Whitland (

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 ...

: , lit. "Old White House", or ''Hendy-gwyn ar Daf'', "Old White House on the River Tâf", from the medieval ''Ty Gwyn ar Daf'') is both a town and a community in Carmarthenshire, Wales.

Description

The Whitland community is bordered by the communities of: Henllanfallteg; Llanboidy; and Eglwyscummin, all being in Carmarthenshire; and by

Lampeter Velfrey Lampeter Velfrey (Welsh: ''Llanbedr Felfre'') is a community and parish in the county of Pembrokeshire, Wales, which lies 68.0 miles (109.4 km) from Cardiff and 196.0 miles (315.4 km) from London. In 2011 the population of the parish was ...

and Llanddewi Velfrey in

Pembrokeshire Pembrokeshire ( ; cy, Sir Benfro ) is a Local government in Wales#Principal areas, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. It is bordered by Carmarthenshire to the east, Ceredigion to the northeast, and the rest by sea. The count ...

. According to the 2011 census the population was 1,792. Despite losing its dairy and remaining high street bank, Whitland has an estimated 125 small businesses as well as Whitland Engineering, which services the dairy industry and in 2019 employed 90 people.

History

Traditionally, Whitland is seen as the site of an assembly of lawyers and churchmen, sometimes described as the first

parliament, called in 930 by King Hywel Dda to codify the native Welsh laws. Whitland takes its name from its medieval

Cistercian The Cistercians, () officially the Order of Cistercians ( la, (Sacer) Ordo Cisterciensis, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint ...

abbey. The monastery pre-dates Tintern but now is very much a ruin. The "white land" of the name ( Latin: ''Albalanda'') may refer to the famous Ty Gwyn ( English: ''White House'') where Hywel's parliament met, to the monks' unstained woollen cloaks, or to the abbey's limestone. Whitland was dissolved during

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 conversion to a reformed church. Much of its limestone was taken and used for other buildings. The limestone itself may have been from quarries in the Cotswolds as there is no quarry of this ' White' stone in the area. The country setting of the ruin and the Abbey's layout can still be viewed just north of the A40 roundabout and turning immediately left. Whitland has had a strong milk industry and, when the railway arrived in the 19th century, exported milk to London. Its dairy, run by Dairy Crest, eventually closed in 1994 with the loss of 100 jobs.

Hywel Dda Centre

The Hywel Dda Interpretive Centre is a publicly funded culture centre. It has a garden using reclaimed stone. Hywel Dda is considered one of the most accomplished of Welsh rulers, minting his own coins, codifying the traditional Welsh Laws, and using his diplomacy to secure Wales at a particularly turbulent period.

Governance

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 ...

of the same name exists including the Henllanfallteg community with a total population of 2,272. The ward elects one county councillor to Carmarthenshire County Council.Carmarthenshire County Council Election Results 1995-2012
The Election Centre (

Plymouth University The University of Plymouth is a public research university based predominantly in Plymouth, England, where the main campus is located, but the university has campuses and affiliated colleges across South West England. With students, it is the ...

). Retrieved 29 July 2020. Whitland also has a town council, consisting of elected or co-opted town councillors. The town council elects a mayor annually, who acts as chair of the council.

Railway

Whitland railway station , symbol_location = gb , symbol = rail , image = Through Whitland railway station (geograph 4487831).jpg , caption = The station as seen from footbridge (2015) , borough = Whitland, Car ...

is at the junction of the South Wales Main Line with two branch lines:

Pembroke Dock Pembroke Dock ( cy, Doc Penfro) is a town and a community in Pembrokeshire, South West Wales, northwest of Pembroke on the banks of the River Cleddau. Originally Paterchurch, a small fishing village, Pembroke Dock town expanded rapidly following ...

, and Cardigan. The latter was closed as a result of the Beeching cuts in the early 1960s.

Education

There are two schools: the primary school is Ysgol Llys Hywel; the secondary is

Dyffryn Taf Dyffryn Taf is the name of a Comprehensive School with both English and Welsh classes in Whitland, Carmarthenshire, Wales, United Kingdom. History Dyffryn Taf was founded in 1896 as a small grammar school, Whitland Grammar School. It change ...

. Whitland has many local sporting teams including Rugby union, football (soccer),

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 striki ...

, short and long mat

bowls Bowls, also known as lawn bowls or lawn bowling, is a sport in which the objective is to roll biased balls so that they stop close to a smaller ball called a "jack" or "kitty". It is played on a bowling green, which may be flat (for "flat-gre ...

, darts and billiards.

Notable people

William Mathias William James Mathias CBE (1 November 1934 – 29 July 1992) was a Welsh composer noted for choral works. Biography Mathias was born in Whitland, Carmarthenshire. A child prodigy, he started playing the piano at the age of three and began co ...

(1934–1992), composer, was born in Whitland.

References

External links

www.geograph.co.uk : photos of Whitland and surrounding area
{{authority control Towns in Carmarthenshire Carmarthenshire electoral wards Communities in Carmarthenshire