delivered against payment of money *Settlement (litigatio ...

in Llanigon predated the settlement in Hay-on-Wye. HAY CASTLE 20240812 135520

Brycheiniog Brycheiniog was an independent kingdom in South Wales in the Early Middle Ages. It often acted as a buffer state between England to the east and the south Welsh kingdom of Deheubarth to the west. It was conquered and pacified by the Normans ...

(an independent kingdom in Wales) was conquered between 1088 and 1095 following the second

Norman invasion of Wales The Norman invasion of Wales began shortly after the Norman Conquest, Norman conquest of England under William the Conqueror, who believed England to be his birthright. Initially (1067–1081), the invasion of Wales was not undertaken with the fer ...

. The Norman invaders were led by

Bernard de Neufmarché Bernard de Neufmarché (), also Bernard of Newmarket or Bernard of Newmarch was the first of the Norman invasion of Wales, Norman conquerors of Wales. He was a minor Normans, Norman lord who rose to power in the Welsh Marches before successfully ...

, a

marcher Lord A marcher lord () was a noble appointed by the king of England to guard the border (known as the Welsh Marches) between England and Wales. A marcher lord was the English equivalent of a margrave (in the Holy Roman Empire) or a marquis (in Fra ...

. He divided Brycheiniog into smaller

lordship A lordship is a territory held by a lord. It was a landed estate that served as the lowest administrative and judicial unit in rural areas. It originated as a unit under the feudal system during the Middle Ages. In a lordship, the functions of eco ...

s, which were gifted to the

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

s who contributed to the conquest. The Llanthomas lordship (in Llanigon) was part of the Hay lordship owned by William Revel, one of Bernard's knights.

Motte and bailey A motte-and-bailey castle is a European fortification with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised area of ground called a motte, accompanied by a walled courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade. Relatively easy ...

castles were typically built soon after a lordship was allocated to a knight. Hay-on-Wye grew after the

conquest Conquest involves the annexation or control of another entity's territory through war or Coercion (international relations), coercion. Historically, conquests occurred frequently in the international system, and there were limited normative or ...

. Around 1121, a motte and bailey castle was built near St. Mary's. It is thought to have been built by William Revel. The castle remains are known as Hay Tump. The church of St Mary's was built around 1135 and took over the role of the principal church and parish for the area. St. Mary's is near Login Brook and the

. The main part of the town was subsequently developed on a spur of land between the River Wye and Dulas Brook, about 200 metres east of Hay Tump. The town was fortified with walls and defended by

Hay Castle Hay Castle () is a medieval fortification and 17th-century mansion house in the small town of Hay-on-Wye in Powys, Wales. Originally constructed as part of the Norman invasion of Wales, the castle was designed as a ringwork overlooking the town ...

, which appears to have been built from the late 12th century onwards. The earlier centre of settlement around Hay Tump and St Mary's Church lay outside the later town walls. A chapel dedicated to St John was subsequently built inside the town walls around 1254. In post-

times, Hay-on-Wye was divided between two manors, known as an Englishry (i.e. English Hay or Haya Anglicana) and a Welshry (i.e. Welsh Hay or Haya Wallensis). The Englishry was within the fortified town of Hay. The ''Welshry'' was outside the fortified town; it included some rural land, the village of Llanigon and the hamlet of Glynfach. In 1894, Hay Urban parish was created from part of the Hay Urban District. Hay Tump is within the Hay Urban parish. Hay Rural parish was created from the rural part of the parish of Hay, and includes another Norman castle called

Llanthomas Castle Mound Llanthomas Castle Mound was built by the Normans after the 1066 Norman Conquest of England, probably after the Norman invasion of Wales in 1081, but before 1215. It was Motte-and-bailey castle, motte and bailey castle design. The building materi ...

