Llangynidr is a village,
community and
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 t ...
in
Powys, Wales, about west of
Crickhowell and south-east of
Brecon. The
River Usk
The River Usk (; cy, Afon Wysg) rises on the northern slopes of the Black Mountain (''y Mynydd Du''), Wales, in the westernmost part of the Brecon Beacons National Park. Initially forming the boundary between Carmarthenshire and Powys, it fl ...
flows through the village as does the
Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal. It is in the historic county of
Brecknockshire
, image_flag=
, HQ= Brecon
, Government= Brecknockshire County Council (1889-1974)
, Origin= Brycheiniog
, Status=
, Start= 1535
, End= ...
.
The village
The village is located four miles west of
Crickhowell and nine miles southeast of
Brecon, beside the
River Usk
The River Usk (; cy, Afon Wysg) rises on the northern slopes of the Black Mountain (''y Mynydd Du''), Wales, in the westernmost part of the Brecon Beacons National Park. Initially forming the boundary between Carmarthenshire and Powys, it fl ...
and the
Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal. It is situated on the
B4558 just to the south of where this road diverges from the
A40 trunk road. The stone bridge across the river dates from approximately 1700 and is a
Grade I listed building. The canal has five locks and an aqueduct in the vicinity of the village.
The village is notionally divided into Upper and Lower Llangynidr. The remains of what may be a
medieval reeve
Reeve may refer to:
Titles
*Reeve (Canada), an elected chief executive of some counties, townships, and equivalents
*Reeve (England), an official elected annually by the serfs to supervise lands for a lord
*High-reeve, a title taken by some Englis ...
's house have been discovered in the course of
archaeological
Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...
excavations in the centre of the village. The village has two
public houses, a village shop and a primary school.
History
Sir William Herbert, Knight of
Raglan Castle, was granted the manors of
Tretower Castle and
Crickhowell just after the accession of
Edward IV
Edward IV (28 April 1442 – 9 April 1483) was King of England from 4 March 1461 to 3 October 1470, then again from 11 April 1471 until his death in 1483. He was a central figure in the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars in England ...
in 1442. At that time this village was part of the
manor
Manor may refer to:
Land ownership
*Manorialism or "manor system", the method of land ownership (or "tenure") in parts of medieval Europe, notably England
*Lord of the manor, the owner of an agreed area of land (or "manor") under manorialism
*Man ...
of Tretower.
["An Introduction to the History of Llangynidr" Dorethea Watkins 1986 Langynidr Local History Society]
The land was then in the ownership of the
Earls of Worcester
Earl of Worcester is a title that has been created five times in the Peerage of England.
Five creations
The first creation came in 1138 in favour of the Norman noble Waleran de Beaumont. He was the son of Robert de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Leice ...
until the nineteenth and early twentieth century when much of Llangynidr was part of the
Glanusk Park estate.
On the moors to the southeast of the village lies the
Chartist Cave, the name of which derives from 1839 when
Chartist rebels used the cave to stockpile weapons in advance of their march on
Newport
Newport most commonly refers to:
*Newport, Wales
*Newport, Rhode Island, US
Newport or New Port may also refer to:
Places Asia
*Newport City, Metro Manila, a Philippine district in Pasay
Europe
Ireland
*Newport, County Mayo, a town on the ...
. There is a plaque at the entrance of the cave commemorating their actions.
Until the 20th century, the principal language in Llangynidr was Welsh. For example, in his 1893 book 'Wales and her language', John E Southall, reports that over 60% of the population of Crickhowell and Llangynidr spoke welsh, although the town was only a few miles from more anglicised Abergavenny. Welsh services persisted in at least one chapel in Llangynidr into the 1970s.
References
External links
Photos of Llangynidr and surrounding area on geograph
Further reading
*''Shadows in a Landscape'' (Llangynidr Local History Society, 2000)
*Stories Behind the Stone Cross (Llangynidr Local History Society, 2014)
{{authority control
Villages in Powys
Brecon Beacons
River Usk