Llantwit Fardre ( cy, Llanilltud Faerdref) is a large village and community (and

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 ...

) situated on the A473, Pontypridd to

Bridgend Bridgend (; cy, Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr or just , meaning "the end of the bridge on the Ogmore") is a town in Bridgend County Borough in Wales, west of Cardiff and east of Swansea. The town is named after the medieval bridge over the River Ogmo ...

, road near the Welsh towns of

Pontypridd () (colloquially: Ponty) is a town and a community in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. Geography comprises the electoral wards of , Hawthorn, Pontypridd Town, 'Rhondda', Rhydyfelin Central/Ilan ( Rhydfelen), Trallwng ( Trallwn) and Treforest (). ...

and

Llantrisant Llantrisant (; " Parish of the Three Saints") is a town in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, within the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan, Wales, lying on the River Ely and the Afon Clun. The three saints of the town's name are ...

. Llantwit Fardre is also the name of the old

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 ...

and the community area that takes in the villages of Llantwit Fardre, Tonteg and Church Village. It is in the county of

Rhondda Cynon Taf Rhondda Cynon Taf (; RCT; also spelt as Rhondda Cynon Taff) is a county borough in the south-east of Wales. It consists of five valleys: the Rhondda Fawr, Rhondda Fach, Cynon, Taff ( Welsh: ''Taf'') and Ely valleys, plus a number of towns and vi ...

. The

Welsh Government , image = , caption = , date_established = , country = Wales , address = , leader_title = First Minister () , appointed = First Minister approved by the Senedd, ceremonially appointed ...

has constructed a bypass to reduce traffic congestion on the A473 road at Tonteg, Church Village and Llantwit Fardre. The Church Village bypass, as it is known, has been built as a single carriageway, with crawler and overtaking lanes around roundabouts, and was opened for traffic in September 2010.

Etymology

It is believed the name Llantwit Fardre is derived from an old

Welsh Language Welsh ( or ) is a Celtic language of the Brittonic subgroup that is native to the Welsh people. Welsh is spoken natively in Wales, by some in England, and in Y Wladfa (the Welsh colony in Chubut Province, Argentina). Historically, it has ...

name meaning The Church of St

Illtud Saint Illtud (also spelled Illtyd, Eltut, and, in Latin, Hildutus), also known as Illtud Farchog or Illtud the Knight, is venerated as the abbot teacher of the divinity school, Bangor Illtyd, located in Llanilltud Fawr (Llantwit Major) in Gla ...

(Llantwit), on the Home Farm of the Prince (Faerdref) and relates to the land surrendered to the prince of the District by his subject to provide him with an income.

Saint In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Catholic, Eastern Ortho ...

Illtud was a 5th-century Celtic priest who built his second church roughly in the area where the present church stands. He was later famed as the Saint of the Five Keys of youth, learning, chivalry, priesthood and knighthood.

History and amenities

The parish has a fairly well preserved 12th century

motte A motte-and-bailey castle is a European fortification with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised area of ground called a motte, accompanied by a walled courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade. Relatively easy to ...

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

with an intact

moat A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that is dug and surrounds a castle, fortification, building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive ...

, called Tomen-Y-Clawdd, which is located in the parish village of Tonteg. Coach company

Edwards Coaches Edwards Coaches is a family-owned coach company based in Llantrisant, near Pontypridd in South Wales. History In 1925 Edwards Coaches was founded by George Edwards. Over recent years, the company has expanded by acquiring several smaller local ...

is based in the town, and was established in 1925. A station called

Llantwit Fardre Llantwit Fardre ( cy, Llanilltud Faerdref) is a large village and community (and electoral ward) situated on the A473, Pontypridd to Bridgend, road near the Welsh towns of Pontypridd and Llantrisant. Llantwit Fardre is also the name of the old ...

(and formerly Llantwit Dyffryn Red Ash Colliery) served the village on the

Llantrisant and Taff Vale Junction Railway The Llantrisant and Taff Vale Junction Railway was a railway company that constructed a standard gauge line in South Wales, connecting Llantrisant and the Taff Vale Railway near Treforest. It ran through thinly populated country, and linked to a ...

Employment

Industrialisation began in Llantwit Fardre in the late 17th century with the introduction of stone quarrying and

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 fro ...

. With the decline of coal mining the local populace tend to commute to work. Between 1959 and 1973 Gilbern cars were manufactured in the village.

Sport

Llantwit Fardre has

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 ...

, association football, cricket and netball clubs. Llantwit Fardre RFC are a

team who play in the WRU Division 1 East Central; Llantwit Fardre AFC are a local football club that have a team playing in the South Wales Amateur Football League.

Local government

Llantwit Fardre is the name of a community ward for Llantwit Fardre Community Council, electing four of the twelve community councillors. Llantwit Fardre Parish Council was originally formed under the 1894 Local Government Act, with the first meeting held on 1 January 1895. It became a

community council A community council is a public representative body in Great Britain. In England they may be statutory parish councils by another name, under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007, or they may be non-statutory bodies. ...

in 1974, after local government re-organisation, when Welsh parish councils were re-titled. The council have the motto, "Goreu arf arf ddysg" (''"The best tools are the tools for learning"''), carved over the entrance to the Carnegie Hall. Llantwit Fardre is also the name of a county ward to

Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council ( cy, Cyngor Bwrdeistref Sirol Rhondda Cynon Taf) is the governing body for Rhondda Cynon Taf, one of the Principal Areas of Wales. The council headquarters are located in the community of Cwm Clydach o ...

, with boundaries matching the community ward, covering Llantwit Fardre village and Efail Isaf. The ward elects two county councillors. On 2 May 2008, Joel James, a British Conservative Party politician became the first Tory councillor to be elected to the county council for the Llantwit Fardre seat.

External links

www.geograph.co.uk : photos of Llantwit Fardre and surrounding area

References

{{authority control Villages in Rhondda Cynon Taf Communities in Rhondda Cynon Taf Wards of Rhondda Cynon Taf