Bettws Cedewain
Encyclopedia
Bettws Cedewain also known as Bettws Cedewen, is a small village
and community
in Powys
, Wales
. It lies in a sheltered valley
on the banks of the Bechan Brook, some 3 miles (5 km) north of Newtown.
A wooden motte-and-bailey
castle
appears to have existed there at one time. The site was also possibly previously used by Roman
soldiers, and an ancient church was founded there by Saint Beuno
in the 6th century.
Bettws Cedewain's church, which was the location of the village's first school
room, contains possibly the only pre-Reformation
memorial brass in the county, dedicated to the Reverend John ap Meredyth for his work in planning and building the tower.
Until 1914, most properties in the village belonged to the Gregynog
estate.
Bettws Hall is a local venue for game bird
shoots.
The first element in the name of the village is from the Middle English
word bedhus, meaning "prayer house", which became betws in Welsh
. Cedewain is the name of the medieval land division, or cantref, in which the village is situated.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
and community
Community (Wales)
A community is a division of land in Wales that forms the lowest-tier of local government in Wales. Welsh communities are analogous to civil parishes in England....
in Powys
Powys
Powys is a local-government county and preserved county in Wales.-Geography:Powys covers the historic counties of Montgomeryshire and Radnorshire, most of Brecknockshire , and a small part of Denbighshire — an area of 5,179 km², making it the largest county in Wales by land area.It is...
, 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...
. It lies in a sheltered valley
Valley
In geology, a valley or dale is a depression with predominant extent in one direction. A very deep river valley may be called a canyon or gorge.The terms U-shaped and V-shaped are descriptive terms of geography to characterize the form of valleys...
on the banks of the Bechan Brook, some 3 miles (5 km) north of Newtown.
A wooden motte-and-bailey
Motte-and-bailey
A motte-and-bailey is a form of castle, with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised earthwork called a motte, accompanied by an enclosed courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade...
castle
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
appears to have existed there at one time. The site was also possibly previously used by Roman
Roman Wales
The history of Wales in the Roman era began in AD 48 with a military invasion by the imperial governor of Roman Britain. The conquest would be completed by 78, and Roman rule would endure until the region was abandoned in 383 AD...
soldiers, and an ancient church was founded there by Saint Beuno
Beuno
Saint Beuno was a 7th-century Welsh holy man and Abbot of Clynnog Fawr in Gwynedd, on the Llŷn peninsula.-Life:Beuno was born in Powys, supposedly at Berriew, the grandson of a prince of that realm. After education and ordination in the monastery of Bangor-on-Dee in north-east Wales, he became an...
in the 6th century.
Bettws Cedewain's church, which was the location of the village's first school
School
A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...
room, contains possibly the only pre-Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
memorial brass in the county, dedicated to the Reverend John ap Meredyth for his work in planning and building the tower.
Until 1914, most properties in the village belonged to the Gregynog
Gregynog
Gregynog is a large country hall in the village of Tregynon, 4 miles northwest of Newtown in Powys, mid-Wales. Various halls have occupied the site since the twelfth century and it was the ancestral home of the Blayneys and the Traceys from the fifteenth century...
estate.
Bettws Hall is a local venue for game bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
shoots.
The first element in the name of the village is from the Middle English
Middle English
Middle English is the stage in the history of the English language during the High and Late Middle Ages, or roughly during the four centuries between the late 11th and the late 15th century....
word bedhus, meaning "prayer house", which became betws in 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...
. Cedewain is the name of the medieval land division, or cantref, in which the village is situated.