Place:Lampeter, Cardiganshire, Wales

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source: Family History Library Catalog

the text in this section is based on an article in Wikipedia

Lampeter (Welsh: Llanbedr Pont Steffan or, more informally, Llambed) is a town now in Ceredigion, Wales; before 1974 it was in the historic county of Cardiganshire. It lies at the confluence of the River Teifi and the Afon Dulas. It is the third largest urban area in Ceredigion after Aberystwyth and Cardigan. At the 2001 UK census, the population was 2,894, increasing to 2,970 at the 2011 census.

While part of Cardiganshire, Lampeter was a municipal borough. Between 1894 and 1934 it was surrounded by Lampeter Rural District. In 1934 the rural district became part of Aberaeron Rural District. The less built-up area of the town to the north and west was divided off from the town itself and given the name Lampeter Rural (parish) and was placed in the rural district rather than in the municipal borough.

The original parish of Lampeter included the chapelries of Capel Ffynnon Fair, Pentre Bach, and St. Thomas's Chapel, and Trefgoed township.

History

the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

The Norman castle of Pont Steffan ("Stephen's bridge" in English) occupying a strategic position beside the River Teifi was destroyed in 1187 after it had been conquered by Owain Gwynedd. The remains of the castle later became the foundations for C. R. Cockerell's college building and still form part of the university campus.

Cardiganshire was one of the royal counties established by Edward I after the defeat of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd (Llywelyn Ein Llyw Olaf) at Cilmeri in 1282, when Lampeter fell under direct Royal Control. This, however, had little effect on the town and the Welsh language and culture continued to thrive. The first Borough Charter was granted in 1284 to Rhys ap Meredydd who was given the right to hold a weekly market. As many as eight fairs were also held each year under successive charters. One of these was the Dalis Horse Fair.

The town was ruled by a local aristocracy who lived in elegant mansions, including Brynhywel, Maesyfelin and the Lloyd baronets of Peterwell. As magistrates, they handed out the severest of penalties to offenders. The fairs and markets had become rowdy occasions characterised by violence and drunkenness and the stocks and whipping post in front of Lampeter Town Hall were frequently put to use in the 18th century.^[1]

The town developed the crafts, services and industries to cater to the needs of the rural area. There were several woollen mills, one of which in the mid-18th century was already producing the complex double-woven tapestry cloth later to become associated with the Welsh woollen industry. There were also blacksmiths, a leather tannery, carpenters, saddlers, bootmakers and hatters. The town was one of the main centres on the Welsh drovers' road for the dispatch of cattle and sheep on foot to the markets in England. A large number of inns point to the town's importance as a rural centre.

Lampeter's war memorial, sculpted by Sir William Goscombe John (1860–1952), was unveiled in September 1921.

Research Tips

• A 1900 Ordnance Survey map of the historic county of Cardiganshire is available on the A Vision of Britain through Time website. This shows all the old parishes within their urban and rural districts. Large farms and estates are also marked.
• Ceredigion Archives has a website with a list of their holdings, as well as historical notes on places in Cardiganshire.
• Some words in Welsh come up time and time again and you may want to know what they mean or how to pronounce them. For example,
  "Eglwys" is a church and the prefix "Llan" is a parish.
  "w" and "y" are used as vowels in Welsh.
  "Ll" is pronounced either "cl" or "hl" or somewhere in between. "dd" sounds like "th".
  The single letter "Y" is "the" and "Yn" means "in".
  "uwch" means "above"; "isod" is "below" or "under";
  "gwch" is "great", "ychydig" is "little";
  "cwm" is a "valley".

In both Welsh and English all these words are commonly used in place names in the UK. Place names are often hyphenated, or two words are combined into one. Entering your problem phrase into Google Search, including the term "meaning in Welsh", will lead you to Google's quick translation guide. I'm no authority; these are just things I have picked up while building up this gazetteer for WeRelate.