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Lampeter

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"LAMPETER (LLAN-BEDR) PONT-STEPHEN, a borough, market-town, and parish, partly in the upper division of the hundred of TROEDYRAUR, but chiefly in that of the hundred of MOYTHEN, county of CARDIGAN, SOUTH WALES, 27 Miles (E) from Cardigan, and 203 (W. by N.) from London, containing, with the hamlet of Trêvycoed 1317 inhabitants. The name signifies the church of St. Peter, the distinguishing appellation having been added from the erection of a bridge over the river Teivy, at the distance of about half a mile, as has been vaguely conjectured, by King Stephen, in one of his inroads into Wales......."
[From Samuel Lewis's A Topographical Dictionary of Wales 1833]

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Business & Commerce Records

Details of extant records on Archives Network Wales for the following;

  • D. Lloyd and Son (Solicitors), records "D. Lloyd and Son was a firm of solicitors in Lampeter, active between 1842 and 1930. ....... acted at various periods as clerks to the Guardians of the Lampeter Poor Law Union, the Lampeter Borough Council, the Lampeter and Llanybydder Rural District Councils, the Lampeter Petty Sessions, the Lampeter Local Government Board and the Lampeter Gas Company"

Held at Ceredigion Archives;

  • C19 and C20 sale posters from the Caxton Hall Press at Lampeter
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Church History

Some church and chapel data from The Religious census of 1851 : A Calendar of the returns relating to Wales, Vol 1, South Wales. Ed. by I.G Jones, & D. Williams. UWP, Cardiff, 1976. The names are those of the informants

  • St Peters, or in Welsh Llanbedr, corrupted into Lampeter Llewelyn Llewellin, Vicar

Parish entry from The Welsh Church Year Book, 1929 (Cd by Archive CD Books).

  • St Peter & Maestir St Mary & Pentrebach St John
  • Incumbent and Curates; D W Thomas (E J Harries)
  • Rural Deanery of Lampeter
  • Acreage 6,353 ; Population 2,174

St Mary's Church, Maestir, Lampter - photograph on Dyfed FHS

St Peter's Church, Lampeter - photograph on Dyfed FHS

Anglican church, Pentrebach - photograph on Dyfed FHS under Llanwnen

See Chapels database

Various items  - on the People's Collection Wales site

  • Shop Invoice for pastries and bread purchased for the Soar Congregational Church Social in Lampeter from Charles Evans, General Merchant, Baker and Confectioner, Mark Lane Stores, Lampeter in December 1924 
  • ST PETER'S CHURCH, LAMPETER
  • Programme for a Calvinist Methodist hymn festival held in Lampeter. Held on 9th June 1926. Teifi and Lower Aeron valleys.
  • Program for the Gymanfa Ganu of the Carmarthenshire and Cardiganshire Baptist Union at Noddfa Chapel, taking place on the 7th, 8th and 9th of June 1915. 
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Church Records

See Notes on Church/Chapel Records page

Parish Register;
Baptisms 1695-1805, 1813-1937, Maestir 1869-85. Marriages 1739-44, 1746-92, 1795-1970 [Banns 1824-57].
Burials 1695-1805, 1813-1968 NLW/Cer.RO
Copy manuscripts PR CB 1695-1745 M 1739-44 NLW. CB 1695-1734 Welsh Gazette[1903-5]
Bishops Transcripts;
1799-1808, 1811-17, 1823-37, 1839-80 NLW

See Bap/Mar/Bur data on FreeReg

I.G.I; Baptisms 1799-1875

St Peter's Church, Lampeter. Provided by Stephen Thomas, here is a database of information recorded from headstones in the churchyard by a group of students studying Archaeology at University College of Wales, Lampeter

The vestry book of the parish of Lampeter for the period 1777-1803.  National Library of Wales/digital gallery/archives

Nonconformist Chapels; see Chapels database

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Description & Travel

Lampeter Castle - on Castle Wales

Various items - on the People's Collection Wales site

  • Various landscapes 
  • Various railway related items
  • A guide of Lampeter containing descriptive letterpress, map and pictures.

Lampeter - on Wikipedia

Description of a hamlet in Lampeter parish from Samuel Lewis's A Topographical Dictionary of Wales 1833.

