Llandyssil

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Llandyssil
240px
Llandyssil in 1971, looking north
Llandyssil is located in Powys
Llandyssil
Llandyssil
 Llandyssil shown within Powys
Population 1,527 (2011)[1]
Principal area Powys
Country Wales
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town MONTGOMERY
Postcode district SY15
Dialling code 01686
Police Dyfed-Powys
Fire Mid and West Wales
Ambulance Welsh
EU Parliament Wales
UK Parliament Montgomeryshire
List of places
UK
Wales
Powys

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Llandyssil is a village in Powys, Wales, about two miles from the town of Montgomery. The village is within the parish of the same name; in 2001 there were 420 inhabitants in the parish, of whom 300 live in the village itself.[2][3]

Neighbouring Settlements

Llandyssil and its connection with Celtic Saints

File:St Tysul's Church, Llandyssil c1860.jpeg
Old St Tysul's Church, Llandyssil c.1855. From a drawing by Harry Longville Jones.
File:St Tyssul 01.jpg
St Tyssul holding Llandyssill Church. Window in Montgomery church

Llandyssil takes its name from St Tysul, a little known Welsh saint of the 7th century AD.[4] Only two churches in Wales were dedicated to this saint, Llandyssil in Montgomeryshire and Llandysul in Ceredigion and the feast day for this saint was celebrated on 31 January.[5] The old church in the village (largely demolished in 1866) stood in the graveyard to the SE of the present village. This suggests that the present settlement dates back to the period around 700AD. There is also a connection with another early Welsh and Breton saint, St Padarn.[6] On the highland to the south in Cefn y Coed, is the farm Cwm Badarn. The Llandyssil Brook rises in this Cwm or valley, and between Cwm Badarn Farm and the Pinion, is a rock cut spring, that was possibly a Holy Well, dedicated to St Padarn.

Administrative History

In the Medieval period Llandyssil was in the Cantref of Cedewain in the Kingdom of Powys. The parish was divided into four townships: Bolbro, Bronywood (or Bronycoed), Bryntalch and Rhandir. Rhandir, which contained the parish church, was the largest of these townships. It was probably an amalgamation of three other townships; Cefn-y-coed, Coedywig and Trefganol.[7] In 1536 following the Act of Union Llandyssil became part of the new county of Montgomeryshire. For ecclesiastical administraration the parish was in the Bishopric of St Asaph, the Archdeaconry of Montgomery and the Deanery of Cedewain.[8] For Parliamentary representation Llandyssil fell within the County of Montgomery until 1885, when the for electoral purposes, it was included within the Montgomery Boroughs. It was transferred back to the County in 1918, when only one MP represented the Montgomeryshire. With the establishment of the Montgomeryshire County Council in 1894 Llandyssil Parish Council was created, and it was included in Forden Rural District Council. In 1974 as a result of Local Government reform Llandyssil Parish Council became a Community Council within the Montgomeryshire District Council.[9] At this time Llanmerewig was joined with Llandyssil to form the new Community Council and in 1984 this was renamed Abermule with Llandyssil Community Council. At this time, the Community Council covered the old parishes of Llanmerewig and Llandyssil, together with Dolforwyn, which had been a township in Bettws Cedewain parish. In 1996, with the abolition of the Montgomeryshire District Council], the Community Council became part of Powys County Council.

Population and Language

The Census returns are as follows:.[10]

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  • 1801-645
  • 1811-758
  • 1821-870
  • 1831-914
  • 1841-876
  • 1851-808
  • 1861-790
  • 1871-830
  • 1881-890
  • 1891-704
  • 1901-606
  • 1911-626
  • 1921-661
  • 1931-572
  • 1951-509
  • 1961-520

In 1880 a portion of the township of Bolbro was transferred from Llandyssil to Llanmerewig and the size of the parish was reduced from 4187 acres to 3800 acres. This may be reflected in the decrease in population between the 1881 and 1891 censuses.

