Llanthony (, cy, Llanddewi Nant Honddu ) is a village in the community of

Crucorney Crucorney cy, Crucornau is a community in the county of Monmouthshire, Wales. It is the northernmost community in the county and covers the villages of Llanvihangel Crucorney, Pandy, Cwmyoy and Llanthony amongst others. The Vale of Ewyas compri ...

on the northern edge of

Monmouthshire Monmouthshire ( cy, Sir Fynwy) is a county in the south-east of Wales. The name derives from the historic county of the same name; the modern county covers the eastern three-fifths of the historic county. The largest town is Abergavenny, with ...

South East The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sepa ...

Wales, United Kingdom.

Location

Llanthony is located in the Vale of Ewyas, a deep and long valley with glacial origins within the Black Mountains, Wales, seven miles north of

Abergavenny Abergavenny (; cy, Y Fenni , archaically ''Abergafenni'' meaning "mouth of the River Gavenny") is a market town and community in Monmouthshire, Wales. Abergavenny is promoted as a ''Gateway to Wales''; it is approximately from the border wi ...

and within the eastern section of the Brecon Beacons National Park. The village is on an unclassified road leading northwards from Llanvihangel Crucorney to Hay-on-Wye.

History and amenities

Llanthony Priory is situated here. This dates back to about 1100 when a Norman nobleman Walter de Lacy was inspired by an existing chapel to devote himself to solitary prayer and study. He was joined by others and a church was built on the site in 1108. By 1118, a group of about forty monks from England built the priory of Canons Regular, the first in Wales. It was constantly being raided by the Welsh and was soon in decline, and after

Owain Glyndŵr Owain ap Gruffydd (), commonly known as Owain Glyndŵr or Glyn Dŵr (, anglicised as Owen Glendower), was a Welsh leader, soldier and military commander who led a 15 year long Welsh War of Independence with the aim of ending English rule in Wa ...

's rebellion in the early 15th century, it seems to have become barely functioning. In 1481 it was formally merged with its daughter monastery at Gloucester then was later suppressed by

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

's Dissolution of the Monasteries. The Priory became one of the great medieval buildings in Wales, being built in a mixture of Norman and Gothic architectural styles. It is a Grade I Listed building, being "an important medieval monastic ruin with high quality surviving detail." The area is popular for hillwalking,

pony trekking Trail riding is riding outdoors on trails, bridle paths, and forest roads, but not on roads regularly used by motorised traffic. A trail ride can be of any length, including a long distance, multi-day trip. It originated with horse riding, and ...

, Horseback riding and

mountain biking Mountain biking is a sport of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, usually using specially designed mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and pe ...

. The Offa's Dyke Path passes above on the ridge which forms the border between England and Wales.

Notable residents

The painter and illustrator Reginald "Reg" Gammon (1894–1997) was a hill farmer here for twenty years.

References

External links

Llanthony Priory in the Vale of Ewyas: the landscape impact of a medieval Priory in the Welsh Marches
{{authority control Villages in Monmouthshire Black Mountains, Wales