Llangennech (()) 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 area of
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. ...
,
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 ...
, Wales, which covers an area of .
It is governed by
Llangennech Community Council
Llangennech (()) is a village and community in the area of Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, Wales, which covers an area of .
It is governed by Llangennech Community Council and Carmarthenshire County Council. Llangennech is also the name of the coun ...
and
Carmarthenshire County Council
Carmarthenshire County Council ( cy, Cyngor Sir Gaerfyrddin) is the local authority for the county of Carmarthenshire, Wales. It provides a range of services including education, planning, transport, social services and public safety. The counc ...
. Llangennech is also the name of the county
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 ...
coterminous with the village. It falls in the
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. ...
parliamentary and
Senedd
The Senedd (; ), officially known as the Welsh Parliament in English and () in Welsh, is the devolved, unicameral legislature of Wales. A democratically elected body, it makes laws for Wales, agrees certain taxes and scrutinises the Welsh Gove ...
constituency. It lies in the Mid & West Wales region for regional Senedd members.
Llangennech was a
coal mining
Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from ...
community, with several local collieries mining steam coal. There is also a large Labour tradition in the village originating with the mine workers. There was a large
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
depot in the village, which was closed in 2007 in Ministry of Defence restructuring.
Llangennech has a strong
rugby union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...
team,
Llangennech RFC
Llangennech Rugby Football Club are a Welsh rugby union club based in Llangennech in Carmarthenshire, Wales. Llangennech RFC is a member of the Welsh Rugby Union.
Llangennech Rugby Football Club was established in 1885, when enthusiasm for the ...
, that feeds many players into
Llanelli RFC
Llanelli Rugby Football Club ( cy, Clwb Rygbi Llanelli) is a Welsh rugby union club founded on 30 March 1872.
The club's historic home ground was Stradey Park in Llanelli, but they moved in 2008 to the new Parc y Scarlets in adjacent Pembert ...
and then on to the
Llanelli Scarlets
The Scarlets () are one of the four professional Welsh rugby union teams and are based in Llanelli, Wales. Their home ground is the Parc y Scarlets stadium. They play in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup (which ...
regional rugby union team.
The town is served by
Llangennech railway station
Llangennech railway station serves the village of Llangennech near Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, Wales. Llangennech station is located at street level about half a mile away from the centre of the village. It is one of two stations (neighbouring B ...
on the
Heart of Wales Line
The Heart of Wales line ( cy, Llinell Calon Cymru) is a railway line running from Craven Arms in Shropshire to Llanelli in southwest Wales. It serves a number of rural centres, including the nineteenth-century spa towns Llandrindod Wells, Llanga ...
with trains to
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 ...
to the south 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 ...
to the north.
The community is bordered by the communities of
Llanelli Rural
Llanelli Rural ( cy, Llanelli Gwledig) is a community in the southeast of Carmarthenshire, Wales.
Description
Despite its name, Llanelli Rural covers large parts of the Llanelli urban area, including Bynea, Llwynhendy, Cefncaeau, Pemberton, ...
,
Llannon
Llannon is a small village, community and electoral ward in the county of Carmarthenshire, Wales. It is located on the A476 road south east of the county town, Carmarthen, between Tumble and Swiss Valley.
The community of Llannon, contains Ll ...
, and
Llanedi
Llanedi () is a village and community in Carmarthenshire, Wales. Once the name of a parish, Llanedi is now a community taking in the hamlet of Llanedi and the villages of Hendy, Fforest (suburbs of Pontarddulais) and Tycroes. The community popula ...
, all in Carmarthenshire; and by
Grovesend and Waungron
Grovesend ( cy, Pengelli; ) is a village in the community of Grovesend and Waungron ( cy, Pengelli a Waungron), City and County of Swansea in Wales. The community has a population of 1,131.Gorseinon
Gorseinon is a town within the City and County of Swansea, Wales, near the Loughor estuary. It was a small village until the late 19th century when it grew around the coal mining and tinplate industries. It is situated in the north west of Swa ...
in the
City and County of Swansea
Swansea (; cy, Abertawe ) is a coastal City status in the United Kingdom, city and the List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, second-largest city of Wales. It forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area, officially known as the City ...
.
