Llanblethian

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Llanblethian
Llanblethian near Cowbridge - geograph.org.uk - 932249.jpg
View of Llanblethian looking north towards St John the Baptist Church
Vale of Glamorgan UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Llanblethian
Location within the Vale of Glamorgan
OS grid reference SS986741
Community
Principal area
Preserved county
Country Wales
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town COWBRIDGE
Postcode district CF71
Dialling code 01446
Police South Wales
Fire South Wales
Ambulance Welsh
UK Parliament
Senedd Cymru – Welsh Parliament
List of places
UK
Wales
Vale of Glamorgan
51°27′22″N3°27′36″W / 51.456°N 3.460°W / 51.456; -3.460

Llanblethian (Welsh : Llanfleiddian) is a village in the Vale of Glamorgan in Wales which sits upon the River Thaw. It makes up part of the community of Cowbridge with Llanblethian, which consists of the village itself, the larger market town of Cowbridge and Aberthin.

Contents

Llanblethian first came to prominence as one of the manor lordships created by the Norman lords following the Norman invasion of Wales. It was first ruled by the St. Quentins before being taken over by the Siwards. Under the Norman lordship power in the region shifted from the village to nearby Cowbridge, where manorial affairs were conducted. Llanblethian has several fine large buildings including an early 18th century great house, a 12th-century church dedicated to St John the Baptist and its own castle, a largely ruinous structure but with a fine gatehouse known locally as St Quintins Castle.

Etymology

Llanblethian takes its name from Saint Bleiddian, a contemporary of Germanus of Auxerre (Welsh: Garmon Sant). Llan is Welsh for a clearing, so the village is the 'clearing (around the church of) St Bleddian'. The root of blaidd is a translation of lupus, the wolf. [1] )

History

Evidence of early settlements in the area now known as Llanblethian have been discovered in various locations around the village. To the west of Llanblethian, between Breach and Marlborough farms, tumuli - ancient burial mounds - dating from the Bronze Age have been found. [2] On Llanblethian Hill is the site of Caer Dynnaf, a large Iron Age fort, whose walls and ditches can still be seen. [2]

The Gatehouse of St Quentin's Castle Saint Quentin's castle, Llanblethian - geograph.org.uk - 547195.jpg
The Gatehouse of St Quentin's Castle

Although no reliable accounts exist of life in Glamorgan in the first 150 years of Norman rule it is known the manor of Llanblethian existed as one of the twelve "member lordships", large areas of land that Glamorgan was divided up into by the Norman Lord Robert Fitzhamon. [3] Most of these manors, specifically the hilly valley regions were held by subservient local Welsh rulers, but Llanblethian and its neighbor Talyfan were held by Norman feudatories, [3] including Robert de Wintona, who built the Llanquian Castle. The first lord of Llanblethian manor was Robert St. Quentin, a powerful Norman knight who held lands in Wiltshire, Dorset, Essex and Yorkshire. [4] The St. Quentin family established a fortification within the village. but in 1233 the family was disposed by Richard Siward the lord of Talyfan. [5] With the lordship passing to the de Clare family, an early keep built by the St Quentin family was fortified further with the addition of a gatehouse and curtain wall. [5]

During the medieval period it is recorded that a fulling mill existed in the area, as well as wind or water powered grain mills. [2] An extensive manor stretching far beyond the village boundaries, the local economy was based heavily on agriculture. [2] It was during this period that administrative affairs of the manor began moving towards the nearby settlement of Cowbridge. [6]

By the 18th century, Llanblethian contained a few large houses, but was essentially a collection of farms with the economy supported by craftsmen with some emphasis on the weaving trade. [2] A hundred years later the village had begun attracting wealthy residents, including retired military and naval officers. [2] This still left the majority of the population made up of poorly paid labourers, servants and farm-workers. [2]

View of Llanblethian looking south from St Quintin's Castle View from St Quintins Castle (4823).jpg
View of Llanblethian looking south from St Quintin's Castle

Up until the mid 20th century the majority of employment was local, though with changes in employment patterns in Britain the majority of residents now commute to work outside the village. [7]

Buildings of note

The Great House on Bridge Road. Great House, Cowbridge.JPG
The Great House on Bridge Road.

Footnotes

Notes
    References
    1. Morgan, Thomas (1887). The Place Names of Wales.
    2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Cowbridge Record Society 2001, p. 9.
    3. 1 2 Gunter 1961, p. 84.
    4. Gunter 1961, p. 85.
    5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Newman 1995, p. 372.
    6. Gunter 1961, p. 89.
    7. Cowbridge Record Society 2001, p. 10.
    8. 1 2 3 Newman 1995, p. 371.
    9. Cowbridge Record Society 2001, p. 20.
    10. Cowbridge Record Society 2001, p. 18.
    Primary sources

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