Tre-Taliesin
Encyclopedia
Tre-Taliesin is a village in Ceredigion
on the A487 road
, 9 miles north of Aberystwyth
, Wales
, and 9 miles south of Machynlleth
. It is in the parish of Llangynfelyn
.
The village is known for the Bedd Taliesin
, a hilltop Bronze Age
tumulus which is traditionally regarded as the site for the grave of the Welsh bard, Taliesin
. A manuscript in the hand of 18th century literary forgerer Iolo Morganwg
claimed he was the son of Saint Henwg of Llanhennock
but this is contrary to every other fact and tradition. It is listed as a Historic Monument It is a round-kerb cairn with a cist about 2m long. The capstone has fallen; the side stone slabs are more or less in their original positions.
The cairn has no proven connection with the historical Taliesin, a 6th century poet esteemed by the poets of medieval Wales as the founder of the Welsh poetic tradition whose surviving work includes praise poems to the rulers of the early Welsh kingdom of Powys and Rheged
, in the Hen Ogledd
(modern northern England/southern Scotland). He became a figure of legend in medieval Wales and his association with Elffin ap Gwyddno, son of the king of the fabled Cantre'r Gwaelod, off the coast of Ceredigion, may account for the monument's name.
The village was established in the 1820s, when a number of houses were built on former common land that had been sold to fund the drainage of Cors Fochno
. The village then further expanded in the 1860s to house the families of miners working in the lead mines in the area. Prior to the building in the 1820s there were only a few scattered houses along the turnpike road, and the settlement was known as 'Tafarn Fach' (Small Tavern) - the story locally was that the new name was chosen as a more respectable one, given the religious sensibilities of the time.
The village includes a chapel (Rehoboth), a primary school (Llangynfelyn) and a community hall (Llanfach).
Ceredigion
Ceredigion is a county and former kingdom in mid-west Wales. As Cardiganshire , it was created in 1282, and was reconstituted as a county under that name in 1996, reverting to Ceredigion a day later...
on the A487 road
A487 road
The A487 is a trunk road in Wales, running up the western side of the country from Haverfordwest in the south to Bangor in the north.It starts at Merlin's Bridge near Haverfordwest, from where it travels north west to St David's, then switches back north east through Fishguard, Cardigan, Aberaeron,...
, 9 miles north of Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth is a historic market town, administrative centre and holiday resort within Ceredigion, Wales. Often colloquially known as Aber, it is located at the confluence of the rivers Ystwyth and Rheidol....
, 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...
, and 9 miles south of Machynlleth
Machynlleth
Machynlleth is a market town in Powys, Wales. It is in the Dyfi Valley at the intersection of the A487 and the A489 roads.Machynlleth was the seat of Owain Glyndŵr's Welsh Parliament in 1404, and as such claims to be the "ancient capital of Wales". However, it has never held any official...
. It is in the parish of Llangynfelyn
Llangynfelyn
Llangynfelyn is a village in Ceredigion on the A487 road. The village is located just north of Tre-Taliesin. As of 2001 it had a population of 601....
.
The village is known for the Bedd Taliesin
Bedd Taliesin
Bedd Taliesin is the legendary grave of the poet Taliesin, located in Ceredigion, Wales. The Bronze Age round cairn is a listed Historic Monument . It is a round-kerb cairn with a cist about 2m long...
, a hilltop Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
tumulus which is traditionally regarded as the site for the grave of the Welsh bard, Taliesin
Taliesin
Taliesin was an early British poet of the post-Roman period whose work has possibly survived in a Middle Welsh manuscript, the Book of Taliesin...
. A manuscript in the hand of 18th century literary forgerer Iolo Morganwg
Iolo Morganwg
Edward Williams, better known by his bardic name Iolo Morganwg , was an influential Welsh antiquarian, poet, collector, and literary forger. He was widely considered a leading collector and expert on medieval Welsh literature in his day, but after his death it was revealed that he had forged a...
claimed he was the son of Saint Henwg of Llanhennock
Llanhennock
- Location :Llanhennock is located two miles north east of Caerleon and five miles south west of Usk.- History and amenities :Llanhennock is situated not far from the River Usk and is also close to Cwmbran .-External links:*...
but this is contrary to every other fact and tradition. It is listed as a Historic Monument It is a round-kerb cairn with a cist about 2m long. The capstone has fallen; the side stone slabs are more or less in their original positions.
The cairn has no proven connection with the historical Taliesin, a 6th century poet esteemed by the poets of medieval Wales as the founder of the Welsh poetic tradition whose surviving work includes praise poems to the rulers of the early Welsh kingdom of Powys and Rheged
Rheged
Rheged is described in poetic sources as one of the kingdoms of the Hen Ogledd , the Brythonic-speaking region of what is now northern England and southern Scotland, during the Early Middle Ages...
, in the Hen Ogledd
Hen Ogledd
Yr Hen Ogledd is a Welsh term used by scholars to refer to those parts of what is now northern England and southern Scotland in the years between 500 and the Viking invasions of c. 800, with particular interest in the Brythonic-speaking peoples who lived there.The term is derived from heroic...
(modern northern England/southern Scotland). He became a figure of legend in medieval Wales and his association with Elffin ap Gwyddno, son of the king of the fabled Cantre'r Gwaelod, off the coast of Ceredigion, may account for the monument's name.
The village was established in the 1820s, when a number of houses were built on former common land that had been sold to fund the drainage of Cors Fochno
Cors Fochno
Cors Fochno is a raised peat mire located near to the village of Borth, in the county of Ceredigion, Wales. Lying on the south side of the Dyfi estuary, it forms a component part of the Dyfi National Nature Reserve. It is the only UNESCO biosphere reserve in Wales...
. The village then further expanded in the 1860s to house the families of miners working in the lead mines in the area. Prior to the building in the 1820s there were only a few scattered houses along the turnpike road, and the settlement was known as 'Tafarn Fach' (Small Tavern) - the story locally was that the new name was chosen as a more respectable one, given the religious sensibilities of the time.
The village includes a chapel (Rehoboth), a primary school (Llangynfelyn) and a community hall (Llanfach).