Descriptive Gazetteer Entry for KIDWELLY, or CYDWELE

KIDWELLY, or CYDWELE, a small town, a parish, and a hundred, in Carmarthen. The town stands on the Gwendraeth river, near its influx to Carmarthen bay, and on the Pembrey and Llanelly canal, ¾ of a mile N of the South Wales railway, and 9¾ miles WNW of Llanelly; and is cut into two parts, old and new, which are separated by the river, and united by a bridge. The old town was formerly surrounded by a strong wall, - one of the gates of which became a townhall and prison; and it contains a number of houses which appear to be as old as the times of Edward I. and Edward III. The new town presents a more modern aspect, and has undergone recent improvement. The town dates from at least the time of King John; had then a castle built by a descendant of one of Fitzhamon's paladins; was burned, in 1233, by Llewellyn; received a charter from Henry VI.; became, for some time, a noted seat of cloth manufacture, and also a seat of considerable commerce; suffered much decay during last century, from the sandingup of its harbour, together with a dock made in 1766; is nominally governed by a mayor, twelve aldermen, and twelve councillors; and has a head post office, † a railway station, a chief inn, ruins of the ancient castle, a church, three dissenting chapels, and a national school. The castle was built, before 1113, by William de Londres; was taken by Griffith ap Rhys, -and again, in 1190, by Rhys ap Griffith; was rebuilt by Griffith, son of Llewellyn; went, through the duchy of Lancaster, to the Crown; was given, by Henry VII., to Sir Rhys ap Thomas; passed to the Vaughan's; belongs now to the Earl of Cawdor; and, though a ruin, is still tolerably complete. A deep moat encircles it; the river passes the E side; a narrow court, within a curved curtain wall, goes round the other three sides; a grand gate house, opening on the site of a barbican, is on the S; a smaller gateway is on the N; three mural towers are on the curtain wall; a quadrangle, with four curtains and four round towers, formed the main building, -but one of the towers has fallen; the great hall and the chapel still present interesting features; and the entire pile has many attractions for antiquaries and artists. The church belonged to a Benedictine priory, founded here in 1130, by Bishop Roger, as a cell to Sherborne abbey; was rebuilt in the time of decorated English architecture; is cruciform, with unusually large nave; has a tower and spire 165 feet high; went into a state of much neglect and mutilation, but was partly restored; and contains a carved piscina, and some mutilated effigies. The town still has some coasting trade, and ranks as a sub port of Llanelly; and its harbour is now quite navigable, and the dock in good repair. A weekly market is held on Friday; and fairs, on 24 May, 1 Aug, and 29 Oct.—The parish contains also Kiffsthy village; is divided into two parts, called Within and Without; and is in Llanelly district. Acres, 5, 170. Rated property, £5, 352. Pop., 1, 652. Houses, 386. The property is much subdivided. Some of the inhabitants are employed in tin works and in very large brickworks. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of St. Davids. Value, £120. Patron, the Lord Chancellor.-The hundred contains also four other parishes. Acres, 38, 176. Pop. in 1851, 7, 517; in 1861, 11, 860. Houses, 2, 495.


(John Marius Wilson, Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (1870-72))

Linked entities:
Feature Description: "a small town, a parish, and a hundred"   (ADL Feature Type: "cities")
Administrative units: Kidwelly CP       Cedweli Hundred       Carmarthenshire AncC
Place names: CYDWELE     |     KIDWELLY     |     KIDWELLY OR CYDWELE
Place: Kidwelly

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