Hide

Llangoedmor - Extract from 'A Topographical Dictionary of Wales' by Samuel Lewis 1833

hide
Hide
"LLANGOEDMORE (LLAN- GOEDMAWR), a parish in the lower division of the hundred of TROEDYRAUR, county of CARDIGAN, SOUTH WALES, 2 miles (E.) from Cardigan, containing 1014 inhabitants.The name of this place, signifying " the church of the great wood,", is derived from its situation in a district abounding with timber of ancient and luxuriant growth, and with groves of stately oaks and other trees, for the number and beauty of which the immediate vicinity is eminently distinguished. Soon after the death Henry I, a memorable battle was fought near Crûg Mawr, a conical hill in this parish, between the Welsh, commanded by Grufydd ab Rhys and the English, in which the latter sustained a signal defeat. The parish is pleasantly situated on the river Teivy, on the turnpike road from Cardigan to Newcastle-Emlyn , and contains, in addition to the large proportion of woodland above noticed, a considerable portion of arable and pasture land, which is enclosed and in a good state of cultivation : the whole forms a rather hilly surface of about five thousand acres, having a variety of soils, among which clay prevails. The surrounding scenery is richly diversified, and in some parts highly picturesque ;and the views of the adjacent country combine many features of pleasing character. In the vicinity are several handsome seats and villas, beautifully situated, and commanding extensive prospects. Coedmore, the seat of Thomas Lloyd, Esq., is a noble mansion, situated on a lofty eminence overlooking the river Teivy, commanding a fine view of the venerable remains of Kîlgerran castle, and sheltered in the rear and on the sides by an extensive wood of stately and well-grown trees : contiguous to this seat formerly stood Castel Cevel, the ancient mansion of the lords of Coedmore. The name of this mansion, anciently written Coed-Mawr, signifies "the great wood," and was probably bestowed on it from the luxuriant and extensive forest in which it was built. The baronage of Coed-Mawr was conferred by Edward III on Sir Robert Langley, constable of Aberystwith castle and lieutenant of the county of Cardigan, from whose family it passed by exchange to the Mortimers, of whom Llewelyn Mortimer, the first of that name who owned this estate, espoused Angharad, daughter of Meredydd ab Rhys , Prince of Cardigan. Rowland, the sixth in descent from Llewelyn Mortimer, assigned it to his brother-in-law, Sir John Lewis, in exchange for Castell Llwyd, in Laugharne, county of Carmarthen ; and it subsequently came into the possession of the Lloyds, by marriage of an ancestor of the present proprietor with Jane, daughter of Col. James Lewis, a gentleman who was rather actively engaged during the civil commotions of the seventeenth century. Llangoedmore Place, the seat of Mrs.Millinchamp, a handsome mansion, built by John Lloyd, Esq., of Plymouth, is delightfully situated in grounds beautifully laid out, commanding an interesting and beautiful view of the town of Cardigan, the village of St. Dogmael's, the river Teivy, covered with shipping, and other picturesque objects. Trêvorgan the seat of the late Evan Davies, Esq., is a substantial mansion, pleasantly situated in grounds comprising much varied scenery; and there are also some other gentlemen's residences on a smaller scale. Slate of good quality is found within the parish, and some quarries have been opened, and worked with considerable success ; the river Teivy, which is here navigable, flows near the quarries, and affords every facility for the exportation of their produce. The living is a rectory, in the archdeaconry of Cardigan, and diocese of St. David's, rated in the king's books at £ 12.18.6 1/2.,and in the patronage of the Principal and Tutors of St. David's College, Lampeter. The church, dedicated to St. Cynllo was entirely rebuilt in the year 1830 : the present edifice is a neat structure, in the later style of English architecture, consisting of a nave and chancel, with an elegant little tower of two stages, rising from the centre of the nave, and surmounted by a delicate and finely proportioned spire : the expense of its erection was defrayed by a parochial rate, and the interior is well arranged and appropriately fitted up for the performance of divine service. There is a place of worship for Baptists. Near Trêvorgan is a spring called St. Cynllo's Well, to which extraordinary healing properties were formerly ascribed. The average annual expenditure for the support of the poor is £ 243. 9."

[Gareth Hicks: 9 December 1999]