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RADNORSHIRE (Sir Faesyfed)

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Originally appearing in Volume V22, Page 810 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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RADNORSHIRE (See also:Sir Faesyfed) , an inland See also:county of See also:Wales, bounded N. by See also:Montgomery, N.E. by See also:Shropshire, E. by Here-See also:ford, S. and S.W. by Brecknock and N.W. by See also:Cardigan. This county, which is See also:lozenge-shaped, contains 471 sq. m., and is consequently the smallest in See also:area of the six See also:South Welsh counties. Nearly the whole See also:surface of Radnorshire is hilly or undulating, whilst the centre is occupied by the mountainous See also:tract known as See also:Radnor See also:Forest, of which the highest point attains an See also:elevation of 2163 ft. Towards the S. and S.E. the hills are less lofty, and the valleys broaden out into considerable plains abounding in rivulets. The hills for the most See also:part See also:present smooth, rounded outlines, and are covered with heather, bracken and See also:short grass, though tracts of boggy See also:soil in the uplands are not uncommon. There are See also:rich pastures and numerous See also:woods in the valleys of the Wye and Teme. The Wye Valley has See also:long been celebrated for its beauty, while Radnor Forest and the See also:wild See also:district of Cwmdauddwr present striking views of primeval and unspoiled scenery. Radnor-See also:shire is well supplied with See also:water, its See also:principal See also:river being the Wye (Gwy), which, after See also:crossing the N.W. corner of the county, forms its boundary from See also:Rhayader onward to the See also:English border. See also:Salmon, See also:trout and See also:grayling are plentiful, and the Wye is consequently much frequented by anglers; as are also its tributaries—the Elan (which has been utilized for the See also:great See also:Birmingham reservoirs) the Ithon, the Edw or See also:Edwy, the See also:Lug, the Arrow and the Somergil. The Teme, which divides Radnor from Shropshire on the N.E., is a tributary of the See also:Severn. All these streams are clear and rapid, and abound in See also:fish. In the numerous rocky ravines of the mountainous districts are found many waterfalls, of which the most celebrated is " Water-break-its-See also:Neck," to the W. of New Radnor.

Omitting the artificially constructed reservoirs in the valleys of the Elan and Claerwen, the lakes of Radnorshire are represented only by a few pools of which Llynbychlyn near Painscastle is the largest. See also:

Geology.—Ordovician rocks occupy most of the western See also:side of the county, they are succeeded eastward by the See also:Silurian formations, the See also:Llandovery, See also:Wenlock and See also:Ludlow beds in the See also:order here given. See also:East of New Radnor an inlier of Wenlock rocks is surrounded by Ludlow beds; while at Old Radnor a See also:ridge of very See also:ancient rocks appears. In the south-east of the county Old Red See also:Sandstone rests upon the Silurian. Between See also:Llandrindod, where there are saline, sulphurous and chalybeate See also:wells, and See also:Builth, is a disturbed area of Ordovician strata with masses of andesitic and diabasic igneous rocks. In the vicinity of Rhayader the strata have been classed as the Rhayader See also:pale shales (Tarannon), the Caban See also:group (Upper Llandovery), the Gwastaden group (See also:Lower Llandovery); these See also:rest upon shales of See also:Bala See also:age. See also:Climate and See also:Industries.—The climate of Radnorshire is bracing, if somewhat See also:bleak, and the rainfall is not so heavy as in the neighbouring counties of Montgomery and Brecknock, but thick drizzling mists are of See also:constant occurrence. The winters are often very severe, and deep snowfalls are not uncommon. See also:Good See also:hay and tolerable crops of cereals are raised in the valleys, and the margin of cultivation has risen considerably since 1880. The extensive upland tracts, which still See also:cover over one-third of the See also:total area of the county, afford pasturage for See also:mountain ponies and for large flocks of See also:sheep. The quality of the See also:wool of Radnorshire has long been celebrated, and also the delicacy of the Welsh mutton of the small sheep that are bred in this county. The most important sheep fairs are held at Rhayader, which also contains some woollen factories.

