In 1870-72, John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described Aberaeron like this:
ABERAYRON, a small seaport town and a district in Cardigan. The town stands in the parishes of Henfynyw, and Llanddewi-Aberarth, at the mouth of the Ayron river, 16 miles SSW of Aberystwith, and 13 miles NW of Lampeter r. station. It has two piers, enclosing a small harbour, and owns about 40 vessels. ...
It was long a retired village, but has become a market-town and an esteemed watering-place. The views around it are delightful; and the climate is about the healthiest in South Wales. The town has a post office‡ under Carmarthen, a comfortable hotel, warm baths, a town hall, a new sub parochial church, and three dissenting chapels, Indedent, Calvinistic Methodist, and Wesleyan. The church is served by a perpetual curate, who is appointed by the inhabitants, and has a salary of £50. The quarter sessions for the county are held at Aberayron in Jan., April, July, and Oct.; and markets are held on Wednesday and Saturday, and a fair on 13 Dec. A circular camp, called Castell Cadwgan, and believed to have been formed in 1148 by Cadwgan ap Bleddyn, is on the shore. Mynach dy, the seat of the proprietor of the town, is in the neighbourhood, and is supposed to occupy the site of a monastery. Pop. of the town not separately returned.—The district of Aberayron comprehends the subdistrict of Llandisilio, containing the parishes of Dihewid, Llanarth, Llandisilio Gogo, Llanllwchaiarn, and Llanina, and the subdistrict of Llansaintffraid, containing the parishes of Llanfihangel-Ystrad, Cilcennin, Cilie-Aeron, Llanerch-Ayron, Henfynyw, Llanddewi-Aberarth, Llanbadarn-Tref-Eglwys, and Llansaintffraid. Acres, 67,704; of which 556 are water. Poor-rates in 1866, £5,109. Pop. in 1841, 12,875; in 1861, 13,540. Houses, 3,163. Marriages in 1866, 82; births, 405,-of which 47 were illegitimate; deaths, 239,-of which 51 were at ages under 5 years, and 13 at ages upwards of 85. Marriages in the ten years 1851-60, 880; births, 3,953; deaths, 2,643. The places of worship in 1851 were 16 of the Church of England, with 3,537 sittings; 11 of Independents, with 3,168 s.; 11 of Calvinistic Methodists, with 3,260 s.; 3 of Wesleyan Methodists, with 330 s.; 2 of Baptists, with 360 s.; and 4 of Unitarians, with 698 s. The schools in 1851 were 12 public day schools, with 930 scholars; 15 private day schools, with 537 s.; and 44 Sunday schools, with 5,121 s. The workhouse is in Llanddewi-Aberarth.
Aberaeron through time
Aberaeron is now part of Ceredigion district. Click here for graphs and data of how Ceredigion has changed over two centuries. For statistics about Aberaeron itself, go to Units and Statistics.
GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of Aberaeron, in Ceredigion and Cardiganshire | Map and description, A Vision of Britain through Time.
URL: https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/670
Date accessed: 01st May 2024
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