Laugharne, Wales - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Laugharne ˈ is a town

Town

A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...

in Carmarthenshire

Carmarthenshire

Carmarthenshire is a unitary authority in the south west of Wales and one of thirteen historic counties. It is the 3rd largest in Wales. Its three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford...

, Wales

Wales

Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...

, lying on the estuary

Estuary

An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....

of the River Tâf

River Tâf

The River Tâf is a river that rises in the Preseli Hills of North Pembrokeshire, West Wales, near the village of Crymych and is around 50 km long....

. It is known for having been the home of Dylan Thomas

Dylan Thomas

Dylan Marlais Thomas was a Welsh poet and writer, Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 11 January 2008. who wrote exclusively in English. In addition to poetry, he wrote short stories and scripts for film and radio, which he often performed himself...

from 1949 until his death in 1953, and is thought to have been an inspiration for the fictional town of Llareggub in Under Milk Wood
Under Milk Wood
Under Milk Wood is a 1954 radio drama by Welsh poet Dylan Thomas, adapted later as a stage play. A movie version, Under Milk Wood directed by Andrew Sinclair, was released during 1972....

. The Township was originally known as Abercorran, but this was changed to Laugharne after the Civil War, in honour of Major-General Rowland Laugharne

Rowland Laugharne

Major General Rowland Laugharne was a soldier in the English Civil War.His family came from St. Brides House, Pembrokeshire, Wales.Major-General Laugharne, Parliament's commander in south Wales during the First Civil War, sided with the insurgents and took command of the rebel army...

, a renowned local army officer, who had commanded a Parliamentarian army, before rebelling in 1648.

History

In the early 12th century, grants of lands were made to Fleming

Flemish people

The Flemings or Flemish are the Dutch-speaking inhabitants of Belgium, where they are mostly found in the northern region of Flanders. They are one of two principal cultural-linguistic groups in Belgium, the other being the French-speaking Walloons...

s by Henry I

Henry I of England

Henry I was the fourth son of William I of England. He succeeded his elder brother William II as King of England in 1100 and defeated his eldest brother, Robert Curthose, to become Duke of Normandy in 1106...

when their country was flooded, and later they were joined by Flemish soldiers banished by Henry II

Henry II of England

Henry II ruled as King of England , Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Count of Nantes, Lord of Ireland and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland and western France. Henry, the great-grandson of William the Conqueror, was the...

. They were weavers and dyers and were such an influence that Welsh

Welsh language

Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...

was hardly ever heard in Laugharne.

A castle

Laugharne Castle

Laugharne Castle is a castle in the town of Laugharne in southern Carmarthenshire, Wales. It is located on the estuary of the River Tâf....

, known originally as the Castle of Abercorran, existed in Laugharne before the Norman Conquest and belonged to the princes of South Wales. Henry II visited it in 1172 on his return from Ireland and made peace with Prince Rhys of Dinefwr

Dinefwr

Dinefwr was a local government district of Dyfed, Wales from 1974 to 1996. It was named after Dinefwr Castle which was the royal capital of the Principality of Deheubarth and one of the three principal royal courts of Wales....

. Through the marriage of Prince Rhys' daughter, the castle passed to Sir Guy de Brian, who had been Lord High Admiral of England. His daughter Elizabeth inherited the castle and married Owen Laugharne of St. Bride's who gave his name to the castle.

Possession passed to the Crown and during the 16th century belonged to Sir John Perrot, returning to the crown after his death. In 1644 the castle was garrisoned for the king and taken for Parliament by Major-General Rowland Laugharne, who subsequently reverted to the king's side. This led Cromwell

Oliver Cromwell

Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....

to lay siege to the castle, burning and leaving it in ruins.

Laugharne is mentioned as being affected by the Bristol Channel floods, 1607

Bristol Channel floods, 1607

The Bristol Channel floods, which occurred on 30 January 1607 , resulted in the drowning of a large number of people and the destruction of a large amount of farmland and livestock...

