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CARMARTHENSHIRE . (See also:Sir Gaerfyrddin, colloquially known as Sir Gdr), a See also:county of See also:South See also:Wales bounded N. by See also:Cardigan, E. by See also:Brecon and Glamorgan, W. by See also:Pembroke and S. by See also:Carmarthen See also:Bay of the See also:Bristol Channel. The See also:modern county has an See also:area of 918 sq. m., and is therefore the largest in See also:size of the South Welsh counties. Almost the whole of its See also:surface is hilly and irregular, though the See also:coast-See also:line is fringed with extensive stretches of See also:marsh or sandy burrows. Much of the scenery in the county, particularly in the upper valley of the Towy, is exceedingly beautiful and varied. On its eastern See also:borders adjoining See also:Breconshire rises the imposing range of the See also:Black Mountains (Mynydd See also:Diu), sometimes called the Carmarthenshire Beacons, where the Carmarthen See also:Van attains an See also:elevation of 2632 ft. Mynydd Mallaen in the See also:wild districts of the See also:north-See also:east corner of the county is 1430 ft. in height, but otherwise few of the numberless rounded hills with which Carmarthenshire is thickly studded exceed r000 ft. The See also:principal See also:river is the Towy (Tywi), which, with its See also:chief tributaries, the Gwili, the Cothi and the Sawdde, drains the central See also:part of the county and enters the Bay at Llanstephan, 9 m. below Carmarthen. Coracles are frequently to be observed on this river, as well as on the Teifi, which separates Carmarthenshire from See also:Cardiganshire on the north. Other streams are the Taf, which flows through the south-western portion of the county and reaches the See also:sea at Laugharne; the Gwendraeth, with its mouth at See also:Kidwelly; and the Loughor, or Llwchwr, which rises in the Black Mountains and forms for several See also:miles the boundary between the counties of Carmarthen and Glamorgan until it falls into Carmarthen Bay at Loughor. All these See also:rivers contain See also:salmon, sewin (gleisiad) and See also:trout in See also:fair See also:numbers, and are consequently frequented by anglers. With the exception of the Van See also:Pool in the Black Mountains the lakes of the county are inconsiderable in size.
See also:Geology.—The See also:oldest rocks in Carmarthenshire come to the surface in the Vale of Towy at Llanarthney and near Carmarthen; they consist of black shales of Tremadoc (See also:Cambrian) See also:age, and are succeeded by conglomerates, sandstones and shales, with beds of volcanic ash and See also:lava, of Arenig (Ordovician) age, which have been brought up along a See also:belt of intense folding and faulting which follows the Towy from Llangadock to Carmarthen and extends westwards to the edge of the county at Whitland. The Llandeilo shales, flags and See also:lime-stones and occasional volcanic ashes, which follow, are well See also:developed at Llangadock and Llandeilo and near Carmarthen, and are famed for their See also:trilobites, Asaphus tyrannus and Ogygia Buchi. Shales and mudstones and imnersistent limestones of See also:Bala age come next in See also:- ORDER
- ORDER (through Fr. ordre, for earlier ordene, from Lat. ordo, ordinis, rank, service, arrangement; the ultimate source is generally taken to be the root seen in Lat. oriri, rise, arise, begin; cf. " origin ")
- ORDER, HOLY
order, and, bounding the Vale of Towy on the north, extend as a
narrow belt north-westwards towards the Presley hills. Except for the foregoing deposits the See also:great area between the Teifi and the Towy, of which little is known, is made up of a monotonous See also:succession of greatly folded slates and shales with interbedded conglomerates and sandstones which give rise to scarps, ridges and moorlands; they appear to be of See also:Llandovery age.
