Merthyr Cynog is a

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

and a

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 ...

in the modern county of

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 Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

, in the historic county of

Brecknockshire , image_flag= , HQ= Brecon , Government= Brecknockshire County Council (1889-1974) , Origin= Brycheiniog , Status= , Start= 1535 , End= ...

. The population of the community at the 2011 Census was 245. Church of St Cynog, Merthyr Cynog - geograph

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 peop ...

name signifies the 'shrine of Cynog'. The grade II* listed church, a place of

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...

, is dedicated to Saint Cynog, a son of

Brychan Brycheiniog Brychan Brycheiniog was a legendary 5th-century king of Brycheiniog (Brecknockshire, alternatively Breconshire) in Mid Wales. Life According to Celtic hagiography Brychan was born in Ireland, the son of a Prince Anlach, son of Coronac, and hi ...

. It is situated on the land between the valleys of the Ysgir Fawr and the Ysgir Fach which penetrate northwestwards into the uplands of

Mynydd Epynt Mynydd Epynt () is a former community and upland area in Powys, Wales. The Ministry of Defence controversially evicted the community of Mynydd Epynt in 1940, creating what is now the core of the Sennybridge Training Area (SENTA), the largest mil ...

from the

River Usk The River Usk (; cy, Afon Wysg) rises on the northern slopes of the Black Mountain (''y Mynydd Du''), Wales, in the westernmost part of the Brecon Beacons National Park. Initially forming the boundary between Carmarthenshire and Powys, it fl ...

some miles to the south. The community includes the hamlet of

Upper Chapel Upper Chapel is a Unitarian chapel on Norfolk Street in Sheffield City Centre. It is a member of the General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches, the umbrella organisation for British Unitarians. The Chapel is Grade II listed. ...

which lies a couple of miles to the northeast. To the north and west of Merthyr Cynog is the

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

's extensive Sennybridge Training Area or '

SENTA Senta ( sr-cyrl, Сента, ; Hungarian: ''Zenta'', ; Romanian: ''Zenta'') is a town and municipality located in the North Banat District of the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. It is situated on the bank of the Tisa river in the ge ...

'. In 2013 Merthyr Cynog Community launched a new website. For elections to

Powys County Council Powys County Council ( cy, Cyngor Sir Powys) is the local authority for Powys, one of the administrative areas of Wales. The County Hall is in Llandrindod Wells. History The county of Powys was created on 1 April 1974 under the Local Governme ...

, Merthyr Cynog is part of the

Yscir Yscir (or Ysgir) is a community in the county of Powys, Wales (the historic county of Brecknockshire) and is 35.3 miles (56.7 km) from Cardiff. Cradoc and Aberyscir are villages within the boundary of this community. Also there are the ...

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 ...

Notable people

Mary Elizabeth Phillips Mary Elizabeth "Beth" Phillips (born 1969) is the Chief United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri. Early life and education Phillips was born in Kirksville, Missouri in 1969. She recei ...

, physician, is buried here"Your History: Mary Elizabeth Phillips"
''Local Beacon'' 67(March 2015): 15.

References

Villages in Powys Epynt Burial sites of the Children of Brychan {{Powys-geo-stub