. It is on the same lane as the

fields (Dairy Meadows). D. J. Cathcart King's list of UK castles numbers Hay Castle as Hay No. 1, Hay Tump as Hay No. 2 and Llanthomas Castle Mound as Hay No. 3.

initially took the form of an earth

ringwork A ringwork is a form of fortified defensive structure, usually circular or oval in shape. Ringworks are essentially motte-and-bailey castles without the motte. Defences were usually earthworks in the form of a ditch and bank surrounding the site ...

with a stone gate-tower. It was reinforced in stone around 1200 with a curtain wall. The castle was damaged during the Welsh rebellion led by

Owain Glyndŵr Owain ap Gruffydd (28 May 135420 September 1415), commonly known as Owain Glyndŵr (Glyn Dŵr, , anglicised as Owen Glendower) was a Welsh people, Welsh leader, soldier and military commander in the Wales in the late Middle Ages, late Middle ...

around 1401, and again in 1460 during the

Wars of the Roses The Wars of the Roses, known at the time and in following centuries as the Civil Wars, were a series of armed confrontations, machinations, battles and campaigns fought over control of the English throne from 1455 to 1487. The conflict was fo ...

. It was substantially expanded in the 17th century, creating a Jacobean mansion. Substantial restoration work on Hay Castle was completed in 2022.

Book town

Hay-on-Wye is a destination for

bibliophiles A bookworm or bibliophile is an individual who loves and frequently reads or collects books. Bibliophilia or bibliophilism is the love of books. Bibliophiles may have large, specialized book collections. They may highly value old editions, au ...

in the United Kingdom, with two dozen bookshops, many selling specialist and second-hand

books A book is a structured presentation of recorded information, primarily verbal and graphical, through a medium. Originally physical, electronic books and audiobooks are now existent. Physical books are objects that contain printed material, mo ...

, although the number has declined sharply in recent years, many becoming general antique shops and similar. Hay-on-Wye was already well known for its many bookshops before the festival was launched.

Richard Booth Richard George William Pitt Booth (12 September 1938 – 20 August 2019) was an English bookseller, Bibliophilia, bibliophile and literary publicist. Seated at Hay Castle, and a scion of the Booth baronets, ancient Cheshire family, Booth est ...

opened his first shop there, called The Old Fire Station, in 1962, and by the 1970s Hay had gained the nickname "The Town of Books". Hayfestival-2016-haysign-day

Hay Festival

Since 1988, the

based in Hay-on-Wye has been the venue for an annual

literary festival A literary festival, also known as a book festival or writers' festival, is a regular gathering of writers and readers, typically on an annual basis in a particular city. A literary festival usually features a variety of presentations and readings ...

, now sponsored by ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...

'' newspaper, which draws a claimed 80,000 visitors over ten days at the end of May or beginning of June to see and hear big literary names from all over the world. Devised by Norman, Rhoda and

Peter Florence Peter Kenrick Florence Order of the British Empire, CBE (born 4 October 1964) is a British festival director, most notable for founding the Hay Festival with his father and mother, Norman Florence and Rhoda Lewis, funding the first festival with ...

in 1988, the festival was described by

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...

in 2001 as "The

Woodstock The Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held from August 15 to 18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, southwest of the town of Woodstock, New York, Woodstock. Billed as "a ...

of the mind".

Tony Benn Anthony Neil Wedgwood Benn (3 April 1925 – 14 March 2014), known between 1960 and 1963 as Viscount Stansgate, was a British Labour Party (UK), Labour Party politician and political activist who served as a Cabinet of the United Kingdom, Cabine ...

said: "In my mind it's replaced Christmas". In late July 2021, co-founder and director Peter Florence resigned as Festival Director.

Governance

There are two tiers of local government covering Hay, at

(town) and

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

level: Hay Town Council and

Powys County Council Powys County Council () is the local authority for Powys, one of the 22 principal areas of Wales. The council is based at County Hall in Llandrindod Wells. History The county of Powys was created on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act ...

. The town council is based at offices on Brecon Road. For elections to Powys County Council, there is a

ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...

called Hay which covers the same area as the community of Hay.

Administrative history

The parish of Hay was created around 1135 from the north-eastern parts of the older parish of Llanigon. Until 1536 Hay was a

marcher lordship A marcher lord () was a noble appointed by the king of England to guard the border (known as the Welsh Marches) between England and Wales. A marcher lord was the English equivalent of a margrave (in the Holy Roman Empire) or a marquis (in France ...