South of the Towy a narrow belt of steeply dipping and even inverted See also:Silurian sandstones and mudstones (Upper Llandovery, See also:Wenlock and See also:Ludlow) extends south-westwards from Llandovery to Llanarthney, where they disappear under the Old Red See also:Sandstone. This formation, which consists of red marls and sandstones with occasional thin impure limestones (cornstones), extends from near Llandovery to beyond Carmarthen Bay; its upper conglomeratic beds cap the escarpment of the Black Mountains (246o ft.) on the south-eastern borders of the county. To the south the scarps and moorlands of the Carboniferous See also:Limestone and Millstone Grit See also:form the north-western rim of the South Wales coalfield. The See also:rest of the county is occupied by the See also:rich See also:Coal-See also:Measures of the Gwendraeth Valley and See also:Llanelly districts. All the rocks in the county are affected by powerful folds and faults. Glacial deposits are plentiful in the valleys south of the Towy, striae abound on the Millstone Grit and show that the See also:ice-See also:sheet See also:rose far up the slopes of the Black Mountains. Coal is the chief See also:mineral, the See also:iron-ore is no longer worked; the Carboniferous Limestone is burnt at Llandybie; See also:fire-bricks are manufactured from the Millstone Grit, and a few See also:lead-See also:veins are found in the Ordovician rocks.
See also:Industries.—The See also:climate is mild, except in the upland regions, but the See also:annual rainfall is very heavy. With the exception of its south-eastern portion, which forms part of the great South Welsh coalfield, Carmarthenshire may be considered wholly as an agricultural county. The See also:attention of the farmers is devoted to stock-raising and See also:dairy-farming rather than to the growth of cereals, whilst the large tracts of unenclosed See also:- HILL
- HILL (0. Eng. hyll; cf. Low Ger. hull, Mid. Dutch hul, allied to Lat. celsus, high, collis, hill, &c.)
- HILL, A
- HILL, AARON (1685-175o)
- HILL, AMBROSE POWELL
- HILL, DANIEL HARVEY (1821-1889)
- HILL, DAVID BENNETT (1843–1910)
- HILL, GEORGE BIRKBECK NORMAN (1835-1903)
- HILL, JAMES J
- HILL, JOHN (c. 1716-1775)
- HILL, MATTHEW DAVENPORT (1792-1872)
- HILL, OCTAVIA (1838– )
- HILL, ROWLAND (1744–1833)
- HILL, SIR ROWLAND (1795-1879)
hill-See also:country form See also:good pastures for See also:sheep and ponies. The See also:soil varies much, but in the See also:lower valleys of the Towy and Taf it is exceedingly fertile. Outside See also:agriculture the gathering of cockles at the estuaries of the Towy and Taf gives employment to a large number of persons, principally See also:women; Ferryside and Laugharne being the chief centres of the cockling See also:industry. The See also:local textile factories at Pencader, Penboyr, Llangeler, and in the valley of the Loughor are of some importance. See also:Gold has been found near Caio in the Cothi valley, but the yield is trifling. There are lead-mines in various places, but none of great value. The really important industries are restricted to the populous south-eastern See also:district, where coal-See also:mining, iron-See also:founding and the smelting of See also:tin and See also:copper are carried on extensively at Llanelly, Pembrey, Tirydail, Garnant, Pontardulais, Ammanford and other centres.
Communications.—The Great Western railway traverses the lower part of the county, whilst a See also:branch of the See also:London & North-Western enters it at its extreme north-eastern point by a See also:tunnel under the See also:Sugar See also:Loaf See also:Mountain, and has its terminal station at Carmarthen. A branch line of the Great Western connects Llanelly with See also:Llandilo by way of Ammanford, and another branch of the same railway runs northward from Carmarthen to See also:Newcastle-See also:Emlyn on the Teifi, joining the See also:Aberystwyth branch, formerly the See also:Manchester & See also:Milford line, at Pencader.
See also:Population and See also:Administration.—The area of the county is 587,816 acres, and the population in 1891 was 130,566 and in 1901 it was 135,325. The municipal boroughs are Carmarthen (pop. 9935), Kidwelly (2285) and Llandovery (1809). See also:Urban districts are Ammanford, Llanelly, Burry See also:Port, Llandilo and Newcastle - Emlyn. The principal towns are Carmarthen, Llanelly (25,617), Llandilo or Llandeilo Fawr (1934), Llangadock (1578), Llandovery, Kidwelly, Pembrey (7513) and Laugharne (1439). The county is in the South Wales See also:circuit, and assizes are held at Carmarthen. The See also:- BOROUGH (A.S. nominative burh, dative byrig, which produces some of the place-names ending in bury, a sheltered or fortified place, the camp of refuge of a tribe, the stronghold of a chieftain; cf. Ger. Burg, Fr. bor, bore, bourg)
- BOROUGH [BURROUGH, BURROWE, BORROWS], STEVEN (1525–1584)
borough of Carmarthen has a See also:commission of the See also:peace and See also:separate See also:quarter sessions. The county is divided into two See also:parliamentary divisions, the eastern and western, and it also includes the See also:united boroughs of Carmarthen and Llanelly, thus returning three members in all to See also:parliament. The See also:ancient county, which contains 75 parishes and part of another, is wholly in the See also:diocese of St See also:David's.