. It is not known whether this had any long-term effects on the town, but it may have contributed to the silting up of the harbour, which at one time had seen imports of coal and tobacco from the New World.

Laugharne Corporation

Municipal corporation

A municipal corporation is the legal term for a local governing body, including cities, counties, towns, townships, charter townships, villages, and boroughs. Municipal incorporation occurs when such municipalities become self-governing entities under the laws of the state or province in which...

is an almost unique institution, and the last surviving mediæval corporation in the United Kingdom. The Corporation was established in 1291 by Sir Guy de Brian, a Marcher Lord

Marcher Lords

A Marcher Lord was a strong and trusted noble appointed by the King of England to guard the border between England and Wales.A Marcher Lord is the English equivalent of a margrave...

. The Corporation is presided over by the Portreeve

Portreeve

A portreeve, or 'port warden' is a historical British political appointment with a fluctuating role which evolved over time.The origins of the position are in the reign of Edward the Elder, who, in order to ensure that taxes were correctly exacted, forbade the conducting of trades outside of a...

, wearing his traditional chain of gold cockle

Cockle

Cockle may refer to:* Cockle , a group of edible saltwater clams * Lolium temulentum, a tufted grass plant* Berwick cockles, a confectionery from ScotlandCockleshell* The Mark II canoes used in Operation Frankton in 1942...

shells, (one added by each portreeve, with his name and date of tenure on the reverse), the Aldermen, and the body of Burgesses. The title of portreeve is conferred annually, with the Portreeve being sworn in on the first Monday after Michaelmas at the Big Court. The Corporation holds a court-leet half-yearly formerly dealing with criminal cases, and a court-baron every fortnight, dealing with civil suits within the lordship, especially in matters related to land, where administration of the common fields is dealt with. The Laugharne open field system

Open field system

The open field system was the prevalent agricultural system in much of Europe from the Middle Ages to as recently as the 20th century in some places, particularly Russia and Iran. Under this system, each manor or village had several very large fields, farmed in strips by individual families...

is one of only two surviving and still in use today in Britain. The most senior 76 burgesses get a strang of land on Hugden for life, to be used in a form of mediaeval strip farming.

Customs associated with the Corporation include the Common walk (also known as beating the bounds), which occurs on Whit Monday every three years. This event is attended by most of the young and firm local population, their number swelled by many visitors. The local pubs open at approx 5.00 in the morning, and following a liquid breakfast the throng commence a trek of some 25 miles around the boundaries of the Corporation lands. At significant historical landmarks a victim is selected to name the place. If they cannot answer, they are hoisted upside down and ceremonially beaten three times on the rear.

Laugharne Corporation holds extensive historial records.

Laugharne Charter

The famous Charter of Laugharne, which the Corporation was founded by, came about during a tempestuous time in local Welsh history. Henry II (Plantagenet) held a parley with Rhys ap Gruffydd at Laugharne Castle in 1172. After Henry’s death, Rhys seized St. Clears, Llanstephan and Laugharne, and then lost them again to the crown. In 1215 Llewelyn ap Iorwerth (Llewelyn Mawr) Prince of Gwynedd, renewed the offensive for the Welsh and razed the three strongholds to the ground. King John in the last year of his reign (1216) restored Norman authority and granted the Lordship of Laugharne to Gui de Brienne who had espoused the daughter of the Lord Dynefor. It was de Brienne who granted Laugharne its famous Charter, and it was ratified by Edward I, at some time between 1270-1290. The Charter reads;

To all the faithful in Christ, to whom this present writing shall come, Gwydo de Brione, the younger [wishes] eternal salvation in the Lord. Let all of you know that we have granted to our beloved and faithful burgesses of Thalacharn, for us and for our heirs and for our successors, whoever they may be, all the good laws and customs that the burgesses of Carmarthen have up to now used and enjoyed in the time of King John, the grandfather of the Lord Edward I, the son of Henry III, and their predeccessors, Kings of England; preserving the weights and measures that were in the time of Gwydo de Brione, the elder.

