Clyro
Encyclopedia
Clyro is a village 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...
with approximately 600 inhabitants (2005). The nearest town is Hay-on-Wye
Hay-on-Wye
Hay-on-Wye , often described as "the town of books", is a small market town and community in Powys, Wales.-Location:The town lies on the east bank of the River Wye and is within the Brecon Beacons National Park, just north of the Black Mountains...
, some 1.5 miles (2.5 km) to the southeast. The nearest city is Hereford
Hereford
Hereford is a cathedral city, civil parish and county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately east of the border with Wales, southwest of Worcester, and northwest of Gloucester...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, some 23 miles (37 km) to the east.
History
The name of the village is thought to derive from the Welsh for 'clear water'. Though a Roman fort has been excavated within the village, the settlement of Clyro is presumed to be early medieval.The parish church is dedicated to Saint Michael and All Angels and was first recorded in the Valor Ecclesiasticus
Valor Ecclesiasticus
The Valor Ecclesiasticus was a survey of the finances of the church in England, Wales and English controlled parts of Ireland made in 1535 on the orders of Henry VIII....
of 1535. It was, however, almost entirely rebuilt in the 19th century, though the base of the tower is early 15th century.
Clyro Castle was first mentioned in 1397, but may be much earlier. All that now remains is a large motte
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...
. A second motte, called Castle Kinsey and possibly built by Cadwallon ap Madog
Cadwallon ap Madog
Cadwallon ap Madog was the son of Madog ab Idnerth who had died in 1140, while Idnerth was a grandson of Elystan Glodrydd who had died in around 1010 and had founded a dynasty in the Middle Marches of Wales, in the area known as Rhwng Gwy a Hafren .-Prince of Maelienydd:After the death of Madog ab...
in the 12th century, is at Court Evan Gwynne just north of the village. The site is now a Radnorshire Wildlife Trust reserve called Cwm Byddog, also notable for its veteran oak pollards.
John Wesley
John Wesley
John Wesley was a Church of England cleric and Christian theologian. Wesley is largely credited, along with his brother Charles Wesley, as founding the Methodist movement which began when he took to open-air preaching in a similar manner to George Whitefield...
, the founder of Methodism
Methodism
Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother...
, and his supporter John William Fletcher
John William Fletcher
John William Fletcher , English divine, was born at Nyon in Switzerland, his original name being de la Fléchère....
often stayed and preached in Clyro at the house called Pentwyn.
Clyro Court was built by Thomas Mynors Baskerville in 1839. It is said that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Arthur Conan Doyle
Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle DL was a Scottish physician and writer, most noted for his stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes, generally considered a milestone in the field of crime fiction, and for the adventures of Professor Challenger...
was a family friend and visitor, with obvious consequences. Clyro Court Farm is much older, being a former monastic grange with some of the buildings dating back to the 14th century.
Francis Kilvert
Francis KilvertFrancis Kilvert
Robert Francis Kilvert , always known as Francis, or Frank, was born at The Rectory, Hardenhuish Lane, near Chippenham, Wiltshire, to the Rev. Robert Kilvert, Rector of Langley Burrell, Wiltshire, and Thermuthis, daughter of Walter Coleman and Thermuthis Ashe...
was curate of the parish church from 1865 to 1872 and much of his published diaries deal with the people and landscape of Clyro and the surrounding area. This part of Wales, including the villages of Clyro, Capel-y-ffin
Capel-y-ffin
Capel-y-ffin is a hamlet near the English-Welsh border in Powys, Wales, in the Black Mountains within the Brecon Beacons National Park. The nearest town is Hay-on-Wye, some to the north-west.-The Chapel:...
, Llowes
Llowes
Llowes is a small village in Powys, Wales. The village has approximately 110 inhabitants . The nearest town is Hay-on-Wye, some 3 miles to the south-east.-St. Meilig and St. Meilig's Cross:...
, Glasbury
Glasbury
Glasbury , also known as Glasbury-on-Wye, is a village in Powys, Wales which lies at an important crossing point on the River Wye, connecting the former counties of Brecknockshire and Radnorshire. The village is just outside the Brecon Beacons National Park, north of the Black Mountains. The...
, Llanigon
Llanigon
Llanigon is a village in Powys, Wales on the edge of the Brecon Beacons National Park, north of the Black Mountains, Wales. The village has approximately 280 inhabitants . The nearest town is Hay-on-Wye, some 1.5 miles to the east.-History:...
, Painscastle
Painscastle
Painscastle is a castle in Powys in mid Wales and also a village which takes its name from the castle. It lies between Builth and Hay-on-Wye, approximately 3 miles from the Wales-England border today.- Early history:...
, and the town of Hay-on-Wye
Hay-on-Wye
Hay-on-Wye , often described as "the town of books", is a small market town and community in Powys, Wales.-Location:The town lies on the east bank of the River Wye and is within the Brecon Beacons National Park, just north of the Black Mountains...
, as well as Clifford and Whitney-on-Wye
Whitney-on-Wye
Whitney-on-Wye is a village and civil parish in Herefordshire, England, very close to the border with Wales. It is on the A438 road, and on the River Wye. The village is west of Hereford. The church is dedicated to the Saints Peter and Paul.-History:...
in neighbouring Herefordshire, is sometimes referred to as "Kilvert Country". There is a commemorative plaque in Clyro parish church and his former residence, Ashbrook House, is now an art gallery. Many of the buildings mentioned in the diaries are still extant, including the old village school where Kilvert taught, the old vicarage, the New Inn (now a private residence), and The Swan (now the Baskerville Arms).