See also:History.—Carmarthenshire originally formed part of the lands of the Dimetae conquered by the See also:Romans, who constructed military roads and built on the Via Julia the important station of Maridunum upon or near the site of the See also:present county See also:town.
After the retirement of the See also:Roman forces this fortified town became known in course of See also:- TIME (0. Eng. Lima, cf. Icel. timi, Swed. timme, hour, Dan. time; from the root also seen in " tide," properly the time of between the flow and ebb of the sea, cf. O. Eng. getidan, to happen, " even-tide," &c.; it is not directly related to Lat. tempus)
- TIME, MEASUREMENT OF
- TIME, STANDARD
time as Caerfyrddin, anglicized into Carmarthen, which subsequently gave its name to the county. During the 5th and 6th centuries Carmarthenshire, or Ystrad Tywi, was the See also:scene of the labours of many See also:Celtic missionaries, notably of St David and St Teilo, who brought the arts of See also:civilization as well as the doctrines of See also:Christianity to its See also:rude inhabitants. In the 9th See also:century the whole of Ystrad Tywi was annexed to the See also:kingdom of See also:Roderick the Great (Rhodri Mawr), who at his See also:death in 877 bequeathed the principality of South Wales to his son, Cadell. The royal See also:residence of the South Welsh princes was now fixed at Dynevor (Dinefawr) on the Towy near Llandilo.
Cadell's son, See also:Howell the Good (Hywel Dda), was the first to codify the ancient See also:laws of Wales at his See also:palace of Ty See also:Gwyn Ar See also:Daf, the See also:- WHITE
- WHITE, ANDREW DICKSON (1832– )
- WHITE, GILBERT (1720–1793)
- WHITE, HENRY KIRKE (1785-1806)
- WHITE, HUGH LAWSON (1773-1840)
- WHITE, JOSEPH BLANCO (1775-1841)
- WHITE, RICHARD GRANT (1822-1885)
- WHITE, ROBERT (1645-1704)
- WHITE, SIR GEORGE STUART (1835– )
- WHITE, SIR THOMAS (1492-1567)
- WHITE, SIR WILLIAM ARTHUR (1824--1891)
- WHITE, SIR WILLIAM HENRY (1845– )
- WHITE, THOMAS (1628-1698)
- WHITE, THOMAS (c. 1550-1624)
White See also:Lodge on the See also:banks of the Taf, near the modern Whitland. In ro8o, during the troubled reign of Rhys ap Tudor, the See also:Normans first appeared on the shores of Carmarthen Bay, and before the end of See also:- KING
- KING (O. Eng. cyning, abbreviated into cyng, cing; cf. O. H. G. chun- kuning, chun- kunig, M.H.G. kiinic, kiinec, kiinc, Mod. Ger. Konig, O. Norse konungr, kongr, Swed. konung, kung)
- KING [OF OCKHAM], PETER KING, 1ST BARON (1669-1734)
- KING, CHARLES WILLIAM (1818-1888)
- KING, CLARENCE (1842–1901)
- KING, EDWARD (1612–1637)
- KING, EDWARD (1829–1910)
- KING, HENRY (1591-1669)
- KING, RUFUS (1755–1827)
- KING, THOMAS (1730–1805)
- KING, WILLIAM (1650-1729)
- KING, WILLIAM (1663–1712)
King See also:- HENRY
- HENRY (1129-1195)
- HENRY (c. 1108-1139)
- HENRY (c. 1174–1216)
- HENRY (Fr. Henri; Span. Enrique; Ger. Heinrich; Mid. H. Ger. Heinrich and Heimrich; O.H.G. Haimi- or Heimirih, i.e. " prince, or chief of the house," from O.H.G. heim, the Eng. home, and rih, Goth. reiks; compare Lat. rex " king "—" rich," therefore " mig
- HENRY, EDWARD LAMSON (1841– )
- HENRY, JAMES (1798-1876)
- HENRY, JOSEPH (1797-1878)
- HENRY, MATTHEW (1662-1714)
- HENRY, PATRICK (1736–1799)
- HENRY, PRINCE OF BATTENBERG (1858-1896)
- HENRY, ROBERT (1718-1790)
- HENRY, VICTOR (1850– )