. In 1536 the Hay lordship was included in the new county of Brecknockshire. The area of the fortified town was sometimes described as a

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English language, English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History ...

, but it was never given a

charter A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the ...

and it appears that no borough council ever operated; instead the town was administered by officials appointed by the

lord of the manor Lord of the manor is a title that, in Anglo-Saxon England and Norman England, referred to the landholder of a historical rural estate. The titles date to the English Feudalism, feudal (specifically English feudal barony, baronial) system. The ...

. Any residual claim Hay may have had to be called a borough was extinguished under the

Municipal Corporations Act 1883 A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the gov ...

. In 1864 the north-eastern part of the parish of Hay, covering the built-up area as it then was and some adjacent areas, was made a

local government district Local may refer to: Geography and transportation * Local (train), a train serving local traffic demand * Local, Missouri, a community in the United States Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Local'' (comics), a limited series comic book by Bria ...

, administered by an elected local board. Such districts were reconstituted as urban districts under the

Local Government Act 1894 The Local Government Act 1894 ( 56 & 57 Vict. c. 73) was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales outside the County of London. The act followed the reforms carried out at county leve ...

. The 1894 Act also directed that parishes were no longer allowed to straddle district boundaries, and so the parish of Hay was split into a Hay Urban parish covering the same area as the urban district, and a Hay Rural parish covering the part of the old parish outside the urban district. Hay Urban District was abolished in 1974, with its area instead becoming a community called Hay within the

Borough of Brecknock The Borough of Brecknock () was one of the three local government districts of the county of Powys, Wales from 1974 until 1996. It covered the majority of the former administrative county of Brecknockshire. The borough was abolished in 1996, with ...

in the new county of

. The former urban district council's functions therefore passed to Brecknock Borough Council, which was in turn abolished in 1996 and its functions passed to Powys County Council. The Hay Rural parish also became a community in 1974, but was abolished in 1986 and its area absorbed into the neighbouring parish of Llanigon.

Transport

The B4350 runs through the town and the B4351 links it with the main A438 from

Brecon Brecon (; ; ), archaically known as Brecknock, is a market town in Powys, mid Wales. In 1841, it had a population of 5,701. The population in 2001 was 7,901, increasing to 8,250 at the 2011 census. Historically it was the county town of Breck ...

, on the far side of the River Wye. The town has a road/pedestrian bridge spanning the

linking

with Hay-on-Wye. The town was formerly served by train services at Hay-on-Wye railway station on the Hereford, Hay and Brecon line. On a stormy night in 1880, a goods train on the way to Brecon was derailed and destroyed a 3-arch masonry bridge. The train fell into Digeddi Brook at Little Ffordd Fawr, near Llanigon. The driver George Parker died, and his stoker John Williams had life changing injuries. The line closed in 1962, due to the line's commercial underperformance.

Sport

Hay St. Mary's Football Club is based on Hay Sports Field, off Brecon Road, and they compete in the . Hay-on-Wye Cricket Club is also located on Hay Sports Field. The 1st team compete in The Marches Cricket League. Hay-on-Wye bowling club is affiliated to the Mid Wales Bowling Association and the Women's Mid Wales Bowling Association. Hay

Golf Club A golf club is a club used to hit a golf ball in a game of golf. Each club is composed of a shaft with a grip and a club head. Woods are mainly used for long-distance fairway or tee shots; irons, the most versatile class, are used for a variety o ...

(now defunct) was founded in 1903. The club continued on its nine-hole course until the onset of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Music and philosophy

HowTheLightGetsIn Festival Hay-on-Wye 2018 site

Hay hosts a philosophy and music festival,

HowTheLightGetsIn HowTheLightGetsIn Festival is a philosophy and music festival, hosted by the Institute of Art and Ideas. It aims "to get philosophy out of the academy and into people's lives" by bringing together philosophers, writers, academics, comedians and ...

, which occurs annually in May. It aims "to get philosophy out of the academy and into people's lives."