During the later part of the 18th century it appears that the Welsh language was supplanted by English for general usage in the village.[11] There are some Welsh speakers in the village, but they have mainly come from elsewhere in Montgomeryshire.

Archaeological and Historic Monuments[12]

Llandyssil is particularly rich in archaeological sites especially of the Later Bronze Age and Iron Age[13] To the NE it is overshadowered by Ffridd Faldwyn, possibly the largest Hillfort in Wales, which is adjacent to Town Hill in Montgomery. Most of the sites have been discovered by aerial photography. The main sites are:

Prehistoric[14]

  • Brynderwen Enclosure.NGR SO2064995184 Ditched enclosure close to the river Severn. Late Neolithic Peterborough ware pottery. Dated to c.3350-3000 BC.[15]
  • Cefn Llan Hillfort in Cefnycoed. NGR : SO20579476. Scheduled ancient monument. Enclosure situated on low hill comprising a sub-rectangular platform 60m by 40m (north-south) rising to c1.5m above the ditch. The original entrance is to the south. Site now overgrown and bank starting to erode.[16][17]
  • Cefn Llan Enclosure (to N of Hillfort) Triple ditched enclosure c121m across, triple ditches only visible on the S side the rest being single or double ditched. Linear earthworks to SW could be related.[18]
  • Cloddiau - Possible Late Bronze or Iron Age Cattle Krall or Banjo enclosure[19] with triple banks and funnel entrance[20][21] Triple ditched sub-circular enclosure 92 x 78m enclosing an inner area of 2526m. Well defined entrance to NE with flanking ditches. Excavations in 1993 showed the 4m wide inner ditch was just below the edge of the scarp but no stratigraphy survived either in the rampart or the interior[22][23]
  • Coed y Wig hillfort.[24] NGR : SO1957096216. Iron Age Hillfort revealed by aerial photography. Possible enclosure, treble ditched to SE but only single ditch visible to E. NE part not visible. Site is set on 2 E-W ridges with a broad natural gully between. The ditches seem to be cutting across from one ridge to another
  • Cuckoo Hill Hillfort[25] NGR : SO1829794715 3 ditched ovate enclosure 132.1 x 89.6m with no obvious entrance. Ditches to W show as cropmarks - those to E as parchmarks and slight earthworks. Defences spanning 31m. Located on low SW-NW ridge. Later house platforms cut into earthworks on SE side. Excavation 1993: triple ditched enclosure with earthworks surviving to c.0.2m high, the inner ditch was identified - width 3.7m. No stratigraphy was present. Single rim-sherd of probable Roman date from upper fill of ditch[26][27]
  • Fron Fraith Wood Hillfort[28] NGR : SO1695893508. North-west part of two ditched enclosures, possibly circular with diameter c90m. The ditches are c5m across and there is a possible entrance gap on east. The enclosure is 110m NE/SW by 65m across. Excavated in 1994[26]
  • Goron Ddu Hillfort[29] NGR : SO1860096570 east of Upper Bryntalch farm, on the crest of a short ridge, aligned north-east/south-west, overlooking the river Severn at an altitude of 200m OD, to the N of the village. The site consists of a double banked enclosure with widely spaced ditches. The inner ditch defines an approximately ovate enclosure measuring about 67m north-east/south-west and reducing in width from 62m at the south-west end to 40m at the north-east end. The outer ditch defines a sub-rectangular enclosure with rounded corners, measuring 131m north-east/south-west by about 95m overall. Geophysical survey has shown a concentration of features in the centre of the enclosure, but with insufficient clarity to distinguish round houses.[30]
  • Mount Pleasant Defended Enclosure.[31] NGR : SO1898893669; scheduled ancient monument 1996. Double-ditched enclosure, 94.4m by 110m, with surviving earthworks, partly encapsulated in field boundaries. Excavation in 1994 identified the inner edge of the ditch, inside which were the remains of a clay dump rampart. Inside the rampart were remains of a hearth and grains of spelt wheat, and two post-holes which may have formed part of a four-post structure. Radio Carbon dates from the postholes of 2270-2330BP (Before Present), suggest that the site was occupied in the earlier Iron Age[32]

Roman

  • The Roman Road from Forden Gaer/Lavrobrinta[33] to Caersws runs through the parish along the river, probably largely on the alignment of the B3484 from Caerhowel railway bridge to the Abermule railway bridge. During the construction in 2006 of the “Felin Hafren” housing estate in Abermule, a length of the Roman road was uncovered.

