Llansaint is a village of

farmstead A homestead is an isolated dwelling, especially a farmhouse, and adjacent outbuildings, typically on a large agricultural holding such as a ranch or station. In North America the word "homestead" historically referred to land claimed by a set ...

s and

cottage A cottage, during Feudalism in England, England's feudal period, was the holding by a cottager (known as a Cotter (farmer), cotter or ''bordar'') of a small house with enough garden to feed a family and in return for the cottage, the cottager ...

s in

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. It includes a cluster of 19th century stone-built houses around the church, and is surrounded by farmsteads and modern residential development.

History

Early settlement

On Allt Cunedda, a hill about a mile north of the village, are

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...

burial mound Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and objec ...

s found during an excavation in the 1850s. Findings included a skeleton and remains of an

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 ...

fort. Other evidence of human settlement is inscriptions made into stone walls. The village of Llansaint developed around a cemetery in the 5th and 6th centuries. The holy well of Ffynnonsaint, close to the current location of the Tabor chapel and Jinni Will well in the Cwm valley, indicates an early

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

settlement. The church was built in the 12th century, and a tower was added in the 14th century. Two early Christian monuments of

Ogham Ogham (Modern Irish: ; mga, ogum, ogom, later mga, ogam, label=none ) is an Early Medieval alphabet used primarily to write the early Irish language (in the "orthodox" inscriptions, 4th to 6th centuries AD), and later the Old Irish langua ...

stones are embedded in the south eastern external wall and commemorate two 6th century

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

priests named Cimestle Avicat and Vennestl.

Llansaint

Up until the 17th century Llansaint was known as Halkenchurche meaning church of the saints. In the 18th century Pengay Farm was the seat of Bevan family, prominent supporters of

Methodism 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 br ...

who introduced improved agricultural methods. Although the present house and farm buildings are 18th century, the arched gateway contains a 1760 bell from a wrecked Dutch ship. In 1896 the "Silver band", who won national competitions, was well respected in the community. The band continued until the early 1990s, and yet the musical tradition continues with many former band members and youngsters providing musical entertainment for the community. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Llansaint was one of the villages that took in evacuated children from London and other areas. File:Joiners Arms 02.jpg, All Saints Church Tower File:Joiners Arms 03.jpg, Supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund

Government

Llansaint is governed on a local level by

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 on a community level by St. Ishmael's Community.

Economy

Cockle harvesting

Cockles were harvested for centuries by women to supplement their families' income. Once the cockles were gathered and bagged, they were transported on donkeys to the

Ferryside Ferryside ( cy, Glan-y-fferi) is a village in the community of St Ishmael, Carmarthenshire, Wales. It is south of Carmarthen near the mouth of the River Tywi. Originally a ferry crossing, then becoming a fishing village, it has developed as a ...

railway station, a 2-hour round trip. The arduous work was in addition to the care they gave their families and home. Their husbands worked in the mines, at the brickworks or on the land. Women's harvesting of cockles ended in 1973. In 1900 the author H. C. Tierney wrote: "Llansaint... a place inhabited for generations by a somewhat primitive and exceedingly hardy race of people who live by gathering shellfish, especially cockles. The trade is almost entirely in the hands of the women, often assisted by children. The business seems to pay them remarkably well... there is some truth in the old saying, so well known in St. Ishmael's parish, that 'he who marries a Llansaint woman marries a fortune'."

Current industries

Today the primary industries are cattle and sheep farming, fishing, and tourism. File:Llansaint Donkeys.jpg, Llansaint Donkeys File:Cattle Farming.png, Cattle Farming

Demographics

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 ...

and

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

are spoken in Llansaint.

Religion

The area religious institutions are Christian. Within the foreignry of St Ishmael to the west, a nucleation around Llansaint Church - which occupies a distinct, central location within the village - lies at the focus of a number of roads within a discrete area of former field strips. The Medieval All Saints Church, Llansaint, with a landmark tower, is Grade B listed.

Community services and amenities

Buses run through the village regularly. Children are transported by school bus the Ysgol Y Fro school for their education. To support the villages literary needs, there is a mobile library service that comes to the village every month. Nearby St Ishmael's community magazine is STISH. The village has a camera club and a garden club. A

Women's Institutes The Women's Institute (WI) is a community-based organisation for women in the United Kingdom, Canada, South Africa and New Zealand. The movement was founded in Stoney Creek, Ontario, Canada, by Erland and Janet Lee with Adelaide Hoodless being th ...

(WI] group meets regularly. There is one pub in the village - The King's Arms. Carmarthen Bay Holiday Park is next to the village. There is a former smithy in Llansaint, and two pounds. The Llansaint Carnival is held annually in July in the park next to the village hall.

Notable people

* Gerald Davies, Thomas Gerald Reames Davies CBE (born 7 February 1945 in Llansaint) was a Welsh rugby player, playing for the side between 1966 and 1978.

Gallery

File:Village Pump.jpg, Old Village Pump File:Over Looking Carmarthen Bay.jpg, Over Looking Carmarthen Bay File:Joiners Arms 04.jpg, King's Arms Inn File:Joiners Arms 01.jpg, Joiners Arms (closed 2016)

References

External links

Llansaint Ogham Inscriptions

Llansaint Memories

Mobile library service

STISH magazine
{{authority control Villages in Carmarthenshire