Glasbury ( cy, Y Clas-ar-Wy), also known as Glasbury-on-Wye, is a village and
community
A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, ...
in
Powys
Powys (; ) is a county and preserved county in Wales. It is named after the Kingdom of Powys which was a Welsh successor state, petty kingdom and principality that emerged during the Middle Ages following the end of Roman rule in Britain.
Geog ...
, Wales. The village lies at an important crossing point on the
River Wye, connecting the historic counties of
Brecknockshire and
Radnorshire, and is located just outside the
Brecon Beacons National Park
The Brecon Beacons National Park ( cy, Parc Cenedlaethol Bannau Brycheiniog) is one of three national parks in Wales, and is centred on the Brecon Beacons range of hills in southern Wales. It includes the Black Mountain ( cy, Y Mynydd Du) i ...
, north of the
Black Mountains. The village is split between the
communities of Glasbury and
Gwernyfed. The nearest town is
Hay-on-Wye
Hay-on-Wye ( cy, Y Gelli Gandryll), simply known locally as "Hay" ( cy, Y Gelli), is a market town and community in Powys, Wales; it was historically in the county of Brecknockshire. With over twenty bookshops, it is often described as "the to ...
, some to the north east. The nearest city is
Hereford in
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, some to the east. Glasbury is a popular location for
river fishing
Angling is a fishing technique that uses a fish hook or "angle" (from Old English ''angol'') attached to a fishing line to tether individual fish in the mouth. The fishing line is usually manipulated via a fishing rod, although rodless techniqu ...
,
canoeing and
kayaking. The population of Glasbury
community
A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, ...
in
Radnorshire was 994 (census 2011), in 1841 it was 838.
History
Saint Cynidr and early settlement
The early village grew north of the river crossing, where a
church
Church may refer to:
Religion
* Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities
* Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination
* Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship
* C ...
was built dedicated to St Cynidr, a 6th-century bishop said to be buried in Glasbury. The name 'Glasbury' derives from the Welsh '
clas', which signifies a
glebe
Glebe (; also known as church furlong, rectory manor or parson's close(s))McGurk 1970, p. 17 is an area of land within an ecclesiastical parish used to support a parish priest. The land may be owned by the church, or its profits may be reserved ...
or church land. St Cynidr's name is retained in the small settlement of Ffynnon Gynydd to the north of the village, where Cynidr's well is still visible. From the 6th century to the 11th century, Glasbury formed part of the Kingdom of
Brycheiniog
Brycheiniog was an independent kingdom in South Wales in the Early Middle Ages. It often acted as a buffer state between England to the east and the south Welsh kingdom of Deheubarth to the west. It was conquered and pacified by the Norman ...
, ruled from nearby
Talgarth
Talgarth is a market town, community and electoral ward in southern Powys, Mid Wales, about north of Crickhowell, north-east of Brecon and south-east of Builth Wells. Notable buildings in the town include the 14th-century parish church and ...
.
Bishops of Glasbury
The importance of this early church was such that Glasbury was made a
diocese
In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associa ...
. A list of the bishops of Glasbury still exists and gives the last bishop as Tryferyn, who died in 1055. The diocese was subsumed by the bishopric of
Glamorgan, later
Llandaff
Llandaff (; cy, Llandaf ; from 'church' and ''River Taff, Taf'') is a district, Community (Wales), community and coterminous electoral ward in the north of Cardiff, capital of Wales. It was incorporated into the city in 1922. It is the seat of ...
.
Battle of Glasbury
In the mid 11th century, the Welsh kingdoms (including Brycheiniog) were temporarily united under
Gruffydd ap Llywelyn
Gruffydd ap Llywelyn ( 5 August 1063) was King of Wales from 1055 to 1063. He had previously been King of Gwynedd and Powys in 1039. He was the son of King Llywelyn ap Seisyll and Angharad daughter of Maredudd ab Owain, and the great-gre ...
, King of Wales. On 16 June 1056, a battle was fought at Glasbury between an English force, led by Bishop
Leofgar of Hereford, and a Welsh force led by Gruffydd ap Llywelyn, at which the warrior bishop was killed.
Marcher lordship
After the Norman invasion, the kingdom of Brycheiniog (including Glasbury) was conquered or otherwise acquired by
Bernard de Neufmarché
Bernard de Neufmarché (), also Bernard of Newmarket or Bernard of Newmarch was the first of the Norman conquerors of Wales. He was a minor Norman lord who rose to power in the Welsh Marches before successfully undertaking the invasion and co ...