Early Medieval and Norman

  • Brynderwen Motte and Bailey Castle guarding the river Severn crossing. An early castle on the Severn. The motte has gone and the bailey area is occupied by a farm[34][35]
  • Cefn Bryntalch Motte and Bailey castle. To the SW of Cefn Bryntalch house. Earthen motte or ringwork at the NE end of a scarped natural ridge with a cross-ditch dividing it from the bailey[36][37]
  • Mound by Llandyssil Bridge. Suggested barrow, but with flat top and more likely to be a medieval Mill mound. Place names in vicinity such as Cae Melyn and Ty Melyn (Originally Cae Melin and Ty Melin - Welsh for Mill Field and Mill House) may support its identification as a windmill mound for a Post mill.

Church and Chapel Buildings

  • Old Church and Graveyard. The former church of St Tysul stood on the hillside overlooking the village. Now only a stone porch with an 18th-century doorway remains, standing in the churchyard. The single-chambered medieval parish church is shown in a woodcut illustration[38] to have been extensively rebuilt in the 18th century with round arched windows and roof dormers. It had also the most elaborate of the Montgomeryshire timber west bell-towers-a tower which was enclosed by an open gallery, corbelled out from the supporting framework, built inside the nave. Lych Gate to the graveyard by the architect Harold Hughes, of Bangor1907[39]
  • St Tysul. By the architect Thomas Henry Wyatt, 1863-6. Nave with west aisle, chancel, SE tower and spire. The church is orientated N-S rather than the usual E-W orientation. The four-bay arcade to the nave with polished red granite columns ?Shap Marble, with red sandstone and white limestone blocks used to decorate the stone arches. Chancel arch in Early English style. Caen stone and alabaster reredos . Monument to John Pugh (1784). Bells by Mears and Stainbank of Whitechapel[40] and recent clock by Joyce of Whitchurch.
  • Wesleyan Chapel, with Gothic windows, now converted into a house called ‘’The Arches”.
  • Bethesda Presbyterian Chapel, Cefn y Coed. Low building with three bays of cambered sash windows and porch. Founded 1840, but possibly the building is later. A good example of a simple rural chapel. Closed in 2008 and currently unused.