- HENRY, WILLIAM (1795-1836)
Henry I.'s reign had constructed the great castles of Kidwelly, Carmarthen, Laugharne and Llanstephan near the coast. From this See also:period until the death of See also:Prince See also:Llewelyn (1282) the history of Carmarthen-See also:shire is See also:national rather than local. By the Statutes of Rhuddlan (1284) See also:Edward I. formed the counties of Cardigan and Carmarthen out of the districts of Ceredigion and Ystrad Tywi, the ancient possessions of the See also:house of Dinefawr, which were now formally annexed to the See also:English See also:crown. Nearly a third of the present county, however, still remained under the See also:jurisdiction of the Lords Marchers, and it was not until the See also:Act 27 Henry VIII. that these districts, including the commots of Kidwelly, Iscennen and Carnwillion, were added to Edward I.'s See also:original shire. The prosperity of the new county increased considerably under Edward III., who named Carmarthen the chief See also:staple-town in Wales for the See also:wool See also:trade. The revolt of See also:Owen See also:Glendower had the effect of disturbing the peace of the county for a time, and the See also:French See also:army, landed at Milford on his behalf, was warmly received by the See also:people of Carmarthenshire. In the summer of 1485 Sir Rhys ap See also:- THOMAS
- THOMAS (c. 1654-1720)
- THOMAS (d. 110o)
- THOMAS, ARTHUR GORING (1850-1892)
- THOMAS, CHARLES LOUIS AMBROISE (1811-1896)
- THOMAS, GEORGE (c. 1756-1802)
- THOMAS, GEORGE HENRY (1816-187o)
- THOMAS, ISAIAH (1749-1831)
- THOMAS, PIERRE (1634-1698)
- THOMAS, SIDNEY GILCHRIST (1850-1885)
- THOMAS, ST
- THOMAS, THEODORE (1835-1905)
- THOMAS, WILLIAM (d. 1554)
Thomas, of Abermarlais and Dinefawr, marched through the county See also:collecting recruits for Henry of See also:Richmond, for which service he was created a See also:knight of the Garter and made See also:governor of all Wales. At the See also:Reformation the removal of the episcopal residence from distant St David's to Abergwili, a See also:village barely two miles from Carmarthen, brought the county into See also:close See also:touch with the chief Welsh diocese, and the new palace at Abergwili will always be associated with the first Welsh See also:translations of the New Testament and the See also:Prayer See also:Book, made by See also:Bishop See also:Richard See also:Davies (15oo–1581) and his friend See also:- WILLIAM
- WILLIAM (1143-1214)
- WILLIAM (1227-1256)
- WILLIAM (1J33-1584)
- WILLIAM (A.S. Wilhelm, O. Norse Vilhidlmr; O. H. Ger. Willahelm, Willahalm, M. H. Ger. Willehelm, Willehalm, Mod.Ger. Wilhelm; Du. Willem; O. Fr. Villalme, Mod. Fr. Guillaume; from " will," Goth. vilja, and " helm," Goth. hilms, Old Norse hidlmr, meaning
- WILLIAM (c. 1130-C. 1190)
- WILLIAM, 13TH
William See also:Salesbury, of Llanrwst (16th century). In the See also:early part of the 17th century the county witnessed the first religious revival recorded in Welsh See also:annals, that led by Rhys See also:Prichard (d. 1644), the Puritan See also:vicar of Llandovery, whose poetical See also:works, the Canwyll y Cymry (" the Welshman's See also:Candle ") are still studied in the principality. At the time of the See also:Civil See also:Wars, Richard See also:Vaughan, See also:earl of Carbery, the See also:patron of See also:Jeremy See also:- TAYLOR
