Defynnog, (sometimes found as Devynock in some historical documents), is a small village in the community of Maescar in the historic county of Brecknockshire, Wales, now lying within the unitary authority area of Powys. It lies immediately south of Sennybridge and about ten miles west of Brecon within the Brecon Beacons National Park.
An important place in the past, Defynnog lost much of its importance as Sennybridge became more developed. [1] The village (which has also been referred to historically as 'Devynnock') is located in the Brecon Beacons National Park one mile south of Sennybridge, beside the Afon Senni just south of its confluence with the River Usk and where the A4215 road meets the A4065. [2] The Welsh name signifies the 'territory belonging to Dyfwn'. [3] [4]
To the southwest of the village is "Y Gaer", a small oval hillfort with a sub-rectangular annex standing on a ridge. The ramparts and ditches are covered with bracken. [5]
The local church, dedicated to Saint Cynog, contains an ancient stone with ogham inscriptions and is a grade I listed building. [6] In 1836 a chapel in the parish of Defynnog was dedicated to Saint Callwen. [7]
The churchyard contains several yew trees, of which the largest, the Defynnog Yew has a girth large enough for it to be 1300–3000 years old. An adjacent yew was reported in 2014 to be genetically identical to the largest, leading to conjecture in the popular press that the two trees were remnants of a single 5000-year-old tree; [8] [9] [10] but this conjecture has been disputed on the grounds that layering is a more plausible origin for the adjacent tree. [11] The crown of the largest tree is 60 ft in diameter.
The rectory within the church grounds was once the property of Moses Williams FRS and his inscription is to found on the beams of one of the attics. [1] The property immediately south of the lychgate (Ty Defynnog, Defynnog House) may have been made up of two former cottages. Its cellar contains a stone slab of uncertain purpose. It is a Grade II listed building. [12]
The Sir John Davy School is now a cafe and antiques centre. [13] The Sir John Davy Alms houses are sited close to a former police station and court, later a brass rubbing centre and now a bed and breakfast, complete with police cells. [14]
The Tanners Arms has a long and colourful history. The main building ( now the bar and restaurant ) dates to the early 1800s and was originally three separate cottages, all being homes for the workers at the nearby Tannery. Thomas Jenkins, father of David Jenkins, a defender of Rorke's Drift, was landlord of the Tanners Arms in 1871.
Powys is a county and preserved county in Wales. It borders Gwynedd, Denbighshire, and Wrexham to the north; the English ceremonial counties of Shropshire and Herefordshire to the east; Monmouthshire, Blaenau Gwent, Merthyr Tydfil, Caerphilly, Rhondda Cynon Taf, and Neath Port Talbot to the south; and Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion to the west. The largest settlement is Newtown, and the administrative centre is Llandrindod Wells.
Brecon, archaically known as Brecknock, is a market town in Powys, mid Wales. In 1841, it had a population of 5,701. The population in 2001 was 7,901, increasing to 8,250 at the 2011 census. Historically it was the county town of Brecknockshire (Breconshire); although its role as such was eclipsed with the formation of the County of Powys, it remains an important local centre. Brecon is the third-largest town in Powys, after Newtown and Ystradgynlais. It lies north of the Brecon Beacons mountain range, but is just within the Brecon Beacons National Park.
Until 1974, Brecknockshire, also formerly known as the County of Brecknock, Breconshire, or the County of Brecon, was an administrative county in the south of Wales, later classed as one of the thirteen historic counties of Wales. Named after its county town of Brecon, the county was mountainous and primarily rural.
Llanfoist is a village near Abergavenny, in Monmouthshire, Wales, in the community of Llanfoist Fawr. Llanfoist derives from Ffwyst, an early Christian Welsh saint, although the anglicised version of the church patron is Saint Faith. The population was 1,228 in 2011.