Notable Buildings and Bridges

  • Cefn Bryntalch. The house of 1867–69 by G F Bodley is an important early example of the Queen Anne revival. The house was completed by Philip Webb. The client was Richard Jones, who had made a fortune in the flannel trade. The exterior is of cleanly detailed and well-executed in red brick, with prominent string-courses. The south front with three big gables and a balance of irregular chimneys and near-regular windows, and many C18 features - a hipped roof, two bays, sash-windows, and the central Venetian window. The symmetrical entrance front is rather a C17 vernacular -the west front is picturesque and irregular in contrast, an asymmetrical gable anchored by a shafted chimney; lower tile-hung wing. The interior is neo-Georgian, though the plan is arranged with the main sides at r. angles. The rear Courtyard has one side-a low service range extends from the house, with a stringcourse, and pediment over the doorway. At the North end, a large barn with timber-framing picturesquely closes the vista.[41]
  • Rectory. 1812–14 by the Shrewsbury architect Joseph Bromfield. An attractive and well-preserved Regency design. Stuccoed, with hipped roofs and hoodmoulded windows. The original front was of three bays. The low hip-roofed tower to the rear gives the air of a Picturesque Tuscan villa. The interior of the house was modified, bay windows and a new brick wing was added by Thomas Penson in 1858 for the Rev Henry Foulkes.[42] In 1865, the east range was added to match by Thomas Garland, clerk of works to Thomas Henry Wyatt. He also renewed the veranda, keeping the original iron stantions, but adding wooden circles in the spandrels of the arcade. Grade II listed.[43]
  • Former School, opposite the church and built at the same time. By the architect Thomas Henry Wyatt. Now Village Hall Two-bay school with truncated chimney; gabled master’s house. The interior contains some woodwork from the old church's box pews. The building has recently been restored and a weatherboarded extension added to the south.
  • Phipp’s Tenement. Three-bay farmhouse built of substantial square-timber framing. The dormer gable is dated 1630. At right angles to the main building a timber framed barn[44]
  • Plas Robin. An old stone house which stood on the opposite side of the road to Phipp’s Tenement. Demolished before 1960.
  • Oak House and Smithy (Inn and later village shop), built mainly of local Llandyssil siltstone and dating c1700, with surviving “Montgomeryshire” iron-framed windows. Possibly an Inn when the Old Coach road came through the village. Became the village shop when the Upper House was built. Shop owned by the Varley family and closed in 1959/60.
River Severn, Fron footbridge - geograph.org.uk - 923467
File:Fronfraith Hall, Llandyssil.png
Print of Fronfraith Hall, Llandyssil, 1870
  • Brynderwen Bridge - in the old Llandyssil parish, close to Abermule. A single 109-ft span across the Severn (and a smaller span across the canal) on five iron girders. Designed by Thomas Penson The openwork lettering on the outer ones reads 'This second iron bridge constructed in the county of Montgomery was erected in the year 1852'; 'Thomas Penson, County Surveyor'; 'Brymbo Company, Ironfounders'. The bridge came from Brymbo Ironworks, later steelworks, near Wrexham and would have been transported to the site by the Montgomeryshire Canal. Grade II* listed.[46]
  • Fron Footbridge. An elegant iron suspension footbridge over the river Severn taking a footpath from Severn Villa to Lower Llegodig Farm. Built in 1926 by David Rowell & Co London (Westminster) bridge builders in 1926.
  • Middle Llegodig, Timber-framed lobby-entry house of c. 1700, a late example of its type. In the later C18, the eaves were raised and a matching bay added to the right.
  • Fronfraith Hall, designed by James Pickard of Shrewsbury, c1860 for ?Morris Jones. West wing burnt down in 1966.[47]

Quoiting in Llandyssil

Playing Quoits was a widespread pastime in many rural areas. It had largely died in much of England by the 2nd World War, but after the War enjoyed a revival in Mid-Wales when the quoits were made by a light engineering company in Newtown. In Llandyssil the “Old” or Long Quoits rules were followed. The quoits court was moved to behind the Upper House Public House by 1983, when an international game was played between Wales and Scotland. The Welsh team was captained by Glyn Owen of Llandyssil and other village players were Les Owen and George Mills. The Welsh team lost to Scotland. In the 1991 International match at Llandyssil, when Les Owen was in the team, Wales convincingly beat Scotland 252 to 83. The last championship match was held at Llandyssil in 2003, after which the court was closed. It is to be hoped that the sport might be revived in Llandyssil in the future.[48] [49]

Sheep Dog Trials

The 2012 Welsh National Sheep Dog Trials were held on the field by Llandyssil bridge at Henfron, Llandyssil, between 19 and 21 July 2012 by kind permission of Mr A. & Mrs S. Harding. This brought the village much publicity and was greatly enjoyed by local people[50]