History
Toponymy
The village has been know by many names over the years. These include Llangennydd, Llangennich, Llangenardh, Llangennach, Llangenarth, Llangenneth, Llangenyth, Llangennych and Langenardh. The likely origin of the village's name comes from the parish church, known as both St. Cennech's or St. Gwynnog's. The church is believed to have been dedicated to the brothers
St. Cennydd and St. Gwynog, the sons of
St. Gildas. Documents reveal that the village has commemorated St. Gwynog since at least the 16th century.
After their education, the Celtic saints who studied in Wales would become missionaries and form Christian cells. If successful, these cells would become a "
Llan Llan may be:
* Llan (placename), a Celtic morpheme, or element, common in British placenames
** A short form for any placename .
* Llan, Powys, a Welsh village near Llanbrynmair
* Llan the Sorcerer
La Lunatica
Lacuna
Lady Bullseye
Lady De ...
", an early Welsh word for enclosure.
Industry
The village's coal industry dates back to at least the 17th century, where the
Duchy of Lancaster
The Duchy of Lancaster is the private estate of the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, British sovereign as Duke of Lancaster. The principal purpose of the estate is to provide a source of independent income to the sovereign. The estate consists of ...
survey in 1609 talks of a Thomas Lloyd's "coleworks" in the Allt area of the village. "Llangennech Coal", as it was known, was used extensively around the world.
The Llangennech Estate
The Llangennech Estate, covering around 4,000 acres of land, was formed between 1801 and 1803 when John Symmonds bought land from Sir John Stepney and various others. In 1804 it entered the hands of the
Earl of Warwick
Earl of Warwick is one of the most prestigious titles in the peerages of the United Kingdom. The title has been created four times in English history, and the name refers to Warwick Castle and the town of Warwick.
Overview
The first creation c ...
and John Vancouver, brother of
George Vancouver
Captain George Vancouver (22 June 1757 – 10 May 1798) was a British Royal Navy officer best known for his 1791–1795 expedition, which explored and charted North America's northwestern Pacific Coast regions, including the coasts of what a ...
. After surrendering the estate back to Symmons in 1806, it was sold to the
MP Edward Rose Tunno
Edward Rose Tunno (1794–1863) was a Member of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Bossiney, Cornwall, 1826–1832.
He had homes at Llangennech, near Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, Wales; Boverton Castle, Llantwit Major, Glamorganshire, Wal ...
in 1821 or 1824. Tunno leased much of the estate. Thomas Margrave of the Llangennech Coal Company leased the "Llangennech Mansion" in 1826. The industrialist
Richard Janion Nevill Richard Janion Nevill (22 November 1785-14 January 1856) was an English industrialist in Llanelli and its surrounding areas, including Llangennech.
Biography
Nevill was born at Summer Hill, Birmingham, the first child of the Birmingham industri ...
leased the mansion among other lands. He died at the Mansion in 1856 and his son and wife lived there until 1870. After Tunno's death, Edward Sartoris, Nevill's nephew and MP for Carmarthenshire, received the Llangennech estate. He went on to marry
Nellie Grant
Ellen Wrenshall "Nellie" Grant (July 4, 1855 – August 30, 1922) was the third child and only daughter of U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant and First Lady Julia Grant. At the age of 16, Nellie was sent abroad to England by President Grant, and was ...
, daughter of
President Ulysses.
Llangennech Park House was a country estate in what is now the street Maes Tŷ Gwyn. Attempts at securing protected site status were futile and it now stands abandoned.
The Rebecca Riots
The Bridge End toll gate stood near where The Bridge public house stands today in the village. An attack on this toll gate occurred in the early hours of and led to its destruction.
Whilst this is the only recorded occurrence of the Rebecca Riots in the village, residents still took part in them elsewhere. ''
The Welshman
''Y Cymro – The Welshman'' is a named passenger train of the Great Western Railway (train operating company), Great Western Railway running between and .
''The Welshman'' was a named passenger train of the London, Midland and Scottish Ra ...
'' reported that the murderer of Sarah Williams, who is believed to be the only victim killed during the riots, was a "named shoemaker of Llangennech".
Aircraft Crashes
Piper PA-30-320 Twin Comanche
On the 17th of March 1992, an aircraft carrying two passengers and one pilot crashed in Llangennech at 16:34 on its flight back to Haverfordwest. The pilot and front seated passenger sustained only minor injuries, whereas the other passenger suffered from a broken neck. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair.
