In 1870-72, John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described Llanddewi Brefi like this:
LLANDDEWI-BREFI, a village and a parish in Tregaron district, Cardigan. The village stands on the N slope of Craig-Twrch, near the river Teifi, the Sarn-Helen way, and the Lampeter, Tregaron, and Llanidloes railway, which was in course of formation in 1866,3¼ miles S by W of Tregaron; and has a post office under Carmarthen. ...
It is an ancient place, once important, though now small; it was the scene of a synod, in 519, held for checking Pelagianism, and where St. Dubricins resigned his episcopal or archiepiscopal charge to St. David; it has remains of a collegiate establishment, founded in 1 187 by Bishop Bec; and it was, for a time, intended to be the site of Dr. Burgess's college, afterwards erected at Lampeter. The parish contains the chapelries of Garthely and Blaenpenal, and the townships of Gwynfil, Llanio, Gogoyan, Garth and Ystrad, Prisk and Carfan, Gorwydd, Dothie-Camddwr, and Dothie-Piscottwr. Acres, 36,252. Real property £6,487. Pop., 2,574. Houses, 532. Foelall is a chief residence. Plâs Llanfair is a ruined mansion. Much of the land is hill and mountain. A picturesque route, traversable only by a pedestrian, goes from the village up the vale of the Brenig. The Roman station Loventium, on the Sarn-Helen way, was at the site of Llanio farm-house; three stones, with Roman inscriptions were found here, and one of them is used as a seat at the farm-door; coinspottery, and other Roman relics also have been found, and the foundations of an ancient building, called Caer; Castell, were discovered in a neighbouring field. A battle was fought in the parish in 1073, when the princes of Powys vanquished Rhys ap Owen and Rhyddarch ap Caradog. The living is a p. curacy, united with the p. curacy of Llanbadarn-Odwyn, in the diocese of St. David's. Value, £146. Patrons, the Earl of Lisburne and R. Price, Esq. The church is early English, modernized; was founded in 1187, by Bishop Bec; and contains some old monuments. A pillar stone, 7 feet high, called St. David's staff, also is here. The p. curacies of Garthely and Blaenpenal are separate benefices. There is an endowed school with £10 a year.
Llanddewi Brefi through time
Llanddewi Brefi is now part of Ceredigion district. Click here for graphs and data of how Ceredigion has changed over two centuries. For statistics about Llanddewi Brefi itself, go to Units and Statistics.
GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of Llanddewi Brefi, in Ceredigion and Cardiganshire | Map and description, A Vision of Britain through Time.
URL: https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/20350
Date accessed: 14th May 2024
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