Llanfynydd Parish Church in 2006

Llanfynydd is a village, parish and community in Carmarthenshire, Wales. The community population at the 2011 census was 499.[1] It lies some 10 miles (16 km) north-east of the county town, Carmarthen. Bordering it are the communities of Llansawel, Talley, Manordeilo and Salem, Llangathen, Llanegwad and Llanfihangel Rhos-y-Corn, all in Carmarthenshire.

Heritage

The Church in Wales parish church is a Grade II* listed building dedicated to St Egwad, a 7th-century bishop in Wales. The tower, probably the earliest part, dates from about 1400. The north aisle was added in the 16th century. The building was restored in 1861, when further windows were added.[2] The only indication of a previous church further up the valley is in the name of a farm: Bryn-Yr-Eglwys ("Hill of the Church").

In 1844 Llanfynydd was a parish of 11,000 acres and 1,358 inhabitants in Cathinog Hundred. By 1929 the population was down to 581.[3]

Worship

Parish registers exist from 1692. The parish also has several chapels.[3]

Education

D. Jones, a local clergyman, established a day school in Llanfynydd in 1738, for 20 children.[3]

The number of pupils at the school had fallen to 11 by September 2013, with a deficit of £50,000, and Carmarthenshire County Council warned that the school would close if numbers fell below 10.[4]

However, in December 2014 the BBC reported that though the school had no pupils, it could not be closed until the county council had held a consultation and a vote on the issue.[5]

Public protest

In July 2004, in protest over plans to erect a wind farm nearby, the residents of Llanfynydd renamed their village Llanhyfryddawellehynafolybarcudprindanfygythiadtrienusyllafnauole ("lovely silent church, ancient place of the rare kite under wretched threat from misplaced blades") for the space of one week.[6]

The name was chosen to reflect villagers' concern that the wind farm would threaten three endangered species of bird (the red kite, the curlew, and the skylark)[7] and to generate publicity for their cause by being longer than the previously longest place name in the UK: that of Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch in Anglesey.

The protest went ahead despite assurances from the local council and from the Spanish-owned developers Gamesa Energy UK (part of Gamesa Corporación Tecnológica) that the single wind turbine planned was intended merely as a test to see how suitable the area might be for wind turbines in the future.

Notable people

  • John Dyer (1699–1757), a painter and Welsh poet who became a priest in the Church of England
  • Thomas Rees (1815–1885), Congregational minister and historian of nonconformity, was born at Pen Pontbren, Llanfynydd; twice elected to chair the Union of Welsh Independents.[8]

References

  1. ↑ "Community population 2011". Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  2. ↑ British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  3. 1 2 3 "GENUKI". Retrieved 4 December 2014.
  4. ↑ "Llanfynydd Primary School could close if just two pupils leave". Carmarthen Journal. 11 September 2013. Retrieved 4 December 2014.
  5. ↑ "Primary with no pupils kept open in Carmarthenshire by 'red tape'". BBC. 3 December 2014. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  6. ↑ BBC News website (Jan. 30, 2007). " Long Winded Village Name Protest". Retrieved on July 19, 2004.
  7. ↑ RSPB listing. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
  8. ↑ Jenkins, R. T. "Rees, Thomas (1815–1885), Independent minister, and historian". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
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