Notable People

  • John Billington (1936- ) British Junior High Jump Champion. AAA championships at Birmingham, 1954, when he cleared 6'0" (1.83metres).[51]
  • Senator Rupert Davies (1879-1967), Canadian politician and newspaper editor, who was born in Welshpool, purchased Fronfraith Hall in 1932 and continued to use it as his home in Wales until he sold it in 1948.[52]
  • Diz Disley (1931–2010), jazz guitarist. Lived in Oak Cottages in the 1930s.
  • Henry Powell Ffoulkes (1815–1886). Rector of Llandyssil 1857–1879 and Archdeacon of Montgomery 1861–1886. Ffoulkes demolished the old Church in Llandyssil, amid considerable criticism.[38] He built the new church on its present site in 1863 at the cost of £3000. He also arranged for the building of the school and schoolhouse. He was a member of the Oxford Movement. A manuscript history of Llandyssil by Foulkes has recently been deposited in the Powys County Archives.[53]
  • Peter Warlock - alias Philip Heseltine (1894–1930). Composer. Lived at Cefn Bryntalch. Composed many of his more important works there and played the organ in Llandyssil Church.
  • Nigel Heseltine (1916–1995), writer and colonial administrator. An illegitimate son of Peter Warlock, who was brought up by the Buckley Jones family at Cefn Bryntalch[54]
  • Rear Admiral Sir Charles Thomas Jones(1778–1853), third son of Charles Thomas Jones of Fronfraith. Saw distinguished service in the Royal Navy and was knighted in 1809. High Sheriff of Montgomeryshire 1832.[55]
  • Brigadier General Lumley O W Jones (1887–1918), son of Richard and Catherine Jones of Cefn Bryntalch. Brigadier General commanding the 13th Infantry Brigade. Chevalier of the Legion of Honour (France) Died of pneumonia 14 September 1918 aged 41 and buried at the Bagneux British Cemetery at Gezaincourt. He had started the war as a captain in 2nd Essex Regiment and took part in nearly every battle on the Western Front. He was the last of 12 British General Officers to die on the Somme[56][57]
File:Otter Hunt.png
Otter Hunt - John Lloyd of Abermule and George Thomas, by Thomas Weaver c.1817