There are practically no See also:

mining industries, nor are the quarries of great value. The valley of the Wye is rich in medicinal springs, and the saline, See also:sulphur and chalybeate See also:waters of Llandrindod have long been famous and profitable, and are growing in popular esteem. Communications.—The Central Wales See also:branch of the See also:London & See also:North-Western railway enters the county at Knighton, traverses it by way of Llandrindod and passes into Brecknock at Builth Road Junction on the Wye. The See also:Cambrian railway, after passing through the N.W. corner of the county to Rhayader, follows the course of the Wye, by way of Builth and Hay. Two small branch lines connect New Radnor and See also:Presteign with the See also:system of the Great Western. See also:Population and See also:Administration.—The area of Radnorshire iS 301,164 acres, and the population in 1891 was 21,991, while in 1901 it had risen to 23,362; an increase chiefly due to the See also:immigration of outside labourers to the Elan Valley waterworks. There is no existing municipal See also:borough, although New Radnor, now a See also:mere See also:village with 405 inhabitants (1901), was incorporated in 1561 and its municipal privileges were not formally abolished till 1883. The See also:chief towns are Presteign (pop. 1245); Llandrindod (1829); Knighton (2139), and Rhayader (1215);all, except Rhayader, being See also:urban districts. Radnorshire is included in the South Wales See also:circuit, and assizes are held at Presteign, which ranks as the county See also:town. There is no existing See also:parliamentary borough, and the whole county returns one member to See also:parliament. Ecclesiastically, Radnorshire is divided into 46 parishes, of which 38 See also:lie in the See also:diocese of St Davids, and 8 in that of See also:Hereford.

See also:

History.—The wild district of Maesyfed (a name of which the derivation is much disputed), corresponding substantially with the See also:modern Radnorshire, originally formed part of the territory of the See also:Silures, who were vanquished by the See also:Romans. See also:Christianity seems to have been introduced into this barren region during the 5th and 6th centuries by itinerant See also:Celtic missionaries, notably by St See also:David, St Padarn and St Cynllo. Towards the See also:close of the 9th See also:century Maesyfed was absorbed into the See also:middle See also:kingdom of Powys, and in the loth century it was included in the See also:realm of Elystan Glodrudd, See also:prince of Fferlys, or Feryllwg, who ruled over all See also:land lying between the Wye and Severn. In the reign of See also:William the Conqueror, the See also:Normans began to penetrate into Maesyfed, where, according to Domesday See also:Book, the See also:king already laid claim to Radenoure, or Radnor (a name of doubtful meaning), in the lordship of Melenith (Moelynaidd), which was subsequently bestowed on the See also:Mortimer See also:family, when castles were erected at Old Radnor (Penygraig), New Radnor and Cefnllys. Later, the See also:Norman invaders forced their way up the Wye Valley, the de Breos family, lords of Elvel (Elfael), See also:building fortresses at Painscastle and at Colwyn or Maud's See also:Castle, In 1188 See also:Archbishop See also:Baldwin, accompanied by Ranulf de Glanville and Giraldus Cambrensis, entered Wales for the purpose of See also:preaching the Third Crusade, and was met in full See also:state at New Radnor by the See also:Lord Rhys, prince of South Wales. The Wye Valley long formed one of the debatable districts between Welsh and Normans, and in 1282 See also:Llewelyn ap See also:Griffith, prince of Wales, was at Aberedw shortly before his See also:death in a skirmish near Builth. After the See also:annexation of Wales by See also:Edward I., the district of Maesyfed remained under the immediate See also:jurisdiction' of the Lords-Marchers, represented by the great families of Mortimer and Todeney. During the summer of 1402 See also:Owen See also:Glendower entered the See also:Marches and raided the lands of the See also:young Edward Mortimer, See also:earl of See also:March, whilst the royal troops were severely defeated at the See also:battle of Bryn See also:Glas near Pilleth. By the See also:Act of See also:Union (1536) Maesyfed was erected out of the suppressed lordships into an English shire on the usual See also:model. For administrative purposes it was now divided into six hundreds, and assizes were ordained to be held in alternate years at Presteign and New Radnor. The newly created county was likewise privileged to return two members to parliament; one for the county, and one for the See also:united boroughs of New Radnor, Rhayader, Knighton, Cefnllys and Knucklas (Cnwclas). The parliamentary district of the Radnor boroughs was, however, disfranchised and merged in the county See also:representation under the act of 1885.