- TAYLOR, ANN (1782-1866)
- TAYLOR, BAYARD (1825–1878)
- TAYLOR, BROOK (1685–1731)
- TAYLOR, ISAAC (1787-1865)
- TAYLOR, ISAAC (1829-1901)
- TAYLOR, JEREMY (1613-1667)
- TAYLOR, JOHN (158o-1653)
- TAYLOR, JOHN (1704-1766)
- TAYLOR, JOSEPH (c. 1586-c. 1653)
- TAYLOR, MICHAEL ANGELO (1757–1834)
- TAYLOR, NATHANIEL WILLIAM (1786-1858)
- TAYLOR, PHILIP MEADOWS (1808–1876)
- TAYLOR, ROWLAND (d. 1555)
- TAYLOR, SIR HENRY (1800-1886)
- TAYLOR, THOMAS (1758-1835)
- TAYLOR, TOM (1817-1880)
- TAYLOR, WILLIAM (1765-1836)
- TAYLOR, ZACHARY (1784-1850)
Taylor, was in command of the royal fortresses and troops, but made a very feeble and See also:half-hearted resistance against the parliamentarian forces. During the following century the great Welsh spiritual and educational See also:movement, which later spread over all Wales, had its origin in the quiet and remote See also:parish of Llanddowror, near Laugharne, where the vicar, the celebrated and pious See also:Griffith See also:- JONES
- JONES, ALFRED GILPIN (1824-1906)
- JONES, EBENEZER (182o-186o)
- JONES, ERNEST CHARLES (1819-1869)
- JONES, HENRY (1831-1899)
- JONES, HENRY ARTHUR (1851- )
- JONES, INIGO (1573-1651)
- JONES, JOHN (c. 1800-1882)
- JONES, MICHAEL (d. 1649)
- JONES, OWEN (1741-1814)
- JONES, OWEN (1809-1874)
- JONES, RICHARD (179o-1855)
- JONES, SIR ALFRED LEWIS (1845-1909)
- JONES, SIR WILLIAM (1746-1794)
- JONES, THOMAS RUPERT (1819– )
- JONES, WILLIAM (1726-1800)
Jones (1684-1761), had become the founder of the Welsh circulating charity See also:schools. Other prominent members of this important Methodist revival, likewise natives of Carmarthenshire, were William See also:Williams of Pantycelyn, the well-known hymn-writer (1716-1791), and See also:- PETER
- PETER (Lat. Petrus from Gr. irfpos, a rock, Ital. Pietro, Piero, Pier, Fr. Pierre, Span. Pedro, Ger. Peter, Russ. Petr)
- PETER (PEDRO)
- PETER, EPISTLES OF
- PETER, ST
Peter Williams, the Welsh See also:Bible commentator (1722-1796). The county was deeply implicated in the Rebecca Riots of 1842-1843.
Foremost amongst the county families of Carmarthenshire is Rhys, or See also:Rice, of Dynevor See also:Castle, near Llandilo, a modern castellated house See also:standing in a beautiful See also:park which contains the historic ruin of the old Dinefawr fortress. The present See also:Lord Dynevor, the See also:direct lineal descendant of the princes of South Wales, is the See also:head of this See also:family. Almost opposite Dynevor
Castle (formerly known as See also:Newtown), on the See also:left See also:bank of the Towy, stands See also:Golden See also:Grove (Gelli Aur), once the seat of the Vaughans, earls of Carbery, whose See also:senior line and titles became See also:extinct early in the 18th century. The famous old See also:mansion has been replaced by a modern See also:Gothic structure, and is now the See also:property of Earl See also:Cawdor. Golden Grove contains the " Hirlas See also:Horn," the See also:gift of King Henry VII. to Dafydd ap Evan of Llwyndafydd, Cardiganshire, perhaps the most celebrated of Welsh See also:historical See also:relics. Other families of importance, extinct or existing, are Johnes, formerly of Abermarlais and now of Dolaucothi; Williams (now See also:Drummond) of Edwinsford; See also:Lloyd of See also:Forest; Lloyd of Glansevin; See also:Stepney of Llanelly and Gwynne of Taliaris.