Llandyssil Gallery

References

  1. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. http://www.llandyssil-powys.co.uk/ The population figures are approximate because the 2001 Census figures do not coincide with the historic boundaries of the parish
  3. English E (ed) 1999 "A Collected History of the Communities of Llandyssil, Abermule and Llanmerewig".
  4. Bartrum P C “A Welsh Classical Dictionary: People in History and Legend up to about A.D. 1000”, National Library of Wales, 1993, 630. Tysul’s full name was Tysul ap Corun ap Cunedda - or son of Corun, son of Cunedda
  5. Thomas D R The History of the Diocese of St Asaph, Vol I, Caxton Press, Oswestry 1908 (2 ed.),524.
  6. “Bartrum”, 522-524.
  7. ’‘Thomas’’ Vol 1, 524,
  8. "Thomas" Vol 1, 524
  9. “English”, unpaginated. This provides a very detailed history of the Parish and the successor Community Council,
  10. http://www. history.powys.org.uk/school1/primhome.shtm. "Montgomery and the border district: Victorian Powys”. Powys Digital History Project. This gives information about the census returns - which has been supplemented with information from local directories
  11. Pryce W R T “Changing Language Geographies of Montgomeryshire c1749-1991” in Jenkins D (ed) “The Historical Atlas of Montgomeryshire”, Powysland Club, Welshpool 1999, 118
  12. RCHMW : An Inventory of Ancient Monuments Volume 1, County of Montgomery, HMSO, 1911, 77,
  13. http://www.www.cpat.org.uk/ycom/mont/llandyssil.pdf.
  14. Silvester, Robert J , 2011, Recent Research on Late Prehistoric and Romano-British Enclosures in Montgomeryshire , "The Montgomeryshire Collections" : 99 : 1-26. This provides the most recent survey of the Llandyssil earthworks in their Montgomeryshire context
  15. Gibson, A M & Musson, C R , 1990 , A cropmark enclosure and a sherd of later Neolithic pottery from Brynderwen, Llandyssil, Powys , The Montgomeryshire Collections : 78 : 11-15
  16. “RCHMW” : 77, no 385, no386
  17. http://www://cofiadurcahcymru.org.uk/arch/cpat/english/cpat_interface.html CPAT PRN187
  18. http://www://cofiadurcahcymru.org.uk/arch/cpat/english/cpat_interface.html CPAT PRN3645
  19. http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/.../iha-banjo-enclosures/banjoenclosures.pdf
  20. Chris Musson “Wales from the Air: Patterns of Past and Present” RCAHMW c.1996, 133, excellent air photograph.
  21. ”Musson”, 87
  22. Britnell, W J & Thomas, D , 2010 , Trial excavations on defended enclosure sites in the Llandyssil area of Montgomeryshire in 1993-94 CPAT Report 1042
  23. "Silvester" 2011, 2-4, fig2
  24. http://www.cofiadurcahcymru.org.uk/arch/cpat/english/cpat_interface.html PRN 3717
  25. http://www.archwilio.org.uk CPAT PRN 1822
  26. 26.0 26.1 "Britnell & Thomas" 2010
  27. "Silvester" 2011, 19
  28. http://www.cofiadurcahcymru.org.uk/arch/cpat/english/cpat_interface.html CPAT PRN 3722
  29. http://www.cofiadurcahcymru.org.uk/arch/cpat/english/cpat_interface.html CPAT PRN 155
  30. "Silvester" 2011, 16-17
  31. http://www.cofiadurcahcymru.org.uk/arch/cpat/english/cpat_interface.html CPAT PRN7500
  32. "Silvester" 2011, 19, fig11, for plan of site
  33. “Musson” 88-89, with excellent aerial photograph pf the Roman fort
  34. RCHMW : “An Inventory of Ancient Monuments Volume 1, County of Montgomery”, HMSO, 1911, 77, no 386
  35. http://www.Coflein NPRN 306271
  36. RCHMW : An Inventory of Ancient Monuments Volume 1, County of Montgomery, HMSO, 1911, 77, no 387
  37. Musson C, “Montgomeryshire Past and Present from the Air”, The Powysland Club, 2011, 93, Col. Plate
  38. 38.0 38.1 "Archaeologia Cambrensis" 125-132 and 269-272
  39. "Thomas" 524-529
  40. "Thomas" 524-529
  41. Haslam R Powys: The Buildings of Wales Penguin, London 1979, 75
  42. Foulkes Parish Notes, Llandyssil Church Records, Powys County Archives
  43. “Llandyssil Rectory: its architecture and building history” Montgomeryshire Collections, Vol. 90, 2002, 99-108.
  44. Peter Smith "Houses of the Welsh Countryside" 2nd ed, 1988, HMSO/RCAHMW, fig. 177a
  45. shown on Llandyssil Tithe Map of 1849- photocopy in Powys Archives, Llandrindod
  46. C. R. Anthony “Penson’s Progress: the work of a 19th-century county surveyor”, Montgomeryshire Collections, 1995, Vol 83, 115-175.
  47. "English" Section 6.1
  48. http://www.lindahome.co.uk/Quoits1/ABindex.htm
  49. The History of Quoits in Wales http://www.ukquoits.org
  50. http://www.sheepdogchampionships.co.uk/welsh/2012.htm
  51. htmp://www.gbr athletics.com/bc/bc3.htm
  52. “English’’, 6, section 1
  53. Brown R L , Henry Powell Ffoulkes, Archdeacon of Montgomery. The Montgomeryshire Collectons, Vol 94, 2006, 131-142
  54. Meic Stephens (ed) "The New Companion to the Literature of Wales", 2nd edition, UWP, 1998, 317
  55. Richard Williams “Montgomeryshire Worthies", Newtown (1884), 59
  56. http://www. twgpp.org/information.php?id=2776855, with photograph of headstone
  57. http://www.ww1wargraves.co.uk/ww1_cemeteries/ww1_cemetery_b.asp
  58. Frazer Thomas. George Thomas of Llandyssil, 1786–1859. The Montgomeryshire Collectons, Vol 97, 2009, 101-121
  59. "TV presenter Iolo Williams says 'sign the petition'", County Times (Welshpool), 13 May 2013.

External links