The shire of Radnor with its immense tracts of sheep-walk, its See also:

absence of large towns and its sparse rural population has always been reckoned the poorest and least important of the Welsh counties, nor since its creation under See also:Henry VIII. has it ever played a prominent part in the See also:national See also:life of Wales. During the See also:Commonwealth the See also:local See also:clergy were made to suffer severely under the drastic administration of Vavasor See also:Powell (t617-167o), himself a Radnorshire See also:man as a native of Knucklas. Of See also:recent years the rise of Llandrindod as a fashionable watering-See also:place and the construction of the Birmingham reservoirs in the Elan Valley have tended to increase the material prosperity of the county. Among the leading families of Radnorshire, may be mentioned See also:Lewis of Harpton See also:Court; See also:Baskerville of Clyro; See also:Thomas (formerly See also:Jones) of Pencerrig; Lewis-See also:Lloyd of Nantgwyllt; Gwynne of Llanelwedd, and Prickard of Dderw. Antiquities.—Radnorshire contains numerous memorials of See also:early See also:British times, of which the entrenchment called Crug-ybuddair in the See also:parish of Beguildy is specially worthy of See also:note. Of See also:Roman remains, the most important are those of the fortified See also:camp at Cwm near Llandrindod, which is believed to be identical with the military station of Magos or Magna. The course of See also:Offa's Dyke (Clawdd Offa) is perceptible at various points in the hilly regions See also:west of Knighton and Presteign. Very slight traces exist of the many castles erected at various times after the Norman invasion. The parish churches of Radnorshire are for the most part small and of See also:rude construction, and many of them have been modernized or rebuilt. The churches at Old Radnor, Presteign and Llanbister, however, are interesting edifices, and a few possess See also:fine oaken screens, as at Llananno and Llandegley. There was only one monastic See also:house of consequence, the Cistercian See also:abbey of St See also:Mary, founded by Cadwallon ap Madoc in 1143 in " the long valley " of the Clywedog, six See also:miles east of Rhayader, and from its site commonly called Abbey Cwm Hir. Its existing ruins are insignificant, but the proportions of the See also:church, which was 238 ft. long, are still traceable.

The modern See also:

mansion adjoining, known as Abbey Cwm Hir, was for some generations the See also:residence of the See also:Fowler family, once reputed the wealthiest in the county. Customs, &c.—Although in most instances the old Celtic place-names survive throughout the western portion of the county, it is only in the wild remote districts of Cwmdauddwr and St Harmon's that the Welsh See also:tongue predominates, and in this region some of the old Welsh superstitions linger amongst the peasants and shepherds of the hills. In the eastern part of the county English is spoken universally, and the See also:manners and customs of the inhabitants differ little from those prevailing in the neighbouring county of Hereford. On the western side of Radnor Forest the modern spirit of progress has destroyed most of the old local customs. Until the beginning of the 19th century the ancient Welsh service of the pylgain on See also:Christmas See also:morning was observed in Rhayader church; and the same town was formerly remarkable for an interesting ceremony, evidently of great antiquity, whereat after a funeral each attendant mourner was wont to throw a See also:stone upon a certain spot near the church with the words " Carn ar dy See also:ben " (a stone on thy See also:head). The laying of malicious sprites by means of lighted tapers was formerly practised in the churches of the Wye Valley; and a curious service, commemorative of the dead and known as " the See also:Month's End," is still observed in certain parish churches, a month after the actual funeral has taken place. The practice of farmers and their wives or daughters See also:riding to the local markets on ponies, the older See also:women sometimes See also:knitting as they proceed, still continues, and is specially characteristic of agricultural life in Radnorshire. See A See also:General History of the County of Radnor (compiled from the MS. of the See also:late Rev. See also:Jonathan See also:Williams and other See also:sources) (Brecknock, 1905).

End of Article: RADNORSHIRE (Sir Faesyfed)

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