Mynachlog-ddu () is a village,

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or ...

and

community A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, villag ...

in the

Preseli Hills The Preseli Hills or, as they are known locally and historically, Preseli Mountains, (Welsh: ''Mynyddoedd y Preseli / Y Preselau'' , ) is a range of hills in western Wales, mostly within the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. The range stret ...

, Pembrokeshire, Wales. The community includes the

of Llangolman.

Origin of the name

The

Welsh placename The place-names of Wales derive in most cases from the Welsh language, but have also been influenced by linguistic contact with the Romans, Anglo-Saxons, Vikings, Anglo-Normans and modern English. Toponymy in Wales reveals significant featur ...

means "black monastic grange": before the Dissolution of the Monasteries, the parish belonged to

St Dogmaels Abbey The Abbey of St. Mary (also known as St. Dogmaels Abbey) is Grade I listed ruined abbey in St Dogmaels in Pembrokeshire, Wales, on the banks of the River Teifi and close to Cardigan and Poppit Sands. It is the ruins of a medieval abbey, origin ...

Geography

Mynachlog-ddu sits on a plateau above sea level between

Carn Menyn Carn Menyn is a grouping of craggy rock outcrops or tors in the Preseli Hills in the Wales, Welsh county of Pembrokeshire. Name and location The name means "butter rock". It is sometimes called Carn Meini ("rock of stones"), but this is a mod ...

(365m) and Foel Dyrch (368m) in the Preseli Hills.

History

Mynachlog-ddu and the surrounding Preselis are rich in prehistoric remains. It is one of the possible sites of the Battle of Mynydd Carn in 1081. By c.1100 it was under the control of the Normans. Much has been unenclosed moorland since the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

, with few houses. The village developed as housing for slate quarry workers and there has been a chapel in the village since 1794. The population of the parish in 1821 was 447. Entering Mynachlog-ddu - geograph

Carn Menyn is presumed to be the source of the

bluestone Bluestone is a cultural or commercial name for a number of dimension or building stone varieties, including: * basalt in Victoria, Australia, and in New Zealand * dolerites in Tasmania, Australia; and in Britain (including Stonehenge) * felds ...

s used in the inner circle of

Stonehenge Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England, west of Amesbury. It consists of an outer ring of vertical sarsen standing stones, each around high, wide, and weighing around 25 tons, topped by connecting ...

. In 2000/2001 a project was established to try to transport a piece of bluestone from the village to Stonehenge. The project ended when the stone sank in the sea. It was lifted out a few months after, but the project was never resumed. A comedy based on the idea of a campaign to have the bluestones returned

Bringing Back the Bluestones ''Bringing Back the Bluestones'' is a stage play by Derek Webb about a pressure group from Pembrokeshire campaigning to have the Stonehenge bluestones returned to Wales. It followed the fortunes of Roy Brown as he sets up the group, Carreg Las (W ...

premiered in Pembrokeshire. There are six listed structures in the community.

Worship

There are two places of worship in the village: the Anglican church (

Church in Wales The Church in Wales ( cy, Yr Eglwys yng Nghymru) 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 pos ...

) of

St Dogfael Saint Dogmael (or Docmael, Dogfael, Dogmeel, Dogwel, Toel) was a 6th-century Welsh monk and preacher who is considered a saint. His feast day is 14 June. Life Dogmael (or Dogfael, Dogwel) was of the house of Cunedda, descended from the kings of W ...

(sometimes, Dogmael), and Bethel, the

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christianity, Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe ...

meeting house.

Notable people

* The poet Waldo Williams (1904–1971) was a pupil at the primary school (where his father was headteacher) between 1911 and 1915, where he learned to speak Welsh. There is a memorial to him at nearby Rhos Fach. * Dutch naval officer and Colditz prisoner of war camp escapee

Damiaen Joan van Doorninck Damiaen J. van Doorninck (29 August 1902 Vught, Netherlands - 24 September 1987, Mynachlog-ddu, Wales

(1902–1987) spent his retirement in Mynachlogddu and died there.

References

External links

Further historical information and sources on GenukiPhotos of Mynachlog-Ddu and surrounding area on geograph.org.uk
{{authority control Villages in Pembrokeshire Communities in Pembrokeshire