Llanfair-y-bryn is the name of a sparsely populated, rural

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 ...

and

Church in Wales The Church in Wales ( cy, Yr Eglwys yng Nghymru) is an Anglicanism, Anglican church in Wales, composed of six dioceses. The Archbishop of Wales does not have a fixed archiepiscopal see, but serves concurrently as one of the six diocesan bishop ...

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

in Carmarthenshire,

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

. Covering an area of some 95 km², it lies along and to the northwest and southeast of the A483

Swansea Swansea (; cy, Abertawe ) is a coastal city and the second-largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Swansea ( cy, links=no, Dinas a Sir Abertawe). The city is the twenty-fifth largest in ...

Chester Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...

road immediately north of the town of Llandovery. The population of the community at the 2011 census was 624.

Description

Two particularities of Llanfair-ar-y-bryn (English meaning: "St Mary's on the hill") are that *the community and parish contain no settlement of that name: in 1801 it comprised the hamlets of Rhandir Abbot, Rhandir Canol, Rhandir Isaf, and Rhandir Uchaf; today the principal settlements are

Cynghordy Cynghordy () is a village in the rural community of Llanfair-ar-y-bryn in Carmarthenshire, Wales. It lies on the A483 road northeast of the town of Llandovery, and is served by Cynghordy railway station on the Heart of Wales Line The Heart of ...

and

Rhandir-mwyn Rhandirmwyn (or Rhandir-mwyn) is a small village in the north east of Carmarthenshire, Wales. Located in the upper Towy valley, 3 km north of Cilycwm village, it extends on both sides of the river. It lies in the parish of Llanfair-ar-y-bryn. ...

*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, ...

was, until 1883, located one mile outside the parish itself, in Llandingad (Llandovery); in 1883 a new church (also called St Mary's) was opened at a more central location in Cynghordy. The area is served by trains operated between Swansea and

Shrewsbury Shrewsbury ( , also ) is a market town, civil parish, and the county town of Shropshire, England, on the River Severn, north-west of London; at the 2021 census, it had a population of 76,782. The town's name can be pronounced as either 'Sh ...

via Llandrindod Wells by

Transport for Wales Transport for Wales (TfW; cy, Trafnidiaeth Cymru; cy, TrC, label=none) is a not-for-profit company owned by the Welsh Government and managed at arms length by its appointed board. TfW oversees the Transport for Wales Group (TfW Group) consi ...

, which manages

Cynghordy railway station Cynghordy railway station () serves the rural community of Cynghordy near Llandovery, Carmarthenshire, Wales. The station is on the Heart of Wales Line north east of Swansea and is located at street level at the end of a gravel track off a l ...

, a

request stop In public transport, a request stop, flag stop, or whistle stop is a stop or station at which buses or trains, respectively, stop only on request; that is, only if there are passengers or freight to be picked up or dropped off. In this way, st ...

on the Heart of Wales Line from

Llanelli Llanelli ("St Elli's Parish"; ) is a market town and the largest community in Carmarthenshire and the preserved county of Dyfed, Wales. It is located on the Loughor estuary north-west of Swansea and south-east of the county town, Carmarthen. ...

to Craven Arms. The community is bordered by the communities of: Myddfai; Llandovery; and

Cilycwm Cilycwm ( cy, Cil-y-cwm, ) is a village and parish located in Carmarthenshire, Wales. The community population taken at the 2011 census was 487. Cilycwm lies on the west bank of Afon Gwenlais, a tributary of the Tywi, north of the town of Llan ...

, all being in Carmarthenshire; by

Llanddewi Brefi Llanddewi Brefi () is a village, parish and community of approximately 500 people in Ceredigion, Wales. In the sixth century, Saint David (in Welsh, ''Dewi Sant''), the patron saint of Wales, held the Synod of Brefi here and it has borne his na ...

in Ceredigion; and by: Llanwrtyd Wells; Llangamarch;

Maescar Maescar is a community in the county of Powys, Wales, and is 35.4 miles (56.9 km) from Cardiff and 148.7 miles (239.3 km) from London. It is in the historic county of Brecknockshire. Description The villages of Defynnog and Sennybrid ...

; and

Llywel Llywel () is a small village located on the A40, about west of Sennybridge in Brecknockshire (currently administered as part of the unitary authority of Powys), Wales. The Afon Gwydderig runs through the village, not far from its source. Llywel ...

, all in Powys.

The old parish church, Llanfair-ar-y-bryn

The original Church of St Mary stands a mile outside the parish on the northeastern edge of Llandovery, on the site of the

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

auxiliary fort of

Alabum The rectangular enclosure that defined this Roman fort was built in the 70s AD as part of the campaign to integrate southern Wales into the Roman province of Britannia Superior. It lay on a key road, now known as the Sarn Helen (RR69), from the ...

.CBHC/RCAHMW: Coflein
/ref>

William Williams Pantycelyn William Williams, Pantycelyn (c. 11 February 1717 – 11 January 1791), also known as William Williams, Williams Pantycelyn, and Pantycelyn, is generally seen as Wales's premier hymnist. He is also rated among the great literary figures of Wale ...

(1717–1791), generally acknowledged as one of Wales's greatest

hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' ...

writers, is buried in the churchyard there, having been a resident of the parish for much of his life.

References

External links

*http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/wal/CMN/Llanfair-ar-y-Bryn/index.html *http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/2056 {{coord, 52.04334, N, 3.73808, W, display=title, region:GB_type:city(500)_source:googlemaps, format=dms Communities in Carmarthenshire