ABBEY-CWM-HIR

Abbey-Cwm-Hir translates as 'The Abbey of the Long Valley'. Here the burned body of Llewelyn the Last can be found who was killed in 1282 by an English soldier in Cilmeri near Builth. Llewelyn's head was sent to London where it was paraded in front of the public. The Abbey was founded in 1143 by the sons of Madoc, the king of Radnorshire at the time. Sadly all that remains today are some grey stones and the bases of pillars still in their remote and secluded position.

ABERHAFESP

The name Aberhafesp is taken from the brook which flows into the river Severn below the church in the village. 'Aber' meaning mouth of the river; 'haf' meaning summer and 'hesb', meaning dried up, becoming 'the mouth of the summer-dry brook'. The name has been changed by mispronunciation and the passage of time. For instance in 1254 it was known as Aberafth, it was Aberhaves in 1520, Aberhafais in 1592, Aberhawes in 1645 and then settled on Aberhafesp in 1697.

St. Gwynog's Church has been in the village since the 12th century and a large yew tree in the grounds is estimated to be over 8oo years old.

ABERMULE

Abermule sits in a narrow valley at the confluence of the river Severn and the river Mule, hence the name 'the mouth of the river Mule'.
To the north of the village stands Dolforwn Castle, Dolforwyn meaning 'the maid's meadow'. The castle was built by Llewelyn the Last in 1273, and destroyed in 1277 by Edward 1. Much of the land near Abermule, and the village itself used to belong to the Monks of Strata Florida, Cardiganshire. The village evolved with the building of the Cambrian railway in 1862. Abermule was also the starting point of the three mile single track railway to Kerry along the Dingle.

BETTWS CEDEWAIN

The name Bettws Cedewain probably derives from the Welsh 'Betws' meaning prayer house, or bead house, where the number of prayers were counted on a rosary. This place of worship was situated in the parish of Cedewain and lies in a valley on the banks of the River Bechan, a tributary of the Severn. The ancient church founded by St. Beuno contains what is believed to be the only pre-reformation memorial brass in the county, dedicated to the memory of the Reverand John ap Meredyth, for his work in planning and building of the tower. This belfry tower was the location of the first schoolroom in Bettws. Until 1914, most of the properties in the village belonged to the Gregynog estate.

BUILTH WELLS

Builth Wells lies on the southern banks of the river Wye. In Welsh it is known as Llanfair ym Muallt, 'St Mary's in Builth'. The church is at the western end of the town and houses an effigy of John Lloyd of Towy, the first Sheriff and JP in Wales.
During the 14th century an outbreak of plague hit Builth. To prevent further contamination supplies were left for collection on the outskirts of the town and the townsfolk paid for these goods by throwing their money into the brook, so as to cleanse it. This stream can still be found about a mile out of town, and is known as Nant yr Arian 'Money Brook'. Much of the original settlement of Builth was destroyed in the 'Great Fire' of 1691. Builth prospered after the discovery of the local mineral springs, its growth further aided by the opening of the railway.

BWLCH-Y-CIBAU

Bwlch-y-Cibau - 'valley of the acorns' or more poetically, 'the pass of the acorn cups' - lies a few miles west of Llansantffraid. Christ Church in the village was designed by the architect Sir Gilbert Scott and built in 1863. Nearby is the old school closed in 1967, now the meeting place of the village. During the Second World War evacuees from the cities were welcomed to the school. Bwlch had a strong Home Guard, and on one occasion, the wooded area around the village was bombed by German planes. Parry Thomas the celebrated racing driver, was the son of the Vicar in the village. He crashed his car on Pendine Sands in 1927 while attempting a new world record and was killed in the accident. 50 years later, the car that had been buried in the sand was excavated and restored.

CAERSWS

'Caersws', as the prefix Caer suggests, was the site of a Roman camp. The Suffix 'sws' is derived from Swswen, the name of the queen of the area at the time of the Roman occupation. Development of any sort was for a long time forbidden in the part of the village, where the Roman camp was situated. Before the Clywedog Dam was constructed, and a dyke built along the bank through the village, Caersws suffered from severe flooding. Caersws is in the parish of Llanwnog. The old hospital was once a large poor law institution where the magistrate's court was held.

Photos on this page courtesy of Charlotte Owen, CO Photography, Newtown -
01686 625989 www.cophotography.co.uk