Llanybydder

Llanybydder (Welsh pronunciation: [ˌɬanəˈbəðɛr], sometimes formerly spelt Llanybyther) is a market town and community straddling the River Teifi in Carmarthenshire, West Wales. At the 2011 Census, the population of the community was 1,638, an increase from 1,423 at the 2001 Census.

Llanybydder

Eglwys Sant Pedr/St Peter's Church, Llanybydder
Llanybydder
Location within Carmarthenshire
Population1,638 (2011)[1]
OS grid referenceSN523438
Community
  • Llanybydder
Principal area
Ceremonial county
CountryWales
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townLLANYBYDDER
Postcode districtSA40
Dialling code01570
PoliceDyfed-Powys
FireMid and West Wales
AmbulanceWelsh
UK Parliament
Senedd Cymru – Welsh Parliament
  • Carmarthen East and Dinefwr

The name may be a corruption of 'Llanbedr', the church dedicated to St Peter; or of 'Llanybyddair', the church of the Ambuscade.[2]

Llanybydder is located around 5 miles (8 km) southwest of Lampeter and the University of Wales Trinity Saint David. The Mynydd Llanllwni (408 m) and Mynydd Pencarreg (415 m) mountains are respectively located to the south and east of Llanybydder.

History

There is evidence of an Iron Age settlement on the hill that overlooks the town. Highmead, formerly the country mansion Dolau Mawr, built in 1777,[3] was most recently a centre of religious studies for the Muslim faith but is unoccupied as of early 2017.

Llanybydder gained a connection to the national rail network on the Manchester and Milford Railway in 1867; this was originally part of an ill-fated scheme to link Manchester to the deepwater port at Milford Haven. However, financial pressures led the route to be diverted to Aberystwyth, and it remained a cross country route, with passenger services running until flooding severely damaged the line south of Aberystwyth in December 1964. The cost of repairs to a little-used rural line was deemed prohibitive, and although a limited service continued running from Carmarthen to Tregaron for another few months this was the era of the Beeching Axe. The line was closed to passengers in February 1965.

Llanybydder is notable for the horse fairs held there on the last Thursday of each month. These attract dealers and buyers from all parts of the UK and Ireland. The biggest are held in September and October. Of particular interest are the sales of local Welsh cobs.

Governance

An electoral ward in the same name exists. This ward stretches north east to Pencarreg. The total population of the ward at the 2011 Census was 2,807.[4]

The community is bordered by the communities of: Pencarreg; Llansawel; Llanfihangel Rhos-y-Corn; and Llanllwni, all being in Carmarthenshire; and by Llanwenog in Ceredigion.

Local businesses

Dunbia

As of October 2012, Dunbia (Dungannon Meats) was the largest business in Llanybydder, an abattoir, providing around 650 jobs. Dunbia is based in Ireland and supplies meat to several supermarket chains.[5] The Llanybydder depot specialises in Welsh lamb; the business was formerly known as "Oriel Jones" - a family-run business owned by a local farmer. Some 350 migrant workers, mostly Poles but also Slovaks and Czechs, have been employed there,[6] and the presence of the Polish community has been identified as having an impact on the rural community, resulting in a report on substance abuse being commissioned by the Dyfed-Powys Drug Intervention Programme.[7]

At one time there were seven bakeries in the village, and at least ten pubs. As of 2012 only one bakery and three pubs remained. Other businesses include cafes, farmers' co-operatives, a post office, a solicitor's practice, and a hotel in the village square. The National Farmers Union also has a small office in the village.

Highmead Dairies

Highmead Dairies Ltd was a milk processing plant in Llanybydder for nearly 60 years. It processed in excess of 5 million litres a year of fresh milk and operated distribution depots in Aberystwyth and Carmarthen. It had six refrigerated lorries delivering to a total of 50 milkmen throughout West Wales together with Schools, hospitals and other catering establishments.

The business was founded in 1957 by William Davies (1929-2014) of Llanybydder. Davies was from a dairy farming family and saw an opportunity to sell milk locally. Using the family farm, Llygadenwyn, as a base, he started delivering milk to local homes and eventually to other milkmen in the wider locality. The business grew over the years and in the 1960s moved to a building in the centre of Llanybydder to pasteurise the milk. In 1965 the business re-located and was expanded as turnover grew. William Davies's son, Timothy Davies subsequently took over management of the business.

In 2010, the company became part of a consortium campaigning for more milk from local suppliers to be drunk by school pupils. A new recyclable 1/3 pint bottle was designed for supplying local schools.[8]

In 2011, the company was sold to the Tewkesbury-based Cotteswold Dairy.[9]

Sport

The town's rugby union team competes in the SWALEC Division 4 (West). Llanybydder's soccer teams play in Division 1 and (reserves) Division 2 of the Costcutter Ceredigion League.[10]

Notable residents

One of Wales's most important medieval poets, Lewys Glyn Cothi, is thought to have been born in the parish in c.1420.[11]

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References
  1. "Community population 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
  2. Morgan, Thomas (1912). The Place-Names of Wales. Newport: John E. Southall. p. 111.
  3. History and Traditions of the Neighbourhood of Highmead, Transactions and archaeological record, Cardiganshire Antiquarian Society Vol. 1, No. 3 1913, at Welsh Journals Online, National Library of Wales
  4. "Ward population 2011". Retrieved 16 April 2015.
  5. John Mulgrew (7 January 2015). "Tyrone meat firm Dunbia £769m turnover boost after a year of buyouts". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
  6. Short, L.Ploughing the Furrow, Oriel Davis
  7. Kreft, M. B.; Ritchie, F. (2009). "The Polish migrant community in Carmarthenshire: Substance abuse and implications for the criminal justice system. Project Report. Dyfed-Powysdip, Wales" (PDF). University of the West of England. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
  8. "Drive to get pupils drinking local milk". WalesOnline. 19 January 2010. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
  9. "Cwmni teuluol yn dod i ben wedi hanner canrif". Golwg360. 27 September 2011. Retrieved 22 March 2017.
  10. Clubs - Llanybydder at ceredigionleague.co.uk
  11. Lewys Glyn Cothi, National Library of Wales

Surrounding towns
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