A view of Llanboidy from Hafod field NLW3361628

Llanboidy 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, tow ...

in the

principal area {{Short description, Formal legal term for a county in England and Wales In England and Wales local government legislation, a principal area is one of the sub-national areas established for control by a principal council. They include most of the ar ...

and historic county of

Carmarthenshire Carmarthenshire ( cy, Sir Gaerfyrddin; or informally ') is a county in the south-west of Wales. The three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford. Carmarthen is the county town and administrative centre. The county is known as ...

West Wales West Wales ( cy, Gorllewin Cymru) is not clearly defined as a particular region of Wales. Some definitions of West Wales include only Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire, which historically comprised the Welsh principality of ''Deheuba ...

. The community includes the village of Llanglydwen.

Location

According to the

2001 United Kingdom Census A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194. The 2001 UK census was organised by the Office for National ...

, the community had a

population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...

of 988 rising to 1,061 at the 2011 Census. It is located near the border with

Pembrokeshire Pembrokeshire ( ; cy, Sir Benfro ) is a Local government in Wales#Principal areas, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. It is bordered by Carmarthenshire to the east, Ceredigion to the northeast, and the rest by sea. The count ...

close to the

Landsker Line The Landsker Line ( cy, Ffin ieithyddol Sir Benfro) is a term used for the language border in Wales between the largely Welsh-speaking and largely English-speaking areas in Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire. The English-speaking areas, south of ...

. The village itself is on the

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

speaking side. The community is bordered by the communities of:

Llanwinio Llanwinio is a community in Carmarthenshire, Wales, north of the hamlet of Gellywen. The population recorded at the 2011 census was 448. The 2011 census showed 46.0% of the population could speak Welsh, a fall from 62.3% in 2001. In 1844 Sam ...

;

Llangynin Llangynin is a community located in Carmarthenshire, Wales. The Welsh language name of the village means "the church of St. Cynin" The population of the community taken at the 2011 census was 284. St Cynin's church is a grade II* listed buildi ...

;

St Clears St Clears ( ; cy, Sanclêr) on the River Tâf in Carmarthenshire, Wales, is both a small town and a community. At the 2011 census, the population was 2,995. The community includes the small settlements of Bancyfelin and Pwlltrap. It is border ...

;

Eglwyscummin Eglwyscummin ( cy, Eglwys Gymyn) is a community situated on the south-western boundary of Carmarthenshire in south-west Wales. It is made up of the three ward parishes of Ciffig, Eglwyscummin, and Marros, all surrounding the village of Red Roses, ...

;

Whitland Whitland (Welsh: , lit. "Old White House", or ''Hendy-gwyn ar Daf'', "Old White House on the River Tâf", from the medieval ''Ty Gwyn ar Daf'') is both a town and a community in Carmarthenshire, Wales. Description The Whitland community is ...

;

Henllanfallteg Henllanfallteg (Welsh: ''Henllan Fallteg'') is a community in the west of Carmarthenshire, Wales. It comprises the villages of Cwmfelin Boeth, Henllan Amgoed, Hiraeth, Llanfallteg, and Rhydywrach. The community population taken at the 2011 censu ...

; and

Cilymaenllwyd Cilymaenllwyd is a community on the extreme northwest of Carmarthenshire in Wales. The community population at the 2011 census was 742. It lies about west of Carmarthen, southeast of Fishguard and northwest of Haverfordwest. The A478 road runs ...

, all being in Carmarthenshire; and by

Crymych Crymych () is a village of around 800 inhabitants and a community (population 1,739) in the northeast of Pembrokeshire, Wales. It is situated approximately above sea level at the eastern end of the Preseli Mountains, on the old Tenby to Cardigan ...

Governance

electoral ward A ward is a local authority area, typically used for electoral purposes. In some countries, wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected to t ...

in the same name exists. This ward stretches beyond the boundaries of Llanboidy. The population of the ward taken at the 2011 census was 2,087.

History and amenities

Llanboidy is a scenic village in West Carmarthenshire, Wales. Its history goes back to the

Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age (Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly appl ...

where the site of a timber built fort can be seen near the village centre. 'Llanboidy' may mean church (Llan) of the cowshed () and its name probably is linked to St. Brynach. Brynach was a wandering 5th century Irish

saint In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of Q-D-Š, holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and Christian denomination, denominat ...

who got shipwrecked off the

South Wales South Wales ( cy, De Cymru) is a loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire, south Wales extends westwards ...

coast, returning to

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

from a tour to

Brittany Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, Historical region, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known ...

. He founded several

churches and the village church is named after and dedicated to him. Another notable church he founded is at the village of

Nevern Nevern ( cy, Nanhyfer) is both a parish and a community in Pembrokeshire, Wales. The community includes the settlements of Felindre Farchog, Monington, Moylgrove and Bayvil. The small village lies in the Nevern valley near the Preseli Hills of t ...

. This is approximately 20 miles north west of Llanboidy and is overlooked by

Carn Ingli Carn Ingli () is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in the Preseli Hills, Pembrokeshire, Wales. It was designated a SSSI in January 1954 in an attempt to protect its fragile biological elements. The site has an area of and is managed ...

(said by some to mean Mountain of Angels). Llanboidy then became an important

drovers road A drovers' road, drove ''roador droveway is a route for droving livestock on foot from one place to another, such as to market or between summer and winter pasture (see transhumance). Many drovers' roads were ancient routes of unknown age; o ...

route in the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

and once had four

tavern A tavern is a place of business where people gather to drink alcoholic beverages and be served food such as different types of roast meats and cheese, and (mostly historically) where travelers would receive lodging. An inn is a tavern that h ...

s. It has a sports and social club and a

football (soccer) Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

team. There is a village

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional serv ...

and the school has recently been re-built. The church

graveyard A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite or graveyard is a place where the remains of dead people are buried or otherwise interred. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek , "sleeping place") implies that the land is specifically designated as a buri ...

holds a very precious statue, called 'the Grief', by the

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...

born Sculptor Sir William

Goscombe John Sir William Goscombe John (21 February 1860 – 15 December 1952) was a prolific Welsh sculptor known for his many public memorials. As a sculptor, John developed a distinctive style of his own while respecting classical traditions and forms of ...

. It was slowly deteriorating, until it was restored and brought indoors, in order to preserve it. It was a funerary monument to the

Victorian era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwardia ...

Walter Rice Howell Powell Walter Rice Howell Powell (1819 – 26 June 1889) was a Welsh landowner and Liberal politician. He was Member of Parliament for Carmarthenshire from 1880 until 1885 and for West Carmarthenshire from 1885 until his death in 1889. Early life Po ...

. Powell was a Haverfordwest born 1819

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...

who brought money and jobs to the village and his legacy can be seen at the Market Hall and other fine buildings in the village. The seat of the Powells was the mansion of Maesgwynne, north of the village.

References

External links

Llanboidy siteLlanboidy on GenukiLlanboidy Football Clubwww.geograph.co.uk : photos of Llanboidy and surrounding area
{{authority control Villages in Carmarthenshire Communities in Carmarthenshire Carmarthenshire electoral wards