Ewenny ( cy, Ewenni) is a village and community (parish) on the

River Ewenny The Ewenny River ( cy, Afon Ewenni) is a river in South Wales. For most of its length, it forms the border between the Vale of Glamorgan and Bridgend. It is a major tributary of the River Ogmore, which it joins near its estuary. Course The rive ...

in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales. Over the years the village has grown into the neighbouring village of Corntown to such an extent that there is no longer a clear boundary between the two. The nearest town of significant size is Bridgend, away. Corntown is within the community. In 1987, scenes from the

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...

episode Delta and the Bannermen were filmed in the village.

History

Ewenny Priory

The village grew around the Priory and Church. The

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...

church of

St. Michael Michael (; he, מִיכָאֵל, lit=Who is like El od, translit=Mīḵāʾēl; el, Μιχαήλ, translit=Mikhaḗl; la, Michahel; ar, ميخائيل ، مِيكَالَ ، ميكائيل, translit=Mīkāʾīl, Mīkāl, Mīkhāʾīl), also ...

was built in the 12th century by one of the Norman knights of

Glamorgan , HQ = Cardiff , Government = Glamorgan County Council (1889–1974) , Origin= , Code = GLA , CodeName = Chapman code , Replace = * West Glamorgan * Mid Glamorgan * South Glamorgan , Motto ...

, William de Londres. His son Maurice founded the adjacent Benedictine priory in 1141 when he granted the church to the abbey of

St. Peter ) (Simeon, Simon) , birth_date = , birth_place = Bethsaida, Gaulanitis, Syria, Roman Empire , death_date = Between AD 64–68 , death_place = probably Vatican Hill, Rome, Italia, Roman Empire , parents = John (or Jonah; Jona) , occupation ...

at Gloucester, together with the churches of

St Brides Major St. Brides Major ( cy, Sant-y-brid) is a village within the community also called St Brides Major in the Vale of Glamorgan in Wales. The village is located approximately 1.5 mi from the Glamorgan Heritage Coast. It is connected by bus t ...

, St. Michael at

Colwinston Colwinston (historically sometimes Colwinstone; cy, Tregolwyn) is both a village and a community in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, approximately southeast of the centre of Bridgend and west of the centre of Cardiff. The village is located within ...

and the

manor Manor may refer to: Land ownership *Manorialism or "manor system", the method of land ownership (or "tenure") in parts of medieval Europe, notably England *Lord of the manor, the owner of an agreed area of land (or "manor") under manorialism *Man ...

at Lampha. The priory is widely regarded as one of the finest fortified religious buildings in Britain. Over the centuries the priory has sustained some damage, but nonetheless it is still inhabited by its current owners, the Turbervill family. The priory is not open to the public but the attached Church is still in use today.

Potteries

Records show that the pottery industry has existed in the area since 1427. This is probably because the materials required for the production of pottery are readily available in this area, including a local red earthenware, glaze materials, stone to build the kilns and coal to fire the pots in the kilns. There have been fifteen potteries in the Ewenny area at one time or another, all small family concerns. The village is home to the Ewenny Pottery, founded in 1610 and the oldest working pottery in Wales. The business is run by the descendants of the pottery's original founders, the Jenkins family. The pottery is currently run by Alun Jenkins, son of Thomas Arthur Jenkins.

The Legend of the White Lady

Close to Ewenny Priory is an area of land known as White Lady's meadow and White Lady's Lane. It is said that the area is haunted by the ''

Y Ladi Wen ( en, The White Lady) or ( en, The Woman in White), is an apparition of Welsh mythology, dressed in white, and is most commonly seen at Hollantide and the festival of Calan Gaeaf. Known in Welsh oral tradition, she is evoked to warn children abo ...

'' or the White Lady

ghost A ghost is the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that is believed to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to rea ...

. Few details are available about the ghost, but it is generally believed that she committed some terrible misdeed in the past and now her spirit must roam the earth in penance. There is a similar legend associated with

Ogmore Castle Ogmore Castle ( cy, Castell Ogwr) is a Grade I listed castle ruin located near the village of Ogmore-by-Sea, south of the town of Bridgend in Glamorgan, South Wales. It is situated on the south bank of the River Ewenny and the east bank of the Riv ...

. As these two locations are within a couple of miles of each other it is likely that the legends are related, or inspired by each other.

Other Points of Interest

The nearby Coed-y-Bwl nature reserve, more locally known as the " Daffodil woods" has around a quarter of a million ‘wild’ daffodils. The reserve was established in 1971 and in 1975 received a Prince of Wales trust award. The daffodils were planted in the early 19th century by Mrs Nicholl of Merthyr Mawr. A Roman bridge is situated near the reserve.

Governance

Ewenny has a community council which elects or co-opts eight community councillors. Until 2022 the community was part of the county ward of

Llandow/Ewenny Llandow (between 1995 and 2022 known as Llandow/Ewenny or Llandow and Ewenny), is the name of an electoral ward in the west of the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales. It covers its namesake community of Llandow as well as the neighbouring communities of Col ...

for elections to the Vale of Glamorgan Council. It was transferred to the St Brides Major ward as a result of recommendations from the

Local Democracy and Boundary Commission for Wales The Local Democracy and Boundary Commission for Wales ( cy, Comisiwn Ffiniau a Democratiaeth Leol Cymru) is a Welsh Government sponsored body, responsible for defining borders for local elections and government in Wales. The name of the commission ...

References

Description of the Priory provided by Bridgend County CouncilHistory of the villageEwenny PotteryThe Village website

Images

Priory ExteriorSt. Michael's ChurchThe Village ShopEwenny River

External links

Geograph.co.uk
photos of Ewenny and surrounding area * {{authority control Villages in the Vale of Glamorgan Communities in the Vale of Glamorgan