English Electric Canberra
The English Electric Canberra is a British first-generation, jet-powered medium bomber. It was developed by English Electric during the mid- to late 1940s in response to a 1944 Air Ministry requirement for a successor to the wartime de Havil ...
During an air test flight on the 13th of January 1958, the Canberra's engine failed causing a steep dive to the ground. It crashed into marshland two hundred yards from the
railway station
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...
. The only occupant, Flight Lieutenant James Turnbull Wallace, was unfortunately killed due to the crash. He is buried at Llantwit Major Cemetery. The crash caused a thirty foot crater. Eyewitness accounts suggest that a flaming parachute was seen in the air as the plane came crashing down. No one was attached. Part of the parachute was later found fifty yards from the crater.
Demographics
Llangennech community's population was 4,964, according to the
2011 census;
an increase of 10.07% since the 4,510 people noted in
2001
The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...
.
The 2011 census showed 39.9% of the population could speak
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 ...
, a fall from 46.8% in 2001.
Geography
Troserch Woodlands
The Trosech Woodlands lie near the River Morlais, approximately one mile to the north of the village. It is owned and cared for by the Trosech Woodland Society for the benefit of the public.
Governance
Llangennech is currently represented in parliament by
Nia Griffith
Dame Nia Rhiannon Griffith (born 4 December 1956) is a Welsh politician who has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Llanelli since 2005. A member of the Labour Party, she has been a Shadow Minister for International Trade since 2021. Grif ...
MP and in the
Senedd
The Senedd (; ), officially known as the Welsh Parliament in English and () in Welsh, is the devolved, unicameral legislature of Wales. A democratically elected body, it makes laws for Wales, agrees certain taxes and scrutinises the Welsh Gove ...
by
Lee Waters
Lee Waters (born 12 February 1976) is a Welsh Labour and Co-operative politician serving in the Welsh Government as the Deputy Minister for Climate Change since 2021. He has served as the Member of the Senedd (MS) for Llanelli since 2016 and wa ...
MS, both under the
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. ...
constituency. Both are members of the
Labour party.
The Local Authority for the area is
Carmarthenshire County Council
Carmarthenshire County Council ( cy, Cyngor Sir Gaerfyrddin) is the local authority for the county of Carmarthenshire, Wales. It provides a range of services including education, planning, transport, social services and public safety. The counc ...
and the village's county councillors are Gary Jones and Jacqueline Seward. On a community level Llangennech is run by
Llangennech Community Council
Llangennech (()) is a village and community in the area of Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, Wales, which covers an area of .
It is governed by Llangennech Community Council and Carmarthenshire County Council. Llangennech is also the name of the coun ...
. It currently seats 12 councillors. Meetings are held in the community centre and Bryn hall.
Transport
![Passenger shelters and electronic displays, Llangennech railway station (geograph 4632084)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ae/Passenger_shelters_and_electronic_displays%2C_Llangennech_railway_station_%28geograph_4632084%29.jpg)
Llangennech is served by the
Heart of Wales line
The Heart of Wales line ( cy, Llinell Calon Cymru) is a railway line running from Craven Arms in Shropshire to Llanelli in southwest Wales. It serves a number of rural centres, including the nineteenth-century spa towns Llandrindod Wells, Llanga ...
, with trains both beginning and terminating in
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 ...
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 ...
. The
franchise
Franchise may refer to:
Business and law
* Franchising, a business method that involves licensing of trademarks and methods of doing business to franchisees
* Franchise, a privilege to operate a type of business such as a cable television p ...
for the line is currently run by
Transport for Wales (TfW).
Derailment Incident
On the 26th of August 2020, ten tankers derailed near the village and spilled around 446,000 litres of fuel. The area of the spillage included a site of special scientific interest (SSSI) and a
special area of conservation (SAC). The incident caused major damage to these environments.
Education
![Llangennech Junior School](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b0/Llangennech_Junior_School.jpg)
Ysgol Gymraeg Llangennech is the only school in the village. As of 2021, there were 420 pupils on roll at the school. In 2017, Carmarthenshire County Council voted 38-20 in favour of somewhat controversial plans for the school to switch from dual stream education to an exclusively Welsh-medium education.