, one of the
Marcher Lords
A Marcher lord () was a noble appointed by the king of England to guard the border (known as the Welsh Marches) between England and Wales.
A Marcher lord was the English equivalent of a margrave (in the Holy Roman Empire) or a marquis (in F ...
. In 1088, he presented the Manor and church of Glasbury to the Abbey of St Peter's at Gloucester and the
parish church
A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...
of St. Cynidr was rededicated to
St Peter. The patronage of the church was later transferred to the
Bishop of Gloucester
The Bishop of Gloucester is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Gloucester in the Province of Canterbury.
The diocese covers the County of Gloucestershire and part of the County of Worcestershire. The see's centre of governan ...
and subsequently to the
Bishop of St David's
The Bishop of St Davids is the ordinary of the Church in Wales Diocese of St Davids.
The succession of bishops stretches back to Saint David who in the 6th century established his seat in what is today the city of St Davids in Pembrokeshire, ...
, with whom it remains today.
[Rev. W. E. T. Morgan, Hay and neighbourhood, 1932.]
In 1144, as part of an exchange, the lordship of the Manor of Glasbury passed from Gloucester Abbey to
Walter de Clifford, after which time it was frequently contested by the marcher families. Following a dispute with
John Giffard, the lordship passed to John de Braose of Glasbury (son of
John de Braose) in 1275. In 1299, it passed to Margaret Longespee and her husband
Henry de Lacy, 3rd Earl of Lincoln
Henry de Lacy, Earl of Lincoln (c. 1251February 1311), Baron of Pontefract, Lord of Bowland, Baron of Halton and hereditary Constable of Chester, was an English nobleman and confidant of King Edward I. He served Edward in Wales, France, and Sc ...
and in 1330 to
Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March
Roger Mortimer, 3rd Baron Mortimer of Wigmore, 1st Earl of March (25 April 1287 – 29 November 1330), was an English nobleman and powerful Marcher Lord who gained many estates in the Welsh Marches and Ireland following his advantageous marria ...
. The lordship was seized by the crown in 1331, and granted to Eubulo le Strange, but returned to Mortimer's grandson
Roger Mortimer, 2nd Earl of March
Sir Roger de Mortimer, 2nd Earl of March, 4th Baron Mortimer of Wigmore, KG (11 November 132826 February 1360) was an English nobleman and military commander during the Hundred Years' War.
He was the son of Sir Edmund Mortimer (d. 1331) an ...
in 1354 and in 1360 to his son
Edmund Mortimer, 3rd Earl of March
Edmund de Mortimer, 3rd Earl of March and ''jure uxoris'' Earl of Ulster (1 February 135227 December 1381) was the son of Roger Mortimer, 2nd Earl of March, by his wife Philippa, daughter of William Montagu, 1st Earl of Salisbury and Catherine G ...
. In 1404,
King Henry IV granted the lordship to Sir Robert Whitney "in consequence of his father...having been killed in the royal service and his property burnt by the Welsh rebels".
Glasbury Castle
Glasbury Castle, north of the river, was first mentioned in 1144 when it was granted (with the manor) to Walter de Clifford. In August 1233, the castle was attacked and captured by
King Henry III following a baronial rebellion by the Cliffords, but little more is recorded after that, though it was still in existence in a survey of Glasbury Manor dated 1561
Remains of its earthworks were visible near the centre of the village until housing development in the 1970s.
Split between Radnorshire and Breconshire
Following the end of the semi-autonomous Marcher Lordships with the
Laws in Wales Acts 1535–1542
The Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542 ( cy, Y Deddfau Cyfreithiau yng Nghymru 1535 a 1542) were Acts of the Parliament of England, and were the parliamentary measures by which Wales was annexed to the Kingdom of England. Moreover, the legal sys ...
, the parish and village of Glasbury north of the Wye together with the village south of the Wye were placed in the hundred of
Painscastle
Painscastle (Welsh: ''Castell-paen'') is a village and community in Powys (formerly Radnorshire), Wales which takes its name from the castle at its heart. It lies between Builth and Hay-on-Wye, approximately 3 miles from the Wales-England borde ...
in the county of
Radnorshire, whilst the outlying parts of the parish south of the Wye (including Felindre,
Pipton
Pipton is a small settlement and former civil parish (or community) in Powys, Wales on the Afon Llynfi near its confluence with the River Wye. It was formerly in the county of Brecknockshire and is now part of the community of Bronllys. The ...
, and Tregoyd) were placed in the hundred of Talgarth in the county of Brecknockshire. This continued till 1844, when all of Glasbury south of the Wye was transferred to
Brecknockshire.
