Llanarth is a privately owned estate village and

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, t ...

within a conservation area in the

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 peopl ...

county 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, wit ...

. Llanarth is roughly east 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 wit ...

and west of Raglan. the community includes

Llanvapley Llanvapley ( cy, Llanfable) is a village in the community of Gobion Fawr, in Monmouthshire, south east Wales, United Kingdom. ''Llan'' has replaced the (earlier) ''Eglwys'' (1254). Location Llanvapley is located at . Llanvapley is sited on ...

and Bettws Newydd.

History

One of the earliest mentions of the village is in the ''

Book of Llandaff The Book of Llandaff ( la, Liber Landavensis; cy, Llyfr Llandaf, ', or '), is the chartulary of the cathedral of Llandaff, a 12th-century compilation of documents relating to the history of the diocese of Llandaff in Wales. It is written prima ...

'', written in 1125 CE, where it is rendered with the spelling "Llangarth". The village's name translates as either "church on the ridge of the hill” or possibly “church with a garth (yard)”. Both attest to the presence of a chapel with resident priest (Llan). Settlement within the area potentially dates back to the 6th century CE. ''The Book of Llandaff'' states that the king of Gwent - Iddon son of , gave his mansion of "Llangarth" to

Teilo Saint Teilo ( la, Teliarus or '; br, TeliauWainewright, John. in ''The Catholic Encyclopedia'', Vol. XIV. Robert Appleton Co. (New York), 1912. Accessed 20 July 2013. or '; french: Télo or '; – 9 February ), also known by his ...

, who was the Bishop of Llandaff between 512 and 566. In 880 a Bishop by the name of Nudd was resident within Llanarth. The Church of St Teilo in the village stands on the foundation of an older, previous church. In 1891 this church was restored, and for over a century catered to

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of t ...

worshippers. Just over a century later, in 2013, the church was declared redundant, owing to the unsustainable cost of necessary repairs. The Llanarth estate and its forestry are notable for their numerous

coast redwood ''Sequoia sempervirens'' ()''Sunset Western Garden Book,'' 1995:606–607 is the sole living species of the genus '' Sequoia'' in the cypress family Cupressaceae (formerly treated in Taxodiaceae). Common names include coast redwood, coastal ...

and

giant redwood ''Sequoiadendron giganteum'' (giant sequoia; also known as giant redwood, Sierra redwood, Sierran redwood, California big tree, Wellingtonia or simply big treea nickname also used by John Muir) is the sole living species in the genus ''Sequoiade ...

conifer specimens, which were likely planted in the 19th century following sapling transportation from

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

Facilities

Llanarth is surrounded by farmland and forestry which is managed by the Trustees of Llanarth Estate. Within the estate's forestry and land holdings are designated riding

bridleway A bridle path, also bridleway, equestrian trail, horse riding path, ride, bridle road, or horse trail, is a trail or a thoroughfare that is used by people riding horses, riding on horses. Trails originally created for use by horses often now s ...

s and routes that any

horseback Equestrianism (from Latin , , , 'horseman', 'horse'), commonly known as horse riding (Commonwealth English) or horseback riding (American English), includes the disciplines of riding, driving, and vaulting. This broad description includes the ...

rider may use for a nominal fee. Within the village there is a village hall and sports club with a well-equipped

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by st ...

and football pitch, a sports pavilion and a children's play area. Llanarth has a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

church, the Church of St Mary and St Michael located within the grounds of

Llanarth Court Llanarth Court is a late-18th-century country house with substantial 19th-century alterations in Llanarth, Monmouthshire, Wales. The court was built for the Jones family of Treowen and was subsequently the home of Ivor Herbert, 1st Baron Treowen ...

. Primary education is available in Raglan, about three miles away, and secondary education is available in

Monmouth Monmouth ( , ; cy, Trefynwy meaning "town on the Monnow") is a town and community in Wales. It is situated where the River Monnow joins the River Wye, from the Wales–England border. Monmouth is northeast of Cardiff, and west of London. ...

() is also in the vicinity of Llanarth village. Once a private country house of a branch of the Herbert family and home to

Ivor Herbert, 1st Baron Treowen Major-General Ivor John Caradoc Herbert, 1st Baron Treowen, CB, CMG, KStJ (15 July 1851 – 18 October 1933), known as Sir Ivor Herbert, Bt, between 1907 and 1917, was a British Liberal politician and British Army officer in the Grenadier Gu ...

, then a fee-paying private boys' school, it is now a private hospital.

Notable residents

*Sarah Bill, the mother of Australian prime minister

Alfred Deakin Alfred Deakin (3 August 1856 – 7 October 1919) was an Australian politician who served as the second Prime Minister of Australia. He was a leader of the movement for Federation, which occurred in 1901. During his three terms as prime ministe ...

, was born on a farm in the parish of Llanarth

References

{{Authority control Villages in Monmouthshire