Llowes is a small village in the

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 ...

Glasbury Glasbury ( cy, Y Clas-ar-Wy), also known as Glasbury-on-Wye, is a village and community in Powys, Wales. The village lies at an important crossing point on the River Wye, connecting the historic counties of Brecknockshire and Radnorshire, and ...

Powys Powys (; ) is a Local government in Wales#Principal areas, county and Preserved counties of Wales, preserved county in Wales. It is named after the Kingdom of Powys which was a Welsh succession of states, successor state, petty kingdom and princi ...

, Wales. The village has approximately 110 inhabitants (2005). 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 t ...

, some 3 miles (5 km) to the south-east.

History

St. Meilig and St. Meilig's Cross

The parish church is dedicated to St. Meilig, who is said to have founded a monastery in the 6th century at Croesfeilig near the village and to be buried there. Meilig may have been one of the sons of Caw and brother to St.

Gildas Gildas (Breton: ''Gweltaz''; c. 450/500 – c. 570) — also known as Gildas the Wise or ''Gildas Sapiens'' — was a 6th-century British monk best known for his scathing religious polemic ''De Excidio et Conquestu Britanniae'', which recounts ...

. He is mentioned in

Culhwch and Olwen ''Culhwch and Olwen'' ( cy, Culhwch ac Olwen) is a Welsh tale that survives in only two manuscripts about a hero connected with Arthur and his warriors: a complete version in the Red Book of Hergest, c. 1400, and a fragmented version in the Whit ...

as one of the knights in the court of

King Arthur King Arthur ( cy, Brenin Arthur, kw, Arthur Gernow, br, Roue Arzhur) is a legendary king of Britain, and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain. In the earliest traditions, Arthur appears as a ...

. The church was completely rebuilt in 1853, though the base of the tower may be medieval and the iron-banded font is thought to be 12th century. St. Meilig's Cross, which originally stood at its eponymous site (Croesfeilig), was moved in the 12th century to the churchyard, and in 1956 (to prevent further erosion) into the church itself. The cross, carved into a standing stone, is believed to date either to the 6th or 7th century or to the 11th century. Local legend referred to the cross as "Moll Walbee's Stone", claiming it was thrown there by "Moll Walbee" or Maud de St. Valery, the immensely strong and indomitable wife of William de Braose, lord of

castle. Whilst carrying stones in her apron from the quarry at

to rebuild the castle, one fell into her shoe. She pulled it out and angrily threw it over the

River Wye The River Wye (; cy, Afon Gwy ) is the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, fourth-longest river in the UK, stretching some from its source on Plynlimon in mid Wales to the Severn estuary. For much of its length the river forms part of Wal ...

to land in Llowes churchyard.

Notable people

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 ...

(1840–1879), curate of the nearby village of

Clyro Clyro ( cy, Cleirwy) is a village and community in Radnorshire, Powys, Wales, with 781 inhabitants as of the 2011 UK Census. The nearest town is Hay-on-Wye, some to the south-east. History The name of the village is thought to derive from the ...

from 1865 to 1872. Llowes is mentioned several times in his published diaries and a sundial, inscribed in his memory, can be found in the parish churchyard.Barber, Exploring Kilvert Country * Colonel

Richard Garnons Williams Colonel Richard Davies Garnons Williams (15 June 1856 – 27 September 1915) was a British Army officer and Welsh rugby union player who represented , Brecon and Newport. He played in the first Wales international rugby union match in 18 ...

(1856–1915), a British Army officer and Welsh rugby union player who represented Wales, Brecon and Newport.

Notes

External links

www.geograph.co.uk : photos of Llowes and surrounding area
{{authority control Glasbury Villages in Powys