The village today
Two ecclesiastical parishes
Following floods in the mid seventeenth century, the River Wye changed course and the old parish church of St Peter's found itself south (rather than north) of the river and subsequently fell into disrepair. A new one was built still further south in 1661, though the current building dates from 1837. It is now a
Grade II listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Ir ...
.
[ In 1883, a second church was built north of the river and the Radnorshire side of the village transferred to the new parish of Glasbury, All Saints.]
Maesllwch Castle
Maesllwch Castle, overlooking Glasbury to the north, was built close to an original hall house of the Vaughan family which was later owned by Charles Lloyd. The house was rebuilt by the Howorths in 1715, when the surrounding park was also established. The current building was grandly conceived in castellated style by the architect Robert Lugar
Robert Lugar (1773 – 23 June 1855), was a British architect and engineer in the Industrial Revolution.
Although born in Colchester, England, Lugar carried out much of his most important work in Scotland and Wales, where he was employed by s ...
for the de Winton family in the mid-nineteenth century. In the Second World War it was requisitioned and used as a Canadian hospital and subsequently by the Land Army. Part of the castle was later demolished to reduce the costs of upkeep, but it remains an imposing private residence and a Grade II listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Ir ...
.
Maesyronnen Chapel and the non-conformists
The early puritan non-conformist Vavasor Powell is believed to have first started his preaching career to the north of the village in the 1640s. The 1654 pamphlet 'Hue and cry after Mr Vavasor Powell' was written by Alexander Griffith, vicar of Glasbury, who had been expelled from the living by Vavasor and others for "drunkenness and lasciviousness".
Maesyronnen chapel was founded around 1691 on land donated by Charles Lloyd, squire of Maesllwch. It is considered the most important surviving building associated with the non-conformist movement in Wales and lays claim to being the first and oldest chapel in Wales. It is now a Grade I listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
, still used and maintained by the United Reformed Church
The United Reformed Church (URC) is a Protestant Christian church in the United Kingdom. As of 2022 it has approximately 40,000 members in 1,284 congregations with 334 stipendiary ministers.
Origins and history
The United Reformed Church resulte ...
. A much later United Reformed chapel was built on the village green in "Gothic style" in 1866, but is now a private residence. It remains a Grade II listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Ir ...
.[
The ]Methodist
Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's ...
chapel at Cwmbach in the north of the village dates from 1818, when local farmer Richard Hergest received a revelation that it should be built in his meadow.[ It is also a ]Grade II listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Ir ...
[ and remains in use.
The ]Baptist
Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only ( believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compe ...
chapel at Treble Hill, just south of and conveniently close to the River Wye, was built in "temple style" in 1866 and closed in 2010.[ It remains a ]Grade II listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Ir ...
.
Glasbury Bridge
Glasbury Bridge has repeatedly been destroyed by floods. A wooden bridge was washed away in 1738, a replacement in 1777 and a stone bridge in 1795. In 1850, a dispute between Brecknockshire and Radnorshire over costs for a new bridge led to the construction of a compromise half-wooden (Radnorshire), half-stone (Brecknockshire) bridge. The current six-span masonry bridge was built in 1923.
Turnpikes, tramway, and railway
Glasbury was and still is on the main road between Brecon
Brecon (; cy, Aberhonddu; ), archaically known as Brecknock, is a market town in Powys, mid Wales. In 1841, it had a population of 5,701. The population in 2001 was 7,901, increasing to 8,250 at the 2011 census. Historically it was the coun ...
and Hereford and Brecon and Hay-on-Wye. These roads were formerly turnpikes and a turnpike toll house
A tollhouse or toll house is a building with accommodation for a toll collector, beside a tollgate on a toll road, canal, or toll bridge.
History
Many tollhouses were built by turnpike trusts in England, Wales and Scotland during the 18th an ...
(now a private residence) still remains on the northern edge of the village. In 1843 a royal commission of inquiry took evidence that "The Glasbury gates are a great inconvenience" since "persons travelling from one part of the village to the other pay two tolls", one to the Radnorshire and one to the Brecknockshire trust. This provoked an incident during the Rebecca Riots
The Rebecca Riots (Welsh: ''Terfysgoedd Beca'') took place between 1839 and 1843 in West and Mid Wales. They were a series of protests undertaken by local farmers and agricultural workers in response to levels of taxation. The rioters, often me ...
of 1843-44 when one of the Glasbury turnpike gates was destroyed.