We have also granted to the same men a free common in all our northern wood, that is to say, in the whole forest of Coydebech, and all that common pasture in the marsh of Thalacharn which is called Menecors along the marks and boundaries as it is perambulated, and also all that free common from the rivulet which is named Mackorellis on proceeding upwards as far as Greensladeshead, and so towards the east over Eynonsdown by the way that leads to Brangweys, and from there to Corranshead and so upwards to Horilake and from there to the top of Tadhill, and so downwards to Passenant’s Lake and so towards the east to the bounds between Moldhill and that carrucate of land that formerly belonged to Rice, the son of William and downwards to the water of the Taf and so to Heming’s well and from there upwards to Horestone and so to Pensernes and from there downwards to Blindwell and so to Rochcomb and so downwards to the ancient whirlpool of the Taf and from there to Howelscroft and so upwards to the Burch and Mere, and so downwards to the long rock which is near our virgate of Thalacharn.

Also we have granted to the same men one way sixteen feet in which to drive their cattle from the common pasture aforesaid near Passenant’s lake to the water of the Taf.

Also we have granted to the same men one customary acre in length and breadth for digging turfs where they suitably wish to choose in the Turbary near Passenant’s Lake.

We have also granted to our burgesses aforesaid that they themselves for the transgression or forfeiture of their servants may not lose their own chattels and goods found in the hands of the servants or placed aside anywhere by the servants themselves within our land, as far as they will be able to prove that they are their own. And that, if the aforesaid burgesses, or some among them, within our land have died testate or intestate, neither we nor our heirs shall cause their goods to be confiscated so that their heirs do not have the things themselves entirely, as far as it will be established that the aforesaid chattels were those of the said deceased, provided that then knowledge or confidence may be had concerning the aforesaid heirs.

Also we have granted to the same men that no one of them within our land be troubled for the debt of some neighbour, unless he be his debtor or his surety, and that the surety of any one should not be compelled to pay, provided the debtor has wherewith he can pay, and that all off ences committed within their township be corrected according to the judgment of the same people, as has hitherto been accustomed to be done in the borough of Kymarden. We have also granted to the same men, if anyone of them within his township shall have incurred forfeiture towards anyone, he may not be led within the gates of the castle, provided that then he can find good and safe sureties for his standing trial. And that no one of them be compelled to provide his lord, or any bailiff of his, beyond twelve pence, unless he wishes to do it of his own good will, and that no inquisition of affairs of non-burgesses be made by the aforesaid burgesses, but by the freeholders of the country, nor of the burgesses by non-burgesses.

Also we have granted to the same our burgesses that they themselves choose twice in a year two competent burgesses to the office of our Port- reeve, that is to say one in the next hundred-court after the feast of Saint Michael, the other in the next hundred-court after Easter, by the common consent of the same men and not by our authority or that of someone, a bailiff of ours, to hold the hundred-court and to receive the attachments belonging to the hundred and to receive the rent from the township and the toll. And that the said portreeves pay the aforesaid rent and toll to us or to our aforesaid bailiff, appointed for this purpose, within the township of Thalacharn by Tally.

And that they should not have any other duty of buying of exchange, or any other service whatsoever that could harm them within the township or without.

We have also granted to the same men that the aforesaid burgesses be free from every kind of servitude and service of ploughing, harrowing, making hay, reaping, binding corn and of any kind of carting, of repsiring the mill or its pond and from all other kinds of services that could tend to their slavery or their loss within the township and without.

And that they go not to the army except to guard their township, as the burgesses of Kymarden do.

We wish also and grant that, if any one in the open day, in the presence of his neighbours, should buy anything, and afterwards that thing should be ill-spoken of, as if stolen, the buyer lose nothing except then that thing, but it shall he sworn on the oath of his neighbours that he did not know that he had bought that thing from a thief.

And, that this our grant and the confirmation of our present charter for us and for our heirs and for our successors or assigns, whoever they may be, should remain firm and unshaken for ever, we have strengthened this present charter with the impression of our seal, these men being witnesses. Galfrid de Caunville, Patrick de Cadure, William de Caunvill, Thomas de Roche, Roger Corbet, knights. John Laundry, Walter Malenfant, Mared ab Traharn, Thomas Bonegent, clerk, and others.