Notable buildings

In 2013, Hay-on-Wye had 145 Listed Building entries. All are Grade II listed apart from Hay Castle which is Grade I listed. Other listed buildings include St Mary's parish church, Dulas Bridge (Newport St), the Swan Hotel (Church St), Harley’s Almshouses (4 Brecon Rd), Post Office (3 High Town), Ashbrook House (1 Brecon Rd), part of the town wall and many of the town centre inns and shops. Oakfield is a Grade II listed Regency house located south of the town centre: built in about 1820, it was recorded in 1842 as the home of Henry Allen Junior.The Butter Market was commissioned by William Enoch and erected in the form of a Doric temple in 1833. the Cheese Market was commissioned by

Sir Joseph Bailey, 1st Baronet Sir Joseph Bailey, 1st Baronet (21 January 1783 – 20 November 1858), was an English ironmaster and Conservative Party Member of Parliament (MP). Background Bailey was born in 1783 in Great Wenham, Suffolk, the son of John Bailey, of Wakefi ...

and completed in 1835. The Butter Market and the Cheese Market had an arcaded ground floor to sell butter and cheese and dairy products, respectively. The first-floor assembly room has now been renovated to serve as holiday accommodation. On the end wall is a sculpture of Henry VII. Hay-on-Wye has a Victorian

clock tower Clock towers are a specific type of structure that house a turret clock and have one or more clock faces on the upper exterior walls. Many clock towers are freestanding structures but they can also adjoin or be located on top of another building ...

about 50 ft high. The tower was erected in 1881 at a cost of £300. It is built of dressed

Bath stone Bath Stone is an oolitic limestone comprising granular fragments of calcium carbonate originally obtained from the Middle Jurassic aged Great Oolite Group of the Combe Down and Bathampton Down Mines under Combe Down, Somerset, England. Its h ...

and native stone from Christfield quarry. It was known by locals as the "clockless tower". The clock faces and bell were added in 1884 after fund-raising by Canon Bevan and family. It was set going on

Christmas Day Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A liturgical feast central to Christianity, Chri ...

1884. The bell was paid for by a donation as a memorial to T. W. Higgins, Hay, and Guidfa House, Radnorshire.

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

chapels and churches in Hay-on-Wye include: * St. Mary's Church (

Church in Wales The Church in Wales () is an Anglican church in Wales, composed of six dioceses. The Archbishop of Wales does not have a fixed archiepiscopal see, but serves concurrently as one of the six diocesan bishops. The position is currently held b ...

) built in the early 12th century. It serves other local churches including St. John’s Chapel, in Lion Street; St. Eigon,

; St. Mary’s,

Capel-y-Ffin is a hamlet near the English-Welsh border, a couple of miles north of Llanthony in Powys, Wales. It lies within the Black Mountains and within the Brecon Beacons National Park. The nearest town is Hay-on-Wye, some to the northwest. History ...

etc. * Tabernacle

Calvinistic Methodist The Presbyterian Church of Wales (), also known as the Calvinistic Methodist Church (), is a denomination of Protestant Christianity based in Wales. The Calvinistic Methodist movement has its origins in the 18th-century Welsh Methodist revival ...

(now the Presbyterian Church of Wales), a chapel located in Belmont Road, built in 1828, developed in 1872 and active until about 1963. It was repurposed as a Roman Catholic

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...

in 1967. * From 1892 to 1925,

Roman Catholic Mass The Mass is the central liturgical service of the Eucharist in the Catholic Church, in which bread and wine are consecrated and become the body and blood of Christ. As defined by the Church at the Council of Trent, in the Mass "the same Christ ...

was celebrated in alternative weeks in the homes of H.R. Grant and T. J. Madigan. From 1925 to 1967, the hired assembly room over the Cheese Market was used a Mass centre. Since 1967, St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church in Belmont Road has been used. * Salem

Baptist Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...