A tramway connecting Hay-on-Wye with the Brecknock and Abergavenny Canal
The Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal ( cy, Camlas Sir Fynwy a Brycheiniog) is a small network of canals in South Wales. For most of its currently (2018) navigable length it runs through the Brecon Beacons National Park, and its present rural ...
ran through Glasbury, on the southern side of the river. Called the Hay Railway
The Hay Railway was a narrow gauge horse-drawn tramway in the district surrounding Hay-on-Wye in Brecknockshire, Wales. The railway connected Eardisley in Herefordshire, England, with Brecon in Wales. The Brecon terminus was Watton Wharf on the Br ...
, it was horse-drawn, carried coal, limestone, and agricultural produce, and opened on 7 May 1816. The stations were known as 'wharves' and Glasbury Wharf was at Llwynau-bach, to the south-east of the village, where traces of stabling for the draught horses remain.[
The tramway was replaced by the ]Hereford, Hay and Brecon Railway
The Hereford, Hay and Brecon Railway (HH&BR) was a railway company that built a line between Hereford in England and a junction with the Mid-Wales Railway at Three Cocks Junction. It opened its line in stages from 1862 to 1864. It never had enoug ...
which opened for traffic in 1864 and closed in 1962. The route mostly followed the old tramway. Glasbury Station was in the Treble Hill area in the south of the village, where three railway bridges are still standing.
Inns and shops
The Maesllwch Arms in the northern half of the village is an old coaching inn with stables and is a Grade II listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Ir ...
. Though no longer on the main road, the inn still offers accommodation as well as food and drink, as does the Harp Inn on the southern side. Glasbury still retains a post office and village stores, as well as a riverside restaurant, an antique shop, a garage and filling station.
Canoeing and outdoor activities
Glasbury is a centre for canoeing and kayaking on the River Wye and for walking and other activities in the Black Mountains. Two outdoor education centres are based in the village: Woodlands Outdoor Education Centre, owned by Oxfordshire County Council, and Glasbury House Outdoor Education Centre, owned by the London Borough of Redbridge. Both offer accommodation and a range of activities for young people.
Glasbury Arts
Since 2007, Glasbury has hosted an annual autumn to spring festival of events and workshops, celebrating literature, theatre, music and the visual arts. Guests have included harpist Catrin Finch
Catrin Ana Finch is a Welsh harpist, arranger and composer. She was the Official Harpist to the Prince of Wales from 2000 to 2004 and is visiting professor at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama and the Royal Academy of Music in London. ...
, singers Coope Boyes and Simpson, Kiki Dee
Pauline Matthews (born 6 March 1947), better known by her stage name Kiki Dee, is an English singer. Known for her blue-eyed soul vocals, she was the first female singer from the UK to sign with Motown's Tamla Records.
Dee is best known for h ...
, Julie Felix
Julie Ann Felix (June 14, 1938 – March 22, 2020) was an American-British folk singer and recording artist who achieved success, particularly on British television, in the late 1960s and early 1970s. She later performed and released albums on h ...
, John Kirkpatrick, Isla St Clair and local writer Jenny Valentine
Jenny Valentine (born 1970) is an English children's novelist. For her first novel and best-known work, ''Finding Violet Park'' (HarperCollins, 2007), she won the annual Guardian Children's Fiction Prize, a once-in-a-lifetime book award judged ...
.
Renamed "Buryglaze", Glasbury features as one of the locales for Peter Greenaway
Peter Greenaway, (born 5 April 1942) is a Welsh film director, screenwriter and artist. His films are noted for the distinct influence of Renaissance and Baroque painting, and Flemish painting in particular. Common traits in his films are th ...
's 1978 short film, Vertical Features Remake.
Community
Following local government reorganization in 1974, the village of Glasbury was split between two communities. The southern (Brecknockshire) part of the village was placed in the community of Gwernyfed together with the neighbouring villages of Aberllynfi and Felindre. The northern (Radnorshire) part of the village was placed in the misleadingly named community of Glasbury together with the neighbouring villages of Boughrood, Llanstephan
Llansteffan, is a village and a community situated on the south coast of Carmarthenshire, Wales, lying on the estuary of the River Tywi, south of Carmarthen.
Description
The community includes Llanybri and is bordered by the communities of: L ...
and Llowes
Llowes is a small village in the community of Glasbury, Powys, Wales. The village has approximately 110 inhabitants (2005). The nearest town is Hay-on-Wye, some 3 miles (5 km) to the south-east.
History St. Meilig and St. Meilig's Cross
The ...
.