"TRÊV Y COED, a hamlet forming that part of the parish of LAMPETER which is in the upper division of the hundred of TROEDYRAUR, county of CARDIGAN, SOUTH WALES, 3 Miles (W. by S.) from Lampeter, containing 120 inhabitants. This hamlet forms a detached portion of the hundred of Troedyraur, and is situated nearly in the centre of that of Moythen. It lies on the road from Lampeter to Cardigan, and extends to the river Teivy. Neuadd, the neat residence of Thomas Jones, Esq., standing on a well wooded eminence, north of the turnpike road, forms a conspicuous and pleasing object in the approach to Lampeter. Here was formerly a chapel of ease to the mother church, but it has long since been demolished. This hamlet is assessed for the support of the poor with Lampeter, though in a different hundred."

Evans, David C Rhydlan Deifi: with Maenor Crug y Whyl and the surrounding district Transactions of the Cardiganshire Antiquarian Society Vol 7 1930 Welsh Journals Online

Jones, A. R. T.and Weight Matthews, A. Lampeter ... Illustrated . Aberystwyth, 1905

Official guide to Lampeter, Ceredigion, Dyfed. Aberystwyth : 'The Cambrian News', [1985?]

Llanbedr Pont Steffan a rhan uchaf Dyffryn Teifi mewn hen luniau . Stroud : Sutton, 1990.

Hunt & Co.'s Directory & Topography for the cities of Gloucester & Bristol, and the towns of ...... Aberystwith, ........Lampeter.............. London, 1849

Price, M R C. The Lampeter, Aberayron and New Quay Light Railway. Oakwood, 1995

Sanders, I J. The borough of Lampeter in the early fourteenth century (NLW's site) Ceredigion, Vol IV

You can see pictures of Lampeter which are provided by:

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Directories

Pigot & Co. South Wales Directory for 1830. Here are some Extracts relating to Lampeter

Pigot & Co. South Wales Directory for 1844. Here are some Extracts relating to Lampeter

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Gazetteers

The transcription of the section for Lampeter from The National Gazetteer (1868) provided by Colin Hinson.

Description of the parish of Lampeter from A Topographical Dictionary of Wales (1833) by Samuel Lewis.

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Genealogy

Cardiganshire Families

Held at Ceredigion Archives;

  • Notebook of Emily Lloyd 1871. A set of letters to her family written by a Lampeter 10 year old.

Books marked * have an entry on the separate 'Review/Contents' page.

Edmunds, William. On some old families in the neighbourhood of Lampeter, Cardiganshire. Tenby: R. Mason (1860) pp. 45. 23 cm.

*Phillips, Bethan . Peterwell. The history of a mansion and its infamous squire.This is the well-researched history of Sir Herbert Lloyd (1720-1769) and the mansion of Peterwell, also called Ffynnonbedr, that is today a pile of stones just outside Lampeter.Cymdeithas Lyfrau Ceredigion : 1997.

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History

Evans, George Eyre. Lampeter. Aberystwyth : William Jones, 1905.

Lewis, W. J. A history of Lampeter . Ceredigion County Council, 1997.

Llambed ddoe [Lampeter yesterday]. Llandysul : Gomer, 1994.

Meyrick, Sir Samuel Rush.(1783-1848) The History and Antiquities of the county of Cardigan. Collected from the few remaining documents which have escaped the ravages of time, as well as from actual observation. Longman: London ,1810. The history and antiquities of the County of Cardigan ... to which are now added a parliamentary history, list of High Sheriffs, some notes on the present county families, &c., &c. repr. Brecon: 1907. This 1907 print has now been reprinted. The section relating to this parish is on pages 218/24; the last 3 incumbents of the church were the Rev William Williams, Rev Phillips, Rev Eleazer Williams. mentions Peterwell mansion, Mynydd Hywell, & Maes y Felin

Sampson, Aylwin. Llanbedr Pont Steffan - Lampeter.

