- Llandeilo
infobox UK place
country = Wales
welsh_name=
constituency_welsh_assembly= Carmarthen East and Dinefwr
official_name= Llandeilo
unitary_wales=Carmarthenshire
lieutenancy_wales=Dyfed
constituency_westminster= Carmarthen East and Dinefwr
latitude= 51.884055
longitude= -3.999183
post_town= LLANDEILO
postcode_district = SA19
postcode_area= SA
dial_code= 01558
os_grid_reference= SN625225Llandeilo (or Llandilo) is a
town inCarmarthenshire , south-westWales , situated at the crossing of theRiver Tywi by the A483 on an elegant stone bridge.The town is served by
Llandeilo railway station on theHeart of Wales Line .Early history
Llandeilo is named after one of the better known Celtic
saint s of the 6th century,Saint Teilo . The Welsh word 'llan' signified a religious enclosure, normally one dedicated to a particular saint (thus corresponds, today, to 'church of'). Saint Teilo, who was a contemporary ofSaint David thepatron Saint ofWales , established a small monastic settlement or 'clas' on the site of the present-day church.The early history of Llandeilo is therefore closely related to the establishment of
Christianity in the local arena. Although there is very little factual detail about the life of Saint Teilo, the fact that he was highly respected in his lifetime and revered after his death is shown by the forty-five places dedicated to him, some as far afield asBrittany .After Saint Teilo's death, two equally important ecclesiastical centres in Wales, namely Llandaff and St David's, laid claim to his body. There is reasonable evidence to suggest however, that Saint Teilo was buried in Llandeilo, where "he spent a solitary life gloriously". The
parish church of Llandeilo Fawr (Great Llandeilo) is dedicated to Saint Teilo, and until 1880 its churchyard encompassed his baptistry.The early Christian settlement that developed around the Church of Saint Teilo prospered and by the early 9th century it had attained considerable ecclesiastical status as the seat of a Bishop-Abbot. The Church of St Teilo soon became a 'mother church' to the surrounding district, acquiring an extensive estate and possessing one of the principality's most beautiful and finely illustrated manuscripts - the Gospel Book of Saint Teilo. The discovery of fragments of two large
Celtic cross es from this period provide further testimony to Llandeilo's importance and indeed prestige as an early ecclesiastical centre.Towards the end of the ninth century, the importance of Llandeilo as a spiritual centre had started to decline and the Gospel Book of St Teilo was removed to Lichfield where it became commonly known as the Lichfield Gospels and Book of Saint Chad. The Bishops of Lichfield still use this manuscript to swear allegiance to the Crown.
Dinefwr Castle (anglicized as Dynevor) is a spectacular Welsh castle overlooking the River Tywi near the town. It lies on a ridge on the northern bank of the Tywi, with a steep drop of several hundred feet to the river. Dinefwr was the chief seat of the kingdom ofDeheubarth and the seat ofRhys ap Gruffydd , one of the early kings of Wales. The foundations of twoRoman fort s have been discovered in the grounds of the Dinefwr estate, which is in the custody of theNational Trust . The estate ofGolden Grove lies near the town, and further away, the impressiveCarreg Cennen castle , another Welsh stronghold. The remains ofTalley Abbey can be seen six miles away to the north of the town.Medieval period
In the centuries that followed the
Norman Conquest , theBishop of Llandaff andBishop of St David's both claimed Llandeilo for their respectivediocese . By the early 12th century Llandeilo came under the patronage of the Bishopric of St David's, an ecclesiastic borough which became responsible for the affairs of the town including its development as an importantmedieval market centre to an extensive agricultural hinterland. Until the middle of the 20th century, a fair called St Teilo's Fair which had been authorised initially by Edward I in 1290 was held annually in the churchyard. Some of the agricultural produce and other goods offered for sale are recorded to have been displayed on the tombstones. Today the fair has been replaced by a smallfarmers' market , held fortnightly in the same place.1987 rail disaster
In the
Great Storm of 1987 , the floods were so severe that the River Tywi (Towy) overwhelmed the railway bridge crossing the river near Llandeilo. A schoolboy and 3 other people were drowned when the 05:27 train fromSwansea toShrewsbury crashed while crossing the bridge and the bridge collapsed dropping the train into the river.Facts
*Llandeilo hosted the
National Eisteddfod in 1996.
*Llandeilo also hosted the 2008World Sheepdog Trials .
*Near Llandeilo, at Pant-y-llyn, isGreat Britain 's only known turlough (or ephemeral lake).
*Llandeilo is twinned withLe Conquet inBrittany .
*Llandeilo RFC was one of the founding clubs of theWelsh Rugby Union .
*Llandeilo AFC are afootball (soccer) club currently playing in theCarmarthenshire League
*Llandeilo is the birthplace of Stefan Cush - vocalist and guitarist offolk punk bandThe Men They Couldn't Hang .
*Llandeilo was the birthplace of theTomos Watkins brewery.
*At one time Llandeilo produced its own 'Llandeilo Style' banknotes, and this is recorded on a blue plaque on the wall of the building which used to house theBank of the Black Ox .External links
* [http://www.llandeilo.org/ Comprehensive history of Llandeilo]
* [http://www.llandeilo.gov.uk/ Llandeilo town council]
* [http://www.llandeilo.net/ Virtual Llandeilo]
* [http://www.llandeilo-info.co.uk/ Llandeilo info]
* [http://www.geograph.org.uk/search.php?i=2675898 www.geograph.co.uk : photos of Llandeilo and surrounding area]Also see
*
Carmarthen
*Dynevor
*Dinefwr Castle
*Llandovery
*List of National Trust properties in Wales
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