Llangynwyd Middle () is a

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 ...

Bridgend County Borough Bridgend County Borough () is a county borough in the south-east of Wales. The county borough has a total population of 139,200 people, and contains the town of Bridgend, after which it is named. Its members of the Senedd are Sarah Murphy ...

, south

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 ...

. It is located to the south of

Maesteg Maesteg (; ) is a town and community in Bridgend County Borough, Wales. Maesteg lies at the northernmost end of the Llynfi Valley, close to the border with Neath Port Talbot. In 2011, Maesteg had a population of 20,612. The English translatio ...

and contains the villages of Llangynwyd and Cwmfelin. At the 2001 census, the population of the community was 2,843, increasing to 3,032 at the 2011 Census. The community is the northern part of the old parish of Llangynwyd, and was created by government reorganisation in 1974. The majority of Llangynwyd Middle is made up of hilly farmland and is sparsely populated. The River Llynfi flows through the community alongside the A4063, the main road linking Maesteg in the north and

Bridgend Bridgend (; or just , meaning "the end of the bridge on the Ogmore") is a town in the Bridgend County Borough of Wales, west of Cardiff and east of Swansea. The town is named after the Old Bridge, Bridgend, medieval bridge over the River Og ...

town in the south.

History

The community of Llangynwyd Middle makes up most of the old parish of Llangynwyd once known as yr Hen Blwyf (the old parish). One of the first areas of upland

Glamorgan Glamorgan (), or sometimes Glamorganshire ( or ), was Historic counties of Wales, one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolishment in 1974. It is located in the South Wales, south of Wales. Originally an ea ...

to come under the rule of the

Normans The Normans (Norman language, Norman: ''Normaunds''; ; ) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norsemen, Norse Viking settlers and locals of West Francia. The Norse settlements in West Franc ...

, it became known as

Tir Iarll ; ), is the traditional name of an area of Glamorgan, Wales, which has long had a particular resonance in Welsh culture. In medieval times Tir Iarll was a cwmwd covering the present-day parishes of Llangynwyd, Betws, Cynffig and Margam. It l ...

(the earl's land) and was believed to be annexed by Robert, Earl of Gloucester. A castle was built there in the 12th century, though the fortification, now known as Llangynwyd Castle, was first mentioned in 1246. The castle was destroyed in 1257, probably by

Llywelyn ap Gruffudd Llywelyn ap Gruffudd ( – 11 December 1282), also known as Llywelyn II and Llywelyn the Last (), was List of rulers of Gwynedd, Prince of Gwynedd, and later was recognised as the Prince of Wales (; ) from 1258 until his death at Cilmeri in 128 ...

. The castle was partially rebuilt by Gilbert de Clare during the 1260s, but was again sacked in the riots of 1294-5. This time the castle was left ruinous and today only basic masonry and foundation stones can be seen. Despite falling under early Norman rule, the area around Llangynwyd remained rooted in Welsh traditions, and became a centre of Welsh literary tradition, and is connected with Welsh medieval poets, such as

Rhys Brydydd Rhys Brydydd (fl. mid-15th century) was a Welsh language poet from Tir Iarll, Glamorgan, south Wales. Only four of his compositions survive, all of them cywyddau. Personal life He was either the brother or father of Gwilym Tew and the father of ...

Rhisiart ap Rhys Rhisiart ap Rhys (fl. c. 1495 – c. 1510) was a Welsh-language poet from the cwmwd of Tir Iarll, Glamorgan. He was the son of Rhys Brydydd and nephew, in all probability, to the poet Gwilym Tew Gwilym Tew (floruit, fl. 1460 – 1480) was ...

and

Gwilym Tew Gwilym Tew (floruit, fl. 1460 – 1480) was a Welsh language, Welsh-language poet and manuscript copyist from Tir Iarll, Glamorgan. It is probable that his father was the poet Rhys Brydydd and that another poet of the same family, Rhisiart ap Rhy ...

. During the 14th century, a church dedicated to St Cynwyd was raised, which gives its name to the community. The church, built with a square unbuttressed western tower, was greatly restored between 1891-3 by G.E. Halliday. Ann Maddocks the 'Maid of Cefn Ydfa', is buried in the churchyard.

References

External links

Map showing the community boundaries of Llangynwyd Middle
{{Bridgend Communities in Bridgend County Borough