Antiquities.—Carmarthenshire contains few memorials of the Roman occupation, but it possesses various camps and tumuli of the See also:British period, and also a small but perfect cromlech near Llanglydwen on the banks of the Taf. Of its many See also:medieval castles the most important still in existence are: Kidwelly; Laugharne; Llanstephan, a See also:fine See also:pile of the 12th century on a hill at the mouth of the Towy; Carreg Cennen, an imposing See also:Norman fortress crowning a cliff not far from Llandilo; and Dynevor Castle, the ancient seat of Welsh See also:royalty, situated on a bold wooded height above the Towy. The remains of the castles at Carmarthen, Drysllwyn, Llandovery and Newcastle-Emlyn are inconsiderable. Of the monastic houses Talley See also:Abbey (Tal-y-Llychau, a name See also:drawn from the two small lakes in the neighbourhood of its site) was founded by Rhys ap Griffith, prince of South Wales, towards the close of the 12th century for See also:Benedictine monks; Whitland, or Albalanda, also a Benedictine house, was probably founded by Bishop See also:Bernard of St David's early in the 12th century, on a site See also:long associated with Welsh monastic See also:life; and the celebrated Augustinian Priory of St See also:John at Carmarthen was likewise established in the 12th century. Very slight traces of these three important religious houses now exist. The parish churches of Carmarthenshire are for the most part small and of no See also:special architectural value. Of the more noteworthy mention may be made of St Peter's at Carmarthen, and of the parish churches at Laugharne, Kidwelly, Llangadock, Abergwili and Llangathen, the last named of which contains a fine See also:monument to Bishop See also:Anthony See also:Rudd (d. 1615). Many of these churches are distinguished by tall massive western towers, usually of the 12th or 13th centuries. Besides Golden Grove and Dynevor the county contains some fine historic houses, prominent amongst which are Abergwili Palace, the See also:official residence of the bishops of St David's since the Reformation, burnt down in 1902, but rebuilt on the old lines; Aberglasney, a mansion near Llangathen, erected by Bishop Rudd and once inhabited by ,the poet John See also:Dyer (1700-1758); See also:Court Henry, an ancient seat of the See also:Herbert family; and Abermarlais, once the property of Sir Rhys ap Thomas.
Customs, &'c.—The old Welsh See also:costume, See also:folklore and customs have survived longer in Carmarthenshire than perhaps in any other county of Wales. The See also:steeple-crowned See also:beaver See also:hat, now practically extinct, was often to be seen in the neighbourhood of Carmarthen as See also:late as 189o, and the older women often affect the Pais-a-On See also:bath, the frilled See also:mob-cap and the small See also:plaid See also:shawl of a previous See also:generation. Curious instances of old Welsh superstitions are to be found amongst the peasantry of the more remote districts, particularly in the lovely country in the valleys of the Towy and Teifi, where belief in fairies, See also:fairy-rings, goblins and " See also:corpse-candles " still lingers. The curious mumming, known as " Mari Lwyd " (Blessed See also:Mary), in which one of the performers wears a See also:horse's See also:skull decked with coloured ribbands, was prevalent See also:round Carmarthen as late as 1885. At many parish churches the ancient service of the "Pyigain " (a name said to be a corruption of the Latin pulli cantos) is held at daybreak or See also:cock-See also:crow on See also:Christmas See also:morning. A See also:species of See also:general See also:catechism, known as pwnc, is also See also:common in the churches and See also:Nonconformist chapels. The old See also:custom of receiving NewYear's gifts of See also:bread and See also:cheese, or See also:meal and See also:money (calenig), still flourishes in the rural parishes. The " bidding " before See also:marriage (as in Cardiganshire) was formerly universal and is not yet altogether discontinued, andbidding papers were printed at Llandilo as late as 1900. The, horse weddings (priodas ceffylau) were indulged in by the See also:farmer class in the neighbourhood of Abergwili as late as 1880.
End of Article: CARMARTHENSHIRE
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