Chapel located in Bell Bank, built around 1650 and developed in 1814 and 1877. The second oldest Nonconformist chapel in Wales. The associated schoolroom ''may be'' the oldest schoolroom in Wales. Repurposed as a Yoga studio in 2018. * Trinity Wesleyan Methodist Chapel located in St. Mary's Road (1771) now a private dwelling, Castle Street (1823) and then Oxford Road (built in 1872 and developed in 1903) and active until about 1910. Repurposed as the Oxford Road post office in 2021. * Bethesda

Primitive Methodist The Primitive Methodist Church is a Christian denomination within the holiness movement. Originating in early 19th-century England as a revivalist movement within Methodism, it was heavily influenced by American evangelist Lorenzo Dow (1777–18 ...

Chapel located in Oxford Road built in 1865. Repurposed as Bethesda

Evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of th ...

Church in 1953. * Ebenezer ( Congregational/URC) Independent Methodist Chapel located in Castle Street and then Broad Street (built in 1845). Repurposed as an Arts Centre in 2000. *

Quakers Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestantism, Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally ...

Friends' Meeting House A Friends meeting house is a meeting house of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), where meeting for worship is usually held. Typically, Friends meeting houses are simple and resemble local residential buildings. Ornamentation, spires, and ...

located in Bridge Street in 1851, now a private dwelling. *

Salvation Army The Salvation Army (TSA) is a Protestantism, Protestant Christian church and an international charitable organisation headquartered in London, England. It is aligned with the Wesleyan-Holiness movement. The organisation reports a worldwide m ...

Hall/Citadel located in Lion Street in 1887, now St. John's Chapel, in Lion Street.

Kingdom of Hay-on-Wye

On 1 April 1977

bibliophile A bookworm or bibliophile is an individual who loves and frequently reads or collects books. Bibliophilia or bibliophilism is the love of books. Bibliophiles may have large, specialized book collections. They may highly value old editions, aut ...

conceived a publicity stunt in which he declared Hay-on-Wye to be an "independent kingdom" with himself as its monarch, and a National Anthem written by

Les Penning Les Penning is a British folk musician and composer, best known for his work with Mike Oldfield on the album ''Ommadawn'' and several of Oldfield's singles. He is credited with introducing Oldfield to medieval music through their time playing ...

. The tongue-in-cheek

micronation A micronation is a polity, political entity whose representatives claim that they belong to an independent nation or sovereign state, but which lacks legal recognition by any sovereign state. Micronations are classified separately from list o ...

of Hay-on-Wye has subsequently developed a healthy tourism industry based on literary interests, for which some credit Booth. In 2005, Booth announced plans to sell his bookshop and move to

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

; on this occasion, the local MP,

Roger Williams Roger Williams (March 1683) was an English-born New England minister, theologian, author, and founder of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, Providence Plantations, which became the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Pl ...

, was quoted as saying: "His legacy will be that Hay changed from a small market town into a mecca for second and book lovers and this transformed the local economy." Richard George William Pitt Booth

Notable people

Herbert Rowse Armstrong Herbert Rowse Armstrong TD MA (13 May 1869 – 31 May 1922) was an English solicitor and convicted murderer, the only solicitor in the United Kingdom ever hanged for murder. He was living in Cusop Dingle, Herefordshire, England, and practi ...

(1869–1922), the "Hay Poisoner"; the only UK solicitor to have been hanged for murder. *

(1938–2019), self-proclaimed "King of Hay". *

Jason "J" Brown Jason Paul "J" Brown (born 13 June 1976) is an English singer and rapper. He is best known as a member, singer and rapper of boy band Five. Career In 1997, Brown auditioned for Five, a new boy band-style group with "attitude and edge" and was e ...

(born 1976), singer in

boy band A boy band is a vocal group consisting of young male singers, usually in their Teenage, teenage years or in their twenties at the time of formation. Generally, boy bands perform love songs marketed towards girls and young women. Many boy bands ...

Five. * Lady Penelope Betjeman (nee Chetwode) (1910–1986), English travel writer (and wife of

Sir John Betjeman Sir John Betjeman, (; 28 August 190619 May 1984) was an English poet, writer, and broadcaster. He was Poet Laureate from 1972 until his death. He was a founding member of The Victorian Society and a passionate defender of Victorian architect ...

