Llowes is a small village in the

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 ...

of Glasbury,

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. The village has approximately 110 inhabitants (2005). The nearest town is

Hay-on-Wye Hay-on-Wye, or simply Hay (; or simply ), is a market town and community (Wales), community in Powys, Wales. With over twenty bookshops, it is often described as a book town, "town of books"; it is both the National Book Town of Wales and the s ...

, some 3 miles (5 km) to the south-east.

History

St. Meilig and St. Meilig's Cross

The parish church is dedicated to St. Meilig, who is said to have founded a monastery in the 6th century at Croesfeilig near the village and to be buried there. Meilig may have been one of the sons of Caw and brother to St.

Gildas Gildas (English pronunciation: , Breton language, Breton: ''Gweltaz''; ) — also known as Gildas Badonicus, Gildas fab Caw (in Middle Welsh texts and antiquarian works) and ''Gildas Sapiens'' (Gildas the Wise) — was a 6th-century Britons (h ...

. He is mentioned in

Culhwch and Olwen ''Culhwch and Olwen'' () is a Welsh tale that survives in only two manuscripts about a hero connected with Arthur and his warriors: a complete version in the Red Book of Hergest, , and a fragmented version in the White Book of Rhydderch, . It ...

as one of the knights in the court of

King Arthur According to legends, King Arthur (; ; ; ) was a king of Great Britain, Britain. He is a folk hero and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain. In Wales, Welsh sources, Arthur is portrayed as a le ...

. The church was completely rebuilt in 1853, though the base of the tower may be medieval and the iron-banded font is thought to be 12th century. St. Meilig's Cross, which originally stood at its eponymous site (Croesfeilig), was moved in the 12th century to the churchyard, and in 1956 (to prevent further erosion) into the church itself. The cross, carved into a standing stone, is believed to date either to the 6th or 7th century or to the 11th century. Local legend referred to the cross as "Moll Walbee's Stone", claiming it was thrown there by "Moll Walbee" or Maud de St. Valery, the immensely strong and indomitable wife of William de Braose, lord of

castle. Whilst carrying stones in her apron from the quarry at Glasbury to rebuild the castle, one fell into her shoe. She pulled it out and angrily threw it over 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 ...

to land in Llowes churchyard.

Notable people

* Francis Kilvert (1840–1879), curate of the nearby village of

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 ...

from 1865 to 1872. Llowes is mentioned several times in his published diaries and a sundial, inscribed in his memory, can be found in the parish churchyard.Barber, Exploring Kilvert Country * Colonel

Richard Garnons Williams Colonel Richard Davies Garnons Williams (15 June 1856 – 27 September 1915) was a British Army officer and Welsh rugby union player who represented , Brecon and Newport. He played in the first Wales international rugby union match in 1881. ...

(1856–1915), a British Army officer and Welsh rugby union player who represented Wales, Brecon and Newport.

Notes

External links

www.geograph.co.uk : photos of Llowes and surrounding area
{{authority control Glasbury Villages in Powys