Town and parish of Lampeter War memorial Book Lampeter, 1921

Various items  - on the People's Collection Wales site

  • Thomas Morgan 1866-1942 ready for the Lampeter Assizes. Probably outside the gates to Lampeter College 
  • Official programme for the opening of Queen Victoria Memorial Hall, Lampeter 1905. Also contains a short illustrated guide to Lampeter.
  • Lampeter Agriculture Show celebrating their centenary
  • Summary of all the information relative to Lampeter laid before Parliament since March 1831
  • Lampeter, c. 1875
  • Harford Square and High Street Lampeter. postcard c1940
  • Rent Receipt from 1893. One of a bundle held in the Lampeter Museum collection.
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Land & Property

Held at the NLW ;

  • Derry Ormond. Records of the Derry Ormond estate , near Lampeter, 1621-1927, mainly dating from the late C18 after its acquisition by the family of Jones, later Inglis-Jones.
  • Records of the Falcondale and Peterwell estates of the Harford family, C18-C19, and of the borough of Lampeter, 1741-1848. Also, records of the estate of Lloyd, later Adams, later Harford, of Peterwell, Lampeter, deeds 1696-1871, estate papers C19-C20.
  • Glandenys. Deeds relating to the Lampeter and Llandovery areas of Cardiganshire and Carmarthenshire, 1650-1890, including the Glandenys estate
  • Cardiganshire Rentals ;
    18. Lordship of Mebwynion, 1924 (Ciliau Aeron, Dihewyd, Lampeter, Llanfihangel Ystrad).

Held at Ceredigion Archives;

  • Tithe apportionment for Lampeter [ 1839 & 1873]

Inglis Jones, Elisabeth Derry - Ormond (NLW's site) Ceredigion Vol II

Lloyd-Johnes, Herbert J. A Peterwell sale catalogue of 1781 (NLW's site) Ceredigion Vol 1

Phillips. Bethan. Peterwell.

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Maps

Plan of the parish of Lampeter Pont Stephen in the County of Cardigan  - on the People's Collection Wales site

Parish map (Kain/Oliver)

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SN561486 (Lat/Lon: 52.117119, -4.103179), Lampeter which are provided by:

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Medical Records

Invoice for doctor or surgeon's attendance on Mr Davies, Tynffynon, Maestir, Lampeter by Evan Evas, M.B., and J. Albert Evans, M.R.C.S., L.R.C.P. of The Oaklands, Lampeter from 11th December, 1928 to 9th July, 1934.   - on the People's Collection Wales site

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Military History

 Cardiganshire Home Guard December 1944. Photo taken outside Soar Chapel, Lampeter.   - on the People's Collection Wales site

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Names, Geographical

Places, villages, farms etc within Lampeter as shown on the online parish map from the CD of Historic Parishes of England and Wales: an Electronic Map of Boundaries before 1850 with a Gazetteer and Metadata [computer file]. (Kain, R.J.P., Oliver, R.R.). (Extracted by Gareth Hicks)

  • Lampeter (75); Aberystwyth & Carmarthen GWR; Allt-goch; Banc y Moelfre; Berth-lwyd; Blaen-wern; Castell; Cas.(Castell Allt-goch); Cas. (Castell Olwen); College; Dolau gwyrddon; Falcondale; Hendryd; Lampeter Rural; Lampeter Town; Lampeter Urban; Lletty-twppa Wood; Llwyn-cnau; Maestir; Maes-y-pwll; Moelfre; Nant Creuddyn; Nant Gwragedd ?; Olwen; Pentre-bach; Peterwell; Stone Circle; Upper Forest; Warren
  • Tref-y-coed (76); Dre-fach; Ffynnon-Fair; Nant Gwragedd ?; Neuadd-fawr;
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Occupations

Various items  - on the People's Collection Wales site

  • Conti Bros - Ice Cream Distribution c 1925 (Ystradgynlais, Builth or Lampeter)
  • Contis Cafe, 5 Harford Square, Lampeter, 2008.
  • Lampeter Farmer's Cooperative Creamery, The Quarry, Lampeter. Established 1903 - 04.
  • Shop Invoice for goods purchased from Charles Evans, Mark Lane Mill, Llysteify, Lampeter; Corn and Flour Merchant; Manufacturer of Welsh Cardi Meal and Welsh Oatmeal by Mr T Davies, Tynffynon, Llanbeder. Invoice paid on 8 January 1943.
  • Shop invoice from Tom Jones, Ystrad House, 3 & 4, College Street, Lampeter; Linen and Woolen Draper, Tailor, Outfitter. Jacket and vest bought by Mr Davies, Maesglas, Lampeter. Dated February 1900.
  • Shop Invoice from Thomas Thomas, Boro' Stores, Lampeter; Grocer,Seedsman, Game Dealer, Fish, Fruit and Potato Merchant for a wreath bought by Mr T. Davies in 1925
  • Shop Invoice from Charles Evans, Mark Lane Stores, Lampeter; Wholesale Corn, Flour, Cheese, Bacon and Egg Merchant. For various items of animal feed purchased by Mr Thomas Davies, Tynffynon, Lampeter. February 1923
  • Shop Invoice for pastries and bread purchased for the Soar Congregational Church Social in Lampeter from Charles Evans, General Merchant, Baker and Confectioner, Mark Lane Stores, Lampeter in December 1924 
  • Shop Invoice from D.M.Jones, Blaenpant House, High St. Lampeter. Welsh bacon Curer,Egg and Butter Merchant.No telephone but has a telegraphic address for telegrams. 1903
  • Shop Invoice from J.W. Davies. High Street, Lampeter; Furnishing and General ironmonger, Dealer in Cutlery, Agricultural Implements and Machines. Attends Aberystwyth market every Monday; Tregaron every Tuesday and Fair days 1923
  • Shop Receipt from T.J. Jenkins, 41 High Street, Lampeter; Saddler, Boot & Shoe Repairer. 1934
  • An Indenture dated 29 April 1914 in respect of Watkin Evan Jones, Church Hill, Lampeter.

