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Cilcennin

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"KÎLKENNIN (CÎL-CENIN), a parish in the lower division of the hundred of ILAR, county of CARDIGAN, SOUTH WALES, 9 1/4miles (N. W. by N.) from Lampeter, comprising the Upper and Lower hamlets, each of which maintains its own poor, and containing 695 inhabitants. This place is remarkable in history as the scene of a slaughter committed, in 1210 by Rhys and Owain ab Grufydd, at the head of a chosen band of three hundred men, on a superior body of English and Welsh troops, under the command of their uncle Maelgwyn,...."
[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;

  • Business Records, Cardiganshire "Includes ; ...... Cilcennin Woollen Factory....."

Held at Ceredigion Archives;

  • Cilcennin woollen factory; account books, notebooks, 1890s-1950s.
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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.

  • Kilcennin Parish Church James James, Vicar

      Parish entry for Cilcennin with Llanbadarn Trefeglwys from The Welsh Church Year Book, 1929 (Cd by Archive CD Books).

      • Holy Trinity & St Padarn (Llanbadarn Trefeglwys)
      • Incumbent and Curates; R D Rees
      • Rural Deanery of Glyn Aeron
      • Acreage 3,419 & 6,348 ; Population 1,013

          Holy Trinity Church - photograph on Dyfed FHS

          See Chapels database

          Various items   - on the People's Collection Wales site

          • Seion Independent Chapel Cilcennin
          • Selection of photos of past ministers at Seion Chapel Cilcennin
          • Cilcennin Undenominational Sunday School was built in the vernacular style of the gable entry type. By 1997 this school had been converted for use as a meeting hall
          • Ebenezer Wesleyan Methodist Chapel, Cilcennin, 1996
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          Church Records

          See Notes on Church/Chapel Records page

          Parish Register;
          Baptisms 1734-1993. Marriages 1734-1971 . Burials 1734-1992 NLW/Cer.RO
          Marriages 1724-1837 Cer.RO
          See Parish Register of Llanbadarn Trefeglwys for entries covering 1724-1733.

          Bishop's Transcripts;
          1678, 1681-83, 1685, 1811-1839, 1841-1857, 1863-1873 NLW.

          See Bap/Mar/Bur data on FreeReg

          IGI has baptisms 1724-1875.

          Index to Burials from Parish Registers 1813-1837 available for purchase from Cardiganshire Family History Society Volume 3: Ilar (Lower) Hundred . Parishes covered: Cilcennin, Henfynyw, Llanbadarn Trefeglwys, Llanddeiniol, Llanddewi Aberarth, Llangwyryfon, Llanrhystud, Llansantffraid, Llanychaiarn, Trefilan

          For Parochial Records, see under Public Records

          Nonconformist Chapels; see Chapels database

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          Description & Travel

          The Religious census of 1851 : A Calendar of the returns relating to Wales, Vol 1, South Wales., by Jones, I.G. & Williams, D. UWP, Cardiff, 1976. These statistics for this parish are extracted from this book which in turn got them from the 1851 census itself;

          • Area 3405 acres; Population 294 males, 346 females, total 640

              Various landscapes  - on the People's Collection Wales site

              Jones, Ben A. Atgofion Ceredigion: Y Byd o Ben Trichrug. Aberystwyth , 1959. Stories about the places and characters around Cilcennin.
              You can see pictures of Cilcennin which are provided by:

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              Emigration & Immigration

              "In 1818 six families from the Cilcennin area set sail from Aberaeron Wales to the United States. After a long and wretched journey across the Atlantic they hired covered wagons for another long and hazardous trek across the mountains of Pittsburgh. There they placed their meager possessions on crude rafts and journeyed down the Ohio River - ............
              From the Welsh-American Heritage Museum site

              Three photos with Cilcennin/Ohio connection  - on the People's Collection Wales site

              Jones, David Lewis. The Colonel, The Judge and Cilcennin. Cardiganshire FHS journal, Vol 3/1, Feb 2002. One story from the emigration from Cilcennin in 1818 to Paddy's Run, Butler County, Ohio which was led by John Jones of Tirbach, Cilcennin.
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              Gazetteers

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

              Description of Cilcennin parish from A Topographical Dictionary of Wales 1833 by Samuel Lewis.

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              Genealogy

              Davies, T I. The James family of Tyglyn Aeron (NLW's site) Ceredigion Vol IV
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              History

              The book Mynegai i Ceredigion 1-X, edited by Howells,W.H. 1990, ["Index to Ceredigion" ] has thirty references to Cilcennin.

              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 257/9; the church is a vicarage, the last 4 incumbents were 1732 David Jones, 1739 Howel Howels, 1752 Vavasor Davies, 1796 Timothy Evans. Mentioned is Plas Cilcennyn formerly residence of Harry Vaughan, sheriff for the county.

              Horse fair held in Cilcennin Village early 1900  - on the People's Collection Wales site

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              Land & Property

              Documents held at the NLW :
              Cardiganshire Rentals ;
              19-20. Lordship of Anhuniog, 1925 (Betws Leucu, Cilcennin, Ciliau Aeron, Henfynyw, Llanfair Clydogau).

              An Assessment made in pursuance of an Act of Parliament passed in the 38th year of His Majesty's reign, for granting an aid to His Majesty by a Land Tax to be raised in Great Britain, for the sevice of the year 1798. [From the Ceredigion; Journal of the Cardiganshire Antiquarian Society Vol VI/1 1968]. This is a list of properties in Cilcennin parish subject to the tax together with the names of the owners and occupiers

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              Maps

              Map of the parish of Cilcennin, Cardiganshire  - on the People's Collection Wales site

              Parish map (Kain/Oliver)

              You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SN526598 (Lat/Lon: 52.216304, -4.158926), Cilcennin which are provided by:

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              Names, Geographical

              Places, villages, farms etc within Cilcennin 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)

              • Cilcennin (57); Afon Aeron; Afon Bran; Allt y fron; Blaen-waun; Blaen-yr-esgair; Bwlch-castell; Caerfyrddin-fach; Castell; Cefn y gaer; Cilcennin (village); Dolau-coion; Ffos helyg; Pen-wern; Perthi-mawr; Plas-Cilcennin; Rhiwlas; Rhos Cilcennin; Tir-bach; Trichrug; Ty-mawr
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                    Occupations

                    Various items  - on the People's Collection Wales site

                    • An old photograph of the village shop at the Commercial Cilcennin which was also part of the pub 
                    • Old photo of Commercial Inn c.1900 and modern photo c. 2000 and Photo showing the Llewellyn Family, Tom and Megan with their daughter Beti. The family owned the business for four generations.
                    • Black and White photograph showing Woollen Mill at Cilcennin, including waterwheel. 
                    • Cilcennin men at work ?
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                    Public Records

                    Parochial Records at the NLW;

                    • PR1 contains : Churchwardens 1719-1775: Vestry Minutes 1738-1780, gaps : Tithe Hay Payments [includes Llanbadarn Trefeglwys] 1746 : Appointment of Welsh Charity School 1821.
                    • PR5 contains : Vestry Minutes 1848-1884 , gaps : Highway Accounts 1853-1879.
                    • Poor Law receipt and Payment Book 1853-1879.
                    • Llanbadarn Trefeglwys PR 1 : Cilcennin Churchwardens 1719-1734.
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                    Social Life & Customs

                    Various items  - on the People's Collection Wales site

                    • Playing dominoes at the Commercial Inn Cilcennin 
                    • Local dart teams, Commercial Cilcennin
                    • Cilcennin locals in the 1950's
                    • An Outing with horse and cart