Customs

The cockle industry was once a significant part of the Laugharne economy, and the well-established pickling

Pickling

Pickling, also known as brining or corning is the process of preserving food by anaerobic fermentation in brine to produce lactic acid, or marinating and storing it in an acid solution, usually vinegar . The resulting food is called a pickle. This procedure gives the food a salty or sour taste...

firm Parsons have their origins in Laugharne. Prior to this, fishing in Carmarthen Bay

Carmarthen Bay

Carmarthen Bay is an inlet of the south Wales coast. The coastline includes famous beaches, including the Pendine Sands and Cefn Sidan sands, and is partially covered by the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park....

was of great importance.

The Laugharne accent is interesting, sounding like a mix of Devon

Devon

Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...

with Carmarthenshire Welsh

Welsh language

Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...

. Many local words and phrases are archaic

Archaism

In language, an archaism is the use of a form of speech or writing that is no longer current. This can either be done deliberately or as part of a specific jargon or formula...

: e.g., "How art thee maid?". Laugharne is at the eastern end of the south Wales Englishry

Landsker Line

The Landsker Line is a term commonly used for the language boundary between the Welsh-speaking and English-speaking areas in southwest Wales. The English-speaking areas, known as Little England beyond Wales, are notable for having been English linguistically and culturally for many centuries...

and only a minority of its inhabitants have ever spoken Welsh. The language boundary lies a few miles north of Laugharne.

Architecturally, Laugharne contains many fine examples of Georgian

Georgian architecture

Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...

townhouse

Townhouse

A townhouse is the term historically used in the United Kingdom, Ireland and in many other countries to describe a residence of a peer or member of the aristocracy in the capital or major city. Most such figures owned one or more country houses in which they lived for much of the year...

s, including "Great House" and Castle House, Laugharne

Castle House, Laugharne

Castle House in Laugharne, Carmarthenshire, Wales, is a Grade II*–listed Georgian mansion. Described by Dylan Thomas as “the best of houses in the best of places”, it is one of many buildings of note in the medieval township....

a 2* Listed building, with a scattering of earlier vernacular

Vernacular architecture

Vernacular architecture is a term used to categorize methods of construction which use locally available resources and traditions to address local needs and circumstances. Vernacular architecture tends to evolve over time to reflect the environmental, cultural and historical context in which it...

cottage

Cottage

__toc__In modern usage, a cottage is usually a modest, often cozy dwelling, typically in a rural or semi-rural location. However there are cottage-style dwellings in cities, and in places such as Canada the term exists with no connotations of size at all...

s.

Attractions in the town include the 12th-century Laugharne Castle

Laugharne Castle

Laugharne Castle is a castle in the town of Laugharne in southern Carmarthenshire, Wales. It is located on the estuary of the River Tâf....

, the town hall and the birdlife of the estuary.

During the Great War, over 300 men and women of Laugharne and her surrounding villages volunteered to fight in His Majesty’s Forces, 54 of these lost their lives. They are buried or commemorated all over the world, from Belgium to India. In World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

a further 20 men were lost from Laugharne. These men, alongside their compatriots from Carmarthenshire are remembered in perpetuity on the website Carmarthenshire War Memorials

The Laugharne Weekend

Each year in the spring, Laugharne hosts a three day arts festival, the Laugharne Weekend.

The festival's was inaugurated in 2007 featuring writers such as Niall Griffiths

Niall Griffiths

Niall Griffiths is an author, who has published six books to date. He has also written travel pieces, restaurant and book reviews, and radio plays...

and Patrick McCabe.

Headline performers since the have included Ray Davies

Ray Davies

Ray Davies, CBE is an English rock musician. He is best known as lead singer and songwriter for the Kinks, which he led with his younger brother, Dave...