The school historically feeds into
Ysgol Gyfun y Strade and
Bryngwyn Comprehensive School
Bryngwyn Comprehensive School is a secondary school located in Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, Wales. The school has received excellent overall GCSE marks with the majority of the students achieving a A* - C grade.
Notable pupils include Scarlets and ...
for
secondary education
Secondary education or post-primary education covers two phases on the International Standard Classification of Education scale. Level 2 or lower secondary education (less commonly junior secondary education) is considered the second and final pha ...
.
Sports
In late 2018, the
Llangennech and Bryn Sports Association (LBSA) was formed. It is a charitable organisation focused on promoting sports in the villages of Llangennech and Bryn, and lobbying for better sporting facilities.
Rugby
![Llangennech Recreation Ground](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/46/Llangennech_Recreation_Ground.jpg)
The village's rugby team is
Llangennech RFC
Llangennech Rugby Football Club are a Welsh rugby union club based in Llangennech in Carmarthenshire, Wales. Llangennech RFC is a member of the Welsh Rugby Union.
Llangennech Rugby Football Club was established in 1885, when enthusiasm for the ...
. There are a range of age groups able to play, and the main team play in the WRU Division One West league. Notable players include the bodybuilder
Flex Lewis
James "Flex" Lewis (born 15 November 1983) is a former Welsh bodybuilder and has won 7 consecutive 212 Mr. Olympia titles.
On 12 May 2022 he announced his retirement from competitive bodybuilding. He lives in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Early life
Lew ...
.
Football
The village is represented in football by Llangennech AFC.
Cricket
Llangennech Cricket Club was founded in 1881. It has three senior sides, all playing in the South Wales Cricket Association's leagues. In 2019 the club won both the All Wales Sport midweek league and cup.
Bowls
There is a bowling green in the village used by the Llangennech & Bryn bowls club.
Notable residents
*
Eileen Beasley
Eileen Beasley (4 April 1921 – 12 August 2012) was a Welsh teacher who, along with her husband Trefor, conducted a campaign of civil disobedience in the 1950s against the Rural District Council of Llanelli in a demand for council rate bills ...
, Welsh language campaigner, lived here during her and her husband's campaign for Welsh language tax bills
*
Harry Jones, cricketer
*
Huw Edwards
Huw Edwards (; born 18 August 1961) is a Welsh journalist, presenter, and newsreader. Edwards presents ''BBC News at Ten'', the corporation's flagship news broadcast.
Edwards also presents BBC coverage of state events, international events, th ...
,
BBC News
BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broadca ...
presenter, lived in the village during his youth
*
Hywel Teifi Edwards
Hywel Teifi Edwards (15 October 1934 – 4 January 2010) was a Welsh academic and historian, a prominent Welsh nationalist, a broadcaster and an author in the Welsh language. He was the father of the BBC journalist Huw Edwards.
...
, Welsh historian, lecturer and author, lived in the village
*
Rhys Gabe
Rhys Thomas "Rusty" Gabe (22 June 1880 – 15 September 1967) born as Rees Thomas Gape,Jenkins (1991), pg 60. was a Welsh rugby union player who played club rugby for Llanelli, London Welsh and Cardiff and gained 24 caps for Wales, mainly as a c ...
, Welsh international
rugby
Rugby may refer to:
Sport
* Rugby football in many forms:
** Rugby league: 13 players per side
*** Masters Rugby League
*** Mod league
*** Rugby league nines
*** Rugby league sevens
*** Touch (sport)
*** Wheelchair rugby league
** Rugby union: 1 ...
player was born in Llangennech
*
Tristan Garel Jones
William Armand Thomas Tristan Garel-Jones, Baron Garel-Jones, PC (28 February 1941 – 23 March 2020) was a British politician. A member of the Conservative Party, he served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Watford from 1979 to 1997, befo ...
,
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...
politician who served as
MP for Watford and later became a
life peer
In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. In modern times, life peerages, always created at the rank of baron, are created under the Life Peerages ...
. The family moved to Llangennech's Bridge Street when his father was posted to India during the Second World War. Jones attended the Welsh speaking village school. They lived above their uncle's newsagent shop.
References
Further reading
*
*
*
External links
Llangennech Community CouncilCarmarthenshire County Council
{{authority control
Villages in Carmarthenshire
Communities in Carmarthenshire
Carmarthenshire electoral wards
Llanelli