, the Poet Laureate). * Chris Davies (born 1967), managed a veterinary practice in Hay-on-Wye, politician and MP for Brecon and Radnorshire 2015 to 2019. *

Christopher Dawson Christopher Henry Dawson (12 October 188925 May 1970) was an English Catholic historian, independent scholar, who wrote many books on cultural history and emphasized the necessity for Western culture to be in continuity with Christianity not ...

(1889–1970), scholar, authored books on cultural history and Christendom. * Harold Dearden (1882-1962), lived in Hay-on-Wye, British

psychiatrist A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in psychiatry. Psychiatrists are physicians who evaluate patients to determine whether their symptoms are the result of a physical illness, a combination of physical and mental ailments or strictly ...

and

screenwriter A screenwriter (also called scriptwriter, scribe, or scenarist) is a person who practices the craft of writing for visual mass media, known as screenwriting. These can include short films, feature-length films, television programs, television ...

. * Margarette Golding (1881–1939), lived in Hay-on-Wye, nurse, businessperson and the founder of the " Inner Wheel". * Eileen Hutchins (1902–1987), a Steiner school teacher. * George Hay Morgan (1866–1931), politician and MP for

Truro Truro (; ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in Cornwall, England; it is the southernmost city in the United Kingdom, just under west-south-west of Charing Cross in London. It is Cornwall's county town, s ...

1906 to 1918. * John P. Jones (1829-1912), born in Hay-on-Wye, emigrated to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and became a Republican

United States Senator The United States Senate consists of 100 members, two from each of the 50 U.S. state, states. This list includes all senators serving in the 119th United States Congress. Party affiliation Independent Senators Angus King of Maine and Berni ...

. * Josie Pearson (born 1986), Paralympian athlete and Gold Medal winner at the 2012 Paralympic Games. A Royal Mail postbox in Church St is painted in gold in her honour. * Leigh Richmond Roose (1877–1916), son of Rev. Richmond Leigh Roose (a minister at the Calvinistic Methodist Tabernacle in Belmont Rd). Leigh was a Wales international footballer. He died in the

battle of the Somme The Battle of the Somme (; ), also known as the Somme offensive, was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British Empire and the French Third Republic against the German Empire. It took place between 1 July and 18 Nove ...

and is commemorated at the Thiepval memorial in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. *

Rafael Sabatini Rafael Sabatini (29 April 1875 – 13 February 1950) was an Italian people, Italian-born British writer of novels, writer of romance novel, romance and adventure novel, adventure novels. He is best known for his worldwide bestsellers: ''The Sea ...

(1875–1950), lived near Hay-on-Wye, author of

romance Romance may refer to: Common meanings * Romance (love), emotional attraction towards another person and the courtship behaviors undertaken to express the feelings ** Romantic orientation, the classification of the sex or gender with which a pers ...

and

adventure An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extreme spo ...

novels. *

Jenny Valentine Jenny Valentine (born 1970) is an English children's novelist. For her first novel and best-known work, '' Finding Violet Park'' (HarperCollins, 2007), she won the annual Guardian Children's Fiction Prize, a once-in-a-lifetime book award judged ...

(born 1970), children's novelist. * Cleo Watson (born 1989), grew up in Hay-on-Wye, chief of staff for

Theresa May Theresa Mary May, Baroness May of Maidenhead (; ; born 1 October 1956), is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2016 to 2019. She previously served as Home Secretar ...

and a special advisor to

Boris Johnson Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (born 19 June 1964) is a British politician and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He wa ...

References

Bibliography

* * Remfry, P.M., ''Hay on Wye Castle, 1066 to 1298'' ()

External links

Official website

Local tourism website

Old photographs and history
{{Authority control Towns in Powys Brecknockshire Antiquarian booksellers Towns of the Welsh Marches Market towns in Wales Bookshops of the United Kingdom Tourist attractions in Powys River Wye Black Mountains, Wales Bookstore neighbourhoods Communities in Powys Book towns