Orchards and the 'Glasbury' apple
In 1815, the late Rev. John Hughes, curate of Glasbury, was described as "an active and zealous orchard-planter" who "introduced grafts from vigorous-bearing trees of the choicest cyder sorts". Perhaps as a result of his endeavours, a 1912 guide book referred to Glasbury "nestling in a circle of orchards", some few of which survive to this day.
An apple cultivar
A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture ...
called 'Glasbury' is still obtainable. It is a dessert apple, said to have originated in Norfolk in 1872, presumably from seeds or cuttings taken from Glasbury. Curiously, another cultivar called 'Glasbury' was recommended as a cider apple
Cider apples are a group of apple cultivars grown for their use in the production of cider (referred to as "hard cider" in the United States). Cider apples are distinguished from "cookers" and "eaters", or dessert apples, by their bitterness or ...
in a book published in 1835, but this earlier apple now seems to be unknown.
Kilvert country
Francis Kilvert
Robert Francis Kilvert (3 December 184023 September 1879), known as Francis or Frank, was an English clergyman whose diaries reflected rural life in the 1870s, and were published over fifty years after his death.
Life
Kilvert was born on 3 ...
was curate of the nearby village of Clyro from 1865 to 1872. Glasbury is mentioned several times - often as "sweet Glasbury" - in his published diaries.
Natural history
Glasbury still lies entirely within the vice-county of Radnorshire for the purposes of biological recording. Plant and lichen records are thus included in the Flora of Radnorshire.
The Brecknock Wildlife Trust
Brecknock Wildlife Trust ( cy, Ymddiriedolaeth Natur Sir Frycheiniog) is a former wildlife trust covering the vice county of Brecknockshire in Wales. The Trust was founded in 1964, with a network of volunteers carrying out most of its work. No ...
nature reserve known as ‘Glasbury Cutting’ has been created from part of the disused Hereford, Hay and Brecon Railway line and is to the east of Glasbury, on the B4350 towards Hay-on-Wye. The reserve is home to rare dormice
A dormouse is a rodent of the family Gliridae (this family is also variously called Myoxidae or Muscardinidae by different taxonomists). Dormice are nocturnal animals found in Africa, Asia, and Europe. They are named for their long, dormant hibe ...
which were discovered there in 2000.
Governance
The Glasbury community is part of a larger Glasbury electoral ward which elects a county councillor to Powys County Council
Powys County Council ( cy, Cyngor Sir Powys) is the local authority for Powys, one of the administrative areas of Wales. The County Hall is in Llandrindod Wells.
History
The county of Powys was created on 1 April 1974 under the Local Govern ...
. Since a by-election in August 2015 the councillor has been Liberal Democrat
Several political parties from around the world have been called the Liberal Democratic Party or Liberal Democrats. These parties usually follow a liberal democratic ideology.
Active parties
Former parties
See also
*Liberal democracy
*Lib ...
James Gibson-Watt, who used to represent nearby Hay-on-Wye
Hay-on-Wye ( cy, Y Gelli Gandryll), simply known locally as "Hay" ( cy, Y Gelli), is a market town and community in Powys, Wales; it was historically in the county of Brecknockshire. With over twenty bookshops, it is often described as "the to ...
.
Notable people
* Mary Morgan (1788–1805), servant in Presteigne
Presteigne (; cy, Llanandras: the church of St. Andrew) is a town and community in Radnorshire, Powys, Wales on the south bank of the River Lugg. Formerly the county town of the historic county of Radnorshire, the town has, in common with ...
, convicted and hanged for killing her newborn child.
* Francis Huntly Griffith JP, (1885–1958), politician and tea and rubber planter in Ceylon.
* Colwyn Edward Vulliamy
Colwyn Edward Vulliamy (20 June 1886 – 4 September 1971), was an Anglo-Welsh biographer and author. He was mostly credited as C. E. Vulliamy, but he sometimes used the pen name Anthony Rolls for his crime fiction.
Born in Glasbury, Radnorshire, ...
(1886–1971), an Anglo-Welsh biographer and author.
* Anna McMorrin (born 1971), politician, MP for Cardiff North, grew up in Glasbury
See also
*Humphrey Howorth
Sir Humphrey Howorth (c.1684–1755), of Maesllwch Castle, Radnorshire, was a British landowner and Whig politician who sat in the House of Commons for 33 years from 1722 to 1755.
Howorth was the son of Humphrey Howorth and a daughter of Charl ...
Notes
External links
Glasbury History Group
Glasbury Arts
Glasbury House Outdoor Centre
www.geograph.co.uk : photos of Glasbury and surrounding area
{{authority control
Villages in Powys
River Wye
Burial sites of the Children of Brychan
Communities in Powys