, Will Self

Will Self

William Woodard "Will" Self is an English novelist and short story writer. His fictional style is known for being satirical, grotesque, and fantastical. He is a prolific commentator on contemporary British life, with regular appearances on Newsnight and Question Time...

, Howard Marks

Howard Marks

Dennis Howard Marks is a Welsh author and former drug smuggler who achieved notoriety as an international cannabis smuggler through high-profile court cases, supposed connections with groups such as the CIA, the IRA, MI6, and the Mafia, and his eventual conviction at the hands of the American Drug...

and Patti Smith

Patti Smith

Patricia Lee "Patti" Smith is an American singer-songwriter, poet and visual artist, who became a highly influential component of the New York City punk rock movement with her 1975 debut album Horses....

.

Although the town's Millennium Hall was used as the main venue, smaller events were hosted by local venues including Dylan Thomas

Dylan Thomas

's Boathouse.

Notable natives

The first Welsh soldier to win the Victoria Cross during the Great War of 1914-1918, Private William Charles Fuller

William Charles Fuller

William Charles Fuller VC was a Welsh recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.-Early life:...

, VC of the 2nd Battalion, Welsh Regiment, was born at Newbridge Road, Laugharne on 13 March 1884.

The Australian pastoralist and politician Arnold Wienholt

Arnold Wienholt

Arnold Wienholt was an Australian politician. Born in Goomburra, Queensland, he was educated in England at Eton College before returning to Australia as a grazier on the Darling Downs. He served in the military 1899-1902 and 1914–1916, and was a published author...

was born at Laugharne on 22 January 1826. His brother Edward Wienholt, another Australian politician, was also born at Laugharne, on 28 March 1833.

The author and traveller James Augustus St. John

James Augustus St. John

James Augustus St. John , was a British author and traveller. He was born in Laugharne, Carmarthenshire, Wales, the son of Gelly John, shoemaker. He recorded that he received instruction from a local clergyman, eventually mastering the classics, and acquiring proficiency in French, Italian,...

was born at Laugharne on 24 September 1795.

The clergyman and one-time Dean of Gloucester Josiah Tucker

Josiah Tucker

Josiah Tucker , also known as Dean Tucker, was a Welsh churchman, known as an economist and political writer. He was concerned in his works with free trade, Jewish emancipation and American independence...

was born at Laugharne in December 1713.

The one-time director of the Johnson Space Centre George Abbey

George Abbey

George William Samuel Abbey is a former director of the Johnson Space Center and Fellow in Space Policy at the Baker Institute of Rice University.-Biography:Born in Seattle, Washington, Abbey attended Lincoln High School there...

is the son of Bridget Gibby, of Laugharne. Bridget was working in London when she met George's father, Sam Abbey, and the couple married before moving to Seattle, where George was born on 21 August 1932.

Joseph Arthur Hamilton Beresford, Australian naval commander, and hero of the capture of German New Guinea during the Great War, was born at Laugharne in 1861. His son, Arthur Edward Bathurst Beresford, was killed in France during the Great War.

Gary Pearce

Gary Pearce (rugby)

Peter Gary Pearce is a Welsh former director of rugby at Hull RUFC , and dual-code international rugby union and professional rugby league footballer of the 1980s and '90s who at representative level has played rugby union for Wales, and at club level for Laugharne RFC, Bridgend RFC, and Llanelli...

was one of the outstanding outside halves in Wales during the early 1980s, playing for Laugharne, Bridgend, Llanelli and Wales, before turning professional with Hull KR. He was born at Laugharne on 11 November 1960.

Bridget Bevan

Bridget Bevan

Bridget Bevan , also known as Madam Bevan, was a Welsh educationalist and public benefactor...

, known as Madam Bevan, was an educator, who was the main benefactor to the work of Griffith Jones

Griffith Jones (Llanddowror)

Griffith Jones was a minister of the Church of England famous for his work in organising circulating schools in Wales. His name is usually associated with that of Llanddowror, Carmarthenshire....

, the father of the modern schooling system in Wales. She died at Laugharne in 1779.

External links

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