Price, M.R.C. The Lampeter, Aberayron and New Quay Light Railway. Oakwood Press: 1995

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Poor Houses, Poor Law

Lampeter Workhouse - on Peter Higginbotham's site

Plans for a proposed workhouse at Lampeter, 1875 - on the People's Collection Wales site

Details of extant records on Archives Network Wales for the following;

  • Cardiganshire Board of Guardians Records 1834-1936
    "Records relating to the Cardiganshire Board of Guardians, including Cardigan Union, 1834-1935; Newcastle Emlyn Union, 1916-1925; Lampeter Union, 1871-1930; Tregaron Union, 1912-1929; Aberayron Union, 1854-1922; and Aberystwyth Union, 1878-1936."
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Public Records

Details of extant records on Archives Network Wales for the following;

  • Lampeter Borough Council Records 1879-1974
  • Lampeter Rural District Council Records 1895-1966

Held at the NLW ;

  • Records from the office of D. Lloyd & Son, Lampeter, solicitors, including general letter-books of the firm, 1853-1920; and letter-books of Lampeter Union 1842-1930; Lampeter Borough Council, 1892-1922; Lampeter and Llanybydder Rural District Councils, 1895-1922.

Held at Ceredigion Archives;

  • Plans of Llandeilo and Lampeter Light railway, sheets 1-7. May 1905.

Banks, RW. Notes on records relating to Lampeter and Cardiganshire. Arch Camb, 1878

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Schools

University of Wales, Lampeter

University College, Lampeter - on the People's Collection Wales site

Archdall, HK. Saint David's College, Lampeter. Province, Vol II

Harris, WH. St David's College, Lampeter (NLW's site) Ceredigion, Vol I

History of Lampeter Grammar School . Reprinted from the "Welsh Gazette" . Aberystwyth, 1909.

Jones, Maurice. St David's College, Lampeter. Llawlyfr Cym. Cered. Llundain, Vol III (1936/7)

St. David's College, Lampeter. Its past, present and future. St. David's College: Lampeter, 1952

Thomas, John. St David's College, Lampeter - Tradition and Innovation in the design of its first building (NLW's site) Ceredigion Vol X

Here is an extract from The Reports of the Commissioners appointed to enquire into the state of Education in Wales. 1847

Various items   - on the People's Collection Wales site

  • Early plan of St David's College, Lampeter, by C. R. Cockerell, 20 December 1821
  • A print of St David's College, Lampeter
  • Students of Saint David's College, Lampeter, Easter Term, 1895
  • Programme of the Saint David's College Athletic Sports to be held at Lampeter, 9 November 1885
  • Saint David's College school first fifteen cricket team, 1910
  • Welsh Union and Saint David's College Lampeter Rugby Football Teams, 1909 
  • First Rugby Football Team, Saint David's College, Lampeter, 1873-74
  • St. David's College Lampeter Rugby Team 1927-1928
  • Bryn Road Central School, Lampeter 1939
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Social Life & Customs

Various items  - on the People's Collection Wales site

  • Hunt at Lampeter nd
  • Letter book of Emily Anne Lloyd of Lampeter, 1871-[1872] 
  • Main living room, Pen-lôn, Lampeter
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Societies

Hanes Llambed (History of Lampeter) - for details of the society see Ceredigion Local History Forum