Trecastle is a village in Powys, Wales, situated on the edge of the Brecon Beacons National Park (Welsh: Parc Cenedlaethol Bannau Brycheiniog) and in the community of Llywel. The village has a population of about 200.
Llangynidr is a village, community and electoral ward in Powys, Wales, about 4 miles (6.4 km) west of Crickhowell and 9 miles (14.5 km) south-east of Brecon. The River Usk flows through the village as does the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal. It is in the historic county of Brecknockshire.
Sennybridge is a village in Powys, Wales, in the historic county of Brecknockshire, situated some 42 miles (68 km) from Cardiff and 31 miles (50 km) from Swansea. It lies 9 miles (14 km) west of Brecon on the A40 trunk road to Llandovery, at the point where the Afon Senni flows into the Usk. It is in the community of Maescar.
Llywel is a small village located on the A40, about 4 miles (6.4 km) west of Sennybridge in Brecknockshire, Wales. The Afon Gwydderig runs through the village, not far from its source. Llywel also gives its name to a community. The main settlement in the community is Trecastle. According to the 2001 Census the population of Llywel community is 524, falling to 497 at the 2011 Census.
Mynydd Epynt is a former community and upland area in Powys, Wales.
The Afon Senni is a river in Powys, Wales which rises in the Fforest Fawr section of the Brecon Beacons National Park and flows northwards for 11 kilometres (7 mi) to a confluence with the River Usk at Sennybridge.
Heol Senni is a hamlet in the valley of the Afon Senni just north of the Fforest Fawr section of the Brecon Beacons National Park. It lies within the community of Maescar in the county of Powys, Wales. The Welsh name means the 'road by Senni' and reflects its position near the crossing of the river by the minor road running from the A4067 to the A4215 road. This route was, and to some extent still is, an important link between Brecon and the upper Swansea Valley.
The Afon Ysgir is a river which rises on the southern slopes of Mynydd Epynt in Powys, Wales. The tributaries known as Ysgir Fawr and Ysgir Fechan flow past the hamlets of Pont Rhyd-y-berry and Merthyr Cynog to combine at Pont-faen and continue past the village of Battle to join the River Usk at Aberyscir.
Upper Chapel is a hamlet in the southern part of the county of Powys in mid Wales. It was formerly in the county of Brecknockshire. It lies on the B4520 road from Brecon to Builth Wells, in the valley of the River Honddu. The south-flowing Honddu cuts deeply into the uplands of Mynydd Epynt north of Brecon. To the north and west of Upper Chapel lies the British Army's Sennybridge Training Area.
Merthyr Cynog is a hamlet and a community in the modern county of Powys, Wales, in the historic county of Brecknockshire. The population of the community at the 2021 Census was 245.
The Llangernyw Yew ( ) is an ancient yew in the village of Llangernyw, Conwy, Wales. The tree is fragmented and its core part has been lost, leaving several enormous offshoots. The girth of the tree at the ground level is 10.75 m (35.3 ft).
Cynog son of Brychan, also known as Saint Cynog or Canog, was an early Welsh saint and martyr. His shrine is at Merthyr Cynog in Wales and his feast day is observed on 7 or 9 October. In Ireland he is known as St. Mocheanog
Penderyn is a rural village in the Cynon Valley, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, located near Hirwaun.
Saint Callwen was an early Welsh Christian saint from the Brychan family. There is some doubt about whether she existed. A church was dedicated to her in Defynnog, Brecknockshire.
Glyntawe is a hamlet and parish on the upper reaches of the River Tawe in Powys, Wales, in the community of Tawe-Uchaf. It has always been sparsely populated. Today it attracts tourists for outdoor activities in the Brecon Beacons National Park and for caving.
The Defynnog Yew (SN9253027960) is one of a group of ancient yews in the churchyard of St Cynog's Church, which serves the parish and the village of Defynnog, Powys, Wales. Defynnog is located close to Sennybridge, about ten miles west of Brecon, within the Brecon Beacons National Park.
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