Llandeloy
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Llandeloy | |
|---|---|
 Village green seen from within the churchyard | |
  Llandeloy Location within Pembrokeshire | |
| Principal area | |
| Country | Wales |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Haverfordwest |
| Postcode district | SA62 |
| Police | Dyfed-Powys |
| Fire | Mid and West Wales |
| Ambulance | Welsh |
| UK Parliament | |
| Senedd Cymru – Welsh Parliament | |
Llandeloy (Welsh: Llan-lwy) is a small village and parish in Pembrokeshire, South West Wales. Together with the parishes of Brawdy and Llanreithan, it constitutes the community of Brawdy, which had a census population of 611 in 2001.[1]
Name
There is no firm evidence for the origin of the name of the religious site from which stemmed the present parish. B. G. Charles, in his Place-names of Pembrokeshire says:
The present dedication of this LLAN to St. Teilo is a mistake dating from the time of Browne Willis. It has been suggested that the founder's name may have been TYLWYF, a compound of the honorific TY and Llwyf 'elm trees', but no such name is on record.
Melville Richards in Enwau Tir a Gwlad opts for "...Ty + Llwyf giving Llandylwyf and a contracted Llan-lwy". Some toponymists agree, but Tylwyf is not a recognised saint.[3]
History
Recorded history begins in 1307, but signs of occupation from the Bronze Age and Iron Age indicate a much longer history.[4] The Royal Commission recorded the place name existing as early as 1291.[5]
The parish's population in the early 1800s was 217,[3] in a few scattered settlements.[6] In the 1870s, the area of the parish was 1,843 acres (746 ha), and fairs were held on 1 May (for pigs and stock),[7] 25 June and 1 November. The parish population was around 200 until the 1950s, when it increased by 10 per cent.[8] At least until the end of the 19th century, the village had a pub, the Llandeloy Arms.[5]
In the 20th century, the village expanded with the proximity of RAF Brawdy.[9]
Worship
The parish church of St Teilo, closed since 2002, is in the care of Friends of Friendless Churches[10] and is a Grade II listed building.[11]
There is a Welsh Calvinist Methodist chapel nearby, at Treffynnon.[3]
